China Leads World In High-Speed Rail Tracks : NPR

Something is seriously wrong with this picture. Look at the two stories. One about how China is investing heavily in rail infrastructure. And the other how our elected leaders are REJECTING Federal money to build just the same infrastructure!

This from NPR...

China Leads World In High-Speed Rail Tracks : NPR: "China already has thousands of miles of railroads — including the world's longest network of high-speed rail, which is 4,000 miles long. That total is set to double within two years, giving China more high-speed rail tracks than the rest of the world put together."

And this one too..

The governors-elect of Wisconsin and Ohio say they will reject hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding intended to start up new high-speed passenger rail service in their states, even though the projects require their states to pay nothing upfront. Florida's governor-elect may do the same.

That train is dead," announced Republican John Kasich at his first press conference as Ohio's governor-elect. "I said it during the campaign: It is dead. We are not gonna have it." Kasich has said he will reject $400 million in federal funds meant to establish passenger rail service from Cleveland to Columbus and Cincinnati.

In Florida, Republican Gov.-elect Rick Scott suggests he might not take $2 billion for high-speed rails linking Tampa to Orlando and Miami.

Fiscal responsibility is important, but so is building the infrastructure for the future. These high speed rail lines are not pork barrel political expenditures, these are investments in our future.

The Chinese sure seem to know this.

Mumbai: The Plot Unfolds, Lashkar Strikes and Investigators Scramble - ProPublica

ProPublica has published a detailed account of Mumbai terrorist attack. The bone chilling details of this investigation leave little doubt of the involvement of ISI - the Pakistani intelligence agency, which has been at the center of the Punjab terrorism in 70s and 80s, Kashmiri terrorism that continues to this day, and their Taliban linked terrorism in Afghanistan. The ISI has hijacked the Pakistani foreign policy to the extent that unless ISI is de-fanged the specter of violence will alway hover over Afghanistan and India. What is more, ever since US started to push Pakistan to rein-in the ISI, violence in Pakistan has grown dramatically, no doubt supported by those within ISI who believe that the Pakistani Government is caving to the US pressure.

ISI must be disbanded, and Pakistan government must be asked to hand over to India, those responsible responsible for the Mumbai attacks so that justice can be done to hundreds of innocents who died on Nov 26th.

Read the story to see how this deadly attack was meticulously planned and executed, killing innocent civilians of many nations including the United States.

Mumbai: The Plot Unfolds, Lashkar Strikes and Investigators Scramble - ProPublica: "Mir’s ally in the plot was a man known to Headley only as Maj. Iqbal, who investigators suspect was an officer of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI) and a liaison to the Lashkar terrorist group. Iqbal is a common Pakistani last name, and investigators have not been able to fully identify him. Maj. Iqbal and Mir worked as handlers for Headley, their lead scout, during his missions in India, according to investigators and court documents."

How buyers decide what to pay for your business

John Warrilow has written an article to explain very simply how buyers value a business they are interested in buying.

Google Reader (1000+): "The price buyers are willing to pay for your business depends on a lot of factors, but one of the most important is the return they expect to get and the risk associated with achieving that return."