Poetry from M.I.T.; X. J. Kennedy

I'm Callie Crossley This is Boston Public Radio. Emily Rooney The Week in Review is focused on politics right. Well partly. First we're going to talk about though the Boys Scouts of America are now reeling from a sexual abuse scandal. Hundreds of names have appeared in secret perversion files and those names are just being released. We'll have that plus of course politics and our thumbs up thumbs down segment. And a local news that went under the radar. Thieves stealing Berle's from trees. A local candidate runs a no money campaign and a dollar store fight in Jaypee. Plus our focus on today's 30 issues in 30 days election coverage local aid to cities and towns and their great live music from New Orleans. That's right we're going to have the sound of New Orleans on the Boston airwaves with a band called Baby soda and we'll ask them the burning question which is what does the name babies mean. That's today on Boston Public Radio. From NPR News in Washington I'm Lakshmi Singh.

Rescuers in Lebanon raced to the site of a deadly bomb blast in eastern Beirut to search for survivors. Lebanon's state news agencies raising the casualty toll in today's explosion to at least eight dead and 78 wounded. It says the massive explosion during rush hour was caused by a car bomb. The motive behind the explosion and its target were not immediately clear. Doctors in England say a Pakistani teenager critically wounded in a Taliban attack nearly two weeks ago is recovering well. But Larry Miller reports Malala Yousufzai is not out of danger. Fifteen year old Malala still has an infection from the bullet wound but she's now able to stand for the first time according to Dr. David arose her medical director of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. It's clear that she's not out of the woods yet. Having said that she is doing very well in fact she's communicating very freely. She's writing. She has a truck helped me tube and she's not able to talk although we have no reason to believe that she wouldn't be able to

do this tube is out. Dr. Roessler says Malala will need a couple of weeks of rehabilitation and then her skull will need reconstructing. For NPR News I'm Mary Miller in London. After initially resisting. Twitter has now agreed to remove French language anti-Semitic tweets that have flooded the microblogging site in recent days. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports that a union of French Jewish students had threatened to seek an injunction in many European countries such as France. It is illegal to make racist remarks against any group of people or community Eely party as vice president of the Jewish Union of Students. In France where in Europe and is not the same so we don't have to leave. And the American Lawyer Schwein Fras they just have to respect all pity says Twitter initially refused to act saying it could only do so at the behest of police or judicial authorities. Twitter yesterday blocked neo-Nazi groups account at the request of German police. The move was the first time that the US firm has applied a policy known as country withheld content which

allows it to block an account in a specific country at the request of state authorities. Eleanor Beardsley NPR News Paris. Disappointing earnings posted by major companies today are weighing on the markets McDonald's led a broad decline in the Dow after its quarterly profit missed analysts expectations. Microsoft's quarterly profit also fell more than expected by 22 percent. That coupled with Google's surprisingly weak earnings rattled Wall Street and even though General Electric reported stronger profits its revenue fell short of what analysts had predicted and shares dropped overall about 3 percent. At last check on Wall Street Dow Jones Industrial Average down 150 points more than 1 percent at thirteen thousand four hundred. Nasdaq composite index down 1.6 percent at three thousand twenty two. S&P 500 down also one percent 16 points at 14 41. This is NPR. And from the WGBH radio newsroom in Boston I'm Christina Quinn with the local stories we're following. Senator Scott Brown is visiting a quinsy senior center the last stop on what's billed as a keep a

promise tour to discuss Medicare. Brown says the new federal health care law would cut Medicare by $716 billion. Democrat Elizabeth Warren is campaigning today with Minnesota Senator Al Franken what promises to be a lengthy vetting process for would be Massachusetts casino developers has officially begun the state's gaming commission plans today to make available on its Web site phase 1 applications for developers seeking one of the three licenses for destination resort casinos allowed under state law. The Boston Globe reports Deward health care system has struck a deal to send its most seriously injured trauma patients to two Boston hospitals operated by Partners Healthcare System. Stewart has been sending critically injured patients to five level one trauma centers in Boston or to hospitals in Worcester and Providence and New Hampshire. President Obama's campaign workers are in the final hours of a 24 hour swing through every county in the state. The RV tour is starting today in Nashua Laconia Wolfeboro Conway and Marylynn in Rhode Island the Barrington man battling the effects of cancer treatment is suing the Law School Admission

Council of violating federal disability law by failing to accommodate his needs and taking the law school admission test. The Providence Journal reports the 23 year old wants a large print textbook. More time to take the test and rest periods. The council said in the letter that O'Donnell took the test in December without accommodations and received a slightly higher than average score. Support for NPR comes from the John S. and James L. night foundation helping NPR advance journalistic excellence in the digital age a chance of rain in the forecast for this afternoon and rain with thunderstorms later on today. Highs in the mid 60s tonight. More rain in the forecast and rain after midnight. It will rain into Saturday morning with temperatures in the lower 70s but it will clear up to sunny skies in the afternoon. Right now it's 60 degrees in Boston 61 in Worcester and 68 in Providence from a transmitter atop a great blue hill. This is WGBH live local talk Boston Public Radio. This is Boston Public Radio on Emily Rooney tough news today about yet another abuse

scandal and cover up. Now the Boy Scouts of America had been forced to open up their so-called perversion files to figure out who came up with that title. A long list of scout leaders are named from 1965 to 1985 all suspected of abusing young scouts. Forty five people in Massachusetts were named. More than that around the New England area. We'll get into that in just a minute. And then also we're going to be talking about the debate between John Tierney the incumbent in the 6th District and our Challenger Richard to say last night they were appeared on a new cable news and this time the issue of Tierney's Association and what he knew about his wife's involvement in an illegal offshore gambling operation did come up. That's because the moderator Jim Brady asked about it. All right. Well joining me here in the studio our WGBH reporter Phil Martin and Murphy of Oneal and associates and Garrett Quinn author of the less is more blog on Boston dot com and a contributor to reason magazine. First on the Boy Scouts of America

I wonder why this took so long to come out. I'm I'm totally confused by that. And if they actually had something titled perversion files they must have known much like the Catholic Church that they were people accused of this and they filed them away and they essentially protected the abusers the same way that the Catholic Church did. I'm actually a little bit of show you with the basic founding of the Boy Scouts is there a religious component to it I think. Well you know as a three time Pinewood Derby champion spring 1992 93 What did you get in line with derby time that's when you make this. Pinewood Derby and you get this whole block of wood and it has this whole block of wood and you whittle it down into some type of racing thing and you put it on a ramp and you push it down and you generally ask your dad to help you. Yes she does. So I'm just. Yeah. No the I was I was in the Cub Scouts I was in the Boy Scouts and there is a religious component to it.

I never I don't you know I don't I don't think it's it's generally generically Christian I don't think it's Catholic. I can't I can't remember I know you know growing up around here you know in the 90s you know I grew up in Braintree and in Hanover and everybody was Catholic so we went to St. Francis of Assisi was where we met. And you would I try to over the Pledge I'm terrible but there's like a pledge was like God and Country or something like that. And yeah there is a religious component to it. These allegations are startling but they're so similar to what you saw in the Catholic Church because there is a lot of it's in the 50s in the 60s and the 80s and then it sort of you know at least in the story that Travis put together there isn't a lot after that. But again this is really disturbing. And as you noted in the intro the perversion files are just so creepy. I just think it's I think it's just very sad. And you know following along the same model what happened with Penn State and the Catholic Church it's like people at the top knowing what's going on trying to protect the institutions. What happens with the children. I mean they are the innocent victims. I mean I think the CDC reports that one in four is one of four girls and one in six boys

before the age of 16 before the age of 18 that is will be sexually abused. I mean this is a really really big problem in the Boy Scouts this issue. They haven't looked good to lately on other things. And this is another you know another black mark on them. It's about faith in institutions so that's what takes up it takes a while to get to these things because they have faith in these institutions. Boy Scouts are sacrosanct like the Catholic Church. It was in private for many people still is sacrosanct. These things can these places can do no wrong. I mean I was a Cub Scout too. I mean I got out of it because I couldn't take the notion of camping in October and in cow fields you know like with it's raining I I just did not work. I don't know but I bet it was. It was a great institution it was a great learning experience and so forth. And I guess I should say that we shouldn't be surprised that this is happening. It's unfortunate it's sad and we don't it's only the tip of the iceberg because this only goes up to

1985 as you know and there are there were hearings and there are court inquiries and legal inquiries right now into other cases around the country that will take us up to the present at least of 2010. But the fact that this happened it's at least a good thing that it's SAW THAT IT'S OUT IN THE OPEN. Because we're talking about 45 people from Massachusetts are listed on this list most suspect that not convicted of abuse but some of those people are already on state sex offender list. Everyone can register as is and known it. I mean the Boy Scouts of America have have taken a very firm stance against homosexuality as scout leaders which says to me they've obviously known about this for a long time. And so this this new found with that probably not a lot new found but very adamant stance. You know they've kind of reissued their position on this. They must have known that this was going to come out.

