Entertainment is a leisure activity consisting of an event and an audience that views the event and participates. This participation can be subtle, as in Theatres: Film, Opera or stageshows, or Orchestral symphony concerts wherein the applause due the performance or performing artists would be bad manners. In contrast, the sports entertainment industry feeds off audience participation— who can imagine the strange event attending a pro-wrestling bout, basketball or baseball game without cheering or booing the participants would experentially being happy.

The industry that provides entertainment is called the entertainment industry, and one distinction between what is meant by the term is the voluntary participation of the party being entertained, which may be passive (Opera) or active (Frantic shoot-em-up computer games) and the whole gamut of industry supported diversions in between (Baseball, Concerts, Football, Books, Television, film , striptease, and events like Karaoke).

Recreation, play, reading, and art appreciation may in some instances be confused with entertainment, but the difference is elementary—entertainments take two or more— even if one of the participants is a programmer for the obsolescent Amiga computer system who now happens to be deceased. Without the 'performance' of the artist and the participation of the viewer the event would and could not occur.

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The Economist: Middle East and Africa

The Middle East and America's election: Who would be best for the Arabs?
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:59:56 -0000
Weighing up the relative merits of Barack Obama and John McCainSIX months ago, in a mock poll conducted at the US-Islamic World Forum, a gathering of influential Muslims and Americans held every year in the Gulf state of Qatar, Barack Obama won a resounding victory as the preferred choice for the next American president. If one is to believe internet chatter from America's extreme right, the Illinois senator's popularity among Muslims in the Middle East might be due to the allegations that he is 43.75% Arab by blood, or that he has been secretly funded by Arabs with ties to terrorism. Then again, it might just be natural that a candidate who has some Muslim ancestry, and who has protested against the widely loathed policies of the Bush administration, would inspire more enthusiasm than a Republican opponent committed to continuing those policies. Oddly enough, however, recent statistical and anecdotal evidence from the region shows that enthusiasm for Mr Obama is less fulsome than might be expected.The lukewarm feelings partly reflect the burgeoning over the past eight years of a more general cynicism towards America. In a global opinion survey taken last spring regarding expectations from a new American president, results from five Muslim countries polled clashed with more optimistic opinions elsewhere; large majorities expected that American policies under any new administration would either not change much, or change for the worse. "Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell were both black, and they still invaded Iraq," scoffs a Cairo taxi driver. ...
Rwanda: The blame game
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:59:56 -0000
Exchanging unpleasantries about the genocideDID France expect--and indeed help--the genocide that killed almost a million people in Rwanda 14 years ago? That is the claim made in a 500-page report published in Rwanda this week, accusing 33 French politicians and army officers, including France's then-president, Francois Mitterrand, of complicity. But the report must be read with a pinch of salt. It is in part the product of a feud between the two countries.The report was commissioned by Paul Kagame, Rwanda's president. Some will say it is a response to a French judge's indictment of nine of Mr Kagame's allies over the plane crash that killed his predecessor, Juvenal Habyarimana, whose death triggered the start of the massacres. But it is also part of a broader effort by Mr Kagame's government to entrench its own narrative of the 100-day killing spree and refute revisionist histories that minimise the killings or, in some cases, deny that any genocide took place. ...
Mauritania: Another president booted out
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:59:56 -0000
Why the world likes this coup less than the last one WHILE the rest of Africa seems to be slowly ridding itself of its penchant for coups, Mauritania seems to be perfecting its ability to stage them. Such is the country's current strike rate that the last two successful coups on the continent have both taken place in this Islamic republic, a vast, sandy country that sees itself as part of both the black and Arab parts of Africa. The latest victim is President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, who was arrested by his presidential guard and relieved of his duties on August 6th. Not a shot was fired and the news was spread mostly by the president's distraught daughter, who telephoned journalists as dissidents occupied their house and whisked her father away. According to script, state television and radio went off air, except to declare Mr Abdallahi a "former" president and to reinstate the senior army officers whose sacking had been announced earlier that morning. The coup was led by Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz, the head of the presidential guard and one of the officers Mr Abdallahi had tried to fire. Even before the military dismissals, politics in Mauritania had been in a rotten state. In the space of three months one government had been sacked and another forced to resign. Complaints have ranged from poor management of rising food prices to the lack of transparency over the first lady's finances. The army was believed to have instigated a mass resignation of the president's supporters in parliament earlier this week. ...
Israel: Gang warfare, in the courts
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:59:56 -0000
A politician hits back against a rampant judiciary THEY are known collectively by their opponents as the "rule-of-law gang", and for the moment they seem to be in the ascendancy. The gang is the collection of judges, prosecutors, policemen and journalists who last week forced the prime minister, Ehud Olmert, to announce his resignation over allegations of corruption. They wear their sobriquet with pride; the gang members see themselves as having been vindicated, yet again, in their crusade against graft and sleaze in high places. After all, they argue, the fact that Mr Olmert was only the latest of Israel's four most recent prime ministers to have been involved in criminal inquiries while in office shows how bad things have become. Binyamin Netanyahu (Likud, 1996-99) was questioned about an alleged votes-for-influence conspiracy. Ehud Barak (Labour, 1999-2001) was implicated in election-financing irregularities. And Mr Olmert's predecessor, Ariel Sharon, was interrogated both about breaking such financing rules and about much more serious allegations of bribery and breach of trust. None of them was actually prosecuted (although Mr Sharon's son was and subsequently went to prison). Mr Olmert probably will be prosecuted. Indeed, two of his former ministers are already in court: Avraham Hirschson, the finance minister, on charges of theft and fraud, and Tzachi Hanegbi, minister of the environment, who is alleged to have handed out government jobs to political cronies. Thanks in part to the diligence of the gang, that particular practice, long customary in Israeli politics, is being rooted out. ...
South Africa: A future of division, factionalism, stagnation and patronage
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:59:56 -0000
The African National Congress under Jacob Zuma shows signs of losing its wayA LITTLE over half a year after Thabo Mbeki was ousted as president of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), worries are growing about the party's new leadership and where it may take South Africa after a general election due next year. Arguments still rage over the corruption charges facing the new leader, Jacob Zuma, who is likely to replace Mr Mbeki as the country's president. An unseemly fight within the ANC across the country is denting people's confidence in their rulers.Mr Zuma appeared in court this week in a bid to have the charges against him dismissed. Other appeals will probably follow and his trial--if it happens at all--is unlikely to start before the election. Critics accuse Mr Zuma of delaying tactics, but hundreds of supporters, including ANC bigwigs and some cabinet ministers, went to the small town of Pietermaritzburg to support their champion. They want the charges dismissed on the grounds that he is the victim of a political conspiracy and that a fair trial has become impossible. ...
Iraq: Security better, politics still stuck
Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:10:21 -0000
The politicians are still failing to take advantage of the lull in the violenceTHE mood in Baghdad and most parts of Iraq is an odd mixture of hope, frustration and nervousness. Despite the occasional mass-murderous suicide bomb, such as the four that killed at least 50 people in Baghdad and the disputed city of Kirkuk on July 28th, the death toll is continuing mercifully to slide downwards (see chart); the month of July will probably have witnessed the fewest American military combat deaths--eight, as The Economist went to press--since the war began five years ago. The month's Iraqi civilian toll, though harder to count and still wretchedly high, will also be one of the lowest since the insurgency got going in 2004; some 500-odd violent civilian deaths were reported in July, compared with a tally of 3,700 at the height of sectarian mayhem two years ago. Irrespective of the different plans of the two American presidential candidates, a reduction of American troop numbers is also happening steadily, from 171,000 in October to 145,000 at last blush. At the same time, the size of the Iraqi forces is creeping up, from 115,000 two years ago to 229,000 today. This week the province of Kadisiya, south of Baghdad, became the tenth out of 18 to come under Iraqi, rather than American, operational command. ...

