The European Central Bank proudly showed off its new headquarters to the press on Thursday. It will be the first permanent home for the institution charged with safeguarding the euro currency. Standing 185 meters tall, the massive skyscraper is a fitting home for an institution whose powers in Europe are expanding — even as the long term survival of the currency is put in question by the euro debt crisis. Much like the monetary union, the headquarters is still under construction and over budget. In 2005, it was slated to cost 850 million euros, but thanks to inflation — a central banker’s least favorite word — in ... (full story)