VOA – CONNECT
EPISODE #168
AIR DATE 04 02 2021
TRANSCRIPT
OPEN ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
Celebrating Words
((SOT))
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
The Word Wall is telling the story of where do words come
from in the English language. How did they get into English?
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
A Rider’s Friend
((SOT))
((Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
I love working on bikes. I love taking old bikes and fixing
them up so people can use them again. And cleaning them
up and I turn them into a thing of beauty in my mind.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Looking Back
((SOT))
((Diana Werts, Painter))
I had an idea that, maybe, I should hop a freight train. So, I
did that. It was illegal and it was risky. And then the
conductor or whoever he was, was standing at the other end
of the train going, um, umm.
((Open Animation))
BLOCK A
((PKG)) WORD MUSEUM
((TRT: 05:42))
((Topic Banner: A World of Words))
((Reporter/Producer: Marsha James))
((Camera/Editor: Philip Alexiou))
((Map: Washington, D.C.))
((Main characters: 1 female))
((NATS))
Hey there. Step up to the mic and say hello.
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
Hello.
((NATS))
Hello and welcome to Planet Word.
Hello. Yo. Hi there.
You’re standing in front of about 1000 words.
((NATS))
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
I'm Ann Friedman. I'm the founder and CEO of Planet Word,
a new museum of words and language in Washington D.C.
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
From an early age, grew up loving to read, grew up being
really interested in words and foreign languages. And that's
why I started investigating the idea of creating a museum of
words and language.
((NATS))
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
Being able to occupy the Franklin School, it’s a National
Historic Landmark, as the home for Planet Word…..
((Courtesy: Planet Word/Long Story Short Media))
We like to call ourselves the world's first voice-activated
museum. So, we have lots of voice recognition technology,
but we also have motion activation.
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
We have places throughout the museum where just by
scooting in on a chair, the exhibit begins or by laying a book
in a special holder, you will trigger projection technology.
((NATS))
There's a character called the Once-ler and the Once-ler is
essentially us and what we're doing to the planet.
((NATS))
((Courtesy: Planet Word/Long Story Short Media))
The iconic scenes from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
have captivated audiences for generations.
“Off with their heads!” “Oh dear! Oh dear!”
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
We have these paintbrushes and you can basically dip one
of these high tech paintbrushes in a word palette and paint
the scenery
((Courtesy: Planet Word/Long Story Short Media))
around you on the walls with that word.
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
When I dip my brush in that word, what's going to happen?
You know, let me see. And I bet when you do that, you are
never going to forget that word. It's going to be sunk into
your conscience.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Planet Word/Long Story Short Media))
A subject we call cooking. Everything is a wheel, turning
and turning, never stopping. The frogs is part of it and bugs
and fish and wood thrush, too.
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
Jokes. What makes them funny? You know, it's those
((Courtesy: Planet Word/Long Story Short Media))
homophones and double entendres.
((NATS))
((Courtesy: Planet Word/Long Story Short Media))
Oh, come on. Come on.
That was not close to funny.
A little laugh?
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
We've had fantastic programs that are reaching a much
larger audience. People from all around the U.S. and even
in other countries who can listen and enjoy our virtual
programs.
((NATS: Ann Friedman and others))
((Courtesy: Planet Word/Long Story Short Media))
Ni hao.
Ni hao. My name is Yaro. I'm from China and my first
language is Mandarin.
You can see on the globe. China is lighting up.
…...people speak it.
Habari. I'm Doreen. I’m from Tanzania and I speak Swahili.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Planet Word/Long Story Short Media))
I speak Icelandic. I speak Amharic, Hindi, Korean,
Hawaiian, Farsi. And I speak Hebrew.
Shalom.
Shalom.
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
The Word Wall is telling the story of where do words come
from in the English language. How did they get into English?
And there are many ways that words enter our language.
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
In fact, the exhibit designer and I came up with 24 ways that
words enter English, but we settled on about eight important
ways that are represented by the Word Wall and the story it
tells.
((NATS))
English has thousands of words we don't use that much.
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
So, that's words that came in from war, and from the Vikings,
and then in 1066 and the Norman Conquest. Words that we
borrow from other languages.
((NATS))
Part of the story of English is the story of violence, warfare,
conquest and lots of it.
It all started when Germanic tribes sailed to what’s now
England and conquered the people who lived there.
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
You know, I was, I was a reading and writing teacher and I
think I was pretty successful at that. But like I said, test
scores in language arts have been stagnating for years.
How could we try to reverse these negative trends?
And the idea that came to me was through informal learning.
That's what happens at museums. You make learning fun.
You have big spaces.
You can attract celebrities,
((Courtesy: Planet Word/Long Story Short Media))
all sorts of things that a person can't do on their own or a
teacher can't do on his or her own in a school classroom.
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
So, I felt like having a museum allowed me the space and
the influence and then, sort of, national attention that,
maybe, would make reading and language and words cool
again.
