VOA CONNECT
EPISODE #188
AIR DATE: 08/20/21
TRANSCRIPT
OPEN ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
Helping Out
((SOT))
((Leslie Sturges, Bat Rehabilitator))
Its hard to manipulate a tiny bat and a tiny meal worm with
tweezers that are bigger than everybody. Hang on, girlie. Let
me find your bug. Hold on.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Peeking In
((SOT))
((Sally Davies, Photographer))
I think people enjoy looking in other people's homes. I do.
And in New York, people tend to be not quite so open about
their homes. You know, you can't go by and look in people's
windows. You think you're nutty? You can look in there and
see somebody who's nuttier.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Staying Safe
((SOT))
((Satya Agarwal, Retired Electronic Production Operator,
DRS Technologies))
When I knew about COVID, and I was told you cannot see
each other. It was really hard, and I even cried when Pavan
told me that you cannot come to see mom. And, so I said,
Why? What's so wrong?
((Open Animation))
BLOCK A
((PKG)) THE BAT REHABILITATOR
((TRT: 04:48))
((Topic Banner: Bat Rehab))
((Reporter/Camera/Producer: Jeff Swicord))
((Map: Mount Solon, Virginia))
((Main character: 1 Female))
((NATS/Music))
((NATS: Leslie Sturges))
Here you go. Good job, buddy!
((Leslie Sturges, Founder, Bat World NOVA))
I was always interested in natures underdogs. When I was a
little kid, I did snakes and tadpoles and when I worked at the
zoo, I was the spider keeper. Bats are sort of a natural
outgrowth of that. Theyre just fascinating animals.
And I think, I really got interested in them in college when I
started taking animal diversity and they were like, this is the
second largest group of mammals and look how cool they
are. And that really kicked off my interest.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Leslie Sturges, Founder, Bat World NOVA))
To do wildlife rehabilitation of anything, its like a calling. You
have to be pretty driven because you have sleepless nights
and nobody pays you to do it.
((NATS: Leslie Sturges))
We toss lettuce off the deck down to them and they think its
great fun.
((NATS))
((Leslie Sturges, Founder, Bat World NOVA))
So, this is how they are housed in these, theyre actually
zippered dog crates. They eat a lot and they go to the
bathroom a lot. So, she is right up there. So, you can see
shes very dark. Shes small. We want people to understand
that bats are not evil or the harbinger of diseases.
Let me just qualify that. So far, with North American bats that
have been tested, nothing, there have been no positive hits
for COVID.
So, there is a lot of imagery associated with bats where they
appear to be like, you know, a four-foot [1.22 meters]
wingspan and giant canines and sometimes some flashing
red eyes to top it all off and, thats not that.
We do school programs, libraries. So, we basically go out
and tell everybody how awesome bats are.
((NATS))
((Leslie Sturges, Founder, Bat World NOVA))
So, every time he opens his mouth, you can hear the click.
And thats coming through the bat detector. They are the
major night-time predator of flying insects. The really cool
thing is to be out at night, and you can hear the bats even
when you cant see them.
((NATS))
((Leslie Sturges, Founder, Bat World NOVA))
If the bats werent out there eating them, that would just be
this enormous biomass of insects that are just there eating
plants.
This one is a tricolored bat. There she is, hello! And theyre
called tricolors because their fur is supposedly banded in
three different places. I can only ever see two of the bands.
See how it is dark at the base and gets lighter toward the tip.
So, she was supposed to be a releasable bat, but it turned
out that she had sustained some damage to her tail and to
one of her thumbs. She wont survive in the wild. Seems to,
oh sorry, hang on. Its hard to manipulate a tiny bat and a
tiny meal worm with tweezers that are bigger than
everybody. Hang on, girlie. Let me find your bug. Hold on.
Here, she might be done. Like this is kind of new for her.
Can we do that again or youve just had it? Are you just
done? Whats the matter? Sorry, I didnt mean to smack you
in the head there. Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. No, she
might be done. Yeah, she is telling me she is done. Go on,
sweetie.
((Leslie Sturges, Founder, Bat World NOVA))
So, we dont ever want to push them to a point where what is
going on, you know, me trying to give her a mealworm and
everything, is just so negative, she was starting to nip. And I
dont want to take her to that point because I want her to be
happy about interacting with people. Not people writ large,
with a handler so she can do education programs.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((NATS: Leslie Sturges))
Im just going to check under here. It would be unusual if
anybody was under here. And they are not.
((Leslie Sturges, Founder, Bat World NOVA))
So, we are in the flight cage. This is where they come to
acclimate to flying if theyve been in rehab.
((NATS: Leslie Sturges))
And nobody there.
((Leslie Sturges, Founder, Bat World NOVA))
And there is actually insects that come in because we run a
UV [ultra violet] light. And then they can practice on their
own. They learn how to feed themselves and they learn how
to do all the maneuvers they need. And then, there is a set
of double doors right on the back side of the flight cage. We
just open those at night when they are ready to go and close
them at dawn. And our last release, which was just a few
days ago, we had 18 leave the very first night that we
opened the doors. Always the priority is release and get
them back to the wild.
((NATS/MUSIC))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up
((Banner))
Smile!
((SOT))
((Laura Fuchs, Photographer))
I think, certainly people will continue to smile. And I think, of
course, it is important that we continue to smile through
these difficult times.