L.A. Times - Middle East

Yemeni gets 5 1/2 years in prison
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
With credit for time already served, Osama bin Laden's driver should complete his sentence by January. A military jury Thursday sentenced a Yemeni prisoner to 5 1/2 years in prison for having worked for Osama bin Laden, a surprising end to a case the government had touted as justice for the victims of Sept. 11.
Israel soldiers indicted over treatment of Palestinian protester
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The two face prison if convicted in an episode caught on video that showed a restrained Palestinian being shot in the foot with a rubber-coated bullet. An Israeli battalion commander and a staff sergeant caught on film allegedly abusing a handcuffed, blindfolded Palestinian detainee were indicted by a military court Thursday on the charge of "unworthy conduct."
Pakistan coalition will seek to impeach President Pervez Musharraf
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The U.S. fears an ouster could bring more instability to Pakistan. In its first decisive move against Pakistan's former military ruler, the governing coalition announced Thursday that it would seek to impeach President Pervez Musharraf unless he agreed to resign.
Hamdan case sets stage for bigger trials at Guantanamo
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The partial conviction may give the tribunal system a credibility boost and help the White House reach its goal: trial by year's end for accused Sept. 11 plotter Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. From the start, the military trial of Salim Ahmed Hamdan had the makings of a mock trial, an exercise in testing the system.
Anthrax investigation should be investigated, congressmen say
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Sen. Charles Grassley and Rep. Rush Holt want hearings into the Justice Department and FBI's handling of the case. After seven long years, the FBI and the Justice Department say they are closing the books on the anthrax investigation.
FBI says evidence points uniquely to Bruce Ivins in anthrax case
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The deceased government researcher was the only scientist who had regular access to the unique anthrax spores linked to deadly mailings in 2001, according to FBI documents released today. In an extraordinary attempt to prove the guilt of a suspect now beyond their reach, government officials Wednesday released a wealth of new details about the troubled life of Bruce E. Ivins, and said they had evidence that would have convicted him in the 2001 anthrax mailings that killed five people.

