WGBH Radio; The Callie Crossley Show

I'm Cally Crossley This is the Cali Crossley Show. Today we're hitting the rewind button on this week's news from the great lady's front pages to the stories on the small screen and the reporting that went under the radar. It's a hyper local look at the news that was and wasn't. We'll be dropping in on online communities and alternative presses. For a look at the big stories from the small papers where today's neighborhood news becomes tomorrow's mainstream headlines. Well top of the hour venturing from the serious to the sublimely ridiculous with Greg time on tour of the tabloids and a round up of this week's pop culture. Up next on the callee Crossley Show from gumshoe reporting the gossip rags. First the news. From NPR News in Washington I'm Lakshmi Singh. The Obama administration

plans to stop deporting younger undocumented immigrants and give them a chance to work here legally provided they meet a set of criteria a formal announcement is expected within minutes. NPR's Scott Horsley says it's not a blanket amnesty but an exercise of what the White House calls prosecutorial discretion. People who came to the U.S. illegally when they were under the age of 16 and who lived here continuously for the last five years people who have been in school and graduated and got a GED or served in the military and who. Don't pose a threat to national security or public safety by which means they don't have a serious criminal record will not face deportation and will be eligible for a work permit. NPR's Scott Horsley still reaction has been swift from critics who warn that the initiative by the White House will only encourage more illegal immigration. Spain's central bank has issued data showing that Spanish government debt is at its highest level since the year 1913.

Lauren Frayer reports from Madrid an EU bailout loan adds to concerns about Spain's growing debt. Spanish government debt amounted to 72 percent of GDP at the end of this year's first quarter. That's its highest level in ninety nine years and it doesn't yet include a bailout loan from Europe up to one hundred twenty five billion dollars which will be foisted on to Spain's books once it's finalized for a long time Spain had low government debt and it's still lower than Germany's compared to GDP but it's growing. And the bigger problem here is private debt. All those unpaid mortgages and construction loans that threaten to topple Spain's banking system in the lead up to Greek elections this weekend. There is speculation that central banks will move to assist economies like Spain's which are drowning in debt. For NPR News I'm Lauren Frayer in Madrid. The Environmental Protection Agency is announcing plans to strengthen standards for regulating air pollution from should. NPR's Dave Mattingly reports he administration is under a court order to unveil the standards now with an eye on key political states such

as Ohio and Pennsylvania. The Obama administration was hoping to wait until after the November election but a federal judge's order forced the EPA to speed things up after more than 10 states filed a lawsuit. They included California and New York. The new air quality rules lower the levels of soot released into the air from factories trucks buses and the like. But critics Republicans among them say the changes could further slow economic growth and costs more jobs. David Mattingly NPR News Washington. Former Goldman Sachs director Rajat Gupta has been found guilty of three counts of securities fraud and one count of conspiracy for insider trading. However he was found not guilty on two other charges. This is NPR News. Good afternoon from the WGBH radio newsroom in Boston I'm Christina Quinn with some local stories we're following. The state's highest court has ruled the Boston City Council overstepped its authority when it removed former councillor Chuck Turner from office before he was sentenced to prison

on corruption charges. The Supreme Judicial Court today said that state law does not give municipal bodies the power to expel elected officials prior to sentencing. The council voted in December 2010 to remove Turner who had been convicted weeks earlier of taking a $1000 bribe from a businessman seeking a liquor license from the city then lying about it to FBI agents. Turner was later sentenced to three years in federal prison which under state law would trigger his automatic removal. The justices said Turner might now be eligible for back pay for the period between his expulsion and sentencing. Springfield Police have arrested nine men in a prostitution sting conducted in response to resident complaints. Police say the nine men arrested in the city's south end on Thursday include one who offered an undercover officer posing as a prostitute. A tattoo in exchange for sex. All nine men seven from the Springfield area and two from Connecticut are charged with sexual conduct for a fee. Police say residents of the neighborhood have been complaining of acts taking place on side streets. Multiple nonprofit public health organizations and advocacy groups have

filed papers in federal court supporting Providence Rhode Island in a lawsuit brought against the city by several tobacco companies and others groups including the American Cancer Society Action Network and the Rhode Island chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Follow written agreements today backing the city. The lawsuit targets ordinances banning pricing strategies such as BUY ONE GET ONE FREE. And sales of non cigarette tobacco products marketed as having a fruit or candy flavor. The complaint says the ordinances violate the federal and state constitutions. Right now it's 67 degrees outside of our Brighton studios with a partly cloudy skies and tonight we can expect mostly clear skies with overnight lows in the mid 50s. Support for NPR comes from CenturyLink providing broadband entertainment and voice technologies to Americans and Fortune 500 companies. Century Link your link to what's next. Good afternoon I'm Kalee Crossley. Today we're hitting the rewind button on the week's local news. Looking at it through a regional lens. Joining us today are Paul prone of the editor of the Cape Cod Times. Robert Whitcomb the vice president and editorial

