Emergency aid needed for earthquake victims in South Asia: $272 million (USD)

Amount pledged by governments: Japan ($20m), Canada ($20m), Australia ($7.6m), China ($6.2m), the European Union ($4.4m), Britain ($3.5m) and South Korea ($3m). Total: $64.7 million

Aid agencies are afraid of donor fatigue.

By comparison...

Profits for CIBC, a mid-sized Canadian bank, 2003: $2 billion

American military budget for 2005: $420.7 billion

In case you forgot why we need jet fighters - Independence Day

Profits of General Electric, the world's biggest corporation, in the first 3 months of 2001: $3.017 billion

Cheapest model of new F-35 'Joint Strike Fighter' jet, which GE makes engines for: $28 million
Number purchased by the U.S. Air Force: 1763
Total cost: $49.364 billion

Earthquake victims identifying the bodies of their children - by Dan Chung, The Guardian

Number of confirmed dead so far: 35,000

Two million people have been made homeless. Winter is a month away.


But the banks are made of marble
With a guard at every door
And the vaults are filled with silver
That we have sweated for
Pete Seeger