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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Christian Science Monitor | World

Betancourt meets children in Colombia, while Americans return home
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 01:00:00 -0500
In Colombia, rescued soldiers and policemen were welcomed with cheers and a mariachi band.
U.S. to open Berlin embassy on symbolic land
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 01:00:00 -0500
German critics have lambasted the building's design ahead of its festive July 4 inauguration.
In Jordan, aid for Iraqi refugees is often redirected
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:00:00 -0500
Millions in aid money intended to help war refugees is also helping improve Jordan's beleaguered infrastructure.

NPR Topics: World

Rescued American Hostages Return Home
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:49:00 -0400
Three Americans rescued Wednesday in Colombia from FARC rebels have returned to the United States. Five years ago, their plane was shot down over FARC-held territory. One of them met with family members. The other two were expected to do the same.
FARC Has Ability To Keep Fighting, Expert Says
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:11:00 -0400
The Colombian military has rescued hostages from left-wing FARC rebels. Marc Chernick, associate professor at Georgetown University, says though the rebels have been weakened, they can continue fighting the military for a long time.
U.S. Role Seen In Colombia Hostage Rescue
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:12:00 -0400
Colombia told the U.S. about the raid to rescue hostages from FARC rebels two weeks ago, Pentagon sources say. The U.S. was asked to provide help in the form of surveillance aircraft to eavesdrop on rebels. No Americans were on the ground.

NYT > World

Bold Colombia Rescue Built on Rebels’ Disarray
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 06:32:29 -0000
The Colombian military duped FARC guerrillas in a raid that freed 15 hostages, an action that some analysts suggested might help push the rebels to negotiate for peace.
Japan Sees a Chance to Promote Its Energy-Frugal Ways
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 06:09:33 -0000
Japan’s single-minded dedication to reducing energy use, which dates to the 1970s, has given it the potential to play a rare leadership role on a pressing global issue.
9 Terrorism Suspects Detained in Indonesia After a Raid Uncovers Bombs
Fri, 04 Jul 2008 06:11:05 -0000
Indonesian police transferred nine suspected terrorists, bound and wearing black hoods, to Jakarta after their arrest in southern Sumatra.

World business news - CNNMoney.com

ECB raises interest rates to 4.25%
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:10:05 -0400
Read full story for latest details.
The British (retail) invasion
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:48:42 -0400
Sir Philip Green spreads his arms wide inside the 40,000-square-foot space that will soon become the first U.S. location of his retailer Topshop. "This is awesome," he says, his voice echoing around the guts of the Lower Manhattan landmark building. Sunlight streams through the windows onto his broad face as his architects show him where the deejay booth will hang from the ceiling. "This is everything you would want in retail," he crows inside the cavernous space.
Subsidies boost food prices - WTO
Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:23:53 -0400
Read full story for latest details.

FRONTLINE/World - Reports | PBS

Libya: Out of the Shadow
Thu, 03 Aug 2006 21:00:00 -0500
Libya is not the first place that springs to mind as a hot-ticket destination. But much has changed in the country in recent years as Libya and its leader Colonel Gaddafi have returned to the diplomatic fold. Who better to explore the mysteries of present-day Libya than our roving world-music reporter Marco Werman? And what better way to get inside the country than to tag along with the 10,000 astronomy enthusiasts who descended on Libya earlier this year to watch the solar eclipse?
Italy: One-Way Ticket to Europe
Thu, 27 Jul 2006 21:00:00 -0500
As Europe grapples with the rising numbers of migrants arriving to its shores, this week's Rough Cut/Fellows report travels to the small Italian island of Lampedusa, off the Libyan coast, where hundreds of African migrants arrive daily through the summer in search of a better life. The story offers an unsettling glimpse of life for these new immigrants and exposes how complex and divided the issue of illegal immigration has become.
India: A Pound of Flesh
Thu, 20 Jul 2006 21:00:00 -0500
In this week's Rough Cut, Samantha Grant heads to Chennai in southern India to explore the illicit kidney trade. Traveling between India's high-tech center of Bangalore and the slums to the south, Grant spoke to government officials, doctors, kidney brokers and donors to try to find out why so many people are still getting paid to give up their kidneys even though a law was passed 12 years ago to heavily regulate the practice.

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