"Arsenals of chemical weapons, such as Syria's, are primarily acquired for deterrence purposes against an outside force," says Lamrani. "They often act as the equivalent of a 'poor man's nuke'.
"They often act as the equivalent of a 'poor man's nuke.' Given the massive potential for collateral damage, they are often resorted to by a regime in desperate situations or in cases when territory has already been effectively seized by an opposing force".
The hawala system has offered the equivalent of a Western Union to poor natives of the the Islamic world, following a model that is common in other countries: the Fei-Ch'ien in China, the Padala in the Philippines, the Hundi in India, the Hui Kuan in Hong Kong, and the Phei Kwan in Thailand are a few examples.
It was the equivalent of some poor soul who vaguely resembled the blurry face on a "Wanted" poster being rustled up by a mob on Main Street and nearly lynched.
Ms Bradley is the cabinet equivalent "of the poor sod who is always the last person to be picked for a team and only picked because the regulations require it", he adds.
Research from the Sutton Trust has shown that a poor pupil being taught by a poor teacher can result in them being the equivalent of a year behind other students in their attainment.
Gaining work experience with a retailer is not the equivalent of the Tudor poor laws when those able but unwilling to work were incarcerated in houses of correction – well, it is only an equivalent if you take a particularly severe view of Tesco.
I Am Charlotte Simmons is the story of a poor Appalachian girl who goes off to Dupont University, the fictional equivalent of Stanford or Duke.
Mr. da Silva, in contrast, is part of a vast and more recent internal migration that is the Brazilian equivalent of poor rural blacks moving from Mississippi to Chicago in search of factory jobs.
As Jeffrey D Sachs noted in 2007, the devastating illnesses of the global poor could be controlled worldwide for the equivalent of a few days' worth of military spending.
