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The Japanese government has promised to lend the United States half of the cost of building the first "Super-Maglev" train, reducing travel time between Baltimore and Washington DC to just 15 minutes. Tokyo is so keen to show off its technology that it will provide loans for half the estimated $8 billion (£5bn) cost of installing the tracks, Japan's Asahi newspaper said on Tuesday.Masahiro Nakayama, a general manager at Central Japan Railway Co, told The Daily Telegraph that the American federal government was keen, and that the state authorities were especially enthusiastic about the project."The national government has shown interest,"...

ABC This Week viewers were treated to a classic conservative versus liberal debate Sunday. When former Clinton labor secretary Robert Reich tried to blame the increase in poverty in the past five years on Republicans, former Speaker of the House and current CNN host Newt Gingrich called it "baloney" firing back, "Every major city which is a center of poverty is run by Democrats" (video follows with transcript and absolutely no need for additional commentary): Gingrich Schools Reich: 'Every Major City Which Is a Poverty Center Is Run By Democrats' JONATHAN KARL, SUBSTITUTE HOST: And let me ask you, Mr....

During the last city council meeting for 2013, Councilman Nick Mosby (D-District 7) introduced “Ban the Box,” a bill that would bar prospective employers from asking, in the initial job interview, if a job applicant has a record of criminal arrests or convictions. On Dec. 5, Mosby said omitting the criminal conviction-check for applications and interviews would help more Marylanders obtain employment and give them the opportunity to re-enter the workforce. “This legislation will provide a level playing field for people who have experienced criminal convictions in the past,” Mosby told the AFRO. “Many of our citizens have been convicted...

Drug trafficking, gang wars, political instability, corruption, and poverty have combined to make Latin America by far the most homicidal region of the world. The region has 40% of the world's murders, despite having only 8 percent of the population, according to the U.N. The highest murder rate of all is in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, with 169 homicides per 100,000 people, according to a study published earlier this year by Mexico's Citizens' Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice. The ranking is based on 2012 data, except for San Pedro Sula and Distrito Central in Honduras, where authorities would...

On the Chuck Brooks Law-Call hour, 12:00-1:00 pm, Saturday October 10, on the Baltimore station WCBM, two separate callers stated that the "Food Stamp System" was not working at several Baltimore grocery stores. The second caller mentioned that folks in the store were blaming Republicans. I cannot personally confirm these reports. Are other Freepers noticing this in their locations?

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has a message for Washington: It’s time to move on. Rawlings-Blake said she is concerned the federal budget debate, which has hinged on President Obama’s landmark health care law, and the resulting partial government shutdown will negatively impact Maryland’s efforts to reduce its uninsured rate. The mayor was fired up at an event to advertise the state’s new online insurance marketplace, calling the federal debate “ridiculous” and saying she was “extremely disappointed that we can’t do better.” She encouraged people to evaluate their health insurance options a safe distance from the political crossfire surrounding the issue. “Its...

(Vatican Radio) The death of several hundred migrants off the Italian island of Lampedusa this month has focused international spotlight on the broader, complex questions of EU policies regarding immigration and integration. According to one American Muslim leader, the United States model of integration has much to teach European countries at the present time. Syrian-born Imam Mohamad Bashar Arafat is founder and president of the Civilizations Exchange and Cooperation Foundation, which is based in Baltimore, in the United States. The organisation works to promote cooperation, rather than confrontation, between young people of different religions, cultures and backgrounds. He spoke to...

Susan Reimer is a columnist for the the Baltimore Sun- a paper so liberal that Chris Mathews of MSNBC once laughed when a Philadelphia paper was incorrectly called centrist and he commented "About the only paper more liberal in America is the Baltimore Sun!" Her latest piece for the Sun is an article entitled "The moral consequence of watching football" In her column, she asks: "Is it morally acceptable to watch football when it is clear that the game is irretrievably harmful to those who play it?" and "How can you watch football when you know — and the players...

Shortages of beds, doctors and nurses in the Baltimore VA Medical Center’s emergency room resulted in nearly half of a sample of patients spending more than 6 hours at the facility, including one who waited more than 24 hours, according to a critical inspection report released this month. … The Department of Veterans Affairs inspector general’s office detailed the shortcomings in a report that criticized the hospital’s leadership for lacking policies to provide on-call doctors and nurses to boost staffing when patient volume surged. Backups in treating patients led to some being examined in the emergency department’s triage area, without...

Rush-hour commuters could pay nearly $5 a day in tolls to travel back and forth on a seven-mile stretch of express toll lanes set to open next year along Interstate 95 east and north of Baltimore, according to proposed pricing approved Thursday by the board of the Maryland Transportation Authority. The new lanes, scheduled to open late next year, would offer a quicker travel option for commuters willing to pay. The suggested tolls vary by the time of day and the type of vehicle, but a car traveling on the toll lanes during peak hours would pay between 25 cents...

