An International Tribunal on Human Rights and Fracking

"Fracking" (Image via Oregon State University)

The practice of extracting natural gas by hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has come under intense scrutiny in recent years for its profound impacts on water, land, people, and climate change. To examine the morality of these impacts, an international human-rights forum called the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal has scheduled its next session on the topic of fracking. 

⏩ The Permanent Peoples' Tribunal on Human Rights, Fracking, and Climate Change will be held from May 14 to 18, 2018.

During the Tribunal, attorneys with expertise in human rights law will present evidence to a panel of international judges. The attorneys will build their cases with testimony from expert witnesses and those who have felt the effects of fracking first-hand. Between now and March 1, anyone who has been impacted by fracking can testify by submitting a statement online or by contacting Spring Creek Project, a co-organizer of the Tribunal.

For the first time, the Tribunal's proceedings will take place virtually, using Zoom conferencing software, and be broadcast live around the world. Viewers can watch the live feed via the Spring Creek Project Facebook page, and communities and organizations are invited to host live screenings.

While the Tribunal is not affiliated with a State and its ruling will not carry the weight of law, the collected testimony and resulting judicial opinion may be used in future legal proceedings taken against corporations or State actors that undermine human rights norms through fracking.

⏩ In conjunction with the Tribunal, Spring Creek Project will present the Bedrock Lectures on Human Rights and Climate Change, an online lecture series. Beginning January 31, the organization will release one new lecture each Wednesday on its Facebook and YouTube pages. 

This series, which will include about 20 speakers, will contribute to the important conversation about the nexus of human rights and climate change. Lecturers include Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org; Winona LaDuke, executive director of Honor the Earth; and Josh Fox, documentary filmmaker of Gasland. 

6 Ways You Can Be Involved in the Tribunal
(From the Spring Creek Project Page)

Because the Tribunal is global in scope, many people around the world will have the opportunity to become involved, whether as a witness or a viewer. Here are ways you can participate:

1. Provide Witness Testimony. In preparation for the Tribunal, testimony is being gathered from those who have experienced the impacts of fracking. Anyone in the world can contribute their stories as testimony by the end of February 2018. Testimony could take many different shapes. It could be written or recorded; it could be a document, video, or photo; and it could be as brief or as elaborate as you wish. If you have testimony to share, we invite you to do so online through the Tribunal’s Witness Testimony page.

2. Hold a Pre-Tribunal. If you feel like your community has more to offer, you could organize a pre-PPT tribunal. Hosting one of these tribunals is an opportunity to empower your community to share their stories and make their own judgment. They have already been held in Athens, Ohio; Youngstown, Ohio; and Charlottesville, Virginia. To gather ideas about how you might structure a pre-tribunal, you can view footage from the Charlottesville mini-tribunal. For more details on organizing such an event, visit the Tribunal’s guidelines.

3. Watch the Tribunal Live. The judges and attorneys will be participating from around the world, convening through Zoom conferencing software. This is the first Tribunal to be held virtually, meaning a larger audience than ever before can follow along with the proceedings in real time. To access the live feed, check the Spring Creek Project website as we get closer to the start of the Tribunal on May 14, 2018.

4. Host a Community Viewing of the Live-Streamed Tribunal. You or your organization could arrange a live-streamed screening of the proceedings in your community. You could include a discussion period after the live screening to share reactions and ideas. 

5. Attend the Kick-Off Keynote. The opening day of the Tribunal, May 14, ecologist and author Sandra Steingraber will give a keynote lecture at the Whiteside Theatre in Corvallis, Oregon, at 7:00 p.m. on the topic of human rights and fracking. If you live in the Corvallis area, please join us. The lecture is free and open to the public. 

6. Spread the Word. We hope the Tribunal will help spark conversations and action about human rights, fracking and climate change around the world. Please help us spread the word by sharing this article with friends and on social media. 

About the Spring Creek Project:
The Spring Creek Project, an initiative affiliated with Oregon State University, engages the most urgent environmental issues of our time. Its challenge is to bring together the practical wisdom of the environmental sciences, the clarity of philosophical analysis, and the creative, expressive power of the written word, to find new ways to understand and re-imagine our relation to the natural world.

