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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 saying a dangerous storm

system moving across the south today is now blamed in at least nine deaths. The toll went up in Arkansas where seven people have been killed since the violent storms hit yesterday. The other deaths were reported in the small southeastern Oklahoma town of Tushka where at least one tornado is confirmed to have touched down area resident Charles almost tells television that he went to Tuscon to make sure his family and friends were safe. This kind of scared for my friends and family they're living up here because they're close to home. You know it can happen at any time. Tornadoes were reported yesterday from the Midwest through several southern states. The U.S. House is taking action today on a Republican budget plan for 2012. Meanwhile the White House is addressing concerns about rising gas prices in the U.S. and pressure to tap the country's strategic stockpile of oil. Is NPR's Scott Horsley reports President Obama says there is a better choice. The average price of gasoline has jumped nearly a dime a gallon in the last week as a result of

sky high oil prices. Some lawmakers have urged President Obama to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. But Mr. Obama told ABC the reserve is intended to deal with supply disruptions not high prices. He's reluctant to draw on it prematurely. We are monitoring the situation very closely the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Was designed for when oil actually shuts off. Having said that. I understand how big of a strain this is on family budgets. Mr. Obama says the payroll tax cut he negotiated late last year should help to cushion the blow. Scott Horsley NPR News the White House. No jump in gas and food prices as reflected in the latest Consumer Price Index the Labor Department reports the cost of living rose at its fastest pace since the recession ended in 2009. Danielle Karson reports analysts say the whiff of inflation is getting much stronger. Prices rose pretty much across the board including housing airfares transportation and health care. Bernard babbel chief global economist at the Economic Outlook Group

says Americans are getting squeezed by higher prices at the gas pump and grocery aisles. Inflation is flashing yellow lights. We are getting closer to the point where the red lights would be flashing every aspect. The prices are now acquiring and it is hurting America. Prices for commodities such as corn wheat and cotton have been climbing and that's putting pressure on businesses like food producers and retailers to pass along those higher costs to consumers. For NPR News I'm Daniel Karson in Washington. U.S. stocks gaining ground today at last check the Dow is up 80 points or more than half a percent twelve thousand three hundred sixty five in trading of 2 billion shares and the Nasdaq was up 8 points at two thousand seven hundred sixty eight. This is NPR News. A suicide attack is blamed in the death of a second Afghan police chief in a month. The latest reminder of the daily threats security forces faced from insurgents. Authorities in the southern city of Kandahar say a bomber disguised as a policeman blew himself up as the police chief

was leaving the provincial capitals headquarters. And last month the suicide bomber killed the head of police in the northern province of Kunda. The head of NATO's says members have yet to commit more planes to the mission in Libya. But Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said after two days of meetings in Berlin he has indications more planes will be made available in the very near future. The Libyan opposition tried to oust Colonel Moammar Gadhafi is pleading for more reinforcements from Neda which is in charge of airstrikes intended to protect civilians from Qaddafi's forces. Britain says it is banning the export of drugs used in executions in the U.S. as Larry Miller reports from London the U.K. is asking other European Union countries to do the same. Britain now bans for drugs used by U.S. states and lethal injection executions some of the drugs are scarce in America. Business Secretary Vince Cable says the U.K. opposes the death penalty in all circumstances and it is clear that British drugs should not be used to carry it out. Cable says he's urging other European

countries to follow Britain's lead. In the meantime human rights group Reprieve says a Danish company has stepped in to sell the drugs to the U.S. the EU has a firm policy on capital punishment forbidding the extradition to another country of someone who may face execution there. For NPR News I'm Larry Miller in London. Now still rising it's up now 77 points at twelve thousand three sixty two. I'm Lakshmi Singh NPR News. Support for NPR comes from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation committed to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need on the web at our WJF dot org. Good afternoon I'm Cally Crossley This is the Calla Crossley Show. Today we're taking a hyper local look at the week's news with Sue O'Connell co-publisher of bay windows and South End news. Bill Forry managing editor of the Dorchester Reporter and Peter Katz is executive editor of The Boston Phoenix.

Welcome back everyone Hey Kelly. All right well we have to start. You know it is a local story with Mitt Romney announcing for you know he's going to run for president and it was just kind of boring I have to say Peter even though David Bernstein did put a little bit more in the in that store if you want to start with. Bernstein's piece. You don't all sound like he was surprised I mean I thought it was really I thought it was a shocker. Well listen. David's writing about what we call the Romney paradox which is this how is the best funded most indorsed best organized Republican candidate the least favorite among the party faithful. I mean it really has you scratching your head. Now we in the Massachusetts know that people often have contradictory reactions to them in the midst or. But consider this. You know what. Donald Trump you know the vulgar New York real estate developer announces his

fake presidential campaign a bid by the way to shore up the ratings of his flagging reality TV show. In he quickly jumps ahead of wronging him as the most popular person running among Republicans. I mean so Romney Romney really has a lot to do and he has a particularly tricky task because he's going to lose and he had his people admit this to one of the three first races he will not do well in Iowa he will not do well in South Carolina which puts a huge amount of pressure on him in New Hampshire where you know since he's from the neighboring state and has a summer home there he should do well. But you know after seven years of running you think. Will some of them know how to do it. I'm going to say this before Sue and go away and that's this just in defense of Mitt Romney.

