May 20, 2025 • 40 mins
We kicked off the program with four news stories and different guests on the stories we think you need to know about!
Journey Forward’s 15th Annual Casino Night – Thursday May 22nd – Journey Forward is a non-profit dedicated to bettering lives of those with paralysis. Christopher Knight – Actor (The Brady Bunch) & Host of This Year’s Casino Night joined Dan to discuss the event.
What is a Michelin Star and what does it take to earn one? The Michelin Guide (a guide rating the best restaurants) is coming to Boston. Restaurants inspectors have been deployed to Boston this year. Will Gilson - Chef/Owner of Cambridge Street Hospitality Group stopped by.
New clues point to why colorectal cancer is rising in young people. Trisha Pasricha - Ask a Doctor columnist for The Washington Post & instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School & directs the Institute for Gut-Brain Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center checked in with Dan.
Patriot Week for Mass Fallen Heroes, a series of events honoring vets and Gold Star families leading up to Memorial Day. With Dan Magoon - Exec Director of Mass Fallen Heroes.
Listen to WBZ NewsRadio on the NEW iHeart Radio app and be sure to set WBZ NewsRadio as your #1 preset!
Journey Forward’s 15th Annual Casino Night – Thursday May 22nd – Journey Forward is a non-profit dedicated to bettering lives of those with paralysis. Christopher Knight – Actor (The Brady Bunch) & Host of This Year’s Casino Night joined Dan to discuss the event.
What is a Michelin Star and what does it take to earn one? The Michelin Guide (a guide rating the best restaurants) is coming to Boston. Restaurants inspectors have been deployed to Boston this year. Will Gilson - Chef/Owner of Cambridge Street Hospitality Group stopped by.
New clues point to why colorectal cancer is rising in young people. Trisha Pasricha - Ask a Doctor columnist for The Washington Post & instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School & directs the Institute for Gut-Brain Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center checked in with Dan.
Patriot Week for Mass Fallen Heroes, a series of events honoring vets and Gold Star families leading up to Memorial Day. With Dan Magoon - Exec Director of Mass Fallen Heroes.
Listen to WBZ NewsRadio on the NEW iHeart Radio app and be sure to set WBZ NewsRadio as your #1 preset!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's nice eyes with Dan Ray. I'm going Razy Boston's
News Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Thanks very much, Madison. My name is Dan Ray, the
aforementioned Dan Ray, the host of Knights I with Dan Ray,
and I am delighted to be here as I am
always here most every night from eight to midnight, Monday
through Friday. Rob Brooks is back in the control room
ready to begin to take your phone calls during the
nine o'clock hour. But during this hour, as always, we
interview four really interesting guests on four interesting topics, and
(00:31):
we will begin that process forthwith like to welcome a
name that is very familiar, I think to most everyone
in our audience. Christopher Knight, a former member of the
Brady Bunch, but more importantly for tonight's purpose, host of
this year's Casino Night, fifteenth annual Casino Knight of the
(00:53):
great program called Journey Forward. Christopher Knight, Welcome. How are you, sir,
Good evening, Dan.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
I am well, thank you.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Well, I'll tell you I know that you've done a
lot of great work. But everybody associates you with the
Brady Bunch. Does a day ever go by when someone
doesn't look at you and give you one of those
aren't you or didn't you used to be?
Speaker 4 (01:20):
Probably not.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
I think sometimes I haven't noticed it, so I'm guessing
that it's happened out of review. Yeah, you know, my
blessing is my curse exactly.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
It struck.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
It struck early, but it glows warmly forever, and it
places me in a privileged position with the audience out
there and that were it's kind of transcended entertainment and
it's a representative now of family, of American family and
our ideal idea of what that is when it functions.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Well, well, you have you kept your head on your shoulders.
It's funny I get to talk every once in a
while with well known actors or athletes or celebrities. I'm
simply a guy who worked in television here in Boston
and now who is in the mediocre for twilight career.
The twilight of a mediocre career, I should say. But
I've gotten interview from people, and the thing that's really amazing,
(02:21):
and I think you fit that category. Just listening to
you for a minute is how down to worth people
who you don't think would be down to earth are
because of what they might have been gifted with early
on I recently had Pat Boone on who's now he's
like ninety two years old, Sharpest Attack and he's involved
in doing charity work in Africa. You just it's amazing
(02:45):
how people can take their blessings and carry forward. But
tonight we're not going to talk about Carrie Ford. We're
going to talk about Journey Forward. I'm very familiar with
the Cummings family. I've done some stories with them, both
on television and radio, and you are the headliner. This
is not your first year doing this, as I understand
(03:06):
the correct.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
You know, no, it's not. It's fifteen years now, but
over seventeen because we missed two years during COVID, so
that brings us back to two thousand and eight.
Speaker 5 (03:18):
When was our first benefit. I believe we called the
Casino Knight. It wasn't at Kings in Denham. I don't
know exactly when we began to have our casino Nights
in Denham, but it's been prohops ten years or longer now.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
I'll bet you it might have been at what was
Moseley's on the Charles.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
That sounds familiar. But now you're taxing my No.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
No, I understand, I said. The reason is that is
that when I was in television back in Well, I
was in television from the seventies through the two thousands.
I used to go to the events with them. They're
wonderful family. Obviously struck by a horrific diving accident. By
that one of the members of the Cummings family was struck.
(04:09):
But they have turned this into a positive and so
Dan is a remarkable story.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
It's Dan coming, the youngest of the plant who unfortunately
at nineteen I believe it was summer, Yeah, what years
was I don't know. We dived into a pond and
it wasn't very deep. Unfortunately, it was night, it was dark,
and he nearly drowned, and he was immediately diagnosed as
a THESIX quadriplegic, a dependent quadruple. Yeah, and that's tragic.
(04:41):
But Dan has turned that tragedy into a triumph with
a sort of a special kind of courage.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
That fair we're really we're really familiar with it. Also,
you know Matt Brown, who is a high school hockey
player who you may have met along the way, who
had done some things with Matt at the age of fifteen,
he's done now in his early thirties, and has lived
longer in a wheelchair than he did, you know as
a boy. Yeah, you know, it's just incredible stories. And
(05:14):
no matter how bad a day I might have, you
always think about how lucky you are. And we don't
think about that as much, however, Is.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
That's the true?
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Yeah? I do.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
How quickly it can be taken away in.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
A moment, And I remember hearing the story. I was
introduced to the Cummings family through a mutual friend named
a fella named Don Johnson, Not the actor Don Johnson,
another Don Johnson, businessman here, so you will be there.
Let's talk about the specifics. This is going to be
a week from excuse me, this is this Thursday. Tonight's
(05:49):
the twentieth. This is two nights from now, two nights,
two nights from now, Thursday, May twenty second, from six
to eleven. It's going to be a key six hundred
Legacy Place. Everybody in New England knows where Legacy Place
is in Debdam, Massachusetts. Uh, and it's it's it's gonna
be just a great event.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
There's all sorts of sponsorship activity options. There's all sorts
of tickets that that can be bought. Uh. You guys
are going to raise a lot of money for a
great cause. The The website is simply journey hyphenfward dot org.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
That's going to get you to this. You'll be there.
I assume you're You're going to be accessible and people
are gonna get a chance to come up and and
take a picture with you.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
I hope absolutely. At this point, I am a life
size collectible. So yes, I lerics to photographics whomever wants
a photo, uh and uh, just to rotate through the
crowd and try to conduct although I do very little
conducting the evening because it's it's just a bunch of fun.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
We play.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Know there's there's gambling with funny money and raffles and.
Speaker 5 (07:05):
Memorabilia uh that'll be auctioned off raft the tickets supporting that.
It's important to note that tickets are available on the website.
They are also available at.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
The door on Thursday night at six o'clock. I believe
the door is open at.
Speaker 5 (07:24):
Six and we would love to see as many people
they're supporting a Journey Forward because this is a a
local Canton outfit started by Dan Cummings for the benefit
of those enduring paralysis or spinal cord uh trauma or issues.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Journey forward bettering lives of those with paralysis. Let me
let me ask you real quickly, Christopher. I know that
you obviously are involved in charitable activities, but what else
are you doing these days? My understanding is that you're
living a very busy life, and I just want to
give you a chance for people to catch up with
(08:06):
what what do you How are you besides doing this
charitable work? What else are you doing?
Speaker 3 (08:12):
You know, like a rolling stone, I've gathered no month
because I have my hands in too many fires. Perhaps
I you know, segued out of entertainment boy. That would
have been late eighties, and I found myself in the
high tech space. I did retire from that in the
early two thousands. I found myself living in Silicon Valley,
(08:36):
but decided i'd re up and re entered the entertainment
industry again, moving back down to LA or moving back
home to LA because I had really just rented everything
out and with the idea that I needed to figure
out how to be in the entertainment industry while pursuing
other interests. Business interest. To me, it's sort of like
(08:58):
I need I need both and Luckily, a number of
years later, was offered an opportunity by a past business partner,
good friend to become a brand in the furniture space,
and Christopher Knight Home was the result. And now what
(09:18):
do we have? Fourteen years in to Christopher Night Home
and we're one of the largest brands online. It is
a online only brand. We're hoping sometime in the near
term to also become a retail brand.
