WGBH Radio; The Callie Crossley Show

Then Sue O'Connell This is Kelly 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 went under the radar. We're going to look at the news that was and was it. Will be dropping in on our 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 venturing from the serious to the sublimely ridiculous with the rag time around up on this week's pop culture. Up next from gumshoe reporting to gossip rags. First the news. From NPR News in Washington I'm Lakshmi saying Palestinian

Authority President Mahmoud Abbas undeterred by warnings from the U.S. and Israel is at the United Nations formally requesting moments ago its members recognized Palestinian statehood. Abbas handed the application to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon today. A short time ago Abbas held up a copy of that application before the full U.N. membership. And as her through an interpreter defended his decision to go to the U.N. over Israel's objections. The core issue here is that the Israeli government refuses to commit to terms of reference for the negotiations that are based on international law and UN resolutions. And it tragically continues to intensify building settlements on the territory of the state of the future state of Palestine. In a last ditch attempt to dissuade Abbas from submitting an application President Obama told the world body yesterday that Middle East peace cannot take place with UN resolutions but with

direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians. A far different outlook in Ramallah today. Yet another rally in the West Bank where Palestinians watched Abbas's Abbas speak at the UN in defense of Palestinian statehood. Yemen's embattled president Ali Abdullah Saleh has made a surprise return to his home country after more than three months of medical treatment in Saudi Arabia is coming the same day that activists were reporting more unrest. President Obama this morning says his administration will give states new flexibility under the No Child Left Behind education law. States can now apply for waivers so they won't face federal sanctions. NPR's Larry Abramson reports the president says he has to act because Congress has not. Congress has tried and failed to pass an update to the law in a White House ceremony President Obama

said. That's why he has to grant waivers to states that are making good faith efforts but still can't meet the standards of the law. We're going to let states schools and teachers come up with innovative ways to give our children the skills they need to compete for the jobs of the future. States will no longer face sanctions if schools fail to meet federal standards but they will have to show that students are on a growth path. The application process is complicated and is already prompting concerns that the administration is using these waivers to meddle in state education systems. Some members of Congress insist they are the only ones with the authority to revise No Child Left Behind. Larry Abramson NPR News Washington. At last check on Wall Street the Dow was down 20 points at ten thousand seven hundred eleven with the Nasdaq up 15 points. This is NPR News. It has been a bitter dispute between fast food restaurants and Florida tomato pickers for years as Kelly Mitchell reports from member station in Miami. A group of farm workers is suing Burger King and Subway restaurants

and agreement to pay a penny more a pound for tomatoes that was reached between the chains and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers back in 2008. The money was supposed to raise wages for the workers and supposed to be distributed by their employers. The Florida tomato growers bought the growers refused to accept the deal until last November which left the food chains. No way to get the money to the workers. Five months have passed and that money has yet to materialize. The lawsuit was filed in Florida by the migrant farm worker Justice Project Miami based Burger King issued a statement saying it couldn't comment since it's not seeing the lawsuit. Connecticut based Subway has not returned calls for NPR News I'm Kelly Mitchell in Miami. In it for the long haul Michele Bachmann's response to supporters and analysts who say the race for the GOP presidential nomination is down to Rick Perry and Mitt Romney. Bachmann a congresswoman from Minnesota told CBS that she will not take part in the Florida straw poll because she says balloting in that state

is among a narrower band of prospect of Republican candidates than in Iowa where she won the straw poll. Here's what's happening on Wall Street. Dow Jones Industrial Average down 14 points at ten thousand seven hundred twenty in trading of 3 billion shares. Nasdaq is up 13 points at two thousand four hundred sixty eight. I'm Lakshmi Singh NPR News in Washington. Support for NPR comes from the Annie E. Casey Foundation whose kids account report provides state level data on the well-being of kids and families at war. Good afternoon I'm Sue O'Connell sitting in for Kelly Crossley and this is the Kelley cross we show today we're hitting the rewind button on the week's news. Joining me today are Peter caddis executive editor at The Boston Phoenix bill 40 managing editor of the Dorchester Reporter and Adam Gaffin the founder

and editor of universal hub of the hyper local news blog. Welcome back everyone how are you. OK you back lots of very exciting stuff in the mix this week you can tell we're back in the fall Peter I want to start with you with an article written by David Bernstein. Regarding Senator John Kerry and it's it's a great look as David often is able to do to sort of slice through what the what the critics are saying what what the naysayers are saying and what John Kerry hopes he's actually doing with his his work with his earnestness on the super committee the super sized super Senate. Yes the Importance of Being Ernest Yes. I don't think that's right. It's funny for someone who's been such a fixture on the Massachusetts political scene you know Kerry suffers a little bit from raunchy broad the Dangerfield guy that you know you don't get. It's not that he doesn't get any respect he doesn't get enough. Well when you're being the junior senator for for however long you know I think

that wears on you after being in Ted Kennedy's shadow that's true but what David explains is that Kerry has embraced as he often has thrown his whole career one of these seemingly thankless jobs which is being one of the sound of those on this committee to wrestle with the debt and. What the story essentially says is all raises the question of you know if Kerry is really emerged within the Senate is really an old style statesman. But in the days of the leveling Tea Party you know it does have almost make him obsolete. It's not a slam on Kerry who stablish his relationships across the aisles you know with the Republicans. Does his homework I mean is very very policy oriented. Also this puts Kerry you know a very tight position because while it is definitely a sign of national service

