From the open publishing newswire: On Friday night, June 20, a group of about a dozen protesters headed to the restaurant Ten-01, at 1001 NW Couch. The owner of this restaurant (who ironically also owns the veg restaurant Nutshell) had previously told protesters in person that he would take foie gras off the menu and never serve it again - at which point an earlier protest was cancelled, and protesters with signs in hand walked away from the establishment. However, he has once again put it on the menu.

To produce foie gras (fatty liver) ducks and geese are force-fed two to three times per day using metal pipes shoved down their throats. Their throats and esophagus' are scratched and wounded with the insertion and removal of the pipes, sometimes causing mortal infections... Some animals are too sick to even stand. The production of foie gras is banned in many places, including the UK, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, Israel, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Argentina, on grounds of animal cruelty. For more information and video, see http://www.goveg.com/feat/foie/

Managers and employees at Ten-01 taunted us, saying they would never take foie gras off the menu, and that we were only letting potential customers know that foie gras was served there, thus helping their business. However, we saw a number of parties turn away and go elsewhere, once they were shown that foie gras is served at Ten-01. The valet told us that business was slower than usual... At one point an Elmer Fudd looking dude who identified himself as "block security" and was wearing an "official t-shirt" told us that we had to move on.... Fortunately, what remains of the First Amendment dictates that it is legal to peacefully protest. Message to Ten-01: you do not in fact own the public sidewalk.

From the open publishing newswire: I interviewed Clifton in the neighborhood near where he was assaulted on Saturday 6-12-08. He told me on camera how he was assaulted by two assholes coming out of a bar on SE 48 and Belmont street here in Portland Oregon around 7pm at night. This happened as he was waiting for a bus to go to work on an evening shift...the job he lost due to be taken to jail and missing work.

Hear Mr Brooks tell "his version" of how he lost his job due to being on city street in Portland waiting for his bus to go to work and then being jumped by two drunks ... and if thats not enough having the portland police come long and shock the shit out of him and take him off to jail? [ Read More | Video: Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV | joe-anybody.com ]

From the open publishing newswire: Acting in solidarity with the call out for a decentralized day of action on June 21st, an ad hoc group of Portland residents intends to establish a temporary autonomous zone in downtown Portland. The space created by our action intends to

-Challenge the Sit/Lie Ordinance through community power
-Create a conversation surrounding the criminalization of poverty
-Demonstrate that commodified and (para)militarized urban areas can be re-imagined through creative transformations.
-Uphold the demands of the United Poor People (UPP).  http://homelessliberation.wordpress.com/
-Recognize that listening and cooperation requires attention to systematic modes of oppression and privilege related to race, class, gender, and sexual orientation.

From the open publishing newswire: Briana Waters was sentenced to six years in prison and three years probation. She did receive the terrorism enhancement. The judge recommended her to Dublin. Judge denied appeal bond and also the ability to self surrender.

Judge Burgess commented on the over 250 letters he received on Briana's behalf. Neil Fox, Ms. Waters' attorney, argued that the average of both Washington and Oregon cases was one and a half years per arson. Mr. Fox argued for five years with serving one and half suspending three and a half. The prosecution argued for ten years.

Briana Waters spoke eloquently today on her behalf. There were a dozen supporters for Briana Waters in the court room.

From the open publishing newswire: It has been fashionable in the past decades to pretend that normal human sexual and gender variations are instead some sort of voluntary or arbitrary perversion. There have been many studies—talking about science here—that show that human and animal populations have always harbored lesbian, gay and trans behaviors, because group survival requires that sex, identity and pleasure serve more functions than merely reproduction. One consequence of ignoring that science has been a severe degrading of the Army's ability to translate Arabic since the famous firing of so many translators under the Don't Ask Don't Tell era of military aggression against gays. The society is of course generally degraded when one minority or another is oppressed for no reason.

From the open publishing newswire: Corporate media is not going to handle John and Joan Cusack's
film, War, Inc., very well for a few reasons.

1) Don't know how to review satire
2) What to make of a movie that makes fun of THEM
3) Pressure from corporate structure above for reviewers to pan such a movie.
4) Easier to attack something topical than support it.

From the open publishing newswire: Given the state of the world (fuel, transportation, weather, crop loss etc) the single most important act no matter your situation (assuming you aren't in prison or on the tenth floor of a high-rise condo unit) is to grow some food. Basic sustenance is the great equalizer.

This culture [sic] is responsible for a hell of a lot of suffering both domestically and internationally. We are now looking at a global train wreck with famine, disease, resource wars etc. I realize this is not a new situation for many millions around the world but it is going to escalate.

