Do you know many evil people?
I don’t. I know some people with a different value system to my own. I meet people who lack social skills and do things we consider inappropriate. I come across people who break laws, but most of those are not really evil, they simply are managing their life with a different balance between need and risk. Anyone who has seen a divorce close up will verify that there are always two sides to those stories; people are not at their best, but a description of evil is not usually apposite.
Am I evil? I do some very stupid things, mainly by making thoughtless remarks. I don’t do a lot of law breaking, but I am as prone as the next man when in a partisan crowd – in my London days I used to go to watch West Ham’s home games and shudder to think about the abuse I shouted or encouraged. But evil seems a pretty extreme description of those transgressions. Maybe the same applies to you.
So we don’t come across evil people very often. Yet we are conditioned into thinking of it as common. The traditional Church simplistically divides acts and people into good and evil, and suggests we have some tendency to sin. In childhood, we are often taught how to behave via compartmentalisation into good and evil. Our media and our politicians encourage us to think of criminals as evil, and often whole states as well. I remember being expected to believe that every single Russian was evil. In History, Germans used to be too, though later this was modified to their being misguided by one person, an Austrian even, who was so evil that he poisoned the whole nation. Brits, of course, were always good, especially royal ones. There are exceptions of course, perhaps related to their colour, or religion, or criminal tendency.
Hence there seems to be a mismatch between what we witness in our daily lives, especially when we think hard about it and offer people the benefit of the doubt, and what we are attuned to believe of the world in general.
So what? Well, maybe it matters a lot. I read an article last week in The Guardian Weekly which argued that in reality evil is generally a lack of empathy, a view promulgated by a Cambridge professor called Simon Baron-Cohen. Empathy, how we understand and relate to the people around us, is something most of us can develop. We mess it up frequently, most often under pressure, when confronted with an unfamiliar situation or when focused so much on ourselves that we miss signals from others – remember all the first dates you have endured?
Baron-Cohen studies people with the least empathetic ability, such as people with borderline personality disorder or psychopaths. Unlike in earlier times, when such people were generally locked away and forgotten about, most disorders can be at least partially controlled by focusing on developing empathy. And the same is true of all of us – the more empathy we can develop, the less likely we are to do stupid things, evil things if you like. Empathy may be the most valuable resource in our world, yet only recently have we started to understand and cultivate it.
The article claimed empathy as a sot of universal solvent. And it comes virtually unlike, unlike the arms industry or the legal and penal system.
I found this a powerful and optimistic thought. When I thought further, I twinned a focus on empathy with one on the balance between need and risk I mentioned above. Even people with regular empathetic potential can slide into crime. Usually it is because they see little hope of meeting their basic needs without harming others, while the risk of illegal acquisition is not enough to deter them. Hence we see the cost of a human life appears much lower in parts of Africa than in Western Europe. Even in Western Europe, once someone is deep in debt, or in a cycle of crime and prison, or simply without hope, it is hard to see a way out. It does not help that alcohol and drugs are so available and misunderstood, not to mention ruinous credit.
Put this together, and you potentially have a recipe of a world virtually freed from evil. First take an educational focus on empathy, especially for the young and those sliding into trouble. Use general affluence, technology and social policies to provide an opportunity for basic needs for all, and a way out for those lacking hope, putting rehabilitation above punishment. Improve institutions, again using technology, so that those such as Gbagbo or Madoff face more risk to counter balance their greed. Finally, tackle the menace of drugs and especially alcohol head on.
Will this happen? You know, it might. Sadly, we might need a few more wars along the journey. I don’t see the current generations of politicians helping much, with their focus on national power projection, pandering to fear, and punishment.
But, honestly, I think we are closer than it might appear. Imagine if everyone had 10% more empathy. Imagine if parenting skills improved to place empathy ahead of good and evil as a means of teaching. Imagine technology and openness, Wikileaks blazing the trail, to hold the greedy to account. Imagine if we had more women in charge. Imagine if we all used language with less emphasis on evil – that in itself could be a big step forward. In the last two generations, we have started to succeed in promoting women, outlawing tobacco, creating openness, tackling poverty, and scientifically enhancing our understanding of ourselves.
