VOA – CONNECT
EPISODE #105
AIR DATE 01 17 2020
TRANSCRIPT
OPEN ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
A Mogul Gives Back
((SOT))
((Hakki Akdeniz, Entrepreneur/Philanthropist))
Really, really, it was on fire. And then my wife, she got
angry. She said, “One day you are going to burn the house.”
I said, “Honey, it’s okay. Don’t worry. You see, I won the
championship because of that.”
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Veterans Reflect
((SOT))
((Ted Wood, US Air Force (Retired) ))
Unfortunately, I think that it's very difficult for a lot of
Americans to understand that we just can't be the policeman
of the entire world.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
A Teacher Included All
((SOT))
((Jessamyn Stanley, Yoga Instructor))
The Yoga practice is really meant for everyone. It’s really
meant for every stage of life no matter what happens to you.
((Open Animation))
BLOCK A
((PKG)) HOMELESS MILLIONAIRE
((Banner: Paying It Forward))
((Reporter: Anna Nelson))
((Camera: Vladimir Badikov, Dmitrii Vershinin, Natalia
Latukhina))
((Adapted by: Philip Alexiou))
((VOA Russian))
((Map: New York City, New York))
((NATS))
((Hakki Akdeniz, Entrepreneur/Philanthropist))
I am so happy I was homeless and I don’t have nothing and I
start from nothing that day. Because if I had something, I
would not be who I am today, I believe.
((NATS))
((Popup Banner: Hakki Akdeniz, an ethnic Kurd from
Turkey, made his way to New York in 2001 with $240 in his
pocket))
((NATS: Hakki and Jessie
Hi Jessie. How are you? How are you feeling, baby? It’s
me again.
You made my day.
Oh, I like the blanket, the black one. That’s the one that I
brought for you? Yeah, that’s good. It’s warm, yeah?))
((Hakki Akdeniz, Entrepreneur/Philanthropist))
Because those days, I learned so much to be better, to have
a good heart. And after 10 years later, I find myself to be
who I am today.
((NATS: Hakki and Jessie
And why do they scare you though?))
((Hakki Akdeniz, Entrepreneur/Philanthropist))
I come over here with a huge dream, with a big hope, but a
lot of things go wrong. That moment when you become
homeless, that’s what I said, that’s what I want to support
them. And when you don’t have nothing, you don’t have
even family, you don’t have friends, everybody like turns
their face. They don’t want to see you. They don’t want to
answer their phone. I met one guy. His name is Ronnie
from Senegal. And he told me about The Bowery Mission.
There’s a shelter. You go there. You sleep there. They
teach you a little Bible and, you know.
((NATS: Hakki
There was people sleeping on the second floor too long?
No. Only four or five.))
((Hakki Akdeniz, Entrepreneur/Philanthropist))
That’s where I used to sleep over here, you know that?
25 to 30 people there were sleeping in my area. In the
morning, we wake up like 8 o’clock, 9 o’clock to go get a
breakfast and after that, we could go out, come back for
lunch. After 10 pm, you cannot get in. And it was just like,
smooth.
((NATS))
((Hakki Akdeniz, Entrepreneur/Philanthropist))
I was good on the street, making money. I was not good at
school and I told my son, you know, like I want you to be
really good in school. “Daddy, how about you? You were
good?” I said, “No son, I was not good. That’s why I want
you to be good.” When I was a little kid, I have like my
box. My first business. I have a box like a lighter, pens,
gum. After that, I was doing like shoeshine. And sometimes
in the morning, I used to sell like Lahmacun, Turkish
Lahmacun. It’s pizza but it’s a thin crust they call Lahmacun.
It’s not about what we are today. It’s what can we be
tomorrow.
((Popup Banner: Akdeniz got jobs working in New York
pizzarias. After years of saving, he opened his own tiny
pizza place))
((Hakki Akdeniz, Entrepreneur/Philanthropist))
How I made my first store. I sleep in the store for five days,
six days, I swear to you. Only one or two days, I used to go
sleep in my worker’s home. Then later on in April, I believe it
was April, in PMQ Magazine, I think somewhere over here I
have PMQ Magazine. So, they put me on the cover. So, I
go in front of the school and I just give those magazines to
kids. I just, you know, give it to them. And those kids, they
go home and they show their parents. And the next day, I
become a little busy, a little busy. And one week, two
weeks, I become so busy. So, those kids, they bring
magazine and they get me to sign autograph for them. I
never forget that.
((NATS))
((Hakki Akdeniz, Entrepreneur/Philanthropist))
Always I play with, you know, dough, 29 years. And I think
like what can we do something that no one ever done, crazy,
to make everybody, wow! I tried to do flaming dough.
Step one, wet the dough. Grab the dough. Spin the pizza
and step back, you know, so you don’t get confused and
flame and dough, same thing. When there’s the flame, I
burned like my carpet. My first apartment, my carpet was on
fire. Really, really, it was on fire. And then my wife, she got
angry. She said, “You know, one day you are going to burn
the house.” I said, “Honey, it’s okay. Don’t worry. You see,
I won the championship because of that.”
((NATS
Single file, please!
Thank you.))
