BIG PINE KEY, Fla. — On many mornings over the past 22 years, the Rev. Tony Mullane has pulled back his bedroom curtains and watched endangered Key deer roaming the grounds of St. Peter Catholic Church. He considers the free nature show one of the bonuses of his ministry in the Florida Keys. On other days, however, there are no deer to be seen – only water from the Straits of Florida lapping perilously near to the church buildings. ‘It does come close to the church in a high tide,’ says Father Tony, as he’s known. ‘There’s a gravel pit behind us that’s supposed to be a natural buffer from the water of Coupon Bight, but it fills, and sometimes laps over into, the church grounds.’ What is happening at St. Peter is being repeated across the length of the 125-mile, low-lying island chain off Florida’s south coast. Average sea levels on the islands are already nine inches higher than a century ago, according to environmental studies. Flooding has become much more common, which has prompted local officials and others to explore remedies. But in some cases, just how the islanders should proceed is still being figured […]
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday made it easier for people who say they cannot repay their student loans to receive bankruptcy protection. But the case arose in an unusual way, and the ruling is unlikely to have a broad impact. The case involved Francisco J. Espinosa, an airline ramp agent who took out four student loans in 1988 and 1989 for a total of $13,250 to attend a trade school in Arizona. Four years later, he filed for protection under the bankruptcy laws, proposing to repay the principal over five years without interest. Neither Mr. Espinosa nor the judge who approved his proposal followed the procedures contemplated by the law. Chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code allows student loans like Mr. Espinosa’s to be discharged only if a bankruptcy judge finds that repayment would impose an ‘undue hardship. But the judge in his case made no such finding. Nor did Mr. Espinosa notify his lender in the way required by law, which calls for the service of a summons and complaint like those in a civil lawsuit. But the lender did receive notices from the court about Mr. Espinosa’s proposal and the court’s approval […]
WASHINGTON — Barack Obama now has a political triumph for the ages to burnish an already historic legacy, as the first president to fulfill the Democratic dream of health care for nearly every American. Yet such is the rancor whipped up by the ferocious battle over the health reform bill sent to the president’s desk by Congress on Sunday, the impact on Obama’s political prospects and those of his Democratic allies is unclear. Obama claimed a unique place in US history when his 2008 election win gave the United States its first black president. Now, his victory on health reform, confirmed after a landmark House of Representatives vote on the most extensive social legislation in decades, has crowned a century-long, and oft-thwarted Democratic political crusade. Supporters will make a case that Obama is the most significant reforming Democratic president since at least Lyndon Johnson, who pushed through health care for the poor and seniors and civil rights legislation in the 1960s. Sunday’s victory boosted a presidency launched with stratospheric expectations, but which had recently looked beleaguered, and allows Obama to argue he has delivered the change he promised. ‘This is what change looks like,’ […]
WASHINGTON — White House said Monday President Barack Obama plans to sign the just passed health bill on Tuesday, and every Congressional supporter of the bill is invited to the ceremony. White House Spokesman Robert Gibbs said in a regular briefing that the signing ceremony of the historic bill is ‘likely to be sometime tomorrow (Tuesday).’ ‘Each and every member of the House and Senate that supported health care reform will be invited. I expect that many of them will attend,’ he said. The ceremony was originally planned in the White House south lawn, but the event is to be held in Department of Interior because of rainy weather. The House of Representatives on Sunday night passed the Senate version of the health insurance reform bill and a ‘fix-it’ bill, which contains contents the House would like to change in the Senate bill. The Senate bill, which cleared both chambers, can be signed into law, while the ‘fix-it’ bill is to be taken up by the Senate on Tuesday. The procedure is called reconciliation. The Democrats adopt this procedure to conclude their year-long battle on health reform to avoid a Republican filibuster in the upper […]
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