You know when you date you date a lot of hot guys you're not marrying them but missed the documentary I mean in the end. I mean Donald Trump might be flashy but you wouldn't you know. Well it is and if it's just one more word then I promise I'll be quite POV of the Romney pair of arcs to his while while we on the cards are stacked against him to get the GOP nomination in the final election. He is probably the Republican who would give President Obama the toughest race to go soon. Well I mean we are we are thrilled that bay windows that Mitt Romney is in the race for a number of reasons one because we have the mitt files on our website which end up being one of the most visited sections of the site where we have his original flyer that he sent out at a gay pride saying Mitt Romney wishes you happy gay pride and we've got the interview he did with us when he was running for governor the first time and sat down with us and said how he supports you know parts of domestic partnership and how there's Mormon canon that sort of could be expanded to include that so we'll get a lot of visits so

we're happy that Mitt's driving revenue to a Massachusetts business. You know to your point about about Donald Trump you know there's one thing you can say about Donald Trump which is absolutely true. He says what he's thinking. Oh yeah ok. And he might you know be moving from the idea of you know his investigation into Obama's birth certificate and oh shit if you could have a live birth in Hawaii. But he will explain to you how he got there he just doesn't flip flop. You know and when you take Romney and put him up against the Donald what you have is someone who you may think is vile and disagree with but is speaking exactly what he's thinking. And then you have you know the Barbie canned all over year who says one thing says another flips forth back and forth in my you know just feels untrustworthy. Well Bill the Phoenix piece I love reading in the race has now begun in my mind when I when I read David Bernstein get up into the trenches New Hampshire and talking all these political consultants and which ones with you when there are half of them have traded sides in the last four years and with a

different candidate now. But the fact that Romney's last guy in New Hampshire is now with plenty was interesting to me. And these sorts of stories are always to me the real indicators like I know these guys are all hired guns but even the local races I love it when my reporters get out and say Alright who's with who. You know which which of these activists is siding with him at this stage of the race or her. And I think Bernstein you know analysis here is right on point and I do agree that Romney is that is is that guy who's left standing at the end. You know I hope for America's sake that the religion issue is one that that they can overcome. You know I mean I really think that his speech that he gave during the last presidential campaign was a great speech and I really felt like it was something that you know had to be said and made sense and I really would. On one hand hate to see him not win elections because he's not the type of Christians that someone would want on the other hand I don't want him to win. Jump in aren't you.

This week was really interesting about Mitt Romney's birth certificate and you have it down there. And she ended it with an odd and ominous note for our pick for the president that if Romney does survive that is the norm and even then President Obama has some trouble ahead. Well I will say this. The Boston Globe today is interesting piece about the financing and how Mitt is Mitt Romney has come up with a very clever way to skirt the federal regulations the federal campaign finance federal ations and full fuel push a lot of money into state PACs so that he can get more. And that's a lot of money on the table for him and it's been said already that President Obama's re-election campaign is probably going to reach one billion. So we're talking about a lot of money on the table for if Mitt is the front runner and you know going up against President Obama and I think it's important that they all buy print ads. I think they'll have plenty of money and that was my point about the money actually with Mitt is that he has the money to survive some of the early setbacks that you predict Peter

and continue going. That doesn't have to stop him. No it's this is going to be the best democracy money can buy. All right we'll see. All right well back on the local front. Bill you've got some interesting pieces about Mayor Menino the budget. And we should also take that in to put that in the context of this just deal that he just struck with the unions piece that came after we went to press obviously but negotiating basically a seven million dollar they'll realize a 7 million dollar savings according to the mayor's office about 1.5 million dollars a month. By some calculations by getting the unions the municipal Union substantially to agree now to something that they probably they might get compelled into the legislature acts as it seems they will. With the speaker to leo's move this week so obviously the mayor's hand was strengthened considerably by what's been going on in other states and what's going on here in our State House in terms of the changing

landscape for organized labor. But back you know initially this earlier this week the mayor unveiled a 2.4 billion dollar plan for the next fiscal year which by most accounts is an op you know a better outlook than we had last year. I mean at this point last year there was a lot of hand-wringing over the library issue for instance that has been diffused I think there's been a political decision made that that was a loser for for a lot of reasons and that there's other places in the city budget that they can trim. And one of them is community centers and we would bet we were here a month ago talking about community centers it's been something we've been looking at. And the city singled out commuters once again as a place to trim their pulling out about 30 staffers from five different community centers. This is similar what they did last year's budget where they withdrew state city staff from eight community centers. So this is whole strategy coming about and it really hasn't been played out explicitly by the administration but they have these 38 facilities around the city some of which work well some of which just don't and they've decided as a straight cost saving measure we're going to pull city staff out of there get