((NATS))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up
((Banner))
Lending a Hand
((SOT))
((Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
At the end of the day, I can say I did something positive. I
made something work. I made somebody happy. And at the
end of my days, I am actually pretty happy.
BREAK ONE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK B
((PKG)) PANDEMIC BIKE REPAIR SHOP
((TRT: 08:04))
((Topic Banner: A Biker’s Friend))
((Reporter/Camera/Editor: June Soh))
((Map: Potomac, Maryland))
((Main character: 1 male))
((Sub characters: 3 female))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
I love working on bikes. I love taking old bikes and fixing
them up so people can use them again. And cleaning them
up and I turn them into a thing of beauty in my mind. I don’t
charge, just my gift to my neighbors.
((NATS: Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
The wheels work and that’s good.
((NATS: Kara Sun & Ric Jackson))
((Kara Sun)) Hey, Ric.
((Ric Jackson)) Hey, Kara.
((Kara Sun)) Oh, the bike’s ready, huh? And his bike.
Wow, look at that!
((Ric Jackson)) It is clean and neat and tidy and updated.
How do you like it?
((Kara Sun)) Oh, my God. So, I am going to ride his bike.
((Ric Jackson)) Oh, okay.
((NATS))
((Kara Sun, Customer))
During COVID, we picked up biking because we want to be
socially distanced. However, all of our bikes were not in a
good condition at all. So, we’ve been trying to get her bike
to a repair shop. Everywhere we went, we called, they say,
“Oh, at least six months, five months. We’re not taking any
more bikes. We’re completely booked.”
((NATS))
((Kara Sun, Customer))
As a whole family, we dearly, sincerely appreciate what Ric
does.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
Back in April, April, early April in the beginning of the
pandemic, there was somebody who sent out a message on
our local ListServe and said, “Is anybody out there that can
repair bike, my daughter's, the breaks on my daughter’s
bicycle?” I said, “I’m willing to do it.” And since then, I have
had over 670 bicycles that I have repaired.
((NATS: Phone ring music))
((NATS: Ric Jackson)) Excuse me just a second.
((NATS: Ric Jackson)) Pretty good. When would you
come? That would be perfect.
((NATS: Customer)) Thank you so much.
((NATS: Ric Jackson)) Sure. Sounds good, right. I will
see you then. Sure, bye bye.
((NATS: Ric Jackson)) So, that’s somebody who will be
bringing her bike over shortly. Alright?
((NATS: Ric Jackson)) A lot of what I do is actually just
lubricating these things.
((NATS))
((NATS: Ric Jackson)) That’s good Nikki. That’s good.
((NATS: Nikki Mock)) You know, maybe you can tell just
looking at it right away. You don’t even need it to say.
((NATS: Ric Jackson)) Good enough to go. They don’t
have to be beautiful.
((NATS: Nikki Mock)) Right.
((NATS: Ric Jackson)) They just need to function.
((Nikki Mock, Volunteer Collecting Donated Bikes))
With the pandemic, I started to think like what else are the
kids doing? Like they, you know, parks were closed. They
weren’t going to school. In Ward 8, which is, you know, the
poorest, probably the poorest part of Washington, D.C.,
where the most underprivileged families and kids live, there
really was hardly anything to do. So, every time I bring a
bike to a child, I feel like it’s giving them, you know, a sense
of freedom, a sense of fun and probably most importantly, a
sense that people care about them. I couldn’t do this without
Ric. Ric doesn’t charge me anything. He does it out of the
goodness of his heart. You know, Ric is my hero in a lot of
ways.
((NATS: Ric Jackson)) Alright. I will be in touch, Nikki.
((NATS: Nikki Mock)) Have a good day. Thank you.
((NATS: Ric Jackson)) I will let you know when things are
ready.
((Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
I guess it’s always been in my nature even when I was
working. The place that I worked at, the National Institute of
Standards and Technology, has a mission to support
commercial activities in this country. And so, I was a
mission-oriented person even during my career, doing stuff
to help other people. But after I retired, volunteering just
seemed like a natural thing to do. I was comfortable. I was
happy with what I have done, and I was looking for
something else meaningful to do.
((Courtesy: Bike Loaner Program))
((Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
And I started volunteering at the national park nearby, the
C&O Canal. And I created and ran their bike loaner program
down there. It’s the place where people could come in and
borrow bicycles for two hours for free. We had 150 bicycles
in our fleet, and that’s when I learned how to repair bicycles.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
I fix the bikes in my garage. I park my cars out on the
driveway around the street. After the pandemic is over and I
stop doing this, I will put my cars back in the garage.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
((Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
My own spare time? I ride my bicycle a lot. I go on long
bike rides with friends. It’s important to me to ride, to be
healthy, to stay healthy. But it also gets me out in nature,
and I can just enjoy being away from everything and just
riding my bicycle.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((NATS: Ric Jackson))
I am going to go for a little test drive. Okay? I will be right
back.
((Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
I don't charge for anything that I do. But people do
frequently bring me gifts, goodies, baked goods, brownies
or, in this case, chocolate. These appeared from a lady
whose bike I repaired this morning.
