VOA – CONNECT
EPISODE # 206 ((previously aired as EP 155))
AIR DATE # 12 24 2021 ((previously aired 01 01 2021))
TRANSCRIPT
OPEN ((VO/NAT))
((Banner))
It’s a Wonderful Life
((SOT))
((Brian Rohan. Lead Character George Bailey/Jimmy Stewart impersonator))
George Bailey means selflessness. George Bailey means caring. George Bailey means love thy neighbor. I think George Bailey is the best of us.
Zuzu:
Daddy.
George Bailey:
Zuzu, Zuzu, my little ginger snap, how do you feel you?
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Festive Lights
((SOT))
((Lucy))
I want COVID to be gone so we can go back to our normal lives.
((Animation Transition))
((Banner))
Rebirth
((SOT))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
This year, I have decided to make two ravens embracing. I thought it was one of the most important things I'd ever seen.
((Open Animation))
BLOCK A
((PKG)) IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE
((TRT: 03:07))
((Topic Banner: It’s a Wonderful Life))
((Reporter/Camera: Aaron Fedor))
((Producer: Kathleen McLaughlin))
((Editor: Kyle Dubiel))
((Map: Seneca Falls, New York))
((Main character: 2 female, 3 male))
((Sub character: 1 female, 1 male))
((Open Banner))
((Courtesy: Republic Pictures))
Seneca Falls is celebrating the 75th anniversary of a beloved Christmas movie at its annual It’s a Wonderful Life Festival.
((Courtesy: Republic Pictures))
Many believe that this small town was director Frank Capra’s inspiration for the movie’s setting, Bedford Falls.
((Francis Carcillo. It’s A Wonderful Life Festival Board Member))
((Courtesy: Republic Pictures))
The movie is about a man who lives in a small town who never really feels satisfied in his own community, and he doesn't realize how important he is.
((Brian Rohan. George Bailey/Jimmy Stewart impersonator))
((Courtesy: Republic Pictures))
George Bailey means selflessness. George Bailey means caring. George Bailey means love thy neighbor. I think George Bailey is the best of us.
((Courtesy: Republic Pictures))
((Zuzu))
Daddy.
((George Bailey))
Zuzu, Zuzu, my little ginger snap, how do you feel?
((Monica Capra-Hodges, Frank Capra’s Granddaughter))
It's always relevant. You know. There are times like you know right now where we're trying to survive this pandemic,
((Courtesy: Republic Pictures))
and we've had a lot of loss and a lot of stress. And can identify with George Bailey and the wonderful message at the end where family and friends and everybody in town comes together to save him. And it's a beautiful message of hope.
((MUSIC))
((Tricia Mirras, Seneca Falls resident))
I think it's a wonderful festival. It is great to see our downtown so busy and with so many out-of-town visitors, and everyone is very happy and glad to be here. And I think during this particular time, the message that the movie brings is more important than ever. And you feel that here in town.
((Francis Carcillo. It’s A Wonderful Life Festival Board Member))
This year, I think we're expecting better than 20,000 for the 75th anniversary festival. Personally, I'm very proud to live in Bedford Falls. The local population and the pride, the sense of pride in this has increased every year. You know there are still people who doubt and think maybe it's not true, but even those people like the idea. I mean who wouldn't want to live in Bedford Falls?
((Music))
((Brett Perry, It’s a Wonderful Life fan))
I was on the George Bailey Bridge. It must have been half 10, 11 o'clock last night. Nobody around. I decided to do a classic thing of leaning on the bridge. I lent over the bridge, looking into the water.
((Courtesy: Republic Pictures))
I felt some odd things on my nose and face. I thought, what on earth is that? I looked up, and it was snowing. Not much, but it was snowing. And for a Welshman coming to Seneca Falls, it's a wonderful life. That was the moment for me. I'm feeling emotional just now just thinking about it. The snow on the George Bailey Bridge, you couldn't write it. Absolutely amazing. Sorry. I'm tearing up now.
((Karolyn Grimes, Actress who played Zuzu))
((Courtesy: Republic Pictures))
I believe that everyone can identify with George, so we have that opportunity to look at ourselves and realize that we too can make a difference. Daddy, teacher says every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.
