May 10, 2011. An interesting press release entered my Inbox this morning. It appears to be another spoof by the Yes Men. This time they take down one of the giants of dirty coal, Peabody Energy, by pretending the polluter will be offering "custom-branded inhaler actuators to children living within 200 miles of a coal plant, along with coupons worth $10 towards the purchase of the asthma medication itself." The image above, plus access to various inhalers named for SpongeBob SquarePants and Justin Bieber, can be found at www.coalcares.org. Don't forget to visit the Kidz Koal Korner and complete this maze.

Here's the press release in its entirety:

Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU) Announces "Coal Cares™" Initiative, New Nationwide Campaign Against Stigma of Childhood Asthma

ST. LOUIS, May 10, 2011 / PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Peabody Energy today announced the creation of an innovative new public health initiative designed to combat the stigma of asthma among American children ages 0-18. With Coal Cares™ (www.coalcares.org), Peabody will offer free, custom-branded inhaler actuators to children living within 200 miles of a coal plant, along with coupons worth $10 towards the purchase of the asthma medication itself.

"Too many young Americans face daily schoolyard taunting and bullying because of a condition over which they have no control," said Gregory H. Boyce, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Peabody Energy. "By re-branding the inhaler as a cool, individualized, must-have accessory, Coal Cares™ will empower children to tell bullies: ‘suck it up.’" Children can choose from a variety of youth-themed inhaler cases, from tween faves like "the Bieber" and "My Little Pony," to the "Emo" and "Diamond" inhalers for older, style-conscious youth. There’s even "My First Inhaler," for tots.

March 15, 2011. I knew of the Alberta Tar Sands, and of the grave environmental dangers associated with extracting the oil and then transporting it, first through a pipeline that violates pristine forests in First Nation lands, and hence by tanker, through the vulnerable archipelago of northern British Columbia. I also knew the situation was already subject to the concerted resistance of various environmental and Native American activists, and that it had been targeted by the Yes Men for one of their inimitable interventions.

But it was not until receiving an email today, supposedly from Enbridge, that I realized I was witnessing a beautifully orchestrated campaign in which the Yes Men have doubly pranked Enbridge, first by generating a bogus "MyHairCares" campaign to sop up the expected oil spills - part of their "dummy" Enbridge website http://northern-gateway.ca/ (the real one is http://www.northerngateway.ca/) - then by posing as the affronted oil giant to toss off an angry letter of complaint.