thumbnail of WGBH Journal; Morning News 3/31
Transcript
Hide -
If this transcript has significant errors that should be corrected, let us know, so we can add it to FIX IT+
Good evening and welcome to GBH Journal. I'm Greg Fitzgerald And tonight a broad based coalition of community groups organized a rally to protest governor King's budget priorities. The FDA defends its procedures of notifying women about a birth control injection. Be you Professor Joseph Boskin claims that there's an anti urban bias in popular media. Highland Park seniors prove that vegetables going to be grown in city neighborhoods. The lines here as his perceptions of yesterday's Harvard commencement of that of the journal writer look at some local news. Governor Edward King switching from business to politics last year urged no more than thirty one thousand five hundred dollars according to figures King reported to the state ethics commission. King's income was generated primarily from his own business and financial consulting for his second largest source of income was from earnings from investments in Baird atomic of Bedford a scientific instrument producer. Most other top state political figures reported similar middle class incomes on the mandatory statements submitted to the Ethics Commission last month. The Boston Globe reported today that rail ridership on the MBT eys commuter rail lines
increased significantly in the past year increases from 19 to 55 percent reported on seven of the eight lines with only the Needham line showing a 3 percent decline despite the dramatic increase. There is apprehension among the riders that many of these lines may face cutbacks over the coming years. A report released in January prepared by the central Transportation Planning Staff suggested that passengers who now use four of the TS rail lines might be better served by a bus at a savings of 11 million dollars the report argues that buses should be substituted for trains on the reading Fitchburg Framingham and Gloucester routes. Supporters of the train say the decision to end commuter rail links between Boston and the suburbs would be another serious blow to the region's economy. On July 1st a new series of freshness dating regulations for food sold in Massachusetts was to be put into effect. But it appears there will be at least a 10 month delay in those regulations as the Grocery Manufacturers of America. The American Frozen Food Institute
and other industry associations have taken their objections over the regulations to the Supreme Judicial Court. The trade associations have challenge the regulations on the grounds that they feel the Public Health Council have no authority to issue the regulations that no other state has such regulations. The rules are not supported well enough by scientific data. The regulations called for freshness dates on all perishable foods. The Falmouth based hydro dredge Corporation has been sued by the federal government today over alleged dumping of polluted sediment in a Stamford Connecticut Harbor. The U.S. district court suit charges the company of negligence breaking its contract and violating the federal Clean Water Act by dumping 15 hundred cubic yards of harbor spoil at the harbor mouth instead of the authorized dumping site 30 miles away. A U.S. attorney involved in the case declined to say what ecological damage could result from the mist boiled support misplaced spoil. And one of the public service company of the Hampshire today laid off an additional 75 workers at the construction site at the Seabrook nuclear power plant.
PFC spokesperson Gordon MCKENNEY says the layoffs bring to twelve hundred the number of workers taken off the payroll in recent weeks. Again he said the layoffs have been caused by strikes by the New Hampshire carpenters and pipefitters. That's the news. As the Senate Ways and Means Committee continues to consider governor King's proposed state budget for the coming fiscal year opposition to its priorities is gathering strength. Yesterday a spokesperson for about 50 leading Massachusetts businessmen told the committee that the state could afford a 6 percent cost of living increase in aid to families with dependent children. If there are several organizations which believe that the present priorities of the king budget are an overall attack on services to the poor and working people of Massachusetts.
Groups including welfare recipients students day care workers women's rights activists and state workers have joined forces to form a coalition to oppose budget priorities or to a Bush opposed budget priorities and have planned a rally on the Boston Common at 1:30 tomorrow. The 40 million dollar cut in the public education budget is cause for special concern as it may force many students of the lower and working classes to drastically change their higher education plans for monetary reasons. But the coalition sees the attacks on public education as part of the larger attack on human and public services. Their aim is to have the legislature reorder the priorities of the proposed budget by placing human needs before business profits. This afternoon John Gillerman of public education now and the mana steam of the Roxbury Crossing welfare advisory board. Both members of the coalition spoke with reporter Stephen McDermott's about their organizations broad based support. Well one of the things that this group has tried to. Sort of realizes that we are just
fighting over pieces of the pie that we are all affected by the same thing for the same reason which is that instead of listening to people especially working class people they're listening to the people they get money from the people the corporations that seem to run government from behind the scenes. In addition to that what we have clearly identified is that the administration the king's administration budget priorities in essence mean drastic reduction of essential human services to elderly's to the disabled or the handicaps. Now QUESTION Governor and his administration must not later but right now answer is that. Whom does he represent.
