Tube bombings vs. Kashmiri earthquake

London's tube bombings, which killed 56 persons, made No. 6 on the Associated Press top stories of the year. A note of perhaps overanalysis: The earthquake in the Kasmir region - which killed about 87,000 and left millions homeless - made No. 7 on the list. Why is 56 deaths bigger news than 87,000?

Well, the AP poll was among US newspaper editors and writers. We have a bias toward other English speakers, and to news from other "civilized" areas of the world. Additionally, the tube bombings relate to our war on terror - and the British are our primary partners in that war. Also, whle there have been other terror attacks (Bali, the Middle East everywhere, Bangladesh...), the tube bombings were particularly shocking because they were perpetrated by second-generation citizens. This upset some theories in the nascent studies of modern terrorism.

Anyway, it crossed my mind. I'm half-surprised the earthquake even made the top 10. We are much more interested in things that happen to societies similar to our own. It's easier to relate.