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I'm Cally Crossley and this is the Cali Crossley Show. Multitasking the idea that we could do it all all at once. I used to be something our society valued and rewarded but very soon one form of it could be illegal. Last Friday the Massachusetts legislature agreed to ban texting while driving. Under the bill those caught texting behind the wheel. Would face fines from 100 to $500. But it's a strong enough to turn look at what it would really take to get people to kick a habit that's as dangerous as drunk driving. But first. It's Ask the manager. During conversations with the campaign managers who are driving the governor's race today we drop in on Governor Patrick's campaign to top it off with local made good. A Boston based chef tapped by the first lady to help fight childhood obesity by way of healthy food. Up next the campaign lowdown texting clampdown and school lunches slim down. First the news. From NPR News in Washington I'm Lakshmi saying. Opening statements are under

way in the Senate confirmation hearing of Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan. Ranking Republican Jeff Sessions echoed GOP sentiment that Kagan can expect a barrage of questions and skepticism about her record. Ms Kagan has less real legal experience of any nominee in at least 50 years. It is not just that the nominee has not been a judge. She is barely practice law and not with the intensity and duration from which I think real legal understanding occurs but there's widespread belief that Kagan's confirmation will go through. She was nominated to succeed retiring Justice John Paul Stevens the nation's high court has ruled five to four that Americans have the right to own a gun for self defense no matter where they live. The justices cast doubt on handgun bans in the Chicago area. Dennis Hennigan of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence says the decision will be used by the gun lobby to challenge various state and local gun laws.

There is language in the majority opinion saying that. Nothing in the decision should bring into question firearms regulation generally although a complete ban on handguns may be inconsistent with the Second Amendment. There is a broad range of gun regulation that remains presumptively legal. The court was split along illogical lines. The late Senator Robert Byrd Congress's longest serving member is being hailed as a giant among legislators. The Democrat from West Virginia died early this morning at a hospital in northern Virginia at the age of 92. Byrd was first elected to Congress in one thousand fifty two he evolve from a segregationist to a champion for civil rights. He also helped steer billions of dollars in federal spending to poor communities of West Virginia. The Commerce Department reports personal incomes in the U.S. outpaced spending in May edging up four tenths of one percent. Spending rose to temps after being flat in April. More details now from Danielle Karson.

Analysts say the good news is that people are making more money. The bad news they're not spending enough of it. And consumer spending fuels most of the country's economic output. In fact people are socking away more in their savings accounts to the tune of four hundred fifty four billion dollars. The highest savings rate in eight months shall ne'er off heads narrow if economic advisers while income is rising and rising at a very nice pace. People aren't really certain about this recovery indeed many people still think we're in a recession as a result. They're saving more and they're being very very cautious about what they purchase. Narrow says as long as incomes keep climbing spending should follow if spending stay sluggish. He says the economy may not grow fast enough to generate jobs and bring down the unemployment rate. For NPR News I'm Daniel Carson down 15 points to ten thousand one hundred fifty nine. This is NPR News. BP costs related to the Gulf oil spill are mounting at a faster pace than previously thought. As Larry Miller reports from London they now present more than 10

percent of the total fund set aside by the company for responding to that spill. BP says the cost of the spill response containment relief well drilling grants to Gulf states and claims has now reached nearly 2.7 billion dollars. The company's committed 20 billion dollars to cleanup and compensation over the last three days spending is increased an average of one hundred thousand dollars a day. BP says it's paid about half of the more than 80000 claims submitted. BP shares hit a 14 year low on Friday and the company is seeing 100 billion dollars more than half its value wiped out since the explosion on the oil platform in April. A hint of positive news reported by London Sunday Times. It says it's learned BP is ahead of schedule and could have the first relief well operating in two weeks instead of August. For NPR News I'm Larry Miller in London. The head of a Catholic Church Commission investigating sexual abuse in Belgium has quit. Peter Andre Anstice is protesting police raids of the commission's offices last week

when police carted away hundreds of case files belonging to alleged victims of sexual abuse by the Belgian Roman Catholic clergy. Three ounces says he's received numerous e-mails and phone calls from people panicked that their personal accounts will become public. Turkey is closing its airspace to some Israeli military flights in its latest act of protest against an Israeli raid of a humanitarian flotilla bound for Gaza weeks ago. Eight Turks and a Turkish American were killed in that confrontation. I'm Lakshmi Singh NPR News in Washington. 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 Kelly Crossley and this is the Kelly Crossley Show. Today we continue our 2010 mass decision election coverage with another installment of

ask the manager where we check in with the managers who are driving the candidates campaign for the governor's race. Today we're joined by Sidney Ashbury. She's managing Governor Deval Patrick's re-election campaign. So Nash very welcome. Thank you so much for having me. Now listeners here's your chance to ask the manager if you have questions about Governor Patrick's reelection campaign and where he stands on the economy jobs health care. Give us a call at 8 7 7 3 0 1 89 70. That's 8 7 7 3 0 1 89 70. So something I'd like to begin these discussions by asking why this job why do you want this job. I am I am very fortunate I work for a great man I work for two great men actually the governor and lieutenant governor are remarkable leaders in very trying times and I've been fortunate enough to be with the governor lieutenant governor for the last five years and I am grateful every day for that. Are you a Political Junkie. I mean what do I mean. You know you know this seems like a lot of work. It definitely is.

