I'm now about two thirds of the way through editing. I've found a good rhythm lately and hope to keep it up while in the boonies the next few days. Keeping it up when back in the city will require particular fortitude as New York in December is nothing but sugar and booze, at least, usually. This year may be more subdued. Then there's the Hot Stove and Davidson b-ball (big games against NC State, West Virginia & Purdue) that beckon. Whatever, I gotta bang this puppy out. The hardest parts are over, I'm in the home stretch and hey, have you noticed how much press Michigan's got lately?
The performance of the Big Three on Capitol Hill and on Wall Street only justified a scene in the book where bored Ford execs prank call the guys from Botswana looking for business tips. The Batswana turn around and tell them to short Ford stock. I wrote that this past winter. If only I had taken my own advice...Fuhgedaboutit.
Showing posts with label Botswana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Botswana. Show all posts
Friday, December 5, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
African Proverbs
Earlier in the year I did research regarding African proverbs (and those particular to Botswana) which I could pepper my main characters' speech with. Tonight I'm going through the proverbs and making notes about where best to use them. In some cases, I'd like to use them as chapter titles to get away from the old "Chapter One", "Chapter Two" business. A chapter with its own title sets it apart and also gives the reader something to look forward to. How many times have you looked over a book's table of contents at the chapter titles?
Here are a few choice proverbs:
When the elephants fight, the grass suffers.
You send a wise person on an important mission, not a long-legged person.
One should not ignore an elephant and throw stones at a small bird.
The result of continually chasing a chicken is that your hand touches some dirty ground.
When the drumbeat changes, the dance changes.
Too much haste splits the yam.
When a bird gets tired, it will land on any tree.
The shoe doesn't need a sock. (ie, Nothing closer to the truth.)
Here are a few choice proverbs:
When the elephants fight, the grass suffers.
You send a wise person on an important mission, not a long-legged person.
One should not ignore an elephant and throw stones at a small bird.
The result of continually chasing a chicken is that your hand touches some dirty ground.
When the drumbeat changes, the dance changes.
Too much haste splits the yam.
When a bird gets tired, it will land on any tree.
The shoe doesn't need a sock. (ie, Nothing closer to the truth.)
Monday, July 7, 2008
Address please?
In Chapter Three, the Batswana (the curious plural of people from Botswana) move their offices into the heart of Dearborn, specifically what has been the vacant Montgomery Ward building which I mentioned earlier. Well, after re-reading that link I'm confused. It seems that there is the Montgomery Ward building and then there is the John H. Schaefer building. I need to find out which is which and which I want to include in the story.
It also appears that the Montgomery Ward building may be torn down by September 1st to make way for a new building. The future of the Montgomery Ward building has been in limbo for a number of years with various plans having come and gone to no avail. I'll have to keep an eye on this development as it raises key questions:
1) If the building is torn down by 9/1/08, how does that impact my story which takes places between 08/08 and 11/08?
2) Can I ask readers to suspend their disbelief to accommodate what may be an anachronism?
I probably can, but I don't want to and there's the rub.
Till I have concrete answers, I'm gonna keep on truckin'. Revisions to Chapter Three are moving right along with characters and events taking on more depth and precision.
It also appears that the Montgomery Ward building may be torn down by September 1st to make way for a new building. The future of the Montgomery Ward building has been in limbo for a number of years with various plans having come and gone to no avail. I'll have to keep an eye on this development as it raises key questions:
1) If the building is torn down by 9/1/08, how does that impact my story which takes places between 08/08 and 11/08?
2) Can I ask readers to suspend their disbelief to accommodate what may be an anachronism?
I probably can, but I don't want to and there's the rub.
Till I have concrete answers, I'm gonna keep on truckin'. Revisions to Chapter Three are moving right along with characters and events taking on more depth and precision.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Hotel Rwanda: Hope or Aberration?
I just followed The Last King of Scotland with Hotel Rwanda. Like The Last King of Scotland, Hotel Rwanda shows the beauty, affluence and appeal to Western tourists that African countries can possess. Unfortunately, it also shows the impact of mass-killings and the lack of intervention by those same Western countries.
Unlike The Last King of Scotland, Hotel Rwanda is told from the perspective of a local, in this case, hotel manager, Paul Rusesabagina, as played by Don Cheadle. The local perspective on the Hutu-Tutsi conflict avoids the patronizing white, Western perspective in The Last King of Scotland while showing that individuals such as Paul can successfully fight the good fight while chaos surrounds them.
