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The infamous prankster activists known as the "Yes Men" have struck again--hijacking Monday's NEW YORK POST [26] to promote the cause of climate action and energy security. Their successful reprinting of the widely read daily tabloid mirrors a November 2008 stunt wherein they circulated a credible-looking NEW YORK TIMES reading "Iraq War Ends." [27]
Monday's headlines shout out bad news on the green front: "Congress cops out on climate [28]"; "No Fire Without Smoke [29]" and "Pentagon top brass warn: Act now, or pay later with ‘lives.’ [30]" The faux POST even contains gossipy (green) tidbits on Eva Longoria's green building advocacy, Brad Pitt's crusade to save New Orleans and a "Page Six" teaser declaring "O's Grandma Goes Solar" [31]. The irony of the "fake" newspaper reporting is that many of these stories--on the "clean coal" canard, the progress of alternative energy in the developing world and the strong correlation between meat-eating and global warming--are not only true, but get little media attention.
The Yes Men, otherwise known as Mike Bonanno and Andy Bichlbaum, are trying to provide a "global wake-up call" [32] with their new HBO flick "The Yes Men Fix the World [33]." Watch Bonnano and Bichlbaum discuss the film:
This prank comes as climate week kicks off in New York City, and the United Nations gears up for its annual conference to take stock of international issues including nuclear disarmament, food insecurity and of course, climate change. President Obama is scheduled to address both the UN General Assembly and the smaller UN summit on climate change hosted by Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. He will also speak to the opening plenary of the Clinton Global Initiative on Tuesday.
Read the Yes Men's seriously informative joke here [26], and check back for more updates from this busy week of foreign affairs.
--DAYO OLOPADE
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