VOA – CONNECT
EPISODE #174
AIR DATE 05 14 2021
TRANSCRIPT
OPEN ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
On the Ice
((SOT))
((Marina Brooks, Secretary, The Homer Ice Racing
Association))
I didn't dare hope. Nobody wants me to drive their car.
Come on. I'm just a girl, a young girl. I don't really know
anything. My dad says, “Let's just go.”
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
In the Forest
((SOT))
((Jim Anderson, Weed Warrior))
A lot of the birds and other insects rely on the native flora for
protection, for food and everything, and in some areas now,
certain birds aren't around.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
In the Studio
((SOT))
((Dr. Nicole Rivera, Dentist, Owner, Aldie Dental Care))
It helps me unwind at the end of the day. It helps me express
my creative and artistic side and I love it.
((Open Animation))
BLOCK A
((PKG)) ICE CAR RACING ALASKA
((TRT: 06:15))
((Topic Banner: Ice Car Racing))
((Reporter/Camera: Rafael de la Uz))
((Map: Homer, Alaska))
((Main character: 1 female))
((Sub character: 1 male))
((NATS: Marina Brooks))
My first ever race was in a pink Ford Pinto and they called it
the Pink Pony. I was driving with my dad in town and we
drove past Beluga Lake.
((Marina Brooks, Secretary, The Homer Ice Racing
Association))
And we see these cars out on the lake. We tear on down.
What's going on? What is this? We go down there. There's a
sign that says they're broadcasting on the radio. So, we turn
it on. Now we’re listening. We're watching and we're just
riveted, staring over the dash, just loving it. This is so cool,
coolest thing I've ever seen.
And then it says on the radio, “We're looking for kid racers.”
I didn't dare hope. Nobody wants me to drive their car.
((Marina Brooks, Secretary, The Homer Ice Racing
Association))
Come on. I'm just a girl, a young girl. I don't really know
anything.
((NATS))
((Marina Brooks, Secretary, The Homer Ice Racing
Association))
My dad says, “Let's just go.” So, we go in and now I'm
nervous. I'm afraid but I walk in and all of a sudden,
every car driver is just leeching on to me, “Come to my car.
No, come to my car. Come, try my car.” And it was really a
confidence boost. It felt very cool that they didn't care. They
didn't care that I was young, or I didn't know anything, or that
I was a girl doing what was supposed to be a man's sport.
And so, I walked in and they said, “Hey, can you drive a stick
shift?” And I said, “Sort of.” And they said, “Great!” and
shoved me in a car.
((Marina Brooks, Secretary, The Homer Ice Racing
Association))
It was incredible. I went out there and I ran the entire race in
first gear because I couldn't reach the clutch.
((NATS: Marina Brooks))
So, on the weekday, I'm at home but I’m working. My
husband has his own job he must go and do.
I do everything that it requires to take care of the kids in the
house. Sometimes that’s doctor appointments and it's in the
back of my mind during race season what I'm doing and
what time we can spare. We have our meetings Friday
nights and that really just starts it. Now you're in race mode
from 6:00 p.m. on until Sunday evening,
((NATS: Marina Brooks))
race mode. We check on the tires. We check the oil and the
filters, and then you've got to paint it, you know,
((Marina Brooks, Secretary, The Homer Ice Racing
Association))
because the way it looks is really half the battle.
((NATS: Marina Brooks))
And then Sunday morning, I wake up. I make everybody
breakfast. I pack lunches. We get the car ready and we go
down to the lake and just hope.
((NATS: Marina Brooks))
So, for the season, we have a few prerequisites before we
even bother putting anything on the ice, before we take our
cars out there with all of our tow vehicles. That’s thousands
and thousands of pounds [kilos] for each person, for each
set. We have to have a minimum of 16 inches [40 cm] of ice
where our track is at. And the way that we do that is, we
usually take a chainsaw down and then we measure how far
it is, but by the time we get down there to start racing, most
of the time, you stick your blade down there and never hit
water.
((Marina Brooks, Secretary, The Homer Ice Racing
Association))
Fine by me. We'll drill a couple of holes so it's not just that
one area.
And that comes with a very, a large responsibility, because
once people in the town, just citizens, see that the Homer
Racing Association has started to have a presence out on
the lake, they assume
((Marina Brooks, Secretary, The Homer Ice Racing
Association))
that the lake is fine. And they’ll just go out there. Kids will go
out in their moms’ Subarus and start driving around. So, if it's
not suitable, we feel guilty because we gave them the
message that it was.