nonprofit partners to come in and and try to you know revitalize these these city owned facilities so it's a it's a real it's still an emerging policy and kind of murky and opaque and we're trying to do some reporting now around that. But certainly this budget is going to be the next several weeks at the city council level. It's going to be poked and prodded and Charles Yancey who is always good to be at the playground and point to the mayor was not happy with it. Others were more optimistic but I think clearly it's going to focus on a lot of the focus here will be on the schools changes to the budgeting there and to these community centers. A lot of folks are saying the union folks who even as they're saying this hurts hey it demonstrates that collective bargaining does work. If you treat both sides are treated with respect. Yeah and I think that that that's an essential message that the union understands has to be you know with what's happening in the Wisconsin that collective bargaining

has to be protected I mean I think that that's what the attack that's that's happening that's what the casualty is going to be but you know this is all it's also very important to know that this is the one thing that the city council gets to do. You know they they have not very much power except when it comes to the mayor's budget the city budget so I'm hoping that they're able to dig in and really take a hard look at this in many ways it is what it is. You know this is like you said it's not the libraries this year it's the it's the community centers. But I hope that they really are able to hold the mayor accountable and hold the city accountable for what services they are in aren't going to supply. Well I think it's also important that although they're talking about nonprofits and you're going to talk about this bill in a bit taking over the community centers. I think we have to tread very carefully about the privatization of city issues you know we've got that park at Post Office Square which is city property that has cameras and people can be evicted if they want to protest because it's not it's a quad city private place and it's a road we have to

look at very carefully before we get on. Sue's right about that. But I'll tell you this. Menino was Mayor Menino is a master of opacity of the opaque situation and what he's doing if I read between the lines correctly here is he's putting it back on each community to say look you've got the power to come up with quality programming in your neighborhood. Now go to it all. Lose the ability to do it and it'll be very interesting to see how that works some communities are already as Bill stories point out are already doing really well while those aren't doing as well. But you know it'll be interesting I think the new generation of Boston City Council is people like Tito Jackson for example will really step in here I'm predicting. I don't know whether they will in really become forces of this movement. You know I think what's going on right now in mad upin is a critical thing to watch and I hope but

this other reporting done on it because we call it a step to the plate they're the only real nonprofit partner that has been very public about their willingness to step into a community center and start a process a community process they've been doing it since December. Last night they had a meet their major community meeting to say here's what the community has told us through surveys and cetera. So that's an encouraging sign. The manhunt community center is one of the eight that closed last year. We lock stepping to the plate and doing a good job so far as encouraging but that's not what's been going on elsewhere and the city's going to need to replicate that across the board to it to encourage more nonprofit partners. I'll just put the button on this is say it sounds like though that this budget is probably going to get through. Oh yeah yeah oh yeah. Okay I'm Kalee Crossley we're looking at the news that went under the radar with Sue O'Connell of the South the news and big windows Bill Forry of the Dorchester Reporter and Peter Katz is of the Boston Phoenix. We'll be back after this break stay with us.

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FRESH AIR. The future of water. Charles Fishman author of The Big Thirst says we have to think differently about how we use this resource. I think we're leaving the golden age of water that is safe unlimited and essentially free. Join us this afternoon at to an eighty nine point seven WGBH everybody Haas's long story the world he had seen the footage of. Him in front he's wrong and he defends my luck. Coming up at 3 o'clock on eighty nine point seven. WGBH. I'm callin crossly. This is the Calla Crossley Show if you're just tuning in we're looking at the news through a local lens. Joining me to talk between the headlines are Sue O'Connell with the South in news and bay windows bill for with the Dorchester Reporter and Peter Katz's of the Boston Phoenix. So Sue I'm coming to you the Blackstone element.

We kept an eye on that on this show and and now we're hoping we're hoping we thought maybe still today there might be an announcement on the new principal of course the Blackstone in the south and has been sort of the poster child for reform and renovation and all great things we lost. Principal who is doing great things he went on to a job in Chicago last week or the week before there was a news that the EM cast scores on seem to have been tinkered with and there were some this wasn't the principal who we were all looking to save the day it was actually the principal before and they handled that correctly I think it you know didn't didn't affect the kids scores didn't affect the school scores but it is sort of the gift that keeps on giving the Blackstone and the community is just hoping that they make a great choice they've had a very extensive interview process the parents have been involved the new principal if not announced next week which I doubt it because of the school vacation but when they get back to school we could take the leadership role as early as

July 1st. So and one of the reasons we're been interested in it is that for a number of reasons that there's a very active community there but the Blackstone is one of 20 turnarounds writings designated by Superintendent Carol Johnson and that allowed the last guy who was to be the savior to. You know fire all the teachers start again essentially revamp restructure everything with an idea of looking forward and he seems to have been making progress when he took the job and went to Chicago so that left everything sort of in the lurch and everybody had such high hopes for this particular school as an example. Bill Ford Yeah and I think what's amazing to me is the level of coverage that the story is getting from us which is which is really a myth it's a testament I think to the importance of the Blackstone you know we typically don't do stories on who's going to be the next president or the ex-wife of the school. And I'm curious to know how in the truth in this kind of transition space especially with the you know that I'm casque or have you picked up from parents and students at all that there's any