I never really subscribed to the rather lazy theory that man was essentially an evil being requiring control rather than a good one. In this respect, as in others, religion has perhaps done the world a disservice. I am pleased to see the enlightened branches of many religions focusing far less on sin and judgement these days and far more on service and community. On this day when Christians remember the death of Jesus, perhaps we can finally look forward, even within one or two generations, to a world truly delivered from evil.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
More Interview Tips
Last week I passed on five tips to succeed in interviews. Here are five more.
Tip 6 – Remember this is a two way process
We get so tied up in the pressure of the situation that we sometimes forget that the people across the table are human beings as well, not some sort of robot. They are on our side (tip 1), but they also like to feel good about themselves and their company. Without overdoing it, look for opportunities to empathise with the interviewers. It is a good idea to ask them about their own careers, as that helps them to feel valued. Even more importantly, remember that you are making a selection here as well, in that you don’t have to accept any offer they make. Bear this in mind – keep asking yourself whether this is a placed you would be happy, and find out all you can about the environment there. If the interview process does not acknowledge this, for example by an absence of information or of seeking what you are looking for, that in itself is a negative message – about the arrogance of company, and how you might be treated once you got there. A well run interview process should feel partly like an exercise in selling their company to you.
Tip 7 – Prepare smartly
Before an interview, re-read your own application and CV carefully, as well as the job description you are applying for. Dip into the company website and try to use their language, for example in quoting their mission statement or key values. Look at the headlines in a serious newspaper in the days leading up to an interview, as it will not look good to appear ignorant of current affairs. Also Google the company name in case they have recently made an announcement you can quote or been in the news. One important thing is to think through examples you might use if asked about common situations (tip 4). You can try to mug up more than this, but be careful not to crowd your mind with more technical stuff than you can handle without losing your spontaneity or composure. Much better for most people is to find someone to give you an interview as a dry run for the real thing, especially if it is a long time since your last interview experience.
Tip 8 – Focus on now
Really listen to the questions. This is not a political interview, where the job of the politician seems to be to say what they prepared whatever question is asked. That approach does not work in job interviews. Listen to what they ask, and do your best to answer it. Of course, you want to demonstrate your strengths, but you will score nothing for showing off when you are being asked something completely different. Also, don’t worry too much about the questions that have already passed, as that will stop you listening well to the next question. At the very end, you might be able to bring up something to improve your answer to one question, but generally it is more important to maintain focus in the present. Also, avoid the temptation to keep score as you are going. If you feel it is going well, you could become complacent, and if you feel it is going badly, you will overcompensate or tend to give up. Your own judgement is unlikely to be very sound anyway – leave the judging to them, as that is their job not yours.
Tip 9 – Have a question ready
It is traditional at the end of interviews that you will be asked if you have any questions. You can use this time to have a second go at one of their questions (see tip 8). What is most important though is that you ask something, as silence or a mumbled “no, nothing now” comes across as being unprepared or even uninterested. One good question is to ask the interviewers about their own careers (tip 6). You can also ask something about the job itself, for example what a typical week might consist of. You can ask what happens next, for example when you can expect feedback, but they should tell you that anyway. Don’t ask about terms and conditions here. Often the interviewer won’t know, and you may leave an impression that money is all you are motivated by (of course, money is important, but it is a sort of unwritten code not to raise the subject at an interview). In any case, have a couple of questions ready to ask.
Tip 10 – Remember how random this process is
This last tip is to stop you getting depressed when you get multiple rejections after interviews. There are many reasons for rejections, and most of them lie outside your immediate control. A frightening proportion of advertised jobs are not genuinely open, but rather have an earmarked candidate already pencilled in (many companies have a procedure forcing them to advertise). Sometimes the rules change mid process, for example budget cuts might mean no one is appointed in the end. Even in an open contest, there will often be some criterion which takes high importance which is unknown to you (often, even to them, at least until they complete interview rounds). Interviewers are human, and they may just be in a bad mood when it is your turn. They are also biased, whether they know it or not. Finally, you might just be up against fantastic competition. The least likely reason for a rejection is that you screwed up the interview. So don’t lose heart, put it down to experience – valuable experience indeed – and keep applying. Your day will come.
By the way, the reverse is true as well. Just because you succeed in an interview does not make you that wonderful. You might just have got lucky.
Hopefully, these tips can improve your attitude to interviews, and might just make your day of success come around a little sooner. Good luck. Next week, I’ll look at this from the other side of the table, and offer some tips for interviewers.
