VOA – CONNECT
EPISODE # 272
AIR DATE: 03 31 2023
TRANSCRIPT
OPEN
((VO/NAT/SOT))
((Topic Banner))
Stein Collector
((SOT))
((George Adams
Stein Collector))
Last time I did any inventory and move steins from Big Red [shed] to the trailer, and I inventoried everything, and I came up with just shy of 10,000.
((Animation Transition))
((Topic Banner))
Sustainable Carnival
((SOT))
((Brett Davis
Founding Director, Grounds Krewe))
We have as much as 2.6 million pounds of street waste just left out that all goes to the landfill in 11 days of Carnival.
((Animation Transition))
((Topic Banner))
Brewers’ Community
((SOT))
((Rachel Sabatine
Owner-Founder, Around The Horn Brewing Company))
One of the first beers we ever made last year was called, I'm Fine, Everything's Fine, and that was how I felt.
((Open Animation))
BLOCK A
((PKG)) THE STEIN MAN
((TRT: 06:15))
((Topic Banner: The Stein Man))
((Reporter/Camera/Editor: Philip Alexiou))
((Map: Pamplin, Virginia))
((Main characters: 1 male))
((NATS))
((George Adams
Stein Collector))
I'm second-generation German. As I remember it, everything in our house when I was growing up was junk, and not only that, would be antiques. They [my parents] bought silver and brass and copper. In the dining room was a shelf with all these pieces on it. On the very right-hand corner was a stein. It was a fairly large stein. It was made out of wood and it was chip carved. In other words, it was carved by hand. This thing had a lid on it. You know, during that period of time in the [19]40s, I'd only knew one thing that had a lid on. It was a syrup pitcher. And you pulled the handle back and poured the syrup. Now, here's this thing. Now what is it? The lid actually fascinated me what was on the stein. And I was just a boy six, seven years old. And that's how it started.
((NATS))
((George Adams
Stein Collector))
This is chunk pewter. Put it over the fire. It's getting liquid. See the color of the pewter now? It's turning kind of black looking. See it? I would pour it in. The shank was cut off and the shank part, which is this right here, would sit right on top of the handle. This was molded around it with raw clay, and then you would pour that into the mold, and it would weld the shank to the strap.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((George Adams
Stein Collector))
My name is George Adams. I'm the owner and operator of Steins Unlimited. And I've been collecting steins since I was a little boy. I can't tell you exactly but seven years old, maybe six, seven years old. Stein is, in German, is Steinzeug Becher mit Zinndeckel. That means a stoneware mug with a pewter lid. This is my butcher stein from 1960.
((Text on screen: After the bubonic plague, a decree was passed to have lids on steins to protect them from disease spreading mosquitos and insects.))
((NATS))
((George Adams
Stein Collector))
During the [bubonic] plague that killed a lot of people, and they knew that they had to do something, and it was a law that if you were in public with your container that contained a liquid, it had to have a lid or you were fined. That could be milk or water or whatever liquid, but it had to have a lid on it.
((NATS))
((George Adams
Stein Collector))
These four steins right here are called, The History of Steins. I actually designed these steins and had them made in Germany. This stein is from Raeren [Belgium] and it's 1603. Right here's the date. It’s a period stein. Actually it was made in Germany, in Siegburg, Germany in the late 13[00s], early 1400s.
((NATS))
((George Adams
Stein Collector))
A week after I moved here and I set up a show in Richmond, collectors flock to Fairground. That was a first show I ever did here at the Richmond Fairground, and I set up in a toy show. That was a lady from the Antique Trader [magazine] did that. She came by in Charlottesville when I was set up in the mall there, and did an interview right in the mall. This was at Duck Creek Plaza in Bettendorf, [Iowa]. Somebody came out from Lynchburg and did this one. I did at least 20 years of shows, and I did well. If I did a bad show, I didn't go back. There's nobody promoting shows now. I had a lot of good years.
((NATS))
((George Adams
Stein Collector))
This is World War I dated. That would be a Munich regiment. This is 1933, 1934. This means free worker. He was a free worker, Otto Fabian. He was in the Third Reich. Oh, this one has a swastika here. Yeah, just a swastika here in 1944. See, he's a baker. He's a musician. He's a butcher. He actually was a butcher or meat cutter.