page editor of The Providence Journal and radio and TV commentator Arnie Arneson on the line from New Hampshire. Hello everybody. You know it is a beautiful day and because it's such a gorgeous day here right outside these wonderful Brighton studios in Massachusetts. Arnie I'm starting with you because you have good news. Goodness gracious we need some good news. The Gorham paper and tissue company is hiring. Oh this is so exciting this is the last I'm ill of that was actually still open but then in the fall of 2010 it was shuttered and I was saying the end of the paper industry in the north country. And then a woman who owns a company called The Patriarch Partners Her name is Lynn Tilton. She bought the distressed property and lo and behold it is 2012 and guess what. They put two hundred forty people out of work in 2010. They're up to about hiring two hundred fifty people today so it is really a remarkable story about

investment about hope about turnaround. And here's something interesting. They spent a lot of money converting the plant from oil to natural gas and sort of a combination of methane from a landfill. They spent I don't know one and a half to two million dollars on this conversion in just months. Because the differential in the price of oil vs. the price of natural gas they were able to to basically expense out the cost of the conversion. That's how much the difference was between what it costs to run this plant with oil vs. natural gas that's an unbelievable story. But can I just share one really fun piece because you need to know about the woman Lynn Tilton who runs the company that made the decision to run the risk of investing in paper mills in the north country of New Hampshire. Her name is Lynn Tilton and this is just a few sentences from an article in The Wall Street Journal. I love this woman. I love this woman. Last year a private equity Chief Lynn Tilton flew to Detroit to try to impress sales at one of her auto parts companies. She

got a cool reception from Ford Motor who asked if she was like other private equity chiefs that strip and flip their companies. So says you must be mistaken she shot back. It's only men that I strip and my companies I hold long and close to my heart. She owns 74 firms with revenues of eight billion dollars. I am all woman. Sometimes it makes men uncomfortable. Yet Or rather it's sort of like a Berkshire Hathaway kind of management system I think. Little bit like that but this time it is absolutely amazing and this company sort of spoke to her in her head. It's what her father told her she was supposed to do and she is really remarkable you should see what she looks like I mean she wears tight pants and has bleached blond hair and I mean she just is the exact opposite of anyone who would imagine sort of on a Wall Street investment type. But she invested in this company. It is turning around it is making the north country so happy. It is a great story because it was someone who actually believed and took the time to make it happen we'll see

five years from now. But I love you until I just don't know you you're going to tell me the whole industry come back. They're not a very particular when I'm come back. I don't think a lot of it can come back and again what they're doing is they're now moving into areas like specialty papers. I mean I think that's what it can do in order to compete which makes sense. But obviously understand that energy cost was one of the biggest problems for them. They could not compete and oil was the biggest problem. Just the ability now with seeing the price of natural gas go down. Suddenly it can actually look at places like China and can compete with them at least on the specialty market. So I just need to let you know Lynn Tilton is quite quite remarkable and she made a huge difference. What I think is interesting about the story too aside from you know your pointing out the energy differential is that they upgraded some of the equipment so much in that year that they were down so that a lot of people need training like 16 employees who had seniority they picked out from the people who they had to lay off and now

they offered them the jobs first those with you know most seniority and expertise to train on this new equipment. What that also means though is that when those persons get trained that leaves some space those 16 spaces for some more people to be hired. So it's just such a win win all the way around and you know it's just it was just a feel good story I'd enjoy here people hundreds of people came in for those jobs everyone is excited and psychologically. I remember Berland means is that is the city that trees built. It's the city that trees built and when you see the last paper mill shut down and you realize the only thing left there were like prisons. You have to be you know your heart breaks for them. So this is really another statement about what is possible. And I'm going to go back to something that I remember and I said this before Andrea Merkel You know Germany is such a powerhouse in the EU. And Andrea Merkel reminds everyone in the EU the difference between us and most of you is we still make things. The idea of making things is so important and Berlin is back to making

things I've only dreamed would make things OK. Boilen All right so Robert would come from the sublime to the ridiculous. Gotta go to you because now we're talking about a city losing track of 10 million dollars. Talk to us about this story. You know the school department basically lost track of 10 million dollars over the last couple years and that's that's a major reason for the city's financial woes now the other reason obviously is the recession and it's an old building the mills don't see show any signs of reopening and but it's pretty pathetic very bad oversight. What do you know I mean come on. Well to find out I don't know send you an e-mail telling grandma your really old fashion. There's Providence right will find you know this is when this is Rhode Island yes. And as you know money money tends to go into a sort of Bermuda Triangle around here and in the case of wind sock it you know the struggling old mill time is kind of doing a little

better for a while because a real estate development from Boston you know people are kind of fixing up the mills historic tax credit but that really papered over its fundamental problems so to speak. Yeah yeah you know it. Crucial expense of course is the central woe was the school part very badly managed but there are other parts that are not well managed either. Anyway the state will take over the school department and my guess is the city will file under bankruptcy following Central Falls and the expense of arms of a bankruptcy lawyer just to be for point of clarification its Woonsocket not road not Providence. Yeah that's right. Rights are the Providence seems to have dodged the bullet for in part because Brown gave them a lot of money in return for brow taking over much of college hill. Yeah ok it was a staggering map the other day of what Brown Brown is getting in the way of parking spaces.

