tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15331504422612269762024-03-06T06:33:23.307+08:00Mystery of a Beautiful WorldThis is a blog used and written by students of COMM221 also known as Intercultural Communication and this blog is served as a educational purpose about the cultures of the world.Jessica Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13088028820523780196noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-71246157876103949252011-10-22T18:14:00.002+08:002011-10-22T18:23:11.063+08:00Vedic Astrology , an important part of Hindu cultureNot a day goes by without members of the Hindu tradition coming to a priest for information on muhurta(the best date and time for a particular action), birth names, and other kinds of astrological advice. Nava Graha puja (ritual for the nine planets) is one of the most popular pujas or purifications performed by a Hindu priest. Therefore, it is worthwhile to have a general understanding of the Hindu astrology.<br /><br />The oldest existing scripture, the Rig Veda, has references to eclipses. Vendanga Jyotisha contains passages about astrology. The legendary sage Bhrigu is said to have perfected astrology, and the highlight of his work was putting together astrological charts laying out the horoscopes of everybody born or yet to be born in the universe. The Garga Samhita is an astronomical work and contains a chapter from 50 B.C.E. titled Yuga Purana. Mathematician and astronomer Varahamihira (505–587 c.e.) is known to have written on horoscopes. Yavana-Jataka is another astrological study. Bhat-topala authored the astrological work Hora-Shastra in the fifteenth century, and Nilakantha produced Tajika in the sixteenth century.<br /><br />In comparing and examining an elaboration of DNA work, we understand that a minute part of the body (or microcosm) contains all the information about the whole person (the macrocosm). Once you start thinking that the whole is embedded within every part of this creation, you can start seeing a relationship between the outer world and the inner world, between the microcosm and the macrocosm. This means that by measuring the outer world, one can grasp the inner world; but even more importantly, by setting out to influence the outer world, one can influence the inner world. Thus, we have the foundation of Hindu astrology.<br /><br />What Astrology Predicts<br />Astrology (jyotir vigyan) is an art used to predict one's future based on the positions or movements of stars associated with an individual. The foundation of Jyotisha is the notion of the bandhu(relation) of the Vedas or scripture that is the connection between the microcosm and the macrocosm. The practice of Jyotisha primarily relies on the sidereal zodiac, which is different from the tropical zodiac used in Western astrology.So momentous is the occasion of marriage that several kinds of precautions may be taken to minimize the uncertainties involved in the decision. Astrology is one such means; arranging prepuberty marriage is another. All marriage plans must reckon with the supernatural forces that affect the course of every critical venture — both auspicious and inauspicious days, favorable and unfavorable omens, and the horoscopes of the couple and their astrological congruence. Through astrology, man's uncertainty about his personal fate is made more tolerable. A person's fate is seen as locked in a grand mechanism of astral spheres, which move in preordained and predictable cycles across the firmament of time.<br /><br />The Branches of Hindu Astrology<br />Hindu Astrology has three branches:<br />Siddhanta: Indian astronomy<br />Samhita: Mundane astrology, predicting important events based on analysis of astrological dynamics in a country's horoscope or general transitory events such as war, Earthquakes, political events, financial positions, electoral positions, etc.<br />Hora: Predictive astrology based on analysis of natal horoscopes and the moment a query is made •<br />There are four elements in the Hindu astrology: Rashi(the zodiac signs); Bhava(the houses); Graha(the planets); and Nakshatra(the lunar mansions). In Rashi, the signs are given for twelve sectors. That is, 360 degrees of the zodiac are divided into twelve equal parts, with each part called a sign. The Sanskrit names for the twelve signs and corresponding names from Western astrology follow.<br />Sanskrit As trology Names<br /><br />Bhava: The Houses<br />A house is a zodiac division according to local time and location. In Jyotisha, more than one system aligning houses with signs is recognized. Houses are numbered counterclockwise from the house on the eastern horizon.<br /><br />The significance of the twelve houses are:<br />Lagna — Nature, appearance, health, character, purpose of life<br />Dhana — Wealth, family, domestic comforts, early education, inheritance<br />Prakrama — Younger brothers and sisters, communication (talking, writing, business documents), intelligence, later education, short journeys<br />Suhrda — Mother, emotions, education, home, property and land surrounding in old age<br />Suta — Children, lover, recreation, devotion, speculation and gambling, creativity<br />Ripu/Roga — Health, maternal uncle and aunt, litigation, servants, mental worries, enemies, foreigners<br />Kama — Spouse, business partner, death, trade, agreement, honor and reputationp<br />Maritya — Death and longevity, failure, suffering, sexuality, occult, dowry, inheritance, imprisonment, torture<br />Bhagya — Luck, higher learning, philosophy and religion, mentor or guru, father, prosperity, travel<br />Karma — Profession, status, power, father-in-law/mother-in-law, government and business<br />Aya — Friends, hopes, earnings, club and social activities, elder siblings, daughter-in-law/son-in-law<br />Vyaya — Expenses, sleep, spirituality, travel and pilgrimage, secret enemies, imprisonment, hospitals, asylums, liberation<br /><br />Graha: The Planets<br />Graha means any heavenly body or point that can cast an impact on human affairs. It also includes lunar nodes (Rahu and Ketu) and subplanets (upgrahas) — not planets but no less effective than planets; nine grahas or planets; two luminaries; the five visible planets; and the two lunar nodes. The extra saturnine planets (Uranus and Neptune) are not included in the category of Graha.<br /><br /><br />Nakshatra: The Lunar Mansions<br />Nakshatra is based on Vedic astrology. By calculating the positions of the moon, constellations, and other features of the night sky, you can explore your characteristics and personality. It is thought that by becoming aware of your strengths and weaknesses, you can make a conscious effort to improve your personality.<br /><br />Each nakshatra represents a division of the path of the Sun, similar to the zodiac. Traditionally, the nakshatra position of the Moon is computed for the newborn's mental makeup and calculations of planetary periods (dasha). Each nakshatra is further divided into four equal segments known as charan or pada.Nakshatra is important in astrological matchmaking, Muharta, Panchanga, and Praana.<br /><br />Vedic astrology differs from Western or Tropical astrology due to its use of the fixed zodiac as opposed to the moving zodiac. Most people's Western sign would be one sign back on the Vedic chart. However, if you were born in the last five days or so of the Western sign month, you will probably be the same sign in both systems.<br /><br />Consulting astrologers is important for India's elite population, but not for the poor. A difference between many Western cultures and Hindu society is that most of the people in the Western world likely consult astrology for entertainment, while many in Hindu society consult it to regulate their lives<br /><br />Recently, following a controversial decision of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in 2001, some Indian universities started offering advanced degrees in astrology. The University Grants Commission (UGC) in India is a powerful body that influences higher education. The UGC, with Mr. Hari Gautam as its chairman, recently decided to introduce new departments of Vedic astrology (Jyotie Vignan) as science in all the public universities, and kar-makanda(religious rituals) as a vocational course.<br /><br />But if astrology is to be classified as a science, it must be subject to scrutiny and confirmed as a rigorous discipline, just as any other science would be. At the minimum, this would include having a set of assumptions in unambiguous language that are shown to be true by experimentation. If they are proven false by empirical evidence, then they must be amenable to correction. In addition, the astrological theory must predict results accurately, and experiments must test the predictions.<br /><br />According to these definitions of what makes a science, astrology should certainly not be considered a science. In mid-1970, some 186 top scientists, including eighteen Nobel laureates, signed a statement saying astrology is not a science.Mohanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02933081692125013203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-37754198313051528702011-10-22T18:05:00.002+08:002011-10-22T18:13:43.765+08:00Numbers in Chinese CultureIn <a title="Chinese culture" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_culture">Chinese culture</a>, certain numbers are believed by some to be auspicious (吉利) or inauspicious (不利) based on the <a title="Chinese language" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language">Chinese</a> word that the number name sounds similar to. However some Chinese people regard these beliefs to be <a title="Superstition" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstition">superstitions</a>. Since the pronunciation and the vocabulary may be different in different <a class="mw-redirect" title="Spoken Chinese" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoken_Chinese">Chinese dialects</a>, the rules are generally not applicable for all cases.<br />Because of the supposed auspiciousness of certain numbers, some people will often choose, attempt to obtain, or pay large sums for numbers that are considered to be lucky for their phone numbers, street addresses, residence floor (in a multi-story building), driver's license number, vehicle license plate number, bank account number, etc.<br />Lucky numbers are based on <a title="Chinese language" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_language">Chinese</a> words that sound similar to other Chinese words. The numbers <a title="6 (number)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6_(number)">6</a>, <a title="8 (number)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8_(number)">8</a>, and <a title="9 (number)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9_(number)">9</a> are believed to have auspicious meanings because their names sound similar to words that have positive meanings<br /><br />Lucky numbers<br /><br />Two<br />The number <a title="2 (number)" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/2_(number)">2</a> (二 or 兩, <a title="Pinyin" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Pinyin">Pinyin</a>: èr or liăng) is most often considered a good number in Chinese culture. There is a Chinese saying: "good things come in pairs". It is common to use double symbols in product brandnames, such as double happiness, double coin and double elephants. In <a title="Cantonese" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Cantonese">Cantonese</a>, two (jyutping: yi6) is a <a title="Homophone" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Homophone">homophone</a> of the character for "easy" (易). In Northern China, the number, when used as an adjective, can also mean "stupid".<br /><br />Three<br />The number <a title="3 (number)" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/3_(number)">3</a> (三, <a title="Pinyin" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Pinyin">Pinyin</a>: sān, jyutping: saam1) sounds similar to the character for "birth" (生, <a title="Pinyin" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Pinyin">Pinyin</a>: shēng, jyutping: saang1), and is thus considered a lucky number.<br /><br />Five<br />The number <a title="5 (number)" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/5_(number)">5</a> (五, <a title="Pinyin" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Pinyin">Pinyin</a>: wŭ) is associated with the <a title="Wu Xing" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Wu_Xing">five elements</a> (Water, Fire, Earth, Wood, and Metal) in <a title="Chinese philosophy" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Chinese_philosophy">Chinese philosophy</a>, and in turn was historically associated with the <a title="Emperor of China" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Emperor_of_China">Emperor of China</a>. For example, the <a title="Tiananmen" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Tiananmen">Tiananmen</a> gate, being the main thoroughfare to the <a title="Forbidden City" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Forbidden_City">Forbidden City</a>, has five arches. It is also referred to as the pronoun "I"[<a title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed">citation needed</a>], as the pronunciations of "I" (我, <a title="Pinyin" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Pinyin">Pinyin</a>: wŏ, and 吾, <a title="Pinyin" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Pinyin">Pinyin</a>: wú) and 5 are similar in Mandarin.<br /><br />Six<br />The number <a title="6 (number)" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/6_(number)">6</a> (六, <a title="Pinyin" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Pinyin">Pinyin</a>: liù) in Mandarin is pronounced the same as "lio" (溜, <a title="Pinyin" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Pinyin">Pinyin</a>: liù) and similar to "fluid" (流, <a title="Pinyin" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Pinyin">Pinyin</a>: liú) and is therefore considered good for business. The number 6 also represents happiness. In Cantonese, this number is a homophone for blessings (祿 Lok). In <a class="mw-redirect" title="I-Ching" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/I-Ching">I-Ching</a>, the number 6 stands for "<a title="Yin" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Yin">yin</a>".<br /><br />Seven<br />The number <a title="7 (number)" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/7_(number)">7</a> (七, <a title="Pinyin" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Pinyin">Pinyin</a>: qī) symbolizes "togetherness". It is a lucky number for relationships. It is also recognized as the luckiest number in the West, and is one of the rare numbers that is great in both Chinese and many Western cultures. It is a lucky number in Chinese culture, because it sounds alike to the Chinese character 起 (<a title="Pinyin" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Pinyin">Pinyin</a>: qi3) meaning arise.<br /><br />Eight<br />The word for <a title="8 (number)" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/8_(number)">"eight"</a> (八 <a title="Pinyin" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Pinyin">Pinyin</a>: bā) sounds similar to the word which means "prosper" or "<a title="Wealth" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Wealth">wealth</a>" (<a class="extiw" title="wikt:發" href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E7%99%BC">發</a> – short for "發財", <a title="Pinyin" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Pinyin">Pinyin</a>: fā). In regional dialects the words for "eight" and "fortune" are also similar, e.g. <a class="mw-redirect" title="Standard Cantonese" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Standard_Cantonese">Cantonese</a> "baat3" and "faat3".<br />There is also a visual resemblance between two digits, "88", and 囍, the "<a class="mw-redirect" title="Shuang xi" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Shuang_xi">shuāng xĭ</a>" ('double joy'), a popular decorative design composed of two stylized characters 喜 ("xĭ" meaning 'joy' or 'happiness').<br />The number 8 is viewed as such an auspicious number that even being assigned a number with several eights is considered very lucky.<br />A <a title="Telephone number" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Telephone_number">telephone number</a> with all digits being eights was sold for <a class="mw-redirect" title="USD" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/USD">USD</a>$270,723 in <a title="Chengdu" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Chengdu">Chengdu</a>, China.<br />The opening ceremony of the <a title="2008 Summer Olympics" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/2008_Summer_Olympics">Summer Olympics in Beijing</a> began on 8/8/08 at 8 seconds and 8 minutes past 8 pm local time (<a class="mw-redirect" title="UTC+08" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/UTC%2B08">UTC+08</a>).<br />A man in <a title="Hangzhou" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Hangzhou">Hangzhou</a> offered to sell his <a class="mw-redirect" title="License plate" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/License_plate">license plate</a> reading A88888 for RMB 1.12 million (roughly USD164,000).<br />The <a class="mw-redirect" title="Petronas Twin Towers" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Petronas_Twin_Towers">Petronas Twin Towers</a> in <a title="Malaysia" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Malaysia">Malaysia</a> each have 88 Floors.<br />The <a title="Air Canada" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Air_Canada">Air Canada</a> route from Shanghai to Toronto is Flight AC88.<br />The <a title="KLM" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/KLM">KLM</a> route from Hong Kong to Amsterdam is Flight KL888.<br />The <a title="United Airlines" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/United_Airlines">United Airlines</a> route from Beijing to San Francisco is Flight UA888.<br />The <a title="Air Astana" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Air_Astana">Air Astana</a> route from Beijing to Almaty is Flight KC888.<br />One of <a title="Cathay Pacific" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Cathay_Pacific">Cathay Pacific</a>'s flight numbers from Hong Kong to Vancouver and New York is CX888.<br /><a title="Singapore Airlines" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Singapore_Airlines">Singapore Airlines</a> reserves flight numbers beginning with the number 8 to routes in China and Korea.<br />In <a title="Singapore" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Singapore">Singapore</a>, a breeder of rare Dragon fish (<a class="mw-redirect" title="Asian Arowana" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Asian_Arowana">Asian Arowana</a>) (which are "lucky fish" and being a rare species, are required to be <a title="Microchip implant (animal)" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Microchip_implant_(animal)">microchipped</a>), makes sure to use numbers with plenty of eights in their microchip tag numbers, and appears to reserve particular numbers especially rich in eights and sixes (e.g. 702088880006688) for particularly valuable specimens.<br />As part of grand opening promotions, a Commerce Bank branch in New York's Chinatown raffled off safety deposit box No. 888.<br />An "auspicious" numbering system was adopted by the developers of <a title="39 Conduit Road" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/39_Conduit_Road">39 Conduit Road</a> Hong Kong, where the top floor was "88" – Chinese for double fortune. It is already common in Hong Kong for ~4th floors not to exist; there is no requirement by the Buildings Department for numbering other than that it being "made in a logical order."A total of 43 intermediate floor numbers are omitted from 39 Conduit Road: those missing include 14, 24, 34, 54, 64, all floors between 40 and 49; the floor number which follows 68 is 88.<br />The switchboard telephone number of the Swiss investment bank Credit Suisse in London is +44 (0)207 8888888, where 44 is the country code for the UK and 0207 is the city code for central London. Credit Suisse has been rapidly expanding its business in investment banking, private wealth and other financial services in Asia in recent years.<br /><br />Nine<br />The number <a title="9 (number)" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/9_(number)">9</a> (九, <a title="Pinyin" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Pinyin">Pinyin</a>: jiŭ, jyutping: gau2), was historically associated with the <a title="Emperor of China" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Emperor_of_China">Emperor of China</a>, and the number was frequently used in matters relating to the Emperor, before the establishment of the <a class="mw-redirect" title="Imperial examinations" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Imperial_examinations">imperial examinations</a> officials were organized in the <a title="Nine-rank system" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Nine-rank_system">nine-rank system</a>, the <a title="Nine bestowments" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Nine_bestowments">nine bestowments</a> were rewards the Emperor made for officials of extraordinary capacity and loyalty, while the <a title="Nine familial exterminations" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Nine_familial_exterminations">nine familial exterminations</a> was one of the harshest punishments the Emperor sentenced; the Emperor's robes often had nine dragons, and <a title="Chinese mythology" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Chinese_mythology">Chinese mythology</a> held that the dragon has nine children. It also symbolizes harmony.<br />Moreover, the number <a title="9 (number)" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/9_(number)">9</a> is a homophone of the word for "longlasting" (久), and as such is often used in <a title="Wedding" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Wedding">weddings</a>.<br />Some Chinese today believe that nine is lucky (or believed by others to be lucky) because it is the largest single-digit (Arabic) number. However, this does not derive from any Chinese tradition, as the largest single-digit Chinese number is ten (十).<br /><br />Unlucky numbers<br /><br />Four<br />Main article: <a title="Tetraphobia" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Tetraphobia">Tetraphobia</a><br />Number <a title="4 (number)" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/4_(number)">4</a> (四; <a class="mw-redirect" title="Chinese numbers" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Chinese_numbers#Numeral_characters">accounting</a> 肆; <a title="Pinyin" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Pinyin">pinyin</a> sì) is considered an <a class="mw-redirect" title="Unlucky number" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Unlucky_number">unlucky number</a> in <a title="Chinese culture" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Chinese_culture">Chinese</a> because it is nearly <a class="mw-redirect" title="Homophonous" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Homophonous">homophonous</a> to the word "death" (死 <a title="Pinyin" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Pinyin">pinyin</a> sǐ). Due to that, many numbered product lines skip the "4": e.g. <a title="Nokia" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Nokia">Nokia</a> <a class="mw-redirect" title="Cell phones" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Cell_phones">cell phones</a> (there is no series beginning with a 4), <a class="mw-redirect" title="PalmOne, Inc." href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/PalmOne,_Inc.">Palm</a>[<a title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed">citation needed</a>] <a title="Personal digital assistant" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Personal_digital_assistant">PDAs</a>, <a title="Canon PowerShot G" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Canon_PowerShot_G">Canon PowerShot G</a>'s series (after G3 goes G5), etc. In East Asia, some buildings do not have a 4th floor. (Compare with the Western practice of some buildings not having a 13th floor because 13 is considered unlucky.) In <a title="Hong Kong" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Hong_Kong">Hong Kong</a>, some high-rise residential buildings literally miss all floor numbers with "4", e.g. 4, 14, 24, 34 and all 40–49 floors, in addition to not having a 13th floor. As a result, a building whose highest floor is number 50 may actually have only 35 physical floors.<br /><br />Five<br />Although five (五, pinyin: wǔ, jyutping: ng5) can represent "me" (吾, <a title="Pinyin" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Pinyin">pinyin</a>: wú) in Mandarin, it is usually associated with "not" (Mandarin 無, <a title="Pinyin" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Pinyin">pinyin</a> wú, and Cantonese 唔 m4). If used for the negative connotation it can become good by using it with a negative. 54 means "not die" or "no death". If used for the positive it can be used as a possessive. 528 is a way of saying "no easy fortune for me". 53 ("ng5 saam1" in Cantonese) sounds like "m4 sang1 (唔生)" – "not live".<br /><br />Six<br />Six in Cantonese which has a similar pronunciation to that of "lok6" (落, meaning "to drop, fall, or decline") may form unlucky combinations.<br /><br />Seven<br />Seven is considered spiritist or ghostly. The seventh month of the <a title="Chinese calendar" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Chinese_calendar">Chinese calendar</a> is also called the "Ghost Month". See <a title="Ghost Festival" href="http://www.blogger.com/wiki/Ghost_Festival">Ghost Festival</a> for more detail. During July , the gates of hell are said to be open so ghosts and spirits are permitted to visit the living realm. However, the Chinese lunar calendar also has July 7 as Chinese Valentine's Day (七夕 qi xi), so the number 7 is not generally associated with bad luck. In most of the regions in China number 7 remains neutral or associatedMohanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02933081692125013203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-5971133919138017572011-10-22T18:00:00.002+08:002011-10-22T18:04:31.062+08:00Music in the Jewish CultureMusic began to occupy an important place in the cultural life of the Jewish community in the Land of Israel after World War I, with various attempts made by enthusiastic amateurs and a tiny cadre of trained musicians at forming a symphony orchestra, a choral society and even an opera company. Music on a professional level, however, became a major activity only in the 1930s when hundreds of music teachers and students, composers, instrumentalists and singers, as well as thousands of music lovers, streamed into the country, driven by the threat of Nazism in Europe.<br /><br />The Palestine Philharmonic Orchestra (today the <a href="http://www.ipo.co.il/" target="_blank">Israel Philharmonic Orchestra</a>), founded at the initiative of Polish-born violinist Bronislaw Huberman, gave its first concert in Tel Aviv under the baton of Arturo Toscanini in 1936. It immediately became one of the pivots of the country's musical life and over the years acquired the reputation as one of the preeminent orchestras in the world. Soon after, a radio orchestra was established (today the <a href="http://www.jso.co.il/index-english.php" target="_blank">Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra</a>), whose broadcast concerts attracted tens of thousands of listeners.<br /><br />Additional musical organizations were founded at later dates, including the <a href="http://ico.co.il/index.php?new_lang=en" target="_blank">Israel Chamber Orchestra</a>, the <a href="http://english.isb7.co.il/" target="_blank">Beer Sheva Sinfonietta</a>, and orchestras based in <a href="http://www.haifasymphony.co.il/enews.asp" target="_blank">Haifa</a>, Netanya, Holon, Ramat Gan and <a href="http://www.isorchestra.co.il/Default.aspx?l=3" target="_blank">Rishon Lezion</a>, as well as the <a href="http://www.kibbutz-orchestra.co.il/" target="_blank">Israel Kibbutz Orchestra</a>, whose members are drawn from kibbutzim throughout the country.<br /><br />In the early 1980s, the <a href="http://www.israel-opera.co.il/eng/" target="_blank">New Israeli Opera</a> began mounting productions on a high professional level, reviving public enthusiasm for operatic works which had declined following the disbanding of the first permanent opera company some years earlier.<br /><br />During the early 1990s, Israel's musical life underwent a transformation with the massive influx of over one million Jews from the former Soviet Union. This immigration brought with it many professional musicians, including instrumentalists, singers, and music teachers, whose impact is felt with the formation of new symphony and chamber orchestras, as well as smaller ensembles, and a dynamic injection of talent and musical vitality into educational frameworks in schools, conservatories, and community centers throughout the country.<br /><br />The chamber music tradition, which also began in the 1930s, includes a number of internationally acclaimed ensembles and choral groups, which have expanded in range and variety since the immigration of the 1990s. Leading groups include the <a href="http://www.jcamerata.com/en/" target="_blank">Israel Camerata</a>, the chamber orchestra of the IDF Education Corps, and the Kashtaniot Camerata of Ramat Hasharon. Many cities and towns sponsor their own choirs, and several festivals are devoted to choral music, including Jerusalem's Liturgica, <a href="http://www.agfestival.co.il/?id=240" target="_blank">vocal music in the churches of Abu Ghosh</a>, and the <a href="http://www.zimriya.org.il/" target="_blank">Zimriya festival</a>.