A study in contrasts

In August, I’m going backpacking for four days in the High Sierras, far away from cell phones, the Internet, and the current political madness. Ten days after returning, I leave for New York City for the protests at the Republican National Convention. No one knows yet what will happen during the RNC. No permits have been granted yet for demonstrations. However, if tens (or hundreds) of thousands show up, the authorities will have to allow a demo.

In the High Sierras, the biggest problem is bears looking for food. However, backpackers now use bear canisters protect the food, and bears, being quite smart, have learned they can’t open them so they no longer try. All of which makes the RNC protests considerably less predictable than the High Sierras. Which, of course, is why I must go to New York.

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Sailing toward a storm in China

U.S. maneuvers could spark a war.

Quietly and with minimal coverage in the U.S. press, the Navy announced that from mid-July through August it would hold exercises dubbed Operation Summer Pulse ‘04 in waters off the China coast near Taiwan.

This will be the first time in U.S. naval history that seven of our 12 carrier strike groups deploy in one place at the same time. It will look like the peacetime equivalent of the Normandy landings and may well end in a disaster.

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Who knew????

Via a friend:
 
Interesting story about how dishonest Bill O’Reilly is….

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Bushies flunk the alphabet

From the International Aids Conference

A major debate is scheduled at the conference on the merits of the Bush-backed ABC strategy, which stands for “Abstinence, Being Faithful, Condom Use” — in that order. Critics say promoting condoms should come first.

Carol Bellamy, the executive director of UNICEF said the policy ignores reality.

“ABC is insufficient when it comes to women in general. A: Rape doesn’t respect abstinence; B: their partners are supposed to be but that is increasingly not occurring; and C: condoms are generally in the control of men. So when it comes to women and AIDS, let’s understand the insufficiency of A, B and C,” she said.

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