Public Policy Toward Pensions (Twentieth Century Fund Books)

Book Description

Public and private pensions control almost a quarter of the United States' tangible wealth--equivalent to all of the country's residential real estate. They account for most current saving in the country, are a crucial component of household retirement resources, and have significant effects on labor market mobility and efficiency. Collectively, they hold a tremendous proportion of all common stock.

The stock market has boomed during the past decade, as baby boomers have rapidly accumulated pension assets. Now economists are starting to wonder what will happen when the baby boomers retire. It is already clear that the Social Security system will require drastic changes to remain solvent. Will the stock market experience a similar meltdown as baby boomers withdraw their assets from pension plans? What policies might help to avoid such a crisis?

According to Schieber and Shoven, pension policy will emerge as one of the key economic issues of the next decade. This book provides a guide to the debate. Topics include the impact of pensions on personal and national saving, the potential for a Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation financial crisis, the dramatic growth in 401(k) plans, public sector plants, the prospects for adequate retirement income in the future, and recommended directions for pension policies.

The book contains ten chapters, four written by Schieber and Shoven. The remaining contributors are Robert Clark, Ping-Lung Hsin, Olivia Mitchell, James Poterba, Andrew Samwick, Jonathan Skinner, Steven Venti, Carolyn Weaver, David Wise, and Elisa Wolper.

Public policy toward pensions: Why defined-contribution pensions dominate government-insured defined-benefit pensions (Finance and economics discussion series)

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Public policy toward pensions: Why defined-contribution pensions dominate government-insured defined-benefit pensions (Finance and economics discussion series)
Randall P Mariger
Manufacturer: Division of Research and Statistics, Division of Monetary Affairs, Federal Reserve Board
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Retirement Planning | Personal Finance | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006PDNOO

Book Description

Born in 1924, Anne McCarty Braden is a southern white woman who broke from her segregationist upbringing to become a lifelong civil rights activist in the late 1940s. Unlike many southern reformers of her generation, Braden refused to become an exile fro either her region or her race, and instead sought to awaken the consciences of white southerners to the reality of racial injustice in the South and in America. Hailed as a courageous heroine and a role model by her colleagues in the nascent civil rights movement of the 1950s, Braden was simultaneously accused of being a Communist and a seditionist by her neighbors in Louisville, Kentucky and by southern politicians that rallied around the anti-Communist movement of the period. Catherine Fosl not only shares the extraordinary life of Braden, but also offers a valuable history of the struggles that white southern activists faced in the segregated, cold war South.

Customer Reviews:

'Subversive Southerner' is a must-read.......2003-07-17

'Subversive Southerner' is a must-read for anyone interested in southern history or in the social and cultural upheavals of the 50s and 60s. It's a riveting story of personal transformation and courage in the face of unrelenting persecution by authorities, and a reminder of how fragile and how precious are our civil liberties. Anne Braden is a heroine-- dedicated, single-minded in her pursuit of civil rights, but compassionate and always interested in individuals. There's plenty of bombings, arrests, and HUAC subpoenas to keep you turning pages,and lots of quotes, oral-history style, from major figures from the 50s and 60s. It's well-written--Fosl is an expert interviewer and very good writer.

Anne Braden: A True American Hero.......2002-12-27

Anne Braden courageously opposed the Dixie segregationist establishment. She was born Anne McCarty in 1924 in "Louisville where white folks lived." Her earlier concerns were conventional and non threatening to the social mores of her Jim Crow society. Anne mostly worried about being attractive to boys during her high school years and was even willing to play dumb so as not to alienate them. She underwent a dramatic change in her early adult years while attending college and earning a living as a journalist. The Southern newspapers of that era barely considered a murdered black person worthy of mention. Blacks could fight and die in our wars, but were refused entrance to the voting booth. White criminals were afforded more respect than virtuous and law abiding Afro-Americans. The usual definition of a liberal Southern politician was someone who dared speak out against lynching while remaining firmly loyal to the principle of segregation. Anne ultimately could not make peace with the prevailing zeitgeist. She marries Carl Braden, a man named after Karl Marx. The Bradens soon partner with such luminaries like James Dombrowski, Bob Zellner and Martin Luther King. The latter remarked upon her dedication in his famous "Letter From a Birmingham Jail." Heroic self sacrifice and the constant risk of violence became an everyday reality. The odds were probably no better than fifty-fifty that the Bradens could escape being murdered.

