Obama's personalized holiday wishes

Organizing For America, has launched a viral video campaign that sends out personalized holiday wishes and thanks to Obama supporters.

On OFA you fill out the name of the person you want the video to go out to, as well as their e-mail address, and they will receive a video with the recipient’s name appearing in various places of the clip. The last frame is President Barack Obama himself signing a personalized holiday card, where the same name appears.

According to NewTeeVee, the video has seen 5 million visitors in the first seven days since it's launch.

Website for USSR nostalgics and Good Bye Lenin Fans

The image above, released by Russian media company Uravo, shows a Soviet video of the May Day parade on Red Square in Moscow. It can be viewed on CCCP-TV.ru, a newly launched nostalgic-for-the-USSR website.

Iraq government launches its own channel on YouTube

The Iraq government has set up its own YouTube channel, reports the BBC.

The channel has been set up to promote transparency and allows people to watch speeches and behind-the-scenes footage.

The country's Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, said it was aimed at "people both at home and abroad".

Justice Denied Video: Voices from Guantanamo

The ACLU produced this video about men who were held at Guantánamo for years without charge then, after being tasered, suffocated, raped, punched, blinded, and spat upon, were released without charge. (Via boingboing and The Agitator)

Offshore tax dodgers are being warned by UK taxman

The (UK) taxman is making his first appearance on YouTube today in an attempt to increase pressure on savers who have not declared their offshore accounts.

According to the Times Online, this is the first time that HMRC has used social media to communicate with the public. Previously it has run television campaigns to encourage people to file their tax returns on time and to collect their tax credits.

NYC Election Documentary released on YouTube

Award-winning filmmaker Raul Barcelona is releasing his critically acclaimed film, The Promise of New York, on YouTube in hopes of inspiring New York City voters to participate in the upcoming general election on November 3rd.

The film can be seen in its entirety on the YouTube channel The Promise of New York beginning Tuesday, October 27th, 2009, exactly one week before Election Day. The film is also currently available on DVD from the film's website.

Press release.

Make your (video) case for passing the health insurance reform

President Obama's Organizing for America has just announced a powerful new way for Americans to help: Organizing for America's Health Reform Video Challenge.

In their own words:

This is your chance -- you ingenious, insightful, funny people out there -- to make a 30-second ad telling the story about why the status quo has got to go, or explaining how the Obama plan will ensure we get the secure, quality care we need without breaking the budget.

The top submissions will be voted on by the public and a panel of experts, with the winning ad aired on national television. This is your opportunity to add your voice and creativity to the debate, get some great exposure for your work, and make a huge difference.

No experience is needed -- if you have an idea, we want you to give it a shot. And if you know someone who is especially handy with a camera, please forward this note along right away. Just make sure you submit your ad by October 18th.

OFA National Health Care Forum with President Obama

Here's the full video from yesterday's event, in which over 280,000 people tuned in online to watch the President discuss the ongoing fight for health insurance reform. [via Organizing for America]

IRS Features Recovery Tax Credits on YouTube, iTunes

The Internal Revenue Service Friday announced the availability of video and audio products to help taxpayers take full advantage of the 2009 tax provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. [via NBC13 News]

The IRS has launched a YouTube video site and an iTunes podcast site to better serve taxpayers.

People can visit the video site at http://www.youtube.com/irsvideos to view information about the Recovery, tax tips and how-to videos. These videos will be in English, Spanish, American Sign Language and other languages.

Statue of Liberty replica decapitated on YouTube

A disturbing YouTube video dated July Fourth showing a gloved hand sawing off the head of the statue of Liberty with slogans "We don't want your freedom" and "Death to America" flashing on the screen, was anonymously e-mailed to the Daily News and Ryan earlier this week. CNN reports.

Sarah Palin's Resignation speech

[via boingboing. And read great coverage and commentaries on The Huffington Post]

Iran bans prayers for 'Angel of Freedom' Neda Agha Soltan

This video or group may contain content that is inappropriate for some users, as flagged by YouTube's user community.

Iran's regime has issued a ban on memorials for a young woman whose death has become the focal point of protests against the clerical regime. The Telegraph reports.

Neda Agha Soltan, 27, was dubbed the Angel of Freedom after a video which appeared to show her being shot by a government sniper was posted on the internet.

Graphic scenes show Neda – her name means "the call" – walking with her father among demonstrators, then separately when she was shot as well as attempts to save her life.

Some online posts speculated the image would rank alongside that of the unnamed man standing in front of a tank in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989 and the summary execution of a Vietnamese Communist prisoner by Colonel Nugyen Ngoc Loan in 1968.

Footage was posted on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook and was viewed by tens of thousands. Messages of sympathy and outrage flooded the internet following the posting of the videos.

The Iranian authorities have now sent out a circular to mosques banning collective prayers for the woman.