((NATS))
((Hakki Akdeniz, Entrepreneur/Philanthropist))
One day, I want to open up a restaurant with people that
graduate from that kitchen. So, those people that are going
to graduate from my kitchen and those kitchens are going to
be built by homeless people. And the chef is going to
homeless. The manager is going to be homeless. The cook
in back, like the line cook is going to be homeless. I want to
have one kitchen, a big restaurant. I want to make like one
of the best restaurants with a shelter, training center and
then create like a job for homeless. And you know what?
This is easy. It’s possible. If I put in my heart, anything is
possible. You just got to believe it.
Dream is not about money. Dream about what you want to
leave.
((NATS))
((Hakki Akdeniz, Entrepreneur/Philanthropist))
We make money, you know, we give it back.
((NATS))
((PKG)) BALTIMORE MURALIST
((Banner: The Muralist))
((Reporter: Faiza Elmasry))
((Camera: Mike Burke))
((Producers: Faiza Elmasry, Jacquelyn DePhillips))
((Map: Baltimore, Maryland))
((NATS))
((Megan Lewis, Muralist & Illustrator))
I’ve been drawing for a very long time but when it comes to
doing my art successfully, it’s been four years.
((NATS))
((Megan Lewis, Muralist & Illustrator))
How many murals that I have done in Baltimore? I’m
guessing around 10.
((NATS))
((Megan Lewis, Muralist & Illustrator))
As an artist, I make work for myself. I always have like
women in mind. If I can tell a story you can relate to it, that’s
great. If I can pull you in as well, that’s great. It’s all about
narrative and storytelling. That’s it.
((NATS))
((Megan Lewis, Muralist & Illustrator))
So, I did this piece for Art at Work maybe a year ago. We
have a black woman as the center of her community. And
you have things like knowledge, music, culture, history and
they all revolve around her.
((NATS))
((Megan Lewis, Muralist & Illustrator))
We’re looking at a project I did for A Revolutionary Summer.
It is a mural depicting black female writers. You have Toni
Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston and Octavia Butler. And then
you have a young black student on a pile of books reading
about these amazing women.
((NATS))
((Megan Lewis, Muralist & Illustrator))
Kids actually read here. So, it fit perfectly that we were
doing a mural about black women writers because this is
actually their nook that they read in.
((NATS))
((Megan Lewis, Muralist & Illustrator))
This is actually my second outdoor mural. The artist that
drew the Statue of Liberty, they originally drew it as a black
woman and whoever was in charge of it was like, “no, you
need to make her white”. ((*there are differing origin stories
about the statue*)) When I draw a black woman, I focus on
uplifting us. And I think people need to know that the
original Statue of Liberty, on paper at least, was a black
woman.
((NATS))
((Maria Wolfe, Street Art Photographer))
My name is Maria Wolfe. I am a street art and mural
photographer and I have an account called BaltiMurals on
Instagram, which captures and documents all of the art in
Baltimore.
((NATS))
((Maria Wolfe, Street Art Photographer))
There has been a huge kind of expansion of the street art
and mural scene in Baltimore over the last couple of years. I
know that there is art always going up and I think the city has
a lot to do with it. BOPA, which is Baltimore office of
Promotion and the Arts, does a lot of grants in the city to
artists to come and paint murals. There’s over 300
neighborhoods in Baltimore and each one is unique and the
art is unique to each location as well.
((NATS))
((Maria Wolfe, Street Art Photographer))
I love Megan’s colors. I love the figures that she puts in the
murals. I just find her work extremely intriguing. It is some
of my favorite in the whole, entire city.
((NATS))
((Megan Lewis, Muralist & Illustrator))
I never know what I am going to put up until I see the wall.
((NATS))
((Megan Lewis, Muralist & Illustrator))
It is so satisfying to be able to have such a large canvas for
people to see my work. I love narrative and I love
storytelling and just imagine being able to tell your story to
so many people walking past. I am just very appreciative of
where I am. It‘s been an amazing journey and I cannot wait
to continue to, like I said, evolve as an artist. There is so
many things I want to do and accomplish. And I’m very
grateful, like I see my progress and I’m proud of myself.
((NATS))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up…..
((Banner))
Veterans on Life
((SOT/NATS))
BREAK ONE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK B
((PKG)) MILITARY VETERANS
((Banner: Veterans on War))
((Reporter/Camera: Gabrielle Weiss))
((Producer: Martin Secrest))
((Map: Hopkinsville, Kentucky))
((Popup Banner: Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post
1913))
((NATS: VFW Post))
((John Brame, Post Commander, Hopkinsville))
Well, we have a little thing that’s going on. We have a
drawing tonight for a few dollars so we’ve got a few people
for that. We have a game occasionally over there where
they play a little Texas Hold ‘Em.
((NATS: Poker game))
((John Brame, Post Commander, Hopkinsville))
The VFW actually is a fraternal organization and we’re made
up of veterans of foreign wars, which means that if you're
eligible to be a member in our VFW, you had to serve in one
of the campaigns, either World War II, Korea, Vietnam,
Afghanistan. It was chartered in December the 5th, 1945.
((NATS: Poker game))
((Ted Wood, US Air Force (Retired), Hopkinsville VFW))
I became a navigator. My first duty assignment was in
Vietnam and I flew over there for about 10 months. And
then when the war ended, I was actually one of 10 people in
the entire world that can say, I guess, that you flew the last
combat mission in the Vietnam War.
