How are you planning your summertime? Are there nearby venues you’ll explore for the first time, or again? Have you any major expeditions planned? Is there big travel in your future, or little travel? Planning a big vacation or an exploratory stay-cation?

This Saturday’s long urban ramble ended at the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero at 4pm, just in time to join the rally of immigration rights activists planning to march to AT&T Park to protest the Arizona Diamondbacks because of their state’s new “papers please” law.

On Friday night Critical Mass–a loosely organized, nationwide group of bicyclists which advocates for pedalers’ rights–staged a large group bike ride in protest of British Petroleum and the Gulf oil spill, and to celebrate the end of Bike Month in Los Angeles, with a larger than normal turnout for their regular last-Friday-of-month ride.

Israel is threatening to use force to block an international humanitarian aid shipment to Gaza.

Carol Browner, the President’s adviser on environment and climate change, said on Face the Nation that BP’s next effort after “top kill” failed to staunch the gusher could make things even worse, and that we may be facing months of uncontrolled oil/gas gushing into the Gulf.

As we celebrate this holiday in 2010, I’d like to ask folks to pause at some point between the burgers and dogs, beer, brisket, and ribs, and the day off and reflect on the meaning of the holiday. Think about the death this past week of Lt John Finn, 100 years old and the then oldest surviving holder of the Medal of Honor for his actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Think about the 1,000th US casualty in Afghanistan (a “milestone” we crossed this past week), the more than 4,000 US soldiers who have died in Iraq. Think about the millions of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines who have been injured or died in the wars since the Civil War.

[Welcome Professor Michelle Alexander, and Host Paul Street] [As a courtesy to our guests, please keep comments to the book.  Please take other conversations to a previous thread.  - bev] Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the age of Color Blindness Early in her courageous and important book The New Jim Crow: [...]

The Cost of War has hit $1 trillion. Are you getting what you paid for?

This comment, from the President’s press conference on Thursday, still bothers me.

A 22 mile long 6 mile wide plume has a bullseye pointed straight at the west coast of Florida and the Keys, along with the sealife there.