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I'm Calen Crossley and this is the Cali Crossley Show. Today we're hitting the rewind button on this week's news from the great lady's front pages to the stories on the small screen and the reporting that never reached our radar. We're going to look at the news that was and wasn't. We'll be dropping in on community and alternative presses for a look at the big stories from the small papers where today's neighborhood news becomes tomorrow's mainstream headlines. We'll top off the hour going tring from the serious to the sublimely ridiculous with ragtime. A tour of the tabloids and a round up of this week's pop culture. Up next on the Calla Crossley Show from gumshoe reporting to gossip rags. First the news. From NPR News in Washington I'm Carol Vandam. President Obama wants to do more to

help small business owners NPR's Scott Horsley reports that the president met with some of those people today to hear about the challenges they face in trying to hire additional workers. Small businesses have been slow to start hiring again after the recession and President Obama says a lack of credit is partly to blame. The president renewed his call for Congress to OK a 30 billion dollar plan designed to encourage community banks to lend more money to small businesses. He said that would make it easier for small companies to grow their inventory invest in equipment and hire additional workers. Government can't guarantee success for these companies but it can knock down barriers that prevent owners from getting loans. The House committee approved the lending bill on a party line vote last month. The full House is expected to take it up next week. Scott Horsley NPR News the White House. A big drop in retail sales in May is shaking investor confidence in the recovery. Auto sales led an overall drop of one point two percent. Diane Swonk of Mesirow Financial says she and other economists expected sales in May to rise.

The retail sales data was a disappointment. The declines that we see. In the month of May you know we're much larger than anyone expected. There were upward revisions to April which mitigates those declines a bit but doesn't erase the reality that the consumer slowed in the month of May. Economists say uncertainty in the stock market and a prolonged high jobless rate could lead consumers to cut spending even more. Stocks are mixed after the Reuters University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index is out. Confidence rose to its highest level since the start of 2008. The index jumped to seventy five and a half and that's better than expected 74 to 1/2. On Wall Street the Dow Industrials are down 32 points to ten thousand one hundred thirty nine. Well the Nasdaq composite is up seven points to 20 to 25. Pope Benedict is asking for forgiveness from God and from victims of clerical sex abuse. As NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports from Rome the poem made comments about the scandal sweeping the Catholic Church during a service today in St. Peter's Square.

In his homily at the closing mass for the Vatican's year of the priest Pope Benedict said we too insistently beg forgiveness from God and from the persons involved while promising to do everything possible to ensure that such abuse will never occur again. He also said that from now on the Catholic Church will do everything it can to screen men seeking to join the priesthood to determine the authenticity of their vocation. But today's homily did not satisfy many victims who had hoped for announcement of a major policy change. The main us survivors group SNAP said in a statement. Forgiveness comes after not during a crisis. So we Poggioli NPR News Rome. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says oil companies such as BP that cause huge spills in the Gulf should face unlimited liability for economic damages. The current cap is 75 million dollars. This is NPR. Good afternoon I'm Kelly Crossley and this is the Kelly Crossley Show. Today we're hitting the rewind button on the week's news with a look at the stories that barely reached our radar. Joining us to

talk through some of the local stories that might have escaped our attention are Sue O'Connell Paul pro-bono and Arnie Arneson. Sue O'Connell is the co publisher of bay windows in the south and news. Paul pro-bono is the editor of the Cape Cod Times. Arnie Arnesen is a radio and TV commentator and a former New Hampshire state legislator Sue and Paul and Arnie. Welcome. Thanks thanks thanks very much. So I want to start off with you oh yeah. Because you have this very heated response to a piece actually every now and then as we say some of our under the radar stories bleed over into mainstream press and this became a big piece in the in the globe as well. Right and this is the firestorm over the column written in the pilot. Yeah Catholic newspaper explained you know we broke the sun on Wednesday after it was brought to our attention by the folks over dignity which is a jail BT Catholic group folks who remain Catholic and remain gay and basically there is this column an opinion piece in the pilot which is the archdiocese official newspaper. And Michael

pakka Locke is the columnist and basically he wanted to give his two cents on the issue which we have talked about which is gay parents sending their children to parochial schools and instead of taking any many reasoned approaches to this. The columnist decided to talk about how in my opinion anyway that these parents were treated fairly and with respect would be found to be advocating the gay lifestyle and the most egregious and most horrific part of his column was when he said that he was afraid that the child of gay people might bring pornography to school. And he speaks of this from a firsthand knowledge of having his child go to school with the child of two gay men and you know it's just horrific. It's just horrific to me continuing to be a terrible thing that. Parochial school will accept the children of mobsters when in fact except the child of pornographers will accept children of

divorced families will accept children of families that support the death penalty and will accept children from parents who may practice birth control. And somehow all that is Catholic enough. But a parent child being raised by two parents who happen to be of the same sex goes to the level that we're fearful that this kids is going to pick some pornography up and bring it into school. And just to be clear you make the point in your piece that if they excluded all the people you just named you'd be OK. And I accept I absolutely in my libertarian constitutional mind give them full. They should absolutely exclude the children of gay people if they think that it's anti-Catholic and it's against their teachings. I support their right to do that. At the same time though I think it's unfair that they're only choosing us when there are other Catholic beliefs that are more horrific in my mind than just being gay. Paul Provo of the Cape Cod Times. The piece in The Globe which came after Sue's piece indicates that one of the

