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I'm Sue O'Connell for Kelly Crossley. This is like Kelly Crossley Show. Today we're hitting the rewind button on this week's news from the great lady's front pages to the stories on the small screen. And reporting that went under the radar. We're going to look at the news that was and wasn't. We'll be dropping in on community and alternative presses. For a look at the big stories from the small papers where today's neighborhood news becomes tomorrow's mainstream headlines. We'll top off the hour mentoring from the serious to the sublimely ridiculous with ragtime a round up of this week's pop culture. Up next from gumshoe reporting gossip rags. First the news. From NPR News in Washington I'm Barbara Kline in spite of a nighttime curfew in Egypt's major cities anti-government protesters are still in the streets clashing with

police tear gas and black smoke fill the air in the closing hours of the fourth day of demonstrations calling for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to step down. The BBC's John Sudworth is on the streets of Cairo. You can hear the sounds of that a gas. Being fired now at the end of this street probably a hundred meters or sorry. After where I'm standing in the crowd as you can hear still. Feel. Incredibly angry considering that John happened to smell the. 535 to take us into the crowds now we can start to smell it. And you can see people leaping over the barriers away from the tear gas crowds now in fact both sides now it's coming in. The BBC's John Sudworth in Cairo. Nobel peace laureate and former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed El-Baradei join today's protests after water cannon soaked him and his supporters. Authorities reportedly put El-Baradei under house arrest. The U.S. economy closed out 2010 growing at a slightly more energetic clip. Gross Domestic

Product climbs three point two percent in the fourth quarter. A modest rise from the 2.6 percent growth the previous three months. As NPR's Danielle Karson reports the Commerce Department says consumer spending had a lot to do with it. Key indicators helped shift the economy into higher gear. Consumer spending grew by almost four and a half percent the biggest gain in four years. Exports and business spending on equipment and software also went up. Stuart Hoffman chief economist at PNC Financial Services Group says the economy has finally shifted from a recovery mode to one of actual growth. When you get up to 3 percent GDP growth you know what sometimes I call a scape philosophy meaning the economy is going to try way to a sustained expansion. Economists say it will take this kind of growth for several quarters to chip away at the jobless rate and even then analysts say it will take several years for unemployment to drop back down to a more normal 5 percent level. For NPR News I'm Daniel Karson in Washington.

Twenty five years ago today space shuttle Challenger lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida 73 seconds later it exploded. All seven astronauts onboard were killed at a memorial ceremony at Cape Canaveral earlier today June Scobee Rodgers the widow of Challenger's commander remembered the day clearly we were stunned to see the unspeakable unfold right before our eyes. Could this really happen. No one believed it could happen. Scoby Rogers urged the crowd on there to look to the future and space travel and science education lower than expected earnings reports from Ford and Amazon are driving stocks down at this hour the Dow is off 137 points at 11. Eight fifty two. This is NPR. The new START treaty between the U.S. and Russia is poised to take effect. Russian President Dmitri Medvedev today signed the ratification of the nuclear arms reduction pact. The treaty limits both countries to one hundred five hundred one thousand five hundred fifty strategic warheads a lower limit than the previous

arms deal. Former South African President Nelson Mandela has been released from a hospital in Johannesburg. As Vicky O'Hara reports doctors say the 92 year old Mandela was treated for an acute respiratory infection. Mandela who is affectionately known by his clan name a DBA was admitted to the hospital for what South African officials described as routine tests after his second night in the hospital. Officials called a news conference the nation's surgeon general says Mandela has an acute respiratory infection but is stable. Vice President there is no panic for us. Feel for the bus him he's in good hands. Mandela who is revered here for his struggle against apartheid is now receiving further medical care at his home. For NPR News I'm Vicki O'Hara and Johannesburg Britain's Andy Murray is heading to the Australian Open tennis final after winning today's match in Melbourne

in the second second and third. We're very happy to come through it because it was really really tough. She could go only there were no British male has won a Grand Slam singles title since 1936 to break the winless streak Murray faces Serbia's Novak Jacoby Sunday. Barbara Kline NPR News in Washington. Support for NPR comes from IBM working to help mid-sized businesses become the engines of a Smarter Planet. Learn more at IBM dot com slash engines. Good afternoon I'm Sue O'Connell sitting in for Kelly Crossley. And this is the Kelly Crossley Show today. We are hitting the rewind button on the week's news joining me today are Peter Katz is an Arnie Arnesen Peter Katz is the executive editor at The Boston Phoenix and Arnie Arnesen is a radio and TV commentator Welcome back everybody how are you.