Is that the private sector all the mess as you said citizens in general as a whole. He must answer that question now. Why are the higher education cutbacks so significant. It makes public higher education less accessible to working class and Third World people in around Boston. I'm at UMass int and UMass was built just to serve exactly those people and these budget cuts the 40 million dollars have been cut from public higher education and they've also besides cutting the budgets They've also raised tuition at UMass $100 per year. It makes classes bigger. And for instance the plan various plans have been put forward where they're cutting back on sort of the liberal arts education. And instead they're sort of putting in this program where.
It's much more vocationally oriented as you go and learn a trade you go and learn how to push papers around a desk. Do you think that your complaints will Richard King. By golly if they have not reached him as yet he has not even seen the beginning. They will reach him. They are going to be much more drive for voters education so that the citizens will be better prepared and by the time he goes for his second term. If there is a second one then people would be would know how to select the candidate how to go polling booth who should get the X marks to vote for a candidate and then what to expect of that then that candidate many of them state or city officials or candidates there think that they can continue to lie to us when they are candidate to promise and then after
November they are back out and thinking they can get away with it. Those days are gone. I live and I work in a community where people that are considered the poor the oppress the illiterate. We want a governor. And that means station back works with US citizens. John Gillerman of public education now and the mana steam of the Roxbury Crossing welfare advisory board. I spoke with reporter Stephen Barrett. That rally starts by the way at noon tomorrow at copy square and works its way to the Boston Common at about 1:30. Last night in the journal we reported on Depo Provera or birth control shot manufactured by the Upjohn Company a drug that has been found to have dangerous side effects. Depo Provera has not been licensed for use as a contraceptive by the FDA. Nevertheless an unknown number of doctors in this country and abroad prescribe it for that purpose mostly to black and Third World women. A number of women are now beginning to charge that they were given the drug without being informed of its risks. And the National Women's Health Network a
feminist Health Organization has criticized the FDA for failing to warn doctors and the public of a recent study showing that depo provera could cause cancer of the uterus. Contacted at the FDA today spokesperson Bill Rader told Amy sands that the agency will be alerting doctors to these findings through articles that a number of medical publications patients however will be alerted only through an informational brochure called a patient package insert which comes with a drug labeling information and advertising in the future. From a common source reference OK you would have to be commonly agreed. Now if the patient package insert that would be something given to the patient Rehberg of the patient and inform the patient of the risk benefit
of that. Think like a plane to print that in Spanish and Chinese in the other languages that are MAJOR be thought of English in this country. I don't know a plane to take any more specific action around Depo Provera to notify women of these findings. I don't know the patient. Exist now. Yeah they do OK and women are still complaining that they're not being given adequate information about about the truck. Well that is the best route for informing people now that they don't deny that a doctor should also talk it over with the patient as well but that don't mean that we cannot regulate our powers are limited. We have authority to regulate the labeling of a drug but we don't regulate the practice that it now. What a doctor tells a patient. The practice of medicine and we wouldn't be able to do anything about that. Are you trying to order him off over the rest of the drug. What we
can do though is make sure that a patient does get that information in writing. When you're getting is there anybody any federal agency oversees this kind of problem that regular that is regulated by the light or often not regulated. But if you provide are monitored by a medical It's OK. It seems to be that one of the main problems about that will prevent that the Women's Health Network is right you think if that it's not it's being used for purposes other than the purposes for which it's a license to do anything about that. Now there again I want to approve a drug or a particular indicates that drug is legally available then and I can legally put a private bar Bill Bennett at the station for driving it or something.