spokespersons for the for the Catholic newspaper The pilot says well we have a lot of varied opinions in the paper and and the guy himself who wrote it says maybe he went too far by talking about the narcotic. Why not graffiti the possibility of this outbreak but still he probably he pretty much stands by the rest of everything that he said. Well of course opinion pieces are supposed to be provocative to an extent but I mean sometimes you can go to an extreme. You know I do find this a little bit ironic because parochial schools like a lot of private schools you know they want students and they're hurting right now they are looking for enrollment numbers to go up. So any time you're excluding any population that's that's ultimately going to hurt her. Your goal which is to have have kids and the kids and the money behind the kids. So you know raises a good point and you know frankly it really sounded a lot like some of the arguments you heard during the debate here in Massachusetts over same sex marriage when when Goodrich versus the Department of Public Health came out in all the all the arguments that were being framed about why this was not a good idea and of course same sex marriage has

been legal here in Massachusetts and now in many other places throughout the United States for some time. And guess what the creek didn't rise. Some of these things that people worried about didn't happen. So it's unfortunate that something like this happens again. It is an opinion piece and as Sue pointed out in her piece in bay windows that she supports someone's right to make comments even if their discriminatory comments like that and it's just unfortunate that a single group is being singled out. The challenge here is that it appears in the official Catholic newspaper. You know I agree 100 percent I myself as a publisher have published on favorable and sometimes I. Opinion pieces that that really might be on shaky ground and are truly opinion and not factual but this is the Catholic newspaper this is the official newspaper. But still it's worse than that because because both the Catholics the pilot as well as Michael papa Luke whatever his name is the Professor of Philosophy at you for psychological sciences in Arlington Virginia.

Even he said he went too far but how convenient to go too far after you've written it after it's been accepted after it's been printed after it's been I mean that's the problem. He did go too far and he played to every single frightening marginalising lying stereotype in the world. Yeah that would just sit at home with our kids with pornography lying around not like you know I mean really when you look at and thank you for linking us to the original piece because I read the piece and I'm sitting there going wait a second having gay parents invites scandal you know yeah that is about when you look at the three things. It's about I'm thinking now what Quartus does he live on because he's really playing to fear. He didn't play to enlightenment. He didn't have a rational conversation. He didn't even offer an opinion. All he did was cry. That's all that Pete did. And for them to put it in the pilot as if somehow they're supposed to turn a blind eye. Trust me they knew exactly what they were printing. Well I have two things. Jarrett Barrios is quoted in The Globe piece responding to the column and he is a former state senator from Cambridge who is now president

of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation he called the column quote void of the love compassion and inclusiveness that so many proud practicing Catholics myself included have grown up with. So it seems to me that you've got some issues going on with gay Catholics but also the piece in the case that the church is developing a policy regarding the admission of children of gay parents so this story had kind of died down a little bit and this column kicked it back to the front really pops up. Let's talk about it pops up every now and then across the country because you know I am an economically challenged parent of a 10 year old who wants a middle school option to consider other than the public school that we have. And you know before I was economically challenged I thought you know I would never have to look at a Procul school they're good schools and I would want my child to have a good education. At the same time I'm not going to put her in a position where I'm a bigger sinner than everybody else there because I know I'm not personally and you have to also have to also understand that.

Of course not every Catholic subscribes to this right. But some do and some will somehow hold these beliefs and. And really this is a sort of a problem that the church has in general. There are so many so rigid on so many levels and Sue listed many of them divorce included I think to myself well I guess I wouldn't be going to school I'm divorced and you know that is an issue that the church faces where they're supposed to be about love and inclusion and yet. On so many levels they draw lines and tell people they can't step across them. Well I predict we have not heard the last of this and in fact this is going to stir more interest in this particular issue so I'll be interested to see. After the church develops as a policy what what then is it. Paul while you're speaking I want you to keep speaking because you have an interesting piece in the paper the Cape Cod Times about a coin up and the Mashpee Indian tribes going at it for trying to build a casino in the same city Fall River explained.

Right well this is a fascinating story and of course it's in the context of the casino debate that's going on here in Massachusetts and really throughout the country the Mashpee have been talked about a lot as part of potentially being in the driver's seat forgetting one of the state sponsored casinos. Ever since the governor first made a proposal along these lines the Mashpee seem to be again in the driver's seat. They've had some problems along the way of course Glenn marshal their former tribal chair is now in jail for federal embezzlement charges. They've reorganized to a degree. Their preferred site which was in Middleborough mass seems to be blowing up on them so they've they've had some trouble and their momentum really has slowed. Meanwhile the equator want a dog. Are on Martha's Vineyard. They've been talking about a casino going back to Tommy Finneran days and in fact they came very close in 1907 to securing one in Fall River at that time. It didn't go anywhere the legislature shot it down and frankly Aquinas sort of went away went in

