Native American Response to Settlers
Initially, the Native Americans welcomed the Europeans to America. Christopher Columbus reported to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand that the Indians on San Salvador Island responded warmly to the gifts the Europeans gave them, and "became so entirely [their] friends that it was a wonder to see" (Hurtado 45).Montezuma and the Aztecs welcomed the Spaniards as a God that came in fulfillment of their destiny. This Aztec belief induced them to submit themselves entirely under the Spaniards' rule. Many Native American tribes, such as those encountered by Jacques Cartier, Cabeza de Vaca, and Hernando de Soto, regarded the Europeans as powerful shamans or Gods. The Native Americans would bring their ill...
Let Tattooing Be A Personal Fashion Statement, And A Chance To Establish Your Individuality
So you've finally decided to join the counter-culture and get yourself a wicked-looking tat on the likes of Angelina Jolie, Justin Timberlake, Sean Connery, Michael Jordon, or our own Desi handsome hunks, Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt? Read on!Some years back, the magic of signature henna treatments along with seductive body marking /body piercing used to be adored by brides at celebrity weddings. However, of late, the elite/upmarket Indian males are getting branded by tattoos/scarifications/body piercing on each and every part of their bodies, from the face to the genitalia. Such practices, which today are the latest fashion fads of the gen-Y, were an integral part of a deeply symbolic, centuries...
Biography of Paramanhansa Yogananda
Paramahansa Yogananda was born in Gorakphur India January 5th 1893. Gorakphur is in the north of India and is associated with the great saint Gorakshanath who lived in the 10th - 12th Century. Yogananda was brought up in a devout loving Hindu family...
Use The Same Techniques The Rich And Famous To Avoid Taxes!
"You've probably read in the newspapers of various celebrities and successful business who manage to avoid or at least substantially reduce their UK taxes - whilst a significant proportion of the general public are paying close to 50% of their income in tax. Well, there's nothing to prevent you using some of these techniques to slash your UK taxes as well, depending on your circumstances. Here's some of the techniques that the Rich & famous use: Make the most of your offshore status People like Mohammad al Fayed make tremendous use of their non UK domiciled status. If you're an overseas national and were born overseas (typically your father will also have been a non UK domiciliary at the date of...
Tambourines: A Long Musical History
A member of the percussion family, tambourines historically have been made by mounting a single drum head (often of thin animal hide) onto a ring that has pairs of metal jingles laced around the drum sides. It should be noted, however, that not all tambourines use a drum head of leather or animal hide. In some instances, there are jingles strung across the center of the tambourine frame instead. The instrument was then used by either striking the drum head, shaking the jingles, or banging the instrument against a part of the body to get both a drum tone and jingles simultaneous.Historically the tambourine has been identified in many forms of music including Persian, classical, gospel and pop...
Knowing Hinduism or Hindu Religion
Hindus are concentrated in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka and these places have been the hot spot of this culture since time immemorial. Unlike other religions, Hinduism does not recognize a single prophet and has multitude of gods and goddesses, mythologically numbering at around 30 millions! Such a figure is given in mythology by people of wisdom who have included all such perceptible forms as things of worship, so that man can see god in them and respect the existence of such all forms (plant, animal, stone, sky, stars, soil, water, rain, fellow human being, etc.While failing to appreciate such deep meaning of the practices and beliefs, few people from within and outside have started criticizing...
The New Age Movement
What is the New Age Movement? It is similar to New Age Spirituality, but different enough to warrant its own definition. The New Age Movement is a belief that the human race is all one. It is not about equality nor diversity. It is the idea that your gender, age, religion, race, nor sexual orientation makes you better or worse then anyone else. The New Age Movement is moving away from the US against THEM mentality. It is inclusive, open, detached from labels, and above all else, it's based in love not fear.At our deepest level, there are only two motivators - love and fear. Fear breeds hate, anger, vengeance, greed, violence, selfishness, and alienates us from truly connecting with spirit and...
