Climate Pledge of Resistance: Join the Movement!

Have you heard enough about climate change? Do you agree that its time for action?

Are you ready to join thousands of others in risking arrest to protect people and ecosystems around the globe from the catastrophic impacts of climate chaos?

If so, then we are asking you to take a stand.

Join the Climate Pledge of Resistance (CPR for the Planet)

http://beyondtalk.net/

And pledge to perform nonviolent civil disobedience and risk arrest in order to push politicians to make the right climate change choices.

Together, we will create the largest movement for civil disobedience to stop climate change in history.

You can learn more at:

http://beyondtalk.net/

If you are unable to get arrested, then you can also pledge to support CPR for the Planet, or give action offsets to help someone else receiving training or legal support. We are planning for a full activation effort on November 30th, just one week before the December UN climate meetings in Copenhagen where the world's leaders will attempt to create a global deal on climate change.

Together, we can tell them to end climate change once and for all. Won't you join us?
See you in the streets!

The Climate CPR Initiators:

Alliance of Community Trainers

Center for the Working Poor

Global Justice Ecology Project

Mobilization for Climate Justice West

Rainforest Action Network

350.0rg

Yes Men

We have to dismantle all this

Yes we do...

Mental health stereotypes in the movies crueler than ever, new report claims

Mental health stereotypes in the movies crueler than ever, new report
claims

17 August 2009
A century of negative movie stereotypes of mental illness

Characters with mental health problems are being depicted as more
demonic and crueler than at any time in movie history, according to a
new report for Time to Change [1], the anti-stigma mental health
campaign, out today. The report claims that depictions haven't moved
on from the silent era, revealing that characters with a mental
illness are either evil or simple, with nothing in between.

The report, Screening Madness, written by psychiatrist and film expert
Dr Peter Byrne [2], reveals that film depictions of people with
experience of mental health problems have become more damaging.
"Mental health stereotypes have not changed over a century of cinema.
If anything, the comedy is crueler and the deranged psycho killer even
more demonic," Dr Byrne reveals in the report.

The key finding from the report shows that the public gets its
understanding of mental illness from movies, more than from any other
type of media. A YouGov survey commissioned for the report found that
almost 50 per cent [3] (49 per cent) of the public have seen people
with a mental illness acting violently in films. The survey also found
that almost half of people polled [4] (44 per cent) believe that
people with a mental illness will act violently.

Citing Batman – the Dark Knight as a low point in depicting mental
illness, with the violence and humour based almost entirely on a
misunderstanding of schizophrenia, Dr Byrne says: "Batman describes
the Joker as a schizophrenic clown, and when the film's second hero
Harvey Dent becomes "Two-Face" and embraces evil, the familiar
stereotype of schizophrenia is activated."

Dr Byrne continues: "This is omnipresent in cinema misrepresentations…
the psycho killer is immortal and sadistic, motivated by madness… in
almost all psychosis films, that character will kill," says Dr Byrne.
The report also shows that while the movie industry embraces its
responsibility on depicting homosexuality and racism accurately,
depictions of mental illness continue to be based on prejudice. One
Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was named as the film most remembered for
depicting someone with a mental illness acting strangely or violently,
despite it being released almost 35 years ago showing that the
influence of movie stereotypes on attitudes can last a generation.
While Jim Carrey's Me, Myself and Irene was released in 2000, and
"represented a new low at laughing at people with severe mental
illness", Dr Byrne says.

There are some exceptions. Daniel Craig's portrayal in Some Voices and
Russell Crowe's A Beautiful Mind are more realistic portrayals of
schizophrenia, says Dr Bryne.

Sue Baker, Director for Time to Change said: "This report highlights
that movies are the main source of information that reinforces
negative stereotypes of mental illness above and beyond any other form
of media. We need to make it clear to directors and producers that
they can still break box office records without wrecking lives."

http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/news/mental-health-stereotypes-movies-crueler-ever-new-report-claims

Reclaim Power: Pushing for Climate Justice! Copenhagen, 16 December

Reclaim Power!

