VOA – CONNECT
EPISODE # 136
AIR DATE 08 21 2020
TRANSCRIPT
OPEN? ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
Symbols Past and Future
((NATS))
((Julie Tumamait Stenslie, Chairwoman, Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians – Chumash))
So, everything you see here, know that it was all Chumash land at one time and occupied for thousands and thousands of years with each village being separated from one another.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Hi Tech Help
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
I founded my company?Limitless Limb?last year that makes 3D printed, customizable and affordable prosthetics for children with limb loss.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Gone Fishing
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Guide))
Everybody that is being stuck at home with their kids and families, there is a bigger need and want for guides to get people out of the house.??
((Open Animation))
BLOCK A
((PKG))? REMOVING STATUES??
((TRT:? 08:14))
((Banner: Reconsidering Statues))
((Reporter/Camera: ?Arturo Martínez))
((Map:? Ventura, California))
((Main characters:? 1 female))
((Sub characters: 3 males; 1 female))
((NATS))
((Video Courtesy: David Zandman))
((Julie Tumamait Stenslie, Chairwoman, Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians – Chumash))
I was watching the world news of all these statues coming down and all this national attention to these iconic figures of history and what they represent and the energy and power that it generated through Black Lives Matter. People who are angry, people who are vandalizing and getting out all this anger and frustration of all these generations of all colors. I called my tribal group. I sent them emails, “Look, something needs to happen here.”
((NATS))
((Julie Tumamait Stenslie, Chairwoman, Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians – Chumash))
Father Serra was the man who came in, in the 1700s, to start establishing those missions all along Alta California. Here we were the workforce. We were the ones that, my family, my direct family, my great-grandfather was part of that mission system, that mission period. They were told, “You're going build this for us and you're going to change your way of life.” And the punishment for disobeying was physical punishment. As time went on and more people kept coming in, the diseases came in. That was a very detrimental time for us. It changed us completely and, in fact, left us to the point of near extinction.
((NATS))
((Julie Tumamait Stenslie, Chairwoman, Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians – Chumash))
People are arguing that he isn’t responsible for the cruelties and punishments and rape and genocide. But he was knowledgeable and as an iconic figure of that time period, he represents all of that.
((NATS))
((Julie Tumamait Stenslie, Chairwoman, Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians – Chumash))
So, everything you see here as you look around, know that it was all Chumash land at one time and occupied for thousands and thousands of years with each village being separated from one another.
((NATS))
((Julie Tumamait Stenslie, Chairwoman, Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians – Chumash))
We want the city of Ventura to remove the statue. This statue representing the city, it really shouldn't. It should represent Catholicism and love of Jesus Christ in God in a proper setting. The aftermath of after he died and after sacralization, people were not set free. They were in a sense, but they were still subservient to the next generation of people coming in, the pioneers. And then, you know, even today, we're still looked at and we face that prejudice and racism all my life. That, well, unless I look like you, otherwise I'm called the N-word, growing up.
((NATS: Julie Tumamait Stenslie and Father Tom Elewaut))
((Julie Tumamait Stenslie, Chairwoman, Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians – Chumash))
Good to see you, Father Tom. I came to you first because this is the symbol of your devotion and the community, of the Catholic community that's here. It belongs to all of you.
((Father Tom Elewaut, San Buenaventura Mission))
One thing that our church and society has failed to do is to give proper recognition and reconciliation. But it's your land and your ancestors built that mission. And you informed me of a call for a protest to take the statue down. And from that, we came up with a joint statement to say that we feel that it's probably time to relocate the statue but we want to do it with due process, with non-violence, something that can be replicated in other communities for respect and actually become a model because we could see what was happening in the nation. Some people thought it was a great thing we signed that document. Other people thought it was the worst thing we should have done. So, we can’t please all the people.
((Julie Tumamait Stenslie, Chairwoman, Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians – Chumash))
The way that we want to see it, it would be the first time that City and Church and Indigenous Peoples have come together in this place. But ultimately it is the City of Ventura’s Council that will ultimately make the decision to remove the statue.
((Father Tom Elewaut, San Buenaventura Mission))
All right. God bless.
((Julie Tumamait Stenslie, Chairwoman, Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians – Chumash))
You too. God bless you.
((Father Tom Elewaut, San Buenaventura Mission))
We'll be in touch.
((Julie Tumamait Stenslie, Chairwoman, Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians – Chumash))
All right.
((Father Tom Elewaut, San Buenaventura Mission))
Thank you.
((Popup Banner:
The Ventura City Council unanimously voted to relocate two statues of Father Junipero Serra at a special public meeting on July 15, 2020.))
((NATS))
((Locater: Ventura City Hall, California: 4 a.m.))
((Thrin Short, Ventura Resident))
Shame on Ventura today. We used to honor great men here. Now we just honor mediocracy.
((NATS))
((Thrin Short, Ventura Resident))
Shame on you for not standing up for the citizens of Ventura, not standing up for your faith. We have nothing to be ashamed about him. He just loved the Chumash people. He was here to help them. He defended them.
((Thrin Short, Ventura Resident))
Like the very few things we do know about his life is that he walked down to Mexico to get the Chumash a bill of rights. So that way, the Spanish would not take away their lands and harm them. We know that he cared for them so much and gave his life for them.
