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HEY EVERYONE. WELCOME TO OUR SHOW, WHERE WE BRING YOU THE STORIES BEHIND THE STORIES THROUGH
THE LENSES OF VOA REPORTERS AROUND THE WORLD. I'M ALEX VILLARREAL ...
AND I'M PHILIP ALEXIOU, SITTING IN FOR IMRAN SIDDIQUI. WE GO FIRST TO THE MIDDLE EAST,
WHERE CONFLICT IN SYRIA HAS UNLEASHED AN OLD DISEASE...
IN NORTH KOREA, LEADER KIM JONG UN ORDERS THE DEATH OF HIS OWN UNCLE... WHAT DOES THIS
MEAN FOR THE REST OF THE COUNTRY?
THEN...WILDFIRES AROUND THE WORLD. THEY'RE GETTING BIGGER AND MORE COSTLY. WHAT'S BEHIND
THE SURGE AND WHAT CAN BE DONE TO STOP IT?
AND A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE HOLLYWOOD PAPARAZZI. IT JUST MIGHT SURPRISE YOU...
SMILE FOR THE CAMERA! ON ASSIGNMENT IS NEXT.
COUNTRIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST HAVE BEEN RAMPING UP VACCINATIONS AGAINST POLIO. THE PUSH COMES
AS AN OUTBREAK IN SYRIA THREATENS TO HELP THE NEARLY-ERADICATED DISEASE MAKE A COMEBACK.
POLIO RESURFACED IN WAR-TORN SYRIA AFTER YEARS OF CONFLICT DISRUPTED VACCINATION EFFORTS.
THE SYRIAN GOVERNMENT SAYS IT WANTS VACCINES TO REACH EVERY CHILD, BUT THE OPPOSITION ACCUSES
THE GOVERNMENT OF DEPRIVING CERTAIN AREAS OF VACCINES ON PURPOSE. I TALKED ABOUT THE
OUTBREAK WITH VOA CAIRO CORRESPONDENT ELIZABETH ARROTT. LET'S START WITH SOME OF HER REPORT.
EGYPT HAS BEGUN A NEW ROUND OF VACCINATIONS AGAINST POLIO, ONE OF SEVERAL NATIONAL EFFORTS
IN THE MIDDLE EAST AFTER THE CRIPPLING DISEASE RECENTLY RESURFACED IN WAR-TORN SYRIA. PHILIPPE
DUAMELLE OF THE UNITED NATION'S CHILDREN'S FUND.
"POLIO IS BACK IN THE REGION. THIS IS TERRIBLE NEWS FOR EVERYONE."
ANXIOUS PARENTS LINED UP ACROSS CAIRO AS THE SYRIA OUTBREAK BROUGHT EGYPT'S IMMUNIZATION
CAMPAIGN NEW URGENCY.
"THAT IS WHY WE ARE COMING ON THE FIRST DAY OF VACCINATION BECAUSE THIS IS CAUSING LOTS
OF WORRY FOR MANY PEOPLE. WE ARE PREPARING SO NOTHING LIKE THAT HAPPENS IN EGYPT."
ELIZABETH, THIS ISSUE WITH THE SPREAD OF POLIO...HADN'T POLIO BEEN VIRTUALLY ERADICATED? SO IT RAISES
A QUESTION OF WHY AND HOW HAS IT RESURFACED?
WELL, ABSOLUTELY, ALEX, IT HAD BEEN IN SYRIA ERADICATED FOR MORE THAN A DECADE. THEY HAD
VERY GOOD IMMUNIZATION PROGRAM, BUD THEY NEED MANY TIMES THE TREATMENT TO BE DONE OVER THE
PERIOD OF CHILDHOOD. NOW OVER THE LAST ALMOST THREE YEARS NOW OF CONFLICT, THOSE IMMUNIZATIONS
HAVEN'T HAPPENED. AND SO THEY ARE VERY VERY VULNERABLE AND PARTICULARLY THE YOUNG CHILDREN.
ALL OF THE CASES THAT HAVE SHOWN UP ARE AMONG CHILDREN UNDER TWO YEARS OLD, SO OBVIOUSLY
BORN AFTER THE CONFLICT STARTED AND HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET THE VACCINATIONS.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN FOR OUR VIEWERS WHAT POLIO DOES TO THE BODY AND HOW IT'S SPREAD?