Pushing for Climate Justice – a Call to Action

From the 7th to 18th of December 2009, the largest 'climate summit'
ever to be held will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark. This summit
has been billed as our 'last, best hope' to do something about climate
change. But the UN talks will not solve the climate crisis. We are no
closer to reducing greenhouse gas emissions than we were when
negotiations began fifteen years ago: emissions continue to rise at
ever faster rates, while carbon trading allows climate criminals to
pollute and profit. It is time to say enough! No more business as
usual, no more false solutions!

Reclaiming power from below

On the 16th of December, at the start of the high-level 'ministerial'
phase of the two-week summit, we, the movements for global justice,
will take over the conference for one day and transform it into a
People's Summit for Climate Justice. Using only the force of our
bodies to achieve our goal, our Reclaim Power! march will push into
the conference area and enter the building, disrupt the sessions and
use the space to talk about our agenda, an agenda from below, an
agenda of climate justice, of real solutions against their false ones.
Our action is one of civil disobedience: we will overcome any physical
barriers that stand in our way – but we will not respond with violence
if the police try to escalate the situation.

Change the system, not the climate!

Our goal is not to shut down the entire summit. But this day will be
ours, it will be the day we speak for ourselves and set the agenda:
climate justice now! We cannot trust the market with our future, nor
put our faith in unsafe, unproven and unsustainable technologies. We
know that on a finite planet, it is impossible to have infinite growth
– 'green' or otherwise. Instead of trying to fix a destructive system,
we are advancing alternatives that provide real and just solutions to
the climate crisis: leaving fossil fuels in the ground; reasserting
peoples' and community control over resources; relocalising food
production; reducing overconsumption, particularly in the North;
recognising the ecological and climate debt owed to the peoples of the
South and making reparations; and respecting indigenous and forest
peoples' rights.

Global movements for climate justice

Ten years ago at the protests against the WTO in Seattle, a global
movement emerged to proclaim that another world was possible. Today,
this world is not just possible – it is necessary. In Copenhagen, we
will come together from many different backgrounds and movements,
experiences and struggles. We are indigenous peoples and farmers,
workers and environmentalists, feminists and anticapitalists. Now, our
diverse struggles for social and ecological justice are finding common
ground in the struggle for climate justice, and in our desire to
reclaim power over our own future.

Get involved – join our climate justice action!

- Join the Reclaim Power! action in Copenhagen – and spread the
word! We want to generate a sense of excitement, we want our action
will resonate around the world, and the way to do that is through
countless individuals, groups and movements declaring their intention
to take part in our actions.

- Organise events where you live. Get in touch if you want to
invite someone to report on the Reclaim Power! action and the issues
at the heart of our protest

Reclaim Power! Pushing for Climate Justice is organised by Climate
Justice Action. For more information, regular updates on our meetings
and actions, and for news about the global struggles for climate
justice, go to http://www.climate-justice-action.org/

Sipson - The Village

Help save energy

Make plastic cups telling us to turn the lights off.

That's right, blame the disabled

Schizo the movie

The Penny Farting

Sorry...

EVICTION OF VESTAS SCHEDULED FOR MIDDAY TOMORROW (Friday)

Since the 20th July workers have been occupying Vestas blades,
which is the UK's only wind blade factory, in protest at plans to
close it down and axe 625 jobs.

Climate campers, along with a wide range of people, have been down on the island in support of the occupation for the duration. Two days
ago, a group of activists from climate camp occupied the roof of a
second Vestas facility in support of the workers at Vestas Blades.

This support has been hugely appreciated by the workers occupying the
factory who are set to not only lose their jobs, but because of their
protest, will also lose their redundancies. They are now making a
huge call out for anyone who can take the day off tomorrow to get
down to the island in time to support the workers as they face eviction.

This fight isn't over, but more support is desperately needed.

Please contact Bex on 07971719797 for more information and details on
transport or email vestasvolunteers@riseup.net (response will be
slower on email that calls). Free transport is being organised from
London tonight at 10pm. If you can't go tomorrow send us an email –
we will be organising

more transport in the coming days.

Act fast!

p.s. in the event of an eviction the following protests will take
place Bristol: demonstrate 5.30pm same day at Bristol fountain
Manchester: 5pm same day in Piccadilly Gardens and organise a protest at 8am the following day at Vestas HQ in Warrington.