I don't give a good indication that again I'll have a crack about it. With which we cannot regulate. Now you are mad at FDA to get a dog and that could open up a body for malpractise liability whatever. But there again that bailiwick Bill radioed the federal Food and Drug Administration with a reporter any sense right away also said that although the FDA is under pressure from the Upjohn Company to license Depo-Provera as a contraceptive. The agency has not yet decided whether to grant the company a hearing on the matter. If you have never lived in an American city and you base your conception of urban people in
urban neighborhoods and what you saw on television and other communication modes of the popular culture this is probably what you might think. First of all urban neighborhoods where poor people and minorities live are ugly. They are full of crime and violence and most of the people there that live there are either alcoholics or drug addicts who do not want to work. That misconception of what the popular media continues to grind out for our consumption and television shows like Starsky and Hutch prejudice our feelings against urban minorities in urban poor people. That's what Boston University history professor Joseph Boskin feels. Boston who teaches in the universities Afro-American Studies Department won an Emmy Award in 1968 for a series of 20 programs on urban blacks. He was in our studio this afternoon or yesterday afternoon and discussed this anti urban betrayal with Dr. Bernard Reuben the anti urban animus of American society it touches all levels of the media from print media to visual media. One can hear it in folk expressions you know. It's a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live
there. Two songs in the popular culture and two novels to cartoons to comic strips to television shows and movies we're talking about a problem that's quite extensive media wise. Now how you change American's view of the city insofar as media is concerned involves I think a political process. There have to be groups which monitor TV shows and cartoons and comic strips and songs and so on and somehow pressure for a more diversified view of way in which city life is really like for example when a group of women were concerned worth of the degree and nature of violence on television they formed act perhaps the most powerful community based organization in the United States Action for Children's Television. Right. And they other ones have had a tremendous impact and revising violence you know on American television shows particular Saturday mornings system is going to have to be similar groups particularly urban groups between minority groups saying it just ain't so. City life is
not violent the way which is portrayed is a lot of drama that goes on there's tremendous diversification. There's not a lot of positive aspect to living in the city and this has to be done I think by minority groups who are concerned with the way in which they are presented and by minority groups you know not just referring to racial minority groups but local groups as well. Now what about the violence that is. Pandemic in the city. Especially as regards the violence that is directed by ghetto people against ghetto people because of the conditions of life. Well that's another problem isn't it. Namely that the media portrays the cities as violent places. But if you try to make some analysis between American cities 100 years ago to American cities today in point of fact them much more much less violent today than they ever were before. You would be my first. That would be like my in my first rejoinder to that and my second rejoinder would be that it is overly dramatize and overly played. That in point of fact most people do
not come into any contact with violent actions in the cities. Most people just do not. But they're sort of totally frightened by the amount of violence which they see in mass media so that the fear of far outweighs the statistics. Joy I'd like to. Comment on that phrase that you use or pick up on that phrase that you use most people do not make contact. Most people do not make contact with the ghetto whether it's Hispanic or black or any other ghetto. If they are in the in the white majority middle class they just don't make any contact they don't even go through there by car anymore to look through those places. It's almost a physical barrier to change your basic question as to how we get interchange between groups I think is really crucial. At one time even though it was on a limited nature and basis certainly whites traveled into black communities. I know a lot of them did so it's true in many to listen to jazz groups or to you know to attend to certain kinds of
entertainment spots. That's that's a New York City that was it was Harlem. Now that was much less true blacks namely did not venture into white communities too often because there was and often it was it was a racist society was very dangerous to do. But in point of fact now America's more segregated than ever before and whites do not travel into black communities and blacks are traveling to white communities except in some senses in which there are mixed marriages over there's a student population or where there are lower class communities in which whites and blacks or browns do indeed mix in various ways. But by and large you talking about the rest of American society up and middle class and middle middle and upper class there's very little contact and communication and that's a very serious situation. How do you correct that and change it. I really don't know. Mass media could be used to show that there could be great benefits for interchange between the two Boston University professor of history just of Boston Dr. Bernard Reuben. So let's paint a positive image of an urban neighborhood right away. Springtime has we all know