But I think there's also some conflation between homosexuality and pedophilia in this case. A lot of these people apparently were family people family men as as they say they were protected by family men. So it's sure there they have this fear and I'm sure that there was that conflation. But I think they should have looked at this in a broader sense. That is to say look at who is applying for these positions whether they are voluntary or not. That should have been they should have been more vigilant about who it is that they hire or bring on as scoutmasters and so on and so forth. That's that's about it's the same thing. It's the same thing is going into the priesthood. You know you're you're you when you're exclusively in a same sex situation what is the motivation for certain. I mean most people it's you know one of the dads wants to be more involved. I can't you can't say that you know for the majority these people are getting it. They can be around little boys but you know you've got to look at the reasoning. Exactly you do. I know. You know what. In my days and days I know I never encountered

anything like this. There was never any inkling that something like this was going on. I don't know if that was the case here. So I think that if there was nobody knew about it at least the kids didn't know about it. I just think it's very sad with this whole loss of innocence and everything you do now with your child and you have to be so protective in who is one of the people had to be protected. Well you put your faith in these institutions. You put your faith when you send a child to school. You put your faith in them and the parents obviously your parents the parent's role is to oversee the children. But you you are giving up your parental responsibility sometimes because you put faith in these and it's just so sad and this is just another instance of whether it's the church whether it's a school whether it's Penn State where they place the reputation of the organization of the institution above all tackling wearing these vigils prosecutors pastors everybody and we're all in on it. It wasn't just you know the president of one university and you have to believe that this is going to go along for a long time to stories because he said it only goes up to 85.

That's what happened out there. What about the girl scouts. What about the girl scouts. No that's not true. I was there. I was just a bad girl. No I was not a girl scout. No it was a bad girls. It was. I was good at the activities but I was you know I wasn't good with authority that girl scout cookies on the weekend anyway. All right. Move your here quickly. I bury myself here. All right. Phil Martin from WGBH in Murphy of O'Neill and associates and Garrett Quinn author of the less is more blonde on last night. Did you read Reason magazine and Reason magazine you just did a profile of the Richard to say it's challenging. I don't understand now. Yeah. JOHN TIERNEY streaked it so last night finally we had a real debate we had a televised debate. John Tierney has been reluctant to appear side by side with Richard to say in any kind of a televised forum for a lot of reasons but he's also trying to control the content of these debates by saying by putting parameters up saying

I'll debate. And there's one in Cape and there was another one in all that you know as long as no one asked about his family issues what he knew about his his wife's offshore gambling operation that she was you know taking care of the books for her brothers in law. She spent a year in jail for this well leave to Jim. And he's had to get right to it last night. So here's Richard to say this thing. Listen. Things when you ask them and here's what to say said about things he thinks are damning about tyranny. First he had no knowledge of anything that was going on either his brother in laws contradicted him and said he didn't know all about what was going on. Secondly that he had no interaction with his brother in law and he actually during a federal investigation flew down 2012 and had a dinner at his brother in law's house in the middle of the gambling operation having gone out with a fugitive from justice. I mean as a congressman you know that you should be thinking about that now you know I mean he probably he probably should have had a better answer actually. He could

have. I mean I think you know well it's said that this whole notion of you don't choose your family I mean that that seem pretty legitimate. But if in fact this is true that he flew down to what's been reported it's been reported but it's there was some skepticism and there still is some skepticism about what he knew even when he was down there. But the point is that happened a year before the time. Right. Precisely. And there's something we said about you don't choose your family but at this point I just think that Tierney is in trouble. I'm not sure he's handled this very well. If his brother in law doesn't show up and just outside there's that great video of his brother in law or up against a brick wall he's got like a wife beater on and he's like chains he's got smoke and he's like my brother is my brother in law. This the other and he knew everything. If that video doesn't serve his if that doesn't come to light this isn't as big a story I think I think I think this was something that was going to really impact the 2010 cycle and then it resurfaced in 2012 and that really I think has played a much bigger role than I really expected it to in this race. I really do. I think if that

if that if that doesn't if that doesn't if he doesn't if his brother or brothers in law if his two brothers in law the brothers don't they don't go through this big bass and talk to the press and caused a big stir. I don't think this is nearly as big a story but I think I mean I this campaign in this specific camp I think Tierney has a huge credibility problem that that's a problem that he doesn't look like he's going to get hurt. I mean if he is a smart guy and he's an attorney and he's been there for 16 years although I do have to say it's the first time I've ever seen him on live TV and 16 years on the debate. But it look at it. I haven't seen him. But the thing is is that he refuses to the credibility of unfair and hostile. Well see that's part of social problem. I think he has a credibility problem from day one on this issue. And I don't think that he can get over it because he's never really kind of set that whole you know what. You don't pick your thing. Obviously we all know that and we all can relate to that in some respects and he kept trying to you know be an obstacle to all these debates it just you pick your wife. Well but still that's sort of like two.

But what he knew about his wife saw gambling connections even that I think you see it's not me you know what we didn't. That was pretty. We always say you have to know. But you know I mean we're we are talking about institutions for example we don't always know. And I'm just giving them the benefit they need. Everybody knows everything just go you know. Yeah. Everything's intense. All right. I think what's what is troubling about this and I do think Jim Brown is one of the best moderators for debate in this in the Commonwealth. They not only say hello Brian Rooney. No but he is I think he's very fair. He's also straight from very 43. He's very straightforward. He doesn't take b.s. from anybody. And I think he did. He is a valid issue in this campaign and it's kind of ridiculous that tyranny put the parameters that we can't talk about this it would be like it would be like if Mitt Romney said of Barack Obama so we can talk about Benghazi in a debate or something like this or some other hot

topic. It's an important part of this the presidential election where it's clearly spilling over. I mean look at the polls. I mean if you believe the internal Republican polls you know to say he's leaving and leaving you know by an enormous amount. But most other polls suggest that it's a long. I don't buy that. All right. It is an effort to be fair and unbiased. They also accuse me of being biased. Here's Cairney attacking to say for being a far right candidate. He said the Tea Party is a godsend. He said that he supports the Paul Ryan budget on that basis. He said that he would put in the same leadership in the end that is in there now. And the other people who have voted against women's rights against equal rights against the middle class for rising Medicare for disallowing woman to have the right to have their own control over their health care they would defund Planned Parenthood that would defund title 10 planned. You know it's just one thing after another. Yeah. Well the problem is that he's really not a far right candidate he is either is not a moderate

person I know Richard and I know his background very well. He is openly gay. He is a pro-choice man. He is. He voted against Romney and a lot of things especially on the social issues that could beat you know far more than the truth then. You know Richard to say as a woman but what we don't know yet because we don't know how he's going to vote. If he is taking votes in the Senate if he goes to Congress because of this this Congress is a very peculiar Congress where they they from the from what's left of the moderate wing of the of the of the Republican House they say they too seemed to vote lockstep with the Republican leadership. So I mean who knows this might be a legitimate issue. I mean there's no way of telling unless of course he has the votes in the state which has taken votes in the profile in the story I did in reason magazine this month in the November issue of reason which is out now. The I I've interviewed to say extensively I've spent some time with him on the trail just covering him following him around and he was of the people I interviewed for the story I interviewed several

candidates that are running for office some that are definitely going some that aren't some that are on the bubble like to say. I think he might have been the most libertarian guy I spoke to. And I say that in the sense of the Northeast Bill Weld libertarian mold the socially conservative but pract with some practicalities thrown in there but also a real liberal when it came to social issues. This guy is pro-choice. He is pro marriage equality. He is open to you know certainly he expressed his openness to drug legalization. He's not a fan of the Patriot Act he's not exactly a hawk when it comes to defense policy so that was you know libertarian things the mark against him is he voted for Romney. Romney care said he is opposed to Obamacare and he gave this expert you know this explanation that oh Romney care was 70 pages Barack Obama Obamacare is like two twenty seven hundred or something. So I think you know to say is sort of this old almost dying breed of like Bill Weld libertarian Republican northeast moderate types. I don't I don't think I'd put Scott Brown in that camp but I definitely would put to say in within

that camp and there aren't aren't any other people in the Northeast that are like sort of like she was in Connecticut crochet right Christian. Yes. But a dying dying breed. And I think I think the idea that he's this radical Tea Party right wing Republican is just laughable. I think your issue has become whether people believe that tyranny has tried to manipulate this election season to his advantage by saying you're not talking about the things he doesn't want to talk about and people are looking at that and looking beyond the ideology a little bit the way they do with Scott Brown. That's the only way to say it's going to get elected and that's what we're looking at. And that's legitimate. And I think I think for for Tierney of course the very thing that you just said I mean the combination of his record or as people perceive this record more liberal than on social issues than than most certainly House members currently and all because of this this issue has currency the weight that he's the tyranny has been portrayed has currency with

with constituents in that district. They're believing it but I also think isn't it a good idea to have a Republican congressman from Massachusetts. Wouldn't that be good to have some kind of more party balance in Washington. What's wrong with that. I think we are far far far lopsided. We've been like that for all we have are one now and you know we've got Scott Brown So right now we need more of just that's that's an argument I'm not and I won't argue with the inherent benefits or disadvantages are because I'm not sure but I think it's worth raising that at some point in terms of an uber issue because I'm just not sure if there is something inherently advantageous to having that type of delegation. Yeah I'm dead I'm going to try to look at it in terms of Connecticut voters. I think if you're a Republican in this state and you're looking at the congressional races and you're looking where should I in I want to Impac I might have the most impact. Where should I put my money where should I invest my time. I think if you and if you're a Republican there's no

