Instead of multiple wives, how about multiple husbands?

According to Britain’s ActionAid, the ratio of boys to girls in India has reached an all-time low. Gender-selective abortions has been skewing the ration of boys to girls, which is global 1:1, so much so that girls are underrepresented in the total population by as much as 10% in some Indian states. One area where gender selection is most prominent is second born. The younger child in the family is 33% more likely to be a boy than a girl!

Parents seem to take more pride in having sons to carry forward the family legacy and some parents see girls as a financial burden due to the needs for providing a dowry.

Could a shortage of girls mean that polygamy could be reversed? Think about it, without enough girls to go around, two men might have to marry the same girl!

“We’re back!” Boomers wouldn’t say it, Ys do.

Baby Boomers could not wait to get out on their own. It was seen as a symbol of success to have your own apartment far from Mom’s apron strings. Only losers stayed home according to the pop culture at the time.

Today the opposite is true. Generation Y is very comfortable remaining under their parents’ roof. In fact, women between the ages of 18 and 24 are more than one-third more likely to remain at home than were their baby boomer grandparents. This is according to a MonsterTrak Current Population Survey.

Reasons for the change in generational attitude includes the more freedom given by Gen X parents, the cost of starter homes and apartments, and the increased debt held by college students.

The next question is will “Boomers” be used for Gen Y as a derivative of “boomerang”?

Having problems getting the generations to work together, check out Managing Builders, Boomers, Xs, and Ys without losing your Zs.

Finally – Columbus finds India

Many fail to remember that North America was an obstacle to Christopher Columbus. He was actually looking for an easy route to increase Spanish commerce with and investment in India.

Now, over 500 years later, it seems like Spain and the rest of the world is setting their sights on Indian investment. According to a survey by KPMG International, as reported by Business Standard, investment strategists are bypassing longtime investment targets in the USA, UAE, Japan, and Singapore to focus on India, Russia, China, Brazil, and India. In fact, investment in India is expected to go up by 80% in the next five years!

Man loses 80 pounds eating at McDonald’s

The movie Super Size Me followed a man that ate the largest, highest fat content food available at that fast-food cultural icon McDonald’s Restaurants. The purpose behind the movie was to turn people from the chain to perceived healthier restaurants.

McDonald’s is now getting a counter argument in the form of Chris Coleson. Instead of supersizing, which is no longer available, Coleson has been feasting solely on the chain’s salads, wraps, and apple dippers.

According to an Associated Press report, Coleson has lost 80 pounds and 14 inches off his waistline.

Perhaps the personal discipline and responsibility of the Traditionalist generation will rise again.

Madrid conquers Hong Kong

East meets West as the streets of Hong Kong are filled the lively musical sounds with a Spanish beat. It seems Hong Kong has fallen in love with Paella, Rioja wine, and the flamenco. According to Reuters, Hong Kong admires the passionate lifestyle of the Spanish and its distinct tastes and sounds.

The infatuation is so strong that Spanish officials have budgeted $900 million dollars to promote their culture in Beijing. The Spanish government sees this as an opportunity to lure Chinese tourists and investors to the beaches of Barcelona and Madrid.

Understanding the Spanish culture

If you want to learn more about the Spanish culture, here is a great, innovative book.

Developed for Spanish students at the fifth-semester level or higher, this reader can be used as the main text in a civilization, culture, or reading course. A departure from traditional texts, which present Spanish civilization as a neutral recounting of historical facts, events and data, Culturas de España develops the notion that history, culture, and civilization are concepts under constant construction.

A chronological, cultural history of Spain from prehistoric times to the present day unfolds in the first eight chapters of the text, along with the introductory chapter. Each of these chapters opens with a brief overview and a comprehensive timeline that alerts students to themes and unites historical facts and cultural achievements of the time period under study.

An engaging, thematic focus in the remaining four thematic chapters explores various aspects of Spain in the 20th and 21st centuries, focusing on the shaping of national identity and including topics such as family and religion, popular culture, and the European community.

To learn more or to order this book, click here.