BREAK ONE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK B
((PKG)) APARTMENT PHOTOGRAPHER
((TRT: 5:26))
((Topic Banner: Capturing Homes))
((VOA Russian))
((Reporter: Anna Nelson))
((Camera: Maxim Avloshenko))
((Editor: Natalia Latukhina))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((Map: New York City, New York))
((Main character: 1 female))
((NATS))
((Sally Davies, Photographer))
I had very recently placed
((Courtesy: Sally Davies))
a big amount of photos
((Courtesy ends))
at the Museum of the City of New York on my outside,
((Courtesy: Sally Davies))
my street photography. I thought that was it.
((Courtesy ends))
I'm good now. And then one night, I woke up at four oclock
in the morning.
Oh my God! In a hundred years, people will go to the
museum and they will see all those photos of Whoa, look
what New York used to look like, and
((Courtesy: Sally Davies))
no idea who lived inside those buildings. And I thought,
That's my next project.
((Courtesy ends))
I'm going to go back. I'm going to go into people's homes
and I'm going to take their pictures with all their stuff. And I
started in
((Courtesy: Sally Davies))
about three days.
((Courtesy ends))
I think people enjoy looking in other people's homes. I do.
And in New York, people tend to be not quite so open about
their homes. You know, you can't go by and look in people's
windows. You think you're nutty? You can look in there and
see somebody who's nuttier. You think you have a lot of
stuff? You can look in there, see somebody who has more
stuff than you do.
So, I tried with a few friends first. And I thought, I'll go on
social media. I'll put a call out anybody who wants to, you
know, to do this. But I never had to. Everybody had another
friend, had another friend. And before you know it, people
were sending me an email with a picture of their house,
saying, Could you please put me in the book? you know.
I got my thing, my bag, and I would go to people's house,
and they would open the door and I'd be like, Hi, let me
look. And I would walk in their house and just quickly. Some
places, I was only for five minutes or 10 minutes.
((Courtesy: Sally Davies))
There's a woman in
((Courtesy ends))
the book named Marina.
((Courtesy: Sally Davies))
And she answered the door in this 50s Dior, vintage beautiful
gown. And we walked into the living room, she had painted
the whole living room pink to match the gown. That's why we
have that beautiful photo of her.
((Courtesy ends))
Also, the woman, Suzanne Mallouk,
((Courtesy: Sally Davies))
in the book. She's the woman that was Jean-Michel
Basquiat's girlfriend many years ago. She answered the door
like that with the turban and this beautiful thing and it made
the book very varied, right? I mean, some people were like
that
((Courtesy ends))
and other people were just like me. Nothing. This is how I
am.
((Courtesy: Sally Davies))
I shot about 125 people.
((Courtesy ends))
Bun came with me to every photograph and that was good.
Maybe at the beginning, I was afraid, a little nervous. And I
had my friends were going, Are you out of your mind?
You're going by yourself to this., you know. But after a few, I
just wasn't nervous anymore. I thought, This is not going to
go bad. The fellow that has the coffins, did you see that
photo?
((Courtesy: Sally Davies))
He is legally blind and he was on the sixth-floor walk-up,
really nice person. He has two coffins in his living room. One
adult size thats all tricked out so when you open it, it
becomes a couch. Over here is a baby coffin, and when you
open it, it's a liquor cabinet.
((Courtesy ends))
When I moved here in 83, this neighborhood was all
tenements.
((Courtesy: Sally Davies))
The first apartment I ever had, had a bathtub in the kitchen.
And when you tell people that, they're like, What? Youre
like, Yeah, that was a thing. And they were all exactly the
same. It was the tenement buildings, right?
((Courtesy ends))
I discovered that you can never tell, ever, what is inside from
what is outside. I would, you know, meet periodically famous
people or people that were very wealthy. And, you know,
you'd go to their place and the outside of the building would
always, not always, but often be a complete dump.
((Courtesy: Sally Davies))
Then, you'd walk into these, like fantastic apartments.
They don't want their building to look nice, especially in
those days. Youd be robbed. Youd have people breaking
in, you know. So, that was just fine.
((Courtesy ends))
One lady in the book, she had tiny, little room. Like her and
her husband got this little
((Courtesy: Sally Davies))
apartment, Upper West Side, years ago, when they first
were starting up. And over the years, they had some children
and they needed more space. They looked around. They
couldn't get a bigger apartment. So, apartment came up for
rent in their building. They took it and they raised their family
in two apartments. So, the kids spent their whole life in their
pajamas going up and down. Like, they slept up and then
living room was downstairs. How funny is that?
This has all happened so quickly that we haven't really
caught up. And I haven't, mentally, with the fact that we're
already doing another printing and the first printing just came
out three days ago and it sold out. I don't even know what to
think about that.
So, the timing was really like God arranged this, I think. It
would not have been made. Because people will not, would
never let me back in their house now. Not the way things still
are. I don't know the word coincidence. It might appear to be
a coincidence of the timing of all of this. I don't believe in
coincidences. I don't know that things will ever be what they
were before this. The project is sort of a love letter to what
now is a time gone past.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((PKG)) MASK SMILES
((TRT: 4:10))
((Topic Banner: Capturing Smiles))
((VOA Russian))
((Reporter: Anna Nelson))
((Camera: Vladimir Badikov))
((Editor: Natalia Latukhina))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((Map: New York City, New York))
((Main character: 1 female))
((NATS))
((Laura Fuchs, Photographer))
That's part of what excites me to go out now and be
selective about which kind of mask.