terms of the casino debate. Well as it has been renewed this year the quinta want to seat at the table. And so now it's a very interesting dynamic where both the Mashpee and the equator want to very connected tribes but different and distinct tribes. They are battling it out over different parcels of land in the city of Fall River and they want to build their casinos they were both at the State House this week discussing them with the Senate hearing and the equator went so far as to say if they don't get a preferred track if they don't get a casino through the state option that they're going to consider building one on their reservation land on Martha's Vineyard which is really extraordinary. How is it going to fall out. What's going to happen. I mean originally when some of these some of the interest expressed by both of the tribes were put forward there was less of an interest by the state legislature about casinos in general. And now we're steaming ahead toward that something's going to happen obviously. So this is not going away now we get some decisions

have to be made. They certainly do and for the tribes it's really become quite a heated battle because they were pursuing casinos anyway even if the state didn't legalize them a federally recognized tribe can pursue casino on basically on land that they may have in trust. That's not the case for Mashpee it is the case for acquittal. But on Martha's Vineyard but they've got their own problems with that. But as we've seen to our neighbors to the south in Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun if you're an Indian tribe and you have the appropriate land you can build a casino and that really is something that the tribes were pursuing anyway. Add to that now the change in the political climate on Beacon Hill where now in fact there is an appetite it seems across the board even opponents of casino gambling say they see the writing on the wall. So now the tribes want to make sure they don't get cut out of the deal. And that's that's what they're intending to do. And again it's really interesting that these two tribes are fighting against each other to try to get this you would think in this hasn't happened. That

they would join forces and try to try to come up with something that would benefit them both but so far that hasn't been the con. I ask you a question. If the state of Massachusetts approves gambling that basically really opens the floodgates for the Native American tribes to do that. Do they have to limit themselves to only one. Couldn't they both open a casino facility even though that may not be what the state wants. That isn't what Deval Patrick wants but because they have now permit it in the state of Massachusetts. That really is usually has been the restriction that is you know kept a Native American tribe from doing it they have to stow away to the state you know put his foot in it once the state put the bullet in then they are you know independent nation and they can exercise their option. Why couldn't they both do it. How could how does Deval Patrick by the legislature have any ability to control the. Behave well for what I think both of them have targeted Fall River but but go ahead Paul. Well exactly right I mean you start to reach diminishing returns and becomes a financial issue.

Exactly. Exactly so their threats are incredibly real because everybody is both of them before. And I think you're going to see a race you know whoever gets in line first and races ahead they're going to be the winner. If they can get one built I want to point out that your piece makes a really important point here. There are a lot of people who are in maybe interested in having casinos but not in my backyard but follow whatever people want to write. They say that this would create a thousand construction jobs as many as 5000 permanent jobs and that's really been the sticking point. And right now this area's 18 percent of workers are unemployed. So Sue well. I mean I am pro as long as the state is in the world of gambling. I'm pro casino you know and when the states stop selling lottery tickets then I'll look at it as in a different way. And I'm hopeful that this situation maybe I mean I'm not well versed on the on the tribe politics but I'm not sure there's been a situation where you've had two established recognized tribes vying for the same piece of business so this may set a good precedent in that hopefully we'll get even better run or a more

fair process between the tribes. I mean it's it's I know how it's set up but I know why it's set up but at the same time one would hope that we end up getting a better product whenever the consumer gets a better product whenever there's some sort of competition so you know I hope in the end it's a positive effect in Fall River gets what it wants rather than it being nobody gets anything 5000 permanent jobs. That's a lot. That's a lot. We're going to continue this conversation on the other side of the break I'm Kelly Crossley and we're talking at a local News this is our hyper local news in review with Sue O'Connell Paul from of oh and Arnie Arneson will be back after this break stay with us. Support for WGBH comes from you. And from Brookline bank announcing

the grand opening of two new Brookline bank branches in Wellesley Lower Falls. And at the crossroads Plaza in Burlington. Grand opening celebrations in June. Brookline bank blog dot com. And from the Boston Pops gospel night June 12th features conductor Charles Floyd American Idol finalist Melinda Doolittle and other guest vocalists. You can find ticket information online at Boston Pops dot org and from a new window. Route 9 in Natick. Offering Hunter Douglas silhouette and duet shades in time for spring. Their design staff can advise you on Hunter Douglas products for every room. Details add a new window dot com. I am really broke. WGBH is ninety nine point five. All classical station. If you look for. Or two interviews with classical musicians ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. Or go back and forth between the news on ninety nine point seven and the music on ninety nine point five. Then I hope to see you on June 19 for the first annual ninety nine point five all classical festival dozens of live performances.

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rewind button and looking at the news that went under the radar this week. Joining us to talk between the headlines are Sewell Connell Paul Provo And Arnie Arnesen Sewell Connell is with bay windows in the south in news. Paul protocol is with the Cape Cod Times. And Arnie Arnesen is a radio and TV commentator based in New Hampshire. Arnie I want to kick it off with you. I understand you are in a tether about a consortium put together rather quickly by some of the nation's governors. Explain please. Well I'm actually not a killer Paul I get to keep this one to you because we know if a Cape Wind has been in the news it seems like forever. And the question why have I ever heard of it. OK OK. In your paper I mean your paper and I am reading about the fact that 10 states from Maine all the way down to North Carolina just signed an agreement with Ken Salazar the interior secretary to advance the whole concept of off shore wind drilling and wind turbines and I just I thought it was