YES, AND YOU ARE RIGHT IT'S NOT JUST THE WEST IT'S ONLY THREE COUNTRIES THAT STILL HAVE
POLIO. IT HAS BEEN ERADICATED AND WHAT IT DOES DO TO THE PEOPLE IN THOSE COUNTRIES WHERE
STILL IS. IT'S USUALLY SPREAD BY FECAL MATTERS, SO IF YOU ARE IN A POOR COUNTRY WHERE THERE
IS NOT GOOD SANITATION OR IN A WAR TORN COUNTRY THAT SYRIA IS NOW, WHEN PEOPLE DON'T HAVE
ACCESS TO GOOD HYGIENE, THEY CAN PICK UP THE VIRUS AND IT CAN PROVE FATAL. IT KILLS PART
...MANY OF THE VICTIM THAT HAS AND THOSE TO SURVIVE ARE OFTEN VERY VERY BADLY PARALYZED.
NOW, WHAT'S BEEN THE RESPONSE AMONG THE PEOPLE THAT YOU'VE INTERVIEWED INSIDE EGYPT? WHAT
IS THE LEVEL OF FEAR?
PEOPLE ARE JUST NERVOUS WHEN THEY HEAR ABOUT IT, ALTHOUGH I THINK THERE HAS BEEN SUCH GOOD
MASS MOBILIZATION OF... OVER THE YEARS TO ERADICATE POLIO AND IT'S BEEN POLIO FREE HERE
FOR EIGHT OR SO YEARS. SO PEOPLE HAVE GREAT FAITH. THEY DO COME, THEY REGULARLY GOT THEIR
KIDS IMMUNIZED, THERE IS A NATIONAL DAY AND THEY GO AROUND SCHOOLS, SO IT DOES MAKE PEOPLE
NERVOUS HEARING ABOUT IT. THEY JUST WANT TO MAKE DOUBLE SURE THAT THEIR KIDS HAVE THEIR
LATEST DOSE OF THE VACCINE. ONE STRAIN WAS FOUND IN CAIRO'S SEWERS. NOBODY HAS COME DOWN
WITH IT HERE, BUT THE VERY FACT THAT IS PRESENT HAS PEOPLE NERVOUS AS WELL, AS WELL AS THE
FACT THAT THERE ARE SO MANY SYRIAN REFUGEES HERE, ABOUT MORE THEN 200 THOUSAND AND THE
IDEA THAT IT COULD BE BROUGHT IN THAT WAY AS WELL TOO.
IN YOU REPORTING YOU MENTIONED THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY FEAR THE VACCINATIONS
AND FEEL THAT MAY BE MALICIOUS. CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT?
WELL, YES AND THAT'S THE PROBLEM IN THE THREE COUNTRIES WHERE ...THOSE VACCINES...WHERE
THE DISEASE IS STILL PREVALENT. IT'S AFGHANISTAN, PAKISTAN AND NIGERIA. AND UNFORTUNATELY THERE
ARE PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A PLOT BY THE WEST TO HURT MUSLIMS.
SO WHAT'S NEXT? WHAT CAN BE DONE NOW AT THIS POINT...I MEAN THE VACCINATIONS BUT IS THERE
ANYTHING ELSE THAT'S IN THE WORKS?
THE HEALTH WORKERS HAVE TO DO A VERY BIG JOB IN SYRIA ITSELF. THEY HAVE TO NEGOTIATE TO
GET THE DRUGS INTO THE REBEL HELD...MEDICINE... INTO THE REBEL HELD AREAS AND IT'S A VERY
PAINFUL PROCESS. THE GOVERNMENT THERE HAS PLEDGED TO LET DONORS GET THE MEDICINE THROUGH.
THE U.N. MAN THAT I SPOKE TO, HE SAID REALLY EVERYONE IN THE REGION, FROM IRAQ, TURKEY,
ALL THE COUNTRIES THAT ARE TAKING IN MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF SYRIAN REFUGEES REALLY NEEDS TO
MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE THEIR VACCINATION PROGRAMS UP TO DATE. AND THEY ARE MAKING A
HUGE PUSH, INTERNATIONAL PUSH TO GET THESE GROUPS TO MAKE SURE... ROTARY INTERNATIONAL
AND OTHER GROUPS GOING IN...AND JUST MAKING SURE EVERYBODY STARTS, BECAUSE EVERYBODY HAS
TO BE VACCINATED. OR YOU START, YOU HAVE A WINDOW IN WHICH THE DISEASE CAN ENTER. THE
DISEASE DOESN'T NEED A VISA, IT CAN SLIP AND SLIDE ACROSS, AND IF THEY FIND ANY GROUP THAT
DOESN'T HAVE IT...THE VACCINATION AGAINST IT, THEY'RE VULNERABLE.
