A Spedthrift Flaneur in the Attention Economy

delicious.com/willis.creative/blindfla links for the week ending today.

Libya Live Blog - March 9 | Al Jazeera Blogs

Libya Live Blog - March 8 | Al Jazeera Blogs

Libya Live Blog - March 7 | Al Jazeera Blogs

YouTube - Hindu anger at yoga studios

Devout Hindus in the US state of California are unhappy with the way American popular culture has commercialised their religion. They say the modern yoga movement has forgotten its deeper identity as a spiritual ritual, and that many practitioners and yoga studios are “actively de-linking” yoga from Hinduism. Al Jazeera’s Rob Reynolds reports from Berkeley, California.

YouTube - The death of fear 031011

Rageh Omaar examines how the death of a street vendor led to a wave of uprisings across Arab world.

YouTube - Canada’s ‘Avatar’ forest 030911

It’s the battle to save ancient woodlands from a profit-driven corporation. That may sound like the plot to the hit movie ‘Avatar.’ But it is also the real-life story of a forest in western Canada earmarked for commercial logging, and the campaign to stop that from happening. Al Jazeera’s Imtiaz Tyab reports.

Parag Khanna: Why Nobody Runs the World | Radio Open Source with Christopher Lydon 030111

Parag Khanna — the young freelance adventurer, noticer and scorekeeper in geo-politics — broke the news in the mainstream press three years ago that the United States’ “unipolar moment” had expired in the ruins of Iraq. Who Shrank the Superpower? was the cover headline on Khanna’s debut in the New York Times Sunday Magazine — counting on top of military costs the loss of American moral and economic “soft power” in the era of George W. Bush’s unilateralism. Globalization, as Parag Khanna argued in his first book, The Second World, had become a three-way street, meaning that aspiring peoples between the “first” and “third” world (think: Venezuela, Turkey, Kazakhstan) had the choice now of modernizing with the financial and technical help of (1) the U.S. (2) China or (3) Europe– and that the American route was looking less and less attractive. The title of Khanna’s new book, How to Run the World was slapped on with deepest irony…

Spark 140 – March 6 & 9, 2011 | Spark | CBC Radio

On this episode of Spark: WiFi Art, Digital Legacy, and C is for Computer.

Dr. John: From Session Player To New Orleans Funk Legend : NPR 030911

The recording studio was crammed with musicians — some of the best players in Los Angeles. They had all gathered to provide a wall of sound behind Sonny & Cher. Behind the tall woman and the little man were multiple guitarists, horns and keyboard players. Among that last group was a 26-year-old pianist from New Orleans named Mac Rebennack, who was not too happy with the assignment.

Women Should ‘Play A Part’ In The ‘New Egypt’ : NPR 030911

As political uprisings transform the Arab world, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is urging governments to include women in decision making. Clinton has been an advocate of women’s rights and has highlighted that during her tenure at the State Department.

New Concern About Bias In Counterterrorism Training : NPR 030911

We have a story this morning on law enforcement and counterterrorism. It involves training courses for police and other local agencies around the country. Some critics say there is now a cottage industry of self-styled counterterrorism experts who are giving a skewed view of Muslims in America.

Blog - The Arabist

Issandr El Amrani’s blog

With Mubarak Gone, Politics Is New For Egyptians : NPR

The protesters who forced their way into the state security offices last weekend include Ibrahim al-Houdaiby(ph). He walked out with files that contained a profile of his grandfather, who had been a senior figure in the Muslim Brotherhood. Houdaiby himself has left the Brotherhood but at age 27 remains politically active. And in spite of those files from the past, he says he’s more focused on the future, which is what we’ll talk about next. We sat down with Houdaiby in a Cairo restaurant and brought him on the line with another observer of Egypt’s drama. Issandr El Amrani is a noted blogger who has been covering the effort to set up a new government - an effort led by generals from the old regime.

Egyptians Storm Security Offices, Grab Secret Files : NPR 030911

The storming of Egypt’s state security and other government compounds has netted Egyptians their first look at secret files documenting government atrocities during former President Mubarak’s 30-year rule. Many of the records are being posted on public media sites. Some argue the information is private and belongs to the people cited in the files. Others hope to use the documents to bring officials to justice.

