VOA – CONNECT
EPISODE  #107   
AIR DATE  01 31 2020  
TRANSCRIPT 
Draft  01 27 2020   


OPEN  ((VO/NAT)) 
((Banner)) 
The Affected
((SOT))
She got COPD, the asthma and I believe it comes from 
being out here in this atmosphere.  
((Animation Transition)) 
((Banner))
The Artist 
((SOT))
It’s one of the only professions trust is given and not earned 
and I’ll make the experience quite comfortable for them.  
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
The Auctioneer
((SOT))
The auction chant is like playing a musical instrument.  If you 
pick up a guitar, you’re not just gonna be Jimmy Hendrix.   
((Open Animation)) 
 

BLOCK A 
((Banner:  Living on Polluted Land)) 

 
((PKG))  35th AVENUE SUPERFUND SITE 
((Banner:  Living on Polluted Land)) 
((Reporter/Camera:  Gabrielle Weiss)) 
((Map:  Birmingham, Alabama)) 
 
((Popup Banner:   
The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Superfund 
program is responsible for cleaning up some of the nation's 
most contaminated land.  
The 35th Avenue Superfund site is located in North 
Birmingham, Alabama.)) 
((NATS))  
((Keisha Brown, Resident of Harriman Park)) 
My name is Keisha Brown.  I live in the Harriman Park 
community in North Birmingham.  This area was declared a 
Superfund site about 5 or 6 years ago or even longer and 
the government declared it because there is so much 
pollution and toxins.  We used to have grocery stores out 
here, a café.  It was a thriving community and then people 
started dying out, getting sick and we didn’t know what they 
would get sick of until recently we found out a lot of our 
people die cancers and respiratory problems, skin disorders.  
I mean, everything you can name, people have it out here.  
Right now, I have to take two inhalers.  This is my life every 
day.  Most of people in our community have to function on 
medicine every day just to make it. 
((Popup Banner:  To date, EPA has remediated over 440 
properties and more than 58,000 tons of contaminated soil 
have been excavated from the 35th Avenue Superfund site.)) 
((NATS))  
((Keisha Brown, Resident of Harriman Park)) 
Well, you’re going to see this big mountain of mineral pile 
that’s across the street here.  It’s been there for about 18 or 
19 years and it’s toxic.  A couple of times, it caught on fire by 
itself.  We don’t know how it caught on fire but it caught on 
fire.  I live right there and here is the coal plant, the cement 
plant and the railroad yard, right there.  You see how close it 
is to my house? 
((NATS))  
((Keisha Brown, Resident of Harriman Park)) 
They dug up and tested my soil.  This little part right here, 
this little section right here, that’s where they dug up, right 
here.  And when they did that, they said, I had eleven out of 
fifteen chemicals but only, it wasn’t clean up level.  So, they 
didn’t replace my soil.  They just left it like it was because it 
wasn’t clean up level.  They just tested my neighbor’s front 
yard and side yard and said, it was the highest level of 
chemicals in the whole community and they replaced it with 
some soil, the front and the side but they didn’t do the 
backyard.  This is my neighbor.  We grew up together.  
We’re like family and we’ve been going through this for 
years.  You can hear his point. 
((Dennis Moore Jr., Resident of Harriman Park)) 
This kind of dirt, whatever the chemicals….. 
((Keisha Brown, Resident of Harriman Park)) 
Itchy dirt….. 
((Dennis Moore Jr., Resident of Harriman Park)) 
We used to have it all in our yards.  We used to play in it. 
And then, we had to go in to take a bath.  It used to burn so 
much because you’d have to get all the chemicals out of 
your skin.  That’s why we used to call it, when we was 
young, we used to call it ‘itchy dirt’ and stuff.  That’s the way 
we used to call it.  My grandma said, ‘Don’t go out there and 
play in that dirt’.  And we used to be, you know, as kids, we 
were hard-headed.  We’d go out here and play in it.  And like 
I said, when you’d take a bath, oh my goodness, it burned so 
much. 
((NATS))  
((Dennis Moore Jr., Resident of Harriman Park)) 
I had a tumor removed off my pituitary glands and I don’t 
know where it come from.  We have never had that in our 
family or anything, so I don’t know where it come from. 
((Keisha Brown, Resident of Harriman Park)) 
But now, we’re finding out a lot of people out here having 
those problems like he had.  They’re saying the chemicals 
causes brain cancer and tumors.  He didn’t know he had it in 
his head ever since he was a child and he didn’t even know 
it. 
((Dennis Moore Jr., Resident of Harriman Park)) 
It’s mainly my mom.  She’s sick now and she can barely like 
breathe and she got COPD, the asthma.  And I believe it 
comes from being out here in this atmosphere.  
((Keisha Brown, Resident of Harriman Park)) 
My community’s my family and you’re not going to ruin my 
family.  You’re not going to hurt my family.  When my family 
hurt, I hurt. 
((Dennis Moore Jr., Resident of Harriman Park)) 
They’re supposed to have dug the bad dirt up and replaced it 
with dirt, some more dirt that was supposed to be clean dirt.  
But I’m still saying, if the front part is high contamination, that 
means our house is sitting on top of that too.  So, we’re still 
getting sick behind that.  I don’t see how they can say that 
it’s safe to live out here in this environment. 
((Keisha Brown, Resident of Harriman Park)) 
It’s just like we’re invisible.  And I get tired of people who tell 
me they care.  They don’t care.  No, they don’t.  If they 
cared, they would come and see the needs of the people.  
((NATS)) 
((Keisha Brown, Resident of Harriman Park)) 
How can you clean something up when it’s constantly falling 
and we’re still getting sick? 
((Keisha Brown, Resident of Harriman Park)) 
I have to read them every day.  They help me through 
situations.  Without God, I don’t know how we would make it. 
((Popup Banner: 
Since the filming of this video, Mr. Moore's mother passed 
away.  
Under current conditions, EPA anticipates that cleanup 
activities will be completed by 2023.)) 
 

