VOA – CONNECT
EPISODE # 161
AIR DATE 02 12 2021
TRANSCRIPT
OPEN ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
A Community Cornerstone
((SOT))
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
I started selling papers when I was eight because I
wanted extra money in my pocket. And here I am. I'm
seventy-nine-years old and I'm still selling papers.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
When Frustration Builds
((SOT))
((Shawn Estelle, Co-owner, Rage Room))
After a hard day, I like to come to the Rage Room and
let some, let off some steam.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Priorities
((SOT))
((Reinard Pollmann, Motel Owner))
I am not married, have never been married.
Only have girlfriends. Too old for romance.
I just concentrate on business. It's more stable.
((Open Animation))
BLOCK A
((PKG)) A NEWSSTAND’S LAST STAND
((TRT: 07:27))
((Topic Banner: A Newsstand’s Last Stand))
((Reporter/Camera: Arturo Martínez))
((Map: Los Angeles, California))
((Main characters: 2 male))
((Sub characters: 5 male ; 2 female))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
I am Eduardo. Everybody calls me Eddie and I work at
the newsstand. I am a salesman, the morning guy.
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Good morning, ladies. Good morning. Happy Monday.
((Pedestrians))
You too.
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Thank you.
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
It will be my 17th year, very happy. Since I started to
work here at the newsstand with Mr. Al, very happy.
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Almost all the locals, all the neighbors, everybody
knows me. It’s like a little family.
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Mr. James. Good morning, sir. How are you?
((Customer))
Good.
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Everything okay so far?
((Customer))
So far.
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Good, sir. Okay. Happy Monday, sir. Okay? Thank
you, sir. Happy Monday.
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
New York, Wall Street, Financial Times, New York Post
and L.A. Times.
((Customer))
Correct.
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Financial Times and Wall Street.
((Customer))
Perfect.
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
We have a cookie for Mr. Jake. Here it is Mr. Jake.
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
I have customers that are, you know, like bankers,
advisors, doctors, so. Mr. Al says, “Thank you for you
Eddie, because sometimes the guys are coming and
you already know what kind, what kind of paper
magazine they want.”
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Good to see you my friend. OK?
((Customer))
Always, always. I’ll see you. I’ll be here till Thursday.
Okay.
I’ll come back to see you and we’ll talk some more.
Yes, if you need something, we are here ready, okay?
Yeah, man. Good to see you.
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Hey, Maggie. Good morning. How are you?
((Customer))
Good.
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Good, good. She likes all French magazines. So,
she’s looking if we have something.
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Yes, I bought here too, Mr. Al.
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
How much was it that you collected from him?
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
$15, plus tax, $16.43.
((NATS))
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
I started selling papers when I was eight because I
wanted extra money in my pocket. And here I am. I'm
seventy-nine years old and I'm still selling papers.
((NATS))
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
My name is Alan Brooks and I own Al's Newsstand. I
am one of the last standing newsstands. We opened
this in ‘89. It was like a little gold mine and people, they
were hungry for a newsstand in Beverly Hills. And I
had a total of eight different newsstands. But I made a
great living. I put two kids through college. I was very,
very happy with it.
((NATS))
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
And you’re nine years old? Yeah. You are like George
and Archie, my grandsons.
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
I just like talking to people. I like doing business,
making money. And that's just a nice sense of
community that I enjoy when that wells up. That's what
sort of nurtures me.
((NATS))
((Customer))
Thank you so much. We just live around the corner.
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
You’ve got it. Okay.
((NATS))
(Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
The biggest seller of any magazine that I had was when
Jennifer Aniston broke up with Brad Pitt. I sold 1,140
Vanity Fair of Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt breakup.
((NATS))
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
But the newsstand business has definitely
changed. It's become prehistoric, and that's because of
the internet. A lot of magazines went to online only and
people said, “Where's my Glamour magazine?” And
I'm saying, “You have to go online to get that.”
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Good morning. Al’s Newsstand.
Oh no, miss. Not yet. No more, miss. Sorry. Used to
be we sell that paper, but no, no more. It’s easier if you
go digital or internet, because I don't know that
somebody has that print paper. You know, in the good
times, we used to have five or six very good
magazines. Now, you know.
((Customer))
No print magazines.
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Yes. You know, now, digital, internet. It’s not like it
used to be, sir.
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
60 percent of our customers, clients are, you know,
over 50 years old and it’s an age that still likes to feel
the paper, feel the magazine, sometimes feel that
smell.
((NATS))
((Benny Platt, Customer))
This, happiest day of my life. Los Angeles Dodgers,
world champions after 32 years. Awesome.