<br /><br />Musical performances, from recitals to full symphony concerts presenting a wide range of classical works, are held in historic settings like the restored Roman amphitheaters at Caesarea and Beit She'an, and in two major concert halls, the Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem's International Convention Center. Smaller venues include the Jerusalem Theater complex, Tel Aviv's new Performing Arts Center, the Tel Aviv and Israel Museums, as well as cultural centers in towns and kibbutzim throughout the country.<br /><br />Israeli concertgoers are enthusiastic and demonstrative, attributes much appreciated by the renowned guest musicians and world-famous Israeli soloists, such as Pinchas Zuckerman, Shlomo Mintz, Daniel Barenboim, and Itzhak Perlman, who are part of the country's music scene every year.<br />World-class music events which take place in Israel include the <a href="http://harpcontest-israel.org.il/" target="_blank">International Harp Contest</a> and the <a href="http://www.arims.org.il/" target="_blank">Artur Rubinstein Piano Competition</a>. Local festivals such as the Music Festival at Kibbutz Ein Gev, the Chamber Music Festival at Kibbutz Kfar Blum, and the Red Sea Jazz Festival in Eilat, draw appreciative audiences, while the <a href="http://www.israel-festival.org.il/" target="_blank">Israel Festival</a>, which features music, theater, and dance performed by groups from all over the world, turns Jerusalem into a cultural magnet for three weeks each spring.<br /><br />The creation of specifically Israeli music has been evolving since professional composing began in the country in the mid-1940s. While Russian and French traditions, German romantic and post-romantic forces, and the lively evocations of later European composers all left their mark on local compositions, a new expression of modern Israel in the so-called 'Mediterranean' style, integrating traditional Eastern melodies and the cantillation of ancient prayer, has gradually crystallized.<br />The first generation of Israeli composers, all European-born, made great efforts to write in a new musical idiom after immigrating to the country. Paul Ben-Haim utilized expanded tonalities to create a post-expressionistic style, welding old and new, East and West; Oedon Partos saw in the assimilation of authentic folklore an important compositional method; Alexander Uriah Boscovitch used popular forms of expression as a compositional building block; Yosef Tal founded electronic composition in Israel; and Mordechai Seter concentrated on integrating Yemenite melodies and rhythms into his works.<br /><br />The second generation, most of them direct and indirect students of the first, has worked toward a musical expression which integrates the Hebrew language, with its consonants and intonation, its relevance to Jewish liturgy and tradition, and its incorporation into the Eastern world.<br />The third and most recent group of composers manifests a desire to participate in international composition with no national profile, to grapple with the Holocaust through music, and to break down barriers within music (such as in the music of Yehuda Poliker), merging Eastern and Western traditions and incorporating some innovations from popular music genres.<br /><br />Talented young Israelis begin their training by attending one of the many conservatories or by studying with one of hundreds of private teachers; many gain experience by joining one of the country's youth orchestras. Further study is provided at the degree-granting academies for music and dance in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Master classes for singers, instrumentalists, and chamber groups are frequently conducted by visiting international artists at the academies, as well as at the Jerusalem<br />Music Center.<br /><br />Music education and research at institutions of higher learning were inaugurated at the beginning of the 1960s with the establishment of the Artur Rubinstein Chair of Musicology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Since then, musicology departments have been added at Tel Aviv University and Bar-llan University. Two major areas of specialization are offered: Jewish music and the music of Israel's various ethnic groups, with particular emphasis on the music of the Eastern/Sephardic communities.<br />"Songs so far"Tears and laughterVoices of men, stars of time.The sun and the seaBread, the world,The bitter, the sweetAnd everything that has beenwe shall leaveTo live within the song.Lyrics: Natan Yonatan<br /><a id="Paragraphuc2_lnkZoomRight" href="javascript:" imgsource="&PageTitle=CULTURE%3a+Music&GifsSrcEnding='," toolbar="off,resizable=yes,location=off,menubar=no,titlebar=no,scrollbars=yes',"></a><br />The early pioneers brought their songs with them, translating the original lyrics into Hebrew or setting new Hebrew words to treasured tunes. Since then, thousands of songs have been written, with melodies incorporating elements of the musical styles brought by consecutive waves of immigrants, ranging from Arab and Yemenite traditions to modern rock and pop, sometimes set to biblical or traditional texts or to the modern verses of Israeli poets and lyricists.<br /><br /><br />While it is difficult to define a typical Hebrew song, Israelis differentiate between songs written in Hebrew, on various themes and in a variety of styles, and the Shir Ivri ('Hebrew Song'), whose words transmit the voices, values, and moods of the country and whose melodies are dominated by Slavic influences. Accompanying the major historical events in the national life of the Jewish people over the past century, these songs have recorded the nation's dreams, pains, and hopes. While expressing universal sentiments like all folk songs, they also strongly articulate Israeli feelings such as love of the country and its landscape. These are the songs everyone knows, the songs which have become an integral part of the nation's cultural legacy.<br /><br />Israelis love to sing their songs, from those of the pre-state period to ones just written. Community singing takes place in public halls and private homes, in kibbutz dining rooms and in community centers, during hikes and around bonfires, often under the guidance of a professional song leader, accompanied by piano, accordion, or guitar. Participation in such group singing generates a sense of togetherness, evoked by patriotic sentiments as well as by nostalgia for the early pioneering days and the struggle for independence, for wars won, friends lost, and recurring moments of hope and love.<br /><br />The Song to Peace :<br /><br />Let the sun riseAnd give the morning light,The purest prayerWill not bring us back.He whose candle was snuffed outAnd was buried in the dust,A bitter cry won't wake himWon't bring him back.Nobody will return usFrom the dead dark pit,Here - neither the victory cheerNor songs of praise will help.<br /><br />Refrain:So - sing only a song to peace,Do not whisper a prayer.Better sing a song to peaceWith a big shout.<br /><br />Let the sun penetrateThrough the flowers,Don't look backwardLeave those who departed.Lift your eyes with hope,Not through the rifle sights.Sing a song to love,And not to wars.Don't say the day will come,Bring the day,Because it is not a dream,And within all the city's squares,Cheer only peace.Lyrics: Yaacov RotblitMusic: Yair Rosenblum<br /><a id="Paragraphuc3_lnkZoomRight" href="javascript:" imgsource="&PageTitle=CULTURE%3a+Music&GifsSrcEnding='," toolbar="off,resizable=yes,location=off,menubar=no,titlebar=no,scrollbars=yes',"></a><br />Idan Raichel (Courtesy Israel 21c)<br /><br />Contemporary Music<br />The contemporary music scene in Israel is hugely varied and often audacious. Hip hop band Hadag Nahash, for example, uses music to display political cynicism. One of their most famous hits is "Shirat Hasticker ("The Sticker Song" in English), written together with Israeli novelist David Grossman. The song's lyrics are an amalgamation of slogans seen on Israeli bumper stickers. The opposing political slogans are juxtaposed to create a furious, ironic, and often absurd portrait of Israeli life.<br /><br />Other ensembles such as the <a href="http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Israel+beyond+politics/Performers+show+Americans+a+different+side+of+Israel+16-Jan-2005.htm">Idan Raichel project</a> have fused the Ethiopian musical heritage with Middle-East soul and liturgical influences. Bands such as Teapacks, Mashina, and Knisiyat Hasechel, as well as solo artists Ehud Banai, Shlomo Artzi, and even Sarit Hadad are all veterans on the mainstream Israeli music scene, but have maintained their popularity.<br />Many of the newcomers to Israeli music's pop scene have emerged through the TV program Kochav Nolad (A Star Is Born), Israel's answer to the U.S.A.'s American Idol. Ninet Tayeb, Harel Moyal, and Yehuda Sa'ado are just some of those who have launched their music careers through this popular program. 2007's winner was Boaz Mauda, whose Israeli Yemenite family tradition can be heard in his music.Mohanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02933081692125013203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-10931197996065829952011-10-22T17:43:00.003+08:002011-10-22T17:53:17.929+08:00The Culture of Malaysian Food<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQqC-5jFMJseXMbf6Y7LXRl10xb_CAjrufniriXBufiVAg9LprT33NL5NpjovB6tYaDL6obdJh_ZjFdTYQzvRC14qtyzJmPTRSFj8MakhyphenhyphenWdpa_IHoF7OLQqlwraWtZ4LVL98XOuCEBnuH/s1600/malaysian-food.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666252163708547106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQqC-5jFMJseXMbf6Y7LXRl10xb_CAjrufniriXBufiVAg9LprT33NL5NpjovB6tYaDL6obdJh_ZjFdTYQzvRC14qtyzJmPTRSFj8MakhyphenhyphenWdpa_IHoF7OLQqlwraWtZ4LVL98XOuCEBnuH/s400/malaysian-food.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><br />Malaysian cuisine is exotic with an exciting range of flovours and culinary styles offerring the uninitiated an endless gastronomic adventure. It comprises three main group - Malay, Chinese and Indian with each having its own distinct style of cooking. There are also cuisines that have evolved from the meeting of cultures notably those of the Nyonya and Indian Muslims communities. Western cuisines, especially Continental and Mediterranean fare, are also available in the major cities. </div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div>Indeed, Malaysia as a meeting place of both eastern and western cultures, has produced a most diverse culinary melting pot. For teh visitor who is interested in dining out, Kuala Lumpur will prove to be a unique experience both in terms of the array of culinary delights as well as in the wide choice of settings. You can dine out at posh hotels, restaurants, elegant chain restaurants, chic sidewalk cafes, delicatessens or eat out at the many hawker stalls till the wee hours of the morning.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div>Malay Cuisines - Malay cuisine is rich and spicy arising from the use of hard spices and a wet spice mixture of "rempah" and coconut milk. Malay cuisine varies from region to region. Kelantanese cuisine, akin to Thai cooking for example, has a sweetish taste due to liberal use of coconut milk and sugar in cooking. On the other hand, the cuisine of Kedah is spicier due to the influence of Indians who arrived here centuries ago during the spice trade. For the adventurous, there is an array of popular Malay dishes to tantalise their taste buds. A favourite with Malaysians is "Nasi Lemak", rice cooked in coconut milk served with anchovies, squid, eggs, cucumber and sambal (chili paste). An East Coast favourite is "Nasi dagang", fragrant unpolished glutinous rice steamed with coconut milk and served with tuna fish curry. "Nasi Kerabu", another rice-based dish native to Kelantan, is served with local herbs and salted fish. A Malay banquet would not be complete without the ever popular "Satay", skewered chicken or beef marinated in spices, then grilled over charcoal fire. It is served with peanut gravy, rice cubes, cucumber and onions.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div>Chinese Cuisines - A wide variety of Chinese cuisines is available in Malaysia. Among the popular styles of cooking are those of the Cantonise, Hokkien, Hainanese, Hakka and Szechuan communities. Generally, Chinese cuisines is mild in flovour but local influence has given it a slightly spicier taste. In addition to breakfast, lunch and dinner, there are elevenses where "Dim Sum" (steam snacks) is served. Apart from hotels outlets and large chain restaurants, Chinese food is also available in most coffee shops around Malaysia.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div>Nyonya Cuisines - Nyonya or "Peranakan" cuisines evolved out of a unique blend of Malay and Chinese cooking styles. It is characterised by sweet, sour, spicy and pungent flovours. Typical dishes include "Otak-otak" (fish meat marinated in spices, wrapped in banana leaves and grilled) and "Itik tim" (duck with salted vegetables). The cuisines is best tried in Nyonya restaurants which have become popular in recent years.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div>Indian Cuisines - Contrary to popular perception, Indian cuisines need not be searingly hot. Various spice blends are used in Indian cuisines to give a robust flavour to food but yoghurt almost always accompanies a meal at the end to cool down the tastebuds. Milder on the tastebuds are dishes such as "Kurma" (mild meat curry) and "Tandoori" chicken (chicken baked in clay oven). Generally, Southern Indian cuisines is hotter than its Northern Indian and Moghul counterparts and is characterised by the heavy use of cream meat-based dishes and "Naan" breads. Indian -Muslims cuisine is another local favourite one ought to try while in Malaysia. Popular dishes include fish head curry, "Murtabak" (pancake with spiced meat mixture) and "Mee goreng" (fried noodles).<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div>International Cuisines - Foreign visitors will be pleasantly surprised to discover the abundance of International cuisines available in Malaysia. Restaurant serving International cuisines can usually be found in major hotels as well as in the vacinity every state in Malaysia.</div>Mohanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02933081692125013203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-63118714308218771852011-10-22T16:09:00.003+08:002011-10-22T16:15:12.665+08:00Culture of Body Piercing<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0RWOOz3Czf8sGPnC8EXdzvV9rVmySjX7YoxA3SkM2vnSdnddkSQFyazhMLuOc-kxsOLWhreef28-Ngo-UDlVsthEd-yVPVnG2cSBDyPt-Gz_EWhe7RnjRJGQNYEAHgy_GZmbaws4xLsOG/s1600/extreme_piercings_20.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 360px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 358px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666226625785666354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0RWOOz3Czf8sGPnC8EXdzvV9rVmySjX7YoxA3SkM2vnSdnddkSQFyazhMLuOc-kxsOLWhreef28-Ngo-UDlVsthEd-yVPVnG2cSBDyPt-Gz_EWhe7RnjRJGQNYEAHgy_GZmbaws4xLsOG/s400/extreme_piercings_20.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>Body piercing can be traced back to ancient times and can be found in many different cultures. The most common piercing in the world is the ear piercing, and is extremely popular in Western culture, with some parents choosing to pierce the ears of their infants. But there are many other choices as well.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div>Nose piercings: this piercing is increasingly common worldwide. A person can choose to pierce one or both nostrils with a hoop or a small, flat-backed stud; they can also pierce the cartilage in the center of the nose. This is known as a septum piercing and many people choose to wear hoops or half-circle hoops in them.<br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div>Lips: The lips can be pierced on the top or the bottom. In <a href="http://www.shoutmouth.com/">emo</a> culture, it is common to see people with one hoop on each side of their lower lip; this piercing is called "snakebites." Small, flat-backed studs can also be used on the lip. When placed in the center of the lip, just below the actual lips, this is called a labret piercing. When placed on either side of the top lip, it is commonly called a Monroe.<br />Eyebrows: <a style="POSITION: static; TEXT-DECORATION: underline !important" id="KonaLink0" class="kLink" href="http://www.alumbo.com/article/40473-Body-Piercing-and-Alternative-Culture.html#" jquery1319270824768="5">Eyebrow</a> piercings are surface piercings that go through the <a style="POSITION: static; TEXT-DECORATION: underline !important" id="KonaLink1" class="kLink" href="http://www.alumbo.com/article/40473-Body-Piercing-and-Alternative-Culture.html#" jquery1319270824768="4">skin</a> of the eyebrow. Most people choose straight barbells or hoops for this piercing. Contrary to popular misconception, the piercing is not embedded in the head.<br /><br /><br />Nipples: Yes, some people pierce their nipples. Most people choose hoops, but straight or circular barbells can also be used for this piercing. It is important to note that this is a sensitive area to pierce, and it can take 6-12 months to fully heal.<br />Navel: Navel piercings are also <a style="POSITION: static; TEXT-DECORATION: underline !important" id="KonaLink2" class="kLink" href="http://www.alumbo.com/article/40473-Body-Piercing-and-Alternative-Culture.html#" jquery1319270824768="3">surface</a> piercings and take some time to heal. Many people have difficulty with this piercing, due to the shape of the navel or their weight. Only a professional piercer can determine if this is worth getting done. Most people choose circular barbells or hoops for this piercing.<br />Although piercing has been considered a mainstay of the alternative, emo, and punk scene for quote some time, it is becoming more mainstream as time goes on. By learning about the different types of piercing and the processes involved, more people will be able to understand something that was previously foreign to them. It will also help people to not be scared of people just because they look different -- and that is never a bad thing. </div>Mohanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02933081692125013203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-65308349261611116792011-10-21T00:20:00.001+08:002011-10-21T00:25:44.964+08:00The Culture Of Israel<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsBjD6Q-rdQHZiNDIh-iGp01FaRZU-cWwgIV9eRNXGwHxhXLogdqZ_2cj37wJADql1Av0tHSNnVMe6Jo_GwYzZZCnaCUfYRUP02N9oTUXFyXfBmwWGVvooivn2Vg1gy4kP0hSX5g32Dptv/s1600/jerusalem-panorama-500.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665611334741567858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsBjD6Q-rdQHZiNDIh-iGp01FaRZU-cWwgIV9eRNXGwHxhXLogdqZ_2cj37wJADql1Av0tHSNnVMe6Jo_GwYzZZCnaCUfYRUP02N9oTUXFyXfBmwWGVvooivn2Vg1gy4kP0hSX5g32Dptv/s320/jerusalem-panorama-500.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><br />According to the Bible, Israel is the name given by God to Jacob. The modern country of Israel includes two distinct nationalities, the Palestinian and the Jewish. Each nationality is inextricable from its religious identity. The Palestinians are Arabs whose traditions are founded in Muslim culture; the Jews define their culture in large part around their religion as well. Each group identifies as part of a larger, international religious and cultural community, and each has a history in the region that goes back to ancient times.<br />Location and Geography. Israel is in the Middle East on the Mediterranean Sea, bordering Egypt, the Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank. Its total area is 8,019 square miles (20,770 square kilometers), slightly smaller than New Jersey. The Negev Desert covers the south of the country. Mountains rise in the central region from the low coastal plain along the Mediterranean. The Jordan River stretches 200 miles (322 kilometers) from Syria in the north, emptying into the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea (technically a lake) is, at 1,312 feet (400 meters) below sea level, the lowest inland sea on earth.<br />Demography. Israel's population in 2000 was 5,842,454. This includes an estimated 171,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 6,500 in the Gaza Strip, and 172,000 in East Jerusalem. The population is roughly 80 percent Jewish; of the total population, 32.1 percent were born in Europe or America; 20.8 percent in Israel; 14.6 percent in Africa; and 12.6 percent in Asia. Most of the 20 percent who are not Jewish are Arab.<br />Linguistic Affiliation. Hebrew is the nation's official language. The modern Hebrew language was designed by Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, a Lithuanian Jew who moved to Palestine in the 1880s. Previously, biblical Hebrew had been the language of prayer, whereas the vernacular of most Jews was Yiddish (Ladino for Spanish and Portuguese Jews). David Ben-Gurion's vision of a national language, which would allow Jews from different parts of the world to communicate with each other, was an important element of the Zionist movement. Arabic is the official language of the Arab minority. English is studied in school and is the most commonly spoken foreign language. Immigrants from various countries also bring their languages with them, and Spanish, Italian, African dialects, and especially Russian are often heard.<br />Symbolism. The flag consists of a blue six-pointed star on a white background, with a horizontal blue stripe above and one below. The star, called a Magen David, or Shield of David, is a symbol of the Jewish faith.<br />The Israeli national anthem, Hatikva , is over one hundred years old. Its melody is of unknown origin, although some believe it comes from an Eastern European fold song. Its lyrics are explicitly Zionist, extolling the return of the Jews to their holy land. The song was banned from the airwaves during the British mandate, and it continues to be somewhat controversial today; there has been some debate as to whether its Zionist message is still valid.<br />History and Ethnic Relations<br />Emergence of the Nation. There is archaeological evidence of settlements in Israel dating from nine thousand to eleven thousand years ago. It is thought that the first people of the kingdom of Israel migrated from Mesopotamia. Much of the history of ancient Israel is laid out in the Bible. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt from about 1750 to<br /><br />Israel 1280 B.C.E. , when Moses led the Jewish people in Exodus. They wandered in the desert for forty years. Moses died, and Joshua took the helm and led the people into the land of Canaan, or the Promised Land. The epoch that followed was known as the period of the judges, when Israel was ruled by judges and priests. Saul became the first king of Israel in 1020 B.C.E. He was succeeded by his rival, David, in 1004. Under David's rule, Jerusalem became the capital. Solomon ascended to the throne in 965 B.C.E. , and ruled for nearly forty years, during which time the First Temple was built. In 925 the kingdom split into two parts, Israel and Judah. In 721 Israel was conquered by Assyria, and in 586 it was taken over by Babylonia. The city of Jerusalem was destroyed, and the Jews were exiled to Babylon.<br />In 538 Babylon was conquered by the king of Persia, who allowed the Jews to return to their homeland, where they rebuilt the Temple and began what became known as the Second Jewish State. In 322 B.C.E. , Alexander the Great defeated the Persians and took control of Israel. Between 322 and 160 B.C. , the land of Israel changed hands several times under various Greek and Syrian rulers. In 160 Judas Maccabee led a rebellion that allowed the Jews to reclaim Jerusalem, a victory that Jews still celebrate in the festival of Hanukkah. Judah became an independent state in 141 B.C.E<br />Herod conquered Judah in 37 B.C.E. In 19 B.C.E. , under his rule, the Temple was again rebuilt. The First Revolt against Rome occurred in 66 C.E. ; however, Jerusalem fell to the Romans in 70 C.E. The Temple was destroyed, and the majority of the Jews were dispersed throughout the world.<br />Byzantines ruled the area from 313 to 635, although toward the end of this period, from 614 to 629, the Jews ruled Jerusalem under Persian jurisdiction. The years 622 to 632 saw the founding of Islam by Muhammad. In 638 Arab Muslims conquered Jerusalem, where their rule lasted until the Turkish conquest in 1078. The First Crusaders took the city in 1099. In 1187 Saladin, the Kurdish ruler of Egypt, conquered Jerusalem. In 1516 the land of Israel, known at this time as Palestine, was taken over by the Ottoman Turks, who ruled for four hundred years. In 1799 Napoleon unsuccessfully attempted to take the territory, but did not succeed.<br />The first modern Jewish settlement in Palestine was established in 1870, and was followed at the end of the nineteenth century by others, as Jews fled pogroms in Russia and Poland. In 1897 the First Zionist Conference was held in Basel, Switzerland, and under the initiative of the Hungarian Jew Theodor Herzl, the Zionist movement began its mission to create a Jewish homeland in the territory from which the Jews had been expelled nearly two thousand years earlier.<br />The Balfour Declaration, issued by Britain in 1917, expressed support for the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine. The British used a 1920 mandate from the League of Nations as license to rule the area for the ensuing decades, during which time they kept control by feeding the animosity between Palestinian Arabs and Jewish settlers. The British also restricted Jewish immigration to the region, even by Jews who were experiencing persecution at the hands of the Russians, and later the Nazis. The Arabs attempted unsuccessfully to revolt against the British from 1936 to 1938; tensions between Arabs and Jews also escalated, and there were several anti-Jewish riots.<br />From the time Hitler came to power in 1933 until the beginning of World War II in 1939, a large number of German Jews managed to immigrate to Palestine despite British restrictions, fleeing the increasingly oppressive regime. Between 1939 and 1945 more than six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, a horror that gave new impetus to the movement to form a Jewish state and that caused European nations to recognize the legitimacy of such a claim.<br />In Palestine, a truce with the British lasted through World War II, but when the war ended, violence again increased, both between Jews and Arabs and against the British. In 1947 the United Nations voted to partition Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab. The Palestinians rejected this plan.<br />On 14 May 1948, when Israel proclaimed its independence, the declaration was met by an invasion on behalf of the Palestinians by the armies of Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. The war that followed lasted until the Arab defeat in January 1949. A mass immigration of Jews from Europe and Arab countries took place over the first few years after the state's founding, and the economy grew. While some Palestinians chose to take up Israeli citizenship, many others immigrated to the primarily Arab West Bank and Gaza Strip, or sought refuge in other Arab nations.<br />When Egypt took control of the Suez Canal from France and Britain in 1956, Israel, fearing the increase in power of their unfriendly neighbor, staged an attack in Egypt's Sinai Desert. Several days later, Britain and France joined the offensive. The United Nations sent peacekeepers, who stayed in the region until 1967. When they pulled out, Egypt sent its military back into the Sinai, obstructing the southern Israeli port of Eilat. Israel responded by attacking on 5 June. Syria, Jordan, and Iraq came to Egypt's defense, but all four nations were defeated. The Six-Day War, as it came to be known, won Israel not just the Sinai but the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights as well. It also resulted in a Jewish occupation of the West Bank and a reunited Jerusalem. (The city had been partitioned earlier between the Jews and the Arabs.)<br />The Arab League vowed that the situation would not rest and proceeded to put Israel in a state of siege. Arab terrorists highjacked Israeli airplanes. They also killed Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. The following year, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, Egypt and Syria mounted a surprise attack on Israel at the Suez and the Golan Heights. Israel managed to defeat the two armies, but the resulting situation was far from stable. In 1977 Egyptian president Anwar Sadat went to Jerusalem to talk with Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin, and in the following year U.S. president Jimmy Carter helped to broker the Camp David Accords. Sadat and Begin shared the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts at reconciliation, and an official peace treaty was signed in 1979 in Paris.<br />In 1982 Israel agreed to give up the Sinai, but it also invaded Lebanon, to leave its northern settlements less vulnerable to Palestinian attacks. However, by 1985, Israel had limited its presence to a security strip along the border.<br />The Palestinian uprising called the Intifadah began in 1987. Palestinians threw rocks at Israeli soldiers occupying the Gaza Strip and the West Bank; the Israelis retaliated, and the violence escalated, ultimately resulting in hundreds of deaths. Israel proposed a peace initiative in 1989. This same year saw the beginning of a mass immigration by Soviet Jews.