((NATS))
((George Adams
Stein Collector))
Last time I did any inventory and move steins from Big Red [shed] to the trailer, and I inventoried everything, and I tried to inventory what I had on display and what I had in the house and all over. And I came up with just shy of 10,000 [steins], one of the largest in the world, one of. I'm not saying 'the', I'm just saying it's a large collection. I don't compete with anybody. I just am doing my thing, and that's what I like to do. I'm actually a kind of a recluse. I don't like people very well, but I like steins. So I accept people, so I can talk to them about steins. I like beer though. I’m a good German and I like beer.
((NATS))
((George Adams
Stein Collector))
This stein was produced in Germany. It is hand-painted and signed by the artist. It's 32 liters, actually a full keg, and it was made to be the world's largest stein. And now, actually now, there's one by Girmscheid in Höhr-Grenzhausen, Germany. It's a little bigger. For years, this used to be the biggest stein in the world.
((NATS))
((George Adams
Stein Collector))
That's been up there. Let's see. I've been here 27 years, I think it is. That's been up there about the second year that I came here. About [19]97, we've had the steins made. I'm enjoying what I'm doing. I'm taking care of what I have, and I'm enjoying it, and that's as simple as it is.
((NATS/MUSIC))
TEASE
((VO/NAT/SOT))
Coming up…
((Topic Banner))
A Greener Mardi Gras
((SOT))
((Kristin Danflue
Captain, Krewe of Iris))
They love it. They absolutely love it. Everyone that comes to pick up says the same thing. They’re like wow, I am so glad that somebody is doing something about this.
BREAK ONE
((https://www.voanews.com/a/5637747.html))
((UV Disinfecting Robots))
((Andy Molnar
UVD Robots))
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
((PKG)) GROUND KREWE
((TRT: 11:13))
((Topic Banner: A Greener Mardi Gras))
((Reporter/Camera: Aaron Fedor))
((Producer: Kathleen McLaughlin))
((Editor: Kyle Dubiel))
((Map: New Orleans, Louisiana))
((Main character: 10 female; 5 male))
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Brett Davis
Founding Director, Grounds Krewe))
So, we're out here today conducting a parade recycling program, which is probably the hardest environment in the world to try to recycle. It's a three-mile long party that goes through the public streets. It's not an enclosed environment like a festival you would think of, and so the atmosphere out here is probably the most difficult to actually capture things and divert them from the landfill.
((NATS: Hannah and woman))
((Hannah Pittman
Director of Operations, Grounds Krewe))
- Hey, can we have your cans when you're done?
- I’m supposed to throw these…
- Yeah, that'd be great.
((Brett Davis
Founding Director, Grounds Krewe))
Carnival season, Mardi Gras is the largest free and unsponsored event in the entire world. And so, this is this huge, huge festival that is put on totally open to the public to attend. And the way that it's paid for is through the members that ride in these parades in these krewe organizations [an organization staging festivities during Mardi Gras]. They pay to be a member of the parade, and they also fund the parade by buying packages of throws. The most common throw, of course, is the Mardi Gras bead. And a parade can have as many as 3,700 members just in one parade. And we're talking about 70 parades or more through the season. And so, there's just a deluge of disposable plastic items.
((NATS))
((Brett Davis
Founding Director, Grounds Krewe))
We're trying to get some folks to recycle their cans and unwanted beads. That is depressing right there. So, we just had someone turn in a bunch of broken and dirty beads that can't be used, so those are all going to go to the landfill, unfortunately. Every Carnival, we import millions of pounds of these beads, and we have as much as 2.6 million pounds of street waste just left out. It all goes to the landfill in 11 days of Carnival. So, even though we're only picking up 2.6 million pounds of beads and trash left on the street, there's actually a lot more that comes in that goes through the circulation of Mardi Gras, and then will eventually end up being disposed of at home, and then into the landfill.
((Hannah Pittman
Director of Operations, Grounds Krewe))
These beads are going to be donated to Arc of Greater New Orleans, and they are going to be sorted and recycled by adults with developmental disabilities, and then resold to the parades next year. In five blocks, they found 96,000 pounds of beads in the septic system of New Orleans a couple of years ago, and what we're doing is trying to prevent that from happening.
