The Supreme Courtrestricted a favorite tool for pursuing corrupt politicians and self-dealing corporate chiefs, ruling that the law that makes it a crime to deprive the public or one’s employer of the “intangible right of honest services” can only be used where they could prove defendants accepted bribes or kickbacks. It means, for instance, that Enron ex-CEO Jeff Skilling’s conviction on the “honest services” law is thrown out — but not the other charges he was convicted of. Law Professor Elizabeth Nowicki, both a former SEC attorney and Wall Street lawyer, says the opinion finally gives some insight into newly appointed Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s view on business fraud.
“Surprisingly, she sided with the justices who struck down the ‘honest services’ doctrine for vindicating cases of overt fraud. This is a troubling blow for those who care about protecting investors and business integrity.”
Word that war-torn Afghanistan has at least $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits already has that country's officials scrambling to start the process of opening up the nation's reserves to international investors. Anthropology Professor Thomas Barfield, who also is president of the American Institute of Afghanistan Studies, says cashing in on the potential will take significant infrastructure building which will require security and likely involve investment from China. Barfield discusses the prospects and pit fields of Afghanistan's mining future in a BU Todayinterview.
"The work needed to put in the infrastructure and the side effects -- better transportation systems, electricity, jobs for people -- that's going to have an enormous impact well before we get to the question of payment of royalties."
With about 57 percent of residents voting for it, the town of Fremont, Neb., has passed an ordinance aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration by banning hiring or renting property to illegals. The town now faces a long legal fight similar to that embroiling the state of Arizona after it recently enacted a law targeting undocumented immigrants. Law Professor Susan Akram, an authority on immigration law, says that in both cases voters and officials are pushing such measures to force the federal government to clamp down harder on illegal immigration in various ways.
“Unfortunately, it does not appear that public opinion has been influenced by the actual facts involved in passing such measures: that they are unlikely to be enforceable because they conflict with an area in which federal law pre-empts most state action; that they are going to be subject to serious and lengthy litigation; and that they are going to cost the states and localities significant resources without achieving the benefits they seek."
General Stanley McChrystal met privately with President Obama over contemptuous remarks the general and his staff made about top administration officials in a magazine article. Shortly thereafter, Obama relieved the McChrystal of his command as head of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. International relations Professor Andrew Bacevich, a retired Army officer and authority on U.S. military and diplomatic history, says in a New York Daily Newscommentary that Obama should have pocketed any McChrystal resignation and tell him to get back to work pending the planned December formal assessment of the Afghan situation.
"But if by December the outlook for Afghanistan remains bleak, a change of command in Kabul will be very much in order - not for insubordination but for incompetence."
"The overarching goal of such an effort should be to strike a single global standard for balanced and timely restructuring that satisfies the needs of creditors while enabling debtor nations the ability to recover and grow. This is where the G20 can make its mark."
“More generally, this turmoil at the top of the Allied effort in Afghanistan further destroys public confidence in that war. Divided leadership plus continuing casualties equals loss of public support.”
BU Today recently sat down with Freeman, where he revealed his intentions to build on the existing strengths of the School of Management, and to listen and learn carefully:
House and Senate conferees hope to wrap up this week the final version of financial regulatory reform legislation to send to President Obama, with chairmen Barney Frank and Chris Dodd delicately trying to compromises without losing votes for the overall package. What do about the trading of derivatives - the complex financial packages which helped sink the economy - remains up in the air. Law Professor Cornelius Hurley, director of the Morin Center for Banking and Financial Law and a former counsel to the Fed Board of Governors, says the proposal currently in the Senate version but objected to by both the House negotiators and the White House, wouldn't be the best for taxpayers fearing another bailout but would be better than nothing.
"If derivatives trading is such a socially useful and profitable activity ($23 billion in revenue among the five banks that dominate the market) why can’t it exist outside of bank holding companies? The answer to the question is that it could exist in a different, nonbank setting, but, without the backing of the taxpayers, the activity would have to shed its casino-like features."
A new study from Yale University published in the journal Pediatrics has found that popular cartoon and other characters can influence children’s food choices, and even preference, for the taste of a food. According to theresearch, "children significantly prefer the taste of junk foods branded with licensed cartoon characters on the packaging, compared with the same foods without characters."
"In this study involving 40 children, ages 4 to 6 years old, researchers asked each child to taste, and then rate, identical packages of pairs of graham crackers, gummy fruit snacks, and carrots. The only difference between the pairs of snack items was that one of packages had a sticker of a licensed character stuck on the front of the label. The results showed that the kiddies significantly preferred the snack with the cartoon character on the label, as compared to the same food without the sticker. The stickers also had an influence over the perceived taste of the food, as the children were significantly more likely to rate the taste of the graham crackers and gummy fruit snacks with the licensed character higher than the exact same, paired equivalent."
"Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that these influential licensed characters should be restricted on unhealthy junk foods marketed to kids."
"Ironically, last month, the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity made a similar suggestion in their Report to the President. The Task Force recommended that all media companies limit the licensing of these child-friendly characters to only healthy foods and beverages."
"Could licensed characters help improve children’s diets? We only have to look to the very successful, Got Milk? Campaign to see how Hollywood influences consumer choices. When the dairy industry noted a decline in milk consumption among Americans in the 1990’s, they painted milk mustaches on celebrities and milk sales increased. If licensed characters were removed from the less healthy foods, and only plastered on Mother Nature’s finest in the produce aisle, perhaps kiddies would be screaming for Pooh Bear bananas. It would be music to America’s ears. It’s worth a shot as long as the consumer doesn’t have to pay extra for the sticker."
The Supreme Court restricted a favorite tool for pursuing corrupt politicians and self-dealing corporate chiefs, ruling that the law that makes it a crime to deprive the public or one’s employer of the “intangible right of honest services” can only be used where they could prove defendants accepted bribes or kickbacks. It means, for instance, that Enron ex-CEO Jeff Skilling’s conviction on the “honest services” law is thrown out — but not the other charges he was convicted of. Law Professor Elizabeth Nowicki, both a former SEC attorney and Wall Street lawyer, says the opinion finally gives some insight into newly appointed Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s view on business fraud.
Word that war-torn Afghanistan has at least $1 trillion in 
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