Culture and society: customs around the world

Have you ever considered that what may be commonplace and normal to you and to me may be strange or peculiar to others? Why is that so? Not all changes can be attributed to tradition or custom. And what causes these differences in the first place? How did some of them become ‘traditional’?

Let us take common ablutions as an example. Australians, like the Americans, prefer a shower every day. The English on the other hand prefer a bath. Why? Has it something to do with the different climates? As in America, a daily shower in Australia must be piping hot or the user feels unclean.

In Indonesia the traditional bath is called a ‘mandi’. A mandi is a trough about three feet or one metre square and is approximately the same measurement deep. No, the Indonesian does not get in the trough - he/she stands beside the trough and uses what is called in Australia a ‘dipper’. A dipper is a tin not unlike a large preserved fruit tin with a handle on one side. The user takes a dipper full of COLD water and pours it over himself. He then soaps up and continues to wash using the dipper to douse himself with water. Cold water, even in the hottest tropical day, is always extremely cold when left to stand for some time and, as a result, most mandis are very quick and lively affairs.

Take the ordinary toilet bowl. Ordinary? No, not by any means. The Australian toilet bowl has the water some nine to ten inches down from the top of the bowl. The American toilet bowl has the water no more than three to four inches from the top of the bowl. Very disconcerting for somebody accustomed to the Australian version. How did the Australian toilet bowls come to be designed differently to the American bowl? Could it be that Australia is a nation with a desperate and constant shortage of water - the dry continent? If that is so, it is an illusion and only a perception of saving water for the American cistern holds the same amount of water as its Australian counterpart. The difference is in the design of the outlet bend. In America it is higher than the Australian.

In Papua New Guinea and other Asian countries the ‘bowl’ is an elongated, porcelain hole set flush with the floor with two foot holds – one on either side. The user squats to use the facility. They do not have a cistern of water and the user is obliged to use a utensil similar to the Australian dipper to flush the unit. Those toilets, for Europeans, are extremely uncomfortable. Yet they do have their advantages. Most Asians have no trouble with their knees and even in old age have no difficulty squatting. Maybe the daily exercise keeps the knees agile? They have the added advantage in that the only part of the anatomy which touches the bowl are the feet thus avoiding unhealthy bodily contact with others.

Why is electricity so different throughout the world? In Australia and most countries which were former British colonies the system is the 240 volt power system. In the United States the power supply is 110 volts. In some Asian countries you have a choice of either, and even 32 volt systems, making the purchase of electrical goods somewhat hazardous. The 240 volt systems are extremely dangerous making house and industrial wiring a specialist’s job reserved for certified operators

In Australia the light switch is turned down to switch on the light or utility. In the United States the switch is turned up. The latter makes sense. If the switch becomes worn then, when it fails, the power is turned off. In Australia the power would be turned on when a switch fails.

In Indonesia it is considered extremely rude to point with the forefinger. It is especially rude if the pointing is towards a person. When pointing the Indonesian uses his thumb.

It is a common sight in Indonesian to see people with a very long fingernail on one or the other finger of the left hand. The purpose of this is related to the fact that public toilets are extremely rare and often non-existent making it necessary to use whatever facility is available. As a consequence toilet paper is equally rare – thus the long fingernail.

An Indonesian will never hand you an object with his left hand. For obvious reasons the left hand is considered unclean. An Indonesian passes an object to another person using the right hand palm up with the left hand always supporting the right hand at the wrist. This has a twofold traditional meaning. One is for the reason stated above but it harks back to the times when two enemies met. With the left hand supporting the right wrist it is clear there is no concealed weapon.

In Thailand it is a grave insult to walk into a person’s house with shoes on. Shoes are discarded at the front door. Not a silly idea really for one leaves all the litter of the streets outside where it belongs.

Also in Thailand it is considered rude to cross your legs in company and to point your toes at another person. The feet, as the lowest part of the body, are given the lowest esteem and pointing a toe is demeaning to the person at whom the foot is pointed.

Equally, the head is the most important part of the body and should never be touched by another. Children in most Western countries are familiar with being patted on the head and consider it a compliment. In Thailand it is an insult of the highest order.