TEASE  ((VO/NAT)) 
Coming up….. 
((Banner)) 
Studying Climate Change 
((SOT)) 
I feel this sense of excitement and trepidation because we’re 
about to get it into space and collect the data and get it 
moving. 


BREAK ONE									 
BUMP IN  ((ANIM))				  
 

BLOCK B  


((PKG))  NASA EARTH SCIENCE   
((Banner:  Sky ))  
((Reporter:  Marita Davidson)) 
((Camera:  Austin Harris, Cody Troxell))  
((Adapted by:  Martin Secrest))
VOA Persian 
((Map:  Pasadena, California))    
 
((NATS)) 
((Locator:   
Jet Propulsion Labs, NASA 
Cal Tech University, Pasadena, California))  
((Popup Banner:  NASA’s Jet Propulsion are using dozens 
of satellites to study climate change))  
((Annmarie Eldering, OCO Project Scientist, Jet 
Propulsion Labs))  
I think some folks aren’t aware that NASA is such a big 
contributor to the earth sciences.  If you look at what NASA 
is doing right now, somewhere probably between two dozen, 
three dozen satellites, for example, the AIRS instrument is a 
sounder to look at weather-related data, temperature, 
clouds, water vapor.  I used to work on pollution 
measurement like TESS that looked at ozone, carbon 
monoxide and other gases.  There’s many different things 
looking at clouds, looking at rain, looking at all those gases, 
temperature, water vapor, just many, many different 
satellites to interrogate the Earth. 
((NATS,: 
NASA announcer:  3, 2, engine start, 1, 0, and liftoff of the 
Delta-2 rocket with OCO-2, tracking of greenhouse gas in 
seek of clues to climate change.))  
((Popup Banner:  In 2014, NASA launched the second JPL-
built Orbiting Carbon Observatory Satellite, OCO-2))
((Annmarie Eldering, OCO Project Scientist, Jet 
Propulsion Labs))  
So, we're measuring carbon dioxide by looking at this 
reflected sunlight in the atmosphere.  And just a few 
numbers for your number-loving crowd is when you fly 
around Earth on OCO-2, it takes you about 90 minutes to 
circle the Earth once.  So, we get about 15, 16 cycles a day.  
We collect that measurement of sunlight and there’s a million 
measurements per day.   
So, we know on an average basis about half of what humans 
emit is being removed by plants and the ocean.  But if you 
look at the details from year-to-year, you’ve got these years 
where it’s only 20 percent that's removed. And you’ve got 
years where it’s 80 percent that’s removed.  So one, why is 
every year so different?  What’s the driver for that?  And two, 
if I want to make some estimate of what's going to happen 
30, 40, 50 years down the road, I have to really understand 
the details of these behaviors to make a good prediction for 
the future.
((MUSIC)) 
((Annmarie Eldering, OCO Project Scientist, Jet 
Propulsion Labs))  
We’re motivated to collect the very best scientific data we 
can and that feeds into scientific inquiry, understanding, 
better prediction.  But the ultimate goal is to get that in the 
hands of the policy makers because I think all of us want to 
make sure that policy makers have the best information 
possible to make the best decisions possible.  And that really 
is what we're trying to feed into.  I mean that really motivates 
me and my work.  I think engineering is fun but problem 
solving and having new information that can make a positive 
impact in people's lives is really the most important thing to 
me.  So, we do have that goal ultimately with what we are 
doing with our carbon dioxide measurements. 
((NATS))

