Class Blog / Viviana Mejia Saenz: DEFINITION OF CULTURE FOUND IN THE WEB:

jueves, 4 de febrero de 2010

DEFINITION OF CULTURE FOUND IN THE WEB:

I`ve found a lot of definitions of culture, but to me the most interesting for me are as follows:

Culture refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving.

A culture is a way of life of a group of people--the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next.

http://www.tamu.edu/classes/cosc/choudhury/culture.html

“Culture is the collective programming of the human mind that distinguishes the members of one human group from those of another. Culture in this sense is a system of collectively held values.” -- Geert Hofstede

“Culture is the deeper level of basic assumptions and beliefs that are shared by members of an organization, that operate unconsciously and define in a basic ‘taken for granted’ fashion an organization's view of its self and its environment.” -- Edgar Schein

http://changingminds.org/explanations/culture/what_is_culture.htm

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SOME CULTURES!!!!!

Hi!! here are

some pictures and

descriptions of

cultures that I found

interesting and I

want to share with

the people that

visit my blog

because they help

us to know a little bit

more of all the

different cultures,

traditions and

beautiful places that the world

has and how diverse

we are…

enjoy them!!

JAPAN

New Year’s Rice Cakes

Photograph by Phil Iossifidis, My Shot
Rice cakes, or mochi, are a favorite in Japan, particularly during the New Year, when they are traditionally given as gifts, set out decoratively in the home, or offered at shrines and temples. Their surfaces dusted with flour, the sticky, glutinous cakes are often stuffed with sweet beans or served in soup and, when not made by hand in a complex process, are widely available in supermarkets.

Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo

Photograph by Getty Images/Panoramic Images

The clamorous labyrinth of stalls in Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market showcases all manner of seafood—from live sea eel to pickled octopus—and reflects the well-ordered confusion of Japanese society. Fish has long been the protein staple of seagirt Japan, which consumes more than a tenth of the world catch

Breakfast, Tokyo

Photograph by Justin Guariglia/National Geographic Stock

A father cradles his sleeping son during breakfast at the Daiwa Sushi restaurant in Tokyo’s immense Tsukiji Fish Market. "Everything there is really fresh," says photographer Justin Guariglia. "But also very expensive."

Bamboo Forest, Arashiyama

Photograph by Kashiei Huang, My Shot

Soaring bamboo stalks dwarf visitors to Arashiyama Park in western Kyoto. Known for its vertiginous growth, bamboo has numerous uses in Japan, particularly in Kyoto, where it is made into baskets, flutes, pipes, benches, dolls, garden fences, and artifacts for tea ceremonies.

Businessman, Chiba

Photograph by Jonny Taise, My Shot

Traditional lanterns illuminate a walk home in Chiba, one of the five main cities that surround Tokyo Bay. Tokyo and its satellite cities are at the center of Japan’s politics, arts, commerce, and communications, the bay area having attracted millions with new jobs and lifestyles following the devastation of World War II.

SOURCE: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/japan-photos/#32361_600x450.jpg

NEPAL

Boudhanath Temple, Kathmandu
Photograph by Alison Wright
In Kathmandu, the devout light oil lamps at Boudhanath, a stupa patterned on a mandala design. Buddhists walk around the sacred monuments clockwise, the same direction a prayer wheel spins.

Ramayana Text
Photograph by Maggie Steber
Hands move across the text of the Ramayana, a classic Hindu epic. In Nepal, a country of over 28 million, more than 80 percent of the population is Hindu, with Buddhists and Muslims making up most of the minority

Boudhanath Temple, Kathmandu
Photograph by Steve Potts, My Shot
Fluttering prayer flags frame watchful eyes on the spire of Boudhanath, Nepal’s largest stupa. The monasteries near the stupa have become a global center of Tibetan Buddhism.

Mani Rimdu Festival
Photograph by Robb Kendrick
The solemn demeanor of a monk from Thame monastery belies some of the lighter moods of Mani Rimdu, an annual festival of drama and dance to banish evil spirits. Despite Western influence, Buddhism remains an anchor in the changing world of the Sherpas, an ethnic group of devout Buddhists living in northeastern Nepal.

Swayambhunath Stupa
Photograph by Alison Wright
Young monks don sunglasses before dozens of butter lamps at Swayambhunath Stupa, a Buddhist temple in Kathmandu Valley. The gold-spired stupa is also known as the “Monkey Temple,” named for the population of rhesus monkeys that roam its grounds.