If Hotel Rwanda were the only point of reference for Africa that you have, what conclusions would you draw? Depending on your experience with civil war, either you understand how two groups of people can turn on each other over time or it may baffle you. The lack of action by Western powers may frustrate you or may make frigidly cold sense. The main character, Paul, should inspire you - giving one faith in the African people to take care of themselves and each other despite their differences. As in The Last King of Scotland, this film probably doesn't do much for one's respect of African governments or armies. And it may even portray Paul as an aberration - that rare leader amidst the chaos - who works for the common good and succeeds.
How can I use Hotel Rwanda? Good question. I need to learn more about the tribal make-up of Botswana first. If there are multiple tribes and if it they get along it would be nice to show that they don't refer to each other as "cockroaches"; that Botswana's radio stations only incite people when soccer scores are given; and that violence is not the immediate and sole answer to the problems in society that arise.
On the Michigan side, a friend has lent me Sufjan Stevens' "Michigan: Greetings from the Great Lake State" which I'll take a listen to and see what I can glean from it.
Unlike The Last King of Scotland, Hotel Rwanda is told from the perspective of a local, in this case, hotel manager, Paul Rusesabagina, as played by Don Cheadle. The local perspective on the Hutu-Tutsi conflict avoids the patronizing white, Western perspective in The Last King of Scotland while showing that individuals such as Paul can successfully fight the good fight while chaos surrounds them.
If Hotel Rwanda were the only point of reference for Africa that you have, what conclusions would you draw? Depending on your experience with civil war, either you understand how two groups of people can turn on each other over time or it may baffle you. The lack of action by Western powers may frustrate you or may make frigidly cold sense. The main character, Paul, should inspire you - giving one faith in the African people to take care of themselves and each other despite their differences. As in The Last King of Scotland, this film probably doesn't do much for one's respect of African governments or armies. And it may even portray Paul as an aberration - that rare leader amidst the chaos - who works for the common good and succeeds.
How can I use Hotel Rwanda? Good question. I need to learn more about the tribal make-up of Botswana first. If there are multiple tribes and if it they get along it would be nice to show that they don't refer to each other as "cockroaches"; that Botswana's radio stations only incite people when soccer scores are given; and that violence is not the immediate and sole answer to the problems in society that arise.
On the Michigan side, a friend has lent me Sufjan Stevens' "Michigan: Greetings from the Great Lake State" which I'll take a listen to and see what I can glean from it.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
The Last King of Scotland and the White Gaze
I watched The Last King of Scotland this past week - a film about the rise and ways of Idi Amin, president of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. While Uganda is a good distance from Botswana, I'd be naive to believe that all my readers are up on their African geography, culture, history and politics and that they may fudge together the various distinctions into one composite opinion.
And what, pray tell, would that opinion be if you've only seen this film? Hard to say. If one equates Amin with Africa according to this film, then the country is jocular, but also menacing; large and plentiful, but immature and inefficient; loyal, but suspicious. In the end, Amin's regime installed by Western powers bypasses democracy and kills approximately 300,000 of his own people - an all too often told tale for the dark continent so it would seem.
The story is told from the point of view of a young Scottish doctor who has traveled to Uganda to do good, only to become one of Amin's advisers. The story comes to a head when Amin proclaims himself the father of Uganda only for his white Western adviser to call him a child. I wonder how this story would be different if Ngugi had written the script.
I've been skeptical of the West's ability to tell other cultures how they're wrong and what they should do to correct their situation ever since reading Hernando de Soto's The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else. In this book de Soto discusses how the West preached capitalism to former Communist countries (and South America) without taking into account the importance of the proper legal structure to support their new economies. This is kinda like telling someone to bake a cake, giving them pans, food and an oven, but not the recipe. I have a hard enough time with a recipe...
What does this film do for my book? Well, it reminds me that Western audiences still like to buy the African despot story rather than the Western stooge story. How can I use this to my advantage? Drop the occasional genocide joke, you say? Sure. Why not? Always fun to play on the naive assumptions of folks, ie that if you're not a dead African that you're a killer and incapable of being democratic. Then again, what good is democracy when the elected leader sees the vote of confidence as support for his/her will and not trust to do the will of the people?