Speaker 5 (09:35):
But it's a.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
Tremendous success story that I'm very lucky to have said
yes to. I guess my advice to anyone out there
is opportunities come along, and by saying no, there is
no opportunity, by saying you'd never know where even when
you doubt that there could be anything that comes from it.
I am you know, I'm amazed by how my life
(10:00):
has turned out. It's not by plan, it's but somehow
I'm being rewarded, perhaps for a path life I don't know.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Well, I'll tell you what you'll be rewarded for. You've
been rewarded for all the good things that you've done
along the way. And I think that I think, I
think that's absolutely true, Okay, and I have it. I
think there's a big being up there that kind of
runs the show. But whether it's faith, kismick, karma, or
whatever you want, you surround yourself with good things and
good things will happen. So Christopher Knight home, okay people.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
Oh, I've been dealing with that and recently I started
a production company, former Prodigy, Inc. And we're working on
our next project. First product was a documentary on It
was called True Love the Film.
Speaker 5 (10:47):
And it documents this wonderful personality, this young lady with
william syndrome, and it brought awareness to Williams. An award
winning documentary our first production. We're moving off now into
scripted endeavors and hope to be placing in front of
(11:07):
our audience out there for more producty project in the future.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
Well, boy, I tell you, get a busy lifestyle and
that's that's the way to stay sharp. Christopher Knight, thank
you so much. Really enjoyed chatting with you. If I
wasn't on air Thursday night, I'd be standing over there
trying to get a selfie with you. But thanks for
I'd be there in spirit, that's for sure. And please
say hi to the Cummings family and particularly Dan kits,
so I share it. Thank you, we share the first name.
Thanks so much, Christopher, and thanks for the good work
(11:35):
you do. Christopher Knight, Ladies and gentlemen, Casino Knight on
to benefit, Journey Forward bettering lives of those with paralysis,
and the website Real Simple Journey hyphen Forward dot org.
That will be a great night. Hope you can join
them when we get back. We're going to talk about
another project which I think will be interesting. I'm going
(11:58):
to find out and you will as well, the derivation
of a Michelin Star or a Michelin Star restaurant. We
got an We have an interesting set of guests in
this hour, so stay with us. My name's Dan Ray.
This is Nightside and we will journey forward right after
this quick break on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
It's Nightside with Dan Ray on w B Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Delighted to be joined by Will Gilson. He is the
chef and owner of Cambridge Street Hospitality Group. He grew
up in a New England farm and from there years
of culinary expertise. He serves award winning food to guests.
I want to welcome Will Gilson to the to Nightside.
How are you tonight.
Speaker 5 (12:43):
Will I'm doing all right.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
How are you, Dan, I'm doing just great.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
I've heard the term, and I'm sure most of ours
have heard the term a Michelin restaurant and Michelin stars,
And I don't know. I know a lot about food.
I mean, I like food, but I always associate the
word Michelin with those four things on the bottom of
my car tires. How did we get from Michelin tires
(13:09):
to Michelin stars at top notch restaurants, restaurants that you've
been associated.
Speaker 5 (13:14):
With, you know amazingly enough, the fact that you know
Michelin is a European thing. Uh, it actually is a
very American kind of thing if you think about it.
Of the goal was to try to create a guide
of different places that you could drive to so you'd
actually use your tires more. And then that was the
entire that's the entire reason why there was a Michelin
(13:38):
Guide to start down there.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
You're not making you're not making that up. That is
that's oh okay, all the sense in the world. And
so Michelin Guide is coming to Boston. I'm assuming that
a lot of restaurants are either going to be really
excited or really nervous tell us about it.
Speaker 5 (13:58):
Well, you know, I think the thing that's crazy about
Michelin coming to Boston is that so many of us
for so long thought that that was not something that
was going to be coming here. I mean, many of
us who have restaurants here believe that Boston is a
world class city, understand that it's one of the first
cities in America. But it's also you know, the type
of place where, you know, we don't always associate with
(14:19):
sort of glitz and glamour and sort of this higher end,
you know, echelon of what Michelin has been known, and
now that it's here, I think it's actually something really
great to give Boston something to shoot towards.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
So, so, is this the sort of thing where people
come into it to the restaurants You've got great restaurants,
as I understand that all the restaurants that I see
associated with your name are great restaurants. Do they come
in undercover or do you know they're there? How does
how does this game work? And I don't know if
I should use the word game, but obviously there's a
(14:53):
little competition going on here. I think. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (14:57):
So, I mean, as we have been told. Michelin inspectors
are already sort of been dispatched to the city to
start going around and seeing where the best places are
in the city and how to you know, figure out
whether or not they meet the criteria of the guide,
and the criteria that they've told us so far is
(15:19):
it really is all about the food. It's about the
quality of the food. It's about how impressive the food is,
but also the chef's interpretation of their vision and their
food on the plate. And that is really kind of
the only criteria that we've had. You know, I spend
some time in Europe and working in Michelin places, and
there it was about everything. To get to a three
Michelin star, it had to be spotless, the service.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Had to be impeccable.
Speaker 5 (15:43):
There couldn't be a speck of dirt on a single
bit of silverware. But as they've come to you know,
the States, I think that they're starting to help, you know,
us understand what the benefits of the guide can be,
and that is to really help people find the best
restaurants in the city that they are travel one too.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
You know, I got to tell you, and I probably
shouldn't say this, but I will, and I think, I
hope you understand. When I go to new restaurants, one
of the things that I judge a new restaurant on
is how clean is the restroom? And now you probably
think I'm crazy when I say that to you. Maybe
I am, But I feel if the restaurant make sure
(16:22):
the restroom is clean and presentable and people can be
comfortable there, that the dining experience is sure to follow.
Am I nuts when I suggest.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
That, No, of course not.
Speaker 5 (16:32):
I mean I think that a restroom is perfectly representative
of whether or not a restaurant cares about the cleanliness
of everything top to bottom. And I bet that that's
the same type of criteria that despite the fact that
we are hearing that it's you know, what's on the
plate in front of the inspector, That is the type
of stuff that someone will go, you know, have an
(16:53):
amazing meal, everything's be perfect, and then they go into
the bathroom and they're just wadded up toilet paper all
over the floor and it looks like it has been
cleaned in a month. Of course they're going to, you know,
give you a couple of knocks on that. But I think,
you know, will I'm delighted.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
That you that you that you backed me up with that,
because I've had friends of mine I've said that to
that they look at me like you're nuts. You know,
I could care us. That's good, that's good to know.
So when will this more importantly, when will this guide appear?
And even more importantly, when will the restaurants that you're
involved with and other great you know, chefs and owners
are involved with, when will they know what the Guide's
(17:30):
going to say.
Speaker 5 (17:32):
So, what I've been told, and I don't know if
I'm speaking out of turn here, is that this fall
we are going to see h the guide come out,
which is very very quick. I think it's a quick turnaround.
And I think that this is, you know, going to
be one of those things where it's going to divide
a lot of us in this community. I think it's
going to be the folks in the restaurant community, some
of which won't be included, will feel hurt, you know,
(17:54):
and I think some folks who are included will feel emboldened.
And I think that there's going to be a group
of us in the middle who maybe we didn't make
this round, but we're going to look at this as
like maybe we should start changing the way that we
do things a little bit to be able to give
ourselves some greater aspirations, find some sort of way that
we can really make sure that we are representing this
(18:16):
city the best way that we can to the people
that are visiting. You know, listen, everything is changing quickly.
It's been five years since the COVID pandemic and we're
still feeling the effects of that. But on top of that,
with everything that's happening right now, we're seeing people who
don't want to travel to the United States. It's really
saying that they don't want to travel to the United States.
And these are people who we rely on their tourism dollars.
(18:36):
These are people that we rely on their patronage dollars.
And we can't keep relying on the folks that just
live within, you know, however, many miles of where our
businesses are. We need to make sure that whatever we
are doing is a reason that when people are coming
into town, they pick us. And if this helps us
do that, then I think it's great for everyone.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Well, that's that's so well said. Just to give a
plug to some of the restaurants that are involved in
the Cambridge Street Hospitality Group makes if I hope I
get these right, Puritan and Company, Puritan, Oyster Bar, Gippetto
and the Lexington, amongst others. And if there's a couple
more you'd like to mention, feel free because you've been
(19:17):
a great guest.
