The Sept. 11 attacks in the United States were decried as the death of political satire. But the lull in humor based on the news didn't last long.  Indeed, just two weeks after the planes hit the World Trade Center, the satirical online paper The Onion ran an issue entirely devoted to the attacks and included an interview with a surprised Mohammed Atta  who found himself unexpectedly in hell.

Humor has once again been in short supply following the series of violent terror attacks in London and the Middle East this month. But a new Web site bravely tries to get us to laugh about it. The site, called youblewmeupyoubastard.com , urges readers to send in pictures of themselves which could be then sent to the media in case they are ever killed in a terror attack. Yet what may at first sound macabre, has turned into a hilarious gallery full of people showing terrorists exactly what they think of them. They're certainly far better than the yearbook pictures the media usually get their hands on.

What Do You Know about Europe?

When George W. Bush led the United States and the "coalition of the willing" into war in Iraq, a survey  conducted in 2002 on behalf of National Geographic magazine revealed that only 17 percent of young Americans could find the country they were about to invade on a map. The same survey found that 49 percent of Americans aged 18 to 24 couldn't find New York either. And Europeans didn't do much better. Arch-polemicist, Michael Moore made much of the results: "Shouldn't it be Rule No. 1 that if you're going to invade a country you should at least know where the country is?" he asked while touring to promote his new book.

On a similar note therefore, with the draft European Constitution resoundingly voted down in France and the Netherlands recently, many commentators began to question if the European project was really viable. The people felt "disconnected" from the idea of Europe, and many people knew nothing about the most recent countries to join the European Union, commentators said. Well, one ingenious little game  gives you the chance to put your money where your mouth is. Could you really point out where Macedonia is on a map with only rivers and coastal features to guide you? Could you tell Latvia from Lithuania and then put Estonia in the right place? And while you're at it, check out some sample questions  from National Geographic's survey.

Drought Drying Up South-Western Europe

The drought in south-western Europe this year shows no signs of passing any time soon. Reservoirs are drying up, crops are dying, and across the region, temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) beat down, day after day. Droughts are not uncommon in the region, but this one is thought to be the worst since comprehensive records began, 60 years ago. The European Union is warning of a grain production shortfall  in the order of 28 million tons -- a cut of 10 percent over last year.

The drought comes as a result of very limited precipitation for the past two years and has been exacerbated by a dry winter and spring. Many have suggested that global warming is to blame, but according to an article in today's Guardian, the water shortages also have much to do with an increased demand for water  for private swimming pools, lawns, and golf courses. But whatever the cause, the results have not been pretty. Earlier this week, 14 volunteer firefighters died in Spain  battling a wildfire, and forest fires have also hit Portugal.  France is also suffering and a large swarm of locusts  is descending on crops in some regions.