So, this is the note that the lady left along with the chocolate.
It says, “Thanks for being big-hearted. Now, my dogs and I
can go on more bike rides together.” It makes me feel good
that I made somebody else feel great. That makes my day.
((Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
But one of the things that works for me that I enjoy very
much is that doing this, doing this in my garage out here,
allows me to interact with my neighbors. The neighbors right
next door to me, the neighbors across the street, the
neighbors many streets away. I get to meet them, talk to
them, interact with them and get to know them. And that’s
an awful lot of fun. It’s like it was when I was growing up.
((Rima Adler, Customer))
Ric is a great example of how to be a neighbor and
contribute to the community and, I think, really inspiring on
how to keep a positive, upbeat feeling during a pandemic
and make us connected in this sort of disconnected time.
((Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
My idea of a community is just the people that I interact with,
where I live, the people in my neighborhood, in my town, in
my city, in my country and in the world. A lot of the bikes
that were donated to me down at the bike loaner program
that I couldn’t use, I re-donated to a group called Bikes for
the World and they would send the bikes out to other
countries. So, just the notion of helping people anywhere,
everywhere is, I guess, what I call a community.
((NATS))
((NATS: Ric Jackson))
I'm not going to make it really beautiful but I'm going to make
it work.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((NATS: Ric Jackson)) Tada.
((NATS))
((NATS: Ric Jackson)) Good.
((NATS))
((Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
At the end of the day, I can say I did something positive. I
made something work. I made somebody happy. And at the
end of my days, I am actually pretty happy. And when I put
my head down at night, I go right to sleep. And I wake up
the next morning, I look forward to doing it again.
((NATS/MUSIC))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up
((Banner))
A Rich Heritage
((SOT))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai Oakland))
I remember some of my other Religious Studies classes that
spoke about Judaism. And when you are on the outside
describing a religious tradition, it's very different than being
on the inside and experiencing it. That was the shift. I
wanted to be with the practitioners.
BREAK TWO
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK C
((PKG)) THE FIRST CHINESE AMERICAN RABBI
((TRT: 04:09))
((Topic Banner: Melding Traditions))
((Reporter: Jiu Dao))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((Map: Oakland, California))
((Main characters: 1 female))
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Courtesy: Temple Sinai-Oakland))
((Courtesy: Videoblocks))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
When people think rabbi, they are often thinking of an old
man with a big old beard
((Courtesy: Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin))
and that's never what I'm going to be. I'm Rabbi Jacqueline
Mates-Muchin,
((Courtesy: Temple Sinai-Oakland))
and I'm the senior rabbi at Temple Sinai
in Oakland, California,
((Courtesy: Skype))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
and I'm the first Chinese American rabbi.
((MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Temple Sinai-Oakland))
Rabbis are, the word means teacher. What does it mean to
be an insider? What does it mean to be Jewish? What
is that experience of it?
((MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Skype))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
If we go back as far as we can, nobody can think of anybody
who was ever a rabbi.
((MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Temple Sinai-Oakland))
It’s not a family tradition.
((Courtesy: Videoblocks))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
I grew up in San Francisco. My parents are
both physicians.
((Courtesy: Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin))
My mom is an OB-GYN [obstetrician-gynecologist]. My dad
is a psychiatrist.
My mom converted to Judaism before my parents were
married. I have four siblings. So, we have a very big family.
((MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Videoblocks))
((Popup Banner:
Her mother is a second-generation Chinese American. Her
father is the son of Austrian Jewish immigrants.))
((Courtesy: Skype))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
My father's family also escaped Nazi Europe. They were in
Vienna.
((Courtesy: Videoblocks))
So that family story was very significant to us and was a
huge part of our understanding of who we are. I became
very active in the Jewish community on my own, especially
as a teenager.
((Courtesy: Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin))
We all celebrated becoming bar and bat mitzvah [Jewish
religious ritual and family celebration] when we were 13.
((Courtesy: Temple Sinai-Oakland))
There were lion dancers at every single one of our bar and
bat mitzvah [Jewish religious ritual and family celebration]
celebration.
((Courtesy: Skype))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
At these significant moments in our lives, it was important to
us to be able to make sure that like all the symbols
((Courtesy: Temple Sinai-Oakland))
that represented us were there.
((Courtesy: Skype))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
We didn't have a lot of other families that have the same kind
of make up as ours.
((Courtesy: Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin))
But because we were a large group, I think that also just
helped us to feel like we had our own like mini tribe and
our way of doing things.
((MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Videoblocks))
My favorite Jewish food I would say is matzo ball soup.
((Courtesy: Skype))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
And my favorite Chinese food is chicken feet, which was one
of my favorite thing
((Courtesy: Videoblocks))
when we would go out to dim sum.
((MUSIC))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
((Courtesy: Videoblocks))
We celebrate three New Years. Jewish New Year, Rosh
Hashanah is usually in the fall, the early fall. And then of
course we have January 1st and then we have we have
Chinese New Year.