The Real Value Of 7 Million Facebook Fans : The Record : NPR

Once upon a time, being a “diehard fan” meant buying a band’s album, show ticket, T-shirt, limited edition signed LP — anything your earnings would allow. Today the term can have a very different meaning. You can be a “diehard” by blogging about everything the band puts out, posting links to your Facebook wall, re-Tweeting the band’s messages, and commenting on its Soundcloud page, all without paying a dime. Engaging with music in this way doesn’t mean you’re hurting your favorite band, either. Recent studies suggest quite the opposite: they show that fans who actively engage in social media bring more cash to the artists they love. Liking something on Facebook or re-Tweeting a favorite song can generate real world dollars.

American Silent Films Repatriated, Thanks To Russia : NPR

Only about 20 percent of movies from the silent era survive in America today. That number increased just a little bit recently, when the Library of Congress received 10 long-lost films found and preserved by archivists in ussia.  There’s more where that came from. These 10 movies are the first of nearly 200 silent films being delivered to the Library of Congress from a Russian film archive called Gosfilmofond.

Electronic Music’s Brightest Take Their Talents To South Beach : NPR

Every March, the beautiful people like Madonna and Diddy and Karl Lagerfeld head down to Miami to join the the gods of electronic dance music. There, they float in and out of dance clubs to hear some of the best DJs in the world practice their trade. They come to Miami to check out two huge electronic music festivals: the Winter Music Conference and the Ultra Music Festival. The festival, with its slightly more mainstream bent, doesn’t start until later this month, but the Winter Music Conference — which is a little like the Cannes Film Festival of electronica — kicks off Tuesday.

Coal Reignites A Mighty Battle Of Labor History : NPR

… a place that can probably be described as a kind of Bastille or Lexington and Concord of that history. It’s called Blair Mountain, and it’s located in a southern pocket of West Virginia. In late summer 1921, Blair Mountain was the site of the largest uprising in American history since the Civil War. It was the only time in history that U.S. air power has been used against American civilians.

Uprisings Take Diplomats By Surprise : NPR

The violent extremism of the Gadhafi regime in Libya surprised many foreign policy watchers. Host Guy Raz speaks with writer Dominique Moisi, who says diplomats are often right with their predictions — but far too prudent in their actions.

Parallels Between 2011 Uprisings And 1848 : NPR

On TV, Interracial Couples In A Too-Perfect World : NPR

[I think what ED says about race difference also applies to disability difference; I often have that “can you believe it?” debriefing ] Eric Deggans: “I’ve had that talk too many times — the can-you-believe-it debriefing after someone has said something clueless or condescending. That’s what I see missing with too many of these couples on television. Race difference is an elephant in the room, instead of a window into a new experience. It’s time for network TV to fully tap the real dramatic potential of these couples, and let them talk about the issues we’re already tackling in the real world.”

Want A Job? You Ought To Be A Tech Geek : NPR 030411

The job market is struggling to recover from the Great Recession. But in the technology sector right now, it’s opposite day. Undergrads have their pick of jobs, and companies are desperate to hire. Dice.com, one of the leading employment sites in the tech sector, has 30 percent more job openings listed than last year, its vice president, Tom Silver, says. Unemployment for tech workers is 5.9 percent — significantly below January’s overall 9 percent national rate.

For Reagan, Gadhafi Was A Frustrating ‘Mad Dog’ : NPR 030411

America’s long, complicated history with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi goes back three decades. During Ronald Reagan’s presidency, Gadhafi was public enemy No. 1 — just as President John Kennedy’s nemesis had been Cuba’s Fidel Castro. “I find he’s not only a barbarian but he’s flaky,” Reagan said of Gadhafi.

Pop Stars, Private Shows And Political Consequences : The Record : NPR 030811

The stage is tiny. That’s the first thing you notice. In the video, you can see the singer dancing in a black leotard, strutting back and forth while she performs chart-topping songs. The audio is loud and distorted, taped through a camera phone or hand-held video recorder. This could be a particularly tight wedding band, or a shockingly good performance at a karaoke bar, but it’s not. The singer is actually Beyonce. The venue is an exclusive supper club in St. Barts, and the crowd is tiny, and just feet away from the singer. The man footing the bill for the whole affair? Hannibal Gadhafi, the son of the Libyan president.

