- Today on "Extra Credit," we're traveling to Eatonville, Florida, the home of one of the greatest writers of all time.

Plus, a Detroit artist inspired by comics.

Stay tuned!

(upbeat music) Hi, I'm Mrs. Pizzo, and I'm glad you're with us today.

Welcome to "Extra Credit," where we meet interesting people, explore new ideas, and discover fun places together.

Each episode we'll introduce you to people who make the world an interesting place by using math, science, sports, writing, and the arts.

Our theme today is Across America, but before we discover the beauty of our great country, I have someone I want you to meet.

- Hi friends, my name is Sarayu.

It's so great to meet you.

We're kicking off by visiting Zora Neale Hurston's hometown.

Ms. Hurston is one of the greatest American authors of all time.

Let's learn about how her hometown of Eatonville, Florida influenced her work.

(energetic music) (inspirational music) ♪ Oh my mama come see that town ♪ - Zora Neale Hurston was the quintessential charismatic maverick.

She's really raw.

She's different from everybody else.

- This is the greatest thing I hear.

Yeah, I heard about Eatonville.

I know Zora.

Zora from Eatonville?

Oh my gosh!

- At one point, she was the most prolific and well-read African American woman of her time.

I think she's underrated, if anything, still.

(feisty violin music) - Well you know, she was born in Alabama, Notasulga, Alabama, and her father moved the family when Hurston was very young.

- God knows what her family went through, just moving, not knowing if they're gonna be stopped if they end up dead, being lynched, but they made it here in an atmosphere that was totally black, everyone looked like her.

So I think it's set the atmosphere for her to just think dreaming right.

- She grew up in Eatonville, which is the oldest incorporated all-black township in the United States.

And she wrote, she wrote the story of Eatonville.

- Eatonville is so much a part of her cultural and literary narrative.

- She was a modernist, a realist.

She was trying to capture the authentic life of the people.

- She really wanted people to know what an amazing, and valuable, and vibrant culture she came from, and I think she did it.

(moody jazz music) - She wrote, "Their Eyes Were Watching God," very quickly.

She wrote it after a romantic experience with a younger man.

- It is a book about African-American people within their own community, and I think she's one of the earliest writers in America to really do that.

- [N.Y.] It is a tragedy of a love story.

- Janie is born in Alabama, she comes to Eatonville with her family.

Her grandmother arranges a marriage with someone who treats her like a mule.

She leaves him for another man, who is like the founder of the town of Eatonville, and he dies.

And then she ends up with a kind of a drifter type of guy.

- They are caught in the hurricane, the great hurricane of the late 1920s, and he is bit by a rabbit dog, she has to kill him.

She goes to trial, the white jury acquits her, and so she tells her story to her, a good companion, Phoebe.

- It's not only a great story, but it's the language and the style that really makes it a great work of American literature.

- Anyone who works with words, you know, you respect the craft.

The craft that her writing represents in "Their Eyes Were Watching God."

- Here was peace.

She pulled in her horizon like a great fish net, pulled it from around the waist of the world, and draped it over her shoulder.

So much of life in its meshes.

She called in her soul to come and see.

What she does with narrative is really interesting.

Her characters are fascinating.

I mean, it's a fun read.

The dialect is challenging for people.

- She was not afraid to delve into the dialect, but understanding that time period, African Americans, Negros, colored people did not want to be identified with dialect because white people said that dialect was just an indication of just how backward you people were!

♪ Hey hey hey, can't you try ♪ - There were some members of the African-American community who wanted to show that works of literature were on the same par as other great modernists, and they felt that dialect was a reversion to the past.

- There were people, Richard Wright, sort of notoriously and famously among them, who felt that she was cowtowing and pandering to whites.

And she thought they were just angry, and writing about the same thing over and over again.

And I think history's kind of born her out right?

- I think she needs to be ranked among the great American literary authors, including Hemingway, Fitzgerald, I think she's up there with them.

- She is definitely a global icon.

You know, she really, she just would not give up.

- She's named in our hearts.

She's named in the minds of the people of Eatonville.

And when nobody can't say anything else, you can hear a kid say, "Well, Zora from here!"

And I think that is royally rich that her character allow it to be better than silver and gold.