consternation about. Well you know the parents are still very optimistic. I mean one would hope that a leader. I was able to have something ready to go and there's not been a lot of confusion or problems there was you know people initially thought that the M cast was a was a new issue not the information of an old issue. So so the parents are feeling OK they feel like the process has been good they feel like they've been involved in it. You know the other thing that has had people have their eye on the Blackstone is the teachers union going to because there's a lot of Teach America young adults young young teachers out of school who have come in which has really changed the environment depending on how you look at it for good or bad for some of the the old school teachers. And I don't mean old I mean old school. Yeah it sure is. Who you know don't want to be at their desk at 7:00 and stay till 8:00 because they have families or they have other things that they have to do so there's also a real critical law and a good way of being looked at can this you know teachers union and teacher America kind of work together to come to some way to

deliver a very good education to city kids. So Peter I don't think it's unfair to say that the Blackstone in a lot of ways is a role model whichever way it goes is in this transition period. Peter it's an interesting it's a very interesting case study. And I think one of the lessons of the Blackstone is it shows just how fragile school reform can be and just how important the principal of each school is. I mean the principal is a like a quasi military drone. The principal sets the tone engages the kids the parents has to motivate the teaches and who is picked is the principal of this school is vitally important but we should all reflect on this whether you live in Boston and take a look at the principals of the school. Your kids are in because it's the principle that's driving the education engine. Oh I think you're right. And while you're speaking why don't you tell us about mass Candy as you say in your paper the pro-pot group. Explain that to

us. Well you know Massachusetts is in has for many years been involved in this sort of. Cause I public it's not top of mind the effort to get legalized pot and the first victory of this group mass can as in mass cannabis was to achieve the decriminalization of pot and the next item on its agenda is to approve medical marijuana. Is Maine and Rhode Island have already. Now what's happened is it's used to mask can used to be pretty much an all an all boys network a boys club and recently the the the director the 12 person directors board have a big change to the boards now split with six young women all under 30 as Ariel Sharon says all of them on Facebook and then these women to bring in a whole new energy to watch the lets smoke pot in public movement.

Where do you think it's going to go. Well you know I think what we are going to see perhaps the next election cycle is a concerted campaign to have medical marijuana come to Massachusetts. And I think you're going to see the troops mobilized on this via social social media things like Facebook things like Twitter. And I guess we're going to be seeing women leading the charge a bill or Sue I wonder if you know if people here will be concerned about what happened in California where there was a you know a preponderance of these marijuana shops that were supposed to be just for medical Mehr and it's now like on every corner. Well I think I think that you learn these lessons I mean it's I was talking with somebody about some other issue and they were complaining that well some will take advantage of it I said you know if that were going to be the criteria that we used to do or not do things we couldn't do anything because everyone will take advantage of something. So I think that there's some lessons to be learned there generally about how strict you have to be and who gets to actually buy the marijuana but I also think that you know

the ongoing joke is if this this wasn't run by potheads we would have marijuana by now. I'm very you know I mean it just sort of the decisions that they make sometimes like what are they on. Oh right. But I think that this new this new lot of women coming in and taking a look and saying OK let's let's change the face of this. You know these guys are going to exist and this is what's going to happen but there are there's a real serious need. Anyone who's ever been with anyone going through chemo radiation or some of the other diseases absolutely knows that if there's anything you can do to ease their pain we should be doing it. And cannabis marijuana is only bad because we said it was. It's no better or worse than a bunch of other drugs that we take on a regular basis to treat illness and that's what we have to approach. I don't want to get into the business of advising mass can I but I guess I will. From the article I mean this looks like they made the right step here in increasing the estrogen level as the article suggests. I have to think they have

to work on the many melanin level bit. I think there's no people of color in this boy and that's surprising to me as as a dork just a guy and you know I think maybe they need to. One of the strategies might be let's let's broaden this out a bit and diversify. This is clearly and all you have to do is spend some time in the courtrooms of the city to see you know the drug charges that are going through there and the people will be in charge with them decriminalization and this issue has a massive effect on people of color in the city of Boston. I don't I can't understand at this point why that organ this organization and others hasn't been able to tap into that. You know I mean I think I think that we have to remember that it's a risk for people to stand out and say that they're pro marijuana on whatever level I mean it kind of reminds me of the early gay rights issues where if everyone had just come out very early and said OK we're gay let's let's move on. But there's risk to people by being public about it and there is you know you don't get much more public than the hip hop scene in Boston.

And no you know but I think don't you think that there's an issue here and I'm trying to be clinical about this because drugs are so closely. Linked with violence in the urban black community that there's a reluctance on the part of many community leaders to get behind this. I'm not saying that's good I'm not saying that's bad. Just the reality. But I think I think that's the reality that is the real but it's not it's the reality across all political spectrums in terms of the color line. And but the electorate speaks on this and they speak very clearly. So getting into the grassroots level and organizing with especially the younger group of people who have who have emerged in the city neighborhoods I think would be not a bad idea for this group. I think you're right. Well Bill why you're talking bill for you at the Dorchester Reporter this week. This was the hundred and fifty official hundred and 50th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. Not something I particularly care to commemorate though you know that in the future really I'm not.