((Courtesy: Laura Fuchs))
But I think what makes the photo great is the smile of the
person. You know,
((Courtesy ends))
they could all be
((Courtesy: Laura Fuchs))
surgical masks
((Courtesy ends))
and I think
((Courtesy: Laura Fuchs))
what makes the photos interesting is the sincere smile.
When COVID-19
((Courtesy ends))
came to New York City, I guess that was mid-March, people
started wearing masks and I noticed that there wasn't a lot of
eye contact happening or engagement. And I thought to
myself, We can still see smiles. I think I had an interaction
with a stranger on the street and I smiled at them with my
mask on, and I saw that they saw my smile and returned it,
you know, and I saw in their eyes. And so, I started a project
called Mask Smile, asking New Yorkers to smile with their
masks on,
((Courtesy: Laura Fuchs))
through their masks, for me. And it's been a really, really
rewarding series that I've been continuing to work on. I think
I have hundreds and hundreds of Mask Smile
((Courtesy ends))
photos of New Yorkers compiled at this point.
((Laura Fuchs, Photographer))
I never know if you want me to look or not.
((Laura Fuchs, Photographer))
I believe that, you know, a genuine smile shows in your eyes
more than anything else. And yeah, at this point, seeing all
of the different smiles that I've compiled, you know, I can
really see the sweetness in different photos and I'm so
grateful to everyone who shared that genuine smile with me.
((Laura Fuchs, Photographer))
So, my friend here gave me a great Mask Smile. Stay
positive, man, okay? I'll see you later.
((Courtesy: Laura Fuchs))
((Courtesy ends))
So, when I go out with my camera for these short walks, I'm
wearing a mask and I keep a six-foot [2m] distance and, you
know, I approach someone usually with a wave so they can
see that I'm trying to engage in conversation, and I ask them
if they wouldnt mind if I
((Courtesy: Laura Fuchs))
photograph them while smiling with their mask on. And
oftentimes, people's response is,
((Courtesy ends))
you know, Well, how will you see the smile?
((Courtesy: Laura Fuchs))
How are you going to see the smile with the mask on? And I
let them know, Its all in your eyes. I can see your smile.
((Courtesy ends))
Appreciate the energy that I'm trying to
((Courtesy: Laura Fuchs))
inject New York with. And I guess my hope is that they
continue to smile at other people, and kind of spread this,
like, you know, our own positive energy virus, you know.
((Courtesy ends))
((NATS))
((Laura Fuchs, Photographer))
On one of the first days that I was photographing Mask
Smile, I was getting rejected left and right. I think it was like,
out of 20 people that I asked, I got, you know, 18 noes.
I see this female bus driver, beautiful bus driver, and I think,
Okay, one more try before I finish for the day. And I say,
Hi, miss. Do you mind if I take your picture? I'm doing this
project, blah blah blah blah blah. And she goes, Of course.
She smiles at me.
((Courtesy: Laura Fuchs))
She's gorgeous, beautiful smile. And I say, Okay, quickly,
as the bus is like, raising up, you know, How do I send you
your picture? And she gives me her email address and she
says, lovelife, followed by a couple of numbers
@gmail.com.
((Courtesy ends))
And I just thought, that spoke so strongly to me.
((Courtesy: Laura Fuchs))
Traffic cops, construction workers, FedEx, FreshDirect, Uber
Eats delivery people, guys on bikes, every single New
Yorker. Everyone is going
((Courtesy ends))
through different things. It's been, as a photographer and
someone who documents New York City and is a street
photographer, its been certainly a very interesting
((Courtesy: Laura Fuchs))
experience to go from trying to raise New York spirits with
these Mask Smile photos to now the protests for Black Lives
Matter.
((Courtesy ends))
((Laura Fuchs, Photographer)
It's crazy how it changes. It really is.
((Laura Fuchs, Photographer))
I feel connected. I feel connected to strangers. I feel
connected to my city. And I think it's just naturally and the
subject matter has changed, you know.
I think, certainly
((Courtesy: Laura Fuchs))
people will continue to smile. And I think, of course, it is
important that we continue to smile through these difficult
times.
((Courtesy ends))
((NATS))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up
((Banner))
Out on Their Own
((SOT))
((Devin Cook, Co-Owner, Blackbird Salon))
Our standards or expectations, I should say, were set really
low. We were kind of like, Okay, let's just survive the first
year. Right? And then once we get out of COVID, we can
talk a little bit about growth or like even just the conversation
of success.
BREAK TWO
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK C
((PKG)) COVID HAIR SALON BUSINESS
((TRT: 03:16))
((Topic Banner: Building a Business))
((VOA Ukrainian))
((Reporter: Luliia Larmolenko))
((Camera: Kostyantyn Golubchyk))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((Map: Washington, D.C.))
((Main characters: 2 female))
((NATS))
((Justine Carlisle, Co-Owner, Blackbird Salon))
We would go to work from 11:00 to 8:00, do hair behind the
chair, serve our clients, and then we would go home and
from like 8:00 until midnight, we would be doing paperwork
online. We would be like looking for a location.