I come here all the time because when big things
happen like, the Dodgers, when they won the World
Series, that was a big seller here. And then, recent
election, when Biden won and you wanted to get the
issue of it, you know, you got it. Yes, everything's on
the internet now, but it's nice to physically hold
something in your hand and stuff like that, so. I don't
think my kids will. My kids are glued to their
phones. So, everything's still on their phone, but I'm in
my late 50s, so I'm still old school to a certain extent.
((NATS))
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
Up until the pandemic hit us in March, we were holding
our own. But there's a lot of stores that have closed or
been shuttered on South Beverly Drive, and that's
affected us because we don't have the traffic flow that
we had two years ago.
((NATS))
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
Grab an elbow, friend. Come on, don't be
afraid. Come on, do you play baseball?
I still get the people that will bring their kids by and
people that we have are regulars. But the traffic pattern
isn't what it was back in, you know, three and four or
five years ago.
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Quieres el de la niña, verdad?
15 dollars.
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
Just make change.
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Yes? Okay, Mr. Al, yes.
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
If I'm allowed to bring in items that will help make a
profit: cigarettes, candy, miscellaneous, water, chips
and increase my revenue, we’ll stay. And if not, I would
have to think of selling it. But my passion right now is, I
like old, retro magazines. I have a bunch of older Life,
Posts, Saturday Evening Post, Life and Look, my old
classic Playboy magazines, comic books and baseball
cards. People are gratified that they can see something
that they haven't seen for 20 or 30 years and pick it up
and buy it. I find a way to deal in those.
((NATS))
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
And I don't want you bending the cards at all. Because
the moment you bend them, it’s going to lose its value.
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
We've lost part of the interaction with people. We've
become so technologically absorbed. I mean, you miss
a lot of the realism of touching and tactileness with
people and interchanging. You need to have
conversations with people that share your ideas with
me. I may not accept it, but I'm hearing a point of view
that could be beneficial to me in the long run.
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
The other day came one family from overseas and I
remember one of the kids, about maybe seven years
old, told his dad, “Hey Dad, what is this? What is a
newsstand? What is a newsstand? I don't know. What
is a newsstand?” So, we'll see, but it was very funny.
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Take care, Okay? Happy Monday. See you later.
((NATS))
((Popup Banner:
Only a handful of newsstands remain in Los Angeles.
Alan remains hopeful his will withstand the pandemic.))
((NATS))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up
((Banner))
When Feeling Frustrated
((SOT))
((Matt, Customer, Rage Room))
We wanted to break some stuff after this year.
((NATS))
((Roxanne, Customer, Rage Room))
Yes, I like to hear things break.
((NATS))
BREAK ONE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK B
((PKG)) RAGE ROOM
((TRT: 04:10))
((Topic Banner: Get Your Rage Out))
((Reporter: Marsha James))
((Camera/Editor: Philip Alexiou))
((Map: Laurel, Maryland))
((Main characters: 3 male))
((Sub characters: 3 female; 2 male))
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Shawn Estelle, Co-owner, Rage Room))
This is what we do at the room of rage. After a hard
day, I like to come to the Rage Room and let some, let
off some steam.
((NATS))
((Nala, Customer, Rage Room))
Yes, it’s my first time. I’m here because my boyfriend
bought tickets. So, we just want to try something
different.
((Dean Yirenkyi, Customer, Rage Room))
I just decided to come out here, you know, to release
some aggression, you know, smash some items and go
from there.
((NATS))
((Shawn Estelle, Co-owner, Rage Room))
Please don’t hit down on the table, but you can hit off of
the table. 20 minutes on the clock. These two items
right here are sledgehammer items. Okay?
((NATS))
((Dean Yirenkyi, Customer, Rage Room))
Yes, definitely. It was definitely a great experience.
Had fun knocking things out of the park, you know,
bottles, washing machines, refrigerators. Yes, definitely
a great experience. I would definitely come back.
((Jamal Berry, Co-owner, Rage Room))
So, this is the process. Every weekend when we come
in, we basically have to get the old stuff out until we can
recycle it. We try to recycle it and recycle the metal, but
we have to take it out, get it outside, cover it up so it
looks nice and then we get new materials that are
donated inside the room.
((NATS))
((Jamal Berry, Co-owner, Rage Room))
During the pandemic, we had a lot of conversations,
especially when everything first shut down, and we
started to think about people needed to be able to get
out their rage. They needed to be able to come to a
place in a safe environment and be able to get out their
anger or just decompress from the long workdays in
their house, the now being teachers of their own
children, even to thinking about everything that's going
on in the country and how they felt. And so, we said
what better way to have a safe environment inside of
four walls that was healthy and that they didn't have to
do to clean up theirselves. We did it for them.
((Celeste, Customer, Rage Room))
This is my first time here. It’s for my birthday
celebration and just because I wanted to break some
stuff and I just get to do it.
((NATS))
((Shawn Estelle, Co-owner, Rage Room))
Right now, we're at about 25 appointments today which
is pretty much around our average on a Saturday.