question that you would put it into John Kerry. That being said if you're a Democrat you want to hold on to a seat. You're going to put it within that race in that six congressional district too. I don't see any of the other congressional races in this state being close. No I don't see any of them having to be blunt having a chance in Richard to say he's the only Republican who has a legitimate real chance of getting elected in November. I think he'll likely be elected. I know that anybody else is surprised that he comes out to vote for either candidate and Murphy from O'Neill and associates. WGBH reporter Bill Martin and Garrett Quinn author of less is more blog on Boston dot com. So all right last night was the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in New York City last night. This is where a virtual who's who of New York City glitterati and politicians and everybody turns out it's a white tie dinner uber formal. So both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney were there and that's a pretty good joke writers. Here is Mitt Romney talking about well

you'll understand he's in white tie white tie. So here's here's here's Mitt Romney campaign can require a lot of wardrobe changes. Blue jeans in the morning perhaps suits for a lunch fundraiser sport coat for dinner but it's nice to finally relax and wear it when they were around the house. That's good. That's real good. And here's Obama having fun at his first debate performance. This is the third time that Governor Romney and I have met recently some of you may have noticed I had a lot more energy in our second debate. Really well rested after the nice long nap I had in the first day you know it takes guts to say you know they both said there was a hole. I don't have all the training that the jokes were good. You know it makes you wonder sometimes when you know when you're shoulder to shoulder with somebody on a on a debate stage and you're really got to go after each other if there isn't some kind of common ground in another

way that maybe they do kind of like each other a bit or respect each other I mean it's tough to always keep up that kind of nasty approach. Well it looks like Rock em Sock em Robots the tyranny to say can win the debate. I don't think that's my point. I know I know. But and but this was lovely to see this. I just think it's great. I mean I think that people understand you're up at the debates and you really have to go at each other. But at the end of the day I mean remember the tip O'Neill Ronald Reagan at 5 o'clock they could have a beer together and be friends. I mean I think people want to see that type of relationship. I don't know maybe maybe the middle. I think the middle wants to see that. I think that it's initially brought the tyranny to say debate again because I thought that was more feisty than the second the second much second the second presidential debate when they were circling each other like they were boxing that was cool with that. But yeah the tear to just say debate that one point where he said Don't think just don't stick your finger in my face or don't point to me but you know it is again I think

it is nice to see both of them at least loosen up a little. All right so the debate the next debate is Monday night being moderated by Bob Schieffer from. Yes. I can't remember this one that both are correct. Versity spend a few hours in the sun down there. So I'm having my editorial director Ted will let me go. Yeah. That is not going to happen. I'm just saying I'm hoping the format is. Is it is it mostly foreign policy. It is foreign policy but you can imagine that they're going to deviate to talk about the role of the economy. But that being the central issue in framing the foreign policy debate the other thing of course that will be central in this debate without question will be what happened in Benghazi Libya and the process of of communicating what occurred there the night that the ambassador was killed. And so the spotlight will largely be on Obama. I think he will perhaps be placed on the on the defensive early on that's

just considering how this thing has been playing and they're sitting down at this one. They're sitting down. That's right. They will be able to circle each other like I'm sorry can they retire the town hall format. I just think it's awful it looks like a bad Saturday Night Live with Candy Crowley because of the questions. Well I thought she was fine. I know she was fun to watch her out there walking around and then the people stand up there like oh I want it down their throats in the air. So nervous they can't read their own you know. It's all so rehearsed. It really isn't a free flowing natural style. I enjoyed it. I like it. I always love hearing from you if you will regular people you know I don't watch reality shows but this is the closest to the stage it's sure but the questions you know these are legitimate questions. You can tell from several people that really came from the heart of the guy who asked Obama why should I essentially asked him why should I vote for you again or I forget what the exact question and he muffed that up and said I voted for you in 2012. Why should I vote for you in 2012.

It's like oh there was there was there was a great friend of mine sent me this cut of this video. This clip from the Perot Clinton Bush debate where this one questioner really pushed George W. Bush to ask how the deficit impacted them personally. Oh yeah yeah. And deficit. And she kept needling him you know you. How does it impact you to say that you're just an average person you're not used to you know asking questions. That's the truth. And she just kept going after the president the United States. That's a good example because she kept using the word deficit. Yeah. Which is completely a misnomer. How does the recession so how has the economic downturn. But she didn't mean the deficit. I know I've talked about my issues with the way the debates are run here on here the past. But I think the big the Herald ran this splash page on the front page or they blasted crowd Candy Crowley for her. I thought she was fine. These questions the question. It's not her fault that the questions were just such. Well that's the lesson here for the fact that I just.

And that's a frame that's that's a frame that comes from a great pair of glasses. You know anybody who's not on their side. Candy Candyland was a cover. Well I'll tell you what Obama did was he resurrected his base campaign support. I mean he might not have won over a lot of independents though right. There seems to be some suggestion in some swing states that the fact that it's stabilized in some of those states that he may have actually stopped the bleeding stopped the bleeding and and but he was he was on the offense and that's why I assume that shows his foreign policy will be similar Monday night. I'm sorry it'll be a similar proforma exactly it will be similar. It's Obama's strength but he's trying to turn this into his weakness. I don't know about that because I think the reason I say that is because I think Obama does much better in a you know Obama's not the best person to person campaign or that's clearly what Joe Biden does better than anybody else. The four guys running but I think Romney's strengths are

not in personal interaction and in handling a crowd like that. I think that that type of format plays to Obama's strengths as advantages. I think when it goes back to where they're just one on one again and they're sitting down and that type of a format I think will be much more beneficial to Romney that Obama and you can be sure that for Isn't get into a broad brush stroke you know tell me what you would do to fix the economy. He's going to have more specific questions. And he's also a good fact checker. I mean a lot of people don't think it's the job of a moderator to fact check. I think Tim Russert was the best and Tim Russert was phenomenal. But I think in this day and age where verisimilitude has replaced of facts and truth so often where you can basically create your own truth on a moments notice and hope and hope that people don't go to Google that night. I think you need someone like like Bob Schieffer to do exactly what he will likely do which is to pull these facts out of a hat.

I agree. I don't remember the moderators getting this kind of attention. It's all about moderators it's really kind of well it's particularly hard when you're when you start blaming the moderators It's like blaming the umpire in a game for losing the parts. Well you could make that case here. Atlanta Braves man in that game play off are they. They called out by the way. Oh yes. I was fine. Why go for your Tigers. It is 1 0 0 0. Thank you. Are toast. Yeah I was just I just you know I didn't. A-Rod is apparently A-Rod is A-Rod finished with the Yankees. That's the big story. He's going to get traded to them to the Marlins is the rumor the big the big two part of this was when he was benched. He was flirting with a girl in the house. That's the news on the stands. So the New York Post runs this headline today of a baseball but you know some feminine handwriting It says Dear Yankees we don't date losers love is just huge. That's the whole front. Nothing else but easy how to cash in overnight.

You know we've done that too. It's never really been embraced by New York though he was never embraced the way Derek Jeter was. There are people who have broken that there are some people that will suggest and I do not jokingly I think that Derek Jeter is the greatest Yankee of all time. I don't. Tough real tough tough room and you get in there cause you got man all you got. You got Ruth. All right. You got to be our next manager before we move on. Thumbs up thumbs down ex-manager. You know I'd love to get. I'd love to get the guy in Toronto whose name Sparrow John Farrell used to be. I think you know what I like to follow. I'll tell you Tony Pena it would be a blast from my youth you know because he was a catcher when I was when I was younger and Tony Pena would be you know be great. I still think the Red Sox he's from a PR perspective. Look at the idea of Jason Varitek if Jason Varitek becomes a manager of the ballclub I think that does a great deal to restore some faith in the you know some faith within the fanbase and also nothing they didn't raise ticket prices not just the fan base but what's the big surprise unite the players.

Oh yeah. The more mark against him though is he was a captain during all the chicken and your stuff. We're moving on from baseball and politics. We're going to move on. Thumbs up thumbs down. I'm talking to and working for O'Neill and associates. Garrett Quinn contributor for these magazines and author of The Boston dotcom blog. Less is More. Bill Martin from WGBH and Phil is going to be joining some other panelists and WGBH just basic black tonight. Minder that's on channel 2 at 7:30. They're going to be talking about the debates and what's at stake for both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama coming up. Thumbs up thumbs down on the people places and issues in the news this week on Emily Rooney. You're listening to Boston Public Radio. Elena Moon Park is a musician Korean-American and she had a dilemma. When asked me if I knew any great Korean songs that we could play at our shows. I actually didn't really know

any. So she created an album of kids music from East Asia. It turned out to be something that really to me closer to my family Rabbitt days and dumplings later on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED this afternoon at 4:00 here on eighty nine point seven WGBH funding for our programs comes from you an orchestra of Indian Hill. Maestro Bruce Haggin opens the season with two Revelle masterpieces Daphnis and Chloe suite number two and The Piano Concerto in G-Major October 20th more at Indian Hill music darg and the Harvard innovation lab where entrepreneurs from across Harvard the Austin Community Boston and beyond engage in teaching and learning in pursuit of taking their innovative ideas to the world. I lab at Harvard dot edu. Emily Rooney You're listening to a Boston Public Radio it is time for a thumbs up thumbs down segment where we go over the basic issues of the weekend look at people places and issues and give them our thumbs up thumbs down.