((NATS: Bar))
((Wayne Bormann, Vietnam War Army Veteran,
Hopkinsville VFW))
And when we shipped over to Vietnam, it was all on boat,
took us 31 days to get across the Pacific. And then when we
reached Vietnam, of course, being young and stupid, I didn't
know much about what we were getting into anyway until we
actually got into it. But yeah, we shipped out, a whole bunch
of us, all at one time. We became buddies and we're still
friends to this day. Yeah.
((NATS: Poker game
Man: All right. Ted, make sure you got 40 chips. We all got
that opportunity, just make sure you got forty chips.))
((Ted Wood, US Air Force (Retired), Hopkinsville VFW))
Unfortunately, I think that it's very difficult for a lot of
Americans to understand that we just can't be the policeman
of the entire world. You know, we just can't spread
our…..because a lot of people pay taxes and those taxes go
for to fight these wars and stuff and all these conflicts and
stuff like that. And sometimes you know, you spend so
much money giving aid and help to all these other countries
and stuff and then all you have to do is look around, look
over your shoulder. We have people starving right here in
America. So, it makes me think a lot about that, about
sometimes you need to take care of your own too.
Sometimes you have to look at it as a civilian and as a
taxpayer and say, you know, my brother over here is in a
homeless shelter, you know, or my sister over here is getting
addicted to drugs or something like that. We need to help
some of those people at home too.
((NATS: Bar conversation
Man 1: You got to understand, if I do this, what’s the
outcome?
Man 2: I think that’s why we elect leaders. We put them up
there in charge to make those decisions, and if we don’t like
what’s up there, we vote them out and elect the ones we
think will do a better job.))
((John Brame, Post Commander, Hopkinsville))
I was drafted into the Army in 1969. I guess I'd never been
out of Christian County very long at any given period of time,
never been overseas, didn’t know a lot about the military
except Fort Campbell is here at the time, and I was a farm
boy. So, you know, I was young and ignorant and I got my
draft notice. And the next thing, I was boots on the ground
and in Vietnam in a combat unit. And we were on the
Laotian border, through a whole lot of bad places over there.
And I survived and a lot of my friends didn’t. I'm grateful for
that. I'm sorry for them. And it was a war that wasn’t won. It
wasn’t won by anyone. But I can tell you my experience and
it wasn't a happy experience. You know, I want the whole
world to be happy. I mean, golly, what's wrong with
happiness? We're only going to be on this planet for maybe
80 years. Damn! Just live! Enjoy.
((NATS: Bar))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up…..
((Banner))
Preserving History
((SOT))
((Matt Minor, Municipal Archives Photographer, NYC
Department of Records and Information Services))
The strangest thing that I had to photograph was a suitcase
that we have, that was part of a mafia murder trial in the
(19)20s, and it has bloody sheets inside it.
BREAK TWO
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK C
((Banner: First Draft of History))
((PKG)) NEW YORK CITY RECORDS DEPARTMENT
((Banner: New York Archives))
((Reporter: Anna Nelson))
((Camera: Max Avloshenko, Elena Matusovsky, Dmitrii
Vershinin))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((VOA Russian))
((Map: New York City, New York))
((NATS))
((Kenneth Cobb, Records Access Officer, NYC
Department of Records and Information Services))
April 24th, 1865. The name of the deceased person:
Lincoln, Abraham. Age: 56 years and two months. Nativity:
Kentucky. Place of death: Washington D.C. The column
reads “disease”, but it's really “Cause of Death: Pistol Shot”.
Date of death: April 15th,1865. Place of internment:
Springfield, Illinois. It didn't matter who the person was, a
soldier or a president. Listed the name right there.
((NATS))
((Pauline Toole, Commissioner, NYC Department of
Records and Information Services))
The archive holds New York City government’s historical
records dating from 1645 through the Bloomberg
administration and they’re fabulously interesting because
New York has a really colorful history dating as far back as
the Dutch, certainly through the present. We have historical
birth, death and marriage records. We have maps. We
have census records. We have all the mayor's papers. We
have records of enslaved New Yorkers. We have all of the
Central Park drawings. We have the Brooklyn Bridge
drawings which are ornate and beautiful. We have many
collections of photographs from every single department:
sanitation, transportation, finance. And they're all
fascinating. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
((NATS))
((Michael Lorenzini, Operations Manager, NYC
Department of Records and Information Services))
A number of Jewish residents who applied to be burghers,
they were denied and they were told to petition if they didn't
believe that was just answer. They did. The petition actually
went all the way back to Amsterdam. And the directors of
the Dutch West India Company said, “No”, you know, “If
they're here to trade and be citizens, they should be allowed
to become citizens.”
((NATS))
((Matt Minor, Municipal Archives Photographer, NYC
Department of Records and Information Services))
The strangest thing that I had to photograph was a suitcase
that we have that was part of a mafia murder trial in the
(19)20s and it has bloody sheets inside it from when they
disposed off the body and we had to take this out and
photograph it so that it could be sealed up and hopefully
never taken out again.
((NATS))
((Pauline Toole, Commissioner, NYC Department of
Records and Information Services))
We need to move our records management practices into
the 21st century and we're trying to do that. And one of the
ways we're successful is that we've increased their number
of staff and we've increased our budget and are building
expertise in helping agencies build expertise internally so
that they’re managing their records better and transferring
records to the archives better.