<br />The first peace talks between Israel and Palestinian Arabs, represented by Yasser Arafat of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), were held in Madrid in October 1991. The resulting agreement gave the Palestinians responsibility for the Gaza Strip and Jericho.<br />In 1993 another round of peace talks, between Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and Arafat, resulted in further compromise, including Israel handing over most of the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). By moving in this direction, the agreements presumed eventual statehood for the Palestinians. Other deals included resolving the issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza, as well as<br /><br />A Sephardic family celebrates the Jewish festival of Passover by sharing a picnic in West Jerusalem. the status of Jerusalem. Arafat was to confiscate illegal arms from Palestinians, and both sides were to protect and preserve access to holy sites. These agreements, known as the Oslo Accords (after the city where the first secret rounds of talks were held), were seen as momentous steps in the peace process, and concluded at Camp David with a historic handshake between Arafat and Rabin.<br />Israel went on to sign a peace agreement with Jordan in 1994, and to begin talks with Syria as well. However, despite progress at the upper echelons, violence continued. In 1995 Israeli prime minister Rabin was assassinated at a peace rally in Tel Aviv. The killer was an ultraconservative Jew who was angered by what he saw as Rabin's overly conciliatory stance toward the Palestinians.<br />In October 1998 a conference at the Wye River in Maryland resulted in an agreement by the PLO to get rid of its terrorist groups, to confiscate illegal weapons, and to imprison their own terrorists, in exchange for more land on the West Bank. The meetings also resulted in the creation of a U.S.-Palestinian-Israeli committee, to convene several times a month to prevent terrorism and assess the state of affairs. These meetings had some degree of success, and the incremental progress appeared promising. In September 2000, violence again broke out. The fragile peace established by the Oslo Accords crumbled. By the end of November more than 280 people had been killed, most of them Palestinian, with no end to the conflict in sight.<br />National Identity. National identity for Israelis is to a large extent bound up with their identity as Jews. For the more devout, national identity takes on a spiritual element, in which the observance of religious ritual becomes an expression of national pride. However, there are also a large number of secular Jews in Israel, for whom Judaism is more a cultural and ethnic identity than a spiritual practice. Many Palestinians living in Israel do not identify as Israelis at all, but rather with the displaced Palestinian nation (and with the rest of the Arab world as well). Much of their national identity is also based on both religious and cultural elements of the Muslim faith.<br />Ethnic Relations. Relations between Jews and Arabs are extremely antagonistic. Each side sees the other as the aggressor. Palestinians resent the fact that the Jews took over their homeland, and that they have exercised their far superior military technology to maintain it, whereas the Jews feel that they are making a claim to land that is rightfully theirs, and from which they have been exiled for thousands of years. Palestinians have often resorted to terrorist action, which further aggravates the situation. Atrocities have been committed on both sides of the divide, and there is little sign of reconciliation in the near future.<br />Relations within the Jewish community itself also have been problematic. Many of the Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox oppose any compromise with the Palestinians and want the state to follow a more strictly religious line. They do not consider more Reform or Conservative Jews Jewish, because these more liberal branches do not strictly follow all the religious laws.<br />Urbanism, Architecture, and the Use of Space<br />Ninety percent of Israel's population is urban. Jerusalem is the capital and largest city, with a population of 602,100. It is in the center of the country, straddling the border between Israel and the West Bank. The city has been continuously settled for more than three thousand years and is home to many sites of historical and religious significance for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. These include the Dome of the Rock, the Wailing Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Tomb of the Virgin Mary, among others. The Old City is divided into quarters: Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Armenian. Outside the walls of this oldest district, the city sprawls in neighborhoods containing residential zones, parks, museums, and government buildings.<br />Tel Aviv is a more modern city, and the commercial and industrial capital of the country. It is in fact a combination of two cities, Tel Aviv and Jaffa. Jaffa's history dates back to biblical times, whereas Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 by European Jewish immigrants. The third-largest city in the country is Haifa, in the north. It is the country's main port and also is an industrial center.<br />Israel's architecture is diverse, spanning many centuries and styles. There is a good deal of Islamic architecture, most of which dates from 1250 to 1517. Today most Israelis live in modern high-rise apartments, which are overseen by committees elected by the inhabitants of the building. Some Jewish settlers in Palestinian territory, and many Palestinians themselves, live in shacks, unfinished houses, or other modest dwellings.<br />Food and Economy<br />Read more about the <a href="http://www.foodbycountry.com/Germany-to-Japan/Israel.html">Food and Cuisine of Israel</a>.<br />Food in Daily Life. Falafel , ground chickpeas mixed with onions and spices formed into balls and fried, are served in pita bread as a sandwich. Other popular dishes include tabuleh (a salad of bulgar wheat and chopped vegetables), hummus (chickpea paste), grilled meats, and eggplant. Cumin, mint, garlic, onion, and black pepper are used for flavoring. Baklava is a popular dessert of Arabic origin and consists of flaky dough layered with honey and nuts. Coffee is often prepared in the Turkish style, extremely strong and thick and served in small cups.<br />Jews are bound by a set of dietary laws called kashrut , which, among other restrictions, forbid the consumption of pork and shellfish, as well as the consumption of both meat and milk products at the same meal. Not all Israelis observe these rules, but many restaurants do.<br />Food Customs at Ceremonial Occasions. Food plays an important role in nearly all Jewish celebrations. The Sabbath, observed on Saturday, is ushered in on Friday evening with a family meal including an egg bread called challah. At the Jewish New Year the challah is baked in a circle, symbolizing the cyclical nature of life. Apples and honey also are eaten, symbolizing the wish for a sweet new year. Hamentaschen are traditionally served at Purim, the celebration of Queen Esther's triumph over the evil Haman, who was trying to annihilate the Jewish people. These are cookies filled with lekvar (prune preserves) and baked in the shape of a triangle. Some believe hamentaschen symbolizes the tricornered hat of Haman; others think it is his pockets, and still others think it represents his ears, which were clipped as a sign of shame. During Passover, Jews abstain from eating all leavened foods (bread, pasta, etc.). Instead they eat matzoh ,a flat, crackerlike bread. This is in memory of the Exodus from Israel, when the Jews could not wait for their bread to rise, and so carried it on their backs to bake in the sun. Passover also is observed with a ritual meal called a seder. Four glasses of wine, representing God's four promises to Israel ("I will bring you out of Egypt;" "I will deliver you;" "I will redeem you;" and "I will take you to be my people"), are drunk throughout the evening. Other symbolic foods at the occasion include boiled eggs (symbolizing new life) and charosis (a mixture of apples and walnuts, representing the mortar the Jews used as slaves). On Shavuot in the late spring, dairy-based treats are served. Because cooking is forbidden on the Sabbath, a traditional Saturday meal is cholent , a thick stew that is left in the oven to simmer overnight.<br />Basic Economy. Israel's economy was originally based on a socialist model, in which the Histadrut<br /><br />People voting in an election. Israel is a parlimentary democracy, divided into six administrative districts. trade union was the most powerful organization, controlling most of agriculture, industry, and health care. However, in the past few decades, Histadrut's power has been diluted as the country has adopted more capitalist policies. The economy today is based largely on advanced technology. Its high-tech firms play an important role in the global economy, and foreign investment in these firms is abundant. Despite its limited natural resources, the country has become nearly self-sufficient in food production (with the exception of grains). Still, agriculture accounts for only 2 percent of the GDP and employs roughly 2 percent of the labor force. Services account for 81 percent and industry for 17 percent. The Israeli economy grew significantly during the 1990s, thanks to an influx of skilled immigrants and growth in the technology sector. While 2000 was the most financially successful year in Israel's history, gains in prosperity, and particularly foreign investments, feel somewhat tenuous after the recent outbreaks of violence.<br />Land Tenure and Property. Some land is privately owned and some is public property. Israel also has a system of kibbutzim (singular: kibbutz ), cooperative farms in which property is collectively owned. Residents share chores, and instead of a salary receive housing, medical care, education, and other necessities. There are also moshav , farming communities in which each family owns its own house and is responsible for its own land, but in which other functions, such as selling their products, are done collectively.<br />Commercial Activities. Israel produces a variety of agricultural goods, including meat and dairy products, vegetables, citrus, and other fruits. Computer industries and technology account for a large amount of the nation's commercial activity. Tourism is another important sector. Israel draws roughly two million tourists each year, with its historical and religious sites as well as resorts and health spas near the Dead Sea.<br />Major Industries. Israel has a variety of industries, including food processing, textiles, diamond cutting and polishing, metal products, military equipment, high-technology electronics, and tourism.<br />Trade. The main exports are machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, textiles, and agricultural products. These go primarily to the United States, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, the Benelux countries, and Japan. Israel imports raw materials, military equipment, rough diamonds, fuel, and consumer goods from the United States, the Benelux countries, Germany, and the United Kingdom.<br />Division of Labor. Palestinian Israelis generally do not have access to as good an education as Israeli Jews and therefore are more likely to occupy less skilled and poorly paid positions. Immigrants as well, even highly educated ones, often are forced to take jobs of a low status, and many are unemployed.<br />Social Stratification<br />Classes and Castes. Israel is not highly stratified economically; most people have a similarly comfortable standard of living. However, the majority of the poor are Palestinian. Recent immigrants from Africa and Eastern Europe also tend to be at a disadvantage economically.<br />Symbols of Social Stratification. Among Israeli Jews, clothing is often an indication of religious or political affiliation. Men wear yarmulkes , or skullcaps, for prayer; more observant men wear them at all times. Conservative Jewish men can be distinguished by their black hats, whereas liberal Jews wear white crocheted caps. In the strictest Orthodox communities, men dress all in black and wear peyes , long sidelocks. Women keep their heads covered; traditionally, after marriage, they shave their heads and wear wigs. Secular or less conservative Jews, who comprise the majority of the population, wear Western-style clothes. Many Arabs wear traditional Muslim dress, which for men is a turban or other headdress and long robes, and for women is a long robe that covers the head and the entire body.<br />Political Life<br />Government. Israel is a parliamentary democracy, divided into six administrative districts. There is no formal constitution; instead, there is the Declaration of Establishment, from 1948, the Basic Laws of the parliament ( Knesset ), and the Israel citizenship law. The head of government is the prime minister, elected by popular vote for a four-year term. The 120 members of the Knesset also are elected for four years. The Knesset selects the president, who serves as chief of state.<br />Leadership and Political Officials. There about twelve political parties represented in the Knesset, ranging from the far right wing to the far left, and many in between. The most powerful of the conservative parties is the fairly centrist Likud . The Labor Party is the liberal party with the most clout, and the one Palestinian Israelis tend to support. The Palestinian Liberation Organization, headed by Yassar Arafat, is the main political representation of Palestinians seeking the formation of a separate state. There also are several militant and terrorist organizations with this same objective, including Hamas and Hezbollah .<br />Social Problems and Control. The legal system is a combination of English common law and British mandate regulations. For personal matters, Jews, Muslims, and Christians are subject to separate jurisdictions.<br />The role of the police force is sometimes virtually interchangeable with that the army—for example, in the case of the border guards in the West Bank. The Palestinian National Authority has its own police and security forces, which have a record of human rights abuses. Palestinian civilians have a reputation for violence against Israeli soldiers and law-enforcement officers, who in turn have a reputation for responding brutally.<br />Military Activity. The military consists of the Israel Defense Forces (ground, naval, and air troops), the Pioneer Fighting Youth, the Frontier Guard, and Chen (composed of women). All citizens, men and women, are required to serve in the armed forces. For unmarried women, two years of active duty are required (not in combat); for men, a minimum of four years. Military expenditures total $8.7 billion annually, 9.4 percent of the GDP.<br />Social Welfare and Change Programs<br />Social welfare programs include pensions for the elderly, maternity insurance, workers' compensation, and allowances for large families. The government also provides assistance for recent immigrants, although these programs have been criticized for helping well-off immigrants at the expense of poorer native-born Israelis.<br />Nongovernmental Organizations and Other Associations<br />A number of nongovernmental Jewish organizations make considerable economic contributions to Israel, such as the international World Zionist Organization, which supports the immigration of Jews to Israel from around the world. Synagogues in the United States and Europe also send aid and sponsor tree-planting drives. Israel also has a system of "national institutions," which are not part of the government but function alongside it in the<br /><br />A Torah scribe works with his son. Judaism is the official Israeli religion, and the Torah is the most sacred text. realms of social welfare services, education, and culture.<br />Gender Roles and Statuses<br />Division of Labor by Gender. Women are well represented in many fields, both traditional (teaching, nursing, child care), and nontraditional (law, politics, the military). Israel even elected a female prime minister, Golda Meir, who served from 1969 to 1974. Some strides toward equality have been reversed; while it used to be a hallmark of kibbutzim that labor was divided without respect to gender, today women are more likely to be found in the kitchen and in child care facilities. Women, like men, are required to serve in the armed forces, and during the war for independence fought in the front lines alongside men. Today women are not permitted combat. Instead they are mostly confined to adminstration and education, and usually do not achieve high-ranking positions.<br />The Relative Status of Women and Men. In the Orthodox tradition, women and men live very separate lives. Women are considered inferior, and are excluded from many traditional activities. However, most of Israeli society is more progressive, and women are generally accorded equal status to men, both legally and socially. (The main exception to this is the divorce law.)<br />Marriage, Family, and Kinship<br />Marriage. Traditionally, in both Arab and Jewish societies, marriages were often arranged, but that is uncommon nowadays. However, there are powerful social taboos against intermarriage, and it is illegal for a Jew to marry a non-Jew in Israel. Those wishing to do so must go abroad for the ceremony. Even within the Jewish community, it is unusual for a very observant Jew to marry someone secular. Divorce is legal, but Orthodox Jewish law applies. According to this statute, men have the power to prevent their ex-wives from remarrying. If the woman enters into another relationship, the courts refuse to recognize it, and any children from such a union are considered illegitimate and themselves cannot marry in the State of Israel.<br />Domestic Unit. The most common family unit consists of a nuclear family. In more traditional families, grandparents are sometimes included in this. In the original kibbutz system, the living arrangements were different. Husband and wife lived in separate quarters from their children, who were housed with the other young people. Some kibbutzim still operate in this way, but it is now more common for children to live with their parents, although their days are still spent separately.<br />Socialization<br />Infant Care. Babies are generally adored and showered with affection. The extended family plays an important role in helping to raise the baby, but the mother generally takes primary responsibility. Jewish boys are circumcised eight days after birth in a religious ceremony called a bris.<br />Child Rearing and Education. In most of Israeli society, children are raised in the setting of a nuclear family. However, collective child care is common, especially for mothers who work outside the home. In kibbutzim, they stay separately from their parents, and usually see them only at night or on weekends. Children are generally indulged and are not strictly disciplined.<br />In the Arab tradition, boys and girls are raised separately. They have different responsibilities at home, where girls are expected to help much more with domestic chores. The schools are also usually gender-segregated.<br />Education is mandatory from the ages five through fifteen. The state runs both religious and nonreligious schools; 70 percent of children attend the nonreligious ones. There is a separate education system for Arab children, where the language of instruction is Arabic. The quality of education in these schools is often lower due to a relative unavailability of teachers and poor resources, and they have at times been subject to closings due to violence and political instability. Arab schools receive some funding from the government, as well as from religious institutions. There are three types of high schools: academic, vocational, and agricultural.<br />Higher Education. Israel has seven universities. Entrance standards are high, and students must pass a national exam before being admitted. The oldest and most prestigious of these is Hebrew University in Jerusalem, which also has one of the strongest medical schools in the Middle East. Ben-Gurion University, in Beersheba, specializes in natural conservation, and Technion in Haifa focuses on science and engineering. The Weizmann Institute in Rehovot supports postgraduate study. There also are vocational, agricultural, and teacher training institutes. Yeshivot are religious academies (generally not open to women) that train future rabbis and Jewish scholars.<br />Etiquette<br />Israelis are very informal in social interactions. Their standards would, in many other countries, be considered rude. For example, store clerks do not act at all solicitous or even acknowledge a customer's presence until the customer approaches. "Please" and "thank you" are not uttered lightly. Despite this apparent brusqueness, touching and eye contact are common in social interactions.<br />Religious etiquette dictates that women dress conservatively when visiting holy sites (shorts are not acceptable for either gender) and that men cover their heads with a yarmulke.<br />Arabs are physically affectionate people, but in Arab society, men and women are often separated socially and there is less physical contact between men and women in public. It is customary to remove one's shoes before entering an Arab household.<br />Religion<br />Religious Beliefs. Judaism is the official religion. Eighty percent of the population are Jewish, 15 percent are Muslim, and 4 percent are Christian or Druze. Jews believe in the Hebrew Bible, or Tenakh, which corresponds to the Christian Old Testament. The most sacred text is the Torah, or the five books of Moses. The Bible is seen as both historical record and religious law. Different communities follow the Holy Book with varying degrees of literalness. The strictest are the ultra-Orthodox, who believe that the Scriptures were physically handed down from God. There are also Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist congregations, who interpret the law more leniently, and who allow women more of a role in the religion. There also are different sects of Judaism, such as the Hasidim and the Lubbavicher.<br />There are five pillars of faith that Muslims follow. They are: a declaration of faith in Allah; praying five times a day; giving alms to the poor; fasting from sunrise to sundown during the holy month of Ramadan; and making a pilgrimage at some point in one's life to the holy city of Mecca.<br />Religious Practitioners. Rabbis are the religious leaders of the Jewish community. They are ordained in Jewish law, and often are scholars in addition to delivering sermons and offering spiritual guidance. The Chief Rabbinate is a body of rabbis who make the religious laws to which Israeli Jews are subject.<br /><br />An overview of Haifa and the bay area, in 1989.<br />The main religious figures in the Muslim community are muezzins, who are scholars of the Koran and sound the call to prayer from mosques.<br />Rituals and Holy Places. Jews worship in synagogues. In the most traditional, men sit in the front and women in the back, separated by a partition, or in a balcony. There are a number of places in Israel, in Jerusalem in particular, that have religious significance to Jews, Muslims, and Christians. The Dome of the Rock is an ancient Muslim shrine. Christians often make pilgrimages to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, also in Jerusalem. The Wailing Wall, the remains of the Temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E. , is a sacred spot for Jews. There is a separate section of the wall for men and women. People often write their prayers on pieces of paper and slip them in cracks between the stones. The Jewish New Year, called Rosh Hashana, falls in September or October. Jews attend synagogue for two days and listen to readings from the Torah. The ten days following Rosh Hashana are known as the Days of Awe, a period of reflection and penitence. This culminates in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and the holiest day of the year. Jews fast from sundown to sundown and attend synagogue, where they repent for their sins and ask God to be inscribed in the Book of Life for another year. Sukkot, the harvest festival, is later in the fall. Hanukkah, which falls in December, is an eight-day holiday celebrating the victory of the Maccabees over the Greeks in C.E. 165. Purim, in the spring, celebrates Queen Esther's outsmarting Haman, who wished to kill the Jewish people. Passover, which falls later in the spring, remembers Jewish liberation from slavery in Egypt.<br />The bar mitzvah (for boys) or bat mitzvah (for girls) is an important coming-of-age ceremony in Judaism. Children study for years to prepare for the event that occurs when they turn thirteen. They are called to read from the Torah before the congregation; the service is followed by a party with food and dancing.<br />Death and the Afterlife. Judaism focuses more on the here and now, rather than the concept of an afterlife. A death is followed by a mourning period of seven days, a process called sitting shiva , during which friends and relatives pay visits to the family of the deceased and bring food. Mourners dress in black, sit on low stools, and recite prayers. Another traditional practice is for mourners to tear their clothes; today they generally rip only the lapel of their shirts. When visiting a Jewish cemetery, it is customary to place a stone on the gravestone in memory of the deceased.<br /><br />Making the desert bloom in the arid Jordan Valley, kibbutz members prepare the ground for planting winter crops.<br />Medicine and Health Care<br />Israel has a well-developed health care system. It has one of the highest ratios of doctors to general population in the world. Since independence, sanitation has improved, and the rate of infectious diseases has decreased. Histadrut, the labor federation, runs Kupat Cholim, or Sick Fund, which provides health care to members through regional hospitals and local clinics. The Ministry of Health provides for those who do not receive care from a sick fund. In general, Jews receive better health care than Arabs. The life expectancy is longer for Jews, and the infant mortality rate is significantly lower.<br />Secular Celebrations<br />Noted here are the more secular Israeli holidays, but virtually all celebrations and commemorative occasions have some religious significance. The dates of these holidays vary from year to year, because the Jewish calendar does not correspond to the Gregorian: Holocaust Memorial Day, April/May; Memorial Day, April/May; Independence Day, April/May; Jerusalem Day, May/June; National Day (Palestinian), November.<br />The Arts and Humanities<br />Support for the Arts. The government founded the magazine Ariel to promote literary endeavors. The publication now has a web page as well. There is a national drama company, Habima, as well as dance troupes, a national orchestra, and museums and galleries, including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tel Aviv and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.<br />Literature. Israel has a varied literary scene. Many of its writers have come to the country from abroad, including Zbigniew Herbert from Poland, Vasko Popa from Yugoslavia, and Robert Friend from the United States. The Israeli writer Shmuel Yosef Agnon, a German who immigrated to Israel in 1913, won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1966. The poet Arnon Levy, who was born in Jerusalem, has also gained international recognition, as has Yehuda Amichai, whose verses have been translated into a variety of languages. Amos Oz is perhaps the best-known Israeli writer internationally. Both his novels and his nonfiction have been translated into a number of languages.<br />Graphic Arts. Contemporary painting and sculpture are alive and well in Israel. The Israeli style is highly influenced by European art, but much of it deals explicitly with Jewish themes and issues. Israeli artists who have gained international acclaim include the painters Ya'akov Agam, Menashe Kadishman, Avigdor Arikha, and the sculptors Dany Karavan and Ygael Tumarkin.<br />Ritual Jewish art includes beautifully crafted menorahs (candelabra), wine cups, candlesticks, tallilot (prayer shawls), and other ceremonial objects.<br />Performance Arts. Israel has a well-known philharmonic orchestra. The country has produced such classical music stars as violinist Yitzhak Perlman and pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim. The Leonard Bernstein International Music Competition in Jerusalem gives annual awards in classical music. Pop music and rock and roll also have a large following, particularly in Tel Aviv, where local stars such as Ofra Haza, Ilanit, and Shalom Hanoch perform to enthusiastic audiences. Klezmer , a form of Jewish music that originated in Eastern Europe during the seventeenth century, is a raucous blend of drums, violins, clarinets, keyboards, and tambourines that is common at wedding celebrations.<br />The Israel Ballet Company is world-famous. There are several modern dance troupes as well, most notably Inbal, Batsheeva, and Bat Dor. Israeli choreographer Ohad Nahrin is well known in the dance world. Israel also has a lively tradition of folk dances, which are performed by professional troupes and at occasions such as weddings. The hora , a circle dance, is one of the most commonly performed.