Discover How Yoga Will Help You Reach Your Goals - Part 1
Time is valuable and there are a number of successful methods for goal realization. Yoga will cross train your mind and body for maximum potential. Imagine being able to optimize your attitude in one hour, per day, or less. Every day, people attend Yoga classes for physical or mental health, and walk away with the tools, to be masters of their own destiny. How is this possible? Regular attendance to Yoga classes, will result in a positive attitude adjustment for the student. Many of us walk around with a "perceived handicap." We blame everything for our set backs and lack of opportunities. Society, your boss, and your family, are all easy targets to blame, for lack of opportunities. It is true that...
India Matrimonials
Your wedding invitation is often the first that guests hear about your wedding. It is also used by guests to glean the style and tone of your wedding. Naturally, if you are planning a theme wedding, then the wedding invitations are used to set up the theme. A destination wedding is also reflected in the invitation. The overall formality or casual nature of the wedding is also made apparent in your wedding invitations. In the South Asian cultures, wedding invitations play a greater role than just indicating what type of wedding the guests can expect. The manner in which the wedding invite is presented may actually determine whether the guests accept the invitation or not! Here are some quick rules of...
North American Native Indian
When Christopher Columbus first discovered North America, he mistakenly believed that he had discovered the Indies. This led to the name "Indian." It is believed that the first North American Indian came across a land bridge across the Bering Sound, from Siberia into Alaska. This would have been during the last ice age about twenty thousand years ago.When the Europeans discovered America, there were approximately ten million Indians already living there. These Indians were amazed at the Europeans white skin and technology, which would eventually prove to be their downfall.While the Indians were amazed by the Europeans, they also noticed that they were greedy, and viewed nature as a means to gain...
Hot Yoga Therapy
Hailed in the US as one of the most popular yoga styles among movie stars, Bikram yoga has now found its way to Thailand. The instructor is Benjaporn Karoonkornsakul, a former investment banker who learnt Bikram yoga while working in Hong Kong.Benjaporn, 31, followed a training course and received certification as a Bikram yoga instructor in New York earlier this year.Introduced to the Western world for the first time in Los Angeles in 1974 by Bikram Choudhury, this form of yoga immediately differentiated itself from other schools.Bikram yoga does not require the numerous and complex asanas (postures). A 90-minute session is composed of just 26 simple postures and is carried out in a room heated to...
Discover How Yoga Will Help You Reach Your Goals Part 1
Time is valuable and there are a number of successful methods for goal realization. Yoga will cross train your mind and body for maximum potential. Imagine being able to optimize your attitude in one hour, per day, or less. Every day, people attend Yoga classes for physical or mental health, and walk away with the tools, to be masters of their own destiny. How is this possible? Regular attendance to Yoga classes, will result in a positive attitude adjustment for the student. Many of us walk around with a perceived handicap. We blame everything for our set backs and lack of opportunities. Society, your boss, and your family, are all easy targets to blame, for lack of opportunities. It is true that...
History of Chess
I come from a family of golfers. Golf is the favorite recreation of everyone in my family, including my grandparents, my mom and dad, myself and my four siblings. Every year, we have a family reunion of sorts featuring all my relatives from my father's side. At those gathering, the entire clan always has a sportsfest wherein each of the different families take on one another in four key sports. We always win the golf competition. The others are volleyball, ping pong and chess.My dad told me to study chess for next year's family sportsfest. I complained a lot at the beginning but have grown quite fond of the game. I often like to recite the history of the game to my friends and, actually, to anyone...
Orissa RTI Act: A Step Towards Transparency
Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives. A popular government without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy or perhaps both.-- James MadisonWant to know how much money was earmarked for repairing roads in KBK district, or how much money government allocates for your village medical? Now just ask the government and it is obliged to provide the answer of your question with in a specified time. In the age of information affluence, everyone is starving for information. It may be related to the family, village, town, district, state or nation. We have...
Christianity and Hinduism Explored
Hinduism and Christianity are different in their specific beliefs, but their fundamentals are essentially the same. That is, the stories, teachings and means to their goals may radically differ, but the goals themselves, such as concepts of afterlife, heaven, and human goodness, are alike...
