News, information and research from Boston University
December 22, 2009 at 11:22 am
Tip No. 5: Flatter the cook
Cooks always bring out their best recipes for the holidays. The only problem is that they expect you to eat all that food even if you are stuffed. Unfortunately, cleaning your plate is a signal to the hostess that you enjoyed the meal.
Tip: Ask him or her for the recipe. Imitation in the sincerest form of flattery. Your host will be thrilled that you enjoyed the meal so much that you want to share it with others.
December 21, 2009 at 3:31 pm
In a dramatic middle-of-the-night vote, Democrats won a 60-40 procedural vote on the Senate healthcare-reform bill which they hope to pass on Christmas Eve. School of Management Professor Stephen Davidson, whose book “Still Broken: Understanding the U.S. Healthcare System” will be published soon, says in a Huffington Post commentary that progressive should take the best they can get, pass it, and improve it later.
"We should see this episode as part of a continuing saga, rather than as a process that ends with the President's signature on a new law enacted by this Congress. This is a bill worth supporting. Then, on the day after it passes, begin to organize to make it better."
Contact Stephen Davidson, 617-353-7422, sdavidso@bu.edu
December 21, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Tip No. 4: Stuff yourself before you go
If the dinner party invitation says cocktails start at 7 pm, this probably means that dinner won't be served until Dave Letterman is delivering his monologue. As the evening wears on, even the wallpaper will start to look tasty. In this ravenous state you are likely to stuff yourself with too many hors d'oeuvres at dinner.
Tip: Nibble on something healthy before you leave the house - a large salad or a bowl of hearty vegetable soup. This tactic will curb the temptation to eat the mountain of cheese and crackers that are typically at holiday parties.
December 18, 2009 at 10:50 am
Tip No. 3: Cut back on the hors d'oeuvres
Did you know that one ounce of brie cheese melted on a hunk of crispy French breadpacks over 100 calories and 9 grams of fat? Couple that with a few other nibbles and you'll have to beep your tailor before dinner is served. Making a meal of hors d'oeuvres is fine once in a while, but you'll need to get a handle on this part of the holiday party routine during this busy season.
Tip: Score points with the host or hostess by offering to bring hors d'oeuvres of your own. Now, here's the sneaky part. Bring something that you know you can eat and fill up on - without filling out. Take a festive basket, line it with a holiday cloth napkin, and fill it with fresh veggies. No time to slice and dice? Buy the pre-cut variety at your local supermarket. Put a small bowl of a low fat dressing in the center of the basket. Snack away.
December 17, 2009 at 2:53 pm
A top U.S. diplomat reportedly discussed enlisting the White House in replacing Afghan President Karzai after Karzai's flawed re-election victory this fall. But it went no where and the diplomat was fired. Journalism Professor Nick Mills, author of "Karzai: The Failing American Intervention and the Struggle for Afghanistan," thinks the diplomat, Peter Galbraith, had the right idea.
"That the UN and the U.S. were so eager to declare Karzai the winner of the election despite his massive vote fraud and Karzai's tolerance of systemic government corruption mocks the whole notion of what we're supposed to be fighting for there."
Conact Nick Mills, 617-353-3492, nmills@bu.edu
December 17, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Bank of American has tapped Wellesley attorney Brian Moynihan as its new CEO, promoting him up from head of the bank's consumer and small-business operations. Former Federal Reserve Bank examiner Mark T. Williams, who teaches finance in the BU School of Management, says BofA needs a risk-management veteran, not a lawyer, at its helm.
"In filling this critical position with attorney Brian Moynihan, BofA is not fixing its root problems. BofA has a risk-management problem that it still needs to sort out. For long-term growth and stability, this bank needs to be run by an experienced banker, preferably one who has weathered a few recessions and is risk-management focused."
Contact Mark T. Williams, 617-358-2789, williams@bu.edu
December 17, 2009 at 9:00 am
Tip No. 2: Tame the party animal
Let's get realistic about this; How many parties do you expect to attend in the next few weeks, including New Year's Eve? Two or three a week? Do you realize that if you drink two glasses of wine at each of those parties, by the end of the season, you'll have drunk more than half a pound of extra weight? The worst part about holiday party wine is that, usually, it's not even the good stuff.
Tip: Play the Good Samaritan and assign yourself the Designated Driver. Then you have a compelling reason not to drink. If you really want a glass of wine, keep an expensive bottle at home and enjoy a glass at home when you return from the party.
December 16, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Corporate sponsors are taking the Tiger Woods' episode as a chance to rethink the value they may be getting for celebrity endorsers. Meantime, public-relations Professor Peter Morrissey, an expert in reputation management, says Tiger has to wait for this to bottom out and avoid the tendancy to act like a victim.
"History will record if he is a hero, a villain or a tragic figure. But even fallen heroes can be re-made to live again. It will just take time. The main thing Tiger is fighting is a sense of betrayal and mistrust. He will need to earn these back."
Contact Peter Morrissey, 617-353-1020, pmorriss@bu.edu
December 16, 2009 at 5:14 pm
The Russian government wants to use price controls and a crackdown on bootlegged vodka to cut that nation's "colossal drinking" by 72 percent over the next decade. International relations and sociology Professor Walter Connor, a Russian politics expert who once ran the State Department's Foreign Service Institute, says such a cultural turn-around will be tough.
"Everyday health habits in Russia have not improved since Communism’s fall. Any commitment of government resources to goals as ambitious as the ones outlined for this plan would have to be massive beyond experience."
Contact Walter Connor, 617-353-2171, wdconnor@bu.edu
December 16, 2009 at 3:54 pm
On the one hand Citigroup is repaying Uncle Sam that TARP bailout money, which is good for taxpayers. On the other hand, they're getting a multi-billion dollar tax break in the process. Economics Professor Laurence Kotlikoff, a former senior economist in the White House Council of Economic Advisors, doesn't like the tax breaks built into the repayment program.
"This is Uncle Sam handing out money under the rug. This is expected of a third-world dictatorship, not our country."
Contact Laurence Kotlikoff, 617-353-4002, or kotlikoff@bu.edu
