From the open publishing newswire: Tree sitters, blockaders, and the support crew have found their new home near the head waters of Myrtle Creek on O&C land in the White Castle timber sale.

They are defending 77 acres of native never-before-logged forest from Variable Retention Harvest, also known as clear-cutting. As Doug Heiken of Oregon Wild describes "The White Castle project is a cynical attempt to pass off clear-cutting century-old trees as restoration. In reality, the true focus of this project is providing cheap timber to old-growth dependent logging mills at taxpayer expense."

The White Castle timber sale contains lush native and old growth trees punctuated by flowering rhododendrons, trilliums, and wild iris amongst salal and Oregon grape. It is considered habitat for 5 pairs of endangered spotted owls, three fens and rare forest wetlands.

If you want to come out to help build this occupation please contact Cascadia Forest Defenders!

From the open publishing newswire:
Blog post from Turkish protester
http://defnesumanblogs.com/2013/06/01/what-is-happenning-in-istanbul/ To my friends who live outside of Turkey:

I am writing to let you know what is going on in Istanbul for the last five days. I personally have to write this because most of the media sources are shut down by the government and the word of mouth and the internet are the only ways left for us to explain ourselves and call for help and support.

Four days ago a group of people most of whom did not belong to any specific organization or ideology got together in Istanbul's Gezi Park. Among them there were many of my friends and students. Their reason was simple: To prevent and protest the upcoming demolishing of the park for the sake of building yet another shopping mall at very center of the city. There are numerous shopping malls in Istanbul, at least one in every neighborhood! The tearing down of the trees was supposed to begin early Thursday morning. People went to the park with their blankets, books and children. They put their tents down and spent the night under the trees. Early in the morning when the bulldozers started to pull the hundred-year-old trees out of the ground, they stood up against them to stop the operation.

They did nothing other than standing in front of the machines.

No newspaper, no television channel was there to report the protest. It was a complete media black out. [...]

From the open publishing newswire:
UPDATE: NEW BROADCASTS POSTED TO PIMC ON 6/7/13 and 6/14/13

A weekly 30 minute review of international news and opinion, recorded from a shortwave radio and the internet. With times, frequencies, and websites for listening at home. 3 files- Highest quality broadcast, regular broadcast, and slow-modem streaming. Radio Deutsche-Welle, the Voice of Russia, Spanish National Radio, Radio Havana Cuba, and NHK World Radio Japan.

Dear Radio Friend,
The latest Shortwave Report (May 31) is up at the website http://www.outfarpress.com/shortwave.shtml in 3 forms- (new) HIGHEST QUALITY (128kb)(27MB), broadcast quality (16MB), and quickdownload or streaming form (6MB) (28:59) Links at page bottom (If you have access to Audioport there is a highest quality version posted up there {35MB} http://www.audioport.org/index.php?op=producer-info&uid=904&nav=&)

homepage: http://www.outfarpress.com

From the open publishing newswire: Photos and an 11 minute clip from the Portland March Against Monsanto.

March Against Monsanto

Clip features a walk by of the entire march, punctuated by excerpts from an earlier speech by Paul Cienfuegos. Crowd size estimates varied, but I stood in the street and taped the entire march, 11 minutes in length.

In these excerpts from his speech, Cienfuegos relates how the Founding Fathers designed our Constitution to erect and protect the elite and also how our regulatory agencies continue that effort. Our country was designed to suit business and corporations and was not founded as a Democracy.

Photos are from the Rally and March. Portland outdid it's usual creativity with signage. One can glean the immensity of the protest message from these signs alone.

From the open publishing newswire: About 3,000 people took to the streets today in the "March Against Monsanto" as part of a global day of protest in countries around the world. Over 2 million people protested worldwide against Monsanto's rapacious practices to control seeds and produce genetically modified food. Critics of genetically modified food warn of its dangers, including serious health problems, destruction of bees, environment, organic food supplies and seeds. Many people are outraged that the giant corporation is scheming to control the seeds of many plants through patents. Many people are also angry that Congress recently rejected a bill requiring the labelling of genetically modified foods.

For more photos, go to  http://www.flickr.com/photos/joyofresistance/sets/72157633703646042/

From the open publishing newswire: The latest Shortwave Report (May 3) is up at the website http://www.outfarpress.com/shortwave.shtml in 3 forms- (new) HIGHEST QUALITY (128kb)(27MB), broadcast quality (16MB), and quickdownload or streaming form (6MB) (28:59) Links at page bottom (If you have access to Audioport there is a highest quality version posted up there {35MB} http://www.audioport.org/index.php?op=producer-info&uid=904&nav=&)

This week's show features stories from Radio Deutsche-Welle, Radio Havana Cuba, the Voice of Russia, and NHK World Radio Japan. From GERMANY- The Green party in Germany has joined with the Social Democrats, ending 8 years of separation. Unemployment in the EU has reached another record high level. As Italy's new government was being sworn in a man in a gray suit and tie shot 2 policemen. The Arab League called for small land swaps to further a peace deal between Palestine and Israel. Egypt walked out of a round of global nuclear talks in protest of delays in making the Middle East a nuclear weapon free zone. Two reports on May Day activities- first a global roundup, then events in the EU.

