Watch: Political Attack Ads, Circa 1800

According to ReasonTV:

Have this year’s negative political ads really “taken dirty to a whole new level,” as CNN’s Anderson Cooper frets? Is a “return to civility…a relic of a bygone era,” as President Barack Obama laments?

Er, not exactly.

If anonymous political speech, the other widely decried villain of this political season, helped found the United States, attack ads are as American as apple pie. If you fancy yourself a patriot or a history buff, you will most certainly approve this message, which is taken from statements made by, for, and against the nation’s founders.

For links to those stories and historical sources of the statements made in the video go here

Watch: Edouard Salier’s Film For Massive Attack’s “Atlas Air”

In advance of the release of Massive Attack’s Atlas Air EP in aid of the charity War Child, onedotzero are excited to announce the world premiere of renowned filmmaker Edouard Salier’s new video for the EP title track “Atlas Air”.

The hard hitting-film, which explores the theme of rendition, follows Salier’s strikingly beautiful film for “Splitting the Atom“, the first single off Massive Attack’s latest album, Heligoland. Salier’s “Splitting the Atom” film will screen as part of this year’s onedotzero_adventures in motion festival at the BFI Southbank from November 10-14, 2010 as part of the “wavelength 10″ screening program.

Says Sailer about the film, “I decided to make a prequel to the ‘Splitting the Atom’ clip, whilst leaving interpretation to the viewer to a certain extent but mixed with the real sense of the song and the text of Del Naja. The song is about rendition so that was certainly an inspiration.”

In WTF News: October 22, 2010

• The age of robots being used in everyday homes has come a step nearer with the development of a new creepy-ass humanoid named HRP-4C aka The Diva Bot. (via Daily Mail)

• Soldiers in an American Army platoon accused of murdering Afghan civilians for sport say they took orders from a ringleader (aptly named Sgt. Stoner) who collected body parts as war trophies, were threatened with death if they spoke up and smoked hashish on their base almost daily. (via NY Times)

• In a Bush-like move the Obama Administration is pushing to overhaul a federal law that requires phone and broadband carriers to ensure that their networks can be wiretapped, federal officials say. (via NY Times)

• In another lame move the Obama administration “strongly opposes” a California ballot measure to legalize marijuana, and vow to bust people even if it passes. (via Wall Street Journal)

• Founders of  the deadly Mexican drug gang Zetas learned special forces techniques at Ft. Bragg before waging a campaign of carnage. So that’s why they’re so good, they learned from the best. (via Al Jazeera)

• Another Facebook privacy fail: life-wasting apps like Farmville share private info with marketers, even if you have the strictest privacy settings. (via AP)

• Google gets away with  a whooping 2.4% tax rate by using oddly sexualized accounting tactics the “Double Irish” and the “Dutch Sandwich”, while the current corporate tax rate in the U.S. is 35%. Over the last three years Google has avoided $3.1 billion in taxes. (via Bloomberg)

• A Detroit prosecutor  is pushing for a law that calls for jail time for parents who skip parent-teacher conferences, a plan some call inspired and others consider the nanny state run amok. Count my vote for the latter of the two. (via The Detroit News)

• Drug addicts across the UK are being offered £200 to be sterilized by an American charity. 3,500 addicts in the U.S. have already taken this deal. And I was hoping eugenics died with the Nazis. (via BBC News)

• Did the White House “muzzle own scientists over oil spill fears”? (via The Independent)

• 20-year-old college student named police chief in Mexico because no one else applied. At least she’s a criminology major. (via Yahoo! News)

Mexican Police Chief Marisol Valles

Meet Jimmy McMillan, NY Gubernatorial Canidate and Your Facial Hair Hero

In a debate expected to be dominated by top New York governor candidates Andrew Cuomo and Carl Paladino, Jimmy McMillan of the Rent Is Too Damn High Party provided the fireworks. Watch his inspired views on karate, gay marriage, and, of course rent.

As Don King would say, “Only in America.”

Watch a brief post-debate interview with Jimmy McMillan here

For more silliness from NY’s gubernatorial debates click here and/or here

Update: Apparently Jimmy might be living rent free in Flatbush reports NY Times.

Funny Video: Jack Black as The Mis-Informant, Parts 1 & 2

Nathan Spewman is a liar for hire who goes undercover to spread misinformation on behalf of greedy billionaires. But Spewman meets his match in Miss Clulots 2nd grade class. Jack Black and America Ferrera star, and introducing Caitlin Carmichael the only 6 year old who channels Glenn Beck.