<br />Theater also is popular in Israel. Jewish theater is traditionally highly melodramatic, although many contemporary productions adopt many Western theatrical conventions and social issues. There are companies that stage productions in Russian and English as well as in Hebrew and Arabic. The film industry, also thriving, is best known for its documentaries, including Yaakov Gross's Pioneers of Zion , produced in 1995, and Toward Jerusalem , Ruth Beckermann's 1992 production.<br />The State of the Physical and Social Sciences<br />The country's scientific and technological progress has been aided in recent years by an influx of well-educated immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Israeli scientists have made contributions in electronics, nuclear and solar power, and computer hardware and software, as well as in weapons-related technology. Cutting-edge firms have developed wireless and cellular telephone technology, as well as new applications for the Internet. Read more: <a style="COLOR: #003399" href="http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Israel.html#ixzz1bL88mJYl">Culture of Israel - history, people, clothing, traditions, women, beliefs, food, customs, family</a> <a style="COLOR: #003399" href="http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Israel.html#ixzz1bL88mJYl">http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Israel.html#ixzz1bL88mJYl</a></div>Mohanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02933081692125013203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-28057295025572475012011-10-21T00:10:00.000+08:002011-10-21T00:19:27.090+08:00CULTURE OF NETHERLANDSThe English word "Dutch" derives from the German deutsch ("German"). "Dutch" referred originally to both Germany and the Netherlands but came to be restricted to the people and language of the Netherlands when that country became independent in the seventeenth century. "Holland" and "the Netherlands" often are used as synonyms even though "Holland" refers only to the provinces North and South Holland.<br />The Dutch distinguish between two major cultural subdivisions in their nation. The most important distinction is between the Randstad (Rim City) and non-Randstad cultures. Randstad culture is distinctly urban, located in the provinces of North Holland, South Holland, and Utrecht. The non-Randstad culture corresponds to the historical divide between the predominantly Protestant north and the Catholic south, separated by the Rhine River.<br />Significant local variations of Dutch culture include the Friesian culture in the extreme north and the Brabant and Limburg cultures in the south. The southern culture was subject to discriminatory policies until the nineteenth century. The Friesians prize their language and descent from the ancient Friesian people, while the Limburgers and Brabantines emphasize their southern culture and Catholic heritage.<br />The Netherlands has for centuries provided a safe haven for ethnic minorities fleeing from discrimination and persecution, with each minority influencing Dutch culture in its own way. Many Jews from Spain and Portugal and Protestant merchants from the Spanish-ruled southern Netherlands sought refuge in the Dutch Republic in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The twentieth century was characterized by the influx of guest workers from the Mediterranean, migrants from the former Dutch colonies, and refugees from war-torn countries.<br />The Netherlands does not have a strong uniform national culture. Most Dutch people reject the notion and consider it to be tainted with an unacceptable form of nationalism. Instead, they emphasize the country's cultural diversity, tolerance of difference, and receptiveness to foreign influences. Nevertheless, the Randstad culture has been hegemonic in the Netherlands because of the concentration of political, economic, and cultural power in that densely populated region.<br />Location and Geography. The Netherlands is situated in northwestern Europe and borders on Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North sea to the west and north. The name "Netherlands" means "Low Lands" in reference to the nation's topography as an alluvial plain. Differences in altitude are minimal. Almost one-quarter of the landmass is below sea level, protected from the encroaching sea by dikes and dunes. The Netherlands is also a relatively small country (13,297 square miles [34,425 square kilometers]) without surface water.<br />The Netherlands is divided in twelve provinces. Amsterdam (730,000 inhabitants) is the capital, but the government meets in The Hague (440,000 inhabitants). Utrecht (235,000 inhabitants) is the transportation hub, while the port city of Rotterdam (590,000 inhabitants) constitutes the economic heartland. These four cities together with a string of interconnected towns, form the Randstad, which has a population of 6,100,000.<br /><br />The Netherlands<br />Demography. The Netherlands had a population of 15,898,331 in 2000. It is the most densely populated country in Europe (1,196 inhabitants per square mile [462 per square kilometer] in 1996). There are 2,700,000 foreign residents. The majority, approximately 780,000, originate from the European Union, including 432,000 Germans. Other sizable groups are Surinamese (297,000), Turks (300,000), Moroccans (252,000), and Antilleans (99,000).<br />The average life expectancy in 1996 was 75.2 years for men and 80.7 years for women, while the infant mortality rate was 5.1 per 1,000.<br />Linguistic Affiliation. The official language of the Netherlands is Standard Dutch. This language is used in all official matters, by the media, and at schools and universities. Dutch closely resembles German in both syntax and spelling. It freely borrows words and technical terms from French and especially English.<br />Dutch is also the official language in Flandres, Belgium, where it is called Flemish. Creole languages are increasingly replacing Dutch in Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles as decolonization progresses. Afrikaans, which is widely spoken in South Africa, is related to Dutch. Friesian is the second official language of the Netherlands; it is spoken by a half million Friesians. In addition, there are about twenty-five major dialects of Dutch.<br />Symbolism. The display of the national flag and the singing of the national anthem are important expressions of identity for a decreasing number of citizens. The flag consists of three horizontal strips in the colors red, white, and blue. The national anthem is the Wilhelmus . It was a rebel song during the independence war against Spain and was adopted as the national anthem in 1932.<br />The complex relationship of the Dutch people with the sea is notable. The sea has historically been both adversary and ally. The Dutch used to repel foreign invaders by deliberately piercing river dikes. However, if not for the extensive waterworks, 65 percent of the Netherlands would be flooded permanently. The Dutch take great pride in their struggle against the sea and reclaiming of land, which they view as mastery over nature.<br />Another source of national pride that sets aside regional and religious differences is sports, especially soccer and speed skating. Whenever the national team engages in international competitions, orangemania reigns. People dress in orange (in reference to the name of the royal family), raise national and orange flags, and decorate houses and streets as a patriotic feeling of athletic superiority floods the nation. The Elfstedentocht ("Eleven-City Tour") also raises national awareness. This speed-skating event in Friesland occurs only occasionally as it takes a prolonged period of frost to harden the 125 miles of lakes and canals that connect the eleven Friesian towns.<br />The clearest example of national symbolism is the Dutch royal family. The queen is regarded as the embodiment of the Dutch (nation) and a symbol of hope and unity in times of war, adversity, and natural disaster. Her popularity is manifested annually at the celebration of Queensday on 30 April. The capital, Amsterdam, in particular, is transformed into a gigantic flea market and open-air festival.<br />The 1940–1945 occupation by Nazi Germany provides a continued source of national identity. There are more than eight hundred World War II monuments and memorials, and the Dutch people still use the war years as the most important historical point of reference. The conflation of Jewish and non-Jewish Dutch suffering is a striking characteristic of national remembrance. The Dutch pride themselves on their fierce resistance to the Nazi regime and their sheltering of 25,000 Jewish and 300,000 non-Jewish Dutch, but there also was extensive collaboration with the Nazis. More than a hundred thousand Jews were deported to concentration camps. Anne Frank symbolizes this deeply ambiguous self-perception of the Dutch as victims, resisters, collaborators, and passive bystanders. The Frank family was harbored for two years by Dutch resisters before finally being betrayed by Dutch collaborators.<br />History and Ethnic Relations<br />Emergence of the Nation. Dutch national identity emerged during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, especially in the struggle for independence from Catholic Spain during the Eighty Year War (1568–1648). The Dutch people received independence from the House of Habsburg in the Treaty of Munster in 1648. The Netherlands was temporarily unified with Belgium after the Congress of Vienna. The Catholic Belgian elite sought its freedom from the Protestant Dutch, and Belgium became independent in 1839.<br />National Identity. Dutch national identity emerged from the struggle for political sovereignty and religious freedom from the Catholic Habsburgs (Philip II). The Dutch merchant class formed an alliance with the House of Orange; the merchants supplied the funds to wage war, while the House of Orange provided political stability and military protection. Politics became more dependent on consensus and negotiation than on authoritarian rule as power rested in the hands of provincial viceroys.<br />The rapid expansion of the Dutch merchant fleet enabled the establishment of a worldwide network of trade relations that created naval dominance and increasing wealth for the merchant class. Handicapped by a small population (670,000 inhabitants in 1622) and besieged by growing English and French might, the Dutch Republic began to decline. Paradoxically, at that time, the conspicuous consumption of the wealthy merchant class<br /><br />A woman selling cheese at the market in Alkmaar. The Netherlands has an advanced free market economy. resulted in the so-called Golden Age. Stately canal houses were constructed in Amsterdam, and great works of art were commissioned.<br />The Netherlands was one of the poorest nations in northwestern Europe by 1750. In 1813, at the end of the French occupation (1795–1813), William I of the House of Orange-Nassau accepted the throne and became the first Dutch king. The Dutch nobility never had a position of prominence and influence in Dutch society. Only after constitutional reforms in 1851 did the nation begin its ascent to industrialization.<br />Rural–urban migration and especially the establishment of male suffrage in 1887 undermined traditional ways of life in the eyes of some politicians. The Anti-Revolutionary Party was founded in 1878 to reverse that trend. That party advocated autonomy for different political and religious communities. Its initiative resulted in the early twentieth century in a process of vertical segmentation or pluralism known as pillarization. Pillarization meant that each substantial subsection of the Dutch population was able to participate in social institutions and organizations (labor unions, schools, universities, political parties, social clubs, churches, newspapers, and radio stations) that catered to its specific needs. The four main pillars where Catholic, Protestant, socialist, and conservative. Intensive cooperation and negotiation between the pillars took place among national politicians. Secularization and emancipation in the late 1960s resulted in depillarization because of a greater vertical social mobility, growing intermarriage, and a declining identification with each of the four pillars.<br />A strong self-conscious national identity did not develop in the Netherlands because of these centrifugal historical processes, and this denial of a national identity became a hallmark of Dutch culture. Religious, cultural, and ethnic diversity are considered the essence of Dutch culture. The persistence of sizable religious and regional minorities and the decentralization of administrative power have allowed cultural diversity to survive. In the absence of a countrywide shared identity, the hegemonic Randstad culture has provided most of the markers of national identity.<br />Ethnic Relations. There is not much debate about racism or ethnic discrimination among the Dutch people, probably because of their self-ascribed tolerance. Nevertheless, the socioeconomic position of most non-European minorities is far worse than that of the indigenous population. The status of immigrant groups after World War II depended mainly on the moment and condition of their entry. Dutch-speaking Indonesians arrived at the height of the postwar economic upswing after Indonesia's independence in 1950. The Indonesians had ample time to secure a stable position in Dutch society. By contrast, the Mediterranean guest workers who arrived in the late 1960s and early 1970s regarded themselves and were viewed by the Dutch authorities as temporary residents and therefore did not familiarize themselves with Dutch culture. Guest workers were recruited principally from Spain and Italy and later from Turkey and Morocco. Those workers performed unskilled labor in the industry and service sectors. Many Dutch-speaking Surinamese arrived after Suriname became independent in 1975. Those immigrants and the poorly educated Turkish and Moroccan labor migrants were among the first to suffer from the economic decline of the 1970s. The position of the Surinamese improved during the 1980s and 1990s, but the Turks and Moroccans remained the most disadvantaged ethnic groups in Dutch society. Local residents of the Netherlands Antilles have been migrating to the Netherlands since the mid-1970s in search of work and schooling. The 1990s was marked by the immigration of substantial groups of refugees from west Africa, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and the Balkans.<br />Urbanism,Architecture, and the Use of Space<br />Dutch cities are extremely compact and densely populated. Government intervention ensures that intercity areas are well kept and that ethnic ghettos and industrial wastelands do not emerge. The major cities are constantly subject to urban renewal projects. Much attention is given to fostering a sense of community by creating public places, such as parks and squares with benches and playgrounds. The country has an intricate network of railroads and an even denser web of bicycle paths.<br />Early Dutch architecture was influenced by a Calvinist ethos of uniformity and sobriety. This distinct style emerged after the Netherlands separated from Spain in 1581. Unlike their contemporaries in France and Great Britain, wealthy Dutch merchants built fairly modest yet stately canal houses in Amsterdam. Dutch cities lack the grandeur and flamboyance of Paris and London because the government meets in inconspicuous buildings.<br />Contemporary Dutch architecture is more cosmopolitan. The expressionist Amsterdam School and the cubist Stijl architects of the 1920s were inspired by international art movements. Modernism became the principal style of the post-World War II housing boom. The city center of Rotterdam is a typical example. Largely destroyed in World War II, the heart of this port city was rebuilt in an American style with steel and glass skyscrapers. At the end of the twentieth century, the Randstad cities began developing postmodern suburban business parks and indoor shopping malls.<br />The Dutch have a desire for spatial organization that is informed by Calvinist assumptions about order as a synonym for cleanliness and sinlessness. The Calvinist sense of space can be seen clearly from the air. The land is carefully divided in Mondrian-like squares and rectangles. In part, this is related to surface water management with its need for canals and dikes, but it also reflects the Dutch desire for order and uniformity. This can be seen most clearly in the undistinguished suburban housing development projects.<br />Dutch houses are relatively small and have prominent front doors and large windows. Homes are stacked with formidable amounts of furniture, indoor plants, and flowers. Dutch interiors are a reflection of the outside world, congested but orderly and clean.<br />Food and Economy<br />Food in Daily Life. The Netherlands does not have a distinct culinary culture because of its Protestant ethnic and the absence of a strong culinary tradition at the court due to an emphasis on Calvinist soberness. Food is seen as a necessary part of life, with no need for luxury. Traditional foods include pea soup, kale stew, hotchpotch (a thick stew), white asparagus, French fries with mayonnaise, meat croquets, and raw herring. In the morning, the Dutch consume several sandwiches with cheese, peanut butter, or chocolate sprinkles. Lunch consists of sandwiches, often with cold cuts and perhaps a small salad on the side. Dinner, which generally is served between five and seven P.M. , is a twoor three-course meal that often begins with soup. The main dish usually contains a mixture of potatoes with vegetables and meat, fish, or poultry and is followed by dessert. Chinese–Indonesian, Surinamese, and Italian food have become part of the Dutch diet.<br />Food Customs at Ceremonial Occasions. The Dutch hardly ever invite people with whom they are not closely acquainted for dinner. Instead, coffee has a strong social significance. Neighbors often invite each other over for a cup of coffee with the invariable one cookie, and the morning coffee break at work is a sacred institution. Coffee-drinking<br /><br />A drawbridge over a canal in Haarlem. Dutch cities are compact and densely populated. rituals reveal the core meaning of the crucial Dutch word gezelligheid ("cozy," "sociable," or "pleasant").<br />Basic Economy. The Netherlands has an advanced free market economy. The Dutch pride themselves on having an economy that performs smoothly, known as the polder model, which hinges on periodic negotiations among labor unions, employers' associations, and the government to control wage scales and taxes. The labor force consisted of 7,097,000 persons in 1999; the unemployed numbered 292,000. The annual gross national product (GNP) amounted to 323 billion euros ($373 billion) in 1997. Imports totaled about 55 percent of GNP; and exports totaled 61 percent. The average income after taxes is 20,000 euros ($23,160). The Netherlands never had a major wave of industrialization but remained firmly oriented toward agriculture, trade, and service industries. Two percent of the Dutch population are employed in the highly mechanized agricultural sector (which includes the fishing industry), 24 percent are employed in the industrial sector, and 74 percent work in service industries.<br />Trade. Dutch exports can be divided into five main categories: agricultural products, 15 percent; natural or enriched fuels, 6 percent; chemical products, 17 percent; industrial products, 12 percent; and machinery, 24 percent. Germany is the principal trading partner. Two-thirds of Dutch exports go to five nations: Germany, Belgium, France, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Those five trading partners account for 61 percent of Dutch imports.<br />Social Stratification<br />Classes and Castes. Differences in wealth are relatively small in comparison to many other countries because of progressive taxation and the redistribution of fiscal funds to the unemployed and occupationally inactive. This equality of income is clearly shown when Dutch households are subdivided into four separate income categories. The lowest quartile has an average income of 8,730 euros ($10,105) after taxes, whereas the highest quartile has an average income of 38,365 euros ($44,420). An open discussion of class, income, and status differences is more or less taboo in a society that strongly emphasizes equality. Although Dutch society in general is firmly middle class, an estimated 5 to 10 percent of the population lives at a subsistence level. This income polarization and the ensuing social segmentation began in the 1980s. Low-skilled workers, the unemployed, the disabled, the aged, and single-parent households have been<br /><br />Two windmills in the Netherlands. hit hardest. Low-income households are concentrated in the Randstad cities and the two most northern provinces, Friesland and Groningen.<br />Symbols of Social Stratification. Class differences entail few visible signs of cultural differentiation, but those minor differences have a great symbolic value in creating social distinction. The most obvious differences can be observed in housing, consumption patterns, and community participation. Lower-class homes are small and tend to hold a large amount of furniture and decorative articles. Higher-class homes are more spacious and tend to hold less and often more sober furniture. The social participation of Dutch people does not depend entirely on class background, but higher-income households tend to have less involvement in community life than do low-income households. Lower class people are in general more rooted in community life and less restrained in contacts with neighbors and relatives.<br />Differences in clothing are relatively slight but important class markers. The Dutch dress with little eye for flamboyance. Even corporate dress codes are informal. Only the very rich and young urban professionals have a dress style that adheres to international clothing standards.<br />Speech patterns also may vary with class. Lower class people tend to speak in a local dialect, while the middle and upper classes speak Standard Dutch.<br />Political Life<br />Government. The Netherlands is a unitary state governed by a central body. The political system is a parliamentary democracy as well as a constitutional monarchy. The queen has little political influence; her role is largely symbolic. Political power lies in the hands of a cabinet of ministers headed by a prime minister. The cabinet is accountable to the parliament ( Staten-Generaal ), whose members are elected at four-year intervals. The Dutch Parliament consists of the First Chamber and the Second Chamber, which together constitute the legislative body. The Second Chamber initiates new legislation. Its members are directly elected by the people, who have had universal suffrage since 1919. The members of the Second Chamber are elected by proportional representation, which leads to a great number of political parties that together compete for 150 seats. The First Chamber either ratifies or rejects the new legislation proposed by the Second Chamber. Its members are elected by the members of the Provinciale Staten . Each of the twelve provinces has a local governing board ( Provinciale Staten ) whose chair is the commissioner to the queen, who is appointed by the government for a life term. Its members are elected by the inhabitants of the province. Each municipality has an elected council presided over by the mayor and elected aldermen. Commissioners and mayors are handpicked by the government for life terms.<br />Leadership and Political Officials. The main political parties are the PvdA (social democrats), VVD (conservatives), and CDA (Christian democrats). These parties are supplemented by a large number of smaller parties, ranging from socialist and nationalist to religious and green. Dutch cabinets are invariably coalitions of the major political parties. Open debate and negotiation toward consensus are part of Dutch political culture.<br />Most top level government positions are occupied by former members of the Second Chamber who have moved up in the party ranks. Most public functionaries at the ministries are career bureaucrats. Interactions between politicians and ordinary citizens are fairly limited, especially on the provincial and national levels. Only industrial associations, unions, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and political lobbies interact directly on political matters. These groups have a strong impact on political decision making.<br />Social Problems and Control. Traffic violations are the most common legal infraction. Violent crimes are low compared to other European countries and the United States; 273 murders were committed in 1996, amounting to 1.8 murders per 100,000 inhabitants. Dutch citizens worry mostly about muggings and burglaries. People hardly ever take the law into their own hands. There are very few neighborhood watches and no armed citizens' militias. The Netherlands has very strict gun control. Possession of small quantities of soft drugs (marijuana and hashish) is not prosecuted. The sale of soft drugs in so-called coffeeshops is not legal but is tolerated. The Netherlands has become a magnet for drug tourists because of its liberal stance toward drugs and its position as a major transport hub within Europe. The Netherlands has a great tolerance of prostitution. Randstad cities have red light districts in which women display themselves behind windows to potential customers.<br />Military Activity. The Dutch army was professionalized during the 1990s, when conscription was formally abolished. The defense budget declined substantially between 1989 and 1998 because of the end of the Cold War. In the absence of armed conflicts, the Dutch armed forces become only active during national disasters such as major floods and forest fires and in international peacekeeping operations under the auspices of the United Nations or NATO. Even though the Dutch hold the military in low esteem, their attitude toward peacekeeping missions is very positive.<br />Social Welfare and Change Programs<br />The modern Dutch welfare state, with its elaborate system of laws and regulations, came into existence after World War II. The current array of welfare laws is impossible to summarize, but the main assumption is that people are entitled to a sufficient income to satisfy their basic needs and should not be at the mercy of charity.<br />The welfare system was created to provide for the aged and as a temporary safety net for unemployed breadwinners. However, in the present post-industrial economic system, this system has become a permanent source of income for a large and stable group, and this has created increasing dependency on the state. High economic growth at the turn of the twentieth century, tax incentives, and government reeducation programs had rapidly reduced long-term unemployment to record lows. Unemployment benefits are sufficient to maintain the recipients at a minimum standard of living.<br />Nongovernmental Organizations and Other Associations<br />Nongovernmental organizations in the Netherlands consist mostly of charity funds and environmental and human rights organizations. Important organizations include Amnesty International, Greenpeace, the World Wildlife Fund, and Natuurmonumenten (an organization for the protection of the Dutch natural environment), which have a large middle and upper class following. They have a considerable impact on national politics. The Dutch contribute large sums to international disaster aid and consider themselves morally obliged to do so.<br />Gender Roles and Statuses<br />Division of Labor by Gender. Women constitute only 38 percent of the labor force and often work part-time. This low rate of participation has ideological and historical reasons. There is a prevailing belief that maternity care has great developmental benefits for children. Furthermore, the Dutch involvement in both world wars contributed to the<br /><br />A worker cultivates the perfect rows of tulips growing in the Bollenstreek bulb-region of the Netherlands. late entry of women in the labor force. Unlike in Great Britain and Germany, where many men fought in the war, the Dutch did not enter World War I. The German occupation during World War II kept the male labor force largely intact in spite of the hundreds of thousands of forced laborers who were deported to Nazi Germany, and women thus were not needed to take the place of male workers. Dutch women only slowly started entering the labor force after the pillarization of society crumbled in the late 1960s. They still lag behind men in terms of income and job status. The average annual income of men was 26,410 euros ($30,580) before taxes in 1997 versus only 13,455 euros ($15,580) for women. Women are found mostly in low-paying service jobs such as nursing and cleaning.<br />The Relative Status of Women and Men. Although women and men are equal before the law and the trend toward gender equality has been noticeable, women and men still occupy distinct functions in Dutch society. The differences between men and women are especially noticeable within the nuclear family, where the woman continues to perform the role of homemaker, while the man is seen as the breadwinner or provider. This is especially true among working-class families. Women are underrepresented in leadership positions in politics and the economy.<br />Marriage,Family, and Kinship<br />Marriage. Dutch people are free to choose their spouses. The common basis for marriage is most often love. This does not mean that people marry independently of the constraints of class, ethnicity, and religion. The choice of a partner is often class-based. Monogamy is the only marriage form allowed. Many Dutch couples live in a consensual arrangement. Same-sex couples can marry and have the same rights as heterosexual couples.