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 to gossip rags. First the news. From NPR News in Washington I'm Lakshmi saying the powerful storm

system that spawned a number of tornadoes in several states this week is wreaking havoc in the south today spawning more twisters. Several homes are destroyed in northern Alabama. There were reports of some injuries in the Huntsville area. And in Tennessee Blake Farmer of member station PLN in Nashville reports school districts across the state are letting out early in response to tornado warnings and the threat of even stronger weather later in the day. The National Weather Service put southern Indiana central Kentucky and middle Tennessee in the bull's eye but tornadoes have already been spotted as far south as Huntsville Alabama. With temperatures warm and humidity unseasonably high. Forecasters describe the atmosphere as unstable. At least the conditions are right for what the Weather Service describes as a significant tornado episode with the potential for long track and strong tornadoes. The severe weather is expected to continue this evening as a front pushes south into Mississippi and Georgia. For NPR News I'm Blake Farmer in Nashville.

Syrian activists are accusing troops of carrying out an execution style killings in torching homes in the Baba Amr district of home side of a month long military assault. This is the Red Cross prepares to deliver emergency supplies and evacuate the wounded. Now the UN Human Rights Office says it's receiving these alarming reports of summary executions in Baba Amr. Lisa shrine in Geneva reports the U.N. says the killings reportedly started after Syrian government forces entered the rebel stronghold yesterday. U.N. Human Rights spokesman Rupert callable says he doesn't want to go into the details of the reports because there are still unconfirmed reports involving 17 people. We've seen different versions of what happened. Colleville says a network of RELIABLE SOURCES is checking the accuracy of these reports. The U.N. is warning the Syrian authorities and rebels to refrain from unlawful reprisals it says summary executions torture an arbitrary detention are considered crimes under international law. For NPR News I'm Lisa shrine in Geneva.

Meanwhile the International Committee of the Red Cross says it has recovered the bodies. Of two Western journalists who were killed in Holmes Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik they have been taken by ambulance to Damascus. In other news Afghanistan's religious leaders are demanding the U.S. hand over its prisons to Afghan control after Korans were burned at the Bagram Air Base last week and ignited deadly protests across the country. They also want to see an end to night raids. Those two issues are among the most divisive in U.S.-Afghan relations as Washington prepares to pull out all American combat troops by 2014. At last check on Wall Street the Dow is down twenty nine points to twelve thousand nine hundred fifty one Nasdaq down 12 with the S&P 500 off five points. This is NPR News. And from the WGBH radio newsroom in Boston I'm Christina Quinn with the local stories we're following. A prominent political scientist who's broken windows theory influenced a nationwide moved toward community policing has died at a Boston hospital. A

hospital spokeswoman says James Q. Wilson died today at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. But she isn't releasing any details. The Boston Globe reports Wilson was being treated for leukemia. He was 80. Wilson and a co-author argued in 1902 magazine article that communities must address minor crimes and their effects such as broken windows to prevent larger problems from developing. The state's biggest commercial health insurers posted higher earnings for 2011 while their executives collected more pay. The Boston Globe reports that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts the state's largest health insurance company reported net income of one hundred thirty six point one million dollars last year. That's more than 10 times the thirteen point four million it earned in 2010 after suffering steep losses insuring small businesses and individuals. A Roman Catholic college is disputing claims by a former student who says her roommate was having sex while she was in the room. Lindsay blank Meyer claims Stonehill College officials rejected her request for other housing driving her into a suicidal depression. In New Hampshire Portsmouth officials believe whoever

stole the cannon balls from a civil war memorial planned to sell them as scrap metal until they realized there's no market for the metal in them public works director Steve Parkinson tells the Portsmouth Herald. It would have taken at least two people to remove the cannonballs. In sports the Celtics take on the New Jersey Nets tonight at the garden and right now we have overcast conditions in Boston at 30 degrees. The weather forecast for this afternoon remains mostly cloudy with highs in the upper 30s. Tonight we have a chance of snow and rain in the evening then rain with snow likely after midnight not as cool with lows in the mid 30s Support for NPR comes from IBM working to help midsize businesses become the engines of a Smarter Planet. Learn more at IBM dot com slash engines. This is WGBH. Good afternoon I'm Kalee crossed late today we're taking a hyper local look at the week's news on the agenda chicken's noisy transition and a new look at Central Square. Joining me to talk about all this is John Rouche editor of the Jamaica Plain Gazette and Mission Hill