Massachusetts has a lot at stake here I mean OB biggest industries education health care defense. Are all to varying degrees going to be on the chopping block. So on the one hand it's good that Senator Kerry is going to be you know manning the switches but on the other hand there's some real downside for him. And Bill you know it's easy to be the cynic and say he's also setting up as David Bernstein points out in his article in the event that Hillary Clinton goes through with saying she's all right at the end of this term and if Obama gets re-elected that puts Senator Kerry in a good spot to be secretary of state which is a job he clearly has wanted. Well that's that's the conventional wisdom that he's been setting himself up for that. He's clearly been more engaged as the chair of foreign relations and on the local front and as you know we cover a lot of Haitian-American issues he's been really aggressive on Haiti and stepping up and making and isn't very aggressive in the gay and lesbian community as well in terms of the HIV blood issue in the gay community.

He's been very aggressive on the local level. You know a lot of that doesn't bubble down to the public though. And I mean we see it in pressure leases and whatnot but but you know he's almost been drowned out now by Elizabeth Warren who you know when you think about on the on the debt. The debt issue I mean hurt her. Her statements about that over the last week have been buzzing all of the social media I haven't. You know you don't see John Kerry on Facebook you don't see John Kerry through Twitter and I think it's all about Elizabeth Warren right now so he's almost in her shadow at the moment vocally. And it does do a disservice to the work that he's doing that we know he's doing Washington but that's the fact it's not been his strong suit. And to local politics in the Dorchester Reporter this week Dorchester has a big race coming up in December 3. It's big in terms of there are five hundred twenty two candidates each representing dropped out I guess. OK right. Each representing a constituency which sort of represents the new Boston in Dorchester. And it's it's an interesting race we talked a little bit about it last time I was on but

you do have sort of the city council of Boston which by most reports doesn't have a vast. Realm of responsibility. But at the same time you've got this race which is sort of breaking down by old Paul it's the first time the seat has been open really in 18 years since Maureen Feeney came in in 93 and she has had opposition from time to time but really nothing like we're seeing now of course and she's vacating So this is this is huge pent up energy in the district. And it's a district that's changed dramatically as David pointed out in a piece recently in the Phoenix are reported inductions has done a great job covering the race and from week to week and what we're seeing is just this this pent up energy and also kind of some divisions that are on the surface and it's almost like a proxy fight in many ways. Mayor Menino is machinery. He has not come out in the race but his machinery is clearly behind John O'Toole who is a longtime civic activist Frank Baker from Savin Hill is is another candidate who's seen in the top tier. He has the support of Marty Walsh who's another

major kind of force in the city now in terms of his clout. And then Craig Galvin who is kind of become known as the progressive candidate I think basically on the. By the benefit of the dot out indorsement when you're in a couple weeks ago I know you were in the reactor that went up so there was a group of Dorchester those would become the three have E's out of 500 people running. Those are the three That's the top tier and I think and as we see this develop for Tuesday it is a strong field but there is there has been clearly a winnowing in terms of the money raised in the visibility and their organizational build abilities. So those three men who who I think we're going to see in some order one two three on the ballot come Tuesday and Adam you've over at Universal have certainly covered Boston city politics on a regular basis and you really had a story this week that kind of summed up in the first line the the depth of the city council where we had some city councillors who led a vote that was unanimous to seek approval which is always important when you're covering city council things they didn't get to

do this but they're going to seek approval from the state legislature to raise the dropout rate in Boston public schools from 16 to 18. Right. Which it was a unanimous vote which is kind of interesting because you know John Connelly who is one of the two people who backed this thing said this isn't the seventeen hundreds anymore you know kids need to go beyond high school to get ahead in a society. What's interesting you were talking about you know the city council on whether they can actually do anything. I talked to some of the school departments and the school committee hasn't discussed this issue. You know and I don't know if that's because they still hate John Connally because of the frozen food thing from you right where he was able to expose lots of wasted inventory right. And you know it wasn't fish sticks that were two years out of date or whatever. But it's very odd that the city council is doing something that's going to fundamentally affect what the school department is doing in the school department. It's like just you know and I think that yeah it could have anything to do.

