Hi Dennis, thanks for your comments here and earlier with Gerry Barr.

While the issue of number of $ is important, so are the issues of 'for what' and 'by whom'.

$ for private or P3 water infrastructure, dams, for GMO seeds, food dumping, or big ag infrastructure, for carbon offsets projects that will simply allow the North to pollute more, for 'training' of military or policy-makers to better enforce corporate financial rule, investment deals, and legal regimes for extractive mining, all will do more harm than good.

i know you know this.  just thought i'd elaborate a bit, because i can.

and because i'm sure that people protesting the G8 in 2010 are going to be equally, if not more concerned about the what and the how of 'aid', as well as the volume,

and the fact that this little G8 cabal is completely out of step with the needs and realities of most of the planet.