I guess I call myself a political junkie I'm certainly very interested in politics and I always have been and I'm really what I'm about though is not just sort of this this one race I think the governor and the lieutenant governor represent because in a different way of leading in a different way of governing and that's really what this is about. What drew me to them to begin with. OK so you're a pass to get to this campaign I know you're a political science major at Boden but. Yeah yeah. Yes. So after college I worked at the Kennedy School actually and I worked at the Institute of Politics for about two years which was a great experience and I happened upon a story about a man who was considering a run for governor. And in 2005 and I reached out to friends of the Kennedy School and started volunteering actually for the governor while I was still working there and volunteered for probably for three months and was offered a job and it's just been it's been an adventure ever since then and I'm it's been a great experience. Now as I understand it you were advising him about policy particularly education policy. Correct. So I was working as the chief of staff to the secretary of education. Right.

Actually many people don't remember it but before Governor Patrick was elected we didn't have a secretary of education in Massachusetts so I started where I was working in the governor's office and moved over as we were working to pass legislation to create a secretary of education and then when he began I stayed and I worked on what was called the readiness project which was really about a grassroots effort to bring people together around what the next phase of education reform will look like and we're fortunate enough to last. Recently this winter to pass education reform that came out of that so it was working government was a remarkable experience for me. I the governor was very focused on education as he continues to be so I was fortunate to have a chance to work there. Now you mentioned grassroots and you're generally credited with having really put together that grassroots campaign that was so successful for him in his first run. Well that's just silly because it's not just as as anyone who's been in these types of roles before. We've got a great team and really what I do is make sure the trains run on time and keep

people in positions and so they can be successful and do what they do best and first and foremost among them is the governor and really it's about getting him out there talking to people about the issues they care about. And what we're finding is people are really his message of jobs education health care reform are really resonating with people and I think that's what we're feeling. OK I want to give our listeners the number again 8 7 7 3 0 1 8 9 7 8 7 7 3 0 1 89 70. If you want to talk to Sidney Ashbury who is the campaign manager for Governor Deval Patrick's re-election campaign. Now Sidney you just said his message is resonating I have to tell you we've got to talk about this latest poll yet which has Charlie Baker moving up fast. Just a few months ago he was kind of distant from Governor Patrick but now he's closing the gap. And what you think about that. You know I think the really telling piece of information that I found from the poll is that over 2 million dollars have already been spent very early by the Republican

Governors Association and Charlie Baker's campaign himself. And we're still seen sort of if you look at if you look a little deeper into the numbers we're seeing a 20 20 split with favorable unfavorable for Baker. That's a really interesting dynamic I think people are feeling like they've had enough of negative ads and sort of let's just throw that 30 second TV ads up and that's how we're going to win this thing. Voters are smarter than that and I think Scott Brown's race showed that and I think we're respecting the voters and we're saying we're our campaign is going to be about more than just that and the governor is committed to that. Now I do know because I've had we have some political contributors who are fabulous who contribute to the show and they have been talking about Governor Patrick being out and about. Not may not be getting covered but he is out and about in many places we don't know about. Yeah on the ground doing some things. But the question is I want to go back to this resonating because Adrian Walker has a column today I'm sure you've read it and which he suggest otherwise I'm just going to read this for the viewers who haven't seen it. Tellingly some of the

achievements Patrick considers his most important barely registered with the people who were polled. Well Beacon Hill pats itself on the back for ethics reform and transportation reform. People standing on tea platforms and watching disgraced former power brokers prepare for trial ask what reform Patrick aides say he has a great story to tell that's in quotes about his time in office. But it isn't resonating yet. I know that you disagree. So I hope Adrian is listening I have a huge amount of respect for him and he knows that but I have to disagree I think the governor has been out there talking about the fact that Massachusetts is first in the nation in education. Our students are outperforming every other state in the country. We're first in the nation in coverage for our health care coverage for our citizens ninety seven point five percent of our citizens have health insurance today. That was not the case when Governor Patrick took office and on the jobs front were still pushing out of a global economic crisis. But I've got to say in April we saw 19000 new jobs. That's the largest increase Massachusetts has seen in