Tip 6 – Remember this is a two way process
We get so tied up in the pressure of the situation that we sometimes forget that the people across the table are human beings as well, not some sort of robot. They are on our side (tip 1), but they also like to feel good about themselves and their company. Without overdoing it, look for opportunities to empathise with the interviewers. It is a good idea to ask them about their own careers, as that helps them to feel valued. Even more importantly, remember that you are making a selection here as well, in that you don’t have to accept any offer they make. Bear this in mind – keep asking yourself whether this is a placed you would be happy, and find out all you can about the environment there. If the interview process does not acknowledge this, for example by an absence of information or of seeking what you are looking for, that in itself is a negative message – about the arrogance of company, and how you might be treated once you got there. A well run interview process should feel partly like an exercise in selling their company to you.
Tip 7 – Prepare smartly
Before an interview, re-read your own application and CV carefully, as well as the job description you are applying for. Dip into the company website and try to use their language, for example in quoting their mission statement or key values. Look at the headlines in a serious newspaper in the days leading up to an interview, as it will not look good to appear ignorant of current affairs. Also Google the company name in case they have recently made an announcement you can quote or been in the news. One important thing is to think through examples you might use if asked about common situations (tip 4). You can try to mug up more than this, but be careful not to crowd your mind with more technical stuff than you can handle without losing your spontaneity or composure. Much better for most people is to find someone to give you an interview as a dry run for the real thing, especially if it is a long time since your last interview experience.
Tip 8 – Focus on now
Really listen to the questions. This is not a political interview, where the job of the politician seems to be to say what they prepared whatever question is asked. That approach does not work in job interviews. Listen to what they ask, and do your best to answer it. Of course, you want to demonstrate your strengths, but you will score nothing for showing off when you are being asked something completely different. Also, don’t worry too much about the questions that have already passed, as that will stop you listening well to the next question. At the very end, you might be able to bring up something to improve your answer to one question, but generally it is more important to maintain focus in the present. Also, avoid the temptation to keep score as you are going. If you feel it is going well, you could become complacent, and if you feel it is going badly, you will overcompensate or tend to give up. Your own judgement is unlikely to be very sound anyway – leave the judging to them, as that is their job not yours.
Tip 9 – Have a question ready
It is traditional at the end of interviews that you will be asked if you have any questions. You can use this time to have a second go at one of their questions (see tip 8). What is most important though is that you ask something, as silence or a mumbled “no, nothing now” comes across as being unprepared or even uninterested. One good question is to ask the interviewers about their own careers (tip 6). You can also ask something about the job itself, for example what a typical week might consist of. You can ask what happens next, for example when you can expect feedback, but they should tell you that anyway. Don’t ask about terms and conditions here. Often the interviewer won’t know, and you may leave an impression that money is all you are motivated by (of course, money is important, but it is a sort of unwritten code not to raise the subject at an interview). In any case, have a couple of questions ready to ask.
Tip 10 – Remember how random this process is
This last tip is to stop you getting depressed when you get multiple rejections after interviews. There are many reasons for rejections, and most of them lie outside your immediate control. A frightening proportion of advertised jobs are not genuinely open, but rather have an earmarked candidate already pencilled in (many companies have a procedure forcing them to advertise). Sometimes the rules change mid process, for example budget cuts might mean no one is appointed in the end. Even in an open contest, there will often be some criterion which takes high importance which is unknown to you (often, even to them, at least until they complete interview rounds). Interviewers are human, and they may just be in a bad mood when it is your turn. They are also biased, whether they know it or not. Finally, you might just be up against fantastic competition. The least likely reason for a rejection is that you screwed up the interview. So don’t lose heart, put it down to experience – valuable experience indeed – and keep applying. Your day will come.
By the way, the reverse is true as well. Just because you succeed in an interview does not make you that wonderful. You might just have got lucky.
Hopefully, these tips can improve your attitude to interviews, and might just make your day of success come around a little sooner. Good luck. Next week, I’ll look at this from the other side of the table, and offer some tips for interviewers.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Ten Tips for Interviews
Interviews – Ten Tips
Interviews are high-intensity occasions. I can remember many of them vividly – on both sides of the table. There are high stakes involved, concentrated into a short discussion which can go in wild directions. Drama indeed.