((NATS))
((Shawn Estelle, Co-owner, Rage Room))
One of the things that we're proud about is our artwork.
As you can see around that we really took the time to
think about different things that would generate a
feeling of rage or excitement for our customers. And
we have, you know, this nice brick wall that they can
throw items against and we make sure we protect our
customers.
((Matt, Customer, Rage Room))
It is our first time. We've made it a Christmas present
to ourselves. We wanted to break some stuff after this
year.
((NATS))
((Roxanne, Customer, Rage Room))
Yes, I like to hear things break.
((NATS))
((Linwood Cole, Co-owner, Rage Room))
As a business owner, this has truly contributed a lot to
me as a person, being able to think logistically and
theoretically about the different things that you do and
the movements that you make, especially with the
COVID-19, having all the restrictions that you have to
take into thought with everything that you do.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Linwood Cole, Co-owner, Rage Room))
We’re now living in a place and a time where a lot of
traumatic and tragedy is happening and affecting our
community. So, to be able to give our community and
the people that we know personally the opportunity to
come and do something that can relieve stress and can
help them during this time when so many people are
having mental health issues and things like that, it's a
great feeling.
((Nala, Customer, Rage Room))
I mean I would say it's all up to the person. If people
are kind of getting tired of doing the same thing, just
normal exercising, running on a treadmill, walking
outside, they want something different that, you know,
is out of the box, then this would be probably a good
idea. There's nothing wrong with it. You're not going to
get hurt.
((NATS))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up….
((Banner))
Cleaning the River
((SOT))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
We’ve come so far in cleaning up this river. When
people, who haven’t been here for 10, 15, 25 years,
suddenly come back, they are going, “This is, you
know, not what we expected to see here.”
BREAK TWO
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK C
((PKG)) HEALING THE ANACOSTIA RIVER
((Previously aired October 2020))
((Banner: Healing the Anacostia River))
((Reporter/Camera: Jeff Swicord))
((Map: Washington, D.C.))
((Main characters: 1 male))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
Rivers are so important to not only the habitat, animals
and natural environment, but also to people. Rivers are
typically where we get our drinking water.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
I have been involved with environmental restoration
work almost my whole life and all of that’s led me here
having worked on a whole plethora of projects all
across the world.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
I was motivated to come here and work on the
Anacostia because I love clean water.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
We are here at Eastern Power Boat Club, one of four
boat clubs along the river. These yacht clubs were
basically African American yacht clubs. The first one
was Seafarers Yacht Club started by Eleanor
Roosevelt.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
We are an urban river. We’re a small watershed.
Watershed, of course, is that area of land within which
all the rain that falls comes to a common outfall.
((NATS: Jim Foster))
How you’re doing, man?
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
There is almost a million people that live in our
watershed. And so, we have a much higher density.
We’ve really pushed the limits on what we have done to
this watershed. So, we are out of balance here, but we
are working hard to bring it back.
((NATS))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
This three-box culvert is the combined sewer overflow
for the Northeast Boundary Tunnel. So, the district has
what are called combined sewers. And that means
there is one pipe that carries the sewage and the storm
water. And so, we have been discharging billions of
gallons of raw sewage into the river every time it rains.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
Our organization had an issue with that.
((NATS: Jim Foster))
There is an osprey up in the tree there.
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
D.C. water today has been under a consent decree to
stop those overflows.
((NATS: Jim Foster and Man in the passing boat))
Another day in paradise.
You got it.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
Masaya Maeda, who is Japanese, has been with us for
17 years. He is our water quality expert. And so, every
week he goes out on the river to collect very basic
water chemistry data. He has a volunteer helper, a
woman named Maria.
We have been collecting that data for 15 years now.
So, we have some solid data, some trends. We really
use that to build a state of the river report card.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
Our mission is to make the river swimmable and
fishable by 2025. So, what’s keeping us from
swimming is purely high bacteria levels. Where does
the bacteria come from? It comes from feces, from
waste, human induced, goose, deer, avian, all these
contribute bacteria to the river. So, our river is impaired
with nitrogen and phosphorus. Why is that a problem?
Because it causes algae to grow prolifically and that
algae then consumes oxygen in the water and then
there is not enough oxygen for the fish.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((NATS: Jim Foster))
They are with the park and they run that passenger
boat. Not a lot of passengers in the boat right now.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
We have come so far in cleaning up this river. When
people who haven’t been here for 10, 15, 25 years,
suddenly come back, they are going, “This isn’t what
we left. This is, you know, not what we expected to see
here.” And the first thing that has really started to come
back are native freshwater mussels. Mussels are also
filter feeders.
