Robert Frost liked to say that a banker is someone who gives you an umbrella when the sun is shining and takes it away when it starts to rain. Well, we set out to prove that adage wrong at IndyMac bank. During the time we were conservator, we restructured loans for over 13,000 families to keep them in their homes.

The author, Gail Collins, is a New York Times Op-Ed columnist, and the first woman to serve as editor of the Opinion Pages. She brings a steady, folksy persona to the writing and opens the book with an outstanding account of women’s political, cultural and social history.

Those of us who became fans of Lorrie Moore’s when we first read her short stories in The New Yorker will welcome the publication of her new novel, the first in over a dozen years. Ms. Moore, who couples her career as novelist/short story writer extraordinaire with a professorship at the University of Wisconsin/Madison, may take her own sweet time between novels, but what she has produced is worth our wait.

"A socially progressive employer intenton improving working conditions within her business, Vionnetnonetheless geared her exceptional designs to an elite clientele.As was the case of many designers during the Roaring Twenties,she was not concerned with democratizing fashion. Her amazingtechnical skills paved the way for sartorial renewal based oncomplex structural experimentation."

For the 18 proceedings GAO reviewed, the length of time from an individual’s conviction through debarment (or as of November 5, 2008, for pending proceedings) ranged from about 1 year to nearly 11 years. For the 52 disqualification proceedings GAO reviewed, the length of time from initiation of a disqualification proceeding to its conclusion (or as of November 5, 2008, for pending proceedings) ranged from 26 days to more than a decade, with about one-third taking more than 2 years.

"From 1995 through 2005, the number of girls’ cases nationwide involving detention increased 49 percent, compared to a seven percent increase for boys. Compared to white girls: African American girls are sent to adult prison over five times as often and Native American girls three times as often."

"These measures are also likely to be important for people who are already suffering from cancer and who must avoid any external influence that may contribute to disease progression."

Despite expectations that this neighborhood is a secure bastion of privilege, these days, when clients get in the chair, they offer a window into the country in recession: Some are broke, others don't have a plan, and they're all looking to commiserate.