Speaker 5 (19:19):
Well, hey, I'm just happy. Hopefully everybody can come by
and check out what we do. Go to our website
www dot Ecambridge dot com and you'll find a list
of all the restaurants that we operate. But thanks so
much for having me, and it's been a pleasure to
speak about Michelin.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
Well right back at your pleasure to I don't get
a chance to talk to a lot of chefs. I
talk to politicians, and I kind of like chefs better
than politicians.
Speaker 5 (19:40):
I want you to know that, Thanks Will, we might
just be a little bit more honest.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
I like that. I like that. Hey, we'll appreciate it.
Love to have you back. Thanks again, and best of
luck with the Michelin Star Guide. I think that you
guys are going to rack up some great ratings. I
know it, I just know it. Thanks so much, Thank
you Bett, You're welcome. All right, here's the News at
the bottom of the hour. My name is Dan Ray.
And by the way, if you haven't gotten the iHeart app,
(20:07):
go to your app store, Okay, on your phone or
wherever you find it. Pull down the iHeart app, the
new and improved iHeart App. As I keep telling friends
of mine, pull that app down. And all of you
are friends of mine, because when you pull that app down,
you were going to be in touch with WBZ and
with all the iHeart entertainment, but all of all of
(20:28):
every one of the station's iHeart stations and all sorts
of information. But you make WBZ your first preset, and
you were only a fingertip away, a fingertip away, no
matter where you are in the world. Okay, we get
back on to get a little serious, a little bit
more serious, and talk about Patriot Week for mass Fallen
Heroes with Dan Magoon, the executive director of the Mass
(20:48):
Fallen Heroes. Back on Nightside right after the News at
the bottom of the.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
Hour, Side with Dan Ray ILLINGBZ, Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
More little lineup change going on here sometime we do
on night Side, and our next guest is doctor Tricia
pas Richaw. She's a columnist for the Washington Post and
an instructor in medicine at the Harvard Medical School and
directs the Institute for Gut Brain Research at Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center, Doctor push Richer, that is a very
(21:21):
impressive resume. I read a lot of resumes, but that's
that's a good one. How are you tonight?
Speaker 6 (21:26):
I'm doing very good. Thanks for having me, Dan.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
Well, thank you very much for being with us. And
it's always great. I know that you're a Washington Post columnist,
ask a doctor, but also I'm here at Boston based here.
So what we're talking about is this is tough stuff. Colo.
Rectal cancer is rising amongst young people. We're talking about
people in their twenties and thirties and not quite sure why.
(21:55):
What's what? Give us the big picture from thirty thousand feet,
What's what's going on that this should not be happening.
Speaker 6 (22:04):
Right, Yeah, you're absolutely right. I mean, this is a
trend that has been troubling scientists for decades. So we
have known that correctal cancer rates they've been declining amongst
US adults over the age of fifties since the nineteen eighties.
But for people who are younger, younger adults in their twenties, thirties, forties,
that trend has been going in the wrong direction. And
I want to be clear that the overall numbers of
(22:26):
people who are getting colorectal cancer under the age of
fifty are still relatively low, but the trend is very worrisome,
and so there's a lot of research that's been going
on to try to understand why that can be. And
as you know, we can all imagine a lot has
changed in the last several decades in terms of our
lifestyle to start there, in terms of how sedentary we've become,
(22:48):
in terms of our diet, so a lot of scientists
have been looking into what could be something to do
with our diet that you're eating world or process foods,
the less fiber. But an interesting news that it just
came out in Nature, and that's what I wrote about
for the Washington Post. That offered us a new clue.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
And I think that new clue dealings were dealing it
deals with how children come into the world.
Speaker 6 (23:16):
Yeah, and so you know, I think what's worries theme
to a lot of the scientists, myself included towards seeing
colorful concerning where people is that you know, whatever is
potentially causing this rise in cases, it probably for many
people starts early in childhood. And so if we're talking
about early childhood exposures, we start to think a lot
more about the microbiome. All of our microbiomes can change
(23:39):
over time, but they're really impressionable those first few years
of life. And so what these scientists were looking at,
and the study that came out in Nature just this year,
was looking at a toxin called colabactin that's produced by
certain strains of bacteria that live in our microbiome. And
you know, I know we all have heard of that
word microbiome, but the pic obiom in these trillions of
bacteria that live in our colon and in some of
(24:02):
the part we all get along with these bacteria. We
need them actually to help us with digestion. But this
toxin has been found to be far more common, about
three point three times more common, or I should say,
the mutations caused by this toxin in cases of corectal
cancer that occur in younger people far more common compared
(24:24):
to those who occur in adults. And so what it
tells us is that there could be something that's changing
in the microbiome of these people who are getting colorectal
cancer at a younger age. And one of the sort
of studies that even preceded this one found that col
of actine ability to cause cancer can be blocked just
(24:46):
by eating a high fiber diet. And so I think
it sort of ties in a lot of different theories
that scientists have been considering for years, which is to
finish something in our diet, something in our childhood, and
these studies sort of link all of these things together
that maybe, at least for some cases, our childhood diet,
particularly a low fiber diet, that's driving some of these numbers.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
I also thought in the piece that I read, there
was some reference to children who were born cesarean section particularly,
I think it was girls who were born cesarean section.
Speaker 6 (25:20):
Yeah, So you know, if I think diet is not
the only thing, although it's an important thing that can
really influence our microbiome, but probably, I mean the first
thing that really plays a big role in the bacteria
that colonizes us is how we're born. So there was
a study that came out in twenty twenty three that
looked at people who were born via cesareus section. For
(25:40):
the girls, they had a greater odds of developing collective
cancer at a younger age, so before the age of fifty,
and for reasons that are not totally clear, that that
same pattern didn't quite play out with boys. But scientists,
do you have been doing some other studies that sort
of appear to be maybe implicating sex hormones and how
those influence of microbiomes which might confer a higher risk
(26:02):
for girls. So we know, and so obviously you know
when you're born, the moment you're born, that has nothing
to do with your childhood diet, right, and so there
are other factors that influence your microbiome. That's one of them.
But then later on, you know, I think there are
certain and obviously, you know, we have no control over
how we're born. And obviously a lot of times that
we get see sections, they're for entirely good, valid medical
(26:23):
reasons and it has to happen. But we probably have a
lot more control over our childhood diet and the diets
that we eat currently now and what we're feeding our kids.
And I think that's the part we have to really
think hard about as a society, about how we can
try to change Okay.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
So let me ask you this. I'm a boomer. I'm
a baby boomer. We ate chunk chunk in the sense
that it was pepsi, whatever, Coca cola, candy, if there
were fruit and vegetables, yeah, but not the emphasis so
(26:59):
we've had this emphasis of the food pyramid has has changed.
Should we go back to what we were eating? I
realized it was probably a pretty small sample size. You know,
some guy comes up for the Red Sox and it's
two for five in September and he's a four hundred hitter. Well,
you know, eventually it all kind of evens out. So
(27:20):
this is a small sample size I guess that you're
looking at. But it's serious. And is it possible that
the diet that US boomers enjoyed at the fifties and
sixties as kids was better?
Speaker 6 (27:38):
Well, you know, it's what you're what you're asking something,
and I'm not, in.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
My opinion, is not to be a wise guy. We did, doctor.
I really respect, but I just as you were thinking,
I was thinking to myself, what was the stuff I ate? Oh? Man,
go ahead, I'm sorry.
Speaker 6 (27:55):
I think you're making a really good point, which is
that I think a lot of people are like you,
and they say, you know, I I don't remember eating
such profile like I wasn't eating kale salad every day.
And then I don't think that that's even you know,
what anyone can expect. But I will say, you know,
if you look at the trend overall of the population,
like you know, things have changed over the last few
decades that I think everyone can sort of agree upon.
The obesity epidemic has really taken off. That's changed. I
(28:18):
think the amount of sedentary activity that younger people are
engaging in with their smartphones, Netflix, sitting in front of
the couch, that's changed. And I think people used to
play outdoors a little more. I'm making big generalizations here
because I think that's sort of the limit of our
of what we can do. There's more to the story
than just diet. So, for example, scientists do think that
(28:41):
there are things in our environment, chemicals, microplastics, all of
these things are implicated but haven't been proven yet as
possibly being factors in it. The problem with all of
these studies is that it's incredibly hard for scientists to ask, well,
what happened in your childhood? Were the exposures that you had?
Because for example, if I would ask you right now, well,
(29:03):
like how many hours of sun did you get when
you were four years old?
Speaker 4 (29:06):
Like?
Speaker 6 (29:06):
Who could answer that question accurately?
Speaker 2 (29:08):
Right? Because they put you, they put you out of
the house to go out and play.