AND, PHIL, ELIZABETH TELLS THAT THIS THE STRAIN OF POLIO WE'RE SEEING IN SYRIA ACTUALLY ORIGINATED
IN PAKISTAN. AND AS SHE MENTIONED IN HER REPORT, PAKISTAN, ALONG WITH AFGHANISTAN AND NIGERIA
, THESE THREE ARE THE ONLY COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD WHERE POLIO REMAINS ENDEMIC.
TIME FOR A BREAK NOW. ON THE OTHER SIDE, WE TALK NORTH KOREA, AND THE EXECUTION THAT SHOCKED
THE WORLD. YOU'RE WATCHING ON ASSIGNMENT.
THE EXECUTION OF NORTH KOREAN LEADER KIM JONG UN'S UNCLE, JANG SONG THAEK, CONSIDERED THE
COUNTRY'S SECOND MOST POWERFUL MAN, HAS RAISED CONCERN AROUND THE WORLD. KOREAN STATE MEDIA
SAY JANG WAS PUT TO DEATH DECEMBER 12TH AFTER BEING FOUND GUILTY OF TREASON. HE REPORTEDLY
FACED CHARGES INCLUDING CORRUPTION, WOMANIZING AND ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE. I'M JOINED NOW
BY COLIN LOVETT, VOA EAST ASIA AND PACIFIC EDITOR, FOR MORE ON THIS STORY. COLIN, WHO
EXACTLY WAS JANG?
JANG HAS BEEN A LONG TIME PART OF THE NORTH KOREAN POWER STRUCTURE. HE IS MARRIED TO KIM
JONG UN'S AUNT, WHO IS ALSO THE SISTER OF HIS FATHER KIM JONG IL, HE HAS BEEN SEEN AS
THE NUMBER TWO LOOSELY OFF AND ON FOR THE LAST DECADE ALMOST. HE IS NO STRANGER TO POWER.
HE WAS A BIG PLAYER IN NORTH KOREAN POLITICS FOR A LONG TIME. BUT AS A NOTE, THIS WASN'T
THE FIRST TIME HE WAS PURGED EITHER. IT'S OBVIOUSLY THE LAST TIME HE'S GOING TO BE PURGED,
BUT HE WAS PURGED A COUPLE OF TIMES BEFORE.
WELL NOW WE'VE VIDEO FROM PYONGYONG SHOWING THAT JANG WAS BEING REMOVED FROM A PARTY MEETING
BY TWO MILITARY GUARDS. IT'S KIND OF AN UNUSUAL PUBLIC EVENT. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS BEHIND
THIS?
IT IS ACTUALLY HIGHLY UNUSUAL IN NORTH KOREA FOR THEM TO PURGE IN SUCH A PUBLIC FASHION.
USUALLY HIGH RANKING OFFICIALS WHEN THEY GET REMOVED FROM POWER, THEY JUST STOP SHOWING
UP IN PHOTOS. THEY STOP SHOWING UP ON LISTS OF COMMITTEES. AND THAT'S GENERALLY HOW THOSE
OF US OUTSIDE OF NORTH KOREA FIGURE OUT WHO'S IN POWER AND WHO'S ON THE "IN" AND WHO'S ON
THE "OUT," BY WHO'S SHOWING UP IN PICTURES WITH THE LEADER, WHO'S SHOWING UP ON COMMITTEE
LISTS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. WHEN, AS I MENTIONED, JANG'S BEEN PURGED BEFORE, THE PAST TWO TIMES,
HE JUST STOPPED APPEARING IN PUBLIC. HE JUST DISAPPEARED. SO THIS WAS A HIGHLY UNUSUAL
STEP AND ANALYSTS ARE REALLY DIVIDED ON WHAT THE MEANING OF IT WAS. WHETHER THIS WAS A
SIGN OF WEAKNESS OR A SIGN OF STRENGTH ON KIM JONG UN'S PART.
SO WHAT DOES IT SAY I GUESS ABOUT KIM JONG UN AND HOW HE FEELS ABOUT POWER? I GUESS BECAUSE
WE'RE LEFT TO GUESS.
