WGBH Radio; The Callie Crossley Show

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

faced with a growing uprising against his regime. Rally supporters in Tripoli Central Square today will able to crush any foreign admission by people its women by the army people. When we say city whipping people will be all printed every day beginning to feature and everyone even try a point of view. So leave me out of the Wisden intell of the need to have Gadhafi is heard through an interpreter on Al Jazeera English as Gadhafi addressed supporters his militia men carried out another day of violence against anti-government demonstrators. People stream from mosques following Friday prayers and were confronted by forces loyal to Gadhafi. Various reports say several people were killed. NATO's secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen is condemning the Libyan government's use of violence as Teri Schultz reports from Brussels. The military alliance is meeting in an emergency session to see how it could help people escape the deteriorating situation in Libya. The NATO's chief bless Libyan President Moammar Gadhafi for using the army and police to attack

anti-government demonstrators. It is absolutely outrageous. Rasmussen says the alliance will prioritize evacuation and humanitarian efforts in its considerations but he casts doubt on whether a no fly zone over Libya would be under serious discussion at this point. Such a far reaching approach would require a very clear international legitimacy and in particular a United Nations mandate. European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton says the Bloc isn't debating military measures but that sanctions such as asset freezes and visa bans against regime officials are needed to stop the violence. For NPR News I'm Teri Schultz in Brussels. The sound of cheering protesters knocking down concrete barriers surrounding local government building in Basra Iraq. Their people are demanding an end to food shortages and better services that they say have deteriorated since the start of the war. The death toll now tops 100 in this week's powerful earthquake in New Zealand as Stuart Cohen reports

from Sydney rescue teams are still combing through debris in hard hit Christchurch where about 200 people are still unaccounted for. Cold wet weather and continued aftershocks are making the already grim hunt for more survivors from Tuesday's earthquake even more difficult for the more than 600 rescue workers with most of the city center already thoroughly searched. Rescuers are now checking back alleys in laneways where people may have been buried while walking back to work when the earthquake struck at lunchtime but officials have conceded that the rescue focus of the mission is drawing to a conclusion. Inspectors have also started fanning out across the city checking homes and businesses for structural damage. Contaminated drinking water continues to be a problem. For NPR News I'm Stuart Cohen in Sydney. At last check the Dow was up 60 points at twelve thousand one hundred twenty seven. This is NPR News. Damage assessment is underway in Arkansas which was hit with severe storms. From member station KUAR in Little Rock Malcolm Glover reports twenty one thousand people

still don't have power. The storm line stretched from southwest Arkansas to the northeast corner of the state with wind gusts between 60 and 70 miles per hour. Matthew Clay a meteorologist with the National Weather Service says damage assessments are underway. We did have a couple of storms that had rotational effects yesterday and we do have survey teams out right now who are analyzing damage on that area to determine if it was actually a tornado that touched down or wind damage. Early reports show two people were injured several neighborhoods flooded and a tractor trailer was blown off the interstate during the storms. Forecasters say more severe weather is expected Sunday. For NPR News I'm Adam Glover in Little Rock. A college student from Saudi Arabia was charged with attempted use of weapons of mass destruction reportedly made an initial appearance in court in Texas. Although sari appeared in the U.S. federal court in Lubbock today Judge Nancy conic asked the 20 year old if he understands the charges against him and ordered him to remain in custody until a March 11th detention hearing. The man was detained

earlier this week. Turns out consumers and the government spent less in the fourth quarter than initially thought the Commerce Department is revising down. Gross domestic product growth from three point two percent to two point eight percent. Economists were expecting the estimate to be revised up and the outlook for growth may be tempered by government budget cuts and rising oil prices down 59 points at twelve thousand one twenty eight now as accept thirty six to twenty seven seventy four. This is NPR. Support for NPR comes from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation dedicated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live healthy productive lives. At Gates Foundation dot org. Good afternoon I'm Kalee Crossley. This is the Cali Crossley Show. Today we're hitting the rewind button on the week's news. Joining me today are Paul prone of oh the editor of the Cape Cod Times radio and TV commentator Arnie honors and joins us from New

Hampshire. Also on the line is Peter Wells publisher of The Providence Journal. Welcome to you all. Thanks going to be going. Yeah and I should say. Yeah. Arnie got to start with you. Five bills are up for consideration in the house in New Hampshire that have to do with. Some would say gun control others say gun protection or upholding the rights of gun owners. These are very. They're different but some there are some ways similar and I. I guess my question to you is does this signal something that came out of in the aftermath of Tucson or is it just more of the same. No this is a and are a wet dream and this is 35 bills. Our deals are coming into the New Hampshire House dealing with guns and of course I want to remind everyone on the panel that this is the New Hampshire legislature that the very first act of the new Republicans that took control of the house they restored the carrying of concealed weapons

