The Emily Rooney Show

From WGBH in Boston this is the Emily Rooney show. It's Wednesday May 19 2010 I'm Emily Rooney. On today's show politics politics politics. This is what democracy looks like. Party movement is huge. We have something very important since the days right after. The you know. Popped up claims and Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter among the party backed candidates losing their primaries and. Then a grain of her village to. Come back in the United States Senate. Look only one Democratic contender is out of the race for governor Grace Ross does not get her signatures then. But between takes with Terri Stanley. Fashion and power players. We'll have all that and more coming up on the Emily Rooney show. But first. The news. From NPR News in Washington on trial Snyder at the White House today the

U.S. Marine band held President Obama welcome his Mexican counterpart. Mr. Obama greeted Mexican President Felipe Calderon in a ceremony on the South Lawn. Both pledged to cooperate on the challenges facing Mexico and the U.S. with President Obama saying they must stand together and you and the Mexican people draw strength from your proud past. To forge your future. We recall the words of the great Kovio POS who said between tradition and modernity there is a bridge. With this visit we can also strengthen the many bridges that bind our two nations an immigration overhaul is expected to dominate their talks counter on again condemned Arizona's tough new law today calling it discriminatory to Mexicans. The two are due to hold a joint news conference shortly. Officials say tar balls found on the shorelines of the Florida Keys are not connected to the massive oil spill in the Gulf of

Mexico. Phil Lance mmon with member station WEAA our in has details from Miami. The Coast Guard's testing of tar balls discovered on beaches in Key West and the drive toward to this shows conclusively that the materials do not match the type of oil leaking from the Deepwater Horizon rig. That's a relief but perhaps only a temporary one for Monreal County Emergency Management spokeswoman Becky Heron who says residents of the keys remain vigilant it's a relief to know that the oil from the week has not reached the Florida Keys certainly of course. So you have to keep in mind that we're still preparing for the possibility and keeping a real close eye on what's happening with that oil leak. So that. If it does happen already Herron says its source may have been related to local boaters keys tourism officials have been inundated with questions about the wayward tars since it started appearing on beaches earlier this week. For NPR News I'm Phil last been in Miami. Senate confirmation hearings for President Obama's Supreme Court nominee have been sent

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy of Vermont says the hearings for Elena Kagan will begin on June 28. Today Kagan is on Capitol Hill for more one on one meetings with senators who will be voting on her nomination. Sporadic clashes are still being reported in Thailand's capital. Thai troops are using gunfire to disperse Red Shirt protesters after they stormed a protesting can and today they forced protest leaders to give but triggered clashes that have killed at least six people and wounded scores. Riots and fires have swept through Bangkok a nighttime curfew is in effect in the capital and in at least 23 other provinces. Stocks have resumed their slide on still unanswered questions about the debt crisis in Europe the Dow right now down 167 points. This is NPR News. It's live and it's local. Coming up next two hours of local talk the Emily Rooney show and the callee Crossley Show. Only on WGBH.

Good afternoon you're listening to the Emily Rooney show Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker may just be on to something. His new campaign slogan had enough seems to have been yesterday's watchword. As a handful of congressional incumbents and candidates handpicked by national party leaders went down to defeat including 30 year veteran Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania in Kentucky Rand Paul the son of the one time presidential candidate Ron Paul is the GOP nominee in the Senate race. He had the backing of the Tea Party we're going to get to all of that more in a few minutes but first I want to check in with Grace Ross who this morning announced she was ending her bid for the Democratic Party nomination for governor right here in the state of Massachusetts. Welcome Grace. Hi how are you Emily. What happened. You know we got half of the signatures. No no we're much closer than that. They they take them quite a long time to get all

that stuff sorted out and we could fight about some of it. Cities that showed very low sort of abnormally low verification rates but we looked at the math and we don't think we have the signatures any any way you cut it what happened is what I think is going to be a litmus test for this election in Massachusetts which is that the people on the ground obviously want another choice you know we're polling at 27 percent. If we were in the final for November having been in the race or as you know three months and that I mean so much money so people are ready for a change. The problem is that the process really requires the sort of the electoral volunteers the people who understand something about the signature gathering process to be engaged. And we found that the same anger on the ground that I think is you know very legitimate around jobs and housing and health care that's stressing everybody else acting out the volunteers. If that's the case if that's the case and then you would be the perfect one for people

to at least want to have on the ballot. Is it right that onerous to get 10000 signatures. The issue is it's a lot of signatures. Most of the campaigns buy their signatures right most of them they've already started. Yeah they either pay someone or they hire stick staff people as one of the Treasurer candidates who is more honest that made you know that. He was hoping I would be in the race and that but that the way he did it was to have thick staff people out helping to collect the signatures. So you know I think that we've set up a hurdle which is to remember for independent candidates in this state. They get twice this law because they want a one a law suit showing that it was unrealistic to expect folks to get signatures in this time period. Now I don't know what 12 years ago 18 years ago which is why they get twice as long signatures if the major parties and the independent and minor party candidates exist under a different set of rules where for instance the governor and lieutenant governor is running teams