((Dr. Catherine Russell
Fulbright Scholar, University of New Orleans))
They're bad in a couple of contexts. One of them is the chemical context. Each color contains a different chemical makeup, but many of the colors contain more lead than is the legal maximum limit for children's toys. The other thing as well is that they go into storm drains, so the physical presence of them in storm drains acts very much like a sediment. And when we think about them as a sediment, a lot of the science that we know from sedimentology, which is my subdivision of geology, can be applied. And these are quite heavy. I don't know if you've ever carried a bag of Mardi Gras beads, but they are quite heavy. So, once they get into the storm drains, in a lot of cases, the only way that they can be removed is by actually being physically taken out.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Brett Davis
Founding Director, Grounds Krewe))
You've heard the phrase ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’. So, our vision is to try to allow and build and create a local sustainable throw economy. And that means coming up with ideas for throws that are things that are functional, biodegradable, consumable, with an emphasis on Louisiana products. So, we want to find things that people can use.
((Mardi Gras Goer #1))
We got some biodegradable glitter, which was a lot of fun. We got some wooden toothbrushes, which is always good, just in case, you know, if you have an out-of-town guest. We got some red beans, maybe some jambalaya mix.
((Mardi Gras Goer #2))
These are some wildflower seeds. I've got coffee. I've got jambalaya, and I've got red beans. These are all... oh, wait, and some soap that's locally made in New Orleans, all sustainable.
((Brett Davis
Founding Director, Grounds Krewe))
We had our first Krewe branded package in 2022 last year with the Krewe of Iris, and it was over 100,000 eco-friendly throws. And the response that we got from the community was just amazing. The community, the riders, everyone was just over the moon with the packages that we created. And we had, you know, beautiful images of people out on the parade route holding up signs saying, ‘Throw me your sustainables.’
((Sarah Petitto
Officer, Krewe of Iris))
We've taken that responsibility very seriously, which is why we did start working with Grounds Krewe with Brett last year or two years ago.
((NATS))
((Kristin Danflue
Captain, Krewe of Iris))
I think it's happening, because the first year we dealt with Brett, we sold 500 packages and, you know, we ordered a thousand. But after people saw it, when we went back the next year, we ordered more, and we ended up selling a thousand plus the 500 that we didn't sell the year before. So, I think people just need to get used to it. It's a little bit of a different Mardi Gras. It's a little bit of a different throw, you know, and I think that people are catching on
((Courtesy: Krewe of Iris))
because all of the other throws of the other Krewes are starting to do it too now.
((NATS))
((Greg Nichols
Deputy Chief Resilience Officer, The City of New Orleans))
Last year, the city created, during Mardi Gras, almost 1,200 tons of waste. And that can mean beads that get in our stormwater system, obviously waste that goes to our landfill, which can produce greenhouse gas emissions. Brett has been, you know, really helping us lead the way, I think, in building off what he's done and giving us a model for what the city can do going forward.
((Virginia Saussy
Creative Team, Float and Throw Design, Krewe of Muses))
So, since 2004, we've looked for what we call “remusable” items.
((Kellie Talbot
Creative Team, Float and Throw Design, Krewe of Muses))
Yeah, “remusable”.
((Virginia Saussy
Creative Team, Float and Throw Design, Krewe of Muses))
We've thrown pedicure kits, Band-Aids, sleep masks, Band-Aids. Our captain comes up with a lot of really brilliant ideas, and she's always loved Thomas Mann's jewelry.
((Kellie Talbot
Creative Team, Float and Throw Design, Krewe of Muses))
Tom being a local artist and very, very well-known and very, very collectible, she started meeting with him and having that... So, this is the first year, which was this last year.
((Virginia Saussy
Creative Team, Float and Throw Design, Krewe of Muses))
Because they're valued. We know that a Thomas Mann necklace won't end up in a storm drain or getting scooped up after the parade.
((Thomas Mann
Artist))
I believe that this whole thing is important because we're actually going back and in an interesting way to the Mardi Gras throws roots. And back in the day, the throws were much more precious, because they were made…they were glass beads that were made in Japan and Czechoslovakia [presently Czech Republic and Slovakia]. So for the early years of Mardi Gras, the beads that were quote-unquote “thrown”, could be worn year-round as an actual fashion accessory where you're going to be much more reluctant to wear plastic beads, you know, out in the middle of the summer.
