HI-TRANSFER

Everyday on the CitizenTube channel (and @CitizenTube on Twitter), along with our curation partners @storyful, we look at how the top news stories are covered on YouTube. Each week we post a weekly recap of the top news stories of the week, as seen through the lens of both citizen-reported footage and professional news coverage.

• We witnessed devastating scenes from Afghanistan, as 16 civilians were killed and five injured after a US soldier allegedly went on a shooting spree in the south of the country.
• We were saddened to hear of the deaths of 28 Belgians, including 22 children, who were killed in a coach crash inside a Swiss motorway tunnel near Sierre.
• We followed George Clooney as he witnessed the horrific effects from the war crimes that have taken place in Sudan's Nuba Mountains.
• We marked one year since the revolt against Assad's regime began in Syria, even as towns where the uprising began, such as Daraa, continued to be mercilessly bombed.
• We observed a 'mini-Tuesday' for GOP candidates on the US campaign trail, as Rick Santorum pulled off a southern sweep with wins in Alabama and Mississippi.
• We viewed solemn reflections in Japan one year after the most powerful earthquake in their history struck, causing a devastating tsunami and the now infamous Fukushima nuclear plant incident.
• We saw heightened violence between Israelis and Palestinians leave at least 20 people dead.
• We were awestruck as a massive tornado hit Dexter, Michigan on Thursday, leaving several homes destroyed as it swept through the town.
• We watched David Cameron receive a warm White House welcome from President Obama as the UK and the US celebrated their 'special' relationship.

Everyday on the CitizenTube channel (and @CitizenTube on Twitter), along with our curation partners @storyful, we look at how the top news stories are covered on YouTube. Each week we post a weekly recap of the top news stories of the week, as seen through the lens of both citizen-reported footage and professional news coverage.

• We saw record flooding in New South Wales and Northern Victoria force the evacuation of thousands from their homes in the region.
• We observed a high-ranking defection in the Syrian government, as deputy Oil Minister Abdo Hussameldin quit his post saying he could not go on "serving the crimes of this regime."
• We watched Vladimir Putin secure the presidency of Russia for a third time, amid heavy protests at alleged electoral fraud.
• We were pummeled by a geomagnetic storm of charged particles after two unusually large solar flares erupted from the sun.
• We followed the GOP candidates during one of the high points of the US campaign trail: Super Tuesday. Of the ten states on offer, Mitt Romney took six, Rick Santorum took three and Newt Gingrich took one.
• We watched protesters rally against possible military action in Iran, as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks with in Washington DC with President Barack Obama.
• We witnessed fast-moving twisters devastate America's heartland as homes, school buildings and as prison were destroyed by the powerful tornadoes.
• We marked International Women's Day with a variety of profiles, messages, and historical facts on women that were uploaded to YouTube for the occasion.
• And finally, we waited eagerly with the rest of the world to see what exactly Apple had up their sleeve at the unveiling of the new iPad.

The election season heats up today as voters in ten states -- with a total of 419 delegates at stake -- head to the polls to cast a ballot in the GOP primary.

We’ve been following the race closely on YouTube, featuring this cycle’s trending videos, political advertisements and campaign highlights on youtube.com/politics. Tonight, you can watch live coverage from the Wall Street Journal, whose top editors and reporters will be providing commentary and analysis as the results come in.

Tune in to youtube.com/wsj starting at 7pm ET to follow the evening’s returns.

And if you’re in one of the ten states holding a primary or caucus today, we’d love to see your videos! For those on the campaign trail documenting the political process at work, you can upload your videos to YouTube using a new mobile app created by the team at Storyful. Available for both Android and iOS, Storyful Direct is an easy way to share your videos with Storyful, who will be choosing a selection to be featured on YouTube and google.com/elections.

Even if you don’t live in a state that’s holding a primary tomorrow, Storyful Direct can be used to document your experience during the run-up to the Presidential election in November.