Nepalese Sadhu
Photograph by Kimberley Coole, Your Shot
The face of a Hindu ascetic, or sadhu, is layered with traditional paint. Sadhus devote themselves to the spiritual life, own few possessions, and typically depend on donations to survive.

Prayer Wheel
Photograph by Ethan Welty/Aurora Photos
A trekker spins the giant prayer wheel at the Buddhist nunnery in Devuche, a village in the Khumbu region of the Himalaya and a stop for some climbers on the trail to Mount Everest.

Kitchen, Lo Manthang
Photograph by David Stubbs/Aurora Photos
Village women gather under a sun-pierced roof in the walled town of Lo Manthang, where life today proceeds much as it has for centuries. Founded about 1420, Lo Manthang is the capital of Mustang, a remote enclave of Tibetan Buddhist culture in northern Nepal.

Buddhist Spiritualist, Annapurna
Photograph by Brandon Sawaya/Aurora Photos
A trekker on the Annapurna Circuit in the Himalaya visits a lama, or Buddhist priest, to seek a blessing to ensure a successful crossing of the Thorung La Pass, the trail’s most difficult challenge.

IRELAND

Irish Farmer

Photograph by Chris Rainier/National Geographic Stock

A farmer and his dogs rest for a moment in a County Mayo field. Farming remains an important industry in Ireland, a land that was shaped millions of years ago by the last ice age.

Brazen Head Pub, Dublin

Photograph by Amantini Stefano/4Corners Images

Dublin’s historic Brazen Head Pub, established in 1198, calls itself Ireland’s oldest pub. Literary fans will recognize the pub from its appearances in Ulysses, James Joyce’s Modernist novel about the life of Dubliner Leopold Bloom

Irish Fiddlers

Photograph by Jim Richardson/National Geographic Stock

Ireland’s music has a storied history that runs the gamut from traditional Celtic sounds to U2’s anthemic rock. Here, Irish musicians play their fiddles at a tavern while enjoying a pint.

Dublin Pubs

Photograph by Fantuz Olimpio/SIME-4Corners

A brightly lit pub entices customers looking for a pint in Dublin. A mix of traditional Irish pubs and more modern nightclubs and cocktail bars makes up the city's thriving nightlife scene.

Old Library at Trinity College, Dublin

Photograph by Damm Fridmar/SIME-4Corners Images

Visitors to Dublin’s historic Trinity College marvel at the vaulted ceilings of the Old Library Building’s Long Room, which houses the Book of Kells and a rare first edition of Dante's Divine Comedy. The library serves as the primary place of study and research for the more than 15,000 students that attend Ireland’s oldest university.

SOURCE: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/ireland-photos/#old-caste-ireland_6790_600x450.jpg

FRANCE

Paris Street

Photograph by Fred Derwal/Getty Images/Hemis.fr RM

Sunset falls over Paris, where the Eiffel Tower looms large over much of the city, and cafes seem to mark every corner.

Farmers

Photograph by Kiritin Beyer, My Shot

The number of French farming villages has dwindled, a consequence of mechanization, increasing job opportunities in cities, and other factors. Many traditional villages continue to struggle, surviving solely because of tourism

Tour de France

Photograph by Jasper Juinen/Getty Images

The Tour de France, the world’s premier cycling race, has several daylong stages, with the lead rider wearing the race's iconic yellow jersey. The route varies every year, taking riders and fans through mountains, tiny towns, and the streets of Paris.

Wine Shop, Paris

Photograph by Alain Potignon/Paris Tourist Office

A Paris shopkeeper takes a break in the doorway of his wine shop on Boulevard Haussman. Fine wine is as quintessentially French as a baguette and soft cheese, and the three have made many a meal.

Photo: A man standing outside a French shop

The Orangerie at Versailles

Photograph by Tracy Weddle, My Shot

Beloved by Louis XIV, orange trees outline a formal garden at Versailles, the royal residence just outside Paris. During the winter, the fruit trees are moved inside the Orangerie, the building that fronts the ornamental parterre.