((NATS))
((Ventura Resident))
God bless you Saint Serra. Thank you for serving your city and your mission.
((NATS))
((Thrin Short, Ventura Resident))
He was the civil founder of this town. He was our founder. It’s not just he was a religious leader. Yes, he was a religious leader but he's also the founder of our town, a great founder. And that's why he belongs here in front of the City Hall.
((Phil Nelson, Ventura City Public Works))
I agree. It’s a very multifaceted issue. You and I both know that there were many strong opinions on whether it should stay or whether it should go. We went through the correct process. The council made a decision. That's why we have an elected body, is to make those decisions. It was an issue that needed to be addressed now.
((Thrin Short, Ventura Resident))
It was not an issue that need to be addressed now. The statue has been up for nearly 100 years.
((Phil Nelson, Ventura City Public Works))
It has but the public…..
((Thrin Short, Ventura Resident))
Just because a couple, a big mob that threatens violence, does not make it, “Oh, we must give in to them immediately.” What if I start threatening violence? Would you give in to me? No, you never would. You only give in to them.
((Ventura Resident))
And I'm here today. It's not a victory. It's a reminder in a direction that we have to go. The inequities of our past, of the future are so important that we do not continue to teach our children or glorify these particular type of individuals. We're not trying to take away anybody's religion or anyone's beliefs. That’s not what we’re here for.
We're here just to remind each individual people and each person that there is truth behind history and we are no longer ready to accept the ways of what has really happening here and what’s really happened to our First Nations people from slavery.
((NATS))
((Julie Tumamait Stenslie, Chairwoman, Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians – Chumash))
I wonder if they would be honking if we weren't here.
People keep wanting for us to put a statue here. It's like, no, I want it to be nature. I think nature tells a greater, more beautiful story. To have a natural landscape here with native plants and a beautiful oak tree that will just loom with its branches spreading out. Where people are saying that taking the statue down removes history. No, we're making history. This is the first time something like this has happened in agreement with some type of social justice and advocacy for the mistreatment of the Native American people which can lead to the discussions of the inequality of people lesser than or presumed to be lesser than, in the way they were treated through racism, through financial disadvantages, for housing disadvantages, all those things that this statue could represent, and, maybe, make positive changes for people to treat people as human beings, as every right to enjoy this place of freedom that we call America, and justice for all.
((NATS))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up…..
((Banner))
A Child Helping Children
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
When I had the idea for my prosthetic limb, I consulted with an orthopedic surgeon and these are the books that he gave me, so I can figure out what, what I needed, what elements I needed to really make the prosthetic work.
BREAK ONE
((ANIMATION EXPLAINER -- W/ GFX, CAPTIONS, PHOTOS))
US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2020
NOMINATION CONVENTION
Presidential nominating conventions do not date all the way back to the early days of the United States. Back then, political parties held caucuses where small groups of party leaders chose the candidates. It wasn’t until the 12th presidential election in 1832 that parties held conventions to select their candidates. There were occasional surprises over the candidates selected at conventions. Some conventions took a long time to name a nominee. In 1924, the Democrats spent 16 days to take 109 votes to nominate John Davis, who wound up losing the election to Republican Calvin Coolidge. Modern conventions move quicker than that. Most of the delegates are awarded to candidates through state caucuses or primaries and the nominee is known before the convention begins. Conventions still deliver an occasional surprise. Nominees often name their pick for Vice President at a convention. Because they are televised, they attract the attention of voters trying to decide how to vote in November. The COVID pandemic has forced both parties to change plans for 2020 relying more on virtual settings without large crowds of faithful party in attendance.
Who can vote in the US Presidential Election?
To vote in the US presidential election, a potential voter must be:
a U.S. citizen,
18 years old on or before Election Day,
And meet residency requirements, which vary from state to state.
Potential voters must also be registered to vote by their state’s voter registration deadline.
Non-citizens, even if they are permanent residents, can not vote in US presidential elections. Some states also restrict voting for those with felony convictions or people who are mentally incapacitated.
For the general presidential election, US citizens who reside in US territories also can not vote.
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK B
((PKG))??THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX?
((TRT:??07:26))
((Banner:? Thinking Outside the Box))
((Reporter/Camera:??June Soh))
((Map:??Ashburn, Virginia))??
((Main characters:??1 female))
((Sub characters:??1 female))
((NATS))
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
This is the first prototype that I?made and?I hadn't quite gotten the hang of making this.? So, it’s a little bit more messy than my other?one but?I made it as if a girl, if a girl wanted it with a little unicorn in the middle. So, this is when it?clenches so the child can actually hold something with it.??
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
My name is Mahsa Riar. I am?13 years old?and?I founded my company?Limitless Limb?last year that makes 3D printed, customizable and affordable prosthetics for children with limb loss.
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
I read a book about a girl who lost her leg in an?accident and?in the?book, she?can’t afford a prosthetic limb.? And I was like, how expensive could prosthetic limbs be. So, I did some research and found out that they are extremely?expensive and most?children can’t even afford them.? And that really made me sad because I was thinking about all the kids who live in war zones, who lost their limb and can’t, you know, buy another limb because it’s not available to them. And so, I had a 3D printer and I had this idea.??So, I decided to make 3D printed prosthetics that are a lot cheaper and they can be customized since they are 3D printed.