((NATS))
((Devin Cook, Co-Owner, Blackbird Salon))
When we decided to open a salon, I felt a little shy about not
knowing what to do or how to open a business. And I felt like
what this experience has taught me is just to ask questions.
And now, I feel like I really dont leave a meeting until I really
understand exactly what is expected of me or exactly whats
next.
((NATS))
((Justine Carlisle, Co-Owner, Blackbird Salon))
One of the most rewarding things every day is to be able to
have a team full of women at this point who come here and
feel empowered. I feel like our main goal with the culture of
Blackbird starts with the staff. If you come into a building and
you feel positive like happy energy, it's just going to flow off
of each other with the clients.
((NATS))
((Devin Cook, Co-Owner, Blackbird Salon))
There wasn't a lot of women that we worked alongside other
than each other. We always had each other. But when we
think about like our contractors or our lawyer or landlords,
people that we would talk to advise, it was always men. And
I think that the conversation of like women supporting
women, people are like, Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Maybe,
industries that we think are more feminine are actually still
being run by men.
((NATS))
((Justine Carlisle, Co-Owner, Blackbird Salon))
The biggest takeaway is that every single day is different.
You know, we would come here and not know what to
expect. And I think I started living by not being able to plan
too far ahead anymore because you really never know if
your doors will be closed for a while. So, I think no regrets,
just trying to figure out every day like what to do better?
((NATS))
((Devin Cook, Co-Owner, Blackbird Salon))
Our standards or expectations, I should say, were set really
low. We were kind of like, Okay, let's just survive the first
year. Right? And then once we get out of COVID, we can
talk a little bit about growth or like even just the conversation
of success. I don't really think that existed in our first year
due to the climate. I think it was just genuinely about survival
and paying our rent. And I think I'm really fortunate to say
that I feel like in the last year, we have seen success and we
are so grateful for like the kind of culture and environment
that we've been able to create even during these times
because it wasnt expected.
((NATS))
((Devin Cook, Co-Owner, Blackbird Salon))
I feel really grateful that we share this space with so many
people that are just as passionate. I think when we were
building it and we didn't know what Blackbird was going to
look like or what it was going to be, it was really hard for us
to imagine like people being on this team with us because
how do you explain something that doesn't exist? How do
you get people inspired about something that doesn't exist
yet? To see people also excited about it and also connected
to it, I feel really grateful.
((NATS))
((PKG)) CONNECT WITH SATYA
((TRT: 3:13))
((Banner: Connect with Satya Agarwal))
((Reporter/Camera: Lisa Vohra))
((Map: Gaithersburg, Maryland))
((Main character: 1 female))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Satya Agarwal, Retired Electronic Production Operator,
DRS Technologies))
When I knew about COVID, and I was told you cannot see
each other. It was really hard, and I even cried when Pavan
told me that you cannot come to see mom. And, so I said,
Why? What's so wrong? He said, because of the COVID,
you have to, we have to make the distance. I said, I never
thought like that. I cried that day, but then I say, No, its
okay. For our safety, we have to do that.
((Satya Agarwal, Retired Electronic Production Operator,
DRS Technologies))
Isolation period, it was really, not feeling good about that. It
was fearful that I cannot see everybody. How can I manage?
How I am going to manage being inside all the time. But,
slowly, slowly, I started and I made my routine. I joined my
exercise class on the Zoom luckily. And I started, I was
going out for a walk all the time. Thats first thing. And I will
wear my mask but even I have to do my grocery stuff, my
little chores. So, I will go. I was not that scared.
((Satya Agarwal, Retired Electronic Production Operator,
DRS Technologies))
I was frustrated because even if I go see my family, I have to
see them outside, six feet [2m] apart. I could not even touch
them. I could not even hug them. So, it was very different. I
never thought like that and sometimes I say, What is that?
It made me feel so bad.
((Satya Agarwal, Retired Electronic Production Operator,
DRS Technologies))
I got my vaccination in February, 2021, and I dont
remember the date. The second vaccination I got on
February 24. And after that, I was more relaxed.
((Satya Agarwal, Retired Electronic Production Operator,
DRS Technologies))
Oh, it felt so good. I could see my kids, my friends. When I
first hugged my kids, oh my God, it was, my, I was full of
pleasure. It gave me so much happiness that I can come
close to them now. And I can mingle with them. I can mingle
with my friends. So, we could play. I like to play cards. I
could go play cards together even if I was wearing mask. So,
I felt, it was really amazing feeling to see my family and my
friends.
((NATS/MUSIC))
CLOSING BUMPER ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
NEXT WEEK / GOOD BYE ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
In coming weeks..
Home is Where the Herd is
((SOT))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Joyce Crawford, Farmer))
I feed them grain at least once a week, call them all in and
look at them. Make sure, you know, they don't have bad feet
or no injuries.
((Joyce Crawford, Farmer))
Come on, girls!
They're all going to come right off that mountain there.
Come on, girls!
((Joyce Crawford, Farmer))
I can go out and bang the chain on the gate. And that's their
cue and here they come.
Wheres my pretty girls? I know! Come on. They have
different temperaments. Just like people, some of them are a
little more headstrong than others.
((NATS))
((Joyce Crawford, Farmer))
Im the only one out here that gets to have an attitude. If they
got a bad attitude, they gotta go, because I dont have time
for that.
