From the open publishing newswire: On 15/Jul/06, the San Gabriel Mountains Trailbuilders and a group of Boy Scouts worked on the Tototngna Nature Trail in the Angeles National Forest at the Crystal Lake recreation area. This trail is part of a series of hiking trails which have not been open to the public since the 2002 Williams and Curve fires which were followed by heavy rains and extensive flooding. Tototngna is in particularly poor condition since in addition to the fire and flooding damage, the trail was used by a tractor and parts of the trail were fairly hard to distinguish.

As I usually like to do, my single speed bicycle was put into a pickup truck and the crews drove up to the Rincon Fire Station to pick up our tools. From Rincon Station we drove to the barricade gate around mile marker 29.6 (which often imposes a bit of an intelligence test to people who have to figure out what key works with what lock, and has to figure out the mechanics of angular rotation) and from there on up another 9 miles or so to Crystal Lake.

related: July 4'st Week End in the San Gabriel Mountains | National Trails Day of June 3rd, 2006: A Report | Trail work and deer chats and stuff. | Avoiding the Chainsaw Massacre | Trail Building in the San Gabriel Mountains | Cat rescue in the San Gabrial Mountains | Abandoned cats, need help | Environmental Clean up in San Gabriel Mountains | Trail Work in San Gabriel Mountains

From the open publishing newswire: As city dwellers it's often easy to forget the existence or the experience of a calm and serene countryside. As a brief respite from the urban oasis, a beautiful friend of mine spirited us away to the country in an automobile. This kind of excursion, I should point out, was a somewhat regular past-time among folks for a lazy Sunday afternoon. We had the good fortune to take our trip on a weekday when most people are at work.

When asked about our destination, I thought to explore the southwest Metro region of Yamhill county, well known for its vineyards and nurseries. Little did we know, that the area between the towns of Newberg, McMinnville, and Yamhill is ripe with world-class vineyards offering some of the most delectable wines I've ever experienced. As a supporter of local agriculture in general, my intent here is not to trumpet particular wine purveyors, but rather to offer a glimpse of what was a sublime experience, and to suggest that you try a similar one.

Aquelegia comments: If one knew the history of the region portrayed so fondly in the peice, one would not look at the vineyards in Yamhill county so favorably. Those coastal range foothills were some of the best low elevation habitat for old growth forests in the world. [ read the full comment ]

From the open publishing newswire: On Wednesday, July 19th (tomorrow), from 6pm-10pm, the Red and Black Cafe plays host to a long, unforgettable night of radical folk music, with members of the Riotfolk Collective, labor folkies George and Julius, and Portlands own General Strike.

Riotfolkers, Adhamh Roland, Brenna Sahatjian, Mark Gunnery, and Tom Frampton will be doing an acoustic set from 6pm-7:30pm. They are a mutual aid collective of musicians making music to provoke, teach, heal and inspire. George and Julius come from the labor/folk tradition, and have sung for unions, churches, peace and justice groups, bars and coffeehouses, and veterans' and nursing homes since 1999. Julius Margolin, at 89, is a living legend in the New York City labor movement.

General Strike is a band out of Portland, Oregon. Since 1987 they have playing on picket lines, at union rallies and conventions and at other socially progressive gatherings or protests. They are helping to keep alive the spirit of the labor movement, and its music tradition. They sing many of the old Wobbly songs and a few with their own lyrics.

From the open publishing newswire:

every day i have to listen to the bang-bang-bang of the israeli training camp just over the hill in the nearby israeli settlement.....it's non-stop.....training to head into gaza and start shooting palestinians. or the F16s that sometimes whiz overhead....on training missions before they head into lebanon to drop bombs on the heads of civilians.....over 100 killed, and only one of them is a fighter with hezbollah. the rest: men, women and children.....

i doubt that my friends in the USA are able to view this footage that we are watching on the arabic tv stations - they've stopped reporting, even, they don't have to say anything, just hour after hour of video footage of charred childrens' bodies, destroyed bridges, convoys of evacuees (two of which have been hit by Israeli missiles, killing over 30 people who were trying to head north away from the missiles), burning buildings.... [ read more ]

www.imemc.org/ | American In Palestine Blogspot | ElectronicLebanon.net | Hizbollah perspective | Sabbah's Blog [graphic] ||International Middle East Media Center || palestine journal: 19 july || Interview with UN Refugee Agency Head in Gaza 7/19