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
There’s a video of me building my first hand.??It’s really long.? It was really difficult to get all the pieces to fit and get them in the right spot. But I managed to figure it?out and?after a lot of?test tries, I got my first prototype.? That was when it was halfway done.
((NATS))
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
When I had the idea for my prosthetic limb, I consulted with an orthopedic surgeon and these are the books that he gave me so I can figure out what, what I needed, what elements I needed to really make the prosthetic work. Then after that, I researched more online and really narrowed down my prosthetic design and printed it.
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
I still have been trying to improve my prototype and I always go back to these books because they're super helpful in helping me figure out exactly what I need to make the prosthetics really work.??
((NATS:
Mahsa Riar:??These books are so heavy.))
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
And I had to pitch my business?Limitless Limb?to the Young Entrepreneurs Academy Investor Panel.? I ended up winning the grand prize.? I got?1,500 dollars?toward my business and I used that to buy a new 3D printer that can?make my prosthetics?more functional and print them?at a faster rate.
((NATS))
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
So, my goal with?Limitless Limb?is to help equip every child with limb loss with a functional limb that they can use and so, they can feel whole again and not feel different from?everybody?else.
((NATS))
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
I created this device for a child who goes to the same music lessons with me.? He has a neurological?disorder which?makes it really difficult for him to hold his bow.? And his fingers sort of?lift up so the?bow falls out of his hand.??
((Video Courtesy: Riar family))
I really wanted to help him be able to play the cello.?
((Video Courtesy ends here))
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
So, this device, how it helps him, is that he can just slide his fingers in it and they won’t?lift.??It’ll prevent?his fingers from lifting up.? He is now able to play the cello really well and keep his bow straight.
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
I received an award?from the county?for creating this device for that child.
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
I guess, I just think of like an?outside-the-box?type of thinking and I really try and look at a new angle that?nobody has thought of?and trying to come up with a solution to?problems,?everyday problems really.
((NATS))
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
So, during this time of COVID-19, I've been working on a touchless kit to reduce the spread of the virus.
So, these are actually some of the designs that I have been working on and this is the first prototype for a touchless door handle. I am redesigning my first prototype for my door handle because it ended up coming out too big.? So, I’m trying to measure?it out and make?it a little bit smaller so that it actually fits on the door.
((NATS))
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
So, this is another idea for my touchless kit.? So, when you are at the store, what you have to do is?you have to just ask a cashier, “Can you hook up my bags to my little device?”??and they hook it up and you don’t have to touch the straps.
((Farzaneh Riar, Mahsa’s Mother))
She always try to find solutions to?things which?is a great problem-solving and we want our kids?to?feel that way.??At the same time, we also want to make sure as a parent that she has a good balance.??And,?of course, she does?that because she spends a lot of time on cooking also and creating different recipes.??
((NATS:
Farzaneh Riar:? ?Let’s go.? Let’s go to there.))
((Farzaneh Riar, Mahsa’s Mother))
And she goes running with me and she has been enjoying it.? We’ve been doing the running for several months now. She has become a much better runner than I am.? So, I think she has a great?balance and I?love that for her.
((NATS:
Mahsa Riar:??Oh, it’s done.? Okay.
So, this is my second prototype for my touchless door handle.??And it’s?actually?a lot?smaller than the first one so it actually?fits?on the door.?
Farzaneh Riar: Oh, yes.? I can close.? ??
You don’t need, just don’t touch.?? So, this can help people at work.? It can…actually?in?cafeteria, kids, when they want?to microwave, because they have a microwave, kids can use this for multi-purpose.
Mahsa Riar: I don’t think every microwave has this though.
Farzaneh Riar:?? Here we?go touchless.??
Mahsa Riar and Farzaneh Riar:??Touchless.?
Farzaneh Riar:??That’s really nice.? I like it.? It’s multi-purpose because you can carry it.??It’s light.? You can probably shape this much lighter because this can be narrower, right???I think that’s a great idea and it would work.))
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
I often speak at different venues and including schools to inspire kids to be?a trailblazer because?I feel like it doesn't matter your age and you can make a difference no matter how old you are.??
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
When I speak to young students such as when I spoke at an elementary school, I found that even like a?kindergartener?has the biggest ideas and dreams.
When I am not working on my business and 3D printing, I love to draw because it really relaxes me.? And when I grow up, I want to go into art and?design and?be an architect. But I still want to help?people and?it's always been my number one priority to help people.? So, even if I am an architect, I'll still be helping?people.??And on the side with maybe 3D printing, different things now, organs and hearts.??I don’t know.
((NATS))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up…..
((Banner))
Fly Fishing
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
Along the shores here it’s all pickerelweed, which is the purple flower also known as tuckahoe to the Natives that lived here.?