((NATS: Jim Foster))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
See if I can’t get this up high enough just to show you
what we got here. So, you can see these mussels are
doing really well. They went in about the size of your
fingernail and this is a year’s worth of growth. We’re
working with the University of Maryland to see if they
will filter micro-plastics out of the water as well. And we
are also interested in whether they will pick up and bind
PCBs [polychlorinated biphenyl] from the river.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
So, the Anacostia River that I’d like to see in ten years
would be a place where thousands of people come
throughout the weeks and summer months to get in the
water. For me, it is a very spiritual connection to not
only the river and the banks and the areas around it,
but to clean water. Clean water is so critical to life as
we know it and, I think, as more people come back and
recognize that, they will appreciate and admire to honor
the river.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((PKG)) CONNECT WITH – REINARD POLLMANN,
MOTEL OWNER
((TRT: 03:36))
((Topic Banner: Connect with – Reinard Pollmann))
((Reporter/Camera: Deepak Dobhal))
((Map: Smith Center, Kansas))
((Main character: 1 male))
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Reinard Pollmann, Motel Owner))
My name is Reinard Pollmann.
I own this motel here, the Buckshot Inn, here in
Smith Center, Kansas. I also own other motels in
other states.
I'm 80 years old. Well, I feel about 25, actually. About
25, maybe 35. I can't remember. It's so long ago,
so long ago. But I feel young.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Reinard Pollmann, Motel Owner))
People are retired generally don't do anything.
They just wait to die. I wait to do the next project.
My big day is always Monday. I like Mondays. People,
"Oh, Monday." They like Friday. I like Monday.
Monday is when you do things, you know.
Things are happening on Monday. Can't get
anything done on the weekend, you know.
((MUSIC/NATS))
But once in a while,
you wake up in the middle of the night and say,
"What the heck am I doing? What the heck am I doing?
Why am I working so hard?” And then you wake up in
the morning, you have a cup of coffee and feel great.
((MUSIC/NATS))
My cancer is stage-
four or something like that. One thing
is, I don't get too worried about it. I mean, you're going
to
die anyway, Okay. You can’t prevent that from
happening.
And there's medicine out there that can keep you going
for a while. So, you know, if I get another 10 years, that
would be pretty good. And another
20 years, that's really good. Another 30 years, that
would be fantastic. And of course, in good health.
((MUSIC/NATS))
I'm not married. I have never been married.
Only had girlfriends.
And, you know,
today, I'm just too old. Too old for romance. I just
concentrate on business. It's more stable.
((MUSIC/NATS))
It's a really good question. What am I
going to do with it when I quit, or
I mean, when I die? Well, I have a sister and she's got
two sons, they’re twins. They are 45.
And I've been trying to get them into the business but
they're engineers that have zero interest, zero.
They didn't want to look at it. So, I worry about it.
You know,
I mean if it goes to them, I know what they're going to
do.
They're going to make a couple of calls to real estate
agents and say, “Put it, sell it.” And that's it.
((MUSIC/NATS))
When you look back on your life, I had an interesting lif
e. I was born in Europe, in
Holland. Then I was there during World War II.
I remember some of that.
((Reinard Pollmann, Motel Owner))
The biggest thing was probably
leaving Holland and going to America when I was 14.
That was tough. You know, you
get a new language. You're 14 years old.
All of a sudden, you have to go to high school and
everybody speaks English and you have to learn it.
That was challenging. But that
was okay. A lot of people go through that and I went
through that.
((MUSIC/NATS))
If I
were to do my life again, I probably would get married,
have children.
I'm very happy with my life. I can't complain at all.
My advice to older people is, don't act old.
Just keep on going. Don't retire.
((MUSIC/NATS))
NEXT WEEK ((ANIM))
In the coming weeks….
((Banner))
Vaccinations
((SOT))
((Candace Kreger, LPN, Seldovia Village Tribe))
Isn’t this how you normally go to work?
((NATS))
((Candace Kreger, LPN, Seldovia Village Tribe))
I'm taking two different vaccines.
((Candace Kreger, LPN, Seldovia Village Tribe))
I don’t care. I’m not picky. With it being remote and no
access to anything but a clinic, there's only been just a
couple cases of COVID here in Seldovia. So, we're
trying to really get everybody immunized and keep
COVID out of the remote village,
((Edith (Sunni) Hilts, Patient))
This one, and if you would do me a favor and count to
three?
((Candace Kreger, LPN, Seldovia Village Tribe))
Count to three? Okay.
((Candace Kreger, LPN, Seldovia Village Tribe))
That’s okay. Okay, one, two, three. Was it that bad?
((Edith (Sunni) Hilts, Patient))
No.
((Candace Kreger, LPN, Seldovia Village Tribe))
Okay.