((NATS))
((PKG)) NEWSEUM CLOSURE
((Banner: Newseum Closes))
((Reporter: Mariia Prus))
((Camera: Kostiantyn Golubchyk))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((VOA Ukrainian))
((Map: Washington, D.C.))
((Popup Banner: First opened in 2008, the Newseum
closed on the last day of 2019 due to financing struggles))
((NATS))
((Ron Lyons, Journalist))
I knew the museum was going to be closing soon and I
specifically wanted to come because I've never actually been
here. And being in the field of journalism, I just wanted to
explore about all the history and the work that's been done
before me. This is what we're fighting for. This is why we do
what we do, not only to get these awards and get these
accolades but to show that freedom of the press is important
and the public voices matter.
((NATS))
((Banner: Reporters’ armored truck used in the Balkan
Wars))
((Banner: Wreckage from the World Trade Center))
((Tiffany Crabtree, Newseum Visitor)) and
((Jessica Crabtree, Newseum Visitor))
It feels like you can't get enough time in here, so it feels
shocking that it's closing. It doesn’t feel quite real. Yeah.
And like I think for me just, I feel like the First Amendment
and freedom for speech and the press is so important. It's
how I grew up and I think even in our country, it's under
threat and it's sad to see. So, this feels even more important
and even sadder that it's closing.
((NATS))
((Banner: Personal belongings of 9/11 victims))
((Banner: Jet engines retrieved from World Trade Center))
((Seth, Newseum Visitor))
It's just very sad to see it go. I mean, there’s so much
documented history that is really, you know, you can miss
some really important things and it really makes you think
about how important the press is.
((NATS))
((Banner: Checkpoint between East and West Berlin))
((Banner: Interactive Berlin Wall exhibit))
((Ryan Dutcher, Newseum Visitor))
I really want to be a photojournalist. That's my big, that’s the
dream job. And it's really cool like going to the Pulitzer Prize
photos, you get to see all these legendary photojournalists
like blown up that you normally wouldn't see anywhere else.
((NATS))
((Popup Banner: Exhibits from Newseum will be stored and
archived))
((PKG)) YOGA FOR EVERYONE
((Banner: And Lastly….Just Breathe))
((Reporter: Karina Bafradzhian))
((Camera: Andrey Degtyarev))
((Adapted by: Martin Secrest))
((Map: Savannah, Georgia))
((VOA Russian))
((Popup Banner: Jessamyn Stanley is a yoga teacher,
writer and body positive advocate))
((Jessamyn Stanley, Yoga Instructor))
My friends and family have always been, like, I don't want to
say they've been unsupportive but they definitely did not
understand what I was doing. There are so many people,
who, for whatever reason, believe that they are not capable
of practicing yoga. And I just thought that was wild because
the yoga practice is really meant for everyone. It's meant for
every stage of life, no matter what happens to you but we
have this very limited idea of what a yoga practitioner looks
like. We think that it's only a white, slender-bodied,
cisgender, heterosexual person, usually a woman, usually
wealthy, usually traditionally educated. And if we're not in
that bubble, then we think it's not for us. And I've realized
that through being visible on social media, there's a way to
really shift that paradigm.
((NATS))
((Courtesy: Samsung USA))
((Jessamyn Stanley, Television Commercial))
Yoga is key for my life. When you're practicing something
that really pushes you out of your comfort zone, there's
something magical about seeing who you really are.
((NATS: Yoga studio - Jessamyn:
Exhale, four-fold, over your legs. Take it in, breathe it in.
Inhale, lengthen it out, through the spine to the chest.
Exhale, clamp the hands down, step back, high point.))
((Jessamyn Stanley, Yoga Instructor))
It's definitely something that wasn't a goal of mine, like, I
never wanted to be a yoga teacher. People would ask me to
come teach them. I would just be, like, you should try this
teacher or you should do this thing because, like, there are
literally thousands of yoga teachers. Why do you need for
me to come teach you? But I didn't realize how important it
is to have a lot of different voices speaking about this
experience because we're not all speaking the same
language, whether that's, like, a metaphorical language or a
literal language. And while my message can't resonate for
everyone and it won't, it could resonate for at least one
person. And that has really motivated my whole teaching
practice. It's just wanting to reach the one person who
needs to hear what I'm saying.
((NATS))
CLOSING ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
((PKG)) FREE PRESS MATTERS
((NATS))
((Popup captions over B Roll))
Near the Turkish Embassy
Washington, D.C.
May 16, 2017
President Erdogan’s bodyguard attacks peaceful protesters
“Those terrorists deserved to be beaten”
“They should not be protesting our president”
“They got what they asked for”
While some people may turn away from the news
We cover it
reliably
accurately
objectively
comprehensively
wherever the news matters
VOA
A Free Press Matters
BREAK
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
((PKG)) FREE PRESS MATTERS
((NATS))
((Popup captions over B Roll))
We make a difference
When we unmask terror
When we explain the impossible
When we confront an uncertain future
When we give voice to the voiceless
The difference is Freedom of the Press
We are the Voice of America where
A Free Press Matters
SHOW ENDS
EPISODE #105
AIR DATE 01 17 2020
TRANSCRIPT
OPEN ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
A Mogul Gives Back
((SOT))
((Hakki Akdeniz, Entrepreneur/Philanthropist))
Really, really, it was on fire. And then my wife, she got
angry. She said, “One day you are going to burn the house.”