It's not snowing so yeah it's good. Oh actually I missed it. You know where's my shovel when I need it. I know I know Hey Arnie you have a lot go on there I'll tell you here. Well I'm just you know both Peter and I were just chatting before we went on the air and I don't know where to start with you have so many good stories here so it's New Hampshire is replacing that island as the twilight zone of American politics. It actually is you know as I was I was watching the State of the union I'm watching you know Michel. But but but bottom right you know I'm thinking oh my god we are a microcosm of every insane. I think that's what I believe. All right well what do you want to start with. Well you want to start with the hope that there are so many things to start with that I guess let me just touch one thing just because we just mentioned Christa McAuliffe Yeah. And I live in Concord New Hampshire. I am now looking at a new school that's about to be built across the street. That's going to be named after Christa McAuliffe and the reason I want to start with that though is is that her memorable line was I touch the future. I teach and I wanted

everyone to remember that because that touches on a whole host of subjects that that actually is something that Peter brought up and some things that I brought up and that is what did Brock Obama talk about in his State of the Union. He waxed poetic Peter about education. You know so in memory of Christa McAuliffe I just want to remind everyone that the reason why her statement I touch the future I teach is so important is that if you don't want to talk about the problems today you talk about education because. Education is about mine yeah mine yeah mine yeah right you know right. Yeah absolutely and I mean I think the other important aspect of Christa McAuliffe life which gets lost just because this is what we do and we do the headlines we talk about the disaster but she really had a lifelong commitment to both being a teacher and going into space you know and she was able to completely combine that in a way that you probably you know if I were a little kid thinking I want to go into space and be a teacher I would know how that would happen so you know the unfortunate tragedy of it

is one thing but the ability for her to realize her dream is another. And I and and again the reason I bring this up is that I was in the New Hampshire legislature on the day of the explosion. I was sitting there we were all listening to it as we're sitting in committee rooms I mean this is so damn personal for me I just have to tell you. And we were just we couldn't great to watch everyone in the room not breed simultaneously. And then on top of that you also need to know what the week before remember they were supposed to go up the week before but it was too cold in the O-rings guess where I was. I was a kid. Kennedy the day she was supposed to go up and it was frightfully cold. So this day has meaning for me on many levels. But I do want to go back to education because in the state of New Hampshire as we were talking about how do we compete with the Finland on the South Koreas and the Chinese. What does my state want to do. They've decided that they want to remove from the definition of an adequate education world languages technology education art music and health. And I think it is OK.

So I'm just like go on what's left. And the reason they want to get rid of these things so the definition of an adequate education is Peter and Sue if you have to help fund an adequate education. It's better to keep an adequate education something that will fit into a thimble. Therefore your check will be smaller and smaller because the expectation that you have in your schools and on the results that your children will produce are less and less and less. The look what we're doing in order to embrace cheap. We are now redefining what a good education looks like. Because if we make it look like it should be less then we don't have to spend well I need not be argumentative. You said the good education the saying an adequate one. Well that's fine so shocking that the saying you know aliquid OK you know this is sort of like Ronald Reagan saying ketchups a vegetable right. I mean it's a spiritual equivalent in irony.

Correct me if I'm wrong I haven't looked at the numbers recently but there's a pretty high dropout rate in New Hampshire for high school. We had one governor mandated that kids must stay in school age of 18. So understand we don't teach kids in school because they're engaged in learning. We keep kids in school because we kind of turn the key like a prison and say you can't get out now what's the breakdown I know you know in my my experience in the elementary school level everyone is talking about. Everyone is talking about how to teach their kids Mandarin. You know that you know what's the language Spanish and Mandarin seem to be the two the two prongs of what what languages you'd like your kids to speak so how does it break down just a mere 60 miles from my home. That in New Hampshire were lowering standards all around. Well could it kill you. And the other reason why. Well it's not about it breaks down. It's all about money. It's not about vision. It's not about education. It's not about investing the future. It's all about how to cheap out and what is remarkable about the language story because you're talking about Mandarin and Spanish. In 2000 I was sitting in the

back of an award for the high technology entrepreneur of the year in New Hampshire and it was this guy who was a software genius and created this you know amazing technology. And you know what his major was. It was romance languages. That was his major and Peter you know what he said he said because I fell in love with language and I was starting to learn languages at a very early age. I began to hear and see things in different mine and that included computer language. And so I'm just looking at what they're doing and I'm saying you know listen to Barack Obama on Tuesday night waxing poetic about where we need to go and turning Arnie Duncan you know the commissioner of education or whatever the secretary of education into almost like about the prince of the night and that morning they were talking about getting rid of all these criteria because somehow that had no influence on the kind of results we need for education.

