Let’s appreciate the WEST

But does it matter who invented it? I think it's more important who uses it better.

It's known as the Hindu-Arabic numeral System.

EMC-12, Pilgram is right, and I am amazed you blatently declared me wrong without even 'enough' research.

it happens when we limit our horizon to limited durations in past say,,100 yrs or 400 yrs or 1400 yrs or 4000 yrs....

Ancient confusion about East & West

Now Pilgrim, you surprised me and gave me the hard task to go and verify that...oh dear!

Brit I would suggest that France is it's own planet.

Our numbers don't come from Arabs they come from India. They were passed onto Europe via the Arabs who learned them from the Persians who learned them from the Indians. That's why they are commonly referred to as Arabic numbers.

Can I just intercede for a second a suggest that France is not really The West..

Thank you. Have a nice day!

Is the answer to the mathamatical question 156?

47 + 109

you are wrong Mr Painther...the number you are typing now are from the Arabs...go and research..i was shocked when i came to know of it....

EMC-12, please correct your statement that 'number system, decimal system & astronomy belongs to Arabs', it's factually wrong.

I will only appreciate all those who invented, conceived ides for the embetterment of human lives. The West did not suddenly develop all the sciences. They borrowed a lot from the East. I challenge anyone who can perform the below addition in Roman numerals.

XLVII

CIX

The numbers all of us are using to date is from teh Arabs. The decimal point comes from the Arabs. Astronomy was developed by Arabs. AlGebra, AlChemy, Electrolysis are from Arabs.Look at the Law of Contract and Inheritance, it was in existence 1400 yrs ago. The idea the earth was a sphere dates back to 1400 yrs ago. Only a few centuries back the West thought the earth was flat.

A lot of nations contributed to what we benefit to day. Japan contributed so much in the field of electronics. India contributed in its own ways. Only Latin Americas I have no details of except for heroine hwich teh Mayas used to enbalm their mummies.

Education???Who says the West Education is better? This is greatly debatable. How come the Chinese are still producing geniuses with their Chinese methods and language.

It's a long debate. All nations contributed somehow to what the West improved. If the West were not colonisers and other nation were, then we would owe everything from that nation.

Of course I appreciate the West for the advance in technology and science.

Traditionally Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China are East, but these days they are much more Western in many aspects. You'll find a lot more cultural similarities now and a lot more shared values between the US and Japan then you would between, say, the US and Pakistan.

Japan is culturally & traditionally 'East'....like south Korea, Taiwan, china and all other far east nations, Some term them as "oriental" too,

while Australia is "west' on the same parameter (culturally/traditionally).

but again, it's more of perceptions, developed in centuries and may possibly be changed in coming centuries.

I do not buy the idea that Japan is West because it’s ‘Westernized’ in parameters of social development/wealth/technology/ modern governance system/openness etc..

There is difference in being West & being “westernized” . Many in East today are highly Westernized (like many west-bashers who are “seriously’ westernized but fail to recognize as their entire attention is on ‘others’.)

Moreover, these days the fine lines of differences (even perceptional) are fading away…it’s all one world, and it must be all one world !

Yes Pilgram, they are.

Pride? What pride? Isn't it usually the Asian people that proclaim to the world that they are proud to be xxxxx.

How many Westerners have you heard saying that?

Perhaps Nomerci, but for the moment they are very much a Western country.

That's a good one, Asif. There are possibly 1 million Indians here. And how many Americans?

With all the job losses back home in the West lets appreciate the East for the opportunities to work here. Swallow your pride occasionally, it's non-fattening! Lol

Sub-western. Let's call it 'mediterranean'.

Mistakes?? Was Iraq a mistake?

Lp, some Lebanese people told me that they consider themselves European....so Lebanon is a Western country?

Pilgram, that may change in the near future.

And the Arab nations are torn between the two. Very bad situation. Problems are programmed.

So is South Africa.

And of course Australia is considered West.

Mandi

No Painther it isn't. While geographically it may be east, socially, politically and economically it's very much West. As are South Korea, Taiwan and more and more increasingly China.

painther, by all means. They are more westernized than Italy!

LP, correction, Japan is very much 'east' by all account/perception.

I'll call my friend Nanookshuk and ask WK.

East and West no more are geographic terms, WK. Japan is a westernized country sitting in the geographic East with reference to the Greenwich Meridian. It's all about culture and lifestyle.

I wonder do people living in North and South of the centre of the earth feel left out when people talk only in terms of East & West.

Ahh True. Damn that land bridge between Russia and Canada.

They came from Asia 12.000 years ago.

Igloos were created by the Inuit who reside in the Northern part of Canada. How are they not Western?

