Recovery

Been traveling and/or without regular internet access for a couple weeks, so these updates (especially on the earthquake) haven't been especially timely. But two weeks after the fact, here's a slice of what's been going on here.

• The death count as of this morning was just over 68,100. There are still more than 20,000 unaccounted for.
• There were two aftershocks yesterday measuring over 5.4 on the Richter scale. 420,000 more homes were demolished yesterday as a result. Experts say things may not completely settle for another few months. Already there have been over 7,000 aftershocks in total, with 96 of them registering over 4.0.
  
• Nine days ago, on May 19th, the entire country had 3 minutes of silence for the earthquake victims at 2:28 (the official time of the earthquake). The following three days, all public entertainment, including TV, movie screenings live shows, and internet gaming cafes, were put on hold.
  
• The quake's oldest survivor is 95. He was rescued (escaping with broken legs) and brought to a local hospital, where upon waking he told doctors that he wasn't sick and that they should all go away and let him go home. He calmed down a bit upon seeing his son.
• One lady was found dead in a pile of rubble on her hands and knees, crouched over her (well-protected, still-alive and peacefully sleeping) baby. Her last words to her son were found as a text message on her phone: “My loving baby, if you can survive, please remember I always love you.”
• One of the beautiful things about the way things are run here is that it's much easier to coordinate relief efforts. I've heard of doctors that have been "volunteered" to the quake zone, and of mandatory donations at factories and other workplaces.
• On the other hand, there's been a widely-circulated story of a beggar in Nanjing who managed to scrounge up and donate Y105.
  
• As of last week, Y100 million had been raised domestically through a text message donation service. Unfortunately, scammers have also been using this platform to defraud the unsuspecting.
• Women and families in China are now lining up to adopt some of the children orphaned by the quake. It's quickly becoming a
  
• Remember that episode of the Simpsons where they screw up Springfield so bad that they end up moving the entire town a few miles down the road? Well, that's what's going to happen to Beichuan, one of the hardest hit counties in Sichuan.
  
• One of the most pressing concerns right now is over a lake (formed as a result of the earthquake) that is in danger of overflowing. They just had to evacuate 80,000 people that were in the potential flood zone.

Once again, let's hope for the best for everyone affected.