Speaker 6 (29:15):
Well, you could probably yeah, I mean you could probably
remember one. That's good thing. It's good to get out
and play. But you know, it's hard to remember all
of these specifics of our early childhood factor unless you
designed to study then, like back in the night, you know,
nineteen fifty, ninety, sixty ninety seven, and you really tracked
kids as they grew up every year, took these service
and there's very few surveys to studies that do that.
(29:38):
And if you didn't ask the right questions, if you
don't you know, to look for microplastics, for example, in
the nineteen sixties, you're not going to have that data today.
Speaker 4 (29:45):
So it's nothing about that.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
You know, we played all of these politically incorrect games.
We played Cowboys and Indians. We played more games the
US against whatever country we wanted to pick a get
we we've and we were out from from morning till
till dusk. And well anyway, uh, I'm fascinated by this,
(30:09):
and and it's you're you're doing great work here and
and thanks for talking about this tonight. But Kale Salad
nah never had that.
Speaker 6 (30:21):
Small changes, you know, make one small change at a time.
But you have to be kale salad every day. Think
about just swapping out one.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
I'm meaning more healthy today than I ever did in
my life. To be really honest with you, Okay, I
really am.
Speaker 6 (30:35):
I'm glad to hear that I.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
Lost thirty five pounds ten years ago. This very well,
this very summertime in July. Haven't put upon wow ten
I was weighing two of five. I'm now one seventy
found awaken one to eighty weight loss. And it's one
of my advertisers. But I so believe in what they
taught me. Uh, it's it's incredible, Doctor Pastwucia. You are
(30:59):
a great sport, you really are, and thanks for having
me on.
Speaker 6 (31:03):
It's an important topic to talk about, so I appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (31:05):
Well. I'll bet you people remember the conversation because they'll
say that wise guy talk show host was I have
more respect than you can imagine for the medical community.
Thank you so much, Thank you very much.
Speaker 6 (31:17):
Always my pleasure, take care.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
I'll have you too, all right. When we come back,
we will be talking with Dan macgoon, the executive director
of mass Fallen Heroes. Coming right back on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
You're on night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's
news radio.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
Well with us finally is Dan mcgoon. He's the executive
director of the Massachusetts Fallen Heroes. This is a great organization,
and let's first off, Dan, the history obviously starts with
nine to eleven. Tell us about the group, and then
we'll talk about what's coming up in the next few days. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (31:53):
Thanks Dan, that's great to be on night Side. It's funny.
Before I get on the call, I was just thinking
it's been ten years for the organization since we dedicated
the mass and Harrows Memorial in the Seaport. I was
just thinking back to where it all started. Like you said,
this is the memorial that honors the Massachusetts men and
women who gave their lives and service to the country
(32:14):
since nine to eleven. So obviously, as we go through
the week, that is something that's important to us, not
only for the fallen but we as veterans too. It's
a lot to think back on. And the thing that
struck me is, I can't believe how much time has
gone by just this last ten years of you know,
what we've done to build the organization but also put
(32:35):
that memorial on the ground, and obviously we get ready
to rededicate it every year on Memorial Day.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
Well, I remember as a TV reporter being Humphry down
at Logan Airport in the days following nine to eleven.
And that's over twenty years ago. It's almost twenty five
years ago, and it seems like yesterday in many respects,
it does. How many people a memorial at the at
(33:03):
at mess fallen Heroes.
Speaker 4 (33:04):
There's there's over three hundred. Yeah, there's over three hundred
and seventeen. And and that number continues to grow because
you know, we still do have service members who who
are obviously not in combat, but are still in service
to the nation.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (33:16):
And the memorial represents not only service members killed in action,
but it also represents service members that that have died
in service or in training and that that's been you know,
something that obviously we've we've grappled with, you know, post
withdrawal from Afghanistan, which which again you know, we're we're
looking at as an organization of you know, what's next.
(33:37):
You know, we don't know what's going to come down
the pipeline, but uh, you know, it's it's it's at
least we have the foundation and and and the programming
in place to not only work with the gold Star
families and the families that were left behind, but but
also with the you know, with the veterans that that
that are part of the organization as well.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
Now, my understanding is that there would be a one
veteran of a veteran of Abby Gate, yes badly injured,
who's going to be specifically honored tell us about that.
Speaker 4 (34:08):
Yeah. So, Tyler Vargus Andrews was one of the Marines
who actually spotted the bomber that ultimately you know, blew
him up and killed thirteen Americans during that horrible withdrawal
that we went through in Afghanistan. And Tyler has been
very outspoken, you know, he was he was the I
would say, more of a whistleblower on on you know,
(34:28):
bringing the true facts to light to our country. I mean,
an incredible marine, an incredible sniper, but an unbelievable resilient
warrior after you know, witnessing what he went through and
getting to know him. You know, we've we've been fortunate
enough to spend time with Tyler. We had him on
a bison hunt in the fall, and obviously we got
(34:50):
to get a little bit more connected, and we wanted
to you know, continue to talk about Afghanistan without focusing
on the negatives, but but honoring the sacrifice, says the
men and women that have all served there. And it
made sense to have Tyler come then and tell his story,
but also the work that Tyler does in his recovery,
(35:11):
with his resiliency and the work that he does to
even support called Star families across the country. An unbelievable
gentleman and warrior, and you know, we're glad to host him.
He's been in Boston all week. He's over at the
Red Sox game tonight, and he'll be at the gala
as our honoree receiving the Dan Pedtatory Award. Dan PETTATORI
was the first Massachusetts service member who was killed in
(35:33):
Afghanistan after nine to eleven. So we'll honor Tyler. He'll
give an unbelievable speech, and then he'll be speaking at
the memorial rededication on Saturday, the twenty fourth, which is
open to the public at ten am.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
No is Tyler a Massachusetts native.
Speaker 4 (35:50):
He is not.
Speaker 2 (35:51):
No.
Speaker 4 (35:51):
Tyler is born in northern California. He lives on the
outskirts of DC now in Virginia, him and his fiance.
But he's he's up here for like I said, he's
been here for the week. He's participated in the Boston
woned that run on sonback.
Speaker 2 (36:05):
And was he a sniper who had my understanding that
that the the bomber they couldn't give the order to
shoot that was Tyler.
Speaker 4 (36:17):
Tyler had him, and Tyler had him. Yeah, they didn't
get he didn't get the order. He could have taken
him out. And uh, you know, we've all followed what
what should have happened or or what didn't happen with
that withdrawal, But we.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
Lost we lost a service member in that group that
day of the.
Speaker 4 (36:34):
Yeah. Johanni Zario from from not Sure.
Speaker 2 (36:39):
Yeah, Oh my god. Yeah, I just just horrific when
you think about it. So, Okay, so there are sponsorship opportunities.
Let's let's get the website out first so people can
go and look and get all of this information. Uh yeah,
I appreciate that this week is really underway. I mean
we're in the middle of the week right now.
Speaker 4 (37:01):
Yeah, we started, you know, Patriot Week. Like I said,
it's it's been ten years, ten years since we launched
Patriot Week, and the goal was to you know, run
from Armed Forces Day through Memorial Day with programming that
we can you know, continue to tell the stories and
say the names, and you know, that's really what it's
all about, and you know, bringing the veteran and goal
start community together and obviously raising awareness and you know,
(37:23):
making sure the public doesn't forget sacrifices and the wars
that we fought in. I mean it's already you know,
it's already old news. Some of these kids don't even
know what we've been doing over the last twenty four
years to your point earlier of you know, where we've
gone since nine to eleven. So it's a big week
for us in Patriot Week. You know, all the information
can be found at both mass Fallen Heroes dot org
(37:43):
and invet's dot org.
Speaker 2 (37:46):
As well spill intervets for me, so we get that
mass Falling Heroes, I got dot org.
Speaker 4 (37:50):
Yeah, yeah, invets is I N N O V E
T S.
Speaker 2 (37:56):
Okay, So innovation like the Force four letters of innovation.
I know the E T S. Dot Org. I'll tell
you it's it's a great project we we have. You know,
over the over the years, there were a lot of
men and women who went to war for this country,
(38:16):
and we as a as a nation did not appreciate
their sacrifice. I'm thinking of not only the Vietnam veterans,
but I think of the Korean veterans, uh and uh.
At least out of this, I think most people understand
that you have to always separate the warriors from the cause.
And people may not have felt the cause was done
(38:38):
properly or it was too political or not enough political
or whatever, but the courage of the individuals who wore
the uniform and assumed the the risk that their heroism
can never be forgotten. And you just do such a
great job on it. So, Dan, thanks so much for
joining us tonight. And I know it's a busy we
(39:00):
for you. We should have been publicizing this like two
weeks ago. I wish next year, let's uh, let's get
you on here earlier.
Speaker 4 (39:07):
Okay, Yeah, I would love to thank you.