Haha, absolutely useful here.

I simply adore the example of the igloo as a measure of non-Western contribution to science and technology!

Mandi

The UK are east of the USA. Hahaha.

It really depends on where you draw the line. For me it's in the Pacific, called the Date-limit. Everything is west of it!

But not North East. Cause big junks of North East Asia are now consider "West"

The East is the birthplace of religion(s), the West is the birthplace of science and its applications. One is mystic, one is realistic. If you want to live a life in mysticism go East. If you want to live in reality, go West.

WHYTE!!!! It just dawned on me!! Now I know why they come to our countries!!1 To make them as good and advanced as theirs! Hah...Amazing!!!!

Whyte, we will be catching up soon...with all the Asians in our countries it should be a piece of cake! ;)

Really? Far behind? Maybe we're behind Japan, but compared to everyone else we have the best education, health systems, free press, women's rights...oh yeah, that stuff is evil to most of you, I forgot. In that case, yeah, we are behind.

no worries dayglo, quite understandable actually :)

Oops my bad! Sorry No Merci!

Ah yes, I've hard of "sarcasm". Sorry, just a bit fed up and I didn't catch it.

West is actually far behind the rest of the world despite their wealth, I wonder why.

I mean West Asia ofcourse.

Pilgram...shhhhttttt, listen, - breaking News_- the West has secretly infiltrated all countries.....tomorrow World Domination will be announced.....but keep it to yourself for now. we don't want to spoil the surprise!

Anyway, you're wrong if you think Westerners donate and try to help people to make up for mistakes. We do it because we are nice, compassionate people and no other reason. Our governments have certainly done some bad things, no defending that. Crawl on back to the middle ages if you want. Enjoy your infant mortality rate of over 50%. Enjoy your complete lack of personal freedom (oh wait, you still have that! Congrats!). Most of all, enjoy your stunning ignorance and intolerance. Just don't think I will.

daygloinc...ever heard of sarcasm? just wondering...

The West will always be ahead. Why? Because it is not hindered by religion and outdated traditions.

Yes. That is entirely the West's point. That's why, with all of their trillions of dollars and far superior military equipment they have already successfully taken over every single country in the world to form one big WEST...oh wait...you're saying they haven't done that yet? Even though if they wanted to they could have decades ago?

Funny that. Perhaps they aren't really bent on world domination after all.

why is it that "no matter what happens it is the fault of the west"??? Great logic. As I said, stop blaming others for all your problems.

Nokia is yesteday... only 3 future phones will exist

1) Android Phones - Samsung

2) RIM Phones - Beries

3) IPhones...

And one day they will take your Nokia away. Be careful, nokia 1888! Why the hell did you buy that western shyte?

i know west produce/do many things for rest of the world. but their main target is to kill others by different ways...all of us know about these ways,,right??

they come to some country to destroy the country and take every valuable things from those country. ofcourse they have to give something before they take, and they give technology, help but finally they take everything

Lol...nomerci

Colt ... are you talking about recent marine exhibition ... with lots of fishes... ;)

ah, I don't know Jack....with all the staring going on around here, there must be something to look at...best to be on guard!!!

Lol... then Qatar is almost Tsunami Proof.. only Fuwarit Beach is "exposed" to Tsunami...lol

yup colt...all the whales were in such a rush to get to the location of those hussies...the wave they caused was gigantic!!!!

All good things must be appreciated... irrespective of its Geographic location.

omg those bikini clad western women created such a ruckus among the marine world, that it caused the tsunami :-P

Colt, let us not dismiss those lose women with short skirts!!!!

those western built aeroplanes and space rockets caused the earthquake in Japan :-P

Daygloinc, no, no, no...that can't be appreciated! This is the least they can do to make up for all the evil they cause!!! Besides, what ever bad happens, it is the fault of the West anyway...so they better fix it!

And, by the way, atrocities have been (and are being) committed against native peoples throughout history and all over the planet, even here and now in the middle east. The only difference is that we in the west admit responsibility and try to change.

All I know is, in times of disaster, who is the usually the first to respond and with the most money/help? The West. Whether it's an earthquake in Pakistan or a Tsunami in Japan, the US, Britain, France, etc. are always there. And, of course, they usually get repaid with hatred and violence. It's time to stop blaming others for your own problems.

why it's HE why not SHE ? ...

:)-

HE could easily interfere, tinker. Guess HE doesn't care.

to Ind V Aus

your kindness is appreciated

Hate is a quality of "religious" people, Nic.

this "unitedmuslims" is the type of person that makes 75% of the world suspect and stay away from Islam...

their ability to hate is scary!

