79,000 Perish

Not to be too depressing, but the death toll of the earthquake that struck Pakistan last week has risen to 79,000. It's is unfathomable to think of that many deaths. Here are some quick facts on Pakistan:
Population: 162,419,946
Birth Rate: 30.42 births/1,000 population
Death Rate: 8.45 deaths/1,000 population
Religion: Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%, Shi'a 20%), Christian, Hindu, and other 3%
Languages: Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu (official) 8%

The eternal consequences of this event are beyond comprehension...

Worth a look: Views from the Southern Baptist's International Mission Board personnel.

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Overheard on the FX show Over There:
Soldier 1: "I'm Iraqi."
Soldier 2: "What? I thought you were Persian or something."
Soldier 1: "Persians speak Farsi, I speak Arabic."
Soldier 2: "I didn't know that."
Soldier 1: "Why should you? We're only fighting a war over here."

Yes, why should you..........