- Now it's time to hear from our friend Dr. Blotch, who calls an every show to demand new and creative stories from us.

Wait, what?

This just in, there's more than one Dr. Blotch?

Oh, no, this can't be good.

I've heard we'll find out more as we learn about this week's challenge, which involves creating menus with tempting descriptions.

(energetic music) - Welcome back to 826 Michigan's online writing challenge.

- [Dr. A. Blotch] (clears throat) Morgan.

You mean Dr. Blotch's writing challenge.

Blotch's writing challenge.

- Oh, Dr. Blotch, you're back, hello.

- [Dr. A. Blotch] No, Morgan, that was Dr. C. Blotch who issued last week's writing challenge.

We are their second cousins, Doctors A. and L. Blotch.

- [Dr. L. Blotch] Twins!

- [Dr. A. Blotch] Yes, there are two of us.

We are identical twins with opposite personalities.

- Oh, wait.

There's more than one Blotch?

- [Dr. L. Blotch] More than one?

(laughing) There are dozens!

Hundreds!

A bus in a batch, really.

All doctors, all Blotches, all 100% genius!

- [Dr. A. Blotch] And we, Murgatroyd, our twin Blotches, but we're getting off topic.

Do you hear that noise?

- [Dr. L. Blotch] Yes, yes!

That terrible noise!

- Maybe?

Is there a train going by right now?

Is your cat eating celery again?

It's like a crunching and a gurgling.

- [Dr. A. Blotch] That is the entire reason we called, Majon.

- It's Megan, Dr. Blotch.

- [Dr. A. Blotch] Tomato, potato, whatever.

Anyway, that is entirely the reason I called, Megtato.

I'm starving!

The whole social distance thing is deeply upsetting to me because I can't visit my favorite restaurant here in Antarctica, the Puce Polenta Palace.

Meanwhile at home, we're having a terrible time trying to agree on what to cook.

You see, I, Dr. A. Blotch, love all things sweet, sour, salty, slimy, viscous, bubbly, hot, and gray.

- [Dr. L. Blotch] And I, Dr. L. Blotch, love all things cold, fuzzy, colorful, mushy, and bitter.

- Oh, well, Doctors Blotch, have you tried breakfast for dinner?

Because then you can have hot foods, like hot oatmeal and cold cereal.

You could have hot chocolate and cold chocolate milk.

You could have- - Of course we did, Megan!

- Okay.

- [Dr. L. Blotch] We already cooked our way through all of our cookbooks including "The Complete Twice-Burnt Cooking for Two," and "The Joy of Cooking with Mold and Spores," we're out of ideas!

- [Dr. A. Blotch] That's why we need you, Mergen.

This week, we need you and all the 826 people, staff, volunteers, adoring fans, parents, and guardians, and yes, even the children, to bring brand new menus for us that will appeal to our eclectic, meaning very unique and different tastes.

- Oh, Doctors Blotch, I think we would be up for that challenge.

- [Dr. L. Blotch] Yes, yes!

The menus should be just what we'd see in a restaurant.

We need ideas for appetizers, soups, salads, main dishes, desserts, breakfast foods, and beverages.

Their ideas can be themed, like a garlic doughnut themed restaurant.

Or, they can be an odd collection of items that may appeal to our tastes.

- [Dr. A. Blotch] Oh indeed, I could really go for a garlic doughnut about now, but please, oh please, for the love of turnips, include mouthwatering descriptions of what the dishes look, smell and taste like.

I want to know what it will sound like as I'm chewing this dish, how it will feel as I'm biting it.

- [Dr. L. Blotch] Please try to have the writers illustrate their menus.

We'd like to know what the dish would look like, to decide if we want to eat it.

- All right, we're on it, Blotches.

(thoughtful music) (energetic music) - Hi, my name is Taryn.

I am a kid, and I am a helper.

One of the best ways we can be helpers is by being kind and caring neighbors to the people we meet.

- Hi!

- Kids can be helpers in many ways.

We can speak up if somebody is being treated unfairly.

When other families are in need, we can help each other by donating toys, food, or clothes.

Another way kids can be helpers is by making thoughtful notes.

Cards are a caring way to tell someone you are thinking about them.

These cards can say, get well, thank you, and anything else you can think of.