I mean you know what I want to jump over to Portland Maine now where the Portland Press Herald has a great story about an aide to Governor Paula Paige who has sent out an e-mail memo which you can read in the Portland Press Herald website and of course over at the Portland Phoenix there's there's some additional info on it. Talk a little bit about what was happening here. Peter you must be dying you know your speed except very important to say Are you all over. They are yes they he are pages turning out to be a gift that keeps on giving just like Sarah Palin. Well you know here's the thing. If the communications director for Paul the page put. It in writing which is the most bizarre thing in the world he put it in writing what they want to see accomplished right. Right before the inauguration ball that they so they won. They know they won. And obviously now they're looking at what are they going to do with this new power. Well it's one thing to talk about how you want to get organized and you

want to work with this Senator Olympia Snowe and you want to get organized labor's leadership in the legislature. But what this communication director does in writing everyone is that he says if there's a last line in the memo I'd like to connect. The week before Christmas you win your case that if you are not in town we can hopefully get some of your staff putting together some of the resources information we're going to need to get rolling once we take office. Paul as in gov web page well put a Levon thousand bureaucrats to work getting Republicans re-elected. Oh is that what state employees are supposed to do. Peter you never told me. Well the beautiful thing about this is if you've ever wanted to run a campaign just print this memo out because it's very helpful. Yeah you should also never put it in writing but I loved the part about you know finding high profile places to things to do you know that had I checked. Yeah you know just basically no fuss no muss shooting fish in a barrel which is one of my

favorite sayings and he uses it in the memo but so what's going to be the follow from this I mean so that the governor's communications guy this memos leaked is there. Liz I mean how well do you know I mean the lack to the ball was up in the air. They're finding out you know what the consequences of that are going to be I don't think they'll be any fallout from this. I mean first you've got the governor saying the end WCP is nothing more than another interest group you know dissing Luther King. The guy won but he won narrowly and he's making the classic mistake that most overreaching Republicans do make which is he's acting like he's governing from majority point of view. He's he's popular but I think what's going to happen is that he was elected by quote independents by people who were sick of of the way things were going.

He used to have a commanding lead. He one time the other commandingly but people began to say geez maybe this guy's a loose cannon. He's just proving to be a loose cannon and I think this so I think we're going to be entertained for some time before Ross a problem really Ross let me just give you a heads up there's a there's a Web site called the Regal blue and at the end of your post about this you know memo where they're talking about using the 11000 bureaucrats that work to get Republicans re-elected. They've had a really gnarly comment and they said well maybe it'll just be 9000 bureaucrats after Governor let page the laying off people. It's not like you're going to stay work or is it a little you know work or be used to help with the Republican agenda. I really like Republicans and that's part of the problem. People were looking for someone to lead the focus on the problems of me you know the focus on the problems of Massachusetts. And when you see this kind of crude partisan crap and that's what this is you just go No no no. I want my state employee to answer the phone about my life.

I don't want my state employee to be playing some game about whether I care about what the next Republican I get re-elected. We don't have time for that. The economy is hemorrhaging. Don't focus on your partisanship. Focus on what's going wrong. God I can't believe it. Well this is it you know the era of the new civility too. So you know how does it. Well this this memo was written before the next available that he was not sure then let's you know give the devil his due. We have when we were going to take a break in just a minute but when I come back we're going to talk about Chuck Turner at a variety of viewpoints from this this is the story of the former Boston city councilor who was arrested and convicted of taking a bribe. It's been all over the news and I'm happy to say that I think we bring some some different perspectives to it so we're going to take a look at that when we return. I'm Sue O'Connell I've been sitting in for Kelli Cross Please stay with us we'll be right back. Support for WGBH comes from you and from Weston financial

providing comprehensive financial tax estate planning and asset management services for high net worth clients in the Boston area and nationally for more than 30 years. Weston financial dot net. And from arts Emerson the world on stage presenting the world premiere of The Color of Rose about the Rose Kennedy story at the Paramount beginning January 27. You can find more information online at Art's Emerson dot org. The ethics series Justified begins its new season next week and season one is now out on DVD on the next FRESH AIR an interview with Walton Goggins who plays the leader of a white supremacist group pursued by a federal marshal in the epic series The Shield Goggins played Detective Shane Vendrell join us.

This afternoon at two on eighty nine point seven. WGBH right now is one of the most popular DVDs in the world. Is a co-production of the BBC and WGBH Boston. Already has the grace and the boys were great. It's Downton Abbey. From the beloved PBS series Masterpiece Classic continue the legacy of masterpiece and will thank you with a DVD copy of Downton Abbey for a contribution of $75 almost all the details are online at WGBH. We're running out of oxygen. I only have so many people that I can treat the world. I mean it's not an easy decision for anyone to make. Coming up at 3 o'clock on an eighty nine point seven WGBH Boston NPR station for news and culture. I'm Sue O'Connell I'm sitting in for Kelly Crossley today this is like Kelly Crossley Show if you're just tuning in we're looking at the week's news Joining me to talk between the headlines are Peter

Peter Katz isn't Arnie Arnesen Peter caddis is the executive editor of The Boston Phoenix. Arnie Arnesen is a radio and TV commentator based in New Hampshire. So of course this week the Massachusetts airwaves were dominated and print publications and websites with the news that former Boston city councilor Chuck Turner had been found guilty of taking a bribe in court not taking a bribe in court but taking a bribe and is going to be serving three years and I have to say Peter that I found the the reaction to it. Pretty universal in the shock of the amount of time that a councilor Turner received and also the sort of split on whether folks thought this was a good thing or a bad thing and I know in the Boston Phoenix this week Harvey silver gay rights Harvey the great defender of the First Amendment rights quite a bit about what his perception of what happened to Chuck Turner they're going to think before we get on The View.