17 years. Those are the types of things that I think the voters care about in the. Thanks and that's what he's been out there talking to them about and I think that resonates and I think it's not just about being out there. I think a lot of people have said the governor's been out and about. No it's about being out there and being effective in connecting with voters and I think I think the governor and lieutenant governor are remarkably successful at doing that because because they have a sense and they have a record and they have a vision for where we're going. So you wouldn't take the results of this latest poll showing a meringue between Charlie Baker him and Governor Patrick is any indication of lack of resonance. Well this won't surprise you that I say this but the only poll that matters to us is on Election Day and the polls are going to go up. They're going to go down I think it's hard to look at one poll after another because they use different methodology you've got to look at one poll consistently and in the glow poll consistently the governor is improving at a substantial rate 8 percent. He's gone up and we're seeing trends in the right direction right track wrong track we're seeing positive trends. And I think we're just trying to build on that. Massachusetts it's coming out of this recession

faster and stronger than the rest the country. And I think people sense that California and New York other states are in much worse shape. The governor is has positioned us to come out of this stronger. Now the biggest loss around here and politically in recent months of course is Martha Coakley. And we mentioned Scott Brown being obviously the big success there. Are there any lessons from that campaign that you all are putting into place. Absolutely absolutely. We obviously fought hard for Martha and felt strongly about supporting her but unfortunately it turned out in another way. But I think the lesson learned is Scott Brown went out and he connected with people and he he he was the campaign that I believe that we are trying to create He model we want to model what he did. He went out to people he talked to them about what they cared about in their lives. And I think I think that's exactly what we're trying to create in our campaign is the opportunity for the governor and lieutenant governor to have dialogue with real people not with sort of the insiders and Beacon Hill but get out into communities and talk to

people about jobs education and health care. Well of course I have to talk about this other latest poll which shows Senator Scott Brown polling both John Kerry Senator John Kerry and President Obama in popularity and in this poll develop after does not mention it's kind of odd. Yeah. Well I think the one thing I will say about that is we should all be wishing for Senator Brown success. This is a very difficult time for our nation and for the state. And I know the governor is in constant contact with the senator about important issues that are facing us in Massachusetts. But we all should be wishing for his success. OK. Now let me just put this out here. I've heard from a number of people who were former. Governor Patrick supporters who who say they're not angry with him but they use the word disappointed. They feel as though he didn't achieve many of the promises that he put forth. And so they're just feeling like I just can't support him this go around I don't feel as though he serve me well how do you respond to that.

Well people's feeling of NXT in these trying times are legitimate. And I think what we what we've been doing and what the campaign actually creates an opportunity for the governor to do is to get out and talk to those people directly about what we have been able to accomplish during these difficult times and I would make the argument to that person that many of the things the governor laid out in the last campaign and laid out in fact if you read his inaugural address he's actually accomplished a huge success on many of those fronts and many are soon to come. Cori reform for instance was one of the ones that we hadn't quite made it on and it looks like we're almost there. Education reform huge steps forward in terms of closing helping to close the achievement gap which was something he set out to do. Implementing health care reform. Ninety seven point five percent of Massachusetts residents have health care reform have health care coverage today. That was not the case. Almost a half a million people did not have health care coverage when Governor Patrick was elected. It has been a remarkably trying time. The global economic

recession has hit us all and it is not a mistake for voters to turn to their elected officials and step ask them to step up to the challenge. But I believe we have a case to make that the governor and lieutenant governor have done that. I said I want to let you know it's not that you're not popular We're getting lots of calls but we have a technical difficulty listeners and they are following this person in a way so they're trying to work on it to let these callers get through. But you know they are trying to reach out to you some people on the same of the other hand I talk to you about people who are disappointed say maybe I wasn't feeling as enthusiastic as I might have a couple of months ago but that water crisis in during the water crisis most recently he demonstrated to me that he was. Governor you know what we call presidential except he's not president yet. Yeah he had leadership in a way that they felt they hadn't seen before in his in his governance. Did you are you hearing that from other people. Yeah we certainly are hearing that and it's it's the governor

is not only leadership but I think they saw compassionate leadership when people faced incredibly difficult situations in their homes and beyond he was there and he was present and he was offering whatever he could whether it was state resources or just a hug. And I think we've seen that throughout his administration that he stepped up when when difficult situations have hit. Here's something I asked. I'm going to be asking all the managers and so to us well what is it you can tell us about him. You know personally or in the realm of out here campaigning now we don't know about him that would that would show a side of him we've not yet. That's easy he's a great cook. And his he and his wife have a relationship that I am. I think those are the two things that I'm fortunate enough to see because I'm I'm close to him on a regular basis. I love when we do prep sessions or meetings at his house because he always. What's up something it's best in the morning because you get blueberry pancakes. But he die and

Patrick is a remarkable woman and they have I'm actually getting married very soon and I hope that I can have a strong relationship with the two of them. OK I'm going to follow up in a minute but Hattie got through thank goodness. How do you go ahead please. Yes I've been working on shutting down for my Yankee for the past six or seven years. I live very close to it in Apple mass where about 20 some miles from Vermont Yankee. We know that radiation has been leaking into the river tritium has been going into the Connecticut River Strontium 90 has been found. CCM 137 I think 65 manganese all these different radionuclides are being released from Vermont Yankee. And we're directly impacted by that let alone if there was a catastrophe. But this is just 24/7 normal operations going on up there lying about the underground pipes. We all know about that but of Vermont Yankee is a nuclear site where a parasite Yes.

