Defiance at the 10th security stop

Security at European airports was hideous as we flew from Algiers to Rome then to Vienna then to Sarajevo 11/1/07. We eventually went through a dozen security stops. We just seemed to spend all day pulling off watches and bracelets, getting wanded, unloading Hawley's laptop and digging out offensive-looking tweezers or containers of too-much liquid shampoo.

The worst of it, as always, are the overbearing and rude security workers barking orders at people. At the 10th stop of the trip a mean little woman in uniform hollered at the travelers in line: "Take out your laptops, put your cellphones in bins, display your boarding pass."

Hawley snapped to attention as she was about to enter the metal detector, held out her boarding pass with both hands at arms length and then pivoted to the right and left displaying it . It was hysterical and our fellow passengers all laughed with us.

Except, that is, for the mean little woman in the uniform who was not so charmed. "Bravissimo," she told Hawley sourly as she wanded her.