BREAK TWO
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK C
((PKG)) FLY FISHING
((TRT: 05:27))
((Banner: Fly Fishing))
((Reporter/Camera: Jeff Swicord))
((Map: Washington, DC))
((Main character: 1 male))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
My first memory of fishing was bobber, worm, don’t remember the type of rod, but I foul hooked a catfish in the back.? We didn’t know how to take the hook out. It was probably barbed.? So, a guy that looked like Santa Claus came down and unhooked it and threw it back in.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
I finished college and I turned in my last final in Botany and I went straight to the sporting goods store and got my license and my first pair of polarized glasses and I went down to the river.? And I was done. It was the end of a huge chapter in my life and I was going to figure out what to do now.? And on my first cast, I catch a striped bass about that big.? And that was about as life-changing as having a kid.? My life from that moment on completely changed. It wasn’t, I wanted to be a botanist in the rainforests in South America. It was, I needed to get into fishing.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
I started guiding professionally right after college.? But it wasn’t until ten years ago that I hung up my suit and tie to do this full-time.? Along the shores here it’s all pickerelweed, which is the purple flower also known as tuckahoe to the Natives that lived here.? The big plumes are wild rice and then the large leaves with the fibrous stocks are spatterdock.? You hook that stuff, it will break your rod.
((NATS:
Rob Snowhite: Oh, oh, no he turned.))
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
What we are looking for, root balls, depressions, anything where those fish can hide from all those birds up above. So, the benefits of fly fishing versus tackle conventional is, let’s say I’m casting and there is a fish and it bites and I miss the hook set.? Well, I just throw my line back, throw it again.? I don’t have to reel that whole line in.
((NATS:
Rob Snowhite: Another large mouth.))
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
I can throw things that are more lifelike and put it in a fish’s site of view more efficiently than you can with a lure.??
((NATS))
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
I’m going to smash that barb down again. It is getting a little caught.? Nice little three-year-old large mouth.? Sometimes they will have crayfish and other fish sticking out of their throats.? They’ll still eat when they are full.? It’s instinct. You can’t pass up a meal.? Got a nice full belly on it.
((MUSIC))
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
Everybody that is being stuck at home with their kids and families, there is a bigger need and want for guides to get people out of the house. I wake up more sore than I did a couple of years ago. It’s harder to climb in the boat.??
((NATS:
Rob Snowhite: Big turn.))
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
But it’s still, still rewarding. And I still want to do it.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
Being able to tie your own fly and catch a fish on that is extremely rewarding.? I tell people if you can make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or tie your shoes, you can tie a fly.? It is not that difficult.
((NATS:
Rob Snowhite: My vise.? Material prep station.))
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
I only fish my own flies.? Using someone else’s fly, I’d say, is like using your toothbrush.? I just don’t want to do it. It’s gross.
((NATS))
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
So, you take red thread, six aught.? Little base there.? Cut that off. And then this is just bead chain.? And then crisscross.? This is ostrich plume.? Five, five wraps forward.? One, two, three, four, five.? And that is a Snowhite Damsel.? And looks like that when it is wet.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
The Tidal Basin may be one of the most unique spots you are ever going to fish.? It’s like a giant nursery for small fish that come in here, hang out and live, but there are big fish in here. You might hook something that is 30 or 40 pounds [14 to 18 kg] in front of Martin Luther King or Jefferson.?
My plan at the beginning was to only guide for a couple of years and then get some other kind of job.??
Even after a super frustrating day, I don’t really want to go back to an office job.? Fly fishing is a lifestyle.? Some people say it is a sport, it’s an art.? It’s definitely a way of life.
((NATS))
CLOSING? ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
IN COMING WEEKS ((VO/NAT))
In Coming Weeks…..
((NATS))
Black lives matter. Black lives matter. Black lives matter.
Just go home. Just go home. Just go home.
Black lives matter. Black lives matter.
((Scott Kiehl, Controls Engineer))
It was very clear to me quickly that we were not dealing with a hostile group of people who were here to wreck and pillagethings.
((NATS))
((Scott Kiehl, Controls Engineer))
I went there yesterday not exactly knowing what to expect
but knowing what I'd seen on TV, a large crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters. And not only that. From what I've seen on the TV and mediaand news, a violent crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters. So that's what I went prepared and to help stop
any damage to my friends and families and businesses there in the town.
((NATS))
((Scott Kiehl, Controls Engineer))
When I got there, that isn't what I saw at all.
I would say they numbered 15 to 20, plus or minus a little bit. Just young people wanted to get their voice out.
((NATS))
I came here to protest. Minerva is here to protest.
((NATS))
CLOSING? ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
((PKG)) FREE PRESS MATTERS ((NATS/VIDEO/GFX))
((Popup captions over B Roll))
Near the Turkish Embassy
Washington, D.C.
May 16, 2017
President Erdogan’s bodyguard attacks peaceful protesters
“Those terrorists deserved to be beaten”
“They should not be protesting our president”
“They got what they asked for”
While some people may turn away from the news
We cover it
reliably
accurately
objectively
comprehensively
wherever the news matters
VOA
A Free Press Matters
BREAK THREE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
((PKG)) FREE PRESS MATTERS ((NATS/VIDEO/GFX))
((Popup captions over B Roll))
We make a difference
When we unmask terror
When we explain the impossible
When we confront an uncertain future
When we give voice to the voiceless
The difference is Freedom of the Press
We are the Voice of America where
A Free Press Matters
SHOW ENDS
EPISODE # 136
AIR DATE 08 21 2020
TRANSCRIPT
OPEN? ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
Symbols Past and Future
((NATS))
((Julie Tumamait Stenslie, Chairwoman, Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians – Chumash))
So, everything you see here, know that it was all Chumash land at one time and occupied for thousands and thousands of years with each village being separated from one another.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Hi Tech Help
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
I founded my company?Limitless Limb?last year that makes 3D printed, customizable and affordable prosthetics for children with limb loss.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Gone Fishing
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Guide))
Everybody that is being stuck at home with their kids and families, there is a bigger need and want for guides to get people out of the house.??