Oh right yeah. Perhaps Yeah I mean the Connelly the mayor have not they have been at odds and well they have since the frozen fish sticks. True issue because I think that Mayor felt and I won't speak for either one of them but blindsided by Connelly's approach to the inventory management waste. Sure no I mean Peter this is one of the situations I was. My daughter goes to an earlier time now in middle school. We're in the suburbs and she wanted to know why. Who picked the times to go to school and I started going into my farming you know. And I realize that this is an opportunity though in this race in the district three race in Tito Jackson who will who's running again as well he filled the seat vacated by Turner. But fresh voices and fresh ideas you know it's not that perhaps the city school committee isn't worried about it they just aren't thinking about it and getting new blood into the city council is certainly a way to bring issues like why why do kids get to drop out at age 16. Well a couple of thoughts here. One because the school committees appointed they

have to assert a logically appointed with the mayor being the gatekeeper here. They are I think too much his creature. They the school committee which I think is a pretty good school committee should show some more independence. I have my questions about how practical the 16 the shift from 16 to 18 is but in theory how can anyone opposing. I mean the practicality is do you really want kids in the classroom who don't want to be there. My answer is you want to have programs like vocational programs or other programs that could help train them for real jobs. But I think it shows that there is more imagination and despite my being one of those you know wiseacres was always saying well the city council doesn't have the power that this doesn't have a call to do that. This is an excellent example of them you know using the bully pulpit of helping to set the gender. And that's a subject we should be talking about it more power to you.

You know Adam I was I was surprised to see if you years ago during the AM cast discussions around the city's public schools in Boston that one of the benefits of the M Cas was that schools were now held accountable for where their students were physically. If kids didn't come to school on a regular basis and that basis and were truant you know that might affect their own casque or so now suddenly they're like where's this 14 year old where's the 16 year old. And you know the involvement of the institution of education with the individual students I think. It's something that's worth talking about on a regular basis. Yes and I think as Connelly and Jackson who is the other co-sponsor of this are saying you know just raising the dropout age isn't going to do anything because by the time a kid is 16 he's probably been kind of classes for several years if he's thinking of dropping out he's been cutting classes he's been having discipline problems hasn't been doing very well. And you really need to start getting kids a lot earlier. And to the school the park school committee's credit I mean there are programs now if this isn't

1900 anymore you know they argue I tell you in just the other school story I think the big one this week is the report from Boston municipal Research Bureau about how the charter school system the charter schools in the city are really eating the lunch of the public schools and the voters are way ahead of the policymakers on this one. In many ways and that's not unusual but people are moving to charter schools. The other story this week out of Dorchester is that the Boston collegiate charter school posted the number one and cast members and in the state in math. And so you're seeing that. You know people are waiting for the council to make that move that people are already making decisions about the children's education that are there available and policy is following that and the broader question always though which for every especially urban public school is that when you take everyone you know charter schools are either by lottery or by test and with active and involved parents who are able to be active and involved with cultural or language or economic barriers. Where does that leave the schools

that are taken everybody. Well you know I think I think there's an answer to that in part. Part of that is the charter school succeed for all the reasons you said. But also they have a longer school day and they are able to have boy discipline. You know the teachers union is opposed to the longer school day. I mean to me the charter school victory is a direct slap against the management of the teachers union. And the reason I say the management is not as you just because I have a lot of respect my kids are all in Boston Public Schools another that were charter schools that had great teachers but the leadership of the teachers union is morally and intellectually bankrupt. Yeah well that pretty much says it. Well Peter can Boston Phoenix we're going to take you. Frank I'm Sue O'Connell sitting in for Kelly Crossley were looking hard at the local news with Bill Forry Adam Gaffin and Peter Kansas will be right back after this break on WGBH.

Eighty nine point seven. Stay with us. At the. Earth as. This program is made possible thanks to you. And the castle group celebrating its 15th year delivering public relations social media and events management results that drive business locally nationally and internationally. You can find more information at the castle G.R. P dot com. And Skinner auctioneers and appraisers presenting their auction of American-Indian an ethnographic art Saturday September 24th offering American Indian art weavings pottery artifacts and more info and bidding online at Skinner Inc dot com. And the Boston Symphony Orchestra opening night September 30th with Ana Sophie moved her as a violinist and conductor in an all Mozart program. Tickets on sale now for the 2011 2012 season. More info at BSOD dot org.

The new movie Moneyball is adapted from Michael Lewis's book about Billy Beane the general manager of the Oakland A's and the unorthodox approach he took to recreating his team and the next. Lewis talks about money. To me what was great about this story is that you had this collection of junkyard dogs these underdogs that nobody else wanted coming together to be a really great team. Joining us. This afternoon at two on eighty nine point seven. You count on WGBH for things like It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Welcome once again to a Celtic So up next on the show and when you make a charitable gift annuity you can also count on WGBH for annual income. To learn more we called the WGBH office a plant giving that 800 to 2 0 7 1 2 2 or visit us online at WGBH dot org slash planned giving the latest local news headlines are as close as your smartphone with the new WGBH app.

Tat keeps you up to date with headlines from business to arts and culture. Just a free download away at the App Store for more and more at WGBH dot org. Welcome back to the Cali Crossley Show I'm Sue O'Connell sitting in for Kelly Crossley today if you're just tuning in we're looking at the week's news Joining me to talk between the headlines are Peter Katz is executive editor of The Boston Phoenix Bill Forry managing editor of The Boss or managing editor of the Dorchester Reporter. And Adam Gaffin founder and editor of universal hub the hyper local news blog at Universal hub dot com. I want to jump over to you Bill and talk a little bit about the rising crime that's happening in our neighborhoods. I think all the local papers have unfortunately been carrying stories of murders and crimes of a very violent nature. And some of it seems to be bubbling up from gang warfare and I say that with gang defined loosely that some of it is just some