((NATS/MUSIC))
CLOSING BUMPER ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
BREAK THREE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
SHOW ENDS
EPISODE #188
AIR DATE: 08/20/21
TRANSCRIPT
OPEN ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
Helping Out
((SOT))
((Leslie Sturges, Bat Rehabilitator))
Its hard to manipulate a tiny bat and a tiny meal worm with
tweezers that are bigger than everybody. Hang on, girlie. Let
me find your bug. Hold on.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Peeking In
((SOT))
((Sally Davies, Photographer))
I think people enjoy looking in other people's homes. I do.
And in New York, people tend to be not quite so open about
their homes. You know, you can't go by and look in people's
windows. You think you're nutty? You can look in there and
see somebody who's nuttier.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Staying Safe
((SOT))
((Satya Agarwal, Retired Electronic Production Operator,
DRS Technologies))
When I knew about COVID, and I was told you cannot see
each other. It was really hard, and I even cried when Pavan
told me that you cannot come to see mom. And, so I said,
Why? What's so wrong?
((Open Animation))
BLOCK A
((PKG)) THE BAT REHABILITATOR
((TRT: 04:48))
((Topic Banner: Bat Rehab))
((Reporter/Camera/Producer: Jeff Swicord))
((Map: Mount Solon, Virginia))
((Main character: 1 Female))
((NATS/Music))
((NATS: Leslie Sturges))
Here you go. Good job, buddy!
((Leslie Sturges, Founder, Bat World NOVA))
I was always interested in natures underdogs. When I was a
little kid, I did snakes and tadpoles and when I worked at the
zoo, I was the spider keeper. Bats are sort of a natural
outgrowth of that. Theyre just fascinating animals.
And I think, I really got interested in them in college when I
started taking animal diversity and they were like, this is the
second largest group of mammals and look how cool they
are. And that really kicked off my interest.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Leslie Sturges, Founder, Bat World NOVA))
To do wildlife rehabilitation of anything, its like a calling. You
have to be pretty driven because you have sleepless nights
and nobody pays you to do it.
((NATS: Leslie Sturges))
We toss lettuce off the deck down to them and they think its
great fun.
((NATS))
((Leslie Sturges, Founder, Bat World NOVA))
So, this is how they are housed in these, theyre actually
zippered dog crates. They eat a lot and they go to the
bathroom a lot. So, she is right up there. So, you can see
shes very dark. Shes small. We want people to understand
that bats are not evil or the harbinger of diseases.
Let me just qualify that. So far, with North American bats that
have been tested, nothing, there have been no positive hits
for COVID.
So, there is a lot of imagery associated with bats where they
appear to be like, you know, a four-foot [1.22 meters]
wingspan and giant canines and sometimes some flashing
red eyes to top it all off and, thats not that.
We do school programs, libraries. So, we basically go out
and tell everybody how awesome bats are.
((NATS))
((Leslie Sturges, Founder, Bat World NOVA))
So, every time he opens his mouth, you can hear the click.
And thats coming through the bat detector. They are the
major night-time predator of flying insects. The really cool
thing is to be out at night, and you can hear the bats even
when you cant see them.
((NATS))
((Leslie Sturges, Founder, Bat World NOVA))
If the bats werent out there eating them, that would just be
this enormous biomass of insects that are just there eating
plants.
This one is a tricolored bat. There she is, hello! And theyre
called tricolors because their fur is supposedly banded in
three different places. I can only ever see two of the bands.
See how it is dark at the base and gets lighter toward the tip.
So, she was supposed to be a releasable bat, but it turned
out that she had sustained some damage to her tail and to
one of her thumbs. She wont survive in the wild. Seems to,
oh sorry, hang on. Its hard to manipulate a tiny bat and a
tiny meal worm with tweezers that are bigger than
everybody. Hang on, girlie. Let me find your bug. Hold on.
Here, she might be done. Like this is kind of new for her.
Can we do that again or youve just had it? Are you just
done? Whats the matter? Sorry, I didnt mean to smack you
in the head there. Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. No, she
might be done. Yeah, she is telling me she is done. Go on,
sweetie.
((Leslie Sturges, Founder, Bat World NOVA))
So, we dont ever want to push them to a point where what is
going on, you know, me trying to give her a mealworm and
everything, is just so negative, she was starting to nip. And I
dont want to take her to that point because I want her to be
happy about interacting with people. Not people writ large,
with a handler so she can do education programs.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((NATS: Leslie Sturges))
Im just going to check under here. It would be unusual if
anybody was under here. And they are not.
((Leslie Sturges, Founder, Bat World NOVA))
So, we are in the flight cage. This is where they come to
acclimate to flying if theyve been in rehab.
((NATS: Leslie Sturges))
And nobody there.
((Leslie Sturges, Founder, Bat World NOVA))
And there is actually insects that come in because we run a
UV [ultra violet] light. And then they can practice on their
own. They learn how to feed themselves and they learn how
to do all the maneuvers they need. And then, there is a set
of double doors right on the back side of the flight cage. We
just open those at night when they are ready to go and close
them at dawn. And our last release, which was just a few
days ago, we had 18 leave the very first night that we
opened the doors. Always the priority is release and get
them back to the wild.
((NATS/MUSIC))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up
((Banner))
Smile!
((SOT))
((Laura Fuchs, Photographer))
I think, certainly people will continue to smile. And I think, of
course, it is important that we continue to smile through
these difficult times.