Speaker 2 (39:10):
Let's let's let's be proactive ahead of time. Okay, I'll
talk to my premis about that. Yeah, thank you, Dan,
appreciate it so much. We will talk again. Dan mcgoon,
the executive director, the executive director of the Massachusetts Fallen
Heroes massfallenheres dot org. Thank you, Dan Magoon, Thank you
so much. Talk to you all right, we get back.
(39:30):
We're going to talk with one of the Republicans running
for governor. Brian Shortsleeve. Should be no stranger to most
of us. He was a businessman, graduate of Harvard and
Harvard Business School, and also he ran the MBTA for
a while and did a really good job at it,
believe it or not. Uh. And we're going to talk
(39:52):
about what he would like to do if he could
run the governor's office here in Massachusetts. So we'll be
back if you want to talk to a to a
genuine candidate for governor and someone who will take whatever
questions you have. You know, the numbers were coming back
on nightside right after the nine o'clock news. The numbers
will remain as always six one, seven, two, five, four
ten thirty and six one seven, nine three, one ten thirty.
(40:14):
Back with Brian schwartsleeve right after the break
It's nice eyes with Dan Ray. I'm going Razy Boston's
News Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Thanks very much, Madison. My name is Dan Ray, the
aforementioned Dan Ray, the host of Knights I with Dan Ray,
and I am delighted to be here as I am
always here most every night from eight to midnight, Monday
through Friday. Rob Brooks is back in the control room
ready to begin to take your phone calls during the
nine o'clock hour. But during this hour, as always, we
interview four really interesting guests on four interesting topics, and
(00:31):
we will begin that process forthwith like to welcome a
name that is very familiar, I think to most everyone
in our audience. Christopher Knight, a former member of the
Brady Bunch, but more importantly for tonight's purpose, host of
this year's Casino Night, fifteenth annual Casino Knight of the
(00:53):
great program called Journey Forward. Christopher Knight, Welcome. How are you, sir,
Good evening, Dan.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
I am well, thank you.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Well, I'll tell you I know that you've done a
lot of great work. But everybody associates you with the
Brady Bunch. Does a day ever go by when someone
doesn't look at you and give you one of those
aren't you or didn't you used to be?
Speaker 4 (01:20):
Probably not.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
I think sometimes I haven't noticed it, so I'm guessing
that it's happened out of review. Yeah, you know, my
blessing is my curse exactly.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
It struck.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
It struck early, but it glows warmly forever, and it
places me in a privileged position with the audience out
there and that were it's kind of transcended entertainment and
it's a representative now of family, of American family and
our ideal idea of what that is when it functions.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Well, well, you have you kept your head on your shoulders.
It's funny I get to talk every once in a
while with well known actors or athletes or celebrities. I'm
simply a guy who worked in television here in Boston
and now who is in the mediocre for twilight career.
The twilight of a mediocre career, I should say. But
I've gotten interview from people, and the thing that's really amazing,
(02:21):
and I think you fit that category. Just listening to
you for a minute is how down to worth people
who you don't think would be down to earth are
because of what they might have been gifted with early
on I recently had Pat Boone on who's now he's
like ninety two years old, Sharpest Attack and he's involved
in doing charity work in Africa. You just it's amazing
(02:45):
how people can take their blessings and carry forward. But
tonight we're not going to talk about Carrie Ford. We're
going to talk about Journey Forward. I'm very familiar with
the Cummings family. I've done some stories with them, both
on television and radio, and you are the headliner. This
is not your first year doing this, as I understand
(03:06):
the correct.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
You know, no, it's not. It's fifteen years now, but
over seventeen because we missed two years during COVID, so
that brings us back to two thousand and eight.
Speaker 5 (03:18):
When was our first benefit. I believe we called the
Casino Knight. It wasn't at Kings in Denham. I don't
know exactly when we began to have our casino Nights
in Denham, but it's been prohops ten years or longer now.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
I'll bet you it might have been at what was
Moseley's on the Charles.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
That sounds familiar. But now you're taxing my No.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
No, I understand, I said. The reason is that is
that when I was in television back in Well, I
was in television from the seventies through the two thousands.
I used to go to the events with them. They're
wonderful family. Obviously struck by a horrific diving accident. By
that one of the members of the Cummings family was struck.
(04:09):
But they have turned this into a positive and so
Dan is a remarkable story.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
It's Dan coming, the youngest of the plant who unfortunately
at nineteen I believe it was summer, Yeah, what years
was I don't know. We dived into a pond and
it wasn't very deep. Unfortunately, it was night, it was dark,
and he nearly drowned, and he was immediately diagnosed as
a THESIX quadriplegic, a dependent quadruple. Yeah, and that's tragic.
(04:41):
But Dan has turned that tragedy into a triumph with
a sort of a special kind of courage.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
That fair we're really we're really familiar with it. Also,
you know Matt Brown, who is a high school hockey
player who you may have met along the way, who
had done some things with Matt at the age of fifteen,
he's done now in his early thirties, and has lived
longer in a wheelchair than he did, you know as
a boy. Yeah, you know, it's just incredible stories. And
(05:14):
no matter how bad a day I might have, you
always think about how lucky you are. And we don't
think about that as much, however, Is.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
That's the true?
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Yeah? I do.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
How quickly it can be taken away in.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
A moment, And I remember hearing the story. I was
introduced to the Cummings family through a mutual friend named
a fella named Don Johnson, Not the actor Don Johnson,
another Don Johnson, businessman here, so you will be there.
Let's talk about the specifics. This is going to be
a week from excuse me, this is this Thursday. Tonight's
(05:49):
the twentieth. This is two nights from now, two nights,
two nights from now, Thursday, May twenty second, from six
to eleven. It's going to be a key six hundred
Legacy Place. Everybody in New England knows where Legacy Place
is in Debdam, Massachusetts. Uh, and it's it's it's gonna
be just a great event.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
There's all sorts of sponsorship activity options. There's all sorts
of tickets that that can be bought. Uh. You guys
are going to raise a lot of money for a
great cause. The The website is simply journey hyphenfward dot org.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
That's going to get you to this. You'll be there.
I assume you're You're going to be accessible and people
are gonna get a chance to come up and and
take a picture with you.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
I hope absolutely. At this point, I am a life
size collectible. So yes, I lerics to photographics whomever wants
a photo, uh and uh, just to rotate through the
crowd and try to conduct although I do very little
conducting the evening because it's it's just a bunch of fun.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
We play.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Know there's there's gambling with funny money and raffles and.
Speaker 5 (07:05):
Memorabilia uh that'll be auctioned off raft the tickets supporting that.
It's important to note that tickets are available on the website.
They are also available at.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
The door on Thursday night at six o'clock. I believe
the door is open at.
Speaker 5 (07:24):
Six and we would love to see as many people
they're supporting a Journey Forward because this is a a
local Canton outfit started by Dan Cummings for the benefit
of those enduring paralysis or spinal cord uh trauma or issues.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Journey forward bettering lives of those with paralysis. Let me
let me ask you real quickly, Christopher. I know that
you obviously are involved in charitable activities, but what else
are you doing these days? My understanding is that you're
living a very busy life, and I just want to
give you a chance for people to catch up with
(08:06):
what what do you How are you besides doing this
charitable work? What else are you doing?
Speaker 3 (08:12):
You know, like a rolling stone, I've gathered no month
because I have my hands in too many fires. Perhaps
I you know, segued out of entertainment boy. That would
have been late eighties, and I found myself in the
high tech space. I did retire from that in the
early two thousands. I found myself living in Silicon Valley,
(08:36):
but decided i'd re up and re entered the entertainment
industry again, moving back down to LA or moving back
home to LA because I had really just rented everything
out and with the idea that I needed to figure
out how to be in the entertainment industry while pursuing
other interests. Business interest. To me, it's sort of like
(08:58):
I need I need both and Luckily, a number of
years later, was offered an opportunity by a past business partner,
good friend to become a brand in the furniture space,
and Christopher Knight Home was the result. And now what
(09:18):
do we have? Fourteen years in to Christopher Night Home
and we're one of the largest brands online. It is
a online only brand. We're hoping sometime in the near
term to also become a retail brand.
Speaker 5 (09:35):
But it's a.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
Tremendous success story that I'm very lucky to have said
yes to. I guess my advice to anyone out there
is opportunities come along, and by saying no, there is
no opportunity, by saying you'd never know where even when
you doubt that there could be anything that comes from it.
I am you know, I'm amazed by how my life
(10:00):
has turned out. It's not by plan, it's but somehow
I'm being rewarded, perhaps for a path life I don't know.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Well, I'll tell you what you'll be rewarded for. You've
been rewarded for all the good things that you've done
along the way. And I think that I think, I
think that's absolutely true, Okay, and I have it. I
think there's a big being up there that kind of
runs the show. But whether it's faith, kismick, karma, or
whatever you want, you surround yourself with good things and
good things will happen. So Christopher Knight home, okay people.