((NATS: Marina Brooks))
We're all patriots. We all have a lot of pride in our country.
We all have a lot of pride in our state, and we will stick with
that.
So, it's important to us to pay our homage, to pay respects to
our country and our state. So, we send out our American flag
first, always first, and then our Alaskan flag to go behind
them. We all wait. Everyone removes their hats.
We put our hands over our hearts, and we do our best to
watch them do their lap around. We've done our respects.
We do it every weekend. It's tradition.
((NATS: Marina Brooks))
Originally when the association began, they were racing for
a payout. So, it was money.
But at the time, we were also charging spectators a gate fee
to watch, and we no longer do that. That got really rough and
people got really upset and that became a little more bang
and clash and a little less family associated. So, they
decided,
((Marina Brooks, Secretary, The Homer Ice Racing
Association))
you know, it would be more fun is if we were racing for beer.
((NATS: Marina Brooks))
And that was fun until it started to create a dangerous racing
environment because at that point then we had alcohol in the
pits and that kind of leads itself into
((NATS: Marina Brooks))
some dangerous lanes and we decided this is, this can't
continue. Now you're racing for theoretical things. It's a
sense of pride. It's good skills. It's fun because sometimes
you've got a car that is not evenly matched with another, but
your racing ability will help you make the difference.
((NATS: Man and children talking))
Yeah, got to get out of the way. Oh, here she comes. Here
comes the momma. Oh, yeah!
((Marina Brooks, Secretary, The Homer Ice Racing
Association))
If it's not family oriented, I don't want to be there.
((NATS: Marina Brooks))
So, if it's not family bonding, if you're not together and you're
not having a good time, why do it?
((NATS: Marina Brooks))
((Photo Courtesy: Rafael de la Uz))
We have longstanding members that were there in the 50s
that are still here, but now it's their children and
grandchildren and sometimes great-grandchildren, coming
down and being part of the association.
And that's what's going to help keep us see into the future.
If my children decide that they don't want to ice race when
their time comes,
((Marina Brooks, Secretary, The Homer Ice Racing
Association))
which is sooner than I'd like,
((NATS: Marina Brooks))
then the association won't last. It'll just be me and my
husband until we can't anymore and then
((Marina Brooks, Secretary, The Homer Ice Racing
Association))
nobody else will take it up and that's kind of a bummer.
((NATS: Marina Brooks))
We get very lucky in living in Alaska where there are areas
where you can take your kids and have them practice more
or less. That's one of the reasons why I love racing and why
I love bringing kids into the association because they get
drive time at a really young age in the safest environment
that they can be in.
We've got helmets. We've got lots of safety gear. We've got
fire extinguishers. They're in an armored car. They're
wearing sometimes five-point harnesses. They're in the
safest location they could be for anything to go wrong.
((Marina Brooks, Secretary, The Homer Ice Racing
Association))
I feel like you don't get it until you get it.
((NATS: Marina Brooks))
It seems to me like you're just putting money into something
that's not really earning you anything other than a good time.
But what else are you going to do on a Sunday afternoon
with your whole family?
((Marina Brooks, Secretary, The Homer Ice Racing
Association))
What are we going to do?
((NATS))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up
((Banner))
Preserving the Woods
((SOT))
((Jim Anderson, Weed Warrior))
We want to save our native flora and fauna. We’ve got to
make sure that we control these plants.
BREAK ONE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK B
((PKG)) WEED WARRIORS
((TRT: 09:15))
((Topic Banner: Weed Warriors))
((Reporter/Camera: Deepak Dobhal))
((Map: Silver Spring, Maryland))
((Main character: 1 male))
((Sub characters: 1 female; 2 male))
((NATS))
((Jim Anderson, Weed Warrior))
You see growing in on the ground throughout this area is,
what's called, lesser celandine. This is a plant that's, I
believe, it comes from Asia, that was brought into this
country as an ornamental. And it's a beautiful plant but it's
gone rogue on us. Ten years ago, we didn't see this.
((NATS))
((Jim Anderson, Weed Warrior))
The native plant, which is the spring beauty, this used to be
the predominant flower growing in our open areas and base
of the woods until this critter came in, this lesser celandine.
Now, it's the predominant one. That's the trouble with
invasive because this outcompetes our natives.
((NATS))
((Jim Anderson, Weed Warrior))
A lot of the birds and other insects rely on the native flora for
protection, for food and everything. And in some areas now,
certain birds aren't around. Some insects are going down
because they haven't got the plant that they've evolved with
and lay eggs on and eat.
