Main article: Culture of Indonesia

A Wayang kulit shadow puppet performance as seen by the audience. Indonesia has around 300 ethnic groups, each with cultural differences developed over centuries, and influenced by Indian, Arabic, Chinese, Malay, and European sources. Traditional Javanese and Balinese dances, for example, contain aspects of Hindu culture and mythology, as do wayang kulit (shadow puppet) performances. Textiles such as batik, ikat and songket are created across Indonesia in styles that vary by region. The most dominant influences on Indonesian architecture have traditionally been Indian; however, Chinese, Arab, and European architectural influences have been significant. The most popular sports in Indonesia are badminton and football; Liga Indonesia is the country's premier football club league. Traditional sports include sepak takraw, and bull racing in Madura. In areas with a history of tribal warfare, mock fighting contests are held, such as, caci in Flores, and pasola in Sumba. Pencak Silat is an Indonesian martial art. Sports in Indonesia are generally male-orientated and spectator sports are often associated with illegal gambling.^[120]

A selection of Indonesian food, i ncluding Soto Ayam (chicken soup), sate kerang (shellfish kebabs), telor pindang (p reserved eggs), perkedel (fritter), and es teh manis (sweet iced tea) Indonesian cuisine varies by region and is based on Chinese, European, Middle Eastern, and Indian precedents.^[121] Rice is the main staple food and is served with side dishes of meat and vegetables. Spices (notably chili), coconut milk, fish and chicken are fundamental ingredients.^[122] Indonesian traditional music includes gamelan and keroncong. Dangdut is a popular contemporary genre of pop music that draws influence from Arabic, Indian, and Malay folk music. The Indonesian film industry's popularity peaked in the 1980s and dominated cinemas in Indonesia,^[123] although it declined significantly in the early 1990s.^[124] Between 2000 and 2005, the number of Indonesian films released each year has steadily increased.^[123]

The oldest evidence of writing in Indonesia is a series of Sanskrit inscriptions dated to the 5th century CE. Important figures in modern Indonesian literature include: Dutch author Multatuli, who criticized treatment of the Indonesians under Dutch colonial rule; Sumatrans Muhammad Yamin and Hamka, who were influential pre-independence nationalist writers and politicians;^[125] and proletarian writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Indonesia's most famous novelist.^[126] Many of Indonesia's peoples have strongly rooted oral traditions, which help to define and preserve their cultural identities.^[127] Media freedom in Indonesia increased considerably after the end of President Suharto's rule, during which the now-defunct Ministry of Information monitored and controlled domestic media, and restricted foreign media.^[128] The TV market includes ten national commercial networks, and provincial networks that compete with public TVRI. Private radio stations carry their own news bulletins and foreign broadcasters supply programs. At a reported 25 million users in 2008,^[129] Internet usage is limited to a minority of the population, approximately 10.5%.

Wikipedia

Fountains: Why the Romans Were Fanatical

Water fountains are powerfully associated with the Roman history in particular, because water had a solid religious worth. This was not uncommon in the societies of the times, as the early Greek religions also cited a lot of trust in water and water springs were changed into shrines to heroes and nymphs as well as their deities and goddesses. The Greeks knew that the ability for a dwelling to live, comes from a sustainable source of good water and so the places where their water came from were heralded as a blessing. They also had the means to move this wholesome water to other sites of interest via irrigation or aqueducts. The Greeks had detailed many fountains in their historical books, such as The Spring of Pirene at Corinth. This contained many springs coming out of a white stone mural to Pegasus, with a basin at the bottom of it. In the same city, there was another fountain shrine to Neptune, which included a dolphin with water flowing from its mouth.

Even today it is easy to distinguish how these early works have stimulated later and even modern models. The Romans were very engaged with these calming fountains and understood the significance and importance of the aqueducts too. They made this sort of fountain their own, by using their own religious and idolised icons to embellish the fountains. As well as using the skill of the time to make sure the ease of use of fresh natural spring water to all cities of the Roman empire and for all people.

Even today, Italy has the scars of these aqueducts, by the side of the stretch, amid Campagna to the capital, Rome. This was one of the most considerable turning points in Roman history, as the renewal of their capital, with a fresh supply of water was commemorated with a breath taking set of public fountains, where the communities could fetch fresh water from. Not surprisingly, there were wealthy and important members of the Roman culture and society who were able to rent their own private water source and custom made their own fountains to party. Examples of private statues included spraying a great water jet to a lower basin.

Even today, guests to Rome, discover the fountains to be a commanding presence and the awe inspired scenery is particularly breathtaking, particularly the Trevi Fountain. This signaled the end of a building of an aqueduct, built in 19BC, bringing water from the Salone Springs, over 20 KM from Rome. There is a myth connected to this precise fountain, that if you turn your back to the fountain and toss in a coin and it hits in the water, you will come back to Rome but if not, you won't. This, it seems, has survived from the age when legions would make a sacrifice to their gods before going on an expedition into war, which just illustrates how the religious worth of the Roman fountains has not at all been lost in time.

by Felicity Lightbody

About the Author

Felicity is a part-time writer, penning occasional articles in the UK about Water Features for the Garden. ukwaterfeatures.com offer delivery throughout the UK and have a showroom based near to Yorkshire.

Finding Great Airfares Online

Many people who wish to travel will want to go online to find the best deals on their desired tickets. By searching the many online travel sites, you can find all your options as well as special bargains and deals on different airfares. Here's the best places and ways to search for great airfares:

Airline Sites

One of the first places you should search is the major airline websites. Sometimes these sites have special deals that they don't make public. You may even consider calling to find out the best airfares for your desired destination and times.

Major Travel Sites

There are many major travel websites that are famous for letting you search for good deals on airfare, hotels, car rentals and even tour packages. Try out sites like Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia, Hotwire, Sidestep and TravelZoo. In addition, there are sites that allow you to bid on or name your price, like Priceline.

Shortcuts

Instead of searching the airline sites and major travel sites, you may consider using a travel site that basically searches all of these websites at once. Momondo is a good one, it searches hundreds of sites for flight deals.

Be Flexible

Often, if you are able to be flexible in your departure and arrival days, you can gain great price breaks. For instance, traveling on a Tuesday or Wednesday instead of a weekend may save you $100 or more. Also, avoid travel directly around any holidays as these are the biggest travel times of the year.

Use Your Miles

Don't forget to take advantage of airline miles from credit cards and other rewards programs to pay for your flights. Often, you can get thousands of miles just by shopping using certain links from sites like MyPoints and then redeem the points for miles. Keep in mind that redemption of miles this way can take weeks, so be sure to allow for this redemption time.

Discounts

Are you a senior? Perhaps you know someone in the travel industry? You can leverage these facts to get better deals on your airfare. Nearly all airlines offer a senior discount. If you know someone who works in travel, or even better, actually works for an airline, you may be able to travel for free or half the usual cost. Airlines have slow times during certain seasons, and during these times they offer additional discounts for certain types of travel. For instance, purchase one ticket, get another free or get a discount on travel during a certain exact period of time for travel between certain destinations. Make yourself aware of the discounts available to you.

by Lydia Quinn

About the Author

Trans-Supply is your source for airport supplies, transportation supplies, rail and railroad, traffic safety supply and construction supplies. Visit us at: http://www.trans-supply.com/