Outsourcing Your Telemarketing Program May Not Be A Viable Solution
Telemarketers: You can't live with them, and you can't kill them!Seriously, starting and running an effective telemarketing unit is costly, more time and effort consuming than you ever imagined, and a grind, even when you're getting positive results.And when you're failing, and it feels you're pouring resources down a widening sinkhole, it is like a near-death experience, each and every shift.To put a stop to the madness, management often thinks outsourcing is the answer, and on paper, it looks pretty good. First, these workers are never on your books, so you don't run afoul of a lot of labor laws if they're hired and fired in record time, which happens frequently in this field.You don't have to put...
Discover How Yoga Will Help You Reach Your Goals - Part 1
Time is valuable and there are a number of successful methods for goal realization. Yoga will cross train your mind and body for maximum potential. Imagine being able to optimize your attitude in one hour, per day, or less. Every day, people attend Yoga classes for physical or mental health, and walk away with the tools, to be masters of their own destiny. How is this possible? Regular attendance to Yoga classes, will result in a positive attitude adjustment for the student. Many of us walk around with a "perceived handicap." We blame everything for our set backs and lack of opportunities. Society, your boss, and your family, are all easy targets to blame, for lack of opportunities. It is true that...
Yoga
Yoga is a group of ancient practices which were first developed in India. It is still popular in the country today, and is considered to be a spiritual exercise. Many Indians see it as a way of attaining enlightenment. Yoga is broken down into four primary categories, and these are Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga, and Raja Yoga. However, these are only a few of the many variations of this exercise. Yoga has become popular in the West, and is well known because of its many postures.While yoga is commonly seen as just being an exercise in the West, it is an important part of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. For those who are followers of these religions, yoga is not only seen as being an exercise...
The separation of Church and State? Evolution, Intelligent Design and the Bible - Part 3
Intelligent Design is a doctrine such as Evolution and the Bible. If the world is looking at the Bible as a doctrine we must look at all Books, Papers, Articles and Scientific Lectures as Doctrines. What is I.D.? Intelligent Design (ID) is the controversial assertion that certain features of the universe and of living things exhibit the characteristics of a product resulting from an intelligent cause or agent, as opposed to an unguided process such as natural selection.. Adherents of Intelligent Design have claimed that it stands on equal footing with, or is superior to, current scientific theories regarding the origin of life and the origin of the universe. The scientific community has rejected...
Discover How Yoga Will Help You Reach Your Goals Part 2
At this point, lets break down the major components of a typical Hatha Yoga session, and see how each one will enable you to reach your goals. There are nine main styles of Yoga in India, but most of the popular styles, outside of India, are variations of Hatha Yoga. Hatha Yoga classes tend, among other things, to emphasize physical mastery. Asanas are the physical postures, but depending upon the class, the postures may be held for different durations, such as: A half breath (an exhale or inhale), a few breaths, or a few minutes. Some classes are very active, with flowing movement, heated studios up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, and others are tranquil at around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, all year long...
Microsoft CRM Customization Secrets - Second Edition
This article is for advanced Microsoft CRM SDK C# developers. It describes the technique of direct SQL programming, when SDK doesn't have the functionality to do the job.Introduction. Looks like Microsoft CRM becomes more and more popular, partly because of Microsoft muscles behind it. Now it is targeted to the whole spectrum of horizontal and vertical market clientele. It is tightly integrated with other Microsoft Business Solutions products such as Microsoft Great Plains, Solomon, Navision (the last two in progress).Here we describe the technique of creating closed activity-email using MS CRM SDK and direct SQL programming.Imaging something like this. You need to handle incoming email before it is...
Hiring a San Francisco Moving Company: What to Consider
Moving is becoming a fact of life. This is because a large number of individuals make the decision to move, each year. If you are planning on relocating now or in the near future, you may want to think about using a professional moving company. If you are planning on moving to or from the San Francisco area, you may want to hire the services of a San Francisco moving company.When it comes to hiring the services of a San Francisco moving company, it is easier said than done. Unfortunately, there are too many individuals who feel that it is easy to hire a professional mover. While this may be true, you should not hire the first San Francisco moving company that you come across. Instead, you are...