And we met with the governor about that last February when we were eight people Chris our Representative Chris Donell and got to the point and with him it was very difficult to get an appointment with. We want to meet with him again and we want him to think out on the issue. Well I appreciate the call Hattie I I've actually spoken with wrecked online about this very issue and I'm not an expert so I won't weigh into sort of the specifics of it but I will tell you that the meeting that you had with the governor is not uncommon when folks call our office and they have concerns. The governor often opens his office to them. And I understand that you're looking for another meeting and I guess I'm sure I will be in touch with the representative about what we can what we can try to do to help you on that. And right I know that Chris Brown is not really running for representative but he is a wonderful advocate on your behalf I will tell you that. Absolutely yeah absolutely. And we were. Are we pleased with the Gulf American or meeting with him. But he has not spoken out and we need our governor to

speak out for the safety and well-being of his constituents and I'd like to give you my phone number. I had what you were going to let you give that to my production assistant and one of the producers off there and she can get it after the interview and you can get a hold of me just go to Deval Patrick dot com in my contact information is there. OK Patrick dot com and my e-mail address is s Asbury at Deval Patrick dot com. Thanks very much Patty. I didn't catch the name asked Barry. We're going to give it to you for the producer will give it to you. OK thank you thank you. Very much. OK. I just want to go back and ask you about you talked about this wonderful scene of you know Governor Patrick cooking and watching observing their marriage. What do you that says about him in terms of or does it translate as as we look at him as a leader for the state. You know I think that's part of what people feel when they meet him. I think that's why it's important that you get beyond sort of the TV coverage and what you read in the newspapers and really get out to events and

we actually have an event schedule on our website that I hope the listeners who are who haven't seen him in person or haven't had the opportunity to say hello will well come out to some of those events. I think I think you feel that he's a genuine person and it comes across I believe and I think that's part of what we're experiencing is people feel that. Some have speculated that it would be better for him if Tim stays in. Holly Robichaud this morning in The Boston Herald suggested Tim Cale should get out. You know I think that the Treasurer if it's his decision obviously but I will tell you the interesting tetrad at least you see in the Boston Globe poll is Tim Cahill's at 9 percent in the poll. And you really the governor still winning and winning substantially so sort of the conventional knowledge wisdom that Tim Cahill all those votes are going to go to Charlie Baker just doesn't seem to be playing out that way. We have a strategy on our campaign to win this thing no matter who how many people are in this race. We are committed to finding grassroots organizers community organizers. These are

folks who are willing to have conversations with 50 supporters of the governor and lieutenant governor between now and Election Day. That's our strategy to win. That's a win number no matter who's in the race who gets in or out or whatever happens. So that's that's what we're focused on. OK I got you well this is the first of several conversations closer to election time we've been speaking with Sidney Ashbury the campaign manager for Governor Deval Patrick's re-election campaign. Sidney's thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for having me. Up next a look at the latest in distracted driving legislation and stay with us. With the.

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one offers at Area leaders credible deals on good eats and insider discounts at many area shopping retailers and because sustaining membership automatically remove those discounts will never expire. Become a WGBH to stay securely online at WGBH dot org. Soprano Jessye Norman turned 65 this year. It's never been easy to hit the high note she says. But now she can acknowledge it and the other lessons of age. I think that one is very lucky one is wise about more than just high notes. I'm Mary Louise Kelly. Jessie Norman's first solo recording in 10 years on THE NEXT MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Well. This program is available to you through the generosity of others. Eighty nine point seven WGBH is a public service funded by individual contributions. To be counted as a public radio supporter click the donate at WGBH dot org. I'm Calla Crossley and this is the Calla Crossley Show last Friday the final distracted

driving legislation reached Governor Patrick's desk under the bill those caught texting while driving would face a $100 fine for the first offense and a $500 fine for the third offense. But when you consider that 70 percent of the American population text behind the wheel are these fees enough of a deterrent. Joining me to talk about what it could really take to get people to stop texting are Dr. Amy Shipp and Dan Ariely. Dr. Shipp is a general practitioner at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She's also an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dan Arielle is the James B Duke professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University. His latest book is The Upside of Irrationality the unexpected benefits of defying logic at work and at home. Dr. Shipp and Dan Arielle welcome. And to be here. Now let me just alert the our listeners to the other parts of the bill that was just passed under the Bill we've talked about the fines. It also requires that mature drivers over 75 years have to take and pass

an eye test and repeat the test every five years to retain their license. It also includes two other measures one would bar bus driver subway operators and others who drive public transportation vehicles from using cell phones or face a $500 fine. So with that Massachusetts joins 28 other states and the District of Columbia in banning drivers from texting. Now Dr. Shipp you have written an interesting piece for The New England Journal of Medicine I should say the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine about texting and patients and doctors ability to intervene. Explain. Well I think I'm pleased to see that there's legislation that's moving towards reducing these risky behaviors. But I think there are many things that patients do or that we all do that there needs to be some synergy. And doctors have the capacity to influence behavior. And with so many people talking and texting and driving I think that doctors have an opportunity to advise teach counsel patients

