(no subject)

Reading this article about streetcars made me feel the first twinges I've had since moving here of missing New Orleans.

Streetcars are a good method of public transit; they are efficient and clean, and compared to buses they are bigger and much more fun to ride.

The downside is that light rail is space-intensive; to build light rail amidst existing major roadways would be an unbelievable hassle in most places. It is possible in New Orleans because many of the major roadways there still have large neutral grounds.

Some of the bus lines here in the Boston suburbs run "trackless trolleys," which are electric-powered buses that ride on city streets underneath dedicated power lines.

stepping up pressure on illegal detentions

A Swede released from the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay last week said he had been tortured by exposure to freezing cold, noise and bright lights and chained during his 2 1/2-year imprisonment.

... Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds told public radio that if correct, the allegations meant that the U.S. had broken international laws. "That is wholly unacceptable," Freivalds said. She said that she hoped the United States would investigate the allegations.

from Freed Swede Says He Was Tortured in Guantanamo (some details disturbing)

The Swedish government is not the only agency making claims of illegal conduct on behalf of the US; the Red Cross has stated it suspects that detainees are being held by the US in secret locations:

Terror suspects reported by the FBI as captured have never turned up in detention centers, and the United States has failed to reply to agency demands for a list of everyone it's holding, said Antonella Notari, spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross.

"These people are, as far as we can tell, detained in locations that are undisclosed not only to us but also to the rest of the world," Notari told The Associated Press.

from Red Cross Suspects U.S. Hides Detainees