Kundalini Yoga Information | Benefits of Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini Yoga Kundalini yoga is considered the most powerful form of yoga. Kundalini yoga comes from the Sanskrit word kundal, which means the lock of the hair from the beloved. The hair symbolizes the unlimited potential inside each individual. Basic Idea behind Kundalini Yoga In Kundalini Yoga the creating and sustaining Sakti of the entire body is in fact and truly united with Lord Siva. It uses asanas, pranayama, and mantra. It is based upon Kundalini energy which is "one's dormant spiritual energy." This energy is symbolized as a coiled up snake at the base of the spine, which is the first chakra. The energy is released through breathing, chanting, and movement in order that you can recognize...
Biography of Paramanhansa Yogananda
Paramahansa Yogananda was born in Gorakphur India January 5th 1893. Gorakphur is in the north of India and is associated with the great saint Gorakshanath who lived in the 10th - 12th Century. Yogananda was brought up in a devout loving Hindu family...
Creating Traffic Jams
It's hard to imagine why anyone would pick up a newspaper to find a job any more. With a seemingly endless array of career sites, mailing lists, corporate sites and newsgroups, job seekers have more options online than ever before. And the credit goes to the growth and advances in Information Technology (IT).Traditionally job seekers most preferred channel was Newspapers & Personal Referrals. As for online recruitment, the medium has come a long way in the last 3 years, but it remains a tool that has only been put to the test in a candidate-rich environment. Along with the IT revolution in the recruitment channel the current market has four clear segments - Corporate Sites, Personal Referrals...
George Washington - The Best President?
George Washington was the first president of the United States and considered one of the best.George Washington is a much-admired person in many respects. As the first president of the United States, he set the course upon which the current three-branch system of federal government is based. George Washington is perhaps the one person who can most claim the title of Founding Father.George Washington was born on February 22, 1732 in Virginia. He was the son of well off plantation owner and spent his you in relative comfort. During his youth, the British Empire ruled the 13 colonies. Despite what you might assume, he was hardly a revolutionary and his stated goal was to become an officer in the...
Avoid Seven Common Traps When Buying Lists
For every ten people trying to start a home based business, there is at least one, so it seems, who is trying to rip them off. There are so many scams on the net, and internet gurus, trying to lead prospective work at home business owners astray. It leaves many people believing that all passive income, and residual income streams are scams. This is not true. Anyone starting an online marketing business or a work at home business will need to prepare themselves to become a celebrity. That's right, some of the most famous internet celebrities and gurus are work at home professionals like you or me. Just 'google' the names sharon hurley hall, gracepub, familyfunandfaith, and other of these bloggers...
Gandhi and Comparative Religions
The comparative study of religions has never been merely an academic concern for Mahatma Gandhi, the great Hindu spiritualist and leader. Since the days of his youth he has been existentially in the search of such studies as has been evident from his famous book "The story of my experiments with truth."India is a country where people are predominantly religious. Religion and spirituality are firmly rooted in the minds of the Indian people. Some countries are well known for their political institutions, others for their economic prosperity while some others for their social advancement. India is well known for her philosophy and religion. According to Max Muller the study of religion is...
Freedom of Speech in Online Game Worlds
In the offline world, we've seen this intersection in (among other situations) U.S. Supreme Court cases addressing private speech at privately owned company towns and shopping centers. In some cases, the Supreme Court has said that certain landowners cannot prevent speakers from speaking on their private property. However, in other cases, the landowner's property rights have trumped the speaker's right to speak on the property, allowing the landowner to "censor" the speaker.In the online world, the speech/rights dichotomy raises equally complex issues. Online private actors routinely use their private property (such as computers and networks) to create virtual spaces designed for speech, although...