Gazette. Peter Katz is executive editor of The Boston Phoenix. And Sue O'Connell co-publisher of bay windows and the South news. Welcome back everyone. Hey you know I just want to start before we get to some of this other stuff with the Olympia So snow resignation and your link to it Peter to Barney Frank here in town. Let's just talk about that for a few minutes because it's pretty interesting. Well yeah I mean a lumpiness know a long time Republican senator from Maine a true moderate Republic Republican on like some who masquerade as moderate Republicans who will remain nameless but he's a former male model. She is of the political world when she announced that she was retiring so that no one but no one knew about this as a matter of fact she really stuck it to the to the GOP because she got they own the Republican Party only has 15 days now or as of today 14 days to file papers to

run. And what happened is sorta like Barney Frank she you know got sick of that sort of she said I'm not here because of this. She's sick of the rotten. B There are in-fighting that takes place someone in Washington and I have to say I mean I'm hardly on intimate terms with Senator Snowe but about three years ago I spent an hour with her and we were talking it was off the record just about this. And she was very candid. You know one the one hand she was trying to say well it may not be as bad as you think. But whenever we talked about her relationship with former sound of his like John Chafee or the other days when people in Washington respected each other on matters of cost conscience she almost got very wistful but this is very similar to Bobby Frank it's the same thing. You know but he got ticked off and finally did it of course by these way and it really is

for those of us who were depressed about the state of national affairs this confirms that we're not crazy. Well and we're the majority. I mean a majority of voters are now enrolled. They're independent they're secular parties and if there's bipartisan consensus on anything I think it's that that congress is full of. Idiots NATO hawgs who can't get along on matters of power rather than on matters of principle. Peter said earlier before we came in on the show that if you know intellectuals who are committed to public service don't want to be senator because it's not fun anymore. What does that say about you. You know I mean really how how hard. And I don't doubt that it is hard how hard must it be to go to work every day you know and it really is disheartening and disappointing and I think from you know from the Gay Lesbian standpoint to look at someone who you know you want the Republican Party to be more like to throw in the towel. It just really is deeply deeply disappointing him Ramses more

people saying I got to go because of the kind of. Not not only not getting anything done but but but she really referenced the lack of civil dialogue the inability to actually have anybody on the other side hear her or be and be heard in a in a respectful way. I I think well one there aren't that many lads you know sort of think and I'll tell you the the the political magazine National Journal which is maybe the most respected political publication in the country just the weekend before she made her announcement have a six thousand word article by John Aloysius Farrel formerly of The Boston Globe some members that where he makes the historical case that this is probably you know second only to the Civil War in terms of gridlock. And he said that the American political system is really changing and becoming much more of a European parliamentary

system where the lines of division in the opposition a very rigid. So I think Calley question is a good one but how many people won't run for office. You know how many good people won't run as a system. All right well let's move on because if you live in Jamaica Plain I mean you might be living next to a chicken. Yes literally a chicken not a fig.. People are clucking over this I hope you guys brought all your headline writers journalists. Yeah I mean it. This has been happening in JP for a long time but it's finally on the radar. It's people keeping chickens in their backyard mostly for eggs. It's kind of a hipster thing to do. The idea is to be self-sufficient. You know I think anybody who can afford to have a backyard in JP can afford to buy their eggs but so I think this has to do with matters of principle and conscience and and so on and so forth but the people have been keeping chickens in Jaypee backyards

for at least several years I've heard the Roosters cry. Upon side and some other sub neighborhoods. There's now a movement but this is illegal it's against. It's against zoning code. And there is a move to change that code though the Boston Redevelopment Authority is looking at creating urban agriculture overlay districts that would allow this sort of thing as well as the other small scale farming. Including sizeable farming so that I mean you could then have the chickens in your backyard legally or you'd have to take them to a different you know like if you do have community garden and you garden in a specific area right now that would be that it would be in your backyard if you could look at so many agriculture subsidies subsidies there are in Jamaica Plain. Oh yeah that was always a good story interesting if the bunch of farmers who get money from the government for not growing things who are in Roxbury in the south and Jamaica that's going to make you so I could get money for not growing wheat right bricked over back Yeah exactly yeah. Well what's what's interesting you know here is there's a

lot of wildlife in the city you know skunks possums coyote's around. What I'm really looking forward to was when there were enough chickens here and then we have the critters prowling in the night. Absolutely absolutely. You Jaypee is just we are also live is is just a fountain of wonderful store. I mean I am very lucky. It probably costs more to raise a chicken then to buy eggs. Yeah and God knows there's enough you know organic natural food places so you can get pure raw eggs. We also I say you know us I mean good luck to you. We also have one of the only farms in Boston and yeah I think the only farm in Boston Allendale farm is in shipping. Yeah. So question OK so if it's illegal and my neighbor's growing chickens and I don't like that can I sue can I do something I mean you can I do. You can tell the city you can kill animal control and theoretically they'll come scoop them up.

Or that I never heard of that actually happening. But you know many viewed it all bull and you can also know OK who knows. OK but not that not that they've complained and I say you know listen I you know my grandparents in Mississippi and Louisiana so I've seen some chickens and eggs up close in my lifetime and it's very tasty. But I also have seen what they leave in their wake. So I'm not you know you didn't. Yeah I just. OK and the difference between being woken up by a siren and a rooster. Although we're not talking about having rooster so much is that the siren will go away. Correct yeah the rooster is there every morning in the summer from like 5:00 I mean I have friends who live in the rural area of Sherborne I don't know if you've heard of this farming community. There are chickens out there and their issue and some of these communities is the noise you know that they don't want to hear the Roosters and the chickens attracting the animals from the forest so the poor chicken the lowly little chicken has caused quite a fluff. Well I don't think that's going away because I would not be a happy camper. I'll tell you that right now.