I'm talking to Phil Martin from WGBH. Garrett Quinn author of The Boston dotcom blog less is more. And Murphy from O'Neill and associates. Get your thumbs ready. Thumbs up thumbs down. All right. As we all know we heard the announcement yesterday Tina Brown says that Newsweek magazine is going all digital in 2013 December 31 Earth first is its last hard copy publication. Thumbs up thumbs down. Ladies and gentlemen will Newsweek magazine be here in any form a year from now. Do we think it will. I report it quite it. I a thumbs up. I like it for sure. I want it to survive and if it can survive in this. Are you going to pay to go online to read a weekly news magazine. That's what they want. Yes I'm doing that now for The Atlantic. I'm signing off. I'm signing on to a number of magazines to make sure that they survive. What are you going to do anything doing with them to give their money away. This is a

tax write off I want to know more. I am really glad that they shouldn't take the easy route. OK well no we don't have that right now. We're not. I'm not going to be here. Newsweek the brand. It's done it's over digital thing it's not going to work. No one is going to go on line to read a weekly news. I'll say this. I think the knock against the law people made this off the news was this big liberal rag. I don't think that was the case. I just think their writing wasn't very good. I mean I enjoyed I mean look at the New Yorker The New Yorker at the end of the day well you shot you also have the debate because they do they do actual great journalism and you get The Daily Beast which is free to do just fine public image and good because they own it they own it and that's what is inevitable anyway. You know it's crazy. The daily basis sign onto their Web site and then again to go sign on to the you know click onto the Newsweek thing and pay for it. It's not like the Economist which I also subscribe to The Economist You know like it's more I think it's somehow or another people are rushing to to

subscribe to the economists because they actually believe you're going to get a lot more out of it. And I must say that part of my reason for Newsweek is that it's sentimental. All right. Moving on. Thumbs up thumbs down. This is a big story in the news this week especially up in Maine. That was a thumbs down should Maine law enforcement have released the names of 100 Johns who employed the services of that now famous Zumba instructor turned prostitute. Should they be releasing the names of people who you know service this Gary to saying now prostitution should be legal. First of all. All right. That's another point is saying yes. My concern is that this will never be a prostitution you have trafficking of some sort. I'm not sure in this case but if they're willing to release the names of prostitutes they should be arrested. So the women are going to be playing the show. I agree with you. Yes make the whole thing legal guys even if you make it legal it takes all of this. Well all these not eliminate just yeah. OK. So we got one and two on that one. All right.

He will be here. I don't even know where this came from. But yeah this is racy I should go down should that condom company Trojan be allowed to hand out vibrators on City Hall Plaza. Of course mean you know he's not happy about that but he does he likes to ban fun. So this is just a gimmick. Why do you think. All right. What do you say. Sure why not. Thumbs up Garrett thumbs up. I don't care. I think it's a bet. Put it this way it's a it's important days. But I mean who am I to say I was down. Well I think they just got the publicity. And you know what's the point of a reason to buy condoms. Exactly. We don't need to be. All right let's say moving on to something else. Let's see oh yeah this is a thumbs up thumbs down. Were you impressed by last Sunday's jump from the edge of space flight Daredevil. We like the idea. That was great. I couldn't even. I don't like heights and I was watching and I was getting like my stomach was turning.

At first I thought it was just an awful gimmick but did you guys any of you watch to see if it does. If he would. That's the only reason to watch it. Is so wrong. I watch only him later on later. I mean but the fact of the matter is this whole notion of dare to push boundaries in the private sector wasn't NASA. It was just something about it it was the Boston firm that made his suit not just breaking the speed of sound it's also contributes to science. I don't think we can. Yeah in research. I don't think it was. It wasn't just a bit it was a stunt but it was all right. Was this guy jump from space I think was incredible. All right. Moving along here. Thumbs up thumbs down on the town of Wrentham considering a ban on Black Friday midnight sales this is a zoo every you know people line up and then they run in and buy cabbage patch dolls whatever they do. But they're thinking about banning it because it creates so much bedlam. Thumbs down thumbs down. I'm not I'm not a big I'm not a big planner I'm not a big banner but I'm not a big black. Black Friday was not person black film I wanted to. I do enjoy watching the people that spend all their time strategizing and plotting how they're what do you say.

Well I I thought that they should be able to control it because it's a nightmare safety issue and it's a mess down there. I mean why do people have to go to you know go to the store at midnight. I've never understood what you're going to get the first cabbage whatever it is for myself. Chloes might I wanted to be there is all kinds of crazy stuff happening off the highway at that. I think it's like an issue. It's a safety issue in my eyes. I stood in one of those lines of covering when they had this big rush for toys. I. It took me Elmo or maybe it was like the average bat. People love that stuff. But but the there was 6 a.m. there was a consideration about the impact on the town itself infrastructure. And there was a question about moving on. Imagine you're 22 years old. You've just won 30 million dollars in lottery. Thumbs up thumbs down. Would you take the lump sum or would you take it every time. You're only twenty two. OK. A lot more money you could take it over time to get seven million more. What would you do.

Would you risk yours that you could manage it yourself at a time when we're talking about various funds going insolvent. I would take it all at once because you never know what's going to happen. And so what I would say that it's a tough call Given inflation you're 22. So you know given the state of everything we're now I'd be tempted to take it right now. You are guaranteed some stability by letting it stretch out. But yeah I think I take it right now and speaking of what I would have to say with the two million worth right now is a lot more 30 million right now. It. Well then you can invest it for the 7 million. Some crazy stuff to all of them sound Nike dropping Lance Armstrong as spokesperson after more news came out over his doping scandal. I mean this like what took you so long. Problems up thumbs up bad but thumbs up. Maybe talk about making things legal. Maybe they should just make blood doping the only thing. That you know that screws up history and records enough to change the very definition of sports changes. You know there is a libertarian case for this but I as somewhat

of a purist who hates the D.H. I you know I think steroids in baseball might in our final thumbs up thumbs down here on this Friday afternoon. Thumbs up thumbs down. Are the Patriots going to go to the way of the 2012 Red Sox free and free course everybody in the vision is three and three. What do you think they're into. You know gosh if you told me the Patriots give you three and three at this point I would have said you're crazy. Same here I did the and three and the I. That's what's scary. They'll regroup and I think it's too early because precisely because of this crazy division the secondaries have big problems and just that the secondary has been the proxy for a while. Look get the Jets this weekend. So they're going to be fine. I think they'll be OK. And I want to stay up that late that starts at 8:30. This was before I would if it wasn't for 4:30 Sunday to these games have seemed like flukes anyway. You know the last poll that also the Brady grounding is intentional grinding it last week.

It wasn't just that what points would have made the field go and. I mean how many quarterbacks and Murphy from O'Neill and associates. Garrett Quinn contributor for Regan Z Magazine and author of the Boston dotcom blog less is more and Phil Martin from WGBH mentioned. Tune into the black tonight at 7:30 right after beating the press. Campbell. All right coming up as part of our 30 issues in 30 days election coverage Callie Crossley looks into the crunch. Cities and towns are facing due to pension promises and an impending waiver they all want to override that prop two and a half things. That's what that's all about. Emily Rooney and you're listening to Boston Public Radio on. Hi I'm Brian O'Donovan inviting you and your family to join us for the 10th

anniversary year of a Christmas Celtic sojourn. Maybe holiday music from around the Celtic world step dancing storytelling and even a few surprises. Last year a young man was so inspired by the moment that he actually proposed to his girlfriend and of course she said you never know what will happen. Tickets are selling out the best seats available. Can you would you pick up your tickets at WGBH dot org slash Celtic hope you can make it. We love our contributors. That means you and U-Mass LOL presenting Miriam Margolyes better known to Harry Potter fans as Professor Sprout in a one woman show sponsored by Dickens in Lowell. You can learn more at UML dot edu. Slash Dickens and re-imagining America. A full day of innovative talks by those inspiring great change in our nation at WGBH studios. October 24th presented by state Street Corporation Ted X. New England Dotcom for registration. I'm Callie Crossley and this is Boston Public Radio. There's no shortage of fiscal

challenges facing mayors selectmen and city councillors in Massachusetts it's 300 plus cities and towns. Case in point pensions which on average consume about 20 percent of municipal budgets. If that number sounds like it's out of whack consider Anthony Flynt's assertion. In a recent piece for The Atlantic that if current trends continue over half of every dollar in municipal tax revenue would go to pensions. Flint a fellow at the Lincoln Institute of land policy a think tank in Cambridge Massachusetts and author of a number of books including this land the battle over sprawl and the future of America joins us now by phone. Thanks for being with us. Hey it's great to be here. So Anthony is this the next big financial crisis for cities. A We think a number of us think it is. We thought about illustrating the piece in The Atlantic Cities with a picture of a time bomb but we decided that was maybe a little too aggressive or dramatic but

it really is a kind of a ticking time bomb for local governments. We hear a lot about state pension there about 220 pension systems that are run by state governments. But it's really the local governments the many many more over thousands run by local governments and they're really struggling. They have a lot fewer options to try to deal with these pension payouts that are just growing and growing over time. So you note in your piece that there 220 state pension plans in place but nearly 30 200 located locally administered pensions. Can you give us examples of around here where there are some locally administered pensions. Well the of course the city of Boston does its own tension locally administered pension plan. The biggest example a number of other cities most mostly larger cities