BREAK ONE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK B
((PKG)) APARTMENT PHOTOGRAPHER
((TRT: 5:26))
((Topic Banner: Capturing Homes))
((VOA Russian))
((Reporter: Anna Nelson))
((Camera: Maxim Avloshenko))
((Editor: Natalia Latukhina))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((Map: New York City, New York))
((Main character: 1 female))
((NATS))
((Sally Davies, Photographer))
I had very recently placed
((Courtesy: Sally Davies))
a big amount of photos
((Courtesy ends))
at the Museum of the City of New York on my outside,
((Courtesy: Sally Davies))
my street photography. I thought that was it.
((Courtesy ends))
I'm good now. And then one night, I woke up at four oclock
in the morning.
Oh my God! In a hundred years, people will go to the
museum and they will see all those photos of Whoa, look
what New York used to look like, and
((Courtesy: Sally Davies))
no idea who lived inside those buildings. And I thought,
That's my next project.
((Courtesy ends))
I'm going to go back. I'm going to go into people's homes
and I'm going to take their pictures with all their stuff. And I
started in
((Courtesy: Sally Davies))
about three days.
((Courtesy ends))
I think people enjoy looking in other people's homes. I do.
And in New York, people tend to be not quite so open about
their homes. You know, you can't go by and look in people's
windows. You think you're nutty? You can look in there and
see somebody who's nuttier. You think you have a lot of
stuff? You can look in there, see somebody who has more
stuff than you do.
So, I tried with a few friends first. And I thought, I'll go on
social media. I'll put a call out anybody who wants to, you
know, to do this. But I never had to. Everybody had another
friend, had another friend. And before you know it, people
were sending me an email with a picture of their house,
saying, Could you please put me in the book? you know.
I got my thing, my bag, and I would go to people's house,
and they would open the door and I'd be like, Hi, let me
look. And I would walk in their house and just quickly. Some
places, I was only for five minutes or 10 minutes.
((Courtesy: Sally Davies))
There's a woman in
((Courtesy ends))
the book named Marina.
((Courtesy: Sally Davies))
And she answered the door in this 50s Dior, vintage beautiful
gown. And we walked into the living room, she had painted
the whole living room pink to match the gown. That's why we
have that beautiful photo of her.
((Courtesy ends))
Also, the woman, Suzanne Mallouk,
((Courtesy: Sally Davies))
in the book. She's the woman that was Jean-Michel
Basquiat's girlfriend many years ago. She answered the door
like that with the turban and this beautiful thing and it made
the book very varied, right? I mean, some people were like
that
((Courtesy ends))
and other people were just like me. Nothing. This is how I
am.
((Courtesy: Sally Davies))
I shot about 125 people.
((Courtesy ends))
Bun came with me to every photograph and that was good.
Maybe at the beginning, I was afraid, a little nervous. And I
had my friends were going, Are you out of your mind?
You're going by yourself to this., you know. But after a few, I
just wasn't nervous anymore. I thought, This is not going to
go bad. The fellow that has the coffins, did you see that
photo?
((Courtesy: Sally Davies))
He is legally blind and he was on the sixth-floor walk-up,
really nice person. He has two coffins in his living room. One
adult size thats all tricked out so when you open it, it
becomes a couch. Over here is a baby coffin, and when you
open it, it's a liquor cabinet.
((Courtesy ends))
When I moved here in 83, this neighborhood was all
tenements.
((Courtesy: Sally Davies))
The first apartment I ever had, had a bathtub in the kitchen.
And when you tell people that, they're like, What? Youre
like, Yeah, that was a thing. And they were all exactly the
same. It was the tenement buildings, right?
((Courtesy ends))
I discovered that you can never tell, ever, what is inside from
what is outside. I would, you know, meet periodically famous
people or people that were very wealthy. And, you know,
you'd go to their place and the outside of the building would
always, not always, but often be a complete dump.
((Courtesy: Sally Davies))
Then, you'd walk into these, like fantastic apartments.
They don't want their building to look nice, especially in
those days. Youd be robbed. Youd have people breaking
in, you know. So, that was just fine.
((Courtesy ends))
One lady in the book, she had tiny, little room. Like her and
her husband got this little
((Courtesy: Sally Davies))
apartment, Upper West Side, years ago, when they first
were starting up. And over the years, they had some children
and they needed more space. They looked around. They
couldn't get a bigger apartment. So, apartment came up for
rent in their building. They took it and they raised their family
in two apartments. So, the kids spent their whole life in their
pajamas going up and down. Like, they slept up and then
living room was downstairs. How funny is that?
This has all happened so quickly that we haven't really
caught up. And I haven't, mentally, with the fact that we're
already doing another printing and the first printing just came
out three days ago and it sold out. I don't even know what to
think about that.
So, the timing was really like God arranged this, I think. It
would not have been made. Because people will not, would
never let me back in their house now. Not the way things still
are. I don't know the word coincidence. It might appear to be
a coincidence of the timing of all of this. I don't believe in
coincidences. I don't know that things will ever be what they
were before this. The project is sort of a love letter to what
now is a time gone past.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((PKG)) MASK SMILES
((TRT: 4:10))
((Topic Banner: Capturing Smiles))
((VOA Russian))
((Reporter: Anna Nelson))
((Camera: Vladimir Badikov))
((Editor: Natalia Latukhina))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((Map: New York City, New York))
((Main character: 1 female))
((NATS))
((Laura Fuchs, Photographer))
That's part of what excites me to go out now and be
selective about which kind of mask.