Speaking of chickens this is a little it's all about the chicken. Yes chicken from way voted down by the Student Government Association at Northeastern. Yeah the poor the poor folks over at Northeastern University first they wanted it because I guess I've only had it once and I imagine that it's a great chicken fast food chicken. People love the Chick Fil-A and then it turns out that they're not so good with the gays or with other people so after the student senate said they wanted it then they said they didn't want it in their new area with the great fast food places so they voted that they liked the chicken but they didn't want them there because human rights are more important than tasty tasting chicken. So it was you we should be clear that this is a foundation that was started by the owner of Chick-Fil-A and a lot of millions of Chick-Fil-A money has gone to support the foundation. And this guy is very much a and has supported me anti-gay.

Causes and so therefore that's why the students came to this conclusion right and they voted on February 27 to say no thank you I mean the good news. I'm always a fan of people taking action with their pocketbooks and this is a perfect example of it and if people who earn money from selling things to other people they can do whatever they want with it but it doesn't mean that people have to support it so it is a nice showing in a week where we've had a lot of campus activities on gay and lesbian issues in northeastern stepping into the fray. But again it's also an education that when you're inviting companies to do business on your campus you need to do you do diligence so that you know one sense Chickenfoot doesn't get Chick fil A I'm sorry to let you get so far down the road here that you know they're they're thinking they're coming in and they're not. But it's good. Well one one. One result of Citizens United Supreme Court decision is that I think people now are. Much more conscience on the way here that since corporations can engage in political

activity look even Mitt Romney you know one of the few things he's done right in his campaign is any place he's stopping they vet completely to see what political stances the companies and stuff if taken well by the way is the chicken might be good. Yeah I think it is I think yeah there's the only reason there is a debate is that Chick-Fil-A has excellent chicken I went down south recently there were Chick-Fil-A is all over the place and it's absolutely great they put a little pickle on it it's very it's very much very good you know what we should say I mean this isn't one of those cases of like a company that sort of behind the scenes has already got some money. This is an idiot logical company. It's a right wing Christian company. I admire their principles they close on Sunday so that everybody can go to church. It's a kind of place one thing I am curious about though we're going to be reporting on this as well I'm going to be looking into this the complaints seem to be about a 2009 donation regarding same sex marriage I believe. I don't know if they've perhaps they've changed their minds perhaps they're not giving money in this direct fashion anymore I'm just not sure but it's a little odd to me that the complaint is is that although I thought it was

several several Yeah. Yeah yeah yeah but I mean it's one. But but again it's no mystery where Chick-Fil-A is coming from so it's funny that they say that northeastern was what I thought was interesting. They voted against it is the second part of the decision the first part was we decided to delay cannot come and be one of the vendors. The second part was we are now going to review every other every everything else that's on the campus just to see which I thought was very interesting you know there's a situation with a bolthole Bolthouse Farms folks who do the juices that you see in many of the you know the supermarkets. They're owned by a new company. The Bowl host family was very involved in the anti-gay work in California against same sex marriage in California. News got out that there were donations from both. People started boycotting Bolthouse the new owners had to come out and say it's not us it's them who used to be us. But I think that that that retailers and people who produce things are very clear

that as you said it's great to walk the walk and do what you're doing but there will be ramifications both positive and negative. You know they were able to turn this around and get a good boost because they took the opportunity to do more things to support same sex marriage to kind of counter the founder's actions against it and Marriott gets into this all the time Marriott owned by a Mormon family. And the local Marriott sometimes do things that are supportive of same sex issues a Marriott Hotel in downtown Boston Copley always hosting lots of pro-gay events but want to be separate from the sort of you know franchise owners. So it's well the elevated. I would say just you know put a button on it is always interesting to me as these issues come up on campus. You know let's say 20 years ago maybe this would have been an issue but kids now and I don't really think this is an East Coast West Coast thing but we are on the East Coast. I'll say that maybe it is really are just almost surprised that they

have to deal with this as an issue. So when it comes up you know they're fully prepared to engage in it which is pretty interesting to me. So anyway we have much more to talk about and we will and we are. I am here with John Russo editor of the Jamaican play and the mission. Peter Katz is executive editor of The Boston Phoenix and Kano co-publisher of bay windows and the South in news. This is the Calla Crossley Show WGBH Boston Public Radio. This program is on WGBH thanks to you. And the Harvard innovation lab a university wide center for innovation where entrepreneurs from Harvard the Austin Community Boston and beyond engage in teaching and learning about entrepreneurship. Information at II labs at Harvard dot edu. And UMass Memorial Medical Center and their Euro gynecology team specializing in surgical and nonsurgical solutions for

urinary incontinence and other pelvic floor disorders. White papers online at UMass Memorial dot org slash for women. At the. Frank Hilary's Jr. was groomed for the mob at an early age. He remembers his father part of a murder a Chicago crime outfit telling him they'd killed somebody. And I'm thinking Is this what other kids hear when their father comes home from work. Frank Jr. later helped the FBI bring down the organization. Well the next FRESH AIR Frank Calabrese Jr. His book is Operation family secret. Join us. This afternoon to hear on eighty nine point seven. WGBH. If you have a vehicle that no longer works for you how about putting it to work for public radio. Donate your unwanted car truck to WGBH. And in addition to earning a