From the open publishing newswire: WHAT: Summer Solstice-Energy Circle for Tre

WHEN: June 20th, Friday @ 5:30PM

WHERE: Top of Mt.Tabor

WHY: This has been a really long road for Tre and he could really use our love, light, and healing energy. Tre is aware this is happening and he will be receiving the energy at 5:45pm. If you cannot make it to Mt. Tabor, please still send him positive energy at 5:45pm wherever you are.

Summer officially begins wuth the Summer Solstice on Friday, June 20 at 4:59pm. Sol + stice derives from a combination of Latin words meaning "sun" + "to stand still." As the days lengthen, the sun rises higher and higher until it seems to stand still in the sky.

As a major celestial event, the Summer Solstice results in the longest day and the shortest night of the year. The Northern Hemisphere celebrates in June, but the people on the Southern half of the earth have their longest summer day in December.

The Summer Solstice represent a new beginning. It is time for purification, and renewal of the self. A time to release the sadness, fears, and pains from your life. It is time to celebrate the joy, warmth, and laughter of summer. A time for purification and renewed energy. A time to celebrate the fullness of life and the power of the sun. A time to heal mother earth, heal yourself, and heal Tre.

*NAMASTE*

~Blessed Be~

From the open publishing newswire: Some patrons of Bluehour restaurant are really rude and aggressive towards protesters, who are chanting and holding signs and talking with people on the sidewalk about he reality of factory farming ducks and geese for "foie gras." Not only did the compassiuonae protesters have to put up with an over tanned man in a tight white tee-shirt questioning their veganism for a drunken hour (especially their shoes, which he thought were made of dead animals, even after the vegan protesters assured him about 10 times that they were vegan), but more people threw water on the protesters. Well, one protester threw water back onto the water throwing Bluehour patron...

From the open publishing newswire: Briana is scheduled to be sentenced June 19 at 9 am at the federal courthouse at 1717 Pacific Ave. in Tacoma. Briana Waters trial began on Monday, February 11, 2008, at 1717 Pacific Ave, Tacoma. The trial ended on March 6 with Brianna being found guilty on two counts of arson. She is scheduled to be sentenced June 19 at 9 am.

The case was built on the word of two informants, Jen Kolar and Lacey Phillabaum. Although, Ms. Waters attorneys, Robert Bloom and Neil Fox, filed a motion that the government concealed important information and created a fraudulent FBI report. The Judge Burgess denied the motion in January.

From the open publishing newswire: Outside Blumenauer's Office Week 48 of continues weeks of pressure to support truth and justice by Demanding Impeachment Hearings for Bush & Cheney. This was filmed on 6-12-08. Outside on the sidewalk of House District 3 in Portland Oregon. This week at the Impeachment Vigil and in this 20 minute Google video there are 3 sections.

1. Joe Walsh - John Bradick - Impeachment Discussion
2. Glen Owen - 911 Truth meeting Discussion
3. Michael Meo - Running for Green Party District 3

From the open publishing newswire: It's easy to look at queer Pride festivals and see the commodification. Every other booth is trying to sell you a rainbow. Smirnoff, Starbucks and Safeway are all over the place along with many many more businesses. However there are lots of other groups involved with Pride. They just don't have as big of logos as the businesses do.

I was walking around the Pride NW festival today at the waterfront park, not really paying attention to the businesses because I didn't have a dollar to give them anyway. However, I did notice the social service and community organizations that were there.

From the open publishing newswire: Hike the Pipe is a Bark event to raise awareness of the threats to old-growth forests and some of our most scenic rivers and hiking trails by the controversial liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and pipelines proposed for Oregon. We invite you, your family and your friends to join us along a segment of the proposed 40-mile pipeline route through Mt. Hood National Forest.

Bark, the watchdog group of Mt. Hood forests, announces Hike the Pipe, an event to raise awareness of the threats to Oregon's old-growth forests, scenic rivers, and hiking trails by the proposed pipeline connecting to liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals on the coast.
Across western Oregon citizens are uniting against building a 210-mile pipeline through public and private lands. Palomar, a subsidiary of Northwest Natural and TransCanada has proposed a pipeline route that crosses over steep slopes and will require miles of new road-building, adding to the 4,000 miles of crumbling roads already threatening Mt. Hood's forests.

A group of trained "groundtruthers" will be surveying the proposed route, including crossing several major creek and riverways.The camp-out site will be near Timothy Lake.

 http://www.bark-out.org