Well, KLM and Lufthansa just got into the act. Like the U.S.
carriers before them, these European cappers-come-lately have
imposed pay limits to U.S. agents on international travel, $100
roundtrip, $50 one-way. Now I understand what Europeans mean when
they complain about the suffocating American influence over there.
EuroDisney, McDonald's on every corner, now commission caps.
A new U.S. passport was unveiled by the State Department that
incorporates elements designed to prevent fraud, like digitized
image of the passport holder and a distinctive hologram-like film
on the photo page. The department will be implementing a variety of
tests to see how well the new passport prevents fraud, such as
issuing one to a teenage boy and seeing how long it takes him to
wrangle a six-pack out of a misanthropic liquor store proprietor.
(OK, they're not really doing that, but having been that teenage
boy, I can recommend that particular testing method.)