Close streets and so on so I can I sort of think that Brown kind of came out ahead of that ahead of the city and as the city was desperate. Can I ask a question Robert and that is it do they have a tax cap in that community as well. They do as well. You're absolutely right. All right the state had authorized them going over the tax cap and they right they didn't do it the legislature punted at the last minute. We don't exactly know why. I suppose we'll find out in the next few days. There's a lot of anger and confusion about it. There's really an angry anger and confusion or there's an extraordinary how you know me and you know the kind of thing that it's sort of the New Orleans of the north. I'm like the people the people who have been the people who are in charge of the money the same people that have been there for a few years. Yes. You know generally I mean that people come and go but has anybody checked to see there if there is anybody check to see if they have their passports in their hand. That's a very good question I think they're probably they're probably opening up a box in the Cayman

Islands now taking in the sun Wolf. Find out more I think I think most of it is just incompetence. I think it's tragic that they lost track of ten million dollars and the school department was ten million dollars raising it to mean dollar deficit I mean that is just disgusting. Quite astonishing right. Sounds like a rock in the Defense Department when they lost billions you know how it is with a billion here a billion there why can't I go back. Yeah but this is war so this is why I thought it was a right direction. My favorite Republican senators. The Wizard of Oz to go. All right continuing the money thing down your way Paul prone of oh lots of people are hoping that the new passing approval on the casino means money and jobs for folks. Well certainly that's been the argument in favor of casinos of course there are lots of arguments against them but certainly there seems to be

considerable momentum here in Massachusetts for casino gambling we all know that they've legalized gaming in the Bay State allowing for three resort style casinos spread geographically throughout the state. The one that seems to have the greatest sort of momentum is is in southeastern Massachusetts down here and in particular in particular with the Mashpee wampum tribe. They seem to be far ahead of everyone. And they they had a lot of good news this past week not the least of which was a resoundingly approval from the city of Holland where they want to build this casino and fascinating about 36 percent of the city's 33000 voters came out. You know more than many presidential elections to vote on whether or not they would be interested in a casino and they they said yes. And this is in the context of of course we remember Steve Wynn and Bob Kraft partnered up they wanted to talk to CEOs in Foxborough FOXBOROUGH

The town of Foxboro said we're not interested in that if you're not interested. Lesser known the the equator want a dog another tribe that seems to be trying to gain some momentum and isn't getting it right now. They made proposals in two towns Freetown and Lakeville also in southeastern Massachusetts and they were shot down so this is a big win for the Mashpee Wampanoag. I just want to before you speak I just want to make clear to everybody this is the first community in the state to say yes to a casino. Just to underscore that. What kind I social privileges of the weapon. Why are they so far ahead of everybody else. Well they have the way the casino legislation was written in Massachusetts they said that an Indian tribe would have basically the inroad for the casino that would be located in southeastern Massachusetts. They're not right. Already they would get priority. As long as they hit certain milestones and that was in recognition of the fact that if Massachusetts went ahead with casino gambling a

sovereign nation such as the Mashpee want a dog can go ahead and pursue the casino. So so the governor said we'd rather work with you then ultimately against you if the state wanted three. And then the match became over and said we're going to do one anyway so you're going to get four. So the state wanted wanted a piece of the pie essentially. And I think Arnie again I know you have to want to get in here but just to make clear that the community is promised from the tribe to get 2.5 percent of net casino revenue or a minimum of 8 million dollars a year that's not chump change. They will also pay the city for operational expenses for added police fire and help local schools in the amount of four million dollars and in light of our just talking about the school that's over there in Woodstock at that sum. That's some real money. And the tribe has agreed to make 33 million dollars in road repairs and other infrastructure improvements Xing you know water sewer and public safety equipment. You know that. That's why people voted for it.

And that's one of the reasons I wanted to actually weigh in here so you're going to you're going to hear the common cause person in me coming out not because I'm looking at the expenditures that the dog spent on this 300000 between March 16th and May 22nd in order to get this passed compared to seven hundred thirty dollars by the preserve taunts future to stop at the casino. So I am again 300000 to 700 and 30. I mean yes it was a big turnout obviously there's a lot of promise about money but you need to share something with me Paul. How wealthy a community is taught. Yeah exactly right. Time is one of these gateway communities. It has a very high level of unemployment. They see the shot in the arm of money coming annually into the coffers as Cali just laid out as being huge. And also jobs a lot of jobs will be pumped into the community and I think that's clearly very attractive to target and it's also why some of the other cities down in this area including Fall River New Bedford really

wanted to vie for the same casino and they ultimately didn't didn't win out at least at this stage. But with a lot of the money go for the local pocketbooks. Will operator manager of the casino you know we're going to show you up or you know coo Well poo or something like that I mean what's the net gain for the area for you know for a greater time. Well minimum of 8 million dollars according to the case but that's OK. Economically I wonder if there's a loss of a million dollars. Well that's sort of of course is the locals will presumably be doing. I mean how many people are going to go to a resort casino in town and I love it's a great old time. But how many people are going to drive there from Connecticut. But look at the promise was the promise was eight million dollars the promise was will repair your roads and bridges things that we have don't have the capacity to do this is very common dirty industries do what casinos do it. They target port towns. They promise them the sun the moon and the stars and they then spend a fortune in order to get the community to be convinced that this is exactly the outcome that we see. And you just heard what Paul said. A bigger turnout than you see in

