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I wrote about the new Google Video search over on SCN, check it out!

by Kyle Kiang
After a brief hiatus, I caught this week's British House of Commons Prime Minister Question and Answer. Although I have never been more than a novice on the British politics, in the past I tried to tune into Q/A to hear the issues pressed to Tony Blair and to see "lively" parliamentary politics in practice. Although the Q/A format does not usually lend to an intelligent examination of issues, it is entertaining to see the ceremonial back and forth. It is additionally refreshing when compared to the current American presidential race, where the candidates in this year's election have rarely been in situations where they are pressed with criticism and forced to offer direct responses.
"Hard Work" and "I love freedom" in the Commons chamber? I think not.

Several issues came up in this week's Q/A, including pensions, internet safety and hospitals, but events in Iraq continue to weight heavily on Blair. With the recent beheading of Ken Bigley and a report on British pre-war intelligence published last week, the questions on Iraq are pointed directly at the Prime Minister and not the Labour Party. Blair is generally strong in Q/A, using his amazing notebook, which appears to contain any piece of information required to refute criticism for the opposition. Iraq is something entirely else for Blair, and despite the fact that Labour has no plans to immediately challenge his leadership position and that the Conservatives as a party were more supportive of the war, the subject of Iraq will remain a common topic in Q/A, where Blair's notebook provides little assistance and where his own benches provide Blair with ample criticism.

On a more unusual note, Jeremy Corbyn, a Labour back bencher from Islington North, appeared in a bright green jacket, purple shirt and silver tie. Quite unusual in that dress in the House of Commons is usually conservative, similar to the United States Senate. Interesting to know that the House of Commons has its own Jim Traficant. Here, here.

Watching the news is informative and fun. You have to been aware and selective when picking which news you watch.
Today I learned about the fake letters the army is forging and sending to local newspapers to boost public opinion about America's continued involvement in Iraq and Bush's approval rating.
I also learned about this insane jailbreak that seems like it must be from 40 years ago.
Plus, I learned about the possible sequel to Sixteen Candles which is being made as a TV movie. It will, apparently, be called....32 Candles. WOW! YIKES!! Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall are attached. The plot goes something like this: Molly's character returns to her hometown and starts to pine over old flame hunk Jake. Anthony Michael Hall's character returns as a millionaire after creating a search engine. Hilarity Ensues!!!
BUT!!! Most importantly, I found out from watching the news today that the world's largest pair of jeans were just unveiled in South Korea. They are levis. They are huge!! I'm not sure exactly how big they are but they beat the old record of 94 ft tall from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada from 2001. They are Levis. The new record holding jeans have a name. They have been christened "BIG JEAN!" A brilliant name for the world's largest pair of jeans. HOORAY BIG JEAN!!!

After taking about a year off from watching the news (due to a complete loss of confidence in most news reporting in a post 9/11 U.S.) I have just recently started watching again and the news show I find most interesting, informative, and enjoyable to watch is Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN. The show just started a few weeks ago, but I find myself watching it almost everyday. It is not a normal sit at the desk sorta show. It's a little faster paced and has a sense of humor. The reporting is strong and the topics covered are relevant and interesting. Anderson Cooper is a great host. He has been at CNN for a while doing desk stuff but previous to that he was at ABC where he did stuff for Primetime Live, hosted their reality show The Mole, and I loved him as the host of the great overnight news program World News Now. He got his TV start on the in the classroom news show Channel One, which is a 12 to 14 minute news show shown in thousands of high schools every morning. Channel One's alumni also features Lisa Ling of The View and Serena Altschul of CNN and formerly of MTV.
I just read something that said Anderson Cooper 360 is getting really crummy ratings. When I read this about shows that I like it makes me feel helpless and manic (I also just read something about Craig Kilborn doing poorly). What do you folks think I can do as a caring supporter of these shows to help them stay on the air long??

A new newsman for a new world.