((Courtesy: Skype))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
There was such a wonderful wealth of tradition and of
holidays and of family.
((MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Videoblocks))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
I was a Religious Studies major and then I added Cultural
Anthropology. I remember some of my other Religious
Studies classes that spoke about Judaism.
((Courtesy: Skype))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
And when you are on the outside describing a religious
tradition, it's very different than being on the inside and
experiencing it.
((Courtesy: Videoblocks))
That was the shift. I wanted to be with the practitioners.
((MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Temple Sinai-Oakland))
((Popup Banner:
In 2002, Jacqueline Mates-Muchin was ordained by Hebrew
Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York.))
((Courtesy: Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin))
What is it like?
((Courtesy: Temple Sinai-Oakland))
In terms of just encouraging people to be authentic to who
they are and connected to Judaism and connected to all
aspects of, you know, their heritage and things like that.
((Courtesy: Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin))
I think it's a big responsibility. It’s humbling. It's an honor in
a lot of ways. A lot of people also come to me to talk
about ‘how do we make sure that our kids understand where
they come from?’
((Courtesy: Skype))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
That's where I just feel so fortunate about the way that my
parents
((Courtesy: Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin))
had modeled that for me. Things don't have to be
at odds. They don't have to be clashing.
((Courtesy: Skype))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
It's actually a really special way to go through life to
understand that you fit in many places.
((MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin))
My being Chinese and Jewish
((Courtesy: Skype))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
is very much a product of my being an American, that my
parents, right in the 60s at UC Berkeley,
((Courtesy: Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin))
that enables me to be here.
((MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Temple Sinai-Oakland))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
If you ask me, what feels like it outweighs one or the other
being Chinese or Jewish, I couldn't answer.
((Courtesy: Skype))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
Truth is, if there's any one identity that probably stands out
the most, it's probably being American.
((MUSIC))
((PKG)) CONNECT WITH – DIANA WERTS, PAINTER
((TRT: 03:22))
((Topic Banner: Connect with – Diana Werts))
((Reporter/Camera: Deepak Dobhal))
((Locator: Matfield Green, Kansas))
((Main character: 1 female))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Diana Werts, Painter))
Okay. So, my name is Diana Werts, and I am a painter, and
I studied art nearby, and I am 66 years old.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Diana Werts, Painter))
This building right here was a bar called the Hitchin Post.
So, as a 17-year-old college student, stopping in the Hitchin
Post when you're almost, almost of age to drink but not
quite, was pretty exciting for me. I could order a red beer
and feel like a real big person.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Diana Werts, Painter))
I had some, a lot of tragic things happen when I was young.
I drove through here all the time, back and forth, to get
home, and this drive was a healing thing for me. It was like
this magical, beautiful place, especially this spot right
here. And so, two years ago we realized this bar was for
sale and had been empty for five years. And it seemed like,
kind of a self-healing thing to do, to come here and grab this
building and give it some love.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Diana Werts, Painter))
It's just one of those things you do when you're young, and I
think I was, maybe, 20. I had an idea that, maybe, I should
hop a freight train. So, I did that. It was illegal and it was
risky. One of the trains I hesitated because it was starting to
take off. And so, I ran and I climbed up, I grabbed it and got
up. And I was like proud of myself because I was standing,
you know, on the train moving. And then the conductor or
whoever he was, was standing at the other end of the train
going, um, umm. And so, we had to kind of get over to him,
the opposite side of the car, and he acted really tough like he
was, he said something like, “You know what I do to people
who hop freight trains?” Like, no. What do you do? He
wanted to, you know, really bully us and scare us. And then
he ended up being really fun to talk to and told us all about
the train.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Diana Werts, Painter))
Well, the reason I say I was orphaned is that my mother died
when I was 15 and my dad just completely checked out. He,
and then he married a math teacher at my high school. And
I wasn't nurtured anymore. And I was, it was, they were
counting the days till I was gone. That's probably why I liked
to stretch the rules a little bit because I felt like I didn't have
anybody watching over me, you know, holding me to
anything, sort of like find your way. Okay, I'll find it my way.
And I did.
((NATS/MUSIC))
NEXT WEEK ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
In coming weeks…..
Zoe’s Cards
((SOT))
((Zoe Moser, Founder, The Zoe Project))
Hey guys, it’s Zoe and I’m the CEO of the Zoe Project.
I have started my cards during this pandemic. I started my
project with making cards for anyone in nursing homes,
nurses, doctors or anyone in jail, anyone who feels forgotten.
My mom would drive to the nursing home. We would have
to call the nursing home because we can't come inside. You
pass the cards to a nurse that comes to the door.
((NATS: Zoe Moser and Nurse))
Oh my God!
((Zoe Moser, Founder, The Zoe Project))
I think I've created, maybe, about 300 in total.
((NATS))
CLOSING ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
BREAK THREE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
SHOW ENDS
EPISODE #168
AIR DATE 04 02 2021
TRANSCRIPT
OPEN ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
Celebrating Words
((SOT))
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
The Word Wall is telling the story of where do words come
from in the English language. How did they get into English?