With the help of caring grownups in our lives, we can also help by volunteering.

Volunteering is giving your time and help to a person or organization.

There are many ways to volunteer.

Kids can pick up trash in the park, or sort food at a food bank.

Every neighborhood has special ways kids can help.

How will you be a helper?

Grown-up helpers are all around our neighborhood.

They are doctors, police officers, teachers, 911 operators, firefighters, line workers,, meteorologists paramedics, and so many more.

These helpers make our neighborhood better every day.

When you grow up, you might even choose to become one of these important helpers!

- [Announcer] To meet other helpers in our neighborhood, go to meetthehelpers.org.

- [Announcer] "Meet the Helpers" is made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

(energetic music) (peaceful music) - Gifts For The River project talks about the Chippewa River, that runs through the town of Mount Pleasant.

The idea for Gifts Of The River, is it's a created entity that lives online, but also in real life.

And it's an important piece, because it's a project that engages community, both them of the Anishinaabe people who are local, as well as people at Central Michigan University, as well as people in the town of Mount Pleasant.

I feel like curating community, and providing inspiration for the community is really important in the work that I do.

The indigenous voice in Gifts For The River is extremely, extremely crucial.

In our language, we talk about water in the Earth, it's something that's living, it's another part of our family.

Giving the gift to the water is really important and incorporates all the teachings of the Anishinaabe people.

- Hey, mathematicians!

In today's math challenge, with our friend Diane, we'll become mathematical detectives in order to find what happens to the place value of digits when you multiplied by power of 10.

Wait, what's a power of 10?

Well, I guess I'll have to watch with you to find out.

(energetic music) - Hey everyone, Diane here.

Welcome back.

Today we're going to be talking more about the pattern of multiplying by 10.

More specifically, we're going to do some detective work about what happens to the place values of digits within a number when we multiply by a power of 10.

Oh, but what is a power of 10?

That is an amazing question.

A power of 10 is a resulting quantity when 10 is multiplied by itself.

So 100 is a power of 10, because we multiplied 10 times 10 to get 100.

It uses two 10s multiplicatively.

Don't you just love that word?

Multiplicatively.

Anyway, what we really want to notice is the pattern that is created when we multiply by different powers of 10.

You may be familiar with using base 10 blocks to look at place value.

What I want you to do, if you can, is stand up where you are and pretend you're on a place value chart, like I have right here.

we're going to move like we are the digits.

Ready for the first problem to explore?

Let's go!

Our first problem is 3 times 10.

Think about what the product would be for that.

Some of you may know it already.

What is it?

Right, 30.

So we began in the ones place, to represent the three units of one.

When we multiplied by 10, we got three units of 10, or 30.

So the three digit shifted to the tens place.

Can you think of why?

Exactly right!

Because 30 is the same value as three 10s.

Now let's move like we are this three digit, we're going to show what happens when we multiply three times 10.

So get up on your feet and hop with me, or a nice sidestep, whatever works for you.

So we started with a three in the ones place.

When we multiplied 3 times 10, the digit shifted over to the tens place, so let's hop.

Now, let's see what happens if we do that with 3 times 100.

So slide back down to the ones place, and let's think about what is the product of 3 times 100.

Can you share that with me?

I heard someone say 300, and I heard someone else say three 100s.

Those are both great ways to share the product of 3 times 100.

We know it's 300, because another way to say 3 times 100 is three groups of 100.

So I have 100, 200, 300.

So now the question is, how should we shift?

Definitely needs to be to the hundreds, but how do we get there?

Exactly, we shift two places to the left from the ones place, and that will get us to the hundredths place.

So now, hop with me to the hundreds Oh, that's interesting.

So when we multiplied by 10, we shifted one place.

And when we multiplied by 100, we shifted two places.

I wonder how that could be?

Maybe it has something to do with the powers of 10.

Let's see if it holds true for another one.

Let's find the product of 8 times 100.

Remember, hop back down to the ones place and become the eight digit.

We know that 8 times 100 equals 800.

So what happened to the eight digit?

Right, it shifted two places to the left.

One, two.

We moved to places again!

Goodness, I feel like there must be a reason that we shifted two times when we multiplied by 100.