CLOSING ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
BREAKTHREE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
SHOW ENDS
EPISODE # 161
AIR DATE 02 12 2021
TRANSCRIPT
OPEN ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
A Community Cornerstone
((SOT))
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
I started selling papers when I was eight because I
wanted extra money in my pocket. And here I am. I'm
seventy-nine-years old and I'm still selling papers.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
When Frustration Builds
((SOT))
((Shawn Estelle, Co-owner, Rage Room))
After a hard day, I like to come to the Rage Room and
let some, let off some steam.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Priorities
((SOT))
((Reinard Pollmann, Motel Owner))
I am not married, have never been married.
Only have girlfriends. Too old for romance.
I just concentrate on business. It's more stable.
((Open Animation))
BLOCK A
((PKG)) A NEWSSTAND’S LAST STAND
((TRT: 07:27))
((Topic Banner: A Newsstand’s Last Stand))
((Reporter/Camera: Arturo Martínez))
((Map: Los Angeles, California))
((Main characters: 2 male))
((Sub characters: 5 male ; 2 female))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
I am Eduardo. Everybody calls me Eddie and I work at
the newsstand. I am a salesman, the morning guy.
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Good morning, ladies. Good morning. Happy Monday.
((Pedestrians))
You too.
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Thank you.
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
It will be my 17th year, very happy. Since I started to
work here at the newsstand with Mr. Al, very happy.
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Almost all the locals, all the neighbors, everybody
knows me. It’s like a little family.
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Mr. James. Good morning, sir. How are you?
((Customer))
Good.
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Everything okay so far?
((Customer))
So far.
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Good, sir. Okay. Happy Monday, sir. Okay? Thank
you, sir. Happy Monday.
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
New York, Wall Street, Financial Times, New York Post
and L.A. Times.
((Customer))
Correct.
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Financial Times and Wall Street.
((Customer))
Perfect.
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
We have a cookie for Mr. Jake. Here it is Mr. Jake.
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
I have customers that are, you know, like bankers,
advisors, doctors, so. Mr. Al says, “Thank you for you
Eddie, because sometimes the guys are coming and
you already know what kind, what kind of paper
magazine they want.”
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Good to see you my friend. OK?
((Customer))
Always, always. I’ll see you. I’ll be here till Thursday.
Okay.
I’ll come back to see you and we’ll talk some more.
Yes, if you need something, we are here ready, okay?
Yeah, man. Good to see you.
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Hey, Maggie. Good morning. How are you?
((Customer))
Good.
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Good, good. She likes all French magazines. So,
she’s looking if we have something.
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Yes, I bought here too, Mr. Al.
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
How much was it that you collected from him?
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
$15, plus tax, $16.43.
((NATS))
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
I started selling papers when I was eight because I
wanted extra money in my pocket. And here I am. I'm
seventy-nine years old and I'm still selling papers.
((NATS))
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
My name is Alan Brooks and I own Al's Newsstand. I
am one of the last standing newsstands. We opened
this in ‘89. It was like a little gold mine and people, they
were hungry for a newsstand in Beverly Hills. And I
had a total of eight different newsstands. But I made a
great living. I put two kids through college. I was very,
very happy with it.
((NATS))
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
And you’re nine years old? Yeah. You are like George
and Archie, my grandsons.
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
I just like talking to people. I like doing business,
making money. And that's just a nice sense of
community that I enjoy when that wells up. That's what
sort of nurtures me.
((NATS))
((Customer))
Thank you so much. We just live around the corner.
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
You’ve got it. Okay.
((NATS))
(Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
The biggest seller of any magazine that I had was when
Jennifer Aniston broke up with Brad Pitt. I sold 1,140
Vanity Fair of Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt breakup.
((NATS))
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
But the newsstand business has definitely
changed. It's become prehistoric, and that's because of
the internet. A lot of magazines went to online only and
people said, “Where's my Glamour magazine?” And
I'm saying, “You have to go online to get that.”
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Good morning. Al’s Newsstand.
Oh no, miss. Not yet. No more, miss. Sorry. Used to
be we sell that paper, but no, no more. It’s easier if you
go digital or internet, because I don't know that
somebody has that print paper. You know, in the good
times, we used to have five or six very good
magazines. Now, you know.
((Customer))
No print magazines.
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Yes. You know, now, digital, internet. It’s not like it
used to be, sir.
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
60 percent of our customers, clients are, you know,
over 50 years old and it’s an age that still likes to feel
the paper, feel the magazine, sometimes feel that
smell.
((NATS))
((Benny Platt, Customer))
This, happiest day of my life. Los Angeles Dodgers,
world champions after 32 years. Awesome.
I come here all the time because when big things
happen like, the Dodgers, when they won the World
Series, that was a big seller here. And then, recent
election, when Biden won and you wanted to get the
issue of it, you know, you got it. Yes, everything's on
the internet now, but it's nice to physically hold
something in your hand and stuff like that, so. I don't
think my kids will. My kids are glued to their
phones. So, everything's still on their phone, but I'm in
my late 50s, so I'm still old school to a certain extent.