I said, “Honey, it’s okay. Don’t worry. You see, I won the
championship because of that.”
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Veterans Reflect
((SOT))
((Ted Wood, US Air Force (Retired) ))
Unfortunately, I think that it's very difficult for a lot of
Americans to understand that we just can't be the policeman
of the entire world.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
A Teacher Included All
((SOT))
((Jessamyn Stanley, Yoga Instructor))
The Yoga practice is really meant for everyone. It’s really
meant for every stage of life no matter what happens to you.
((Open Animation))
BLOCK A
((PKG)) HOMELESS MILLIONAIRE
((Banner: Paying It Forward))
((Reporter: Anna Nelson))
((Camera: Vladimir Badikov, Dmitrii Vershinin, Natalia
Latukhina))
((Adapted by: Philip Alexiou))
((VOA Russian))
((Map: New York City, New York))
((NATS))
((Hakki Akdeniz, Entrepreneur/Philanthropist))
I am so happy I was homeless and I don’t have nothing and I
start from nothing that day. Because if I had something, I
would not be who I am today, I believe.
((NATS))
((Popup Banner: Hakki Akdeniz, an ethnic Kurd from
Turkey, made his way to New York in 2001 with $240 in his
pocket))
((NATS: Hakki and Jessie
Hi Jessie. How are you? How are you feeling, baby? It’s
me again.
You made my day.
Oh, I like the blanket, the black one. That’s the one that I
brought for you? Yeah, that’s good. It’s warm, yeah?))
((Hakki Akdeniz, Entrepreneur/Philanthropist))
Because those days, I learned so much to be better, to have
a good heart. And after 10 years later, I find myself to be
who I am today.
((NATS: Hakki and Jessie
And why do they scare you though?))
((Hakki Akdeniz, Entrepreneur/Philanthropist))
I come over here with a huge dream, with a big hope, but a
lot of things go wrong. That moment when you become
homeless, that’s what I said, that’s what I want to support
them. And when you don’t have nothing, you don’t have
even family, you don’t have friends, everybody like turns
their face. They don’t want to see you. They don’t want to
answer their phone. I met one guy. His name is Ronnie
from Senegal. And he told me about The Bowery Mission.
There’s a shelter. You go there. You sleep there. They
teach you a little Bible and, you know.
((NATS: Hakki
There was people sleeping on the second floor too long?
No. Only four or five.))
((Hakki Akdeniz, Entrepreneur/Philanthropist))
That’s where I used to sleep over here, you know that?
25 to 30 people there were sleeping in my area. In the
morning, we wake up like 8 o’clock, 9 o’clock to go get a
breakfast and after that, we could go out, come back for
lunch. After 10 pm, you cannot get in. And it was just like,
smooth.
((NATS))
((Hakki Akdeniz, Entrepreneur/Philanthropist))
I was good on the street, making money. I was not good at
school and I told my son, you know, like I want you to be
really good in school. “Daddy, how about you? You were
good?” I said, “No son, I was not good. That’s why I want
you to be good.” When I was a little kid, I have like my
box. My first business. I have a box like a lighter, pens,
gum. After that, I was doing like shoeshine. And sometimes
in the morning, I used to sell like Lahmacun, Turkish
Lahmacun. It’s pizza but it’s a thin crust they call Lahmacun.
It’s not about what we are today. It’s what can we be
tomorrow.
((Popup Banner: Akdeniz got jobs working in New York
pizzarias. After years of saving, he opened his own tiny
pizza place))
((Hakki Akdeniz, Entrepreneur/Philanthropist))
How I made my first store. I sleep in the store for five days,
six days, I swear to you. Only one or two days, I used to go
sleep in my worker’s home. Then later on in April, I believe it
was April, in PMQ Magazine, I think somewhere over here I
have PMQ Magazine. So, they put me on the cover. So, I
go in front of the school and I just give those magazines to
kids. I just, you know, give it to them. And those kids, they
go home and they show their parents. And the next day, I
become a little busy, a little busy. And one week, two
weeks, I become so busy. So, those kids, they bring
magazine and they get me to sign autograph for them. I
never forget that.
((NATS))
((Hakki Akdeniz, Entrepreneur/Philanthropist))
Always I play with, you know, dough, 29 years. And I think
like what can we do something that no one ever done, crazy,
to make everybody, wow! I tried to do flaming dough.
Step one, wet the dough. Grab the dough. Spin the pizza
and step back, you know, so you don’t get confused and
flame and dough, same thing. When there’s the flame, I
burned like my carpet. My first apartment, my carpet was on
fire. Really, really, it was on fire. And then my wife, she got
angry. She said, “You know, one day you are going to burn
the house.” I said, “Honey, it’s okay. Don’t worry. You see,
I won the championship because of that.”
((NATS
Single file, please!
Thank you.))
