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Culture Smart! provides essential information on attitudes, beliefs and behavior in different countries, ensuring that you arrive at your destination aware of basic manners, common courtesies, and sensitive issues. These concise guides tell you what to expect, how to behave, and how to establish a rapport with your hosts. This inside knowledge will enable you to steer clear of embarrassing gaffes and mistakes, feel confident in unfamiliar situations, and develop trust, friendships, and successful business relationships.

Culture Smart! offers illuminating insights into the culture and society of a particular country. It will help you to turn your visit-whether on business or for pleasure-into a memorable and enriching experience. Contents include:

* customs, values, and traditions
* historical, religious, and political background
* life at home
* leisure, social, and cultural life
* eating and drinking
* dos, don'ts, and taboos
* business practices
* communication, spoken and unspoken

"Culture Smart has come to the rescue of hapless travellers." Sunday Times Travel

"... the perfect introduction to the weird, wonderful and downright odd quirks and customs of various countries." Global Travel

"...full of fascinating-as well as common-sense-tips to help you avoid embarrassing faux pas." Observer

"...as useful as they are entertaining." Easyjet Magazine

"...offer glimpses into the psyche of a faraway world." New York Times ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Good, Helpful but mostly covers Minsk and little of the rest of country
Decent, worthwhile read about various aspects of Belarus society, and not a travel guide per se. When the book gets into things to do and see in Belarus though it generally doesn't offer much beyond what's in Minsk. I was just in Gomel for 10 days, not long enough and I didn't cover enough ground of the country to sense how accurate the authors views are, but generally I didn't find anything wrong here. Overall it was a helpfulbook.

Highly recommended
Having lived in Minsk myself for a while, I wish this guide had been available then, not only to enthuse me beforehand but to steer me in my interactions with Belarusans once I had arrived.I shall be looking for others in the series.

useful guide
concise and insightful - a clear take on the 'real' Belarus .... not a guide book in the traditional sense, but a Bible on understanding the local psyche ... Read more

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In this fascinating study of unfinished nation-building in Belarus, Grigory Ioffe draws on his two dozen research trips to the country to trace Belarus's history, geography, political situation, society, and economy. The ambivalent relationship between Russia and Belarus results in an identity crisis that is not understood by the West, which leads to Western policies toward Belarus that are based on a fallacy of geopolitical thinking. This book will lead readers to a deeper understanding of Belarus, its relationship with Russia, and its still-forming national identity. ... Read more

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Belarus is one of the least-studied European states to emerge from the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Nevertheless, Belarus constitutes an important and sensitive border region between Russia and the western part of the continent. In Postcommunist Belarus, a stellar group of contributors offers an important, coherent, and comparative perspective on this little-known country. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Countries and Their Cultures, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 3523 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Covers the broad range of popular religious culture of the United States at the close of the twentieth century. Beliefs, practices, symbols, traditions, movements, organizations, and leaders from the many traditions in the pluralistic American community are represented. Also includes cults and phenomena that drew followers, such as Heaven's Gale and UFOs. ... Read more

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Chapters: Archaeological Sites in Belarus, Brest, Belarus, Chernyakhov Culture, Zarubintsy Culture, Neman Culture, Globular Amphora Culture, Milograd Culture. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 38. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Brest, Belarus -There are several theories of the city name origin. The most common are as follows, Once a center of Jewish scholarship, the city's name in Yiddish, is ("Brisk"), hence the term "Brisker" used to describe followers of the influential Soloveitchik family of rabbis. In 1019 Brest was first mentioned in chronicles as BerestyeThe city was founded by the Slavs. As a town, Brest Berestye in Kievan Rus was first mentioned in the Russian Primary Chronicle in 1019 and is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. It became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, laid waste by the Mongols in 1241 (see: Mongol invasion of Europe), and was not rebuilt till 1275. In 1390 Brest became the first city in modern Belarus to receive Magdeburg rights. Its suburbs were burned by the Teutonic Knights in 1379; and in the end of the 15th century the whole town met a similar fate at the hands of a khan of the Crimea. It was renamed Brest-Litovsk in the 16th century, after it became part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569 (see: Union of Lublin). During the period of the union of the PolishLithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden under king Sigismund III Vasa (Polish-Swedish union), diets were held there; and in 1594 and 1596 it was the meeting-place of two remarkable councils of the Roman-Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church bishops of the region; the 1596 council establishing the Uniate Church (known also as the Belarusian Greek Catholic Church in Belarus and Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine). In 1657, and again in 1706, the town was captured by the ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=162243 ... Read more

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This is the first comprehensive study of the origins and early uses of Russian writing. Simon Franklin examines a wide range of writings, from the parchment manuscripts of the Orthodox Church, through the Novgorod birch-bark documents, to inscriptions on stone and metal. He analyzes the texts from a variety of perspectives, and presents fascinating insight into this crucial aspect of Russian history. The impressive scholarship and idiosyncratic wit of the volume commend it to specialists in Russian history and Russian literature. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Important early language study
Early Rus is a difficult area to find good English language studies.This work fills a need for better understanding of language development in the Slavic lands.The books covers a lot of language and time period ground.This cross roads has a number of languages represented and some interesting cultural aspects to consider.