so ironic in light of the Galleon. And talons of oil that you know bubbling up in the Gulf because of the drilling in the Gulf. It seems like it's such an interesting timing for Ken Salazar to announce these 10 governors basically saying you know what we're going to do our thing for sustainability we're going to do our thing for energy and we're going to start looking at offshore drilling. So I just thought that the timing was spectacular. But it also talks the fact that you know Cape Wind did a lot of the heavy lifting. You know it it it was a tough location. It's a beautiful location. A lot of people of privilege don't want to see anything in their pathway and I understand that. But what we recognize is is that we do need energy. We need energy close to where people live. We need to be able to put it in a place where we can actually access it and we don't want to deal with the consequences of spells. And I know that if a wind turbine falls over Paul it might hit you know a bird and it might hit a boat. So I want to be you know worrying about it 30 years later and no fisherman is really going to lose their

livelihood. So the timing is pretty powerful. It's pretty powerful. What you certainly couldn't get bigger dichotomy of political winds so to speak. That's after having town in the Gulf of Mexico with BP and the notion that they're moving forward in other places with renewable energy proposals such as Cape Wind and it really. You're absolutely right. Cape Wind did so much of the heavy lifting they they're sort of the fullback there. They're pushing the whole through and the running backs coming right behind them because they are the could be the first in the nation if constructed. Certainly they won't be the last and that's something that I think these these governors in the 10 states have recognized they want to be not only a part of it but they also want to control their destiny to an extent because that's been sort of the blessing and the curse with Cape Wind I mean they they were so far ahead of their time and they were literally ahead of the regulatory framework. And so the rules were getting a stablished and created as they went along I mean I remember in the early days no

federal agency was even sure who exactly was supposed to have jurisdiction was it the Army Corps of Engineers it was of the Department of Interior was it the Coast Guard. And so now we were sorting that out and that's going to be good news for every other project that comes down the line. And let me just say one more thing too is that we know we have to address issues of the grid and the question is how do we get energy to the consumer how do we get energy to the northeast. And the fact is you don't want to have these huge winds coming in from I would in Illinois I mean I just I'm in Illinois right now. I'm passing you know acres. An increase of wind turbines all over the farmland here. But if you're going to get that energy from Illinois you know to Boston it can be a heck of a lot of grid lines that have to be WAY. But if it's offshore why close to the Cape by close to Boston by close to Portland then you're really talking about you know a much easier accessible probably even safer way of delivering energy. So I think they're looking at the safety and security of the issue and also looking at Europe which is galloping in the area of wind turbines in wind energy and saying you know

What's our excuse. You know I wonder what Senator Ted Kennedy would feel about it this week you know the one issue where I feel you know it was just not in harmony with his other viewpoint. Would you rather have a skyline or your ocean lined view soiled in their words a little bit or would you rather actually have water filled with oil. You know and I think we all understand that the cost of this is not going to be lower for us in terms of how much our energy costs. But the greater cost to our world is going to be where we save we save things and I think that this is some weird kind of a simple kado moment where things just come together well. Given the timing I'm just I'm impressed by the fact that these people just came together around this you know for public politicians very fast. There was none of this you know this thing on Cape Wind as we say it is dragged on and on and on. And here these 10 governors are like OK you got to deal with it.

It was interesting if I have I have a copy in front of me of the announcements about the oil spill on April 23rd. They told us it was 200 barrels a day. On April 28 it was 5000 barrels a day on May 27 that was 12 to 19000 barrels a day. Today we just read a report in The Wall Street Journal 20 to 40000 barrels per day. Trust me in between the 5000. Right like that about you can watch a lot of people change behavior right speaking of governors remember the governor Romney was against Cape Wind when it came out he really he's the one who coined the phrase You wouldn't build wind turbines in Yellowstone. And you know he tried to make the same argument that it was a national treasure. Of course when Deval Patrick was running he took the other side and he took the other side in a time when of course Ted Kennedy and other big time politicians in Massachusetts people he was counting on to support him. They were against Cape Wind. And I do believe Senator Kennedy would maintain that the process was not done properly but he'd be answering a lot of political questions these days a lot.

In light of BP they were people against lighthouses you know. I mean yeah but I mean a light house was put to to protect the boats and the shoreline and with a eyesores and now suddenly we have postcards I mean let's get you know some wild artists out there. Maybe they maybe they'll work coming about these governors you know it was interesting when Ken Salazar came to Boston to announce his decision that that he was going to allow Cape Wind to go forward. He was asked some questions about well what were the deciding factors and of course we've talked about 10 years you know in numerable regulate regulatory agencies all sorts of paperwork and reports that were done. And he pointed out to an eleventh hour letter that he received I think from these same governors who said if you deny Cape Wind it's going to have a chilling effect. Up and down the East Coast and we don't think that that's fair or right and we hope that you pass it and he held that letter up and pointed out to him being part of one of the persuasive elements. And as you can see now they've clearly said well let's get organized and see if we can come up with a plan. Wow.