Urban versus rural

City dwellers and those that live on rural country-sides have always used different thought processes and living styles. Sometimes they try to cross pollinate, but seldom does it work out. Consider the bee lady of Denver. She feel in love with bees after taking classes at the Denver Botanical Gardens and built three beehives. (Learn more here).

Of course city dwellers are ascared of them thar bees.

Now the bee lady faces fines of nearly $1,000 if the bees don’t start swarming elsewhere.

Come on honey, didn’t you know you would get stung?

Award given to 13-year old Autistic Girl

Carly Fleishmann, a 13-year-old Autistic girl from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, has received the first Multicultural Achievement Award from MBC Global for 2008. MBC Global, a cultural education organization based in Rochester Hills, Michigan, USA, presented the award after viewing a story produced by Canada’s CTV.

“Leadership is not a person, it is a culture – a set of ways people act, react, work, relax, and think based on their life’s experiences”, says MBC Global President Rick Weaver. “People that have been placed in roles of leadership do not always fit the culture of leadership. Likewise people that are not in traditional leadership roles may very well display the characteristics of the culture of leaders. Carly has demonstrated strong leadership characteristics in presenting the thoughts and feelings of a culture of very special people.”

Read the full Press release by clicking here.
Read Carly’s writings by clicking here.
Learn more about Autism by clicking here.
See the other Quarterly Multicultural Achievement Award winners by clicking here.
Nominate someone for a Quarterly Multicultural Achievement Award by clicking here.

Smoking culture

Members of the Smoking Culture continue to see the places at which they can smoke dwindle. First it was airplanes, buses, and restaurants. Then bars and hotel rooms became smoke-free. In some countries and states, smoking in all public buildings is banned.

Now the Ontario Provencal government has entered new territory by banning smoking in cars if children are present (read more here). Violators are subject to a $250 fine.

What product users will be the next to see their rights go up in smoke?

The Emo Culture – from the Emo perspective

Yesterday we shared an introduction to the Emo culture. Today we are sharing a video from an Emo Kid that provides more insight about the culture. Please be warned, some may be offended by some of the language, but we have never complained to be politically correct.




Here is a musical video providing even more insight.

The Emo Culture – What every parent must know

Have you heard of the “Emo” culture. It lives within the Millennial Generation and is very easy to spot. Dark clothing, a desire to listen to suicide cult bands, and a need to practice self-harm are all warning signs.
Ask Ray and Heather Bond of the UK. Their daughter was part of this global youth culture for only two weeks before ending her life at the end of a rope in her bedroom. She was a model student, despite the recent cuts on her wrists, not the suicidal deep cuts – gentler cuts just deep enough for a small amount of bleeding.

Facebook, My Space, AIM, and other social networking vehicles also provide a clue. Hannah Bond was known as “Little Disaster” on Bebo. A picture on the page featured a mock diary page with the words “Dear Diary, Today I gave up. . .”
The fashion statement to look for is dark clothing, tight jeans, studded belts, dark black-dyed hair, and hair styles or accessories to hide their faces.

Do you have stories about the Emo culture? Please share them.

Wearing Pajamas at Starbucks

Believe it or not, wearing suits, or even business casual, may be overdressing for some coffee shops in New York City. In an article by Patrick Huguenin of the New York Daily News, I read about how pajamas is totally accepted in the Big Apple’s culture. He tells about how he donned pajamas and slippers at 3:00 in the afternoon and visited the Starbucks in Harlem.

Nobody cared!

To ensure it was not an anomaly he also visited Dunkin’ Donuts and T & J’s where people were equally accepting of his sleepwear.

Metrosexuals in Russia

Fashion conscious men are forming a growing group in Russia. In fact, they are an emerging population that has grown to the point they can be specifically marketed to.

Generation Y stays only 18 months

Members of Generation Y are currently averaging 18 months with the same employer according to Penelope Trunk. The reasons for their bi-annual job jump include:

• The job is not interesting
• Asked to do menial tasks
• Long hours, including taking work home
• Not allowed to pursue life-long learning

Although this may be the average, savvy employers are finding they can retain Gen Y for much longer periods. Surprisingly the route to longer retention is not just a matter of providing the opposite to the four main reasons they leave. After all, if they do not do the menial tasks of copying and filing, who will?