I once read that a 1-1 unstructured interview is a terrible selection tool. If you have a job to offer, six seemingly qualified candidates and no interview training, you are more likely to make a successful choice by rolling a die than by going to the trouble of interviewing them.
Having witnessed many terrible interviews, I can believe this. There are many reasons for failure. We are swung by an unreliable first impression (offered when someone is at their most nervous and unnatural). We ask knowledge based questions of marginal relevance to the post. We relate to people who share our biases rather than people who might perform well in a designated role. Our own mood swings get in our way, even when our prejudices do not.
Interviewing techniques have developed over the years, and many managers receive some training now, so if you are applying for a job in a large or well-run company, your chances of a fair hearing have also improved. Nonetheless, there is probably more luck involved in getting through an interview than in most things you undertake. So some tips which could increase your chances a little might be welcome. Here are mine.
Tip 1- They are on your side.
Not because of your humour or personality, but because it is their job to dig out evidence of your qualities, and so they want to give you every opportunity. They are also human, and most humans prefer witnessing relaxed successes than humiliating failures. Finally, they want someone for their job, and the more good choices they discover the happier they will be.
Tip 2 – I not We.
Their job is to find out about you, so tell them. It may seem immodest to be specific about your successes and your role in projects, but that it what the interview is about. The most common way we miss this opportunity is to continually refer to a nebulous We. In many projects, many people have a role and some things are decided collectively, but usually you will be able to define your own contribution. And it is you they are looking to employ, not the rest of the team!
Tip 3 – Take your time.
In pressure situations, time always seems to speed up. If you pause for five seconds, it will seem to you like twenty seconds. Many of us make the mistake at interview of talking too quickly and frantically filling up every moment of time. Consciously slow down. It will help you listen, and to compose your thoughts before speaking. A pause also shows reflective quality. Keep reminding yourself of this point as the interview progresses.
Tip 4 – Find good examples.
Modern interview techniques focus on competence based methods, and these use examples extensively. They may start with “Can you think of an example when…”, perhaps when you had to rescue and failing project or talk around a sceptical customer. Once you have your example, there will be several minutes of follow up questions going into detail. Those details reveal the evidence (or otherwise) of the competences they seek. There is no point embellishes or making things up, but you help yourself enormously by choosing good examples. Good examples are rich experiences where you had a key role. Prepare by having several experiences in your mind. Then really listen to the question, and take your time to choose the best one, pausing if need be.
Tip 5 - Don’t let yourself down on basics.
Be on time. Which means being ridiculously early to deal with the missed bus or unscheduled toilet or wardrobe malfunction break – these always occur when you are stressed. You don’t have to dress out of character, but it is needlessly risky to wear something which might bring out a prejudice. Share your opinions, but be ready to accept that others might not agree with them (just in case your interviewer may be one). Really listen to the names of the interviewers when they tell you, and use those names back to them. Read your own application and the job description before going in, so you don’t make dumb errors. You would be amazed at how many interviewees of mine misstated the company name. It may seem trivial but it says something about you and it loses you points.
Five more tips next week.
Interviews are high-intensity occasions. I can remember many of them vividly – on both sides of the table. There are high stakes involved, concentrated into a short discussion which can go in wild directions. Drama indeed.
I once read that a 1-1 unstructured interview is a terrible selection tool. If you have a job to offer, six seemingly qualified candidates and no interview training, you are more likely to make a successful choice by rolling a die than by going to the trouble of interviewing them.
Having witnessed many terrible interviews, I can believe this. There are many reasons for failure. We are swung by an unreliable first impression (offered when someone is at their most nervous and unnatural). We ask knowledge based questions of marginal relevance to the post. We relate to people who share our biases rather than people who might perform well in a designated role. Our own mood swings get in our way, even when our prejudices do not.
Interviewing techniques have developed over the years, and many managers receive some training now, so if you are applying for a job in a large or well-run company, your chances of a fair hearing have also improved. Nonetheless, there is probably more luck involved in getting through an interview than in most things you undertake. So some tips which could increase your chances a little might be welcome. Here are mine.
Tip 1- They are on your side.
Not because of your humour or personality, but because it is their job to dig out evidence of your qualities, and so they want to give you every opportunity. They are also human, and most humans prefer witnessing relaxed successes than humiliating failures. Finally, they want someone for their job, and the more good choices they discover the happier they will be.