All right so back to you. A very interesting piece by Reverend Irene Monroe who is a great commentator and pride week ripening now and much has been said about this is the beginning of this it's the 40th anniversary of the Boston Gay Pride celebrations. And Irene Monroe says but it's not so altogether she talks about a racial division explains. Reverend I remain Rowe is African-American and. A strong member of the community in America she's a leader on many fronts and Boston obviously being Boston where we have a history of racial separation more so than other major cities but it also is emblematic in a really sad way of where society is in some ways. There are certainly celebrations this week that are run by African-American centered LGBT groups there are events of culture there's fun events there's a dance tonight. But the problem continues to be that when you look at the general pride committee you see all sorts of people represented Latino's

and Asian-Americans in the Pan Pacific and Native Americans and straight people. But the African-American contingent still tends to be not participating and not available and not in the leadership or not in the events. And from the newspaper side I can tell you my goal is to get the most comprehensive listings in my paper and trying to find the African-American centered events for the past two months has been the bane of my existence because I knew I would be criticized for it if I didn't have them trying to find the actual organizations. And I want to do it by trying to find the actual organizations who are creating these. So what happens is you know you have society forcing the same problems on African-American groups that are general you know like they're not organizing for one reason or another. And then the other big challenge within the gay community is many times. African-Americans see gay people see themselves as African-American first and they are right. BUT I DOn't SEE Peattie organization as you know Hispanics might be gay first. Women you know it's sort of like the separation between lesbians and gay men where

lesbians would see themselves as women first. And gay men would see themselves as gay first. And this challenge along with you know the problems of acceptance within the African-American community where I've got a African-American male friend who says you can't find gay men black men to date because they're active in the church or they're they don't consider themselves gay. So it really is emblematic of some of the challenges within the African-American community and the jeel BT community at large in every year we have this discussion and I'm happy to say that every year it becomes more specific. You know that it's not as if the African-American community is invisible totally. But I think we're really beginning to see what some of the challenges are in trying to present ourselves as a you know the rainbow that we use as our flag to represent us. Yet Paul when you see this is an interesting piece because you just assume that everybody you know just because of all of the other outside. Often discrimination against gays that inside the community there would be a lot of cohesion would you think.

Yeah in fact it's true. Anytime you have a community at large you think that that community is speaking with one voice and that's never the case and it doesn't matter what the community is. Invariably there are divides. There are nuances and the challenges and I'm very curious to know how you go about this issue. How do you bring them all together and say that while we all can be under the same tent we are not only that but we are we are linked and we are one. You know I mean we do and that it's a topic I'm happy to report. It's a topic all the time and I think the progress that we've made as a community on the for women for transgender individuals for bisexuals all of which also have their own you know their own challenges within their communities. Bay windows we we consider each community different you know our tagline is gay lesbian bisexual and transgender communities. You know just to pay homage to the fact that we all have a different perspective. And at every meeting there's always the discussion of are we represented enough by those

that are not at the table the challenges that the folks like Irene Monroe and Gary Dauphin and a whole bunch of other leaders Gary Bailey is that they end up carrying the greatest load of OK well we've got Gary Bailey here who's an African-American. AIDS educator. And does it. Are we able to reach in deeper and get a better representation of each community. Sue Arnie This is the 40th anniversary of a Boston pride week so it feels to me like this has a little bit more weight. It does but at the same time what I'm hearing is that the race still matters. You know and again I think community is not going to suffer any less than a lot of us when we recognize that the race card is still a card that we play over and over again we keep trying to figure out how to take down those walls and how to how to become either more blind or more accepting or recognize that what equality means isn't the same as sameness. You know we want people to be equal we don't want them to be the same. And yet it

it it's a struggle and it's it's a struggle in the gammas in community and the only way you deal with. Douglas you talk about the challenge too is I think within the deal BT community the racism is not a conscious one. You know it's an institutional racism or it's a societal racism. But you never I mean I'm always shocked when I'm someplace where in a general community where somebody says something racist because I go for months without hearing anything racist in the video but I mean it when you're putting this in the air right. Exactly the problem and so it's not going to be shocking that there are still people who are racist or so people who are uncomfortable with you know you're going whatever it is you are to the table. You're not just OK. Yeah you know you are so complex and it's that complexity that really sort of parallel society you know that you know kind of a kind of an interesting flipside of it Provincetown of course has as a very large gay lesbian popular guy may have you may have heard Yeah and you know but but they get

that the tourism folks get it that there are some distinctions among populations and they actually go after certain demographics for certain times hoping frankly to capitalize and to make. But you have a point anyway if you go to probably around if you were a straight person who didn't know gay people you may think that they're all big hairy white men in leather because it's bare weekend and next weekend it's family weekend and then the next weekend it's you know communities of color weekend. So it's a good point. That's a good point and Paul why you're talking once again. You have a very interesting piece that reminds me in the same way that we talk about these issues with Boston pride week. You know we as Americans forget that we're at war and less it's in our face and I thought this piece that you covered about Hollywood helping to train troops on the Cape is fascinating. And you know scary at the same time. It sure is and this is something I never had even considered until we heard about this training

exercise of course on Cape Cod we have something called the Massachusetts military reservation. It's 22000 acres of training grounds and a whole bunch of people participate. The Air Force is there the Coast Guard is there and the National Guard has a very large training facility there a few years ago the training was all but shut down. There were environmental concerns and the EPA actually issued a cease fire. Over time as the cleanup of the ground has occurred the training has been ramping back up to the point where this this month of June they are training about 2000 National Guardsmen. This is the largest training at the base since World War Two and this battle though this training you're doing now. It is and it's fascinating because these National Guardsmen they used to be as we all know the days of national guardsmen just staying in state are long gone. They're they're being deployed multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan. The difference is these are you know these are citizen soldiers to a large extent. So they are not used to some of the horrors of