 
((PKG))  VIETNAMESE SEAFOOD PROCESSOR 
((Banner:  Sea  
((Reporter/Camera:  Hu Nguyen)) 
((Adapted by:  Martin Secrest)) 
((Map:  Chalmette, Louisiana))    
 
((NATS:
Theresa Nguyen:  The tide good for the next week?  The 
tide change for the next week?  The tide for the next week.)) 
((Theresa Nguyen, Owner, Theresa Seafood)) 
There is a Vietnamese saying, ‘Ignorance is bliss.’  I had 
nothing to lose, just to move forward.  No money. No 
government assistance.  I had to stand on my own two feet. 
((NATS: 
Theresa:  OK, one dollar a pound (.45 kilo). 
Customer:  One dollar a pound?  OK, see you next time, 
OK? 
Theresa:  See you.  Bye.))  
((Theresa Nguyen, Owner, Theresa Seafood)) 
I buy shrimp from fishermen, start the process and then sell 
it to the big processing companies.  It is always super busy 
on weekends but fewer boats come on the weekdays.
((NATS)) 
((Popup Banner:   
In 1979, Nguyen fled Vietnam with her family by boat 
Her boat was attacked by pirates))  
((Theresa Nguyen, Owner, Theresa Seafood))  
Our boat was turned around.  People on the boat wanted to 
give up their lives.  At that moment, I just prayed for my 
children.  It didn’t matter if I died. 
((NATS:   
Theresa:  Wait, wait, wait, wait.  One right here, move out.  
Wait, wait, wait.  He messed it up with that one. 
((Theresa Nguyen, Owner, Theresa Seafood))  
When I decided to do business here, everyone told me not to 
because locals were very racist and conservative. There was 
no way these people would do business with me.  And in 
fact, it was very difficult.  For two years, local fishermen did 
not want to do business with me.  They would come if they 
had only a few kilos of seafood.  If they had more, they went 
elsewhere.  Then there was a sunken boat that blocked the 
waterway, preventing boats from getting to me.  I cried every 
night looking at my growing debt.  I was exhausted.  
Fortunately, there was a white American who I thought was 
sent by God to help me. 
((Popup Banner:  The American used his boat to drag the 
sunken vessel out of the way.))  
((Theresa Nguyen, Owner, Theresa Seafood))  
He helped me spread the news and brought his friends to do 
business with me.  Thanks to that, I was able to bounce 
back. 
((NATS:  
Theresa:  Yeah, if you don’t mind, because right now I don’t 
know.  I messed it up and I don’t know what to put in over 
there.))  
((Theresa Nguyen, Owner, Theresa Seafood))  
I’m 71 now.  I’m going to retire soon.  However, as long as 
God lets me continue, I’ll keep working to take care of my 
children.  I won’t stop until God says so.
((NATS)) 



