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Table of Contents

1. Editor's Musings
2. Article: Using Non-Verbal Languages Could Lead To A Tragedy By Nucha Aquino
3. Recommended
4. Internet Sites Reviewed
5. Freebies and Other Good Deals
6. Joke of the Week

1. Editor's Musings

It's mid January, and I'm just catching my breath from an extra-busy couple of weeks when I rushed to meet three client deadlines that all fell within a couple days of one another. I took a week off work during the Holiday season, but I paid a price for that luxury in early January. That's the bittersweet complaint of the self-employed. We're either complaining that there is too much work or complaining that there is not enough.

If anyone has discovered the secret of being a one-person business and managing to fit in vacations without driving yourself mad before and after, I'd love to hear about it.

2. Using Non-Verbal Languages Could Lead To A Tragedy By Nucha Aquino

A TV sitcom depicts a boy caught using the girl's restroom in a restaurant. When asked whether he saw the sign on the door, he replied, "I thought it was a man with his shirt tucked out!"

This is funny … and not impossible.

When in Dubai Airport in 1995, I saw a robed man enter the lady's room as well. The two mistaken door signs are similar… a pinhead character with a triangular shaped torso with two legs under it. It resembles a girl to most of us, but obviously not to the little boy in the sitcom and not to the robed man I saw in Dubai Airport.

I suppose that in the man's culture, a girl normally wears longer dress, and in the boy's lifetime experience, a woman has hair on her head.

Spoken or not, verbal or not, signed or not… cultures play big roles in all forms of language. It's a mistake to believe that verbal communication is the same world over.

I am Thai, and in our culture we smile whether we were happy or not. But when I was in a business meeting with European colleagues, my smile annoyed them… as if I was not taking the matters seriously. My Polish friend always asked, "What are you laughing at?" To which I inevitably answered, "I am not laughing. I am just smiling."

Eventually, she stopped asking, possibly believing something was wrong with me. Perhaps in her culture, people do not smile without reason. My situation in Germany was worse. Men thought I was flirting with them -- but I was just having a smiling face.

In the Philippines, people say I look calm with wisdom hidden within. My wisdom must be hiding too deeply as my American friends thought I was a "dingbat" (a friendly one). My Chinese friends have a similar opinion. They compare me to the smiley big faced character who dances with a paper fan in front of the lion on Chinese New Year.

In India, if someone asks you for a loan, nodding means "no". When I was in Greece, I tried to summon a server by waving my hand but the guy waved back with a big smile and said," Hi". (That's why I love Greece ;-)).

In the Philippines if you want to call attention to someone or ask a bus to stop, you could say "Psssssttttt", which is offensive in many other cultures. In Japan, my father once asked for the restaurant bill by pointing down to the table and making a circle with his index finger… He got another round of the same meals for all his guests. He tried again, saying "Bill". He got a glass of beer this time.

How about numbers? Does extending six fingers always stand for "six"? In China the way to say "six" is to put out a fist with your thumb and little finger stretched out. Basketball fans know that a fist and an index finger represents "eleven" - but others could be confused. I would say it's "ten" as a finger and a fist looks like the Hindu-Arabic number one and zero to me.

How about sign languages? Not a chance. A hearing- impaired friend once told me that sign languages in various countries are not alike, since different cultures see and sign things differently.

Even the insulting signs are a headache. You might think that giving someone a "finger" is a universal insult. It is NOT. In Thailand, we usually show you our foot (or point to our heel). In the Mediterranean (sorry, forgotten where exactly), you will be given a fist with the thumb between the index and middle fingers. In Japan, the little finger could be an insult. And, when you are in Asia, watch where you are walking - in some locations, stepping on someone else's shadow could pick a fight.

Now the safe way is do not… I repeat DO NOT… use non-verbal communication when you are unfamiliar with the culture. I do not want to scare you but a foreigner was beaten badly in Thailand for deliberately crushing a Thai bank note with his feet in a money changing dispute.

The wise thing to do when visiting another country or meeting people from another culture is to find as much information as you can … Read the "Dos and Don'ts" manual for your own safety.

And, most importantly, apologize if you have done wrong. You should be forgiven for not knowing. But, deliberately disregarding another culture's ways is not "cool".

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Nucha Aquino is a full time mom from Thailand. Her "Small World Ezine" introduces people to different cultures and places all over the world. Her "Global eBiz Tips Ezine" shares tips on how to market the world from the Internet. And her "eCommerce from the Third World Ezine" is about to go out soon. Subscribe to one or all of them at global-ebiz-tips.com
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3. Recommended Product: *** Quill Mouse ***

Carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive strain disorder are worrisome if you spend a lot of time mousing in front of a computer. We now know that it isn't the keyboard that's likely to cause the most damage, but instead, it's that little oval shaped gray thing that sits to your right (if you're right handed). There is plenty of so-called "ergonomic" equipment out there, but unfortunately, a lot of it isn't worth bringing home.

The Quill Mouse is an exception. It's a good solution for those who are already having problems. It's also a good preventative measure for those who haven't yet reached that point. Quill Mouse is also good for those with arthritis or hand tremors.

It's not inexpensive. Neither is having to stop working because of a wrist injury.

I suggest you check out the sight. Even if you don't' want Quill Mouse, you'll learn something from the articles on ergonomics.

I have no affiliation with Quill Mouse. I just think it's a product you should know about. www.quillmouse.com

Internet Sites -- reviewed by June Campbell

*** GSI User LBS Zone
Keep current with news about the developing GSI field

*** Winter Games for Kids
A site for the little people in your life.

*** SMTP S~pam Checker
Use this script to see if a computer allows email relaying.

*** Ryze Network
A free online business network with 20,000 members.

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6. Joke: A Fine Romance

Two brooms decided to get married. One was the bride broom. The other was the groom broom.

At the wedding dinner, the bride-broom leaned over and said to the groom-broom "I think I am going to have a little whisk broom."

"Impossible," said the groom broom. "We haven't even swept together."

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