E-Book Tarnishes The Reader-Book Relationship : NPR 03011

Commentator Andrei Codrescu is upset that passages on his eBook reader are highlighted. This happens automatically by a crowd-sourcing program. Codrescu says it takes the privacy out of reading.

Libya Live Blog - March 6 | Al Jazeera Blogs

Tweeting revolutions | Al Jazeera Blogs

As uprisings turn to revolutions in the Middle East, Al Jazeera’s New Media team releases a Twitter Dashboard that illustrates what is being tweeted about and where. In the top right section you can see the total number of tweets for the day about developments in these four countries. Before each flag there is a colour code that explains the rest of the dashboard.

Al Jazeera Blogs

Moammar Gaddafi - Zenga Zenga Song - Noy Alooshe Remix + Download - Video - YouTube

2010 Top Vision Impaired Blog Award | Winners

YouTube - Russian church calls for ‘national dress code’ 030511

Russia’s orthodox church has stirred controversy by calling for a “national dress code.” A senior cleric in the church claimed Russian woman who wear revealing clothes encourage sexual assault. Al Jazeera’s Neave Barker reports from Moscow

YouTube - Indonesia’s gecko trade 030611

For some small farmers in Indonesia, gecko hunting has become big business. They catch the lizards and sell their meat and skin, which is exported to neighbouring countries to be used as ingredients for traditional remedies. But there are signs that the burgeoning trade could put the reptiles in danger of extinction. Al Jazeera’s Step Vaessen reports from Probolinggo, East Java.

YouTube - LADY GAGA - Born This Way (Cover)

[19,245,026 views] This is a cover of Lady GaGa’s new song “Born This Way.” I hope you enjoy! Lots of Love, Maria

YouTube - BORN THIS WAY - Lady Gaga performs with Maria Aragon live in Toronto (March 3rd)

[1,349,337 views] Lady Gaga with 10 year old Maria Aragon performing Born This Way live in Toronto @ ACC March 3, 2023

YouTube - Lady Gaga and 10 year old Maria Aragon - Born This Way

[14,540 views] Lady Gaga with 10 year old Maria performing Born This Way live in Toronto @ ACC March 3, 2023

YouTube - Lady Gaga & Maria March 3

[31 views] Lady Gaga & 10 year old Maria from Winnipeg perform Born This Way March 3th at ACC in Toronto

YouTube - Riz Khan - Arab feminism 030211

What role have Arab women played in the popular uprisings around the Middle East and what stake do they really have in their countries’ political future?

YouTube - US anti-Muslim rally raises fears 030511

YouTube - Anon: the new face of cyber-war

Anonymous, or Anon, is a movement made up of a number of nameless internet activists from around the world.

Suze Rotolo, 1960s girlfriend and songwriting muse of Bob Dylan, dies at age 67 | cleveland.com

Suze Rotolo, the Greenwich Village artist who dated Bob Dylan in the early 1960s, has died in New York after a long illness. Rotolo was Dylan’s girlfriend when he recorded his landmark 1963 album, “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.” She is featured with him on the cover, in an iconic photograph, walking arm and arm down a street in the Village.

Frank Beacham’s Journal: Folkies Gather in New York’s Washington Square Park for Reunion 0909

Frank Peachum: “Folk musicians came from far and wide to the fifth annual Washington Square Folk Reunion in New York City on Sunday, September 13, in an event organized by Jeannie Myers. Qualifications for the reunion are loose—one simply had to have played bluegrass or old timey music in Washington Square on Sunday afternoons in the 1950s or 60s. | Suze Rotolo, Bob Dylan’s former girlfriend, and author of “A Freewheelin’ Time.” I asked her to sign my book, which she is holding.

