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Show Page B6 THE DAILY HERALD, Prove, Utah, Tuesday. April 2J, 19 'Culturgrams' attaining international popularity BYU t Public Communications The popularity of Brigham Young University's Culturgrams, which have introduced people Vvorldwide to different customs hnd lifestyles, reached a new high this spring: million copies were '. 1 sold in less than a year. '"Our goal was to sell a million ; copies this year," said Grant Paul Skabelund, managing editor at the Kennedy Center where the guides are produced. "But we didn't expect to meet our goal just over seven months into our publication's year." ! Skabelund said he believes Culturgrams are popular because they U'ocus on the cultural uniqueness of the people they describe. "They contain valuable, accurate information about the land and the people that you can't find in other publications," he said. "You can look in any encyclopedia to find the population or the climate, but only in a Culturaram i.io you learn about general attitudes, personal appearance, greet- ings, gestures, visiting, eating, Jfamily. dating and marriage. They 'are a valuable resource of substance that describe how people live." Culturgrams were originally designed to brief leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da- y Saints who were traveling abroad. e Now the guides are ued by businesses, schools and libraries, the LDS Missionary i four-pag- Center, travel agencies. go eminent entities and interested Training individuals. Skabelund added that Culturgrams are a great tool to introduce people around the world to BYU. "There are many people who know about BYU's academic prowess because of their exposure iio Culturgrams." he said. "The president of an international publishing company in Maine told me That when the company thinks of ;3YU. it thinks of two things: the 'language programs and Cultural ams." Schools and libraries make up ; the largest portion of the market tor Culturgrams. Catherine Cunningham, media laboratory specialist in a school on the campus of East Tennessee State University, claims Culturgrams were her "find of the K-1- 2 :year." "The strongest point of the Culturgrams for our school is the appropriateness for such a large span of grades." she said. "I have found the Culturgrams to be useful for the elementary student through the senior high student. Both the students and faculty use them I have een had requests the trom higher ed faculty to see reg-ulai- lv 'them." Culturgrams have also found there way to United Airlines; Motorola University. Motorola's 'educational facility: Walt Disney World's Epcot Center; Federal iF.xpress; AT&T; U.S. Air Force; !the Department of Defense; and the EF Foundation, a student exchange program. ; The U.S. Air Force uses Cultur-- ; grams to brief its troops before leploment. "Culturgrams are a very handy tool for us." said Chap-Sai- n Froilan Saluta. director of the Texas Resource Division of U.S. Air Force Chaplains. "Before we found Culturgrams, we tried to find research about certain countries and their people in libraries and encyclopedias for our troops. But we found very little compared to what is in Culturgrams. "I have been deployed to Saudi Arabia and Cuba, and Culturgrams were very valuable in giving me an idea as to what I was going into. It is helpful to know how the people live, what they like and what is important to them. They (Culturgrams) enable troops to relate to the people." In 1993 Microsoft licensed a complete set of Culturgrams to use as an integral part of its CD-ROEnearta World Atlas. In the atlas. Culturgrams help users meet various people around the w orld as globe. they explore a Microsoft continues to license new and updated Culturgrams ever) 3-- year. "These Culturgrams are the best introduction Americans have to many foreign countries." said Nancy Dixon, managing editor of the Geography Reference Product Unit at Microsoft. "When we wanted to show "the world beyond maps' for this atlas, we thought of the Culturgrams." Cultures of the w orld are represented in 142 Culturgrams. However, new guides are added yearly, as well as existing ones being updated. Fourteen new Culturgrams were added to the collection in 1995 and from eight to 10 new ones w ill be added this August. Many hours of dedication and collaboration go into the creation of each new Culturgram. In preparing a guide. Susan M. Sims, associate editor for the Kennedy Center, works closely with natives or Americans who have lived at least three years in a specific country, A minimum of one expert also works with the author during the writing process. Once the manuscript is complete, at least three other authorities on the country validate the information. "We work with scholars, ambassadors, government officials and people from the Peace Corps," Sims said. "All the authors have a great love for the country they are writing about and take the time and effort to find accurate information that w ill provide a unique perspective on how people live." Besides resource to thousands of individuals, businesses and libraries, Culturgrams continue to benefit BYU. The money that is generated from Culturgrams is used to upgrade and expand the series, to support newsletters and student journals, to assist in its scaly little cheek next to Wilde's as she taps away at her computer. Sure, it's easier to get cuddly with a kitty. But with the growing popularity of unusual animals. Orr is among the emerging breed of veterinarians who leave practices to heal higher-price- d and sometimes quirky pets. Business is good at the clinic in the Fort Union Center as more people take