Iran Election Crisis: 10 Incredible YouTube Videos

Thousands of Iran-related videos are being uploaded to YouTube every day, revealing first-hand accounts of the crisis to the world. Some are incredible, some are eye-opening, and other shock you to your very core. Mashable has included ten of these incredible videos, in a chronological order that helps provide context to the crisis in Iran. Be prepared, for these videos can evoke some very strong emotions.

Watch here.

President Obama's speech at Buchenwald

President Obama delivered a powerful speech today when he visited Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany. [via The Huffington Post]

Obama's Cairo Speech

President Obama talks about tensions between the U.S. and the Muslim world.

[via The Huffington Post]

Out to lunch with Obama

The president was joined by NBC anchor Brian Williams and a crew that was filming a behind-the-scenes "Inside The White House" special.

[via The Huffington Post]

A tour of the White House's East Wing with Michelle Obama

As part of his NBC special "Inside The Obama White House," Brian Williams got a tour of the White House's East Wing from first lady Michelle Obama.

[via The Huffington Post]

Iran: YouTube, Broadway music and the Election

Global Voices has posted several YouTube videos showing how campaigners in the Iranian elections have used the video sharing website in different ways to promote their favorite candidate - or discredit their opponents.

The above video - in a surprising American touch - compares former Prime Minister, Mir Hussein Mousavi to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the tune of the old Broadway song, ‘Anything You Can Do'. The text at the end of the film concludes that Mousavi is more rational than Ahmadinejad whose policies have damaged Iran's economy.

Filibuster-buster!

Republicans want to stop the global warming bill - 900 pages with thousands of amendments - and want everything to be read aloud on the floor of the house. Democrats in the House Energy and Commerce Committee hired a speed reader and tried him out. [via The Rachel Maddow Show]

U.S. Government Channel Launches on YouTube

The State Department, NASA, the FBI, the White House, and the CDC are among launch partners for a new Government YouTube Channel.

"We've seen a lot of interaction between citizens and the federal government on YouTube, and we're proud to launch this new channel with the GSA to make it even easier," said Steve Grove, Head of News and Politics at YouTube. "This is a great development towards making our government more open, transparent, and accessible to the people."

Press release.

Potential Supreme Court Nominees Targeted in YouTube Attack Ads

According to ABA Journal, some conservative groups aren’t waiting for President Obama to announce his choice to fill the seat of retiring Justice David H. Souter. They are taking aim at three potential Supreme Court nominees in attack ads posted on YouTube.

The Judicial Confirmation Network has posted the videos on a website called Obama’s Frontrunners, the DC Dicta blog reports.

... Supreme Court practitioner Thomas Goldstein, who created SCOTUSblog, told the Tribune that the Internet and blogs have helped distribute information about the possible nominees. "The downside is that there is an equal leveling effect in which totally idiotic wing nuts can go off—that's true on both the far left and far right."img alt="quotesmarksleft.jpg" src="http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/images/set3/quotesmarksleft.jpg" width="20" height="15" />

President Obama at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

President Obama gave humorous remarks about current events and the political climate in Washington.

[via NewTeeVee]

Mia Farrow nine days into three week hunger strike for Darfur

Mia Farrow is on a hunger strike to support Darfur refugees and has been posting videos on her YouTube channel.

[via boingboing]

Larry King: Michelle Mania!

Larry King and his panel rate Michelle Obama's performance as first lady and discuss her fashion sense on CNN via Mrs.O.

Obama's 100 Days Press Conference

[via The Huffington Post]

More rudeness from Berlusconi at Nato summit

More Berlusconi misbehaviour with world leaders reported by The Telegraph.

Climbing out of his limousine, the Italian leader took a mobile phone call instead of walking to greet Angela Merkel, Germany's chancellor.

Left standing alone on the red carpet, Miss Merkel smiled weakly before turning away to greet other leaders, including Prime Minister Gordon Brown, as they arrived in their motorcades.

Seven or eight minutes later, all the other 27 Nato leaders had arrived - except Mr Berlusconi, who was still speaking on his phone. He missed being in the group photo with 27 Nato leaders.

Berlusconi and the queen

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II was apparently not amused by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's loudness. The clip has become a YouTube hit.

[via CNN]

The Obamas head to Europe

[Reuters video via The Huffington Post]

Anti-Brown speech gets 1.1m views

More than a million people have watched internet footage of a South East England MEP verbally attacking the Prime Minister over the economy, reports the BBC.

Tory politician Daniel Hannan told Gordon Brown he was the "devalued prime minister of a devalued government" at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

In the clip of Tuesday's speech, footage shows Mr Brown smiling and making notes during the verbal attack.

Writing on his blog for the Daily Telegraph newspaper, the Conservative politician said: "The internet has changed politics - changed it utterly and forever.