And what, pray tell, would that opinion be if you've only seen this film? Hard to say. If one equates Amin with Africa according to this film, then the country is jocular, but also menacing; large and plentiful, but immature and inefficient; loyal, but suspicious. In the end, Amin's regime installed by Western powers bypasses democracy and kills approximately 300,000 of his own people - an all too often told tale for the dark continent so it would seem.
The story is told from the point of view of a young Scottish doctor who has traveled to Uganda to do good, only to become one of Amin's advisers. The story comes to a head when Amin proclaims himself the father of Uganda only for his white Western adviser to call him a child. I wonder how this story would be different if Ngugi had written the script.
I've been skeptical of the West's ability to tell other cultures how they're wrong and what they should do to correct their situation ever since reading Hernando de Soto's The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else. In this book de Soto discusses how the West preached capitalism to former Communist countries (and South America) without taking into account the importance of the proper legal structure to support their new economies. This is kinda like telling someone to bake a cake, giving them pans, food and an oven, but not the recipe. I have a hard enough time with a recipe...
What does this film do for my book? Well, it reminds me that Western audiences still like to buy the African despot story rather than the Western stooge story. How can I use this to my advantage? Drop the occasional genocide joke, you say? Sure. Why not? Always fun to play on the naive assumptions of folks, ie that if you're not a dead African that you're a killer and incapable of being democratic. Then again, what good is democracy when the elected leader sees the vote of confidence as support for his/her will and not trust to do the will of the people?
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Noisy animals, the flatulence of the gods and the evil thing
The Gods Must Be Crazy, which takes place in Botswana funny enough, came out in 1980. The story begins by introducing us to the "little people of the Kalahari" - the Bushmen - who have no sense of ownership, know no jealousy, live simply without a formal government or laws and are stymied by a Coke bottle that a pilot tosses out his window into their world of animal skin thongs and hand-made tools.
The story then shifts to the "civilized world" where people drive to their mail boxes and back, sit in traffic, work at desks and wonder if other people can hear the voices in their heads. In time, the modern versus natural world dichotomy devolves into a romantic comedy between the two main Caucasian characters with the Bushmen and other Africans playing smaller roles.
What the movie does do, though, is 1) introduce one picture of Botswana that is no longer representative of the entire country and 2) provides concretes stereotypes to work with.
In the first case, we're given a glimpse of what may be urban Botswana (possibly the capitol, Gaborone, but we never know for sure), but for the majority of the film we see rural Botswana and its people. Because the early urban setting is not identified as part of Botswana or not, we never truly can say or believe that the country has an urban, modern and successful (by Western standards) element to it. Rather, Botswana is simplified as rural.
In the second case, we learn that the Bushmen refer to cars as noisy animals, consider the noise of airplanes examples of the gods' flatulence and come to consider an item that they cannot share - the Coke bottle - as "the evil thing" which must be thrown off the side of the Earth. [If I'm not mistaken, 20th century Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski mentions in his book, The Soccer War, the use of paratroopers in Africa by a Western army as a means of instilling fear and showing dominance as the Africans feared anything that fell from the sky.]
Now that Botswana has become an important player in the diamond trade, I'd like to think these misconceptions have become dated. I will have to find out for sure, but it certainly would make for a delicious scene where the Batswana protagonists show they are no longer afraid of soda bottles (never mind beer bottles) while making their antagonists look that much more foolish for believing a country couldn't evolve over 25 plus years.
The story then shifts to the "civilized world" where people drive to their mail boxes and back, sit in traffic, work at desks and wonder if other people can hear the voices in their heads. In time, the modern versus natural world dichotomy devolves into a romantic comedy between the two main Caucasian characters with the Bushmen and other Africans playing smaller roles.
What the movie does do, though, is 1) introduce one picture of Botswana that is no longer representative of the entire country and 2) provides concretes stereotypes to work with.
In the first case, we're given a glimpse of what may be urban Botswana (possibly the capitol, Gaborone, but we never know for sure), but for the majority of the film we see rural Botswana and its people. Because the early urban setting is not identified as part of Botswana or not, we never truly can say or believe that the country has an urban, modern and successful (by Western standards) element to it. Rather, Botswana is simplified as rural.
