"A Brookings Institution Press and Nomura Institute of Capital Markets Research publication It has been four years since the financial crisis of 2008, and the global financial system still is experiencing malaise caused by high rates of unemployment; a lingering, unresolved supply of foreclosed properties; the deepening European debt crisis; and fear of a recurrence of the bank turmoil that brought about the Great Recession. All of these factors have led to stagnant economic growth worldwide. In Rocky Times, editors Yasuyuki Fuchita, Richard J. Herring, and Robert E. Litan bring together experts from academia and the banking sector to analyze the difficult issues surrounding troubled large financial institutions in an environment of economic uncertainty and growing public anger. Continuing the format of the previous Brookings-Nomura collaborations, Rocky Times focuses largely on developments within the United States and Japan but looks at those in other nations as well. This volume examines two broad areas: the Japanese approach to regulating financial institutions and promoting financial stability and the U.S. approach in light of the Dodd-Frank Act. Specific chapters include ""Managing Systemwide Financial Crises: Some Lessons from Japan since 1990,"" ""The Bankruptcy of Bankruptcy,"" ""The Case for Regulating the Shadow Banking System,"" ""Why and How to Design a Contingent Convertible Debt Requirement,"" and ""Governance Issues for Macroprudential Policy in Advanced Economies."" Contributors: Gavin Bingham (Systemic Policy Partnership, London), Charles W. Calomiris (Columbia Business School), Douglas J. Elliott (Brookings Institution), Kei Kodachi (Nomura Institute of Capital Markets Research), Morgan Ricks (Vanderbilt Law School)."

Drawing from his years of biological research within and adjacent to the sixth most visited park in the US, and from files and reports of the park's own biologists, Hess presents a strongly worded, well- documented indictment of gross mismanagement. His analysis diverges from Alston Chase's Playing God in Yellowstone in a number of respects; the case he makes is his own, and he presents a proposal for rescue. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

In this captivating and complex portrait of an American sports legend, Russell Sullivan confirms Rocky Marciano's place as a symbol and cultural icon of his era. As much as he embodied the wholesome, rags-to-riches patriotism of a true American hero, he also reflected the racial and ethnic tensions festering behind the country's benevolent facade. Spirited, fast-paced, and rich in detail, Rocky Marciano is the first book to place the boxer in the context of his times. Capturing his athletic accomplishments against the colorful backdrop of the 1950s fight scene, Sullivan examines how Marciano's career reflected the glamour and scandal of boxing as well as tenor of his times.

“An intimate and deeply human memoir that shows why we should all be concerned about nuclear safety, and the dangers of ignoring science in the name of national security.”—Rebecca Skloot, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks A shocking account of the government’s attempt to conceal the effects of the toxic waste released by a secret nuclear weapons plant in Colorado and a community’s vain search for justice—soon to be a feature documentary Kristen Iversen grew up in a small Colorado town close to Rocky Flats, a secret nuclear weapons plant once designated "the most contaminated site in America." Full Body Burden is the story of a childhood and adolescence in the shadow of the Cold War, in a landscape at once startlingly beautiful and--unknown to those who lived there--tainted with invisible yet deadly particles of plutonium. It's also a book about the destructive power of secrets--both family and government. Her father's hidden liquor bottles, the strange cancers in children in the neighborhood, the truth about what was made at Rocky Flats--best not to inquire too deeply into any of it. But as Iversen grew older, she began to ask questions and discovered some disturbing realities. Based on extensive interviews, FBI and EPA documents, and class-action testimony, this taut, beautifully written book is both captivating and unnerving.

Rocky still resonates with people around the world. These are their stories.

The economy didn't go through the Great Depression - people did. Margaret DuBois grew up in a period of historic deprivation. Her family had to retreat to her grandparents' Ozark farm to survive. The farm patriarch, her grandfather, was an orator - a minister who had once served as a State Legislator. Their home-life differed from most similarly-situated Ozark families in its focus on spiritual duties and the love of learning. Books lined their shelves. Political bombast and pious sermon occupied their dinners. They didn't get up pre-dawn as most farm families did. Hard times drew out the best and worst of human character. As she watched her family cope with all manner of human failing, and unremitting rotten luck, Margaret saw that people are complex and rife with contradictions. In her family's composure through bitter disappointments she saw a strength of character worthy of remembrance. And on that rocky ground where the DuBois family held fast, she hatched her dreams.