about the risks and thereby reduce their risks as well. I think legislation is important and powerful but it can only go so far. And this could work really powerfully synergistically. I want you to tell our listeners what specifically you do in talking with your patients about texting. It's a relatively recent thing for me it pretty much many many general internists and primary care doctors do. Certainly an initial if not an annual review of Patient Health and Safety. So do you wear seat belt. Do you. Smoke exactly drink drug use. If you ride a bicycle to have a helmet there's an entire range of questions depending on Peterson's activities. And I think that the seat belt question we've made huge strides on. When I was a child there were no seatbelts as standard equipment in cars my father and a stalled airline seat belts in our city Baker. But now 99 percent of people wearing seatbelts they're just talking wearing seatbelts. So I think it's a new technological

opportunity. And what I do is ask patients if they if they drive a car do they wear seat belt. And then I start with texting I ask if they text while they drive. If they do we talk about the risks if they don't. That's usually a very good opening into talking and driving. And I share with them some of the data about the fact that there are many more accidents from talking and driving than texting because more people are talking and driving. Texting and in in the piece you Dr. Shipp made the point Dan Ari Ellie that this was almost equal to drunk driving in terms of its impact and how dangerous this practice is of texting and driving. And in your piece that you wrote just a blog post you said this is a common irrational behavior. Why so. Well let me just start by saying that while I think it took two steps approaches the edge mobile actual efficacy of doctors talking to their patients I mean blue dubious about it. And Brooke temple doctors have talked

to patients a lot about obesity in heart problems and we saw very little effect and in fact their patients continuously lie to doctors about drug complaints and all kinds of other things and when we talk about texting and driving nobody's surprised to find out that this is not a good practice. It's not as if somebody saying my goodness I had no idea that this was somehow unhealthy or dangerous. I mean this is something that everybody you ask knows because everybody who's done it before would also recognize that they've made mistakes while driving and it's not about lack of awareness. And this is also why I think the village sleigh ssion is a little too too mild. You know basically to say that what happened is that people don't wait their life sufficiently. And because of that they text and drive. And we're going to kind of change the equation by $100. I think it's kind of a little bit a little bit funny. Right it's as if it's as if you're

saying well you don't care about your life you texting and driving you decreasing dramatically the odds that you will die ok other people. So we will add another dollar to the equation and this would somehow make it worthwhile for people all facades. Up texting texting and driving I think it's a little it's a little naive. I just think the doctor should mention Well let me let me but I pause here because Dr. Shipp has been nodding vigorously while you've been talking so go ahead Dr. Shipp. Well I'm the one hand I share with your thoughts about the sort of the smallness of the facts I think that a powerful find might speak more powerfully. I think I understand you know you're an epidemiologist so you follow populations but I see individuals in my office and I spend time with them. And I'm confident if people ask me once do I think my patients are lying to me. Perhaps I'm easily duped but I don't. And I'm confident that I've been educating people in a way that makes the risks more evident and perhaps more palpable and that actually you know we make

change in very very small ways one by one and those people those parents influence their kids and those kids influence other kids and I actually think you can change behavior that way. Well so I do I do agree by the way that kids are a great way in fact one of the ways that safety built has become so popular is the kids was screaming it to parents to change behavior and smoking was similar to that. Doing the way that we stop people from smoking was not so much about the risk for the individuals it was about the fact that we could somehow convince people that secondhand smoking was killing other people and we made people kind of social outcast from it. So we end you know on second hand smoking is much much less extreme than individual smoking but somehow the reason we got people to stop smoking was because of secondhand smoking not initial smoking in the same way the reason we got people to wear seat belts was by pressure pressure from the kids it wasn't to particular knowledge that the behavior is dangerous. You know nobody nobody needs this knowledge I mean in some areas of life you might not know what's dangerous or not but in in

texting we know can't possibly be be the right thing to do. OK let me let me pose this question to both of you then. And that is if you marry knowledge with increased awareness then what do you get and I before you answer I want to play this PSA from Oprah Winfrey who started a national campaign against distracted driving. This is the spot where a family. Was shattered. Shelley in Darrin's 9 year old daughter Erica was right here on her bicycle just 15 miles from home. The driver was distracted by her cell phone. Did you see. How many more have to die. Before we take a stand. Let their lives be our light. Join me and Sprint. Be responsible. Take the pledge. And then the reason I played that is because I think this is a way that she's beginning to raise I mean people. Yes OK we know this is not a good practice but when you start

increasing it to the point you made with smoking that people become pariahs while doing it. And let me ask you to respond also to Britain's campaign which is a very tough legislation there. There's been a people to jail very seriously. So that came about as an increased campaign awareness campaign as well. Yes a Britain Britain created. Here's my question. Doesn't work these things. So so the Britain approach does not eliminate completely texting driving but it had it had helped and they did two things. They created a tremendous find and once a month hand and gear and their ads that they put were incredibly violent. I mean you could see people's body parts being squashed and people dying it was just gruesome. And I think the combination of very vivid images together with social pressure and to get that with high I find seems to be the kind of thing that could start it could start the process I also liked what the pledge