2012 tax deduction you'll also be supporting the programs that you depend on right here on eighty nine point seven vehicle donation program handles all of the paperwork and will even send someone out to take away the unwanted vehicle. For more information call eight six six four hundred nine four to four women run fewer than 20 of America's Fortune 500 companies. I'm Carol Miller this week on innovation women at the top of their fields talk about why they are the exception. Saturday morning at 7:00 on eighty nine point seven. Welcome back to the Calla Crossley Show if you're just tuning in we're looking at the week in local news. I'm joined by John Russo editor of Jamaica Plain Gazette and the Mission Hill Gazette. Peter Katz is executive editor of The Boston Phoenix. And Sue O'Connell co publisher of bay windows and the South in news. So Peter Katz is in the Phoenix you have a huge piece quite detailed about some monumental changes coming to central square.

The name of the game is gentrification. Wow. Yeah I mean I love Central Square and I think most people do I mean it it's I think in the central core urban area of gray the Boston that's probably the most unchanged area I mean it's you know and it's still like it's out of the Ozzie and Harriet show or a Lucy but whether this is it's just time marches on in the two big driving forces of the changes. One just mits natural expansion and the second is no vomitus which is a Swiss pharmaceutical company which is Cambridge is LA just a corporate employer. So right after the universities in there are expanding. So that's going to put pressure on on on central square. There was recently what they called a red ribbon committee which said that

central squee have needs an identity. Now that to me was a red flag. I mean the central square doesn't need an identity it has one and it's largely in the final. You know it's it's just a wonderful patchwork of mom and pop shops. There's also a lot of social service agencies there. And one of the very good things is most of those social service agencies own the ad buildings. So that's going to provide a degree of stability. But I mean there's great stories like we have all records you know. You know it's probably next to Lansdowne Street which is sort of like a home of corporate entertainment. This is the home of you know funky entertainment with you know the Bay has the Middle East and it's cheek by jowl with these new hip restaurants. Yeah. You know Ron Dave you know the guy you

lick the plate there it's you know it's the high end kind of restaurant and you've got the Dance complex there incidentals you know instant jewel square and so many other funky small restaurants and then the high end so it's an interesting mix. You know as it is now. But if all these are the people going to get squeezed out John is going to look really different in the year. Well I mean the frightening thing to me is that this is where businesses have fled after being gentrified out of Harvard Square. You know one of my favorite places the roleplaying game store pandemonium is there after shocking after getting hit that I don't think that Harvard Square. So yeah I mean. You know what we don't need panels and all that we just need to do a reality check and see what sort of city are we going to have in 20 years and is it going to have any flavor at all or is it just going to be these big faceless glass walls along the sidewalks you know underscore Peter's point and what John saying it is it is possibly one of the most authentic places in the greater Boston area that when

you were there you know you're there I was. I got to be the manager. Man Ray which was the kind of growing alternative line out for you know and it was just this this this building that used to be a great restaurant before that that was you know just always a fundamental part of the neighborhood with hi fi pizza on the corner. And there was another bar called ground zero and then you had night stage which was in the mix as well. Which was a live music with the lesbian bar Indigo from the I mean it was really a place and you can still do it tonight where you could go from place to place to place play pay very little cover and have a great time and really experience central square and it's those great old buildings where the podiatrist you know when it's very as Peter said 1950s in the architecture which now is stunning. You know for a while we didn't tear those down. And it's unfortunate that I mean it's unavoidable I guess but unfortunate that

someplace that is just so authentically itself is on the changing list. Well they will hire some you know people so that's good there's you know people get hired at some of these at no charge isn't it. I suppose it might be may have its own set of scientists and whatever you know working in their building. And I should point out that Cambridge access television is now right smack in the middle of Central Square used to be a good point inside history now and now it's you know right in the middle so that's that's an added advantage and and we'll see about those social service agencies but there's a lot going on and this is part one. Yeah my God and this was a pretty detailed piece Peter gets well I remember sitting in the meeting when she and he started talking about it and it is the genesis of the story is interesting because she came in and she just said she says Anyone notice that there's all these little changes in Central Square and everyone added the L little changes and became why I think there's a story here. Well now it turns out there's a bigger story that he used to read in a long time

since we were on the two pots. Yeah well when reading your report it's actually leave the building and go out. They do leave the building you know building you just remember that. So while you're talking noisy trash collection this is a city wide problem I'm sure John can weigh in. Who knew that the people who come in and do the recycling and the trash picked up from businesses are regulated not by the city but by the state and by regulated we mean not regulated that they can come at any time and do anything they want to pick up the trash in the south and in other parts of the city. It has really been loud and disturbing and the sounds of trucks coming to various businesses especially restaurants and picking up their trash where there are some people who report along the restaurant row sort of area that they can't get a good night's sleep and this isn't a move to the city and I'm going to complain about the city problem this is actually just non stop trucks coming. So some Boston city councillors do what they do