((Open Animation))
BLOCK A
((PKG))? REMOVING STATUES??
((TRT:? 08:14))
((Banner: Reconsidering Statues))
((Reporter/Camera: ?Arturo Martínez))
((Map:? Ventura, California))
((Main characters:? 1 female))
((Sub characters: 3 males; 1 female))
((NATS))
((Video Courtesy: David Zandman))
((Julie Tumamait Stenslie, Chairwoman, Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians – Chumash))
I was watching the world news of all these statues coming down and all this national attention to these iconic figures of history and what they represent and the energy and power that it generated through Black Lives Matter. People who are angry, people who are vandalizing and getting out all this anger and frustration of all these generations of all colors. I called my tribal group. I sent them emails, “Look, something needs to happen here.”
((NATS))
((Julie Tumamait Stenslie, Chairwoman, Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians – Chumash))
Father Serra was the man who came in, in the 1700s, to start establishing those missions all along Alta California. Here we were the workforce. We were the ones that, my family, my direct family, my great-grandfather was part of that mission system, that mission period. They were told, “You're going build this for us and you're going to change your way of life.” And the punishment for disobeying was physical punishment. As time went on and more people kept coming in, the diseases came in. That was a very detrimental time for us. It changed us completely and, in fact, left us to the point of near extinction.
((NATS))
((Julie Tumamait Stenslie, Chairwoman, Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians – Chumash))
People are arguing that he isn’t responsible for the cruelties and punishments and rape and genocide. But he was knowledgeable and as an iconic figure of that time period, he represents all of that.
((NATS))
((Julie Tumamait Stenslie, Chairwoman, Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians – Chumash))
So, everything you see here as you look around, know that it was all Chumash land at one time and occupied for thousands and thousands of years with each village being separated from one another.
((NATS))
((Julie Tumamait Stenslie, Chairwoman, Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians – Chumash))
We want the city of Ventura to remove the statue. This statue representing the city, it really shouldn't. It should represent Catholicism and love of Jesus Christ in God in a proper setting. The aftermath of after he died and after sacralization, people were not set free. They were in a sense, but they were still subservient to the next generation of people coming in, the pioneers. And then, you know, even today, we're still looked at and we face that prejudice and racism all my life. That, well, unless I look like you, otherwise I'm called the N-word, growing up.
((NATS: Julie Tumamait Stenslie and Father Tom Elewaut))
((Julie Tumamait Stenslie, Chairwoman, Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians – Chumash))
Good to see you, Father Tom. I came to you first because this is the symbol of your devotion and the community, of the Catholic community that's here. It belongs to all of you.
((Father Tom Elewaut, San Buenaventura Mission))
One thing that our church and society has failed to do is to give proper recognition and reconciliation. But it's your land and your ancestors built that mission. And you informed me of a call for a protest to take the statue down. And from that, we came up with a joint statement to say that we feel that it's probably time to relocate the statue but we want to do it with due process, with non-violence, something that can be replicated in other communities for respect and actually become a model because we could see what was happening in the nation. Some people thought it was a great thing we signed that document. Other people thought it was the worst thing we should have done. So, we can’t please all the people.
((Julie Tumamait Stenslie, Chairwoman, Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians – Chumash))
The way that we want to see it, it would be the first time that City and Church and Indigenous Peoples have come together in this place. But ultimately it is the City of Ventura’s Council that will ultimately make the decision to remove the statue.
((Father Tom Elewaut, San Buenaventura Mission))
All right. God bless.
((Julie Tumamait Stenslie, Chairwoman, Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians – Chumash))
You too. God bless you.
((Father Tom Elewaut, San Buenaventura Mission))
We'll be in touch.
((Julie Tumamait Stenslie, Chairwoman, Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians – Chumash))
All right.
((Father Tom Elewaut, San Buenaventura Mission))
Thank you.
((Popup Banner:
The Ventura City Council unanimously voted to relocate two statues of Father Junipero Serra at a special public meeting on July 15, 2020.))
((NATS))
((Locater: Ventura City Hall, California: 4 a.m.))
((Thrin Short, Ventura Resident))
Shame on Ventura today. We used to honor great men here. Now we just honor mediocracy.
((NATS))
((Thrin Short, Ventura Resident))
Shame on you for not standing up for the citizens of Ventura, not standing up for your faith. We have nothing to be ashamed about him. He just loved the Chumash people. He was here to help them. He defended them.
((Thrin Short, Ventura Resident))
Like the very few things we do know about his life is that he walked down to Mexico to get the Chumash a bill of rights. So that way, the Spanish would not take away their lands and harm them. We know that he cared for them so much and gave his life for them.