means planning time than only in rural areas but urban gardens as well since the end of World War 2. Victory garden plots at Franklin Park and the Fenway have been parceled out to local city dwellers who enjoy both working the land and reaping the delicious yield of free vegetables. Back in 1974 a small group of seniors in the Highland Park section of Roxbury began planning an urban garden for their own neighborhood. The project has blossomed into a wonderful success story as David Friedberg reports the first time I pick string beans. I'm going to get a bushel basket full. So time I gave I had planed to go into freezer so I gave my daughter some I gave my neighbor from string beans and she knew that that. That is my great hobby but of all I am also good intimate with Irma bright derives relaxation and a hearty crop of vegetables each year by tending her plot of the Highland Park 400
survival garden. It's named for the 400 seniors residing in that community. So far about 25 have joined the garden each assigned their own 15 by 30 foot plot. Last year the group raised $5000 worth of vegetables including the winning colored green entry in the Massachusetts Horticultural Society competition. The garden project was dreamed up by Ed Cooper five years ago. He persuaded Boston's commissioner of real property to clear away the rubble on a city owned lot in the Highland Park area then an eight inch layer of topsoil was brought in and watering facilities were installed. Today says Cooper it's a focal point of neighborhood activity. We have a couple out there. He's 81 and he's 78. He's the strongest man in the hole and I and the whole association is 81 years old. And I think that you got a chance to take your mind off watcha
doing it thinking about these little plants growing and that sort of thing. This kind of activity is the best kind of therapy for senior citizens. This is why I'm suggesting that we do more of this. The exercise is seeing things draw and the conviviality people would be amazed. We have a long bench out there and the end of the God and you know Waikoloa law and you you set down your likes. Other people come up and the comradeship that comes out of being out but two or three other people. And you say well this tomato hadn't come up with this vegetable didn't do in and out of that comes a great deal of conviviality for me to go out in the garden and just think only of the of the things growing and plant seeds on a plant and how I'm going to keep them healthy.
It relaxes me and that is product as I say a therapy for me. And it is in other ways a therapy for the seniors you know because those who have been in the house some of my people with arthritis and they can't get very far. And this is very nice to go around with his con take them up and bring them to the garden so they can go out and we're going to go on and he'll take them back and see they safely in their homes. Will someone who might be crippled with arthritis. Is still able to bend down and work the soil we have violated that's very grip and she's out there and she have God some way she in fact sometimes they get down to better than me. Irma bright who welcomed the idea of a survival garden based on hair experience as an urban farmer since 1958 apparently thieves also appreciated the value of freshly grown vegetables. Last year
some ripe tomatoes vanished one night a lamentable risk to City Gardens. Still she saved several hundred dollars worth of vegetables from the yield and according to Ed COOPER We need more such projects for seniors. I think in time that the city of Boston thousands and thousands of vacant spots are. Nothing but weeds are growing. We would like to see Saina citizens and non-citizens utilized and to grow vegetables shrubs and what have you they got to Don shame and this land is just sitting there and nothing is being done. And it could be as productive as I was as if I were God. Ed Cooper whose vision of the first senior garden on city owned property in Boston has come to fruition in Highland Park for GBH Journal. I'm David Freud. The focus of attention in Cambridge yesterday was Harvard's three hundred twenty eight commencement
but as is so often the case the activities at Harvard were observed by the entire world at yesterday's ceremonies. West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt delivered a political speech on the need for salt to attend of the activities. And here are some of his thoughts. Cambridge was a global crossroad for a while yesterday. As international issues and personalities occupied the Harvard commencement platform 70 German officials and journalists came with Chancellor Helmut Schmidt. So the commencement there was a lot to do with security forces in and out of uniform. Security was a chancellor's theme and security that depended for Jim and he sat on a world partnership of political and economic as well as a military equilibrium. Like General Marshall on another commencement 32 years ago Schmidt addressed himself beyond the university audience to the organizing of peace. But first Schmidt congratulated the event's commencement throng on their reception to the black South African bishop Desmond Tutu who's