on the floor of the State House and in the balcony because you never know what's going to happen when someone disagrees with you on the floor. So it is it is absolutely it's it's almost comical because it is so unbelievably out of touch with what's going on. We know that New Hampshire is a Live Free or Die state. There is no question about it. But I'm I'm waiting for them to introduce the bill that will also allow them to bring in someone that he was a Ph.D. Arnie. It's a personal atomic device. I mean just I mean if we're going to have everything else and here it is and now on top of that they want to create the New Hampshire permanent defense force. And my only question is can I design the uniforms. I mean we're going to our own separate military. It is it is a we're living in very interesting times we've elected a very very extreme legislature. They have already majorities. But I want to remind everyone that New Hampshire is a quirky state. Not only do we have 400 legislators but they get paid $100 a year and most people couldn't pick their legislator out of a lineup. So as a result what's happening with all these

gun bills is it's sort of a sort of extreme libertarian. You know I don't have my weapon with me I don't feel safe. And New Hampshire is one of the safest states in the nation. And they they will pass a law. I think the governor will have a great time with his veto pen. What is it Paul before you weigh in I just want to give our listeners a sense of what's being covered in some of these bills. One of them provides that a person who is on his or her own property and who responds to a trespasser who refuses to leave and displays a firearm or other means of self defense with the intent to warn away the person making the threat shall not have committed criminal threatening. In other words you show up on my property I show a gun to say Get off my property. I will not have committed committed criminal threatening. And that's because there's actually a guy in jail right now for that and the community and the gun community has really come out and they're trying to get him out of jail because he did exactly that and he had been to be a short tempered individual as well but that's that is one of the bill.

OK here's the other Texas. Here's another one that I think is maybe particular to New Hampshire I had not heard a version of this one before. You could carry a firearm and one's personal motor vehicle but and it's called a parking lot Bill but it pretty prohibits a business entity from banning or taking action against an employee a customer or an invitee from possessing that firearm locked in my my so I could drive up to Obama and have a firearm and Obama pander to them in the USA about it you know. OK in defense of that let me just say something. You gotta remember this is the place we love pickup trucks and gun racks. This is not Boston right. It is Burlen. So there may be some rationale for this but I'm trying to tell you that almost everything you could possibly imagine visa via gun they are now putting a bill in to undo and regulate there's another bill in that will allow you to carry a concealed weapon without getting a permit. Getting a permit so it's it's pretty Lucy goosey. But at this point they don't want anything in the way of

restrictions when it comes to their acquisition of guns where they use their guns how they pack their heat and I actually have my Glock right here and I just pushed it to the side so I could keep reading all the rest of the bills. All right well that's Arnie Arnesen from New Hampshire and Paul Provo. What do you think. Well in any of these fly in Massachusetts are good that any of them fly in Massachusetts. You know it reminds me how much while New Hampshire Massachusetts our neighbors they're so different philosophically and you know none of these would fly in Massachusetts and frankly I'd be surprised if they ultimately fly you New Hampshire it was interesting to see that. I'm not sure where I read this but at least one of the amendments that seems to be going nowhere is that you can't carry a concealed weapon into a New Hampshire courtroom. Well that's a great idea. But you can carry it almost anywhere else in any point out including into the into the General Court. And you think of the Middle East where throwing a shoe is a dangerous thing. You know having a disagreement with someone on the House floor and having a pistol in your hand. It's it's pretty remarkable. And what I guess is is good to see is that a lot of the law

enforcement community including a lot of folks who are NRA lifetime members have stood up and said This is not a good idea. Some of the things that are being proposed here are going to make our job a lot more difficult. And while proponents point out that someplace. What have laws along these lines such as Vermont or Arizona. Not most places in the country do. And New Hampshire probably should follow that. OK Peter. Well publish over the Providence Journal. What do you think will Rhode Island kind of be in the middle between New Hampshire and and Massachusetts. No I don't think so unless we're talking about packing heat when we're going out to do some lobster fishing or strings or something of that nature. No I don't think there are real islands ready for farm teet in the courthouse or anyplace else. We're pretty pretty conservative state I think to some degree with some issues

been liberal in others but gun control is not one of those. OK and I'm going to let me just make Peter's title He's publisher of the prominent American. OK. Will the general over then I think they want me to tell you I think the interesting thing what if when it comes to weapons one would suspect that you would want a professional that would be bringing weapons into all kinds of places where there's a lot of agitation. And yet this is the one thing where they want to create a permanent defense force and they want volunteers and someone said what's the criteria for a volunteer anyway. I don't know. So I do think that that there is an extreme here. I think it reflects the sort of Tea Party ish nature of the New Hampshire House. No one really knew what they were electing. They're going to find out big time. By the end of the summer. OK well there we have it with that. Paul let's move to a story that has some well some ancillary interest I guess because in the wake of Senator Scott Brown.