<br />The marriage ceremony may consist of two separate formal events: the municipal registration and a religious ceremony, with the latter being optional. The couple holds a wedding reception where friends and relatives gather to celebrate the nuptial engagement. Almost 45 percent of the Dutch population is married; about eighty thousand marriages are registered each year, while on average thirty thousand couples file for divorce.<br />Domestic Unit. The nuclear family is the most common household unit, although it is increasingly losing ground to single-parent families, couples without children, and single-person households. The principal authority in the household is generally the man, although there is a trend toward more equality of marriage partners. Extended family households are rare. Dutch couples have a neolocal postmarital residence pattern, as couples are free to choose where they live.<br />Kin Groups. The Dutch make a distinction between relatives by marriage and relatives by blood. Consanguineal relatives are considered more important than are affinal relatives. Solidarity and support (financial and emotional) are usually directed at the closest kin (parents, children, and siblings). This is also illustrated by prevailing inheritance patterns. Disinheritance is not permitted by law. Every child receives an equal share.<br />Socialization<br />Infant Care. The average nuclear family is relatively small, with only one or two children. Toddlers receive much parental attention. Many children are cared for primarily by their parents in the parental home. Infants usually are put in playpens, where parents can leave them without restraining their own movement around the house. Since in many families both parents are employed, children aged 6 weeks and up are often placed in a nursery when their parents are at work. Children often enter play groups at age 2 and at age 4 are officially required to attend primary school.<br />Child Rearing and Education. Dutch childrearing practices are permissive. Children are encouraged to discover their surroundings individually or with other children. Corporal punishment is disapproved of by most parents. Instead, parents reprimand misbehaving children verbally. Peer groups are important among Dutch adolescents. Teenagers have developed a wide array of subcultures in which to explore their identity such as punks, head-bangers, and in particular gabbers (Dutch slang for "mates") whose working-class members shave their heads, wear expensive training suits, and congregate at rave parties.<br />Higher Education. Dutch children are praised for successful performance at school. It is firmly believed that a good education and fluency in English are a sure road to success. Many children thus seek additional education after finishing high school. Approximately 70 percent of the adult population receives formal education after high school, and 20 percent of the adult population has received higher vocational training (HBO) or attended a university.<br />Etiquette<br />Most traits of Dutch etiquette resemble those of the rest of the Western world, but there are several distinguishing national codes of behavior. The Dutch either shake hands when they meet and depart or, in the case of women and closely acquainted men and women, kiss each other three times on the cheek.<br />The Dutch have a strong desire to order their time in agendas and on calendars. Dutch children are given their first agenda at primary school to write down scheduled lessons and homework. A full agenda signifies a full life. The Dutch are very punctual, and showing up even five minutes late is considered inappropriate. As a result, everything has to be done at fixed times: There is a time to work, a time to clean the house, a time to drink coffee, and a time to visit friends.<br />The Dutch do not line up and show almost no consideration in public for a person's status, gender, or age. The use of the formal "you" ( U ) to address a person is becoming less common, whereas the growing importance of the informal "you" ( jij )is meant to illustrate a commitment to equality.<br /><br />Brick row houses in Haarlem have prominent front doors and large windows.<br />Religion<br />Religious Beliefs. The largest religious congregation in the Netherlands is Catholic (30 percent of the population), followed by Reformed Protestant (14 percent), Dutch Reformed (7 percent) and Muslim (4 percent). More striking, however, is the fact that 40 percent of the population are not religious or connected to a denomination. The extremely rapid secularization of the Netherlands after the 1960s has meant that religion plays a decreasing role in ordering people's social and cultural lives, with the notable exception of the small rural communities in the Dutch Bible Belt, which runs along the towns Zierikzee, Dordrecht, Utrecht, Zwolle, and Assen. Among the 60 percent who profess to being religious, an ever-increasing group either does not actively participate in religious ceremonies or is involved in New Age religions.<br />Religious Practitioners. Religious practitioners (priests, ministers, and imams) belong to the major religions in the Netherlands. The Roman Catholic ecclesiastical authority is represented by bishops who try to influence national debates about the family, social welfare, abortion, and euthanasia.<br />Rituals and Holy Places. The Catholic south of the Netherlands is rich in annual religious processions, some of which date back to the Middle Ages, such as the blood processions in Boxtel and Boxmeer, both in the province of North-Brabant. Shrines include those of Saint Gerardus in Wittem and Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk in Masatricht.<br />Death and the Afterlife. Beliefs about death and the afterlife correspond to the doctrines of the major religions. The deceased is either buried at a cemetery or cremated at a cremation center. All burials and cremations are arranged by professional undertakers.<br />Medicine and Health Care<br />Health care is almost completely the responsibility of the state. The Dutch institutionalized, although they did not socialize, health care during the twentieth century to a much larger extent than did many other Western nations. Even care for the aged and the disabled takes place primarily in an institutionalized setting. Secularization and increasing wealth have compelled the government to take over care for the aged because traditional institutions such as church, community, and family are no longer able or willing to perform this task adequately. Almost everyone in the Netherlands carries medical insurance. The unemployed and low-income families are protected by public health insurance, while higher-income families have private insurance.<br />Secular Celebrations<br />Carnival celebrations the weekend before Ash Wednesday have become secular festivities that are spreading rapidly from the Catholic south to the Protestant north. The symbolic celebration of the Queen's birthday (Queen's Day) takes place on 30 April. Although Queen Beatrix was born on 31 January, the festivities are held on the former Queen Juliana's birthday. Remembrance of Dutch casualties in World War II is celebrated on Memorial Day, 4 May. The nation observes a minute of silence at eight P.M. to commemorate the dead. Liberation Day, the celebration of the end of the German occupation in 1945, occurs on 5 May. Most major cities stage elaborate festivities and music festivals. Family members and friends exchange gifts on the eve of Saint Nicolas Day (5 December), while children receive gifts on his birthday (6 December). On New Year's Eve, the Dutch reflect on the year that has passed and gather with friends rather than family members. The new year is welcomed with champaign and fireworks, and resolutions are made.<br />The Arts and Humanities<br />Support for the Arts. Graduates of art academies receive a four-year stipend of about 455 euros ($525) a month to start a professional art career. In addition, several public and private foundations provide modest funding for artists. An important source of support are the artworks for public places commissioned by national, provincial, and local governments.<br />Literature. Dutch oral literature dates back to at least 500 B.C.E. The earliest Dutch written literature goes back to the mid-1200s with the songs of the troubadour Heynric van Veldeken. The works on world history and the lives of saints written in verse by Jacob van Maerlant (1230–1300) mark the beginning of a truly national literature. Dutch literature bloomed during the Renaissance with playwrights such as Hooft, Cats, Huygens, Bredero, and Joost van den Vondel (1587–1679).<br />Dutch literature entered a period of relative decline after the seventeenth century, only to arise to world stature in the mid-nineteenth century with the publication of Max Havelaar by Multatuli (a pseudonym for Eduard Douwes Dekker), which describes the colonial exploitation of the Netherlands Indies. The Movement of the Eighties (1880–1894), led by the poets Kloos and Gorter, marked a new era in Dutch literature. The novels of Louis Couperus were the fin-de-sicle apotheosis of the national literature.<br />The breadth of twentieth-century Dutch literature is great; Slauerhoff, Roland Holst, Bordewijk, and Vestdijk are the most important authors of the inter-war period. The principal post-World War II poets and writers are Lucebert, Kouwenaar, Vroman, Haasse, Mulisch, Hermans, Reve, Wolkers, Nooteboom, and Van der Heijden.<br />Graphic Arts. Contemporary Dutch graphic arts have been dominated by the legacy of the seventeenth century with its emphasis on painting, drawing, and etching. The masterpieces of Dutch painting are displayed at the Rijksmuseum (Rembrandt and Vermeer), the Van Gogh Museum, and the Stedelijk Museum (contemporary art) in Amsterdam. In addition, there are important collections at the Kröller-Muller Museum (impressionism, expressionism) in Otterloo and the Haags Gemeentemuseum (Mondrian) and the Mauritshuis (Rembrandt and Vermeer) in the Hague. Museums are visited principally by the middle and upper classes, with the exception of major retrospectives of popular painters such as Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Van Gogh, which attract a wide audience.<br />Performance Arts. Classical music (notably the Concertgebouw Orchestra) and ballet (the National Ballet and the Netherlands Dance Theater) are the principal performance arts with international appeal. Cabaret has a long-standing national tradition and is still popular. The Early Music Festival of Utrecht is known for its concerts featuring medieval and Renaissance music. The North Sea Jazz Festival in the Hague is world-renowned. The Pinkpop and Low Lands festivals are two major events for popular music. The Holland Festival in Amsterdam is the most important annual presentation of the new programming season of contemporary Dutch performance arts. The performance arts attract mainly the middle and upper classes.<br />The State of the Physical and Social Sciences<br />Most scientific research in the Netherlands is conducted at universities and corporate research laboratories. There are thirteen universities. Twenty-four lower, middle, and higher polytechnic schools train students exclusively in applied work. The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) is the principal funding agency for the physical and social sciences. This foundation is under the authority of Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OC&W) and finances seven areas of science (chemical sciences, earth and biological sciences, humanities, medical sciences, physical sciences, social and behavioral sciences, and technical sciences). The 1998 budget totaled 300 million euros ($345 million), of which 36 percent was allocated to the physical sciences and about 5.5 percent to the social and behavioral sciences. This amount is dwarfed by the 3.3 billion euros ($3.8 billion) spent in 1996 on research and development in corporate laboratories.Mohanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02933081692125013203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-50034603976696106072011-10-21T00:04:00.002+08:002011-10-21T00:10:21.767+08:00The Mehendi Culture<div align="center"><strong>MEHENDI </strong></div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tRjwvfWg5Xm2agYDNJnPxVPZ9to8qO3HlA1DUjZRcQ32TFOwetrFTaR27wJMc6k6YD7t2F9f6i-EeiVhom0A5zyfs-G6WZ8kprQiiF7Bz2WI00a6x0cGi-luWTNVPylG4X3T8r1Yb90d/s1600/mehendi-design.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665606974857178258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tRjwvfWg5Xm2agYDNJnPxVPZ9to8qO3HlA1DUjZRcQ32TFOwetrFTaR27wJMc6k6YD7t2F9f6i-EeiVhom0A5zyfs-G6WZ8kprQiiF7Bz2WI00a6x0cGi-luWTNVPylG4X3T8r1Yb90d/s400/mehendi-design.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div align="justify">The art of applying henna in hands and feet is known as Mehendi and it is a very old custom and ancient art form of the Asian subcontinent. The propagators were the Mughals. The Mughals taught us all about the history of Mehendi and introduced it to India during 12th century AD. During that period the royal and rich use to decorate themselves with it. The patterns were intricately made by the artists or the beauticians. Indian weddings are incomplete without the mehendi ceremony .The ritual of mehendi ceremony is followed in every part of the country where the hands of the bride are adorned with the lovely red color of the mehendi. On these festive or wedding occasions mostly traditional Indian designs are made on the hands of the bride.<br />The origin can be from Egypt because it was one of the art forms in Egypt. It has the evidence that it has been found that henna was used to stain the fingers and toes of Pharaohs earlier to mummification. The mummification process took many days and as the Egyptians were diligent in planning their rebirth after their death, they became quite fanatical in the preservation process. The Egyptians believed that body art ensured their recognition into the afterlife and therefore used Mehendi to identify them.<br />Henna has the power of medicine was also used as a cosmetic and for it's healing power for ages.The beautiful patterning prevalent in India today has emerged only in the 20th century. India, most of the women from that time in India is depicted with their hands and feet with red stain designs. The art of Mehendi has existed for centuries. No exact place of its origin is identified because of people in different cultures moving through the continents and taking their art forms with them and therefore sharing their art with everyone along the way.The bushes can be grown in dry and hot conditions. The leaves are processed as a skin conditioner and as a reliever for rashes. The henna used for mehndi comes from a bush which is grown in the Africa and India called Lawsonia Inermis in the Middle East and other hot and dry places. Henna is used for hair dye and as a conditioner. The art of Mehendi is referred to as henna or mehendi Mehendi is a substitute for tattooing for people who are too scared to tolerate the poking of a needle. Mehendi will be wonderful for such people. Some people like permanent tattoos and some are comfortable with temporary forms of body art. When you use henna to decorate your body it cools your body too. Henna patterns will be beautiful and have four different styles.<br /><br />1. The Middle Eastern style is mostly made up of floral patterns similar to the Arabic paintings.2. The North African style follows the shape of the hands and feet using floral patterns.3. The Indian and Pakistani designs include lines patterns and teardrops.4. The Indonesian and Southern Asian styles were a mix of Middle Eastern and Indian designs using blocks of color on the very tips of their toes and fingers. </div>Mohanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02933081692125013203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-74508293954527275512011-10-20T23:39:00.003+08:002011-10-21T00:00:44.157+08:00Bali And It's Culture<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwxdPzujQD4sufc0ow9sK_Y6Gn0EfQFlzT4Q6xHZeb_hhVLszcBZWta_OfoezKMj6rlNKWFqjHr9P8mme3K6lv8-090lCEP6WwRI-4Bib5ndzclUOiRBm5futtooqok2dXrCWHZ3zldk6/s1600/Relocate-To-Bali-Live-In.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665603265268289666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwxdPzujQD4sufc0ow9sK_Y6Gn0EfQFlzT4Q6xHZeb_hhVLszcBZWta_OfoezKMj6rlNKWFqjHr9P8mme3K6lv8-090lCEP6WwRI-4Bib5ndzclUOiRBm5futtooqok2dXrCWHZ3zldk6/s320/Relocate-To-Bali-Live-In.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDX7aq_Ixjso839GNbz8vHOKrqhgGoyxjn2TXCBsXBbeX4e-FdvZy8keVZuUvQm7ROAUz2CYgV8VE-F5zOa4T6YCojJwmoPwGCzMKtLo6U2F_pLFsN5vkZ0TFvuHUX5KzS5mOlpcp6bcrB/s1600/bali-culture.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 202px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665603261037856434" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDX7aq_Ixjso839GNbz8vHOKrqhgGoyxjn2TXCBsXBbeX4e-FdvZy8keVZuUvQm7ROAUz2CYgV8VE-F5zOa4T6YCojJwmoPwGCzMKtLo6U2F_pLFsN5vkZ0TFvuHUX5KzS5mOlpcp6bcrB/s320/bali-culture.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qaxpuqqwRX3z8w-yjI3IWED-RIj6DmiHVoIHzS1WCxPiut8pm0FDdhnIS6VKPSSw6mdp-5rJJRO9v2P3QXctGl62H_tKs8Q3Nmse0Hy_2DyYMoTG8-PUaIKyB-ahTDlDWVLIoipbGmZ1/s1600/2546942177_bb5b824f38.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 246px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665603253581412514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qaxpuqqwRX3z8w-yjI3IWED-RIj6DmiHVoIHzS1WCxPiut8pm0FDdhnIS6VKPSSw6mdp-5rJJRO9v2P3QXctGl62H_tKs8Q3Nmse0Hy_2DyYMoTG8-PUaIKyB-ahTDlDWVLIoipbGmZ1/s320/2546942177_bb5b824f38.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1_8BivXHQCbZ8FX6vm5M3iMJs2zwbz0Ulmdd2-UMU7RBgUESl7rr0YhCbKthzmKmmp9ftci2NDc1V-cAU5jcTMIW2qSu4oWG64msyKYrjU-hZDdlc3P30zFSFohvy5iGjClYKpNims6TZ/s1600/Diving_Safari_in_Bali_-_Indonesia_4.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665603249650026914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1_8BivXHQCbZ8FX6vm5M3iMJs2zwbz0Ulmdd2-UMU7RBgUESl7rr0YhCbKthzmKmmp9ftci2NDc1V-cAU5jcTMIW2qSu4oWG64msyKYrjU-hZDdlc3P30zFSFohvy5iGjClYKpNims6TZ/s320/Diving_Safari_in_Bali_-_Indonesia_4.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Balinese culture is a unique combination of spirituality, religion, tradition and art. Religion is considered to be art and it seems that almost every Balinese is a devoted artist, spending 'free time' applying skills and images which have been passed down from generation to generation and grasped from a very young age. Expressed through beautiful and intricate paintings, extraordinary carvings, superb weaving, and even in rice decorations that cover the myriad shrines found in public areas, in paddy fields or in homes, the island is alive with art and religious homage.<br /></div><br /><div><strong>Sekala and Niskala<br /></strong>Balinese culture is a complex event characterised by diversity and adaptability. A central dictum in Balinese thinking is the concept of Desa - Kala - Patra, (time, place and situation), a dynamic notion holding that traditional thinking will blend in harmony with the new. The Balinese distinguish between Sekala, the material, and Niskala the eternal. Reality is a coincidence of the material and the eternal realms. One does not exist without the other. The world, therefore, is the product of the interaction of Sekala and Niskala.<br /></div><br /><div><strong>Temple Festivals<br /></strong>Temple festivals are commonplace. Each village will hold some sort of colourful ceremony for each one of its own temples a couple of times a year. Add to this the rituals and celebrations for each persons' passage from birth, puberty, marriage, childbirth to death and the after-world, and include the major island-wide celebrations like Galungan, Kuningan and Nyepi; the day of silence when the whole island closes down in fear of evil spirits flying in from the sea, and you can begin to understand how important religion in Bali is.</div><br /><div><br /><strong>Hindu Dharma<br /></strong>Art, culture and day to day activities for most Balinese are strongly bonded to a unique form of Hinduism called Hindu Dharma, which is widely thought to be the closest example to the religion and social framework that existed in Java during the zenith of its power and is now found nowhere else. Classical dance dramas based on the old Hindu epics of the Ramayana and the Mahabarata which arrived from Java, are like everywhere else in Indonesia, mixed with pre-Hindu animist belief and peculiar local folklore. Not all Balinese adopted the new Hindu religion though. The Bali Aga who now live in isolated groups in the mountains at Trunyan and Tenganan, for example, preferred their ancient animist beliefs, which are still practiced and remain largely intact today.<br /></div><br /><div><strong>Balinese belief systems</strong><br />The very soul of Bali and Balinese belief systems is rooted in religion and is expressed in art forms and skills that have been passionately preserved over the centuries. During the mid sixteenth century Bali reached a cultural climax, which encouraged and developed elaborate arts and customs, which are the foundations of what is practiced today. In a sense they have changed very little since that time, but as has been the case throughout much of the Indonesian archipelago, adaptation of new environments is absolutely essential for survival. It was at this time that the Javanese Hindu and the Balinese calendars were combined and a complex schedule of rituals and ceremonies was defined. Nine great temples, the Pura Agung, were also built, linking the structure of the new calendar with that of the gods. The most sacred being the Mother Temple, Pura Besakih, built high on the slopes of Bali 's most sacred mountain, Gunung Agung.<br /></div><br /><div></div></div></div>Mohanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02933081692125013203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-22159681196645767682011-10-20T23:22:00.003+08:002011-10-20T23:39:25.868+08:00Culture of Mauritius<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuDzIeEt3OJn-o0tMwIxE5xbVOVl-X-HAvgRvDM3TKd2Q7N7VEgDkNIB0ivbfAf5ryb4qKDO1Fu76b_YiXv-PqBMJ0X8klGhT33ZXfOkohb-MicaE3IdJYNoC0EcCM_GUL9yYPsVsxbBOa/s1600/4deff72b-6cbd-4c87-a041-cef14fa7355c.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 225px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665599380650039410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuDzIeEt3OJn-o0tMwIxE5xbVOVl-X-HAvgRvDM3TKd2Q7N7VEgDkNIB0ivbfAf5ryb4qKDO1Fu76b_YiXv-PqBMJ0X8klGhT33ZXfOkohb-MicaE3IdJYNoC0EcCM_GUL9yYPsVsxbBOa/s320/4deff72b-6cbd-4c87-a041-cef14fa7355c.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVqB2b-DVFW4O7wxJjsLalYWl-iOUnVJNAUyzZQa2P8HtN26rPrhTiHMgJM9Lb96Ogxfo7r-HtUIOXIIsSOA2_-rftBEx7jKKehIkNj29RFjDT3uel24oTI0hjx8AJwwEO12KDuBrhdGR/s1600/31639.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 90px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5665599072996486450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVqB2b-DVFW4O7wxJjsLalYWl-iOUnVJNAUyzZQa2P8HtN26rPrhTiHMgJM9Lb96Ogxfo7r-HtUIOXIIsSOA2_-rftBEx7jKKehIkNj29RFjDT3uel24oTI0hjx8AJwwEO12KDuBrhdGR/s320/31639.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>The culture of the country reflects its diverse ethnic composition. There are many religious festivals, some important ones being (in random order) Divali (the hindu festival of lights, in October), Christmas, Cavadee (a penitence festival of the south Indian tradition of hinduism, in January), Eid ul Fitr (celebrating the end of the period of fasting in Islam. As the Islamic calendar does not correspond to the Gregorian calendar, the date of its celebration in the year tends to vary. In 2003 it was celebrated in November). Sega is an indigenous musical form. As it started among slaves of African origin, it is conventionally believed to be of African origin. However, according to some observers, there is no easily found equivalent in mainland Africa to the hip-swaying style of sega dancing, and to the musical instruments used (notably the ravane, a piece of goatskin tightly drawn over a wooden hoop). Sega could therefore be of mixed origin.<br /><a href="http://www.mauritius-embassy.de/gif/big/html/culture,Mau%2057_.php"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mauritius-embassy.de/gif/big/html/culture,Mau%2057_.php"></a>Culture of Mauritius<br />Sega comes in many forms, There is the commercial variety sung in hotels, usually of a joyous mood, the more politically involved sega engagé, with strong leftist overtones, and the rough-hewn sega typique, a traditional form of sega, which starts as a slow melody and gradually gathers speed. Modern creole music also shows the influence of ragamuffin, rap and mainstream pop styles. In the countryside, where the population is predominantly of Indian origin, bhojpuri songs (from a rural dialect of Bihar province in India) are still popular and have been recast in modern forms. Like in most countries with a colonial past, Mauritian literature was traditionally of a conservative cast, with much emphasis on the proper use of the dominant language (in this case French). From the 1930’s onwards however, Mauritian writing became more progressive in both its form and content (eg "L’étoile et la Clef" by Loïs Masson). The 1970’s saw the birth of modern creole literature (which claims antecedents, however, in a 19th century compilation of creole folktales by Charles Baissac, which is the first major work in Mauritian creole).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mauritius-embassy.de/gif/big/html/culture,Mau%2049_.php"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mauritius-embassy.de/gif/big/html/culture,Mau%2049_.php"></a>Church in Mauritius</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Literature in hindi and other indian languages also evolved concomitantly with the rise of the Indian community throughout the 20th century. A notable writer in hindi is Abhimanyu Unnuth, whose work (notably "Lal pasina" - the red sweat - is a powerful narration of the travails of Indian workers in the 19th century) has been well received in literary circles in India. Mauritian literature in French in the 1960’s and 70’s had a penchant for poetry of a symbolical and esoteric character, maybe deriving from the strong interest of Mauritian society for spirituality. Raymond Chasle, Jean Fanchette, Jean Claude d’Avoine, Malcom de Chazal are the representatives of this school. The 1980’s and the 1990’s have seen the return of prose, maybe because of a need felt to narrate the rapid changes in a society undergoing industrialisation. The success in the early 80’s of "Le chercheur d’or" ("the gold seeker") by French writer Jean Marie Le Clezio could also have influenced this re-awakening of interest in prose. The parents of Mr Le Clezio, who is a leading figure of contemporary writing in France, were Mauritians - "the gold seeker" is based on the adventures of his grandfather, who spent many years seeking a pirates’ treasure in Rodrigues. He has had a consistent interest in Mauritian culture, and has given significant help to the development of Mauritian writing.<br /><a href="http://www.mauritius-embassy.de/gif/big/html/culture,Mau%2054_.php"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mauritius-embassy.de/gif/big/html/culture,Mau%2054_.php"></a>Temple in Mauritius<br />Some noted contemporary Mauritian writers are: Carl de Souza ("La Maison qui marchait vers le large"- "the house which walked towards the horizon" ), Ananda Devi Nursimloo ("Soupir" - "Sigh"), Sedley Richard Assone ("De l’amour et autres poèmes" - "Of love and other poems"). Oddly enough, there is not so much Mauritian literature in English despite Mauritius being a British colony for 158 years. Two notable exceptions however, are Lindsey Collen, a social activist and writer whose novels ("Mutiny") have received favourable reviews abroad, and R. Bucktowar ("A temple on the Island"). </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gobustan_ancient_Azerbaycan_full.jpg"></a></div>Mohanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02933081692125013203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-78107254081239747712011-10-19T19:27:00.000+08:002011-10-19T19:27:23.113+08:00Oktoberfest<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.4em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEVLXaoQqqj6BGy-fTuXHnQTly9zr_gfRye2fXK_t1cgQSfE0f8mIySPrrMheYyOy5VcxxbCj-eouZABRLMBcdnP2P2EkKlTjdcN77EiW-vjNy0PeywHyUTKwVuSW4FWcjJFx2KG0WHRU/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEVLXaoQqqj6BGy-fTuXHnQTly9zr_gfRye2fXK_t1cgQSfE0f8mIySPrrMheYyOy5VcxxbCj-eouZABRLMBcdnP2P2EkKlTjdcN77EiW-vjNy0PeywHyUTKwVuSW4FWcjJFx2KG0WHRU/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></span></div><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 18px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="yellowFade" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">Oktoberfest</span> is an annual fall festival which takes place in Munich, Germany. It is associated with the consumption of large amounts of beer and traditional German foods, along with general merrymaking. With a few exceptions due to wars, Germans have celebrated<span class="yellowFade" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">Oktoberfest</span> every year since 1810, although the early version of the event was dramatically different than the modern incarnation. Many communities with a large German population host their own versions of <span class="yellowFade" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">Oktoberfest</span> every year, encouraging people to celebrate German heritage and join together in fellowship.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 18px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMKhkKnafpyePtEJL6NpWgpehuf_it4OFSMu5TsDRA6c2htnT-mYbTJ1WKao75-pWPgKsIeEW8ISKhYWozkbp4G8NWs40xgn-vQjl-aeieTy9sFdZxP033NwQweSMpuQwLkNPLoEfcIk/s1600/oktoberfest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMKhkKnafpyePtEJL6NpWgpehuf_it4OFSMu5TsDRA6c2htnT-mYbTJ1WKao75-pWPgKsIeEW8ISKhYWozkbp4G8NWs40xgn-vQjl-aeieTy9sFdZxP033NwQweSMpuQwLkNPLoEfcIk/s320/oktoberfest.jpg" width="320" /></a>The first <span class="yellowFade" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">Oktoberfest</span> was actually a horse race, held to celebrate the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig I and his wife Therese Saxe-Hildburghausen. The race was such a success that the Germans decided to repeat the event, adding a fair as well, and slowly but steadily, beer entered the mix, eventually becoming the major feature of <span class="yellowFade" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">Oktoberfest</span>. The horse races were dropped in the middle of the 20th century, but it is still possible to purchase a wide range of crafts at the fair, when it happens at the same time as <span class="yellowFade" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;">Oktoberfest</span>.</span></div>Jessica Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13088028820523780196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-50020632104401265482011-10-19T19:19:00.000+08:002011-10-19T19:19:03.113+08:00Saudi Arabia Food Customs<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: #2d3a60; font-size: 16px; line-height: 26px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmPGIBL22Ish5mrxghri-DTc7yUUpXmV0BkqmAmZZDZ-pnhzVpxgeGiJuAN2BFvfoun6nV947l-J46_Qe6CZXpmPywNY7TEdboUUqXJUIMbldtwSzMGLAFImpPSNGq2ujcOYq5jIYGY10/s1600/images2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmPGIBL22Ish5mrxghri-DTc7yUUpXmV0BkqmAmZZDZ-pnhzVpxgeGiJuAN2BFvfoun6nV947l-J46_Qe6CZXpmPywNY7TEdboUUqXJUIMbldtwSzMGLAFImpPSNGq2ujcOYq5jIYGY10/s1600/images2.jpg" /></a></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The arrival of a guest at one's home is an event that leads to a special meal in honor of the visitor. Traditional etiquette required that sheep, goat, or camel be sacrificially slaughtered, and this is still often done. However, chicken may be substituted, and in many urban households meat dishes have replaced eating the whole animal. Major ritual occasions associated with Islamic feasts, weddings, reunions of family and kin, and other social events still require the sacrificial slaughter of sheep or, less commonly, goats or young camels.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">For these events, meat is boiled in huge pots, and part of the soup is passed among the guests, with the rest poured over large trays of rice on top of which the cooked meat is placed. Traditionally, male guests and older men gather around the tray and eat first, using the right hand; they are followed by younger men and finally boys. Women and girls eat separately, often food prepared specially for them but sometimes eating what the men and boys have not consumed. Multiple rounds of coffee and tea are served before and after the meal, and incense is burned.</span>Jessica Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13088028820523780196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-52712512578249192902011-10-19T19:11:00.002+08:002011-10-19T19:11:53.113+08:00Comic 3 :)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYspag7uD9w_-pE1XPj1074k2B-IIowzj2VR3d7iSjsP_hEbIkh2OKJXJc6vmnzFsePWuByYG-75MlBKZ6K81tFtPVYAqUvCG7L6NjSBkCVbAfKIVAvWha_uFGHUaszkZPA0tl5rcY_Mo/s1600/mban2730l+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYspag7uD9w_-pE1XPj1074k2B-IIowzj2VR3d7iSjsP_hEbIkh2OKJXJc6vmnzFsePWuByYG-75MlBKZ6K81tFtPVYAqUvCG7L6NjSBkCVbAfKIVAvWha_uFGHUaszkZPA0tl5rcY_Mo/s320/mban2730l+%25281%2529.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>Jessica Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13088028820523780196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-39755429244212922482011-10-19T19:05:00.000+08:002011-10-19T19:05:46.033+08:00Canadian Language<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"></span><br />