Tip 2 – I not We.
Their job is to find out about you, so tell them. It may seem immodest to be specific about your successes and your role in projects, but that it what the interview is about. The most common way we miss this opportunity is to continually refer to a nebulous We. In many projects, many people have a role and some things are decided collectively, but usually you will be able to define your own contribution. And it is you they are looking to employ, not the rest of the team!
Tip 3 – Take your time.
In pressure situations, time always seems to speed up. If you pause for five seconds, it will seem to you like twenty seconds. Many of us make the mistake at interview of talking too quickly and frantically filling up every moment of time. Consciously slow down. It will help you listen, and to compose your thoughts before speaking. A pause also shows reflective quality. Keep reminding yourself of this point as the interview progresses.
Tip 4 – Find good examples.
Modern interview techniques focus on competence based methods, and these use examples extensively. They may start with “Can you think of an example when…”, perhaps when you had to rescue and failing project or talk around a sceptical customer. Once you have your example, there will be several minutes of follow up questions going into detail. Those details reveal the evidence (or otherwise) of the competences they seek. There is no point embellishes or making things up, but you help yourself enormously by choosing good examples. Good examples are rich experiences where you had a key role. Prepare by having several experiences in your mind. Then really listen to the question, and take your time to choose the best one, pausing if need be.
Tip 5 - Don’t let yourself down on basics.
Be on time. Which means being ridiculously early to deal with the missed bus or unscheduled toilet or wardrobe malfunction break – these always occur when you are stressed. You don’t have to dress out of character, but it is needlessly risky to wear something which might bring out a prejudice. Share your opinions, but be ready to accept that others might not agree with them (just in case your interviewer may be one). Really listen to the names of the interviewers when they tell you, and use those names back to them. Read your own application and the job description before going in, so you don’t make dumb errors. You would be amazed at how many interviewees of mine misstated the company name. It may seem trivial but it says something about you and it loses you points.
Five more tips next week.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Helping Africa Grow
Some articles about Africa have been refreshingly positive lately. After a lifetime of reading stories of misery and false dawn, it feels like the next few years could finally see Africa break free of its past.
What we are seeing in North Africa can be seen as a part of this trend, as a possible outcome of the revolutions could well be a flowering of nations held back by repressive regimes. With a semblance of democracy, better education (especially of girls) and a freer business climate should not be far behind. Of course, the road could be a rocky one. The current Western propaganda in Libya cannot obscure the short-term likelihood of death, depravity and other unfair outcomes, partly at our bidding.
But economic news across the continent has generally become good, with prospects for even better developments. Ten years ago there were three democracies in Africa, now there are 23. Infant mortality has plummeted, despite the impact of Aids. Think tanks predict Chinese rates of growth over the next twenty years, buoyed by the usual golden combination of demography, education, resources and investment.
For many countries in Africa, a turning point was the debt elimination programme from around the millennium. After that, resources could be diverted away from servicing debt into more constructive uses. We should not forget the key role played by both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown in championing that initiative. Their legacies have since become somewhat tarnished by later errors, but that was a truly heroic achievement, probably with more global impact than most politicians can claim over their careers.
With the continuing need for investment in Africa, I believe the time has come to challenge the prevailing opinion of Oil Companies in Africa, that of evil empires stripping natural resources and plundering the profits.
As a long-time Shell employee, I always observed the negative press from Nigeria with mixed feelings. More than anything, I was glad I never had to work there, despite the financial rewards, since the place had a reputation as a marriage breaker, somewhere where ones humanity would be tested, and a posting with very delicate decisions to make.
Although I never saw it myself, no doubt over the years there have been times when Shell employees, and others, have compromised fair business values and displayed colonial prejudice. Yet I can only imagine the pressures these people have been working under, and sense that most have been honest humans trying to plot a course through ambiguity. I have seen as fact the efforts Shell has made over many years to develop Nigerian staff, often a very frustrating effort for a variety of reasons, and certainly working in the opposite direction to plundering and stripping.
But the wider point is about the future. A key thing Africa requires to develop its people is business investment. Yet in the West we are taking a nuanced view about the current wave of Chinese investment there, while holding our nose when it comes to our own primary investors, oil companies and miners.