Homemade pesto on homemade bread

Happy days

EXXON, DOW SLAM NEW YES MEN FILM; OPENS IN U.K. THIS WEEK

August 5, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DOW, EXXONMOBIL SLAM NEW YES MEN FILM FOR "INACCURACIES",
"MISREPRESENTATION";
CONCEDE PIC "ENTERTAINING"
U.K. theatrical premiere of "The Yes Men Fix the World" August 7, opens in U.S. theaters in October

Article: http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsnews/idAFN2448454320090726?rpc=33
Tickets, trailer: http://www.theyesmenfixtheworld.com/
Yes Men "Challenge" network: http://challenge.theyesmen.org/
Frequently asked questions: http://www.theyesmen.org/faq
Beyond Talk: http://www.beyondtalk.net/
Contact: mailto:press@theyesmen.org

ExxonMobil and Dow Chemical spokespersons have lashed out out at award-winning new
documentary "The Yes Men Fix the World" in an interview with the Reuters press agency, shortly before the film's U.K. theatrical opening.

"We think it is a serious matter when people willingly misrepresent themselves,"said a spokesperson for the world's largest oil company, responding to the film's airing on HBO last week. The film will be in theaters in the U.K. beginning this Friday, August 7, and in U.S. theaters in October.

Exxon stopped short of calling the Yes Men outright liars, despite a scene in the film where the Yes Men, impersonating Exxon at a big oil conference in Canada, present the company's supposed solution to climate change: a new biofuel called Vivoleum, made from the human victims of climate change.

"Exxon can't actually deny that their actions are threatening to kill off millions or billions," said Andy Bichlbaum of the Yes Men. "What else would they do with the victims?" (Also featured in "The Yes Men Fix the World" are interviews with members of free-market think tanks, until recently funded by Exxon, who promote inaction on climate change before Congress and through multi-million dollar advertising campaigns.)

The film is no kinder to Dow Chemical, the world's second-largest chemical company. The film shows the Yes Men impersonating Dow live on the BBC before 300 million viewers, announcing that Dow will finally compensate survivors of the Bhopal catastrophe and clean up the tainted groundwater left in its wake. The film contrasts this stark reality with Dow's "Dow Hu" advertising campaign.

Dow has reacted in kind. "While some may find the Yes Men entertaining," said a Dow spokesperson, "it is important to realize that these pranksters continue to communicate inaccuracies."

"Dow lets people die from tainted water in Bhopal, yet communicates itself as a sort of corporate Mother Theresa," said Mike Bonanno of the Yes Men. "Nobody but a
psychopath would find THAT entertaining."

For those who do want entertainment, The Yes Men Fix the World begins previews
August 7 at the Odeon Panton Street in London, and launches officially on August 11 in 20 cinemas across the U.K., before moving on to a theatrical release in the U.S. beginning October 7. For full screening dates and times, and to buy advance tickets, please visit http://www.theyesmenfixtheworld.com/screenings.htm

COME SEE THE YES MEN GET SERVED?

If you happen to live in the U.K., the Yes Men will be attending the London preview screenings August 7-10 and will appear live at the nationwide simulcast on August 11. These are great opportunities to serve the Yes Men legal papers should you or anyone you know wish to sue them. Please get tickets early to reserve a seat for these potentially lively events! Note as well that the Yes Men will give a free "Special Edition" New York Times to anyone who comes to any daytime screening, or to one of the Monday-Wednesday evening screenings at the Odeon Panton Street London between August 7-13.

ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD? TAKE THE YES MEN CHALLENGE

Lots of people have cool ideas for hot new Yes Men type actions. Sign up at http://challenge.theyesmen.org/ and browse others' ideas, or make yours come true.

READY FOR REAL ACTION?

Non-violent civil disobedience has been a core tactic of movements for justice throughout history - from Indian Independence, to U.S. Civil Rights, to the anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa. It has already played an important role in blocking or shutting down dirty energy facilities. One way to move beyond talk is to visit http://www.beyondtalk.net/ and sign up.