and culture that meant so much to him. so a very personal series of paintings oil on canvas that kim making has made. now for the moment it's at the stamp dictation i'd like to welcome the poverty manager david stowe (clapping.) good morning and thank you allen for that kind introduction. it's a great pleasure to be here to celebrate the latest - excuse me. i couldn't see that. it's a great pleasure to be here to celebrate the new lunar stamp and i'm pleased to be sharing the stage with mayor ed lee. hose been a tremendous support

in san francisco. as allen mentioned a fumdz mayor ed lee has helped with the stamps including let's year of the dragon a few years ago. not just here in the united states is this important but indeed the start of the lunar new year is the biggest start of the for many people. it's a great reflecttion including our old chinese-american community here in san francisco. it's the customs and the 12 creatures the zodiac but it's a time to reinforce our values and to renew our lives the spirit of

ancestors and the living come together and give blessing and prepare for good things to come. at the same time it's a time to clean the house from top to to bottom and resolve to what may come this year. it's time for parties and a festivals and a lot of fun. soon the streets of san francisco will be facilitated with dragons and people. lunar year is important for the united states postal service we provide the service everyday and recognize the red lights of the diversity. in keeping with this tradition we introduced this lunar system

in 18998 we celebrate the year of the rabbit and dragon and snake all during the respective years during the chinese calendar. today, we pay tribute to the horse on january 31st, 2014. people during the lunar year they have the traits and this is good buses. horses are popper and cleaver and refuse to be recognized to failure they can be stubborn and hot termed. the key for horses is to find the balance to exercise control. with this new stamp we wish good

future for everybody and hope it will bring the best out in all of us. in keeping with that hope this year's stamp is like the altercation of the drums. additional the drums are dictated for prosperity and working with the art directors two element were incorporated clarence paper cut design and the which they think so character was drawn. the inindicating cut flow of the lines symbolizes force. once you see them you'll agree those colorful stamps are fantastic. please be sure to join us on

february 15th and 16 where the postings will have the stamps for purchase. now without further ado i'd like to ask mayor ed lee and others to celebrate this year of the horticulture's and i want to share best wishes to the coming year to everyone >> (speaking foreign language.) >> happy new year everyone. thank you (clapping.) (drums rolling) (clapping) everybody come closer.

okay. all right. everybody look here. (clapping.) >> all right. that is beautiful. and in closing withhold to introduce a final speaker we want to thank the speaker that

support the annual lunar stamp event and we also let's move to a house keeping note approximately 15 minutes over after the ceremony the gentleman will be available for signing the stamp and you can purchase the stamp outside the demeanor. we want to introduce the past president of the which they think so american organization >> as i look around the room a lot of you live in san francisco and unvalidated the first statesman of the first or first series in 1993 the post office at that time, it was historical

and it was history to us to be able to advocate for the release of come tat it's stamp. we're happy in san francisco for the entire country to owner this statesman and we're happy to have the people of the state of california here year after year for the ceremony. so this year 2014 is very special for us today sermdz concerned. i know every year the city celebrates t celebrates t celebrates the chinese-american most but this is the 10th time with the naumd and now mayor ed lee we intend to celebrate this in may in a grand session and

there's no better way to launch this what the first issuance of the statesman. i look forward to next year and many more years to come and i hope we'll have an asia series. thank you all the friends who helped us to participate so i want to thank the asia officers association for having - to help us. thank you. (clapping.) sherry map tang from the cultural center and so many things he's done and supervisor yee as just joined us and cindy thank you.

so all the people and a lot of folks have helped carmen yoou and so welcome the year of the horse let's go out and purchase a lot of stamped a happy new year >> lowest thank you all for being here for the dedication of the year of the horticulture's forever stamp. have a great day. (drums rolling)iculture's forever stamp. have a great day. (drums rolling)lture's forever stamp. have a great day. (drums rolline's forever stamp. have a great day. (drums rolling)'s forever stamp. have a great day. (drums rolling)s forever stamp. have a great day. (drums rolling)forever stamp. have a great day. (drums rolling)eforever stamp. have a great day. (drums rollin forever stamp. have a great day. (drums rolling)