old fashioned territorial young men drawing lines in the sand but you have a great story over the Dorchester Reporter. About the Georgia gun pipeline which is fascinating on many levels but there was an arrest made this week and talk a bit about this pipeline that brings guns up from Ford. This story originates really a couple months ago when we have a remarkable partnership with Northeastern University and the watchdog New-England. They have an investigative unit and we were fortunate enough to host a couple the reporters Steve Kurkjian and Callum borders at the moment and Cal borders this week. Look back at an arrest that actually happened in August the arrest but we would just be able to figure out that the gun that was seized during that arrest which happened on top of street in Dorchester in the meetinghouse Hill section it was actually a drug arrest but they found a gun at the scene and the gun turns out to have been one of a batch of 18 handguns that were purchased illegally in Georgia legally because it was a straw purchase.

Two known felons in the and someone else go in to buy the gun. Exactly those people were not the actual owners. Correct so they they enlisted two female companions to go who didn't have criminal records so they were able to purchase them and then these this batch of 18 guns came up here to Boston last year. Those folks in Georgia have been indicted with federal charges for the trafficking. And now we've been trying to piece together as best we can kind of where did those guns and up to with them. We know where were confiscated by the Boston police earlier this year and now this third one has popped up in this arrest. So we're just kind of periodical checking in finding out where these guns ended up in this case it ended up in the hands of a guy who was already had already had a record for drug trafficking and another crimes living on top of street and selling crack cocaine out of his house and the Boston police drug control unit executed an arrest warrant on him on August 7th I believe and this Taurus handgun popped up. So I guess it's just part of an ongoing you know where did the gun come from and we hear this often from the advocacy community in Boston the anti-violence community people like

Tina Sherry you know let's stop chasing our tail here in the start get after the guns and finding out how how it is that our streets are flooded with guns because clearly that's what's driving a lot of the violence here the drug trade coupled with handguns being in you know ready supply. I mean I have a great bird's eye view of the city at Universal where you're able to really almost in the moment as the police are releasing information report on crimes that are happening and and with our gun laws as they are in Massachusetts it's not surprising that guns are coming in from states. Where it's easier to get it I'm sure. And unfortunately in my particular neighborhood you know Roslyn though you don't tend to think of violent crime but we've had we had a double murder. We've had shootings. I found out the place where I go to get Chinese food that's this little corner. It's become this drug bazaar. A couple blocks away from where people been getting shot. One of the things I think though that you're saying which is kind of interesting is that a couple of years ago a lot of the people getting shot were were

teenagers you know which is what you'd expect young kids walking around with guns. The ages crept up you know years for the most part you're starting to see people in their 30s now getting murdered and getting shot. And it seems like you know the guys who are getting shot 20 years ago made it or 10 years ago made it are coming out of jail now they're going back to the streets and they're trying to reassert their control over their old neighborhoods. You know that doesn't bode well. Oh you know that's a story we hear you know every day every cycle you know the Boston Miracle which happened 10 years ago or so when Boston was really able through a combination of activists community people being aware of stricter enforcement of laws picking up folks who were out on warrants for trespassing were able to lock up a whole variety of people from just mere troublemakers to folks doing really bad things and at some point as my friends in the defense law world say they do get out and

when they get out they go right back onto the streets and many of them unfortunately get back into the mix. Well it's the failure of our corrections system. I mean listen the most important role the correctional system's place is putting people away for X amount of time. But secondarily while the people of there they need to be taught something while they begin to come out too. And I wonder you know the rising age hadn't registered with me have them but reading the papers I it I do see that it is getting older. There were no jobs to go to. So even if even if these fellows were. Brother trains are likely to want to change their lives it makes it more difficult. I want to go to Peter the editorial that you have in the in the Phoenix this week regarding Barack Obama's speech that he gave last week and the sort of interesting point of view on the class warfare we're hearing especially here in Massachusetts so much about class warfare. And I think the breaking news

that we had this week about people on welfare shockingly using their money to do what they want as opposed to what the taxpayer thinks they're doing sort of focusing on on and issue like that instead of a larger issue where folks may not be rich folks not playing taxes to the amount that you think that they should be. But you really break down in the Phoenix the sort of top seven reasons that the Republicans are our midst directing and sort of owning the class warfare language. Yeah I mean the debate on class warfare is really upside down. The Republican Party and political conservatives in general have been waging class warfare very quietly very efficiently very effectively for arguably the last 50 is certainly the last 30 years. And this isn't an idol. Obs. the facts back it up. Over the last 30

is 100 percent of the growth in the economy has been more than 100 percent has been absorbed by the top 10 percent of the people in this country. So how can the top 10 percent absorb more than you know more than 100 percent. That means the very people at the bottom have been punished even more of that top of that money that's gone to the top 10 percent. Most of it two thirds of it is concentrated in the top 1 percent. It's very simple. The rich have gotten richer the poor have gotten poorer. The middle class have been squeezed. You look at taxes. At the end of the Second World War every dollar we all paid in taxes would be more or less marriage not match but married by a dollar fifty from a corporation. Today for every dollar that John and Jane Doe pay in taxes a corporation pays twenty five cents. This these non-fantasy figures these are real numbers.