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Kids in Baltimore City may soon need to be home earlier at night. A new proposal is on the table for a stricter curfew in the city. The current curfew for children in the city of Baltimore is midnight on weekends and 11 p.m. on weekdays. Now Councilman Brandon Scott has proposed legislation to make it earlier. Young people tore into a 7-Eleven in upper Fells Point around midnight in February. City leaders are trying to stop teens involved in incidents like that. “We don’t want kids to harm anyone [or] to be harmed themselves,” said Mayor...

On September 3, 1838, Frederick Bailey undertook the riskiest journey of his life. The 20-year-old slave made a daring escape from his master in Baltimore, and with his newfound freedom came a new name -- Frederick Douglass... After Douglass’ attempt to escape slavery two years prior was betrayed by a fellow slave, he had been jailed, sent to Baltimore by his master and hired out to work in the city’s shipyards. Undeterred, Douglass vowed to try to escape again on September 3, 1838, although he knew the risk. "I felt assured that if I failed in this attempt, my case...

One of the architectural quirks of certain cities on the eastern seaboard of the U.S. is the solo row house. Standing alone, in some of the worst neighborhoods, these nineteenth century structures were once attached to similar row houses that made up entire city blocks. Time and major demographic changes have resulted in the decay and demolition of many such blocks. Occasionally, one house is spared - literally cut off from its neighbors and left to the elements with whatever time it has left. Still retaining traces of its former glory, the last house standing is often still occupied.

In between bowls of chicken poodle soup and deciding to provide air cover for al-Qaeda in Syria, our Dear Leader, Barack Hussein Obama, found time to meet with mayors from our crumbling major cities. From Justin Sink of The Hill: *** "President Obama told a collection of big-city mayors Tuesday at the White House that he would continue to use executive actions to combat gun violence plaguing major cities. In the meeting with Attorney General Eric Holder and the mayors of 18 cities from across the nation, Obama discussed commonly applicable strategies to reduce youth violence. 'He also vowed to...

4x4 fans look away now! Land Rovers imported to U.S. are CRUSHED by customs for failing safety rules because they don't have airbags • The exclusive vehicle was seized by customs officers in Baltimore • Its importer had attempted to fool the authorities by changing its plate • But they spotted the ruse and deemed it unfit for the US' roads • Often selling for upwards of $100,000, this one is now worth just $30 The wrecking claw hangs over the Land Rover Defender as its operator prepares to crush the exclusive vehicle on the orders of US customs. Moments...

As the number of street crimes committed in Baltimore City escalates, so does the level of fear. This has caused communities to look beyond the police for protection. In Baltimore City there are four special tax districts where residents pay more to make their neighborhoods safer. Charles Village is one of them and has the lowest surtax of the four. It was formed in the mid-1990s as a way for the community to provide supplemental security and sanitation services to what the city was already providing. The surtax charged to homeowners has never been altered. Baltimore’s Little Italy community is...

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake jetted to San Antonio, Texas, to deliver a speech last night to the national convention of the Young Democrats of America, a group closely tied to the Democratic National Committee. Rawlings-Blake denounced the Republican Party for its positions on immigration reform and other issues in what was described as “a great keynote speech” on the YDA’s twitter feed. The frequency of the mayor’s absences from Baltimore have accelerated since her appointment in January as secretary of the DNC and her parallel rise within the nonpartisan U.S. Conference of Mayors. Frequent Flyer Since late May, she he has...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK) Councilman Nick Mosby's resolution calling on the city to review doing business with Florida firms due to the state's controversial "Stand Your Ground" law will be given a committee hearing like its sponsor wanted. The resolution encourages the city to review doing business with firms in that state, not because Mosby wants to see the law abolished, but rather to consider the "the subjective nature in which it's been applied in the state of Florida," Mosby told Patch. The resolution, according to the meeting agenda, calls for: Divestment from the State of Florida FOR the purpose of requesting that...

If Councilman Nick Mosby has his way, Baltimore government would boycott Florida-based businesses in protest to the state's stand-your-ground law after George Zimmerman's acquittal. Mosby intends to file a resolution on Monday to encourage city agencies and investment boards to avoid doing business with companies in the Sunshine State. He hopes that would pressure the legislature there to rethink a law that allows individuals to use lethal force, if necessary, to defend themselves in public places. The resolution also calls on city officials to avoid traveling to Florida or attending events in the state. "Ultimately, the purpose of the legislation...

A hazardous materials unit and federal agents are investigating a suspicious substance found at the Baltimore office of Rep. Elijah Cummings, officials said.