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
A Rider’s Friend
((SOT))
((Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
I love working on bikes. I love taking old bikes and fixing
them up so people can use them again. And cleaning them
up and I turn them into a thing of beauty in my mind.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Looking Back
((SOT))
((Diana Werts, Painter))
I had an idea that, maybe, I should hop a freight train. So, I
did that. It was illegal and it was risky. And then the
conductor or whoever he was, was standing at the other end
of the train going, um, umm.
((Open Animation))
BLOCK A
((PKG)) WORD MUSEUM
((TRT: 05:42))
((Topic Banner: A World of Words))
((Reporter/Producer: Marsha James))
((Camera/Editor: Philip Alexiou))
((Map: Washington, D.C.))
((Main characters: 1 female))
((NATS))
Hey there. Step up to the mic and say hello.
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
Hello.
((NATS))
Hello and welcome to Planet Word.
Hello. Yo. Hi there.
You’re standing in front of about 1000 words.
((NATS))
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
I'm Ann Friedman. I'm the founder and CEO of Planet Word,
a new museum of words and language in Washington D.C.
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
From an early age, grew up loving to read, grew up being
really interested in words and foreign languages. And that's
why I started investigating the idea of creating a museum of
words and language.
((NATS))
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
Being able to occupy the Franklin School, it’s a National
Historic Landmark, as the home for Planet Word…..
((Courtesy: Planet Word/Long Story Short Media))
We like to call ourselves the world's first voice-activated
museum. So, we have lots of voice recognition technology,
but we also have motion activation.
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
We have places throughout the museum where just by
scooting in on a chair, the exhibit begins or by laying a book
in a special holder, you will trigger projection technology.
((NATS))
There's a character called the Once-ler and the Once-ler is
essentially us and what we're doing to the planet.
((NATS))
((Courtesy: Planet Word/Long Story Short Media))
The iconic scenes from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
have captivated audiences for generations.
“Off with their heads!” “Oh dear! Oh dear!”
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
We have these paintbrushes and you can basically dip one
of these high tech paintbrushes in a word palette and paint
the scenery
((Courtesy: Planet Word/Long Story Short Media))
around you on the walls with that word.
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
When I dip my brush in that word, what's going to happen?
You know, let me see. And I bet when you do that, you are
never going to forget that word. It's going to be sunk into
your conscience.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Planet Word/Long Story Short Media))
A subject we call cooking. Everything is a wheel, turning
and turning, never stopping. The frogs is part of it and bugs
and fish and wood thrush, too.
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
Jokes. What makes them funny? You know, it's those
((Courtesy: Planet Word/Long Story Short Media))
homophones and double entendres.
((NATS))
((Courtesy: Planet Word/Long Story Short Media))
Oh, come on. Come on.
That was not close to funny.
A little laugh?
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
We've had fantastic programs that are reaching a much
larger audience. People from all around the U.S. and even
in other countries who can listen and enjoy our virtual
programs.
((NATS: Ann Friedman and others))
((Courtesy: Planet Word/Long Story Short Media))
Ni hao.
Ni hao. My name is Yaro. I'm from China and my first
language is Mandarin.
You can see on the globe. China is lighting up.
…...people speak it.
Habari. I'm Doreen. I’m from Tanzania and I speak Swahili.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Planet Word/Long Story Short Media))
I speak Icelandic. I speak Amharic, Hindi, Korean,
Hawaiian, Farsi. And I speak Hebrew.
Shalom.
Shalom.
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
The Word Wall is telling the story of where do words come
from in the English language. How did they get into English?
And there are many ways that words enter our language.
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
In fact, the exhibit designer and I came up with 24 ways that
words enter English, but we settled on about eight important
ways that are represented by the Word Wall and the story it
tells.
((NATS))
English has thousands of words we don't use that much.
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
So, that's words that came in from war, and from the Vikings,
and then in 1066 and the Norman Conquest. Words that we
borrow from other languages.
((NATS))
Part of the story of English is the story of violence, warfare,
conquest and lots of it.
It all started when Germanic tribes sailed to what’s now
England and conquered the people who lived there.
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
You know, I was, I was a reading and writing teacher and I
think I was pretty successful at that. But like I said, test
scores in language arts have been stagnating for years.
How could we try to reverse these negative trends?
And the idea that came to me was through informal learning.
That's what happens at museums. You make learning fun.
You have big spaces.
You can attract celebrities,
((Courtesy: Planet Word/Long Story Short Media))
all sorts of things that a person can't do on their own or a
teacher can't do on his or her own in a school classroom.
((Ann Friedman, Founder and CEO, Planet Word))
So, I felt like having a museum allowed me the space and
the influence and then, sort of, national attention that,
maybe, would make reading and language and words cool
again.
((NATS))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up
((Banner))
Lending a Hand
((SOT))
((Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
At the end of the day, I can say I did something positive. I
made something work. I made somebody happy. And at the
end of my days, I am actually pretty happy.