Lot of areas of, we don't have milkweed. And therefore, the
monarch butterfly just cannot reproduce.
((NATS))
((Jim Anderson, Weed Warrior))
We'll just have to take time to see what really happens if
lesser celandine doesn't die out on its own because there's
just nothing that we can do about it.
((NATS))
((Jim Anderson, Weed Warrior))
Another bad one is bush honeysuckle.
((NATS))
((Jim Anderson, Weed Warrior))
Sometimes these things are pretty tough to get at.
((NATS))
((Jim Anderson, Weed Warrior))
If we want to save our native flora and fauna, we've got to
make sure that we control these plants.
((NATS))
((Jim Anderson, Weed Warrior))
Here we got the root out.
But now, we have a lot more. But once you take it out by the
roots, generally you don't have to worry about that one
anymore.
((NATS))
((Jim Anderson, Weed Warrior))
Bush honeysuckle was brought into this country probably in
the early 1900s or 1800s as an ornamental plant. It didn’t
evolve here. It doesn't have any diseases or insects that
bother it. So, it just has a, really a free lunch.
((NATS))
((Jim Anderson, Weed Warrior))
We'll walk up here and just see if we can find some other
type of invasive plants that we're interested in removing.
((NATS))
((Jim Anderson, Weed Warrior))
I thought when I retired, I’d spend more time fishing. I took
up golf, so I play golf once in a while. But then there was this
need to help this, our ecosystem around and our parks. I got
involved in that.
((NATS))
((Jim Anderson, Weed Warrior))
I generally work for no more than two hours when I work out
here. I used to work longer but as I mature, I find I just don't
have the stamina to stay up much longer than that.
((NATS))
((Jim Anderson, Weed Warrior))
Had my left hip replaced, and that went very smoothly and
within, you know, a year, I could go out and could walk and
work in the woods again. And a couple of years after that,
my other hip started bothering me and I realized it's time to
get that replaced. And this one gave me a little more
problem because it got infected and I had to have it replaced
again. Since then, it's been probably six years ago that I had
that last hip replaced, I'm really almost back to normal. But I
have to be careful going down hills and watch for things that
I don't trip on, because that can be a serious effect.
((NATS))
((Jim Anderson, Weed Warrior))
We aren’t going to get rid of all the invasive plants, but what
we can do is cut them back a little bit, so our native plants
can come in.
((NATS))
((Jim Anderson, Weed Warrior))
Well, I mean not win it, but we've made a lot of progress.
When I remember what it looked like here, and now the park
feels it can start coming in into some of these areas and
planting things. But now what happens when I leave? I need
to have someone come and take over. And one of the things
that we're trying to do is get some Weed Warriors to adopt
an area like this that we've already cleaned up quite a bit.
But to keep it cleaned up. And it’s a good concept but a lot of
people don’t want to do it. Eventually, I think, we'll get people
that'll do that.
((NATS))
((Jim Anderson, Weed Warrior))
I'm a, what's called, a Weed Warrior supervisor, and I can
help train people and I can take groups out that aren't Weed
Warriors and have them work, work with them to show them
what plants to pull and which ones to leave alone.
The Weed Warrior program was started in Montgomery
County. Carole Bergmann, who is the head ecologist in the
park, started this program, training people, volunteers to go
out into the woods to remove invasive plants. And this is
grown now where there's, I don't know, how many thousand
trained Weed Warriors.
((NATS))
((Jim Anderson, Weed Warrior))
This morning, we've got two Weed Warriors that are actually
supervisors as well. They can take groups out later on.
They’re both very experienced Weed Warriors, have been in
the program for many years.
((NATS))
((Edward Murtagh, Weed Warrior))
In this section, we've been working for about six months, five
or six, all winter long. You've got to look at things over 10-20
years. If you look at over just a few months, you're going to
get really frustrated because it's just so much.
((NATS))
((Ross Campbell, Weed Warrior))
You know, people try to help out in ways that they know
they're not going to wake up one day and say, well, that job
is done. But they think they can make some contribution in a
small way and maybe encourage other people to try to help
out too.
((NATS))
((Edward Murtagh, Weed Warrior))
You take this. I’ll get another one.
((Linda Farley, Weed Warrior Trainee))
I'm sorry.
((Edward Murtagh, Weed Warrior))
That's no problem. We are already glad you are here.
((NATS))
((Linda Farley, Weed Warrior Trainee))
I'm new to the organized program, The Weed Warriors.
