Word: symbolics
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...crux of the issue is whether the Christmas tree is a religious object. For many people, the Christmas tree is simply a cultural icon, associated with that certain time of year. But others maintain that the tree is a distinctly religious symbol and as such should be confined to the private domain. On this matter, we maintain that the Christmas tree has, over time, become a predominantly secular symbol...
Admittably, often, like beauty, religion is in the eye of the beholder. Sometimes it is not enough to simply declare something secular, it must also be judged acceptable by other standards. As such, even interpreted as a religious symbol, a Christmas tree represents only the celebration of a single holiday event—it is not an overt theological statement, as is a crucifix. Like the sukkah, or temporary shelter, that was put up in the Leverett House courtyard during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot earlier in the fall, the Christmas tree should be allowed to stay. Both...
...WOMEN SPEAK To westerners, the most visible symbol of the Taliban's oppressive regime was the order that placed all women under the burka. Its long-standing place in Afghan culture is complicated. Many rural women, especially, claim to wear it willingly, at least when they speak in the presence of their husbands. There is even high fashion in burka wear. In Kabul, women allow a bit of lace trimming to show at the edge. The best burkas, from the Afghan city of Herat, have exquisite pleating that imparts a shimmering, watery feel but takes hours to iron...
Targamadze had become the unsavory symbol of a Shevardnadze government beset by corruption, ineptitude and vested interests, particularly the interests of the Shevardnadze family. "Since '97, [when post-civil war economic recovery started to slow] there has been little progress," explains Alex Rondeli, a political commentator for the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies. "People expected reforms. There was hope - and then everything stopped." Unemployment, unpaid salaries, beggarly pensions, a collapsing infrastructure and severe electricity shortages plagued the long-suffering population. People worried about getting kerosene in the winter or medicines for sick relatives. And they watched, bitterly...
Last month the supersonic Concorde - grounded for 15 months after a disaster of its own - returned to commercial flight. Rock star Sting, a passenger on that first flight, called it a symbol of the return to normal life. Well, maybe...