etc. and what we've seen is in the major parties where you know. Will this ability be different because the race is supposed to be determined by those voters in the primary. We're seeing coach running of crickets again as independent candidates do what that does is it double the amount of money and volunteers etc. etc. it is only supposed to exist in the independent races. So we need one federal died and I think you know we didn't waste as much time there. Well I was going to ask that next M&A Grace Ross who dropped out of the race for governor on the Democratic ticket this morning would you have been better off Grace you just stuck with a green rainbow party. They were running on that to you know I don't think so because I think that the that the anger on the ground is really focused on anybody any sort of government institution or party that's not addressing the issues of regular people and I think that's really the issue here is if my voice is not in the race the people of Massachusetts need to not give up fighting for the

real needs of the real people. Are you going to support. Democratic candidate Governor Deval Patrick. I am going to support any Democrats who stand on that platform of really you know getting away from tax breaks to corporations and moving our money and finances and political will behind the needs of regular people the governor and I have spoken and he knows where I stand. I think that he respects that position. And we I think that we have have to continue to fight for government to be meaningful to regular people and it is a reason why people are moving over to tea party politics which is the experience of paying our tax dollars and they don't come back to us. They go you know to big corporations. I don't know take them the game and islands or whatever and. But that's. You know people are angry for a reason and I think I did. Democratic Party and the Democratic leadership is going to stand up and say OK we are changing course and start putting some real policies on the ground that people can

feel the difference where they're not worried about whether their employment unemployment is going to last till the next job. They're not worried about being willing to pay a rent or a mortgage but having a big bank not well right you know. Yeah. All right Grace Ross call good luck. Good luck with your next endeavor. Thanks so much. All right. All right that was Grace Ross who this morning 10 o'clock this morning announced she's ending her bid for the Democratic Party for governor saying that she could not get the signatures I'm joined here in the studio. We're going to talk about that. The local governor's race some of the things that happened in primaries around the country and my favorite story of the week which is because of course Richard Blumenthal Connecticut attorney general running for Senate joined in the studio by David Bernstein political reporter for The Boston Phoenix. And Tom Whalen associate professor of social science at Boston University Welcome to both of you. But where is Grace Ross getting that figure from. Twenty seven percent. Yeah that was the latest Rasmussen poll the one that showed Deval Patrick and he had a 45. They also wasn't very well publicized but they also ran the

numbers on Grace Ross as the nominee. And she actually scored quite well 27 percent think just ahead of Charlie Baker I think behind Cahill. But you know. There's a lot of Democrats who are going to vote for the dice right now. If she were the nominee it was just plans that yes I got it. Let's talk a little bit about locally I will jump off of that I mean Charlie Baker launched his new campaign slogan this week had enough apparently a slogan that's worked for the Republicans in the past including back in 1986. It's not bad right and I think it mirrors that we're in a time of political transition here that 1040 six year transitioning into a peacetime economy a massive national strikes particularly the railroads. And here right now we're trying to transition out of what was the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. It's also I mean we've been talking about this here. David it's he's needed to latch on to something he's been meandering a bit he's taken a hit some very critical commentary in the media

recently. Yeah he did he needed to get something to latch on to I think. It was a good approach you will see if it's an effective it sort of tries to tap into the Scott Brown you know sort of angry at the status quo kind of thing without trying to put himself into the Scott Brown role because that just nobody buys that with him. You know so. Exactly so you know there is sort of but you know try to have it both ways. It's also you know he very much wants this election to be a referendum on Deval Patrick and a pound and pound pound and on Beacon Hill more generally. And so the more that it's about them and not about him is an advantage not that he's a bad candidate but he doesn't want it to be about you know the Weald administration he was part of or you know his work as a health care insurance administrator. He really wants to keep the focus on the negative. The people feel you know about Deval Patrick specifically but sort of the

Democrats generally. You know I was when these midterms or these primaries happened like yesterday there's always all the pundits come out and this is a this is a litmus test for what the fall is going to be and that anti-incumbent fever. Say that every time and I don't believe this just sort of like oh a oneness you know just like a lemming approach to all this I mean Rand Paul is the son of Ron Paul he's Kentucky you know libertarian you know sort of an attractive guy going to big personality. You know that was one phenomenon. I mean Arlen Specter not getting the Democratic nod in Pennsylvania how could you possibly put that into the category of this one I mean he's only been a Democrat for a year. He's 80 years old. He's like him that's already that's what they've been with. That was just enough that's not some anti-incumbent fever is it. No but I think what it does show I think the worries are more on the Republican side. The party resembles the Democrats in the 70s and 80s where you have an extreme wing of the party more or less rebelling

against the center and the solid self of the Republicans no longer seem so solid and that has to benefit the Democratic Party in the long run. You know when you talk about reading too much in the interpreter I was laughing all day yesterday and before that all the the networks and the you know the national news were all describing this is Super Tuesday and super running about like there's this horse. You know and so the more we go yeah yeah. This is super you know. Yeah you get more attention than it would have ordinarily but there was a couple of as I said two famous names in there are actor Rand Paul. Yeah. You have to try not to read too much into a few individual races. I think that the times honestly what I think what I think we're seeing is something that we've been seeing for for some time which is that that there's an establishment of the party who tend to want in the primaries they tend to want someone they feel is electable in the fall so that it's a cautious choice it's a well-known