WE ARE LEFT TO GUESS. OBVIOUSLY THEY'RE NOT GOING TO MAKE ANY STATEMENTS. AS YOU MENTIONED,
THEY THREW THE ENTIRE BOOK OF POTENTIAL CHARGES AGAINST THIS GUY BEFORE THEY SUMMARILY FOUND
HIM GUILTY AND THEN EXECUTED HIM THE NEXT DAY. OR AT LEAST THAT WAS THE TIMELINE THAT
THE NORTH KOREAN MEDIA GAVE US. IT COULD BE THAT KIM FELT EMPOWERED, THAT HE IS FINALLY
IN CONTROL, AND THAT THIS WAS HIS WAY OF GETTING RID OF A RIVAL. AND AS A NOTE, THIS WAS THE
FIRST HIGH PROFILE EXECUTION IN NORTH KOREA SINCE THE END OF THE KOREAN WAR, WHEN KIM
IL SUNG, WHO'S THE FOUNDER OF NORTH KOREA, EXECUTED ONE OF HIS MAIN COMMUNIST RIVALS
AND CONSOLIDATED HIS POWER BASE. THAT WAS THE LAST TIME. SO THIS IS A BIG MOVE. IT COULD
ALSO MEAN THAT KIM IS FEELING A LITTLE SHAKY AND HE NEEDED TO DO A HIGH PROFILE THING,
AND PUT PEOPLE BACK IN LINE AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY "KNOW WHO'S BOSS" KIND OF DEAL.
ALL RIGHT COLIN LOVETT, VOA'S EAST ASIA EDITOR HERE AT THE VOICE OF AMERICA.
COMING UP, WE'RE TAKING ANOTHER BREAK. STILL TO COME, COPING WITH GLOBAL MEGA-FIRES. YOU'RE
WATCHING ON ASSIGNMENT.
AUSTRALIA, INDONESIA, RUSSIA, GREECE - THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE COUNTRIES WHERE MASSIVE
WILDFIRES HAVE BROKEN OUT IN RECENT YEARS. THREE BRUTAL BLAZES DEVASTATED PARTS OF THE
WESTERN UNITED STATES IN 2013, AND ANOTHER WILDFIRE WAS BURNING NEAR CALIFORNIA'S BIG
SUR REGION IN MID- DECEMBER.
FIRE EXPERTS SAY MOST OF THESE SO-CALLED MEGAFIRES STEM FROM A COMBINATION OF CLIMATE CHANGE,
LAND USE AND HUMAN MISMANAGEMENT. VOA'S MARK SNOWISS HAS BEEN LOOKING INTO THIS, AND TOLD
ME WHAT HE FOUND. LET'S BEGIN WITH THE START OF HIS REPORT.
COLORADO. JUNE 2013. THE BLACK FOREST FIRE DESTROYS 500-PLUS HOMES. WEEKS LATER, ARIZONA'S
YARNELL HILL FIRE KILLS 19 FIREFIGHTERS FROM THE ELITE GRANITE MOUNTAIN HOTSHOTS. THEN,
IN AUGUST, CALIFORNIA'S RIM FIRE - THE THIRD-LARGEST BLAZE IN STATE HISTORY - THREATENS SAN FRANCISCO'S
WATER SUPPLY.
NOW YOU TALK ABOUT THE DEVELOPED WORLD AND YOUR STORY SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON THE UNITED
STATES. THIS IS NOT JUST A US PROBLEM. TELL US WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE REST OF THE WORLD.
WELL, IT DEPENDS WHERE IN THE REST OF THE WORLD. BASICALLY IN IN IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD
LIKE AUSTRALIA, THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, EVEN RUSSIA TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, IT'S A SIMILAR
PATTERN. YOU KNOW, LIKE IN AUSTRALIA YOU ALSO HAVE CITIES EXPANDING, SUBURBS GROWING AND
THEN THIS KIND OF POLITICAL PRESSURE TO SUPPRESS FIRE.
BUT IT HAS FAILED IN EVERY COUNTRY NATURALLY PRONE TO FIRE THAT HAS TRIED IT, SAYS ARIZONA
STATE UNIVERSITY'S STEPHEN PYNE, WHO SPOKE TO VOA VIA SKYPE.
"WHEN THE SMOKE IS ON THE HORIZON, AND THE TV CAMERAS ARE OUT, IT SEEMS LIKE AN EASY
SOLUTION TO CALL IN THE TROOPS, BRING IN THE AIRPLANES AND THE HELICOPTERS, BOMB IT AWAY,
AND THEN THE PROBLEM IS GONE. ALL WE'VE DONE IS PUT IT OFF."
IN OTHER WORDS, SUPPRESSION IS A TEMPORARY FIX THAT CREATES MORE DANGEROUS FIRES LATER.
IT ALLOWS THE BUILD-UP OF LOWER VEGETATION, OR FUEL THAT CAN CARRY FIRE TO TALLER TREETOPS.
