The word culture, from the Latin colo, -ere, with its root meaning "to cultivate", generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. Different definitions of "culture" reflect different theoretical bases for understanding, or criteria for evaluating, human activity. Anthropologists most commonly use the term "culture" to refer to the universal human capacity to classify, codify and communicate their experiences symbolically. This capacity is long been taken as a defining feature of the genus Homo. However, primatologists such as Jane Goodall have identified aspects of culture among our closest relatives in the animal kingdom.Goodall, J. 1986. The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behavior.

Defining "culture"

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Sify.com News

105-year-old virgin insists celibacy is the key to long life
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:11:20 +0530
A British woman who will celebrate her 105th birthday on Saturday said that her celibate life has been the key to her longevity.
Man keeps wife prisoner at home for 50 years
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:08:53 +0530
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Now Australian beer, sunscreen for Indians
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:42:36 +0530
Beer and sunscreen, two iconic products of the Australian lifestyle, are the latest to join the growing list of exports to India.
India, US all set to ink landmark N-deal
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:13:14 +0530
With India's concerns over India-US civil nuclear deal met, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are all set to sign the bilateral 123 pact to seal the landmark accord.
Tour bus overturns in Thailand, 22 dead
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:03:03 +0530
A tour bus taking university students on a field trip overturned into a ditch in Thailand on Friday, killing at least 22 passengers and injuring about 30 others, the police said.
North Korea preparing to restart nuclear facility
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:59:34 +0530
North Korea moved closer to relaunching its nuclear arms programme on Thursday, announcing that it wants to reactivate the facility that produced its atomic bomb and banning UN inspectors from the site.

India-The Times of India

Separatists call strike to protest PM's J&K visit
Separatists in J&K are protesting PM Manmohan Singh's visit, who is scheduled to inaugurate Baglihar hydro electric project and flag off first train to the Kashmir Valley.
Orissa nun under church protection: Christian leaders
Christian leaders rejected the government's action of sending police teams to escort the nun back to Orissa, saying it was improper to bring a "rape victim" surrounded by police amid media glare.
Dalai Lama to undergo gallstone surgery
The Dalai Lama will undergo surgery on Friday to remove a gallstone, a spokesman for the Tibetan spiritual leader said.
India, US to ink Nuclear deal today
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will ink the agreement at the State Department at 4 PM local time on Friday evening.
Jesus statue, cemetery vandalized in TN
Miscreants vandalized a cemetery in Villupuram, about 160 km from Chennai, and a statue of infant Jesus was damaged in Coimbatore in the ongoing episodes of desecration of churches in Tamil Nadu.
Economic slowdown to change campus placement trends
The economic slowdown is going to impact campus recruitments. Experts predict changes in pay packages, profiles and hiring strategies.

Hindustan Times News Feeds 'India'

'Live-in' proposal elicits mixed response
M'rashtra Govt's nod to the proposal, where in it considered giving the status of a wife to a woman, if she is involved in such a relationship for a 'reasonable period', has raised fears of misuse.
Curfew put off for three hours in Dhule
Tight vigil is being maintained in city with extra police force including CRPF, SRPF and RAF being deployed in sensitive areas to prevent further flare-up after communal riots claimed nine lives early this week.
Indian physicist wins Lars Onsager prize
The American Physical Society has awarded the prestigious Lars Onsager prize for 2009 to physicist Sriram Shastry of India.
Pakistani Kashmir traders on historic India trip
Leading traders from Pakistan-ruled Kashmir have arrived in Jammu and Kashmir to discuss trade for the first time in 60 years, officials said today.
'Raped Nun is safe under chruch custody'
Noting that the church administration was "very guarded" in the matter of the rape of a nun in riot-hit Kandhamal, the Christian leaders said she would return to the state at the "right time".
Delhi, Mumbai IITs in top 200 varsities
The IITs in Delhi and Mumbai are the only Indian institutions in the 'Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings' list of top universities in the world, reports Vijay Dutt.

Top Headlines

Markets bleed, Sensex down over 1000 pts
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Maharashtra govt's nod to giving the status of a 'wife' to a woman, if she is involved in a 'live-in' relationship for a 'reasonable period' has received mixed reactions, raising fears of misuse.

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