((Zuzu))
Look, Daddy, teacher says every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.
((George Bailey))
That's right. That's right. Attaboy, Clarence. (singing)
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up…..
((Banner))
New York City Lights
((SOT))
((Joe, Local Homeowner))
Well, I've been decorating my house for about 25 years since my son was about nine years old.
BREAK ONE BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK B
((PKG)) NYC HOLIDAY LIGHTS
((previously aired January 1, 2021))
((TRT: 3:52))
((Banner: New York City Holiday Lights))
((Reporter/Camera/Drone: Aaron Fedor))
((Editor: Kyle Dubiel))
((Producer: Kathleen McLaughlin))
((Map: Brooklyn, New York))
((Main character: 9 females))
((Sub character: 6 males))
((MUSIC))
((Megan))
I've been coming to Dyker Heights. Well, this is my first time actually so he's actually taking me on a tour of Dyker Heights.
((Brian))
Yes and I’ve been here several years. My parents grew up in Brooklyn. So, everybody knows about it from the surrounding area.
((MUSIC))
((Megan))
Brian was just telling me about a house that you can see from space, so we're on the hunt to find that house that you can see from space.
((Brian))
Hot chocolate.
((Megan))
Hot chocolate. Wink, wink.
((Brian))
Yeah.
((Megan))
Nah, it's hot chocolate.
((MUSIC))
((The Calamine Family, Son))
It's really nice and I like, I think the lights are very beautiful. It's just really nice how everybody decorates and lets everybody come by their properties and watch the lights.
((MUSIC))
((The Calamine Family, Father))
Since I'm a little kid. So, I'm 46. So, it's been a long time. So, Lucy Spata, this is her house. Well, supposedly, she started this, you know, doing it in an extraordinary way and I guess that tradition sort of caught on in the rest of the block and the surrounding houses. And then it just started, I guess, expanding to the whole neighborhood. So, it's become a destination now.
((The Calamine Family, Mother))
We've seen busloads of people. They have those big buses coming and there's loads of people on the buses. It's pretty wild to see, because, like he said, we've been coming here for so long since we were little. And then to see these giant buses pull up with tourists to come and now it's a tourist attraction. It's wild.
((The Calamine Family, Father))
What I heard, a lot of people restrained themselves from decorating this year because they didn't want crowds of people outside and stuff like that. They were afraid.
((MUSIC))
((Joe, Local Homeowner))
Well, I've been decorating my house for about 25 years since my son was about nine years old. We start right around Halloween. We put up some orange lights for Halloween, and the day after Halloween, they come down and the colored lights begin to go up. Well, my house, of course, is my favorite.
((MUSIC))
((Robert, Local Tour Guide))
I live here in Dyker Heights. I've been living here for six years, and what I do is I tour. I have my friend that owns the tour. The basic tour is just meet up on 86th street, come down 84 all the way down from 12th Avenue to 10th Avenue. Then we drive up, you go down to 83rd and we come up and we meet up at John's Deli up there on 13th Avenue.
((MUSIC))
((Kanwal))
To my family in Pakistan and Uzbekistan, we wish you a very Happy New Year and a great year to come.
((Felts Family))
Happy New Year. Happy New Years to everyone.
((MUSIC))
((Wendy))
Happy New Year.
((MUSIC))
TEASE ((VO/NAT))
Coming up…..
((Banner))
Rebirth
((SOT))
((Neighbor))
Joe is my neighbor. He's a really great sculptor and it's kind of an honor to be able to work with Joe Pachak. Some people come around and want to tell him what to do and he kicks them out.
BREAK TWO
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK C
((PKG)) BURNING SCULPTURE
((Previously aired January 2020))
((TRT: 15:00))
((Banner: Rebirth after Winter Solstice))
((Reporter/Camera: Arturo Martinez))
((Native American flute: Aldean Ketchum))
((Map: Bluff, Utah))
((Main characters: 1 male))
((Sub characters: 6 male; 2 female))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
Hallowed ground retains its own energy. I relish the day after the burn, when I get to come and clean it up and walk away from a black stain. It's great. I mean, something happened and there's a tiny black stain on the earth where it happened. Very simply, it makes me happy. I love it.