One of the more interesting aspects is the small collection of images of these earliest texts.The oldest piece is actually a Hebrew text from Kiev with notations found in the Cairo Genizah collection.The most interesting are the two birch bark letters.One on a dispute over a slave and the other an official apology letter.

The section on magic in writing as also quite interesting. ... Read more

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Chapters: Pahonia, Skomorokh, Public Holidays in Belarus, Old New Year, Francysk Skaryna, Chervona Ruta, Francis Skaryna Belarusian Library and Museum, Dziady, Russian Language in Belarus, Bulba, List of Belarusian Artists, the Light of Kailasa, Multclub, Dc Mara, Khorovod, Ufo Sightings in Belarus. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 59. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The culture of Belarus is the product of a millennium of development under the impact of a number of diverse factors. These include the physical environment; the ethnographic background of Belarusians (the merger of Slavic newcomers with Baltic natives); the paganism of the early settlers and their hosts; Byzantine Christianity as a link to the Orthodox religion and its literary tradition; the country's lack of natural borders; the flow of rivers toward both the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea; and the variety of religions in the region (Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Judaism, and Islam). An early Western influence on Belarusian culture was Magdeburg Lawcharters that granted municipal self-rule and were based on the laws of German cities. These charters were granted in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries by grand dukes and kings to a number of cities, including Brest, Hrodna, Slutsk, and Minsk. The tradition of self-government not only facilitated contacts with Western Europe but also nurtured self-reliance, entrepreneurship, and a sense of civic responsibility. In 1517-19 Frantsishak Skaryna (ca. 1490-1552) translated the Bible into the vernacular (Old Belorusian). Under the communist regime, Skaryna's work was vastly undervalued, but in independent Belarus he became an inspiration for the emerging national consciousness as much for his advocacy of the Belorusian language as for his humanistic ideas. From the fourteenth to...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=2616735 ... Read more

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In September 1939 part of Eastern Poland was incorporated into the Soviet Union under the terms of a secret protocol drawn up between Molotov and Ribbentrop. A central issue in this crucial episode of East European history is the extent to which the Jews in the area collaborated in the imposition of Soviet rule, how they learned to live under a new system, and how a new culture evolved. But in the summer of 1941 the Red Army retreated from the region in the face of German invasion, and close behind the German army came the Einsatzgruppen, the mobile death units. This is an important moment in the history of the Holocaust which is subjected to detailed examination in Ben-Cion Pinchuk's book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Partial Insights into Jewish-Soviet Collaboration in USSR-Conquered Eastern Poland
This is one of the few books, written by a Jewish author, which acknowledges the fact that large numbers of Polish Jews collaborated with the Soviet authorities who had invaded eastern Poland in September-October 1939. Not mentioned, however, is the role which local Jews played in fifth-column attacks on Poles, and the disarming of Poles during the Soviet conquest of eastern Poland. (See Peczkis review of Przemilczane zbrodnie: Zydzi i Polacy na Kresach w latach 1939-1941 (Polish Edition)). Also not mentioned is the fact that large number of Poles were sent to horrible deaths in Siberia as a result of this collaboration. Despite these serious omissions, Pinchuk has provided us an important work.

Pinchuk asserts that, at first, Jews had it better under the Soviets than under the Poles. Perhaps so, but they apparently failed to consider that this advantage was only temporary and that they were willfully overlooking the murderous character of Communism. In any case, those who chose to collaborate with the Soviets also chose to become the enemies of the Poles. Pinchuk also claims that this collaboration was initially caused by Jewish fears of the Nazis. But then he shoots down his own argument when he acknowledges that most eastern-Polish Jews had possessed a high opinion of the Germans and could not even imagine that the Germans would do what they later did. (The reader should furthermore remember that the systematic mass-murder of Jews by Nazis was not to begin for almost another two years!)

