Announcing.... Broadcasting the Signal - A CSTS Promotional Campaign It's time to spread the word in earnest to those who need to hear it. You've heard about why we are here. You've heard about the important work that Equality Now does. And you know how fun a "Can't Stop the Serenity" event can be. Well, now it's time to Broadcast the Signal! We're going to be spending the next week telling the world about CSTS, and you can help! Our first event is 24 May (CSTS Dallas Women's Music Showcase) then things really kick into gear in June revving all the way through to September. "What can one person do?" The answer is plenty. Did you know that when two sound waves occur at the same time and are in the same phase, the waves reinforce each other and the sound becomes louder? When one voice joins another and they are joined by more, and more and more . . . Well, then there's no stopping the signal! We need your help to reach out to the world. We need YOU to help build up the excitement for this year's fantastic season of events! It could be as simple as telling a friend or posting about CSTS on Facebook, Myspace or Twitter. Why stop there - what about changing your forum icon to a CSTS icon? You can do the same to your Facebook/Myspace/Twitter/LJ too. Encourage your networks to friend/follow CSTS. Then remember to check out the plans for the event closest to you. Our crafty crew has created a bevy of promotional goodies to help you broadcast the signal.

Freda Adler, a US author, educator and theorist states: “Rape is the only crime in which the victim becomes the accused.”  Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow of Kismayo, Somalia learned this lesson the hard way - a way that ended in her death. Imagine you’ve been raped by three men on the way to visit your grandmother, and that you are brave enough to report it.   It is hard to put yourself in Aisha’s place isn’t it?  Because rape is a disgusting, uncivilized sickness - one, we don’t like to talk about.  The courage it takes to come forward is almost inconceivable.  Even if the rapist is caught and brought to justice, his victims who survive suffer for the rest of their lives. Aisha and her family came forward seeking help and healing.  Instead she was buried up to her neck and stoned to death by more than 50 men in a stadium - as a thousand others looked on.  She was dragged there, already bruised, violated and terrified at a time when she needed hugs and human compassion.  Then, she was executed for “committing adultery.”

Mother’s Day - we celebrate it on different days around the globe, but it means the same thing.  It is a day when children of all ages say thank you; a day we can tell our moms how special they are and how much we love them. Yet in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, many mothers will only receive meaningless silence and painful tears, instead of flowers and family hugs.  They will not be celebrating with their daughters this year. And indeed for some, ever again. Just across the border from El Paso, Texas, Death struts about performing his horrible magic tricks.  Countless women disappear.  Some have never returned.  Those that do are only recovered as mutilated pieces.  It is as if Death owns the town - and maybe he does.  He certainly seems to have some help from high places, officials and others who cover up, or even worse, ignore his tracks.  Fourteen-year-old Esmeralda Herrera, Seventeen-year-old Laura Berenice Remos Monárrez and twenty-year-old Claudia Ivette Conzález Banda are but three of Death’s victims who will never again get

The countdown is on to the first Can't Stop the Serenity event of 2009! CSTS Dallas is first cab off the ranks with their CSTS Musical Showcase on Sunday, 24 May. Musical performers include Marian Call, Inner Frequency and Kristina Morland, so if you're down Dallas way head on over for a fun filled night of great food, drinks, Whedonverse trivia and phenomenal music! June is packed full of events, with over 20 events already raring to go. We're starting off in Toronto, Canada and then the US events kick into high gear! Check our Calendar for all the details. We're thrilled to see so many cities back with events in 2009, many in their fourth successful year of raising funds for Equality Now. And we're beyond excited to see that Can't Stop the Serenity is still growing! For the first time, folks will be able to experience the fun of a CSTS Event in Albuquerque NM, Baltimore MD, Des Moines IA, Honolulu HI, Logan UT, Nashville TN, San Antonio TX, Bristol UK and Nottingham UK. That brings our current number of participating cities to 43, with

The answer to this question varies. Many of us participate in CSTS events and other Browncoat related activities for a number of reasons. We join together to make a difference in the world because we’ve been rallied by Joss’s words to do something, anything. We meet up so that we can share our love of the Serenity/Firefly/Whedonverse, and because we are like-minded folk who want to share other aspects of our lives with our fellow Fireflyians. These are just a few of the reasons we come together in this fellowship And they are all, very good reasons. The main focus of Can’t Stop the Serenity has always been to help Equality Now keep the signal going. EN seeks to let the voices of abused women the world over, cry out and be heard. Humanity can listen and come together, seeking to end all suffering and abuse - one voice at a time. Sadly, there are many cases we never hear about. Some make the news but with so many stories, only a few actually “make the puppet theater.” Meanwhile, how many never reach the ears of the media? We can�

Dear CSTSland: How are all you amazing Browncoats? Thank you for working so hard to make Can’t Stop the Serenity 2009 an amazing success! I come to you today with hat in hand. Why? Well I just bet you've seen the affiliate form and thought... hmmm we get it on May 1st AND it's the deadline... What's up with Global? Why wasn't it up before? And you'd be right to think that. I originally created the Affiliate Event Registration Form in February about the same time as the Serenity Screening Event Registration Form. My email said "Hey it's sent!" So I skipped off into the sunset and neglected to double-check the number of attachments. My bad. While planning a drive to promote of Affiliate Events (now that the Serenity Screening Events are moving and grooving) I discovered that the form wasn't up on site. Apparently it didn't make it past the e-mail gremlins I get plagued with from time to time. (Note: E-mail gremlins are a lot like Reavers.) Sometimes human error wanders in, and just messes things up. "I aim to misbehave" shoul