name. It's a more moderate you know person a good fundraiser. So of course they you know they want a specter of Blanche Lincoln. Trey Grayson you know if you're the Republicans and then you have the base of the party who are the people who actually vote in the primaries who are not that target audience. And so so what you have is is they're driven much more by the idle ideological. I mean so what you have is you know Specter and Blanche Lincoln were both very moderate on some specific issues and the liberals said no to that and I think Rand Paul versus Trey Grayson was the same thing on the other side. Well the one thing that's interesting is that sometimes take on this but I think that usually you see that. The party the base wants to be more ideological because they get frustrated that sort of geez we have power but we're not doing enough with it. We're the out party tends to sort of go along more with the pragmatism of geez you know our frustration is they are doing all these horrible things we have to do whatever we can to sort of but that

the Republican Party now the base of the Republican Party has just gone off on its own is sort of no longer under control in terms of wanting what it wants off the reservation. Exactly. Well the Democrats faced a similar situation after 1968 it just fractured into a bunch of pieces and they weren't able really to put it back together again until the early 1990s under Clinton who moved it in the moderate direction. So I think to me what was the bellwether to entire political season was Crist in Florida you know pulling out pulling out I mean he is the man and the voice of moderation in the Republican Party if he's not staying on the reservation then all bets are off for the Republicans this fall. You know just going back to Arlen Specter for a man thinking you know he. Did the Democrats a favor. So it was you know perceived by switching parties this year. I mean of course President Obama is going to try and lend him his support and not enthusiastically it warm. Now he just did it in an essay so to say that you know we want to get these swept out with the phrase It's crazy I mean you know his time was just his just up

and President Obama has to think twice about any more political advice he gets from his Vice President Biden was the big one behind you know the defection in the first place and we have to support this guy and now it's not looking so good for the administration. Boston University's Tom Whalen and David Bernstein of The Boston Phoenix. We just got to get into this Richard Blumenthal thing. He's the attorney general from Connecticut a spin and I didn't realize how long he's been attorney general since 1991 when I actually knew him fairly well when I was in Connecticut he had been a reporter at The Washington Post and then moved in Connecticut and he was the U.S. attorney when I knew him in 1077 and was U.S. attorney and he was always had huge political ambitions he was actually dating a reporter that I worked with. So do you think. Let's assume you know I'm kind of well but you know I look at his resume thinking the guy has a fantastic resume. He did serve in you know we went to service he did his need to exaggerate it you know. Here's what he

says. Recently we were speaking very forces today and I'm sure you know. I have misspoken about my service. And I regret that and I take full responsibility. I mean this is a situation David where he didn't misspeak. He's out now. He prevaricated he lied he made it up. He wanted people to believe that he had been in Vietnam even while he was in the service in the Vietnam era. He was never in Vietnam. Yeah and you know it's interesting that you know what I think once upon a time the scene here among the electorate is sort of the political you know calculus would have been his avoiding of the draft and avoiding of service and and that people would have almost understood not admired but almost understood that a politician would fit a little to cover up that shame of having dodged the draft because most of the country did.

Yeah. That's a surprise right. Well that's the thing is that today I don't see any sense that there's any political problem with him having tried everything he could to serve out of Vietnam. The problem is the lying but you can almost see that someone from his generation maybe got caught up in that at one time of that that was something that he had to sort of play over. I don't know but I think that the way he's handled it well since it's come out has been very bad because it I think it's revealed almost a bigger sin which is his you know arrogance and sort of he's you know he's trying to go after the New York Times saying that they're distorting his military record no. The New York Times has a story that then this whole bigger issue has arisen that the the Republican candidate for senator Linda McMahon is now saying her campaign is now saying that she was the source for this data. They did all the research how many times he's claimed he's been in that he was in Vietnam. How many times you know you you know when I was leaving so they provided the New York Times all this data for that story that ran

yesterday yet the Times never mentioned. I know I'm not saying for certain I know that that's where they got the information but it wouldn't be unusual. I know and I think this is kind of the original sin of politics every politician likes to exaggerate their resume. Al Gore invented the Internet according to Al Gore but I mean it's almost like they can't help themselves. But you think someone from a judicial background you know U.S. attorney attorney general would be bored cautious and I think he should resign frankly and I think it's all going to kill him. You know Chris Shays who is a very popular congressman in Connecticut he was Republican. And you know which I suppose in some people's mind would make him suspect that he was extremely popular across the aisles and you know for Republicans and Democrats and he says that he noticed this very early on and over the last 15 years that this kind of speak creep where Richard Blumenthal would sort of position himself as one thing and then before he knew it he said he was out not saying that he had served in Vietnam and he said he called it to his attention he mentioned it more than once and said you know

you're going to you're going the wrong direction here. I mean why do people do you see that kid yesterday embellishing his record to say It's sick. How do you think. We're going to get away with it specially logical in this day and age. I mean he apparently thought he could get away with it because he has gotten away with it and now suddenly somebody has finally called him on it and it's interesting they waited to the optimum political moment to reveal this but you know it had to be revealed talking to Tom Whalen from Boston University and David Bernstein from the Boston Phoenix Well David you also you uncovered something awhile ago about Ronnie's exaggeration about his father walking alongside Martin Luther King you know I never got to figure it out it came out literally right. But you know there was brainwash them. Right right right. Well that's what I thought his defense should have you know that was you know that became a huge national story in an election cycle you know. Yeah you know and it was exactly the kind of thing that Romney although Romney I think you know has