war. And that is what they're trying to get them used to the chaos and the horror of a war theater. So what they've done at the base is they've constructed Afghan villages. They've hired a whole bunch of local folks to address. In native costume and basically posed as villagers and they've also taken some soldiers and this is where the Hollywood part comes in and special effects artist from Hollywood are actually making them up with with wounds some some minor you know Lisita or looking ones they look very realistic. Yeah I mean to the point where we had a lot of discussion about what photos we would publish in the newspaper because they were so graphic and and the idea here is that you don't want the servicemen and women rolling in on Humvees into a village into a hot spot. And that's the first time they've experienced chaos or seen something that looks gory. The days of you know the old training where you just sort of hang a little tag around someone's neck that says dead or wounded are long gone. Now they're trying to really replicate the conditions as as

horrifying as they are. They're working with Afghan nationals to make sure that the costumes and the phrases and the action are exactly what they will encounter and they're recognizing by ramping up these special effects and they're really gory as you said that they really need to see them in. And it replicates what happens if you're hit by an IED. Exactly right and again the way the makeup artists are doing this you would never know that it was simply putty and paint and special effects. I mean this this looks really real and again when we we're choosing photos to put in the newspaper we thought long and hard and we wanted to make sure that we showed makeup artists around the soldier actually applying this makeup because you wouldn't have guessed otherwise and it was really tough stuff an exam. And that's exactly their point. They wanted to be tough stuff because again when people are going into these combat zones they want them to feel like this is not the first time they've encountered it because as we all know seconds matter and decisions split seconds decisions are going to make the difference between people living and

dying. And that's what I'm going to train you. If you take your story and then. Place that next to the Vanity Fair article from I think it was last week that this is the longest war America had ever in the Vietnam War One hundred and four months. And you realize that you know we're still going to be calling on the National Guardsmen in the Army Reserve it to basically fight our wars that they they do have to know when your comment about this. But second we have amazing medicine. But unless you know how to react quickly you can access that amazing medicine and save lives and this is really about that quick response. We're going to have to leave it there. Another great conversation talking news with Sue O'Connell co-publisher of bay windows and south in news Paul Pronovost editor of the Cape Cod Times and radio and TV commentator Arnie Arneson. Thank you all for joining us. Thank you thank you so much. Coming up we're taking a turn from the serious to the sublimely ridiculous with a tour of this week's tabloids. Stay with us. Support for WGBH comes from you and from the New England mobile book fair

in Newton New England's independent bookstore. The Book Fair is your school summer reading list headquarters more details online at any book fair dot com. That's an e-book fair dot com and from common Boston an Architecture and Design Festival June 17th to twenty seventh a theater district tour. Bike Tour of the tees new Indigo line and environmental justice talk and over 40 other events common Boston Org and from safety insurance. Working with independent agents in Massachusetts and New Hampshire to provide coverage for homes autos and business. And supporting PR eyes of the world. Weekdays at 3 and 6 here on eighty nine point seven WGBH What's your best picture of Boston. Enter the WGBH photo contest for snapshots that best capture iconic views of our city. The winning photo will be displayed on the WGBH digital mural seen by about half a million eastbound commuters every morning on a man. Spike snapped your photo and then submitted online at WGBH dot org. All entries must be received by Wednesday June 30th.

That's the WGBH photo contest online at WGBH dot org. Hi I'm Brian O'Donovan host of a Celtic sojourn on eighty nine point seven WGBH and I hope you can join me this September for the learning tourist trip to Scotland legendary Celtic musician Robbie O'Connell will be with us for the entire 60 excursion. We take in beautiful vistas travel to historic villages and of course hear incredible music. All the details are on line at WGBH dot org slash tulis. There's a lot to talk about here in Boston sports topic health dog food local talk. Emily Rooney and Kelli Cross talking Boston weekdays from noon to 2:00 on the new eighty nine point seven. WGBH radio. It's rag time a view of the week's coverage in tabloids. It's a

low brow examination of the salacious to the ridiculous and everything in between. But this being public radio we'll conduct our review with the help of some highbrow analysts pointy head of pop culture Thomas Connelly and Rachel Reuben Thomas Connelly is a professor in the Department of English at Suffolk University and Rachel Reuben is the chair of the department of American studies at UMass Boston. Welcome. Hello happy. Well today kicks off you know it the World Cup and everybody's talking about it. Thirty two teams vying for the title is set in South Africa for the first time in an African country. It's F F A which I didn't know was Federation international now the Football Association as it's known as football in other parts of the world. And when you know there is some controversy about the themes. The official theme song. Well I don't know I'm going to ask you guys which one it is but the one that people say is the official song is Cain on

and we're going to hear just a little bit of that when. They're just. Coming. Good. Point. OK Rachel you know this guy. What's it telling us here. OK not well he's a perfect perfectly wonderful international musician making him a very good choice for the to do the theme song for the first time the World Cup is held in Africa. A teenage refugee from Somalia to Toronto so I guess you would call him you know Somali Canadian. His music he learned English from rapping along with American hip hop records and his music combines African music with American style hip