In Thailand and some other Asian countries, when two people meet it is the practice to hold the two hands together in a prayer position. It is called a whai (pro: why) in Thailand and takes the place of the Western handshake. Once again this is a much more hygienic greeting as there is no body contact. How high the hands are raised is an indication of the importance of the person to whom the whai is made. The most common whai between two equals is with the tip of the fingers at nose level. When a person of a lower status meets a person of a higher status the former raises the hands to forehead height and the latter to chest height. A whai is a very convenient way of acknowledging a friend in a crowded room where personal contact is difficult. It seems so much more dignified and sincere to greet with a whai rather than a wave.

The Royal family of Thailand is held in extreme awe by the Thais and nothing disrespectful is ever heard about them. The film ‘The King and I’ has never been shown in Thailand because it is considered disrespectful to the tradition of the Royal Family. Any person of other than Royal blood must crawl along the floor when in the presence of Royalty. Another person’s head must never be higher than the King’s or any other member of the family.

A distinctive and personal language is spoken by the Royal family at official functions and only members of the Royal Household and privileged attendants are permitted to use the language. The language dates back into antiquity.

In Burma, a Buddhist country where temples are common, there is one which is most amusing. It is the custom for men, when attending services at the temples, to sit in the front of the congregation. The women sit at the rear. At one temple where a golden statue of Buddha dominates the building the men, when they look up into the face of the Buddha see a benign look on the face. As one moves back towards the back of the temple the statue’s look gradually changes from the benign and compassionate to a leer with intense sexual connotations. A tribute to the extraordinary skills to the sculptors of that long gone eras and an equal tribute to the memory of Buddha.

It is those customs which some consider ‘odd’ that make travel worthwhile.

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Oppression as a cause for working class poverty

The working class in America is a mixture of industrial and service workers who work for a wage. Although most people in America would assign themselves the economic class of 'middle class,' for purposes of this discussion, the working class will be defined as all workers who do not own capital and who work for a wage. Auto workers, secretaries, custodians, retail workers, and even middle management fall into this category. This group, as defined, consists of people with very different economic means: from low-wage earners living paycheck to paycheck, to salaried middle executives of business firms. Although superficially there may appear to be no connection between low-wage earners and middle management, they can both be viewed in terms of poverty and oppression. While poverty has historically been the perennial plague of low-wage workers, middle executives and management have become vulnerable in recent years to the oppression of a capitalistic economy.

Poverty as oppression in America is a direct result of the economic mandates and tendencies of capitalism. A capitalistic economy is inherently impersonal and concerned exclusively with profit. In the ubiquitous drive for profit, oppression becomes the relationship between workers and employers as employers try to maximize profits by minimizing wages. Thus the primary cause for poverty amidst the working class is oppression. Not only does capitalism require a marginal labor force of the unemployed to depress wages, but recently it has shown its need to eliminate employees and produce internationally to reduce costs. Thus the working class finds itself in periodic poverty due to oppression for three main reasons: unemployment, layoffs, and subcontracting.

Competitive capitalism demands a definite level of unemployment to reduce wages. A base level of unemployed workers increases the demand for lower level jobs. This lowers the acceptable wages as workers are forced to choose: either no work or whatever work they are offered, regardless of how low the wages are. The irony is very interesting. Capitalism as an economic force took away the worker's pre-industrial ownership of the means of production. The advent of industrial capitalism ended the system of craftsmanship and divorced the worker from the means of production. This left workers with only one asset to sell - their labor power.

Now that workers are forced to sell their ability to do work, capitalism has managed to devalue that capacity by producing an artificial excess of workers and an artificial shortage of work. This assertion is true, not simply leftist dogma. There is plenty of work to be done in American society, but not all of that work is profitable. And when too many people are employed and wages rise as a result, capitalistic enterprises become less profitable. At a certain point all profit would be lost to wages. Long before this point is reached, however, an employer must 'unemploy' some of its workers in order to remain profitable. Thus capitalism has the mechanism which creates unemployment built into its very fundamental principles. Full employment cannot be attained in a competitive capitalistic economy, and workers are thus oppressed into poverty by the economic system itself.

Layoffs are another form of capitalistic oppression. Traditionally, layoffs have been a way in which businesses have coped with an economic depression. The typical layoffs were largely industrial and blue-collar workers. According to a New York Times poll, a third of all American households have experienced a layoff in the last 15 years. Department of Labor figures show that only about 35 percent of those laid-off full-time workers end up in a equally paid or better-paying job.