BREAK ONE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK B
((PKG)) PANDEMIC BIKE REPAIR SHOP
((TRT: 08:04))
((Topic Banner: A Biker’s Friend))
((Reporter/Camera/Editor: June Soh))
((Map: Potomac, Maryland))
((Main character: 1 male))
((Sub characters: 3 female))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
I love working on bikes. I love taking old bikes and fixing
them up so people can use them again. And cleaning them
up and I turn them into a thing of beauty in my mind. I don’t
charge, just my gift to my neighbors.
((NATS: Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
The wheels work and that’s good.
((NATS: Kara Sun & Ric Jackson))
((Kara Sun)) Hey, Ric.
((Ric Jackson)) Hey, Kara.
((Kara Sun)) Oh, the bike’s ready, huh? And his bike.
Wow, look at that!
((Ric Jackson)) It is clean and neat and tidy and updated.
How do you like it?
((Kara Sun)) Oh, my God. So, I am going to ride his bike.
((Ric Jackson)) Oh, okay.
((NATS))
((Kara Sun, Customer))
During COVID, we picked up biking because we want to be
socially distanced. However, all of our bikes were not in a
good condition at all. So, we’ve been trying to get her bike
to a repair shop. Everywhere we went, we called, they say,
“Oh, at least six months, five months. We’re not taking any
more bikes. We’re completely booked.”
((NATS))
((Kara Sun, Customer))
As a whole family, we dearly, sincerely appreciate what Ric
does.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
Back in April, April, early April in the beginning of the
pandemic, there was somebody who sent out a message on
our local ListServe and said, “Is anybody out there that can
repair bike, my daughter's, the breaks on my daughter’s
bicycle?” I said, “I’m willing to do it.” And since then, I have
had over 670 bicycles that I have repaired.
((NATS: Phone ring music))
((NATS: Ric Jackson)) Excuse me just a second.
((NATS: Ric Jackson)) Pretty good. When would you
come? That would be perfect.
((NATS: Customer)) Thank you so much.
((NATS: Ric Jackson)) Sure. Sounds good, right. I will
see you then. Sure, bye bye.
((NATS: Ric Jackson)) So, that’s somebody who will be
bringing her bike over shortly. Alright?
((NATS: Ric Jackson)) A lot of what I do is actually just
lubricating these things.
((NATS))
((NATS: Ric Jackson)) That’s good Nikki. That’s good.
((NATS: Nikki Mock)) You know, maybe you can tell just
looking at it right away. You don’t even need it to say.
((NATS: Ric Jackson)) Good enough to go. They don’t
have to be beautiful.
((NATS: Nikki Mock)) Right.
((NATS: Ric Jackson)) They just need to function.
((Nikki Mock, Volunteer Collecting Donated Bikes))
With the pandemic, I started to think like what else are the
kids doing? Like they, you know, parks were closed. They
weren’t going to school. In Ward 8, which is, you know, the
poorest, probably the poorest part of Washington, D.C.,
where the most underprivileged families and kids live, there
really was hardly anything to do. So, every time I bring a
bike to a child, I feel like it’s giving them, you know, a sense
of freedom, a sense of fun and probably most importantly, a
sense that people care about them. I couldn’t do this without
Ric. Ric doesn’t charge me anything. He does it out of the
goodness of his heart. You know, Ric is my hero in a lot of
ways.
((NATS: Ric Jackson)) Alright. I will be in touch, Nikki.
((NATS: Nikki Mock)) Have a good day. Thank you.
((NATS: Ric Jackson)) I will let you know when things are
ready.
((Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
I guess it’s always been in my nature even when I was
working. The place that I worked at, the National Institute of
Standards and Technology, has a mission to support
commercial activities in this country. And so, I was a
mission-oriented person even during my career, doing stuff
to help other people. But after I retired, volunteering just
seemed like a natural thing to do. I was comfortable. I was
happy with what I have done, and I was looking for
something else meaningful to do.
((Courtesy: Bike Loaner Program))
((Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
And I started volunteering at the national park nearby, the
C&O Canal. And I created and ran their bike loaner program
down there. It’s the place where people could come in and
borrow bicycles for two hours for free. We had 150 bicycles
in our fleet, and that’s when I learned how to repair bicycles.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
I fix the bikes in my garage. I park my cars out on the
driveway around the street. After the pandemic is over and I
stop doing this, I will put my cars back in the garage.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
((Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
My own spare time? I ride my bicycle a lot. I go on long
bike rides with friends. It’s important to me to ride, to be
healthy, to stay healthy. But it also gets me out in nature,
and I can just enjoy being away from everything and just
riding my bicycle.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((NATS: Ric Jackson))
I am going to go for a little test drive. Okay? I will be right
back.
((Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
I don't charge for anything that I do. But people do
frequently bring me gifts, goodies, baked goods, brownies
or, in this case, chocolate. These appeared from a lady
whose bike I repaired this morning.