It is fair to be cautious about such investors. The disgraceful Transocean debacle showed that some companies will take advantage of lax institutional setups. But the result can be a set of restrictions and a public relations climate which stifle investors.
This in turn leaves some potential resources underutilised, and a monopolist feel to those investors who remain. What I mean by that is a climate of regulation rather than competition, with scope for local politicians to exploit rules and also for companies to become part of the establishment, with political risks but reduced competitive ones.
What would be better for Africa would be a well defined, stable regulatory regime, but then encouragement of new entrants and healthy competition. Over time, competition improves standards, not just in areas such as prices and costs but also in their legacy, development of staff, and so on. That is how capitalism works. That is why a profit motive helps, in order to offer potential reward for investors.
We usually understand this in the west, even if politics sometimes gets in the way. By the way, you can argue the same recipe for banking, since that sector globally suffers the same problems. Do you see much competition on savers interest rates just now? Now it is time to apply good capitalist principles in Africa. In many ways that is exactly what the Chinese are doing, and good luck to them. It is a shame if outdated notions and the legacy of past mistakes inhibit others from playing the same game.
What we are seeing in North Africa can be seen as a part of this trend, as a possible outcome of the revolutions could well be a flowering of nations held back by repressive regimes. With a semblance of democracy, better education (especially of girls) and a freer business climate should not be far behind. Of course, the road could be a rocky one. The current Western propaganda in Libya cannot obscure the short-term likelihood of death, depravity and other unfair outcomes, partly at our bidding.
But economic news across the continent has generally become good, with prospects for even better developments. Ten years ago there were three democracies in Africa, now there are 23. Infant mortality has plummeted, despite the impact of Aids. Think tanks predict Chinese rates of growth over the next twenty years, buoyed by the usual golden combination of demography, education, resources and investment.
For many countries in Africa, a turning point was the debt elimination programme from around the millennium. After that, resources could be diverted away from servicing debt into more constructive uses. We should not forget the key role played by both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown in championing that initiative. Their legacies have since become somewhat tarnished by later errors, but that was a truly heroic achievement, probably with more global impact than most politicians can claim over their careers.
With the continuing need for investment in Africa, I believe the time has come to challenge the prevailing opinion of Oil Companies in Africa, that of evil empires stripping natural resources and plundering the profits.
As a long-time Shell employee, I always observed the negative press from Nigeria with mixed feelings. More than anything, I was glad I never had to work there, despite the financial rewards, since the place had a reputation as a marriage breaker, somewhere where ones humanity would be tested, and a posting with very delicate decisions to make.
Although I never saw it myself, no doubt over the years there have been times when Shell employees, and others, have compromised fair business values and displayed colonial prejudice. Yet I can only imagine the pressures these people have been working under, and sense that most have been honest humans trying to plot a course through ambiguity. I have seen as fact the efforts Shell has made over many years to develop Nigerian staff, often a very frustrating effort for a variety of reasons, and certainly working in the opposite direction to plundering and stripping.
But the wider point is about the future. A key thing Africa requires to develop its people is business investment. Yet in the West we are taking a nuanced view about the current wave of Chinese investment there, while holding our nose when it comes to our own primary investors, oil companies and miners.
It is fair to be cautious about such investors. The disgraceful Transocean debacle showed that some companies will take advantage of lax institutional setups. But the result can be a set of restrictions and a public relations climate which stifle investors.
This in turn leaves some potential resources underutilised, and a monopolist feel to those investors who remain. What I mean by that is a climate of regulation rather than competition, with scope for local politicians to exploit rules and also for companies to become part of the establishment, with political risks but reduced competitive ones.
What would be better for Africa would be a well defined, stable regulatory regime, but then encouragement of new entrants and healthy competition. Over time, competition improves standards, not just in areas such as prices and costs but also in their legacy, development of staff, and so on. That is how capitalism works. That is why a profit motive helps, in order to offer potential reward for investors.
We usually understand this in the west, even if politics sometimes gets in the way. By the way, you can argue the same recipe for banking, since that sector globally suffers the same problems. Do you see much competition on savers interest rates just now? Now it is time to apply good capitalist principles in Africa. In many ways that is exactly what the Chinese are doing, and good luck to them. It is a shame if outdated notions and the legacy of past mistakes inhibit others from playing the same game.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)