February 16, 2011 at 2:54 pm
Hyeouk Chris Hahm
According to a new study by Hyeouk Chris Hahm, an Assistant Professor at the Boston University School of Social Work, a highly-controlling male partner did not influence condom use behaviors among Asian-American women. However, the study did find that a highly-controlling partner increased by fivefold an Asian-American woman’s risk of engaging in other high HIV risk behaviors.
Published in AIDS and Behavior, the paper, “Gender Power Control, Sexual Experiences, Safer Sex Practices and Potential HIV Risk Behaviors among Young Asian-American Women,” analyzes the sex and HIV risk behaviors of Asian-American women, and investigates the role of the Theory of Gender and Power – which suggests that a woman’s self-protection is often swayed by economic factors, abusive partnerships, and socialization to be sexually passive or ignorant. While the theory has proved useful in predicting safer sex practices and HIV risk behaviors among Latin-American and African women, Hahm is the first to test the theory with Asian-American women.
“For Asian-American women, the relationship between gender power and their sexual behaviors has shown complex pictures,” said Hahm. “Unlike Latinas or women in Africa, gender power control within young Asian-American women’s intimate relationships had different associations depending on the type of sexual behavior. My follow-up analysis indicated that women who perceived themselves as having lower power were more likely to be depressed, and more likely to be engaged in HIV risk behaviors. Understanding the role of depression for these women will be another important area of research.”
By Kira Jastive
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Posted in Health
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Tagged AIDS and Behavior, Asian-American and sexual behavior, Asian-American women, Boston University School of Social Work, gender power, Hyeouk Chris Hahm, School of Social Work, sexual behavior, SSW
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February 16, 2011 at 11:40 am
In his first interview since going to prison, Bernard Madoff told the New York Times that others were complicit in the fraud that brought him down. Boston University law professor Tamar Frankel is an authority on securities law, corporate governance, and legal ethics. Her latest book, "Con Artists and their Victims (of the Ponzi Variety)" will be published next month. Frankel believes he isn't any different than other con artists and is just one of the crowd.
"My study of hundreds of con artists of the Ponzi scheme variety shows that Madoff is no exception. He copied and followed a trodden path.
"First, he blamed others. As one con artist said about his victims, 'Serves them right if they were stupid enough to believe me.' Second, self-aggrandizement is another feature of these con artists. Here is a person who claims that no one but himself - single handedly - 'conned' so many sophisticated persons for so long and for so much money. The ego must be fed.
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By Jo Breiner
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Posted in Finance, Law
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Tagged Bernard Madoff, Boston University School of Law, con artists, fraud, Ponzi schemes, Tamar Frankel
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February 15, 2011 at 11:27 am
Banks in the European Union may soon begin operating under a "single rulebook" according to Andrea Enria, the chairman of the European Banking Authority. Enria believes the move will lead to a more uniform oversight of banks. Boston University law professor Cornelius Hurley, Director of the Morin Center for Banking & Financial Law, offers the following commentary:
"The European Banking Authority is blazing a new trail by eliminating "regulatory arbitrage" among the EU's member countries. If the EBA can harmonize the regulatory systems of 27 independent countries, why cannot the US coordinate its own system? Time to reopen Dodd-Frank."
Contact Cornelius Hurley, 617-353-5427, ckhurley@bu.edu
By Jo Breiner
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Posted in Banking
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Tagged Andrea Enria, Banks, Boston University School of Law, Cornelius Hurley, European Union, Morin Center for Banking & Financial Law
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February 14, 2011 at 1:30 pm
Thousands of protesters are taking to the streets in Iran, Bahrain, and Yemen following the recent uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. Boston University international relations professor Stephen Kinzer, former New York Times foreign correspondent and author of "Reset: Iran, Turkey and America's Future," was recently interviewed on The Takeway with his thoughts on what is next for the region.