presidential. No president could deliver this kind of money well because the macro economic no less. Right. Just in conclusion let me just say that the what analysts have said is that they're going to capture the people who go to Connecticut from Massachusetts so they're not worried about necessarily attracting Connecticut Connecticut people they're just trying to retain Massachusetts citizens in the state. And so that's the reasoning behind this who will you know somewhat reasonable something to that. Well a lot of analysts say it's going to work and the final thing is that they have to beat a July thirty first deadline so we'll see what happens. All right. We're moving on with more interesting even more interesting stories including privatizing prisons in a bear run amok. We're look at local and regional news with Paul Provo from Cape Cod. Arnie Arnesen from New Hampshire and Robert Wickham representing Rhode Island. This is eighty nine point seven WGBH Boston Public Radio. Funding for our programs comes from. An Mass Eye and Ear caring for children with

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nine point seven WGBH. If you have a vehicle that no longer works for you put it to work for WGBH and turn the car truck trailer boat or motorcycle you don't really need into something you really want. It's MORNING EDITION. Donate your unwanted beagle to WGBH we'll take care of the paperwork schedule the pick up and you'll earn a tax deduction. All while supporting the programs you depend on. From NPR News this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. 8 5 5 4 2 6 2 4 0 6. Great question. That is a great question and that's a great question. It's a great question. Rick great question on FRESH AIR. You'll hear unexpected questions and unexpected answers this afternoon at 2:00 here on eighty nine point seven. WGBH. Welcome back to the Calla Crossley Show. If you're just tuning in we're looking at the week's local news with Paul Provo editor of the Cape Cod Times. Robert Whitcomb the vice

president and editorial page editor of The Providence Journal And Arnie Arnesen a radio and TV commentator based in New Hampshire. So Paul back to you. You've had a bear running amok down there and it finally got caught. But this has been the greatest story I have to say and I'm going to quote Eric Williams our multimedia reporter. We had a furry for tonight. I can't make this stuff up from Memorial Day weekend until this week a black bear transited the Cape and I mean the entire cape can apparently swam across the Cape Cod Canal wisely choosing not to go over the Sagamore Bridge swam across the canal was was spotted in sort of the upper Cape communities that weekend and then was in West Barnstable which is on the bay side the town of Barnstable. I think on Monday of Memorial Day weekend and before you knew it over the course of two

weeks he had walked maybe even ran some of the time all the way out to Provincetown. So it was it was quite an adventure people were following this bear literally on the ground and following it more figuratively because it was such as and sation on things like Twitter. If you had not following bear swimmer you've got to do it it's really great. It was a dragon. Do you know what. Oh Father Paul let me ask this question because you know obviously a bear wandering around going to get attention anyway and certainly of the kind that it got. But what I was taken with is that it's very unusual for the bear to be in those parts. Right. This is the first time a bear has been sighted on Cape Cod since colonial days. So this is exactly I mean they it's interesting because obviously their territory is spreading and the good news is we hear the population is growing. So this most likely will not be the last time that we see a

bear on the Cape. And in fact we're seeing increasingly the growth of wildlife populations of Fox and coyote's and the return of the Fishers and things of that nature so bears they're just the next in the line but it was sensational because no one has seen one around here and it was pretty accessible. People were spotting it all the way on its trip out to Provincetown and finally when it got out to the outer Cape as everyone knows the geography. Kate begins sort of wide and it gets narrower and narrower as you go out and the bear literally ran out of real estate and was spotted in downtown Provincetown not far from the pilgrim monument. And so that's when environmental officials became a little concerned. They had been sort of taking a laissez faire bear approach for a while but eventually realized they had to intervene. Well what I learned from your story because I kept I kept missing this critical piece because I'm thinking all right I know that I've just learned that they are not usually found in this area why in the world is he wandering. So the headline saying he's seeking a girlfriend makes sense.

He was looking for somebody to breed with apparently driven away by his I mean this is this is a story I think all us parents can relate to. Send the kids out of the nest get them to live on their own and that's exactly what happened to the bear. And just frankly just headed in a particular direction which ultimately was fairly fruitless. Again I'm just sharing your story Paul with one of my friends she's gone. We got like three bear families in my backyard. What is the story. She gave a balloon. It shows you one thing you know I'll give you the most you know it's just so funny and now you explain it to me it hasn't been seen since colonial times. It's a big story I'll get maybe exactly maybe climate change explains some of these animal changes all of Corinth. I would think so and I think environmental protection is also helped I mean the populations are growing and but unfortunately running man versus beast you know there's not a lot of natural habitat even on the Cape where you do have a lot of recreational space particularly as you get out cape and the bear was literally running

