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Occasionally, transit companies offer the public free rides. In Northern Ireland late last week, the rail system Translink went one better. It offered to pay 50 passengers $143 each for a trip from Dublin to Belfast. Yes, the train was three hours late in arriving - at 2 a.m. But there is more: It sat broken down for much of that time, 100 yards from the station, waiting for a replacement engine. For their safety, riders weren't allowed to walk the rest of the way due to darkness, high winds, and rain.

For a change, the rich got ... poorer last year, amid a global economic downturn worsened by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. According to Forbes magazine's annual tally, there are 497 billionaires in the world - 83 fewer than last year. Microsoft chief Bill Gates is still the top tycoon, but he saw his fortune dwindle by $6 billion. The magazine's 10 richest people in 2002, their estimated net worth (in billions), and its source:

1. Bill Gates (Microsoft) $52.8

2. Warren Buffett (Berkshire Hathaway investments) 35.0

3. Karl and Theo Albrecht (Aldi supermarkets) 26.8

4. Paul Allen (Microsoft) 25.2

5. Lawrence Ellison (Oracle Corp.) 23.5

6. Jim Walton (Wal-Mart Stores Inc.) 20.8

7. John Walton (Wal-Mart) 20.7

8. Alice Walton (Wal-Mart) 20.5

(tie) S. Robson Walton (Wal-Mart) 20.5

10. Helen Walton (Wal-Mart) 20.4