"What caught their attention? To be honest, I'm slightly perplexed. I have been making similar speeches every week and posting them on YouTube for the past seven months."

More than 7,500 people have commented on the clip, including many from the US.

Obama to Answer Online Questions

The President introduces a new tool on WhiteHouse.gov, "Open for Questions," which will allow you to submit your questions on the economy and vote on those submitted by others.

A video of Mr. Obama (above) was posted at the site to solicit questions, which he said should focus on the economy. The categories listed alongside the questions section range from jobs to financial stability to health care reform.

At the time of publishing this post, 66,301 people have submitted 71,496 questions and cast 2,719,498 votes

It’s unclear how often President Obama will answer questions posed to him at the new site. It’s also unclear for now what will happen to all of those he can’t answer in an hour. (An awful lot of people will probably be disappointed.)

[via The New York Times Caucus Blog]

Obama launches 'YouTube diplomacy'

In recording a video message to the Iranian people marking the Iranian New Year Nowruz and distributing it online, US President Barack Obama seized one of the Web tools he used so effectively during his presidential campaign. The AFP reports.

The 3min 35sec video entitled "A New Year, A New Beginning" was posted on the White House website at whitehouse.gov/Nowruz/ with captions in Farsi and also on the White House YouTube channel at youtube.com/user/whitehouse.

It had rung up nearly 150,000 views on YouTube some 18 hours after its release and generated a stream of more than 1,300 mostly favorable comments.

Military Blocks Its Own 'YouTube' Knockoff

The Defense Department banned YouTube from its networks, and built a military-friendly video-sharing site to take its place. But in an odd twist, many military bases are now blocking that new site, Troop Tube, as well.

... "You know, it's bad enough they don't trust us with the 'real' internet and social media sites," one frustrated Air Force civilian tells Danger Room. "Why don't they they trust us with the sites they invent?"

[via Wired Danger Room]

Related:

-- US Miltary launches TroopTube for Veterans Day

-- The Military and Iraq. Images and Issues

Highlights from President Obama's 2009 Address to a Joint Session of Congress

On Tuesday, President Obama delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress to call for a new era of responsibility and a renewed commitment to investing in energy, health care, and education.

Above are key moments from the speech and President Obama's plan to return our country to prosperity.

Click here for full address.

Where to Watch Obama’s “State of the Union” Online

Where to Watch Obama’s “State of the Union” Online listed on NewTeeVee.

President Obama's Weekly Address February 14, 2009

President Obama celebrates the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act while keeping his eyes on the tough road ahead.

President Obama Addresses Economic Crisis

President Obama held his first-ever prime time press conference Monday evening to outline the state of the economy and why it is crucial to pass his Economic Recovery plan.

Obama: Voters "Sent Us Here to Bring Change"

During a House Democrats' retreat in Williamsburg, Va., President Barack Obama urged the passage of his economic stimulus plan saying that while he welcomed debate over policy, the time to act is now.

Hear, hear.

President Obama on Economic Recovery

President Obama recorded a series of interviews about his economic recovery plan.

Obama's first interview as president (Al-Arabiya TV exclusive)

Al-Arabiya TV Washington, DC, bureau chief, Hisham Melhem, gets the first, exclusive interview with president Obama.

Melding Obama’s Web to a YouTube Presidency

President Obama is trying to bypass the mainstream news media and take messages straight to the public. The New York Times reports.

The most prominent example of the new strategy is his weekly address to the nation — what under previous presidents was a speech recorded for and released to radio stations on Saturday mornings. Mr. Obama instead records a video, which on Saturday he posted on the White House Web site and on YouTube; in it, he explained what he wanted to accomplish with the $825 billion economic stimulus plan working its way through Congress.

By late Sunday afternoon, it had been viewed more than 600,000 times on YouTube.

President Obama's Weekly Address

In his first weekly address since being sworn in as the 44th president of the United States, President Barack Obama discussed how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan will jump-start the economy.

Bing, Bong, the Bush is Gone. END OF AN ERROR

Clever lines, from boingboing with a link to a video of the "helicopter of happiness" carrying George W. Bush mercifully out of our lives. Filmed by Eddie Codel.

Live streaming of the inuauguration on Hulu

Live streaming of the inuauguration on Hulu - NOT restricted to US viewers only. Thank you Hulu.

Bush's Farewell Address: Still Delusional After All These Years

Part 1 (embedded above), Part 2.

[via The Huffington Post]

Sarah Palin Takes On The Media!!

I watched this last week and didn't post it as I felt Palin bashing was over, but I've changed my mind so here it is.

An interview for the forthcoming documentary "Media Malpractice" Governor Sarah Palin, for the first time at length, takes on the media coverage of her and the 2008 campaign.

[via YouTube Blog]