From 1981 to 1983, the median pay for a worker who lost a full-time job and later was rehired fell $62 per week in 1994 dollars. From 1991 to 1993, the median pay drop had grown to $85 per week. Decent paying jobs in America have been replaced by jobs with lower wages, fewer benefits, and more hours. Many full-time jobs are being permanently lost as businesses increase their proportion of part-time workers. This replacement of full-time with part-time jobs creates a permanent tendency toward lower paying jobs without benefits.

While layoffs have been a part of every recession, now they are occurring in larger numbers during an economic recovery. Lately this trend has gained media attention as it has broadened from a low-wage-earner phenomenon to a trend which affects middle management and white-collar workers as well. In a reversal from the early 1980's, white-collar workers with some college education make up the majority of layoffs. This is because layoffs are not simply a compensation for an economic depression. Layoffs are a tool of oppression of the capitalistic system, which, in its drive for ever increasing profits must drive more and more workers, both blue and white-collar, closer and closer to poverty. The education and skills of these workers has in no way changed. There is no economic depression or negative market forces. The only justification for the current trend of increasing lay-offs is the oppression of workers to increase profit.

American workers are also oppressed into poverty by the international subcontracting of capitalism. Although America has too much poverty, it in no way compares to the poverty of the third world. Work in the third world is often so difficult to find that businesses find it profitable to shut down American plants and reopen them in third world countries or to subcontract partial or complete products from foreign countries. By oppressing people in third world countries more than workers in America can be oppressed, businesses again increase their profitability. In addition to oppressing the inhabitants of the third world however, this tendency also oppresses American workers. Area poverty is often a result of the flight of U.S. capital overseas.

The tendency to shut down industries and reopen them in third world countries is epitomized by Nike, the shoe and sports accessories manufacturer. They went from an American based company paying an average $10 per hour to a Korean company paying mere dollars per day to an Indonesian company which two years ago paid its workers a mere $0.26 per day, several cents below the subsistence wage. China has received massive amounts of outsourcing form American companies. Cheap Chinese labor and the forced prison camps, the laogai, enable China to produce pliers which cost on the order of $0.99 while an American company, such as Stanley, must charge up to $3.99 simply to compensate for the higher wages of American workers. This outsourcing and capital flight hurts American workers by taking away jobs and forcing American companies into competition with extremely low cost third world companies. Again, poverty is the result of institutionalized capitalistic oppression.

Poverty of the working class is very accurately described by oppression. All of the aspects of the capitalist economy which drive the working class into poverty or near poverty are simply efforts to increase profit at the expense of workers. Regardless of the state of the economy, of the skills or education of the workers, or of the type of job performed, capitalism consistently oppresses workers to increase profit. This oppression through unemployment, lay-offs, and subcontracting is a direct cause of poverty for working folks.

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Career information: how to become a landscape architect

If you have a love of horticulture and the desire to create spaces that will forever enhance the relationship between built and natural environments, then Landscape Architecture might just be for you. Landscape architecture is a combination of art and science and a profession that helps manage the land. It is a profession that is more than knowing the common and botanical names of plants. Landscape architecture is designing with sensitivity toward the character of the land and the environment and the ability to analyze problems in terms of design and physical form.

Landscape architecture requires formal education and most states require landscape architects to be registered in that particular state. Once you've decided that landscape architecture is for you, your first stop should be at the guidance office of your high school or the college catalog section of your local library. Find colleges that have accredited programs in landscape architecture and decide what school you would like to attend. Most landscape programs are 4 years, but some are 5, and award an undergraduate degree upon completion. If you plan to pursue state registration after college, check with your local board of registration for landscape architects for the requirements for taking the registration exam. In addition to a formal degree, some if not most states require a certain amount of work experience to qualify to take the exam.

Once you have been accepted to the school of your choice, it is time to begin gaining practical work experience. If you are in high school and looking for a job for the summer and during vacations perhaps working with a landscaping contractor is possible. You will gain very valuable hands on experience that will enhance your education and add to your “in the field” work experience. Another possibility is to apply to work in the office of a landscape architect. The local Yellow Pages are a good place to find companies in your area. Check with your state association of Landscape Architects for companies that hire part time summer help. Even if you are the office helper, just being in the office will expose you to the everyday workings of a landscape architecture office and will give you a good idea of what landscape architecture is all about.