into folks the DPW driver went by one of our reporters on a lark on a day off said I think I'll go down to the town dump and turn around and see if I can find the bear and sure enough six in the morning she sees the bear lumbering along in the woods. It was pretty fascinating and it's good because it filled this gap as we wait for the sharks to return to Chatham. We'll go animal fix in for a little while. He's a man of war. Quick question Is it too soon to know if the costs of trying to track this bear and get itsa dated and moved out were exorbitant or not or are just within the framework of what you'd have to do with wildlife control in general. Yeah I think it's hard to say exactly. I think they were sort of in a tough spot. The mass wildlife folks and the environmental police because they were sort of damned if they do damned if they don't I mean for a while they simply tracked the movements and really didn't interfere at all but then when it sort of became boxed

in to an anyone who's been to P-Town knows that it's you know the streets are pretty congested when you get down to the downtown area and commercial streets so you really don't want to bear in that in that vicinity. So that and also to be honest it became such a frenzy that it was becoming a tourist attraction and people were going out of their way to find this bear to photograph the bear. And you know if we're living up with Arnie you know people know how to interact with a backbone down here they have no idea and you know who knows what people will do. You can't you can't account for people's stupidity So Arnie I think you had to do it. Look the same. You can't tell when you can't or I don't have that. We've been shaving for years yeah. You're listening to eighty nine point seven WGBH and on line a WGBH dot org I'm Kalee Crossley. We're going over the local regional news with radio and TV commentator Arnie Arnesen Paul Provo editor of the Cape Cod Times. Just heard him talking about the bear and Robert Whitcomb the vice president and editorial page editor of The Providence Journal.

So back to you Arnie for a prison privatization big initiative. And this one you know there's a lot of places where prisons are being privatized but in this case the process of deciding whether or not to privatized is also being private and private I think. Privatization squared you heard of that yeah. What people need to know is that about in 2011 the state was told that they were going to cut four million dollars out of the New Hampshire Department of Correction budget and that was a devastating cut. So like you're setting your prisons up to fail. And just as you set them up to fail you then tell agency officials why don't you seek private bids to privatized our prisons. So it's kind of like a one two punch. And as a result New Hampshire may be the first state in the nation to actually privatized its entire system. It will be the first state in New England to privatized its prison system. In addition to which what you have are Vermont send some prisons prisoners out of state but nobody actually has private prisoners in New England. Well we're going to put the whole the whole dog and pony show in and the

problem is is that we got four bids. The bids are so damn complex 900 drawings 20 binders of documents and of course since we've already underfunded the criminal justice system and the prison system there's nobody that can even open up the documents or look at the pictures. So what are they going to do. They're going to privatized the analysis of the private prisons so that we can decide the public should decide which private prison bed they should accept. So this is going we're going down the slippery slope I feel like this is almost like Halliburton remember when the Defense Department hired Halliburton to decide when they should privatized part of the defense industry of that war and then Halliburton that worked out. Exactly. Well now we're looking at privatizing and we're even privatizing the decision to privatized. So that's part of the dilemma right now and I think people are really concerned about what does this mean. And when you have a criminal justice system your goal isn't to keep people at warehouse in a prison your goal is to get them out. But if you're in the private prison business guess what Cali you make money because people are

there and the longer they're there the more money you make. So the idea of getting them out. The idea of making it possible for people to return to their community that's a disincentive in the private prison market. It's going to be interesting to see how the analysis actually works out because supposedly one of the things the private analysis is supposed to do is not only look at the four bids but honestly tell us whether it makes sense for us to do this. Well be a referendum vote no. The legislature saw a directive by the governor and right not to go but it was for this. The gov The governor is supporting this because one of the reasons why they want to create these private prisons Robert is they want to put them on all the borders because it's not going to be about him for prisoners. They're going to say to Massachusetts gusta Mexico it will take them right and I think it will take them. So this is really this is in sort of tourism this is our growth industry. Oh it's great it's like the state liquor store. You know you got it right. Well I don't have the highway. It should be noted that privatization of prisons is happening all over the

country and it's also under a great amount of criticism and more analysis by many social analysts who point out that it has increased the school to prison pipeline like three fold or 10 fold so there's a lot of controversy about privatization where it where it leads to just give you one interesting story. Corrections Corporation of America one of the biggest operators of Prisons private prisons in the United States back in I think January February sent out a letter to forty eight states remember this. And they were recognizing that the states were in this huge financial crunch because of the economic downturn and the feds were not sending checks back. And here's what they offered to the states. We will take all your prisons off your hands if you will guarantee 90 percent occupancy for 20 years. That's what it is. Yeah I got that letter. It proves my point. All right well I am full of capital. Exactly. Speaking of the triumph of capital maybe Robert a lot of conversation about Massachusetts dodging a bullet with your

with Curt Schilling's company a video game company which has now gone bankrupt and there seems to be every day more twists and turns in the story and so now citizens has filed a lawsuit. First of Manny Cali for everybody suing everybody the state is looking for a law firm hired to sue various people. And so everyone's a litigation festival. And they're going to the states on the hook if you include the interest for over 100 million dollars. So they want to get they want to decrease that about as much as they possibly can so I think in the next week or so you'll feel it will identify the name of the law firm. Hired by the state to sew. Wow. And Citizens Bank just to be clear is sued Curt Schilling. They want your money for a million dollars back tried for a credit card account and I guess some kind of allegedly secured or was it unsecured anyway. A loan of over 2 million dollars.