This is the first age group that has experienced the new style of education from preschool through college. They never sat in rows of desks assigned using some alphabetic system. They learned in work stations where group projects were the way of life. Retention of this age group is as simple as remembering what they learned throughout their educational days:

• Collaboration. Seek their opinions and enact some of their ideas.
• Teamwork. Rolling up your sleeves from time to time and joining them on large tasks.
• Gaps. Having a gap between high school and college was perfectly acceptable. Now gaps in employment is equally acceptable. Allow for extended leaves and you’ll get a talented worker back once they have “found themselves”.
• No power struggles. Trying to throw your weight around is a definite turn-off to this generation and they’ll leave before you even know they’re upset. Keep your cool and let them spread their wings. When you do, their wings will take your profits to new heights.

Want to learn more. How about scheduling a presentation of Managing Builders, Boomers, Xs and Ys without losing your Zs?

Japanese make best tourists

A survey by Expedia has ranked foreign travelers based on tidiness, generosity, nosiness, and fashion sense. The conclusion: Japanese tourists, because they tend to be neat and quiet, are the best in the world.

Americans are challenging tourists, ranking in 11th place. Although Americans are generous and tip well, they ranked very low in tidiness, fashion sense, and noise.

Here are the top 5 national cultures when traveling:

• Japanese
• Germans
• British
• Canadians
• Swiss

Men and women held to same topless standard

Having once lived there, the Asbury Park, NJ, Press has long been a favorite newspaper for reporting on the unusual side of the news – thing you do not typically read elsewhere. For example, they recently printed a story about a man in Easton, Pennsylvania, that was ticketed by police for not wearing a shirt in public. In 1974 the city passed a gender equality law that forbad anyone to go topless in public.

I wonder if there is a market for men’s two-piece swimsuits.

Building a legacy

Are you building your legacy? Will you be remembered after you are gone? If so, what will the memories be?

At the turn of the millennium I did some serious reflection, motivated by a quote from the famous yodeling cowboy Roy Rogers, “A hundred from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove. But the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.”

These words struck me and made deeply and now tower over me behind my desk. As my corporate career ended I decided that I wanted to be remembered as some who made a difference in the lives of others.

I truly delight when I see people connect to some life changing golden nugget in a face-to-face workshop or seminar or when they understand how to achieve their goals in a coaching session. It gives me a tremendous feeling of worth in fulfilling my role on this earth.

This last week has been particularly moving for me. It started with a presentation to a local downtown development authority. The community was challenged by as their population was transforming with at least five new emerging cultures. My friend Joe pulled on his experience working successfully in 55 countries and I contributed my knowledge of retail as we showed this group of 30 businesspeople how to connect to the new cultures in their community. I later heard comments from the mayor, city manager, and councilmen that it was the best DDA meeting they ever had. Joe and I had really opened their eyes and together we all saw a vision of success.

A second triumph was a call from a Fortune 500 company in Wilmington, Delaware. My niece had presented my book, Life’s Leadership Lessons, to them for their leadership book club. The book, which gives practical, anecdotal solutions to the 53 biggest challenges of personal and business leadership, was chosen from more than a half-dozen options as the next book they would study. What a great feeling to know that the events of my life will be inspiring others to reflect on the events of their lives in building their leaderships abilities.

The week concluded with my first open-enrollment online class hitting cyberspace. Being on the internet individuals are able to take the class at their own speed when it is most convenient for them. The class is “6 Easy Ways to Beat the Clock”, uses a variety of anecdotes illustrating six practical, proven methods of time management that have positively changed my life. They are secrets to hitting goals more consistently and with less stress – resulting in a higher feeling of personal success and self worth. It will takes a cultural view of time management without pushing people into a to-do-list mentality and will continue teaching and making an impact long after my working days.