Olivia Ma, YouTube News and Politics, recently watched “The Fix: What's at stake on Super Tuesday?"

Everyday on the CitizenTube channel (and @CitizenTube on Twitter), along with our curation partners @storyful, we look at how the top news stories are covered on YouTube. Each week we post a weekly recap of the top news stories of the week, as seen through the lens of both citizen-reported footage and professional news coverage.

• We monitored events in Syria, where the populace said a resounding yes to a new constitution and Red Cross continued their attempts to evacuate the wounded from Homs.
• We saw a string of tornadoes across the US Midwest claim the lives of at least twelve people, injure hundreds and destroy countless properties.
• We were saddened to hear of the death of conservative journalist Andrew Breitbart, who died of unexpected natural causes, aged 43, while walking this week.
• We observed thousands in Moscow protest against Vladimir Putin by forming a human chain that encircled the inner city.
• We followed the remaining GOP candidates on the US campaign trail as Mitt Romney claimed victories in Arizona and his home state of Michigan.
• We were shocked as another US school was plunged into violence with the deaths of three students in a shooting at Chardon High School, Ohio.
• We watched the ailing Costa Allegra, sister ship of the Costa Concordia, being towed back to the Seychelles after a serious engine fire.
• We witnessed police and bailiffs evict members of Occupy London from their base at St. Paul's Cathedral.
• We remembered with a heavy heart some of the greatest music of the 1960's, as Monkees heart-throb Davy Jones passed away, aged 66.
• Finally, we saw all the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, as the world's biggest movie stars came together for the 84th Academy Awards.

Cross posted from the Google New Zealand Blog.

On the one year anniversary of the Christchurch earthquake, the New Zealand Herald is providing full coverage of the city’s memorial services on YouTube, commemorating the lives that were lost and those who are still affected by the tragedy. The live-stream of the memorial services starts today on NZ Herald’s YouTube channel.

On February 22, 2011, Christchurch was rocked by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake, killing 185 people and devastating much of the historic city centre. The state broadcaster’s raw coverage of the immediate aftermath was one of the most-viewed videos on YouTube on that day, as millions of people around the world stopped to watch the tragedy unfold.

Christchurch, is New Zealand’s second-largest city, located on the South Island. The idyllic town is known for its friendly people, abundant gardens, and historic stone buildings. And its convenient location makes an easy gateway to mountains, beaches — and Hobbits.

Quakes have continued in Christchurch over the last year. Despite this hardship, we remain inspired by the great resilience of the city’s residents, who have worked hard toward rebuilding their hometown and keeping alive the memory of the tragedy.

Richard North, a YouTuber from Christchurch, recently watched "John Key on Christchurch anniversary."

Everyday on the CitizenTube channel (and @CitizenTube on Twitter), along with our curation partners @storyful, we look at how the top news stories are covered on YouTube. Each week we post a weekly recap of the top news stories of the week, as seen through the lens of both citizen-reported footage and professional news coverage.

• We paid tribute to the late Whitney Houston by compiling some of her all time classic performances.
• We observed Syrian towns such as Daraa, Homs and Hama receive heavy bombardment as fighting between military forces and rebels continued.
• We were saddened to hear of the death of New York Times Foreign Correspondent Anthony Shadid, who died this week while working in Syria.
• We saw parts of Athens burn as protests over austerity measures in Greece turned violent.
• We followed Mitt Romney as he got his campaign back on track by winning both the CPAC straw poll and the Maine caucuses.
• We witnessed anger in Israel as two of the country's envoys in India and Turkey were attacked with bombs.
• We viewed mourning in Honduras after a large fire claimed the lives of hundreds of inmates in a prison there.
• We saw North Korea hold extravagant celebrations to celebrate the 70th birthday of their late leader Kim Jong-il.
• We watched Bahrain police use tear gas to disperse large crowds marching towards a historic landmark.
• We monitored the progress of Madagascar-bound Cyclone Giovanni with the help of a schoolboy reporter named John.
• Finally, we gave into 'Linsanity' as NBA star Jeremy Lin's popularity exploded worldwide after he hit a last-second 3-pointer to win a game for the New York Knicks.