Publishing of his memoirs. He's been questioned about his ongoing support of Jeff Perry who ran for the 10th Congressional District and Governor Patrick was just on record in a piece that you wrote that your paper published rather that about criticizing the decision to give Jeff Perry a new appointment by the Barnstable County Sheriff James Cummings a $110000 appointment by the way. So what do you think What's the what's the response from people in your area about this appointment. Well this has been a very interesting story of course anyone who followed the political campaign here in Massachusetts this fall knows that the 10th Congressional race was a bruising one between Jeff Perry a state representative a very popular rising star in the Republican Party and Bill Keating Democrat district attorney. And they they really went toe to toe throughout the campaign. Jeff Perry came under fire quite a bit for his background as a police officer

where he was a supervisor so for someone who was ultimately pled guilty. Legally strip searching a teenage girl and Jeff Perry's role in that came under fire. He was never charged with anything but his role was certainly a point of contention during the campaign. So that really hurt him in the election and he didn't win. Bill Keating won one of the things Jeff Perry was strong on was anti patronised patronage small government stance. He really was a champion for small government. So it was a surprise to many when he took a job in the Barnstable County Sheriff's Department Republican Jim Cummings is a political ally and friend of Jeff Perry $410000 this is a job called special sheriff that has not been filled for three years it's been vacant and suddenly became very important when when Jeff was not elected and he took this job and he came again under a great deal of fire for for this. A lot of folks thought he was being

hypocritical in taking this job he felt he was well-qualified for it. So it's interesting the governor often does not comment on smaller matters. But this is one where he not only spoke out about but made made his money where his mouth was. He took money that was supposed to be supposed to be earmarked for sheriffs across the commonwealth and singled out. Barnstable County and didn't give one hundred four thousand dollars which is just about the same amount of money that would have been paying for Jeff Perry and we had the governor in the office the other day and we asked him about that we said What do you think about this appointment. And he said matter of fact Lee not much. I don't think it's a good idea and obviously the sheriff didn't need the money and that's why he didn't give it. Really interesting stuff. Yeah. And do you think that I don't know what kind of comments you got to the article but are people people in your area think this was a bad move. Are they just understand there was a friendship between Cummings and Perry and you know this is the way politics is going to hire my friend if I do.

Well I think it's interesting because there are a lot of folks who are certainly Jeff Perry supporters and they say they still are and they're frankly outraged that the paper has been writing the story as hard as we have. So they they are dyed in the wool supporters of JEFF PERRY They think this is a perfectly acceptable thing. Then there are others including folks who told us quietly that they had supported Jeff Perry throughout the campaign but this felt just that it went too far and they couldn't conceive. What the sort of patronage. And what about Senator Scott Brown being asked about this and several criticizing his support saying now that you come out as a victim of really child abuse how do you support somebody who was involved in a situation where a young woman claims to have you know been abused in earshot of Jeff Perry. Right the senator really hasn't reconciled that directly. He has been asked about it and he sort of deflected. But from the beginning Scott Brown has been supportive of Jeff Perry when these allegations surfaced during the campaign.

Jeff Brown was one of the most vocal continuing supporters of Perry's campaign. The two go back a long way of course. There are a couple of the few members of the Republican Party in the Massachusetts legislature so they have close ties. And in fairness to Perry there are some who say that he has been unfairly tarnished by this. And so perhaps the allegations have gone too far and I think that is probably where Scott Brown would fall. Though he has not addressed the specific. The specific question anybody want to weigh in Peter what do you think about this. Well I was kind of curious about the fact that the the the results of the investigation that apparently Mr. Cummings had have requested has not been released and and I think that would would have serious bearing on where the Senate where the senator and anybody else might fit on the central situation. All right. I think it's going away any time soon. Kelli I think the question that I would have asked Brown was would not be about a very emotional

situation going on with a young girl I would have asked about the hypocrisy in the patronage. Well that's that's purely political and it looks very it looks very hypocritical by taking the job and it looks like it was a form of patronage and the question is What does Scott Brown think about that. Well I'm sure he'll be asked that question at some point. I'm Kelli Crossley we got much more to talk about we're looking at regional news. With Paul pro Pronovost from Cape Cod Arnie Arnesen joining us from New Hampshire and Peter Wells representing Rhode Island. We'll be back after this break stay with us. With the.

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Test Kitchen radio tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. right here at eighty nine point seven. I'm Calla Crossley This is the Calla Crossley Show. If you're just tuning in we're looking at the week's news. Joining me to talk between the headlines are Paul Pronovost editor of the Cape Cod Times the wise woman from the land of Live Free or Die radio and TV commentator Arnie Arnesen and also with us Peter Wells publisher of The Providence American. Peter I want to start with you you have a piece about the installation or really the election of a new in the Providence branch president Jim Vincent. And I'm very interested in this because in Boston we've just elected a president of the end. But the organization had been dormant for 10 years it doesn't sound like that's the case in Providence from your article. Well you know then doubly CPM Providence has had an interesting past. We also have a chapter in Newport Rhode Island so we have two active

