Duncan Williamson: a trip to Almaty Kazakhstan

Introduction I was invited for a couple of weeks to do some work on accounting reform in the Central Asian Republics of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan: the job was based in Almaty, Kazakhstan where I had previously lived for five years. Since I hadn't been back for two years and liked the place, I had little hesitation in accepting the assignment.

This page is filled with my impressions of what was a good trip; and I have specifically included a few aspects of the informal indicators of economic development that I have discussed with a few people recently. Indicators such as the number of restaurants and their service styles and levels; the number of mobile phones; and the nature of the development of the retail trade.

Internet Service Provider: Choose Carefully In spite of what has turned out to be a very positive experience, I want to get a gripe off my shoulders. A lot of people in Almaty are paying a lot of money to Internet Service Providers: good for them; and it's good that e-mail and internet systems are so readily available here. However, I have had an absolute nightmare experience with Nursat when using the dial up connection service from anywhere in the city. I appreciate that the telephone lines in the city are not yet of the best quality; but the service I got was worse, far worse, than it was when I last used it three and more years ago. Today, Sunday 25 November, was the final straw. I got up earlyish to make sure that I achieved all of my objectives ready for an overnight departure. I logged on at 8:15 am; and again at 8:17 am; and again at 8:19 am … and again and again and again. I stopped trying at around 8:30 am and resolved to spill these beans. The whole two week period has been like this; with the worst being Thursday 22 November when I managed to log on at around 9 am, did what I wanted to do and then was cut off. I tried several times during the day to log on again and only finally managed at 10:15 pm. WARNING: if you are coming to Almaty and need an ISP, try another provider before you even dream of Nursat.

Getting here I am currently living and working in Tbilisi, Georgia and to get here I had to travel via Istanbul: I used Turkish Airlines (THY) and they are fine. Good service, they remembered my vegetarian meal request and their flights were on time. I had a 10 hour stopover in Istanbul and THY provided me with a free hotel room for the duration, including free transfers to and from the hotel. A small hotel in a district that was busy but not central. For 8 hours or so it was fine: I slept a little, watched BBCPrime a little and enjoyed the breakfast they provided. Istanbul airport has many Russian travellers now: you can hear their brogue everywhere. One way of knowing that the Russians have landed is that they all speak so loudly and you can hear them from afar! My Russian story this time is a simple one. I arrived at the hotel, freshened up a bit, sorted out which channels I could receive on the television and then went down for breakfast. As I left the lift and ambled into the dining room, I heard this loud, female voice saying "Gde sosiski? Ah, tam!" … "Where's the sausages? Ah, there!" I looked around the dining room and everyone except me and the two waiters were Russians, probably more accurate to say there were Russian speakers. Mainly young women, most of them wearing Shell Suits and most of them had bleached blonde hair. ALL of them smoked. All of them. The bus driver on the return journey to the airport felt that other drivers' efficiency and progress would be helped by the backdraft caused by over supply of air waves emanating as he sounded his horn every few seconds to solve problems that were way beyond anyone sound their horn. Once he'd parked the minibus, though, he turned from maniacal driver to very polite, helpful and friendly chap.

Almaty Airport I arrived at Almaty airport and was efficiently dealt with through VIP lounge, the biggest payoff of which was a free packet of chewing gum! Can't beat that! Almaty airport currently suffers from being the centre of a building site. They are rebuilding the terminal building after previous one burnt down whilst the airport operator was experiencing financial difficulties. Ever heard of that before?

Bumping Into People I Knew Having been here for so long before and having been a Lecturer, I know a lot of people and I bumped into them everywhere (no names, to protect the innocent):

The young lady who used to be my secretary

At work: 2 in the office and one more in admin

At USAID, my main contact's secretary

Met one in the EU Delegation

Met one in the street

Met one while having dinner at a friend's house

Met one in the doorway and coincidentally she was the person I went to interview later that day

Met another one in the same doorway but two days later

One wrote to me by e-mail asking for a letter of reference so I replied saying I'm here: we met up later in the week with two others

Met the wife of another one … who then came back to tell me how she remembered everything now: our first meeting in the mountains at a shashlik do …

One went out of his way to come to the office to say hello …

People kept asking me "Do you remember so and so? I became temporarily famous for replying "Probably … I'll know them when I meet them or see their photo!"