In the second case, we learn that the Bushmen refer to cars as noisy animals, consider the noise of airplanes examples of the gods' flatulence and come to consider an item that they cannot share - the Coke bottle - as "the evil thing" which must be thrown off the side of the Earth. [If I'm not mistaken, 20th century Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski mentions in his book, The Soccer War, the use of paratroopers in Africa by a Western army as a means of instilling fear and showing dominance as the Africans feared anything that fell from the sky.]
Now that Botswana has become an important player in the diamond trade, I'd like to think these misconceptions have become dated. I will have to find out for sure, but it certainly would make for a delicious scene where the Batswana protagonists show they are no longer afraid of soda bottles (never mind beer bottles) while making their antagonists look that much more foolish for believing a country couldn't evolve over 25 plus years.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Punch My Ticket
It's official: With plane tickets and rental car secured, I'm heading out to Dearborn at the end of February. I've also put together a preliminary list of questions I'll need to answer (eg, where would my characters live? Where would they set up shop? Where's the most likely place for them to get into a car accident?) between now and the end of my trip.
I've also started ransacking the NYPL for books on Michigan and Dearborn so I can arrive with a sense of history and geography.
This being my first trip to the area, I hope to do so as a tourist more than as if I lived there, ie, I'll walk and drive around a lot to get a feel for how the area is laid out; will look into local museums and venues. At the same time, I'll be looking at the area through the eyes of my characters. Hopefully I'll meet some locals and talk to them about area to get a better feel for what's going on on the ground.
On the other side, I've been reading books in Alexander McCall Smith's The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, a series which takes place in Botswana. The books have given me a better feel for the language, geography and diet of the country. The first book in this series has been made into a movie featuring Jill Scott to debut sometime later this year.
I've also started ransacking the NYPL for books on Michigan and Dearborn so I can arrive with a sense of history and geography.
This being my first trip to the area, I hope to do so as a tourist more than as if I lived there, ie, I'll walk and drive around a lot to get a feel for how the area is laid out; will look into local museums and venues. At the same time, I'll be looking at the area through the eyes of my characters. Hopefully I'll meet some locals and talk to them about area to get a better feel for what's going on on the ground.
On the other side, I've been reading books in Alexander McCall Smith's The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, a series which takes place in Botswana. The books have given me a better feel for the language, geography and diet of the country. The first book in this series has been made into a movie featuring Jill Scott to debut sometime later this year.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Preliminary Detroit Area Research
Chapter two takes our protagonists into the Detroit area to begin their work. In preparation for this chapter, I've been studying up on the area and thinking about the existing sources out there that are set around Detroit. More specifically, I'm looking at demographic statistics and popular culture.
I've learned a couple key things about the Detroit area in the last couple weeks. First, Dearborn, Michigan is considered the United States' Muslim capitol. Second, Grosse Pointe Blank, set in nearby Grosse Pointe, Michigan, appears to have one African-American interloper (an NSA agent) who eventually gets blown away by John Cusack and Dan Aykroyd, professional killers impeccably adept at dialog.
Needless to say, the juxtaposition of these images (real and imagined) potentially supplies ample comic fodder: the reality of a full-blown immigrant city (Muslim at that! beginning in the 1950s) versus a Hollywood comedy/action film in a presumably affluent and Caucasian town. If the writers of Grosse Pointe Blank thought they were playing up the comedy by setting a professional hit in a sleepy town during a high school reunion, in a post- 9/11 world, the last laugh may be on them. Plus, when discussing the idea of American pride, it will be curious to see how the two groups respond. Will they try to out-American each other and if so, to what ludicrous end? And who will actually take up the Batswana's offer of business development assistance?
That being said, I also look forward to watching Gung Ho and seeing how that may or may not play a part in the story. If nothing else, it's a chance to watch Michael Keaton in action. Hell, Mr. Mom took place around Detroit. Classic.
I've learned a couple key things about the Detroit area in the last couple weeks. First, Dearborn, Michigan is considered the United States' Muslim capitol. Second, Grosse Pointe Blank, set in nearby Grosse Pointe, Michigan, appears to have one African-American interloper (an NSA agent) who eventually gets blown away by John Cusack and Dan Aykroyd, professional killers impeccably adept at dialog.