No I want to point out that there's a couple local connections that we have to let Bill talk about the Dorchester one but to remind listeners that the fifty fourth Regiment also is very much a part of Massachusetts history and that plaque and memorial is across from the State House and that was a group of black soldiers that fought in the civil war of course on the side of the Union. And a lot of people don't even recognize that a lot of black people fought in the union. Right. I mean in the you know watches and the revolution I mean in the resolution as well. Sides but I got you know after that put that out. All right so many of these commemorations act as though black men were not and there were men who were not fighting and yeah and of course in the earliest stages of the war they weren't allowed to. Exactly battens but the Dorchester rule is what we focused on immediately after the fall Sumter of course Lincoln asked for 75000 troops and Boston was in Massachusetts in particular responded very promptly there were already companies that have been organized and and quick very quickly regiments and Company K was the one that was formed in

Dorchester a meeting house hill at the old Lyceum hall which was of course back then Dorchester was its own own town. You know those were the glory days. OK ante bellum Dorchester was its own place and they had their own town hall so they organized. And a guy named Benjamin Stone who was a music musical engraver and a drill master. They were already militias of course and he got a group of hundred guys together and they joined. They were Company K of the eleventh Massachusetts and they marched off to war and most of them many of them in fact did not come back. Ninety one Dorchester men fell in the war including Captain Stone who died in the second battle of monasticism. Southerners would say Bull Run for us Yankees and but you know it's for us in Dorchester it's a real thing we see it every Memorial Day we go to Cedar Grove Cemetery to the Civil War plot a very moving ceremony still. And this was the. It's the oldest Memorial Day celebration or observance in Boston going back to 1868 when the men of the

Benjamin Stone post of the Grand Army of the republic. Would get together every year for Decoration Day and as we now call it Memorial Day so you know this is a very it's the some melancholy around this this anniversary right and you indicated Cali but it's also you know most of a lot of these men were abolitionists who joined up very quickly and felt passionately about the cause in their minds of war and many many many of them gave up their lives as a also a memorial at that meeting house hill where they first were mustered to those men who died so it's kind of cool story. It's a it's an amazing thing to me that you know as as you learn about history and you feel a kinship with the people I mean they're just like us they just lived in a different time. But when they are preparing for war the Civil War and the revolution how close war was to them you know that we have this distant war even if it were a war we were fighting with a close neighbor where it's happening over there and people train over there but you know as as Bill's article in The reporter shows it I mean it's right in your backyard they're training on Boston Common You know there they're

getting ready to march out and they march through the city. And I think that that brings. I mean I don't know how they live with that. You know when you read the stories of the Civil War with Lincoln seeing you know seeing the fighting in the distance you know how do you exist that closely to that much carnage but at the same time it really makes you understand. That these are your brothers and sisters and siblings going off to war. You know this this is really a wonderful piece written I believe Bill by two NE and yeah it was you know yeah yeah yeah. It brought back a lot of memories for me because I grew up in digest there and it was a little boy as a boy we used to go down on Memorial Day to this spot of Cedar Grove Cemetery where there were rows and rows of civil war graves and you know we used to just watch as the the soldiers want much Dan and fire the 21 gun salute. And that was a very very moving ceremony and that for me really brought history alive that

you know even 100 years later we were on the ring. The sacrifice that these men made it reminds me of the story and the reason I liked it is that you know there's always more to know about where you live. And this was just right to the heart of national celebration but something would happen here but I knew nothing about so I appreciate the story. You know you have to do it you know. All right so over to you so you got a call out. You did in that editorial directly to House Speaker Gordon Fox in Rhode Island. I did explain. Well Representative Gordon Fox who is the House speaker of the house in Rhode Island Rhode Island is working hard to get same sex marriage passed. And the polls in Rhode Island are amazingly supportive 60 percent of Rhode Islanders support same sex marriage which is the highest of any state in the country that doesn't have same sex marriage. Also a great number of Catholics who were polled support same sex marriage and as you know Rhode Island has a large Catholic population. You also had now Congressman

Cicely nee David Cicely who was a former mayor of Rhode Island of Providence who was out. And you have a again a House speaker so you think at least there'd be a lot of championships going on here to move the bill forward there's a lot of concern and justified that it will won't pass the Senate in Rhode Island but let's get it going let's get started. Now is the time you've got a governor who's ready to accept it I mean go go go and we're looking at Speaker Gordon Fox who's not go go going. And I just wanted to let him know that there are role models for him to look at Governor Deval Patrick speaker to raze Murray. All sorts of folks the governor from Vermont who was president of the Senate they all were straight and they all were our champions and that I do feel his pain sometimes those of us who are minorities whether we be women or black or lesbian aren't always feeling good about charging the charge you know that there might be some justified in self hate that

comes from being discriminated against on a regular basis I know when I worked at the Phoenix Peter. You know there are a whole bunch of openly gay employees there but no one ever asked even men about same sex partner rights for benefits. And I did and he looked at me said why did anybody else say this to me. You know you have a tomorrow and it's that week. And we did and he did it one of the first you know in the state to offer it and it's just like you know you'd say oh why didn't you ask him here at the Phoenix Why don't you ask him. And that's what is sort of going on here I've never met Gordon Fox but I think that it's time for him to leave and I dare say if there was an equal person of all of his connections and experience in his position who was straight it would be it would be moving forward. All right. With seconds to go Peter and Bill when I see you Sue was right. But I see the devil if you will the in this as Senate president. Yeah. Teresa Paul the we.