I mean it's pretty shocking. Chuck Turner you know was convicted of taking one bribe and he's only got a few months less than Diane well-considered who was convicted of taking many Brust is you know what I take issue with as to whether what he did was actually quote taking a bribe. But let's get on to what Harvey had to say. Harvey points out quite rightly that he got this whopping sentence because he did to exercise his First Amendment rights in and say he disagreed with his conviction. The real villains in this case the real villains in this case the federal prosecutors who are so sensitive so delicate Fath. When criticized by Chuck Turner They say the term is trying to undermine justice well who cares whether he's trying the one divine justice he's saying what's on his mind. Now look I think Chuck Turner as a gas bag. Don't get me wrong but gas bags have the

right to gas in the issue here is more important than it may seem. The Chuck Turner case is just an example. It is just an example of how federal prosecutors can convict almost anyone of almost anything. And now it seems once you're convicted if you dare say that a wrong was committed your sentences increased. I mean this is the sort of quote justice unquote. There's mother. And you know Putin's Russia you know Jovan Aki of the Boston Globe yesterday or Wednesday I think had it maybe was there yesterday had a great editorial basically. Outlining some of the crimes that other state representatives and city representatives have committed yet they don't get nearly the same sort of hard hand of justice upon them. The point is Chuck Turner wrongly I think is saying this is happening to him because he's African-American.

No this is happening happening to him because he's dead to mouth off and you have to think I mean the other part of it which is is somewhat brilliant on the Fed or federal prosecutors. He's a hard person to get behind. You know to your point Chuck Turner has been perceived by many as being racist by many as being a gas bag and by many as being off point so you know Are they lucky enough to be to be basically persecuting someone who folks are going to find hard to make a post or did I raise my hand here actually I don't know I don't know the players but I would if he was an outsider and I'm reading what was written in the scene and I'm just going to read this quote has thought that Turner has sought to undermine the integrity of the judicial process that he has basically falsely promoted distrust of federal and local law enforcement. How did many Republican. Yeah let me tell you what how the how much respect they give judges. Right but I think how much respect they give some of the federal is Forsman if this is true of Turner what kind of sense is some of those you know hard right in Washington get because this is a pattern and practice of many

reactionary conservative Republicans. There are always critics. And I mean oh weren't we criticizing the federal enforcers. So it's ironic that suddenly Turner they're like shocked at this behavior and of all where are you. Well also that you know the challenge to this for everyone to pay attention to when you know we're right in trying to break it down to the whether or not you believe Chuck Turner is guilty or not is irrelevant because basically what the federal prosecutors are saying is if you tell your side of the story correct or not. Yeah. And you are found guilty then you will be punished more harshly basically for trying to defend yourself I mean if if we take the letter of the law that if you defend yourself when you're found guilty you're committing perjury. You know when they simply take that right away this shows the federal prosecutors as being bully boys. Exactly. Chuck Turner refused to cooperate with the investigation and Diane Wilkerson. OK.

They get them. Now having gotten them there there you haven't gotten them that's not enough for them. They have to rub his nose in it because he's criticized them. You know it it really is what it is is it shows that the federal government too often lacks a sense of proportion. I mean it's not they're not professional Peter. Oh they are they're professional bullies they're professionally. But but what I'm saying is is that is that remember justice. Law minded and all these other things. What they should have said is OK this is action. We understand he's angry when they say he's going to be a blowhard but that's not we are insensitive to those personal attacks because we're going to act as professionals. Instead they got into the mud with him. They got they got it they lacked it what they did. Well you get no argument from me there. Yeah you know I want to jump back changing gears to a story that was in bay windows last week bay windows dot com and has relevance this week because

of things that happened in regarding Oh activists but we you know I love the whole new civility because I believe if you just get out of their way to some degree they'll take care of it themselves. And we had Reverend Scott Lively who spoke at a seminar in 2009 about the homosexual agenda in Uganda. He opened a coffee shop called holy grounds which I have to say is a very cute little name. He opened this coffee shop and then sort of automatically went ahead and hired himself a sex offender. And this is of course in Springfield Massachusetts. And the sex offender Michael for Dany was quickly arrested. Not only was he working at the coffee shop but he was also living above the coffee shop. And it leads one to wonder if the reverend had been more concerned about actually checking his employees. Because the coffee shop was near school of course. Could the reverend have a secret agenda. One can only guess Peter.