((NATS))
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
Up until the pandemic hit us in March, we were holding
our own. But there's a lot of stores that have closed or
been shuttered on South Beverly Drive, and that's
affected us because we don't have the traffic flow that
we had two years ago.
((NATS))
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
Grab an elbow, friend. Come on, don't be
afraid. Come on, do you play baseball?
I still get the people that will bring their kids by and
people that we have are regulars. But the traffic pattern
isn't what it was back in, you know, three and four or
five years ago.
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Quieres el de la niña, verdad?
15 dollars.
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
Just make change.
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Yes? Okay, Mr. Al, yes.
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
If I'm allowed to bring in items that will help make a
profit: cigarettes, candy, miscellaneous, water, chips
and increase my revenue, we’ll stay. And if not, I would
have to think of selling it. But my passion right now is, I
like old, retro magazines. I have a bunch of older Life,
Posts, Saturday Evening Post, Life and Look, my old
classic Playboy magazines, comic books and baseball
cards. People are gratified that they can see something
that they haven't seen for 20 or 30 years and pick it up
and buy it. I find a way to deal in those.
((NATS))
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
And I don't want you bending the cards at all. Because
the moment you bend them, it’s going to lose its value.
((Alan Brooks, Owner, Al’s Newsstand))
We've lost part of the interaction with people. We've
become so technologically absorbed. I mean, you miss
a lot of the realism of touching and tactileness with
people and interchanging. You need to have
conversations with people that share your ideas with
me. I may not accept it, but I'm hearing a point of view
that could be beneficial to me in the long run.
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
The other day came one family from overseas and I
remember one of the kids, about maybe seven years
old, told his dad, “Hey Dad, what is this? What is a
newsstand? What is a newsstand? I don't know. What
is a newsstand?” So, we'll see, but it was very funny.
((NATS))
((Eduardo Becerril, Salesman, Al’s Newsstand))
Take care, Okay? Happy Monday. See you later.
((NATS))
((Popup Banner:
Only a handful of newsstands remain in Los Angeles.
Alan remains hopeful his will withstand the pandemic.))
((NATS))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up
((Banner))
When Feeling Frustrated
((SOT))
((Matt, Customer, Rage Room))
We wanted to break some stuff after this year.
((NATS))
((Roxanne, Customer, Rage Room))
Yes, I like to hear things break.
((NATS))
BREAK ONE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK B
((PKG)) RAGE ROOM
((TRT: 04:10))
((Topic Banner: Get Your Rage Out))
((Reporter: Marsha James))
((Camera/Editor: Philip Alexiou))
((Map: Laurel, Maryland))
((Main characters: 3 male))
((Sub characters: 3 female; 2 male))
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Shawn Estelle, Co-owner, Rage Room))
This is what we do at the room of rage. After a hard
day, I like to come to the Rage Room and let some, let
off some steam.
((NATS))
((Nala, Customer, Rage Room))
Yes, it’s my first time. I’m here because my boyfriend
bought tickets. So, we just want to try something
different.
((Dean Yirenkyi, Customer, Rage Room))
I just decided to come out here, you know, to release
some aggression, you know, smash some items and go
from there.
((NATS))
((Shawn Estelle, Co-owner, Rage Room))
Please don’t hit down on the table, but you can hit off of
the table. 20 minutes on the clock. These two items
right here are sledgehammer items. Okay?
((NATS))
((Dean Yirenkyi, Customer, Rage Room))
Yes, definitely. It was definitely a great experience.
Had fun knocking things out of the park, you know,
bottles, washing machines, refrigerators. Yes, definitely
a great experience. I would definitely come back.
((Jamal Berry, Co-owner, Rage Room))
So, this is the process. Every weekend when we come
in, we basically have to get the old stuff out until we can
recycle it. We try to recycle it and recycle the metal, but
we have to take it out, get it outside, cover it up so it
looks nice and then we get new materials that are
donated inside the room.
((NATS))
((Jamal Berry, Co-owner, Rage Room))
During the pandemic, we had a lot of conversations,
especially when everything first shut down, and we
started to think about people needed to be able to get
out their rage. They needed to be able to come to a
place in a safe environment and be able to get out their
anger or just decompress from the long workdays in
their house, the now being teachers of their own
children, even to thinking about everything that's going
on in the country and how they felt. And so, we said
what better way to have a safe environment inside of
four walls that was healthy and that they didn't have to
do to clean up theirselves. We did it for them.
((Celeste, Customer, Rage Room))
This is my first time here. It’s for my birthday
celebration and just because I wanted to break some
stuff and I just get to do it.