Well I don't know where this ends up you guys but you know what is the impact because this was you know really touted as a local firm that you know could possibly do well and is the kind of public private partnership that a lot of states would like to have and you know Oh I think it's ridiculous I just have to chime the whole thing is ridiculous from the start it's a fantasy industry. Brand new company this isn't basic infrastructure or even a sector like biotech or you know alternate energy or anything. Mike sort of cylinder. Look like you know like a Union Bank of Switzerland. I mean the whole thing was laughable from the start as if I do so say so myself I wrote it well. Go on Paul say the thing is I think Robert put his finger on it. The thing is we get starry eyed about our athletes and about our athletic teams and I think perhaps that's sometimes not the best judgments are made and I remember here in Massachusetts Curt Schilling said you know what if you don't work with me I'm going to

pack up and I'm going to go to Rhode Island and there were a lot of people a lot of people who said don't let him do that you got to keep him here he's the Red Sox etc. etc. Ultimately he went and I'm sure some of those same people here in Massachusetts are saying we dodged a bullet because people do get wrapped up and they do and they also don't know the intricacies of the finance. And this is a little bit of speculation but you know Curt Schilling was is used to being the best at a particular thing and probably wanted to be the best at this and maybe to his business detriment bringing in the high flying talent I mean everyone said the 38 Studios had you know the basically an all star lineup of computer developer you know Paul they did a very they have a very very bright people you know a graphic I was computer people really really splendid people just. Company model that makes sense. Let me ask a question my understanding was was that he was trying to get funding from private investors and that was not successful. So what does he do. He goes to the state and asks the state to be the venture capitalist and part of the problem I have with that is why the hell with the

state what if they knew nobody would put their own private Why don't you write letters like that should be telling to start. Yeah exactly the wanna be state you know their competitor as they want to be competitive. Massachusetts is sort of the second city syndrome. Yeah and that's got a lot of what they do is an inferiority complex. Well let's remember Curt Schilling also he's been one of the most outspoken conservatives I know. He's always a wailing about government wanting a government. And he puts his hand out and says I want the state to back me up. I have another thing otherwise but it's not my hand. Well I think you can always ask and if the state gives it you know says yes you do. Why not you know don't exactly. Yes that's right here that's right yes right. All right we got to leave it there. OK. We've been talking regional local news with Paul proud of the editor of the Cape Cod Times radio and TV commentator Arnie Arnesen in New Hampshire and Robert Whitcomb the vice president and editorial page editor of The Providence Journal thanks so much.

Great weekend everybody. Coming up we're taking a turn from the serious to the sublimely ridiculous with a tour of this week's pop culture news. You're listening to WGBH Boston Public Radio. WGBH programs exist because of you and Focus Features presenting the new film Moonrise Kingdom directed by Wes Anderson and starring Bruce Willis Edward Norton Bill Murray Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton Moonrise Kingdom in select theaters now. And Goddard house in Brookline featuring their new bed breakfast and beyond program a two three or four week stay without a long term commitment. You can be safe and secure in assisted living and enjoy the comforts of a country in Goddard house dot org. And from members of the Ralph Lowell society. These most generous annual contributors lead the way in sustaining WGBH as a public media resource available and free to all. WGBH dot

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Mits 100k entrepreneurship competition has generated billions in profit and its 23 year history. Hear what ideas this year's competitors came up with on innovation. Saturday morning at 7:00 here on WGBH radio. It's rag time. A few of the week's coverage of pop culture news it's an examination of the salacious the ridiculous and everything in between. But this being public radio we'll conduct our review with the help of some highbrow analysts. Thomas Connelly a professor of English at Suffolk University and Rachel Ruben chair of the department of American studies at UMass Boston. Welcome back you two. Hello again. Well the jig is up or somebody is lying or all both together. Miss Pennsylvania from the Miss USA contest came out and accused Donald Trump of rigging the competition. She was all alone for a while and now she said Miss Florida knew about it.

But now in another another contestant has come out who she's still remaining anonymous but she's saying the same thing. It gives one pause as to whether or not this all came together. Let's listen to a little bit of sound from the 2012 Miss USA pageant which was held on June 3rd in Las Vegas. Will that be what you guys think. Miss USA 2012. Rhode Island. So Tom in now we have one of the half anyway there's an anonymous person saying she saw a list both of them are saying they there was a list lying around of the final countdown and so people knew beforehand who was going to win. Well let's face it Donald Trump is behind this. And ever since he's taken over the pageant he's made it into a. Absolutely. His brand his thing. And he's claimed he saved it. Of course he's going to want the best show

possible so I'm sure. Whatever criteria there were before not that not to say that it was particularly legitimate before Trump is going to surely make it into a reality show where there will be a plotline and there will be a quote unquote heroine at the end. You know not that beauty pageants have ever been a paragon of ethics or propriety any time there's a competition like this there are there's always a there's always an odor about it if you know who is being chosen and why I mean it is sometimes for good reasons I mean a lot of people felt that Bess Meyerson was chosen Miss America after World War Two because she was Jewish and you know it was time and it was in the guys to do that. But I I wish I could say I'm surprised but to me the minute the minute Donald Trump's the short fingered Wagnerian has his hands on anything you know it's going to be corrupt. So Rachel when Tom started saying let's face it Don Trump is behind and I was thinking Is he behind the story of it's being rigged.

