Imagine that you are a visitor to China and you wish to talk to a friend who is not right near you. Imagine the volume of sounds that are all around you: others calling to each other, cell phones ringing, the chatter of friends and you want to speak to your friend across the road. What do you do? You use hand gestures to agree on who should go over to the other side of the streets.

So, it is your first day at your new job and you don't really know what to expect. You have been to the office before but only briefly at the interview and have got a first impression about the company. But, how much do you really know about the office etiquette and how you are expected to behave? Well, there are some simple rules and guidelines to abide by so that you will take to your new workplace like a duck to water.

A celebrity is the term used to describe someone who is famous and attracts attention from the general public and the world's media. Traditionally, a celebrity would gain the title by his or her work or achievements in a particular field of expertise. Actors, musicians, politicians and inventors have all become celebrities in the past. However, as we fall deeper and deeper into the cesspool of the 21st century a new celebrity has arrived - the nobody.

Homes and offices that are built without regard to productivity hardly ever work effectively. Productivity, and with it human effectiveness and relationships, are influenced by the environment within the four walls.

Research has shown that people who live or work in a space not designed for human productivity generally do not collaborate as well in it.

One of the great challenges in the American educational system is the wide performance gap that exists between White and Asian students on one side and other minority students on the other. As a Hispanic educational professional, I know that educators are paying close attention to why Hispanics often lag behind their White and Asian peers.

It is a concern because they are not only the largest minority but also, the fastest growing immigration group in the U.

You are an eleventh-grade teacher. Rosa, a normally successful Hispanic student in your class, has been absent for several days. She finally shows up, but is consistently withdrawn and unmotivated.

After a week you ask her, "What's wrong Rosa? What is going on?"

She replies, "My mama has cancer. I found out when I translated for her when the doctor gave the test results.

I remember when my youngest daughter told me that she was considering Cooper Union, an elite private university located in Manhattan. She wanted to study architecture and teachers were telling her it was the top school for that career.

I thought, "How could my daughter consider leaving her family in Florida behind?"

Since immigrating to the United States when she was only four years old, I had become concerned when she was, not only losing her Spanish, but becoming too Americanized.

Many Chinese customs are centered around the belief in the power of certain numbers, and the superstitions surrounding digits in Chinese culture only takes second fiddle to the role of specific foods. The pronunciation of these numbers also reflects the Chinese's affinity with homonyms, where many digits are considered lucky or unlucky based on words that sound similar.

Many Chinese customs are centered around the belief in the power of certain numbers, and the superstitions surrounding digits in Chinese culture only takes second fiddle to the role of specific foods. The pronunciation of these numbers also reflects the Chinese's affinity with homonyms, where many digits are considered lucky or unlucky based on words that sound similar.