best which is hold a hearing and brought folks in to discuss. You know obviously we want that trash picked up at night. We don't want those trucks on the road we don't want the danger and all of that but what can we do to get more oversight from the city. The only way to really do that is to have a home rule petition. We're the city council can be exempt from the state law and put some guidelines in some laws on when people can pick up trash but it's you know it's one of those small kind of like the chicken issues it's doesn't seem like a big deal until you start talking to people who are like look at I love living in the city. I chose to live in the city but this is just over the line. We just had the city councilors are Felix and Rio and Michael who are very active in their community and along with Marty Walsh and Aaron walls right. And there they would have to go before the state and state lawmakers to get this approved. But Mike Ross has a fascinating idea and I found out about this because I

was talking to feel like yeah you know I was sort of making fun of them and he was very patient with me and said OK OK. And within the minute and a half educated me about the issue. And Mike Ross says the idea is to divide the city up into zones and have a single carrier bid to have all the contracts because it is now you know same building walk in the back bay of the South and could have 15 different companies that are the problems all coming at different time right. Right and then see the south and it's very hip now like where you live in Jamaica Plain as yeah yeah so there's more restaurants so it's more collection in the middle the night I would imagine. Yeah and this thing is a mess I mean I've seen you know I've covered this kind of issue before where you know during institutions do it too and they'll actually have to come up with some sort of neighborhood agreement on this individual basis and sign it it's a ridiculous mess. There's a very sick you know very simple legal solutions. You know I think to pull back the fact that the state

weighs in on this at all the Cape Cod state reps are going to be voting on it is absurd. And that's to me almost the bigger issue here is this Home Rule. In the state of Massachusetts which means the home does not rule Boston any municipality need state approval to blow its nose basically to change a speed limit to regulate trash. It's absurd that needs to be refined when you call to complain. I mean you know you think about to do this. You call your city councillor to complain you don't call your state rep to complain and you call your liaison your neighborhood liaison and the fact that you have to go through this crazy route to just get an answer as to why there were five different trash trucks coming on one night to pick up the different different companies trash. It is one of those kind of windows into how our state and city governments have. Well there's another window it's not even state city government but the smelly library. Oh thank you thank you JP. I just look at this John Grisham you cannot explain to me why this is just blown up.

Yeah well these are. So we have at the Connelly Blanche branch library in Jamaica Plain we have two longtime librarians who are beloved there. One of them's a J.P. resident. They're well known for creating a law. They do a lot of creative programming for children they're doing a Women's History Month program now etc. etc. there are some patrons who have a few who are wearing some sort of fragrance or scent and I actually know much more about this off the record. It's a very calling sense but it is triggering some sort of supposedly some sort of health issues for these librarians. The library's answer is to transfer them out. There is a pretty strong friends group for that branch. It is like we want our librarians back make some sort of anti fragrance policy for patrons that if you know that we can basically kick you out if you smell too strongly in the library saying we're you know we're a public service institution we don't kick anybody out no matter what they happen to smell like. Do the women in question is it just the hygiene issue or is it truly they have a we had it his answer for him thought it was a perfume you know something being worn

apparently by there. OK I can't wait I do know. Julie OK I'm just throwing that out you know and of all it's somebody you know like really a per family guy whatever. So why don't they just go to them and say OK because obviously if these are patrons of the library they know about the good work of these librarians say listen you know is there anything you can do because this is causing them to not be able to function at all. That's what the law is that's what the friends and the librarians themselves apparently are asking for. And but yeah the BPL administration says we're not going to single out patrons we're not going to we're all meet up we're open to all. Well the friends under any kind of do they have to adhere to whatever the library people say i can't they just go stand outside away from the come in and say Look. I'm a galleon. You're right I should go and stand outside with a kid just you know have the mayor's wife go she's you know active in the Friends of the law Hugo was here my whole live go correct and this is our age you just assume it be one thing if they said I'll wear

what I want and forget you but you know they've said nobody's saying anything to him so they don't even know that they are the source at this point do they know do they know do they know. Apparently not. Let's call them now on the air. All right well this is just crazy though I know the larger point is in a public space and in the space that's open to all. Are there certain religious regulations that have to be made for open to homeless people. Well you have you know made that a while do we kick you out to eat frankly I've gone to the library have you not bathing for a while in college certainly I don't know so you know it's at Christmas when I go and I watch and I hope things are OK today if I'm not being nudged towards it will you John it's you that I think it it that's why it's off the record. Practicing voodoo smearing themselves with chicken blood. All right you people have gone over the edge. Let me bring it back to the south into SuBo because this is one of my favorite places. Charlie sandwich. Oh yeah liberating 85 years tomorrow 85 years tomorrow. You know it's one of those those best kept open secrets. You know that if you don't know about