[music] paratransit is specialized transportation for seniors and people with disabilities who are unable to use the muni system. in san francisco, we're proud that we've had a paratransit program since 1978 long before it was mandated by the americans with disabilities act in 1990. san francisco is a unique city and our paratransit program reflects this. we have a network of services, including sf access van service, paratransit taxi, including wheelchair accessible ramp taxi and group van which serves groups of individuals going to a single location like a senior center. [music] >> i'm elsa scott and i'm a retired federal employee and i'm a native of san francisco. i use paratransit because, i've

been using it for about six years because six years ago i had to start dialysis treatments at cpmc. so i'm very dependent on paratransit three times a week, coming and going.. my current driver is brian berquist.; he's just such a friendly, sort of a teddy bear kind of a guy. i don't know what it is about brian, but all of us old ladies want to feed brian. [music] >> hi, my name is fred lein. i'm most proud of driving a ramp taxi since the beginning of the program in 1994. [music]

>> fred, you are the absolute best! thank you fred for providing transportation for me and opening up my social life, and taking care of medical appointments, taking care of my mother [music] >> hi, my name is ann bailey and i've driven for luxor for almost five years now. i drove for desoto cab for 10 years prior to that. i drove in 1976 for the old, old yellow cab. this is frances mecchi and i've been driving her for about 11 or 12 years to her alzheimer's day program, which we call the memory club. every day when we drive through

the presidio she'll say, "oh goody, you're taking me through the enchanted forest." [music] >> my name amr a.mahmoud. i am like 49 years old. i have been driving cab more than 13 year in general. then i drove a ramp more than 3 years. this is my fourth now. i have been enjoying doing the job. i like every moment of it. >> thank you amr. [music}

>> hi, my name is peter and i'm a paratransit driver for medsam, and this is north and south of market where i pick up my group and drop them off at home. >> thank you , peter! [singing] you are my sunshine. very good driver. she says driver is very good. number 1. [music] larry mingo, mobility plus driver, san francisco paratransit. >> thank you, mingo. >> you're welcome. >> hi, mingo. >> thank you, mingo. >> thank you, mingo. thank you. [music] >> thank you, larry mingo.

>> hey larry mingo, you are awesome. thanks for a great, great job you do for us. appreciate it. >> thank you, mingo. [music] >> hello, my name is james fells i've been working with paratransit for 13 years now. i get a kick out of the job; i like helping people you know when they need help to go shopping or getting picked up at the medical building. i really like helping people and that's why i've been working so long. >> hi, my name is kalani. i'm a driver with mobility plus. i love my job! and i've been working, i've been a driver since may and i'm pretty satisfied with the company. so, two thumbs up, hope you guys have a nice day. >> sandra johnson and i've been working for mobility plus for about 4 and a half years. i love it. this is my job and i love it.

it's very rewarding for me. one of my proudest moments is one of my clients left his cane on the bus and i've been picking him up now for about three years so i know that that cane was important to him. and i had dropped him off and i noticed the cane later on that day so i kept it with me and when i went back down to la play, when i worked my way back down there on a break to give it to him, he kissed my hand, 'cuz he can't talk. so he grabbed my hand and he kissed my hand. it just made me know that that was an important thing for him. so that was my proudest moment. [music] >> one couple who were riding with us, morning and afternoon, mr. and mrs. lee. mr. lee was the dialysis patient and he's probably in his 80's and every time we would drive up to buchanan street,

the hospital, mr. lee would say, "good job, fine driver, number one driver" and he would go like this [thumbs up gesture]. and then as brian would be helping him off the van, mr. lee, i heard him so often say, "brian, if anybody gives you any trouble you send them to me and i'll take care of them." and here great big old brian would say, "henry, you're the first one i would try to get help from." and he says, "the second one is elsa." [laugh] so we knew that we were being relied on by brian. a few weeks back, mrs. lee called brian early in the morning to tell him not to bother picking them up because they were already at the hospital. mr. lee was ill and she had taken him to the er. the next day or so, brian, on his lunchtime, found out that mr. lee had been admitted to the hospital and he went up to mr. lee's room and just stuck his head in just to say hello. and the minute mr. lee saw him

he went [gesture thumb up in the air] like that. and mrs. lee said, "he's telling you again you're number one driver. so brian really appreciated that; he thought that was really sweet. but he could see mr. lee wasn't doing so well so he left really quickly. and unfortunately, mr. lee passed away that evening. that had a great impact on brian and me. it was very sad, but it was so touching that he had seen mr. lee and mr. lee had confirmed that brian was "number one driver." >> this is san francisco paratransit. it's not perfect; we have our ups and downs: late trips, frustrated customers, stressed out drivers. but at our best, we get our riders where they need to go on time and with a smile.