((NATS))
((Hakki Akdeniz, Entrepreneur/Philanthropist))
One day, I want to open up a restaurant with people that
graduate from that kitchen. So, those people that are going
to graduate from my kitchen and those kitchens are going to
be built by homeless people. And the chef is going to
homeless. The manager is going to be homeless. The cook
in back, like the line cook is going to be homeless. I want to
have one kitchen, a big restaurant. I want to make like one
of the best restaurants with a shelter, training center and
then create like a job for homeless. And you know what?
This is easy. It’s possible. If I put in my heart, anything is
possible. You just got to believe it.
Dream is not about money. Dream about what you want to
leave.
((NATS))
((Hakki Akdeniz, Entrepreneur/Philanthropist))
We make money, you know, we give it back.
((NATS))
((PKG)) BALTIMORE MURALIST
((Banner: The Muralist))
((Reporter: Faiza Elmasry))
((Camera: Mike Burke))
((Producers: Faiza Elmasry, Jacquelyn DePhillips))
((Map: Baltimore, Maryland))
((NATS))
((Megan Lewis, Muralist & Illustrator))
I’ve been drawing for a very long time but when it comes to
doing my art successfully, it’s been four years.
((NATS))
((Megan Lewis, Muralist & Illustrator))
How many murals that I have done in Baltimore? I’m
guessing around 10.
((NATS))
((Megan Lewis, Muralist & Illustrator))
As an artist, I make work for myself. I always have like
women in mind. If I can tell a story you can relate to it, that’s
great. If I can pull you in as well, that’s great. It’s all about
narrative and storytelling. That’s it.
((NATS))
((Megan Lewis, Muralist & Illustrator))
So, I did this piece for Art at Work maybe a year ago. We
have a black woman as the center of her community. And
you have things like knowledge, music, culture, history and
they all revolve around her.
((NATS))
((Megan Lewis, Muralist & Illustrator))
We’re looking at a project I did for A Revolutionary Summer.
It is a mural depicting black female writers. You have Toni
Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston and Octavia Butler. And then
you have a young black student on a pile of books reading
about these amazing women.
((NATS))
((Megan Lewis, Muralist & Illustrator))
Kids actually read here. So, it fit perfectly that we were
doing a mural about black women writers because this is
actually their nook that they read in.
((NATS))
((Megan Lewis, Muralist & Illustrator))
This is actually my second outdoor mural. The artist that
drew the Statue of Liberty, they originally drew it as a black
woman and whoever was in charge of it was like, “no, you
need to make her white”. ((*there are differing origin stories
about the statue*)) When I draw a black woman, I focus on
uplifting us. And I think people need to know that the
original Statue of Liberty, on paper at least, was a black
woman.
((NATS))
((Maria Wolfe, Street Art Photographer))
My name is Maria Wolfe. I am a street art and mural
photographer and I have an account called BaltiMurals on
Instagram, which captures and documents all of the art in
Baltimore.
((NATS))
((Maria Wolfe, Street Art Photographer))
There has been a huge kind of expansion of the street art
and mural scene in Baltimore over the last couple of years. I
know that there is art always going up and I think the city has
a lot to do with it. BOPA, which is Baltimore office of
Promotion and the Arts, does a lot of grants in the city to
artists to come and paint murals. There’s over 300
neighborhoods in Baltimore and each one is unique and the
art is unique to each location as well.
((NATS))
((Maria Wolfe, Street Art Photographer))
I love Megan’s colors. I love the figures that she puts in the
murals. I just find her work extremely intriguing. It is some
of my favorite in the whole, entire city.
((NATS))
((Megan Lewis, Muralist & Illustrator))
I never know what I am going to put up until I see the wall.
((NATS))
((Megan Lewis, Muralist & Illustrator))
It is so satisfying to be able to have such a large canvas for
people to see my work. I love narrative and I love
storytelling and just imagine being able to tell your story to
so many people walking past. I am just very appreciative of
where I am. It‘s been an amazing journey and I cannot wait
to continue to, like I said, evolve as an artist. There is so
many things I want to do and accomplish. And I’m very
grateful, like I see my progress and I’m proud of myself.
((NATS))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up…..
((Banner))
Veterans on Life
((SOT/NATS))
BREAK ONE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK B
((PKG)) MILITARY VETERANS
((Banner: Veterans on War))
((Reporter/Camera: Gabrielle Weiss))
((Producer: Martin Secrest))
((Map: Hopkinsville, Kentucky))
((Popup Banner: Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post
1913))
((NATS: VFW Post))
((John Brame, Post Commander, Hopkinsville))
Well, we have a little thing that’s going on. We have a
drawing tonight for a few dollars so we’ve got a few people
for that. We have a game occasionally over there where
they play a little Texas Hold ‘Em.
((NATS: Poker game))
((John Brame, Post Commander, Hopkinsville))
The VFW actually is a fraternal organization and we’re made
up of veterans of foreign wars, which means that if you're
eligible to be a member in our VFW, you had to serve in one
of the campaigns, either World War II, Korea, Vietnam,
Afghanistan. It was chartered in December the 5th, 1945.
((NATS: Poker game))
((Ted Wood, US Air Force (Retired), Hopkinsville VFW))
I became a navigator. My first duty assignment was in
Vietnam and I flew over there for about 10 months. And
then when the war ended, I was actually one of 10 people in
the entire world that can say, I guess, that you flew the last
combat mission in the Vietnam War.