THERE'S GOOD FIRE. THERE'S KIND OF GOOD FIRE AND BAD FIRE AND WHEN YOU SUPPRESS FIRE TO
PROTECT PROPERTY OR FOR OTHER REASONS YOU'RE GOING TO CREATE MORE OUT OF CONTROL LARGER
FIRES LATER AND THAT'S SORT OF WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING IN THE LAST 20 YEARS. THOSE COUNTRIES
THAT ARE, THAT SEE PEOPLE LEAVING CITIES IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD, THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE.
BUT YOU ALSO HAVE COUNTRIES LIKE IN A GREECE AND PORTUGAL WHERE THOSE ARE ALSO FIRE PRONE
AREAS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN, BUT THOSE COUNTRIES ARE KIND OF CATCHING UP ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
THEY'RE MAYBE A COUPLE OF DECADES BEHIND AND YOU HAVE PEOPLE ENTERING THE CITIES, YOU HAVE
TRADITIONAL LAND OWNERS AND VILLAGERS THAT USED TO PUT SMALL CONTROL BURNS ON THEIR LAND
AND TAKE CARE OF THEIR LAND. THEY'RE LEAVING THE LAND. AND WHEN THEY COME INTO THE CITIES
THAT LAND JUST LIES THERE, THE FUEL GROWS UP AND YOU GET THE SAME, THE SAME SITUATION
BUT FROM THE REVERSE CAUSALITY.
LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS IDEA OF GOOD FIRE VERSUS BAD FIRE BECAUSE I THINK MOST PEOPLE, WHEN
YOU THINK OF FIRE YOU THINK OF -- THAT'S BAD. WE DON'T WANT FIRE. SO, WHAT'S A GOOD FIRE?
REALLY GOOD FIRES ARE SMALLER FIRES THAT ARE ALLOWED TO BURN, CLEAR OUT LOWER VEGETATION
AND THE MORE MATURE TREES STAY. THEY DON'T GET BURNED DOWN, BECAUSE THE FIRE IS ALSO
LOWER...
IT'S NOT GROWING AS MUCH...
IT'S NOT GOING TO TAKE OFF. AND THE TREES, THE MATURE TREES ARE GOING TO REMAIN AFTER
THE FIRE AND THAT'S GOING TO BE HEALTHY. IT'S LIKE WEEDING YOUR GARDEN. WHEN YOU GET THE
WEEDS OUT THE HEALTHY SHRUBS AND THE TREES STAY THERE AND WHAT YOU DON'T WANT YOU TAKE
OUT. SO, THAT'S WHERE WE'VE GOTTEN OUT OF BALANCE AND NOW MORE FIRES ARE KIND OF BAD
IN A WAY BECAUSE THEY'RE SO HUGE AND THEY'RE SO COSTLY AND THEY'RE SO DANGEROUS THEY'RE
BURNING DOWN HOUSES AND THEY'RE PUTTING FIREFIGHTERS AT RISK AND THEY'RE JUST COSTING MORE AND
MORE MONEY AND IT'S GETTING OUT OF CONTROL.
YOU TALKED TO FIRE OFFICIALS AND FIRE EXPERTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. WHAT DO THEY SAY NEEDS
TO BE DONE?
EVERYBODY PRETTY MUCH KNOWS THAT WE HAVE TO CHANGE THE WAY THAT WE'RE HANDLING FIRE. A
NUMBER OF EXPERTS ARE SAYING THAT MONEY HAS TO BE REDIRECTED TO FUEL REDUCTION IT'S CALLED.
YOU GO OUT IN THE WINTER TIME, YOU HIRE CREWS WHEN IT'S NOT FIRE SEASON, CLEAR OUT SOME
OF THE BRUSH. BUT ONE THING THAT'S INTERESTING THAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING IS THAT MAYBE WE NEED
TO MOVE KIND OF TOWARD A HURRICANE MODEL. LIKE WHEN THE HURRICANE'S COMING, BASICALLY
YOU BOARD UP AND YOU LEAVE TOWN AND THEN YOU COME BACK AND DEAL WITH THE ISSUE. WITH FIRES
GETTING SO HUGE THAT'S ALSO ONE SUGGESTION THAT SOME PEOPLE HAVE IS NOT TO LOSE LIVES
PROTECTING PROPERTY WHEN THAT PROPERTY IS BUILT IN AREAS THAT ARE SORT OF THE FIRE EQUIVALENT
TO A FLOOD PLAIN.
ALL RIGHT, OUR THANKS TO MARK SNOWISS OF VOA NEWS. IN MARCH OF 2014, A UNITED NATIONS PANEL
WILL PUBLISH A REPORT THAT DISCUSSES WILDFIRES AS PART OF A BROADER LOOK AT GLOBAL CLIMATE
CHANGE.
