Word: wakefulness
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Switzerland's tradition of financial discretion goes back at least to the 17th century. In the wake of World War I, as many European currencies became unstable, the consistent (not to mention neutral) Swiss franc attracted depositors. After France, incensed by the loss of revenue, raided a Swiss bank's office in Paris and revealed the names on its accounts, the Swiss passed a law in 1934 making such disclosures criminal. Years later, Swiss banks both sheltered the assets of German Jews and accepted looted Nazi gold (and later set up a $1.25 billion compensation fund for Holocaust victims). Corrupt...
...Like the lobbying that helps produce them, earmarks were often demonized in the 2008 presidential campaign. In the wake of several high-profile corruption cases over the past few years, from GOP superlobbyist Jack Abramoff to Representative Duke Cunningham, both Obama and Republican nominee John McCain tried to outdo each other with their pledges to rid Washington of the notorious pet projects that legislators slip into spending bills. Obama, who authored 2007 legislation to overhaul congressional ethics rules governing lobbying and earmarks, runs a real credibility risk when he makes exceptions to his own rules. He was already heavily criticized...
...fact is, most of the Floridians seeking affordable housing still can't muster the means, credit history or job security to land a mortgage - even for a $100,000 fixer-upper - especially with lending requirements tightening in the wake of the subprime catastrophe. This is, after all, low-wage Florida: housing costs may be falling - in exorbitant South Florida, they've tumbled 45% since the median cost peaked at $375,000 two years ago - but take-home pay isn't rising. Unemployment, in fact, is at 8.1%, Florida's highest level in two decades...
...Musharraf's dictatorship but then backtracked once the military ruler left office. Nawaz Sharif had since been quietly positioning himself as an alternative to the PPP, even as Zardari struggled to contend with the pressures of a souring economy, rising militancy and a diplomatic standoff with India in the wake of last November's Mumbai attacks. (See pictures of terrorism in Mumbai...
...designer's former companion and lifelong business partner who put their joint collection on the block; and for Christie's and the entire art market, which hopes the stunning performance will be the shot in the arm needed to give the depressed market a boost in the wake of the financial crisis...