News, information and research from Boston University
March 11, 2010 at 6:00 am
Today at 3:30 PM the School of Education (SED) is hosting a mini-conference entitled “Challenges and Opportunities” in the lobby of Two Silber Way. Remarks will be made by SED Dean Hardin Coleman and Commonwealth of Massachusetts Deputy Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Accountability, Partnerships and Assistance Karla Brooks Baehr, EdD.
March 9, 2010 at 3:30 pm
Hemmed in by bipartisan opposition to a federal trial in New York and GOP insistance that it must be under military jurisdiction, the Obama Administration is still deciding whether to try Khalid Sheik Mohammed in civilian court or a military tribunal. Political Science Professor Graham Wilson, author of "Only in Ameica? American Politics in Comparative Persoective," says the White House is in a box.
"This typifies the problem the Administration seems to have in setting and holding to a clear course in many different policy areas. It’s hard for the Administration to defend any use of the federal courts when it decides on some use of military tribunals."
Contact Graham Wilson, 617-353-2540, bkwilson@bu.edu
March 8, 2010 at 5:11 pm
President Obama is making a final effort to get the public to push Congress to pass healthcare reform, bashing the insurance industry for predatory pricing practices. School of Management Professor Stephen Davidson, author of "Still Broken: Understandng the U.S. Healthcare System," says the facts are on the side of reform, but the White House hasn't made the benefits appear compelling to individual voters.
"Framing the issue as profiteering insurers against ordinary citizens who need medical care should resonate with the public. If reform fails, costs will continue to rise, more and more people will lose coverage (and no one’s coverage is safe), and quality will continue to decline."
Contact Stephen Davidson, 617-353-7422, sdavidso@bu.edu
March 8, 2010 at 4:16 pm
Under a regulatory reform measure being considered in the Senate, the Federal Reserve may yet retain oversight power over the nati0n's biggest banks, with states and the FDIC watching over smaller banks. Risk-management expert Mark Williams, author of "Uncontrolled Risk" who teaches finance in the School of Management, thinks it's too soon to be trusting the Fed with enhanced authority.
"If the Fed was privately run, it would be out of business. Before the Fed is given more responsibility or allowed to continue business as usual, it needs to demonstrate to the American people it has fixed weaknesses in oversight and monetary policy."
Contact Mark Williams, 617-358-2789, williams@bu.edu
March 5, 2010 at 5:12 pm
The Turkish government says there'll be negative diplomatic consequences for the Obama administration if the U.S. Congress approves a committee-passed resolution labeling as "genocide" the World War I-era killing of Armenians by Turks. History Professor Simon Payaslian, chair of Modern Armenian History and Literature who teaches a course on the genocide, says the resolution's significance goes beyond the accurate labeling of an historical event.
"This should also be seen as a healthy injection of moral principles into U.S. foreign policy -- a much needed antidote to the growing world perception that the United States no longer represents the democratic ideals, values, and principles that it once did."
Contact Simon Payaslian, 617-353-8313, payas@bu.edu
March 5, 2010 at 4:04 pm
Greece has announced austerity measures to rein in the country's debt that threatens the European Union's euro currency -- and in the process triggered public outrage and demonstrations. International Relations Professor William Keylor, an authority on U.S.-European relations, says the Greek government seems to playing a game of chicken with the EU.
"By hinting that it might approach the International Monetary Fund for an emergency loan, it is threatening the eurozone with a huge embarrassment if it does not come to Greece's aid. No developed country has gone hat in hand to the IMF since Britain had to do so thirty four years ago."
Contact William Keylor, 617-358-0197, wrkeylor@bu.edu
March 4, 2010 at 4:37 pm
Ukraine's newly elected president has been unable to muster a coalition in parliament to replace the prime minister whom he defeated for the presidency. The president's party is trying to change the law to make coalition forming easier, which the ex-PM's party calls a "constitutional coup d'etat." Ukraine expert Tammy Lynch from BU's Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology & Policy, says the country is at a crossroads.
"Reverting to a system that undermines parties and blocs would reverse Ukraine's democratic development significantly. All parliamentary structure could be destroyed -- and, given the number of millionaires and billionaires in Ukraine's parliament, they have plenty of money to get whatever they want done."
Contact Tammy Lynch, 617-353-5815, tammymlynch@hotmail.com
March 4, 2010 at 3:45 pm
According to a confidential GOP fundraising presentation obtained by Politico, the Republican National Committee plans to raise bucks this election cycle by capitalizing on "fear" of President Obama and a promise to "save the country from trending toward socialism." Political science Professor Graham Wilson says scare tactics on both sides of the aisle are old hat, but this version is particularly personal.
"What’s striking about the Republican presentation is not the negativity but the lack of respect for the President. Even the earlier portrayals of Ted Kennedy didn’t debase him in this way."
Contact Graham Wilson, 617-353-2545, gkwilson@bu.edu
March 4, 2010 at 2:40 pm
Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit told a Congressional panel that the bank is "fundamentally different" since it took $45 billion in taxpayer bailout money last year. But Law Professor Cornelius Hurley, director of the Morin Center for Banking and Financial Law, says Congress should be asking why taxpayers were't given more effective oversight of Citigroup after the bailout.
"Rather than grilling Mr. Pandit on how he runs Citigroup, the Congressional TARP panel should be asking Treasury officials, past and present, why the U.S. did not demand representation on the Citigroup board of directors. As long as the taxpayers are the largest shareholders of the company, this is the most effective way to provide oversight in the public interest."
Contact Cornelius Hurley, 617-353-5427, ckhurley@bu.edu
March 4, 2010 at 11:29 am
Nutrition graduate student Larry Istrail recently launched an innovative new iPhone Application called PhotoCalorie allowing users to snap photos of their snacks and meals, enter a short description, and track their calorie intakes. The App, which is currently offered to Apple customers free of charge, also allows users to keep a visual food journal which he hopes will help them communicate with their doctors about what they are really eating and, hopefully, improve eating habits.
