Multicultural manners: essential rules of etiquette for the 21st century

1.The new rules of communication -- Body language -- Heads up, down, or sideways? -- High five -- Giving change -- Physical contact -- Sign of the cross -- Hands off the head -- Greetings -- Signs of affection -- Thumbs-up -- Crooked finger -- Smiling -- Eye contact -- Lining up -- One at a time -- Smell -- Child-rearing practices -- Lazy new mom -- Sharing the bed -- Breast milk -- Independence -- Chaperone -- Coining -- Classroom behavior -- Testing -- Enrichment activities -- Special education -- Fear of authority -- Student participation -- "Stupid!" -- Left-handed -- Corporal punishment -- Cheating -- Respect for teachers -- Teacher knows best -- Absenteeism -- Clothing and jewelry -- Hats off, not! -- Camouflage -- Six-pointed stars -- Swastika -- Shoes -- Boutique boo-boos -- Unsoulful soles -- Donkey beads -- Glass-bead necklaces -- Modesty -- Kirpan -- Dress for respect -- Colors -- Green hats -- Red ink as death sign -- Light blue -- White bonnets -- Wedding guests wearing white -- Black at a Chinese wedding -- Yellow tags -- Foodways -- Cracked eggs -- Refusing food -- Changing food habits -- Offering food -- Milk intolerance -- Potluck -- What makes a meal? -- Food taboos -- Utensils -- Making eating noises -- Cleaning your plate -- Boxes of food -- Food and politics -- Fast-food bags -- Food as medicine -- Hot/cold -- Gifts -- Yellow flowers -- White flowers -- Funeral flowers -- Bribery -- Gift taboos -- White envelopes -- Refusing a gift -- Birthday cake -- Health practices -- AIDS -- Misunderstanding the doctor's orders -- Heart transplants and licorice -- Hospital accommodations -- Ignoring the baby -- Alternative healers -- Sacrificing a rooster -- Physical examinations -- Birth attendants -- Prayer position -- Birth control -- No heroic measures? -- Holidays -- Ramadan -- Thanksgiving -- Halloween -- Jumping over fires -- New Year's offerings -- First foot -- Sweeping away the luck -- Luck and supernatural forces -- Gris-gris -- Ashes -- Permanent wave -- Hot rocks -- The voodoo squad -- Eclipse -- Feng shui -- Moving and the almanac -- Numbers -- Numbers in photos -- Odd or even? -- Black magic -- Red envelopes -- Baby furniture delivery -- Evil eye -- Rocks -- Male/female relations and gender issues -- Gender expectations -- Lesbian bridesmaid -- AIDS education -- Spousal abuse -- Romantic implications -- Hospital roommates -- Chastity -- Inequality -- Child custody -- Home alone together -- Miscellany -- Traffic violations -- Points of view -- The Qur'an (Koran) -- Generosity -- Temples -- Japanese business cards -- Temporary nuns -- Business practices -- Sealing a deal -- Welcoming home ceremonies -- Birthday dates -- Friendship -- Hospitality -- Political differences -- Shoveling dirt on the coffin -- Menstruation -- Prejudice -- Post-September 11 -- Race manners -- Green card -- Mosque phobia -- Bridge builders of Anchorage -- Math skills -- False assumptions -- Time -- Urgency -- Being on time -- Dropping in -- Taboo times -- Verbal expressions -- Complimenting a baby -- Beating around the bush -- "Hello!" -- Giving praise -- Too friendly -- Accent -- Forms of address -- Naming traditions -- Idioms -- "No molesta" -- Complements about appearance -- Yes or no? -- Can't say no -- Bargaining -- Believing what they say --

2. Clearing cultural confusions

A quick reference guide

Map

Africans

Algerians

Egyptians

Eritreans

Ethiopians

Ghanaians

Kenyans

Liberians

Libyans

Malians

Moroccans

Nigerians

Rwandans

Somalis

Sudanese

Tunisians

Ugandans

Asians

Bhutanese

Chinese

Japanese

Koreans, North

Koreans, South

Taiwanese

South Asians

Afghans

Bangladeshis

Indians

Myanmar/Burmese

Nepalese

Pakistanis

Sri Lankans

Southeast Asians

Cambodians

East Timorese

Filipinos

Indonesians

Lao

Malaysians

Singaporeans

Thai

Vietnamese

The Balkans

Albanians

Bosnians and Herzegovinans

Croats

Macedonians

Serbians and Montenegrans

Slovenians/ Slovenes

Independent members of the former USSR

Armenians

Azerbaijanis

Belarusians

Estonians

Georgians

Kazakhs

Kyrgyz

Latvians

Lithuanians

Moldovans

Russians

Tajiks

Turkmens

Ukrainians

Uzbeks

Middle Easterners

Iranians

Iraqis

Israelis

Jordanians

Kuwaitis

Lebanese

Saudis

Syrians

Turks

United Arab Emirates

Yemenis.