Reporting from here

Vienna, Austria.

Yes, Europe is still standing. Thank god. Beautiful, real, and busy.

Good to get out of the insulated self-reflection that is the United States. Good to get away from our stupid politicians and the horror of the BP oil disaster. Good to remember that there is a whole other world out there viewing our political antics with bemusement and confusion.

Good to know that we are not king of the world, top of the line, the one and only. We are just one nation in many on this earth, no better, no worse.

May we start to behave like it.

Just think how this would free up the freeways...

And make the skies much more dangerous....

Terrafugia Transition transforms from car to plane

(tried to post the video, but it's on autoplay and I hate that.)

Blog sprinkles

Don't mess with Saint Ronnie!

When you need a costume quick!

Friday's Hope blogging.

Glen Beck is sure rampages are a logical outcome of liberals being in charge.

Ten times worse than purity balls.

Jim Cramer acted like all other main stream media employees, willingly letting themselves be used for propaganda and manipulation.

Ari on 9/11 happening on Bush's watch: How dare you?

Jupiter's shrinking red spot.

Best car commercial ever.

Parenting your spouse.

Preparing for the end of the economy: plant a garden!

The joys of air travel and luggage juggling.

An awards list that makes you snort with laughter.

For those who travel

Obviously all terrorists are named Johnson, Williams, Jones or Smith

And must go through innumerable security checks. And if cleared, they cannot get a gold star or an ID that clears them, but must go through innumerable security checks forever. Because they must feel the heavy hand of freedom and patriotism crushing down upon them to remind them that 9/11 changed everything.

Via Bryan at Why Now?, Dave Johnson of Seeing The Forest:

I can't check in online anymore, and can't use the machines at the airport. When I finally got through the line to the check-in counter I was told that "Dave Johnson' is "on a list" now.

Fortunately it is someone with a different birthday they are looking for, and I can get a boarding pass after showing my ID. But this is the second time this happened, and it s a major hassle having to wait in the line for the check-in counter. And it will,of course, happen every time I fly from now on. There are probably a LOT of people named Dave Johnson who have to go through this.

Strange how dealing with decades of terrorism in Europe hasn't crushed their citizens though....

But then again, they didn't need the excuse of 9/11 to attack a sovereign country either.