Come back next week to see the news unfold on YouTube.

Everyday on the CitizenTube channel (and @CitizenTube on Twitter), along with our curation partners @storyful, we look at how the top news stories are covered on YouTube. Each week we post a weekly recap of the top news stories of the week, as seen through the lens of both citizen-reported footage and professional news coverage.

• We watched the situation in Syria deteriorate into almost relentless violence as military forces laid siege to neighborhoods in Homs.
• We witnessed unrest in the Maldives as President Mohamed Nasheed resigned, handing over power to vice president Mohammed Waheed Hassan Manik.
• We monitored the harsh weather in the United States, as cities like Denver suffered record snowfall.
• We saw the New York Giants win their fourth Super Bowl, and the resulting celebrations in New York City.
• We followed the GOP candidates continue their toil on the US campaign trail as Rick Santorum pulled off the hat-trick of Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri.
• We were saddened as scores were killed or injured after a powerful earthquake rocked the Philippines.
• We viewed pro & anti-Putin protesters brave the cold in Moscow to voice their opinion of Russia's polemical Prime Minister.
• We observed public anger in Greece despite officials announcing that coalition partners had reached a bailout deal.

Come back next week to see the news unfold on YouTube.

Posted by Olivia Ma, YouTube News and Politics Manager, recently watched "War Torn: An Iraq Veteran's Story."

To help you learn about the big stories of the week, we’re kicking off a new series from CitizenTube, a YouTube channel focusing on global news and politics.

Everyday on the CitizenTube channel (and @CitizenTube on Twitter), along with our curation partners @storyful, we look at how the top news stories are covered on YouTube. Each week, starting today, we'll post a weekly recap of the top news stories of the week, as seen through the lens of both citizen-reported footage and professional news coverage.

• We witnessed widespread protests in Cairo, Egypt after the tragic deaths of over 70 people at a soccer game in Port Said.
• We monitored reports of violence in Syria, where fighting intensified causing the Arab League to suspend its monitoring mission in the country.
• We observed parts of Queensland and New South Wales being declared natural disaster zones due to flooding after days of heavy rainfall.
• We watched Eastern and Southern Europe come to a standstill due to freezing temperatures and unprecedented levels of snowfall.
• We followed the GOP candidates do battle in Florida as tensions grew on the US campaign trail, with Mitt Romney emerging as the comprehensive victor in the Sunshine state.
• We watched social networking giant Facebook announce that it was going public, as it sought to raise $5bn in the largest IPO by a technology company.
• We viewed Occupy Oakland protesters burn the Star Spangled Banner after clashes with police.
• We saw Novak Djokovic defeat Rafael Nadal to claim the Australian Open final, in a match that will go down in history as one of the greatest of all time.
• And finally, we looked forward to Super Bowl XLVI, as some companies released advanced versions of their half-time commercials.

Olivia Ma, YouTube News & Politics Manager, recently watched “Inside Syria: Escalating violence pushes country toward full-blown war”.

You asked, and today President Obama will answer. This afternoon at 2:30 p.m. PT (5:30 pm ET), President Obama will head to the Roosevelt Room of the White House to connect face-to-face with people across America over a live Google+ Hangout. This first-ever virtual interview will be streamed live on the White House YouTube Channel so you’ll have a front row seat.

In the past week, over 225,000 of you have asked a question or cast a vote on the White House YouTube channel, voicing your interest in everything from military benefits to online poker, outsourcing to the Occupy movement. During today’s post-State of the Union interview, a selection of the top-voted YouTube questions will be asked, and several participants will actually join the President in the live Google+ Hangout to pose their questions directly.

Tune in today to watch Your Interview with President Obama live at 2:30 p.m. PT on youtube.com/whitehouse and see how President Obama addresses the issues that you care about.