assumed a lot more ways he's sort of he's a natural sort of looking at himself as a product that he's selling and he'll almost you know say about himself whatever. You know he's supposed to say about the product you know but this was you know all of a sudden I noticed that in a couple of big speeches he was saying that he had. That his father you know that he remembered his father walking alongside my Luther King and I thought geez that's that. I never heard that and you would think that that would be a big deal that I would have heard of and you know turned out that it wasn't true and then you know again instead of sort of backtracking it and his problem was that he already had this problem about authenticity and not quite telling the truth. So he I think felt his campaign felt that they couldn't just do a mea culpa. I'm very you know and I walked back so they had to kind of try to find a way to make it sort of true. BLUMENTHAL The amazing thing about it is you know this is a guy's unbelievably popular a huge reservoir of good feeling for him. So you know you almost feel like he could survive a bump you know a problem if he you know

came out and just you know didn't leave it on the table. He blamed the media and he said I misspoke. That's not a misspeak. It's insulting to the people of Connecticut it's a very bad trait but also I think speaks to what you know again the bafflement of why someone who is you know like 70 percent in the polls and is about to become U.S. senator you know is doing something ridiculous like this and it's that it's a mind set it's a certain arrogance. Then understand it as well. And for the political deathwish I think you're right. But you know I really get this with a lot of politicians it's strange to see. But you do you know I mean look at Eliot Spitzer who is you know out in public you know as you know he apparently just thought he could do whatever he wanted. You know because he was the man that this congressman yesterday who resigned out of Sodor and so you are and he had just done some kind of an abstinence you know he has a public service announcement with this woman as his you know and meanwhile that was the one he was having an affair with I just you know I you but you think you think that Richard Blumenthal should resign or I think he should absolutely it's

unconscionable what he did I mean how can you trust someone making such a mis statement or misstatement of the truth is what he really should say. He should just resign and just do a mea culpa and that could in the long term save his political career. Yeah I think it will see over the next few days whether whether everything sort of falls apart for him and you know people like Chris Shays and others you know see that the writing on the wall started banning him start you know recruiting other candidates you know in which case I think he'll be gone very quickly from the race or if he's able to somehow you know will see if he makes it through next week I think he can get his footing and frankly I think he would still if that's the case you know if polling shows that people forgive him that he still would have a good chance in the fall. So it is interesting counterexample where he really didn't have that much goodwill in his in his district. You know he's a you know several times re-elected I never heard of it but he didn't. Yeah yeah.

He just got past a primary where he you know he had a very tough primary. It was India and yet it's so there. So again you know we've seen people survive politically with worse than an affair with with their aid. But you know and rank hypocrisy. But not if you're already sort of on that edge you know. Or he could have been getting out quickly before more facts about that Blumenthal's biggest problem is that he's not admitting that he made it up saying that he misspoke and you can't misspeak the same thing 20 and 30. It's like you know what Hillary Clinton did with becoming under Bush. Well you know right fire and landing in Bosnia I mean that's not you I misspoke that's not a misspeak. That's a fabrication. She got away without one. She did. Yeah yeah. But as her husband said You know I did because I could get away with it basically because I could. All right I've been talking to Tom Whalen from Boston University and David Bernstein from the Boston Phoenix Politics politics politics always interesting. We will be right back. When we return is the economy back on track.

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Boston it either goes from Boston nationally or the other way around. You're going to hear complimentary but different kinds of subject matter on both of the shows on the radio. That's been a great thing. Weekdays from noon to 2:00 on the new eighty nine point seven. I'm Kelly Crossley. Tune in for a wide ranging conversation. That's today at 1:00 after the show only here on the new eighty nine point seven. WGBH Boston to NPR stations for news and culture. Hello again you're listening to the Emily Rooney show. Just in the past couple of months the many empty Newbury Street store fronts are beginning to fill up a couple of British designers moved in last fall and now another British invader is coming. Total ack. Not quite sure what that is but I saw the signs going up. They're saying now that

Newbury Street is about 95 percent occupied it doesn't look that way to me as a regular stroller because I live down there in that neighborhood. But it's all been dependent on the rents you know stores sort of come and go there. They can be anywhere from 50 to 240 dollars a square foot anyway. People who know more about this than I do are here in the studio with me neg Mainzer Cohen who's president of the Back Bay Association and Tom Brennan who's vice president of Tony and realty company. Welcome to both of you. You start with you Tom because. Charlie to Amiens company you worked for you worked for him for 23 years you just told me they own a lot of property guys he's one of the biggest landlords on the street you see you know walking strolling but it's kind of sad I hate to see any empty storefront I just hate it but you see his name in a lot of store fronts. It seems hard to believe that there's a 95 percent occupancy at this point well don't forget a lot of the signs that we have on the streets are not just to Lanie and I represent a lot of other landlords and have put their signs in their windows also. But we're doing pretty good on the whole and some of the spots

that do have a sign still in the window already leased and the tenants aren't taking the space until August or September. And I'm happy to that they're not saying take the signs out of the windows because I do get calls off of it and I can say I'm sorry that was leased but I do have the states down below our space two doors next door to it that is on the coming on the market. You know I'm really curious to know if you can give me exact but I really wonder how some of these little stores make it there's one that's been there for about a year now Pinky. That place Reese I mean it's like what kind of. You know retail sales do they have to do per month to be able to pay their rent and make some kind of a marginal profit. Good question. We don't run the either one of those properties but I hear that Reese is doing well. Really friends with their landlord and they told me that they've been you know I guess very big in Europe and they've been doing very well and they and I have gone in a couple of times they have been doing. I have seen a lot of customers in there and they do have some sales but I gree with you.