who are responsible for the public employee pensions whether they are for teachers or firefighters or any number of other municipal employees. And the first issue with these is that the way that they're invested of course like everybody's 401k it's taken a real beating since 2008 but a lot of the problem here is that these individual cities and towns through collective bargaining most for the most part have made these deals and in some cases very generous deals to provide these pensions for retired public employees so they're all struggling sort of go a little bit on their own in every case across the commonwealth. So there are obvious ways or maybe not so obvious ways that

cities and towns have tried to handle this by trying to rein in the expenses. Cutting back on services from police patrols is an example shutting off streetlights that's happened in a couple of cities in Massachusetts for certain and in other places as well and laying off employees. It doesn't seem to have made a an impact though in in a serious way to allow for continuing fully funding these pensions and being able to come out on the other side. OK that's right you know it's it's just it's clearly unsustainable. All told and this is research by the way that was in a working paper authored by Tracy Gordon who is from the Brookings Institution for the Lincoln Institute. There's an estimate it's over five hundred billion dollars that are the

unfond debt represent the unfunded pension liability for for local governments. So half a trillion dollars. And so the way that this is going to eat up municipal budgets in the future down the road you know this is just clearly unsustainable so the towns have to go back and and they have to go to the unions and they have to go through a process of negotiation and say look we can't we can't we certainly can't keep doing this for new employees. I mean that's a that's a no brainer. And then also we're going to have to go back and and cut benefits and reorganize things so that it's more reasonable for the current currently retired employees of the state next door that's actually done some interesting things in this regard of course Rhode Island and the state treasurer Gina Amanda. She has led that kind of negotiating process. And it's

tough it's hard. You know these folks were promised these pension plans but it really it really is a case where the cities and towns have to go back in and kind of deconstruct these these very generous pension plans. Well you brought up Rhode Island and there's a new article at Yahoo Finance actually talking about nine states with sinking pensions. Now we're talking States now and we want to make a distinction between You've been talking cities and towns but you reference Rhode Island Rhode Island as one of them our neighbor here in Massachusetts. New Hampshire is another and another state close to us is Connecticut. But let's go back to Rhode Island because you said that they the the Treasurer there had looked at it and tried to figure out ways of beginning to make reform and I wanted to articulate some of the specificity of what happened there. So they transfer form their their pension plans into a hybrid pension and 401k like plan. They raise the retirement age from 62 to 67 and they

limited cost of living expenses. Now this article makes clear that union lawsuits are still in play here but the savings from just these reforms as I've stated are estimated to reach three billion. Now what could a $3 billion do for a state like Rhode Island whose potential liability funding right now is just at 49 percent and they have a total liability of thirteen point four billion. So that can make a big difference. It makes a big difference. I mean when you think about those numbers you think well you know well well it's really only just a start. And it took a lot of work to get there. So it gives you an idea of the challenge of this problem. But what it took was well I think first of all it took it took some leadership. You know Amanda she's she's from the private sector she was in finance. And I think she really understood how this works. You know I'm just going to be

you know the mother of all budget busters and it was just totally unsustainable. And so I think she looked at that and I'm in a very sort of no nonsense straightforward kind of way. I went to the union sand and said you know we've we've got to figure this out together. So it sounds a little bit like a cliche but it's really what has to happen in order to go back in and make these adjustments and sort of turn the dials on these on these pension plans with measures like reducing cost of living benefits and so forth. In Rhode Island they had a particular means or some sort of extras. There's there's there's a double dipping there's this there's a uniform allowance. That's very generous for certain towns. Retired firefighters and you know that's nice you could and you can see how I guess they can you know that some towns would agree to that kind of allowance but you know it's a couple of hundred

bucks a month just to keep the uniform clean. And in this day and age you know the those are the kinds of things that we can just really can no longer afford. Well let me just highlight a couple of words you used. You said you know these are extras and I think you might be able to get people on both sides unions and folks who are trying to figure out how to do reforms to agree on what is extra in a tight economy. But earlier you said reasonable reforms and you know reasonable is in the eye of the beholder. So you know I mentioned the the the reforms that Rhode Island is going forward with like limiting cost of living increases and this hybrid pension 401k and raising the retirement age. And I think maybe a number of people might find that to be reasonable but there may be other more draconian cuts out of desperation in other places that unions feel justified in fighting back so that they're not the fall guy for bad planning or the economy that's hitting everybody in a worse way

yeah well the fee. You're absolutely right. You know this this is pretty hard to speak for for the unions and the public employees who after all you know you go back to as sort of go back to the beginning. The philosophy on this was if you were in public service you probably weren't getting paid quite as much as you could in the private sector. And so this is a way of sort of rewarding public service with a bit of tension and of course we the private sector has long since abandoned the idea of pensions and government is only slowly catching up to the idea that they should even provide pensions versus the defined contribution and such throw and k. But. These these folks were promised these things. And so so it's very very difficult. But I'll tell you it the alternative is the cities and towns just to just going into maggoty and then and then

and the you know the situation has to be very stark indeed is that the worst case scenario. That is what is happening. It's because the way the numbers pencil out these municipalities look at it and they say which we're not going to make it and we can no longer function with these obligations. And so if they declare bankruptcy see Miss California and some other towns in the south and in those cases those pension checks but they just stop coming. So that is the worst case scenario in that regard. Sure. And then there's a town in Mississippi I've heard about as well. What's the best case scenario let's try to leave a little up in this grim tale. No absolutely. You know it just has to be worked out. And again you know I think I think one island that has been very successful in

negotiating that Illinois has been a little I mean the first step I think is to sort of face up to the fact that this is unsustainable for cities and towns. And after all you know we want to keep our cities healthy in a fiscal sense. And in every other regard. So it's really the future health of cities that we're talking about where so many of us live and that's the bottom line recognizing that and taking some leadership to stand up and say you know we've got to go back and undo a few things. And that's always very difficult. You know I started out the piece in The Atlantic with this notion that you know we made some mistakes and cities going back over the years. And an example of that might be urban renewal or central artery or you know city hall plaza you might think these are mistakes that we've had to go

back and fix. And I think in a way locally administered public pension plans are similar. We just have to go back in and do a little retrofitting. All right we'll have to leave it there. Anthony Flynn thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. Anthony Quinn is a fellow at the Lincoln Institute of land policy a think tank in Cambridge Massachusetts. What do you have to say about Anthony's take on pensions and municipal budgets. Join the conversation on Facebook or tweet us at Boston Public Radio city and town budgets might be something you consider as you head to the polls on Election Day but it's just one issue. You can check out more issues all a part of our 30 issues in 30 days. Election coverage online at WGBH dot org. From city budgets to neighborhood news in Jamaica Plain a fight to keep a chain store out. And this time it's not whole foods will take you under the radar for a look at the stories that you might have

missed this week. I'm Callie Crossley and this is Boston Public Radio. As. 40 years ago Richard Nixon went to China and you listen to it back then you realized more things change the government of the People's Republic of China and the government of the United States. Have had a. Great difference. We will have differences in the future. Ryssdal Nixon Shanghai and the street of eternal happiness our series continues next on a marketplace. For me. Tonight at 6:00 here on WGBH radio. WGBH programs exist because of you and Skinner auctioneers and appraiser's presenting an appraisal day in Providence for fine jewelry and American and European works of art.

On Tuesday October 30th at the Rhode Island historical society. More information at Skinner Inc. Dotcom and a Harvard innovation lab where entrepreneurs from across Harvard the Austin Community Boston and beyond engage in teaching and learning in pursuit of taking their innovative ideas to the world. I lab at Harvard dot edu. For. This is Boston Public Radio I'm Callie Crossley. I'm taking a look at the local news and might have missed your radar this week with a turn to the hometown alternative presses and community newspapers. With me now in the studio is Peter Katz the executive editor of The Boston Phoenix. Sue O'Connell the publisher of the South and news in Bay windows and John Roueche the editor of Jamaica Plain Gazette and the mission Hill is it and once again John Ruesch we have to start with you because great for your papers and you can work at the lab.

And you got another Annie Duke story that shows that she was doing the same kind of thing maybe at a prior lab job. Yes she worked at another lab in the same building. This is called mass biologics and it's a non-profit subsidiary of UMass Medical School that makes vaccines. And so she was there about 10 years ago and UMass Medical oddly has not wanted to confirm that she worked with her she had a different last name at the time and they just basically claim there's no way they can possibly figure out if this was the same person. Very strange. So we had a former co-worker of hers there get in touch with us and say yes of course it's the same person. And and in retrospect she was Annie Duke and was lying about having a higher degree at that time and that she cut corners on kind of a minor procedure where you're supposed to have a you know kind of a manual open next to you as you do these these testings.