((Courtesy: Laura Fuchs))
But I think what makes the photo great is the smile of the
person. You know,
((Courtesy ends))
they could all be
((Courtesy: Laura Fuchs))
surgical masks
((Courtesy ends))
and I think
((Courtesy: Laura Fuchs))
what makes the photos interesting is the sincere smile.
When COVID-19
((Courtesy ends))
came to New York City, I guess that was mid-March, people
started wearing masks and I noticed that there wasn't a lot of
eye contact happening or engagement. And I thought to
myself, We can still see smiles. I think I had an interaction
with a stranger on the street and I smiled at them with my
mask on, and I saw that they saw my smile and returned it,
you know, and I saw in their eyes. And so, I started a project
called Mask Smile, asking New Yorkers to smile with their
masks on,
((Courtesy: Laura Fuchs))
through their masks, for me. And it's been a really, really
rewarding series that I've been continuing to work on. I think
I have hundreds and hundreds of Mask Smile
((Courtesy ends))
photos of New Yorkers compiled at this point.
((Laura Fuchs, Photographer))
I never know if you want me to look or not.
((Laura Fuchs, Photographer))
I believe that, you know, a genuine smile shows in your eyes
more than anything else. And yeah, at this point, seeing all
of the different smiles that I've compiled, you know, I can
really see the sweetness in different photos and I'm so
grateful to everyone who shared that genuine smile with me.
((Laura Fuchs, Photographer))
So, my friend here gave me a great Mask Smile. Stay
positive, man, okay? I'll see you later.
((Courtesy: Laura Fuchs))
((Courtesy ends))
So, when I go out with my camera for these short walks, I'm
wearing a mask and I keep a six-foot [2m] distance and, you
know, I approach someone usually with a wave so they can
see that I'm trying to engage in conversation, and I ask them
if they wouldnt mind if I
((Courtesy: Laura Fuchs))
photograph them while smiling with their mask on. And
oftentimes, people's response is,
((Courtesy ends))
you know, Well, how will you see the smile?
((Courtesy: Laura Fuchs))
How are you going to see the smile with the mask on? And I
let them know, Its all in your eyes. I can see your smile.
((Courtesy ends))
Appreciate the energy that I'm trying to
((Courtesy: Laura Fuchs))
inject New York with. And I guess my hope is that they
continue to smile at other people, and kind of spread this,
like, you know, our own positive energy virus, you know.
((Courtesy ends))
((NATS))
((Laura Fuchs, Photographer))
On one of the first days that I was photographing Mask
Smile, I was getting rejected left and right. I think it was like,
out of 20 people that I asked, I got, you know, 18 noes.
I see this female bus driver, beautiful bus driver, and I think,
Okay, one more try before I finish for the day. And I say,
Hi, miss. Do you mind if I take your picture? I'm doing this
project, blah blah blah blah blah. And she goes, Of course.
She smiles at me.
((Courtesy: Laura Fuchs))
She's gorgeous, beautiful smile. And I say, Okay, quickly,
as the bus is like, raising up, you know, How do I send you
your picture? And she gives me her email address and she
says, lovelife, followed by a couple of numbers
@gmail.com.
((Courtesy ends))
And I just thought, that spoke so strongly to me.
((Courtesy: Laura Fuchs))
Traffic cops, construction workers, FedEx, FreshDirect, Uber
Eats delivery people, guys on bikes, every single New
Yorker. Everyone is going
((Courtesy ends))
through different things. It's been, as a photographer and
someone who documents New York City and is a street
photographer, its been certainly a very interesting
((Courtesy: Laura Fuchs))
experience to go from trying to raise New York spirits with
these Mask Smile photos to now the protests for Black Lives
Matter.
((Courtesy ends))
((Laura Fuchs, Photographer)
It's crazy how it changes. It really is.
((Laura Fuchs, Photographer))
I feel connected. I feel connected to strangers. I feel
connected to my city. And I think it's just naturally and the
subject matter has changed, you know.
I think, certainly
((Courtesy: Laura Fuchs))
people will continue to smile. And I think, of course, it is
important that we continue to smile through these difficult
times.
((Courtesy ends))
((NATS))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up
((Banner))
Out on Their Own
((SOT))
((Devin Cook, Co-Owner, Blackbird Salon))
Our standards or expectations, I should say, were set really
low. We were kind of like, Okay, let's just survive the first
year. Right? And then once we get out of COVID, we can
talk a little bit about growth or like even just the conversation
of success.
BREAK TWO
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK C
((PKG)) COVID HAIR SALON BUSINESS
((TRT: 03:16))
((Topic Banner: Building a Business))
((VOA Ukrainian))
((Reporter: Luliia Larmolenko))
((Camera: Kostyantyn Golubchyk))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((Map: Washington, D.C.))
((Main characters: 2 female))
((NATS))
((Justine Carlisle, Co-Owner, Blackbird Salon))
We would go to work from 11:00 to 8:00, do hair behind the
chair, serve our clients, and then we would go home and
from like 8:00 until midnight, we would be doing paperwork
online. We would be like looking for a location.