What do you know about 100?

Oh, I heard someone say something really interesting!

They said one thing that I know is that 10 times 10 equals 100.

That could have something to do with it.

Let's try something, and see what happens.

I know 5 times 100 equals 500.

But what if I said, what is 5 times 10, times 10?

Did you say and do 5 times 10 equals 50?

And then 50 times 10 equals 500?

Good thinking!

In both of these examples, we shifted two times.

I think we found a link between tens and digit shifting, but I wonder what would happen if we multiplied to two digit number.

Let's try 15 times 100.

Let's see what happens to the digits.

Yeah, I'm thinking about it, it's a little tricky, but I got 1,500.

Let's do some shifting and see if the same thing happened.

So how are the digits shifting?

Let's start at looking at it piece by piece.

So the five digit started off in the ones place.

And with our answer of 1,500, where did it end up?

Will you whisper it to me?

Ah yes, it is in the hundreds place now.

But what about the one that started in the tens place?

Where did it end up?

For sure, it ended up in the thousands place.

Let's hop now and see what happens.

So, I'm starting as the one, and I'm going to go to the thousands.

So, one, two.

So the digits shifted two places to the left again.

Isn't it interesting that even with the larger numbers the digits shifting was still true?

With powers of 10 and using our wonderful minds, we have seen a pattern to make it easier to solve different problems that have us multiplying by a power of 10.

The number of 10s multiplied together helps us know how many times a digit will shift.

So when we multiplied a number by 100, the digit shifted two times because 10 I'm 10 equals 100 two tens multiplied together.

I wonder what would happen if we multiplied by 1,000?

Thanks for being with me.

See, y'all.

(easy music) (energetic music) (thoughtful music) - Hi, I'm Desiree Kelly.

I'm a portrait artist from Detroit, Michigan, born and raised, went to Wayne State University, it's right in the higher midtown, and I wanna tell you about my work.

I concentrate in telling the narratives of the subjects that I decide to portray, and telling their history throughout the piece.

So it's not just about the portrait, it's about the narrative.

And I use a lot of different medias; they're oil paintings, but then in the background there's a lot of different elements that I incorporate.

There's artifacts, there's collage, there's different mediums of paint that I use as well in the background.

(thoughtful music) I've always been an artist.

I've always been involved in any sort of performing arts, or fine arts.

I went to a fine and performing arts middle school, elementary school in the city, the Academy of Performing and Fine Arts.

And it wasn't until college I really focused on painting.

Like having been in the orchestras, and having done, like set design, and dance and theater and all these different things.

Just sort of built my foundation as an artist, and why I don't try to stick to like one particular thing.

When I decide to paint my paintings, you know, I don't want to keep myself in a box.

And so that whole upbringing sort of like defined like me, and my personality, and my personality in my work.

(thoughtful music) For me growing up, there wasn't a lot of things accessible and like, like programs and stuff, but you just gotta like go out and seek and search for them if you wanted something.

And so my idea is to like, you know, make something easily approachable, easily seen.

And so I do a lot of public stuff, as well, and that whole idea to have like the whole community sort of interact with my work, and experience my work, and also like learn something about the subject as well.

When I make stuff like easily approachable, like taking a hard subject, like taking really, really stale, like dull subjects, like Abe Lincoln, for example.

The only pictures you'd find of him, of like black and white photo, and it has no personality, so my idea was to like give that person life, and give them personality.

(thoughtful music) This is one of the graffiti cutouts that I am creating with a glaze.

It's actually his name Kobe Bryant, and I'm gonna mount them onto the velvet platform.

So let's watch that process.

(thoughtful music) (paint can rattling) Now I'm gonna add the color with my (paint spraying) tool of choice for this.

Spray paint.

I wanna make this as colorful as possible, so it'll stand out against the dark purple background.

(thoughtful music) I make art because I have to (chuckling) it's something that I've always been drawn to, I've always painted, I've always done something creative.

And then my unique way of telling history, and telling narratives through my portraits, I've found, was very important to have really like young people and, you know, people of all sort of demographics like talk about like, this one subject that pulls you in, by either color, or like the movement, or something like just makes it interesting.

(thoughtful music) Here I have the finished product.

(thoughtful music) It's not just about the portrait, it's about the narrative.