Ramya Raghavan, YouTube News and Politics Manager, recently watched “Ask Obama: Why Tuesday”

The worst terrorist attack ever on U.S. soil took place ten years ago next month. The tragic events of September 11, 2001 affected the lives of millions of people, not only in New York, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania, but around the world.



Working with The New York Times, we’re marking the 10th anniversary of 9/11 with a dedicated YouTube channel, featuring special content from the New York Times, archived news broadcasts from September 2001, and your own personal stories and tributes. We hope this channel will provide an enduring record of what took place on that day.



We’re asking you to share with us:

• Your strongest memory of that day or that time period
• How 9/11 changed you, and how you believe it changed America
• What you lost — or gained -- because of 9/11

Make a video answering any of these questions and submit it to youtube.com/September11. A selection of your videos will be featured on the The New York Times website and YouTube homepage on September 11 this year.



Through telling and sharing stories, we can all hope to make sense of an event that, for many of us, was one of the defining moments of our lives. Thank you for sharing yours.



Olivia Ma, YouTube News & Politics Manager, recently watched “Portraits Redrawn: Alissa Torres”

There are few areas in the world where the ubiquity of the web means more than in the Palestinian territories. In a place where conflict is a part of daily life, and land disputes prevent the kind of geographical freedom most of us take for granted, it’s platforms like YouTube that are allowing people to broadcast their ideas to the rest of the world—and to tell stories that aren’t being told by other media outlets.

A few weeks ago, as part of our efforts to broaden YouTube’s news content partnerships, I spent a week with some other Googlers in Gaza and the West Bank. I met with news organizations, bloggers, local officials, and young people—all of whom were eager to tell their stories on video. In the last month, over 16,000 videos have been uploaded to YouTube from the Palestinian territories, despite low access to 3G networks and broadband Internet. And of the more than 75,000 videos uploaded from the territories this year, 5,000+ were tagged as news and politics videos:

Sleepless in Gaza is an innovative 90-part (!) reality show on YouTube featuring six women who travel in the Palestinian territories and document their experiences. It drew such a following on YouTube that it’s now being optioned for TV series in the U.S.

• The Maan News Agency, the top online Palestinian news site, has begun uploading its video reports to YouTube to share with the world.
• Videos covering the March 15 demonstrations (which were held to demand unity between competing Palestinian political parties, Hamas and Fatah) saw many views on YouTube as conflict broke out between demonstrators and Hamas.
• The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has a YouTube channel they use to tell the stories of Gazans they work with in schools and other projects.
• The Global Citizen Corps, a group of young bloggers organized by the international NGO Mercy Corps to do community service and media training, has a robust YouTube channel with videos made by young people telling the story of Gaza through their eyes.
• The Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation, once the state media outlet of President Abbas’ Fatah, has recently decided to hire an independent board of directors and produce content outside the influence of the government (on a model that might end up quite like PBS).

It’s in Gaza (the part of the Palestinian territories that are run by Hamas) where media freedoms have a ways to go. Journalists told us they’d been jailed for writing articles critical of Hamas, and one news organization had their office broken into and computers stolen when their pages held criticism of the government. And, after growing to 1,200 members, the Global Citizen Corps caught the attention of the government and was disbanded by the organizers for a while to protect members.

But the people of the Palestinian territories want desperately to tell a story of the region that gets beyond stereotypes. The images we see in Western media, of a place fraught with conflict and despair, doesn’t tell the real story of the territories, they told us. Some Palestinian entrepreneurs even created a new travel website, highlighting the best there is to see in the region.

It’s been said before, but it’s true: it’s the young people in the Middle East who will make change. Seventy percent of the people in Gaza are under 30. In Israel, 30 percent of the population is under 14. Several bloggers told us they had relationships with Israeli youth on the Internet; their hope is that YouTube and other platforms will help them communicate beyond the seemingly intractable political battles between their leaders and start conversations that will lead to new opportunities for peace.

