Iranian officials experience "gotcha" politics on YouTube

We noticed this video rising today on YouTube and asked an Iranian colleague here at YouTube just what was going on. Apparently, the two men in the video are the president and vice president of a bloodbank in Yazd, Iran, and they're trying to promote blood donations by giving blood themselves. Only problem is, they were faking it. When the videographer was brave enough to pull back the gauze on their arms, he revealed the needle wasn't breaking the skin.

In the video description and the comments, there's a debate going on over the incident. Some state that the head of the blood bank was replaced because of the video. Others claim that he was ready to donate blood, but the reporter asked him to let them shoot the video before the blood donation instruments would be ready, and he accepted - only to fall into the trap. Our colleague says it's hard to confirm which is true, due to the unreliability of Iranian state TV.

Levi Johnston and the lowest calorie nut

Levi Johnston, father to former VP candidate Sarah Palin's grandchild, has found himself a new gig. Selling pistachios. Watch for yourself.

In bellwether election, Deeds and McDonnell answer your questions

Answering questions submitted on Google Moderator and YouTube, Virginia gubernatorial candidates Creigh Deeds and Bob McDonnell signaled that their contest is being influenced by the national political mood.

“Frankly, a lot of what’s going on in Washington has made it very tough,” said Deeds, the Democratic candidate. “We had a very tough August because people were just uncomfortable with the spending; they were uncomfortable with a lot of what was going on, a lot of the noise that was coming out of Washington, D.C.”

With a month to go, both candidates will campaign hard for the State's top spot - and to prove that their party is looking good moving into next year's midterm elections. Learn more from the Politico, who hosted these debates alongside WJLA - a full video of the interviews is up now on YouTube:

Tonight! Deeds and McDonnell answer your questions

Tonight is the second in our series of Virginia gubernatorial election TV interviews that we've partnered on with the Politico and WJLA. Republican Bob McDonnell and Democrat Creigh Deeds will take your video and text questions at 7 pm EST (the interviews were pre-taped), in a discussion with WJLA's Leon Harris and the Politico's John Harris.

Why should anyone outside of Virginia care about tonight? Listen to the Politico's top reporters explain the significance of Virginia's off-year, bellwether gubernatorial race:



For those of you not in Virginia, we'll feature the archived version of these interviews as soon as they're up.

Brazilian Supreme Court launches YouTube channel

Yesterday, the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court launched its official channel on YouTube, making it the first supreme court in the world to take advantage of YouTube to leverage its own transparency and use online videos to provide better information to the people. The Brazilian Supreme Court has a long tradition of openness and has been live broadcasting its sessions for more then a decade now. The channel contains highlights of the Supreme Court sessions, educational content produced by their own TV channel, and records of historical passages of the Brazilian Judiciary Branch.

The National Council of Justice, the highest administrative authority of the Brazilian Judiciary Branch, took the opportunity to launch an official YouTube channel as well. The channel offers a lot of useful information to citizens, especially on their fundamental rights and how to protect them. The two channels together represent a unique source of relevant legal information translated into everyday language.

We hope that these launches will encourage other public institutions around the world to follow suit, and that in Brazil and Latin America, these channels will foster openness and transparency, improve communications with the population, and stimulate regular citizens to participate in public debates.

Posted by Ivo Correa, Google Public Policy, Brazil

Follow the Announcement of Nobel Prizes in Real-Time on YouTube

This week, Nobel Prizes will be awarded in a variety of categories, and for the first time, you can follow the proceedings live on YouTube. Starting today and ending on October 12, YouTube users can tune into the Nobel Prize YouTube channel for live-streamed announcements of each Prize. This marks the first time that a European event will be live-streamed via YouTube.

Missed this morning's announcement of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine? You can view it here:



The Nobel Prize in Physics will be awarded tomorrow. To view a complete schedule of when other prizes will be announced on YouTube, please click here.

Booker fights back - Conan O'Brien banned from Jersey

Conan O'Brien responds to Mayor Booker on Tonight Show

Conan O'Brien has responded in the new feud he has with Newark Mayor Cory Booker (read back story on Booker's YouTube video aimed at Conan, here). Not only does he ratchet up his slights of Newark ("...all sewers lead to Newark," Conan quips) but he also invites the Mayor to appear on the Tonight Show so they can settle the feud man-to-man:

Explore Anne Frank's Virtual Museum Through YouTube

You probably learned about Anne Frank through the pages of an old textbook -- children now have a more robust alternative.

The Anne Frank House just launched their YouTube channel, which serves as a veritable virtual museum of historical pieces, including the only existing film images of Anne Frank:



Other must-see videos include this interview with Otto Frank and this clip of Nelson Mandela talking about how Anne Frank inspired his work. The Anne Frank House is also building a virtual museum in homage to Anne, which you can tour through this video.

Padang Earthquake: The Aftermath

Yesterday's massive earthquake in Padang, a city on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, has already claimed at least 1100 lives - and the number keeps rising. Measuring a 7.6 on the Richter scale, the earthquake destroyed an estimated 500 buildings - including many homes, schools, and hospitals in Padang.

Here are some videos that have come in to YouTube, documenting the aftermath.

Wanted: Puppy and Kitty Videos for Good

Like many of you, actor Ben Stein cares deeply about animals (especially his dog Puppy Wuppy). That's why, with World Animal Day right around the corner, Ben is calling on you (and your pet, if you like) to make a video on behalf of your favorite animal welfare organization, as part of YouTube's Video Volunteers program.

The top three videos will appear on the YouTube homepage, next to Ben's video about the Humane Society, as part of a special spotlight on animal welfare at the end of the month. Here's Ben with more details:



This is just the beginning: each month, we'll feature a different relevant issue on the Video Volunteers channel with a new guest curator, and you could have the opportunity to showcase your work (and favorite org) to a huge audience.

For this month, you have until October 22 at midnight PT to submit your video to www.youtube.com/videovolunteers, so grab your camera and use it to make a difference! Then make sure to vote on October 24 for the videos you'd most like to see featured on the homepage.

Conan O'Brien vs. Cory Booker: A YouTube feud?

Mayor Cory Booker has been using YouTube more effectively than almost any big-city mayor in the country (though Mayor Bloomberg may have something to say about that). He posts weekly clips talking about what he's up to in Newark, New Jersey, a city he claims is "on the rise." He also does Q and A sessions with citizens, and films most of his public appearances.

But his biggest YouTube hit to date came out of a spat he's begun with Tonight Show Host Conan O'Brien, who made a quip that the best Newark healthcare plan, "would consist of a bus ticket out of Newark." Booker hopped on this jab with a rather humorous 1-minute rebuttal on his YouTube channel, taking issue with O'Brien's comment and using the opportunity to highlight why Newark is improving drastically under his administration. Oh, and he also issues a "ban" on Conan from ever using the Newark Airport

Smart move. Getting ahead of O'Brien with a timely and funny response shows the Mayor knows how to laugh, but also has the guts to defend his city on a national stage.