Flower Meanings & History of Flowers
The charming and delicate beauty of flowers has fascinated people of all nations and backgrounds for centuries. Flowers have been bred and cultivated for their decorative beauty as well as their ability to heal diseases. Flowers are the subject of poems and myths, and religious symbols are associated with flowers as well. Many girls are named after flowers. The main reason for the popularity of flowers though is their ability to bring good cheer.For all fellow lovers and admirers of flowers here is some background information about flowers. This will help give your flower gift giving and buying a greater context.AstersThere are over 600 species of asters, the most popular being the Monte Casino...
Computerized Christians? Get Ready for the New Church!
Isaiah 43;19 declares: "Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."A new thing? Try this one on for size: Just as the Apostle Paul brought the Good News to the Greeks, today's latch key kids will bring it to the GEEKS!Here's what I mean. Does anybody remember those radical Jesus Freaks of the 60s and 70s? They're still around. They became the pot-bellied Baby-Boomers we know and love today. These people seem to have become more conservative with age (having children of one's own will cause that transformation). After all, many who were once yesterday's liberals are today's conservatives. They...
Internet Authors aren't losers
Ask the majority of so-called 'gurus' to talk about business or self-improvement, and here's a funny thing. They start talking about sport. That's odd. Sport isn't the same as life. It's completely different. As Brian Tracey says, in sport you get three chances to hit the baseball and then you're out, but in life you can go up to the mound as many times as you've got the energy and the inclination, try hitting the ball, miss and still keep coming back for more. Or, to be precise, keep on swinging until you hit the home run. That's not allowed in the actual sport. They're very strict. Three strikes and you're out. Yes, if sport is definite about one thing, it's this. It has rules. It says that you...
History Of Blueberry Plants
Very few historical records exist on ancient blueberry culture in the Greek and Roman empires. Those cultures did use parts of the blueberry plants and fruit to eat or to treat ailments. The size and flavor of native blueberry plants was extremely variable, and the USDA, modern, extensive research and development of choice selections was judged on a basis of taste, yield of plants, aroma, small berry seeds, and the lasting quality of the fresh berries increased the popularity of this fruit in a period of fifty years as one of America's favorite agricultural products.William Bartram, the early American botanist and explorer, reported seeing various members of the native blueberry plant relatives...
Rudraksha
Botanically Rudraksha is the seed of trees of the family Elaeocarpus. The term Rudraksha means tears of lord Shiva. There is a Hindu legend that states that lord Shiva is suppose to have shed a tear, and the place where the tear landed on earth, the Elaeocarpus tree grew up. It is since then that the Elaeocarpus tree is regarded as sacred in the Hindu religion, and the seed of the Elaeocarpus tree is used to make rosaries and necklaces. Depending on the number of faces (number of grooves on the seed) that the Elaeocarpus seed has the Rudraksha is termed as Pachamukhi (5 faces), Dwi Mukhi (2 faces), Eka mukhi (1 face) and so on, the rarest form of the Rudraksha is the 14 faced (Chaturdasha mukhi...
War of the Worlds: Signs of the End of the Age
Jesus said there'd be days like this.The disciples came to Jesus asking: "What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" (Matt 24:3)Jesus answered: "...many will come in My Name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places ... because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved..." (Matt 24).Things are going to get worse here on the 3rd rock from the sun...
Computerized Christians? Get Ready for the New Church!
Isaiah 43;19 declares: "Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."A new thing? Try this one on for size: Just as the Apostle Paul brought the Good News to the Greeks, today's latch key kids will bring it to the GEEKS!Here's what I mean. Does anybody remember those radical Jesus Freaks of the 60s and 70s? They're still around. They became the pot-bellied Baby-Boomers we know and love today. These people seem to have become more conservative with age (having children of one's own will cause that transformation). After all, many who were once yesterday's liberals are today's conservatives. They...
Three Ways to Invest Time + Money In PR
In my recent interview with Buzz Media's Elizabeth Pereira and Fritz Chaleff, we discussed the basics of these not-so-basic approaches. Read on for how to get lots of attention for your story, using these wise investments of your time and money.Kelly: When should people consider PR in their marketing efforts?Elizabeth: PR should be included in every marketing plan you develop...from the very beginning of a new product being launched or a policy coming out. Use it heavily in the beginning to establish a brand, then level out over time. It's also a good tool for handling crisis down the road.For consumer-related messages, PR really builds credibility quickly - 40-50% of your budget isn't unreasonable...