So, this is the note that the lady left along with the chocolate.
It says, “Thanks for being big-hearted. Now, my dogs and I
can go on more bike rides together.” It makes me feel good
that I made somebody else feel great. That makes my day.
((Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
But one of the things that works for me that I enjoy very
much is that doing this, doing this in my garage out here,
allows me to interact with my neighbors. The neighbors right
next door to me, the neighbors across the street, the
neighbors many streets away. I get to meet them, talk to
them, interact with them and get to know them. And that’s
an awful lot of fun. It’s like it was when I was growing up.
((Rima Adler, Customer))
Ric is a great example of how to be a neighbor and
contribute to the community and, I think, really inspiring on
how to keep a positive, upbeat feeling during a pandemic
and make us connected in this sort of disconnected time.
((Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
My idea of a community is just the people that I interact with,
where I live, the people in my neighborhood, in my town, in
my city, in my country and in the world. A lot of the bikes
that were donated to me down at the bike loaner program
that I couldn’t use, I re-donated to a group called Bikes for
the World and they would send the bikes out to other
countries. So, just the notion of helping people anywhere,
everywhere is, I guess, what I call a community.
((NATS))
((NATS: Ric Jackson))
I'm not going to make it really beautiful but I'm going to make
it work.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((NATS: Ric Jackson)) Tada.
((NATS))
((NATS: Ric Jackson)) Good.
((NATS))
((Ric Jackson, Pandemic Bike Repair Shop))
At the end of the day, I can say I did something positive. I
made something work. I made somebody happy. And at the
end of my days, I am actually pretty happy. And when I put
my head down at night, I go right to sleep. And I wake up
the next morning, I look forward to doing it again.
((NATS/MUSIC))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up
((Banner))
A Rich Heritage
((SOT))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai Oakland))
I remember some of my other Religious Studies classes that
spoke about Judaism. And when you are on the outside
describing a religious tradition, it's very different than being
on the inside and experiencing it. That was the shift. I
wanted to be with the practitioners.
BREAK TWO
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK C
((PKG)) THE FIRST CHINESE AMERICAN RABBI
((TRT: 04:09))
((Topic Banner: Melding Traditions))
((Reporter: Jiu Dao))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((Map: Oakland, California))
((Main characters: 1 female))
((MUSIC/NATS))
((Courtesy: Temple Sinai-Oakland))
((Courtesy: Videoblocks))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
When people think rabbi, they are often thinking of an old
man with a big old beard
((Courtesy: Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin))
and that's never what I'm going to be. I'm Rabbi Jacqueline
Mates-Muchin,
((Courtesy: Temple Sinai-Oakland))
and I'm the senior rabbi at Temple Sinai
in Oakland, California,
((Courtesy: Skype))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
and I'm the first Chinese American rabbi.
((MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Temple Sinai-Oakland))
Rabbis are, the word means teacher. What does it mean to
be an insider? What does it mean to be Jewish? What
is that experience of it?
((MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Skype))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
If we go back as far as we can, nobody can think of anybody
who was ever a rabbi.
((MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Temple Sinai-Oakland))
It’s not a family tradition.
((Courtesy: Videoblocks))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
I grew up in San Francisco. My parents are
both physicians.
((Courtesy: Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin))
My mom is an OB-GYN [obstetrician-gynecologist]. My dad
is a psychiatrist.
My mom converted to Judaism before my parents were
married. I have four siblings. So, we have a very big family.
((MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Videoblocks))
((Popup Banner:
Her mother is a second-generation Chinese American. Her
father is the son of Austrian Jewish immigrants.))
((Courtesy: Skype))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
My father's family also escaped Nazi Europe. They were in
Vienna.
((Courtesy: Videoblocks))
So that family story was very significant to us and was a
huge part of our understanding of who we are. I became
very active in the Jewish community on my own, especially
as a teenager.
((Courtesy: Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin))
We all celebrated becoming bar and bat mitzvah [Jewish
religious ritual and family celebration] when we were 13.
((Courtesy: Temple Sinai-Oakland))
There were lion dancers at every single one of our bar and
bat mitzvah [Jewish religious ritual and family celebration]
celebration.
((Courtesy: Skype))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
At these significant moments in our lives, it was important to
us to be able to make sure that like all the symbols
((Courtesy: Temple Sinai-Oakland))
that represented us were there.
((Courtesy: Skype))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
We didn't have a lot of other families that have the same kind
of make up as ours.
((Courtesy: Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin))
But because we were a large group, I think that also just
helped us to feel like we had our own like mini tribe and
our way of doing things.
((MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Videoblocks))
My favorite Jewish food I would say is matzo ball soup.
((Courtesy: Skype))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
And my favorite Chinese food is chicken feet, which was one
of my favorite thing
((Courtesy: Videoblocks))
when we would go out to dim sum.
((MUSIC))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
((Courtesy: Videoblocks))
We celebrate three New Years. Jewish New Year, Rosh
Hashanah is usually in the fall, the early fall. And then of
course we have January 1st and then we have we have
Chinese New Year.