((NATS))
((Ventura Resident))
God bless you Saint Serra. Thank you for serving your city and your mission.
((NATS))
((Thrin Short, Ventura Resident))
He was the civil founder of this town. He was our founder. It’s not just he was a religious leader. Yes, he was a religious leader but he's also the founder of our town, a great founder. And that's why he belongs here in front of the City Hall.
((Phil Nelson, Ventura City Public Works))
I agree. It’s a very multifaceted issue. You and I both know that there were many strong opinions on whether it should stay or whether it should go. We went through the correct process. The council made a decision. That's why we have an elected body, is to make those decisions. It was an issue that needed to be addressed now.
((Thrin Short, Ventura Resident))
It was not an issue that need to be addressed now. The statue has been up for nearly 100 years.
((Phil Nelson, Ventura City Public Works))
It has but the public…..
((Thrin Short, Ventura Resident))
Just because a couple, a big mob that threatens violence, does not make it, “Oh, we must give in to them immediately.” What if I start threatening violence? Would you give in to me? No, you never would. You only give in to them.
((Ventura Resident))
And I'm here today. It's not a victory. It's a reminder in a direction that we have to go. The inequities of our past, of the future are so important that we do not continue to teach our children or glorify these particular type of individuals. We're not trying to take away anybody's religion or anyone's beliefs. That’s not what we’re here for.
We're here just to remind each individual people and each person that there is truth behind history and we are no longer ready to accept the ways of what has really happening here and what’s really happened to our First Nations people from slavery.
((NATS))
((Julie Tumamait Stenslie, Chairwoman, Barbareño/Ventureño Band of Mission Indians – Chumash))
I wonder if they would be honking if we weren't here.
People keep wanting for us to put a statue here. It's like, no, I want it to be nature. I think nature tells a greater, more beautiful story. To have a natural landscape here with native plants and a beautiful oak tree that will just loom with its branches spreading out. Where people are saying that taking the statue down removes history. No, we're making history. This is the first time something like this has happened in agreement with some type of social justice and advocacy for the mistreatment of the Native American people which can lead to the discussions of the inequality of people lesser than or presumed to be lesser than, in the way they were treated through racism, through financial disadvantages, for housing disadvantages, all those things that this statue could represent, and, maybe, make positive changes for people to treat people as human beings, as every right to enjoy this place of freedom that we call America, and justice for all.
((NATS))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up…..
((Banner))
A Child Helping Children
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
When I had the idea for my prosthetic limb, I consulted with an orthopedic surgeon and these are the books that he gave me, so I can figure out what, what I needed, what elements I needed to really make the prosthetic work.
BREAK ONE
((ANIMATION EXPLAINER -- W/ GFX, CAPTIONS, PHOTOS))
US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2020
NOMINATION CONVENTION
Presidential nominating conventions do not date all the way back to the early days of the United States. Back then, political parties held caucuses where small groups of party leaders chose the candidates. It wasn’t until the 12th presidential election in 1832 that parties held conventions to select their candidates. There were occasional surprises over the candidates selected at conventions. Some conventions took a long time to name a nominee. In 1924, the Democrats spent 16 days to take 109 votes to nominate John Davis, who wound up losing the election to Republican Calvin Coolidge. Modern conventions move quicker than that. Most of the delegates are awarded to candidates through state caucuses or primaries and the nominee is known before the convention begins. Conventions still deliver an occasional surprise. Nominees often name their pick for Vice President at a convention. Because they are televised, they attract the attention of voters trying to decide how to vote in November. The COVID pandemic has forced both parties to change plans for 2020 relying more on virtual settings without large crowds of faithful party in attendance.
Who can vote in the US Presidential Election?
To vote in the US presidential election, a potential voter must be:
a U.S. citizen,
18 years old on or before Election Day,
And meet residency requirements, which vary from state to state.
Potential voters must also be registered to vote by their state’s voter registration deadline.
Non-citizens, even if they are permanent residents, can not vote in US presidential elections. Some states also restrict voting for those with felony convictions or people who are mentally incapacitated.
For the general presidential election, US citizens who reside in US territories also can not vote.
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK B
((PKG))??THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX?
((TRT:??07:26))
((Banner:? Thinking Outside the Box))
((Reporter/Camera:??June Soh))
((Map:??Ashburn, Virginia))??
((Main characters:??1 female))
((Sub characters:??1 female))
((NATS))
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
This is the first prototype that I?made and?I hadn't quite gotten the hang of making this.? So, it’s a little bit more messy than my other?one but?I made it as if a girl, if a girl wanted it with a little unicorn in the middle. So, this is when it?clenches so the child can actually hold something with it.??
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
My name is Mahsa Riar. I am?13 years old?and?I founded my company?Limitless Limb?last year that makes 3D printed, customizable and affordable prosthetics for children with limb loss.
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
I read a book about a girl who lost her leg in an?accident and?in the?book, she?can’t afford a prosthetic limb.? And I was like, how expensive could prosthetic limbs be. So, I did some research and found out that they are extremely?expensive and most?children can’t even afford them.? And that really made me sad because I was thinking about all the kids who live in war zones, who lost their limb and can’t, you know, buy another limb because it’s not available to them. And so, I had a 3D printer and I had this idea.??So, I decided to make 3D printed prosthetics that are a lot cheaper and they can be customized since they are 3D printed.
