I just thought of a new rule: be sure and give them some piece of writing, even if it isn't the one they requested. For example, if they want you to write down the day you first heard the word "Africa", don't leave that entry blank. Instead, write down something like "Probably around May 3, 1961, but I don't remember." That way, the blank is filled-- and remember, Bureaucracy Abhors a Vacuum. A corollary is that if the rules demand a particular document, give the bureaucracy some document, even if it isn't the same one they asked for.

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