Speaker 3 (10:31):
Oh, I've been dealing with that and recently I started
a production company, former Prodigy, Inc. And we're working on
our next project. First product was a documentary on It
was called True Love the Film.
Speaker 5 (10:47):
And it documents this wonderful personality, this young lady with
william syndrome, and it brought awareness to Williams. An award
winning documentary our first production. We're moving off now into
scripted endeavors and hope to be placing in front of
(11:07):
our audience out there for more producty project in the future.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
Well, boy, I tell you, get a busy lifestyle and
that's that's the way to stay sharp. Christopher Knight, thank
you so much. Really enjoyed chatting with you. If I
wasn't on air Thursday night, I'd be standing over there
trying to get a selfie with you. But thanks for
I'd be there in spirit, that's for sure. And please
say hi to the Cummings family and particularly Dan kits,
so I share it. Thank you, we share the first name.
Thanks so much, Christopher, and thanks for the good work
(11:35):
you do. Christopher Knight, Ladies and gentlemen, Casino Knight on
to benefit, Journey Forward bettering lives of those with paralysis,
and the website Real Simple Journey hyphen Forward dot org.
That will be a great night. Hope you can join
them when we get back. We're going to talk about
another project which I think will be interesting. I'm going
(11:58):
to find out and you will as well, the derivation
of a Michelin Star or a Michelin Star restaurant. We
got an We have an interesting set of guests in
this hour, so stay with us. My name's Dan Ray.
This is Nightside and we will journey forward right after
this quick break on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
It's Nightside with Dan Ray on w B Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Delighted to be joined by Will Gilson. He is the
chef and owner of Cambridge Street Hospitality Group. He grew
up in a New England farm and from there years
of culinary expertise. He serves award winning food to guests.
I want to welcome Will Gilson to the to Nightside.
How are you tonight.
Speaker 5 (12:43):
Will I'm doing all right.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
How are you, Dan, I'm doing just great.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
I've heard the term, and I'm sure most of ours
have heard the term a Michelin restaurant and Michelin stars,
And I don't know. I know a lot about food.
I mean, I like food, but I always associate the
word Michelin with those four things on the bottom of
my car tires. How did we get from Michelin tires
(13:09):
to Michelin stars at top notch restaurants, restaurants that you've
been associated.
Speaker 5 (13:14):
With, you know amazingly enough, the fact that you know
Michelin is a European thing. Uh, it actually is a
very American kind of thing if you think about it.
Of the goal was to try to create a guide
of different places that you could drive to so you'd
actually use your tires more. And then that was the
entire that's the entire reason why there was a Michelin
(13:38):
Guide to start down there.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
You're not making you're not making that up. That is
that's oh okay, all the sense in the world. And
so Michelin Guide is coming to Boston. I'm assuming that
a lot of restaurants are either going to be really
excited or really nervous tell us about it.
Speaker 5 (13:58):
Well, you know, I think the thing that's crazy about
Michelin coming to Boston is that so many of us
for so long thought that that was not something that
was going to be coming here. I mean, many of
us who have restaurants here believe that Boston is a
world class city, understand that it's one of the first
cities in America. But it's also you know, the type
of place where, you know, we don't always associate with
(14:19):
sort of glitz and glamour and sort of this higher end,
you know, echelon of what Michelin has been known, and
now that it's here, I think it's actually something really
great to give Boston something to shoot towards.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
So, so, is this the sort of thing where people
come into it to the restaurants You've got great restaurants,
as I understand that all the restaurants that I see
associated with your name are great restaurants. Do they come
in undercover or do you know they're there? How does
how does this game work? And I don't know if
I should use the word game, but obviously there's a
(14:53):
little competition going on here. I think. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (14:57):
So, I mean, as we have been told. Michelin inspectors
are already sort of been dispatched to the city to
start going around and seeing where the best places are
in the city and how to you know, figure out
whether or not they meet the criteria of the guide,
and the criteria that they've told us so far is
(15:19):
it really is all about the food. It's about the
quality of the food. It's about how impressive the food is,
but also the chef's interpretation of their vision and their
food on the plate. And that is really kind of
the only criteria that we've had. You know, I spend
some time in Europe and working in Michelin places, and
there it was about everything. To get to a three
Michelin star, it had to be spotless, the service.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Had to be impeccable.
Speaker 5 (15:43):
There couldn't be a speck of dirt on a single
bit of silverware. But as they've come to you know,
the States, I think that they're starting to help, you know,
us understand what the benefits of the guide can be,
and that is to really help people find the best
restaurants in the city that they are travel one too.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
You know, I got to tell you, and I probably
shouldn't say this, but I will, and I think, I
hope you understand. When I go to new restaurants, one
of the things that I judge a new restaurant on
is how clean is the restroom? And now you probably
think I'm crazy when I say that to you. Maybe
I am, But I feel if the restaurant make sure
(16:22):
the restroom is clean and presentable and people can be
comfortable there, that the dining experience is sure to follow.
Am I nuts when I suggest.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
That, No, of course not.
Speaker 5 (16:32):
I mean I think that a restroom is perfectly representative
of whether or not a restaurant cares about the cleanliness
of everything top to bottom. And I bet that that's
the same type of criteria that despite the fact that
we are hearing that it's you know, what's on the
plate in front of the inspector, That is the type
of stuff that someone will go, you know, have an
(16:53):
amazing meal, everything's be perfect, and then they go into
the bathroom and they're just wadded up toilet paper all
over the floor and it looks like it has been
cleaned in a month. Of course they're going to, you know,
give you a couple of knocks on that. But I think,
you know, will I'm delighted.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
That you that you that you backed me up with that,
because I've had friends of mine I've said that to
that they look at me like you're nuts. You know,
I could care us. That's good, that's good to know.
So when will this more importantly, when will this guide appear?
And even more importantly, when will the restaurants that you're
involved with and other great you know, chefs and owners
are involved with, when will they know what the Guide's
(17:30):
going to say.
Speaker 5 (17:32):
So, what I've been told, and I don't know if
I'm speaking out of turn here, is that this fall
we are going to see h the guide come out,
which is very very quick. I think it's a quick turnaround.
And I think that this is, you know, going to
be one of those things where it's going to divide
a lot of us in this community. I think it's
going to be the folks in the restaurant community, some
of which won't be included, will feel hurt, you know,
(17:54):
and I think some folks who are included will feel emboldened.
And I think that there's going to be a group
of us in the middle who maybe we didn't make
this round, but we're going to look at this as
like maybe we should start changing the way that we
do things a little bit to be able to give
ourselves some greater aspirations, find some sort of way that
we can really make sure that we are representing this
(18:16):
city the best way that we can to the people
that are visiting. You know, listen, everything is changing quickly.
It's been five years since the COVID pandemic and we're
still feeling the effects of that. But on top of that,
with everything that's happening right now, we're seeing people who
don't want to travel to the United States. It's really
saying that they don't want to travel to the United States.
And these are people who we rely on their tourism dollars.
(18:36):
These are people that we rely on their patronage dollars.
And we can't keep relying on the folks that just
live within, you know, however, many miles of where our
businesses are. We need to make sure that whatever we
are doing is a reason that when people are coming
into town, they pick us. And if this helps us
do that, then I think it's great for everyone.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Well, that's that's so well said. Just to give a
plug to some of the restaurants that are involved in
the Cambridge Street Hospitality Group makes if I hope I
get these right, Puritan and Company, Puritan, Oyster Bar, Gippetto
and the Lexington, amongst others. And if there's a couple
more you'd like to mention, feel free because you've been
(19:17):
a great guest.
Speaker 5 (19:19):
Well, hey, I'm just happy. Hopefully everybody can come by
and check out what we do. Go to our website
www dot Ecambridge dot com and you'll find a list
of all the restaurants that we operate. But thanks so
much for having me, and it's been a pleasure to
speak about Michelin.
Speaker 2 (19:32):
Well right back at your pleasure to I don't get
a chance to talk to a lot of chefs. I
talk to politicians, and I kind of like chefs better
than politicians.
Speaker 5 (19:40):
I want you to know that, Thanks Will, we might
just be a little bit more honest.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
I like that. I like that. Hey, we'll appreciate it.
Love to have you back. Thanks again, and best of
luck with the Michelin Star Guide. I think that you
guys are going to rack up some great ratings. I
know it, I just know it. Thanks so much, Thank
you Bett, You're welcome. All right, here's the News at
the bottom of the hour. My name is Dan Ray.