Random Thoughts on Israel's Merciless Attack on Lebanon

I wonder about the real purpose of Israel's merciless, murderous campaign against Lebanon. I made a tasteless joke at work last week, when this carnage started, that "at least there will be something interesting on TV this weekend". When I arrived home, the evening news said little about what was really going on. It still hasn't even brushed the surface of the sordid story.

Here is the mainstream media's version of the situation: "Hezbollah is doing bad things on orders from Syria or Iran. Therefore, Israel must destroy the entire infrastructure of Lebanon (and plenty of its innocent children, women, men, and animals) without cease." If you pay a little closer attention to the pundits, which is very hard to do, you get: "Syria and Iran must stop Lebanon from doing bad things, or they are next." [ read more ]

related [ The Second American Revolution : Weirdos in High Places | A Cry From Beirut | A Nice Mess Our President Has Made for US | Albert Pike Declares Three World Wars: The Uncanny Long Term Plan of the NWO Carried Out | We need a protest against Israel | Gingrich declares World War Three | ISRAELI LEBENSRAUM: Israel Using DU, Chemical Weapons, and Poison Gas in Eugenics Warfare | Word from Lebanon | Several reasons for peacefully dismantling Israel | Photos from Lebanon You Won't See in the Portland Press | US Supplied Bombs and Missiles Used to Kill Christians In Lebanon | STOP THE U.S.--ISRAELI WAR AGAINST LEBANON AND PALESTINE! | Lebanon crisis: Don't let them fool you - ISRAEL STARTED IT | Address of General Secretary of Hizballah, Hassan Nasrallah (14 July 2006) | Israel launches regional war in Middle East | The Second American Revolution : Washington and Iran | Attention Deficit Americans Are Being Misled to War | Create a Protest! Israel aggression will lead to USA in Iran! | Does Israel bribe and blackmail the United States? | Syria has 72 hours? | The Second American Revolution : Israel and the Religious Right | Hezbollah Saves Lebanon | A Cry From Beirut ]

From the open publishing newswire: If you're for impeaching Bush & Cheney, there are 2 local actions Wednesday.

In the morning at 9:30, it's at City Hall (5th & Madison) to show support for Randall Davis who'll urge the City Council to pass
the resolution to impeach Bush and Cheney.

Wednesday evening (7-9), it's the National Impeachment Teach-In at the lst Unitarian Church (SW 12th between Main & Salmon) downstairs in Fuller Hall.

From the open publishing newswire: On Thursday the 13th of July, according to a story posted on www.bikeportland.org, a local Shock Jock had allegedly made remarks inciting his listeners to do violent acts to cyclist while driving. Sadly, the radio station pulled the Internet archive before we could verify it and now refuses to release it. Several FCC complaints have been lodged.

Today I recorded the show and sent a few emails to the Shock Jock, who goes by the radio name PK because of "security reasons". I have created website of some sound bites that has some chilling remarks and examples of the rage this individual has focused on not only myself but the bicycling community. Even more frightening this show is nationally syndicated.

From the open publishing newswire: Alberta Coop at 15th and Alberta celebrated its fifth anniversary this past weekend with bands, a potluck and founding member recognitions.

The Alberta Coop started as a buyer's cooperative in the late 90's by a group of community minded visionaries who realized NE Portland needed it's own coop. Many of the early members were supporters and members of either Food Front or People's but those stores were too far away. The members started as a buyer's club with the long term vision to open a store in NE Portland.

From the open publishing newswire: The DFA True Brew Coffee House meetup group impeachment flash Monday, July 17, will be at the intersection of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Lombard. We will be waving "Impeach" signs to get the message out. If you want to do something to end the neocon nightmare, here is an opportunity!

Drinking water and sign materials provided. Please take hot weather precautions: hat, comfortable clothing, etc. Persons with hot weather health problems should be certain about weather conditions before attending.