About the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal:
The Permanent Peoples' Tribunal is an influential, international forum that evolved from the Russell-Sartre Tribunal created to determine whether breaches of human rights norms occurred during the Vietnam War. Since 1979, it has conducted more than 40 high-profile hearings around the world to determine whether human-rights standards were abridged.

SOURCE: Spring Creek Project

Stephen King's Classic Bestseller PET SEMATARY Available For The First Time As An Unabridged Audiobook, Read By Michael C. Hall

PET SEMATARY audiobook by Stephen King, read by Michael C. Hall

Award-winning actor Michael C. Hall will narrate the first ever unabridged recording of Stephen King's PET SEMATARY. Simon & Schuster Audio will publish the classic on March 27, 2018, on both CD and download.

"Readers have been asking for this audiobook for a very long time," said King. "I know the listening experience will be worth the wait with Michael as narrator."

⏩ Hall currently appears as President John F. Kennedy in The Crown on Netflix, and most recently completed Safe, an eight-part thriller for Netflix and Canal Plus. 

His recent work on stage includes "Lazarus," by David Bowie and Enda Walsh, "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" by John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask, and "The Realistic Joneses" by Will Eno. 

Hall is also known for his Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild-winning performances as the titular character "Dexter" in the popular Showtime series (2006-2013) and mortician "David Fisher" in Six Feet Under on HBO (2001-2005). 

⏩ His recent film credits include Christine and Cold In July.

"We're thrilled to finally bring PET SEMATARY to King's audiobook fans," said Chris Lynch, President & Publisher of Simon & Schuster Audio. "Michael C. Hall is a perfect match for this timeless story, which has long deserved an unabridged production."

"An instant fan-favorite and #1 bestseller when it was originally published in print in 1983, PET SEMATARY follows Dr. Louis Creed as he takes a new job and moves his family to the idyllic and rural town of Ludlow, Maine. Despite the town's seeming tranquility, there is an undercurrent of danger from just beyond a graveyard where generations of children have buried their beloved pets. A blood-chilling truth is hidden there—one more terrifying than death itself, and hideously more powerful. An ominous fate befalls anyone who dares tamper with this forbidden place, as Louis is about to discover for himself."

SOURCE: Simon & Schuster

Bonus Videos:

"Aliens Ate My Homework" Available on DVD, Digital and On Demand Soon

From Universal Pictures Home Entertainment: Aliens Ate My Homework

Unexpected extraterrestrial guests team up with a pair of middle schoolers to prevent the destruction of the planet in Aliens Ate My Homework, coming to DVD, Digital and On Demand on March 6, 2018, from Universal 1440 Entertainment, a production entity of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. A humorous and suspenseful intergalactic adventure, Aliens Ate My Homework follows the whimsical members of the Galactic Patrol on the trail of an evil alien criminal hiding out on Earth.

Based on the first book in prolific author Bruce Coville's globally renowned "Galactic Patrol" series published by Aladdin Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, Aliens Ate My Homework features the voice of two-time Emmy Award winner William Shatner ("Star Trek")  and comes from director Sean McNamara (The King's Daughter). The film also stars Jayden Greig (The Shape of Water), Lauren McNamara ("Summer of Dreams"), Kirsten Robek (The Edge of Seventeen), Dan Payne(Star Trek Beyond, Watchmen), Ty Consiglio (Wonder) and Alex Zahara ("The Man in the High Castle").

Aliens Ate My Homework is a suspenseful family comedy which follows the adventures of sixth-grader Rod Allbright (Greig) and the extraterrestrial lawmen known as the Galactic Patrol. When a tiny spaceship flies through his window and lands on his science project, Rod and his cousin Elspeth (McNamara) meet a group of friendly aliens, including Phil, a talking plant (voiced by William Shatner). The earthlings quickly join the aliens' adventurous mission to help defeat an evil alien criminal. After discovering the evil alien is disguised as a human - someone he knows all too well – Rod and Elspeth race to save the world from total planetary disaster.