Biography of Paramanhansa Yogananda
Paramahansa Yogananda was born in Gorakphur India January 5th 1893. Gorakphur is in the north of India and is associated with the great saint Gorakshanath who lived in the 10th - 12th Century. Yogananda was brought up in a devout loving Hindu family...
Religious Conflict between India Pakistan
It is indeed a shame to associate conflicts with religion. Does Christianity summon Christian extremists to bomb abortion clinics in the West? Does Islam summon Muslims in Palestine to kill Israelis and themselves in suicidal attacks? Does Hinduism preach kidnap and kill those who are against Hinduism? To most Indians and I am sure Pakistanis as well as also to most people of other religion will more than agree that such practices are wrong and must be condemned. Religions do not contain inherent "conflict-genes", making unsolvable conflicts an inevitable outcome of their co-existence. Conflicts involving religion are always the result of misperceptions in our minds. In mid-nineties Samuel P...
Famous gurus
You've probably read in the newspapers of various celebrities and successful business who manage to avoid or at least substantially reduce their UK taxes - whilst a significant proportion of the general public are paying close to 50% of their income in tax. Well, there's nothing to prevent you using some of these techniques to slash your UK taxes as well, depending on your circumstances. Here's some of the techniques that the Rich & famous use: Make the most of your offshore status People like Mohammad al Fayed make tremendous use of their non UK domiciled status. If you're an overseas national and were born overseas (typically your father will also have been a non UK domiciliary at the date of your...
Baby Names, Meanings, Popular Baby Names
A name stays with a person from birth and even after a person dies, and no matter what part of the world an individual comes from, a name is what makes each person unique and gives a person his or her identity. Today it's not that difficult to guess the race, the country and also the religion a person comes from by the name of a person. In fact naming a new born is an important part of many cultures the world over, and depending on which part of the world a person is from, there are elaborate naming ceremonies that take place after the birth of a child. The most popular name in the world is Mohammad (the name of the prophet of the Muslim religion); irrespective of the religion there is a name that...
History of Native American Turquoise Jewelry in the Usa
The Beautiful blue and green hues of turquoise have long been prized by the Native American peoples of the southwestern part of the USA. Entire cultures were built on mining turquoise and crafting sacred and special items from the attractive stone in areas which are now part of both New Mexico and Nevada. American Indian peoples were making necklace strands and other turquoise jewelry by hand many centuries before the first European settlers arrived. Because turquoise was so highly prized, it was widely exchanged and circulated among the Native peoples of the Americas, and the each of the tribes developed their own unique names for the striking blue stone. Scientific testing has proven that some...
What Is A Hedge Fund?
You'll often see the title 'hedge fund manager' in the bios of some of Wall Street's famous investment gurus. But what exactly is a hedge fund? How is different than any other fund? And how do you get in on the action? Hedge funds are private investment partnerships that are usually offered to limited number of investors and require a significant initial minimum investment. Hedge funds are normally open to institutional or otherwise accredited investors. Those investors are also required to keep their money in the fund for a minimum period, usually one year. Basically, hedge funds are mutual funds for the super-rich. They resemble mutual funds in the way investments are pooled and professionally...
Choosing a Wedding Party Dress
The Wedding is considered as the most important and awaited occasion in one's life. Therefore every preparation in this regard must be thoroughly planned out to make the entire occasion a grand success. The person also wishes that the relatives and the friends remembered his Wedding for years in terms of enjoyments and pleasure. Of all the other preparations, planning of the Wedding Party Dress needs very special attention. Different countries of the world or just say the different communities have specific traditions based on their culture of wearing Dresses during Wedding Parties. The term 'Bridal Gown or Dress' originates from the word al which means party combined with Bride is Bridal or says...
