Some Don'ts for Belarus

Don't make the Ok sign x
Don't shake your fist. x
Don't sit with your legs spread apart or your feet on tables/chairs. x
Whistling inside of a building is bad luck. x
Don't be bothered by other people spitting indoors, but do not do it yourself. x

Some Do's for India (New Dehli)

Be silent and listen.
To whom? Do you never speak? Find out what the parameters are. Women? Men?
Respond to questions concerning status, money, and family. What kinds of questions? We need to get details. Are there no inappropriate questions about those aspects of your life?

What kinds of responses are appropriate? Does relative power status matter?
Do dress modestly. Define modest in terms of concrete clothing and practices.
Eat with your hands, but don't take food from serving dishes with your hands (use a utensil). Everywhere? Restaurants? Cafeterias?
Keep your clothes clean and ironed and maintain very good hygiene. Clean is relative. Lots of Europeans wear the same skirt day after day, horrifying their squeaky clean shower and laundry obsessed American companions.
Apologize for inadvertent touching. Where? On the train? In a shop? On the street, in someone's home? What kind of touching? Paint us a picture (and by that I mean, get your informant to paint you a picture).
Exercise discretion when discussing poverty and the caste system. When might it be appropriate to raise this issue? You are likely to find that people bristle
Understand that family is very important. This is way too vague to be useful. In what culture would they Not say that family is important. We need illustrations of the kinds of practices in daily life, choices and decisions people make that show the importance of family to work, personal pursuits, religion, yada yada.
Try to blend in and acclimate. ??? That is the whole idea, yes, but it's kind of like saying, "Be a good Indian." You have no idea what that means. You need exact practices that will cause "blending in and acclimating" to occur.
Mind your temper. Again, is there any culture where this would not be advised? What we need to know is what makes people feel you have "lost" your temper? Voice, facial expressions, words or phrases, actions. . .
Ask people to clarify if something is unclear. Who when where why how? EVERY time you're not sure what someone means? Because you will likely tire your hosts in about 15 minutes if you have to ask about Everything that is Unclear.

Accept unspoken apologies. Ok, what is an unspoken apology?? How do you know one has occurred? How do you demonstrate your acceptance of it? What kinds of transgressions are to be taken lightly.?

Do's for the United Arab Emirates

Ask permission before photographing anyone.
And how is this negotiated? How do you approach a person, what do you say? Esp. if you don't really speak Arabic
Avoid photographing Muslim women, government and military buildings and personnel.
Seems wise, I wonder what countries this would not be highly recommended behavior for these days.
Bargain while shopping especially when using cash.
Get a script. How do you start? How far do you vary? Do you smile, do you raise your voice, do you threaten to leave, end with falling intonation?
Decline twice when offered a refreshment.
This is nice and concrete. How do you politely refuse? Is there a danger of accidentally communicating that you really do Not want whatever is being offered? How would you investigate this aspect of a culture?
Tip supermarket baggers, bag carriers, and windshield washers at petrol stations.
Script? How do you know how much to give to whom? How do you make this transfer of cash? I can imagine many ways of giving money to a person that might be funny or offensive or stupid. . . what does this look like? Do women and men both tip both women and men?
Dress modestly. Women should cover tops of arms and their legs.
Nice concrete guideline, but but how much of their legs? Ankles? Feet? Knees? What constitutes covering-lace, light diaphanous linen, solid black totally opaque fabric?
Have clean feet and wear respectable socks.
good, but what is respectable? I assume no holes, but what about my lady bug socks with a pom pom at the heel? Are those respectable? Argyle? White socks with a dark suit? Toe socks? That's not as ridiculous as it sounds, construction workers in Japan wear socks that have the big toe separated for a kind of construction shoes almost flip flops. I know it sounds oxymoronic, but if you have to keep going in and out doors, and you have to take your shoes on and off. . .

Some Do's for Indonesia

Respect silence, pauses in conversation.
How do you show your respect? How long do you wait, what kind of nonverbal cues do you give that you are respecting silence?
Smile. To whom? When? Gender aspects? Generational? Where and in what contexts, when is smiling Not polite?
Use the whole hand to motion people, and only your right thumb to point. Good concrete about right thumb, how do you use your whole hand? Palms up or down? How high is your arm and hand in relation to the body? This caution seems to be coming up in groups with quite a few different cultures in focus. Perhaps we could just start this adjustment now if we discover that it's kind of a universal outside of the U.S.
Avert your eyes. How? From whom or what?
Leave a bit of food on your plate when finished. Why? Is this because polishing off the whole plate suggests you are still hungry and expecting more food from your hosts?
Negotiate and bargain in the marketplace. Can you give us some language for this feat?
Speak slowly, clearly, and softly Both men and women? Adults and children? In the mosque and on the soccer field?
Take shoes off when entering a mosque or home, and cover shoulders, arms and legs (and head if you're a woman) Forgive my ignorance, but can non-muslims usually enter mosques? And if so, I'd imagine there's a lot more to the script that's going to be unfamiliar to them. . .
Wait until invited several times before eating or drinking. What do you say and do to pull off the polite 'decline'?
Wait to be directed to a seat and sit with good posture. Should you also decline a seat if it seems to be the seat of honor? In Japan and Korea this would seem to be the case. You'd have to decline a few times before yielding to pressure to take the seat of honor.
Maintain a clean and neat appearance because it is an extension of your inner self. This is a wonderful example of framing; it's defining the situation of cleanliness and how it relates to you and the people around you; it's not just a form fulfilling a function, it's a whole perspective . . .
Expect to socialize in groups. This, I think, is a good example of framing. You are saying, add to your schema of expectations the idea that a man and woman socializing outside of a group are up to no good, showing your moral character is done by avoiding being alone with the opposite sex. . . if that's what you mean.
Wear hair in a bun, if a woman. Do you not have to cover your head in public? And if so, why the bun? Is this for all ages? How about 17? 16? 12?
Be humble and downplay compliments. This is important, but what you have is a suggested function without giving us a handful of forms that will achieve that function in typical Indonesian culture. (That's kind of the crux of this whole project, not just this item on this group's list).
Greet people with the word "Selamat" (meaning 'peace') slowly and sincerely. Good. Which people? When you get on an elevator? Whoever you pass on the street? Shop owners when you enter?

Do's for Uruguay

Offer a strong handshake. See entries below on specificities of handshakes.
Dress conservatively. Define your term, 'conservatively' and see comments in earlier posts about modesty.
Keep hands above table during a meal (as opposed to on your lap).
Kiss friends on the right cheek when greeting. No second, revolving door kisses? What about when departing?
Bring a gift of flowers if you are invited to someone's home (red roses are best). Always roses? Did the literature say this or your informant?
Generate conversations about food, soccer, and international affairs.
Feel free to eat, chew gum, or smoke in public.