Bob Dylan Is Amused by Musical Muse Suze Rotolo — Picture Book - Spinner

Bob Dylan poses for a portrait with his girlfriend, Suze Rotolo. While Dylan would become known as one of the most meaningful songwriters of his generation and beyond, it was Rotolo who introduced the future folk legend to art, political activism and the civil rights movement, helping to shape his socially conscious music. Just 17 when she met the 20-year-old Dylan, Rotolo also inspired love songs like ‘Boots of Spanish Leather’ and ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.’ | The same month this photo was taken, Dylan experienced a significant breakthrough: a glowing New York Times review that led to his first recording contract. In 1963, his second album, ‘The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan,’ would feature a photo of Dylan and Rotolo on the cover, locking arms while strolling the streets of New York. Three years after splitting with Dylan, Rotolo, an artist, married Enzo Bartoliocci in 1967. Bartoliocci was with his wife when she died of lung cancer on Feb. 25, 2011, at age 67.

On The Media: Transcript of “Churning Out PR” (March 4, 2023)

A new website in the UK is trying to help the public distinguish between independent journalism and reports that simply regurgitate information from publicists. Churnalism allows users to compare press releases with actual news articles to see how much they overlap. Martin Moore is the Director of the Media Standards Trust, the organization that launched the site. He explains how independent journalism is increasingly being replaced with “churnalism.”

On The Media: Transcript of “Lying is Illegal in Canada(‘s news broadcasts)” (March 4, 2023)

Canadian television regulators announced that rules forbidding Canadian newscasters from broadcasting lies on air will not be changed. The proposal to soften anti-lying rules outraged Canadian citizens, some of whom drew a parallel between the proposed law and the impending launch of a controversial new cable news channel. University of Ottawa law Professor Michael Geist discusses the controversy.

On The Media: Transcript of “The Many Moods of Anonymous” (March 4, 2023)

Anonymous has been making headlines lately for their online and offline protests in support of Wikileaks, North Africa, and the unions in Wisconsin. But are they pranksters, hackers, or activists? New York University anthropologist Gabriella Coleman says that they represent the gamut of internet behavior, from its most idealistic to its most nihilistic.

On The Media: Transcript of “Labor’s Image Problem” (March 4, 2023)

Pro-union protesters are still turning out in Wisconsin to rally against Governor Scott Walker’s proposed legislation that would, among other things, strip unions of their collective bargaining rights. In some ways, this is a classic labor dispute. But media watchers and labor historians have been telling us this week that, media coverage of the pro-labor side has been unique in that it’s actually been positive. UC Santa Barbara History Professor Nelson Lichtenstein explains why that’s the case.

On The Media: Transcript of “Protestors or Rebels: How the Label Changes Our Perception of Libya” (March 4, 2023)

This week, in press accounts of the protests in Libya, “protestors” suddenly became “rebels.” Why? And, how does the word “rebel” change the way readers perceive the conflict there? Foreign Policy Managing Editor Blake Hounshell and New York Times Foreign Editor Susan Chira explain when to start labeling a protester a rebel.

Allison Pearson’s ‘Love’ Affair With Keith Partridge : NPR 02261

Alison Pearson: “women have changed enormously to accommodate being mothers and working. But the world of work has not changed to accommodate the fact that now almost half of the people in work are women and many, many hundreds of millions of them are mothers. Why should I deliberately limit my family because work is too hard to combine with motherhood? How about work becoming slightly easier to combine with motherhood so that women can fulfill both the things that they want to do, which is to have wonderful children, which are the great lights of most of our lives, and to have a career? I go into lots of firms and I talk to young women who are in their early 30s, and I tell them to go home that night and get pregnant, because they are telling me that there’s no time. I can’t get pregnant now, because it would be so bad for my job. It will, you know, I’ll lose my bonus. I’ll lose my place on the ladder. And I say don’t let work structures dictate the concerns of your heart.”

YouTube - Baby Laughing Hysterically at Ripping Paper

8-month-old boy laughing hysterically while at-home daddy rips up a job rejection letter.

SPOKEN WORD in Paris

Open mic/scène ouverte: Performance poetry. Lire vivant. Poésie sonore. Stand up. Monologue. Stories. Beat poetry. Spoken word. English. Français. Your own original texts. Old texts from Rimbaud to Dr Seuss, Beowulf to Gil Scott-Heron. Chacun a son mot à dire. Make the words come alive.

