Monthly Archives: May 2009

Even if the new flu strain is waning here, there is still concern that it will spread southward

As fears of the deadly outbreak of influenza A H1N1 have diminished with Mexico City returning to “normalcy,” and fewer US schools closings, this “swine flu” is still around and may be spreading less aggressively than some seasonal virus strains.  However, in the southern hemisphere where the weather is getting colder and their traditional flu season is about to start, […]

Stress tests: Eliminating a “systemic uncertainty”

Former deputy Comtroller of the Currency Robert R. Bench, now senior fellow at the School of Law’s Morin Center for Banking and Financial Law, says the Fed’s “stress tests” on the nation’s largest banks will help clarify the murky state of the industry. “The very good news with these stress-test results is that policymakers have […]

CBS “wardrobe malfunction” fine back in court

College of Communication Professor T. Barton Carter, an authority on communication law and an FCC expert, said the Supreme Court ordering a lower-court review of the fine against CBS for the Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction” at the 2004 Superbowl means that case still has a long way to go in light of the high court’s […]

Awaiting bank “stress test” results

With the release this week of results of the “stress tests” on the nation’s largest banks, Robert Bench, senior fellow at the School of Law’s Morin Center for Banking and Financial Law and former deputy Comptroller of the Currency, says federal regulators will be tough. “The federal banking agencies have the striped-shirt and the whistle, […]

Globe on midnight deadline

With the Boston Globe on a midnight cost-cutting deadline ultimatum from its parent New York Times to stay alive, College of Communication Associate Dean Tobe Berkovitz reflects on the big picture. “It’s down to the wire in the battle of the Boston Globe and New York Times. Media coverage of the story is a throw […]

Souter retiring from Supreme Court

With word that Justice David Souter will retire from the Supreme Court, Law Professor Jack Beerman, an authority on the court, says former law-school professor Obama is in a unique position to nominate a successor. “President Obama, having been a law professor and president of the Harvard Law Review, is in a unique position to […]