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

Beijing Paralympics get under way
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 12:06:52 -0000
Thousands of athletes, officials and spectators are taking part in the opening ceremony for the Paralympic Games in Beijing.
Envoys hold talks on North Korea
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 07:28:26 -0000
Senior officials from the US and China discuss initial moves by North Korea to reverse promised nuclear disarmament.
Critics dismiss Thai referendum
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:53:39 -0000
A national referendum proposed by the Thai prime minister to end the political deadlock is dismissed as a stalling tactic.
Protests in two Chinese cities
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:10:22 -0000
The Chinese government reportedly sends thousands of soldiers and police to quell unrest in Hunan province.
New governor general in Australia
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:10:34 -0000
Quentin Bryce is sworn in as Australia's governor general, the first woman to serve as Queen Elizabeth's representative there.
Taro Aso announces Japan PM bid
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:08:30 -0000
Japan's former foreign minister Taro Aso formally announces his bid to succeed Yasuo Fukuda, who resigned as prime minister on Monday.

NYT > Asia Pacific

Zardari Is Elected Pakistan’s President
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:48:50 -0000
Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and a controversial politician with little experience, was elected president of Pakistan.
U.S. Missiles Killed at Least Six People on Afghanistan-Pakistan Border, Residents Say
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:44:04 -0000
The strike was the first of what American military officials said could be more raids to attack Taliban insurgents in Pakistan’s tribal region.
International Envoys Discuss North Korea Nuclear Complex
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 07:17:19 -0000
International envoys from four nations started meetings in Beijing on Friday, seeking clarification on whether North Korea has begun reassembling its main nuclear complex.

L.A. Times - Asia

U.S. needs more troops in Afghanistan, commander says
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:33:00 -0700
But with Petraeus set to recommend slowing the drawdown in Iraq, more forces are unlikely to be available soon to deal with rising bloodshed. A top commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan said Friday that he needed thousands of additional troops to combat violence along the border with Pakistan, a requirement that appears to be at odds with recommendations from Army Gen. David H. Petraeus on future troop levels in Iraq.
China watches U.S. elections with bemusement
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The electoral spectacle appears chaotic and unseemly to many Chinese, used to disciplined one-party rule. It doesn't help that the media focus on the absurdities. The Americans are doing it again, mystifying the masses here with their weird, weird presidential elections.
3 Pakistani judges return to top court
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday reinstated three judges ousted by former President Pervez Musharraf, another victory for the man set to succeed him as head of state.

UN News Centre - Asia Pacific

UN agency wraps up Asia telecom conference looking to the future
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The United Nations telecommunications agency closed the door today on their annual conference, attended by government ministers from the Asia-Pacific region, focusing on new business opportunities to sustain growth in the information and communication technology (ICT) industry.
UNICEF concerned at ‘grim' situation in north-east India following floods
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) expressed grave concern today over the worsening humanitarian situation in Bihar, where more than 3 million people have been uprooted and at least 60 killed in the worst flooding to hit north-east India in 50 years.
UN envoy briefs General Assembly President on Myanmar visit
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500
United Nations Special Advisor Ibrahim Gambari has briefed the President of the General Assembly on his recent visit to Myanmar, during which he held talks with a range of people on issues such as national reconciliation and how to help the South-East Asian nation tackle its socio-economic challenges.

Asia - Pacific - International Herald Tribune

U.S. missile strike said to have killed at least 6 on Afghan-Pakistani border
By PIR ZUBAIR SHAH AND JANE PERLEZ Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:26:16 -0000
The strike from a pilotless reconnaissance aircraft was the first of what U.S. military officials said could be more raids to attack Taliban insurgents in the tribal regions of Pakistan.
Air of corruption dogs Pakistani leader
By Jane Perlez Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:31:52 -0000
Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of Benazir Bhutto, is set to become president Saturday, an accidental ascent for a man known more as a wheeler-dealer than a leader.
U.S. plan would shift troops from Iraq to Afghanistan
By MICHAEL R. GORDON AND THOM SHANKER Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:26:16 -0000
Pentagon leaders have recommended a modest shift of U.S. forces by early next year, officials said.
In Japan, a ghost town becomes a boom town
By NORIMITSU ONISHI Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:26:16 -0000
The designation of a Japanese silver mine as a World Heritage site has sparked debate over the value of the Unesco label and whether it can do more harm than good in preservation.
China hints at building defects in quake study
By EDWARD WONG Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:26:16 -0000
A government committee said Thursday that a rush to build schools might have led to shoddy construction that resulted in the deaths of thousands of students during a devastating earthquake in May.
Air strike kills seven in west Afghanistan
Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:26:16 -0000
Seven people, including two children, were killed in an air strike in western Afghanistan on Friday that was aimed at the house of a Taliban commander, a district official said.

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