In reponse to Mel's last aside: in some countries you can hire friends and
family for social occasions. While I was teaching in Japan a few years ago,
I discovered that there are agencies for this purpose (in this case largely
to cover up the 'shame' of not having genuine friends or respectable
co-workers)!
David.
David Wood
PhD Student ('The Rural Peace Dividend')
Department of Agricultural Economics and Food Marketing
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RU
Tel: 0191 222 6615
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