  
((PKG))  KENTUCKY TATTOO PARLOR  
((Banner:  Skin)) 
((Reporter:  Martin Secrest)) 
((Camera:  Gabrielle Weiss)) 
((Map:  Clarksville, Tennessee))    
 
((NATS))  
((Popup Banner:   
Kentucky’s Fort Campbell is one of the largest military 
installations in the world.)) 
((NATS: Fire! (shots) )) 
((Popup Banner:   
The economies of Fort Campbell and the local community 
are intertwined.)) 
((NATS)) 
((Popup Banner:  
Love Blood Ink Tattoo owner Buryl “Dizzy” Hampe is a 
veteran of Fort Campbell)) 
((Burly “Dizzy” Hampe, Owner, Love Blood Ink Tattoo))  
I got into the service when I joined in ’95.  I already had 
some tattoos and started getting tattooed at a young age 
and just loved the art of it.  And being an artist since I was a 
kid, drawing, it was fascinating to see people put permanent 
art on skin.  And Love Blood Ink Tattoo just came to me.  I 
could stay in Fort Campbell.  I could still be a part of a 
soldier's life and mentoring.  And you know, these guys trust 
us, you know, with their skin. 
((NATS))  
((Alyson Fotias, Customer, Love Blood Ink Tattoo)) 
The theme that I'm working with, with Dizzy, is a Tim Burton 
sleeve.  I love all of Tim Burton's movies.  So, we just picked 
out a few of the iconic ones.  Today, we're doing Jack from 
Nightmare Before Christmas.  
((NATS:   
Set you an appointment, shade and color.  Then set an 
appointment, shade and color.  Then we can talk about fill.  
You want to do that?))  
((Alyson Fotias, Customer, Love Blood Ink Tattoo)) 
When I was first looking for a tattoo artist here, everybody 
said, “If you want American traditional, you come to Dizzy.” 
So …..
((NATS:   
It's not going to be nice, OK?  Just so you know.  I just 
tattooed a guy last week and I got into his armpit a little bit 
and you would have thought that, like, I ruined his life.  He 
was so distraught and so, like.....(laughs) ))  
((Burly “Dizzy” Hampe, Owner, Love Blood Ink Tattoo))  
I think in the 30s and 40s, when tattoos and the military were 
really coming together, I think that the sailors were, you 
know, they were missing home.  Very popular was “Mom,” a 
Mom heart.  You know, a lot of young sailors and soldiers 
missed Mom.  First time away from home.
((NATS)) 
((Burly “Dizzy” Hampe, Owner, Love Blood Ink Tattoo))  
I feel like my art is inspiring and I think that to put it on a 
body to be viewed by millions of people throughout the 
owner's life is truly a blessing.  You know, people will look at 
paintings and look at drawings and they'll forget about them. 
To look down at your arm and remember.  You might not 
remember my name but you’ll remember 25 years from now, 
you were sitting in this shop, having a talk with some dude 
they called Dizzy.  So that's why I'm a tattoo artist.  
((NATS)) 


TEASE  ((VO/NAT)) 
Coming up….. 
((Banner)) 
A Job for Everyone 
((SOT)) 
I have to come in and learn the process and then I teach the 
process to the participants. They are capable of anything. 
They can do anything as long as they are trained properly. 
And that’s my job. 

BREAK TWO									 
BUMP IN  ((ANIM))				  
 

BLOCK C  
 
 
 
((PKG))  ECHO JOB TRAINING  
((Banner: An Inclusive Workforce)) 
((Reporter:  Faiza Elmasry))
((Camera:  Mike Burke))  
 
((Map:  Leesburg, Virginia))  
 
 
((NATS))
((Erica Lengermann, ECHO Spokesperson)) 
ECHO was instituted in 1975 and it originally stood for ‘Every 
Citizen Has Opportunities’ and we provide skill building, job 
placement, day support and transportation to individuals with 
disabilities.  Our mission is to empower each individual to 
achieve their optimal level of personal, social and economic 
success. 
 