Type of Woods and Their Characteristics
There are other woods that are widely used besides these oak, walnut, mahogany and satinwood. Let us have a look at these uncommon woods and their appearances and their uses in our daily life. While oak, walnut, mahogany and satinwood are recognized by most people, and one or more of them is present in almost every home, there are a large number of other woods used by cabinet-makers in the past that are not so easily identified. To describe them in words so that they can be named positively is not possible, but a general indication of their appearance and uses may be helpful. Amboynas A wood from the West Indies with a distinctive burr, looking like closely curled hairs over the light brown surface...
Net Savvy Indian Brides And Grooms!
India is a diverse, multi-cultural country with people of various religions, communities and sects living together in harmony and peace. Each community has its own set of religious rituals, traditions and multitudes of customs inherited from ancestors. Arranged marriage is one such common custom handed down over generations. Arranged marriage has played an important role in Indian marriages. This concept is even today accepted by millions of Indians in India and abroad. Marriages, initiated by elders, were arranged with the help of an 'aunt' or the 'priest'. Over a period of time this has slowly transitioned from the marriage brokers to the newspapers and now onto the Internet. Internet has...
Was Columbus the First European to Discover the Americas?
The question of whether Europeans migrated to and inhabited the Americas prior to the modern discovery by Columbus has been of longstanding interest and controversy. In fact, for over 200 years scholars have asked whether late Pleistocene (18,000-13,000 years ago) or early to middle Holocene (12,000-5,000 years ago) Europeans also might have migrated to the Americas prior to Columbus' 1492 discovery. The question had been posed so often that by 1891 a volume entitled "America Not Discovered by Columbus," by Rasmus B. Anderson, contained a bibliography with over 350 entries on the topic. It listed claims of America's discovery not only by Europeans, but also by Chinese, Arabs, Welsh, Venetians...
Culture in USA: Taking the Road to Diversity
United States is a country that completely represents the western culture. Such culture existed in this country since time before it was recognized as a country. United Stated culture was mainly influenced by the British Culture in the beginning. British colonization resulted in the expansion of English language and legal system. Other European parts are also held responsible for influencing the cultural aspects of the country. Immigrants in a large number from the European countries like Ireland, Germany, Poland and Italy also brought about vast culture development in different parts of the United States. And of course, the Native Americans, Immigrants from western Africa...
Indian heritage & Culture
Introduction India is a diverse country, a fact that is visibly prominent in its people, culture and climate. From the eternal snows of the Himalayas to the cultivated peninsula of far South, from the deserts of the West to the humid deltas of the East, from the dry heat and cold of the Central Plateau to the cool forest foothills, Indian lifestyles clearly glorify its geography. There was a time when India was known as the land of snake charmers. Then people started identifying it as the land having the majestic Taj, the ferocious Tiger and the great desert of Thar. But with each turn that the wheel of time took, Indians have proved to be a lot more. From time immemorial, India has been seen as a...
Practical information for those travelling to Mauritius - Part 1
The Republic of Mauritius is a small island situated in the Indian Ocean. The country has several other islands belonging to Mauritius, these are generally primitive and well worth a visit. Mauritius has a stable democratic government and a diverse economy. Its per capita is among the best for a developing country and is the second highest in Africa. Facilities for tourism in Mauritius are fairly well developed and the high level of literacy has greatly helped Mauritius in its endeavour to become a high profile tourist destination. Furthermore, authorities have set a high target for increasing the tourist population travelling to Mauritius with sweeping changes and reforms to the tourism sector in...
Understanding Comparative Philosophy
As a branch or subfield of philosophy, comparative philosophy is quite young and is still in its early stage of development. Its aim is to work on problems and compare various philosophies by taking into account all sources regardless of culture, language or philosophical stream. It differs from area studies philosophy in that area studies philosophy focuses its study on a single region or area. For instance, it may compare the various forms of Confucianism within China or compare Chinese Philosophy with Indian Philosophy. Comparative philosophy differs in that it goes beyond the boundaries of culture and language as it seeks to find a basis for comparing philosophical traditions. In this sense...