NPR Topics: Middle East

Middle East Diplomacy, Shrinking U.S. Involvement
Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:41:00 -0400
Complex diplomatic negotiations are taking place in the volatile region. With the U.S. taking a back seat in the talks, smaller countries such as Egypt and Syria are stepping up and taking leading roles.
Middle-Eastern Perspectives On The U.S. Election
Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:34:00 -0400
Rami Khouri, editor for the Daily Star, discusses the political challenges in Lebanon and describes the different ways people in the Middle East view the U.S. presidential election. Khouri directs the Fares Institute of Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut.
Training Afghan Forces Is Mission Critical For U.S.
Sun, 03 Aug 2008 09:21:00 -0400
Training Afghan security forces is seen as a critical component of stabilizing the country. NPR's Jackie Northam is embedded with U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan, and she talks with host Liane Hansen about efforts to get the new Afghan army battle-ready.
Palestinian Rivals Accused Of Human Rights Abuses
Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:54:00 -0400
Human Rights groups say the two main Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, have been illegally arresting, torturing and even killing each other's members.
U.S. Civilians Recruited To Help Troubled Nations
Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:49:00 -0400
The State Department hopes patriotism will compel American civilians to leave their comfortable lives in the U.S. for far-flung locales and potentially dangerous work: saving states the U.S. classifies as "failing." Critics say the program will be seen as nation building.
Officer Suggests Ways To Support The Troops
Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:39:00 -0400
Capt. Nate Rawlings urges people who want to help U.S. troops to send a letter or visit a veterans hospital. The Army officer also explains how he and his soldiers approach political debates.

UN News Centre - Middle East

New string quartet piece to mark anniversary of UN Baghdad terrorist attack
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
A new classical music work called Songs without Borders, composed in memory of United Nations personnel who have perished in the line of duty, will be performed on the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attack against the world body's Baghdad office which claimed 22 lives.
Israel and Palestinians to boost postal services with help from UN agency
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Israeli and Palestinian postal authorities have agreed to start direct mail exchanges between the Palestinian Authority and the 191 member countries of the United Nations Universal Postal Union (UPU), with mail transiting through Jordan.
UN mission in Iraq ‘regrets' failure of parliament to pass an electoral law
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The United Nations Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) says it regrets that an opportunity was missed yesterday when the country's parliament adjourned without reaching agreement on a new provincial elections law.
Time for Iraqis to make political progress, UN political chief says
Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Iraqis must focus on political dialogue, reconciliation and bread-and-butter economic issues now that they are seeing improved security, the top United Nations political official told the Security Council today.
Syria: UN sparks hope among Iraqi refugee schoolchildren
Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is reaching out to Iraqi schoolchildren in the Syrian capital Damascus by distributing school supplies before the start of the school year next month.
Ban outlines options to wind up oil-for-food programme
Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has outlined options for resolving outstanding issues involved in winding up the oil-for-food programme for Iraq.

NYT > Middle East

Jerusalem Journal: Quandary for Hebrew: How Would Isaiah Text?
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 05:31:48 -0000
The revival of Hebrew is often hailed as one of the greatest feats of the Zionist enterprise, but some worry that the common language may already been in decline.
Military Panel Sentences bin Laden Driver to a Short Term
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 05:48:43 -0000
Salim Ahmed Hamdan, the first detainee convicted after a war crimes trial in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, could complete his punishment this year.
Iraqis Fail to Agree on Provincial Election Law
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 07:19:06 -0000
The failure to reach a deal before Parliament’s recess left the fate of provincial elections in doubt.
As a Gesture to Abbas, Israel Says It Will Release About 150 Palestinian Prisoners
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 07:07:09 -0000
The release, planned to take place at the end of August, may include several prominent prisoners.
Britain Debates Army’s Delay at Basra
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 06:12:53 -0000
A political controversy has erupted in London over Britain’s failure to deploy troops to help save a faltering Iraqi Army offensive against Shiite militias earlier this year.
World Briefing | Middle East: Syria: Dissident Is Freed After Almost 7 Years
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 05:29:08 -0000
Syria released Aref Dalila, a former dean of the economics faculty at Damascus University who was serving a 10-year term.

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