Part of your educational program may require an internship at a landscape architects office. As an intern, you typically don’t get paid but gain very valuable work experience as well as a grade for part of your class work. If you are in a “work/study” program, typically you will attend school for several semesters than work for a semester at a landscape architects office or a landscaping contractor approved by the school. A great number of landscaping companies, either a design office or contractor will hire students for paid summer employment.

Once you have completed your undergraduate degree, you may want to shoot for a master’s degree. If you have completed an accredited landscape program, a masters degree is usually a year or two away. If you have a non design degree, a master’s degree program is usually a 3 or 4 year program. Another option is to get into the work force and work on a master’s degree part time.

Whatever you decide to do with your education, you will eventually head out to join the work force. Most colleges and universities have a placement program. Usually, companies will visit campuses in the spring and interview graduating seniors for entry level jobs. It doesn’t hurt to interview with the interested companies even if they aren’t in your part of the world. You never know what they will have to offer.

Now that you have employment and a degree, be it an undergrad or grad degree, you are well on your way to completing the qualifications for taking the state exam for registration in the field of landscape architecture. It is not mandatory to be registered, but without registration you cannot legally call yourself a landscape architect, you can only define yourself as being educated in the field of landscape architecture.

Registration tests are usually conducted in the fall and the spring. The application can be involved so it would be to your advantage to have a file with all the information necessary to document your schooling and work experience. As soon as you decide you want to be a landscape architect, set up this file. Some states require personal recommendations as part of the application process. Some of those recommendations must come from a registered landscape architect with whom you have worked. Once your application has been processed and approved, the applicant may have to go before the board of landscape registration for a personal interview before being allowed to take the exam.

Before taking the exam, you may want to consider taking a refresher, test prep type of class. Your local Landscape Society can tell you what programs are worthwhile in your area.

Once you have passed the test in your state, you may want to decide to become registered in other states. Especially if you are working on projects or wish to pursue work in other states. Check with that states registration requirements. Some states offer reciprocity, which is a mutual exchange of privileges. With reciprocity, the applicant does not have to take the exam in that state. They must provide, through an application process, the necessary documentation to prove you have the proper back ground, education and work experience, to work in that state. States that do not offer reciprocity require the applicant to take the state exam and sometimes additional class work.

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Police interview tips

Congratulations. In your hand is a Civil Service application for the local Law Enforcement test.

You will notice that some candidates seem to have a gift for testing and getting hired. Many strong candidates test and eventually become discouraged because they are not hired. There are a few secrets that will increase the odds of you receiving the phone call asking you to report for duty.

#1. Take every Law Enforcement test that you can find. It does not matter if the test is for Corrections or Patrol, the value is in gaining the experience. Some areas of the test will come very natural for you, however there will be areas that experience will benefit you.

#2. Observe Officers in the Department in which you are testing. If they wear their hair short, then it would be wise to get a hair cut. If they have highly shined shoes, then shine your shoes for your interview. If you look like a member of that Department, then it will be natural for the Civil Service Board to offer you the position.

#3. Purchase the published study guides. If you chose a study guide that has sample tests in it, you will learn which areas you need to focus your time and energy. Do not waste your study time focusing on areas in which you excel.

#4. Avoid Cussing. This sounds strange and most Police Officers do use profanity, however it is unprofessional and does not portrait you in a positive light. You would be surprised how many people are offended by profanity.

#5. Be Positive. If you talk about your last employer in a negative manner, the interview board will develop some strong concerns. Remember, the interview board is going to rely on their instincts and experience, do not give them the impression that you are trying to find another job before you get fired from your current job. The more tests you take, the more comfortable you will be during the interview stage. When you are nervous, your answers will sound forced and unnatural. When you are relaxed and confident, you will be able to focus more on the questions and your instincts than on being self conscious. Knowledge breeds confidence. You will get knowledge by expereince so get to testing!

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A guide for bartenders: when has the customer had too much?

Bartenders and other alcohol servers have a tough job. They¡¦re charged with pleasing the customer and obeying the law. Often, those two ingredients don¡¦t seem to mix. And yet, bartenders and servers who put their customers¡¦ needs first, understand that an important part of hospitality is keeping the customer safe.

