What s Al Gore doing now

A.� After losing the election, what is Al Gore's position in the US now asked JaRjaR. Well, put simply, the former vice-president is teaching journalism students.< xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

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Q.� What

A.� You heard right. Gore, who lost the presidency to George W Bush, is teaching a course at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Middle Tennessee State, called Covering National Affairs in the Information Age.

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Q.� Why Aren't former politicians meant to go into big business

A.� Seems not. Gore had been a reporter before entering politics and he was particularly proud of it.

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Q.� What did he do

A.� His major coup was as a reporter for the Tennessean, when he caught a developer and a member of the city council in a sleazy deal.

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Q. Good for him. What's he like as a teacher

A.� According to one cynical US commentator, he's pretty good: 'Gore is a lot of fun in class. He's a gas in small group situations, on campaign planes and the like when the cameras aren't rolling, loose as an untethered cannon rolling around on the deck.'

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Q.�So the American press is welcoming Al Gore into their bosom

A.�Not exactly. The same columnist wrote: 'Just what we need, a wonk politician mucking up young reporters' minds.'

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Q.�And what do the trainee reporters think

A.�Difficult to say. Gore is holding all his classes off the record. They're private and no observers are allowed. However, a television news channel managed to interview two of his students. One said: 'I think he's actually quite wonderful.' The other replied: 'He has a broad wealth of experience, and that makes him a very vital teacher. Even though he doesn't have professional teaching experience, he's a professional communicator from all his years in politics.'

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Q.�Any other advantages for his pupils

A.�Gore can attract a few guest speakers. He brought along Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, the man who controls America's economy.

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Q. Pretty impressive!

A. And that's not all. He also got another guest lecturer, Rupert Murdoch, head of the global corporation that publishes The Sun and The Times in Britain as well as numerous other publications around the world and, of course the Fox Network.

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Q.�The man who gave us page 3 girls and Bart Simpson

A.� The very same.

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Q.� But apart from being former VP, apart from Murdoch and apart from Greenspan, he's just a regular college lecturer, isn't he

A.� Oh yeah. Except he arrives at college with a motorcade and a team of Secret Service agents.

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By Steve Cunningham