tagged w/ yes men
-
http://youtu.be/5curJyngiDI
The Yes Lab is a is brainstorming/training effort associated with the Yes Men to help activists subject people in positions of influence to well deserved ridicule. Aquifer highlighted their latest project, which was infiltrating an award ceremony for a trade group in Dallas and bestowing their own prize.
Unfortunately, it looks like the police intervention interfered with the best parts being captured on tape.
This part (from in the press release) describes the part not recorded (with some overlap for continuity):
The crowd of negotiators and corporate representatives applauded, and “Haversall” continued: “I’d like to personally thank the negotiators for their relentless efforts. The TPP agreement is shaping up to be a fantastic way for us to maximize profits, regardless of what the public of this nation—or any other nation—thinks is right.”
At that point, the host of the reception took the microphone back and announced that the evening’s formal programming had concluded. But Mr. Haversall confidently re-took the microphone and warmly invited Kirk to accept the award.
Kirk moved towards the stage, but federal agents blocked his path to protect him from further embarrassment. At that point, a dozen well-dressed “delegates” (local activists, some from Occupy Dallas) broke into ecstatic dance and chanted “TPP! TPP! TPP!” for several minutes until Dallas police arrived.
Fifteen minutes later, another dozen interlopers from Occupy Dallas interrupted the reception with a spirited “mic-check.” Outside, activists projected a message on the hotel, and throughout the night, delegates discovered that hundreds of rolls of custom toilet paper had been installed in the conference venue.
And this was the objective:
The activists disrupted the gala to protest the hijacking of trade negotiations by an extreme pro-corporate agenda. “The public and the media are locked out of these meetings,” said Kristi Lara from Occupy Dallas, one of the infiltrators. “We can’t let U.S. trade officials get away with secretly limiting Internet freedoms, restricting financial regulation, extending medicine patents, and giving corporations other a whole host of other powers allowing them to quash the rights of people and democracies, for example by offshoring jobs in ever new ways. Trade officials know the public won’t stand for this, which is why they try to keep their work secret—and that’s why we had to crash their party.”http://youtu.be/5curJyngiDI
The Yes Lab is a is brainstorming/training effort... more
-
-
For decades, oil companies like ours have worked in disadvantaged areas, influencing policy in order to do there what we can't do at home. It's time this changed. People in Ecuador, Nigeria, the Gulf of Mexico, Richmond, and elsewhere have a right to a clean and healthy environment too.
http://www.chevron-weagree.com/For decades, oil companies like ours have worked in disadvantaged areas, influencing... more
-
-
Everybody on the planet seems so excited to see Avatar. Everybody, except me. Most of my friends are using their craftiest rhetoric to convince me to see the movie. But I won't budge.
If you're in a similar situation, these are some helpful counter-arguments.
"James Cameron is not gimmicky with his CGI. In Terminator 2, the special effects helped to tell the story."
"In Terminator 2, I wanted to see the story because Schwarzenegger is a bad-ass. Are there any actors in Avatar who were also in Commando?"
"The special effects makes you feel like you're on acid."
"If I wanted to be on acid, I'd buy a hit of LSD. It's probably much cheaper than going to see the movie at the Universal City IMAX."
"It's going to be as EPIC as Lord of the Rings!"
"Oh. I walked out of Lord of the Rings. It was too epic and boring."
"Cameron developed technology to create a new type of 3D experience."
"Just because someone used a new invention does not mean it is interesting. For example Washington State University is working on an innovative way to harvest asparagus:
The promising new machine has a rack with 12 to 15 reels that are 18-inches in diameter. Each reel has 3 or 4 arms. In front of these reels is an optic sensor that can recognize an asparagus spear.
- California Farm Bureau Federation
Will this movie change the way I eat Asparagus?"
"It has a green, anti-war message!"
"So does that new Yes Men movie, and I didn't get a chance to see that yet."
"What's the real reason, you don't want to see Avatar?"
"The characters look like they are painted from the same palette as Blue Raspberry ICEE's, and I prefer Cherry."
"It'll be fun, we're going with a big group."
"I guess that's a decent point."
But seriously instead of going to see Avatar with you friends, you should all just order a pizza and rent the 1979 teen sex romp, Van Nuys Blvd.
Everybody on the planet seems so excited to see Avatar. Everybody, except me. Most of... more
-
-
On the way to work I heard that the US Chamber of Commerce, have decided to end their opposition to climate-change regulations. Great news! A few minutes ago, I found out that the whole thing was a hoax, orchestrated by The Yes Men.
They were able to trick CNBC...
and Fox Business Network...
I love a good hoax. It's great how they're able to manipulate the media, and create spectacle. The value in doing things like this is not purely comedy. By pretending to be the US Chamber of Commerce, they are making the actual US Chamber of Commerce publicly state that they really don't support climate change regulations. This makes them look like even bigger dummies.
