November 3, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Afghan President Karzai’s re-election by default leaves the U.S. in the pre-election dilemma of having to deal with an Afghan government that the people there don’t trust. Journalism Professor Nick Mills, author of “Karzai: The Failing American Intervention and the Struggle for Afghanistan,” says Karzai has consistently failed to make the tough decisions that would have moved that nation forward.
“I don’t think the American public will support a large escalation of military forces and spending to defend a government that refuses to do its share of the heavy lifting.”
Contact Nick Mills, 617-353-3492, nmills@bu.edu
November 2, 2009 at 6:16 pm
The focus on the Obama's marriage stemming from the New York Times Sunday Magazine cover story is sparking discussion of the role of government in promoting marriage. Law Professor Linda McClain, blogging in Concurring Opinions, says it was the passing of Michelle Triola Marvin, famous for her 1970's "palimony" suit against actor Lee Marvin, that should provoke a discussion of the governonment's role in nonmarital unions.
"Now that 'palimony' is in its fourth decade, perhaps it is time to rethink the state of nonmarital unions."
Contact Linda McClain, 617-358-4635, lmcclain@bu.edu
November 2, 2009 at 4:23 pm
In a turnaround story for a troubled industry, Ford Motor Company posted a surprising 3rd quarter profit of nearly $1 billion, though it has still lost some $1.3 billion for the year. School of Management Dean Lou Lataif, a former top Ford executive, says adversity has built character in the current generation of Ford's leaders.
"While Ford still has an enormous debt burden which must be paid down, the management team is proving that predictions of the demise of ‘Detroit’ and of American manufacturing are at least premature if not dead wrong."
Contact Lou Lataif, 617-353-2668, lelataif@bu.edu
October 31, 2009 at 6:00 am
The Women’s Studies Program presents a day of rich intellectual exchange to honor distinguished writer Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick today beginning at 9 AM at the Photonics Center, Room 906. The symposium will consist of four roundtables with speakers responding to specific texts representing different phases and aspects of Professor Sedgwick’s career, including “Feminism and Queer Theory”, “Writing and Illness”, “Affect and Reparative Reading” and “Reading Proust”. The event is free and open to the public. Contact 617 358 2370 or sedgsymp@bu.edu for more information.
October 30, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is still trying to convince Congress to pass legislation to deal with "too big to fail" financial institutions before they get to the point of collapse. 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 it's about time.
"The answer to the ‘too big to fail’ high-wire act does not lie in removing the government’s capacity to cope with these institutions in a crisis. It lies in removing the financial incentives for becoming TBTF in the first instance."
Contact Cornelius Hurley, 617-353-5427, ckhurley@bu.edu
October 30, 2009 at 8:00 am
The Boston University Physics department is hosting the 2009 Pumpkin Drop today at 1 PM outside of the Metcalf Science Center (590 Commonwealth Avenue). The department will be throwing approximately 30 pumpkins, filled with everything from powder to paint, off the Metcalf Science Center roof into the plaza. The event is free and open to the public. Click smashing-pumpkins to see video of past pumpkin drops.
October 29, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Reflecting the trend toward consolidating functions on hand-helds, Google is offering free GPS navigation system for mobile phones -- a potentially big blow to stand-alone GPS makers. Professor N. Venkat Venkatraman, head of the School of Management's IS Department, says it's logical to extend Google Maps to mobile phones.
"Google realizes that it needs killer apps for the phone beyond just offering the Android OS."
Contact N. Venkat Venkatraman, 617-353-7117, venkat@bu.edu
October 29, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Congress is moving to give the Federal Trade Commission new powers to oversee and punish violators of FTC regulations aimed at protecting consumers. School of Management Professor Michael Salinger, a former FTC director, says the authority to impose civil penalties will help, but cautions that the ban on "unfair trade practices" in the FTC Act is vague.
"The combination of large penalties and uncertain legal standards can be a big problem."
Contact Michael Salinger, 617-353-4408, salinger@bu.edu
October 28, 2009 at 5:03 pm
In an diplomatic bombshell, the New York Times reports that Afghan President Karzai's brother - long a suspect in that nation's opium trade - is on the CIA's payroll and has been for years. Journalism Professor Nick Mills, who came to know the future president in the '80s when Mills ran BU's Afghan Media Project, says this explains why there was no "hard evidence" for Karzai to remove his brother from power.
"The hard evidence is all in the CIA’s possession -- and obviously Karzai knew it, which further erodes his legitimacy as president."
Contact Nick Mills, 617-353-3492, nmills@bu.edu
October 28, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Troubled consumer finance company GMAC reportedly needs more taxpayer bailout money, on top of the $12.5 billion it's already received. Robert Bench, an ex-deputy Comptroller of the Currency and now senior fellow at the Law school's Morin Center for Banking and Financial Law, says it's understandable because GMAC concentrated most of its risk on a selected consumer product - autos.
"It is exactly that risk that causes a dearth of private sector financial support for GMAC, requiring billions in federal financing to keep it operating."
Contact Robert Bench, 617-353-5428, bobbench@bu.edu