Charlie's you're like oh what's up I would go in there that just looks like a greasy spoon and it's like the greatest place on my face of the Earth there's a book coming out soon by someone who worked at Charlie's who's who's who's just going to tell all of his great stories and a warm one where hash rules is yeah yeah. My friend George has got that coming out. It's just a great great story of a family business you know whether they're related or not working serving hash serving food. If you want to know when I get a reporter or new reporter the first place I send them is to Charlies to sit and just talk. Get the information what's happening in the neighborhood not you know not selling food that you get off the food trucks but you know that gets trucked in just a great neighborhood gem where. John Sergeant John Stocco used to do that just was recently at the Sultan library. You know that was his stomping grounds that's where he would go and it's just a feel good story in this. Allison Barnett who does this column every week every other week comes up with another great

story of the what's going on in the south and you know we get caught up in the news and the events and what's happening but one of the basic fundamental great great places in the south and is Charlie's. Well just as you know point to personal preference that hot chocolate so ridiculously good just apply to your behind but it is really really not to mention all the food there and I used to go and just sit around and there and just watch all the people whose pictures I'd see in the newspaper I don't know them but you know and just watch and I like the sharing table policy right writing and is doing that a long time ago just really. In all the best ways a throwback. Yeah you know what you hope that the old days used to be like even though we know they weren't but you know this is it and you just go in and you just it's Boston it feels great and you could stay there for it's you know prior to Starbucks you know where you plug in you can go have a leisurely breakfast or a fast breakfast and Turkey have had you but have you been there.

Oh yeah oh yeah yeah. And you John. Yeah yeah and you don't you just don't have that sort of business stability anywhere no anymore no not a big story to you know I don't want to have that kind they weren't there you know and they've looked exactly the same I mean that you know the other great part of it is the the sign in the booths or the tables rather and it's just been exactly the same and you don't feel like a fine up to this you know it is perfect it is what I say. Well congratulation Yeah I can't wait to read the book and I that's just reminds me made my mouth water so I know I should swing by there in honor of it's going to be probably packed tomorrow yeah it will be and I think I'm going to be writing the foreword to the book which I'm really I kind of I did yesterday so I want to write about that so I'm just going to eat hash. You know Turkey Yeah I mean you're talking like that's not what I mean. Thank you guys. Thank you so much. We've been talking local news with John Roche editor of the Jamaica Plain Gazette and the Mission Hill Gazette. Peter Katz is executive editor of The Boston Phoenix. And Sue O'Connell co-publisher of bay windows and the South in news Have a great weekend.

Well you too. From local news we're going to talk to the latest pop culture headlines in rag time with our analysts Thomas Connelly and Rachel Reuben. You're listening to WGBH Boston Public Radio. WGBH programs exist because of you. And Brown University's pre-college summer programs where high school students can prepare for college success experience college life and make new friends from around the world. More than 350 courses now open brown dot edu slash summer. And Comcast Internet essential Internet Essentials is available to help families in need. Families with students qualified for free school lunches may be eligible for Internet Essentials. You can learn more at Internet essential dot com. Everybody's pretty sure the. President.

Rigged election observers. At least they say it'll be a fair election. Coming up at 3 o'clock here. With the world. Two of the best seats in the house will be set aside just for you. Details on WGBH dot org slash Celtic. Great question has a great question and it'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 age 9.7 WGBH.

Ragtime a view of the week's pop culture happenings. 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 high brow analysts our pointy head of pop culture Rachel Roman and Thomas Connelly. Rachel Reuben is the chair of the department of American studies at UMass Boston and Thomas Connelly is a professor of English at Suffolk University. Welcome back you two. I don't know it seems so often these days when we when we get together that we're losing people that are sort of icons and pop culture and and this week was no different. Last summer pop culture suffered another loss this week with the death of Davy Jones of The Monkees. Here's just a little bit of Davy Jones singing one of his very popular songs. Good time to bring. The flu.

Bug. She's seen the sick. Sit. With me and. It suits me. OK so I'm imagining that there is some you know millennials out there listening to this going Oh please it's so corny but you know he he was really representative of a special space and time and when you agree Tom. Yes. The Monkees was just a huge TV show I mean when I was a kid everybody watched it. It was on just long enough so that at least I got old enough to laugh at it but at the beginning it was kind of exciting. Also not many people remember the Beatles animated cartoon series but it was very interesting. The monkeys were a lot I mean they were real people in a real show and they were getting into real adventures which somehow made the show more interesting than the Beatles show. And also the fact that Davy Jones was British in the midst of the supposedly American group and they were also in the movie head which

people have forgotten and they were very much a you know can't group but created for you know children or you know very young teens and phenomenally successful. And you know other people cover their songs and they really went across the spectrum to the point where they were so popular you know they were laughing all the way to the bank. I mean you know you know Tom's point about there being canned that was true there were sort of put together in a very. Commercial listed way but they could sing. Oh absolutely. No I mean in fact they they they made a really really really good pop music. And you say corny and I say well you know I wouldn't even say that but what's wrong with that. And I would not say they were laughing all the way to the bank actually because it was very hurtful to them there were these accusations that somehow because they weren't playing their song their own instruments or because you know they were sort of brought together by audition for this television show that they weren't authentic enough

somehow. And I was feel like if you use the word authentic about music you're in sort of you're in dangerous waters as it was. But the monkeys like they really really felt that they made a big push to get artistic control of their own music. They succeeded in doing that. And then their music became a lot more boring there's some you know some general agreement. Whereas what they were doing before was making this sort of splendid pop music. And I think you know the greatest sort of a recognition of that in our time is the group. The guerrillas who you know get monkeys gorillas right who don't even show up for their own videos they aren't only animated they're great. They aren't only animated animated group. It's like making a joke about well what do you even mean when you demand some kind of sense of you know authenticity that really can't be defined and isn't necessarily relevant. Davy Jones we should say it was 66 and he died quite of a heart attack quite suddenly. This was not expected at all he wasn't ill. And to your point Rachel we should say that they pushed to go on tour so people could hear them live.