Business Developments Business in Kazakhstan is developing noticeably: when I left here in 1998, I knew of one organisation that was thinking about implementing ISO9000 (quality). I was told that more than 80 companies have now been ISO9000 certified or are in the process of doing it. Financial leasing is also well established now although the legislation to back it up has not been fully changed. Organisations can get mortgages and other loan schemes are progressing well and the loans are being paid back.

Universities University curricula are gradually catching up; and this is one of the things I was brought out to review. In terms of accounting and business, Universities are looking to bring themselves right up to date. They have received, and are receiving, a lot of help. Nevertheless, there are still things being taught in the universities here that I know have been covered in the schools. Inertia is keeping part of the curriculum firmly in place when it should have moved on.

The Retail Trade There are not only supermarkets here now but hypermarkets. Just off the centre of Almaty there is a major shopping development that has a [fast] food hall where people smile and are friendly and helpful. There are good quality supermarkets all over the city, too. In 1998, there were a few supermarkets of reasonable quality but they all tended to stock the same goods; variety and quality were often not the best. The same is not true now. There is a very wide range of goods available now: both local and foreign. They have also learned quite a bit about packaging and service. Prices are reasonable.

I contrast the new supermarkets with the Gastronoms I found when I first arrived here in 1993. Gastronoms (as in gastronomy!) were the supermarkets of their day. In their hey day I assume they were stocked full of goodies. When I arrived, they had all been reduced to empty shells stocked almost only with sugar, flour and pasta. To take ownership of anything, it had to be selected, kept at the counter, then one had to trail over to the cashier to pay up and then go back to collect whatever it was that had been selected.

The women who worked in the gastronoms were all sad and sour faced: to be fair, I imagine these poor women were saddened at the way their lives and their shops had, up to that point at least, suffered post perestroika; and who could blame them?

Today's shops are a delight and you will find: prewrapped fruit and veg, a huge variety of different types of bread, grease proof paper, herbs both loose and in bottles, chocolates and sweets without preserves and colourings and a huge amount more. Despite all of this, we still have the screechy, ungrateful foreigner who thinks s/he has just landed in a pile of goodness knows what. In the hypermarket I heard

"I bet they've never even heard of waxed paper … I asked for Italian herbs and they offered me something I didn't want … I said I want Italian herbs not basil".

I have to say I can't abide this kind of talk: what makes them feel so much better? Suppose someone came to them in their supermarket at their home and asked them for something from their own home that the supermarket didn't have … what would they say/screech?

Personal Safety I felt completely safe where ever I went and I made a point of walking a lot: up to an hour a day in two or three different bursts. I was warned about drug addicts ripping jewelry off people, snatching handbags and so on as they seek money to feed their habits.

Driving and Cars The standard of driving has improved here significantly; and they are getting used to the idea of stopping at zebra crossings now. Moreover,

Seat belts must be worn in the front seats

Many more people are riding bicycles than before

I noticed a lot fewer traffic police on the streets, although they are still here!

There has been an explosion in the number of cars here: it was already getting out of control by 1998 but now a 10 minute journey into the city centre takes 20 - 25 minutes. I got proof of this assertion as I watched someone's wedding video: a 1990 trail around Almaty following a marriage ceremony. The tradition here is to get married and then take the whole wedding party around strategic locations across the city to be snapped in some attractive settings. Anyway, some of the footage was taken from moving cars and I noticed that roads in the centre of the city that are busy, busy, busy all day every day now were almost completely deserted.

There are still many shunts at traffic light queues, though! The latest one that I saw was a five car shunt.

Restaurants I made a point of reliving brunch at Hyatt Regency Hotel. The range of food available was even better than three years ago but I have to say that I didn't like being asked if wanted the bill though we hadn't even got to the dessert table. The restaurant business seems to be flourishing: a good, useful, indicator of the development of an economy, I think. Here are the ones I went to.

Arsenal: so busy we couldn't get a table: it looked good, fairly big, but I didn't get a chance to study the menu, the service or the food.

Mirage: Soviet style with a balcony and they served baked potatoes that were fine although I like my baked potatoes grossly overcooked so that the innards are soft and the skin is crisp

Seung Jo … genuine Korean, good food, good service but expensive

Inara restaurant: a small doorway and a small entrance hall opens up into a huge cavern! The party I was with were all happy with the dinner we had but let me say that an ordinary set meal is not for vegetarians. The service was of a good standard, there is live music, people prepared to dance; and Igor, whoever Igor was, had the floor to himself when his mates made a music request of the band.