People I don't think a really aware here of how much has shifted in 30 is positive has been disguised because there has been such a mass of prosperity. But up online there is. It's about time people talking about class warfare. The Republicans have been waging it against us. Now the rest of us need to wage against them. You're listening to the Kelly Crossley Show on WGBH eighty nine point seven. Adam you had a great story that you picked up in universal about folks taking action sort of in the class warfare world. You know I've had my battles with with major banks and I'm like these creative people I just you know spend my time meditating thinking how I could you know pull off the perfect bank robbery of particular banks. You know that I think took money for me and I don't know why I don't get to take money for them but you had to report on some folks that had a jeweled but try to intrude ways of getting their message to Bank of America.

You know this with most people it was a story from Alton patch and it was this great story. There's a group called city life and they've actually been very active in Dorchester fighting foreclosures and in Deutsche Bank in particular. Typically what they do is that you know they'll train themselves to have to keep families from getting foreclosed. The whole protest there. This time they they took it up a notch. Bank of America foreclosed on some property in a mall in a house in Malden and then they didn't do anything with the house it's just sitting there. It's become decrepit. You know people probably vagrants have broken into it. So they collected all the trash from this thing they had 10 banks international. I don't know where they found out but they found it with a Bank of America. Massachusetts President lives on Beacon Hill. And they went to his house and they just dropped off these 10 bags of trash at his front door and said look you know the city of Malden is fine you $500 you have clean up this property do something you know it's sort of reminiscent of there was a story from I think Florida a few months ago of this family that Bank of America foreclosed on even the Bank of America didn't own the mortgage on the House and then

the Bank of America was ordered to pay them lawyer fees they didn't. And so they foreclosed on a bank branch. Right. You know people who were being foreclosed on wrongly were able to foreclose on the Bank of America branch right. And in this case you know. It's not just a house it's an entire neighborhood. It's like you know going back to Bill Bratton and it's and it's broken window theory. It makes the whole neighborhood takes the whole neighborhood down. And if they're not doing anything you know take it up a notch. You know what Mr. Beacon Hill see what's going on in one of the properties that he controls. You know Bill it's an amazing figure the number of abandoned properties and I think you know whether or not you believed in the Boston Miracle of a few years ago or not. There's no doubt that an abandoned property is just you know you could set up a brothel. Apparently you know they did openly for several years and no one would notice. But I mean really taking it to the

powers that be bringing it to the man really seems to be a feeling that's happening and the like. As as Adam said he's been doing this for years now. I think this this this marked a new high or low depending on your position. But I you know you've got to give him credit for for their tenacity. They're the only ones standing up in many cases for individuals who just don't have another place to go with this with their there at the last moment before they're either evicted foreclosed upon and basically become homeless. The folks at city life have been stalwart in our neighborhood and they've saved a lot of people grief and giving them a second chance. You know I think you know this this tactic will be seen if they if they'll be able to continue that but I know that they're going to be out there every week. We get two or three calls a week from them about we're going to be out at this property tomorrow and it and it speaks to the unfortunate.

So you may talk it's still common so we had bay windows the lesbian Avengers once were in our doorway. That was exciting. I just remember them in your solo haze but the manure and also Bill over at the Dorchester Reporter. I'm excited about this because I just love the whole Whole Foods whose foods Jamaica Plain and now you're it looks like South Bay which is sort of between Dorchester in the south and so you know there's lots of parcels there that are open and there might be some development I mean they're already doing development there but there might be more things a storing and of course every time I go to self if I feel like there's a new box store there right I keep telling you it's expanding there now it's a very popular and very successful mall I mean the stop and shop there that's the number one store. Many of the stores there are you know top grossing for their for their franchise.

This is Samuels and Associates which built the South a mall in the 90s but no longer owns it is now assembling or trying to assemble parcels nearby along Boston Street which is which is in Dorchester off of Edward Everett Square and they've been kind of quietly putting together parcels that they'd like to buy and then build a couple of box stores we're not sure exactly like Disney in Orlando back in the day. That's exactly. They it's there. They're urging us that listen this is just conceptual nothing to see here keep moving. But the people in the neighborhood buying that and they have been meeting the civic associations keep coming back to it saying wait a minute something's going on here. We think that for the first time this week Samuelson Associates has said yes we are in fact trying to trying to assemble this land and potentially build something. Of course with Wal-Mart in the mix in the city no lows in the mix. Looking in Boston this is it's very likely that some day down the line this is three or four years off that those parcels could be developed for that.