YouTube - Jane Austen’s Fight Club

We were no longer “good society.” janeaustensfightclub@gmail.com
Directed by Emily Janice Card & Keith Paugh

Pedagogy of the Oppressed- Paulo Freire | Busy Bee on Beacon Hill

refer link toFair Use Lab030411

‘I can’t waltz…I can only belly dance’: Ruby, girl at centre of Berlusconi sex scandal, causes outrage at Vienna Opera Ball | Mail Online

The TV cameras were told to ignore her and Austria’s rich and powerful sought to avoid her. | But amid all the bling on display at the Vienna Opera Ball, most eyes were still on the woman at the centre of the scandal plaguing Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. | Ruby, aka Karima el-Mahroug, made a scheduled appearance at Austria’s ball of balls as an invited guest, causing a sensation most of the wealthy and influential guests present would have been happy to do without. 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1362864/I-waltz-I-belly-dance-Ruby-girl-centre-Berlusconi-sex-scandal-causes-outrage-Vienna-Opera-Ball.html#ixzz1FdC8GlZB

AFP: Berlusconi’s ‘Ruby’ hogs limelight at Vienna Ball

“Ruby”, the teenager at the heart of a sex scandal involving Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, was the star turn at the Vienna Opera Ball, a highlight of the Austrian social calendar. | The Moroccan-born pole dancer Karima El Mahroug, nicknamed “Ruby the Heart Stealer,” on Thursday joined entrepreneur Richard Lugner in his box alongside former “Dallas” actor Larry Hagman and attracted frenzied attention. | Dressed in a long embroidered gown, the 18-year-old hogged the media limelight with photographers jostling to photograph her.

BBC News - Berlusconi scandal: Vienna ball for belly-dancer Ruby 030411

The teenager at the centre of a sex scandal involving Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi has made a stir in Austria as the guest of a local millionaire. | Karima El Mahroug, better known by her stage name Ruby, has attended the famous Vienna Opera Ball at the invitation of Richard Lugner. |
The young Moroccan woman admitted she could not actually waltz, adding: “I can only belly dance.”

Ruby’s big night out in Vienna - The Globe and Mail 030411

Amid all the bling on display at the Vienna Opera Ball, most eyes were on one particular jewel – Ruby, the young dancer at the centre of the scandal plaguing Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi.

Tattle: Berlusconi’s teen takes the Sheen off Tattle | Philadelphia Daily News | 03/04/2023

“TATTLE TAKES a break today from Charlie Sheen to take a look at the most famous prostitute in Europe: Ruby, the 18-year-old at the center of the scandal plaguing Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi. |She made her appearance at the Vienna Opera Ball last night and was the center of attention, even though high society tried to pretend she wasn’t there. | State TV was initially ordered to avoid covering her because why would they want to cover the most interesting facet of an evening of rich people shuffling to Strauss. But with the Berlusconi scandal big news, it was hard for Ruby to lie low. | Her comments on the eve of the ball added to Vienna high society’s bad case of nerves. | “I can’t waltz,” she said, before adding with a smile: “I can only belly dance.” | What’s the big deal, Tattle asks, it’s just another hooker talking about balls. | But in waltz-crazy Vienna, the presence of Ruby (a/k/a/ Karima el-Mahroug) has pushed other top news events to the paper’s back pages.

YouTube - Egypt Burning - The fall of Mubarak

As the calls for regime change move into their third week, Egyptians have broken down the barrier of fear. Cracks between the protesters have started to show, but resolute protesters are standing firm on their call for the president to resign.

YouTube - Egypt Burning - Standoff on the Nile 021311

After seven days of mass protests in Egypt, a people’s movement has taken hold throughout the country, demanding the end of Hosni Mubarak’s 30 years in power. A day-by-day account of how Egypt has been set alight by a mass revolt against President Hosni Mubarak.

YouTube - Inside Gaddafi’s bunker 022611

As pro-democracy supporters gain control of cities in eastern Libya, many of Gaddafi’s properties have been ransacked and destroyed. Al Jazeera’s Jacky Rowland gives us a glimpse into one of his so-called palaces, on the outskirts of al-Baida.