If you have not made some positive steps toward building your own legacy let this posting serve as an encouragement to you. Start with your epitaph and work backwards to develop a plan to make it true. Trust me, life is much better when you can see what awaits after the final chapter.

End Notes

• If you are interested in taking advantage of the introductory special for "“6 Easy Ways to Beat the Clock”, which is a 67% savings, click here.
• If you want to know more about my book, "Life's Leadership Lessons", click here.

Speed bathing – Japanese style

Reduce your carbon footprint, conserve water, and build a stronger family unit the Japanese way. How do they do it? Family baths.

In Japan, families bathe in quick succession by washing outside of the tub before getting into the hot water to rinse. As soon as they are done, the next family member does the same, until all are washed. If the family acts quickly, little reheating of the water in required, thereby reducing the amount of gas or electricity to heat the water and the quantity of water required for the family’s bathing needs.

Drug trial halted by Sudoku

It transcends cultures because it is the same in any language. It is Sudoku, a cleaver little number puzzle where a cube of mini-cubes containing the numbers 1 through 9 cannot be repeated in any row, column, or mini-cube. Originated in the Japanese culture where there is a continual drive to keep the mind working and thinking, Sudoku is now extremely popular throughout the world.

Its fascination has now cost the government of Australia one-million of their dollars as a drug trial had to be halted after several jurors were found to be playing the game during the trial and deliberations. As a result, the three month drug trial will need to be restarted with a new jury.

What gave away the gamey violation was that several of the jurors were observed taking note vertically instead of horizontally!

Gandhi’s shoe

Indian statesman and spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi is noted for his humanity and selflessness. One day he was boarding a train with a number of companions and followers when his shoe suddenly fell off, cascading the train and platform.

Determining it could not be retrieved he took off the other shoe and threw it in the gap between train and platform. His companions were dumbfounded by this action.

Sensing their puzzlement Gandhi explained that whoever finds a single shoe finds nothing of value.

However the person finding a pair finds something worthwhile.

Life Lesson: Turn your misfortune into another’s blessing.

Understanding Autism

A growing culture is part of the Physical Abilities culture category. This video, “Living with My Autistic Son”, gives moving and personal insight into the living situation that shapes this culture. As you watch the video and formulate thoughts about those with autism, be sure you take the time to notice the love that connects child and parents.

Teamwork falling victim to generational conflict

Teamwork in multi-generational workplaces is suffering from a lack of understanding how to communicate inter-generationally. According to Randstad, 66% of Traditionalists and 51% of Baby Boomers have little or no interaction with Gen X or Gen Y.

The Baby Boomers categorize younger workers as having less competence and work ethic while the Gen X and Yers feel the older folks are too set in their ways and cannot think outside of the box.

Companies not responding to this lack of communication risk a brain-drain as Baby Boomers head onto the retirement roles.

Many programs are successful at bridging the gap. One such program is Managing Builders, Boomers, Xs, and Ys without losing your Zs. It helps each generation understand how their culture was formed and how other generations view them. Mentoring programs are also generally successful when the mentor presents him or herself as an equal to the protégé, not a superior.

Employers believing the brain drain will not occur need only look to the struggle to get skilled workers as an example of what happens when tomorrow’s employees are not cultivated today.

UK joins list of longer hour cultures

According to the Trade Union Congress, 3.3 million British employees are now working more than 48 hours each week. This means 180,000 people have joined the ranks of the 48+ Club in the first three months of 2008 alone.

Industry sectors most represented with long hour employees are retail, construction, motor trade, finance, and government.

As companies and organizations worldwide strain to meet increased workloads with fewer employees, productivity is increasing, obviously. However error rates and employee stress also increasing.

Being Asian in a White Country

Laugh along with this video as you learn what it is like to be an Asian in a white dominated country.

Needed: Chinese police officers

Frustration engulfs Toronto Police Inspector Peter Yuen over his inability to recruit Asian police officers. Yuen’s chief problem is a cultural barrier in a migrant world.