(thoughtful music) (energetic music) (marker scratching) (birds chirping) (child laughing) - Welcome to InPACT @ Home where we practice interrupting prolonged sitting with activity!

I am Melanie Rappelli, and this is my friend Charlotte, and we are here to help you get moving for the next eight minutes.

You'll be surprised at what these moments of movement can do for you, and for the rest of your family, so you can stay active and healthy at home.

So go ahead, get up, and let's start moving!

For this movement activity, we will be doing fitness drumming.

All you need is a couple of drum sticks, or you can use some spoons preferably with a long handle, and if they are plastic or wooden, that would be great.

And maybe check with your parents first to make sure in case they happen to accidentally break, otherwise follow along with us the best you can, and we will get started.

We are starting with high knees.

Ready?

Three, two, one, here we go.

(inspiring music) (sticks tapping) Knees up as high as you can!

(sticks tapping) And butt kicks!

(sticks tapping) Let's go ahead and switch to jumping jacks, here we go!

(sticks tapping) If that is too hard, you can always step.

(sticks tapping) Get ready for squat jumps, three, two, one, here we go.

(sticks tapping) Yeah.

(sticks tapping) Or just squat and tap.

(sticks tapping) One side, lean, lunge.

(sticks tapping) Nice work, keep it up, keep moving!

(sticks tapping) All right, go ahead and march it out, let's take a rest.

Loosen up, shake it out!

Get ready, we are gonna start again, in three, two, one, here we go!

High knees!

(sticks tapping) One foot!

(sticks tapping) And the other foot!

Nice work!

(sticks tapping) All right, we're gonna add a spin, with both feet, though.

Ready?

Here we go.

Jump, jump, jump, tap!

Jump, jump, jump, tap!

Keep going!

You get too dizzy, you can stop, that's okay.

One more time!

And butt kicks!

(sticks tapping) All right, we're going to do some lunge taps.

One side, right leg first.

Ready?

Here we go.

(sticks tapping) Lunge, try to get your back knee down.

Don't want your front knee pass your toes!

Feel the burn in your legs, keep it up!

Nice job!

(sticks tapping) And we're switching to the other leg!

Here we go!

(sticks tapping) Woo, feel the burn, you got it!

Keep it up!

(sticks tapping) Nice job.

Bring it to the middle.

All right, go ahead and march it out, take a rest.

Shake it out, shake out your legs.

Arm swings.

All right, get ready.

In three, two, one, here we go!

Start in the middle just with some taps.

(sticks tapping) All right, we're gonna pick it up a little bit.

Here we go.

(sticks tapping) Nice job.

(sticks tapping) Or you can slow it down, stay back on your heels.

(sticks tapping) All right, switching back to jumping jacks.

Ready?

Here we go.

Nice work!

You can always step it out, remember.

Nice job.

(sticks tapping) And butt kicks!

(sticks tapping) One foot!

And the other foot!

Nice work, keeping your heart rate up.

Let's go ahead and add a spin.

One, two, ready, go!

Jump, jump, jump, tap!

Jump, jump, jump, tap again!

One more time.

Jumping jacks!

(sticks tapping) All right, shake it out.

All right, we're gonna bring it down to the floor and switch to some abs!

Follow along, try to keep your feet up as long as you can.

You ready?

All right, here we go.

Three, two, one, go, starting with Mason twists.

(sticks tapping) Nice work!

Switching to Xs!

Nice job, keep your feet up as long as you can, if you have to put them down, that's okay.

And switching to one hand.

Nice work.

(sticks tapping) Get ready for tuck-ins, here we go.

(sticks tapping) And ready under the leg.

Left leg!

Right leg!

Left leg!

Right leg!

Nice job!

(sticks tapping) And Mason twists.

All right, let's go ahead and bring it up.

And let's shake it out.

Nice job, we're reaching for our toes!

Stretch it out.

Make sure you get some stretching in at home, otherwise that is all we have for you guys, nice job!

I hope you enjoyed today's movement break!

InPACT @ Home is a chance to apply the skills you may have learned in your PE class to improve your health.

To learn more about the health benefits associated with daily movement, visit inpact@homedotumich.edu.

Now don't forget to fill out your daily log.

