Any sudden shutdown in credit markets, of the sort that happened after the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008, would have painful repercussions for Asia.
Studies of animals, for example, have shown that when a rat experiences stress during pregnancy, it can cause epigenetic changes in a fetus that lead to behavioral problems as the rodent grows up.
The survivor had been working as a cashier in the hotel when the building collapsed, forcing him to dive under a desk. He said he subsisted largely on cola, beer and cookies.
During the dry periods that are common phenomena along the desert margins, the pressure on the land is often far in excess of its diminished capacity, and desertification results.