((Courtesy: Skype))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
There was such a wonderful wealth of tradition and of
holidays and of family.
((MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Videoblocks))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
I was a Religious Studies major and then I added Cultural
Anthropology. I remember some of my other Religious
Studies classes that spoke about Judaism.
((Courtesy: Skype))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
And when you are on the outside describing a religious
tradition, it's very different than being on the inside and
experiencing it.
((Courtesy: Videoblocks))
That was the shift. I wanted to be with the practitioners.
((MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Temple Sinai-Oakland))
((Popup Banner:
In 2002, Jacqueline Mates-Muchin was ordained by Hebrew
Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York.))
((Courtesy: Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin))
What is it like?
((Courtesy: Temple Sinai-Oakland))
In terms of just encouraging people to be authentic to who
they are and connected to Judaism and connected to all
aspects of, you know, their heritage and things like that.
((Courtesy: Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin))
I think it's a big responsibility. It’s humbling. It's an honor in
a lot of ways. A lot of people also come to me to talk
about ‘how do we make sure that our kids understand where
they come from?’
((Courtesy: Skype))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
That's where I just feel so fortunate about the way that my
parents
((Courtesy: Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin))
had modeled that for me. Things don't have to be
at odds. They don't have to be clashing.
((Courtesy: Skype))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
It's actually a really special way to go through life to
understand that you fit in many places.
((MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin))
My being Chinese and Jewish
((Courtesy: Skype))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
is very much a product of my being an American, that my
parents, right in the 60s at UC Berkeley,
((Courtesy: Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin))
that enables me to be here.
((MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Temple Sinai-Oakland))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
If you ask me, what feels like it outweighs one or the other
being Chinese or Jewish, I couldn't answer.
((Courtesy: Skype))
((Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin, Senior Rabbi, Temple
Sinai-Oakland))
Truth is, if there's any one identity that probably stands out
the most, it's probably being American.
((MUSIC))
((PKG)) CONNECT WITH – DIANA WERTS, PAINTER
((TRT: 03:22))
((Topic Banner: Connect with – Diana Werts))
((Reporter/Camera: Deepak Dobhal))
((Locator: Matfield Green, Kansas))
((Main character: 1 female))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Diana Werts, Painter))
Okay. So, my name is Diana Werts, and I am a painter, and
I studied art nearby, and I am 66 years old.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Diana Werts, Painter))
This building right here was a bar called the Hitchin Post.
So, as a 17-year-old college student, stopping in the Hitchin
Post when you're almost, almost of age to drink but not
quite, was pretty exciting for me. I could order a red beer
and feel like a real big person.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Diana Werts, Painter))
I had some, a lot of tragic things happen when I was young.
I drove through here all the time, back and forth, to get
home, and this drive was a healing thing for me. It was like
this magical, beautiful place, especially this spot right
here. And so, two years ago we realized this bar was for
sale and had been empty for five years. And it seemed like,
kind of a self-healing thing to do, to come here and grab this
building and give it some love.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Diana Werts, Painter))
It's just one of those things you do when you're young, and I
think I was, maybe, 20. I had an idea that, maybe, I should
hop a freight train. So, I did that. It was illegal and it was
risky. One of the trains I hesitated because it was starting to
take off. And so, I ran and I climbed up, I grabbed it and got
up. And I was like proud of myself because I was standing,
you know, on the train moving. And then the conductor or
whoever he was, was standing at the other end of the train
going, um, umm. And so, we had to kind of get over to him,
the opposite side of the car, and he acted really tough like he
was, he said something like, “You know what I do to people
who hop freight trains?” Like, no. What do you do? He
wanted to, you know, really bully us and scare us. And then
he ended up being really fun to talk to and told us all about
the train.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Diana Werts, Painter))
Well, the reason I say I was orphaned is that my mother died
when I was 15 and my dad just completely checked out. He,
and then he married a math teacher at my high school. And
I wasn't nurtured anymore. And I was, it was, they were
counting the days till I was gone. That's probably why I liked
to stretch the rules a little bit because I felt like I didn't have
anybody watching over me, you know, holding me to
anything, sort of like find your way. Okay, I'll find it my way.
And I did.
((NATS/MUSIC))
NEXT WEEK ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
In coming weeks…..
Zoe’s Cards
((SOT))
((Zoe Moser, Founder, The Zoe Project))
Hey guys, it’s Zoe and I’m the CEO of the Zoe Project.
I have started my cards during this pandemic. I started my
project with making cards for anyone in nursing homes,
nurses, doctors or anyone in jail, anyone who feels forgotten.
My mom would drive to the nursing home. We would have
to call the nursing home because we can't come inside. You
pass the cards to a nurse that comes to the door.
((NATS: Zoe Moser and Nurse))
Oh my God!
((Zoe Moser, Founder, The Zoe Project))
I think I've created, maybe, about 300 in total.
((NATS))
CLOSING ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
BREAK THREE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
SHOW ENDS