aspect of the Oprah Winfrey kind of is is promoting which is it turns out that when people sign something or take a pledge even if it's a cheap talk even if there's no kind of contract that commits them to do so there's an increased likelihood that they will do so. So I don't think there's one solution but I think the combination of gruesome images plage high penalty and social pressure you know getting getting bad looks from drivers around you. When you when you happen to text and drive in getting of course nasty things from your kids all of those things could could help to create a happy. We just need to get out of the habit of doing good and studying a bit and I want to point out Dr. Shipp you began your piece talking about gruesome images so you're aware of the power of that. So wouldn't that in combination with your you know breathing on your patients begin to get us to a point. I think so I actually think perhaps there's a cumulative power and I I try to hesitate from using this because I think fear as an incentive is a very dicey place to go

with people. But I try to use both education in other words what do we really know about the risks as well as it's interesting I try to use the parenting thing not only to protect their own children who we all talk about. We've all seen drivers do kooky things and then you drive past them and you see them on the phone Actually I rarely see people text. I see people on the phone or with the phone you know in the cut of the neck. But I tell them I'm trying to protect your kids you wouldn't want your kid hit by somebody who was distracted because they were ordering pizza. And I tell them which is scary. You know God forbid you were in an accident and your brakes gave out and you kind of flung yourself against the. You know you did everything in your power to prevent and you hurt somebody. You never get over it. You'd be devastated but you'd know that you did everything in your power to avoid it. God forbid that happens because you want to tell somebody you're running a little late. So I do use fear and I try to kind of bring in the reality the potential together. And I actually I think it is powerful. I think that everybody has to get on board with this and I say this because I was trying to make a

phone call and I pulled over. Now the spot that I pulled over and happened to be no parking but I wasn't parking. I was on the phone and a cop pulled up next to me and said you're in a no parking zone I said I'm making a phone call. You know I would think he would say OK you know you know don't do it while you're driving. There's got to be a wholesale appreciation and support for this right doctor. I agree 100 percent and you know kudos to you for pulling over to make that phone call and risking being in a no parking spot and get yelled at by the cop Yeah. Now Dan you're saying that maybe aside from the gruesomeness of the Britain campaign that cell phone companies made by using a tool to you know cut out when you're driving or whatever might also force Bay of your change. Can that when it does a few things like this. So if you look at what's happening is that nobody in a calm state nobody in the state window not curious by the phone is saying to themselves today I'm going to text and drive. But they didn't. Diving is one of those places where we fail to temptation like overeating in understating where the

phone the phone rings that we have a thought. The phone vibrates because a text message in the tube station at the moment overtakes us we don't think about the long term implication and we just succumb to the immediate temptation. In just a few applications already own on smartphones it basically don't let that happen. That I did turn off the phone completely or don't allow texting don't allow to text back. And I think that's actually a really important part of the solution. You know if you think about it think about something like like eating. And if we if we come to a restaurant and we say we are not going to have dessert today and then the waiter comes with you know hot chocolate souffle the all that we will succumb to temptation is very high. Right because at the moment emotion takes over the chocolate the smell fills us and we we submit to to completion. So the same question you can ask about phones we can have all the right intention in the world. And then temptation comes and it can come in the form of you know the road is empty or we are in the red light or it

can come because somebody is calling us. Can we resist temptation. And we prove over and over in every aspect of life we're not very good at it. But what turns out with good that is creating kind of Ulysses contract. You remember you leave himself to write just to make sure he would not succumb to the sirens were they were saying the same thing we can do by basically putting stuff for those cell phones that would not let us succumb to temptation when temptation kicks in so I'm a big believer in kind of creating understanding where people fail to temptation and trying to think about technological solution a drug in an attempt just will not let us fail when the time comes. OK Doctor you know I agree with you 100 percent in medicine especially when we're working on patient safety we call that kind of thing Force function in other words you can only one I.V. tube will only accept certain medications you can't make a mistake. And in terms of the risks of talking and driving and texting I've encouraged patients to use a force function I mean one of them that a guy unfortunately killed a woman in Virginia did a force

function he puts a cell phone in the trunk of the car. So that's like you listen you know tied to the mast it's the same kind of thing. Other thing that really worries me though is that the car manufacturers our technology is outstripping our capacity there. My understanding is that cars are being developed with y fi with with laptops basically integrated into the dashboard. I worry about. I think that's the other problem and this happens in other domains in medicine where technology outstrips kind of what is appropriate at all I mean if you have people touching a screen while they're driving even if they're not texting we're in another dangerous place if that's integral to the dashboard your capacity to restrain yourself is going to be. Well I'm saying that with even people trying to just get music it's not even as detailed as trying to text or or do any of that. What I like about your approach doctor is it's do as follow me you do. You put forth an example of behavior as well. Share that with us. My own yes. Well I'm I'm unusual. I