Stetson restaurant: decent ambience, nice looking waitresses, good service, French potato chowder was nice and I recommend it. The baked potato with cheese isn't baked potato at all, more like Dauphnoise potatoes!

American Bar and Grill: as is says! They have a lunch menu that is cheap and cheerful and even for a veggie like me, they had something well worthwhile. The waiters (predominantly female) were helpful and friendly and [ours at least] spoke English. The service was fast and efficient, as befits the businessman's lunch they were trying to provide.

For better or worse, I was told that MacDonalds has a policy of keeping out of Central Asia until at least 2004 or so. There are many burger bars here, however, for the unsated!

Mobile Phones I was told that there are now 250,000 mobile phones registered in Kazakhstan (do a simple linear extrapolation and that's the equivalent of 1,000,000 if the population of Kazakhstan were to be the same as the UK). I was also told that 250,000 is probably an understatement and the figure is nearer 350,000 (1,400,000).

Personal Hygiene Not a normal subject for polite society; but I've spent the last two weeks on the verge: the flora and fauna that inhabit my alimentary canal have been in turmoil. Can't say exactly why I have suffered such turmoil but if you're coming this way, be prepared. There, now, wasn't that a delicate way of discussing this topic?

Get Your Passport Here I needed a new passport when I came here. Knowing this, I got the requisite form in Georgia (the wrong one as it turned out: the British Embassy in Tbilisi stocks OUT OF DATE versions of the Passport Application form), filled it in and had it signed as requested. I then took it down to the British Embassy, Visa/Consular Section and within 24 hours I had a new one. Perfect service: contrast that with getting a replacement passport at home. They even brushed aside my having filled in the wrong form by providing me with the correct one and having me sign that and attaching it to the one I'd brought with me. This is the second time I've renewed my passport abroad, and I thoroughly recommend it as a way of getting faultless service from people who realise that Brits are worthwhile people!

Hypochondriasis I spent an evening with a fellow Brit: I'd never met him before and he's an accountant working in the Region. We had a pleasant chat about this and that. Then towards the end he said told me about his girlfriend who's a "local". He told me that his girlfriend has mental problems. When I asked him what he meant, he told me that she's a hypochondriac. I said "Hypochondriac? That's not a sign of mental problems, it's normal here!" I then said, "What kind of allergy does she have?" He said, "How did you know she has an allergy?" Well, the majority of people from the CIS have an allergy of some sort as well as being hypochondriacs! I loved the way he told about getting into a taxi in Bishkek and the short conversation he had with the driver: Brit: "Do you keep your spare money in the bank?" Driver: Guffaw!

Cost of Petrol and Diesel Petrol here costs 50 Tenge/litre for 96 Octane, diesel fuel costs 27 Tenge/litre. Eesh! There are around 215 Tenge to the Pound at the moment. This means that petrol costs £1.05 a gallon and diesel costs £0.57 a gallon.

A Moscow and Customs Warning In the course of my business, I met two Ukrainians. They took the train from Kiev to Moscow and then the plane to Almaty. At Moscow airport they were FORCED to change their Dollars in Roubles even though they were only in transit: a total of $1,500. Russia strikes again. They ended up with Roubles they didn't want in the slightest. The moral of part of the Ukrainians' story is that you MUST keep ALL of the official bits of paper you are ever given here. On arrival, you must fill in a customs declaration form and if you lose that you could have your goods, chattels and cash confiscated … or it will cost you a "fine". Officially, there is nothing amiss with what I have just said, apart from the "fine" … you'll get no receipt for that! If you are going to take, say, more foreign currency out than you declared on your customs form, make sure you have the bank/ATM slips that show where you got this money from. Even if you came by the money innocently, it's an opportunity for some to help you unload what they see as your excess. I should stress that the Customs Department here is seen as being the single biggest source of corruption that impacts on the lives of travellers and business people.

Finally I like Almaty and the people who live here and I want everyone to know that if I have said anything here that you find even in the least bit offensive, I apologise since that was not my intention in writing this paper. If you do find something iffy, just write to me and we'll sort it all out.