chapters in. In Rhode Island but the Providence chapter which we are referencing with Jim Jim's new presidency is an active chapter cliff Montero who's who's been the president the chapter for many many years a 30 to 40 year advocate for civil rights in the state of Rhode Island goes back to the days of fair housing sit ins at the State House and that whole thing. His his tenure stepping down is really going to make a change within the organization. Jim Vincent I don't know if you know tell you has a Jim Vincent show down here in Providence he's an advocate for civil rights activities and is in it as is his daytime job when he takes off his cape and he works for Rhode Island housing as a as an advocate for constituency affairs. So he's the same type of person that will bring some some much needed energy to the organization. And his focus is apparently is going to be toward youth and rebuilding the organization at the youth level so that in itself is very exciting to get

the organization back active the way it used to be. Question is there are huge here in Boston a huge generational shift in the new president's quite young and is that the case here. Well Jim would love for me to say that it was huge I think. It was definitely a shift downward from Cliff moto to Jim VINCENT But I hesitate to guess Jim's age but it was definitely a shift downward. I think my final question to you before I get everybody else that way and that. He's also president of a number of other activists organizations and advocacy organizations. And that's interesting to me because one of the questions that we continually asked during the recent election here in Boston and again the chapter had been dormant for a long time is why was there a need for the end when there were these other advocacy organizations but I guess he believes there still is a need. Well I think there will always be a need for that voice of

conservatism from from the left so to speak that says hey civil rights is about and about rights for everyone and the NWC has a long history as we know in really being focused on the civil rights of people of color. But today's environment an expression in a state of Rhode Island we're so diverse that the in the police activity in his charge is more encompassing. So so civil rights is still an issue we have immigration issues here that we have to deal with. You know and that's significant in Rhode Island right now. We also have a major change in our demographics in Rhode Island so I think the NWC P. has a has a neat fit. As a nonprofit organization that works on those kinds of issues and is an advocate all I have I have a concern I have to admit with the number of social service agencies that want to offer the same kinds of services and somehow we're not able to get ourselves together and share in that piece of pie to make a major a much better impact

using the same dollars member all at the same trough so that that becomes a problem. But but sincerely and double ACP has to be in a major urban area like Rhode Island in Providence. You know it's definitely needed. Arnie and up your way in New Hampshire is the MWC piece still an active organization. Well I was the last state to embrace Martin Luther King's birthday you know that in New Hampshire it's always a challenge. But what I do want to say is I think there's actually a greater need now for an NAACP than almost any time and it's for this reason as we see the economy still in its incredible doldrums and we see this huge gap between rich and poor and everyone is angry. And when you're angry you look for someone to blame and what discrimination is really about is a form of blame. And I see that happening so that when you look at the immigration wars when you look at what's happening to people of color when you look at it it becomes too easy to focus your anger and your frustration instead of looking at what are the underpinnings of the economy. But to look at the other.

So maybe now more than ever he's going to be needed. And the fact that he does a radio or TV show I'm not quite sure but that means he has an ability to communicate. Housing is a huge issue. It's where people get their shelter. I think I think you need a revival more than ever. Paul I can't remember is there an entire chapter down your way and not a chapter but in terms of in a in a broader sense of human rights advocacy you see that quite a bit down here and in particular we have a surprisingly large immigration population on Cape Cod. A lot of folks of Cape Verdean descent a lot of Brazilian immigrants here and interestingly increasingly we're seeing Eastern Europeans. So the immigration population has really had an effect on the on the demographics of. The cape I mean I think there's a certain stereotype about what the Cape looks like. And that stereotype is probably right on the 4th of July. But at this time of the year it's really a different place. These are a lot of folks who are having a hard time making

ends meet working two three jobs. Time service industry workers and you know trying to make sure that things are equal for all is of paramount concern and the county especially here on Cape Cod Barnstable County has made a lot of inroads pushing for human rights advocates. And I should just note and to put a button on this conversation that the focus of the National is human rights according to the new president Ben Jealous that he has broadened the definition of what advocacy is for what has been a traditional civil rights organization so that would include those folks that you're speaking about. Down your way in the Cape and the other communities of color that Peter mentioned in his comments. And let's why you're talking Paul let's go to you an interesting story about the board imposing a gadget band. And I'm interested in this because there seem to be these individual small bands happening in and around state courthouses.

Any kind of any kind of place where there is some of the public's business going on but people are very uncomfortable with the reach. Of electronic gadgets and it seems to me that that horse has left the barn but you know what's going on here right. Well here on the Cape is it's really a Through the Looking Glass kind of story. And there's a long backstory to it associated with it too. Husband wife fire fighter team David and James Pierce who were disappointed by their fire district to get to it which is a small village of Barnstable here on Cape Cod. They were busted down in rank. They feel that they were not given due process including They believe they were open meeting law violations. They weren't given proper notice. People weren't allowed to come and speak on their behalf and all that sort of thing. And so that is an ongoing dispute. And they have actually filed suit against the two it fire district. Meanwhile the fire district of course is continuing to have meetings in

these folks. It's a small community show up at the meetings take copious notes and they you know want to keep track of things to make sure that their their interests are being represented. Apparently Jane Pierce was taking notes on a laptop and the head of the board said you know what we're going to shut off all electronic devices. And then he said well actually not all just those that are not from the quote unquote certified press. And he later defined that meeting people who have press badges. Well of course that's that's troubling on a lot of different fronts not the least of which the. Should have no more or less rights than any member of the public attending a public forum so that alone is an issue. The notion of trying to say you can't type on a laptop. At first we thought that must be clearly a violation of the open meaning law and as we're learning it's not quite so clear cut really to the head of a board whether it's a state or municipal board can make certain rulings. Really it's a discretionary thing along the lines of whether it is a disruption to the meeting.