made it his message that American investment maintains an immoral system in my country. Many a time that I got the message and have been pressing the university to try to divest itself of all investments in businesses operating in South Africa. Many of the graduating class were armbands yesterday in support of the fest your present box has rejected the divestiture demand as an impractical course to take against apartheid. But by joining the sentiments of the protest yesterday in awarding an honorary degree to Bishop Tutu Bach cited him as a churchman willing to risk his life in beehive. Freedom and dignity of all peoples in southern Africa that are greeted Chancellor Schmidt recognizes Germany's key role in the European community. Right now voting on a European Parliament the salt trade is essential to Germany situated between east and west it said. But here it is a necessity to push on its control much further. Peace requires Schmidt said that the
international community to learn to manage the new interdependence between the industrial and undeveloped countries. He predicted success for next week's meeting of President Carter and Brezhnev that he said would become an important step toward a partnership for security in the 80s. President box honorary degree list suggested a strategy of selection five of the 11 were from other countries none represented American politics. Senator Kennedy back for his 25th reunion meant so low a profile as to be invisible except to his classmates and their preliminaries. In the German chancellor Bach found a way to signal the importance of the European community while bypassing the countries where internal conflicts prevail. He managed to emphasize the wholeness of Canada in the same oblique way circumventing the divisions between French and English Canada to honor in their chief justice. BORA Laskin a neutral and central figure and a reminder too of the overriding
constitutional issue. The one woman of his age was also a choice to live or die. Voided taking sides between women's libbers and their militant opponents. Barbara Mackintosh geneticist now 77 handed on the demanding career of scientific research before women had the support of affirmative action. Three of those on it represented the world of ideas. The English philosophize say a battle in the Indian board Chandrasekhar noted mathematical astronomy and Harvard's own magician would then Orman Quine an international environmentalist was already in Jacques Cousteau marine biologist and in music George Sultan who has conducted virtually every major orchestra in the western world. On his to Boston Judge Richard cutter acclaimed as a loyal son represented the claim of having huge alumni body then I'm not also rather than the Harvard faculty make the constituency of a prize for the degree to Milton
Friedman. Most conservative American economist who has bought what it preaches respect for the free market in a collectivist age. Friedman's conservatism is in direct conflict with the Keynesian principles that have prevailed among Harvard economist Freeman's choice underscores the basic statistical fact of Harvard commencement the largest block of professional school graduates was 7 67 of the business school next to 599 of the law school whose careers often join the business. The Kennedy School of Government. The operating symbol of what Professor Friedman's free market opposes graduated only one hundred sixty two. Even if the lawyers are not added to the business graduates private enterprise appears to be outscoring government have and then by better than 4 to 1. That's about the ratio of the Senate vote the other day 75 to 19 to lift sanctions from Rhodesia and Chrome as industrialists are demanding this rather suggests have been
career choices I'm running with the current political climate. But President Carter said yesterday he isn't going to lift the sanctions because that Rhodesia election was neither free nor fair. Commentator Louis Lyons that's GBH journal for tonight join us next week especially next Tuesday when the entire half hour of the journal will be devoted to a program on corporate flight in Massachusetts. Our producer and director is Marcia Hirtz with assistance tonight from the Samoans are engineer Carrie Carter I'm great but still have a pleasant weekend. This is WGBH Boston.
Series
WGBH Journal
Episode
Morning News 3/31
Producing Organization
WGBH Educational Foundation
Contributing Organization
WGBH (Boston, Massachusetts)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip/15-4298ss5h
If you have more information about this item than what is given here, or if you have concerns about this record, we want to know! Contact us, indicating the AAPB ID (cpb-aacip/15-4298ss5h).
Description
Series Description
WGBH Journal is a magazine featuring segments on local news and current events.
Created Date
1979-06-08
Genres
News
Magazine
Topics
News
Media type
Sound
Duration
00:31:10
Embed Code
Copy and paste this HTML to include AAPB content on your blog or webpage.
Credits
Producing Organization: WGBH Educational Foundation
Production Unit: Radio
AAPB Contributor Holdings
WGBH
Identifier: 79-0160-06-08-001 (WGBH Item ID)
Format: 1/4 inch audio tape
Generation: Master
If you have a copy of this asset and would like us to add it to our catalog, please contact us.
Citations
Chicago: “WGBH Journal; Morning News 3/31,” 1979-06-08, WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed March 28, 2024, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-4298ss5h.
MLA: “WGBH Journal; Morning News 3/31.” 1979-06-08. WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. March 28, 2024. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-4298ss5h>.
APA: WGBH Journal; Morning News 3/31. Boston, MA: WGBH, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-15-4298ss5h