Treasures of the Internet: World Odyssey

Untitled 20 Nov 2008
Thursday 06:37:27

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Click at specific regions of the world map, the A-Z navigation links above, the region links (see left navigation links), the country/region logo or link to explore different parts of the world. This section is part of Odyssey, an integrated section of a larger site: Treasures of the Internet; please click on Treasures of the Internet link (if you do not see its logo on this page or the A-Z navigation links) and then find Odyssey from the left navigation links.

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Untitled Regions of the World

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The need to know other cultures. In a more mobile and interactive state of the world today, brought about by modern communication, the Untitled internet and advances in transportation, we are gradually becoming a global community -- economically and geo-politically.

The "September 11, 2001 incident" in the United States reminds us how events in distant places of the world can have devastating impact in our lives. Whether the grievances are valid or not, one of the lessons that we should learn from the tragedy is that failure to have empathy of the concerns of other peoples can be very costly and tragic.

In polyethnic societies, like the United States where immigration is prevalent, the nation has become a microcosm of the world. [The implication of this changing makeup of our society is explored further in the Untitled American Dream section of this website.]

Both the above situations compel us to have well-grounded understanding of other cultures, if we are to have harmonious coexistence and prevent future tragedies similar to the September 11 incident.

Unfortunately, our educational system and media have not been structured to ensure that we are exposed thoroughly to the cultures of other peoples. In fact, the media and the educational systems, quite often become part of the inadvertent, or sometimes deliberate, misinformation about other peoples and cultures. [The role of the media in misinformation is discussed in a separate section.]

One of the ways that we can truly understand other peoples is to travel to other regions of the world in order to be exposed to other cultures directly. However, no matter how often we travel, there is just not enough time during our lifetime to visit all parts of the world. Most likely therefore, we can view the splendor of the world mainly through the eyes of those who live there or who have been there (in extended periods).

One of our goals in creating the Untitled World Odyssey section is to address the issues raised above by bringing the world to your home -- through the power of the Untitled internet . Click at specific regions of the world map or the A-Z navigation links above, or the left navigation links -- to explore different countries, regions or places of the world.

We hope that this effort will help foster greater global understanding and harmony through appreciation of cultures of peoples from different countries of the world.

At present, the materials about many countries and peoples of the world, that are available in the Untitled internet and included in this section, were written by Westerners or their institutions (CIA, World Bank, IMF, US State Department, etc.). No matter how sincere, or how well-intentioned these institutions or individuals are, these efforts are still from a foreign perspective -- they cannot capture the heart and soul of a nation or her people -- this can only come from those who were born and lived in a specific country.

We need your help therefore to address the issues raised above. We take this opportunity to invite volunteers to help us develop profiles that will reflect a more appropriate representation of the literature, culture and history of your country of origin or ethnic group. We extend this invitation also to scholars and academicians who have intimate knowledge of other cultures, to help develop this site.

N.B. For succeeding navigations of this site, you may click on the "Where do you want to go?" caption at the top to get the world map (without the introductory text here), then click on specific sections of the map to visit specific regions of the world.

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First Written: 19990104 Latest Update: 20060328 Untitled

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Untitled Notes and Disclaimer: Please visit the Why this page? section in the Introduction of Treasures of the Internet to know more about our policies on privacy, general disclaimer and other pertinent information. You agree to be bound by the aforementioned policies and disclaimer if you go beyond the entry page of this website and will not hold us responsible for the consequences of what you do with the information gathered herein.

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