hop and sort of what I guess what we call consciousness rap here are so political but uplifting lyrics and somehow sort of manages to treat the grimness of some of his youthful experiences in a way that is really triumphant and incredibly poetic. Now I went online to try to understand what the lyrics minute and people were saying that the flag was a symbol of freedom and and that you know if waving meant you know were going forward I mean did you get all of that from the lyrics. Rich Oh yeah. Certainly I know and furthermore the you know the verses as I said you know talk about the sort of violent situation that he was born to and sort of wanting to use every resource he could to move past that and bring other people past that. OK now Tom brought it to my attention that there are many claiming to have the official song another artist to Kira says she has it and hers is called Waka Waka this time for Africa here's a piece.

Of song. To sing you pick yourself up and come back in this. Yeah. Everyone's fine. You know in the series we're getting close to this isn't. It. I was trying to get to the live lyric when she said this time is for Africa but so yes that what was said about this is full of controversy air there too. The FIFA site says there are two songs. Both of these There's also an anthem which is sung by an American RS that but that's a whole other issue but this waka waka you know is it African. Well Shakira claims it is but people from Latin

America say no it's not it's from the Dominican Republic. And she's being criticized for it claiming the song as her own when by no stretch of the imagination except for maybe tweaking the lyrics and the beat a little bit. It's not an African song. Now the level of controversy is oh it should be an African song. Well there's a comeback from. Well the reason coca cola doesn't like this song is it's not the right beat for their commercials and that's why they like the other song and since they are the official sponsor So this is really wrapped up in world consumerism more than World Cup and. Most of the people I know I mean I have some Colombian friends who couldn't care less about Shakira but they're saying why is anybody even talking about these songs. It's about the game. And also this brings up the complicated question of what is world music. You know the people from South Africa are complaining it's not a South African song right. And so I'm very upset. Well I'm upset that nationalism is creeping into this when the World Cup in contrast to the World Series. Sorry folks.

Really is an international competition. And here it seems to be really breaking down along some unfortunately nationalistic fault line. Except I'd have to say this Rachel and I wonder if you get your take. Often what happens when the when the situation involves something from Africa and this came up when Bono was doing his big concert and African artists are like hello hello. You're raising money for Africa we exist. You know so if it's the first time in Africa doesn't it make sense even from a world music perspective to have something that's African. Certainly makes sense right and it and it and it's a way to educate everybody about Africa and in you know in an accessible way I will say about you know Shakira and Queen via that you know Caribbean music and Latin American music of course you know has an awful lot of African components and absolut can sort of trace you know the the history of the way peoples have moved around the globe through music you know in the case of Canaan's music it's sort of in a mar more condensed form since he

himself you know moved. Although certainly Shapira did too. So I I sort of feel like you know there's room for it all and all of the discussions and the music to me. And I think you know I'm probably not the only one is as a lot more compelling than the soccer excuse me the football. Well I certainly know that that's not true of everyone right but I think I just want to argue for an inclusive rather than an exclusive vision of this. OK. Well both them have good beats and the videos are great so I can recommend that. I just personally Bravo this week did something different. They're hoping to do for arch what reality TV shows Top Chef and Project Runway did for cooking and fashion design and this new series is called work of art the next great artists and it debuted this week. Fourteen artists will be given the opportunity. To show their talent. Players me our world this is. A bar the next great art and.

You know it. Sarah Jessica Parker. Brave. Competitive and be yourself or you know a judge is Bill Powers Jerry songs Jeannie Greenberg wrote China China China. This is amazing. The image is really arresting saps your eye and bam that's it. It works. This competition is really going to change my life. Who I am as an artist. OK Tom you've had your teeth set on edge at so many levels this is an assault on good taste and art and you know this whole idea of a competition for you know pick the best artist being overseen by the head of an auction house I mean that really gets to the heart of the matter. I mean why didn't they they bring in that guy who calls himself The Painter of Light you know they're putting them all in a house together it's like real world I've got all the formula I that have been set up for these previous reality shows but it's about ours. And they get a showing at the Brooklyn Museum of Art which is high arts bastion of

commercialism as far as I'm concerned and that's what Damien Hirst did his thing and they get $100000 cash prize now. It's just fascinating to me how many reality TV fans are going to be sitting there watching this show and thinking yeah I gotta get me want to one of them fatally. I also think of that Hannah and Her Sisters moment with Daniel Stern as the rock star who says he wants a painting that will be as big as his couch. I mean that's that's the level we're at here. Yeah but I got to say that there's a real variety of the artists now so I'm one of the people who watch it and I might want to get something that one of them and maybe I'll tell you Rachel and I have to say you know having sort of grown up in the land of the the type of English that you just you know Ventrilo quiet time. Some of us have a great deal of artistic you know inclination and talent. And I have you don't need to pretend that art has not been tied up with commerce although the exact right is ridiculous but it's a reality show in

terms of I can solve the question of taste for you though Tom and I came up with this yesterday when I was out was at the BPL to hear John Waters talk about his new book My hometown hero. He needs to be one of the judges because you know he curates our shows he has this incredible sort of high culture interest. And then of course he is the you know the pope of bad taste right he has this way of of bridging together the low and the high and he's great on film. That's what will save the show. Well I bring in John Waters I need somebody else other than I hated the judges I don't like the judges I'll tell you that right now and I'm a reality show. But that doesn't set my teeth on edge and. It doesn't answer the core ask the question What is art who gets to decide. So I'm interested which is always worth asking what is right is always worth revising your answer to that. When this show seems to be pointing toward you know it's not Venus de Milo with a clock on her belly it's the Mona Lisa with a dollar sign tattooed on her cheek Well that's sad I know