Photo: An aerial shot of a garden at Versailles

Louvre, Paris

Photograph by Michael Gurrey, My Shot

World-renowned architect I. M. Pei designed the glass and steel pyramid that tops the main entrance to the Louvre museum in Paris, controversial when it debuted in 1989. The Louvre stretches almost half a mile (0.8 kilometers) along the River Seine, farther than two Eiffel Towers laid end to end. Its priceless works of art include the “Mona Lisa,” the “Venus de Milo,” and more than 20,000 other Greek and Roman antiquities. Photo: The lit-up glass pyramid entrance to the Louvre at night

French Fashion

Photograph by Catherine Karnow

Designer Jerome L'Huillier works with a model in his Paris shop. The city was a world fashion center long before Marie Antoinette made a habit of exceeding her annual clothing allowance of 120,000 gold livres. Today designers and fashion aficionados flock to the city each July and January to view the newest couture—which translates literally to “sewing”—collections. Photo: A woman modeling a dress in a shop in front of a man

Arc de Triomphe, Paris

Photograph by Arnaud Chicurel/Getty Images/Hemis.fr RM

Napoleon commissioned the imposing Arc de Triomphe in 1806 to celebrate his army’s military victories. This architectural anchor of old Paris, at the crossroads of 12 streets, has been at the center of numerous victory marches, Bastille Day celebrations, and state funerals. Photo: Cars driving around a memorial arch

Source: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/france-photos/#arc-de-triomphe_6702_600x450.jpg

CULTURES NEWS!!!!!!!

Vancouver 2010: Olympic Logo No "Friend" to Some

The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics emblem (seen at its April 23, 2005, unveiling) depicts an inukshuk, a symbol used by the Inuit people, or Eskimos, of Canada's Arctic regions.

For centuries the Inuit have stacked rocks—sometimes into human forms—to create inukshuk, which act as guideposts for people traversing the vast tundra.

(Related: "Global Warming Changing Inuit Lands, Lives, Arctic Expedition Shows.")

The Vancouver 2010 emblem is dubbed Ilanaaq—"friend" in an Inuit language—and is an "eternal expression of the hospitality of a nation that warmly welcomes the people of the world with open arms every day," according to the Vancouver 2010 Web site.

But Ilanaaq has generated controversy among some First Nations—Canada's term for non-Inuit American Indian groups. The groups feel the symbol doesn't reflect the native art and culture of the Vancouver region and the rest of British Columbia, such as totem poles. (See pictures of totem poles made for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.)

Source: National Geographic

ABOUT THE WORLD WATER DAY…

sacred waters:

Source: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/04/sacred-water/stanmeyer-photography

•The Maya believed natural wells, such as the Xkeken cenote in Mexico's Yucatán, led to the underworld.

•The New Year in Laos is celebrated with a splash—so much so that in some parts of the city of Louangphrabang, water pressure drops to a trickle. Known as Boun Pi Mai Lao, the mid-April celebration lasts for days and includes dancing, parades, and water throwing.

•A pilgrim embraces the renewal granted by Saut d'Eau falls at the festival of the Virgin of Miracles in Ville Bonheur, Haiti. Vodou and Christianity meld as believers pray to the Virgin and welcome loa, spirits said to inhabit the waterfall.

•Entranced by spirits believed to inhabit the Saut d'Eau waterfall in Ville Bonheur, Haiti, a woman (wearing blue dress) surrenders to the presence of Danbala Wedo, the snake god, as other pilgrims bathe in the icy waters during the summer festival of the Virgin of Miracles. The celebration—a mix of Christian beliefs and vodou practices—honors a reported apparition of the Virgin Mary on top of a palm tree in 1847.

•To be baptized is to be born into a new life in Christ, according to the Greek Orthodox Church. Seven-month-old Stellios Theodore Gikas is dipped three times during a ceremony at the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George in Istanbul, Turkey.

•Faith in the healing waters of Lourdes and hopes for a miracle attract six million pilgrims each year to the grotto in southern France where the Virgin appeared to 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.

•Muslims perform wudu, the washing ritual before prayers, at Istanbul's Beyazit Mosque. "Cleanliness is half of faith," Muhammad told followers.

•"The bath is the Paradise of this world," says the vizier in the Arabic classic The Thousand and One Nights. The hammam, or steam bath, is an important gathering place in Islamic culture. The Cemberlitas Hamami in Istanbul, Turkey, built in 1584, has separate sections for men and women.

•To swim in the hot springs of Hierapolis-Pamukkale, in Turkey, is to be immersed in a tradition more than 2,000 years old. The thermal spa was established by the kings of Pergamum in the second century B.C. and now attracts close to two million tourists a year. It is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

•The sacred waterfall at the Tsubaki Grand Shrine in Mie Prefecture, Japan, washes away impurities in the Shinto ritual known as misogi shuho, which celebrates the communion among worshipper, waterfall, and the creative life force of the universe.

•The Ganges is the holiest of India's waters and Varanasi among the most sacred sites for pilgrims who believe the river purifies everything it touches. Ganges water, thought to ward off evil spirits, is presented to wedding guests in sealed copper containers. The devout slip a few drops into their daily bath. The dying sometimes come for a final dip. The dead are often cremated on its banks.