And she didn't do it and you know who cares then. But in retrospect just like maybe we should check out her work on vaccines a little a little disturbing. So UMass Medical School is not really showing any interest in doing that. Hopefully somebody will. Wow. I mean this story just continues to say to me you know one person can have a huge impact. Yeah because I kept questioning that at the beginning but it turns out wow. One person going to get back to me. It's also sort of one of those emblematic story that happens in every time. I mean it's it's not unique to these days or you know I'm I'm frequently amazed that everybody stops at red lights. I mean the amount of of things that we do right as a human society is amazing. So when you have someone who completely goes off the rails it's stunning. And you know it's also about just checking the references and going through those motions. I mean I think I certainly am guilty of not completely checking references every time

I've hired someone and now I'm you know certainly not in this business of vaccines. But you would think that these institutions that that would you know definitely check references and check that you graduated and check these things just didn't. And it is stunning the amount of impact that it has had across all sorts of boundaries. You know I hate to be boring. No I don't bring a racial component into this. I say this. You know I've had references check back to when I was in kindergarten. Every black person you're just not going anywhere when everybody hasn't checked you out. Talk to people three or four times. You know I mean it's just amazing to me that there are folks whose stuff just doesn't get checked. So it's also amazing what people think they'll get away with it. Phoenix I obviously won't mention any names but someone was hired for you know fairly responsible middle level job. And when you sign the line that's always contingent upon successful

rapid check and help to lay out the door. I mean it's amazing what people think in this day and age. They can go other way and I'll say that point I would suggest that don't follow up. I work at the Phoenix well and during one of the people I was hiring he lied about his position on a football game in high school on his resume. And we we we fired him you know. And I'm thinking well holy cow the Boston Phoenix has hot you know more stringent hiring practices than a hospital or than the public for these kids. Right. Well I think the good news for all of this you know in the wake of Annie Duke and in this whole lab fiasco is that there's going to be a lot more checking going on. So anyway John Rouche it looks like you'll just have more and more stories as this continues. I hope more and more of them are good news instead of bad. But yeah the downward spiral continuing.

All right. Well speaking of interesting news from Phoenix and I have to say that David Bernstein informed me about something I didn't know. As we say here all the time when we do the stories under the radar from the press is that often get these stories first and then they end up in mainstream. Well this is mainstream writ ten times. Peter Katz is David Bernstein's piece about the binder that Mitt Romney referred to went viral as they say listen I'm watching the debate. I was also following it on Twitter and I'm following David and David. Mitt Romney mentioned the woman David just tweets he says I'm not sure that's right. I'm going check it out. And I just thought oh crashed the servers right across the river. We were up till yesterday getting 3000 hits a second. Wow. And what's also interesting is that 50 percent of that traffic was coming from social media I mean in some ways yes there's a big political story here but it is just

amazing the degree to which news has been institutionalized. You know that that was just what I mean I've been remiss in case people are saying I missed this. Tell me what happened. Mitt Romney in the last debate former Governor Mitt Romney mentioned when asked about hiring women his very good record of hiring women. And in fact he did have a good record he hired 14 women out of 33 in his cabinet high level positions and he said. But to get there when he was first presented with candidates there were no women so he asked for and this is the piece that's contested and that David Bernstein from the Phoenix went back to corroborate or say no that wasn't true. He said he asked for binders meaning binders of resumes for women who would be appropriate for those jobs. Well David Bernstein wrote was actually no it was a coalition of women's groups who had put together the binders of resumes of women to give to both

candidates because they didn't know it was going to win. And whoever won they wanted to make sure that women were placed in high level positions and folks knew that there were absolutely qualified women for those positions. So he did hire he did and he did hire but he did not gather the binder. No he obviously didn't have any women surrounding him other than maybe Kerry Healey to ask. I mean it reminds me I mean speak about the race issue and the women's issue to me is almost identical. You know when you have an open position it's just like gee where are we going to find a qualified black person to do this. They don't exist we're going to have to go we're going to go look for them. And that's what it reeked of. To me you know it's also I have made an entire career over the past two years by just saying that Mitt Romney is a big fat liar. And every time he speaks of something about Massachusetts all of us who have covered him for these many years know that we weren't asleep he might have been asleep or he might have rewritten his history. But many of the things that he talks about although true yes he

did hire more women are also true that he didn't seek this binder it was given to him. And the way that he talks about things I think the language that he chooses is also important. And I think that when you know he's got as as President Obama said and I don't disagree that I think Mitt Romney is a good man who is a caring man and if I were drowning off the shore Wolfeboro I'd want his entire family to rescue me as well. But at the same time there is a big disconnect between how he sees people as a mass and how he interacts with them individually and binders full with women I think is indicative of that. It's just the term was so you know I was I was chatting with somebody online during the debate kind of exchanging one liners. But you know the second he said that word like it sounds like a porn collection is what it sounds like so awful awful sounding and I think it goes too. You know I mean anybody can misspeak in a debate. I'll probably do it here on the radio. But you know it's so so

comfortable with the people who are just like him and people who aren't. He speaks in very stilted uncomfortable ways about such as you know this very objectified binders full of women. And it's not the objectification of women it's the objectification of all of the rest of us. That's the part that gets me. I don't even really see it as that. That part of it as a feminist I mean it's sexy because binder filled with women does sound like a weird dating service or something but it's just that that's how he looks at the people. I can't wait for Saturday Night Live. Yeah that'll be interesting. And by the way we should say that David peace not only went viral among what we would call mainstream news organizations and social media to this point. But also it's become you know there are all kinds of Mame's there's all kinds of funny takes on it. So Saturday Night Live is gonna have to work some to really top that. But but just to be clear this was a you know a serious piece in which a serious journalist David Bernstein you know following information

and doing that kind of work that he usually does follows up. And the second part of that is Mitt Romney was not clear about the binders coming to him but he did hire the women you say that OK now Tree Burle fee. Sue O'Connell this is a new one on me. I thought it was a joke but apparently not. No and this is you know this in the scheme of life humane I think this is a big deal but it is you know someone had been going around shaving bark off trees all around the emerald necklace and all through a couple of trees in the south and and it's it's damage to the trees. I mean you can look at it from a financial standpoint that these are trees that could die and we're trying to you know keep them alive and make the environment better for all of us. And at the same time someone is doing this and they tracked him down the Boston police were able to find him and arrest him. But it also speaks to the issue of damage that's done to our green life around the emerald necklace that happens on a

regular basis that just doesn't doesn't make it into the news. And you know it's it's one of those I've gotten a lot of a lot of heat for it. And so I'm just you know who cares that a tree was being attacked. But it's trees and it's an important issue. I mean John is shaking his head in agreement as well because I know that the Jamaica plane actually was impacted more than the south and was in this case. And you know you've got more green than we have and it's an ongoing issue yeah. We've got. All right John let me just make clear that the barrels of people in the world. So it's that sort of round kind of grain pattern and the reason that they're going after it is that you can use it in woodworking sculpture and inlays in the interiors of high end automobiles which you know I just want to put this together John. Exactly. Well I mean it is it has been an issue in Jaypee and will be we'll be covering that in our next issue. And you know of course it's the opposite. JPI I will get yelled at if I don't mention the referee in every paper

and that's a good thing. And it is incredibly destructive and especially on the Emerald Necklace where a lot of those trees are very old you know a century plus old. And many of them already nearing their lifespan and having to be removed for Disease issues and stuff. You've got the Arbre way and the Jamaica way they're kind of transforming in that sense they're not going to have those classical calling to us because they don't you know I'm a city girl so when I see that a tree has this this buckle sort of shaved off it I don't necessarily think that someone stole it. You know I think maybe that's Parks and Recreation doing their job maybe it was damaged you know so it's one of those sort of very visible crimes that happened that we just don't notice and it really does have an impact. And it's sort of someone said to me that it's sort of the copper piping stealing Yeah this year you know that people are now just finding whatever they can to steal and resell. And you know who knew. Like you who knew what you use it for. You know I would you

know. But it is also indicative of the economy and for me I just feel a lot worse than the copper piping because it's definitely a living thing. Yeah. And it's something it's a it's a truly anti-social act of stealing the copper piping is just good old traditional theft right. It's not nice but it was a long process. But in this is also a crime that's infused with you know a real nasty class aspect of it and the high end woodworking high end cause it it it it really when I read that story I found it incredibly disturbing. I think that more people are going to pay attention now and I think the police will begin some assistance as people start paying closer attention to looking at those trees you know saying watching people who are hanging around them in ways they hadn't in the past. All right. Where I come from John Roche they talk about a nickel fight in a dollar fine. There is a fight going on in JP. We have a lot of it.

I just got the family dollar the discount chain wants to come to JP on Washington Street which is you know one of the remaining kind of working class areas of JP and they want to open you know us fairly small but suburban style store with a parking lot around it and so forth. It's on a totally vacant location right now or there is a chicken shop that failed and an old nightclub that's been sitting there empty for years so nobody really likes what's there now but but the abutting property owners about 30 of them did come out in force to oppose the family dollar as as proposed for you know possibly just doesn't look nice and maybe it doesn't get the neighborhood to where we want it to be. And I think this is just part of JP ongoing skepticism of chain stores coming in with kind of that monoculture approach.