Yes she is the one in the Catholic Church is working very very very naughty behind the scenes openly you know on their website very very much yakking the polls. But other groups are quietly working in the gay community has made it very clear to some people who are wavering that we will work for your defeat if you vote against us. And I think if this if for some reason this does not pass you're going to see a number of legislators who voted against this be defeated at the polls. All right. What about the courts. Well I mean what's in that too. Yeah I mean this is one of those situations where you know in New England all of our states have have same sex marriage of some sort either through the courts or through the lawmakers main went back and we're hoping to get Maine again. But this is a good path in Rhode Island. You know this is a path where we have a we have what we need we have the juice to make it happen.

It might not happen this year but you know we all know it's a game of inches and if you get enough momentum to get through the House of Representatives we will see what happens especially if we get a book and the Phoenix publishes a paper in Providence the Providence Phoenix and let me tell you Bill there were violent court system is it's the twilight zone of American justice. No you buying sex isn't legal in Rhode Island anymore I don't know what we're going to do. OK we're going to. Leave that right there. We've been talkin local nose when Sue O'Connell the co-publisher of bay windows and south in news Bill Forry the managing editor of the Dorchester Reporter and Peter Katz of the Boston Phoenix. And coming up we're going to thank you to you three and say thank you. I should thank you. OK. Coming up we're taking a turn from the serious to the sublimely ridiculous. Their tour of this week's tabloids will be back after this break stay tuned. Support for WGBH comes from you and from the New England mobile book fair

in Newton. For 54 years. New England's independent bookstore. The New England mobile book fair. Find them online at an e-book fair dot com. That's an e-book fair dot com and from Boston private banking Trust Company Boston private bank provides private and commercial banking and investment management and trust services to individuals and businesses. You can learn more by visiting Boston private bank dot com and from the members of the WGBH leadership circle who support the news with a gift of a dollar a day to learn more about the benefits of joining the leadership circle. Visit WGBH dot org. Next time on the world Frenchwomen sound off on politics and sex forces of the book. French politicians are not so good looking one says she like someone with class. Is that like Matt Damon. The conversation is led by two Muslim women and their blog called her job and the city. The young Muslim and French next time on the world. Coming up at 3 o'clock here at eighty nine

point seven WGBH. Senior investigative reporter for Martin and I hope you'll join me at the WGBH studios on Wednesday April 20th to experience freedom riders and interactive tour from American experience with a historic bus trip more than 400 black and white Americans took together to the segregated South in 1961. Admission is free but tickets are required to visit WGBH Dato RJ. Really don't know much on WGBH is Emily Rooney. But think they do. Nothing pleases me more frankly than that experience family room and WGBH weekdays at noon on eighty nine point seven at 7pm on GBH 2. It's rag time 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 a public radio we'll conduct our review with the help of some highbrow analysts our pointy head pooh bahs of pop culture Thomas Connelly and Rachel Ruth. Thomas Connelly is a professor in the Department of English at Suffolk University and Rachel Reuben is the chair of the department of American Studies at Boston. Welcome. Tom is out of town in Orlando and he's joining us by phone. But we're having a little trouble with his line so Rachel you wanted are you there. Are you there Tom. We're going to we're going to we're going to get him in a few minutes and we're just going to you and I are just going to go forward until such time as Tom can join us. Well there can hardly ever be breaking pop news but I guess sometimes there is so yesterday ABC announced the end of two daytime soap operas one life one life to live and all my children and both of them were created by writer Agnes Nixon. Susan Lucci became known for her iconic portrayal of Erica

Kane beginning in 1070 and lasting the entire series. And she was nominated for 26 Daytime Emmys and won her first and only in one thousand ninety nine. I want to give our listeners a chance to hear exactly what the soaps have been up to most recently. And we can talk about how they seemed always to be on top of contemporary some hour yo So here we go. Susan Lucci all my children and what was your grandest mistake your daughter has only come on the channel at your request and you lost it. I mean you know so she's married but. We were just kidding around here for a heart attack. Well I bet that I can shed some light on why it turns out the candle is your father's latest guinea pig. Greely can carry Ryan's baby and so the good doctor and I use both those terms very loosely. I had the bright idea to implant Greenlee in Ryan's embryo and can you can you believe it.