((NATS))
((Courtesy: John Grager))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
My name is Joe Pachak. I'm an artist. I love to do sculpture. Every year, I make a very large piece of sculpture
((Courtesy: John Grager))
and on December 21st, at a very important time, Winter Solstice,
((Courtesy: Roger Hansen))
the beginning of the astronomical year,
((Courtesy: Eric Ming))
I set fire to it as a spiritual event connected to the science of our relationship between Sun and Earth. When you start a new year like that your spirit is raised.
((NATS))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
We are seeing a pecked route out that was done a very long time ago. And I’m counting: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 pecked steps going up right here.
Utah is a very rich place for prehistoric culture. It is right on the crust of the earth, everywhere.
I've worked as an archaeologist in Bluff for 25 years and rock art has inspired a lot of things that I have produced as sculpture and painting. Hopefully, people will see the importance of rock art as a message to the modern world.
((NATS))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
I used to come down here when I first moved to Bluff in 1983. I was climbing two trees and sitting up there in the crotch of the tree with a drawing pad. I looked up and I saw a mammoth. I had just discovered the first Pleistocene rock art in North America. And I got choked up. I mean, it’s such a powerful event. I mean, I had just discovered the first Pleistocene rock art in North America. No other rock art depicting mammoths have ever been found in North America or South America. They are approximately 14,000 years old. I actually cried out loud when I saw that that was a mammoth and that there were other tusks on the panel. It's inspiring, you know.
((Courtesy: Wayne Ranney))
((NATS))
About 20 years after the discovery, I built the life size mammoth to commemorate that mammoths were near the town of Bluff.
((Courtesy: John Gregor))
After the mammoth, I've done nine other
((Courtesy: R.E.Burillo))
effigies that were burnt on Winter Solstice,
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
This year, I have decided to make two ravens embracing. It's something that I saw on a river trip. I thought it was one of the most important things I'd ever seen. Our country, especially now, needs to express love in any way that it can. There are two sides that aren’t getting along. So, this is really a good subject for this year.
((NATS))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
There is communication. It’s a relationship. I've been feeding them for about 20 years. Here's one flying around.
((NATS))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
This is a good one. Maybe this one.
((NATS))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
We are a few days away from Thanksgiving now and it's gotten a lot colder. We still have a lot of work to do.
((NATS))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
Yeah, one person could not do this alone. It's impossible. We have about 25 volunteers show up. I feel great about having the community come down. I like the idea that they feel that they've invested time and that this is part of their celebration. So, I want that to happen. It's important.
((NATS))
((John Gregor, Volunteer))
I’ve worked on that yesterday. That and then the other one over there and then over there a little bit. You know, this town has only got a few hundred people but there's probably easily a significant majority of them that are involved in this at some point.
((NATS))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
Let’s go help unload.
((Jim, Neighbor))
Hey, how is it going?
Where do you want these willows?
((NATS))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
Jim.
Right in here, somewhere.
((NATS))
((Kelly, Volunteer))
We harvested these from our farm which is called the Historic Curtis John's farm on highway 162.
((NATS))
((Neighbor))
Joe is my neighbor. He's a really great sculptor and it's kind of an honor to be able to work with Joe Pachak. Some people come around and want to tell him what to do and he kicks them out.
((NATS))
((José Yavari, Volunteer))
Watch your leg.
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
Cut down a little bit.
Ugh?
((José Yavari, Volunteer))
Watch your leg.
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
Watch my leg?
I wouldn’t saw my own leg.
((John Gregor, Volunteer))
I said that about my thumb the other day and tried to cut it off.
((NATS))
((Kelly, Volunteer))
I don’t know why we do this. We do it for the sake of art, but it’s like how things work here.
((Bess Bennett, Neighbor))
Yeah. It’s just another thing of Bluff.
((NATS))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
Do you have any more curved sticks? I’ll take that one.
José, I like it that you keep referring to this as an organic thing.