Steve Grove, Head of YouTube News and Politics, recently watched “Sleepless in Gaza, part 1.”

We live in a world that feels smaller every day. As we become accustomed to nearly ubiquitous coverage of the news and events unfolding around the world, it’s easy to forget the price that is sometimes paid to obtain quality, accurate reporting on important stories—particularly in areas of conflict or in cases of government repression of the media. With this in mind, today, the Newseum in Washington, D.C., Google and YouTube are together launching the Journalists Memorial channel on YouTube to remember the journalists who have died in the last year while reporting news around the world.

Their stories are incredible: heading into a street battle with no weapon other than your camera; talking about politics over the radio, only to be beaten to death with iron bars by a group of thugs on the way to work. The risks and sacrifices that many have made in order to provide us with accurate information is remarkable. On the Journalists Memorial channel you can watch a collection of videos representing these journalists’ lives and their work.



This channel will become a digital version of the Newseum’s Journalists Memorial, which is re-dedicated annually to honor journalists worldwide who have died during the preceding year. This year, 77 names are being added to the list of the more than 2,000 journalists who have been recognized for their sacrifices since 1837. At today’s rededication ceremony, Krishna Bharat, the founder and head of Google News, will be delivering the keynote address, which the Newseum will post to the new YouTube channel later today.

In tribute to those who are being honored at today’s ceremony, we would like your help finding videos that profile or represent the work of all journalists who have risked or lost their lives doing the important work they do. We invite you to go to the Journalists Memorial channel and submit videos you think deserve recognition to the Moderator platform on the channel. The Newseum will be featuring additional submissions there.

Steve Grove, Head of YouTube News and Politics, recently watched "Reuters: 21 Journalists Slaughtered in Philippines Massacre."

Now Blogger has introduced a new feature again. They currently offers five dynamic views for public blogger blogs. These views are only accessible if allowed for by the blog author. You can also can see a message in your blogger dashboard. Use this new feature you must configure your sire feed as "Full". Unless it will not work.



To enable this new 5 dynamic view feature for your blogger go to Settings --> Site Feed. Now from "Allow Blog Feeds" section, select the option "Full" and click on save. Now you blogger blog ready for this "Five New Dynamic Views" feature.



To view this dynamic views simply follow the url formats given below:

Flipcard : available at [yourblogURL]/view/flipcard
Mosaic : available at [yourblogURL]/view/mosaic
Sidebar : available at [yourblogURL]/view/sidebar
Snapshot : available at [yourblogURL]/view/snapshot
Timeslide : available at [yourblogURL]/view/timeslide

Replace [yourblogURL] with your blogger blog url.

For example, click on the links given below to see how this work :

Flipcard : http://www.bloggertipandtrick.net/view/flipcard
Mosaic : http://www.bloggertipandtrick.net/view/mosaic
Sidebar : http://www.bloggertipandtrick.net/view/sidebar
Snapshot : http://www.bloggertipandtrick.net/view/snapshot
Timeslide : http://www.bloggertipandtrick.net/view/timeslide

These views require modern browsers such as Internet Explorer 8+, Firefox 3.5+, Chrome or Safari. Many elements of these views will not work should you have an older browser.

Flipcard View : http://www.premiumbloggertemplates.com/view/flipcard



Mosaic View : http://www.premiumbloggertemplates.com/view/mosaic



Sidebar View : http://www.premiumbloggertemplates.com/view/sidebar



Snapshot View : http://www.premiumbloggertemplates.com/view/snapshot



Timeslide View : http://www.premiumbloggertemplates.com/view/timeslide



You can view more info about this here : http://www.google.com/support/blogger/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1229061

Last month, we introduced the YouTube World View program with a citizen-powered interview with U.S. President Barack Obama. Starting today, through World View, YouTube and Al Jazeera English are bringing you another chance to engage with one of the world’s preeminent leaders in a special interview: British Prime Minister David Cameron.