That's where my mind I got that's what I'm about. As information. And now he's going to share. Now I you know my sense that when I when I first read about the story I just thought you know I thought much about the rigging at that point that I do about the rigging in conception you know it's rigged against women who aren't usually against women who are white but rigged against women who haven't had you know access to good nutrition before the going up so you know it's like to say I'm a feminist. I say yes of course it was rigged It's a beauty pageant. Well it's interesting to me just you know put a button on this that Miss Pennsylvania was getting some pushback because people said she was against having a transgender candidate. So I guess that was by the people who were pointing a finger at her saying she's not quite legitimate saying well you know she's not a nice person anyway so what do you expect from me but I didn't well and you know that already there is and there is a sort of calm. Great conversation happening right now about who should win a beauty pageant

and be very interesting if the anonymous person comes forward and actually has some some information we'll see what happens there. All right moving on. Game of Thrones very popular HBO show set in medieval times with a lot of you know clubbing and beheading going on. It turns out that the head of one of the beheaded was based on someone that we all know. So here are the producers of Game of Thrones talking about the likeness of a former U.S. president. Oh I have to say people didn't mean that in there so they should back up the last head on the left is George Bush George Bush's head appears in a couple of beheading scenes. It's not a choice it's not a political statement it's just we have to use what has we have you know to kind of the other recognizable hands. OK so Rachel when they said they had to use what hands they had around they claim they don't have a lot of prosthetic body parts on the shelves so some so for some reason that was one of George Bush

praising him. What do you think to say about that one if they have to say that they have to use what heads they have around. The other is you know as many people get killed in that show they really better invest in a bunch ahead in that case. But the thing I like about this is it's just one of those wonderful moments when you can really see clearly what pop culture is for at that. You know because they're the head on the bike they're supposed it didn't have a recognizable you know face not at the pose it wasn't a former president that we know about. It still means the same thing. And the people who are watching it can see the head on the spike representing the traitor and they can you know sort of understand it as making that same kind of symbolic statement as when the base is actually there you go. Yes. George W. Bush is being beheaded as a traitor. And I should note before you comment that HBO is very unhappy about this and made a statement we're deeply dismayed to see this and find it unacceptable disrespectful and in very bad taste and they are going to make sure that this

statement and all of this is removed from any future DVD production. I think it's fair to say they did not know that these young producers were using the hit of George Bush in Game of Thrones. Well I think what's missing from the conversation is the fact that. All those beheaded figures their heroic figures they were rebelling against an autocrat against King Joffrey. And anyone who's associate with Ned Stark is a good character. I mean this in American history would be as though you know your head were next to George Washington Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. So it's a it's a positive thing really except that it's inherently sort of hostile to behead somebody who's living yet think they can. But I'm sorry I don't know what literal. But having worked in the theater and having been in wig and costume shops I completely buy this that oh yeah we need a head Yeah grab that one and also they're saying you know their budget is strapped. You know we know that television productions you know they've spent a lot of money they're running out of money. I just I think the problem is as you heard they sound so casual and cavalier

about it oh yeah George Bush has said oh yeah we used him for beheading not political. Yeah the political Well I mean I know that may be true but it's so disingenuous of them not to realize that people would be offended. Yeah and I and that HBL Hello there employees. Yes. Well I got a feeling that things are happening more but I just that's just shocking to me I have to say. Just you know stuff gets by who knows. I note that NBC is going to stream a put content ratings on streamed shows this is very important for a lot of parents who are looking for ratings on some of this shows that can be streamed now not just the ones that are broadcast. Tom the problem that some people have with this is that there are apparently people worried that the rating won't be on the screen long enough so that you'll be able to read it. Oh so you know people who are concerned parents were concerned or others are concerned they're feeling this is you know too little too late. I don't know. You can certainly you know freeze frame it or they'll be a description on the network

web page. But it's interesting to me how this is brought out the fear or anxiety that people have. And it also shows you the people I'm watching television on the on the net now that this is really really an online activity where they've gone and that they're so much concern that this has got to be done with you know maximum exposure so you know I will know exactly what my kid is watching. I don't know Rachel why they can't you know nowadays you look at some television shows broadcast and the logo of the network hangs over there for ever. So to Tom's point why couldn't they just leave the content rating up or whatever. Yeah yeah it just it does sort of call attention to how bizarre it is in our media that you waited a moment that we have different policy uses for content and all every different form basically radio TV cable TV movies dreamed confidence. You know I I guess part of me just sort of cynically responded I mean maybe. Will change that you know the children are much better at

finding their way to stream content than the parents except for that if you are one and I guess I don't know it seems to me it might be better just to provide information you know about content you know rather than the rating that would have been with in and out. And like you know most parents I think most people don't really have a very strong sense of what actually on any part of the particular rating. Well I guess I would just be a little more in favor of the more readily available information that then the ratings which you know it's like a sort of truism to say that weekends because they are on what body parts are shown over going to war violence that that's exactly right. Well it's also it's shows showing up the glitch between the regulation of what goes over the air which is very heavily regulated and this never never land of the Internet which the government is in and the industry has not figured out how to manage. That's right exactly. All right well who knew that day and animated character for kids could foster so much conversation among adults Well there's a little

