Madagascar's Independence Day 2013

Happy Independence Day to Madagascar! Tratry ny Vingt-Six!

I should write an update on my thoughts about the never-ending political stalemate / crisis / roadmap / elections in Madagascar, and I will soon. But for now, enjoy the party all you Malagasy and lovers of the red island. May you have many wonderful years ahead! Mazatoa e!

In celebration, here is the greatest Malagasy dance, Afindrafindrao, as performed by current (and continuing?) President Rajoelina and friends:


Although I prefer the newer version by Oladad:

It's Not the Years, Honey, It's the Mileage

Every year, I try to tell myself this quote still applies to me... (bonus 24 additional great Indy lines!)

Friday Music Videos: Amadou & Mariam, Femi Kuti

This weekend I have the chance to see some excellent African music artists in New York City, for free!

Tonight is Amadou and Mariam - here is the video I first saw as a learning tool in French class, Sénégal Fast Food (I love the narrative):

And Oh Amadou:


And Sunday is Femi Kuti!
Here is Truth Don Die:

And The World is Changing:

Replacing Google Reader

With the impending demise of Google Reader, I have been shopping around for a new RSS aggregator. [If you're unfamiliar with RSS feeds, here is a post that got me reading development blogs AND using an aggregator].

I think I found my solution, at least for now: Feedly. It is pretty simple, yet syncs across platforms, can download stories for offline reading, and looks nice (especially on a tablet in magazine view). I recommend it as an easy-to-use solution. Now if I can just find a good replacement for TweetDeck (if I really need to?)

Here is what the web version of Feedly looks like on Chrome:

If you have a tablet, Feedly is even better in the Magazine display, like this:

Links You Should Know About

A few links that I had to share, of various types. And the sources for the links should serve as your Twitter Follow Friday for this week!

• Musician and artist Juan Diego Alarcón on overcoming disabilities and other challenges (h/t @marisola22)
• An autism consultant starts a blog, sharing her experiences and motivations (h/t @khench)
• Ayu, a new social enterprise and incubator in Peru dedicated to innovative solutions for advancing social goals (En Español Aquí - h/t @mcostach)
• Putting the (never-ending) Madagascar political crisis into (scary) perspective (h/t @ryan_arash)