Now I think you'd be hard pressed to argue in court that the tapping on a laptop would be any more disruptive than the turning of a piece of paper or any other ambient sound that happens at a meeting. So I think if this were challenged it probably would be overturned. But as of right now we and others are applying some pressure and hoping the board will just reverse itself. I note that quote from Walter Robinson a journalism professor at Northeastern University who says reporters have no greater right to a public document or access to a public meeting than members of the public so that this seems challengeable as you've said on on many fronts and I am mentioning we're going to hear about that Peter down your way are there attempts to ban electronic devices. No no not that I'm aware of. I think that in most cases we have an open meeting law as well and I think in most cases if people bring in cellphones they're asked to put the Mumbai upgrade or turn them off so. So they're not disruptive. But I've not known of any

incident where someone has been told that they couldn't use a laptop. And in today's environment there are people who can text just as fast as they can a laptop so if you're going to have a cell phone I suppose what's the difference. Exactly. And arning well as I'm listening to the story I want to meet the Pearces because it's because to me this is all about backstory this whole thing is about backstory and there is disruption you know what the disruption is emotional disruption because I think that her presence with a laptop is the perception on this commission of harassment. They know that she's taking notes that was the whole thing about access and open meetings and you know they don't mind a reporter taking notes. They're really offended by her taking notes and they can't put her name in and they can say the Pearces can't come in with a gadget. So what they do is they do a divide and conquer okay if you're official media you can have your gadgets. But if you're you know just the layman types you can't and I realize that on this group that's having the conversation. I mean maybe the most opinionated but I'm also the only

one that's not probably legit It may be a person so I could only bring my pen in. It is all about backstory. But isn't it sad that they may actually have the authority to do this kind of thing unless someone sort of steps in and says you know this this really is it this is an abuse of power. This isn't really an enforcement. I think it's going to be a challenge. Arnie Well you have the mike I'm very interested in this bill. The House rejected a killing a kindergarten kindergarten mandate on talk to us about that guy. We are such a corky state. We were the last state in the nation to actually embrace mandatory kindergarten. Now think about it. Most people have realized she started vesting in three and four year olds not New Hampshire Hampshire said no no no we don't believe in mandatory kindergarten. So just about two years ago we finally put our foot down and said you know what we need to care about ALL 5 year olds. And it turns out that a number of communities on the southern tier of right near Boston had not embraced

kindergarden and that meant they might have to spend an extra dime. OK so they were furious and they figured that their responses since we were the last ones to do it would be the first ones to undo it. And they tried to pass a bill that was going to repeal it. What I think is interesting is they probably had a little bit of momentum with this libertarian house. But for the first time the governor weighed in and said What are you nuts. You know education is a passport to the future. Every other place in the world is realizing you invest early. How can we do this is an embarrassment. The state pays for most of it anyway. Don't be ridiculous and there were so many people that showed up from all walks of life that they really sort of put their head between their legs and said OK OK we will repeal it. Well now what. What's interesting to me is that it seems to me that the issue was really no it's not so much about Kenda guard as could you just explain why it shouldn't have been. But really about whether or not you know this is government imposed and that's part and parcel of a new move in New Hampshire to make any kind of funding or legislation

line up with what is defined in the US Constitution this is the tip of the iceberg we're seeing across the country. Oh this I mean the problem here is remember these are government schools. I mean that's what this is what I'm out of government schools. So these are government kindergartens So they're step to undo government schools to start with the five year olds. OK that's where we're going. But what's more amazing is this is really hilarious. They want to create a committee that will that all the possible grants I come in from the federal government that local communities in the state might you know say oh sure I will take the 90 percent if we have to put up 10 percent to do some kind of activity and they want to create a committee to decide whether those grants are constitutional. Well first of all I might confuse your tally. But if it's a grant you don't have to take it. Well that's good oh boy what I mean what's the constitution got to do with it you know. You say I don't want it then they say fine we'll keep them. It's a great you know it's not an order it's a grant. But these guys are so kooky and they're so afraid that some communities might in fact

want to take this money that they're really going to try to prevent them from accessing some of those federal dollars and therefore they're going to be stuck without being able to get those programs even if they may be essential for the quality of life of the state or the quality of life in those communities. Paul I'm really kind of interested really in this overarching issue which is that a lot of people say that whatever we accept to pass what that has to do with our legislation and programs should line up with the Constitution. Yeah well I mean that's an interesting concept but I think more fundamentally here you have to think it's about the carrot and the stick of federal funding. As I already said there are you say it's not necessary that you take the money it's only that you if you want to take the money you have to follow certain rules. And I know here in Massachusetts for example Governor Patrick was criticized this fall for taking essentially the race to the Top money. Two hundred fifty million dollars for the Commonwealth.