In light of current events, you’re invited to submit questions to Mr Cameron about foreign policy, national security, and how he views the present situation in the Middle East. In addition, you can also submit questions about issues related to domestic policy, so if you’re curious about the economy, education, health, or the big society, just go to www.youtube.com/worldview to submit your question in either video or text. You can also tweet in your question - make sure to use hashtag #askthePM in your tweet, and it will automatically be added to the World View queue.

Next Thursday, the Prime Minister will sit down for a special interview and answer a range of the most popular questions submitted by you. The interview will be available on YouTube on Friday, February 25. The deadline to submit your question is midnight GMT on Tuesday, February 22nd.

Interviews with President Obama and the Prime Minister, David Cameron, are just the start. We’ll be announcing more World View interviews in the coming months with other top leaders, and you can be sure that each of these interviews will be completely driven by your questions and votes. Who would you like to interview next? Leave your suggestions in the comments.

Ramya Raghavan, News and Politics Manager, and Jayme Goldstein, U.K. Product Marketing Manager, recently watched "Demonstrations in Al Bayda Libya"

It’s been hard to open a laptop or turn on the television over the last week without hearing news of the unrest in Egypt. On YouTube, thousands of videos of the protests have poured in, whether as unfiltered footage from the demonstrations themselves, or as news reports from our media partners around the globe.

We understand how closely the world is following these events, and want to help people access and share this information quickly and easily on YouTube. We’re helping people do this in three ways:

• Highlighting the latest footage on CitizenTube, our news and politics channel, and inviting people to submit video they’ve come across.
• Pointing our users directly to these videos through banners at the top of YouTube pages, and through links alongside YouTube videos.
• Streaming live coverage of Al Jazeera’s broadcasts about the unfolding events, on both their Arabic and English YouTube channels.

And our Google colleagues have also turned on a speak-to-tweet service to help people in Egypt stay connected at this difficult time.

Here’s a playlist of videos that have come in:



YouTube has used similar tools and live streaming technologies in the past to give our users access to information on major world news events, such as the Haiti earthquake and the protests in Iran. We hope this footage provides a unique window into the events unfolding in the streets of Cairo, Alexandria and many other cities across Egypt.

Olivia Ma, YouTube News and Politics, recently watched “28th Jan. 2011 - Storyful - Kasr Al Nile Bridge clashes.”

In around an hour’s time, U.S. President Barack Obama will sit down for his first post-State of the Union interview – and you might be the interviewer.

Last week we announced that the President would address a selection of your questions in a special YouTube interview. The deadline for question submissions was midnight ET on Wednesday, January 26, and at that time more than 190,000 people had cast more than 1.3 million votes on nearly 140,000 questions.

Tune in to youtube.com/askobama at 2:30 p.m. ET to see and hear the President’s responses to a selection of your top-voted questions, streamed live from the White House.

Here’s a selection of just some of the thousand questions that were submitted, on topics ranging from health care, to university education, to jobs, to sports.



Olivia Ma, News and Politics Manager, recently watched "Ask President Obama."

Tonight at 9 p.m. ET, U.S. President Barack Obama will deliver his second State of the Union address - and for the second year in a row, you can submit your follow-up questions for him right here on YouTube. Tune in to youtube.com/askobama and be sure to submit a question for the President (video questions preferred) and vote on your favorites. On Thursday January 27, at 2:30 p.m. ET, we’ll bring a selection of your top-voted questions to the President at the White House in an exclusive, live YouTube Interview.



Just as interested in the GOP’s plan for America? Speaker of the House John Boehner will be doing a YouTube Interview within the month, so stay tuned for more announcements on when and how you can participate. You'll be able to see Rep. Ryan deliver the Republican response to the State of the Union on YouTube after the President’s address as well.