Well you know it's interesting I think in defense of what they did is that I think this is about forgiveness. So they're going to say that this sex offender we will forgive him and I believe the sex offender says that he's acting as a minister didn't refer to himself as a minister yet. I think that's what he said. So so there is this sense of forgiveness and inclusiveness and bringing people on. And it's interesting because again it's kind of like cafeteria Christianity because in Uganda they basically incite anger and no forgiveness and violence and we've seen perhaps the result of that this week. But here with it. And you know how many blocks one block from a school where students are encouraged to come. You have someone who even if you've been forgiven I'm not sure you put it in that location but you know what I mean. Why the I think I agree 100 percent. The other interesting question this why the remarriage of any religious stripe or any social belief so concerned with personal

practices or preferences in the Gonda for God sakes. Yeah I mean I realize we live in the world a shrunken that's an interdependent world etc. etc. but I mean it's it is it is very bizarre to see Uganda as a flashpoint Now I understand the reason is because Gonda took a lot of advice from right wing wacko Christians but it just shows how demented this strain in society really is. You're listening to the Kelly Crossley Show here on WGBH. I'm Sue O'Connell sitting in for Kelly speaking with Peter Katz is an artist and you know another good news story that came out of the South the news this week is the story of the folks over at the. The organization where they had a youth group a performance group and this is one of the great things about youth performances. I think it really connects with them on a on a level that you can't get any other way but the learning center there had their celebration where the kids got together

and did a performance play and they were asked what they wanted the subject to be about and they decided to do it about stereotypes that you encounter while riding the buses and trains in Boston. And if any last anyone's been on the trains in Boston in Boston around 2:00 to 3:00 o'clock you know how many kids are on the public transport port and also how many challenges they run into not only can they be the kids with the music playing loud or talking loud. They also can see how they are being judged by the people on the trains and buses. And they also you know have to come up against folks who might not mean the best for them we've certainly had a lot of stories here in the Boston press about the gropers that are being arrested. But I think it was really such a great a great story about an organization working with kids to come up with a role playing activity that was not only fun but educational. Well if this was New Hampshire it wouldn't be happening and I just think we got I think the odds

while they don't have any buses. Well I don't have a key yet but I think I think as I was reading your story. Well kept writing to. My head was the concept of the parable and for these kids this is their experience. They ride the bus they ride the tea they see The Good The Bad and The Ugly. And what a great opportunity to sort of recreate it and then teach and they're good teachers at it about their experience. It's about what they see as a way for them to remind themselves how they want to act differently but also to remind the audience what are we doing as a fellow human being just because the person smells because they're homeless. Guess what they're homeless. They don't have access to a shower. We're live with the result. You know I hate riding the bus. You know I'll say that you know I often do what I hated but I have always believed that every public official should be required to go to their major city in their area and ride the bus. Listen I know that the COD has been invented I. I love people yes well I love public transportation too but given the choice between the train and the

bus I'm a drinker. Oh I know I come down with you I prefer trains trains for a strongly second boss. But no that's a good point public officials should be compelled to take public transportation just so they can see the eclectic mix of their constituents and you know just trying to get on a bus to go a few stops with you or your child in a stroller and it's really a big challenge and. Will where I get New Hampshire some public transport. Well actually what I want to do that I want to take all those that I want to send them to Minnesota so they can see what light rail looks like yeah. And if you have a view of the future I may go if you want to know the future of you in the future. So Peter you had a great piece in The Boston Phoenix this week on the strange bedfellows working towards criminal justice reform and this is an action that's been a long time in coming and it does seem that the players and the causes are all in place to hopefully do a better job of course. The conservative side is

being motivated by cost but nonetheless. But in part but nonetheless it looks like we could have some hopeful news on the rise. Yeah a fascinating story by David Bernstein which people can read on the Phoenix dot com the left on the right may actually be getting together. Now the people from the laughter are being motivated to to try to overhaul some parts of the criminal. Criminal justice system. Well you know the usual collection of do what the conservatives would call do good have motivations because so many poor people run the fall of it. The Republicans motivation is more complicated but nevertheless in line 1. There is as you point out a number of Republicans who are taking a look at what the law come up and throw away the key policies are doing to state budgets and we cannot afford to continue the when costs are a that Americans at the rate at which we're

doing it. That's number one this is a second group which is more of a small government crowd and they just think in some ways like Javi soba Glades thinks that the federal government is getting too intrusive but it's a very rare example when that's happening behind the scenes in Washington that's the program in question is called Right on Crime. It's where the left on the right a quietly working behind the scenes to perhaps bring about you know what TV commentators call as lasting change. If you're going to care because of your story I went and looked at some of the numbers from my stay for the state of New Hampshire. The fourth safe this state in the nation from 1999 to 2009 we saw a 50 percent increase in costs for the criminal justice system. But listen to this statistic. This is why I think the Republicans are jumping all over it. Not only do they see this huge spike in cost but it turns out that we

saw an increase of 31 percent within the prison population. But all of that 31 percent only 3 percent or because they were new to the system and it committed a crime. The rest of them or folks that were going back in and going back in and going back in. So you know we have this incredible recidivism rate that's higher than the national average. It's costing us an arm and a leg. We're warehousing everyone we're not safer. And so when you said they're going to you know what I don't mind the money argument and I'm a liberal because if nothing else I want my money to go to education to pay for the language that if New Hampshire is the fourth safest state in the nation how much of a threat can these people be. Exactly exactly. But we're seeing a 50 percent increase in the cost of the penal justice system and you have to ask. Where is the money going and why are you spending on that. Well you know I think that's why the the the right and the left came back into each other. I don't care why they're there.