((NATS))
((John Gregor, Volunteer))
Oh, shoot.
((NATS))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
I got it.
((NATS))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
We’ve used all those large curved sticks up already.
((NATS))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
We're looking for willows. Can you cut this one? These died during a flood. You can see it’s plentiful.
((NATS))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
Yeah, free sticks, makes it nice. I've probably spent at the max. $300 on wire and a new saw and pliers.
((NATS))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
There's too much commercial stuff in our lives, you know. We don't do anything because we truly love it and I don't want to do this as a commercial thing.
((NATS))
((Curtis Yanito, Navajo Tribal Member))
Good morning. How are you doing?
((José, Volunteer))
How are you?
((Curtis Yanito, Navajo Tribal Member))
What was your name?
((José, Volunteer))
José.
((Curtis Yanito, Navajo Tribal Member))
José. Good to see you….
((José, Volunteer))
Yeah.
((Curtis Yanito, Navajo Tribal Member))
The raven, you know, it dissipates whatever bad is. That's what we practice.
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
How would you want to set them on fire?
((Curtis Yanito, Navajo Tribal Member))
When we want to burn this, we will say, “All the bad things that's going on in the world, we're going to burn it right now.”
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
I really do try to involve the Native American cultures that I live around. I want to make artwork that is culturally sensitive that will bring people together.
((Curtis Yanito, Navajo Tribal Member))
Okay. Ahe’hee’.
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
Ahe’hee’.
((NATS))
((Courtesy: Curtis Yanito))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
This is Winter Solstice morning. It's a happy day for me. After two months and two days, we've finished the sculpture and we're ready to celebrate.
((NATS))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
When this burns, it will come to life.
((NATS))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
I feel so exhilarated. I feel so energized. I'm ready to take on another year. I'm ready to take on my 70th trip around the sun.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Curtis Yanito))
((Crowd))
Oh, God. It's too bad.
((NATS))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
They just took a nap. Yeah.
((NATS))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
They're taking a nap. I don't feel bad about it. Not one bit. They're still embracing.
((Friends))
They are. Well, it was beautiful when it was standing. It's beautiful now.
((NATS))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
Yeah, it's beautiful now.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Courtesy: Michael Ramsey))
((Aldean Ketchum, Ute Flute Player))
Tog'oyak. Thank you.
((Curtis Yanito, Navajo Tribal Member))
Winter Solstice for Native Americans is our new year, so, Happy New Year.
((Crowd))
Happy New Year.
((Curtis Yanito, Navajo Tribal Member))
The Raven, you know, it provides healing for like nightmares and sadness and stress and leads onto Alzheimer’s. Tonight, when the light is fired, say "pah", so we send all the bad energy off. That's it. Thank you. Pah.
((Crowd))
Pah.
(NATS))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
I believe the collapsing embracing ravens may be a metaphor for what is happening in our world, in our creative process of the industrial age. With that in mind, I want you all to have a good year and I want you to come back next year after you've traveled around the sun, standing on this earth. Thank you very much for coming.
((NATS))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
When you sacrifice or burn something that you've worked hard on, it remains in the memory of all those people who watch it because there's more profound aspirations in the crowd.
((NATS))
((Joe Pachak, Artist and Rock Art Expert))
We don't need a lot more objects in the world. We need experiences to help us grow.
((NATS/MUSIC))
IN COMING WEEKS ((VO/NAT))
In coming weeks…….
((Banner))
Weathering the Storm: Part 2
((SOT))
((Chris Brunet – Resident, Isle de Jean Charles))
What is climate change? For us, the major factor would be erosion of the land. Because, you know, the Gulf of Mexico is pushing north. And so, with the running tide being constant, well the land in itself, doesn't have the chance to hold itself together against that movement.And then, you have the man-made error that plays in climate change,where all of these canals were dug. Southeast Louisiana is just littered with canals carved out for pipelines for the production of oil and gas.
Whenever they dug these canals, they just created more avenues for water to come in. It just speeded up the process. And by the time we noticed how bad it was, it was actually almost too late.
CLOSING ((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
BREAK THREE
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
SHOW ENDS
