Europe debt crisis rolls on as Irish bailouts grow – 3

Europe debt crisis rolls on as Irish bailouts grow Economist Lucey said Ireland was needlessly tying its future fortunes to keeping all senior bondholders happy. He said bondholders should be forced, on a case-by-case basis, to accept punishment for the risks they took in loaning to Irish banks. “We haven’t been told who owns this […]

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When a ‘Chosen’ Tibetan Lama Says No Thanks

“For the last time, I’m not your messiah,” groans the title character in the 1979 comedy The Life of Brian. There’s an echo of Brian’s panicked renunciation in a shakeup currently underway in Tibetan Buddhism — in this case, nobody’s laughing, although the ending will, no doubt, be happier

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Waiting for Sotomayor: 3-year delay in greenhouse gas case

Judge Sonia Sotomayor may not know for some time when her Supreme Court confirmation hearings will be held. It could be next month or perhaps in September. As a waiting game, however, that pales in comparison to an important environmental lawsuit that has been pending at Sotomayor’s court for almost three years

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Sessions Could Make Obama’s Supreme Court Fight Tougher

Political junkies who weren’t thrilled at the prospect of a relatively staid confirmation process for President Barack Obama’s as yet unnamed Supreme Court nominee can rest easy. This week Senate Republicans named perennial bomb thrower Jeff Sessions, 62, of Alabama to be the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, promising to bring at least a few sparks to a confirmation process that — if Minnesota’s Al Franken is seated — was bound to be relatively easy. While Sessions alone can’t change the basic legislative math that promises whomever Obama picks to replace retiring Justice David Souter a fairly easy path to confirmation, he can certainly liven up the proceedings

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