OK right now they come out with the same result. So some good news from the print world if I can to my own my own home I know over bay windows we happily acquired the golden ring both times which was a monthly newspaper. You might remember those that was dedicated to serving the community of the lesbian gay bisexual and transgender senior population and senior being defined by 50 plus my age during which you know in a couple months I would say anything. So you know we were thrilled about this because it's actually a print expansion although it will certainly have a website part of it and this is an audience the boomer audience which can still. Be served by print and by magazines and for from the gay perspective this is the pioneer generation many of whom have suffered mightily because of their sexual orientation many of whom were pioneers and trailblazers and many of whom still face a lot of discrimination

in housing and health care and family stuff as well so it's something that we've been thrilled about. But isn't this just a no. I'm asking this not in a cynical way by the someone who's in the program as like you so this seems like a very smart business decision. Well thank you. Yeah I mean I think I think that we those of us who are still standing in the print world understand where the niches are for us the communities to serve within our communities. You know from from an advertising point of view gay consumers have more disposable income. It's a very desirable audience. I think the liberals here. The liberal listening to the story. It's not just an economic move. It's also a point to connect the past with the press. Absolutely because the stories that you're going to be telling once a month and the connections you're going to making with these people once a month I think that the rest of the gay community need to remember. And so it's like one stop shopping for what's happening in your world. What's happened in the past and how we sort of build on the shoulders of our forefathers You know Peter

I think something for the senior Phoenix coming your way to see your son Jesus on parade. All the guys that were supporting character with the ponytail. That's right. OK we've been talking local and regional news with Peter Gaddis executive director of the Boston Phoenix and radio and TV commentator Arnie Arneson. Coming up we're taking a turn from the serious to the sublimely ridiculous with a tour of this week's tabloids. We'll be back after this break stay tuned to eighty nine point seven. Time. Support for WGBH comes from you. And from Somerset Subaru. You were invited to the super event featuring five star NHTSA government crash test rated vehicles with symmetrical wheel drive Summerset Subaru Route 195 in Somerset Somerset auto group dot com and from Las rehab in

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UMass Boston welcome welcome Happy New Year. Such exciting stuff happening very very very. Always always first of all some some sad news and you know this is one of those great generation leaps for folks in my office when Jack La Lane passed away this week at age 95. Well that will split the difference 95 and a half. Jacqueline of course who was a pioneer on American Health we're going to take a little listen to some advice that Jack gave us many years ago. You know this is a nation of tired people. Everyone is tired. Everybody is suffering from that chronic disease and I like to call pooped out. Itis people wake up in the morning they're tired to go to bed at night they're tired they're tired throughout the day. Now let's find out why people are tired. Number one lack of exercise number. Empty calories. Number three. Nervous

tension. Words to live by. Nothing has changed to me what's the pop culture impact of Jacqueline. Well which one. When Jacko Lane started his his television show in the 1950s there were three I think really important historical forces that made it possible. One was Americans were at least some were starting to move out to the suburbs and live much more sedentary lives than they had in the city where you could actually walk places or on the farms where you actually had to work. Right exactly. And then second you know there was this for the first time really this concerted invention of the housewife where women were encouraged after having worked during the war to go back into the home and stay there. And this would be where you know the people who watched his show when it came on in the morning and then the third thing what was considered desirable in both male and female bodies was starting to change as people like to track through Marilyn Monroe's popularity. And you know really starting at that time when people started

to exercise it wasn't so. I mean all of the women were starting to exercise to make something smaller all of the men were starting to exercise to make something larger. And this hadn't really been the case before so he was really able to sort of I think seize on those historical forces and and have an impact. You know I would say that Americans being tired just having to listen to that. You know I would say that you know I would be less inclined to advocate for gym memberships and more Klein to advocate for a 30 hour work week. I think what's interesting is the way Jack the lane mobilized virtually every aspect of marketing to get his message across I mean Charles Atlas had been in the back of comic books with his dynamic tension business. But Lane went after nutrition exercise machines and following his particular routine. I was brought back to my childhood when in an interview they reprinted he mentioned how he really got started by telling children go get your mother go get your father more I'm going to exercise together because I can remember when I was really little seeing the show and not having a

clue why this guy was jumping up and down on the on the television I mean he really seemed seem bizarre. You know if I was actually going to say I remember watching it religiously when I was little and I was fascinated by jack lane I mean and we watched all whatever TV there was we watch my grandmother was one of the first in the entire city to have a remote controls. But I can just remember sitting in front of the television being which was not his point but. Yes memorized by this man jack lane and he kept abreast of all the developments I mean even into the infomercials on the juicer and really marketing himself and his products. He really blazed the trail and everybody else is just imitating him and lived to 96 we got confirmation on the game so you know we can only hope that those of us sitting in front of the TV as children some of that had gone on but probably not you know the the other big news and I just can't get enough of this I you know we're talking about what stories we want to talk about today. This just just keeps giving to me it's the great Oprah Winfrey