Kotha you mean Colt

the East could never have come up with Playboy and Penthouse ;-))

i get from that phrase meaning we should let go of old school thoughts.i stand to be corrected.

do you know why there were museums built? just so people could see what their ancestors have done for them of good or bad.The hardships and sacrifices experienced by their ancestors.

Don't you think if "old laurels" were not worthy of living by then why make monuments to remind us of them?

I always go back to my grass roots ( not weed).I use the past as a guide for my present and use the present as a farm for my future.

nomerci, lol, agree....:)

You didn't answer my question?

Keep it up!

But remember to cool down as It is weekend from today

United, noted and would refer last 2 paras of thread. yes they are not saint, but they are not all BAD, and the fact is when East was sleeping under heavy dose of Opium, James Watt was working in his kitchen on "steam pressure".

East DID a lot to human development in early ages of civilizations but can we afford living on 'old laurels' only???

My comment on common cold mortality was and is directed to the past and the present.Common cold still kills, but, and the but is if you have an underlying concomitant other medical condition/s (immunodeficiency/imunocompromised people included) or you get a super infection.

That is why i asked you to read into rhino viruses etc etc.Penicillin is an antibiotic causing demise of bacteria, common cold is viral in origin and need s antivirals or vaccines.

Knowledge is power

There are six locations around the world where women are not allowed to vote. In two of these nations, no one is allowed to vote, because the country does not currently have an electoral system.

In Saudi Arabia and Vatican City, women are not allowed to vote by law. The only elections held in Vatican City are papal conclaves, which traditionally include a body of all-male Cardinals. If the Catholic Church ever allows women to be Cardinals, presumably they will participate in these conclaves as well, creating the possibility of a female Pope. Elections were held in Saudi Arabia in 2005 for the first time in 60 years, but women were not included in the proceedings.

Apart from what Tinker mentioned there is more....the West Invented the Jello beans and all the good Candies and Altoids including the tangerine sours.

If you want to learn a language on your own the easiest words to learn are the cusses and insults and the rest follows.what i mean to say is that i just named a few cons and i become on the offensive side.But its okay, i do not mind that.I will direct your attention to my comment where i said, "science and development are not a the sole proprietorship of a single race, nation or part of the world". Which if thought about means for science to develop and reach to us in a refined state a lot of hard work has been put into it by Easterners ans Westerners.My apologies again it was in my perception that you got that point.Yes the west have achieved a lot, and they do deserve a hand of applause.one small example is Radioactivity.Madam Curie and Pierre curie gave their life for it.

You do realize we were talking about the past and not the modern day right United? Or did you miss the part where I said "300 years ago."

I appreciate contributions to the world from both the West and the East. It's not a fair or an accurate reflection to compare and contrast as to what parts of the world have contributed what in comparison to each other when only discussing a snapshot of one or two centuries. Right now though, an impossibilty it may seem, peace is what is most needed in the world and i'm sure you will all agree. Just my two pennies worth.

United, appreciate your moderate point of view on debate.

just one question-

You did not find anything good done by west?

You never used their advanced medical services?

…………………and so many things to list in our everyday life, really never?????

I'll take your word for it.Please do read into rhino viruses and its 30% cause of common colds, the adeno virus AD14, enterovirus and a few more.Common colds caused by viruses are self limiting (meaning they stop to progress after usually the 5th day or 7th day).I have a cold since 5 days but i am still alive.

Cheeers you win, common cold kills.

Nokia, the West supplies most of the world with food:

http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-top-ten/world-top-ten-agricultural-exporters-map.html

Painther, how could you start such a dishonourable thread! This is treason! If you are not Western, (yes, you CAN have a Western passport though), you HAVE to hate and despise the West! They are evil through and through...always have been and always will be. Silly boy!

You can profit from all they have achieved though.

west -the rubbish place of the world, with tons of rubbish people.

they build everything for them and destroy others.

they eat from others by taking others food.

they make money by others and enjoy.

the time is not so far for west to vanish!!!10-15years maximum!

Jaymon, lol.....u sound familiar :)-

I have many grudges with west incl my Kohinoor but I'd appreciate them for the Good they did.

OK.

Unitedmuslim did you know women were only given the vote in most Middle Eastern countries in the last 2 decades and still aren't allowed to vote in Saudi Arabia.

kareem what you think is not necessarily right, always.

I keep my right intact not to comment on your query, respect it, if you believe in it!

unitedmuslims the common cold did kill people, MANY people. It wasn't until the discovery of penicillin and modern beliefs in cleanliness that it stopped killing people.

Did you know that women were not allowed to vote in the west (Canada to be specific) till 1917?