We will see you again during our next workout!

(marker scratching) (birds chirping) (child laughing) - [Announcer] Support for this program is provided by the Michigan Public Health Institute, and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

(energetic music) - [Narrator] Reporters inform the public about news and events happening internationally, nationally, and locally.

Reporters work in various locations, depending on where they set up for an interview.

It could be inside a studio, someone's home, or the outdoors.

Most employers prefer reporters to have a bachelor's degree in journalism or communications.

Reporters research topics and stories that an editor or news director has assigned to them, write articles for newspapers, blogs, or magazines, and write scripts to be read on television or radio, and interview people who have information, analysis, or opinions about a story or article.

Reporters need to have communication skills, computer skills, and persistency.

Being a reporter is rewarding in so many ways.

- I won an Emmy award in 2009 for my part in the coverage of the presidential election in 2008.

During the campaign, I was able to cover several of events of Barack Obama's campaign, and then on election night I was live in Harlem on 125th street.

- Careers in journalism give you the opportunity to make a difference.

Whether it's on camera, or behind the scenes, you are working to deliver information.

- Important thing to remember about journalism, is that it's reflecting the community.

It's very difficult to reflect a community if the only people in journalism are men.

- You just have to be curious about everything.

You have to be able to read about it, you have to be able to ask questions about it, you have to be able to write about it.

You have to be able to tell somebody in a coherent way this is what happened, and this is why it's important.

- Good reporters and good reporting is about the facts, and once you present the facts to the viewer, it is the viewer's job to determine what to do with that information.

So if in some way, I help make your life safer, I help you make a decision that maybe you were waffling on, then I feel like I've done something positive.

Someone has to help record what life was like when we lived on this planet, that's what reporters help do.

I am a news anchor, and I have been a news reporter and in this field of work for 24 years, and it's been a great career.

I like having access to information, and I enjoy sharing that information, and that's primarily what reporters do.

We chronicle the events of the day.

We get all the facts and all the information, and then we run and tell everyone else.

This is what happened, and this is why it's important, and this is why you need to- I think in the beginning, it was about the information.

It was about being a part of the news at that moment, because growing up, that's what we watched, the news.

It was almost date TV for my family.

And I was fascinated by the people who had the information.

And I wondered how do they get that?

And how can I be part of that?

But I was also infatuated a little bit with that part that I thought was glamorous.

You know, their hair was always done, and they always had a makeup, and their clothes were great.

And then I realized that many times, by the time they showed up on TV, they had waded through a field of mud to get the information.

So while I might've seen them from waist up, their feet were muddy, their shoes were muddy, their pants were muddy, their deans, their skirt, who knows where they had been.

It'd probably smell like smoke, if they covered a fire that day.

I didn't know all that, because TV is still part performance.

And so you never see all the sweat and all the ugly stuff, that's part of the performance, but it's some ugly stuff to it.

I did not know that, but 24 years into it, I'm very familiar with the ugly part, too, because (chuckling) a lot of times, you do smell like smoke!

Thank goodness nobody can smell you.

They can only see you, and as long as your hair is in place, and your makeup is done, they don't know about that.

And that's part of the newscast.

I started my broadcast career in Little Rock, and from Little Rock, I moved to Kansas City, from Kansas City to Detroit, from Detroit to Atlanta, and now back to Missouri in St. Louis.

TV markets are divided into numbers, and there are approximately 200 or so.

And they're based on the size of the city served by the TV station, so New York is the number one market.

And I don't know the smallest market, but Jonesborough is one of the smallest, which is where I started.

So I was making a progress, started in Jonesborough, went to Little Rock then to Kansas City, which was at the time maybe market 30 or so.

And my goal was to be in a top 10 market by the time I was 30.

So I applied for a job, by then I had an agent, actually.

So my agent did the searching.

So Peter Goldberg of N.S.

Bienstock in New York, landed me a job in Detroit, anchoring the mornings.

So, I moved to Detroit and I worked there for three years, and I worked with some amazing people.

We had a great morning team.

And morning TV is fun, because it's a very intimate relationship with the audience.

They're up in the morning, getting ready to go to work, having breakfast in curlers, or whatever, and you come into their homes.