You know we've driven out dominoes on many occasions in recent years. Whole Foods there was enormous controversy over that ended up kind of dividing the community what I think is interesting is that obviously we're talking about two totally different scales between family dollar debate and Whole Foods debate but Whole Foods garnered a lot of support for frankly being pricey and making us feel good about ourselves. I think this is drawing some negativity because it's stuff people can actually afford and that doesn't make us feel as good. I mean some people have stated in your piece they're concerned about the Family Dollar store driving down their property values where Whole Foods is only going to pump it up. It's not going to ever right in theory. You know but I mean that's the issue for them that it seems a little you know speaking to Peter mentioning classes a little low class family dollar. But this is a very poor family dollar. I've got to be on record as saying that if you don't go into family dollar on a regular basis you are absolutely missing. OK

you are crazy. You can do a five course meal from what they sell in Family Dollar. I support the idea of opposing chains that come into neighborhoods. I completely get behind that. And I love that Jamaica Plain can be upset that you know healthy good foods hiring people from the neighborhood like Whole Foods is bad but equally bad is you know Family Dollar which you can go in and get wrapping paper you can get Christmas cards holiday cards you can get cleaning supplies and you know I just it just is enormously entertaining to be at the Family Dollar. They're doing very well according to the spokesperson there and particularly in a down economy. Absolutely people that may not have shop there before he discovered them Peter. Yeah. I mean as JP resident I would say welcome. You know come on in. You know I don't. No offense to McDonald's. I like their burgers. But that to me is the sort of chain mentality of the

family dollar is a good deal for residents. And I don't see how it has a negative impact on property values. Well the Family Dollar and I only know this I don't know this for a fact. I only know it from the inside the family dollar tend to be in the areas of cities that are more economically distressed. That's an island way inland. You know why. You know I recognize that is something that we are this is going the fact is if nothing there is nothing there. There there are people there are low income people who've been in Jamaica Plain for a long time. As far as I'm concerned if a family is going to make it easy for them to live there great. I mean to me it seems anti-ID neighborly you know to be opposed to it. Well and the other thing is it is offering employment here as it happens and employees right there from the neighborhood will get higher or maybe more than that they've been big.

Yeah and probably with health insurance I mean problem with everything. All right brain cell. So what so there's another meeting about this. This is not done. This is just the beginning right of this is not yet scheduled but yes more to come. It will require zoning variances and all that some more. More process and chit chat to come. OK Peter I'm very interested in Mike Connelly who is actually in my neighborhood a no money campaign money Mike no money. Well this is a story Chris for own wrote it's very interesting. I mean I think most of us have this stereotypical image of the occupier as someone who's three days away from a shower and you know maybe may have dreadlocks Well Mike Conley who's running for state representative in the district that includes Cambridge and Somerville is a 6:04 they'd form a Duke football player who wears a jacket and tie and went to Boston College Law School. He's a guy who was

radicalized by joining the Occupy movement and he's running an entirely grassroots campaign if you will accept no campaign contributions. Now what's interesting is he's running against an old and respected veteran. To me Jim to me Tim to me thank you who is both the Cambridge city councillor and a state representative. Now Connolly is very creatively using this against him to sort of drive a wedge in saying this is shortchanging his constituents and Sommerville frankly I had never thought of it that way. Maybe there's a point there but it's just very interesting because this to me is the real first manifestation of Occupy really impacting the real political world and and through this guy and his the way he's approaching it articulating them the mission

that was focused on income inequality. Well let me begin by saying I'm not asking for money. I want your vote. And let's just try to get money out of politics and as you say How's it campaigning. Well he's he and his supporters are not the good old fashioned way. Knocking on doors might say what are some issues that he stands out of them while he's strongly against gambling gaming which is something that Tim Toomey voted in favor of. That's just one sort of issue but it was fascinating and it'll be very interesting to see how this race turns out. I think he's a long shot candidate but I'd be interested to see you know how many votes he gets. Well a couple of things from what you're picking up on what you said first of all Willie Lynn Tieger was you know crucified for holding down two jobs. Let's just point that out. And that was greatly discussed. This is not a far fetched don't know it's not good for a stand for

Mike Connelly to take place. Most people don't know. I mean I had a great meeting with a Boston city councilor not long ago when he said he was finally able to give up my law firm and now I can do this. Will you people have other jobs. Now I don't know many of the elected officials that's not their only gig whether it's you know in service or their law firm or their insurance agencies. You know it's it's a it's a pipe dream for us to think that all they're doing is representing us. Yeah. No I think probably most people have to keep another job because these jobs aren't paying that much money. But but the thing will end in tears that he had to jump to an elected jobs and the question was where's your attention. So I'm saying that's not that's not a good thing to bring up from my Conneally and the other thing is just just to see him articulate the the Occupy mission which is that we've got to get you know get money away from this and really think about how it can be distributed to all across the community. John. Yeah. And it's interesting to see him attempting and he and he's pledged I believe

that if he's in office he's also going to not raise money right. I don't know how that will work just if he wins. That would be really interesting to see because it's one thing to run as kind of a novelty candidate on that issue. And he'll get some free press attention for doing that. When you're in office we know how corrupting money can be but money can also be very helpful and frankly there's a lot of people who go to a state raptor like I can't afford my heating bill and they will quietly cut a check or something that you know can he do that. I don't know. But it will be fascinating to see a lot of the communications that people receive from their elected officials is actually from their campaign. You know so you know you get a newsletter from your elected official and it's paid for by the such and such campaign. So would if he got elected would they feel like he wasn't paying attention to them. Well you know is it. Would it be considered raising money if he didn't raise money and not ask for money. But some people came to him and said Look out fund your newsletter right. I don't know how that's regarded in that sense. We'll have to wait and see.

I'm guessing that candidates like no one he court are you know so digitally oriented that the you know they live in a world without direct mail. Well thing just on the side. I wish I did think that enough is enough direct mail in my mailbox so far. Well I hear you. And by the way I should mention that he also got inspired by being a part of Ruut strikers and that's a group that Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig founded as you know Lawrence Lessig. Other issue has been getting the money out of politics and also letting the rest of us know how much money is actually in politics which is quite a lot even more than we've heard about. Back to you Peter Katz is for this huge piece we have about Big Pharma and prescription opiates that have as you as the headline says Retallack on the Baystate well consider two facts that in recent years almost five times as many Massachusetts residents

have died as a result of the opiates then died in service in Afghanistan. Nationally over 15000 annually die as a result of opium based prescription painkillers. Far outstripping heroin and cocaine as a cause of death. And this piece was a real eye opener for me because it showed how big pharma the big pharmaceutical companies have so successfully lobbied doctors and regulators on both the federal and local level level to basically say oh don't worry this stuff's not addicting. You know we are if just used properly as the piece points out that sort of smacks of the arguments that big tobacco

made years ago about tobacco only the the impact is much quicker. It's another thing that the story really doesn't go into that. I wonder if this problem is so acute in Massachusetts because we're such an affluent state. You know and that people can afford they have medical coverage. And I know in Maine for example up a roost the county some people have their teeth pulled. Oh my goodness. Just so they can get a prescription for OxyContin. Well I should point out that we we interviewed a guy who did a film about Charlestown and the end the epidemic of Oxycontin there. Johnny Hickey have since been arrested again he has had a troubled life but he called the film oxymorons. And that was the gritty side. You talked about here with the sort of the executives. You have a lot of wonderful scientific facts and tracing this whole pattern through

the time of how it came to be and what has happened and the impact his whole film was about the people. And you really got an up close look at how harsh it impacted a community that for folks who were willing to do as you've just suggested with that man pulling teeth to get it. So it's a it's a significant problem as he articulated in his film. And and as you have in this piece. Well I hate to end on that sort of down note but there we go. Because we're out of time here. And I you know that was just an important piece of that people should mention but there's lots of stuff going on with each of you in your individual news organizations and I urge people to take a look at it. We've been hitting the rewind button on the week's local news with Peter Katz's of the Boston Phoenix. Sue O'Connell of the South and news and bay windows and John Rouche of the Jamaica Plain Gazette and the Mission Hill Gazette. Thank you all very much. Thank you. That is the sound of our Frayser performance studio where Edgar Herrick is. Hey Kelly How's it

going over there in Studio 3A. It's good sounding good where you are. Yeah they're just warming up we're putting the finishing touches on here we're going to have a live performance. This is going to be some new Orleans style street music. A pretty eclectic group of instruments sitting in front of me here banjo or trombone trumpet the whole nine yards is going to be happening in just a minute right here on Boston Public Radio. We call it New Orleans where I'm from. OK. That's how he's got style music coming up on the 3rd. I'm Callie Crossley. This is Boston Public Radio. 30 issues in 30 days WGBH news. Election coverage examines climate change. The record shows that in the last hundred years we were up almost three degrees medical and scientific research. Yes they would love to cure cancer unless they're not going to make a profit doing 30 issues in 30 days continue through Election Day on Boston Public Radio and online at WGBH news dot org.

This program has made possible thanks to you and Harvard Vanguard medical associates offering complete health care for you and your family. With 21 locations across Greater Boston Harvard Vanguard welcomes new patients and accepts most insurance care made easy dot org an affiliate of atriums health and the Massachusetts Teachers Association reminding you that learning doesn't just happen in the classroom. It happens all day every day. Working together parents and teachers can make this a successful school year for every child in Massachusetts. Or be her third. And you are listening to Boston Public Radio. We've got a special live performance for you here today in our Frayser performance studio. So this is a band called Baby soda. And I want to read a little bit from their web site about how they describe themselves. They say that they're involved in a movement loosely known as street jazz an eclectic set of influence and ranging from 30s era swing to New Orleans jazz to Southern Gospel.