WELL MOVING ON ... CELEBRITY PHOTOGRAPHERS ... THE PAPARAZZI. IT SEEMS THAT THEY ARE
EVERYWHERE. THEY CAMP OUTSIDE THE HOMES OF STARS, STALK THEM WHILE THEY'RE AT LUNCH,
AND EVEN FIGHT AMONG THEMSELVES AS THEY COMPETE TO GET THE SHOT.
VOA PRODUCER DEYANE MOSES WENT BEHIND THE LENS WITH A CELEBRITY PHOTOGRAPHER IN LOS
ANGELES TO SEE WHAT IT REALLY TAKES TO BE PART OF THE PAPARAZZI, AND REBECCA WARD CHASED
HER DOWN TO TELL US ALL ABOUT IT. LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE OUR OWN PAPARAZZI ON THE SET.
RIGHT HERE, BABY.
LETS TAKE A LOOK.
IT'S KIND OF A NICE BREAK FROM EVERYTHING. THE STORIES CAN BE KIND OF OUTRAGEOUS SOMETIMES.
BUT THEY'RE KIND OF FUN, AND A LITTLE DIFFERENT, A NICE BREAK JUST FROM EVERYDAY LIFE.
THEY LIKE TO SEE YOUR PHOTOS. WHAT THEY DON'T LIKE IS HOW THEY PERCEIVE THAT YOU GET THE
PHOTOS. IT'S A GUILTY PLEASURE OF EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD. I JUST TO SEE CELEBS ALL THE
TIME BUT IT NEVER REALLY OCCURRED TO ME THAT I COULD MAKE MONEY TAKING PHOTOS OF THEM.
AND NOW THAT I KNOW I CAN I DO.
HE'S IN TMZ, PEOPLE MAGAZINE, HE'S DONE INTERVIEWS FOR RADAR. HE ACTUALLY JUST AN INTERVIEW FOR
TIME MAYBE A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO BEFORE I FOUND HIM. HE'S ACTUALLY PRETTY POPULAR. HE
HAS A LONG AND LENGTHY HISTORY HERE IN LA.
AND HE'S APPARENTLY VERY GOOD BECAUSE THE PICTURE YOU CAPTURED OF ROBERT REDFORD AT
THE AIRPORT WAS EXCELLENT.
HE DID SAY IT WAS GREAT TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR HIS WORK AND THAT PEOPLE FIND HIS PHOTOGRAPHS
INTERESTING AND THAT THEY TELL A STORY. AND THAT'S WHAT HE TOLD ME, WHEN HE FILMS CELEBRITIES,
HE TRIES TO CAPTURE EVERYONE'S FACE THAT'S WITH THE CELEBRITY TO TELL A STORY WHETHER
IT'S THEN HANGING OUT WITH THEIR CHILDREN OR THEIR SHOPPING OR JUST A LOVING COUPLE
WALKING DOWN THE STREET.
WELL HE REALIZES OF COURSE IF THERE'S A NEGATIVE CONNOTATION THEY GOES ALONG WITH THE TERM
PAPARAZZI. IT'S NOT JUST PHOTOGRAPHER HE'S PAPARAZZI SO HOW DOES HE DEAL WITH THAT?
WHEN I FIRST ASKED GILES TO DO THE INTERVIEW, I SAID I UNDERSTAND IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DO
IT. AND HE SAID NO I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING WRONG SO I HAVE NO PROBLEMS OFFERING INTERVIEWS,
LETTING YOU RIGHT ALONG WITH ME.
WHERE WAS J LO?
AND HE SAID THAT PEOPLE THINK PAPARAZZI, THEY'RE BAD PEOPLE. HE SAYS WE'RE NOT. HE SAYS IT'S
A JOB AND THERE'S A MARKET OUT THERE FOR IT SO WE'RE FEEDING THE MARKET.
"PARENTS CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS. AND WHEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE LIKE THE KARDASHIANS DOING
PHOTO SHOOTS WITH THEIR CHILDREN, AND YOU KNOW SELLING ACCESS TO MAGAZINES. ONCE THEY
OPEN THAT DOOR YOU JUST CAN'T SWITCH IT OFF."
SO WHEN IT COMES TO CHILDREN THOUGH, DO THE PAPARAZZI, DO THEY HAVE A KIND OF CODE OF
ETHICS WHEN IT COMES TO KIDS?