And because it's more laid back, I think you're allowed to be more of yourself.

It's a more energetic interaction.

So I loved that, but I wasn't crazy about the cold weather in Detroit.

And I thought if I could just warm up, I would be happy.

So Peter landed a job for me in Atlanta, and I worked at WSB for two years.

And then I worked briefly at CNN, maybe three, four months as a freelancer, because my dad had been diagnosed with an illness, and my brother was moving to St. Louis, or traveling to St. Louis to do an executive MBA program.

And I thought I'd love to spend time with my brother, and I need to see about my dad, I want to be closer to Arkansas, so I took the job here.

(energetic music) (thoughtful music) - [Allen] I thought it would be great to welcome these young trauma nurses with some special Hawaiian lei.

And I saw this army nurse come walking up the path, and I said, "Here, this is a special gift from me to you."

And she put her head down so I could put to lei over her shoulder, she noticed the button that I was wearing on my chest.

Then she just put her finger on it, and she said, "I know him."

I said, "How do you know him?

He was my son."

And she said, "I was the trauma nurse at the crash unit where he died."

And she said, "I will never forget that face."

Both of us kind of looked at each other, and we started crying, and I gave her a big hug, but I could sense that something was bothering her.

And I thought she may have sensed that my family might've been disappointed at the fact that our son, his life could not have been saved.

And I said, "I want you to know that my son was a warrior.

He absolutely recognized all of the risks that were involved."

She cried and she said that as the head trauma nurse, one of her tasks was to prepare his body for his men to have a last viewing.

And she said that she tried to close his eyes, but as she went to press his lids together, they always would come open just a little bit, and she said that had bothered her all this time.

And I looked at her, and I laughed.

And she kind of gave me this puzzled look, and she was like, "I'm curious now, why are you laughing?"

And I said, "My son would sleep with his eyes partially open.

His men, when they were in combat, they were never certain what they could do when the Lieutenant was sleeping, because they never knew if he was sleeping, or he was just awake watching what they were doing."

And I said, "The simple fact that you shared that story with me, totally convinces me now that you were with my son at the end.

Now I never have to wonder about those last, final moments.

(thoughtful music) (vocalizing) (energetic music) - Friends, do you know where I love visiting?

Chicago!

As a Midwesterner, but a city girl at heart, I love walking around the busy, beautiful streets, and looking up at that gorgeous skyline.

Where's your favorite place to visit?

Well, if you said Detroit, Michigan, you're in luck.

Today we're visiting Detroit together to meet artists Rachelle Baker.

(energetic music) (thoughtful music) (ethereal music) - I would describe my art to others as a visual language to explain music, magic, and emotions inside of my mind.

I first knew that I wanted to be an artist when I was maybe about three or four, and I started drawing and I really liked creating characters and worlds and you know, drawing my favorite characters, making new friends, or on paper or in coloring books, or on my homework.

And I started making little stories and kind of fan comics, like maybe in second grade?

I just remember making an entire like comic book in a class about Frog and Toad, the book "Frog and Toad" with the little (chuckling) frog and toad hang out together, and that was kind of where I realized that I really liked putting together stories, coming up with things on my own.

I make art for two reasons.

One, because it physically hurts me not to make art.

And it's really hard to get my feelings out, or like without without creating something, and also to be able to inspire other people to make art, young or old.

I just want people to feel the urge to create when they look at my art, or feel the urge to, you know, make something with someone else, you know, paint what they see, sculpt, do anything, I feel like it's really important that people create.

My favorite piece of work at the DIA would probably be, that's so tough, there's so many good pieces there.

I think it would be "Martha and Mary Magdalene," by Caravaggio.

I used to skip class to go to the DIA and just sit there and look at that painting, it's so dramatic.

There's so many little secret details that you can see if you really look close at it.

I really love that about Caravaggio, I love that he used drama and suspense in all of his paintings, and also had an eye for like beautiful shadows and beautiful, tiny details that you know, you really have to take a really long look at the painting to really get every, you know, stroke in the fingers, or how fabric sits on top of the subjects.

And I really liked that he puts you right there at the moment in the scene, and makes it feel like you're right there.

I'm currently unable to go to any print studios, which was my plan for this year is to spend as much time doing more printmaking than digital art, which is what I've been doing a lot lately.