"Aliens Ate My Homework" - The Book (image via brucecoville.com)

BONUS FEATURES on DVD and digital

• Not of This World: Creating Alien Life Forms – A look at creating some of the film's Alien characters, showcasing the work of Emmy-winning visual effects maestro Todd Masters and his creature effects team. Viewers will get a peek at what it takes to bring the creatures to life on-set through the magic of prosthetic make-up, as well as practical effects techniques like oversized sets and puppetry.
• Aliens Ate My Homework: From Page to Screen – This piece will give viewers a peek at the process of turning the novel into a film – from concept to production and visual effects. Featuring behind the scenes footage plus interviews with the cast, filmmakers, and author Bruce Coville.
• On the Set with Bruce Coville – The beloved author gives viewers a peek at life on the set of Aliens Ate My Homework while providing details on the origins of the Galactic Patrol book series.
• The Galactic Patrol Wants You! – A closer look at the members of the Galactic Patrol featuring Grakker, Madame Pong, Rod Allbright, Elspeth, and Phillogenous Esk Piemondum, aka Phil. In this featurette, the intrepid crew of the Starship Ferkel will reveal details on their current mission and will inform viewers on what it takes to become a member of the Galactic Patrol.

Aliens Ate My Homework will be available on DVD and Digital.

• DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away.
• Digital lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.
• Movies Anywhere is the digital app that simplifies and enhances the digital movie collection and viewing experience by allowing consumers to access their favorite digital movies in one place when purchased or redeemed through participating digital retailers. Consumers can also redeem digital copy codes found in eligible Blu-ray and DVD disc packages from participating studios and stream or download them through Movies Anywhere. 

FILMMAKERS: 
Cast: Jayden Greig, Lauren McNamara, Kirsten Robek, Dan Payne, Alex Zahara, Ty Consiglio, Sean Quan, William Shatner, Tristan Risk
Casting By: Jackie Lind, CSAMusic By: Brandon Moore
Edited By: Tony Dean Smith 
Production Designer: Bob Bottieri
Director of Photography: Adam Sliwinski
Co-Producer: Todd Masters
Executive Producers: Harvey Kahn, Sean McNamara
Produced By: Roger Lay Jr. and Eric Carnagey 
Based on the book series 'Rod Allbirght Alien Adventures' by: Bruce Coville 
Screenplay By: Judith Reeves-Stevens & Garfield Reeves-Stevens
Directed By: Sean McNamara

TECHNICAL INFORMATION DVD:
Street Date: March 6, 2018
Copyright: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Selection Number: 63187246
Layers: DVD 9
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: PG for some rude humor, mild action and thematic elements
Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, French Canadian, French European, Latin American Spanish
Sound: English, French European, and Latin American Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Run Time: 1 hour, 29 minutes

SOURCE: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

The Trailer:

Bonus Video:

Let's All Tell Trump: "We're With Haiti!" [Petition]

Donald Trump at it again! (Image via Avaaz.org)

Dear friends,

Trump just called Haiti a "shithole" and wondered why he'd want anyone from there, or African countries, to come to the US. 

It's exactly the kind of racism and division we've come to expect from Trump, so it's no surprise. But it doesn't mean we should accept it from anyone, especially the President of the United States. 

Let's stand up to this ignorant bully -- sign the letter below to say we stand with Haitians, and with everyone Trump insults and ignores on a regular basis. When a million of us sign, Avaaz will publish it in the Washington Post: 

>> Sign the letter below to tell Trump -- we're with Haiti <<

To Donald Trump:
We're with Haitians, with Salvadorans, with Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, and Nigerians. We're with people all over the world that you disparage out of ignorance or for political gain. From around the world we say that we are united against your hate. If anyone is not welcome, it's you.

Trump was discussing a deal that would include protections for immigrants brought to the US as children. "Why do we want people from Haiti here?" was the president's response. He said he'd rather have people from Norway than "all these people from shithole countries."  


Time and again history has shown us that we are better united. When leaders like Trump try to divide us by saying that one group is better than another, we need to stand up and decisively reject it as one people.
  
He's still going to be president, and he's still going to say whatever he wants. But at least we can make it clear to the people of Haiti and all other nations that Trump treats with utter contempt that we see them, that we're with them, and that we won’t let Trump normalize this kind of bullying: 

>> Click to tell Trump -- we're with Haiti <<

With hope, 

Loup Dargent

On behalf of Danny, Jenny and the entire Avaaz team 

MORE INFORMATION: 

• Trump alarms lawmakers with disparaging words for Haiti and Africa (New York Times) 
• Trump attacks protections for immigrants from ‘shithole’ countries (Washington Post)