In a way, the situation is ironic: housing was at the root of the financial crisis, and six years after the meltdown, housing finance is still the greatest unsolved issue. The U.S. housing market is roughly $10 trillion, making it one of the largest segments of the bond market. Roughly 70 percent of the American population has a mortgage, and for most people, the mortgage is the most important financial instrument in their lives. But until the financial crisis, few people knew the essential role that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac play in their mortgages. Given the $188 billion government bailout of the two firms the most expensive bailout in history the politics surrounding housing are worse than they've ever been, and the two gigantic firms sit in limbo. Best-selling investigative journalist Bethany McLean, the coauthor of The Smartest Guys in the Room andAll the Devils Are Here, explains why the situation is dangerous and unsustainable, and proposes a few solutions from the perfect, but politically unfeasible to the doable, but ugly.

Book review (H-Net)

The recent crisis in the world of antiquities collecting has prompted scholars and the general public to pay more attention than ever before to the archaeological findspots and collecting histories of ancient artworks. This new scrutiny is applied to works currently on the market as well as to those acquired since (and despite) the 1970 UNESCO Convention, which aimed to prevent the trafficking in cultural property. When it comes to famous works that have been in major museums for many generations, however, the matter of their origins is rarely considered. Canonical pieces like the Barberini Togatus or the Fonseca bust of a Flavian lady appear in many scholarly studies and virtually every textbook on Roman art. But we have no more certainty about these works' archaeological contexts than we do about those that surface on the market today. This book argues that the current legal and ethical debates over looting, ownership and cultural property have distracted us from the epistemological problems inherent in all (ostensibly) ancient artworks lacking a known findspot, problems that should be of great concern to those who seek to understand the past through its material remains.

Describes the causes of earthquakes and what happens when they occur.

They met when they were both in diapers. Cory Whipple was the "boy next door" who became the love of Bibs Johnson's life. Cory proposed when they were 6 years old, Bibs accepted, and they never changed their minds. Then came The Sixties. Cory, raised by two maiden aunts to think independently, balked when his country demanded actions and attitudes of him that he could not give. Bibs supported his radical decision and that's when things got shaky. Bibs' father was part of The Greatest Generation-proud to do his Duty. Ed Johnson saw Cory in an entirely different light than Bibs did. A fault line formed between father and daughter-a fissure so deep, Bibs wondered if it could ever be bridged, even by a engineer like Cory who specializes in building bridges.

New ways to heal the spirit during the most challenging times. Traci Rhoades, author of Not All Who Wander (Spiritually) Are Lost, continues to find profound beauty and endless insights in her spiritual wanderings among church traditions. In this new book, Rhoades encourages readers to explore practices – some ancient and others unconventional – that offer solace for those times when ‘the bottom drops out.’ Sharing what she’s learned about God, Rhoades shakes off the limits of denominational boundaries, making this book particularly valuable for younger Christians or those who are longing to take a deeper dive into their faith.

In this sobering book, John Nance offers a dramatic account of the major earthquake in Alaska in 1964 and describes other massive quakes. He gives a gripping, nontechnical presentation of what is being done about scientific earthquake prediction. 8 pages of photos.