Several national cultures, including China, do not view police as a positive occupation. Even if a migrating family does not bring that belief with them, the larger family in the homeland will take some time to warm up to having police officers in their family. People coming to lands of opportunity, such as England, Canada, and the United States, have difficulty telling these family members they have joined the ranks of law enforcement. Think about it – they came to the land of opportunity only to have to resort to taking a job a police officer.

Toronto Police Services is trying new ideas, including a recruitment drive tied into the May observance of Asia Pacific Heritage Month.

Senior moment or shoplifting?

Traditionalist George Schwartz claims it was a senior moment but Publix Supermarkets says ist was deliberate stealing. In either case, the Dutch Apple Pie will never be eaten.

Schwartz had the pie in the rear basket on his electric scooter where it was covered by several personal items. It is the third “senior moment” Schwartz has had at the store, which did not prosecute the first two accusations.

Senior moments affect aged persons as short term memory begins to suffer.

Apology not wanted – cough up cash

When it comes to pets, there are distinct differences between dog-lovers, cat-lovers, and those that love both. There are also those that like pets, but prefer alternative animals like ferrets, fish, birds, retiles, and others. One thing is for sure, all love their pets like as much or more than other family members.

Imaging the shock when Shawn and Beth Snider went to pick up their dog at the animal shelter in Denton, Texas, to learn it had mistakenly been put to sleep that morning.

The shelter has apologized and changed procedures to prevent future problems, but the Sniders aren’t happy. They say the apology isn’t enough as “it won’t bring their dog back.” Their remedy: cash! They have requested the city pay $206,000 to them for mental anguish and lost breeding fees.

Newsflash: cash won’t bring the dog back either!

We do not want to belittle the incident, but workers at animal shelters tend to be animal lovers. They are assuredly distraught over the mistake. No one will be a winner and the lawsuit will only prolong the suffering.

Prison work = Child labor in Uganda

Breaking rocks is a mythical activity at prisons around the world. However to the children of Uganda, breaking rocks puts food on the table and a shelter overhead. In an article by Katy Pownall of the Associated Press, hundreds of people, including children, use homemade hammers as the work in a Kampala quarry.

It is a way of life in an area of the world where conflict had raged for decades. Unfortunately, they see no other opportunity except for their current lifestyle.

Biking to work – all 42 miles!

Last week we reported how cultures are being changed by the rising costs of petroleum. Now we have learned through the KERO television in Bakersfield, California, about Louie Buentiempo. He is riding his bike 42 miles each way to work.

His positive comments on biking will certainly be motivational to the biking culture and bad news for petroleum producers.

Beijing tells Olympic guests to follow local culture

Olympic organizers have published an extensive list of requirements visitors to the country’s big event in August. The list is designed to protect the Chinese culture from the many other cultures that will be participating in the world-wide athletic competition.

The Chinese are not the only ones passionate about their way of life. It serves any international traveler well to learn about a culture before taking a business or please trip.

To get the list, go to the official website. You will need a translator as the list is only available in Chinese.

House hunting after 239 years

To some house hunting is easy. With transient lifestyles predominant throughout the world, many are experienced at locating a new residence.

But to the Gyanendra family in Kathmandu, Nepal, house hunting is a new experience. You see, they have lived in the same house for 239 years – the sprawling Narayanhity Palace.

When the Nepal assembly voted to turn the government into a republic, they gave the former royal family just two weeks to move out. Just imagine the challenge!

The ousted king has a plan tough – astrologers! He hopes they can help him locate adequate housing for his family and 239 years of stuff in the palace.

Be sure to visit our Cultural Bridges to learn more about the cultures that flavor our world. You can even add to the material to help others understand your culture!

No more paper airline tickets

The Millennial Generation may never know the trauma of searching for a paper airline ticket. Starting this month only 6% of scheduled international flights will still accept paper tickets. The move was originally designed to save money, but also provides ecological benefits.

Passengers now need only to be able to identify themselves, which is a requirement for virtually all international travel, in order to board a plane for which they have a paid reservation.

According to the airline industry, the savings are $3 billion per year – which can be used to buy fuel.