Needless to say, the juxtaposition of these images (real and imagined) potentially supplies ample comic fodder: the reality of a full-blown immigrant city (Muslim at that! beginning in the 1950s) versus a Hollywood comedy/action film in a presumably affluent and Caucasian town. If the writers of Grosse Pointe Blank thought they were playing up the comedy by setting a professional hit in a sleepy town during a high school reunion, in a post- 9/11 world, the last laugh may be on them. Plus, when discussing the idea of American pride, it will be curious to see how the two groups respond. Will they try to out-American each other and if so, to what ludicrous end? And who will actually take up the Batswana's offer of business development assistance?
That being said, I also look forward to watching Gung Ho and seeing how that may or may not play a part in the story. If nothing else, it's a chance to watch Michael Keaton in action. Hell, Mr. Mom took place around Detroit. Classic.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Stuck in the Middle
After years of squirreling away my writing, I have come to enjoy the comments that other readers bring which I would have never considered. A number of readers have already weighed in on the first chapter and helped me flesh out various parts and characters. This past weekend another reader brought to light another angle I had not given sufficient thought: the perspective of the people of Botswana.
Essentially, the reader said that I was speaking for the people of Botswana and, well, I had no right to do that. After much discussion, I agreed that without spending time there and without consulting long-time residents, that my story would carry little credibility with those in the know.
This line of thought had struck me earlier on in the writing process. I wondered if I should fictionalize the countries in the story to avoid this very problem. I decided not to for a few reasons.
First I thought of Gulliver's Travels and asked myself, "What countries was Jonathan Swift alluding to? And how many people today know that it was a satire, not simply the story of a traveler?" I fear that, on the whole, the specific satiric allusions have been lost to the entertainingly fantastic tales Swift told. [That being said, haven't his stories stood the test of time and can they not allude to present day conflicts as much as those of his time?]
Second, Botswana has a great story to tell. Unlike Borat's Kazakhstan, Botswana is a success and if I could do something to let Western readers know that Africa has such a success, why not show it off rather than having to make up such a case?
Third, I was recently inspired by the following piece which appeared in the 12/19/2007 edition of the Economist regarding the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference:
"Who would save it? The little guy, of course: Kevin Conrad, a (conveniently handsome) delegate from Papua New Guinea, a poor but beautiful country condemned to sink beneath the waves unless the big powers act. He leant towards his microphone, face taught with emotion. 'If for some reason you are not willing to lead,” he said, referring to an arrogant comment on leadership by one of the American delegates, “leave it to the rest of us. Please—get out of the way.' The applause was thunderous. Minutes later, Ms Dobriansky (the U.S. representative) crumpled. 'We will go forward and join consensus,' she said. There were sighs of relief and gasps of elation. The planet was saved. It was, everybody agreed, an historic agreement.'"
While I cannot stand behind Botswana's lecturn on the global stage, I can make a similar point through humor. Jeremiads will continue to be written this way or that and often because of their serious and didactic tone they are easily written off. I'd prefer to make my points with a little laughter. As an old French teacher of mine who recently passed away liked to say, "If you can't laugh at life, you're fucked." Well Mr. Danforth, this one's for you. Au revoir, mon ami.
Essentially, the reader said that I was speaking for the people of Botswana and, well, I had no right to do that. After much discussion, I agreed that without spending time there and without consulting long-time residents, that my story would carry little credibility with those in the know.
This line of thought had struck me earlier on in the writing process. I wondered if I should fictionalize the countries in the story to avoid this very problem. I decided not to for a few reasons.
First I thought of Gulliver's Travels and asked myself, "What countries was Jonathan Swift alluding to? And how many people today know that it was a satire, not simply the story of a traveler?" I fear that, on the whole, the specific satiric allusions have been lost to the entertainingly fantastic tales Swift told. [That being said, haven't his stories stood the test of time and can they not allude to present day conflicts as much as those of his time?]
Second, Botswana has a great story to tell. Unlike Borat's Kazakhstan, Botswana is a success and if I could do something to let Western readers know that Africa has such a success, why not show it off rather than having to make up such a case?
Third, I was recently inspired by the following piece which appeared in the 12/19/2007 edition of the Economist regarding the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference:
"Who would save it? The little guy, of course: Kevin Conrad, a (conveniently handsome) delegate from Papua New Guinea, a poor but beautiful country condemned to sink beneath the waves unless the big powers act. He leant towards his microphone, face taught with emotion. 'If for some reason you are not willing to lead,” he said, referring to an arrogant comment on leadership by one of the American delegates, “leave it to the rest of us. Please—get out of the way.' The applause was thunderous. Minutes later, Ms Dobriansky (the U.S. representative) crumpled. 'We will go forward and join consensus,' she said. There were sighs of relief and gasps of elation. The planet was saved. It was, everybody agreed, an historic agreement.'"