Tom you know so then obviously there that was that that was singing Dave you don't seem selfish right you know it's interesting Richard you mention the tension. I just remembered one of the musical numbers they did Micky Dolenz was suddenly by himself in a recording studio smashing all of the technology all the sound mixing equipment which I didn't understand what that what I thought of it as I was a kid but that's probably he was you know acting something out feeling that pain yeah yeah. So I got to ask favorite Monkey Mike Nesmith for me. OK Peter Tork by far I mean. I like I like Dylan's. I thought he was kind of I mean he just of all he was the character. Yeah I just got to like him. OK all right well that's good. Well one of the things that is so far these days steady is the rain is a very popular show by ABC that's come back with a vengeance I would say this season. Do you recognize it. It's Dancing With The Stars. They announce they're cast

out and they do this you know every season usually that the cast announcements get some kind of attention. This year seems like people are all over the map about whether or not they appreciated it. I thought it was an interesting mix. Rachel you. Yes but I will say this now and you know what if Julio white does not win then we will have definite proof that the thing is rich. I was like you know why is your point there to let her go. We talked about him in fact on the show when he starred in a video for Cee-Lo Green song Cry Baby in which he dances like he has no bones but instead is just made out of some distillation of grace. You know so I'm going to be watching that and you know while I'm sort of grumbling about Dancing With The Stars is you know continued insistence on this hetero normative you know construction of a dance. I will still be I'll be watching to see if he wins. And he was on family matters or people are searching in their minds. Urkel from Family Matters the breakout star. So Tom what do you think about the line up.

Well I'm amazed at what I learned about Gladys Knight. I had completely forgotten about Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour. And it turns out in her official Dancing With The Stars biography that's where she made her I break out and round and round she goes where she stops nobody knows. Brings us. Gladys Knight it's with the Stars. I mean that's why she is a real star. I know that I was very energized to finally have somebody where you don't have to spend a lot of time saying Who is that or explain. Well I suppose some people will have to be explained who she is but that to me was the most of what Gladys Knight and the Pips of our heroes who are searching for her name to try to put that into context and I thought it was very funny when they interviewed her. She the pips never let her dance. And she wanted to look at all the dancers she was a great singer yes such a great she wanted to do that some of the other people on our. Melissa Gilbert who was you know best known as FBI from Little House On The Prairie she's done much more than that Sherri Shepherd talk show host on The View lobbied on the air to get on for you. For years she's been saying I'm OK. And Maria

Menounos who is a TV anchor on Extra. And let's see Martina Navratilova. Yes does that answer your question about hetero normative. Well you know she sure as heck is going to be dancing with another woman I know. OK but we did have Chad last year Chad. That's no that's true. It's interesting to see when it can hold up and when it doesn't you know. OK well you know what we have a lot to think about there. I think that's going to draw some attention. Some people have said though that they don't get a lot of the people in that I think is going to be very popular. OK so she's a bit. If you live under a rock you don't recognize that that's the theme song from Sex And The City. And just as you're thinking is there another sex in the City movie Well maybe but here's one with a new cast member. They're going to do a prequel because that's all the rage with a young woman named Anna Sophia Robb.

And this is going to tell the early days of Carrie Bradshaw Tom. I know several diehard Sex And The City fans who are shaking their heads in disbelief over this. The whole point of the show is sex in the city. It has no interest for the hardcore fans that I know and reading about it online it seems to me an act of desperation. The formative years of a sex columnist almost make me want to leave the television and go into the library and start reading Lolita. I mean this is something very uncomfortable about this. Do you agree Rachel. I wouldn't go so far as Lolita. I really I really really I mean that you know what somebody. Well anyway I won't go into that. I don't I'm not sure this is aimed at the hardcore fans of Sex And The City. I have to say I think that it's sort of a we. There is this recognizable model of sort of pushing certain ideas back earlier and earlier. And you know among other

things the friendship among the women in Sex And The City is about consumption. Right. Like that's sort of how being girlfriends is defined you get together you know they they spend a lot of time shopping. So. And eating right that's consumption and thinking well you know on the one hand I do want young women to be able to see you know representations of female friendships because there aren't that many on television and in the movies. I'm sorry to see it defined as buying particularly clothing. Well this is again based on a novel by Candace Bushnell. Sex And The City series was based on a number of her writings and one particular book. So she wrote a book called which was a prequel called The Carrie Diaries. And so this is they're taking that book which is the young and and boring Tom to death apparently because he doesn't care about her it's not your guy who this is it for I know I know you and it's a Family Robinson four years among other things.

