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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BBC News | Asia-Pacific | World Edition

Pressure mounts on Thailand's PM
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:07:45 -0000
Pressure is building on Thailand's PM Samak Sundaravej, as protesters calling for his resignation gain force.
Japan unveils economic boost plan
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:53:48 -0000
Japan unveils a stimulus package worth 11.7 trillion yen to boost the country's flagging economy and stave off recession.
Papua hikers find 'WWII airman'
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 09:22:06 -0000
Australian hikers following a trail in Papua New Guinea find the suspected remains of a WWII airman hanging in a tree.
Oxygen bottle behind Qantas blast
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:53:26 -0000
Australian investigators confirm that an exploding oxygen cylinder blew the huge hole in a Qantas plane last month.
China admits mismanaged funds
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:33:29 -0000
China's government departments misused, embezzled or mismanaged more than $6.7bn in 2007, the state auditor says.
Peacekeepers to stay in Mindanao
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:46:53 -0000
Malaysia says its peace monitors will remain in the southern Philippines, after days of fierce fighting there left dozens dead.

NYT > Asia Pacific

Car Bombing of Police Bus Kills 8 in Pakistan
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:34:49 -0000
The bombing followed a pattern of Taliban attacks against government security installations in retaliation for a fierce Pakistani campaign against Islamic militants.
China Defends Its Reviled Soccer Team
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:25:52 -0000
The government is taking a step to shore up the reputation of that most dubious of national sports icons: the men’s soccer team.
Faiths Clash, Displacing Thousands in East India
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:12:18 -0000
Days of Christian-versus-Hindu retaliatory violence sparked by the killing of a Hindu leader has left at least 3,000 people, most of them Christians, homeless.

L.A. Times - Asia

Dalai Lama admitted to hospital in India for tests
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:10:00 -0700
The Dalai Lama was admitted to a hospital in this western Indian city on Thursday to undergo tests for abdominal discomfort, his spokesman said.
Putin suggests U.S. may have provoked Georgia conflict
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Russian prime minister's assertions are dismissed by Washington as both nations' diplomats trade barbs at the U.N. China and other Central Asian nations criticize Moscow's action in Georgia. The United States and Russia on Thursday traded some of their sharpest words over the conflict in Georgia, including a suggestion by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin that Washington provoked the fighting to sway the outcome of the U.S. presidential race.
Thai protesters defy court order to leave compound
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:03:00 -0700
Thousands of demonstrators -- some armed with golf clubs, batons and bamboo sticks -- defied a court order to end their occupation of the prime minister's office compound today, vowing to remain until the country's leaders resign.

UN News Centre - Asia Pacific

UNICEF rushes aid in wake of destructive floods in north-eastern India
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is helping to alleviate the situation in Bihar state in north-eastern India, where 1.4 million people have been affected by severe flooding.
Philippines: UN agency boosting food aid to over 200,000 displaced by conflict
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said today it is scaling up food assistance to more than 220,000 people displaced by fighting in southern Mindanao between Philippine Government troops and forces of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Ban applauds States for tackling terrorism and extremism in Eurasia
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today praised an intergovernmental organization for its commitment to combating terrorism and extremism, as well as confronting the complex challenges posed by separatism across Eurasia.

Asia - Pacific - International Herald Tribune

A fierce Korean pride in a lonely group of islets
By CHOE SANG-HUN Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:32:55 -0000
Nowhere do South Koreans' historical grievances turn more emotional than in the friction over what South Korea calls Dokdo and Japan calls Takeshima.
From matters of the flesh to the stars, India finds a way
By ANAND GIRIDHARADAS Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:32:55 -0000
Whether it's finding a compromise about staying a vegetarian or creating an online way to make a holy offering, India is surfacing as an island of hybridization in a globalized sea of homogeneity.
Floods in India may displace Millions
By HEATHER TIMMONS AND HARI KUMAR Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:32:55 -0000
NEW DELHI -- Millions of destitute farmers and their families may be displaced for months after severe floods in northern India wiped out crops and homes, leaving hundreds of villages under several feet of water.
Oxygen cylinder cited in Qantas explosion
By TIM JOHNSTON Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:32:55 -0000
Australian investigators confirmed that an exploding oxygen cylinder blew a hole in the side of a Qantas airliner last month, but they are still unsure about why.
Thai protesters scuffle with the police
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:32:55 -0000
Thai police officers trying to deliver a court order muscled through crowds of anti-government demonstrators in Bangkok on Friday, leading to scuffles that left several people with minor injuries.
Bhutto's widower changes homes over security fears
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:32:55 -0000
Pakistan's presidential front-runner has moved into a tightly guarded government compound over security fears, officials said Friday as militants stepped up their campaign against the government in the volatile northwest.

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