((Bernice Matos, ECHO Job Coach))  
Today, we’re working here at MAC Aerospace.  We are 
working on their inventory which is one of the jobs that we 
have here for our participants.  And we count the inventory, 
we label it and if it needs to be re-boxed, we can re-box it as 
well. 
((NATS))
You’re going through that whole bowl, right? 
((Bernice Matos, ECHO Job Coach)) 
Today, we’re counting screws.  Everybody has a process.  
Everybody does it differently. 
((NATS)) 
((Bernice Matos, ECHO Job Coach)) 
So I have to come in and learn the process and then I teach 
the process to the participants. 
((NATS)) 
((Bernice Matos, ECHO Job Coach))  
They’re capable of anything.  They can do anything as long 
as they are trained properly.  And that is my job. 
((Erica Lengermann, ECHO Spokesperson)) 
We were instituted in 1975 and we provide skill building, job 
placement, day support and transportation to individuals with 
disabilities.  Our mission is to empower each individual to 
achieve their optimal level of personal, social and economic 
success. 
((NATS: 
Becky, how’s it going?  Are you finding every piece? 
Yeah?  So, make sure some of the smaller pieces tend to fall 
at the very bottom.  So, if you need to, you can take things 
out and move them around but I promise you, every piece is 
in there.  OK?)) 
((Becky, ECHO Program Participant))  
I was in Phoenix, Arizona with my parents until my parents 
passed away.  I moved here in October, last October. 
((Erica Lengermann, ECHO Spokesperson))  
We currently serve around 207 individuals with disabilities. 
((NATS)) 
((Erica Lengermann, ECHO Spokesperson))  
The assessment center helps determine different aptitudes 
and interests.  It has a number of different modules which we 
put people through in various industries. 
((NATS: 
How is it going?  OK.)) 
((Erica Lengermann, ECHO Spokesperson))  
And as you saw, Amy was very good at that.  She’s quite 
skilled at rolling napkins, silverware into napkins.  So, for 
instance, she might be a good fit for our hospitability or 
dishwashing and restaurant services. 
((NATS:   
What is something that’s not appropriate to wear to work? 
Bathing suit? 
A bathing suit or a swim suit not appropriate.)) 
((Jacob Brown, ECHO Program Coordinator))  
Finding a job is a desire and goal of theirs, not everyone.  
So, a lot of the participants that we work with here in the  
academy have expressed their desire to get a job.  So, we 
kind of work on a lot of the soft skills that is required when 
one gets a job. 
((NATS:   
If you have another idea, I want you to raise your hand.)) 
((Jacob Brown, ECHO Program Coordinator))  
When a participant has gone through a certain semester of 
curriculum, they will get a certificate, certificate of attendance 
and also a certificate of completion.  There is a lot of room 
for success for our participants.  You know, breaking down 
those types of mind-frames and showing that our 
participants, even though they may have a disability in one 
way or another, are very, very capable of being extremely 
successful in the work field. 
((NATS))  
((Erica Lengermann, ECHO Spokesperson))  
It’s just wonderful to see people achieving this sense of 
independence and purpose because of the fact that they can 
be employed.  As I mentioned, they have this real dignity of 
the paycheck which, in turn, enables them to impact their 
families and friends and the communities. So, it’s a force 
multiplier of good. 
((NATS)) 

((PKG))  AUCTIONEER   
((Banner:  Talking on the Job)) 
((Reporter/Camera:  Philip Alexiou)) 
((Map:  Leesburg, Virginia))