((Boyfriend
Musician))
To me, the fun of riding is that you're playing catch with the city and you pick someone and you're energetically aligned and you make eye contact, you have a little nod, and then you go for it. And that takes more time than just blindly throwing them out there. So, I think if people can engage with the community aspect of it, where you're saying, "Hi, I see you. Do you see me? Great." Even that right there, like taking eight or seven seconds longer, paces it out a little bit better.
((Boyfriend,
Musician))
If you love Mardi Gras and you want the next generation to enjoy Mardi Gras the way we are now, we have to change this current climate of throwing trash into the street. We need to throw things like this that are treasured and are sustainable, handmade throws. Otherwise, I'm not sure what Mardi Gras is going to look like in 150 years.
((NATS))
((Judge Kimya M. Holmes
Captain, Krewe of Themis))
Sustainability is really important, and our krewe is a part of our mission. One of the things we asked the members after our first ride was, "What would they change? What improvements they wanted to see made?" And sustainability was right at the top of the list. So, what we ended up doing is offering two sets of packages: one purely sustainable throws through Grounds Krewe; and then one with our customary bead distributive, opting only for recycled larger beads; and then everything else in our packages are all things that can be reusable and are sustainable.
((Courtesy: Grounds Krewe))
We also have paper beads that actually some ladies in Uganda actually made. So they came from Africa and they are absolutely amazing .
((Mardi Gras Goer #1))
Catching things that are handmade, catching things that are sustainable. I think those are just as exciting, if not even more exciting for our kids.
((Mardi Gras Goer #3))
I think they're great as long as they're being recycled, but I think it's better if we have sustainable beads, like glass beads, like these ones right here.
((Mardi Gras Goer #4))
I prefer a sustainable glitter over microplastics any day of the year, especially in Mardi Gras. Yeah! Because we're not polluting. We are enjoying and making ourselves pretty without any issues in the environment.
((NATS))
((Hannah Pittman
Director of Operations, Grounds Krewe))
Hey, can we have your cans when you're done?
They, they love it. They absolutely love it. Everyone that comes to pick up says the same thing. They're like, wow, I am so glad that this exists, you know? I'm so glad that somebody is doing something about this. I'm so glad that somebody is helping us to make a change.
((Thomas Mann
Artist))
The idea that we're moving towards a more precious, more collectible, more sustainable kind of Mardi Gras gift, because that's what it is. It's a gift to the audience from the krewes that makes their Mardi Gras experience exciting.
((Judge Kimya M. Holmes
Captain, Krewe of Themis))
I think with change it’s always difficult, and I think as more people see the items and see how nice they are, I think more krewes will be shifting towards sustainable packages.
((NATS))
TEASE
((VO/NAT/SOT))
Coming up…
((Topic Banner))
Brewing Company
((SOT))
((Rachel Sabatine
Owner-Founder, Around The Horn Brewing Company))
The way our community played a role for us, they just showed up, you know, all the time.
BREAK TWO
((https://www.voanews.com/a/logon-bird-migration-tech--web-mp4/6655228.html))
((Bird Migration Tech))
((Rodd Kelsey
The Nature Conservancy))
((Courtesy: Google Earth))
((Courtesy: Cornell Lab of Orinthology))
((Courtesy: Point Blue Conservation Science/The Nature Conservancy))
((Jon Munger
Montana Farms))
((Courtesy: California Rice Commission))
((Courtesy: Migration Bird Conservancy Partnership))
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
BLOCK C
((PKG)) BREWING COMPANY
((TRT: 03:13))
((Previously aired January 2022))
((Topic Banner: Brewing up Business))
((Reporter/Camera: Michelle Quinn))
((Producer/Editor: Elizabeth Lee))
((Map: Groveland, California))
((Main character: 1 female))
((NATS))
((Rachel Sabatine
Owner-Founder, Around The Horn Brewing Company))
My name is Rachel Sabatine. I'm the owner and founder and chief operating officer of Around The Horn Brewing Company.
((NATS))
((Rachel Sabatine
Owner-Founder, Around The Horn Brewing Company))
The name, Around The Horn, comes from the [19th century] Gold Rush. If you were a gold seeker trying to get to California from the East Coast, one of the routes you could take was going on a boat down around the tip of South America, Cape Horn, and going back up to San Francisco. So, you were going around the Horn. But Horn is also my maiden name.