((NATS: Bar))
((Wayne Bormann, Vietnam War Army Veteran,
Hopkinsville VFW))
And when we shipped over to Vietnam, it was all on boat,
took us 31 days to get across the Pacific. And then when we
reached Vietnam, of course, being young and stupid, I didn't
know much about what we were getting into anyway until we
actually got into it. But yeah, we shipped out, a whole bunch
of us, all at one time. We became buddies and we're still
friends to this day. Yeah.
((NATS: Poker game
Man: All right. Ted, make sure you got 40 chips. We all got
that opportunity, just make sure you got forty chips.))
((Ted Wood, US Air Force (Retired), Hopkinsville VFW))
Unfortunately, I think that it's very difficult for a lot of
Americans to understand that we just can't be the policeman
of the entire world. You know, we just can't spread
our…..because a lot of people pay taxes and those taxes go
for to fight these wars and stuff and all these conflicts and
stuff like that. And sometimes you know, you spend so
much money giving aid and help to all these other countries
and stuff and then all you have to do is look around, look
over your shoulder. We have people starving right here in
America. So, it makes me think a lot about that, about
sometimes you need to take care of your own too.
Sometimes you have to look at it as a civilian and as a
taxpayer and say, you know, my brother over here is in a
homeless shelter, you know, or my sister over here is getting
addicted to drugs or something like that. We need to help
some of those people at home too.
((NATS: Bar conversation
Man 1: You got to understand, if I do this, what’s the
outcome?
Man 2: I think that’s why we elect leaders. We put them up
there in charge to make those decisions, and if we don’t like
what’s up there, we vote them out and elect the ones we
think will do a better job.))
((John Brame, Post Commander, Hopkinsville))
I was drafted into the Army in 1969. I guess I'd never been
out of Christian County very long at any given period of time,
never been overseas, didn’t know a lot about the military
except Fort Campbell is here at the time, and I was a farm
boy. So, you know, I was young and ignorant and I got my
draft notice. And the next thing, I was boots on the ground
and in Vietnam in a combat unit. And we were on the
Laotian border, through a whole lot of bad places over there.
And I survived and a lot of my friends didn’t. I'm grateful for
that. I'm sorry for them. And it was a war that wasn’t won. It
wasn’t won by anyone. But I can tell you my experience and
it wasn't a happy experience. You know, I want the whole
world to be happy. I mean, golly, what's wrong with
happiness? We're only going to be on this planet for maybe
80 years. Damn! Just live! Enjoy.
((NATS: Bar))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up…..
((Banner))
Preserving History
((SOT))
((Matt Minor, Municipal Archives Photographer, NYC
Department of Records and Information Services))
The strangest thing that I had to photograph was a suitcase
that we have, that was part of a mafia murder trial in the
(19)20s, and it has bloody sheets inside it.
BREAK TWO
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK C
((Banner: First Draft of History))
((PKG)) NEW YORK CITY RECORDS DEPARTMENT
((Banner: New York Archives))
((Reporter: Anna Nelson))
((Camera: Max Avloshenko, Elena Matusovsky, Dmitrii
Vershinin))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((VOA Russian))
((Map: New York City, New York))
((NATS))
((Kenneth Cobb, Records Access Officer, NYC
Department of Records and Information Services))
April 24th, 1865. The name of the deceased person:
Lincoln, Abraham. Age: 56 years and two months. Nativity:
Kentucky. Place of death: Washington D.C. The column
reads “disease”, but it's really “Cause of Death: Pistol Shot”.
Date of death: April 15th,1865. Place of internment:
Springfield, Illinois. It didn't matter who the person was, a
soldier or a president. Listed the name right there.
((NATS))
((Pauline Toole, Commissioner, NYC Department of
Records and Information Services))
The archive holds New York City government’s historical
records dating from 1645 through the Bloomberg
administration and they’re fabulously interesting because
New York has a really colorful history dating as far back as
the Dutch, certainly through the present. We have historical
birth, death and marriage records. We have maps. We
have census records. We have all the mayor's papers. We
have records of enslaved New Yorkers. We have all of the
Central Park drawings. We have the Brooklyn Bridge
drawings which are ornate and beautiful. We have many
collections of photographs from every single department:
sanitation, transportation, finance. And they're all
fascinating. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
((NATS))
((Michael Lorenzini, Operations Manager, NYC
Department of Records and Information Services))
A number of Jewish residents who applied to be burghers,
they were denied and they were told to petition if they didn't
believe that was just answer. They did. The petition actually
went all the way back to Amsterdam. And the directors of
the Dutch West India Company said, “No”, you know, “If
they're here to trade and be citizens, they should be allowed
to become citizens.”
((NATS))
((Matt Minor, Municipal Archives Photographer, NYC
Department of Records and Information Services))
The strangest thing that I had to photograph was a suitcase
that we have that was part of a mafia murder trial in the
(19)20s and it has bloody sheets inside it from when they
disposed off the body and we had to take this out and
photograph it so that it could be sealed up and hopefully
never taken out again.
((NATS))
((Pauline Toole, Commissioner, NYC Department of
Records and Information Services))
We need to move our records management practices into
the 21st century and we're trying to do that. And one of the
ways we're successful is that we've increased their number
of staff and we've increased our budget and are building
expertise in helping agencies build expertise internally so
that they’re managing their records better and transferring
records to the archives better.