There you have it read so can you believe it. I can't believe it. It's a it is an interesting form you know there aren't that many popular forms of cultural forms which are not are conceived of without ending you know the shows. Sometimes characters go off and other characters are introduced but they go on and on for all these years because obviously each each. The episode leaves things more open ended and so they sort of like leapfrog forward into history. So it's interesting to have them and it's not that surprising though the place where the sort of soap opera form is definitely on the uptick is this the tele novellas which are you know originally Latin American Spanish language soap operas interestingly by the way though those have a particular run. They don't you know go on indefinitely have a beginning middle and end the right way and which they announced at the beginning I believe. Yes they do. Yes you know and there are and so they're growing in popularity and not just in countries with with Spanish speakers and even United States big networks are

adapting them you know quite successfully and sort of climbing onto that bandwagon. So what is very interesting to see this related forum on the rise and wonder if the soap operas that are so familiar now are indeed on their way out. Well what's interesting is that General Hospital will still be on ABC so they cancelled too but General Hospital remains. Now here's what they're replacing the shows with. It shows based around food health and make overs. All stuff I enjoy watching but I just more or less am though. Well but it is where our cultural attention is going I was sort of thinking about what else people watch on daytime television and it used to get that soap opera drama out of out of you know all the courtroom shows that people watch where they're accusing their lovers or their children or whatever of cheating them usually or talk shows like The Jerry Springer show or this is what's that guy's name the former cop Steve something oh yeah

we'll call it yes right thing like that yeah right and so it is like it's almost like a reality version of the soap opera for the reality television years. I guess you're right. I have a funny story to tell about ABC I used to work at 20 20 the news magazine and we did our post-production across the street when all my children write was being taped across the street so I would never have to keep up with the soap operas I would literally go over and run up walk up to the actors playing the characters and say what happened last week. And they tell me oh well you know last week I killed somebody but I'm coming back from the dead in two weeks. So it was pretty funny. So and I care a little bit of you know nostalgia for them but I know that for a lot of people they've worn out their welcome but I've got to say we're still trying to get Tom on the line and he would probably refer to the blogosphere. It's been blowing up with people who are very very unhappy that you know solid. Followers of this and then that a long commitment for some people when they want to just have a say in the days. In this era of niche markets to give up a market that you know is there

seems risky to me Well I mean doesn't seem to me they would do it unless they'd figured out that something else would be more profitable. Well I guess that's right. We have an anniversary to celebrate today. Moving on. And that's one that has tied to commerce. This was a song that a lot of people came to know and some people will recognize right away. Coke's campaign I'd like to teach the world to sing first aired 40 years ago in 1971 The commercial features young ethnically diverse people singing on a hilltop outside of Rome. And it became an instant hit. And heres what it sounds like I need to teach the world to see things as meat. Comes. You know you. Say are. You. Serious. I was told.

You. Anymore that Coca-Cola have to pay the station on time you're there what do you think I am. Well I it just occurred to me while I was looking that it brought me back to my childhood but also it reminded me that this is possibly Coke's response to the Pepsi generation you know the the tracking the youth market and making Coca-Cola something that you know people who love peace and wanted to be flower children this would become their beverage of choice also the commercial one was on television had a lengthy text scrolling up. The screen explaining in excruciating detail exactly how this commercial came to be. Except they made it sound as though this was somehow spontaneous that all these beautiful young people gathered on a hill in Italy to sing this song. All right. It was there it was a very very sophisticated marketing ploy from our perspective. Today it seems pretty clunky and you know it's very much an Age of Aquarius and you know great ponytails or you know swaying in the wind right now listening to it but a

catchy kind of refrain. Rachel Well catchy had her ties in you know tries really hard to be catchy right. And I was just sort of remember when this came out and I will just say that you know we think of a version with slightly different lyrics on our playground. But I'll let that go and then just go to my teenage years when what we associated with coke was the slogan Coke sweetens apartheid Coke was like one of the central companies that you know invested in South Africa before apartheid ended and was the subject of organizing as a result which is just sort of interesting to place that in dialogue with this claim of multiculturalism and also to add to this the theme of. Corruption when I spoke in another form became a very popular recreational material. It's the real thing took on a whole and entirely for what is right it's true that you're absolutely right about this. But one of the things I do think is interesting here is again is I love when pop culture sort of tells on itself is this is a song that you know people know as a song and

associate with the product and so if you you know it just reminds us every now and then of the closeness between culture and product and it's more so I'm afraid to say now more and more you know hotly OK on Sunday HBO is going to premier a highly anticipated series is different from the rest of the series as they have done in the past. This one's called game of thorns and it's based on a medieval fantasy novels by George R.R. Martin by the way when he first wrote those novels they sold four million copies so they were very popular. So this is a modern update of and here's a piece of the trailer from that series Game of thorns. You are crowned king. Is it. Do you see. This is no longer OK. For a new approach that seems to. Unite. The street my main street just. Saying. I want a. Dead. Girl just on yourself for. Hearing it's all others keeping the peace.