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
There’s a video of me building my first hand.??It’s really long.? It was really difficult to get all the pieces to fit and get them in the right spot. But I managed to figure it?out and?after a lot of?test tries, I got my first prototype.? That was when it was halfway done.
((NATS))
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
When I had the idea for my prosthetic limb, I consulted with an orthopedic surgeon and these are the books that he gave me so I can figure out what, what I needed, what elements I needed to really make the prosthetic work. Then after that, I researched more online and really narrowed down my prosthetic design and printed it.
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
I still have been trying to improve my prototype and I always go back to these books because they're super helpful in helping me figure out exactly what I need to make the prosthetics really work.??
((NATS:
Mahsa Riar:??These books are so heavy.))
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
And I had to pitch my business?Limitless Limb?to the Young Entrepreneurs Academy Investor Panel.? I ended up winning the grand prize.? I got?1,500 dollars?toward my business and I used that to buy a new 3D printer that can?make my prosthetics?more functional and print them?at a faster rate.
((NATS))
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
So, my goal with?Limitless Limb?is to help equip every child with limb loss with a functional limb that they can use and so, they can feel whole again and not feel different from?everybody?else.
((NATS))
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
I created this device for a child who goes to the same music lessons with me.? He has a neurological?disorder which?makes it really difficult for him to hold his bow.? And his fingers sort of?lift up so the?bow falls out of his hand.??
((Video Courtesy: Riar family))
I really wanted to help him be able to play the cello.?
((Video Courtesy ends here))
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
So, this device, how it helps him, is that he can just slide his fingers in it and they won’t?lift.??It’ll prevent?his fingers from lifting up.? He is now able to play the cello really well and keep his bow straight.
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
I received an award?from the county?for creating this device for that child.
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
I guess, I just think of like an?outside-the-box?type of thinking and I really try and look at a new angle that?nobody has thought of?and trying to come up with a solution to?problems,?everyday problems really.
((NATS))
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
So, during this time of COVID-19, I've been working on a touchless kit to reduce the spread of the virus.
So, these are actually some of the designs that I have been working on and this is the first prototype for a touchless door handle. I am redesigning my first prototype for my door handle because it ended up coming out too big.? So, I’m trying to measure?it out and make?it a little bit smaller so that it actually fits on the door.
((NATS))
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
So, this is another idea for my touchless kit.? So, when you are at the store, what you have to do is?you have to just ask a cashier, “Can you hook up my bags to my little device?”??and they hook it up and you don’t have to touch the straps.
((Farzaneh Riar, Mahsa’s Mother))
She always try to find solutions to?things which?is a great problem-solving and we want our kids?to?feel that way.??At the same time, we also want to make sure as a parent that she has a good balance.??And,?of course, she does?that because she spends a lot of time on cooking also and creating different recipes.??
((NATS:
Farzaneh Riar:? ?Let’s go.? Let’s go to there.))
((Farzaneh Riar, Mahsa’s Mother))
And she goes running with me and she has been enjoying it.? We’ve been doing the running for several months now. She has become a much better runner than I am.? So, I think she has a great?balance and I?love that for her.
((NATS:
Mahsa Riar:??Oh, it’s done.? Okay.
So, this is my second prototype for my touchless door handle.??And it’s?actually?a lot?smaller than the first one so it actually?fits?on the door.?
Farzaneh Riar: Oh, yes.? I can close.? ??
You don’t need, just don’t touch.?? So, this can help people at work.? It can…actually?in?cafeteria, kids, when they want?to microwave, because they have a microwave, kids can use this for multi-purpose.
Mahsa Riar: I don’t think every microwave has this though.
Farzaneh Riar:?? Here we?go touchless.??
Mahsa Riar and Farzaneh Riar:??Touchless.?
Farzaneh Riar:??That’s really nice.? I like it.? It’s multi-purpose because you can carry it.??It’s light.? You can probably shape this much lighter because this can be narrower, right???I think that’s a great idea and it would work.))
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
I often speak at different venues and including schools to inspire kids to be?a trailblazer because?I feel like it doesn't matter your age and you can make a difference no matter how old you are.??
((Mahsa Riar, Founder, Limitless Limb))
When I speak to young students such as when I spoke at an elementary school, I found that even like a?kindergartener?has the biggest ideas and dreams.
When I am not working on my business and 3D printing, I love to draw because it really relaxes me.? And when I grow up, I want to go into art and?design and?be an architect. But I still want to help?people and?it's always been my number one priority to help people.? So, even if I am an architect, I'll still be helping?people.??And on the side with maybe 3D printing, different things now, organs and hearts.??I don’t know.
((NATS))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up…..
((Banner))
Fly Fishing
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
Along the shores here it’s all pickerelweed, which is the purple flower also known as tuckahoe to the Natives that lived here.?