Duncan Williamson
2001



		A Trip to Almaty Kazakhstan A revisitation: November 2001 Introduction I was invited for a couple of weeks to do some work on accounting reform in the Central Asian Republics of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan: the job was based in Almaty, Kazakhstan where I had previously lived for five years. Since I hadn't been back for two years and liked the place, I had little hesitation in accepting the assignment. This page is filled with my impressions of what was a good trip; and I have specifically included a few aspects of the informal indicators of economic development that I have discussed with a few people recently. Indicators such as the number of restaurants and their service styles and levels; the number of mobile phones; and the nature of the development of the retail trade. Internet Service Provider: Choose Carefully In spite of what has turned out to be a very positive experience, I want to get a gripe off my shoulders. A lot of people in Almaty are paying a lot of money to Internet Service Providers: good for them; and it's good that e-mail and internet systems are so readily available here. However, I have had an absolute nightmare experience with Nursat when using the dial up connection service from anywhere in the city. I appreciate that the telephone lines in the city are not yet of the best quality; but the service I got was worse, far worse, than it was when I last used it three and more years ago. Today, Sunday 25 November, was the final straw. I got up earlyish to make sure that I achieved all of my objectives ready for an overnight departure. I logged on at 8:15 am; and again at 8:17 am; and again at 8:19 am … and again and again and again. I stopped trying at around 8:30 am and resolved to spill these beans. The whole two week period has been like this; with the worst being Thursday 22 November when I managed to log on at around 9 am, did what I wanted to do and then was cut off. I tried several times during the day to log on again and only finally managed at 10:15 pm. WARNING: if you are coming to Almaty and need an ISP, try another provider before you even dream of Nursat. Getting here I am currently living and working in Tbilisi, Georgia and to get here I had to travel via Istanbul: I used Turkish Airlines (THY) and they are fine. Good service, they remembered my vegetarian meal request and their flights were on time. I had a 10 hour stopover in Istanbul and THY provided me with a free hotel room for the duration, including free transfers to and from the hotel. A small hotel in a district that was busy but not central. For 8 hours or so it was fine: I slept a little, watched BBCPrime a little and enjoyed the breakfast they provided. Istanbul airport has many Russian travellers now: you can hear their brogue everywhere. One way of knowing that the Russians have landed is that they all speak so loudly and you can hear them from afar! My Russian story this time is a simple one. I arrived at the hotel, freshened up a bit, sorted out which channels I could receive on the television and then went down for breakfast. As I left the lift and ambled into the dining room, I heard this loud, female voice saying "Gde sosiski? Ah, tam!" … "Where's the sausages? Ah, there!" I looked around the dining room and everyone except me and the two waiters were Russians, probably more accurate to say there were Russian speakers. Mainly young women, most of them wearing Shell Suits and most of them had bleached blonde hair. ALL of them smoked. All of them. The bus driver on the return journey to the airport felt that other drivers' efficiency and progress would be helped by the backdraft caused by over supply of air waves emanating as he sounded his horn every few seconds to solve problems that were way beyond anyone sound their horn. Once he'd parked the minibus, though, he turned from maniacal driver to very polite, helpful and friendly chap. Almaty Airport I arrived at Almaty airport and was efficiently dealt with through VIP lounge, the biggest payoff of which was a free packet of chewing gum! Can't beat that! Almaty airport currently suffers from being the centre of a building site. They are rebuilding the terminal building after previous one burnt down whilst the airport operator was experiencing financial difficulties. Ever heard of that before? Bumping Into People I Knew Having been here for so long before and having been a Lecturer, I know a lot of people and I bumped into them everywhere (no names, to protect the innocent): The young lady who used to be my secretary At work: 2 in the office and one more in admin At USAID, my main contact's secretary Met one in the EU Delegation Met one in the street Met one while having dinner at a friend's house Met one in the doorway and coincidentally she was the person I went to interview later that day Met another one in the same doorway but two days later One wrote to me by e-mail asking for a letter of reference so I replied saying I'm here: we met up later in the week with two others Met the wife of another one … who then came back to tell me how she remembered everything now: our first meeting in the mountains at a shashlik do … One went out of his way to come to the office to say hello … People kept asking me "Do you remember so and so? I became temporarily famous for replying "Probably … I'll know them when I meet them or see their photo!" Business Developments Business in Kazakhstan is developing noticeably: when I left here in 1998, I knew of one organisation that was thinking about implementing ISO9000 (quality). I was told that more than 80 companies have now been ISO9000 certified or are in the process of doing it. Financial leasing is also well established now although the legislation to back it up has not been fully changed. Organisations can get mortgages and other loan schemes are progressing well and the loans are being paid back. Universities University curricula are gradually catching up; and this is one of the things I was brought out to review. In terms of accounting and business, Universities are looking to bring themselves right up to date. They have received, and are receiving, a lot of help. Nevertheless, there are still things being taught in the universities here that I know have been covered in the schools. Inertia is keeping part of the curriculum firmly in place when it should have moved on. The Retail Trade There are not only supermarkets here now but hypermarkets. Just off the centre of Almaty there is a major shopping development that has a [fast] food hall where people smile and are friendly and helpful. There are good quality supermarkets all over the city, too. In 1998, there were a few supermarkets of reasonable quality but they all tended to stock the same goods; variety and quality were often not the best. The same is not true now. There is a very wide range of goods available now: both local and foreign. They have also learned quite a bit about packaging and service. Prices are reasonable. I contrast the new supermarkets with the Gastronoms I found when I first arrived here in 1993. Gastronoms (as in gastronomy!) were the supermarkets of their day. In their hey day I assume they were stocked full of goodies. When I arrived, they had all been reduced to empty shells stocked almost only with sugar, flour and pasta. To take ownership of anything, it had to be selected, kept at the counter, then one had to trail over to the cashier to pay up and then go back to collect whatever it was that had been selected. The women who worked in the gastronoms were all sad and sour faced: to be fair, I imagine these poor women were saddened at the way their lives and their shops had, up to that point at least, suffered post perestroika; and who could blame them? Today's shops are a delight and you will find: prewrapped fruit and veg, a huge variety of different types of bread, grease proof paper, herbs both loose and in bottles, chocolates and sweets without preserves and colourings and a huge amount more. Despite all of this, we still have the screechy, ungrateful foreigner who thinks s/he has just landed in a pile of goodness knows what. In the hypermarket I heard "I bet they've never even heard of waxed paper … I asked for Italian herbs and they offered me something I didn't want … I said I want Italian herbs not basil". I have to say I can't abide this kind of talk: what makes them feel so much better? Suppose someone came to them in their supermarket at their home and asked them for something from their own home that the supermarket didn't have … what would they say/screech? Personal Safety I felt completely safe where ever I went and I made a point of walking a lot: up to an hour a day in two or three different bursts. I was warned about drug addicts ripping jewelry off people, snatching handbags and so on as they seek money to feed their habits. Driving and Cars The standard of driving has improved here significantly; and they are getting used to the idea of stopping at zebra crossings now. Moreover, Seat belts must be worn in the front seats Many more people are riding bicycles than before I noticed a lot fewer traffic police on the streets, although they are still here! There has been an explosion in the number of cars here: it was already getting out of control by 1998 but now a 10 minute journey into the city centre takes 20 - 25 minutes. I got proof of this assertion as I watched someone's wedding video: a 1990 trail around Almaty following a marriage ceremony. The tradition here is to get married and then take the whole wedding party around strategic locations across the city to be snapped in some attractive settings. Anyway, some of the footage was taken from moving cars and I noticed that roads in the centre of the city that are busy, busy, busy all day every day now were almost completely deserted. There are still many shunts at traffic light queues, though! The latest one that I saw was a five car shunt. Restaurants I made a point of reliving brunch at Hyatt Regency Hotel. The range of food available was even better than three years ago but I have to say that I didn't like being asked if wanted the bill though we hadn't even got to the dessert table. The restaurant business seems to be flourishing: a good, useful, indicator of the development of an economy, I think. Here are the ones I went to. Arsenal: so busy we couldn't get a table: it looked good, fairly big, but I didn't get a chance to study the menu, the service or the food. Mirage: Soviet style with a balcony and they served baked potatoes that were fine although I like my baked potatoes grossly overcooked so that the innards are soft and the skin is