Preparations there are massive and were increasing as we went along the last week. Banners are everywhere. So too was an increasing security presence. I'm fine with cops on streets, and I expect them to have guns. Semi-automatic machine guns, on the other hand, I could live without. On the journey back from Tianjin we were stopped twice, the second time with a request for all passports. I think that, because we were flying out soon, it was not a problem for us, but I did wonder about our transportation and host. They seemed surprised but adapted quickly. A machine gun will do that to you.

But the point of this was clear: They'd just as soon not have people coming in to Beijing that might cause any problem for the parades. The flight we came back on today had many Chinese on it, and none were holding a flag.

I should be back to normal posting tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by and being patient while both Janet and I are attending to our work and families.