Good work Yes Men!On the way to work I heard that the US Chamber of Commerce, have decided to end their... more
-
-
In case you missed it, The Yes Men, infamously known for staging large scale media "punks" where they mimic companies and report the kind of news many people would like to hear...delivered some good news again.
Yesterday they pretended to be spokesmen for the Chamber of Commerce, a group that has been under scrutiny for it lack of action regarding climate change, and as a result, has lost several high profile members.
Rachel Madow covered the Yes Men's prank on Commerce, and brought in one of our fav-la-fav political reporters Kate Sheppard to speak about her experience at the press event. Known for her sas, snark, and great political reporting we'll say, "we knew Kate when..." she gave Current Green video updates.
See Kate's video updates on the state of the climate bill:
House climate update
Dispatch from DC
The Yes Men Fix the world (movie trailer)
More of Kate Sheppard's articles on Mother Jones
Current Comedy's take on the Yes Men hoaxIn case you missed it, The Yes Men, infamously known for staging large scale media... more
-
-
leahl
-
added this
-
3 years ago
- |
-
Dow Chemical and Union Carbide claim that it has no liability for the Bhopal disaster.
In spite of Dow/Carbide's refusal to admit any culpability, and in spite of the spin created by company PR agencies, the survivors have managed to generate some legal challenges for them.
See:http://www.studentsforbhopal.org, and http://www.bhopal.netDow Chemical and Union Carbide claim that it has no liability for the Bhopal disaster.... more
-
-
The Enviro-Pranksters The Yes Men were at it again with a recent trip to Boston, where, posing as Coca Cola representatives, they unveiled a new name and label for Dasani water, called "Deception." The Yes Men, working with the Think Outside The Bottle Campaign of Corporate Accountability International are drawing attention to how bottled water is marketed as healthier, but its actually less regulated than city water and comes with serious environmental costs. Kristin Urquiza from the Think Outside The Bottle campaign discusses in the video that 40% of bottled water actually comes from the same sources as tap water.
Watch as The Yes Men unveil the new product, ask cosumers if they would buy it, and be sure to watch to the end when they get confronted by a Coca Cola employee.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/19/the-yes-men-take-on-coca_n_363436.htmlThe Enviro-Pranksters The Yes Men were at it again with a recent trip to Boston,... more
-
-
What do you get when you cross Borat with Michael Moore? You get The Yes Men, a team of prankster-activists who have become infamous for "stealing" the identity of corporations and using the media to make ironic and outrageous announcements in the companies' names.
The Yes Men are Mike Bonanno and Andy Bichlbaum who, along with a largely unnamed army of helpers, stage politically-charged pranks meant to reveal the greed and hypocrisy of a market-driven culture. The two are stars of a new film called The Yes Men Fix the World, in which they document the political and corporate hacks they've staged.
And they've staged some doozies, the latest of which saw The Yes Men hit with a lawsuit by the US Chamber of Commerce after hosting a fake press conference in Washington, DC, where they posed as Chamber representatives and said the business group was reversing its controversial stance on climate change legislation.
The stunt was nothing compared to what's probably The Yes Men's best-known action: posing in 2004 on the BBC as representatives from Dow Chemical and taking full responsibility for the Union Carbide tragedy in Bhopal, India — one of the world's worst industrial disasters. Dow quickly denied the story, but the company's stock took a $2 billion hit.
The Chamber and Dow episodes are just two of the hilarious and thought-provoking moments in The Yes Men Fix the World, a fascinating, funny and inspiring film. We can only imagine how the Chamber of Commerce situation will play out in their next movie.
Despite a very busy week lawsuit and film opening, Tonic caught up with Mike Bonanno for a quick interview as he drove from Maine to Boston.
Read the full interview on Tonic:
http://www.tonic.com/article/the-yes-men/What do you get when you cross Borat with Michael Moore? You get The Yes Men, a team... more
-
-
tonic
-
added this
-
3 years ago
- |
-
"The performance artist troupe", the Yes Men, are being sued by the Chamber of Commerce! The suit follows a fake press conference the Yes Men held as members of the Chamber to come out in support of climate change controls. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has come under intense scrutiny for it's anti-environment, pro-business stance. What an honor for the Yes Men! :)"The performance artist troupe", the Yes Men, are being sued by the Chamber... more
-
-
Media reports that the US Chamber of Commerce was actually supporting a climate change tax were quickly revealed to be a hoax perpetrated by an organisation called the Yes Men.Media reports that the US Chamber of Commerce was actually supporting a climate change... more
-
-
The Chamber of Commerce held a press conference in DC today to declare that it's ending its longstanding, controversial opposition to climate-change regulations. No it didn't. [UPDATED with fun media clips below!]