crisp Seung Jo … genuine Korean, good food, good service but expensive Inara restaurant: a small doorway and a small entrance hall opens up into a huge cavern! The party I was with were all happy with the dinner we had but let me say that an ordinary set meal is not for vegetarians. The service was of a good standard, there is live music, people prepared to dance; and Igor, whoever Igor was, had the floor to himself when his mates made a music request of the band. Stetson restaurant: decent ambience, nice looking waitresses, good service, French potato chowder was nice and I recommend it. The baked potato with cheese isn't baked potato at all, more like Dauphnoise potatoes! American Bar and Grill: as is says! They have a lunch menu that is cheap and cheerful and even for a veggie like me, they had something well worthwhile. The waiters (predominantly female) were helpful and friendly and [ours at least] spoke English. The service was fast and efficient, as befits the businessman's lunch they were trying to provide. For better or worse, I was told that MacDonalds has a policy of keeping out of Central Asia until at least 2004 or so. There are many burger bars here, however, for the unsated! Mobile Phones I was told that there are now 250,000 mobile phones registered in Kazakhstan (do a simple linear extrapolation and that's the equivalent of 1,000,000 if the population of Kazakhstan were to be the same as the UK). I was also told that 250,000 is probably an understatement and the figure is nearer 350,000 (1,400,000). Personal Hygiene Not a normal subject for polite society; but I've spent the last two weeks on the verge: the flora and fauna that inhabit my alimentary canal have been in turmoil. Can't say exactly why I have suffered such turmoil but if you're coming this way, be prepared. There, now, wasn't that a delicate way of discussing this topic? Get Your Passport Here I needed a new passport when I came here. Knowing this, I got the requisite form in Georgia (the wrong one as it turned out: the British Embassy in Tbilisi stocks OUT OF DATE versions of the Passport Application form), filled it in and had it signed as requested. I then took it down to the British Embassy, Visa/Consular Section and within 24 hours I had a new one. Perfect service: contrast that with getting a replacement passport at home. They even brushed aside my having filled in the wrong form by providing me with the correct one and having me sign that and attaching it to the one I'd brought with me. This is the second time I've renewed my passport abroad, and I thoroughly recommend it as a way of getting faultless service from people who realise that Brits are worthwhile people! Hypochondriasis I spent an evening with a fellow Brit: I'd never met him before and he's an accountant working in the Region. We had a pleasant chat about this and that. Then towards the end he said told me about his girlfriend who's a "local". He told me that his girlfriend has mental problems. When I asked him what he meant, he told me that she's a hypochondriac. I said "Hypochondriac? That's not a sign of mental problems, it's normal here!" I then said, "What kind of allergy does she have?" He said, "How did you know she has an allergy?" Well, the majority of people from the CIS have an allergy of some sort as well as being hypochondriacs! I loved the way he told about getting into a taxi in Bishkek and the short conversation he had with the driver: Brit: "Do you keep your spare money in the bank?" Driver: Guffaw! Cost of Petrol and Diesel Petrol here costs 50 Tenge/litre for 96 Octane, diesel fuel costs 27 Tenge/litre. Eesh! There are around 215 Tenge to the Pound at the moment. This means that petrol costs £1.05 a gallon and diesel costs £0.57 a gallon. A Moscow and Customs Warning In the course of my business, I met two Ukrainians. They took the train from Kiev to Moscow and then the plane to Almaty. At Moscow airport they were FORCED to change their Dollars in Roubles even though they were only in transit: a total of $1,500. Russia strikes again. They ended up with Roubles they didn't want in the slightest. The moral of part of the Ukrainians' story is that you MUST keep ALL of the official bits of paper you are ever given here. On arrival, you must fill in a customs declaration form and if you lose that you could have your goods, chattels and cash confiscated … or it will cost you a "fine". Officially, there is nothing amiss with what I have just said, apart from the "fine" … you'll get no receipt for that! If you are going to take, say, more foreign currency out than you declared on your customs form, make sure you have the bank/ATM slips that show where you got this money from. Even if you came by the money innocently, it's an opportunity for some to help you unload what they see as your excess. I should stress that the Customs Department here is seen as being the single biggest source of corruption that impacts on the lives of travellers and business people. Finally I like Almaty and the people who live here and I want everyone to know that if I have said anything here that you find even in the least bit offensive, I apologise since that was not my intention in writing this paper. If you do find something iffy, just write to me and we'll sort it all out. Duncan Williamson 2001
	© Webmaster Duncan Williamson 2001