BREAK TWO
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK C
((PKG)) FLY FISHING
((TRT: 05:27))
((Banner: Fly Fishing))
((Reporter/Camera: Jeff Swicord))
((Map: Washington, DC))
((Main character: 1 male))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
My first memory of fishing was bobber, worm, don’t remember the type of rod, but I foul hooked a catfish in the back.? We didn’t know how to take the hook out. It was probably barbed.? So, a guy that looked like Santa Claus came down and unhooked it and threw it back in.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
I finished college and I turned in my last final in Botany and I went straight to the sporting goods store and got my license and my first pair of polarized glasses and I went down to the river.? And I was done. It was the end of a huge chapter in my life and I was going to figure out what to do now.? And on my first cast, I catch a striped bass about that big.? And that was about as life-changing as having a kid.? My life from that moment on completely changed. It wasn’t, I wanted to be a botanist in the rainforests in South America. It was, I needed to get into fishing.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
I started guiding professionally right after college.? But it wasn’t until ten years ago that I hung up my suit and tie to do this full-time.? Along the shores here it’s all pickerelweed, which is the purple flower also known as tuckahoe to the Natives that lived here.? The big plumes are wild rice and then the large leaves with the fibrous stocks are spatterdock.? You hook that stuff, it will break your rod.
((NATS:
Rob Snowhite: Oh, oh, no he turned.))
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
What we are looking for, root balls, depressions, anything where those fish can hide from all those birds up above. So, the benefits of fly fishing versus tackle conventional is, let’s say I’m casting and there is a fish and it bites and I miss the hook set.? Well, I just throw my line back, throw it again.? I don’t have to reel that whole line in.
((NATS:
Rob Snowhite: Another large mouth.))
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
I can throw things that are more lifelike and put it in a fish’s site of view more efficiently than you can with a lure.??
((NATS))
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
I’m going to smash that barb down again. It is getting a little caught.? Nice little three-year-old large mouth.? Sometimes they will have crayfish and other fish sticking out of their throats.? They’ll still eat when they are full.? It’s instinct. You can’t pass up a meal.? Got a nice full belly on it.
((MUSIC))
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
Everybody that is being stuck at home with their kids and families, there is a bigger need and want for guides to get people out of the house. I wake up more sore than I did a couple of years ago. It’s harder to climb in the boat.??
((NATS:
Rob Snowhite: Big turn.))
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
But it’s still, still rewarding. And I still want to do it.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
Being able to tie your own fly and catch a fish on that is extremely rewarding.? I tell people if you can make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or tie your shoes, you can tie a fly.? It is not that difficult.
((NATS:
Rob Snowhite: My vise.? Material prep station.))
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
I only fish my own flies.? Using someone else’s fly, I’d say, is like using your toothbrush.? I just don’t want to do it. It’s gross.
((NATS))
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
So, you take red thread, six aught.? Little base there.? Cut that off. And then this is just bead chain.? And then crisscross.? This is ostrich plume.? Five, five wraps forward.? One, two, three, four, five.? And that is a Snowhite Damsel.? And looks like that when it is wet.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Rob Snowhite, Fly Fishing Consultant))
The Tidal Basin may be one of the most unique spots you are ever going to fish.? It’s like a giant nursery for small fish that come in here, hang out and live, but there are big fish in here. You might hook something that is 30 or 40 pounds [14 to 18 kg] in front of Martin Luther King or Jefferson.?
My plan at the beginning was to only guide for a couple of years and then get some other kind of job.??
Even after a super frustrating day, I don’t really want to go back to an office job.? Fly fishing is a lifestyle.? Some people say it is a sport, it’s an art.? It’s definitely a way of life.
((NATS))
CLOSING? ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
IN COMING WEEKS ((VO/NAT))
In Coming Weeks…..
((NATS))
Black lives matter. Black lives matter. Black lives matter.
Just go home. Just go home. Just go home.
Black lives matter. Black lives matter.
((Scott Kiehl, Controls Engineer))
It was very clear to me quickly that we were not dealing with a hostile group of people who were here to wreck and pillagethings.
((NATS))
((Scott Kiehl, Controls Engineer))
I went there yesterday not exactly knowing what to expect
but knowing what I'd seen on TV, a large crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters. And not only that. From what I've seen on the TV and mediaand news, a violent crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters. So that's what I went prepared and to help stop
any damage to my friends and families and businesses there in the town.
((NATS))
((Scott Kiehl, Controls Engineer))
When I got there, that isn't what I saw at all.
I would say they numbered 15 to 20, plus or minus a little bit. Just young people wanted to get their voice out.
((NATS))
I came here to protest. Minerva is here to protest.
((NATS))
CLOSING? ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
((PKG)) FREE PRESS MATTERS ((NATS/VIDEO/GFX))
((Popup captions over B Roll))
Near the Turkish Embassy
Washington, D.C.
May 16, 2017
President Erdogan’s bodyguard attacks peaceful protesters
“Those terrorists deserved to be beaten”
“They should not be protesting our president”
“They got what they asked for”
While some people may turn away from the news
We cover it
reliably
accurately
objectively
comprehensively
wherever the news matters
VOA
A Free Press Matters
BREAK THREE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
((PKG)) FREE PRESS MATTERS ((NATS/VIDEO/GFX))
((Popup captions over B Roll))
We make a difference
When we unmask terror
When we explain the impossible
When we confront an uncertain future
When we give voice to the voiceless
The difference is Freedom of the Press
We are the Voice of America where
A Free Press Matters
SHOW ENDS