<strong>Language in Canada</strong><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYAd3Iq37iJjfmNtvfIWKLiPiKT7bsxSg9FGIbLJBXrwdTUV-4CwY35mG8QJB0nP-gfPKZxABbl6M_lHMhBnQoWHrf3rL08TGDiyl2s8dRHB3k5yivzQ6b6wqCE6sOJPyJQUPh6oo-xw/s1600/CANA0001.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYAd3Iq37iJjfmNtvfIWKLiPiKT7bsxSg9FGIbLJBXrwdTUV-4CwY35mG8QJB0nP-gfPKZxABbl6M_lHMhBnQoWHrf3rL08TGDiyl2s8dRHB3k5yivzQ6b6wqCE6sOJPyJQUPh6oo-xw/s320/CANA0001.GIF" width="320" /></a></div><strong><br />
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A multitude of languages are spoken in Canada. According to the 2006 census, English and French are the preferred language ("home language", or language spoken most often in the home) of 67.1% and 21.5% of the population, respectively. English and French are recognised by the Constitution of Canada as "official languages," which means that all laws of the federal government are enacted in both English and French and that federal government services are required to be available in both languages.<br />
The five most widely-spoken non-official languages are Chinese (the home language of 2.6% of Canadians), Punjabi (0.8%), Spanish (0.7%), Italian (0.6%), and Arabic (0.5%).<br />
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</b>Jessica Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13088028820523780196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-88329685923458363422011-10-19T19:00:00.001+08:002011-10-19T19:10:45.212+08:00Comic 2 :)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho4PM8bWyBEG13VwYmxgY1DI38cZteF3Sh2uU1Nt8Qzm0RUOHCObU2qy4sNij2wSuJPZjxZmX5sOyBAEUzsxcmP5oD3jCXRA53CNEhBCz-6oHf5d2upQYvPtV6Wo1Bmri8Ohedfv2acug/s1600/cultural_pig-biology-versus-culture-comic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho4PM8bWyBEG13VwYmxgY1DI38cZteF3Sh2uU1Nt8Qzm0RUOHCObU2qy4sNij2wSuJPZjxZmX5sOyBAEUzsxcmP5oD3jCXRA53CNEhBCz-6oHf5d2upQYvPtV6Wo1Bmri8Ohedfv2acug/s320/cultural_pig-biology-versus-culture-comic.png" width="320" /></a></div>Jessica Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13088028820523780196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-82051237174548221582011-10-13T23:19:00.001+08:002011-10-13T23:19:44.856+08:00Hip Hop Culture<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavu6TiSYAgUGGErrhdA3Qymp2wjYSlfvZtR3RGzLSzF6jgVtL5cwbmD8wx9XpO6MU6ClTQzDm3ptIHQVNehsHKjTaWn_77VGhXwYPZTKFB3ldpHoyCwWh_yVTOy1vNZRrbOZvH-MaX78/s1600/HipHopCulture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavu6TiSYAgUGGErrhdA3Qymp2wjYSlfvZtR3RGzLSzF6jgVtL5cwbmD8wx9XpO6MU6ClTQzDm3ptIHQVNehsHKjTaWn_77VGhXwYPZTKFB3ldpHoyCwWh_yVTOy1vNZRrbOZvH-MaX78/s320/HipHopCulture.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJfJECUyuOX_ZXXUr1UMext6pODqEB3qjL0Gz20tzZGppaoSGglXZOlrv591WDvwdu_N2Rv_n95QEQgEm4q9t4P5HRfO0WjNuWJgJNU5XYiHUFc-_WXy77yxvNzc7f7vmxcNlIquyCK_Q/s1600/HipHopCulture-by-kolongi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJfJECUyuOX_ZXXUr1UMext6pODqEB3qjL0Gz20tzZGppaoSGglXZOlrv591WDvwdu_N2Rv_n95QEQgEm4q9t4P5HRfO0WjNuWJgJNU5XYiHUFc-_WXy77yxvNzc7f7vmxcNlIquyCK_Q/s200/HipHopCulture-by-kolongi.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">From the late 80's to the early 90's hip hop was revolutionary. It started of small but it grew with wast genres such as rap, RnB,beats and more. The pioneers of hip hop is basically from africa to the states then basically they commeertiolized during the times in the states. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 20px;">The relationship between graffiti and hip hop culture arises from the appearance of new and increasingly elaborate and pervasive forms of the practice in areas where other elements of hip hop were evolving as art forms, with a heavy overlap between those who wrote graffiti and those who practiced other elements of the culture. Today, graffiti remains part of hip hop, while crossing into the mainstream art world with renowned exhibits in galleries throughout the world.</span></span>Jessica Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13088028820523780196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-4421701714722229492011-10-13T23:06:00.000+08:002011-10-13T23:06:50.184+08:00Japanese Etiquette<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">M</span>any teachers get overly worried about mastering Japanese etiquette for fear of making a social blunder. But one thing to keep in mind is that the Japanese don’t expect foreigners to master or really know much of Japanese etiquette.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: medium;">T</span>his is not to say that it’s not important or that you need not learn it. But you’ll find that when you display some knowledge of it they are pleasantly surprised. There are more rules to etiquette in Japan than in most other cultures. In fact, once you start getting into it, you'll realize there are more rules of etiquette than you can shake a stick at! But you got to begin somewhere right?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><u style="background-color: white;">The Importance of Limiting Eye Contact</u></b></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiTDdTM5kvgjpsREfbUVvWeu_tQ_vONU0-QwngtS2O8-BrCs-huIsa-SPubXx-SMNf6WNFh1Nv5N-o8OeQtaxWKnYbgSzqZBbZYVUVCm7jx6GDyZ5YYrNArmkGzyv2xVLfiE_9cVO-bmE/s1600/bow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiTDdTM5kvgjpsREfbUVvWeu_tQ_vONU0-QwngtS2O8-BrCs-huIsa-SPubXx-SMNf6WNFh1Nv5N-o8OeQtaxWKnYbgSzqZBbZYVUVCm7jx6GDyZ5YYrNArmkGzyv2xVLfiE_9cVO-bmE/s1600/bow.jpg" /></a><b><u><br />
</u></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Also, it’s important not to make a lot of direct eye contact. Japanese find this uncomfortable. <b>One way to cope with this difficult situation is to look at the eyes and then away or preferably down before looking again.</b> This doesn't mean that you should stare at your shoes. You can look at various places on the face before looking back at the eyes. For example eyebrows, mouth area etc. Try this simple rule: limit eye contact to 25% of the time.</span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<b>Bowing</b></u></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Volumes could be written on this aspect of Japanese etiquette alone. There are many levels that span from just barely cracking your head to full-blown face on the tatami prostration. Age, gender, position in the company and situation all impact the length and depth of the bow.</span></span></span><br />
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</div><div style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The bow also has many meanings like, excuse me, thank you, I’m sorry, nice to meet you. Bows are also used to kick-off conversations and to acknowledge someone’s presence.</span></div><div style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Bow with a straight back and eyes cast downward. Men have have their hands at their sides. Women have their hands in front.If someone bows to you, you return the gesture. To keep things simple and to stay on the safe side, bow slightly longer and slightly deeper than the other.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabbPfduzEdY1UJjp_-XHLdP9c-lmF6tGVh_HdzSgZgLYpjF8sQYrCSmxZ6cdSlGCWLrqx_wPwCJwJs8YlAyTTtc97kiIf4bnF1A4tVFgKo7sKXCmGwbpJ8EL6UTOVYntMh6cRhgx_78E/s1600/japanese-bow1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabbPfduzEdY1UJjp_-XHLdP9c-lmF6tGVh_HdzSgZgLYpjF8sQYrCSmxZ6cdSlGCWLrqx_wPwCJwJs8YlAyTTtc97kiIf4bnF1A4tVFgKo7sKXCmGwbpJ8EL6UTOVYntMh6cRhgx_78E/s320/japanese-bow1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
</div></span>Jessica Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13088028820523780196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-48716478738250926692011-10-13T22:54:00.000+08:002011-10-13T22:54:30.902+08:00African Music<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: x-small;"><b><u>Traditional Trends</u></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShotinyhEjihA_I1EWenED64kRamwfveEDEQopZdlPvyYcu458F-eUa5HZAGW0ZJxcnCtyAvztyENqAThQtwR7yIUIZ07apTJMcUsr5CO-s5v3pnL8QWTeSL2xX1tFo8iu1rWLoqL-Ys/s1600/african+music.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShotinyhEjihA_I1EWenED64kRamwfveEDEQopZdlPvyYcu458F-eUa5HZAGW0ZJxcnCtyAvztyENqAThQtwR7yIUIZ07apTJMcUsr5CO-s5v3pnL8QWTeSL2xX1tFo8iu1rWLoqL-Ys/s320/african+music.jpg" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: x-small;">Indigenous African musical and dance expressions that are maintained by oral tradition and that are stylistically distinct from the music and dance of both the Arabic cultures of North Africa and the Western settler populations of southern Africa. African music and dance, therefore, are cultivated largely by societies in sub-Saharan Africa<br />
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All sub-Saharan traditions emphasize singing, because song is used as an avenue of communication. Because many African languages are "tone languages," in which pitch level determines meaning, the melodies and rhythms of songs generally follow the intonation contour and rhythms of the song texts. Melodies are usually organized within a scale of four, five, six, or seven tones. In group singing, some societies habitually sing in unison or in parallel octaves with sporadic fourths or fifths; others sing in two or three parts, using parallel thirds or fourths. Songs generally are in call-and-response form.<br />
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<u><b>Modern Trends</b></u></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEied_H43sGR8Uz7b99NmlCzRfQlOiWnPUs5Y7pizyM3i7gL8g7g9adtaeabFUkeRl6WE-hs1KE-bBU50jcKPgTZplTVu26PaumHf8exio7_YcE6_216xn0AzkgELJdDPGxFhdJSojIR3yQ/s1600/weaponofthefuture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEied_H43sGR8Uz7b99NmlCzRfQlOiWnPUs5Y7pizyM3i7gL8g7g9adtaeabFUkeRl6WE-hs1KE-bBU50jcKPgTZplTVu26PaumHf8exio7_YcE6_216xn0AzkgELJdDPGxFhdJSojIR3yQ/s320/weaponofthefuture.JPG" width="208" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, helvetica, arial; font-size: x-small;"><b><u><br />
</u></b>With urbanization and the impact of Western culture, traditional music and dance, although still practiced, have decreased. New idioms have emerged, however, that combine African and Western elements; they include West African highlife (showing certain Caribbean traits), Congolese popular music (reflecting Latin American influence), and in southern Africa, sabasaba and kwella (both akin to U.S. swing and jive music). Evidence suggests that the needs of the church and other transplanted institutions may stimulate a new art music. Traditional music and dance face serious threat of decline. Because of their political and cultural importance, however, their preservation is given special attention in many countries</span>Jessica Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13088028820523780196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-58800773687736583192011-10-13T22:41:00.000+08:002011-10-13T22:41:28.657+08:00Italian Fashion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspVxEEjVp0g9GD8GJwEHU9Gu5LDTMQ0Wtm_cq_wMeq3O0fjZ5f-4U2wtjBjmHUao2QMIrlbJN4Qy1XkRD-qdLsOWnp33as5nmADSyQvJffDaWsdyqOGI1wn_qD94dS1VyUFX0MF0PuW0/s1600/170px-Leonardo_da_Vinci_046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspVxEEjVp0g9GD8GJwEHU9Gu5LDTMQ0Wtm_cq_wMeq3O0fjZ5f-4U2wtjBjmHUao2QMIrlbJN4Qy1XkRD-qdLsOWnp33as5nmADSyQvJffDaWsdyqOGI1wn_qD94dS1VyUFX0MF0PuW0/s1600/170px-Leonardo_da_Vinci_046.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Italian Fashion has an old and a rich history to its credit. The Fashion Maestro of Italy Count Giorgini started by staging a fashion show in the year 1951 on 25 th February in Florence . Giorginibroke the myth of fashion as something that only belonged to a higher class of the society. This fashion show attracted audience from all over the world.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLKKpY1sRXI_gpOf_dDZe5OX_MhG3AGnGB6lziGGM2QXaXGnOC-X2TZgs6lMn5iNbrkJNBrYgRjiGK3ndCFBp-pRmexQnmY4-2Pag_j4KqyzdKgvZtVIlBRJzobhQq4sTYMTJeVGry5O8/s1600/Gucci-top-fashion-brand-2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLKKpY1sRXI_gpOf_dDZe5OX_MhG3AGnGB6lziGGM2QXaXGnOC-X2TZgs6lMn5iNbrkJNBrYgRjiGK3ndCFBp-pRmexQnmY4-2Pag_j4KqyzdKgvZtVIlBRJzobhQq4sTYMTJeVGry5O8/s200/Gucci-top-fashion-brand-2011.jpg" width="200" /></a>To quote Andre Suares: "Fashion is the best form of farce, though nobody laughs because everyone takes part." Fashion has always attracted people and dressing in one's own style gives one a self identity in the crowd. Italian Fashion has been a landmark in the history of fashion. Italian fashion took its course from the finely dressed women in Italy. Education and culture had great influence over the fashion scenario of the country. Fashion also influenced many costumes and dresses in Cinema. Italian fashion reflected Italy as a land of art, beauty and love.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKh8qkVwInAvWxMKjirZtnHAUIkiS72YCz96xRZpU9gdSHLRa1gbPQUQRIpBaRKQq894fz_qxRP5IgoxUNzPjKL50MM8oeyXUSfcUbmhergfi9kDpD3ZvzTMoMh1LtCbxeIya0WAoEUpc/s1600/italian-fashion-wallpapers-116-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKh8qkVwInAvWxMKjirZtnHAUIkiS72YCz96xRZpU9gdSHLRa1gbPQUQRIpBaRKQq894fz_qxRP5IgoxUNzPjKL50MM8oeyXUSfcUbmhergfi9kDpD3ZvzTMoMh1LtCbxeIya0WAoEUpc/s200/italian-fashion-wallpapers-116-1.jpg" width="133" /></a>Fashion in Italy saw a big change during the sixties at the time when industrial boom was experienced. With this fashion the concept of dressing changed from a mere dress to something that was a reflection of creation and design.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkNLZeZbH_S1KYcKMeiHwuLZ40J6HFqXmfaDCPWmiZn98-DVb8Choj4moSxtmJI8uDrdf8boh7DvovRav_MYR-ZAT6YuyDnRdbLtTgRu4qyBNyIfHVcJ3i8EpfROidNdv4_o2STsGJu4/s1600/versace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkNLZeZbH_S1KYcKMeiHwuLZ40J6HFqXmfaDCPWmiZn98-DVb8Choj4moSxtmJI8uDrdf8boh7DvovRav_MYR-ZAT6YuyDnRdbLtTgRu4qyBNyIfHVcJ3i8EpfROidNdv4_o2STsGJu4/s200/versace.jpg" width="200" /></a>Italian fashion differs from the world fashion in a way, where Italian fashion determines the class to which a person belongs unlike fashion of other places, like New York, London and Paris. Italian fashion has often been refereed to as a way to social redemption.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">With this history of fashion in Italy , today Italy is a place specially known for the famous designers of the world and more often "The Fashion Hub of the whole world."</span>Jessica Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13088028820523780196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-69210698798052212212011-10-13T22:24:00.001+08:002011-10-13T22:24:51.030+08:00Comic :)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-GnZfYZUTAz163x6q8ZvCS3T27IZ02eyBiFiugyi1rdtQQghUkHl30xfF8nxGOQTsBraZSpxTaykKSSHSFpDYMml7vRHZGOmrj45bKR-YMkeunCfp-Z03ZhKSK2F1hypMXCWgEKPFSwo/s1600/hsc0075l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-GnZfYZUTAz163x6q8ZvCS3T27IZ02eyBiFiugyi1rdtQQghUkHl30xfF8nxGOQTsBraZSpxTaykKSSHSFpDYMml7vRHZGOmrj45bKR-YMkeunCfp-Z03ZhKSK2F1hypMXCWgEKPFSwo/s400/hsc0075l.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Jessica Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13088028820523780196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-39151429616908413322011-10-05T01:18:00.006+08:002011-10-05T04:43:39.577+08:00Multi-cultural Blend of Penang Food<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIlv1WI4qiOSaBeZDSO2STxYH7op0xdOKNZgF0Jn80j130qlTwzMAbELYQF3PfHuvgjgnIHb53QRSIR8cLgIZvTIaT_FAePKGutazvNjTzPlOfyPMRV52if-9eT-jHbT6LiqYnGitntQu/s1600/air_itam_laksa_2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 241px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659693138199627858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIlv1WI4qiOSaBeZDSO2STxYH7op0xdOKNZgF0Jn80j130qlTwzMAbELYQF3PfHuvgjgnIHb53QRSIR8cLgIZvTIaT_FAePKGutazvNjTzPlOfyPMRV52if-9eT-jHbT6LiqYnGitntQu/s320/air_itam_laksa_2.jpg" /></a><br />Penang is a livable urban municipality with a setting of mixed culture of Chinese or various origins,Malays,Indians,Mamaks or Indian Muslims,Eurasians and some Thais.<br />Penang food is often recognised more as a blender of Chinese,Thais,Arab and Indian influence.These ethnic group have also merged within the Malaysian ethos and are an intrinsic part of the culture and food of the region.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxobQPaEPwQQJGifIyhLOFjEAn2GKdh0OQnB-_2_Y0DndlYt9j0lV98LPCiHLkiY91ol3AKIg546JBENscjtdewzWPssTtvKJFufld6MbDMg55ll67NLxAETgU-q-XqKL6Fwvq062GxBk/s1600/indian.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 314px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 235px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659692399847705490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUxobQPaEPwQQJGifIyhLOFjEAn2GKdh0OQnB-_2_Y0DndlYt9j0lV98LPCiHLkiY91ol3AKIg546JBENscjtdewzWPssTtvKJFufld6MbDMg55ll67NLxAETgU-q-XqKL6Fwvq062GxBk/s320/indian.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> <strong>INDIAN FOOD</strong></span></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Curry chicken recipe prepared by the southern indians penang food are usually hot and typically spices like turmeic,coriander,ginger,aniseed,cummin and black peppercorn.The chicken curry can be prepared wet or dry by adding coconut milk or santan.Tamarind is added for fish curry dishes to cut the spiciness.Thosai(rice and lentil pancake),idlee(steamed rice patties),are served with dhal or sambal. North Indian food tends to be milder The curry dishes features aromatic spices like cinnamon,cloves,cardamom,aniseed and saffon.<br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8offnCzYsUvZjEB1IGWQJMjnjaZbxqthMVXlhiAAxCKskCxCIFoN6m3By0R8bAU47jxTCKrYIFEU3EfokYgicvQdushVoMEz22kQex2QzWCPukp9FCuyvtu9dovmqSPWRlTtp4xN-dXHi/s1600/malay2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 314px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 235px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659692217468396914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8offnCzYsUvZjEB1IGWQJMjnjaZbxqthMVXlhiAAxCKskCxCIFoN6m3By0R8bAU47jxTCKrYIFEU3EfokYgicvQdushVoMEz22kQex2QzWCPukp9FCuyvtu9dovmqSPWRlTtp4xN-dXHi/s320/malay2.jpg" /></a> <span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>MALAY FOOD<br /></strong></span>Traditionally the lifestyle of Malays is agriculture and fishing.While fish is caught from nearby paddy fields,rice is home ground on its own ground.Wild roots,herbs and tree leaves are salad(ulam) for the daily diet of Malay Penang Food.Belachan is almost in every Malay recipe.For breakfast they eat kuih(cakes) made from starchy grains and roots such as glutinous rice,sweet potato,tapioca,or sago palm.One Malay dish stands out among the whole main course of dishes is the Nasi Lemak.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJg1XRotjvurxGc9HE2AYjqzA5HjlW2Cqzj5edRHBSyAD0cTCLPozXdua_dfWQ7CXbaVCnBs03fzc96JqWQJokICPlgif9nCXg47DOMCzJ6TE-zgaFrxQYPnUg5PZZBhIagzdGAzu2WwZc/s1600/chinese1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 314px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 235px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659691932205381058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJg1XRotjvurxGc9HE2AYjqzA5HjlW2Cqzj5edRHBSyAD0cTCLPozXdua_dfWQ7CXbaVCnBs03fzc96JqWQJokICPlgif9nCXg47DOMCzJ6TE-zgaFrxQYPnUg5PZZBhIagzdGAzu2WwZc/s320/chinese1.jpg" /></a> <span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>CHINESE FOOD<br /></strong></span>With asian dishes top on the list,the diverse Chinese dishes and Chinese food in the restaurant is also surprisingly affordable for a romantic dinner for two.Its no surprise when Penang Chinese Hawker food can be remenbered by all visitors and and Hokkien Mee being really famous now.Other Penang Chinese Hawker food which are famous includes, Lok bak,Wantan mee,rojak and char koat theow.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzni9Q05d-mbIdIgKMSy5hYP38CoO71aObqhjHjJ_NGsvBm2jj3dvr66f3rCRgZkEbNEppE6u1-noZv_y1WECNIvhKD8P_wZ7Rpq4GGMu1i3QLcLi5xhZGAcVhKYNEbsVd0-SiuvYCUsDR/s1600/111.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 314px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 235px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659691730933348738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzni9Q05d-mbIdIgKMSy5hYP38CoO71aObqhjHjJ_NGsvBm2jj3dvr66f3rCRgZkEbNEppE6u1-noZv_y1WECNIvhKD8P_wZ7Rpq4GGMu1i3QLcLi5xhZGAcVhKYNEbsVd0-SiuvYCUsDR/s320/111.jpg" /></a> <strong><span style="font-size:130%;">NYONYA FOOD<br /><br /></span></strong>The Peranakan Food or Nyonya Penang Food is another great choice of mix cultural food.Spicy, hot,sourish,salty from the Chinese cuisine and curry recipes and dishes from the Malay and Indian influences.The food is generally spicy with use of sambal and curry.</div><br /><div>The Nyonyas are famous for their kuih,like Pulut Thatai,Huat Kuih,Kow Chan Kuih 9 layers sweet layers.<br />Some of the shrimp curry or fish recipes are unforgettable meal recipes.The Nyonya Penang Food are enhanced with Thai influence while our Malacca Nyonya has Malay recipe elements.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div></div></div>jhayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08037736616494982089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-17757197573715634752011-10-04T21:49:00.003+08:002011-10-04T22:34:25.048+08:00Dinking Culture<p align="right"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 224px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659639118748903890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywSQjhJ3ZzbS_12y577DpaVboos3zSa2Zutq7p9kqeAQC7YFwifQGLjpNxXhTGdn6yGxXXIz65zEh0XkOYrs5PRdLAZRLxUFPcm0puFuK2TuOYhvzLLNvvJ9WvdPygAN8j3tvSCrTZPVo/s320/red+wine.jpg" /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6Xte9sAVOzgUlb5t6d3IVWQ3FNhLRvfeqwmXV2mHpgnqwy2l_cjTJ6ca1wAFg6BpjJRkv_-Z6LMEaduq5SELEn-Zev0FnpRJDJ0AigTe6l6v8DSDF_-To_EMi-w32mLkgfzdcHPvGTyw/s1600/250px-Reunion_de_gentilhommes_autour_d_une_table_dans_un_interieur_van_Schuppen.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 250px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 198px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659636084621922290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6Xte9sAVOzgUlb5t6d3IVWQ3FNhLRvfeqwmXV2mHpgnqwy2l_cjTJ6ca1wAFg6BpjJRkv_-Z6LMEaduq5SELEn-Zev0FnpRJDJ0AigTe6l6v8DSDF_-To_EMi-w32mLkgfzdcHPvGTyw/s320/250px-Reunion_de_gentilhommes_autour_d_une_table_dans_un_interieur_van_Schuppen.jpg" /></a> Drinking cultures refers to the customs and practices associated with the consumption of alcoholic everages.Altough alcoholic beverages and social attitude towards drinking vary around the world,nearly every civilization has independently discovered the processes of brewing beer,fermenting wine and distilling spirits.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Alcohol and its effects have been present in societies troughout history.Drinking is documented in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles,in art history,in Greek literature as ols as Homer, and in Confucius's Analects.<br /><br />SOCIAL DRINKING<br /><br />Social drinking refers to casual drinking in a social setting without an intent to get drunk.Good news is often celebrated by a group of people having a few drinks. For example,drinks may be served to 'wet the baby's head' in the celebration of birth.Buying someone a drink is a gesture of goodwill.It may be an expression of gratitude or it may mark the resolution of a dispute. <br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p><br /><p>FREE DRINKS</p><br />Various cultures and traditions feature the social practice of providing free alcoholic drinks for others.For example,during a weding reception,or a bar midzvah, free drinks are often served to guests, a practice that is known as 'an open bar'.Free drinks may alos be offered to increase attendance at a social or business functio.They are commonly offered to casino patrons to entice them to continue gambling.In the United States,fraternity houses on college campuses often serve free beer to attract potential pledges.<br /><br /><br />A further example is the 'free ladies drink' policy of some bars,which is intended to attract more women customers(who attract more men to the bar).Large corporations (especially in Japan) may have favored bar at which they hold private functions that offer free drinks to attendees.jhayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08037736616494982089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-6497580503763046882011-10-01T13:54:00.001+08:002011-10-01T13:54:57.081+08:00Kite-Flying<div><br />