 ((NATS))  
((Brian Damewood, Auctioneer)) 
My name is Brian Damewood.  I'm an auctioneer.  I've been 
an auctioneer since 2010.  I got into the business just 
growing up around the business. 
((NATS))  
((Brian Damewood, Auctioneer)) 
What we do at Damewood Auctioneers, we sell everything 
from heavy equipment, like we were doing today.  We also 
do real estate auctions.  We do a lot of fundraisers and we 
do estate personal property like furniture, antiques, guns, 
that sort of thing.  The biggest part about training to be an 
auctioneer, it’s not all about the chant, one.  
((NATS: 
It’s not, it’s just an aerator.   
Just an aerator, okay.))
((Brian Damewood, Auctioneer)) 
The most important thing is product knowledge and 
customer service, are the two most important things.     
((NATS:
65, sold.  60 dollars))    
((Brian Damewood, Auctioneer))  
The auction chant is like playing a musical instrument.  If you 
pick up a guitar, you're not just going to be Jimi Hendrix.  
((NATS)) 
((Brian Damewood, Auctioneer)) 
It's different based on what you're selling, what sort of 
auction you’re involved in.  
((NATS)) 
((Brian Damewood, Auctioneer))  
The biggest part about the chant is it has to be crisp 
and clear and your buyers have to understand it and 
the chant is more than just “5, would you give 10, would 
you give 15, would you give 20.”  When I'm in my chant, 
I know who my buyers are.  So, a lot of times, you 
might hear me say, “10, 15.  Would you give 20, Doug?  
You're out here, 20.  Now 5, you're out here, Jim.”  And 
you have to have a personal touch with it.  You have to 
have a relationship with your customers in as much as 
you can.  
((NATS)) 
((Brian Damewood, Auctioneer))  
An auction school is going to teach you your counting drills 
and then they’ll give you tongue twisters, you know, like the 
tale of Betty Botter.   
‘Betty Botter bought some butter,
But, she said, this butter’s bitter.
If I put it in my batter,
that would make my batter bitter. 
but a bit of better butter,
that would make my bitter butter better.
So, Betty Botter bought some butter, 
better than her bitter butter,  
Put it in her bitter batter, 
and her bitter batter was not bitter. 
So, it was better Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter.’    
((NATS)) 
((Brian Damewood, Auctioneer))  
If you do something over and over again, you get 
proficient.  The same with auctioneering.  I mean the auction 
went great today.  At the beginning of the auction, I was 
selling just some small engines, some lawn and garden 
equipment, tools, that sort of thing. 
((NATS)) 
((Brian Damewood, Auctioneer))  
Then my father was in the topper.  He was selling the heavy 
equipment whereas I'm on the ground.   He knows heavy 
machinery a lot better than I do.  So, he knows the value a 
lot better.  So, he can move through it a lot more 
efficiently.  My job on the ground is, we had internet bidding 
today.  So, I'm listening in to the bids coming in from 
Nebraska, Florida.  We had a buyer in Lebanon today.  So, 
I'm communicating those bids to him as an auctioneer and 
I'm also working the ground taking bids from the other 
buyers.  When you have a big crowd like that, you have to 
have what we call ring men.  And so, we're basically an 
extension of the auctioneer on the ground.  An auctioneer is 
only as good as a team they have.  Whether you're up top 
selling, you've got to have a clerk that's paying attention.  
You've got to have office staff that are taking care of that.  
((NATS: 
Sold!  40 dollar number.))  
((Brian Damewood, Auctioneer))    
And you’ve got to have good ring men who are an extension 
of you on the ground. 
((NATS))  
((Brian Damewood, Auctioneer))  
With auctions, it's just fun.  It's fun and you're solving 
problems.  
((NATS))  

 
CLOSING  ((ANIM)) 
voanews.com/voa-connect 
 

((PKG))  FREE PRESS MATTERS 
((NATS)) 
((Popup captions over B Roll)) 
We make a difference 
When we unmask terror
When we explain the impossible
When we confront an uncertain future 
When we give voice to the voiceless
The difference is Freedom of the Press
We are the Voice of America where
A Free Press Matters 
 
 
BREAK THREE								 
BUMP IN  ((ANIM))		  
 
 
((PKG))  FREE PRESS MATTERS 
((NATS)) 
((Popup captions over B Roll)) 
Near the Turkish Embassy 
Washington, D.C. 
May 16, 2017 
President Erdogan’s bodyguard attacks peaceful protesters  
“Those terrorists deserved to be beaten” 
“They should not be protesting our president” 
“They got what they asked for” 
While some people may turn away from the news
We cover it  
reliably 
accurately 
objectively 
comprehensively 
wherever the news matters 
VOA 
A Free Press Matters

 
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SHOW ENDS