What would be the some of the major concerns of the neighbors besides the traffic and your rights and I mean you're right next to you know the highway you're not right next to. Well one of the one of the concerns is the Dorchester Historical Society is adjacent to this parcel. And and would you know these this one of the oldest homes in the city is right there so there's some preservation issues. Obviously traffic is number one in the small businesses that are in the Polish triangle there and actually are quite affordable and very very well trafficked. You know what kind of hit will they take. So it's something to keep an eye on and people I think just want to see some some also some leadership from the city to say hey. You know let's get some management of this before it before it gets too far down the line and we don't have a say and we're coming up against time but I did want to touch on the piece that you had about the Roxbury Community College student which Peter also had some in the Boston Phoenix and from the new media sort of world all the way all media's new media there every moment. But the Conley came down with a ruling that the police force was justified in the writing of the takedown of the

student Roxbury Community College. Folks were able to go to YouTube and you're able to post the videos of what the mother said which was sort of that she's moving on but at the same time we still have this issue bubbling about what the report said. Well we get to see and that's something that you've been keeping an eye on. Yeah it's a classic community issue. You know you have a community that traditionally has been ignored by the city or mistreated that you know going back to the trial Stewart case. So obviously folks in Roxbury might be a little bit more sensitive for a good perfectly valid reasons this kind of thing. And when you see the video you know it does look bad. I mean it looks like they're punching out this kid. And then when you hear that one of the cops involved it's the same cop who is involved in the the woodmen case you know. So it raises questions calmly of course hired as independent consultant came in and said Well look the kid was you know flailing about. Was he flowing about right.

I think there's still a fundamental distrust among some folks in that community and the powers that be well will keep folks directed over to Universal Hoben the Boston Phoenix and everyone else covering the story. Thank you gentlemen for joining us. We've been talking local news with Peter Katz this bill Forry and Adam Gaffin we direct it to the Phoenix universal hub and Dorchester Reporter And coming up next we're taking a turn from the serious to the sublimely ridiculous with a tour of this week's tabloids will be back after this break. Stay with us on the Kelly Crossley Show on WGBH. Eighty nine point seven. This program is on WGBH thanks to you. And Boston Private Bank and Trust Company Boston private bank provides private and commercial banking and investment management and trust services to individuals and businesses. You can learn more by visiting

Boston private bank dot com. And the Armenian librarian Museum of America in Watertown presenting Karsh celebrating humanity an exhibition of use of car photographs of great personalities from Churchill to Picasso. Now open all my ink dot org. And masterpiece with a new episode of Inspector Lewis. The detectives find that certainty can be deceiving when they investigate a drug trial gone wrong. Watch Masterpiece Mystery Sunday night at 9:00 on WGBH too. American GI eyes have been in Germany since the end of World War 2. Over the years they brought their music a new dance club in Berlin celebrates how American music of the 80s and 90s also brought people together. And children of the people came here to work. Turkish Greek Yugoslavian Italian Portuguese people also went to these clubs Berlin's G-I disco next time on the world. Coming up at 3:00 here on eighty nine point seven WGBH for addition media creativity at the third annual beyond bubbies kitchen at WGBH studios in

Brighton on October 23rd joint bail assure the host of the Internet for the show today enjoy West sample a fresh take on traditional Jewish cuisine has picked up by 15 of Boston's top chef. When you join the WGBH News Club with a gift of one hundred twenty dollars we'll say thanks. Two tickets to this evening of food and laughter. Visit WGBH dot org slash box office Celtic music best enjoyed with friends. Join me on Saturdays at 3 with the Celtic soldier on the 9.7 WGBH. It's rag time a view of the week's coverage in tabloids it's an examination of the salacious the ridiculous and everything in between. But this being a public radio we'll conduct ourselves with a review of some help from highbrow analysts are pointy headed of pop culture. Thomas

Conley a professor in the Department of English at Suffolk University and Rachel Rubin the chair of the department of American studies at UMass Boston well go again zoo. Oh it's so exciting we've got the fall TV and I get so embarrassed about how is that I mean I'm so excited now that we have so many seasons now you know with cable and. Disney channel which I get excited about when the new shows come on in the summer and now you know we've got this crop of TV programs that are out and I have to say much of the time I think women are either cops or dissecting bodies. They're doing the CSI thing or are these new young Singlish kind of thing with Whitney and Zoe show. But we also have the new man being put upon which I guess is not so new and I wish it were new when I talk about it Rachel.

Well it's very interesting you know there's a line up of shows new shows on ABC and there's this this cluster of them that seems to have to do with the idea that men need to get back into their rightful place and you know that is the language that the station has used about at least one of them. And you know it is it's very sad it's as as a feminist I'm grossed out and horrified and there's no tongue in cheek and no there's no you know sad is the word Yeah. So as a feminist I'm totally grossed out as a historian I'm not surprised in the least. It does seem that first of all that whenever women sort of make advances advances into the workplace that sitcoms are used to push them back. If you think about for example be witched where she gives up her power to stay in the home or the job switching episode on I Love Lucy where the husbands and wives fail miserably at you know switching their jobs. And in fact the episode one show one show I'm thinking of is this show coming up work it where two men so pushed out of the

workforce by women that they dressed up as women to find jobs. And I hear it's not as funny as the Bosom Buddies of the day would have been interesting some of some of the comments that people have to have typed in online. Members of the chant transgender community are really outraged about this and I was amazed to see the phrase minstrel show used in the context of this show and crossed it's absolutely appropriate. That's true that's true. Some of the sitcoms we're talking about are last man standing with Tim Allen of Tool Time and The Santa Clause movies. Man up which is modern guys trying to get in touch with their inner tough guys and show that you mentioned worth it. Thomas is we're getting we're going to get is this is this is sort of the we had that bunch of shows with. Ugly kind of fact guys with their beautiful hot wives for a while. You know where it didn't matter not to be just totally judging people on looks but you had ugly fat guys with their really hot watches.