<div><div><div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtMRpDTWKWOkApCdhbxSVJg5cLfpkFAosawmMWg77_za9brbzH0jCrFhuy0oG6I8F7b4HT5Db0WgQOkLV6dofYnAqUBr7M-yczKi_8F_w9ZsTmahi2vRv9msncX3YgWwNyXiPhgKqB8pG/s1600/international-kite-festival.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657443437741146290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYtMRpDTWKWOkApCdhbxSVJg5cLfpkFAosawmMWg77_za9brbzH0jCrFhuy0oG6I8F7b4HT5Db0WgQOkLV6dofYnAqUBr7M-yczKi_8F_w9ZsTmahi2vRv9msncX3YgWwNyXiPhgKqB8pG/s320/international-kite-festival.jpg" style="cursor: hand; height: 210px; width: 267px;" /></a>Leisure time in Malaysia commmonly engaged in entertaining sports and competitions.Kite-Flying,the oldest Malaysian sport, is the most practiced and and favoured game,both by tourists and locals. Kites are adorned with colourful floral designs, which are capticating once they are in the air. Due to its popularity,there is now an international kite-flying event.Japan,Singapore,Netherlands,Belgium and Gemany are some of the participants of this anually held competition.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzhlUMxCKgKJCZZfbzVBm5Rpp8pKpIehWJJKKgnYk3z07F4h3DvXeohbn8zltljZFS6bMnYIgP4fqhhD9rT4Jzb1kJ2H0Ay4oUx3vwYPhDPBQa7F6rKXPEaDRFWcMsS99gJxmMxGGxZXTv/s1600/bigwau.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657444117446579618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzhlUMxCKgKJCZZfbzVBm5Rpp8pKpIehWJJKKgnYk3z07F4h3DvXeohbn8zltljZFS6bMnYIgP4fqhhD9rT4Jzb1kJ2H0Ay4oUx3vwYPhDPBQa7F6rKXPEaDRFWcMsS99gJxmMxGGxZXTv/s320/bigwau.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: right; height: 263px; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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<div>The Malaysian Kite-flying competition will be held anually for three days in Pasir Gudang.During the three days devoted to the Malaysian kite competition ,one large field was left open for the international guests to fly their kites.Usually there will be a total of 82 internetional guest competing from 16 countries.Kites used for competitions are constructed with a background layer of Tyvek,layers of glued design,and covered with a glue and tape to secure it against rain andwind damage.The Malysian kite-flying competition was also an attempt to the Guiness World Record fo the largest made kite built.</div><br />
<div>Kite-flying festival is also popular in many asian countries as well.In Afghanistan, kite-flying is known in Dari as Gudiparan Bazi.Some of them,use strings trough a mixture of of ground glass powder and glue in kite-flying competition which results the string very abrasive and can sever the competitiors string more easily.These abrasive can injure people as well and it was banned during the time of Taliban's rule.</div><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>jhayanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08037736616494982089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-4786024267231550432011-09-28T16:05:00.000+08:002011-09-28T16:05:01.899+08:00Movie- Australia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxH6IAnwFT0uM5PbFy1TLDIZTVSKeWkdi6ZD9wWOrFfr0yLvY9v-45EQp7MX27KsWkp3sgmvhyDDSri9TVREvpmhnoLC2a-BYW8SdmIfn0E-cUn0dg44EPuYGMemNKHwT54x5u1usXNc/s1600/2008_australia_wallpaper_007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxH6IAnwFT0uM5PbFy1TLDIZTVSKeWkdi6ZD9wWOrFfr0yLvY9v-45EQp7MX27KsWkp3sgmvhyDDSri9TVREvpmhnoLC2a-BYW8SdmIfn0E-cUn0dg44EPuYGMemNKHwT54x5u1usXNc/s320/2008_australia_wallpaper_007.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span class="apple-style-span"><b><u><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">What is Communication?<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span> </span></span></span><a href="http://www.yourdictionary.com/library/reference/word-definitions/definition-of-communication.html" target="_top"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; line-height: 200%; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;">Communication</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> is varied as asked towards others. People may think it as </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">the sharing of ideas and information. While many others think of</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.yourdictionary.com/grammar/style-and-usage/causes-of-poor-writing-and-communication-in-the-workplace.html" target="_top"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; line-height: 200%; padding-bottom: 0cm; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm;">communication</span></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> primarily in oral or written form, communication is much more. Example, a knowing look or a gentle touch can also communicate a message loud and clear, as can a hard push or an angry slap. Furthermore, </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">communication</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">is the activity of conveying meaningful</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information" title="Information"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">information</span></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. It is also said that communication requires a sender, a</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Message" title="Message"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">message</span></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast distances in time and space. Communication requires that the communicating parties share an area of communicative commonality. The communication process is complete once the receiver has understood the message of the sender.</span></span><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">This definition suggests that there can be several different types of communication, falling into the categories of non-verbal or verbal.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span> </span><span> </span>Non-verbal communication involves exchanging information or transmitting data without the use of words. There are many examples of non-verbal communication everywhere in the world.While you may not stop to think about it, a red light or a stop sign is a clear form of non-verbal communication. No one is physically telling you to stop, but you see that symbol or signal and know immediately what is expected of you. Likewise, body language and facial expressions are also examples of non-verbal communication. Over the years, numerous research studies have been done to suggest that babies respond to smiling faces the world over, and that when a person sees someone else smile, he may become a bit happier as well. Thus, while understanding non-verbal communication may require some knowledge of the cultural and social meanings behind the symbols and signs used, some types of non-verbal communication are instinctual and no teaching is necessary.</span><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 8.4pt; mso-outline-level: 2; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span> </span>On the other hand, </span><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">the system of verbal communication has become quite complex, with unique languages each having millions of words.<span> </span>Unlike non-verbal communication, in order for verbal communication to be meaningful, there must generally be a readily accepted understanding of the meaning of a series of sounds. In other words, sounds and words alone aren't sufficient to communicate: the person transmitting the message and the person receiving the message generally must have a cultural background or shared knowledge that allows them to understand what those sounds have come to mean.<span> </span>However, even some oral or verbal communication can be intuitive. For example, animals use verbal communication all the time to transmit messages to each other. Birds sing, some bugs chirp when mating, hounds bark to alert the pack on a hunt, and even whales sing, although scientists aren't 100 percent certain what those songs mean.<span> </span>The fact that language was one of man's earliest developments, and the fact that there are similarities among languages and that animals also engage in oral communication, all suggest that although some shared cultural understanding is necessary, the specific act of verbal communication may be innate.<span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span> </span>Thus over time, the methods and means used to communicate have expanded greatly. In early records, hieroglyphics and primitive cave paintings were used to communicate information and transmit messages. Oral stories and traditions were also passed down through generations and eventually many of these stories also came to be written down in some cultures. The use of carrier pigeons, followed by</span><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"> </span><a href="http://www.yourdictionary.com/computer/morse-code" target="_top"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Morse code</span></a><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"> <span style="background: white;">and telegraph technology expanded the reach of communication, making it possible for people to send messages over longer distances. Today, communication has expanded and is easier than ever before.</span> </span><a href="http://answers.yourdictionary.com/technology/inventions/who-invented-the-television.html" target="_top"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Television</span></a><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"> <span style="background: white;">allows messages to be communicated quickly and instantly to millions of viewers worldwide, and viewers can watch events such as political elections unfold in real time. Perhaps nothing has changed communication so much as the</span> </span><a href="http://answers.yourdictionary.com/computer/internet/what-is-the-internet.html" target="_top"><span style="line-height: 200%;">Internet</span></a><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">. While television and radio provided one-way communication, the Internet allows for the two-way exchange of information and lets people throughout the world send data instantly and share ideas immediately. Video chat, instant messages and even voice-over-IP</span><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"> </span><a href="http://answers.yourdictionary.com/technology/inventions/when-was-the-telephone-invented.html" target="_top"><span style="line-height: 200%;">telephone</span></a><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"> <span style="background: white;">systems make it possible to connect with and communicate with more people than ever before.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">About Culture?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span> </span>Culture is often thought of as merely the unique, interesting, or odd behaviours exhibited by people who live in a different country and speak a different language. The reality is that culture is much deeper and broader. Culture consists not only of behaviours and practices, but also of deeply held beliefs about what is right, appropriate. It is passed from generation to generation, in the words and actions of parents, teachers, and fellow community members. It is so deeply rooted inside our minds and hearts that we often cannot imagine a world in which our values, the way we define right and wrong, could possibly be thought of any other way. Culture is also not unique to different countries. Cultures arise anytime we find ourselves as part of a group that shares an ideal or experience. While national culture, based on the country in which we grew up and went to school, is often the strongest and broadest of our cultures, we always have other cultures that play a role in how we see the world around us. Religious culture is moulded by our sacred texts and the teachings of religious leaders. Local culture is instilled in us based on our location: those who grew up on the seaside are likely to value certain things that others who grew up in the mountains or in an inland urban environment would.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span> </span>To discover your own cultures you need to begin to ask yourself what groups you are a part of, what those groups value, and how that has impacted the choices you make every day in life. Understanding culture is important and necessary for anyone who wishes to build success in today’s growingly diverse world. This world is a multicultural world, thus all of us should be ready to deal with the cultures around us.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">What is Intercultural Communication? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span> </span><span> </span>Intercultural communication in its most basic form refers to an academic field of study and research. It seeks to understand how people from different countries and cultures behave, communicate and perceive the world around them.. As a separate notion, it studies situations where people from different cultural backgrounds interact. Aside from language, intercultural communication focuses on social attributes, thought patterns, and the cultures of different groups of people. It also involves understanding the different cultures, languages and customs of people from other countries. Intercultural communication plays a role in anthropology, cultural studies, linguistics, psychology and communication studies. There are many researchers and academics of note within the intercultural field, who naturally all have different definitions of 'intercultural communication'. For example Karlfried Knapp<span> </span>defines it as "'Intercultural communication,' can...be defined as the interpersonal interaction between members of different groups, which differ from each other in respect of the knowledge shared by their members and in respect of their linguistic forms of symbolic behaviour." For those wanting to dig a bit deeper it may be a good idea to look into the works of Edward T. Hall, ‘We should never denigrate any other culture but rather help people to understand the relationship between their own culture and the dominant culture. When you understand another culture or language, it does not mean that you have to lose your own culture’. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXytZ6-qZ00l2-nV0IHb4SsQiUPI_GKbX9HqrrdmTI3sg4Hs5T5Xc9o3nA6Gv2zbmroWb_-EPJx0YaXYG98aWedzdQ85IVpd3_hZxRI5NgsHrLcblwG0uuK9YW5Ab7i1cMbgIPT_g9Jg/s1600/2008_australia_018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXytZ6-qZ00l2-nV0IHb4SsQiUPI_GKbX9HqrrdmTI3sg4Hs5T5Xc9o3nA6Gv2zbmroWb_-EPJx0YaXYG98aWedzdQ85IVpd3_hZxRI5NgsHrLcblwG0uuK9YW5Ab7i1cMbgIPT_g9Jg/s320/2008_australia_018.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span> </span>Furthermore, the findings of such academic research are then applied to 'real life' situations such as how to create cultural synergy between people from different cultures within a business or other professions. Theories developed by the researchers and academics can and have been applied to many fields such as business, management, marketing, advertising and website design. As business becomes more and more international, many companies need to know how best to structure their companies manage staff and communicate with customers. Intercultural communication gives them an insight into the areas they need to address or understand. Intercultural communication theories are now also used within the education, health care and other public services due to growing multicultural populations.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">About the Movie<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span> </span>The movie is entitled ‘Australia” and undoubtedly it is a movie about the rustic country itself and its history and ever blossoming culture.<span> </span>Australia was released in the year 2008 and its story is based in epic historical romance film directed by Baz Luhrmann and starring two highly recognized a-list Australian actors, Nicole Kidman alongside Hugh Jackman. It is the second-highest grossing Australian film of all time, behind Crocodile Dundee.<span> </span>The movies genre is based on romance, history, drama and adventure. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span> </span>The movie is about, Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) travels from England to northern Australia in 1939 to force her philandering husband to sell his faltering cattle station, Faraway Downs. Her husband sends an independent cattle drover (Hugh Jackman), called "Drover", to transport her to Faraway Downs. Lady Sarah's husband is murdered shortly before she arrives, and the authorities tell her that the killer is an Aboriginal elder, "King George" .The childless Lady Sarah is captivated by the boy Nullah, who is an Aborigine. Nullah tells her that he has seen her cattle being driven onto Carney's land — in other words, stolen from her. Because of this Fletcher mistreats Nullah and threatens to kill him and his mother, so Lady Sarah fires Fletcher and decides to try and run the cattle station herself. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span> </span>Lady Sarah persuades Drover to take the cattle to Darwin for sale. Drover leads a team of six other riders, including Lady Sarah, Drover's Aboriginal brother-in-law Magarri , Nullah, and the station's accountant Kipling Flynn (Jack Thompson), to drive the 1,500 cattle to Darwin. <span> </span>Then, Lady Sarah and Drover fall in love, and she gains a new appreciation for the Australian territory. The team drive the cattle through the dangerous<span> </span>desert with obstacles thrown by Carney’s man.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">The, Nullah is drawn to perform a walkabout with his grandfather "King George", but is instead taken by the authorities and sent to live on Mission Island with the other half-Aboriginal children (dubbed the "Stolen Generations"). Lady Sarah, who has come to regard Nullah as her adopted son, vows to rescue him. Meanwhile, she works as a radio operator in Darwin during the escalation of World War II. When the Japanese attack the island and Darwin in 1942.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span> </span>Drover, who had quarrelled with Lady Sarah because she wants to save Nullah left, returns to Darwin and hears (mistakenly) that she has been killed in the bombing. Drover learns of Nullah's abduction to Mission Island, and goes with Magarri and a young priest to rescue him and the other children. Meanwhile, Lady Sarah is about to evacuate, but when Drover and the children sail back into port at Darwin.Fletcher, distraught at the ruination of his plans, attempts to shoot Nullah, but is speared by King George and falls dead. Lady Sarah, Drover, and Nullah return to the safety of remote Faraway Downs. There, King George calls for Nullah, who returns to the Outback with his grandfather.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">History, Culture and Language of the movie ‘Australia’<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 54.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -36.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk9FQzowmOZ8kYuQSrqKaLOtaFrvxp-XrNNNcWwbPYMGdvH7YjsB2tcg-WGt38fABmeEp83LnuhlP8viv-zYK7g-19ZaA4G9J6eG59cmQqXnXVww_Cjbsqf2D93MiloqemLWBbysss_rs/s1600/2008_australia_022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk9FQzowmOZ8kYuQSrqKaLOtaFrvxp-XrNNNcWwbPYMGdvH7YjsB2tcg-WGt38fABmeEp83LnuhlP8viv-zYK7g-19ZaA4G9J6eG59cmQqXnXVww_Cjbsqf2D93MiloqemLWBbysss_rs/s320/2008_australia_022.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;"><span>I)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-MY;">History<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span> </span><span> </span>The setting of the movie is in the era before and during World War II. As noted, Lady Sarah Ashley was an aristocrat veteran, thus, she came from <span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white;">United Kingdom, where a</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Form_of_government" title="Form of government"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; line-height: 200%;">form of government</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">in which a few elite citizens rule. In later times, aristocracy was seen as rule by a privileged group (the</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristocracy_(class)" title="Aristocracy (class)"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; line-height: 200%;">aristocratic class</span></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">) and contrasted with</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy" title="Democracy"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; line-height: 200%;">democracy</span></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">.</span></span><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> So, here a person who is from a aristocrat ruling is in-depth with high society and is at the top most of its highest social class.<span> </span>Furthermore, in some parts of the movie it is notable that in true history facts , the Japanese which were from the Imperial Japan during World War II bombed several of times in Darwin on 1942, and the subsequent exodus south, known as the ‘Adelaide River Stakes’. Many people will understandably be unfamiliar with these historical events.<span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span> </span>On the other hand, before the arrival of European settlers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples inhabited most areas of the Australian continent. They spoke one or more of hundreds of separate languages and dialects, and their lifestyles and cultural traditions differed from region to region. Their complex social systems and highly developed traditions reflect a deep connection with the land. Asian and Oceanic mariners and traders were in contact with Indigenous Australians for many centuries before the era of European expansion. Some formed substantial relationships with communities in northern Australia. The first recorded European contact with Australia was in March 1606, when Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon (1571–1638) charted the west coast of Cape York Peninsula in Queensland. In 1688, William Dampier became the first British explorer to land on the Australian north west coast. It was not until 1770 that another Englishman, Captain James Cook, aboard the Endeavour, extended a scientific voyage to the South Pacific in order to further chart the east coast of Australia and claim it for the British Crown. Thus, we can see that Nullah a part f the character in the story is a half aborigines, so, we can see that their society is changing as the British in settlement is progressing during that time. Scarcity of labour, the vastness of the land and new wealth based on farming, mining and trade made Australia a land of opportunity. Yet during this period Indigenous Australians suffered enormously. Death, illness, displacement and dispossession disrupted traditional lifestyles and practices.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQAHvfEHbk9Nw7VLSbvzyCjjUO-ESC-Qm7flsaGKD2vfIY3yd4kjMeHdOtzZmm7BJqmWHQZ0tL2jxL0Eel1nUn2uMv2Z62pTVdKWLiF-utgYYeljPjlYuub1RDKwnNZqCNUX1OivfzjHQ/s1600/2008_australia_011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQAHvfEHbk9Nw7VLSbvzyCjjUO-ESC-Qm7flsaGKD2vfIY3yd4kjMeHdOtzZmm7BJqmWHQZ0tL2jxL0Eel1nUn2uMv2Z62pTVdKWLiF-utgYYeljPjlYuub1RDKwnNZqCNUX1OivfzjHQ/s320/2008_australia_011.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -36.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span>II)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Culture<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 18.0pt;"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>The define culture of Australia is divided in many categories arts, music, rituals, clothing and so forth. It is evident that the arts and music were in Australia among the aborigines people. In the movie, we can see that Nullah was playing a harmonica and his tribes were also playing and singing different instruments which were wooden in the movie. This music was called the indigenous music. In other parts of the movie, we could also not that the British were into folk music and classical music because they were adapted from Europe. On the other hand, we can see rituals in some parts of the movies were the Aborigines people had witch doctors and other superstation arts.<span> </span>The Rainbow Serpent is a major ancestral being for many Aboriginal people across Australia. Baiame or Bunjil are regarded as the primary creator-spirits in South-East Australia this was mentioned in the movie when the Drover explained the aboriginal culture to Lady Sarah. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 18.0pt;"><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span> </span>During the twentieth century the types of clothing worn by Western Australia's original inhabitants were influenced by European styles.<span> </span>Prior to contact with British colonists, according to the climate of each region in Western Australia clothing was not always considered a necessity.<span> </span>In cooler areas skin cloaks using possum, wallaby or kangaroo were worn to give protection from the cold and wet while in warmer regions decoration, rather than clothing in a European sense, was traditionally used for ceremonial purposes. So, the as we can see the movie took place in the northern region, thus, it was hot they didn’t were anything except for body paint and shells to cover up certain parts of the body. Other than that, when the aristocrat came in here which was Lady Sarah she wore a dress that was seemingly too hot for the weather when she arrived. Stylistic developments in women's clothing reflect their liberation from the constraints of the restrictive clothes worn in the 19th century.<span> </span>The heavy fabrics - gussets, corsets, starched collars. Since, they were in the North they had to wear lighter and cooler clothes because of the dry weather. In the movie the Drover wore cowboy styled clothing as well as the other British people.<span> </span>This was true for people working in all regions of Western Australia including the far north and northwest, where Europeans often wore the pith helmet of the British colonial tropics. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 54.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -36.0pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span>III)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Language<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 18.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.8pt;"><span style="background: white;"><span> </span>There were more than 250 languages spoken by Indigenous Australians prior to the arrival of Europeans. Most of these are now either<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_death" title="Language death"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">extinct or moribund</span></a><span style="background: white;">, with only about fifteen languages still being spoken by all age groups. Linguists classify mainland Australian languages into one large group, the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pama%E2%80%93Nyungan_languages" title="Pama–Nyungan languages">Pama–Nyungan languages</a>. The rest are sometimes lumped under the term "non-Pama–Nyungan". The Pama–Nyungan languages comprise the majority, covering most of Australia, and are generally thought to be a family of related languages. In the north, stretching from the Western<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimberley_region_of_Western_Australia" title="Kimberley region of Western Australia"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Kimberley</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white;"> </span></span><span style="background: white;">to the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Carpentaria" title="Gulf of Carpentaria"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Gulf of Carpentaria</span></a><span style="background: white;">, are found a number of non-Pama–Nyungan groups of languages which have not been shown to be related to the Pama–Nyungan family nor to each other. It has been suggested that, given their long presence in Australia, Aboriginal languages form one specific sub-grouping. The position of Tasmanian languages is unknown, and it is also unknown whether they comprised one or more than one specific language family.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 18.0pt;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Although Australia has no</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_language" title="Official language"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">official language</span></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, it is largely</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monoglottism" title="Monoglottism"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">monolingual</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">with English being the "</span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_facto" title="De facto"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">de facto</span></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">language. Australian</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">generally follows the</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_English" title="Queen's English"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial;">Queen's English</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">spelling and grammar norms, but has its own distinctive accent and vocabulary – including the distinctive "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%27day" title="G'day">g'day</a>", a common and renowned greeting used in Australia. It is believed that there were between 200 and 300 Australian Aboriginal languages at the time of first European contact, but only about 70 of these languages have survived and all but 20 of these are now endangered. An indigenous language is the main language for about 50,000 people (0.25% of the population).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>Jessica Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13088028820523780196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1533150442261226976.post-24627367546789061202011-09-28T13:12:00.007+08:002011-09-28T14:01:48.161+08:00Movie Review - The Gods Must Be Crazy!