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 | Europe | World Edition

Austria's Haider dies in accident
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 08:45:18 -0000
Austrian far-right politician Joerg Haider, known for his anti-immigration policies, has been killed in a car crash, aged 58.
G7 nations pledge to fight crisis
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 06:37:54 -0000
Top finance ministers promise to take "decisive action and use all available tools" to tackle the world economic crisis.
Ahtisaari wins Nobel Peace Prize
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:42:42 -0000
Finnish ex-President Martti Ahtisaari wins this year's Nobel Peace Prize for three decades of mediation around the world.

NYT > Europe

Former Finnish President Wins Nobel Peace Prize
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:32:24 -0000
Martti Ahtisaari has worked to end conflicts in troubled spots around the world for more than three decades.
Russian Compliance in Georgia Is Disputed
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:18:11 -0000
European leaders confirmed Friday that Russians had met a deadline to withdraw troops from buffer zones outside South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
British Military Investigates Loss of Hard Drive
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:56:24 -0000
A portable computer hard drive that may have carried personal details on 100,000 British military service members is missing, the Ministry of Defense said.

L.A. Times - Europe

Austrian right leader Joerg Haider killed in car crash
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 07:27:00 -0700
Austrian politician Joerg Haider, whose far-right rhetoric at times sounded sympathetic to the Nazis and contemptuous of Jews and led to months of international isolation for the Alpine republic, died today in a car accident. He was 58.
Finnish diplomat Martti Ahtisaari wins Nobel Peace Prize
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Martti Ahtisaari has quietly worked to resolve conflicts in Iraq, Northern Ireland, Kosovo and Namibia. 'He never gives up,' the head of the Nobel Prize committee says. Calling him an "outstanding international mediator," the Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2008 to former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari for his efforts to resolve international conflicts across the globe, from Northern Ireland and Namibia to Kosovo, Indonesia and Iraq.
World Briefing
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Georgia: Russia pullout incomplete, France says / Mexico: Norbert builds as it nears Baja / Israel: Iranian boy seeks cancer treatment / India: Dalai Lama undergoes surgery Russia needs to do more, says France

UN News Centre - Europe

UN, Dutch university partner to reach development goals
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has joined forces with a Dutch university to promote education and research in developing countries to build momentum towards reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), eight ambitious anti-poverty targets with a 2015 deadline.
Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders agree on weekly meetings - UN
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities met today to continue talks on the reunification of the Mediterranean island nation, and agreed to meet on a weekly basis to keep up the momentum of the negotiations, according to a senior United Nations envoy.
UN urges European Union to end violence against women in conflict zones
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) today urged European Union (EU) Member States to take practical steps in preventing sexual violence against women in conflict and post-conflict situations.

Europe - International Herald Tribune

Nobel Peace Prize is quiet diplomat's latest reward
By SARAH LYALL, ALAN COWELL AND WALTER GIBBS Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:27:23 -0000
The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded its 2008 peace prize Friday to Martti Ahtisaari, the former Finnish president who has played a key role in resolving conflicts around the world.
Austrian rightist leader Jörg Haider killed in accident
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:27:23 -0000
Jörg Haider's far-right rhetoric led at one point to months of international isolation for Austria. He was 58.
U.K. reports new data loss for 100,000 military staff
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:27:23 -0000
A computer disk that reportedly carries personal details on some 100,000 serving British military personnel is missing, the Defense Ministry said Friday.
Europe confirms Russian pullback
By ELLEN BARRY Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:27:23 -0000
European leaders confirmed Friday that Russians had met an Oct. 10 deadline to withdraw troops from buffer zones outside South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Georgian refugees begin to return home
By ELLEN BARRY Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:27:23 -0000
Emotions were mixed all over Georgia as families vacated tent cities, although government officials had urged refugees to wait until their villages had been cleared of unexploded ordnance.
Europe confirms Russian pullback
By Ellen Barry Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:54:07 -0000
European leaders confirmed Friday that Russians had met an Oct. 10 deadline to withdraw troops from buffer zones outside South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

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