Is this sort of the this the that I was trying to find another way of looking at this. And I the show that I came to my mind was jackass. Yeah. Which seems to be the kind of a show for you know men who want to see funny violence and goofy breaking of your neck. But I was also reminded of what is a 50s film genre the so-called father is an idiot comedy typified by James Stewart and Mr. Hobbs Takes a vacation in which you know send a man into a supermarket and he'll end up in jail. Right right. The scripts the clip of the scripts that you see on these the ABC website are just. Jaw droppingly inane and crude. And what I find sad about it is they really think there are some men out there. Well maybe there are unfortunately who are going to read this and say Yeah I don't know.

It's not take back the night take back the day right. It's it's really disturbing on a variety of levels. It is I mean it is it's interesting because one of the things that it shows is that how much of our leisure activity is about work. You know in the shows you mention to sue you know the cop shows in the dissecting body shows right that you know in our leisure time we watch the shows in order to process our working time right so that does seem really important. And you know as I said that said this is really I mean it's like there's it's there's a direct line of continuity in fact the EP was one of the episodes of work it involves the guys dressed as women fixing a car and all the other women are just so amazed and shocked and disbelieving that women could actually fix a car and it's you know it's almost like a direct rewrite of the Golden Girls episode where the plumber says you can't fix the toilet you're women. And they're like we're going to try it anyway and they tried to fix it anyway and there was a complete disaster as a result.

And the sad part obviously of all of this is it's not funny. I mean the shows aren't funny I mean if I think you know it's just and the comedy doesn't even serve as a palatable. Watch it why and this is what you know mainstream ABC responds to the economic downturn. Also it is an indicator Actually it's from a complex perspective. It's I think it's an indication of how gender has in fact been de gendered because these men are asserting themselves through the workplace. They're angry because women have taken over the workplace and yet they've got to revert to this kind of you know Fred Flintstone approach to matrimony. The president clearly enlightened this apparently Well Saturday Night Live is coming back and of course we had the big Emmy celebration the patting ourselves on the back and one one little joke that did make it through was won by Alec Baldwin. He's going to be hosting Saturday Night Live tomorrow. Let's take a little listen to the preview of ALEC.

Hi I'm Alec Baldwin and I'm hosting the season premiere of Saturday Night Live this week with musical guest radio. Alex I heard you told a joke about Rupert Murdoch at the Emmys but Fox censored it. So why should tell us now let's hear it. OK so Rupert Murdoch is testifying in front of parliament. Can you hear me now. Why can't the commercial right now. Well the Baldwin acting out a not suitable for public radio motion while he was doing this promo for Saturday Night Live. Rachel is getting a lot of mileage out of a joke that probably we're not going to hear anyway. Right and so and so you know more power to him for getting so much mileage out of a joke that he doesn't actually tell. The thing that was really the most interesting to me though about this pilot is the bit that we didn't just hear the you know the very serious voiceover saying there is something that brings us all together as Americans and so forth right recording that so soon after the tenth anniversary of September 11th when there was lots of serious stuff about the something that brings us all together as Americans it reminds me of what the comedian April Winchell has called 9/11 Aliah. And that's really what this

joke is I think more than anything to do with Murdoch which is it's just interesting that you know. Joking about it you know there's the sort of their now famous calling out of too soon too soon when we made 9/11 jokes. But now is it is it not too soon we'll all that's all of that leads me into our next question when there's a report that there might be a Whitey Bulger live next door hit on coming you know it's always the time plus tragedy comedy rule. Is it you know is it too soon I mean Seinfeld of course making fun of Whitey Bulger living next door certainly not out of the wheel house of the. Yes and I mean there's a whole subject on of comedies about you know comedians comedies about gangsters being relocated to the witness protection program but yeah I mean just last week I mean a major part of the Herald was about people from south Boston who are outraged over the too many of the alleged 2 million dollar reward and the bringing up Whitey as the sort of the beginning of bringing him back to folk hero status which we all know is nonsense. I don't know why it's particularly relevant to Whitey

Bulger being in hiding I mean he's not the first criminal to have you know been in hiding for sale for years and I can understand why people would be very people from south Boston or elsewhere would be very known to be a victims of crime would be. You know what it does often get into that gray area of when does he become a public I mean he is a public persona and at what point can you make fun of it I mean Jesse James certainly has been high and low and the subject for all sorts of things. I want to take a listen to one of my favorite things is when you find the secret talent of someone you think so well we're going to take a listen to Hugh Laurie of course from house. And this is a track from his new album it's called Let them talk. Just let them talk. If they want to. Laurie Of course I was shocked to find out he was British at one point but not only does

he sound American he can also sing the blues in the great tradition of British guys everywhere. And it's interesting to watch him on the clips that are new to promoting this. Talking in his quote unquote real voice and eye to eye. I loved him and Jeeves and Wooster I've loved him for years but I have really forgotten he was because I'm so used to him in a house. And also he brings this classic British self deprecation to himself. Going to New Orleans you know. What business do I have even appearing in New Orleans. And he refers to himself as a nanny type of actor who you know needs help into a car and so forth. So you might be surprised that I can even you know find the keyboard. I question that he may be protesting too much that I'm not really a blues man and this isn't a vanity production on my part. Somebody asked me to do this. You know anybody who watches the show or seen him whenever he's had the chance he sings plays the piano has a guitar. It's interesting you know and then there are people asking who owns the blues and what are the blues and what is he doing to the