And by the way, if you haven't gotten the iHeart app,
(20:07):
go to your app store, Okay, on your phone or
wherever you find it. Pull down the iHeart app, the
new and improved iHeart App. As I keep telling friends
of mine, pull that app down. And all of you
are friends of mine, because when you pull that app down,
you were going to be in touch with WBZ and
with all the iHeart entertainment, but all of all of
(20:28):
every one of the station's iHeart stations and all sorts
of information. But you make WBZ your first preset, and
you were only a fingertip away, a fingertip away, no
matter where you are in the world. Okay, we get
back on to get a little serious, a little bit
more serious, and talk about Patriot Week for mass Fallen
Heroes with Dan Magoon, the executive director of the Mass
(20:48):
Fallen Heroes. Back on Nightside right after the News at
the bottom of the.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
Hour, Side with Dan Ray ILLINGBZ, Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
More little lineup change going on here sometime we do
on night Side, and our next guest is doctor Tricia
pas Richaw. She's a columnist for the Washington Post and
an instructor in medicine at the Harvard Medical School and
directs the Institute for Gut Brain Research at Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center, Doctor push Richer, that is a very
(21:21):
impressive resume. I read a lot of resumes, but that's
that's a good one. How are you tonight?
Speaker 6 (21:26):
I'm doing very good. Thanks for having me, Dan.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
Well, thank you very much for being with us. And
it's always great. I know that you're a Washington Post columnist,
ask a doctor, but also I'm here at Boston based here.
So what we're talking about is this is tough stuff. Colo.
Rectal cancer is rising amongst young people. We're talking about
people in their twenties and thirties and not quite sure why.
(21:55):
What's what? Give us the big picture from thirty thousand feet,
What's what's going on that this should not be happening.
Speaker 6 (22:04):
Right, Yeah, you're absolutely right. I mean, this is a
trend that has been troubling scientists for decades. So we
have known that correctal cancer rates they've been declining amongst
US adults over the age of fifties since the nineteen eighties.
But for people who are younger, younger adults in their twenties, thirties, forties,
that trend has been going in the wrong direction. And
I want to be clear that the overall numbers of
(22:26):
people who are getting colorectal cancer under the age of
fifty are still relatively low, but the trend is very worrisome,
and so there's a lot of research that's been going
on to try to understand why that can be. And
as you know, we can all imagine a lot has
changed in the last several decades in terms of our
lifestyle to start there, in terms of how sedentary we've become,
(22:48):
in terms of our diet, so a lot of scientists
have been looking into what could be something to do
with our diet that you're eating world or process foods,
the less fiber. But an interesting news that it just
came out in Nature, and that's what I wrote about
for the Washington Post. That offered us a new clue.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
And I think that new clue dealings were dealing it
deals with how children come into the world.
Speaker 6 (23:16):
Yeah, and so you know, I think what's worries theme
to a lot of the scientists, myself included towards seeing
colorful concerning where people is that you know, whatever is
potentially causing this rise in cases, it probably for many
people starts early in childhood. And so if we're talking
about early childhood exposures, we start to think a lot
more about the microbiome. All of our microbiomes can change
(23:39):
over time, but they're really impressionable those first few years
of life. And so what these scientists were looking at,
and the study that came out in Nature just this year,
was looking at a toxin called colabactin that's produced by
certain strains of bacteria that live in our microbiome. And
you know, I know we all have heard of that
word microbiome, but the pic obiom in these trillions of
bacteria that live in our colon and in some of
(24:02):
the part we all get along with these bacteria. We
need them actually to help us with digestion. But this
toxin has been found to be far more common, about
three point three times more common, or I should say,
the mutations caused by this toxin in cases of corectal
cancer that occur in younger people far more common compared
(24:24):
to those who occur in adults. And so what it
tells us is that there could be something that's changing
in the microbiome of these people who are getting colorectal
cancer at a younger age. And one of the sort
of studies that even preceded this one found that col
of actine ability to cause cancer can be blocked just
(24:46):
by eating a high fiber diet. And so I think
it sort of ties in a lot of different theories
that scientists have been considering for years, which is to
finish something in our diet, something in our childhood, and
these studies sort of link all of these things together
that maybe, at least for some cases, our childhood diet,
particularly a low fiber diet, that's driving some of these numbers.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
I also thought in the piece that I read, there
was some reference to children who were born cesarean section particularly,
I think it was girls who were born cesarean section.
Speaker 6 (25:20):
Yeah, So you know, if I think diet is not
the only thing, although it's an important thing that can
really influence our microbiome, but probably, I mean the first
thing that really plays a big role in the bacteria
that colonizes us is how we're born. So there was
a study that came out in twenty twenty three that
looked at people who were born via cesareus section. For
(25:40):
the girls, they had a greater odds of developing collective
cancer at a younger age, so before the age of fifty,
and for reasons that are not totally clear, that that
same pattern didn't quite play out with boys. But scientists,
do you have been doing some other studies that sort
of appear to be maybe implicating sex hormones and how
those influence of microbiomes which might confer a higher risk
(26:02):
for girls. So we know, and so obviously you know
when you're born, the moment you're born, that has nothing
to do with your childhood diet, right, and so there
are other factors that influence your microbiome. That's one of them.
But then later on, you know, I think there are
certain and obviously, you know, we have no control over
how we're born. And obviously a lot of times that
we get see sections, they're for entirely good, valid medical
(26:23):
reasons and it has to happen. But we probably have a
lot more control over our childhood diet and the diets
that we eat currently now and what we're feeding our kids.
And I think that's the part we have to really
think hard about as a society, about how we can
try to change Okay.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
So let me ask you this. I'm a boomer. I'm
a baby boomer. We ate chunk chunk in the sense
that it was pepsi, whatever, Coca cola, candy, if there
were fruit and vegetables, yeah, but not the emphasis so
(26:59):
we've had this emphasis of the food pyramid has has changed.
Should we go back to what we were eating? I
realized it was probably a pretty small sample size. You know,
some guy comes up for the Red Sox and it's
two for five in September and he's a four hundred hitter. Well,
you know, eventually it all kind of evens out. So
(27:20):
this is a small sample size I guess that you're
looking at. But it's serious. And is it possible that
the diet that US boomers enjoyed at the fifties and
sixties as kids was better?
Speaker 6 (27:38):
Well, you know, it's what you're what you're asking something,
and I'm not, in.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
My opinion, is not to be a wise guy. We did, doctor.
I really respect, but I just as you were thinking,
I was thinking to myself, what was the stuff I ate? Oh? Man,
go ahead, I'm sorry.
Speaker 6 (27:55):
I think you're making a really good point, which is
that I think a lot of people are like you,
and they say, you know, I I don't remember eating
such profile like I wasn't eating kale salad every day.
And then I don't think that that's even you know,
what anyone can expect. But I will say, you know,
if you look at the trend overall of the population,
like you know, things have changed over the last few
decades that I think everyone can sort of agree upon.
The obesity epidemic has really taken off. That's changed. I
(28:18):
think the amount of sedentary activity that younger people are
engaging in with their smartphones, Netflix, sitting in front of
the couch, that's changed. And I think people used to
play outdoors a little more. I'm making big generalizations here
because I think that's sort of the limit of our
of what we can do. There's more to the story
than just diet. So, for example, scientists do think that
(28:41):
there are things in our environment, chemicals, microplastics, all of
these things are implicated but haven't been proven yet as
possibly being factors in it. The problem with all of
these studies is that it's incredibly hard for scientists to ask, well,
what happened in your childhood? Were the exposures that you had?
Because for example, if I would ask you right now, well,
(29:03):
like how many hours of sun did you get when
you were four years old?
Speaker 4 (29:06):
Like?
Speaker 6 (29:06):
Who could answer that question accurately?
Speaker 2 (29:08):
Right? Because they put you, they put you out of
the house to go out and play.
Speaker 6 (29:15):
Well, you could probably yeah, I mean you could probably
remember one. That's good thing. It's good to get out
and play. But you know, it's hard to remember all
of these specifics of our early childhood factor unless you
designed to study then, like back in the night, you know,
nineteen fifty, ninety, sixty ninety seven, and you really tracked
kids as they grew up every year, took these service
and there's very few surveys to studies that do that.
(29:38):
And if you didn't ask the right questions, if you
don't you know, to look for microplastics, for example, in
the nineteen sixties, you're not going to have that data today.
Speaker 4 (29:45):
So it's nothing about that.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
You know, we played all of these politically incorrect games.
We played Cowboys and Indians. We played more games the
US against whatever country we wanted to pick a get
we we've and we were out from from morning till
till dusk. And well anyway, uh, I'm fascinated by this,
(30:09):
and and it's you're you're doing great work here and
and thanks for talking about this tonight. But Kale Salad
nah never had that.
Speaker 6 (30:21):
Small changes, you know, make one small change at a time.
But you have to be kale salad every day. Think
about just swapping out one.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
I'm meaning more healthy today than I ever did in
my life. To be really honest with you, Okay, I
really am.