From CUBA- May Day saw street events in most of Latin America. A session of the Venezuelan Parliament ended up in fist fights between members over the outcome of the recent Presidential election. Brazil will invest all oil development royalties into the educational system. Bolivia expelled the US Agency for International Development after accusing them of plotting against the government and Bolivian people

From RUSSIA- Venezuela arrested an American filmmaker, accusing him of being an intelligence agent and trying to provoke a civil war. The US federal government has filed a lawsuit against Novartis, a Swiss pharmaceutical manufacturer, for setting up a huge kickback scheme with doctors.

From JAPAN- Labor unions staged May Day rallies across Japan. The experimental fast breeder nuclear reactor in Japan is built on earthquake faults- the operator of the plant has determined that the faults are not active. US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said that the US does not take sides in territorial disputes, but went on to say that the US would defend the islands for Japan in its dispute with China. Japanese self-defense forces will conduct a joint amphibious landing with US forces on the California coast.

From the open publishing newswire: At a time when the debate over climate change is finally gaining post-election traction and hot topics such as fracking and the Keystone XL pipeline have captured public attention, the documentary Bidder 70 is poised to showcase a movement that has steadily gathered force, particularly among millenials, who harbor grave concerns for the increasingly perilous future. The feature-length documentary chronicles how renowned activist Tim DeChristopher's civil disobedience blazed new opportunities for the climate justice movement.
Tim De Cristopher's Peaceful Uprising

On Dec. 19, 2008, University of Utah economics student Tim DeChristopher disrupted a highly disputed Bush administration Bureau of Land Management (BLM) oil and gas lease auction in Salt Lake City. Not content to merely protest outside, DeChristopher entered the auction hall and registered as bidder 70. With no intention of paying for leases starting at $2 per acre, he outbid industry giants on 77 pristine Utah land parcels surrounding American treasures like Canyonlands National Park, and effectively safeguarded from drilling 22,000 acres of land worth $1.7 million, before the auction was halted.

Although incoming Interior Secretary Ken Salazar invalidated the auction two months later, DeChristopher's brave commitment and actions rewarded this remarkably principled young man with two federal felony indictments carrying penalties of up to ten years in prison and $750,000 in fines. Awaiting trial with the threat of prison looming, the 27-year-old environmentalist escalated his activism and evolved into a charismatic and ingenious climate justice leader. He co-founded Peaceful Uprising, a grassroots group dedicated to defending a livable future through empowering non-violent action.

From the open publishing newswire: A weekly 30 minute review of international news and opinion, recorded from a shortwave radio and the internet. With times, frequencies, and websites for listening at home. 3 files- Highest quality broadcast, regular broadcast, and slow-modem streaming. Radio Deutsche-Welle, NHK World Radio Japan, the Voice of Russia, Radio Havana Cuba, and Spanish National Radio.

Dear Radio Friend,
The latest Shortwave Report (April 26) is up at the website  http://www.outfarpress.com/shortwave.shtml in 3 forms- (new) HIGHEST QUALITY (128kb)(27MB), broadcast quality (16MB), and quickdownload or streaming form (6MB) (28:59) Links at page bottom
(If you have access to Audioport there is a highest quality version posted up there {35MB}  http://www.audioport.org/index.php?op=producer-info&uid=904&nav=&)

Previous Shortwave Reports posted on PIMC for April:
4/18:  http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2013/04/422921.shtml
4/11:  http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2013/04/422793.shtml

From the open publishing newswire: With the Salem Mail processing plant slated to close a protest ensured out front with speeches and chants and then the group of around 50 weaved its way to the public loading dock. This video is from that protest.

Five people were arrested for going inside with 2 banners, one banner read: Save Salem Mail.

 http://youtu.be/Ah_8JTTBp-s [42 minute video]

The announcement "before" the event is posted below:
Information about the event that was posted AFTER the event --> is below the double lines
(bottom half of this page)

"Occupation" of Salem mail facility

What: Rally, March and Civil Disobedience
When: Wednesday, April 17th, Noon - 1pm
Where: Salem Main Post Office, 1050 25th St. SE (n. of Mission)

From the open publishing newswire: On April 11 over 400 people packed the third public Portland Budget Hearing, which was organized by the City of Portland and which left many spilling out beyond the room where the hearing took place. More importantly, for the City Council there was an unexpected critical outpouring from the vast majority who attended. For the first time, the City Council and Mayor Charlie Hales began to lose control over their attempts to sell austerity.
This was in sharp contrast to business as usual. Portland budget hearings are generally tightly controlled, polite affairs. What are the reasons for this movement towards a more charged polarized event? [...]

Those attending the public hearing on April 11 included representatives from the Metropolitan Youth Commission, Laborers International Local 483, Portland Community College, Portland Safety Net, SUN Schools, Eastside Action Plan, Elders in Action, AFSCME Local 189, and numerous others. They came with prepared testimonial statements, t-shirts and signs defending the programs they need.