I mean like the store neither one of them is huge I mean give me a ballpark 10000 20000 30 40. What do they pay a month. I would imagine Reese because we own property similar to that is probably about 18 to 20 to some place in that price range which is not that bad of a deal because they get a palest employees and it's twenty five hundred square feet though it's a nice size square footage and it's big it is big. A lot of the space is only right now that are vacant is more in the second block and the second block has a lot of big spaces that's one of the problems is people aren't looking for the 35 to 4000 square foot spaces that they have to pay $40000 you know space is that the empty Pottery Barn. Now that's least I know I just walked in there that store all right you know they're all saints. Help me out here. I walk in and say oh I thought you know I'm looking at the price of that stuff. It looks kind of like I said my God it's all all saints it's all you know skulls and you know goth and this and that it's like there's no way that's going to make it. No way. There seems to be a market for it and temporary there does seem to be

concepts who come to Newbury Street do a lot of study to figure out where their brand is going to be successful. Is this a chain. Also they're out of the U.K. also they've got like a department store in London. There are a lot of brands coming in from the U.K. and we see them you know finding a home on Newbury Street and many of them very successfully. And I also think that we don't necessarily walk into a store and see a ton of people. And that translates into a successful retail. Oh no it's a lot of them are curbside. We're looking at a man in size at that store and it is huge. And they actually it's my understanding the Pottery Barn wanted to stay but there was a bit of a fight over the the space and All Saints won out. So I think that they are going to because it's summer. And then if you look at a brand like alum Bilzerian you know he is one of the top brands in it. He's International actually even though he's Boston based and a lot of that really trendy type of

merchandise is part of what are the holes in it and you know it all and crossbones and you know just like the tattooed jeans and whatnot. It's it's very popular people come from far and wide just to shop there. So it may not be what you or I are wearing but there is a market for you know it's not just that it's to me it's like how they how they have how much stuff they have to sell I mean the look in these jeans stores all that I think gosh you know the numbers appears jeans you'd have to sell just to get your rent I mean $20000 is significant. Well I also think that some brands use it as part of their advertising and that they're not necessarily turning a profit. I think that there is a certain aspect in a cache to Newbury Street where it is our hub of the hub and like the Ralph Lauren store I mean they couldn't possibly make their rent. And yet people talk about them as you know like ship store. Right. Exactly it's a flagship store I think I think that yeah there's a big billboard.

Right. But you know if you look at Tanner Rama when they came to Newbury Street Whoever thought a tanning salon would last They've been there 25 years as a tanning salon. Another one just opened up glow tanning. They're doing super. I mean you know Longchamp I'm friends with the manager there. They're doing absolutely wonderful you go in the store they're always packed. And that's a very high end thing they tell me a lot of because of the dollar exchange rate. A lot of women find it cheaper to go home to America or Boston to go shopping than it is say if you are in some of the countries in Europe to go to Paris to go shopping because of the exchange rates as some people are coming over here just to do shopping. I mean Dorfman is it has a lot of overseas buyers. I mean some of the big names for the expensive items people from overseas are coming here and being some of their best customers tell you that Tom Brennan vice president of SI telling me in realty co. an egg means you're going present the Back Bay Association in the last you know 24 months or so. Did you have to adjust your rents too you know. Comedy for the recession because so many places were

going out of business. Believe it or not were plenty and were probably one of the people that's more reasonable with some of our band so we had like. So we haven't had to adjust too much but we have a we're willing to talk and listen to people especially if it's a get down it. But the street's been doing pretty well we've you know we had a one space a hair salons leaving us. Didn't you put a sign in the window didn't even put it on the multiple listing service other hair salons. I heard about it and we leased it in days just just like that. We have another spot down the street where to Tim at the adult store just went out. What is it called. To Tim it was about an adult store for women and I say you know what now. But also I wonder I mean what does that mean I get it. OK and we used to be a hair salon we have a couple of people interested in that for a salon to I mean there's it's amazing to think how many salons survive on Newbury Street and how well they all seem to be doing. When people go to the ICSE conference where they're selling the back way I don't think it's an international convention center a

convention that's actually happening this week I believe in Las Vegas yes and everywhere all the different tables are set up for Boston and people say we want to be in Back Bay we want to be on Newbury Street because it's just got such a solid sales. And that first block of Newbury Street the block between Arlington and Berkeley It is so popular and the retail stores there do so well. Like it or a pianist they sell luxury cashmere and will products from Italy and I've never heard them have a soft month right. Is either of you as disturbed I'm on a tear about this rant or Ramiele I've talked to the mayor it's a but between the construction of the two new TV stations which is just a disaster. And then as soon as that's done by the way we're going to start redoing the wall of the church because that was destroyed too and then in the last couple weeks have you noticed I'm sure you've all noticed all the power and you know what. Well what is that one of the things that's happening is and the target is doing some repairs