GILES SAYS THAT HE DOES. HE SAYS SOME OTHER PAPARAZZI, THEY AREN'T LIKE THAT. HE SAYS
HE WON'T TAKE A PICTURE OF A CHILD IF THEY'RE BY THEMSELVES. OR HE WON'T WAIT OUTSIDE OF
A SCHOOL FOR CHILD AND THEIR PARENTS TO COME PICK THEM UP. BUT HE SAYS HE WILL TAKE A PICTURE
OF A PARENT, A CHILD WITH THEIR PARENT. HE'S JUST TRYING TO GET A PICTURE OF THE CELEBRITY
DOING THEIR NORMAL AND DAILY ROUTINE BECAUSE THE PUBLIC LIKES THAT. IT HUMANIZES THE CELEBRITY
FOR THE PUBLIC. THEY WANT TO BE FAMOUS THEY WANT TO BE TALKED ABOUT. IF YOU'RE NOT BEING
TALKED ABOUT THEN YOU'RE NOT IMPORTANT. LIKE HEIDI KLUM SAYS, ONE DAY YOU'RE IN - THE NEXT
DAY YOU'RE OUT.
WHO DOESN'T LIKE YOUR PICTURE BEING TAKEN? DID HE TELL YOU THAT? BECAUSE WE KNOW, WE
KNOW THAT...
OH, ALEC BALDWIN. ALEC BALDWIN.
HAS HE TAKEN HIS PICTURE?
HE HAS. HE SAID THEY'VE GOTTEN CURSED OUT A LOT. HE SAYS HALLE BERRY, SHE GOES PRETTY
NUTS WHEN SHE'S WITH HER DAUGHTER, WHICH IS UNDERSTANDABLE. HE SAID FOR THE MOST PART
EVERYONE'S NICE ABOUT IT. BUT I DID NOTICE WHEN WE SAW ALEXANDRA IMBROGIA WITH HER CHILDREN,
THEY DEFINITELY KEPT THEIR DISTANCE. AND THEY WERE TELLING EACH OTHER, HEY BACKUP, BACKUP.
IT WASN'T TOO CRAZY. BUT I HAVE SEEN IT, IT GOT PRETTY CRAZY, LIKE YOU SAW LADY GAGA AT
THE AMA'S NOT TOO LONG AGO. IT WAS, THAT WAS PRETTY NUTS.
IS SHE THERE? I THINK SHE'S IN TOWN....YEAH, THAT WAS ROBERT REDFORD.
TELL ME ABOUT THE KIND OF CHASING DOWN OF ROBERT REDFORD.
RIGHT. SO WE WERE ONLY IN THE CAR FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES. SO WE'RE DRIVING AROUND AND I
SEE THIS GUY COMING OUT OF THE NORMAL, BLAND HOTEL. SOMEBODY'S CARRYING HIS BAGS BEHIND
HIM. HE HAS A FANCY SCARF ON AND ANOTHER GUY IS OPENING THE DOOR. AND I SAY, WELL THAT
GUY LOOKS PRETTY IMPORTANT. HE SAID WHO AND THEN JUST AS HE SAID THAT, I HIT THE CAMERA
BUTTON AND I FOCUSED ON HIM AND HE WAS LIKE OH MY GOD THAT'S ROBERT REDFORD. AND SO HE
DIDN'T ILLEGAL U-TURN AND WE FOLLOWED HIM TO THE AIRPORT. I WAS TRYING TO BE DISCREET
BUT IN THE INSTANCE OF TRYING TO GET THE STORY, I HAD TO GET OUT OF THE CAR AND SHE GILLES
AS WELL AS SHOOT ROBERT REDFORD. ALTHOUGH IT MADE ME A LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE BECAUSE
I FELT AS THOUGH I WAS INVADING HIS PRIVACY. BUT YOU KNOW, WHEN IN ROME...
VOA PRODUCER DEYANE MOSES. NOW, THE PHOTOGRAPHER IN DEYANE'S STORY HAS BEEN ARRESTED BEFORE
BECAUSE OF HIS WORK. AND NEXT YEAR, HIS JOB GETS A LITTLE TOUGHER, THOUGH, A RESULT OF
A NEW LAW THAT CRIMINALIZES TAKING PICTURES OF CELEBRITIES' CHILDREN.
STAYING IN THE ENTERTAINMENT WORLD, SARATOGA SPRINGS, NEW YORK, IS FAR FROM A U.S. MUSICAL
HOT SPOT LIKE NASHVILLE OR MEMPHIS. BUT IN THE PAST FIVE DECADES, A SMALL COFFEEHOUSE
THERE HAS HOSTED THOUSANDS OF FOLK MUSIC PERFORMANCES, HELPING MANY OF AMERICA'S BEST-LOVED ARTISTS
LAUNCH THEIR CAREERS.