Also attending were members of Jobs with Justice, the People's Budget Project, and the Solidarity Against Austerity Committee (SAAC). These groups saw the hearing as an opportunity to begin building unity among Portland's working class communities to oppose all cuts.

Pulling this off required that attendees knew the moment they walked in that the hearing was not going to be business as usual, and that a collective approach towards defending all the programs facing cuts was to be encouraged. A colorful banner over the doors to the hearing room read, "Communities United To Stop Cuts!" [..]

From the open publishing newswire: Columbia Riverkeeper reported on their facebook page that 425 people attended the midweek rally in Salem to stop coal export. See pictures of the rally on Demotix. You can read more about the fight to stop coal export from the Pacific Northwest at Power Past Coal.

The fight against coal export is an international one. Newcastle residents in New South Wales, Australia are fighting against the T4 coal loader being built to expand coal export from the world's biggest coal port. It is the same fight to stop King Coal in Australia and in the United States. One of the three companies keen to export coal from the Powder River basin is Ambre Energy, a Queensland based company.

This youtube video by Greenpeace USA explains the issue of coal export from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana through the Pacific Northwest and the impacts this will have: Get the Coal Energy Facts: Help Us Stop Coal Exports.

One of the speakers at the Salem rally was Dr Patrick O'Herron, Trauma and acute care surgeon, Salem Oregon, who attended the rally with several medical colleagues representing over 600 health care representatives in the Pacific north-west sounding the alarm on coal exports.

His speech, which I have transcribed. Watch the video on youtube: Sound The Alarm Rally Doctor on Coal: It Will Make You SICK!:

From the open publishing newswire:
UPDATE: NEW BROADCASTS POSTED TO PIMC ON 3/29/13 and on 4/5/13

A weekly 30 minute review of international news and opinion, recorded from a shortwave radio and the internet. With times, frequencies, and websites for listening at home.

The latest Shortwave Report (March 22) is up at the website http://www.outfarpress.com/shortwave.shtml in 3 forms- (new) HIGHEST QUALITY (128kb)(27MB), broadcast quality (16MB), and quickdownload or streaming form (6MB) (28:59) Links at page bottom (If you have access to Audioport there is a highest quality version posted up there {35MB} http://www.audioport.org/index.php?op=producer-info&uid=904&nav=&)

This week's show features stories from NHK World Radio Japan, China Radio International, the Voice of Russia, Radio Deutsche-Welle, and Spanish National Radio.
From JAPAN- There was a 29 hour power outage at the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant, preventing the cooling of melted down fuel rods. Two-thirds of people who filed compensation claims relating to the Fukushima disaster have never received any financial assistance. France is planning to restart shipments of spent plutonium to Japan.
From CHINA- Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirate is investing large in solar power and for good reasons. On Tuesday, Syria's opposition coalition has elected Syrian born Ghassan Hitto, as an interim Prime Minister- he is a naturalized American citizen and IT executive living in Dallas Texas. On the same day Syria claims rebels fired a chemical weapon on northern Aleppo.
From RUSSIA- Russia hopes the the investigation of the chemical weapon in Syria will be made by an independent team. More on the controversy of the rebels later claiming that the chemical weapon was fired by government forces. In Afghanistan opium and heroin production has increased for the third consecutive year according to the UN.
From SPAIN- In Guatemala the trial began for former dictator Rios Montt, charged with crimes against humanity in his own country. Lawmakers in Cyprus overwhelmingly rejected an EU/IMF demand that a one time 10 percent tax be levied against all bank savings accounts in their country. The European Court of Justice ruled that Spanish mortgages violate consumer rights, and the Spanish government is changing the rules on foreclosure and interest rates. Meanwhile unemployment continues to rise as does the gap between the wealthy and the poor.
From GERMANY- A later update on the situation in Cyprus, where the banks will remain closed until next Tuesday. As the economy in Europe gets worse, the Red Cross reports that the amount of food assistance has risen to the highest levels since 1945. Final approval has been given to limit bonuses given to bankers in Europe.

All that plus times and frequencies for listening at home.

From the open publishing newswire: Sea shepherd has started a coalition with Portland based ARA groups today [3/15] was the start of the "Compassion on the Columbia campaign" to save sea lions on the Columbia River.

Sea Shepherd has formed a coalition with "sea lion defense brigade" and IDA. Thankfully Sea Shepherd has arrived from out of town to provide some much needed leadership for the sea lion defenders. Since Matt Rossell has left his job at IDA and moved away there has been a minor and unorganized campaign to save the Columbia River sea lions. Both the SLDB and IDA have been nearly silent since Matt left. Now Sea Shepherd is here and they have a track record of results.

BeachCarolina link:
 link to beachcarolina.com

FaceBook link:
 http://www.facebook.com/events/364881553631221/

SeaSheperd link:
 http://www.seashepherd.org/dam-guardians/