Blues by doing the blues does it make it something else I think. Obviously yes. Yeah Rachel it's he has a hit. I mean the music is successful in Great Britain it's not as if he doesn't have legs under him and I'm you know wasn't completely kidding that folks like Eric Clapton The Rolling Stone No no absolutely you know it's you know folks I mean the the English First of all the in with the British have a long tradition of teaching Americans about music. You know the R&B and. Right exactly. And hip hop you know the Clash had Grandmaster Flash you know open for them. So I you know he is you know humorously self-deprecating about it said boy if anybody else did this record I'd be really you know I think it was terrible I'd hate it. But I guess at that said perhaps it will be some kind of gateway right and that would be fantastic with even the Blues Brothers with their dreadful to me schtick would always go up on stage and in their movies and say you know please listen to bright guys not just for not only us but listen to these guys. So if he does that then great and house might be on its

last season. I mean it's also a way for him. Hugh Laurie to stay current If he wants will speaking of rap. For those of you who may not remember NWA or don't know who they are here's a track from their 1988 hit straight outta compton. Of course the beeping is because they're telling jokes about Rupert Murdoch A. Lot but you know soon they are not you know I don't want your own way that's the way culture works so we're talking about NWA because John Singleton may actually be rejoining with Ice Cube of course they were boys in the hood.

It's an exciting project it's refreshing to hear sort of the roots of NWA. I know and you know that John Singleton do works well with Ice Cube. There haven't been in my opinion that many really good music bio pics. I'm hoping this one hereon period I don't know. Yeah what about Karen Carpenter with Barbie doll. Yes it's really good but Intel has suppressed that so it's very hard to see it. You know so but Ice Cube has really shown himself like wanting to continue growing and deepening the music he's been making in the last six years or so has been just like astonishingly wonderful I have high hopes for this. He has two adorable rapping sons maybe one of them could play him in it. And Tom it's a it's a it's hopeful. Well you know the music's not my cup of tea but I'm fascinated by the creative process and I am hopeful that Singleton will be able to make a film where we get some real insight into how an artist creates the work. And while ice cube is no I'm no fan of Ice Cube but I am a fan of artists making work and seeing and inspiring other people to

see that it is work that you do. You have the things you have to do and how the permutations of oneself may make it into music or song and Ice Cube is extremely sophisticated and you know its election will and could very well put that across I'll just want to say that you just sort of along the same lines. Ice tea has recently said I'm going to make like really really serious artistic you know contributions now. And most recently made Planet Rock a documentary that he produced and narrated about crack and the hip hop world that's just it's really insightful and wonderful. So I don't think this will be sort of along the same line. It's a great time sort of in the maturity of rap and I don't mean that it was immature but just sort of develop new names oh yeah I need some rice and then you can look back and say what was gangsta rap really for right. Like what purpose did it serve for all of its listeners. Well those of us who have been dying for another. Another theme park or another writer very excited let's take a little listen to one of the big hit movies of last year their trailer it's the Avatar trailer.

Tell us it is these remotely controlled bodies. The avatars. They've grown from human DNA. Mixed with DNA of the natives. You never talk about it. I said you give me what I need to get you get your links get. Real. Oh yes it. Looks like you. This is your avatar. Everyone shaking their head OK. There's no pot of beer. I know but I'm very proud of our heritage. What do they get what are you going to paint yourself blow and float through jellyfish in three days. I James Cameron this is just who burst on his part he doesn't one at a time just stop and press on James Cameron is going to you know I really think he believes he's going to save the world with these things he's to I think he sees himself as Walt Disney saw himself. Yeah this is not just a theme park it's not just a movie it's a way of life. Yes well you know despite the introduction to the show we but I think neither of us very often you know goes all pointy headed but I'm about to

do that now here and say there is an academic term that's extremely useful here which is imperialist nostalgia which is sort of creating you know pleasurable cultural activity and sentimentality over a way of life that has been destroyed. And it stimulates your imagination as well as sort of hiding your complicity in it. Now people could watch the movie Avatar and get it. Anti colonialist you know messages from it they could you know about Native Americans and so forth. But when you take it to this theme park and it becomes like sheer play and pleasure I think it does cross the line into imperialist nostalgia where you know the destruction of a people the genocide of a people that in the United States history becomes all wrong because we saw it it becomes a ride well we'll know better beer. Rachel we have to wrap up what people be thinking about that all weekend especially when they get to the book The Pirates Of The Caribbean right because that's a whole nother thing there. Professor Rachel Reuben Professor John Connolly thanks so much for joining us for another edition of ragtime. I'm sue a call I'd been in for Kelli Cross Lee Kelley will be back on

Monday. This show is a production of WGBH Boston Public Radio.