((NATS))
((Devin Cook, Co-Owner, Blackbird Salon))
When we decided to open a salon, I felt a little shy about not
knowing what to do or how to open a business. And I felt like
what this experience has taught me is just to ask questions.
And now, I feel like I really dont leave a meeting until I really
understand exactly what is expected of me or exactly whats
next.
((NATS))
((Justine Carlisle, Co-Owner, Blackbird Salon))
One of the most rewarding things every day is to be able to
have a team full of women at this point who come here and
feel empowered. I feel like our main goal with the culture of
Blackbird starts with the staff. If you come into a building and
you feel positive like happy energy, it's just going to flow off
of each other with the clients.
((NATS))
((Devin Cook, Co-Owner, Blackbird Salon))
There wasn't a lot of women that we worked alongside other
than each other. We always had each other. But when we
think about like our contractors or our lawyer or landlords,
people that we would talk to advise, it was always men. And
I think that the conversation of like women supporting
women, people are like, Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Maybe,
industries that we think are more feminine are actually still
being run by men.
((NATS))
((Justine Carlisle, Co-Owner, Blackbird Salon))
The biggest takeaway is that every single day is different.
You know, we would come here and not know what to
expect. And I think I started living by not being able to plan
too far ahead anymore because you really never know if
your doors will be closed for a while. So, I think no regrets,
just trying to figure out every day like what to do better?
((NATS))
((Devin Cook, Co-Owner, Blackbird Salon))
Our standards or expectations, I should say, were set really
low. We were kind of like, Okay, let's just survive the first
year. Right? And then once we get out of COVID, we can
talk a little bit about growth or like even just the conversation
of success. I don't really think that existed in our first year
due to the climate. I think it was just genuinely about survival
and paying our rent. And I think I'm really fortunate to say
that I feel like in the last year, we have seen success and we
are so grateful for like the kind of culture and environment
that we've been able to create even during these times
because it wasnt expected.
((NATS))
((Devin Cook, Co-Owner, Blackbird Salon))
I feel really grateful that we share this space with so many
people that are just as passionate. I think when we were
building it and we didn't know what Blackbird was going to
look like or what it was going to be, it was really hard for us
to imagine like people being on this team with us because
how do you explain something that doesn't exist? How do
you get people inspired about something that doesn't exist
yet? To see people also excited about it and also connected
to it, I feel really grateful.
((NATS))
((PKG)) CONNECT WITH SATYA
((TRT: 3:13))
((Banner: Connect with Satya Agarwal))
((Reporter/Camera: Lisa Vohra))
((Map: Gaithersburg, Maryland))
((Main character: 1 female))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Satya Agarwal, Retired Electronic Production Operator,
DRS Technologies))
When I knew about COVID, and I was told you cannot see
each other. It was really hard, and I even cried when Pavan
told me that you cannot come to see mom. And, so I said,
Why? What's so wrong? He said, because of the COVID,
you have to, we have to make the distance. I said, I never
thought like that. I cried that day, but then I say, No, its
okay. For our safety, we have to do that.
((Satya Agarwal, Retired Electronic Production Operator,
DRS Technologies))
Isolation period, it was really, not feeling good about that. It
was fearful that I cannot see everybody. How can I manage?
How I am going to manage being inside all the time. But,
slowly, slowly, I started and I made my routine. I joined my
exercise class on the Zoom luckily. And I started, I was
going out for a walk all the time. Thats first thing. And I will
wear my mask but even I have to do my grocery stuff, my
little chores. So, I will go. I was not that scared.
((Satya Agarwal, Retired Electronic Production Operator,
DRS Technologies))
I was frustrated because even if I go see my family, I have to
see them outside, six feet [2m] apart. I could not even touch
them. I could not even hug them. So, it was very different. I
never thought like that and sometimes I say, What is that?
It made me feel so bad.
((Satya Agarwal, Retired Electronic Production Operator,
DRS Technologies))
I got my vaccination in February, 2021, and I dont
remember the date. The second vaccination I got on
February 24. And after that, I was more relaxed.
((Satya Agarwal, Retired Electronic Production Operator,
DRS Technologies))
Oh, it felt so good. I could see my kids, my friends. When I
first hugged my kids, oh my God, it was, my, I was full of
pleasure. It gave me so much happiness that I can come
close to them now. And I can mingle with them. I can mingle
with my friends. So, we could play. I like to play cards. I
could go play cards together even if I was wearing mask. So,
I felt, it was really amazing feeling to see my family and my
friends.
((NATS/MUSIC))
CLOSING BUMPER ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
NEXT WEEK / GOOD BYE ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
In coming weeks..
Home is Where the Herd is
((SOT))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Joyce Crawford, Farmer))
I feed them grain at least once a week, call them all in and
look at them. Make sure, you know, they don't have bad feet
or no injuries.
((Joyce Crawford, Farmer))
Come on, girls!
They're all going to come right off that mountain there.
Come on, girls!
((Joyce Crawford, Farmer))
I can go out and bang the chain on the gate. And that's their
cue and here they come.
Wheres my pretty girls? I know! Come on. They have
different temperaments. Just like people, some of them are a
little more headstrong than others.
((NATS))
((Joyce Crawford, Farmer))
Im the only one out here that gets to have an attitude. If they
got a bad attitude, they gotta go, because I dont have time
for that.
((NATS/MUSIC))
CLOSING BUMPER ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
BREAK THREE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
SHOW ENDS