((NATS))
((Shawn Estelle, Co-owner, Rage Room))
Right now, we're at about 25 appointments today which
is pretty much around our average on a Saturday.
((NATS))
((Shawn Estelle, Co-owner, Rage Room))
One of the things that we're proud about is our artwork.
As you can see around that we really took the time to
think about different things that would generate a
feeling of rage or excitement for our customers. And
we have, you know, this nice brick wall that they can
throw items against and we make sure we protect our
customers.
((Matt, Customer, Rage Room))
It is our first time. We've made it a Christmas present
to ourselves. We wanted to break some stuff after this
year.
((NATS))
((Roxanne, Customer, Rage Room))
Yes, I like to hear things break.
((NATS))
((Linwood Cole, Co-owner, Rage Room))
As a business owner, this has truly contributed a lot to
me as a person, being able to think logistically and
theoretically about the different things that you do and
the movements that you make, especially with the
COVID-19, having all the restrictions that you have to
take into thought with everything that you do.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Linwood Cole, Co-owner, Rage Room))
We’re now living in a place and a time where a lot of
traumatic and tragedy is happening and affecting our
community. So, to be able to give our community and
the people that we know personally the opportunity to
come and do something that can relieve stress and can
help them during this time when so many people are
having mental health issues and things like that, it's a
great feeling.
((Nala, Customer, Rage Room))
I mean I would say it's all up to the person. If people
are kind of getting tired of doing the same thing, just
normal exercising, running on a treadmill, walking
outside, they want something different that, you know,
is out of the box, then this would be probably a good
idea. There's nothing wrong with it. You're not going to
get hurt.
((NATS))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up….
((Banner))
Cleaning the River
((SOT))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
We’ve come so far in cleaning up this river. When
people, who haven’t been here for 10, 15, 25 years,
suddenly come back, they are going, “This is, you
know, not what we expected to see here.”
BREAK TWO
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK C
((PKG)) HEALING THE ANACOSTIA RIVER
((Previously aired October 2020))
((Banner: Healing the Anacostia River))
((Reporter/Camera: Jeff Swicord))
((Map: Washington, D.C.))
((Main characters: 1 male))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
Rivers are so important to not only the habitat, animals
and natural environment, but also to people. Rivers are
typically where we get our drinking water.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
I have been involved with environmental restoration
work almost my whole life and all of that’s led me here
having worked on a whole plethora of projects all
across the world.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
I was motivated to come here and work on the
Anacostia because I love clean water.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
We are here at Eastern Power Boat Club, one of four
boat clubs along the river. These yacht clubs were
basically African American yacht clubs. The first one
was Seafarers Yacht Club started by Eleanor
Roosevelt.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
We are an urban river. We’re a small watershed.
Watershed, of course, is that area of land within which
all the rain that falls comes to a common outfall.
((NATS: Jim Foster))
How you’re doing, man?
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
There is almost a million people that live in our
watershed. And so, we have a much higher density.
We’ve really pushed the limits on what we have done to
this watershed. So, we are out of balance here, but we
are working hard to bring it back.
((NATS))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
This three-box culvert is the combined sewer overflow
for the Northeast Boundary Tunnel. So, the district has
what are called combined sewers. And that means
there is one pipe that carries the sewage and the storm
water. And so, we have been discharging billions of
gallons of raw sewage into the river every time it rains.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
Our organization had an issue with that.
((NATS: Jim Foster))
There is an osprey up in the tree there.
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
D.C. water today has been under a consent decree to
stop those overflows.
((NATS: Jim Foster and Man in the passing boat))
Another day in paradise.
You got it.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
Masaya Maeda, who is Japanese, has been with us for
17 years. He is our water quality expert. And so, every
week he goes out on the river to collect very basic
water chemistry data. He has a volunteer helper, a
woman named Maria.
We have been collecting that data for 15 years now.
So, we have some solid data, some trends. We really
use that to build a state of the river report card.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
Our mission is to make the river swimmable and
fishable by 2025. So, what’s keeping us from
swimming is purely high bacteria levels. Where does
the bacteria come from? It comes from feces, from
waste, human induced, goose, deer, avian, all these
contribute bacteria to the river. So, our river is impaired
with nitrogen and phosphorus. Why is that a problem?
Because it causes algae to grow prolifically and that
algae then consumes oxygen in the water and then
there is not enough oxygen for the fish.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((NATS: Jim Foster))
They are with the park and they run that passenger
boat. Not a lot of passengers in the boat right now.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
We have come so far in cleaning up this river. When
people who haven’t been here for 10, 15, 25 years,
suddenly come back, they are going, “This isn’t what
we left. This is, you know, not what we expected to see
here.” And the first thing that has really started to come
back are native freshwater mussels. Mussels are also
filter feeders.