don't own a cell phone which I know sounds peculiar. I do have a BlackBerry and I think that's important because if I were some kind of halo wearing you know I don't know Angel I wouldn't really be genuine and I understand exactly that allure of you know the buzz the message Who wants me. But I also am very cognizant of the risks and I'm not willing to take those risks so I tell people the kinds of strategies I have. I actually just put my BlackBerry in my purse. I zip it into the backseat and it's off limits to me in my car because of Oprah's a no phone zone right. Yeah. All right Dan Arielle What do you do. Well you know I wish I wish I could say it's good not to try to limit my driving I try to convince myself not to do it while driving but you know occasionally I've texted while driving. I will tell you that when I was going I just got my driving license. My father did something clever. He asked me to take his car and drive I think 10 kilometers an hour so

that's a seven miles an hour and drive into a wall. And that amount of impact from only you know seven miles an hour still remains with me. And I think it's kind of an interest. Think to think about how can we simulate for people the kind of mistakes they do and basically create a memory for them about how fragile and damaged they can easily get. I'm wondering how we could do it with cell phones how can we create maybe a computer game that would show people how much their attention is going is going away and how much they con the country to control it. But I need some more I need some more help I don't have enough self-control myself to do what I think it's doing. I think that would be really hard if you wanted to talk. I think that be really powerful because although people seem to appreciate the risks as you said everybody knows it's dangerous. I actually think the thing they don't say to me is that many many people think well I actually can multitask. I actually yes I know that as society or as a

population. Yeah there are the jerks who can't but I can. Man you know I think everybody thinks that he or she has that special cognitive spatial capacity to drive brilliantly. You know we all think what is it like Lake Wobegon we're all above average. And so I actually think what I would love is for people to see how limited they are when they are distracted cognitively and say Well that's right. Right. Maybe that's what should have been a part of the legislation something like that as opposed to some lame hundred dollar fine and it's just my opinion. I've been talking with Dr. Amy Shipp and Dan Arielle. Dr. Shipp is a general practitioner at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She's also an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dan Arielle is the James B do professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University. His latest book is The Upside of Irrationality the unexpected benefits of defying logic at home and at work and at home. Thank you so much for joining us. My pleasure thank you so much.

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I'm Kelly Crossley and this is the Calla Crossley Show. It's time for our regular Monday feature local made good where we celebrate people whose creativity and individuality bring honor to New England. My guest today is chefs to funnel Cordova the executive chef ever to cheese. He's been chosen along with other chefs by First Lady Michelle Obama to participate in her Chefs Move to schools. It's a program which calls on the nation's chefs to adopt a school in an effort to help educate kids about food and nutrition. And earlier this month he attended the White House to kick off the chef's moves to school campaign chefs to find a welcome. Thank you for having me. Well tell me how that was when you guys all gathered. It was a wonderful experience. You know chefs VMI or Michelle Obama. She's an incredible person to begin with it and shows she's also love food. And also as we say in the kitchen walk the talk. Now the words she founded the program and in three weeks she gathers whole I thought together did an

extensive research of all the shaft they have done so much work with the schools they have a little speedy and with them and put together a program so you know get us hold the White House in such a short notice. And it was great. Oh wonderful. Now this is the first time you've been to the White House you were a caterer in the Clinton administration. Well I did a couple of party on the South Lawn the same place we were this time. We were so short handed I'd had a chance to get in. So you just had to serve the food all that stupid. So vodka was great. OK now adopting a school it means that you each one of you chefs there's about 300 of you will. Take applications from schools you're doing that now and then once you adopt a school what happens. Well basically we become a part of quota the nutritional programs that we try to connect to the kids and we try to teach the kids it's not just you know obviously we're going to be part of some of the recipe process

from buying the food all the way to the leader the food the most important is to educate the kids. How one of the food can be now culturally is attached to our land. You know when you talk about food you can talk about just you know get yourself fulfilled but you can also talk about food in terms of job geography customs why people cooked our way. What that means is a part of our history and sort of becomes the whole conversation that you can reach yourself wait but also bring it back home and talk to your parents and really teach your parents that this is not just about. You know fill me up with something but let's have a conversation about it and let's educate ourselves for that sort of fun with the food. Now you've got quite the challenge because as I understand it you're going to be using the monies that are appropriated for each child in a public school and that comes to two hundred sixty eight cents I think two or two dollars and sixty 68 cents. That's that's tough. Yeah I want to 68 cents is really not the right amount to the right amount is 90

cents. The rest of the amount goes for the administration of the programs. When I challenged over rice or the Shot of the chef is to create a lunch program for kids and from the majority of kids I would say it's almost prefer a meal of the day. Well the most important meal the days and so is the challenge of his to re-educate the school systems out to buy the food properly. This morning Fishers I was the USDA is a big contributors not just in the prime materials but also the guidelines and. And the challenge is also to organize the old school system how to deliver these 90 cents meal in such a limited time. Do you have a schools you know basically the lunch programs are runs in 20 minutes. Wow. And the child has moved from his class to the cafeteria. And be on line and go back to class in 20 minutes. That's one of biggest challenge how you can deliver great food but you don't have enough time in some places.