But agreeing to follow certain federal education standards and folks here in Massachusetts were very concerned about that thing that would somehow mean the undoing of the M cast exam which after a long time coming seems to be working quite well. So people can see. That somehow the federal program would undo what the state has done. I haven't been the case at least not to date. And now the federal money has come in it simply means that we agreed to follow certain federal standards that guess what fell in line with the state's standards. And you see other things at the Massachusetts health care reform started in part because of the threat of losing federal funding. Yeah well you know that that's a longer conversation then and we'll have to have and gather you all again to continue our conversation in this way. Thanks a lot for to all of you we've been talking regional news with Paul Provo editor of the Cape Cod Times radio and TV commentator Arnie Arnesen in New Hampshire and Peter Wells publisher of The Providence Americans. Thanks all. For coming out and we're taking a turn from the serious to the sublimely

ridiculous with a tour of this week's tabloids. We'll be back after this break. Stay tuned to 9.7. But the. 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 Bruce Irving renovation consulting and real estate from This Old House to your house you can tap into his experience when you buy sell or renovate. More information online at Bruce Irving dot biz. That's Bruce Irving dot biz. Palestinians are planning a day of rage on Friday. They're especially angry about two things the

Israeli occupation and the US support of the Jewish state. But there's also frustration about the divided Palestinian leadership. I'm Lisa Mullins. How the uprisings in the Arab world are having an impact in the Palestinian territories. The next time on the world. Coming up at 3 o'clock here at eighty nine point seven. A long commute car trip or just a quick jaunt across town wouldn't be the same without public radio. Then consider supporting the programs you love for the WGBH vehicle donation program. Just call 866 409 3:56. A representative will arrange a time to pick up your unwanted vehicle and take care of the paperwork and you'll support WGBH and qualify for a tax deduction. That number again is eight six six four hundred nine for two for president John Abbott. The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to eliminate all federal funding for public broadcasting. But the Senate can change that. Call your

Senators to let them know how you feel learn how at WGBH dot org. It's rag time a view of the week's coverage in tabloids. It's an examination of the salacious the ridiculous and everything in between. But this being public radio conduct I reviewed with the help of some high brow analysts pointy head of pop culture Thomas Connelly a professor in the Department of English at Suffolk University and Rachel Ruben the chair of the department of American studies at UMass Boston welcome you to. Hello again. It's not often that I can begin our segment this way with a comment about mayonnaise or a facsimile read something like that. But we got to start there this week. A Miracle Whip has found an unlikely spokes for spokesman Jersey Shore's Pauly D. In this latest ad to Pauly D is getting fitted for a

suit. I hate whipped like I hate it so much if I had a girlfriend like whip it to death. Break up. Seriously I mean you're going to go up. Yes I did in the jail. It is for me what a pain. I think this is hilarious. But it's so weird for a marketer to put this in writing out this is that whoever is running out to get you know actually actually a Miracle Whip has been trying for the last I don't know two or three years at least to Harnett to create sort of hipster oriented advertisement using you know viral video and they are my own hipster sort of inside source my 21 year old who killed me if he knew I'd identified him as a hipster. But nonetheless he sort of is and anyway there he's claims that miracle has long been the laughing stock. Really. Yeah. Of young people on the internet for trying to do this if you look on YouTube you'll see Miracle Whip ads for

you know a few years ago that are sort of along the same lines. But. The thing about this ad is you know it's it actually troubles me a little bit more than being a laughing stock because by putting this Jersey Shore character out there you know what they're really saying is Well if you don't like Jersey Shore if you're not like them right then you will like Miracle Whip. So it is the sort of funny like roundabout way too. It's a lead ism in a way to sort of use you know people's sort of sense of looking down on the Jersey Shore which you know is what the the show was sort of created I think for people to be able to do to to market a product. So it's it's clear it's clever but makes me ill squeamish. Well I don't I think it's more than just hating the hater. I mean I think about the place I go the muffin shop in Marblehead I shudder to think what Celeste and Louisa would say if I were to suggest Miracle Whip on a sandwich I would be able to walk out of there on my own since people of good taste know that Miracle Whip Dream Whip Cheese Whiz these

alleged foods are the product of you know agribusiness laboratories not anything remotely resembling anything that you could make in your own kitchen and which is sadly most of what we resent is his you know average miracle of just this sweet oily glop and this this you're absolutely right Rachel this they've been trying for years to get people to sort of go retro with Miracle Whip and it just doesn't work it just it just doesn't apply. OK so now I'm really going to put the nail in the coffin for Miracle Whip a monkey. That sorry for them. Because I'm not cool. Anyway. Here's another advertiser do something different break a new space out in the market and that would be the folks who do. Dr Pepper So here's an ant that's marketing Diet Dr Pepper. But two men only.

