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Documentation: Letter from Bo

Hi there !

In May 1993 I promised Wolfgang to write a short text on every country and dependency mentioned in AmigaWorld. I had in mind to write ten lines about each of the 250 countries and thought I'd be able to finish the whole thing in a couple of months. Now I know better! In a few cases I have not found facts enough for ten lines, but in most cases I have so many facts that it has been impossible to comprise it to ten lines. Many texts are longer than 100 lines.

All text are (c) by me, Bo Arnholm. You are free to use them in school compositions and essays. If you would like to use them in any other, not private way, i.e. commercially, then you have to contact me first and ask me for permission. If I find my text published anywhere else without my permission I will chase you around the world and sue you for huge damages!

As AmigaWorld is a European program I have tried to use the English language for the textfiles. But Swedish is my native language and my spellchecker is American, so I guess you can imagine how hard it is for me to get it all right. I beg of you to help me get it all right by telling me what is wrong.

I have used several sources to find facts about all the countries and dependencies; The Swedish Bra Böckers Lexikon and the Swedish National Encyclopedia, The Universal Almanac (US), The Stateman's Yearbook (UK), The World Almanac (UK edition), The 1993 Almanac (US), The Encyclopedia Britannica (UK), Webster's New World Encyclopedia (US), Fischer Welt- Almanach (Germany), several Atlases (Swedish and American), and I have read a lot of newspapers to find the latest available facts.

It has been amazing to find out how the "facts" about a country can differ from one "fact-book" to another. In those cases I have either decided that one source is more reliable than the others, or I have made a qualified estimate weighing the different facts against each others. In this case it is evident that there is not one single truth, but a lot of different ways to describe the world and none of them is absolutely true and none of them is absolutely false.

This also applies to the fact that I'm an European. My sources are European and American. I haven't been able to find one single fact-book produced in South America, Africa or Asia in a language that I can understand (Swedish, English or German). I know for a fact that if two persons view the same thing from two different points they will give two very different descriptions of what they have seen. I of course cannot describe anything I know nothing about and that is why I ask of you to supply me with more facts, or give me a hint on where to find the facts. I can't promise that I will turn the texts upside down, but I can promise that I will read carefully and take notice of it. I can also promise that I will correct mistakes, and that I will try to broaden the texts so that they give a description of what has happened as seen from (at least) two sides.

One problem is that about some countries I have too much facts and information and about others too little. So when you read a text and find out that you know more than I and AmigaWorld do - send me a letter, with a photocopy of your excellent Encyclopedia or a newspaper story or something.

It has taken me more than three years to write and translate all these stories so I feel entitled to a short holiday now. After that holiday I will:

1. Go through everything once again with fresh eyes, new sources and the comments from all users in mind.
2. Develop the "Constitution"-texts. My aim is that the text should tell that this is e.g. "a federal state with 50 self-ruling states. Presidential election every 4th year. Independent jurisdiction." And so on.
3. Add short texts on education and health to each country and dependency. Any hints on reliable sources are welcome.

Any comments on the country-texts are welcome to me please look here for Bo Arnholm .

The Nordic Countries give you an idea about Bo`s work ...

PS: Hello out there! Is there anyone interested in writing about the arts - painting, sculpture, architecture, film, literature, music and so on for these files? Do send a note to me!

Bo