I had to cut four minor chapters of Who Hates Whom to get it down to the pocket size my editors and I were shooting for. One of the things I wanted to do in the book was highlight hotspots that usually get little attention, and I think generally the book manages that, but there are always a few things you’d like to squeeze in.

Thing is, the mainstream press in most countries tends to highlight conflicts that powerful domestic factions have rooting interests in, which leaves out a whole lot of the world. But humans are pretty similar everywhere. And it’s all potentially important. Until 9-11, how many of us honestly imagined that some guys in Afghanistan could so profoundly affect our lives? How many busy regular folks right this minute know the difference between Waziristan, Kurdistan, and Baluchistan (all of which are a pretty big deal)? So that’s why the book exists.

I’ll be posting these extra chapters online, one by one, as I find the time. (Obviously, I can’t have links in the paperback book itself — which is why this notes page is also already under construction.) Consider these something like DVD extras. Although there are no hidden nude scenes, and the characters don’t so much burst into laughter between shots. Far from it.

So, with no further ado, here’s the chapter about the conflict in lower Casamance, the southwesternmost arm of the West African country of Senegal.

If you enjoy it, I hope you’ll grab the book. After all, the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram even grouped it with other books it called “Shocks to the System,” adding (and repeating) that it might “shock some tender sensibilities.” So that’s exciting. It almost sounds like you might want to wear a cup. Depending on your sensibilities.

(Actually, that doesn’t sound like my writing. I can barely even shock a squirrel. The ones that can read, anyway.)

In any case, I’m grateful for the mention, however closely the reviewer actually read. We all have deadlines and space limitations.

That’s why the Casamance chapter is here in the first place.

I had to cut four minor chapters of Who Hates Whom to get it down to the pocket size my editors and I were shooting for. One of the things I wanted to do in the book was highlight hotspots that usually get little attention, and I think generally the book manages that, but there are always a few things you’d like to squeeze in.

Thing is, the mainstream press in most countries tends to highlight conflicts that powerful domestic factions have rooting interests in, which leaves out a whole lot of the world. But humans are pretty similar everywhere. And it’s all potentially important. Until 9-11, how many of us honestly imagined that some guys in Afghanistan could so profoundly affect our lives? How many busy regular folks right this minute know the difference between Waziristan, Kurdistan, and Baluchistan (all of which are a pretty big deal)? So that’s why the book exists.

I’ll be posting these extra chapters online, one by one, as I find the time. (Obviously, I can’t have links in the paperback book itself — which is why this notes page is also already under construction.) Consider these something like DVD extras. Although there are no hidden nude scenes, and the characters don’t so much burst into laughter between shots. Far from it.

So, with no further ado, here’s the chapter about the conflict in lower Casamance, the southwesternmost arm of the West African country of Senegal.

If you enjoy it, I hope you’ll grab the book. After all, the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram even grouped it with other books it called “Shocks to the System,” adding (and repeating) that it might “shock some tender sensibilities.” So that’s exciting. It almost sounds like you might want to wear a cup. Depending on your sensibilities.

(Actually, that doesn’t sound like my writing. I can barely even shock a squirrel. The ones that can read, anyway.)

In any case, I’m grateful for the mention, however closely the reviewer actually read. We all have deadlines and space limitations.

That’s why the Casamance chapter is here in the first place.

WhichBudget.com is a searchable destination-by-destination database of 116 budget airlines serving 874 airports in 124 countries. Warning: this site may get you so excited you can’t sit still.

Want to find a cheap flight from, say, Vancouver to Hawaii in November? WhichBudget points you to WestJet, where you can do the round trip for about $500 before taxes. (Checking Travelocity, similar non-stops on the major airlines were already sold out for my randomly-chosen dates, although you could beat the fare if you were willing to route through Chicago.)

How about, I dunno, Los Angeles to Timbuktu? This took a little poking around and a bit of past experience, but in ten minutes I found connections on Point Afrique between the Malian city of Mopti and Paris, which you can skate to from Los Angeles via Ireland’s Aer Lingus. (Once in Mopti, most folks take the slow boat up the river to Timbuktu.) Total airfare, with a little planning: roughly $1500, round trip, before taxes. To Timbuktu.

My guess is you’re more likely to go to Hawaii. But just saying.

PS: if you’re concerned about the safety record of airlines you may not be familiar with — or, y’know, the whole zipping along seven miles up at 600 mph in a tin box thing anyway — AirSafe.com has the lowdown on whose tin boxes tend to go up and down as intended.

WhichBudget.com is a searchable destination-by-destination database of 116 budget airlines serving 874 airports in 124 countries. Warning: this site may get you so excited you can’t sit still.

Want to find a cheap flight from, say, Vancouver to Hawaii in November? WhichBudget points you to WestJet, where you can do the round trip for about $500 before taxes. (Checking Travelocity, similar non-stops on the major airlines were already sold out for my randomly-chosen dates, although you could beat the fare if you were willing to route through Chicago.)

How about, I dunno, Los Angeles to Timbuktu? This took a little poking around and a bit of past experience, but in ten minutes I found connections on Point Afrique between the Malian city of Mopti and Paris, which you can skate to from Los Angeles via Ireland’s Aer Lingus. (Once in Mopti, most folks take the slow boat up the river to Timbuktu.) Total airfare, with a little planning: roughly $1500, round trip, before taxes. To Timbuktu.

My guess is you’re more likely to go to Hawaii. But just saying.

PS: if you’re concerned about the safety record of airlines you may not be familiar with — or, y’know, the whole zipping along seven miles up at 600 mph in a tin box thing anyway — AirSafe.com has the lowdown on whose tin boxes tend to go up and down as intended.

WhichBudget.com is a searchable destination-by-destination database of 116 budget airlines serving 874 airports in 124 countries. Warning: this site may get you so excited you can’t sit still.

Want to find a cheap flight from, say, Vancouver to Hawaii in November? WhichBudget points you to WestJet, where you can do the round trip for about $500 before taxes. (Checking Travelocity, similar non-stops on the major airlines were already sold out for my randomly-chosen dates, although you could beat the fare if you were willing to route through Chicago.)

How about, I dunno, Los Angeles to Timbuktu? This took a little poking around and a bit of past experience, but in ten minutes I found connections on Point Afrique between the Malian city of Mopti and Paris, which you can skate to from Los Angeles via Ireland’s Aer Lingus. (Once in Mopti, most folks take the slow boat up the river to Timbuktu.) Total airfare, with a little planning: roughly $1500, round trip, before taxes. To Timbuktu.

My guess is you’re more likely to go to Hawaii. But just saying.

PS: if you’re concerned about the safety record of airlines you may not be familiar with — or, y’know, the whole zipping along seven miles up at 600 mph in a tin box thing anyway — AirSafe.com has the lowdown on whose tin boxes tend to go up and down as intended.