((NATS: Jim Foster))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
See if I can’t get this up high enough just to show you
what we got here. So, you can see these mussels are
doing really well. They went in about the size of your
fingernail and this is a year’s worth of growth. We’re
working with the University of Maryland to see if they
will filter micro-plastics out of the water as well. And we
are also interested in whether they will pick up and bind
PCBs [polychlorinated biphenyl] from the river.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Jim Foster, Anacostia Watershed Society))
So, the Anacostia River that I’d like to see in ten years
would be a place where thousands of people come
throughout the weeks and summer months to get in the
water. For me, it is a very spiritual connection to not
only the river and the banks and the areas around it,
but to clean water. Clean water is so critical to life as
we know it and, I think, as more people come back and
recognize that, they will appreciate and admire to honor
the river.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((PKG)) CONNECT WITH – REINARD POLLMANN,
MOTEL OWNER
((TRT: 03:36))
((Topic Banner: Connect with – Reinard Pollmann))
((Reporter/Camera: Deepak Dobhal))
((Map: Smith Center, Kansas))
((Main character: 1 male))
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Reinard Pollmann, Motel Owner))
My name is Reinard Pollmann.
I own this motel here, the Buckshot Inn, here in
Smith Center, Kansas. I also own other motels in
other states.
I'm 80 years old. Well, I feel about 25, actually. About
25, maybe 35. I can't remember. It's so long ago,
so long ago. But I feel young.
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Reinard Pollmann, Motel Owner))
People are retired generally don't do anything.
They just wait to die. I wait to do the next project.
My big day is always Monday. I like Mondays. People,
"Oh, Monday." They like Friday. I like Monday.
Monday is when you do things, you know.
Things are happening on Monday. Can't get
anything done on the weekend, you know.
((MUSIC/NATS))
But once in a while,
you wake up in the middle of the night and say,
"What the heck am I doing? What the heck am I doing?
Why am I working so hard?” And then you wake up in
the morning, you have a cup of coffee and feel great.
((MUSIC/NATS))
My cancer is stage-
four or something like that. One thing
is, I don't get too worried about it. I mean, you're going
to
die anyway, Okay. You can’t prevent that from
happening.
And there's medicine out there that can keep you going
for a while. So, you know, if I get another 10 years, that
would be pretty good. And another
20 years, that's really good. Another 30 years, that
would be fantastic. And of course, in good health.
((MUSIC/NATS))
I'm not married. I have never been married.
Only had girlfriends.
And, you know,
today, I'm just too old. Too old for romance. I just
concentrate on business. It's more stable.
((MUSIC/NATS))
It's a really good question. What am I
going to do with it when I quit, or
I mean, when I die? Well, I have a sister and she's got
two sons, they’re twins. They are 45.
And I've been trying to get them into the business but
they're engineers that have zero interest, zero.
They didn't want to look at it. So, I worry about it.
You know,
I mean if it goes to them, I know what they're going to
do.
They're going to make a couple of calls to real estate
agents and say, “Put it, sell it.” And that's it.
((MUSIC/NATS))
When you look back on your life, I had an interesting lif
e. I was born in Europe, in
Holland. Then I was there during World War II.
I remember some of that.
((Reinard Pollmann, Motel Owner))
The biggest thing was probably
leaving Holland and going to America when I was 14.
That was tough. You know, you
get a new language. You're 14 years old.
All of a sudden, you have to go to high school and
everybody speaks English and you have to learn it.
That was challenging. But that
was okay. A lot of people go through that and I went
through that.
((MUSIC/NATS))
If I
were to do my life again, I probably would get married,
have children.
I'm very happy with my life. I can't complain at all.
My advice to older people is, don't act old.
Just keep on going. Don't retire.
((MUSIC/NATS))
NEXT WEEK ((ANIM))
In the coming weeks….
((Banner))
Vaccinations
((SOT))
((Candace Kreger, LPN, Seldovia Village Tribe))
Isn’t this how you normally go to work?
((NATS))
((Candace Kreger, LPN, Seldovia Village Tribe))
I'm taking two different vaccines.
((Candace Kreger, LPN, Seldovia Village Tribe))
I don’t care. I’m not picky. With it being remote and no
access to anything but a clinic, there's only been just a
couple cases of COVID here in Seldovia. So, we're
trying to really get everybody immunized and keep
COVID out of the remote village,
((Edith (Sunni) Hilts, Patient))
This one, and if you would do me a favor and count to
three?
((Candace Kreger, LPN, Seldovia Village Tribe))
Count to three? Okay.
((Candace Kreger, LPN, Seldovia Village Tribe))
That’s okay. Okay, one, two, three. Was it that bad?
((Edith (Sunni) Hilts, Patient))
No.
((Candace Kreger, LPN, Seldovia Village Tribe))
Okay.
CLOSING ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
BREAKTHREE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
SHOW ENDS
