At BuzzParadise we care a lot about the people we work with: bloggers. As a result, we are saddened to learn about the death of Magomed Yevloyev.

As some of you may know, he was a very important figure in the Russian blogosphere who spoke out against Russian authorities through his blog Ingushetiya.ru. He was a vocal critic of the police’s treatment of civilians and an opponent of the Ingushetia president, Murat Zyazikov, a former KGB officer. Zyazikov had tried to have the Ingushetiya website shut down and has been criticized of persecuting opposition activists.

This past Sunday, Yevloyev was said to have been arrested under Zyazikov’s orders. It has been reported that Yevloyev was accidentally shot in the head on his way to the police station and died shortly thereafter. An investigation of the events leading to his death has been launched.

Unfortunately, something many of us might take for granted (the freedom of speech) is not something that everyone can enjoy in Russia. But the following question does come to mind: Does free speech really exist, or is it something that we are made to believe we have?

Photo credits: Ingushetiya

I have to admit that I pick up random objects and pretend that they are my cell phones. Cups, bananas, shoes, toys, headsets, watermelons, umbrellas, cats, hamsters, but never would I have thought of picking up teddy bears.

Well, Japanese cellular provider Wilcom presented Kuma phone at the 2008 Good Design Expo. Its a teddy bear phone with a SIM card inside and by squeezing or grabbing the cub’s paw you can call someone. Of course you need to store speed dial numbers on each paw.

It is 500 US dollars per unit. Or you can find your old teddy bear and pretend you are talking on the phone. Anyway, it’s all same, if you are in the metro with a brown teddy bear in your arms. Or if you talk on the Kuma teddy bear in front of your boss. No one will think anything of it. I do it all the time with my Rabbit.

Photo credit: CScoutjapan.com

Thanks to globalization and the rise of the Internet, accepting and dealing with cultural diversity are two things that seem to be taken for granted. It’s actually pretty incredible that nowadays you can communicate with people from different places almost instantly. People are able to move about more often and with less restrictions as a result of the democratization of different travel destinations. They are able to learn about other cultures more easily. All that is great on paper, but what does it really mean when we are talking about, say, a company? Or, more specifically, when we are talking about BuzzParadise’s work: blogger relations?

I have an Italian, a Chinese, a South Korean, an Italian-American, a Spaniard and a French-Japanese on my team. My clients are Spanish, American, French, Italian, German or, the most recent addition, even Israeli. I have regular contact with bloggers who are English, French, Swiss, Swedish, Spanish, Chinese, American or Japanese. This clearly makes your workday intense. You learn how to be flexible and adapt. In the end it’s not all that bad. However, knowing a collaborator’s language is not enough. This is obvious when trying to deal with German bloggers, even in their own language,  something less problematic in Mediterranean countries.

Another issue is making colleagues feel included on a daily basis when they don’t even speak your language. Our Chinese colleague, for instance, doesn’t speak a word of French. In a French-dominated working environment you can imagine how hard it is for him to feel like he belongs. I am still sometimes surprised by the fact that I send out emails in French to my team when my Italian and Chinese colleagues don’t understand French. In reality, this allows them to improve their basic comprehension and communication skills, but whether or not to  have only English-speaking days or when to help them learn French for example, still need to be determined. But these solutions do not in any way resolve managerial problems in a culturally diverse environment. Language is but one of the elements that make up a culture. The way things are said or done can be offensive or not depending on the culture you are dealing with. And it goes without saying that the dominant culture has little regard for these considerations; people either don’t have the time, they run on auto-pilot or they are simply lazy.

The true challenge facing companies in the 21st century, and BuzzParadise in particular, is their ability to open up to cultural differences. This applies to day-to-day management as well as to appreciating the best qualities that each culture has to offer. Americans are excellent salespeople, Germans are extremely meticulous and centered, Italians are great at interpersonal relations, Indians are amazing engineers… Obviously these statements are very cliché. Nonetheless there are clearly certain cultural characteristics that, with good business management, can be a true strength.

The “Adventures of Guillaume” continue! He is in the Big Apple and obligated excited to share his experience:

“To start, I’ve been spotting pieces of bitten apple all over the place, but I don’t want to name any names. Ok, enough with the insinuations, I mean the Apple Stores. They are everywhere and really fun to visit. I was surprised to find out that they stay open until midnight! That’s pretty practical for someone who works evenings, like myself. I’ve been to the one on the corner of 14th Street and 9th Avenue and it’s huge! Who wouldn’t go wild with all there is to see and the great euro to dollar exchange rate! Check it out here.

Another constant temptation: food. A visit to Starbucks could be a hard blow for dieters (well it is summer and beach time, after all). Here is photographical proof of the temptations that have me hooked after only a month (I know, I know, I’m a weakling):

I have to admit that supermarkets live up to the’super’ part of their name. But even though it’s reassuring to see I can find fruit and vegetable displays almost as beautiful as in France, there are some startling differences: take the simple fact that a mere slice of brie can cost around $7! Or the fact that it is almost impossible to find bread worthy of its name. The most puzzling by far is the astonishing piles of cookies, cakes and endless ice cream cases. Americans consuming unhealthy food perhaps isn’t that much of a cliché after all.

During one of my rare outings, I was happy to visit one of my favorite spots (at the moment at least): Pier 14. For all of you who have never been to New York, it’s a sort of mini-port where you can find taxi boats and other ‘cruisers’ that take tourists on a tour of the island. It’s a tranquil place (aside from the crowds, but after all, we are talking about New York), relaxing and you get a full-on view of the magnificent Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges. And all you need to do is turn around to glimpse (a small part of) the Financial District. Take a look:

And finally, I can’t end without mentioning dear Thierry. I’m sure you all wanted to see him in action! Here is a small candid shot of the man worth 3 billion who makes conference calls faster than you can say  Jack Robinson.

That’s all for now. See you next time on ‘Big Apple Adventures!’”

Photo credits: Ricardolux

I stumbled across this beautifully made film on Roland’s blog this week. It tells the story of mankind, without using a single human actor: the film is made entirely out of Lego. It’s all there, starting with the Neanderthals and going from the pyramids and medieval feasts to Luther and his theses, Newton and his apple, to assembly lines, modern warfare and the launch of the first spaceship. Enjoy the movie!