((NATS))
((PKG)) NEWSEUM CLOSURE
((Banner: Newseum Closes))
((Reporter: Mariia Prus))
((Camera: Kostiantyn Golubchyk))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((VOA Ukrainian))
((Map: Washington, D.C.))
((Popup Banner: First opened in 2008, the Newseum
closed on the last day of 2019 due to financing struggles))
((NATS))
((Ron Lyons, Journalist))
I knew the museum was going to be closing soon and I
specifically wanted to come because I've never actually been
here. And being in the field of journalism, I just wanted to
explore about all the history and the work that's been done
before me. This is what we're fighting for. This is why we do
what we do, not only to get these awards and get these
accolades but to show that freedom of the press is important
and the public voices matter.
((NATS))
((Banner: Reporters’ armored truck used in the Balkan
Wars))
((Banner: Wreckage from the World Trade Center))
((Tiffany Crabtree, Newseum Visitor)) and
((Jessica Crabtree, Newseum Visitor))
It feels like you can't get enough time in here, so it feels
shocking that it's closing. It doesn’t feel quite real. Yeah.
And like I think for me just, I feel like the First Amendment
and freedom for speech and the press is so important. It's
how I grew up and I think even in our country, it's under
threat and it's sad to see. So, this feels even more important
and even sadder that it's closing.
((NATS))
((Banner: Personal belongings of 9/11 victims))
((Banner: Jet engines retrieved from World Trade Center))
((Seth, Newseum Visitor))
It's just very sad to see it go. I mean, there’s so much
documented history that is really, you know, you can miss
some really important things and it really makes you think
about how important the press is.
((NATS))
((Banner: Checkpoint between East and West Berlin))
((Banner: Interactive Berlin Wall exhibit))
((Ryan Dutcher, Newseum Visitor))
I really want to be a photojournalist. That's my big, that’s the
dream job. And it's really cool like going to the Pulitzer Prize
photos, you get to see all these legendary photojournalists
like blown up that you normally wouldn't see anywhere else.
((NATS))
((Popup Banner: Exhibits from Newseum will be stored and
archived))
((PKG)) YOGA FOR EVERYONE
((Banner: And Lastly….Just Breathe))
((Reporter: Karina Bafradzhian))
((Camera: Andrey Degtyarev))
((Adapted by: Martin Secrest))
((Map: Savannah, Georgia))
((VOA Russian))
((Popup Banner: Jessamyn Stanley is a yoga teacher,
writer and body positive advocate))
((Jessamyn Stanley, Yoga Instructor))
My friends and family have always been, like, I don't want to
say they've been unsupportive but they definitely did not
understand what I was doing. There are so many people,
who, for whatever reason, believe that they are not capable
of practicing yoga. And I just thought that was wild because
the yoga practice is really meant for everyone. It's meant for
every stage of life, no matter what happens to you but we
have this very limited idea of what a yoga practitioner looks
like. We think that it's only a white, slender-bodied,
cisgender, heterosexual person, usually a woman, usually
wealthy, usually traditionally educated. And if we're not in
that bubble, then we think it's not for us. And I've realized
that through being visible on social media, there's a way to
really shift that paradigm.
((NATS))
((Courtesy: Samsung USA))
((Jessamyn Stanley, Television Commercial))
Yoga is key for my life. When you're practicing something
that really pushes you out of your comfort zone, there's
something magical about seeing who you really are.
((NATS: Yoga studio - Jessamyn:
Exhale, four-fold, over your legs. Take it in, breathe it in.
Inhale, lengthen it out, through the spine to the chest.
Exhale, clamp the hands down, step back, high point.))
((Jessamyn Stanley, Yoga Instructor))
It's definitely something that wasn't a goal of mine, like, I
never wanted to be a yoga teacher. People would ask me to
come teach them. I would just be, like, you should try this
teacher or you should do this thing because, like, there are
literally thousands of yoga teachers. Why do you need for
me to come teach you? But I didn't realize how important it
is to have a lot of different voices speaking about this
experience because we're not all speaking the same
language, whether that's, like, a metaphorical language or a
literal language. And while my message can't resonate for
everyone and it won't, it could resonate for at least one
person. And that has really motivated my whole teaching
practice. It's just wanting to reach the one person who
needs to hear what I'm saying.
((NATS))
CLOSING ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
((PKG)) FREE PRESS MATTERS
((NATS))
((Popup captions over B Roll))
Near the Turkish Embassy
Washington, D.C.
May 16, 2017
President Erdogan’s bodyguard attacks peaceful protesters
“Those terrorists deserved to be beaten”
“They should not be protesting our president”
“They got what they asked for”
While some people may turn away from the news
We cover it
reliably
accurately
objectively
comprehensively
wherever the news matters
VOA
A Free Press Matters
BREAK
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
((PKG)) FREE PRESS MATTERS
((NATS))
((Popup captions over B Roll))
We make a difference
When we unmask terror
When we explain the impossible
When we confront an uncertain future
When we give voice to the voiceless
The difference is Freedom of the Press
We are the Voice of America where
A Free Press Matters
SHOW ENDS