It was The Yes Men, of course, the liberal group behind the Fake New York Post and the Fake New York Times and plenty of other, similar stunts in which they pose as representatives of some evil corporate entity and pretend that said corporate entity has acquired a conscience, thereby embarrassing said corporate entity when it turns out, no, it was a hoax, Dow Chemical really isn't giving shit to Bhopal survivors, or whatever.The Chamber of Commerce held a press conference in DC today to declare that it's... more
-
-
leahl
-
added this
-
3 years ago
- |
-
The Yes Men, Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonano, struck again this week, exposing some of the world’s biggest corporate criminals and showing that maybe profits shouldn't be our only goal. Today they share the insider stories behind their latest pranks and discuss the question that drives their new movie: is the free market the only solution to solving our problems?The Yes Men, Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonano, struck again this week, exposing some of... more
-
-
GRITtv
-
added this
-
3 years ago
- |
-
As the Yes Men's Sustaina Ball theatrical activists wandered around Climate Week NYC, an opinion columnist in UKs Guardian newspaper ruffled a few feathers and provided fodder for right-wing commentators by words criticizing the president and questioning his political leverage on global warming policy both domestically and internationally.
Expectations for the U.S. president were high this week and, by any account, his speech before the UN Climate Summit was "no barnburner." The president reiterated his vision of a clean energy economy before the United Nations, touting his achievements so far and promising to work both domestically and internationally to enact necessary cuts in climate pollution and dramatic shifts toward clean energy.
Obama Calls on World Act Boldly in Face of Global Warming
"... the threat from climate change is serious, it is urgent, and it is growing. Our generation's response to this challenge will be judged by history, for if we fail to meet it -- boldly, swiftly, and together -- we risk consigning future generations to an irreversible catastrophe."
- Obama before the UN Climate Summit opening session.
But Fails to Convince He Can Deliver Climate Legislation at Home
It's the promises, or lack there of, that have disappointed U.S. environmentalists and world leaders looking to negotiate a strong international climate treaty in Copenhagen in December. The president set no timelines, made no commitment to binding pollution cuts, and made only vague promises of aid for poor nations.
President Obama's speech to the UN yesterday made it clear that the United States is emerging as the biggest obstacle to a successful climate summit in Copenhagen.
- Carl Pope, Sierra Club
"...the speech as a whole represents a missed opportunity for the US to take a leadership role and signal to the rest of the world that it is serious about tackling the threat of climate change."
- Keya Chatterjee, World Wildlife Federation
Grist Magazine columnist Jonathon Hiskes pointed out that Obama's UN speech was actually his first climate policy speech and that every global warming mention up until now has been in the context of clean energy jobs. But Mother Jones columnist, author, climate activist Bill McKibben accused the president of not even trying and criticized Obama's unwillingness to expend political capital on clean energy and global warming to move strong national climate legislation.
Members of U.S. Senate Attempt to Make Obama Truly Impotent on Global Warming
Central to Steven Hill's premise in the Guardian is that the minority-rules dynamic of the U.S. Senate means that Obama will not be able to move climate legislation this year.
Indeed, as Obama called on the world to unite in the face of the most dangerous environmental threat we have ever seen, supporters of the status quo are trying every trick in the book (and some off the books) to prevent progress and undermine his vision of a clean energy economy for America. While Obama discussed climate policy with world leaders, the U.S. Senate debated budget bill amendments that would revoke the president's Environmental Protection Agency's authority to regulate global warming pollution (note: amendment failed 9/24) and defund his Council on Environmental Quality director Carol Browner.
But at the same time, press in the United States and Europe report that Senate sponsors announced that they would introduce a U.S. global warming bill the following week and that the president's backup plan to a climate bill could be using EPA authority to regulate carbon (hence, the Murkowski amendment).
So what do you think? Does President Obama need to step it up and start cajoling or even twisting arms in the Senate? What would be the political game changer that moves climate legislation?
And what's the responsibility of environmental activists in the U.S. and abroad?
[more at link]As the Yes Men's Sustaina Ball theatrical activists wandered around Climate Week... more
-
-
asherp
-
added this
-
3 years ago
- |
-
Corporate pranksters The Yes Men launched Climate Week in style this morning by blanketing New York City with a million copies of a special climate edition of the New York Post, its Post-like headline screaming: “We’re Screwed”
Of course, their phony Post — not sanctioned by the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid — went in for the shock and awe with 32 pages filled with a different kind of mayhem: warnings from climate scientists and government reports about the future effects of climate change.Corporate pranksters The Yes Men launched Climate Week in style this morning by... more
-
-
The Yes Men are at it again, with counterfeit copies of the New York Post. Their hoax version includes real data to get people actively involved in civil disobedience against climate change.
http://beyondtalk.net/The Yes Men are at it again, with counterfeit copies of the New York Post. Their hoax... more
-
-
Be sure to read The Fine Print of this paper: "This special edition of The New York Times comes from a future in which we are accomplishing what we know today to be possible."Be sure to read The Fine Print of this paper: "This special edition of The New... more
-
-
GRITtv
-
added this
-
4 years ago
- |
-
The Yes Men tell all! What was Thomas Friedman doing holding a pen in defense of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.The Yes Men tell all! What was Thomas Friedman doing holding a pen in defense of the... more
-
-
GRITtv
-
added this
-
4 years ago
- |