discovery of her half sister we're going to listen to a little bit of Oprah unveiling the long lost family secret. I found out that I have a half sister I never knew about. I didn't even know that my mother gave up a baby for adoption in 1963. I can't tell you how many times I've done a story like this on the Oprah show. It's not something I ever thought would happen to me. And I'm telling you today because my family and I agreed that we wanted to do it on our terms and not have it become some big tabloid spectacle with all of the facts getting confused so my sister Patricia is here come on out for Trisha. Oprah Winfrey. Undervote them. So Rachel you know I'm of two minds on this one which mine are you of. Well I don't know what your to mine. But there must be a way to write. You know I have a lot of reactions. It was it was very kind of emotionally you know draining to watch the interview

I felt really for Oprah Winfrey's mother who is clearly you know in a lot of pain doesn't look at the dog the long lost daughter refers to her only as the baby. You know originally when she'd been found had not wanted to open a relationship and it just really made me think you know when a woman gets pregnant and particularly one who is really young and one who's poor you know the three big decisions you could make to have and raise the baby to have the baby give the baby up for adoption to have an abortion. All of these are permanent decision rights and they're going to just be with you you know forever and you could sort of see that on the face of Oprah Winfrey's mother during the segment that said the thing that made me really sort of happy about it was it really seems plain that the sister has not been trying to work any angles like she's you know has been having criticism on you know I've been listening other talk shows and that Oprah has said you know isn't this wonderful that my my family my long lost family member didn't

try make a dime off this. And I. You know I felt that actually you know considering what Oprah's been through with other family members I think that says something about the person's integrity and I have learned a lot. Was Ray I mean is no I absolutely feel like and I felt like well it must be really painful to be Oprah and to sort of have to like that be the first thought you know that you have OK somebody is approaching me you know what are they trying to get out of me but on the other hand you know what she says as the explanation for why she's doing this is that so she can control the story and I find it extraordinary that she believes that she can. But isn't there a bit of transparent I mean you know when I'm in a situation in and I'm on the you know something my newspaper has done is is going to get some coverage. Crisis control place that I go to is OK let's get ahead of the story let's set the game let's set the playing field and let's without any illusions thinking we can control the story but let's see what we can do to manage the story.

And I fell for Oprah that was a very transparent way that most of her her folks watching at home most. Most Americans thankfully aren't thinking about that kind of crisis media control in a way she was saying look at you know you can say I'm doing this for ratings you can say I'm doing this because of my my ratings on my new network. But I want to make sure I manage the story. You know her she says control. It's kind of the Oprah paradox on the one hand this is it is it's a very moving story and I believe her. I absolutely believe this I think she's absolutely genuine. But it also demonstrates the tremendous power that she has that you know she feels the need to say I'm going to control it but also that we need to still at this point humanize her and relentlessly humanize her that we cannot just accept this as a re-union and she's They found each other that there's all this machination and human manipulation. Presumably behind it or not. And so would it with Oprah. Nothing can be you know Oprah Winfrey human being. Right it's

always got to be. O.W. And but there what there also was some honesty in it from a different angle in that she said she's been doing this you know she's been reuniting people she's been having painful conversations and the fact that she's willing to do it herself. You know I'm sure there was pain involved in it for her as well and her mother and her sister's family I mean I think that there was some you know walk the talk moment for her that I that but I also think that there was a certain comfort of that I mean that was another thing I saw. If you think about her just trying to manage it but from an emotional point of view that falling back on really familiar interview tactics that you could see her doing was a sort of way of making it feel safe to her. She was like OK I know how to do this. I've been doing this I'm going to use the same language you know so. So the other news in the in the supermarket world was the cover shot of Elton John and his. They're English so I guess it would be as domestic partner as civil a civil partner there is a very married partner

and their child was on the cover of a magazine that's displayed in the supermarket checkout and one of the supermarket chains decided it needed a family shield which is a cover they put over certain magazines which family shield by the way like the repeated claim of that it's a piece of paper write like they have on the Playboy model. Yes good point. I'm just saying. And I mean this is really you know it's really really so infuriating that like Mase has made me not even want to make a joke about when it comes to Elton John you should cover your ears and not your eyes right. That but I do want to say. And people who live in those areas you know I think they should. They should make their feelings known they should boycott the stores and so forth. But it's also relatively when you well I just want to reiterate that in terms of the opposition to equal marriage rights that that is that you know internationally funded like what. Different well organized you know movement of sorts