I don't necessarily think that wildflowers are necessary to
keep the globe spinning and people alive. I just think it's an
aesthetic and ethical, you know, responsibility.
((NATS))
((Linda Farley, Weed Warrior Trainee))
Seems that some people can walk in a forest of green and
just be happy that it's green and they don't look closely. But,
maybe, that's a problem in all kinds of areas in our lives, you
know. We're just not paying attention. So, and eventually it
will become a problem on larger scales. You know,
ecological imbalance causes all kinds of problems with
humans. Disease is one of them.
((NATS))
((James Anderson, Weed Warrior))
Violets that are coming up.
That gives some satisfaction knowing that it's, kind of, nice to
do that, and you're helping the environment.
((NATS))
((James Anderson, Weed Warrior))
I guess, I'll continue doing this until I really can’t, and it might
be getting close.
((NATS))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up
((Banner))
Creating Solutions
((SOT))
((Maxwell Moore, War Veteran, Founder,
Maxwell's Soaps))
I heard in Special Operations one time, somebody say, “Do
what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
BREAK TWO
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK C
((PKG)) VETERAN SOAPMAKER
((TRT: 02:44))
((Topic Banner: Soap and Kindness))
((Reporter: Angelina Bagdasaryan))
((Camera: Vazgen Varzhabetian))
((Adapted by: Zdenko Novacki))
((Map: Los Angeles, California))
((Main character: 1 male))
((NATS: Maxwell Moore))
((Maxwell Moore, War Veteran, Founder,
Maxwell's Soaps))
I'm already making money on the soap. I can just, for every
one that I make, I'm going to give one away. And for every
one I make, I'm going to give one away. And that was it. I
feel fortunate. I feel fortunate that I got to see as much pain
and as much misery and as much suffering as I did.
((Photo Courtesy: Maxwell Moore))
((Maxwell Moore, War Veteran, Founder,
Maxwell's Soaps))
I talk of the motivation that came from the military, it came
from the Marine Corps. And they taught us, “If you see a
problem, you don't like the problem, that's your problem
now.” So, I was seeing a problem among people in my
streets, who are my fellow countrymen, people who live in
the same city as me. And they're asking for help and they
smell so bad, I can't get this close to them. And like, my
solution is, “Let's get our people clean first. Let's get our
people some humanity first. And then let's move forward
from there.”
((NATS))
((Maxwell Moore, War Veteran, Founder,
Maxwell's Soaps))
A rodent-borne plague was reoccurring in our homeless
populations about five or six years ago. We're getting old
diseases coming back because we're not using really basic
hygiene principles for our poor.
And so, that was a real motivator for me, to make one and
give one away. It doesn't matter if you're making your profits.
It doesn't matter if you're making money. I love money. Don't
get me wrong, I love money. But if you're making money and
you're surrounded by people who are poor, who are sick,
who can't take care of themselves, then you're going to get
sick.
I heard in Special Operations one time, somebody say, “Do
what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
((NATS))
((Maxwell Moore, War Veteran, Founder,
Maxwell's Soaps))
So, I partnered with a mobile shower organization that brings
showers to the homeless. They bring the showers, I bring
the soap. That's it. And I think that, you know, I'm not fixing
everything, but I think that if everyone concentrates on fixing
a little bit of something, our problems would already be
solved.
((NATS))
((Maxwell Moore, War Veteran, Founder,
Maxwell's Soaps))
I wanted, you know, to make a difference and do something
that was legal and good. And it started as a hobby that kept
my hands busy and kept me out of trouble. And then it just
took off, you know. I started giving it away as a gift. People
loved it and they kept asking for more and more. And I
couldn't afford to just give it away. And they were willing to
pay. And with the profits I was making, I was, I felt, I’m not
going to say I felt bad, you know, but I felt like there’s
something more than I can do with this than just count the
money.
((NATS))
You’re the best. You’re the best.
((PKG)) PASSING ON THE LOVE OF BALLET
((TRT: 04:12))
((Topic Banner: Gift of Dance))
((Reporter: Faiza Elmasry))
((Camera/Editor:??Adam Greenbaum))
((Map:??Aldie, Virginia; Fairfax, Virginia))
((Main character: 1 female))
((Sub characters: 2 female))
((NATS))
((Dr. Nicole Rivera, Dentist, Owner, Aldie Dental Care))
I started dancing ballet when I was around, maybe,
((Photo/Courtesy: Dr. Nicole Rivera))
seven years old, and I feel really passionate about it. It has
been a part of my life ever since.