and we also have a movie coming in on Clarendon Street. But I know in stores doing repairs. But now they've dug a trench like eight feet wide in the middle of the street on the Dartmouth to Exeter block. What is that. It's new it's new transponders they're putting in. And Emily I disagree with you about the NPT. That is disc race it is disgraceful and their time line has been has been moved on and on. You know they told M.J. ember of this and I don't think I can textually that really looks good. My face is a mess. It's too contemporary It's ugly it's ugly. Yeah and you know just and the damage that they did to the church and the Boston Public Library there does seem to be a level of irresponsibility when it comes to the way that there are construction methods but I do think at the end of the day we're going to have handicapped accessible. I think you know so there is a positive but they're great and they're using it as a

garbage receptacle I grant you walk by that and everybody who's got a cup that's empty or this if you just toss it in there because and then you can get like army units and their cars are in there and they park their cars I agree and we have had many meetings with them sitting down and talk really them you know they say what they say. They say that they are on the fastest possible track and that there were setbacks when it came to both damage and the Boston Public Library and the church there were months when no one was there and I do think that we that it is important to repair the church. I'm on board with that because they it was not anything that they did they predicted that there would be probably another two year project. It's true now. And yet one of the things that we are missing in this construction is taking its place. There's also development that's usually happening that is slowed down right now in a different you know different development projects that I think that we look at those types of projects

differently and we're more open to them to some degree because we don't like to see the simple structure infrastructure get in our way and yet it is part of the daily day to day living that we have to do and we need in start a figure that will be going all summer. You know Emily it's sort of interesting you think it's the street looks sort of bad with all the scenes I have to tell you I feel the streets in some ways never look better because I talk about the signs that say for lease families Well no no. The scientists say those you know that's that just goes without saying that the postings for you know the street closed for this you know dissolves garbage signs around like that and all the things are wrapped with signs that says toes Oh now read every single pole is wrapped with a sign. Well suppose there is a movie coming into the house they want to be here they're going to be there. They're actually filming starting tomorrow what is an errand in story. It's this. I don't remember the name of the movie and I didn't recognize any of that but it is it's like a fox movie all right and you can take Searchlight for instance 236

Clarendon Street. They are taking over a storefront and they're turning it into a bridal suite. Now in order to do filming there I believe that's happening tomorrow that doesn't ever bother me. But they take up a tremendous amount of the street so you are seeing not because because of the film talk a good neg means or cone of the Back Bay Association Tom Brennan Tony and realty Have you noticed are people buying more this is the Globe said that that we can i was really wondering about that observed an uptick in when you talk to retailers some retailers say the business is actually doing better in even the salons which I think is a very good indicator has a lot of women can stretch out getting their hair colored and cut. But people told me that when people are coming back instead of stretching it out to six or seven weeks they're back to getting their hair done for five weeks and the restaurants are packed. I know I notice that like the new Joes that opened out to unbelieve of the Newbury Street in the middle it's just about the whole that whole block to life. Yeah I mean not the Stefani's doesn't do a great job across the street. But for that one long time that was two years that that whole big building at least two

years was was vacant and dark and gloomy and people put up all sorts of graffiti on it and now it's alive it's a white trick and it's really helping out the the street and the energy on the street and there are some real groundwork that was laid with regard to the back the architectural district and what happened was there. There used to be a process where some of the signage that was coming in to Newbury Street was too small. The windows were too small and Liber Newbury Street was somewhat suffering from losing some of its punch its power. And we a group of us went in and met with the mayor and he put together a group to review the guidelines and we're seeing a lot of very like I said what a short science to I'm not offended by those you know. It's kind of like talent yeah it's to the interns do they realize that it is still a ban on those. There is yes there should be an citywide and different enforcement right by the way I'm hearing the movie is what's your number. A romantic comedy starring Anna Faris and Chris Evans. And I've never heard of either of them either although I heard him in a film.

All right this has been fun thanks so much for coming Meg Mainzer Cohen PRESENTER The Back Bay Association and Tom Brennan president of lenient realty place Prince Charlie Well mine was just you know promoting YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR SEVERAL TIMES BUT. Support for WGBH comes from you and from Bank of America providing necessary capital to qualified businesses and consumers that's critical to the continued revitalization

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WGBH learning tours trip to the Berkshires. The tour includes two great BSL concerts at Tanglewood with music director James Levein and shall get off to great theater performances. Babes in arms and Mengelberg and Mahler and several visits to world class music. Sign up. Learn more at WGBH daughterboard slash learning tours. This is eighty nine point seven WGBH Boston's NPR station for trusted voices and a local conversation with FRESH AIR and the Emily Rooney show. Eighty nine point seven WGBH. You're listening to the Emily Rooney show it's time for between takes with Teri Stanley president and CEO of style Boston. We've got a lot to cover here but she's just back from an exotic safari. Was it everything you had hoped and more. What was it like.

Well you know what I have to tell you Emily it was high drama from the get go because we were supposed to fly out the day the volcano erupted so we were at British air in Logan. One of those people who canceled canceled canceled every single flight so what I did is I called a friend of mine an American Airlines and he put me through Dubai. So we went we had to get to JFK so we went JFK to Dubai Dubai to Nairobi So that was and then and then it never came down from that level. It was exquisite really really just the most amazing thing I was in Kenya and we were in the east country took my two children my husband I my two children and we went and we stayed at these amazing camps for first class tents but you know exactly what they were. As a matter of fact a monkey broke into my daughter's tent one afternoon while we were out and ate all her granola bars and ripped up her Seventeen magazine. So she was hysterical but there are monkeys and baboons right outside our camp so we saw absolutely everything we saw elephants I saw a lion water buffalo Topi gazelles zebra giraffes. I mean it was just amazing and we actually saw a kill which was