Everyone who serves alcohol must be able to recognize the signs of when a customer has had too much to drink. It is illegal in every state in the United States to serve someone who is intoxicated. How can an alcohol server provide outstanding service while still obeying the law? It starts by intervening the moment the customer walks in the door. Keeping a customer from becoming intoxicated is just as important as cutting them off once they are.

Several national alcohol service training programs use the ¡§traffic light system¡¨ to help servers prevent customers from becoming intoxicated. It is an easy-to-use method of rating the intoxication level of customers.

The system starts by having servers evaluate the customer as soon as they arrive. The server starts by talking to the customers and determining whether they are more likely than others to become intoxicated. This customer contact improves the service the customer receives and allows the server to evaluate the customer on several questions:

„h Does the customer appear tired, depressed, or stressed?

„h Is the customer on a diet?

„h Is the customer taking any medication or drugs?

„h Is the customer drunk already or planning to get drunk?

It is also at the point of initial contact that the server can rate the customer using the traffic light system. If the customer is ¡§in the green,¡¨ it means the customer is sober. How does a server ¡§intervene¡¨ when a guest is sober? Some methods can include:

„h Serving a drink only to someone who wants one

„h Serving a single drink at a time to each customer

„h Encouraging food with drinks if the establishment offers food

„h Serving glasses of water with all drinks, especially those served straight-up

If a customer is ¡§in the yellow,¡¨ it means he or she is becoming intoxicated and the server should proceed with caution. Because it is easier to deal with a customer who is in the yellow versus the red, the server should pay careful attention and increase the level of intervention. At some establishments, servers may be required to tell their managers so that the manager can help prevent the guest from moving into the red.

The server should strongly encourage a customer to eat and suggest non-alcoholic or low-alcohol beverages to the customers. Some servers are tempted at this point to avoid the customer¡¦s table so that they won¡¦t be asked to bring more drinks. This is poor customer service and will often make a situation become confrontational when it doesn¡¦t need to be. However, the server should wait for the customer to reorder and should stop suggesting or encouraging the sale of any further alcohol. The server should also remove old glasses before bringing a new drink when the customer orders.

It also is important that the server help ensure the customer will safely arrive at their next destination by calling a taxi, making sure the customer calls for a ride, or identifying a designated driver in the party.

The third stage is the red stage. At this point, alcohol service must stop because the customer is intoxicated. While most servers want to prevent their customers from getting to this stage, a customer can move very quickly between stages¡Xoften quicker than the server anticipates.

How can a server identify when a customer is intoxicated? One easy method is to count drinks so that the server can keep track of how many alcoholic beverages the customer has had. However, as alcohol affects different people different ways, drink counting should never be the only method of measuring intoxication.

Some of the common general types of changes that occur in people when they drink alcohol are these:

„h Impaired judgement

„h Relaxed inhibitions

„h Slowed reaction times

„h Decreased coordination

Servers should watch for these types of behaviors, which may manifest as personality changes, a customer drinking more quickly, drowsiness, loss of balance, starting arguments or fights, glassy eyes and dilated pupils, anti-social behavior, obnoxious behavior, making irrational statements, or a difficulty handling coins or money.

Once servers have identified that a customer is definitely ¡§in the red,¡¨ then alcohol service must be stopped. This is rarely an enjoyable task for servers as it can affect their tips and cause unpleasant confrontations. However, it is a task that ultimately shows concern for the customer¡¦s well-being and the safety of others.

When stopping alcohol service, a server should ask a co-worker to witness the discussion with the customer. He or she should then move the customer away from others and calmly and firmly tell the customer that he or she will not be served any more alcohol. A server should never be judgmental and say, ¡§You¡¦re drunk¡¨ or ¡§You¡¦ve had too much to drink.¡¨ Instead, the server should express concern for the customer¡¦s safety and explain that it is the establishment¡¦s policy and the law to stop service.

The server then needs to remove all alcohol from the reach of the person who has been cut off. Servers should do everything possible to prevent an intoxicated person from driving or walking away, even if they have to call the police. When the customer gets ready to leave, the server should make sure he or she hasn¡¦t forgotten any personal belongings so that they won¡¦t have to return and increase the risk of an accident.

When done correctly, intervention can raise the level of hospitality offered to customers as well as protect the establishment and the server from lawsuits.

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