Hobson's Choice

Rating of Greece's defence "burden" - its military expenditure as a proportion of its national income - among Nato member states:

1

Rating of Turkey's defence "burden" among Nato member states:

2

Percentage, at most conservative estimate, of Burmese government revenue spent on defence, which accounts for 40 per cent of its budget:

24

Percentage of Burma's population which has access to household electricity:

20

Number of photographers and reporters murdered in Algeria since 1993:

60

Estimated number of Russian Jews emigrating to Israel this year:

68,000

Number of border guards on the German-Polish border in 1990:

400

Number of border guards on the German-Polish border in 1996:

3,300

Number of border guards on the US-Mexico border in 1997, an 83 per cent increase on 1993 numbers, after a recruitment drive using the slogan "A career with borders but no boundaries":

6,213

Value of share options which Disney's CEO, Michael Eisner, would be allowed to collect under his 10-year contract if he left against his will:

$120m

Value of share options Michael Eisner already owned when this clause was revealed to shareholders two years ago:

$225m

Cost of a 30-second advertising slot during the broadcast of the Super Bowl on US television:

$1.6m

Amount a BT 999 operator will be paid for a 7.5-hour shift on 31 December 1999:

pounds 524

Amount a police constable with six years' experience will be paid for a 10-hour shift on 31 December 1999:

pounds 165.17

SOURCES:JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE FOR DEFENCE STUDIES, THE ROUND TABLE, TIME, NEWSWEEK,POLITICAL QUARTERLY, MANAGEMENT TODAY, i-D, NEW STATESMAN, FOCUS.

Compiled by Will Hobson