From the open publishing newswire: Your rights to privacy on any level have been taken away and you still think you live in the world's great democracy---You are fooling yourself.

From the time the alarm clock goes off in the morning you, your family, friends, and the rest of the nation are under government scrutiny. When you go to bed, the government knows where you have gone, what you have read, what you have bought and whom you are going to bed with at the end of the day. Your file contains your daily existence just waiting for someone to pull it up and see if you are a "good" citizen of the state.

From the open publishing newswire: July 15 - Ontario Provincial Police have reportedly arrested 17 people at Grassy Narrows in retaliation for Thursday's peaceful blockade of the Trans-Canada Highway near Kenora, Ontario. The blockade by Rainforest Action Network activists and Grassy Narrows First Nations people drew worldwide attention to the decade-long fight to stop clearcut destruction at Grassy Narrows

The latest reports from the camp say more than fifty police officers have cut off all access to and from the camp. Police set up a highway checkpoint yesterday and began arresting native and non-native people involved in Thursday's action.

The barricade on the Trans-Canada Highway Thursday included activists locked down to cement barrels and a Weyerhaueser logging truck, and one who perched at the top of a 10-meter tripod. The protests succeeded in blocking logging trucks from operations in Grassy Narrows for most of the day and evening. Police made no arrests at the time and did not attempt to remove the barricade, which was dismantled voluntarily around 10 pm Thursday.

From the open publishing newswire:

NO G8, REPRESSION IN RUSSIA + GLOBAL SOLI DEMOS As President Putin continues to speak about the improvements of democracy in Russia to the international press, the repression against activists goes on. It's less than a day until the beginning of the summit and already over 200 activists of all stripes and colors and been detained, arrested, intimidated and even beaten. The number of violations against civil and human rights reaches more than hundred. [ read more ]

Anti-G8 Protest Successful in Russia With colorful pink costumes and free food for everyone, anarchists showed their resistance to the G8 in proper fashion, by holding an anti-capitalist carnival in the heart of Moscow. In typical celebratory carnival atmosphere over a hundred SPB8 anti-G8 activists held a bright and picturesque, quick and manoeuvrable action from Yesenin monument in Tverskoi boulevard to Smolenskaya square. Not a single person was been detained. [ read more ]

Russian pre-G8 repression begins This story - as if taken straight out of a detective novel - occurred on July 9-10th in St. Petersburg. Sunday night July 9th, in the northern part of the city two German activists who arrived in the city with the bicycle caravan were arrested on the street to "check their IDs". The German activists have shown passports at once, but they were nonetheless taken to the police station, together with Lyosha from Tyumen who came out to meet them wearing only his slippers. [ read more ]

related: [ Global Social Rights Worldwide! | International Day of Action against Climate Chaos and the G8: Hello Cascadia?!?!? | July 15th No G8 International Day of Action Against Climate Change | Cop Crackdown On the Eve of G8 in Russia | Russia Indymedia G8 Coverage 2006 ]

From the open publishing newswire: I wrote Mitch Greenlick to find out the status of the HOPE Constitutional initiative that would have made access to health care a fundamental right in Oregon. Here is his reply and my commentary.

We'll know in two to four weeks. But it seems pretty unlikely. We would need about 88% valid signatures and that doesn't happen very often.
This inititative would have likely made the ballot with another 5,000 raw signatures. That represents about 200 collective volunteer hours. Had each of us who post and reads Portland Indymedia invested 1 hour (or one additional hour) to gather signatures for this effort we would have made the ballot for sure.

From the open publishing newswire: Desperate for recruits, the US military is lowering standards and turning a blind eye to neo-Nazis joining up. Iraq is not only a training ground for the next generation of Al-Qaida, but the next generation of Timothy McVeigh-style domestic terrorists are getting combat training, combat experience, and even using the military to steal weapons and recruit new members.

"As a professional soldier, my goal is to fill the ranks of the United States Army infantry with skinheads. As street brawlers you will be useless in the coming race war. As trained infantrymen you will join the ranks of the Aryan warrior brotherhood." --Resistance magazine, 1999