You might or might not know me.Prejudice mind set is not what i stand for.I do stand up for a nice debate free from name calling and insults.You give your ideas and i mine.Whatchamacallit in the west, ah yes freedom of speech and expression.

If my proper comments had offended you in anyway then i do apologize b'coz my point was to start a debatable topic.

Kareem/United/Jaymon, do i know you gentlemen with prev IDs? :)-

these IDs are just days/week old?...obviously you guyz are not trolls which i do not feed.

as far questions asked to me, i suggest read the post carefully, in full, my point of view is clear/simple but if someone has skewed prejudice mindset, i can't comment, i can't help.

:)

You should be sorry for taking my comment out of context and saying "live with my camels".If you think common colds kill then you are as lost as the people who said malaria is caused by dirty air (mala- dirty, aria- air). or the ones who said Scorpions are born out of dung.You referred to my camels as something of a joke, you should be glad i didn't ask you to marry a member of the sus family.

o almost all modern-day governing system has its root in west- medical/post/army/communication…..and so on

If you like to talk about contributions in science and development then science and development was not the sole proprietorship of one nation, race of part of the world.Different people, from different races, nations and parts of the world rendered their services to development and science.One small example is an Igloo (just one single thing to mention)

I'm sorry unitedmuslim I prefer living in a world where the common cold won't kill me and it isn't common practice to marry camels.

what do you say to that offer.

I'm amazed, no, appalled really!!!

How ( & Why) faith has come in between here, I thought we’ll discuss our contributions to development??

will some people, here onwards,

-start walking instead using 'bloodstained' westernised car?

-travelling not by planes but by dhow)

-stop using their BB/iphones?

-no e-mails (including QLing)?

Cause they didn't die from all those things 300 years ago?

Not to mention that thanks to modern medicine and advancements in technology the population has boomed from several hundred million people to 6 billion and the average age of life expectancy in most countries is in the 70's and 80's rather than in the 30's and 40's.

But hey, if you like the past so much, there's nothing stopping you from giving it all up and going to live in the desert with your camel.

Now the better, people die of heart ailments,famine, diabetes, infectious diseases, drugs, STDs, violence and of course war atrocities.

Thank you west for the fake 9/11 story and for invading into muslim countries for your selfish interests.

Thank you.You are the best the only "WEST"

Ya damn all those people dying from car, plane and train crashes. It was much better when the average life expectancy was 35 and millions were dropping dead from the Bubonic plague. Ahhhhh the good old days.

Atrocities of the Spanish Conquistadors in the West Indies

c. 1513.

This account is from Bartolome de Las Casas. He was a missionary and conquistador.

"The Spaniards with their horses, their spears and lances, began to commit murders and other strange cruelties. They entered into towns and villages, sparing neither children nor old men and women. They ripped their bellies and cut them to pieces as if they had been slaughtering lambs in a field. They made bets with each other over who could thrust a sword into the middle of a man or who could cut off his head with one stroke. They took little ones by their heels and crushed their heads against the cliffs. Others they threw into the rivers laughing and mocking them as they tumbled into the water. They put everyone they met to the edge of the sword.

One time I saw four or five important native nobles roasted and broiled upon makeshift grills. The cried out pitifully. This thing troubled our Captain that he could not sleep. He commanded that they be strangled. The Sergeant (I know him and his friends from Seville) would not strangle them but put bullets into their mouths instead. ...........

(http://middle.usm.k12.wi.us/faculty/markwald/handoutAtrocities.htm)

Thank you West for Israhell.

West thank you for the crusades.

An example of what happened in the crusades, "the most controversial aspect of Raymond's (Raymond d'Aguiliers, Templar Knight with the first Crusades) work is his account of the crusaders capture of Jerusalem in 1099. Although Raymond wrote that the slaughter in Solomon's Temple was so intense that crusaders rode in blood up to their knees and bridal reins, his claim almost certainly reflects more Raymond’s familiarity with scripture than any reality during the siege of Jerusalem. The biblical verse found in Revelation 14:20 uses identical language and would have been known to Raymond who was a clergyman (he served as chaplain to Count Raymond IV of Toulouse)

Thank you West

Before the life was peaceful by inventing all they have made the life a miserable one. You can see lots of people dying for no reasons through the modern invention of car train plane. nuclear power and modern techniques of machinery used in war for bombarding the poor nation. In the end the invention of West will lead to the earth distruction and it will Perish (which is said as Akhirat in Islam)

your knowlege to need update.

1st.world war who start and from where start ?

2nd. world war who start and from where start ?

many many thers things,study the histery.

would appreciate anybody who does good (subjective) to the universe (mankind included) :)

Awarded the bag of diamonds for making the KING OF WEST happy. lol