Somehow it's easier to grasp a tragedy such as the earthquake that leveled the capital of Haiti last year or the tsunami that hit South Asia in 2004 than it is to comprehend the slow-motion catastrophe that is unfolding with the floods in Pakistan.
But Pakistan's needs are no less urgent.
In a nation beset by frequent natural and political disasters, this one has been called the worst since the creation of the country in 1947.
A fifth of Pakistan is under water, and nearly 20 million people are displaced, homeless, in need of food.
Some are climbing trees to escape the water -- and to eat the leaves.
Millions of acres of food and cash crops are deluged, as are about 300 bridges and highways.
And it's still raining, expanding the flood zones and making relief efforts all the more difficult.
After visiting Pakistan this week, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said half a billion dollars was required to fund emergency relief, but only a quarter of that had been raised so far ($76 million of it from the United States).
A special meeting of the U.N. General Assembly has been called for today to discuss the flooding.
Americans may be wary of sending more cash to a Pakistani government with limited capacity, one accused of being corrupt at home and a suspect ally in neighboring Afghanistan. Yet the U.S. government and others must step up the pace and scale of help to Pakistan.
Individual donors too must open their wallets, as they did after Haiti's earthquake and the South Asian tsunami, if not directly to the Pakistani government, then to trusted private groups working there.
The skillful use of U.S. aid will bolster Pakistan's ability to help its people, saving lives while stabilizing the government. All of which is not only in Pakistan's interest, but ours.
San Jose Mercury News: Agency must police mortgage market
A study of 625,000 California foreclosures released Tuesday confirms what many already believed: Latino and African-American homeowners have faced foreclosure at higher rates than others, largely after being steered toward risky subprime loans even when they qualified for regular mortgages.
The subprime-driven foreclosure crisis has been disastrous for some minority communities, and its ripple effects have brought economic calamity to much of the country.
As federal officials develop regulations to govern the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, they must invest it with the authority to prevent such abuses in the future.
To prevent another crisis, though, those writing new financial rules must resist the intense lobbying efforts of the banking industry and create a robust consumer agency that can effectively regulate risky products and punish those who target the vulnerable.
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