There is an interesting irony to those who say that Jewish-Soviet collaboration was driven by prior Polish anti-Semitism. Under Polish rule, Jews faced discrimination intended to limit their economic dominance. They never faced destruction of Jewish communal or religious life. To the contrary--these flourished under Polish rule. Now enter Pinchuk. He actually states that there was no anti-Semitism at all under the Soviets, but then he describes how the Soviets destroyed Jewish communal and religious life. Evidently, Pinchuk has an interesting definition of anti-Semitism: If the destruction of Jewish communal and religious life had been done by Poles or other Christians, it would certainly be considered anti-Semitism. But when actually done by the Communists, he would not call it anti-Semitism. Go figure.

It is unfortunate that this work, as well as my review of it, has been distorted into some kind of justification for anti-Semitism--and even of pogroms! Nevertheless, Jewish enmity against Poles was a very real part of Polish-Jewish relations, and by no means occurring the first time in 1939. It must be squarely faced--not ignored or excused--if there is to be any genuine Polish-Jewish reconciliation.

This Book Does Not Justify Pogroms
Unlike the previous reviewer, I do not see this book as a "justification" for anti-Semitism and an absolution for pogroms.The assertion that the Jews supported Communism is part of the old "Jew-Bolshevik conspiracy" canard, exploited by the Nazis.A lot of good this anti-Semitism did for Poles when the Nazis finally came.If a good number of Jews were Soviet-friendly, it must be remembered that interwar Poland was a very intolerant place, and that after 1935 pro-German and pro-Nazi feeling was growing in Poland up to the Nazi invasion of '39.

To say that Jews "chose" to become the enemies of Poles by said "collaboration" is totally beyond the scope and intent of the book and indicates only twisted anti-Semitism, excusing the pogroms of Cracow and Kielce in 1946. In truth, Poles chose Jews as enemies long before there was Communism in Poland; and most Jews in the area were not affiliated with Moscow or Communism.Stalin lost not wink of sleep over the destruction of Jews in this area, before or after the war.By this twisted logic, one can in turn "justify" Communism in Poland as retribution for Kielce.But anyone who knows postwar Poland is quite aware that Communist authorities sidestepped Jewish issues to curry favor with Polish workers, even "outing" assimilated Jews in the Party in the 60s.

It is a shame that that the hard political choices offered Jews in these years - ably portrayed in this book - is misused by some in the spirit of denial and rationalization for the very crimes it describes. ... Read more

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LGBT Rights in Belarus. Human rights in Belarus, Gaybelarus. by, Gayrussia. ru, Right of asylum, Partyja BPF, Gay pride, Freedom of assembly, LGBT, Moscow Pride ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Journal of Economic Issues, published by Association for Evolutionary Economics on December 1, 2001. The length of the article is 8633 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the author: The author is with the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology in Berlin. This paper was presented at the conference "Eine unterschatzte Dimension? Zur Rolle wirtschaftskultureller Faktoren in der osteuropaischen Transformation" in Bremen December 7-8, 1998. The author would like to thank the participants of this conference and two anonymous referees for helpful suggestions on an earlier draft. The views expressed in this paper are strictly those of the author.

Citation Details
Title: Culture, Cognitive Models, and the Performance of Institutions in Transformation Countries.
Author: Eckehard F. Rosenbaum
Publication: Journal of Economic Issues (Refereed)
Date: December 1, 2001
Publisher: Association for Evolutionary Economics
Volume: 35Issue: 4Page: 889(21)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Radio 101.2 was a radio station in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. From 1991 until 1998, the radio station, which is at the frequency 101.2, was broadcasting news and was not affiliated with the national government. However, due to circumstances that remain unknown today, the station was closed and was transferred over to the Belarusian Republican Youth Union, who still uses the radio today. The government has claimed that the station, and its frequency, was interfering with the radio communications of the Minsk police force. Independent groups claimed that this was another method by the government of Alexander Lukashenko to suppress the freedom of the press inside of Belarus. ... Read more

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A comprehensive look at Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States.Photographs throughout.CONTENTS:Introduction.RUSSIAN FEDERATION:The Land and the People; History; Communist Era; Stalin's Cultural Counter-Revolution of the 1930s; The Post-Stalin Era; The Brezhnev Era; Government Transition; The Gorbachëv Era; An Independent Russia is Born; The Putin Presidency; Foreign Policy; Government of the Russian Federation; Constitution of the Russian Federation; Culture; The Changing Economy.THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE INDEPENDENT STATES:Collapse of the Soviet Union; Commonwealth of Independent States; Economy under the CIS; Some Regional Problems of the CIS.WESTERN REPUBLICS:Belarus; Ukraine; Moldova.TRANSCAUCASIAN REPUBLICS:Armenia; Azerbaijan; Georgia.CENTRAL ASIAN REPUBLICS:Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan; Tajikistan; Turkmenistan; Uzbekistan. Bibliography ... Read more