parrots, ferrets, reptiles, pigs, ostriches and even the occasional bear or lion into their and to the doctor. homes Orr says it is important for those who own unusual pets to learn that their health needs are equally unusual. dog-and-c- at People accustomed to the more mundane animal companions may be guilty of unwitting neglect. Take Elvis, a macaw that serves as the clinic mascot. He calls out "Hello, hello" in the sweet voice of somebody's grandmother. But Elvis has deformed feet because an earlier owner allowed him to chew rusted lead paint off his cage. Another macaw must live in a back room of the clinic because his English is mostly of the godless Anglo-Saxo- n variety. Elvis and his cousin may live to be 100. Anyone considering such an exotic pet should prepare for a long-tercommitment, especially after they pay up to $2,000 for one, Orr says. "The majority of parrots outlive their owners if they are kept healthy," Orr says as he examines Skipper, a Amazon parrot belonging to Bob Johnson. Skipper is a fat bird. He w eighs in at 860 grams and needs to lose 300. Lay off the seeds, Orr advises Johnson. Skipper needs a low-fdiet that includes fruit and greens. Too many seeds equals too much cholesterol and just as in humans, that spells health problems. Orr examines the next patient, a turtle that looks dead, its bloody shoulder mangled the night before by the family's pet Dober-ma- n pinscher. The turtle's owners had poured corn syrup on the wounds after calling a vet emersalty-tongu- ed m ed high-fibe- r, at gency line. The turtle had cost $45, and now its family would spend at least another $100 to save it. Orr knows that creating the right conditions to keep any pet healthy can be demanding. But just try to replace your faithful old sedentary mutt with a wired-u- p now that's ferret or bird demanding. Orr urges anyone considering a pet such as a bird, snake, homes. Others are flushed down toilets or left at local zoos or vet clinics after the novelty wears off. "The tourists see these colorful, pretty animals and they think they can sneak them in in their luggage. It's the animals that suffer," Davidson says. They wind up in wheel wells and inside car doors. Even faced with stiff fines hedgehog or green iguana to prepare for some wild times. A python named Drake is patient as Orr pulls slivthe terrari-uers from its mouth had been lined with wood and tweezes built-u- p chips dead scales from his eyes. Orr points out old injuries that were probably rat or mouse bites. Sometimes dinner bites back, Orr tells Drake's owner, so if the snake is not interested in eating, his prey should probably be popped back in the warmer for a while. Orr will make house calls if an ailing critter cannot be transported easily. During a recent examination m of a male lion in Duchesne and criminal charges, people smuggle 20 animals past customs for each one that is confiscated. Hogle Zoo veterinarian Ross Anderson also runs a private practice specializing in exotic animals. He's seen some dillies. "The oddest yet was when a client brought in a alligator that they kept in the bathtub," Anderson says. "Five people carried it in in two metal trash cans for some kind of nutritional problem." Anderson agrees with Orr that understanding the behavior of one's patients leads to the best and most effective treatments. "There are certain exotic pets that can be good pets but the problem is what motivates people to get them." Anderson says. "Common lately are the green iguanas and next, medium to larger snakes and hedgehogs. We're seeing the tail end of the pig era people love them but others find out they have more needs than they care to attend to." Anderson's favorite pet? "I love my dog." Coun- ty the beast clamped its jaws around Orr's thigh. Not enough to draw blood, just firm enough to let the vet know who was boss. just had to sit still," Orr says. "He just wanted to play like a cat will with a mouse." Sometimes people own animals they shouldn't, which causes an ethical dilemma for Orr and others w ho treat exotics. Orr treated a black bear kept i illegally in Wasatch County until its owners moved to another state. And tourists regularly sneak sick animals into the country. The most popular smuggled pet in Utah, according to Kimber-l- y Davidson, general curator at Hogle Zoo. are green iguanas from Mexico. Some find good pot-belli- Who's making dust from Taos to Telluride? Who owns the road from Aspen to Sundanc - . ' , ft rf . ,( A . valuable a being SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Walk into Martin Orr's Bird and Exotic Pet Hospital and the first thing you notice is the python coiled on technician Andrea Wilde's shoulder. It holds the publication of research by professors and to bring in international speakers. Culturgrams can be purchased in three ways: as individual pamsets or in two phlets, as loose-lea- f bound volumes titled "Culturgrams: The Nations around Us." Volume ! includes the Americas and Europe; Volume II contains Africa, Asia and Oceania. For more information on Culturgrams or to order, call (800) 528- - 6279. Have Your Cake and Your Waistline, Too ! ave hundreds of i 'caiones wnnout A MONTH 24 MONTHS DOWN i ;:;-- :; V i 1 ft The 1996 DeVille. The number one selling luxury car In the Rocky Mountains. With the Northstar V8 System, 275-h- p i Steering, full-rang- Traction Control, e Road-Sensin- anti-loc- k g Suspension, Speed-Sensitiv- e brakes and 100,000 miles between abandoning the dishes you love! Lion House Lite Recipes hi'.s a collection of scheduled tune-ups- , it's no wonder the Cadillac DcVille has led the way to the highest summit. 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