and I really want to call attention to that in jobs I haven't been in the supermarket chain but I know that when I'm in line with my 10 year old I'm less concerned about Elton John and his gay husband as I am about the cosmopolitan you know how to reach the best orgasm more in the book aisle and magazine aisle the king's magazine and there's bay windows was once thrown out of supermarkets because of our content and I did a lot of research on what you can actually see I mean like kids go to the go to look at the crossword puzzles and stuff when they're shopping and at eye level is all sorts of. And the pick what is the picture two men and a baby. Right. If a child is able to read they might understand what's going on. What I think what the sinister thing that I find in this is. The question that might come up that a child might say why are there two men and no we must not ask that question. We must not answer that question it's that to me is the chilling aspect of it and

that the supermarket have done that sort of almost unbidden. Right but then the protests started right away on the other Ok it was about surprise I don't with that just to say to that you know a whole lot of sort of ideological work gets done in the name of protecting the children. You know look at the movie's rating system for instance. All right let's take a listen to some music by one of my new favorite guys Jay-Z. Want to go to sleep that's Jay-Z and Jay-Z and Will Smith are reported to be working on a new musical version their take home probably starring Willow and the other one but will move on with that their take on Annie which I find enormously exciting. One is because I find the commonality that Jay-Z has found with the original and the composer is really stunning to me we're going to play a little bit of an interview that Terry Gross did with Charles Stross

about when he heard Jay-Z's Hard Knocks life. He said something in the liner notes that it was gritty. He said it was gritty and he felt that that was the way black people felt in the ghetto. And the fact is when we were working on and it was the first song that I had written the music for and I wanted that song to be gritty. I didn't want to be a fake. I wanted to show these desperate times and these mount treated girls etc. etc.. So when he picked up on that I was very proud of myself for that reasonable match made in heaven Rachael. Well you know do you match it. Apparently you know the film critic Armond White the eccentric film critic Armond White has referred to Jay-Z's use of that song as the apotheosis of black Jewish relation. But it is it is and it is a deeply interesting use of it. And you know it does remind us that poor kids are not all cute little red haired mommy and something that's just worth worth putting out there.

I am really rooting for Jay-Z to play Daddy Warbucks in the version I think he'd be just absolutely spectacularly fantastic I'll take Willow if I can have you know. OK I'd rather go back to Harold Arlen for black Jewish musical relationship. This has got to be an improvement on the original That's And Charles Strouse pretentiousness claiming that Annie is gritty hell you know I have to say though I was you know I my daughter was adopted from China I have nieces who were adopted from China and the any connection with all lots of kids I mean it's you know you don't have to be an orphan in order to love any. But they have often acted out that scene you know and have pretended to scrub the floor. And there has been this sort of like you know things that you see for the first time that you never saw before through a different perspective like oh my God here are orphans acting out this scene and there is a certain toughness to it that I think just gets glossed over and I think the urban the urban part of it I mean I'm excited to see what they're going to

do I don't know if I'm automatically going to love it well maybe compared to you know the opening number from Oliver. You know it's gritty but come on this is a Broadway show I am really looking for him to Jay-Z really is doing something. Yeah. Now are you excited about the Academy Award nominations you've only got a couple of minutes. I'm sure you know. Too many. You know that the number has certainly been the hot topic I have to say I like the variety but I don't wait a minute what for I you know I don't buy that oh I see you don't have nominated since 2000. Yeah well I mean more from the independent view in the in the box office hits. Well it's a sought for ratings I mean that's the other categories do not have this expansion. It's a teeny weeny itsy bitsy interesting the Toy Story is nominated for Best Picture and Best Animated. And I'm done. Are you hoping for another. I always hope for Rob Lowe Snow White moment coming up on the Academy Awards like.

Well this is one thing that's really telling though seriously is that they've extended the red carpet part of the warrior this year and that's just that is a sort of statement of purpose you know so these women are going to come out there and stand there in clothes for people to you know as as the kids say body snark right. Talk about really bad I mean why and who you know and so on. And Franco is almost ready to go into therapy anticipating the criticism he's going to get for not doing a good job hosting right. Apparently it would appear the program at Yale isn't enough preparation I know and I give all I love in halfway. I mean I think that she's quick on her feet I think that she's she brings a certain kind of you know the old girl next door kind of tomboy but can also dress in and I mean she can sing you know which is exciting. What are you hoping for a show I like. No no no no. I like James Franco plenty I you know I that that apart I'm not worried about. But it is if you take it as a kind of state of the industry which it is good you know yes you know then it's really worth paying attention because it's you know it's making a statement.

Well we're going to go out today with Jay-Z's hard knock life ghetto anthem I want to thank Professor Rachel Reuben professor and Professor Thomas Conley thanks for coming by we'll see you next week on a rag time. I want to remind you that you can stay on top of the Kelly Crossley Show at WGBH dot org slash Kelly Crossley follow on Twitter or friend the Kelly Crossley Show on Facebook. Thanks to everybody in that room because I'm not going to try to massacre your names again this week and the production studio all the brains are back there I'm Sue O'Connell sitting in for Kelly Crossley where production of WGBH radio.