His free air fare on full of. Well it's not you know what I think about medieval fantasy because I'm calling it a game of thornes it's really a game of thrones. Let me correct myself. Go ahead Rachel. A 15 minute you know if spoiler free preview has come out which I've watched and I have to say I think it looks great. I mean I don't know exactly how it's going to do in general scifi. It's fiction and fantasy succeed on the big screen but fail on television that's just sort of the historical pattern. HBO however does pride itself in sort of reinventing genres and does seem to have really put money into this and it costs a lot to produce something like that. The actors all look really good. I'm pleased with the casting in particular the young people are not picked just because they're glamorous in fact they're not. Overly glamorous it's interesting to sort of like that. The critical given about fantasy is that it's sort of deeply reflects a cultural and ease

because like by imagining another reality you're somewhat undercutting the current one. So you know would be interesting to watch this and see what is the cultural and ease that it speaks to if indeed it does manage to if it does well but it looks gorgeous it's just a little visually sumptuous things. Tom is The Lord Of The Rings crowd. Absolutely and it's interesting one of one of the pieces I read about it use the word meanwhile meanwhile meanwhile incessantly while trying to give readers of the paper who hadn't read the novels you know insight into the plot. It reminds me of you know the tutors the Borgias from these incredibly elaborate series that are historically based. Here we have one that's fantasy based and it's interesting the sort of biased by a lot of the television writers against fantasy who seem to think that people will not want to invest in a complicated OK to plot and I. I beg to differ. I think that people love the love to invest themselves in these complicated plots and you add to this the builtin cult following I think

they have a major hit on their hands. I did too I recently had the author of a book called Freaks and Geeks and is really focusing on gaming and the interest in this kind of a fantasy for grown folk. And I think this this is his audience Ethan Gill's Dorf is no I mean that of the people who are into Renaissance Faires watch this exactly and that's what it was. That's right so this is their franchise I think I think they have a hit on it. I have to say I was a big sucker for Lord Of The Rings so I might be into this I don't know which is good. OK that was a very good I mean you do have to sort of you know immerse yourself but they're good the writing is good when you know. All right now switching completely. KIM CARR dashi and Rachel Reuben. Not somebody that we think has intellectually curious bone in her body. But in any case she became very upset that a picture that she took for the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine was actually put on the cover of the Turkish Cosmopolitan magazine. Why would that matter she is Armenian and

it happened to land on the anniversary of the genocide there. And so she is a good Armenian was just incensed by this. That's right and you know what's interesting about I mean there's a lot of you know what's interesting about it to me particularly is here you have Kim Carr dashi and write as you said you know she is not known for sort of like challenging you know things from a political standpoint or any kind of standpoint but there she is on the cover of Kosmo magazine you know Photoshop just like to here and back as these things usually are. And you wouldn't think that you know you wouldn't necessarily expect it but all kinds of sort of deep historical burdens just came losing out. So there is Kim Carr dashi and you know talking about. Genocide and talking about you know what does it mean for her to be on the cover of a Turkish magazine. And it was on the anniversary of you know the month of genocide the genocide awareness and you know just to quickly say the term genocide was invented

to describe the Armenian genocide. And you know then she needed to respond again and she said well maybe you know that her being on the magazine would sort of raise people's awareness about questions of genocide. So there you have you know there you have it like what is a better reminder that even when you think it's frivolous pop culture is not frivolous. Right or at least it has well for all kinds of stuff to come out there. You know nobody was talking about this until she you know landed on the cover of Kosmo. Yes but her anger lasted about 36 hours already announced that she's looking forward to our next Cosmopolitan cover. She also made a point of saying that some people call it genocide I mean her her righteous anger was couched in an almost diplomatic language. When I read the headline I thought great. Finally a figure with no political association is going to come out and really get this. But her actual statement was pretty mild and then the hypocrisy of backing down in 36 hours and saying I'm going to be on the cover again and I look forward to

it. And let's let bygones be bygones. Really mitigates it to the point of worthlessness. Well there you go. But he's right. It raised it to some people call it genocide is not a backing down she is like referring there specifically to the fact that you know Turkey won't admit it's a genocide. That's like saying I think I hear is that it's Kim Carr dash in the same line protesting something that has larger significance. That's not exactly amazing anything that's a sort of amazing to me. Yeah exactly. I don't have but a few seconds left but I want to mention that William Shatner who's trying to revive or establish a musical career is going to be doing songs heavy metal songs either like an eclectic album. It's a really electric album called Searching for a Major Tom. And he's doing all these interesting songs and with Black Sabbath Finn Peter Frampton is going to be on it some cuts from tips in the May tell I just find this utterly amazing.

It's fantasy. Yes Stickley amazing I don't know what to think. You know it's like there's a way in which he sort of just sort of settled into this new kind of identity which is you know largely comic. And he does doing that here through juxtaposition himself with these songs of these musicians with these songs so you know maybe he'll breathe new life into them. Maybe joining another you know rocket man whose greatest song ever. All right well we'll look forward to that. I think the fake professor Thomas Connelly a professor Rachael robot Reuben for another edition of reg.. You can keep on top of the Calla Crossley Show at WGBH dot org slash Calla Crossley follow us on Twitter or become a fan of the kallah crossing show on Facebook. Today Show was interviewed by Jane pig produced by Chelsea Mertz will Rose live and having received we're a production of WGBH radio Boston's NPR station for news and culture.