Thursday is your chance to be part of history, so when you sit down to watch the State of the Union tonight on YouTube, grab your video camera, cellphone, or webcam and record a question as the ideas strike you. This is a unique opportunity to have direct access to the President, and if you’re still not sure what to ask, check out this playlist of submitted questions for inspiration.




The deadline for your question submissions is midnight ET on Wednesday, January 26.

This YouTube Interview with President Obama is the beginning of the YouTube World View program, a series of interviews with public leaders and big thinkers who will be answering tough questions all year on YouTube.

Olivia Ma, YouTube News and Politics, recently watched, “Sheila’s question, from New Brunswick, Ohio.”

It’s the biggest speech of the year, and next Tuesday night at 9 p.m. ET, people across the country and around the world will sit down to watch. But as President Obama delivers the 2011 State of the Union Address, which will be streamed live on YouTube along with the Republican response, you can do more than just watch the speech: you can also submit your questions for the President for an exclusive YouTube Interview that will take place just two days later, on January 27.

In fact, you can get started today. Health care. Education. Foreign policy. What would you like to ask the President about the most important issues our country faces? Go to youtube.com/askobama to submit your question now, or watch the speech on Tuesday night with your webcam or video camera nearby so that you can record and submit your question as soon as it strikes you. This year, you'll also be able to ask your question via Twitter: just include the hashtag #askobama in your Tweet. And be sure to have your say in what should be asked by voting on questions submitted by others, too.



A few suggestions before submitting your questions:

1. Video questions are highly preferred (though we also accept text). Videos should be about 20 seconds long and be sure to ask the question directly.
2. Speak clearly and try to film in a place with minimal background noise. Keep the camera as still as possible.
3. Feel free to be creative (use props, charts, etc.) to help your question stand out. If you have time, find an interesting backdrop that may help reinforce your message.
4. Submit your question early. The final deadline is Wednesday January 26 at midnight ET.
   

President Obama’s responses to a selection of your top-voted questions will be streamed live from the White House on youtube.com/askobama at 2:30 p.m. ET on Thursday January 27.

This interview is the first in a series of world leader interviews coming to YouTube in 2011 as part of YouTube World View. These interviews will give people around the world the chance to engage in conversation with their elected officials and other influential people from the world of business, philanthropy, technology, media and the arts. Check back on the channel in the next few months for more opportunities to participate.

You have until Wednesday January 25 at midnight ET to submit your question for President Obama. The YouTube community made history last year when the President answered your questions in the first ever citizen-powered interview of a United States president. If you didn’t get an opportunity to ask the President a question last year, make sure you don’t miss out this time -- get your submission in early.

Remember, after the President’s address you’ll have the opportunity to watch Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) deliver the GOP response to the State of the Union as well. And within the month, we’ll be holding a similar YouTube Interview with a prominent Republican leader - more details soon.

*Update - that should read "You have until Wednesday January 26 at midnight ET to submit your question for President Obama".*

Posted by Olivia Ma, YouTube News and Politics, recently watched “Submit your question for President Obama”

Each weekday, we at YouTube Trends take a look at the most interesting videos and cultural trends on YouTube as they develop. Right now, we want to highlight some of the cool stuff we've come across recently:

• We found evidence from around the country of a little known pants-less holiday.
  
  
• With major flooding in Queensland, Australia, we experienced some of it through amateur footage from on the ground.
  
  
• We went around the world to see top viewed public performances of all kinds.
  
  
• We examined the trend of short action films the re-imagine video games In Real Life.
  
  
• On the one year anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti, we saw how charities large and small were using YouTube to raise funds and awareness.
  
  
• We used search and viewing data to see how popular the cast members of "Jersey Shore" are.
  
  
• And we studied how this father and daughter duet became one of the week's most-shared videos:

Check back every day for the latest about what's trending on YouTube at: www.YouTube.com/Trends

Kevin Allocca, YouTube Trends Manager, recently watched "Elizabeth Hughes, 8 years old, National Anthem/"