But sometimes just orienting people as you say to a different appreciation about food might be the first huge step because they're probably buying some stuff that they don't need to buy that you know you can eliminate that maybe that is correct. You know he's got I mean one of the I think what Michelle Obama said and I was speechless is you know you guys have really a culture you have a very passion for ingredients and if you can bring that passion to our buyers in a school how to financially be more responsible. You can make a grease right within the system to begin wit and that's what the USDA really is looking for our input. How can you buy the food better. Better pricing and better than even into the kits altogether and better preparation. Absolutely. OK well I want people to know just how fabulous you are you just made for this task. Born in Rome you've been with you since 2004 and you have worked at the finest restaurants in Italy and New York so these kids are going to be lucky and what you've been doing it for two g's and you've

been executive chef is introducing authentic Italian recipes from different Italian regions creating special seasonal entrees and training here's where this will help you in your new task. Bertucci employs about authentic Italian culture and cuisine so this kind of all comes together to work with the kids and now. Yeah it's actually and really create a culture for passion for food. And you know to recognize that we have such lucky to be in such a land with a great progress. You know you to be a needle you'll be in the United States and nowadays the United States you really can have ANYTHING you want in any given time but just the fact that you have to respect the process you have to buy properly but also begin to be very cognizant of how to keep the food wholesome to use in a sanitation way and really only produce the God given promise you know. You know for your customer for the kids in the next case. I was telling my producer earlier that I told my sister I was cooking with

whole grain pasta and she said I don't like how it looks. I said would taste pretty good. And I know that you serve that and there are the two g's. How do you plan to bring that kind of food the quality food to the schools that do school that you would. Yeah we were. I'm working directly with the nutritional center of Padma recreating a new culture about whole grains. What we use in our restaurant is not really a whole wheat multigrain pasta. So what the kids can get the natural protein but we've seen too much the colors and so forth and we have extremely successful in our kids menu even for the adult for two reasons. AIF First of all the parents feel. I was so happy for the kids to have a certain food without them making too much of noise. Yeah you know and but in particular when you talk about pasta where even when you talk about pizza you're talking about two of the most popular items for the kids.

Now if you're lucky they're lucky. They're like it's you know it's all you know with pizza for example we only use like we do need the maid flour unbleached flour so it's very nutritional for our fossil fuel use similarly to flowers. So it's better to show now we have coming up with a lot of brands. They are multi grain has achieved peace flowers in science afford and it's disguised in such a way that it's really from a fall and the kid says you know I really love it. I don't know why but I love it. And so he's working very very well. We are very happy with it. Chef Stefan tell me how this make you feel to be a part of this I mean there's a lot of chefs out there they don't they're not doing this they're they're doing their fancy food and they're quite pleased with themselves and and you're doing something that we all love to do the fancy food. But you know we also love kits and we also love the generations and I think that we have such a great country over here but we don't have. The cultural attachment to our food to a section to you know a place like in New Orleans places like Georgia but you know there is a wonderful product. Take for example Massachusetts OK. When you when you think about Massachusetts terms of food I'm thinking about the

purpose of the apples the cranberries the blueberries. I'm thinking about an intake of scallops. I'm thinking about some of the wonderful you know lots that always starts from Wellfleet And but I wasn't thinking about how they've been used to our histories and also to go about the region and so and having these attachment and and. And trying to really add a touch to our kids and think is the most important thing to get people excited about having a meal together find the right approach go shopping you know I have a garden in my house and we grow all the vegetables and and just show the kids for a simple that you commerce grows and each each cucumber has a little tendrils that gets attached to something. So you know can support their own weight. So it's a great. A great way to have a conversation and to connect the generation to the next generations and also going to the schools and see and see some of the kids there. You know really need the lunch program and they are thirsty to learn some of the employees of the

schools you know have some experience for the last couple of years with Boston public schools and see that it's a thirst for knowledge and thirst for you know to make a little change. So that's very exciting just as much as to create a wonderful dish for a four star restaurants. Now I understand that by July the schools that want to be adopted have to submit their applications and you want some place near you so that you can be even closer as you help them redo their meal yeah. I've been approached by two school districts already want to Shrewsbury is one is one land I'm waiting for the rest of the program. Basic biogeographical our office I would prefer maybe even less. Reach area maybe in Worcester and try to formalize possibly going to the elementary schools because it's much easier to start early. You know this time the percent participation. And then because there is a lot of farms around where our office is to connect the farmer with the school

programs so maybe started by bringing the kids and some time back into the farm and see how the food grows there goes into the cafeterias and then eventually to have a garden in the back where the kids can participate in all different all different because it's touching to food and smelling the food is the most important part of create a culture for food. Well I must say I must be supporting this school program because I've eaten a few times at parties so inadvertently I'm helping you with your play and I can tell you that I think this is a fabulous program and I'm really proud of you being a part of it. So I was a part of First Lady Michelle Obama's chefs moves to school program. Thank you so much for joining us and being a mother being a part of another edition of local made good. Thank you it was happy to be here. This is the Calla Crossley Show today's program was engineered by Allen madness and produced by Chelsea Mirza our production assistant is Anna white knuckled me are in turn is lucky shall Landrum where

production of WGBH radio Boston NPR station for news and culture.