"There are many forces in these countries that are deeply vested in the status quo. Things will be the same for security forces in many of these countries and for ruling elites if there is a change in regime and many of them are deeply worried about that."
Listen to full interview.
Contact Stephen Kinzer, 617-358-6240, skinzer@bu.edu
By Jo Breiner
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Posted in International relations
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Tagged Bahrain, Egpyt, Iran, Middle East, Persian Gulf, Stephen Kinzer, uprisings, Yemen
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February 11, 2011 at 3:01 pm
Boston University international relations professor Augustus Richard Norton is an expert on the Middle East and a member of the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group. He is the author of "Hezbollah: A Short History". He offers the following commentary on the situation in Egypt, the role of the military, and a possible successor to Honsi Mubarak.
"The military has taken power, but in reality the military has -- ever since the 1952 coup -- held the balance of power in Cairo.
"The Egyptian military has always lurked in the shadows of the Egyptian regime. The levers of influence were seldom exposed to view. Yet, when senior civilian politicos, such as Osama al-Baz, reflected on the regime and its prospects for reform, they often pointed to the powerful role of the generals and vetoes they held in their back pockets. For years, as expectations grew that Hosni Mubarak's son Gamal would succeed his father, it was the military veto that thwarted him.
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By Jo Breiner
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Posted in International relations
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Tagged Augustus Richard Norton, Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, International relations, Middle East, military
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February 10, 2011 at 3:21 pm
In her recently published book, Unprotected Texts: The Bible's Surprising Contradictions About Sex and Desire, Boston University School of Theology (STH) Professor Jennifer Wright Knust addresses the many questions and debates surrounding what the Bible says about sex. Covering everything from premarital sex and sexual desire to same-sex relations, Knust argues that the Bible cannot and should not be a rulebook for sexual morality.
The book has been featured in Newsweek and Knust is a guest voice this week on The Washington Post's "On Faith" blog. In The Huffington Post, she talks with fellow BU Professor Stephen Prothero where she says "the Bible continues to be invoked in today's public debates as if it should have the last word on contemporary American sexual morals," and that "the only way the Bible can be a sexual rulebook is if no one reads it."
By Kira Jastive
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Posted in Literature, Religion
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Tagged blog, Boston University, Boston University School of Theology, Harper Collins, HarperCollins, Jennifer Wright Knust, Newsweek, On Faith, the Bible, The Huffington Post, The Washington Post, Unprotected Texts
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February 9, 2011 at 11:03 am
James J. Collins, professor of biomedical engineering at the College of Engineering (ENG) and co-director of the Center for BioDynamics, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for contributions to synthetic biology and 
engineered gene networks.
Collins becomes the third BU professor to be elected to the prestigious group joining President Robert A. Brown, who was elected in 1991 for application of computing techniques to fundamental and practical problems in fluid mechanics, rheology, and crystal growth and Farouk El-Baz, elected in 2002 for selecting the landing sites for the Apollo missions, and for pioneering methods of discovering subsurface freshwater from space observations.
A founder of the emerging field of synthetic biology and a leader in systems biology, Collins’ research has led to the development of novel bioengineering devices and techniques, while making innovative contributions at multiple biological scales. His work in complexity science has spurred new devices to treat stroke-induced brain failure, enhanced doctors’ understanding of how human posture is warped by aging and Parkinson’s disease, and helped invent synthetic gene networks, whose many uses include fighting bacterial infections.
By Tom Testa
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Posted in Health, Science
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Tagged biomedical engineering, James Collins, NAE
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February 8, 2011 at 1:11 pm
Boston University international relations professor William Keylor, author of "A World of Nations: The International Order Since 1945," offers the following comments on the military talks being held by North and South Korea:
"With everyone's attention focused on North Korea, wondering what its next provacative move will be, not enough attention has been devoted to South Korea's internal political situation and its possible effect on the on-going drama on the penisula.
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By Jo Breiner
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Posted in International relations
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Tagged International relations, military talks, North Korea, South Korea, William Keylor
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