I could sit here and try to explain it to you but I think the best thing to do is to get right to some music and hear it for yourself. So here it is baby SOTA live from the Frayser performance Studio 1 2 1. On. In. Your. Training when the weather changes. You'll see a change in my walk with

my camera. Nothing is gonna. Change the way I'm living. I'm not paying enough. I'll even change the way I start my body. When your. Language changes. Of. Course.

That's. Fine. It's. The.

Change. In the world changing the sea change and may. Well be different. I'm not.

Some. Of. This. That is the sound of a baby soda jazz band live here on Boston Public Radio

from our Frayser performance studio. They are at New Orleans style Street Band. I've got a couple of the members of the band coming over to sit down with me right now. I'm talking right now they're getting into place. Here we go. I've got Peter Ford who plays bass for baby SOTA. You might've just heard him taking a bass solo right there. And also Jared angle who's on the banjo. How you doing guys doing. Good thanks for being with us. Thanks for having us. That song that we just heard there will be some changes made. And what is that. Is that your own song is this one of the songs of the quote unquote canon. Whereas that's that's definitely a song within the canon. You know if you test us on our history or some of these songs we're probably going to fall short yeah that's OK. The song included perhaps but I mean there's a great version of fats Waller that I've heard of him put in that song so it's at least 80 years old or older. Great songwriter. Yeah. So it's interesting to me that this style of music. It's almost like it's like you're wandering down the street and you just hear somebody just having a conversation in Latin right it's something that you

like here of is like something from another time or dead language or something like that. And here's you know a bunch of young players I look over at you guys playing this stuff with a lot of vibrancy a lot of energy. Where does it come from how did you guys come to this music. A lot of us came through it through different ways some of us have gone to school and actually maybe have grown up with it from parents who played record collections. Geraldine in particular were mostly introduced to the actual playing it through another street band called the loose marbles. Back around 2005 2006. And so we would go out and busk in Washington Square Park and a lot of how we learned a lot of these tunes with bands share tunes like oh I'm on a gig and I don't know this particular tune but the chord player seems to know it and the trumpet player knows it and everybody else is. And you know in the hot seat to just pick it up while you're playing it on a performance. Peter when you say buske for somebody who doesn't know that it's a form of playing in the street in the park acoustically and asking for tips and selling a few CDs. Interesting. So Jared what do you know when we talk about things like the Canon and the scene

for this music. What is it like is there a lot of people that are playing this. There are a lot of people certainly in Brooklyn where we live. There's a really healthy scene about at least four or five bands that are going very strong you know playing this this can in this repertoire of early jazz songs. And to me it really seems like it's a movement that's gaining speed and I think that you know one that's really that even like rival in the the sort of bebop jazz scene that's that's been you know kind of the forefront jazz scene for a long time. Can you put your finger on why people are maybe sort of moving in the direction of this man I think is something. Maybe in the culture you see a little bit of of you know kind of depression era clothing on people making a comeback certainly a show like Boardwalk Empire the economy the economy music got a lot of the last the president why not give it a shot. So what draws you guys and why do you think the movement's game is gaining steam right now.

Peter I think that Jazz went through a long period without being too scholarly about it where it was trying to be American art music and there are many people that still are. And it was losing a lot of audience members because it was too emotionally abstract and bring you yeah. Brainy and some people that's great. And they love that. A lot of audiences can't necessarily follow that. And then they rediscover this music that was maybe the music of their grandparents in many cases. And they find you know it's got a little They may not know this is what it is. It's got melody. It's got great forms and has great harmonic structure a lot of these tunes as an improviser. There's a lot of room as an instrumentalist to shape your own solo to play with the arrangement to interplay with each other whereas there's some other more modern things which don't really give you actually that much wiggle room there there's you know it's kind of set and you're really playing the melody or you're off in space and if I may I think one of the really great things about this this era of jazz that has a great groove to a really great feel and I think that is what makes it much more interactive than certainly some styles of just so it really Burnand

bebop. I'm not a fan. I love bebop but I'm just saying that I think that like for example that you can dance to this music with American Jeff love dance music and you'd have thousands of people go out to the Savoy Ballroom or that's what they wanted to do. All right. That's great. I want to talk a little bit more about the dance aspect of this improvising and interplay in a minute but I want to hear some more music of before then so we're going to get another second real quickly as the band sets up back here though. Peter I want you to talk about your base which for those of you who can't see what is everybody on the radio we've got photos up on our Web site and also on our Twitter feed. That's boss public radio Peter is playing a bass that is a box with a stick and a string for kids. I started playing bass with another band in 2004 and after a year of playing washtub which is a very similar idea for folks who don't know it's a metal galvanized bucket with a broomstick and a string. I was very limited I was frustrated with the musical limitations of the instrument. So I started tinkering around with wooden boxes to try to warm up the sound make it a little punch here a little warmer and this kind of exceeded my expectations it was just kind of serendipitous. So you know

it's actually based on the shape of of a bistro that we play on Saturday nights. It's a wedge shaped building so I made the box a wedge because it a base number of of basic acoustic engineering principles about no parallel sides and standing waves and all that. Very cool so there's a picture of that on our Twitter feed that's boss public radio Twitter feed. Peter real quick what's the song we're going to hear now. Darkness on the Delta darkness on the Delta. All right this is a baby soda jazz band. Live from the Fraser performance studio right here on Boston Public Radio. When there's not a doubt my heart is feeling like

it's dark. On the shelves. Around. People say. I'm so lucky. Me me this is. No. I.

Mean.

Just. Last. Night A. Man. Is. Shining bright. On.

A. This. That is the sound of baby soda jazz band live from the Fraser performance studio here on Boston Public Radio. We're having a couple other the band members join us over here. You heard vocals on that last tune right there from Tamar Korn who sing with me here as well as Emily Asher who played trombone for baby SOTA thanks for thanks for being here. You too humble and having us. So as a vocalist tomorrow I'm interested in sort of how you first got interested in this music and what your approach is. It's interesting because you're saying in some words there but also we hear you kind of do in your ear like another instrument in the band. That's that's why I love I love language

and I like them. I mean like Peter was saying the great melodies and these tunes sort of marry these. They really marry music and language these beautiful stories and I just always love to be part of the music not just in the forefront as a singer a human being but like a creature with all the rest of you guys. And that's what I loved about. I'm actually at the same sort of moment in time as Jared and Peter were talking about having met the lost marbles right before they were the lowest marbles. The clarinet player Michael Magra of that band I had been playing with a lot with him and this guitar player Jake Sanders who moved to Chicago about a year ago. But I had a band with him for years and basically playing with fam and hearing the clarinet and all of the horns. This all this early New Orleans stuff with all the counterpoint all the layering of

of instrumentation gave me more space to add to that the whole of an environment of sound which I already love to do but it was sort of my Eureka. When I got into this stuff. Very cool. Very cool Sparr mentation. EMILY Yes as a trombone player who I assume has played in other styles than this. You know we heard Peter and the gang earlier talking about interplay improvising space. What does it mean to you as a player to have that kind of space in the music. Well that's one of the most rewarding things about this particular style is you're improvising all the time but within the specific rules of the ensemble and when you're playing with guys who are at this level who understand this style it's really wonderful and freeing as well as very comfortably secure to play this what's called a tailgate style. And so I'm playing the low ends of the harmonies

and creating counter melodies along with. So it's there's a compositional element to it yeah maybe more than even just soloing that you're really creating a line with it and that's it's just a really satisfying adventure adventure. Let's have another adventure now we're running a little short on time so I want to get another live song in so let's have another short one from the gang here is the baby soda jazz band and I should mention that they are in town playing live tonight. You can see them at a place called the Crosby whistlestop. This is in Sullivan Square and they're actually playing at a Boston swing central dance. So you don't have to dance but if you go you can dance let's hear a little bit more of the music from baby SOTA live on Boston Public Radio. I hear music in the hands of a. I hear music in the.

Belly. Yes I do believe it. I mean I hear music in the house in a. Play. Yes. It's.

For an eight. Hour.

And. 8. 8. 8. 8.

8. 8. Hour that is the sound of baby soda jazz band playing. That's a gospel song from the 40s Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Above my head I hear music in the air. Amazing version of that we're live in the Fraser performance studio. We're out of time. We're out of time here so I just want to say thanks to the band. Emily Asher on trombone

Gordon out on trumpet William Anderson on clarinet and sax Phil McGowan on the drums Jarrett angle on banjo to Mark Korn on vocals and Peter Ford on bass. Peter thanks for bringing the gang here today to Baltimore. Like I said they're going to be playing tonight in Sullivan Square. More information about that on our Web site. And also Boston's swing central. There you go in Boston swing central darg. You can find us on our Web site also baby SOTA it's on our Web site Kallie is back with me in the studio. Guys can you play a little music get us out of here. Here we go baby soda jazz band live on Boston Public Radio what do you think. Oh I love it. This is just reminds me of New Orleans all the time so it's fabulous. I'm going to do it for us today. The conversation continues 24 hours a day on our Facebook page and I hope you will join us there. We'll be back Monday from noon to when we turn our focus to President Barack Obama. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's competing visions of the future. It's all part of our 30 issues and 30

days election coverage. I'm Kelly Crosley. Boston Public Radio is a production of WGBH other hot. Spots for