CAFFE LENA CALLS ITSELF THE OLDEST CONTINUOUSLY RUNNING FOLK COFFEEHOUSE IN THE UNITED STATES.
VOA'S CAROL PEARSON HAS THE STORY.
TONIGHT IS THE STRAY BIRDS' FIRST TIME AS FEATURE PERFORMERS AT CAFFИ LENA. OLIVER
CRAVENS AND TWO FRIENDS FORMED THE FOLK GROUP TWO YEARS AGO.
"IT IS AN HONOR TO BE ON THE SAME STAGE AND THE SAME SPACE AS SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE
INSPIRED US TO ALWAYS DO WHAT WE DO. WE WILL BE HAPPY TO KEEP COMING BACK TO CAFFИ LENA."
LENA SPENCER AND HER HUSBAND BILL OPENED THE COFFEEHOUSE IN 1960. BILL LEFT TWO YEARS LATER,
BUT LENA KEPT THE DOORS OPEN UNTIL HER DEATH IN 1989. AFTER SPENCER'S PASSING, THE CAFFИ
BECAME A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION. ALL THE WORKERS ARE VOLUNTEERS. SARAH CRAIG, THE GROUP'S
DIRECTOR, HAS RUN THE CLUB SINCE 1995.
"WHEN SHE DIED, EVERYBODY REALIZED THAT, AS MUCH AS THEY MISSED LENA, THEY JUST COULDN'T
LET THE CLUB GO. SO THEY RAISED MONEY TO PAY OFF THE DEBTS THAT THE CAFFИ HAD AT THAT
TIME, AND THEY DEVELOPED THE NON-PROFIT LEGAL STATUS."
FOR OVER 50 YEARS, CAFFИ LENA HAS INTRODUCED THOUSANDS OF FOLK MUSICIANS TO AUDIENCES.
SINGER-SONGWRITER BOB DYLAN IS ONE OF MANY WHO WENT ON TO FAME AND FORTUNE.
"I THINK AT THIS POINT THE REPUTATION OF THE CLUB IS SUCH THAT IF YOU WANT TO BE PLAYING
IN THE FOLK CIRCUIT IN THE UNITED STATES, IT IS KIND OF ONE OF THOSE PLACES THAT YOU
HAVE TO STOP AND PLAY."
A NEW BOOK AND CD SET CELEBRATE THE CLUB'S HISTORY AND LENA SPENCER'S LEGACY. THEY ARE
THE RESULT OF EXTENSIVE RESEARCH BY JOCELYN AREM, WHO FIRST VISITED THE CLUB AS A COLLEGE
MUSIC STUDENT.
"I REMEMBER WALKING UP THE STAIRS WITH MY GUITAR OVER MY SHOULDER AND FEELING LIKE THIS
PLACE HAD A MUCH BIGGER STORY THAT I WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT. I RECORDED OVER 150 INTERVIEWS
OVER A 10-YEAR PERIOD WITH MUSICIANS AROUND THE COUNTRY AND THE PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION
WE DREW FROM FOR THE BOOK WAS 6,000 IMAGES."
NEXT TO THE CAFFE RUNS LENA LANE, COMMEMORATING THE CLUB AND ITS FOUNDER WHO BECAME A LOCAL
LEGEND.
THIS IS A SPECIAL PLACE. NURTURING OF NEW TALENT IS STILL A STRONG PART OF THE CAFFИ.
I THINK IT IS GREAT. I HOPE IT KEEPS GOING FOREVER AFTER WE ARE GONE."
FOR PRODUCER JUNE SOH, I'M CAROL PEARSON, VOA NEWS.
AND WITH THAT, WE ARE GOING TO CLOSE THE DOORS HERE AT "CAFE ON ASSIGNMENT." BUT DON'T WORRY
WE'LL BE BACK AGAIN NEXT WEEK, AND OPEN OUR DOORS WITH ANOTHER SHOW.
WE'LL BE TALKING WITH OUR EAST AFRICA CORRESPONDENT ABOUT HIS COVERAGE OF THE REGION ...
THAT'S RIGHT AND WE'LL GO GHOST HUNTING WITH SOME TRUE BELIEVERS ...
AND THEN WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE A TELEVISION SHOW OUT OF LIVE MUSIC
PERFORMANCES?
YOU CAN CHECK US OUT ANYTIME ON VOANEWS.COM, FACEBOOK AND YOUTUBE, WITH ACCURATE ENGLISH
CAPTIONS IN THE YOUTUBE PLAYER.
FOR ALL OF US HERE AT ON ASSIGNMENT...SO LONG UNTIL NEXT TIME.