Speaker 6 (30:35):
I'm glad to hear that I.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
Lost thirty five pounds ten years ago. This very well,
this very summertime in July. Haven't put upon wow ten
I was weighing two of five. I'm now one seventy
found awaken one to eighty weight loss. And it's one
of my advertisers. But I so believe in what they
taught me. Uh, it's it's incredible, Doctor Pastwucia. You are
(30:59):
a great sport, you really are, and thanks for having
me on.
Speaker 6 (31:03):
It's an important topic to talk about, so I appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (31:05):
Well. I'll bet you people remember the conversation because they'll
say that wise guy talk show host was I have
more respect than you can imagine for the medical community.
Thank you so much, Thank you very much.
Speaker 6 (31:17):
Always my pleasure, take care.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
I'll have you too, all right. When we come back,
we will be talking with Dan macgoon, the executive director
of mass Fallen Heroes. Coming right back on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
You're on night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's
news radio.
Speaker 2 (31:32):
Well with us finally is Dan mcgoon. He's the executive
director of the Massachusetts Fallen Heroes. This is a great organization,
and let's first off, Dan, the history obviously starts with
nine to eleven. Tell us about the group, and then
we'll talk about what's coming up in the next few days. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (31:53):
Thanks Dan, that's great to be on night Side. It's funny.
Before I get on the call, I was just thinking
it's been ten years for the organization since we dedicated
the mass and Harrows Memorial in the Seaport. I was
just thinking back to where it all started. Like you said,
this is the memorial that honors the Massachusetts men and
women who gave their lives and service to the country
(32:14):
since nine to eleven. So obviously, as we go through
the week, that is something that's important to us, not
only for the fallen but we as veterans too. It's
a lot to think back on. And the thing that
struck me is, I can't believe how much time has
gone by just this last ten years of you know,
what we've done to build the organization but also put
(32:35):
that memorial on the ground, and obviously we get ready
to rededicate it every year on Memorial Day.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
Well, I remember as a TV reporter being Humphry down
at Logan Airport in the days following nine to eleven.
And that's over twenty years ago. It's almost twenty five
years ago, and it seems like yesterday in many respects,
it does. How many people a memorial at the at
(33:03):
at mess fallen Heroes.
Speaker 4 (33:04):
There's there's over three hundred. Yeah, there's over three hundred
and seventeen. And and that number continues to grow because
you know, we still do have service members who who
are obviously not in combat, but are still in service
to the nation.
Speaker 2 (33:16):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (33:16):
And the memorial represents not only service members killed in action,
but it also represents service members that that have died
in service or in training and that that's been you know,
something that obviously we've we've grappled with, you know, post
withdrawal from Afghanistan, which which again you know, we're we're
looking at as an organization of you know, what's next.
(33:37):
You know, we don't know what's going to come down
the pipeline, but uh, you know, it's it's it's at
least we have the foundation and and and the programming
in place to not only work with the gold Star
families and the families that were left behind, but but
also with the you know, with the veterans that that
that are part of the organization as well.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
Now, my understanding is that there would be a one
veteran of a veteran of Abby Gate, yes badly injured,
who's going to be specifically honored tell us about that.
Speaker 4 (34:08):
Yeah. So, Tyler Vargus Andrews was one of the Marines
who actually spotted the bomber that ultimately you know, blew
him up and killed thirteen Americans during that horrible withdrawal
that we went through in Afghanistan. And Tyler has been
very outspoken, you know, he was he was the I
would say, more of a whistleblower on on you know,
(34:28):
bringing the true facts to light to our country. I mean,
an incredible marine, an incredible sniper, but an unbelievable resilient
warrior after you know, witnessing what he went through and
getting to know him. You know, we've we've been fortunate
enough to spend time with Tyler. We had him on
a bison hunt in the fall, and obviously we got
(34:50):
to get a little bit more connected, and we wanted
to you know, continue to talk about Afghanistan without focusing
on the negatives, but but honoring the sacrifice, says the
men and women that have all served there. And it
made sense to have Tyler come then and tell his story,
but also the work that Tyler does in his recovery,
(35:11):
with his resiliency and the work that he does to
even support called Star families across the country. An unbelievable
gentleman and warrior, and you know, we're glad to host him.
He's been in Boston all week. He's over at the
Red Sox game tonight, and he'll be at the gala
as our honoree receiving the Dan Pedtatory Award. Dan PETTATORI
was the first Massachusetts service member who was killed in
(35:33):
Afghanistan after nine to eleven. So we'll honor Tyler. He'll
give an unbelievable speech, and then he'll be speaking at
the memorial rededication on Saturday, the twenty fourth, which is
open to the public at ten am.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
No is Tyler a Massachusetts native.
Speaker 4 (35:50):
He is not.
Speaker 2 (35:51):
No.
Speaker 4 (35:51):
Tyler is born in northern California. He lives on the
outskirts of DC now in Virginia, him and his fiance.
But he's he's up here for like I said, he's
been here for the week. He's participated in the Boston
woned that run on sonback.
Speaker 2 (36:05):
And was he a sniper who had my understanding that
that the the bomber they couldn't give the order to
shoot that was Tyler.
Speaker 4 (36:17):
Tyler had him, and Tyler had him. Yeah, they didn't
get he didn't get the order. He could have taken
him out. And uh, you know, we've all followed what
what should have happened or or what didn't happen with
that withdrawal, But we.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
Lost we lost a service member in that group that
day of the.
Speaker 4 (36:34):
Yeah. Johanni Zario from from not Sure.
Speaker 2 (36:39):
Yeah, Oh my god. Yeah, I just just horrific when
you think about it. So, Okay, so there are sponsorship opportunities.
Let's let's get the website out first so people can
go and look and get all of this information. Uh yeah,
I appreciate that this week is really underway. I mean
we're in the middle of the week right now.
Speaker 4 (37:01):
Yeah, we started, you know, Patriot Week. Like I said,
it's it's been ten years, ten years since we launched
Patriot Week, and the goal was to you know, run
from Armed Forces Day through Memorial Day with programming that
we can you know, continue to tell the stories and
say the names, and you know, that's really what it's
all about, and you know, bringing the veteran and goal
start community together and obviously raising awareness and you know,
(37:23):
making sure the public doesn't forget sacrifices and the wars
that we fought in. I mean it's already you know,
it's already old news. Some of these kids don't even
know what we've been doing over the last twenty four
years to your point earlier of you know, where we've
gone since nine to eleven. So it's a big week
for us in Patriot Week. You know, all the information
can be found at both mass Fallen Heroes dot org
(37:43):
and invet's dot org.
Speaker 2 (37:46):
As well spill intervets for me, so we get that
mass Falling Heroes, I got dot org.
Speaker 4 (37:50):
Yeah, yeah, invets is I N N O V E
T S.
Speaker 2 (37:56):
Okay, So innovation like the Force four letters of innovation.
I know the E T S. Dot Org. I'll tell
you it's it's a great project we we have. You know,
over the over the years, there were a lot of
men and women who went to war for this country,
(38:16):
and we as a as a nation did not appreciate
their sacrifice. I'm thinking of not only the Vietnam veterans,
but I think of the Korean veterans, uh and uh.
At least out of this, I think most people understand
that you have to always separate the warriors from the cause.
And people may not have felt the cause was done
(38:38):
properly or it was too political or not enough political
or whatever, but the courage of the individuals who wore
the uniform and assumed the the risk that their heroism
can never be forgotten. And you just do such a
great job on it. So, Dan, thanks so much for
joining us tonight. And I know it's a busy we
(39:00):
for you. We should have been publicizing this like two
weeks ago. I wish next year, let's uh, let's get
you on here earlier.
Speaker 4 (39:07):
Okay, Yeah, I would love to thank you.
Speaker 2 (39:10):
Let's let's let's be proactive ahead of time. Okay, I'll
talk to my premis about that. Yeah, thank you, Dan,
appreciate it so much. We will talk again. Dan mcgoon,
the executive director, the executive director of the Massachusetts Fallen
Heroes massfallenheres dot org. Thank you, Dan Magoon, Thank you
so much. Talk to you all right, we get back.
(39:30):
We're going to talk with one of the Republicans running
for governor. Brian Shortsleeve. Should be no stranger to most
of us. He was a businessman, graduate of Harvard and
Harvard Business School, and also he ran the MBTA for
a while and did a really good job at it,
believe it or not. Uh. And we're going to talk
(39:52):
about what he would like to do if he could
run the governor's office here in Massachusetts. So we'll be
back if you want to talk to a to a
genuine candidate for governor and someone who will take whatever
questions you have. You know, the numbers were coming back
on nightside right after the nine o'clock news. The numbers
will remain as always six one, seven, two, five, four
ten thirty and six one seven, nine three, one ten thirty.
(40:14):
Back with Brian schwartsleeve right after the break
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Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!