Al Gore's Penguin Army -- a YouTube film by... Exxon.

[skids]

This just mainpaged at Kos. Seems one of those "independent" YouTube guys isn't so independent after all. I hope this makes /. due to the use of email headers to trace the fund flow.

YouTube, meet astroturf.

Everyone knows Al Gore stars in the global warming documentary "An Inconvenient Truth." But who created "Al Gore's Penguin Army," a two-minute video now playing on YouTube.com?

In the video, Mr. Gore appears as a sinister figure who brainwashes penguins and bores movie audiences by blaming the Mideast crisis and starlet Lindsay Lohan's shrinking waist size on global warming. Like other videos on the popular YouTube site, it has a home-made, humorous quality. The video's maker is listed as "Toutsmith," a 29-year-old who identifies himself as being from Beverly Hills in an Internet profile.

In an email exchange with The Wall Street Journal, Toutsmith didn't answer when asked who he was or why he made the video, which has just over 59,000 views on YouTube. However, computer routing information contained in an email sent from Toutsmith's Yahoo account indicate it didn't come from an amateur working out of his basement.

Instead, the email originated from a computer registered to DCI Group, a Washington, D.C., public relations and lobbying firm whose clients include oil company Exxon Mobil Corp.

Link to kos's article: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/8/4/04639/29412
Link to original source article: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06215/710851-115.stm

[evlbstrd]

1. Oily bastards.

[Archae]

2. Keith Olbermann exposed the connection.

Now the PR firm and Exxon are in major CYA mode.

[bleever]

3. The "common man" speaks:

"The President is a regular guy just like me!

"We're so 'down' with the internets, we're like, totally googled!!

"No way us 13-year-old and up You Tube savvy Netizens are falling for Algore's "It's so hot outside" propaganda.

*snork*. Loserhead!

We so rock! Putting the "smack down" on the liberal media!

Woo hoo! Our message is now totally VIRAL!

(Copyright 2006 AllYourNetsIsOurs, LLC.)

[Dead_Parrot]

5. Hmm....

Better punctuation than most 25-year olds, can spell "propaganda", and puts "smack down" in quotes when he talks...

C'mon, Mr. Tillerson, you must have something better to do than post on YouTube...

[Dead_Parrot]

4. I'm not going to watch it...

...because I don't want to credit them with a view.

But I'm not surprised. at all.

[dipsydoodle]

6. Watch this instead

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjA5faZF1A8

Just under 7 million hits !

[mikita]

7. much better! n/t

[Dead_Parrot]

13. Good god

:wow:

[NYCGirl]

12. Watch this one: "A Terrifying Message from Al Gore" from the Futurama

folks (and yes, that is Al voicing his cartoon self):

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5BjrOi4vF24

[terminal_concept]

8. That's Tux

I'm new,I just joined to mention something everyone is overlooking.
Does anything go at youtube? Can a big corporation decide to take Tux the Linux penguin and use him in a video for their benefit.That would be like Sara Lee using the Pilsbury Dohboy in an add on youtube.At least quit saying it's "a penguin" or "an army of penguins" etc.It's Tux the linux penguin.And they should sue for violating their trademark.It's about time the word linux was spoken in the corporate media.

[skids]

9. IIRC... Linus is the trademark holder? n/t

[terminal_concept]

10. Good question

I'm really not sure.I did some searching and found this website for the creator of Tux.

http://www.isc.tamu.edu/~lewing/linux/

All he says is

"Permission to use and/or modify this image is granted provided you acknowledge me [e-mail] and The GIMP if someone asks."

Their generousity certainly bites in this case.Looks like Microsoft would be free to slander the symbol of Linux at will.At least they should get some publicity.

[skids]

11. The image itself isn't the trademark...

However having looked it up myself, it appears the trademark the Linus is assigned is to the word "Linux", not Tux.