Hey ladies enjoy the film yourself because there are families. Like the fabricators are so it's only 10 manly gallery somehow 23 flavors of Dr Pepper. What guidelines like there so you can keep the romantic comedies and lady drinks. We're going to remember. OK this this is such an in joke and it's dripping with irony that if you haven't seen it while he's racing through the jungle in this armored vehicle he's gingerly pouring the Dr Pepper TEN in a glass with ice cubes. He's practically drinking it with his pinky up. So this I don't think is any surprise to you that I am a person who in the days when I was in by being of sociability people always knew to bring me a

glass. So this is a thing that you know the guy should be taking the cap off with his teeth. No it's even on a tray on his lap and again I don't. I think I think you might've just called yourself something. I'm not going to say it but I think you might have just done that when you let me remind our listeners that Dr Pepper TEN is a diet soda right. So that's part of this whole funny part of it too you know. Yeah but it's part of a long campaign. I mean you know it is one of those things it's like hard to say anything analytical about because it's all out there but it's part of a long campaign to get men not to be embarrassed to drink diet soda so Coke invented Coke Zero because diet coke is for girls and you know Pepsi had something I'm blanking on now but anyway there are these very efforts various efforts to get men to to think of diet soda is something that is not for women only. Should we be insulted. Women we should be insulted. Well you know it's fair. The thing that it's like roundabout with the thing we should be insulted about is that women on the other hand are

not supposed to be embarrassed to be drinking diet soda because we're supposed to be on diets all the time. That's supposed to be our normal state whereas men even if they're concerned about their weight you know or whatever are not supposed to talk about being on diets. And so this sort of comes very close to the introduction of a new can of Diet Pepsi which they made for Fashion Week in New York. And it is skinny. It's a tall skinny can and all the language around it refers to it as our new slender attractive can for you know the beautiful confident stylish woman and so forth. So and it has 10 calories not totally zero calories but if you think about the two of them at the same time we're sort of in tandem. You know it but this is bizarre I wonder who does what men do they think are afraid of diet drinks. I've never known anyone to shy from drinking a diet drink when they know I want to know who their market is. There is an ad for a food chain and I can't remember which one it might be Applebee's which has a 500 calorie meal and it shows the guy being like appalled

that he would like the 500 calorie Myo exact So it's a whole drin going on now I guess to get men to think that you know eating healthily or being you know being I'm dyin I mean it's. You know just think how much money companies will make once they really convince men to start wearing makeup for example. Right I mean it's it's all about somebody on the mark with whatever Justin Bieber came out with his line there were shutters that oh my god is he trying it on himself. You know yeah look at his hair too so there you go. All right moving on to something that we've touched on a lot on this show but it just makes me you know absolutely insane beyond say very well-known pop star is posing in blackface in a French magazine. Well I'm just can we say more about that this too you know just to make everybody slightly more appalled if possible. So she is in blackface. She is in a spread in which an African themed spreads so she's wearing you know animal prints and so forth which if you sort of by the way want to look at American fashion

spreads when ever there are these animal themed you know animal print clothing that's when they do tend to bring out the black models that did not go in. It surprised me a tribute for a lot of damage that's not to say yet for you to fail I still think I'm very sure that human rights activists. OK OK. French fashion magazine decides to honor you know a French activist and really you know struggle one who struggles against like the continuing effects of colonization. One of the main colonizing company countries of Europe honors him by putting a you know black model in blackface I mean it's just like layer after layer of heavy historical baggage and irony out what do you think you did when you're in the French magazine and she would I do and there she was hoping Well actually this activity I don't know if there is any brain activity that perhaps it could have done this. The ignorance that it displays and and the insult to generations of music fans performers who have done so

much. It's serious work to do. It just throws everything out the window. Maybe because she thought she could get away with it because it's a for it's a French publication. If you click on the video it's all in French to the background story. But this is it's so revolting and bizarre in the history of blackface performance by African-American performers is the ultimate inhuman degree in the entertainment industry. And for her to even take part in this in one photograph let alone a whole spread. It's just beyond the pale I want to say one thing though about black performers in black face there has been some of them who have done amazing work in that horrible situation and sort of sapped it a little bit from within. And I I don't know if I see this going on here with Beyonce if she's she's not I mean you know it's just one we talk we've talked about her on her on the show in an American magazine Vanity Fair I believe where you have lightened her. Yes right. So you know just the obsession

continues. And I don't want and I want to magazine gave a quote and it said that this is a return to her African roots. As you can see on the picture it is many of the commenters online said listen if you're going to do a tribute you could. There are many black women who are ever going to AA and darker days so why do we have to go here. And what's up with her I say I don't get it. I got to say maybe. Maybe. She was an ally he got a lot of comments particular anger that lately she seems to appear in a blond wig. So the reference to the roots was really bothered a lot of people. Yeah exactly. All right well this next piece I'm really interested in in all of our pieces but this one is a special one and it's going to send it out specially to my new favorite listener listener. Professor Douglas is stealthy at Saint Leo University. So this was for you professor. Most people will recognize the great gatsby this way. Here's a reading from F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel My house was a very chip of the egg only 50 yards from the sound and squeezed between two

