And You Thought it Was Just Smog

When I arrived at work today, I had a call from FoShizzle. He was his usual exuberant self. We chatted about business preliminaries before digressing to pleasantries. I asked about his family. This exchange then took place.

FS: My brother in law had a military leave from his service in Afghanistan. He had a two week leave and we had a big party for his return.
Me: Wow, that's intense. Is he on the front lines?
FS: Naw, he's an engineer. The government has enlisted him to do some environmental work.
Me: What kind of environmental work?
FS: Well, it appears that the air quality is bad.
Me: They don't have BIGGER problems than air quality?
FS: Apparently, there is an unusual amount of fecal matter in the air there.
Me: Are people shitting in public?
FS: I think it's mostly animal waste.
Me: O-kay....
FS: He reports that 12% of fecal matter is airborne in Afghanistan and that it's creating something of a public health hazard.
Me: Ya think? Please tell me it's animal waste.
FS: Yeah, people are digesting a lot of shit.
(laughter ensues)

I kept thinking about this. At the end of my work day, I went to say goodnight to my usual homies. The Fisherman and The Man in Plaid were working together on the end of the month financial close. As a denouement to my departure, I relayed this exchange. The stood together looking grave. Suddenly The Fisherman exclaimed, " That's 6% less than you get in Manhattan on a good day."

I couldn't disagree.