and when we pay attention real carefully and notice what's happening on the van, taxi, or at the senior center, we notice that our drivers make a difference in the rider's lives and the riders make a difference in the drivers lives.

>> welcome to culture wire. we will look at the latest and greatest public art project. recently, the airport unveiled the new state of the art terminal. let's take a look. the new terminal service and american airlines and virgin america was designed by a world- renowned architecture's firm. originally built in 1954, the building underwent massive renovation to become the first registered terminal and one of the must modern and sustainable terminals and the united states.

the public art program continues its 30-year legacy of integrating art into the airport environment with the addition of five new commissions that are as bold and dynamic as the new building. >> this project was completed in record time, and we were able to integrate the artist's early enough in the process that they could work with the architect said that the work that is completed is the work that really helps complement and instill the space as opposed to being tucked away in a corner. >> be experience begins with the glass facades that was designed with over 120 laminated glass panels. it captures the experience of being under or over clouds when flying in a plane. depending on the distance or point of view, it can appear clear for more abstract and

atmospheric. the subtle colors change gradually depending on the light and the time of day. >> i wanted to create an art work that looks over time as well as working on in the first glance. the first time you come here, you may not see a. but you may be able to see one side over the other. it features a couple of suspended sculptures. each was created out of a series of flat plains run parallel to each other and constructed of steel tubing. >> it is made up of these strata. as the light starts to shift, there is a real sense that there is a dynamism. >> it gives the illusion that this cultures might be fragments

of a larger, mysterious mass. >> the environmental artwork livens it with color, light, and the movement. three large woven soldiers are suspended. these are activated by custom air flow program. >> i channeled air flow into each of these forms that makes it move ever so slightly. and it is beating like a heart. if-0 when as of the forces of nature moving around us every second. >> shadow patterns reflect the shapes of the hanging sculptures. the new terminal also features a children's play areas.

both of the market the exploratory n.y. -- exploratorium. the offer travelers of all ages a playful oasis. using high quality plywood, they created henches shaped like a bird wings that double as musical instruments. serving as a backdrop is a mural featuring images of local birds and san francisco's famous skyline. >> in the line between that is so natural, you can see birds and be in complete wilderness. i really like that about this. you could maybe get a little snapshot of what they are expecting. >> it is an interactive, keck

sculpture that is interacted with by the visitor. >> they are a lot about and they fall down the belt. it moves the belt up, and if you turn that faster, the butterflies fall in the move of words. >> the art reflect the commission's commitment to acquiring the best work from the bay area and beyond. in addition to the five new commissions, 20 artworks that were already in the airport collection were reinstalled. some of which were historically cited in the terminal. it includes major sculptures by the international artists. as a collection, these art works tell the story of the vibrant arts scene in the early 1960's through the mid-1980s's.

the illustrate san francisco's cultural center and a place of innovation that is recognized and the love throughout the world. one of the highlights is a series of three left tapestries. they are on view after being in storage for 20 years. these tapestries representing various gardens. from his years of living in san francisco. hydrangeas, chrysanthemums, and whilst dahlias in rich, deep shades as they make their way to the baggage area. they can access behind-the- scenes information and interviews with the artist through an audio to work. it features archival audio as well as interviews with living artists.

he can be accessed on site by dialing the telephone numbers located near the artwork or by visiting the commission's web site. the public art speaks volumes of san francisco as a world-class city with world-class art and culture. for more information, visit okay good afternoon, everyone. thank you very much for coming happy new year i'm ed reiskin i'm the director of transportation and happy to kickoff the new year. san francisco has been a dynamic city during the break i was reading the history of muni how things have changed a