huge places that rented for twelve or fifteen thousand a season. One on my right was a colossal affair by any standard. It was a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy with a tower on one side. Ranking new under a thin beard of rock ivy and a marble swimming pool and more than 40 acres of lawn and garden. OK here comes Gatsby's mansion. Jump the gun there now compare that to this. So the latest 21st century adaptation of gaps get speech 21st century gets me. You didn't recognize it and then Tindall you. Are either playing this game yesterday on the computer I did not get very far I have to say I didn't get out of Gatsby's party which is the first level. But it does contain you know characters and lines from the book it's actually quite hilarious and you get it.

Yes you know if you go online and if you just go yeah you'd say oh nobody can you will you get into it if you play it. Yeah. Yes you get into it. You know there's the man in the glasses the man in the glasses is there saying what he says in the book. But the interesting thing about it is I thought of first. OK. Then what we have here is a video game that's essentially about the American dream. Right because Gatsby is reinvention of himself and then I thought wow what this shows us that maybe videogames are all about the American dream because if you think about it we we think of them what we conceptualize them all vertically. You go up levels right you accumulate things as you go along you consume as you go along. So I was quite I was just quite taken with the light it was shining and I don't think you're reading a little too much A little bit Rachel the only thing that this is has through the Great Gatsby is it uses the cover art of the first edition and actually flatly untrue. There are many many lines from The Great Gatsby that I grabbed for glamour and

graphically it's you know the there are servants walking around it. It's also I mean it's kind of cute in that it's the retro graphics to you know the. So the earliest games that got beyond pong and so forth but trying to figure out what the what. I was amazed that they would choose great guests I thought why not. Moby Dick so I give them credit for you know very creative when the Coming up didn't choose call you know anything by Faulkner. Yeah yeah. Nancy I might be interested as Jane Eyre. That's a yes I did actually go there to the Madwoman in the attic you know. Right. OK so I'll try to give I can give it a try. OK Cliff and Cathy reuniting on the more if they did Weathering Heights all of that I write on Sunday everybody a lot of people will be watching the Oscars. But there isn't one that some have noted. And just to get our little minds ready for it here's a clip of Reese Witherspoon's acceptance speech for Best Actress at the 2006 Oscars.

How many think thank you to my wonderful husband and my tea children going to bed. And thank you for sending me so much and supporting me. OK tell me what you know is that there's a new study that says all of those people thanking their husbands best actresses end up divorced. Yes this is the Rotman School of Business from the univers attorney did a heavy duty statistical breakdown going back to 1936 and the high percentage of women who end up getting divorced after they win Best Actress Oscars. I think this is a commentary on the inability. I mean we we all know there's such a thing as the male ego but it's particularly pronounced when it comes to the performing arts and I can remember my wife sitting next to me when she won the Oscar that very night she said that's the end of that marriage. Really. She said heel he Ryan Phillipe will not be able to stomach this and she was right. I think seeing our David Arquette on Oprah this week I mean I often find myself

wondering why do these women marry these losers. And that's a different question right. OK go ahead Frank you know look at that. Well you know I just would really need to see it compared to how many women and men in Hollywood get divorced because if you think about 50 percent of American marriages ending in divorce right then and then you would say are at least 50 percent of women taking Oscars have to get divorced. Except that it's a lot higher I'm sure they're Bhansali would be a couple's 30 percent differential if with with the with the Oscar 63 percent chance of their marriages marriages ending sooner than the marriage of non winners in the best actress kind of category. And by the way listeners this does not affect men best men category winners no problem. I mean this is astonishing actually. I sort of think about Hilary Swank. I started thinking about every and then you know of course last year poor Sandra Bullock. I mean it just it just goes on and on it's ridiculous.

And it's interesting to look at it as they do statistically rather than the curse of the best actress Oscar winner. Now worth looking at it as like you know these poor women they get the Oscar and then their husband kicks them to the curb. We don't know who is initiating the divorces. Maybe they're saying I hey I have an Oscar I now have the confidence to like say you know see all I have to say I don't I don't I'm not saying the poor poor women I'm saying these good riddance to these I'll be OK. Well that's what we'll be thinking about as we watch the armed services on such a rig. Thank you both Professor Rachel Reuben Professor Thomas Connelly thank you for joining us for another edition of rag time Today's show was interviewed by Jane pick and produced by Chelsea murders. Will Rose live and Abbie Ruzicka and last but not least an a white knuckle beat were popping the champagne today because this is an awesome last day. She doesn't hate us she's going off on a Fulbright. We will miss you dearly Ana. But more important I'm misreading your

name. Every day on the air. Best wishes and the Calla Crossley Show is a production of WGBH bring them to NPR stations for news.