((Dr. Nicole Rivera, Dentist, Owner, Aldie Dental Care))
When you fall, when you do something wrong, you have to
keep going, you have to keep trying. I just want to stay
healthy. It helps me with flexibility. It helps me with balance
and being more grounded. Being balanced makes me a
better doctor, a better wife and mother.
((NATS: Dr. Rivera and patient))
Dr. Rivera: Hey, Manuel.
Patient: Hi. How are you?
Dr. Rivera: I’m doing well. How are you?
Patient: I’m doing good.
Dr. Rivera: Please come in.
Patient: Thank you.
((Dr. Nicole Rivera, Dentist, Owner, Aldie Dental Care))
It's been almost eight years.
((NATS: Dr. Rivera and patient))
Dr. Rivera: So, you can take your mask off now.
Patient: Okay.
Dr. Rivera: And we’re just going to do a quick exam and
checkup today and a cleaning at the end, okay?
Patient: All right.
((Dr. Nicole Rivera, Dentist, Owner, Aldie Dental Care))
I always knew I wanted to be a dentist since I was, maybe, I
guess, same time I started to dance ballet.
((NATS))
((Dr. Nicole Rivera, Dentist, Owner, Aldie Dental Care))
I love it because you have flexible hours. You get to help
people every day and you can see instant results.
The patient comes in with pain and you do a procedure and
you help them and they leave with a smile. And you get to do
that every day.
((NATS))
((Dr. Nicole Rivera, Dentist, Owner, Aldie Dental Care))
I was practicing ballet twice a week, but recently I had a
baby. So. now I'm doing it fewer times a week, maybe, once
a week. It helps me unwind at the end of the day. It helps me
express my creative and artistic side and I love it. It taught
me motivation, dedication. For sure, it helped me with
posture because, you know, in dentistry, you have to be,
your back needs to be straight.
((Dr. Nicole Rivera, Dentist, Owner, Aldie Dental Care))
I wanted to pass my knowledge in ballet to someone that
wants to achieve the same benefits I did from my early ballet
classes.
((NATS))
((Dr. Nicole Rivera, Dentist, Owner, Aldie Dental Care))
I've been wanting to do this for a really long time. Now, that I
opened my practice, I found like this is a great time to do it.
My practice name is Aldie Dental Care. So, I named it the
Aldie Dental Care Scholarship.
Right now, we're only doing it with the Virginia Ballet and
School Academy.
((NATS))
((Dr. Nicole Rivera, Dentist, Owner, Aldie Dental Care))
The winner of the scholarship is Victoria Vangroll, and she
dances at that academy and she teaches there as well.
((Dina Fadeyeva, Virginia Ballet Company and School))
She's our advanced student. She's 16 years old.
((NATS: Dina Fadeyeva))
Dina Fadeyeva: Arms right. Working.
((Victoria Vangroll, Recipent, Aldie Dental Care
Scholarship))
Nicole has definitely helped me. She's told me a few times
that even if I don't pursue dance professionally, the rules I
learn in dance and ballet, like always keep dancing because
it’s good for your body.
((NATS))
((Video/Courtesy: The Virginia Ballet Company and
School))
((NATS))
((Victoria Vangroll, Recipient, Aldie Dental Care
Scholarship))
I like the precision of it and like working hard.
((NATS))
((Victoria Vangroll, Recipient, Aldie Dental Care
Scholarship))
I would like to do ballet professionally and I do have a sort of
plan of how I'm going to do that.
((Video/Courtesy: The Virginia Ballet Company and
School))
((Victoria Vangroll, Recipient, Aldie Dental Care
Scholarship))
I would like to go to Boston and dance or anywhere that
would accept me. I don’t really have any preferences.
((NATS: Dr. Nicole Rivera))
Dr. Nicole Rivera: And I hope you continue to dance for a
really long time.
((Victoria Vangroll, Recipient, Aldie Dental Care
Scholarship))
Nicole definitely inspires me, you know, to help others. And
the fact that like she got this money together and gave this
scholarship out when money is tighter this year than it has
been in past years, and she was still willing to give when
those people wouldn't give.
((Dr. Nicole Rivera, Dentist, Owner, Aldie Dental Care))
I just plan to continue doing it for years to come. Maybe, this
year, we started with one student. Later on, we'll probably do
two students and so on, so that more people can benefit
from it.
((NATS))
CLOSING BUMPER ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
BREAK THREE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
CLOSING BUMPER ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
SHOW ENDS