pigtailed girl a Disney character whose favorite accessory is a pink stethoscope and she's a doctor she's in her pretend life. And she treats the stuffed animals in her world. What makes her particularly special is that she's a little black girl and lots of adult black Real doctors are excited about it so here's a theme song from the Disney animated series Doctor mcstuffins. On. That. Right. So Tom doctor my you should Taylor watch this with her daughter and then set up a

website and included all of her friends and colleagues she's a doctor herself and showed where they came from how they trained or whatever and said this is just quite inspirational and a great thing for all kids to see. You know that's my reaction reading about it looking at the clips and so forth was terrific. You know I thought it's so important for girls and young women to go into medicine and professions and to see how this kind of career path it's also. I found that you're treating the stuffed animals I'm sorry I thought was funny. And also she's it's a very endearing concept but I'd almost got me to get over my Disney phobia. OK how about me too how about you Rachel I'm not over it yeah ok I get it. I think one thing it does it does show how important images are and that they need to be a lot of them and they need to circulate and you know like. Thank like little kids you know how it is if you have them they find the best box of bandaids they're all over the stuffed animals. You know they do have that

orientation. Disney has a long way to go to recuperate its views of the race and gender and you know there have been times like this it would have for my own purposes of like being awake at night or whatever made list of the worst Disney characters in movies you know sometimes even to the extent that they had to pull them off the you know DVD version or just get rid of one altogether. You and me sister. Telling you this reminded of many leaders are paralysed. Yeah exactly. In the 60s the first show with a black American actress Julia played by Diane Carroll was in a medical office and she was a medical secretary but I wonder if there's anybody at Disney who draw on this idea just occurred to me I doubt and they don't seem to have any connection to history but I thank you. OK let's move on to our next story a lot of attention paid to President Obama's trip to New York because of his connection with a couple of celebrities who are holding fundraisers for him. Let's listen to a little bit of the

ads by both Anna Wintour and Sarah Jessica partner Parker rather as they ask regular people if they want to join them at a special dinner with President Obama and Michelle Obama. It will be a fantastic evening. And you can join us. We're saving the two best seats in the house for you. You have to enter to win. OK. The guy who ended the war in Iraq the guy who says you should be able to marry anyone you want and the guy who created 4 million new jobs that guy President Obama and Michelle are coming to my house for dinner on June 14th and I want you to be there to this have got it right here right now because we need them. And here it was OK our take is really doesn't have anything to do with the the fund raising as it were more interested in looking at the celebrity aspect of it and how it's become a center of so much of politics these days and certain kinds of celebrities Rachel. Yes and No absolutely and I think you know it is a moment that does

remind us how international politics and entertainment are and that you know entertainment is that politics are now part of entertainment and entertainment can be political. That's dead. I think I've a better idea for this and that is instead of having these celebrity dinners I would like the people who win that lottery to be able to you know have dinner with like all of the various holograms of dead performers that are waiting because they are your really work in the pop culture now. Right. And so I started to make a list there to back there was Marilyn Monroe Elvis Presley and you know we've just read that. But there are of course going to be holograms of Jim Marrs and Bob Marley too. Oh I get a party that's what I pick. Tom what does it mean that certain kinds of celebrities are mentioned well I just I just remember the trouble Jimmy Carter got into when he tried to have dinner with an average American family you know poor Jimmy Carter couldn't do anything right. But this I mean The Devil Wears Prada Wintour is just so obnoxious. Her whole

approach to America I mean she looks down on us from a great height I mean she came over across the Atlantic to say Vogue magazine and you know better homes and guides and so forth and now she's going to save President Obama and Sarah Jessica Parker. If we're representing you know this earnest career woman you know it's just it just rings so false. And this idea of a lottery and you to even you you dear little people with only three dollars you can you can you have a chance to win too. It's very strange to me also. Packaging it. If you read it online it's packaged in terms of Michelle Obama has done a lot for the nutrition in America. That's why we're having her over for dinner. Oh interesting I it's just the top of my head came online that you know and those of us on those broadcast ads. Yeah. Are we going to see more celebrities as we go forward. Absolutely this is this is the beginning of the this will they'll probably start the celebrity having a lottery to who's going to have a lottery to have the president at their house. All right and his opponent I'm sure they're going to see some celebrities you know out for him to write well. Thanks

very much you too. Professor Thomas Connelly of Suffolk University Professor Rachel Reuben of UMass Boston. Thank you for joining us for another edition of ragtime. You can keep on top of the Calla Crossley Show WGBH dot org slash Calla Crossley follow us on Twitter and become a fan of the Calla Crossley Show on Facebook. Today Show was engineered by Antonio only art produced by Chelsea murders will Rose live and Abbey Ruzicka. Our intern is Sloane Piper the Calla Crossley Show is a production of WGBH Boston Public Radio.