So I'm going to show the closest thing that I can do, which would be to do painting.

So I'm going to do a little demo about how I'm setting up my painting, before I go straight into it.

(ethereal music) For this piece painted, I'm painting my friend China, for a series that I started to kind of get back into doing more traditional work, especially with painting and printmaking.

I'm doing this piece on Procreate, as kind of a map and like a setup for the actual painting.

So what I'm doing is, I'm kind of going at it in the same way that I would for a screen print.

So I'm kind of keeping all of the different colors, the different patterns, and all the different line work on separate layers.

That way, when I go to kind of set up my canvas for the actual painting, everything kind of be separated, it'll be easy to know where everything goes, and it'll make it a little bit neater, so that when I go in to do all of my fine details, all of my flats and my patterns and everything will already be there, and I can just kind of like fine tune everything.

So all of my little layers, the pattern on the calftan, all the line work within there.

All of the details in her face, the plant and everything, are on separate layers, which you can do in Procreate, and kind of gives it more of a painterly or printerly look.

And when I'm ready to take everything off, I'm just kind of going to have my iPad there, and have the illustration open, to just kind of give me a guideline of how everything will be set up on the actual painting.

(ethereal music) If I can help kind of inspire someone to just go out and make something and do something that, then I've done my job (energetic music) (thoughtful music) - Hi, my name is Julie Broughton and I am a helper.

I'm very proud of my job, because I get to keep you informed about the weather.

I'm a meteorologist.

You may see me or one of my friends on TV when an emergency happens.

I'm going to tell you a little bit more about how meteorologists like me help.

Meteorologists forecast the weather, which means we use data and our science education to help us predict what the weather will be like in the future.

I work in a TV studio, and use technology and scientific equipment to understand and communicate the weather to everyone in our neighborhood.

I use many tools to help me predict the weather, and help you prepare if there is an emergency.

My computer lets me access data from radar stations around the country, and satellites in space, about things like rain, the rotation of clouds, and wind strength.

The data I access on the computer comes in many different forms, and can be numbers like the temperature outside, or images of the Earth.

My map helps me show pictures of the weather.

I can show you our neighborhood, and point out the areas we might see rain during the day, or where lightning has been spotted.

I can even change the map to show you pictures, like the weather forecast for the week.

The television camera's also an important tool that helps me share the weather news with you.

The camera records my forecast, so you can see me on the TV in your house.

My weather forecast can help you decide what clothes you should wear to protect yourself when you go outside today.

Is it going to be hot?

Maybe you should wear shorts.

Is it going to be a cold day?

Don't forget your jacket.

Or maybe it will rain later, and you should take an umbrella with you.

I like my job because I get to help people like you.

In emergencies, meteorologists can help you prepare and make sure you stay safe.

When bad weather happens, meteorologists like me use science to understand how weather will impact our neighborhood.

I can also share instructions on how to prepare for bad weather, and give you tips for staying safe.

During a storm, I keep everyone updated with new information about the weather.

I can also help you after a storm by telling you what happened, and how to stay safe if there is damage, or debris on the ground.

I also like to share ideas about how you can help others after the storm, like where to donate clothes or food.

I am here to help you during all kinds of weather emergencies, and it is my job to help you plan for bad weather.

I will do my best to make sure you and the grownups in your life have all the information you need to protect yourself during a weather emergency.

So what's my job?

To keep you safe.

What's your job?

To be safe.

(thoughtful music) - [Announcer] To meet other helpers in our neighborhood, go to meetthehelpers.org.

- [Announcer] Meet the Helpers is made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

- It's the end of our adventure, friends!

I learnt so much about the people who live along the Chippewa River, and it was so cool to see the art our friend Desiree makes using different materials.

If you could travel anywhere in the United States, where would you go?

See you next time!

- Thanks for having me!

- On the next episode of "Extra Credit," we visit a cave that's over 5 million years old.

Plus, we meet some of our country's unsung heroes.

Get your extra credit on the Michigan Learning Channel.

- [Announcer] This program is made possible in part by Michigan Department of Education, the State of Michigan, and by viewers like you.

(energetic rock music) (vocalizing) (thoughtful piano music)