Free Republic

A House committee Tuesday took the first steps toward setting up a means to establish train or light rail services in regions of the state. The Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works gave unanimous support to House Bill 1410 by Rep. Michael Jackson, I-Baton Rouge, a longtime proponent of rail and mass transit. The bill now heads to the House floor for debate. The measure would authorize two or more cities or parishes to form "rail compacts" to set up train or light rail services. Jackson said the councils and voters of each parish or city involved would have...

· The more black holes D.C. fills, the more open up by Mike Larson   01-16-09 When I was a kid, black holes fascinated me. The idea that you could have an area of space so massive … so dense … that it could suck in and absorb ANYTHING that got too close — even light — seemed ludicrous. Like pure science fiction. But they’re real. These days, black holes aren’t so fascinating. But unfortunately, they are very, very real. And they keep popping up throughout the financial sector …Bear Stearns. Lehman Brothers. AIG. Fannie Mae. Freddie Mac. Subprime residential mortgages....

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (Reuters) - The governor of Louisiana, whose state was slammed by two powerful hurricanes in less than a month, said on Sunday she was asking the federal government for $31.7 billion to help rebuild the state's infrastructure. Gov. Kathleen Blanco said she would ask Congress for $11.5 billion to rebuild the state's damaged transportation system, including rebuilding spans of a key interstate highway, damaged ports and airports. She said she would seek $20.2 billion to rebuild and protect the levee system surrounding New Orleans. Parts of that system breached during Hurricane Katrina and again during Hurricane Rita...

£220bn stolen by Nigeria's corrupt rulers By David Blair in Abuja (Filed: 25/06/2005) The scale of the task facing Tony Blair in his drive to help Africa was laid bare yesterday when it emerged that Nigeria's past rulers stole or misused £220 billion. That is as much as all the western aid given to Africa in almost four decades. The looting of Africa's most populous country amounted to a sum equivalent to 300 years of British aid for the continent.The figures, compiled by Nigeria's anti-corruption commission, provide dramatic evidence of the problems facing next month's summit in Gleneagles of the...