What does the Cold War have to with Anne Braden? Why did the author choose the title "Subversive Southerner?" Catherine Fosl points out the insane eagerness of the segregationists to brand those advocating civil rights as traitors to the United States. In their peculiar way of looking at the world, combatting Jim Crow was the same thing as aligning oneself with our nation's enemies. The Bradens, however, did flirt with Communism and this made it easier for their foes to justify harassing them. A number of prosecutors seeking political power relished the opportunity to put them behind bars for alleged acts of sedition. Anne's relationship with avowed Communists extends to the point where the well known radical Angela Davis even writes the forward for this book. Should we therefore condemn her? Not in the least. Fosl presents a persuasively well put together argument that Anne Braden deserves to be cut some slack. There is no evidence whatsoever hinting that the still living Ms. Braden ever adhered to any orthodox interpretation of Communist doctrine. She seems naively oblivious to the logical consequences of these horrifying set of beliefs. Sadly, mainstream political conservatives did virtually nothing to combat racism in the Old South. Anne Braden was therefore compelled to cooperate with those willing to fight along side of her. She and her late husband were primarily activists and not armchair philosophers. One also does not have to agree with all of Anne Braden's more recent political proposals. Some of these efforts might indeed leave something to be desired. That is beside the point. Ms. Braden definitely has done far more good than inadvertent harm. Catherine Fosl is to be congratulated for making sure that Americans don't overlook her enormous accomplishments. It would be shameful not to honor Anne Braden while she is still alive. I strongly urge you to read this superb biography of one of our greatest American heroes.

Subversive Southerner: Anne Braden and the Struggle for Racial Justice in the Cold War South

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Subversive Southerner: Anne Braden and the Struggle for Racial Justice in the Cold War South
Catherine Fosl
Manufacturer: PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OJX0S6

"On their own and against all odds: women creating the civil rights movement".(Mississippi Harmony: Memoirs of a Freedom Fighter)(Subversive Southerner: ... Review) : An article from: The Historian

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"On their own and against all odds: women creating the civil rights movement".(Mississippi Harmony: Memoirs of a Freedom Fighter)(Subversive Southerner: ... Review) : An article from: The Historian
Belinda Robnett
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Historian, published by Thomson Gale on January 1, 2004. The length of the article is 1878 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: "On their own and against all odds: women creating the civil rights movement".(Mississippi Harmony: Memoirs of a Freedom Fighter)(Subversive Southerner: Anne Braden and the Struggle for Racial Justice in the Cold War South)(Book Review)
Author: Belinda Robnett
Publication: The Historian (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2004
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 66 Issue: 4 Page: 818(4)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Subversive Southerner: Anne Braden and the Struggle for Racial Justice in the Cold War South.(Book Review): An article from: Journal of Southern History

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Subversive Southerner: Anne Braden and the Struggle for Racial Justice in the Cold War South.(Book Review): An article from: Journal of Southern History
Gail Williams O'Brien
Manufacturer: Southern Historical Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B00082J62I
Release Date: 2005-07-31

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Southern History, published by Southern Historical Association on May 1, 2004. The length of the article is 685 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Subversive Southerner: Anne Braden and the Struggle for Racial Justice in the Cold War South.(Book Review)
Author: Gail Williams O'Brien
Publication: Journal of Southern History (Refereed)
Date: May 1, 2004
Publisher: Southern Historical Association
Volume: 70 Issue: 2 Page: 477(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

SUBVERSIVE SOUTHERNER: ANNE BRADEN AND THE STRUGGLE FOR RACIAL JUSTICE IN THE COLD WAR SOUTH. Foreword by Angela Davis.

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SUBVERSIVE SOUTHERNER: ANNE BRADEN AND THE STRUGGLE FOR RACIAL JUSTICE IN THE COLD WAR SOUTH. Foreword by Angela Davis.
Catherine. Fosl
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N7KGSQ

Book Description

The true, inspirational story behind the major new film Calendar Girls, starring Julie Walters, Helen Mirren, Penelope Wilton and Annette Crosbie, as the women behind the Alternative W.I. Calendar (better known to most as the Naked Ladies Calendar). When John Baker died of cancer, many of his friends in the small Yorkshire village of Cracoe were devastated. During his illness Tricia Stewart had joked with him about creating an 'alternative' WI calendar-she and his wife Angela were members-and after his death they were determined to continue and give the proceeds to leukaemia research. It took guts-and a big glass of red wine-for eleven mature women to pose wearing nothing but a string of pearls and a smile. The result was an astonishing two-year rollercoaster ride as the ladies became international stars. In Calendar Girl, Tricia writes honestly about the whole experience: Angela's courage and strength, the enormous strain that fame placed on marriages, friendships and family, being doorstepped by the tabloid press and the amazing experience of seeing their story be turned into a film. Above all though, she writes about the positive transforming effect the calendar has had on their lives. Funny, insightful and moving, this book will change your view of the W.I. forever.

Customer Reviews:

1 start should be 0 stars.......2005-06-23

I should've listened to the other reviewers here before I bothered with this book. I bought it at a discount book store ($5 wasted) and thought I could find something in it that others couldn't. Wrong. By page 30 the author had said the word "brilliant" about 18 times and indeed rattled on incessantly about insignificant, painstaking details.

The movie version (Calendar Girls) of this book, however, was charming and highly recommended. First time I've ever said that the book sucked but the movie was great.