incredible we saw a cheetah take down a gazelle and it was you know usually on television I can't watch those kinds of things but this we were so mesmerized. We were probably I don't know maybe 500 yards from this and we watched it happen. The very interesting thing is that circle of life that they talk about the lion king all the time. Well this is exactly what we witnessed because in the cheetah only has 15 minutes to eat before all the other predators come in take away her prey. So we watch them the vultures come first the jackals come second the hyenas come last and then they force her out so she made the kill. But she actually feeds all the other and I've seen that on you know. Yeah Animal Planet all that and we saw her right there we happened to see it and that was unusual to see that and to see that happen. Well are these controlled. Yes I mean you know there is one I guess. That reading about you know you know that still it is still going on the slaughter of the elephants Yeah this yeah the poaching right. But but these are protected reserves so that one of them was five hundred sixty one square miles and the other one that we stand out was a thousand something square miles and they would have to patrol they do they have

patrol they have Rangers and they're very diligent poaching in Kenya is not as bad or nearly as bad as it was Tanzania on the other hand which is right next door is has got a huge problem. They still hunt big game there so you know it's so it varies there's 50 how many 52 countries in Africa I mean it's huge. So Kenya Kenya obviously because their wildlife their in their preserves are a huge tourist attraction they have to protect these animals. So but we were out in this open plain and you know you couldn't get out of the Jeeps I mean there was no way lions were crossing right in front of you the mother the whole pried the babies and then we saw how the lions hunt and they went after a topi which are like big. Yeah and they tried to isolate the baby and lions hunt in in a strategic circle so they picked their prey and then they circled the prey. So we can see the lions going all around and they went after the baby but the baby got back to the herds of the lions didn't get it so they had to retreat. And hakuna matata you know I thought that was a Disney really kind of a Disney player. Well they say it all the time. Who could have taught it who couldn't talk who couldn't.

It was and the landscape is amazing. It was hot but not comfortable and they could get all they cooked we had breakfast in the bush two days really. So we'd go on safari from 6:00 in the morning till 8 and then we would our driver would find this cace tree and underneath it we would have all our breakfast laid out with the cure really in the vehicles all but you're really in the vehicles the whole time you han't and elephants we saw a baby elephant almost fall into a swamp because it was following its mother and the grandmother elephant because it's a matriarchal society. The grandmother gives out that big elephant sound right. And she comes running over and she takes her trunk and she scoops the baby right out of the swamp and then scolds the mother. And I'm not even kidding you know. It was amazing and there's a woman over there she lives in the tree in the tree is her name is Cynthia Moss and she's been on 60 Minutes and she is she studies elephants and she's a graduate of Cornell. She has a summer program at Harvard but she's over there in this Ampicillin Park in Kenya and she lived there for the oh yeah I did I'm going to I'm going to I'm going to do a segment on it as soon as it is like a day. So

really just a trip of a lifetime but it started out with a volcano. Yeah. So there you go. All right well let's move on you also just got back from an interview with Anthony Shriver who's who runs his charity best buddies best buddies best buddies is having their annual ride out it's the best buddy challenge ride which is going to be down in Hyannisport. That's the first weekend in June and Anthony Shriver founded best buddies when he was at Georgetown he graduated in 88. So wait so he's the fifth youngest John Sargent Shriver. Yes and very good looking. Yeah. Oh my God. Well we went down there and we actually did the interview in his home we went downtown and we went to downtown Miami to the international headquarters for best buddies and I met his best buddy whose name is George. And George will be on the segment that we do and he is so he is he is yes he's he's there intellectually and development mentally disabled and what best buddies does is they pair these these people with non-disabled peers. And it all

starts with friendships. Tom Brady has a best buddy. And since Cindy Crawford has a best buddy they're doing these PSA is for that for that for the organization Anthony founded it and he's the fifth child he's the youngest. And I asked him about his mother. I said she's you know she founded the Special Olympics. So I was like wow you know she was so busy and you've got Sargent Shriver creating the Peace Corps and all this other you know I said you were the fifth child I said to you know what was she like as a role model and he said to me he said the most amazing thing about my mother. Was that she made me feel as though I was the most important thing in her life all the time no matter what she was doing and I as a mother you and you were going to do what I like. If she is you know she can do it then I can do it. So it was it was so and it was but that's we talked about his mom and then he talked about this special event that they're that they're doing for the first time in Eunice's honor. And then they have a flag football game with Tom Brady that's going to be at Harvard Stadium.

That's the night of the fifth say so what was a local connection. Oh that's it. Tom Brady disposed of one night a fourth of June. And you can buy tickets ok buy tickets to the game and the Best Buddies all the kids the guys will be out there and Tom Brady is going to be the quarterback for both sides. Right. Yes. So that's great and then they end up in Hyannisport after the big race and they hope to raise four million dollars so I went down there I talked to him in his home. Oh my god it's beautiful. He's on the intercoastal and to Intercoastal in Miami and beautiful just oh yes he's married he's married to a South American woman and he's got five children. Oh well five children so they all were coming home from school so we're setting up for the interview right and then the kids the girls come home and they come out and they've just gotten something in the mail for their mother for Mother's Day so they're all excited. And we're set up for the interview when they're running in. And he's like oh you know honey will see this later and she's like hi you know my name is and it was the oldest daughter's name was and then the little one. They have a young son he's about a year old he's in the infinity pool which is right there as well with the boats and the jet skis and everything else and I'm sitting there going oh my god. And