While I cannot stand behind Botswana's lecturn on the global stage, I can make a similar point through humor. Jeremiads will continue to be written this way or that and often because of their serious and didactic tone they are easily written off. I'd prefer to make my points with a little laughter. As an old French teacher of mine who recently passed away liked to say, "If you can't laugh at life, you're fucked." Well Mr. Danforth, this one's for you. Au revoir, mon ami.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Information, please
The story's two main characters are from Botswana. I chose Botswana because of it's economic record in recent years. Here are some tidbits from the Economist's Pocket World in Figures (2007):
That's a look at Botswana. Up next: The state famous for its sing-songy spelling, delta blues and school yard rush counts: One Mississippi.
- #25 in economic growth from 1994-2004 (The U.S. is not in the top 50; Singapore was #34, South Korea #38) with an average annual percent increase in real GDP of 5.8%
- #4 in economic growth from 1984-1994 (again ahead of Singapore (#7) and Hong Kong (#16); U.S. was not in the top 20) with an average annual percent increase in real GDP of 8.1%
- #30 in their economic freedom index (U.S. was tied for #9; ahead of #33 Spain and #37 Taiwan)
- A $483 million current account surplus (#48) to the U.S.' $9 trillion current account deficit (#1 in the world)
- #26 largest surplus as percent of GDP at 5.4% (U.S. is neither in the top 50 largest surpluses as percent of GDP or top 40 largest deficits as percent of GDP; but Australia is at #38 in deficits)
- And Botswana isn't a bunch of farmers stuffing money under their mattresses; its economy is ranked 22nd in being least dependent on agriculture (U.S. is #9)
- #41 highest growth in number of listed companies from 2000-2005 at 12.5% (#5 Spain was up 223.8%; #7 Canada 162.4%; U.S. was out of the top 48)
- Largest refugee nationalities
- Origin of asylum applications to industrialized countries
- Lowest quality of life
- Lowest GDP per head
- Lowest purchasing power
- Lowest human development index
- Lowest services growth 1994-2004 (Brazil was #15)
- Consumer price inflation
- Lowest growth in industrial output
- Lowest primary education enrollment (particularly impressive considering their small percentage of education funding)
- Least literate (ditto)
- Highest infant morality
- Lowest health spending (which raises other questions)
- Obesity (The U.S. is 5th and 8th for men and women respectively (from 1999-2003, most recent data) at 27.7% and 34%. Ouch.)
- Crime (though they must have a high conviction rate - see below)
- #10 in lowest percent of population in labor force at 35% (U.S. has 50.9% highest percentage)
- #8 in unemployment at 19.6% (4.7% in the U.S.; I am trusting the U.S. gubment on this one...)
- Despite their success, Botswana only spends 2.2% of its GDP on education, 10th lowest. That being said, they seem to be getting a lot of bang for their buck.
- Most disturbingly, Botswana's life expectancy is 33.9 years (2nd lowest globally). This figure kinda fucks me up. Who cares if your country is successful if you're dead by 34? Tuberculosis is a big killer (7th worst in the world) as is HIV/AIDS (4th most estimated deaths worldwide with 24.1% of the 15-49 year old population as carriers (2nd worst)).
- #1 in most road accident deaths with 30 people dying per 100,000 (then again only 36 out of every 1,000 Botswanans own a car so perhaps it's because of lack of practice? Hmmm.)
- 22nd highest percent of population in the slammer, but still a bunch of goody-two-shoes compared to the good ol' U.S. of A which ranks second behind Rwanda; yeah, that hurts.
- Botswana also spends more on defense (4% of GDP) than the U.S. (3.8%). Then again, if they were neighbors with Canada and Mexico instead of Angola and Zimbabwe I'd like to think this number would be lower.
- Lastly, Botswana's seen an annual average change of 118,000 hectares of forested land from 2000-2005 (26th most; Brazil's #1 with over 3 million).
That's a look at Botswana. Up next: The state famous for its sing-songy spelling, delta blues and school yard rush counts: One Mississippi.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