No front bottoms.......2004-08-17

In 2003, American audiences were treated to CALENDAR GIRLS, a little gem of a film starring Helen Mirren based on the experiences a group of women in their 40s, 50s and 60s in the north of England who posed starkers for a year 2000 calendar to raise money for leukemia research, and in memory of John Baker, the husband of one of the ladies and a locally well-regarded and much loved Assistant National Park Officer in the Yorkshire Dales, who'd died of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in July 1998. Of course, the nudity, both in the film and on the calendar, was tastefully presented, with the naughty bits obscured and most definitely "no front bottoms". The calendar's concept, and the driving force behind its creation, came from Tricia Stewart, a close friend of John and Angela Baker. In real life, Tricia ran a medical software company with her husband, Ian, and taught yoga and Pilates on the side. This book, CALENDAR GIRL, is Tricia's story of the 2-year flurry of frenetic activity that the calendar catalyzed, and the roughly 300,000 copies that were sold in Britain and the United States.

First of all, let me unequivocally state that the film adaptation was wonderful, and I deeply admire author Alicia Stewart for the originality of her idea and for the hard work and dedication she and her colleagues demonstrated in getting the calendar created and marketed. What started out almost as a lark burgeoned into a monster with a life of its own - as such things are wont to do - involving a grueling schedule of domestic and foreign media interviews, appearances on television talk shows and at book-signings both at home and in the U.S., product endorsements, the film, and considerable fame. And the Leukemia Research Fund in Britain and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America received a bunch of money. It also destroyed friendships, almost administered the coup-de-grace to a marriage, and, as a final insult, subjected Tricia and Ian to hateful articles in the gutter press. However, that tribute said ...

I realized what was wrong with CALENDAR GIRL about two-thirds into it. It has the flow of a diary, and I gather that Stewart used such as the primary source for her narrative. Trouble is, she failed to edit out so very much that was trivial and, frankly, numbingly boring. As a random example of the story's "feel" , which is typical of the book throughout:

"Lynda had had an invite from Preethi, the Indian girl we'd met at the bookfair, to go to her book launch at Dover Street, by the Ritz, on Thursday night. It was the same day as a shoot in London for the "Mail's You" magazine. Lynda had sent her a calendar, which was in her office. She was having a stressful day organizing her launch and when she went in her office, the calendar fell off the shelf. So she phoned Lynda who was also miserable and the depression lifted for both of them."

Then later, when they meet this Preethi for the launch dinner:

"Sunflowers mean happiness and are Preethi's mum's favourite flower. We met her mum and dad and lots of her friends and drank champagne. Her book focuses on following your dreams, following the African dancer. Later after speeches an African dancer appeared and a band, it was brilliant."

All of the above - and so much more in a similar vein -should've been left out, but perhaps wasn't because the resulting volume wouldn't have been much more than a pamphlet in length.

I really wanted to award at least three stars because Tricia's heart is in the right place, but just couldn't because I struggled to finish CALENDAR GIRL, and was so relieved when I arrived at the last period. I highly recommend the film, but not this well-intentioned but fatally flawed book.

Calendar Girl.......2004-06-06

If you enjoy listening to one side of a telephone conversation, or to someone who talks a mile a minute about people and places you don't know, you might enjoy this book.
Try to get beyond the British slang, and you will find a story about fairly shallow women who had one good idea.
This is almost all direct characterization; the author tells everything. The reader discovers little.

Not as Good as the Movie.......2004-05-13

I expected to like both the movie and the book. The movie was just okay, and the movie was better than the book. To give credit, the movie was faithful to the spirit of the book, if not the details.

Tricia Stewart, the author of Calendar Girl, and the driving force behind the calendar, would have benefited from someone else writing her story. She rambles on at times and describes everything as "brilliant." She comes across as sometimes overbearing and a bit of of a showoff, not unlike her character in the movie, Chris, played by Helen Mirren.

The story of a group of women in an English village who decide to raise money for the local hospital by posing for a nude, but tastefully so, calendar, is irresistible. But a story has to have conflict, so there are a few tossed in, and perhaps they really happened. Not everyone in the town thinks a nude calendar is a good idea, especially when it leads to an overdose of publicity. The families of the "models" feel neglected when the calendar becomes a hit and they spend all their time giving interviews and traveling. There are strained relationships within the group of women when some think that others (Tricia) are hogging the limelight.

But everything works out in the end, and they become temporarily famous, and make a ton of money for cancer research.

Transcribed, not written.......2004-01-07

I wanted to like this book; I love what those women did. I had heard about the calendar in 2000, and then while visiting England last autumn, I heard about the movie. While visiting England again at Christmas, I was given the book as a gift and was pleasantly surprised. However, because of a lack of narrative, the book is eventually unreadable; it reads like a word-for-word transcription of Ms. Stewart's diary. Some of the words are very funny -asides in conversation transcribed- but there aren't enough of them. And, without a thread of a story to lead the reader along, I lost interest; I hadn't made it halfway through before giving up and skipping to the epilogue.

Calendar Girl: In Which A Lady Of Rylstone Reveals All

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Calendar Girl: In Which A Lady Of Rylstone Reveals All
Tricia Stewart
Manufacturer: Pan Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O3TGP8

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