Welcome Botswana!

I got my first hit from Botswana today. Oddly enough, it was an MSN search for "market controls" and had nothing to do with my "Zimbabwe is the worst country in the world" campaign. [For those who don't know, Zimbabwe is Botswana's Mexico.] So, in an attempt to bring in more Botswanan readers, here's a story from a Botswanan point of view about the economic conditions in Zimbabwe. (Speaking of which, the Zimbabwean dollar is continuing its slide. "The US dollar was quoted as high as $3,500 [Zimbabwean dollars], up from $3,000 at the start of the year." Go Mugabe!) Also, more farmland re-distribution is going on. This is presented as being meant to help the poor but it actually benefits members of the ruling party. Some farmers actually have the guts to fight for their land. The Zimbabwean (weak) anti-ruling party party is making a push for Presidential elections next year. The current President (for life) Robert Mugabe will not be going anywhere anytime soon, unfortunately. Finally, in non-Zimbabwe related Africa news, a cheery little story about how the negligence of the South African government has led to the impending deaths of 10,000 teachers from HIV/AIDS.