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qE9zvGPVcBbD74L0-9nLT_y4gUdmOW9ZXc7X4dZPqNsENQYIuzVAu7G1jly5wV4hmb1YPCAOaTiLBB9ht_UxTELOYcNsBwmUniqG6nwanjXsn951CskUWmSg9WBe1TEvSPbFQpnhWto4/s1600/nixua.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9g6HGQhqKJIeTLE-8qW99PhUxvCIGe00AK3JtifcOwxTrcBD9KFgi5owlnydDe8y9JsowDxwwCHfRaQYPdbRpFUc5t_XGoldZsWXgm0sh9atCe9hpW0YCBsO4Fw-LZJXr7NjxWs1YI856/s1600/kate" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Dictionary.com defines communication as:</div><div> <p class="MsoNormal">com·mu·ni·ca·tion</p> <table class="MsoNormalTable" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="border-collapse:collapse;mso-table-layout-alt:fixed;border:none; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt"> <tbody><tr style="mso-yfti-irow:0;mso-yfti-firstrow:yes;mso-yfti-lastrow:yes"> <td width="505" valign="top" style="width:505.0pt;border:none;padding:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt"> <p class="MsoNormal">noun<span style="font-family:"Microsoft Sans Serif"; mso-bidi-Microsoft Sans Serif"font-family:";"> </span>/k<span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";">ə</span><span style="font-family:"Microsoft Sans Serif";mso-bidi-Microsoft Sans Serif"font-family:";">ˌ</span>myo<span style="font-family:"Microsoft Sans Serif";mso-bidi-Microsoft Sans Serif"font-family:";">͞</span>on<span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";">ə</span><span style="font-family:"Microsoft Sans Serif";mso-bidi-Microsoft Sans Serif"font-family:";">ˈ</span>kāSH<span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";">ə</span>n/<span style="font-family:"Microsoft Sans Serif";mso-bidi-Microsoft Sans Serif"font-family:";"> </span> communications, plural</p> <p class="MsoNormal">1. The imparting or exchanging of information or news</p> <p class="MsoNormal">- Direct communication between the two countries will produce greater understanding</p> <p class="MsoNormal">- At the moment I am in communication with London</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2. A letter or message containing such information or news</p> <p class="MsoNormal">3. The successful conveying or sharing of ideas and feelings</p> <p class="MsoNormal">- There was a lack of communication between Pamela and her parents</p> <p class="MsoNormal">4. Social contact</p> <p class="MsoNormal">- She gave him some hope of her return, or at least of their future communication</p> <p class="MsoNormal">5. Means of connection between people or places, in particular </p></td></tr></tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs744b5aln25xc9s7KQpQpeGtLxKPArDO_X_sn6Hqwls0YTdnSII7EgNxeQur7QgPHDez5w6bqDPUj0styksDYzUP26Mm7eVenpE4qLNiTTh4lmZoGhg6jSIPWpuvEj9AmfKgp-VZc8yew/s200/comm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657274596579355746" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 160px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal">The root of the word “communication” in Latin is communicare, which means to share, or to make common. Communication is defined as the process of understanding and sharing meaning. It is the relationship that involves interaction between participants, the process of understanding and sharing another’s point of view effectively. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">There are various forms of communication: </p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjb3VmxRT7_LujlBuNHJLqJgQjiTUQLHNc7mXZLYpNuGzuJuZ__N9yfMKuPyoy4SuziLrbxjY0D1gkFuVE7gaaEfyQ8swCuHCxDGTigz_3BZXJshh0FIh4HmLfASCWQ1Mc3-7ffAy4NdPD/s200/stonedage" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657279124705380898" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 166px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal">-Symbolic and Written Forms of Communication</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Symbolic and written communication enabled humankind to communicate and record history that took place many years ago; in fact, it is believed that some of the symbols scribed on the inside of caves were made from early humans that dated as far back as one million years BC. Some of the oldest forms of communication were symbolic in nature; for example, the Ancient Egyptians developed an alphabet with symbols that represented each letter in their alphabet, and they would put words together that formed sentences through clustering them vertically. Early native peoples did much the same thing through using physical symbols through the medium of smoke signals to warn their people of danger or to signal an attack to begin battle. As the human race has evolved globally, our form of written communication has become what it is today: more sophisticated with grammar and vocabulary.</p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ9FpadSV87kJVK7hlRaZ0dQ8R1KdgPk4BisMdz448vrFLwkr5he8q0cklCQ6RN1mJDeVEtC7eXwLYsqzwmbcfy234fjZogX7tZwJI1Kng8CiFz7gjPS-JChJxkIKB3nd7iVA4e1bbwbl8/s200/verbal.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657281429149664450" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 155px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal">-Verbal Communication</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Verbal communication is also one of the oldest forms of communication and it too dates back to the times of early humans where sounds such as grunts, groans, and other guttural sounds, at different volumes or inflections, indicated friendly communication or a threat or warning to stay away from food or belongings. As is the case with the development of writing, our verbal communication has progressed and has become, as we know it today.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">-Body Language </p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoQLr1ltLNlmPdI5x6YqRtMz4zMPalwJie50YnxYcagn-aPedaYJuLFjGQoJYoqoNwhYP1WdKVhXpJxFytz4PfAU2EVRP6UwUAgOjhJUiszMye-0dPkLYV0M185q_XIcRNsIEP4c1_5XQ7/s200/flirt.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657281428457051362" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal">Another form of communication that is neither verbal nor written is body language. Reading a persons body language can indicate if they are upset, nervous, stressed out, or angry. On the other hand, body language can also show if a person is relaxed, tired, happy or sad. Body language is a very effective form of communication that is used by children and adults, but it is also used by domestic or wild animals; for example, you can tell just as easily if a saber-toothed tiger is about to attack or when your pet cat wants a back rub, yet both of these forms of communication through body language are at opposite ends of the spectrum.</p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_CchvSvHHRPkcdhzIxTJKAbgeXYzBKyEzt5dj5eGfZKYuNp5ftKAvmYAjtW0gf4SX-pnXA9eobQ4DKfFpoaEnsN80LvQoagrFq77CIvelLhL8UpUoEvuGdynzfNEahnZDAqvqduwBH-7M/s200/satelite.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657274595096744818" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 163px; height: 200px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal">-Digital or Electronic Forms of Communication</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Our world has progressed quickly over the years with the inception of digital and electronic forms of communication. From that fateful day Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone to the present, humankind has swiftly moved forward in its digital or electronic communication. Instruments and tools such as computers, e-mail, faxes, radio, satellite television, the telephone, and the cellular phone have aided humankind in its quest to communicate efficiently. Unfortunately, it has also increased the workload experienced by people around the world.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Intercultural communication or communication between people of different cultural backgrounds has always been and probably will remain an important precondition of human co-existence on earth. Intercultural communication seeks to understand how people from different countries and cultures behave, communicate and perceive the world around them. </p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFAH-q59wEhY_S8LQ7AzmwNpZLYfN7z7LQspm-_RDeBHHu7d6DmE73EjTWP1Q6x4H3vrv9JUv-llTUL9Xva5ySK3ZELq7UTxsiJrZocVo35Uh4upljh8A0YDgPxGOwLp0qVLk_6uV9Ppu_/s200/iccccmm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657274591003510546" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal">The definition of intercultural communication must also include strands of the field that contribute to it such as anthropology, cultural studies, psychology and communication. There are many researchers and academics of note within the intercultural field, which naturally all have different definitions of intercultural communication. For example Karlfried Knapp defines intercultural communication as “the interpersonal interaction between members of different groups, which differ from each other in respect of the knowledge shared by their members and in respect of their linguistic forms of symbolic behaviors." There are also many more theorists such as Edward T. Hall, Geert Hofstede, Harry C. Triandis, Fons Trompenaars, Clifford Geertz and Shalom Schwartz.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The theories developed by the researchers and academics can and has been applied to many fields such as business management, marketing, advertising and website design. Intercultural communication theories are now also used within the education, health care and other public services due to growing multicultural populations. Intercultural communication is of importance to international businesses as it examines how people from different cultures, beliefs and religions come together to work and communicate with each other. </p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhezVFLL9PUmfTN2DyHtjK7dAmQ9VpwyfdDLWdXqBSlBJ-WwyXh-xZWXX4DBZVAAuZzFlHvVyqO3qRUF0cSbTh9Tzc-CLZzDqYrHL4ym3FJIOpBcWTUL9euUh1dinTV9KhGtVkyZ-rX268A/s200/iccmmm2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657274590181618354" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 118px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal">Demands for intercultural communication skills are increasing as more and more businesses operate globally. They realize that there are barriers and limitations when entering a foreign territory. Without the help of intercultural communication they can unknowingly cause confusion and misunderstandings. For these intercultural businesses to breach the cultural barriers encountered when stepping into foreign grounds it is vital for them to fully understand the cultural differences that exist so as to prevent damaging business relations due to intercultural communication gaps.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">There are many theories that set principles to help interpret the basis of intercultural communication. These theories help to iron out possible ripples of misunderstanding by giving a basic guideline on how to address situations. These guidelines help prevent clashes between different cultures groups caused by misperceptions. The basic skills of intercultural communication are fundamentally general communication skills that can be used universally by all cultures and races. These skills are simply tweaked in a direction that takes the cultural limitation into consideration. An example of such communication skills in the intercultural environment is to listen without judging, repeat what you understand, confirm meanings, give suggestions and acknowledge a mutual understanding. </p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJYDjsZu67y4bH4sU_XFPFGlC5cOJtUyJua-tdCr2F6GVjeQPIZKhZcUNjqiyPDu8l30FfCXPusyyw1g2L1t93vDt1MzVyz79sbA6HuX1EkayfyDzpTF9ImyQTuJYSbiueDrJYdk7qSJo/s200/respect.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657279126445582338" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 145px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal">In a nutshell the main purpose of following such theories is to earn respect from others. Respect in all cultures in the world is a common language and by earning it through respecting other peoples culture and religion; the favor is returned.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The film I chose to review is titled “The Gods Must be Crazy” it is a 1980 comedy. “The Gods Must be Crazy” was written and directed by Jamie Uys. The film was the first of “The Gods Must be Crazy” series. It was set in Botswana and South Africa, it tells the story of Xi (Starring N!xau, a Namibian farmer) a Sho of the Kalahari Desert whose band has no knowledge of the world outside the desert. Ster Kinekor Pictures first released The Gods Must Be Crazy in South Africa in 1980; it became a box-office record breaker in the country. On July 13, 1984, The Gods Must Be Crazy was released on videocassette worldwide.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The film consists of three separate stories, each crossing paths with one another; interchanging ones believes and culture. The journey of Xi, the Bushmen to the end of the earth to get rid of a Coca-cola bottle, the romance between a naïve and shy biologist Andrew Steyn (Marius Weyers) and a schoolteacher Kate Thompson (Sandra Prinsloo); and a band of rebellious guerrillas. </p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qE9zvGPVcBbD74L0-9nLT_y4gUdmOW9ZXc7X4dZPqNsENQYIuzVAu7G1jly5wV4hmb1YPCAOaTiLBB9ht_UxTELOYcNsBwmUniqG6nwanjXsn951CskUWmSg9WBe1TEvSPbFQpnhWto4/s200/nixua.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657285938020356674" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 180px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span><p class="MsoNormal">Xi and his tribe of relatives lived deep down in the Kalahari Desert. Isolated from the world beyond, their first encounter with technology was a Coca-Cola bottle that fell out of an airplane. Initially, this strange artifact seems to be another gift from the gods, Xi's people found many uses for it. But unlike anything they had before, there were only one bottle to go around. Since it has caused the tribe unhappiness on numerous occasions, Xi decides that the bottle is an evil thing and must be thrown off of the edge of the world. He sets out alone on his quest and encounters Western civilization and modern society for the first time. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">There are also storylines of a shy biologist Andrew Steyn who is studying the local animals and has nervous breakdowns when close to a women. He was assigned to pick up the newly hired village schoolteacher from a town of Mabula, with an unreliable, breaking down vehicle. She was a former newspaper reporter named Kate Thompson, who needed a break from the hectic city life so she applied for a teaching job in a small village of Botswana. From the moment they met, situation between Steyn and Thompson are extremely awkward and embarrassing. Steyn has an assistant and mechanic M'pudi (Michael Thys) who helps Steyn with his girl problems. Also in the plot were a band of guerrillas led by Sam Boga (Louw Verwey), who was being pursued by government troops after an unsuccessful attempt to massacre the Cabinet of the fictional African country of Burani. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Xi happened to come upon a civilization where he found a heard of goat and decided to shoot one with his arrow. For this he is arrested and jailed for stealing livestock. Xi is totally oblivious to the crime he had committed. M'pudi, who had experienced living with the Bushmen and spoke Xi's language, realized that Xi will die in the alien environment of a prison cell. M’pudi and Steyn managed to help Xi out of jail. Meanwhile, the guerrillas invaded the school where Kate was teaching and used the pupils as hostage for their plan to escape. Steyn, M’pudi and Xi managed to immobilize the guerrillas and saved Kate and the children. Steyn manned up to approached Kate and won her love. </p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQYEXm_ArNuu5Y0h81g5p6_Bv3h2bE2znYdHPK1c_lCf11z21tnP3dXZ-SZaggJNxZ-m_wlnl7WLPLprdCPtxtgvpRUVIX6ynDYq6gqzfuHgETuJPgW5kxraukMTHwy3YHxDOsf5v6bO6/s200/godcrazee.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657277438611061442" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 83px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal">Xi left the civilization to continue his quest to the edge of the world. Xi eventually finds himself at the top of a cliff with a solid layer of low-lying clouds obscuring the landscape below. This convinces Xi that he has reached the edge of the world, and he throws the bottle off the cliff. Xi then returns to his band.</p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZW7CBO217esqaUV397gcW7-VB7l6eryOOB1ct4T1cuSp-4waxp3x2chSJ7vsLFRz4Lioyr7scmSYD7qkaCd0WIIfdqUIwSKvCFhO1R6EYIhgc5aqhXpdxlGOA70V62-SSD_An0hWd9tq1/s200/alien.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657285937536933458" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 170px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal">The film illustrates the utter contrast between the culture of the Bushmen and modern society by socializing members from very different culture background. The cultural contrasts are evident in the characters' actions, values and views of what is considered a norm to each society. The film clearly presents differences between human cultures and the idea of ethnocentrism. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Bushmen culture is one of simplicity and contentment. The pace of life in the Bushmen culture is relaxed and slow. Being completely isolated from the outside world, they thought airplanes were noisy birds that fly without flapping their wings. The Bushmen culture was one without social classes. They never punished or even spoke harshly to their children and yet the children were surprisingly well behaved. The Bushmen place the greatest value on their family and their relationship with god. At the beginning of the film, a member of the Bushmen quoted “everything god has gave us is good because we are his children and he loves us.” The Bushmen also seem to have a deep respect for all life both human and non-human. In one scene, the Bushman shoots an antelope with a tranquilizer dart and waits until the animal lays down to go to sleep; before killing it the Bushmen would apologize for killing the animal and explained that he must do it so that his family could eat. His action showed that the Bushmen hunted only out of necessity and not as primitive games. Although the Bushmen lived in circumstances that modern society would think of as backwards or prehistoric they seemed to be very happy and completely content with their lives. </p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuJYJeORBS71UysnhderXGCYxc0MPcmGfeHRe2IzT9_6XYuR98ToyEHqu0ACUT5OJWDB1RjbViJHoI32fXjLLGyIggFGp_uTRJKAJCr8iiao_Qqr8pxMESbhlR7pRQv5UIsO3py8pa5w4A/s200/godcrazy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657277442574649250" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 149px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal">The most striking aspect of the Bushmen culture was the complete lack of conflict among its members. Their culture had no crime, no punishment, no violent, no laws, no police, no judges, no rulers and bosses. They had no concept of private or personal property and readily shared their food with others. This situation changed immediately upon the discovery of the “gift from the gods” which was in reality just a coke bottle a pilot had threw out; but they believed it was god’s gift because it had fallen from the sky. The Bushmen found a various uses for this bottle, used as a music-maker, tool and toy. The bottle was described as the most useful thing god has ever given them. It became the Bushmen's first scarce resource to them. The narrator quoted “for the first time thing became a necessity, unfamiliar emotions began to stir, feeling of wanting to own and not wanting to share, anger, jealously, hate and violent.” The bottle encouraged the members to begin fighting with each other for its possession and use. The situation was considered as the worst thing that had ever happened to them. It made them wondered why god has given them such an evil thing. The Bushmen decided they had to get rid</p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqmT6b3W289Kdy-sHhEwYO31nWVKk-exJHbUJ7Zuyhtv1Wx3RqjqlmGwILE3kJRbD8dTc8VvCjpHZxie4A5tXencoFQDO-LUPCSEZmlR9G4c8PuvA9bNkC8bctewbt5eaLB6wGdQLzEb8T/s200/bottle.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657284315555463250" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 113px; height: 171px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal">of it by throwing it off the edge earth, thinking earth is flat. Xi’s first encounter with Kate and Steyn, he assumed that they were gods and tried giving them back the bottle. Narrator quotes “though it was a hot day, she was covering her body with skins that looked as if they were made from cobwebs. She was doing strange and magical things, and it struck him that she must be one of the gods.” This was the first time Xi had ever seen a woman wearing a dress; in his culture women would only be wear a piece of animal skin. Xi than saw Steyn smoking a pipe, he thought Steyn had a fire inside him; the smoke came out through his mouth and nostrils. It was because of these “gods” behavior as well as the havoc caused by their “gift” that the film got its name “The Gods Must Be Crazy.” </p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0YWvOm6UjiyzFk_ZpMSFrAPY_bPQ4IZJ_xqxZd5xhcku2DkLI2H86VKpycxj1Towuf6VySc22kV2BF8t7kpaaR0UNF94z8exKR0cIaEOgUM1UzsXs45CYxYDVLl8_QQbOU-GlYbqNY5-N/s200/hectic.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657279127614469522" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal">Modern society is very different from the tranquil world of the Bushmen. Ours is a society that moves at an incredibly fast pace. It is a culture of alarm clocks, highways, traffic jams and coffee cups. Our society the entire day is both highly structured and highly chaotic. The narrator explains that people from modern society can go insane because of how hectic a day can be he quotes “Civilized man refused to adapt himself to his environment; instead, he adapted his environment to suit him. So he built cities, roads, vehicles, machinery, and he put up power lines to run his laborsaving devices. But somehow he didn't know where to stop. The more he improved his surroundings to make life easier, the more complicated he made it. So now his children are sentenced to 10-15 years of school, just to learn how to survive in this complex and hazardous habitat they were born into. And civilized man, who refused to adapt to his surroundings, now finds he has to adapt and re-adapt every hour of the day to his self-created environment. For instance, if it's Monday and 7:30 comes up, you have to dis-adapt from your domestic surroundings and re-adapt yourself to an entirely different environment. 8:00 means everybody has to look busy. 10:30 means you can stop looking busy for 15 minutes. And then you have to look busy again. And so your day is chopped into pieces, and in each segment of time you adapt to a new set circumstances. No wonder some people go off the rails a bit.” A day in modern society does not revolve around relationships with god and family as in the Bushmen culture, but instead seems to revolve around work and wealth. </p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9g6HGQhqKJIeTLE-8qW99PhUxvCIGe00AK3JtifcOwxTrcBD9KFgi5owlnydDe8y9JsowDxwwCHfRaQYPdbRpFUc5t_XGoldZsWXgm0sh9atCe9hpW0YCBsO4Fw-LZJXr7NjxWs1YI856/s200/kate" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657284319966899426" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span">The differences in the perceptions and tastes of the two cultures are amazing. There are several sharp contrasts that come to light through the thoughts and behaviors of the characters in the film. The first such difference is in each culture's standard of beauty. The schoolteacher Kate Thompson is, in the eyes of western society, an attractive woman. She was thin, blonde haired, and had a cute face. When Xi saw her; she was not regarded as beautiful in his eyes he described her as, “the ugliest creature he had ever come across, she was as paled as something that crawled out of a rotting long.” He saw her blonde hair not as some attractive ideal but instead as being white, like an old woman's hair. The second difference in the two cultures is the prevalence of fear. Those characters in the film that came from modern society were conditioned to automatically fear strangers and expect the worst from other people this was not, however; true of the Bushmen. In a scene of the film, where a rhino was approaching them, Steyn jumps on Kate Thompson in an attempt to warn her as to the rhino’s attack. Kate's automatic reaction is to assume the worst: she fears that he is attempting to rape her, to do her harm. The Bushman does not show this same fear when encountering strangers; he only thinks them rude when they behave so strangely toward him. Xi was not afraid of a gun to him it was nothing more than a “funny stick.” The white man was, however; scared to death by the gun because modern society has conditioned him to fear guns and their destructive power.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglNtx-CKeYqDXuL_ITw_o7gjCgPwML2SRWhWShldZBigzlFrm4QYd-JDlbdGMAi5QtvZWdlN1b8rdgaYXLE1uU6O_m-pGHGtPK7ztQvGNuO6F-iUnta9Xb2P8q1oJZTVt2c6UXcsWiBoQQ/s200/godcra.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657277444780523010" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 159px; height: 200px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span">A particularly interesting clash of the cultures occurs when Xi is arrested for killing a goat. In the eyes of modern society he had broken a law by stealing the goat and had to be brought to court, but in his eyes he had been simply hunting for his food just as he did every other day of his life and had broken no law. He was totally oblivious to the concept of ownership. When the police took the goat away from him he thought the police was greedy and wanted to eat the goat himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>When Xi entered the courtroom he smiled at the others and was confused when no one smiled back. The verdict could not even be translated into his language because the Bushmen had no word for "guilty." </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Bushman did many things that seem weird to members of modern society such as talking to a baboon. When the baboon took the Coca-Cola bottle; Xi calmly explained to the baboon "That is a very evil thing you've got. You better give it back so I can take it and throw it off the earth. It brought unhappiness to my family. If you don't give it to me it'll bring grief to you and your family too." He spoke long and earnestly until the baboon began to pay attention. He must have convinced it, and it dropped the thing. And Xi said, "You have done a very wise thing." He did not speak to the baboon as an animal, but rather as an equal. In one scene, Xi risked his own neck to help M’pudi escape from a hungry lion that was coming after him, whereas the reaction of the members of the modern society was to save his own life first. Another amazing difference between the two cultures is the value that each places on money. At the end of the film, Steyn gave Xi some money but says that he has no use for it. After Steyn insists on giving him the money the Bushman throws it away. Money, the all in all of modern society was completely worthless in the eyes of the Bushmen.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I have watched this film countless times through out my life, Xi the Bushman actions and perceptions are absolutely hilarious; it does not fail to make me laugh every time. Even though the film is a comedy, this film conveys several messages and teaches the audiences several lessons. For instant, it cunningly brings the harsh reality of apartheid in Africa to an international audience. I personally learn to respect and not to underestimate or judge a person. No one among us can expect all people to think and act as we do. The film showed that people socialized into different cultures come to see the world through very different sets of eyes. Individual cultures, as well as individual people are different. Just because we are different does not mean that there is not a great deal that we can learn from each other. We must embrace our differences and see the great strength that comes with diversity. It is also particularly interesting to me that the Bushmen seem to have nothing and yet have everything at the same time. While it is true that they lack automobiles, electricity and big fancy houses; they have one thing that very few people ever manage to have in modern society: true happiness. In our society we spend so much time trying to get ahead financially so we can be happy for an instant, that we forget the things that could make us happy forever. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjICYHRxtVdxhIGGBoiiznVJpGErrGOoXYO2QjNye5bSr8fJc4SqdTFh7tzFwS7I8zLo9tYi1C6EEGzqEM3boyZLubNR5ZwnDJ11vQir2FgE88HhauyqUjjYCEWr4b-8imAin1rKQS5Heth/s200/obama.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657284316868022722" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 200px; " /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div> <!--EndFragment--></div>SMANEEINhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11833928140998332916noreply@blogger.com1