so he's getting a swimming lesson in the pool with his teacher while we're doing the interview. And he's got a an agent Anthony Shriver his best friend is an agent from Boston so he was there and the housekeeper was there the kids were there and everything was so it was but he was you know he's got five kids really seem like a really really cool guy. And like Terry Stanley were doing Pertwee takes between takes because she does style Boston and he cn Wednesday sets today what I'm going since I have another name. You also have an interview with it tonight with power player Debbie Greenberg of Boston which is no longer Louise Boston because it's moved to the seaport district you know how I feel about that it's like well no man's land. Well you know what and we're going to get I keep telling you we've talked about this whatever you were coming down. I've been there. They said you got to drive it takes you forever because a lot of parking. Oh yeah there's a parking it's a vast wasteland there's a lot of parking and I'm like I want so anyway so Debbie moved down there and we when I interviewed her in her store and she talks about her reasons for moving and

so forth and how she looks at Boston in general which is kind of interesting but the story itself is absolutely gorgeous and you know the old blue is where exactly is it is right next to one Marina Park which is right next to the ICSA. Oh I saw it so you got job driving distance from the ICR NPR. Oh my God it's walking distance from the ice you know listen so you can go to the ICU go to an exhibit and go shopping. Debbie's amazing store it's so serious all the outside of it water facing the back of the ICAO. Yeah if you know if you're facing the front of the ICSA are left to the left to the left and it's beautiful and it's all glass and it's very modern and it's so different than you know the previous store I mean it's got to be a destination and this is where all the best I think you know it was really too bad I mean that that gorgeous gorgeous building downtown. But what she's got now Emily really I know it's contemporary and it's modern but it's beautiful but it's just not on the path. Terry No it's not but you know what she's she's pulling a lot from the financial district she has powerful

women that are over in the financial district that are delighted that she's there. And men because I think it was more I haven't been there all you know or maybe more to men than women. It was sort of the In Style the old Louise. Right well yeah her major men's business is definitely that's a focus for her now because of because of her location but you know next week when we get you down there with the lunch I want to let you know this showed the late lunch I'd have to put it on you know tape delayed my train it will go to that or I go will go to for auto restaurant right. Because he's down there and Mario Russo to get her hair done Yeah it's a whole entire show she said Bill she's a whole powerhouse in her own scene she's in that dust up though with with all right with that she wanted to work that out. Well I don't know I mean you know Debbie has an interesting reputation in town that I had never met her before and when I was a Boston Common I had heard that she was somewhat controversial. And I found her to be very smart and very down to earth and a little bit shy and and but very confident in her decision. So.

You know that's a huge investment she still owns that building your store on Newbury Street with her with Weiner Weiner her partner and Julie in Chicago and member Hell yes you know I just go by this place. Yeah I will say that you know that she has she has how much is there equity it's she says it's eight he says it's five. No no but she buy the new place or is it. I don't know what her I don't want to what's her Russian what her situation is which O'Fallon I'm not exactly sure. But he did create and built this really cool thing. And and she's I think we should have a real are due on June 10th. She's having her write it down I'm not so sure I did oh of course you are you coming with me. OK then I'll get my everything I just you know it seriously you know get out there and say we were just talking about this movie that's coming to Clarendon Street did you know anything about it. I remember no I heard you say all that stuff I know but I've never heard of these actors you know. So I Ferris and Chris Evans Yeah actually Chris Evans I've heard Yeah you know I remember Chris Evans Actually I always love him. Yeah he is you know he is local and we had him on the cover of Boston Common once so yes. Well that's there you go. You know you go so I do remember him. Yeah but I don't I've never heard

of her but good for the movies. Right now I said I and I think that anybody could be a bit of a pain but I actually don't mind having you around. Yeah at least they're active in their busy and they're right. I mean it kind of like these big you know public works projects that go on and that's what drives me crazy what you know and there's nothing attractive about them you know but you know what's coming it's opening next week is Sex and the city too. Yes I have never gotten into. Yes well it's just it's huge So they're going to have a premiere in Boston early next week. Yeah you go into that. We have some tickets we're going to give it away on the show we're going to give the tickets away on the show and you see the first one I did not I have only seen I'm telling you I've seen two sets of the cities in my whole entire I'd say I've got to be if they go on I think that you were not on the same page I said tonight that's not something that's beneath me I it's not what I am I what I mean I watch The Biggest Loser for high stakes you know I got nothing on I don't know I never grabbed me. Why not. I love shoes. Yeah. OK like Hi Terry Stanley between takes style Boston is on tonight 7:30 and he's you know he's a pleasure to have your see in a few weeks.

And I've sort of lost my page. Well that's it for us this afternoon. Let's see will be back tomorrow at noon but tonight at 7:00 o'clock when it will be taking a look at the dump Facebook movement people are thinking about getting out of it. Make her diverse it's all about privacy and the fact that they're selling your identity to other websites. Plus we'll have last night's Boston Pops tribute to the Kennedy family really show as much unity to 9.7 WGBH Boston NPR station news and culture on the web. The WGBH Detroit slash Emily Rooney Kelli Cross the show is coming up next. I'm Emily Rooney. Have a great day.