Yeah well whatever. Now so we have Michael Douglas I'm always interested when fiction turns into fact or real world or whatever it seems to be happening all the time. Michael Douglas has just agreed to work with the FBI and he's playing off his character in the movie Wall Street in which he played a very greedy Wall Streeter called Gordon Gekko. So first let's listen to Michael Douglas this PSA for the FBI and we talk about it on the side this is the anti greed anti Gordon Gekko PSA. Hello I'm Michael Douglas in the movie Wall Street I played Gordon Gekko a greedy corporate executive who cheated to profit while we and the investors lost their savings. The money was. But the problem isn't real. Our economy is increasingly dependent on the World Trade gritty of acquiring and so markets. If a deal looks too good to be true it probably is. Rachel what was your take on this. I have so many takes on this I have to say or is that a big one. My big one.

Well you know I'm there. I don't even know where to start. It's hard for me to necessarily see you know my father's life was ruined of the McCarthy era so I like working with the FBI does not automatically signal good guy in my family history. But it's interesting to me to think of I was trying to remember when the first PSA was by celebrities were and I couldn't remember that when that was I realized I couldn't remember a time when we didn't have celebrity PSA and I started to think about it and you know he he makes it explicit but there are always the always are sort of on that line between you know character and actor or character and person you know I mean he's sort of mixing up himself and and his character here. And I that's there's something about that that's really familiar I don't I don't know. Do you remember like a time when that seemed new to you to have these things I mean now there are parodies of them and they're parodies of the parodies and so forth. And I'm I'm not even sure that a PSA. Can exist anymore without being at least somewhat

erratic you know because they're all sort of self-reflexive at the same time as they might have a serious you know message light like this one. Right you are supposed to get some sort of a chuckle out of thinking about his character. Well the thing for me time and I know you have something to say about this is that how many people know his character enough to get that it's a very good question because the remake was not or the answer to the sequel was not particularly successful and it is a long time ago and just say the word you know brick mobile phone and you know Michael Douglas walking along the shore Long Island people. That is from another century literally. And even though they pay and play a clip from the movie and the PSA does that resonate always as Michael back the same self has said with disbelief. He still walk if he's on Wall Street people high five him. You know Gordon Gekko I mean there are people who say a lot of people who don't get that Gekko was supposed to be evil. It's a fine line to walk right I mean there are plenty of ways one thing that I will say the

Occupy movement has been successful at is pointing out that there are lots of ways that are currently legal right to make you know huge profits out of schemes that seem like they're too good to be true which is what the PSA is supposed to get to right. You know time to those people who may be taken in by these scams. I can remember not a PSA but an actual commercial with Robert Young an actor was playing Marcus Welby M.D.. And there was such a protest against this of people were being deluded that the famous joke you know I'm not a doctor but I play one of that he that's true. Oh yeah that's right that's right. You know so I would you know I'm I'm Michael Douglas I play a slimeball but I'm you know working for a dubious governmental organization. OK well let's cook the Lorex. Dr. Seuss is an adaptation I had a patient of the Dr. Seuss book is coming out now and I would like to say I believe today is Dr. Seuss birth Yes. Oh yes that's right. Guys Oh is that the actual His real name mister. Anyway the Lorax was not one of my best

Dr. Seuss books but be that as it may it has a theme to it and a lot of people are are complaining about the. Social justice environmental slash on and on themes that are now being encoded in these movies what do you think about that rage Well the Loric I mean the I have kids that age that I could practically recite that one from memory. So the Lark says I am the Lorax I speak for the trees which you seem to be killing as fast as you please. So this movie adaptation is out and leaving aside any artistic criticisms that people have. There is also a huge number of cross marketed products and the two that have really struck me the most are for the Mazda SUV and for a line of disposable diapers. Now SUV is a disposable diapers are like practically sort of the emblems of anti environmentalism. So people are sort of in an outrage to see them to see the movie adaptation be used to sell these things and I was very struck if

you go onto YouTube you can watch that Mazda commercial. And if you scroll down and read on the comments which you two comments are usually so full of disgusting trolling that you know one when my daughter started to watch videos on YouTube she was allowed to watch videos but forbidden to read the comments. Nobody can even stand to troll all of the comments or just say you know with more or less obscenity depending on you know the person's style. How could you do this this is outrageous. I can't stand it. I'll never buy a Mazda as long as I live like unanimously. This is on youtube comments where you know. Yeah my son put forth a rule once it said after seven comments somebody will always call somebody else a Nazi you know and let me let time get in my way my secondary goes out. Laura X is her favorite Dr. Seuss and she's outraged over this without any prompting 70 international organizations there are corporations NGO even governments have have gotten in on this and the self-righteousness of their descriptions is absolutely mind boggling if you

remember what Dr. the real Dr. Seuss was like when he was alive how he would be boycott he would be leading the boycott against you know he would be really live it if you're doing that. Yeah but it's not going to stop I don't think. No no OK. Well see how much the how much how many products are sold that will tell us the real truth Dale. Thanks very much to you too. This wraps up another edition of rag time a review of this week's pop culture news with Professor All right. Rachel Rachel Ruben I can get it out. And Professor Thomas Connelly you can keep on top of the Calla Crossley Show on WGBH dot org slash Calla Crossley follow us on Twitter. Become a fan of the Calla Crossley Show on Facebook. Today's program was engineer by Alan Mathis produced by Chelsea Myers. Well Rose lip and Abbey Ruzicka. We are a production of WGBH Boston Public Radio.