Lisa I'm almost licensed artwork in existence and we're going to see it and I don't really get your here. You're right about that but now speaking of high and low and commerce we learned this week that to Riza of The Real Housewives of New Jersey has filed for bankruptcy These are all supposed to be rich people and here's a little piece from the show to offer some insight into how maybe she broke the bank. How often do I shop at least once a week twice a week. I love clothes and shoes I love handbags I love jewelry but I want a necklace right now but I want that kind of morning talk about this one. Yes the story about my town has I definitely you. Know you have this love love love it's so brutal over. An average shopping day for me Marion said to spend a few hundred a few thousand. It depends what I find. OK. Oh my. This makes me question the reality of the show I mean these she and her husband are claiming a joint monthly income of about $6000 and there are 11 million dollars in debt. But I can't talk about Teresa without paying homage

to what I think is the greatest moment since television began. The table flip Well yes that I through all American should send her a dollar she she table flipped in my eyes and I could not stop watching it I did it over and over again. But this is this bag business is bizarre and also her cast member Daniel stop sex tape being released. I mean this is the week for the Real Housewives has come. Just for people who don't know the series Teresa got mad enough at a dinner party last year that became one of the high points of Real Housewives series and which table flipped she turned the table on everybody because she was so angry at a dinner party. It's you can go in on Bravo and see it it's a scene to be right till they tell us that all these women are rich and yet they keep falling for this one from Atlanta that filed for bankruptcy there's another. I mean this is the only ones that seem to be have a lot of money are the The New York ones and I think you are as county wants to get me going but there you are yeah.

Oh horror you know reality TV isn't really reality. I kind of don't know what to say except that I shop at least twice a week myself but it's for Ben and Jerry's. I feel like I can identify with that on some tiny level is it. I mean this is reality bankruptcy is real and therefore it doesn't have a place on reality TV. Yes OK. Well you know it's a crazy thing and I just think it's interesting in this time of economic distress that some of the people claiming to be that are in fact just like the rest of us. So Lindsay Lohan's SCRAM bracelet has its own Twitter account. Yes what do we say. Well you know it's funny because actually I mean her SCRAM bracelet does have its own Twitter account. I've also learned just as an aside that Charles Manson has a Twitter account but save that for another. Another creepy time. So there is her SCRAM bracelet a Twitter account and then there is a poor rhotic account that somebody else has set up claiming to be also to be her SCRAM bracelet and you know it's very postmodern

Twitter account so we're going to have their own Twitter is anyone think freckle leech is really from Lindsay Lohan herself I mean to me the Prez Hilton being the exclusive source makes it immediately. Well all I can say is she herself. For those who don't know the SCRAM bracelet is attached to her leg by virtue of a judgment by Judge thing that she had broken her probation I guess oh yeah because she's drunk and disorderly or whatever and she herself as we note because we talked about this in a tweet out asking Chanelle to glam up the SCRAM bracelet so I figured she maybe started rehearsals this is very glamorous of the other one as I said it's called not freckle Leach but it's called something like Aloha and scram and you know has sent out such really wary of messages as I wish I'd stop getting death threats from the stop snitching community. Yes I'm just doing my job here right. You know if these people have real jobs then maybe they would have time to be tweeting on behalf of a SCRAM bracelet.

Maybe that is their real job and tell you something. You may be right I haven't started filming the porn movie yet for poor Lindsay. I have to. Alert our audience that Susan Boyle the famous Susan Boyle is expected to sing for the pope coming up they're in negotiations now and she's supposed to be singing at the Bishops Conference of Scotland then. Well Susan Boyle we can have a little taste of what she sounds like I guess. For the. Job. Now I like the story but this she's she's gotten past her 15 minutes of fame it's great for her I guess I was thinking about this you know she has the kind of voice I mean if you go back to the 50s and think of a male Alonzo or earlier DNA Durban this kind of big voice that is quite as I operatic somehow attracts millions of millions of fans each decade. And I

wonder what she's doing singing before the pope place you going to have a duet with Sarah church. I don't know I just hope she remembers that he is not the ultimate judge he's just a representative of the ultimate judge. Well I was going to call for popping of the champagne before we get out here and there it is because we did not speak of Kate Gosselin or Tiger Woods this week. They are how much not a name or as they're available. Professor Rachel Reuben Professor Thomas Connelly thank you for joining us for another edition of ragtime. You can keep on top of the Kelly Crossley Show by visiting our website WGBH dot org slash Calla Crossley. This is the Calla Crossley Show. Today's program was engineered by Alan Matheson produced by Chelsea Mertz our production assistant is an a white knuckle body. We are production of WGBH radio Boston's NPR station for news and culture.