When we decided really that we were going to pursue this dream, that was in late 2016. I do love beer and that's part of it. But the other part of it is this place, this community. We're located in Groveland, California, which is about 25 miles [40 km] from Yosemite National Park. It's beautiful all the time, you know.
((Rachel Sabatine
Owner-Founder, Around The Horn Brewing Company))
The traffic I have is when the deer are crossing the road.
I just love kind of the small town. The people are amazing.
We looked at probably every property possible in this area. We secured our location and then COVID hit. This was a very, uh, many, many years-long process and by the time the pandemic hit, we were you know, 95 percent of the way there.
((NATS))
((Rachel Sabatine
Owner-Founder, Around The Horn Brewing Company))
There was a day where we asked ourselves if we should stop. We already had one bank loan, but we hadn't closed on the second bank loan yet. It was days away and my husband and I were like, “Are we making a mistake?”, you know. “We're already in debt but are we going to put ourselves even more in debt for no reason whatsoever?” But, you know, we went forward with it and I'm really glad we did.
((NATS))
((Rachel Sabatine
Owner-Founder, Around The Horn Brewing Company))
One of the first beers we ever made last year was called, I'm Fine, Everything's Fine, and that was how I felt. You know, it was chaotic.
For us having the beer garden, it's perfect because we have all this nice space where people can spread out and such. So, all this has been just constant change, and constantly being adaptable and adjusting, but I think we're pulling it off.
((NATS))
((Rachel Sabatine
Owner-Founder, Around The Horn Brewing Company))
And I think when we had to have the shutdown, when it was take-out only, that was really hard because we had to have hard conversations with our staff and just figure out, you know, “Do you guys all want to each work one day a week or do you want to all go on unemployment? Like what is going to work best for you and your families?” Because, you know, we've got, we have people with kids and people who are helping take care of their parents and stuff like that. And feeling like, you know, we couldn't help support them to support their loved ones. That was hard.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((Rachel Sabatine
Owner-Founder, Around The Horn Brewing Company))
The way our community played a role for us, they just showed up, you know, all the time. It's amazing, like it really makes me happy and super grateful that they want to support us and they make this conscious effort to do so.
((NATS/MUSIC))
((PKG)) CONNECT WITH – HORSE TRAINER
((TRT: 01:52))
((Previously aired September 2022))
((Topic Banner: Connect With - Tomi Bova-Luke))
((Reporter/Camera: Deepak Dobhal))
((Location: Covington, Indiana))
((Main character: 1 female))
((NATS))
((Tami Bova-Luke
Horse Trainer))
My name is Tami Bova-Luke. We’re in Covington, Indiana and I am a horse trainer.
((NATS))
((Tami Bova-Luke
Horse Trainer))
When I was seven, my dad took me to a rodeo in Denver, Colorado, called the Denver Stock Show. And I watched all the rodeo events. And then they came in and here comes the women and the women barrel racing. And I said to my dad, “When I grow up, that's what I want to do. I want to be a professional barrel racer and train horses.” And that's what I became.
((NATS))
((Tami Bova-Luke
Horse Trainer))
I'm a horrible businesswoman in this because I have too much heart. When they come to us, they never leave. The horses that I generally have, I have till they say goodbye to us. Every once in a while, I may sell one but it's very rare.
((NATS))
((Tami Bova-Luke
Horse Trainer))
I would like to be remembered as a nice person, as somebody that's helpful to others. I'm always trying to better myself. That can be tricky sometimes. It's always easier to help others than to help yourself.
((NATS))
CLOSING BUMPER
((ANIM))
voanews.com/connect
BREAK THREE
((https://www.voanews.com/a/episode_experiencing-realities-aging-through-virtual-reality-4505071/6113741.html))
((VR Experiencing Aging))
((Courtesy: Embodied Labs))
((Carrie Shaw
Founder & CEO, Embodied Labs))
((Courtesy: Carrie Shaw))
((Courtesy: Embodied Labs))
((Courtesy: Carrie Shaw))
((Courtesy: Carrie Shaw))
((Courtesy: Embodied Labs))
((Courtesy: California State University Channel Islands))
((Courtesy: Embodied Labs))
((Jaime Hannans
California State University Channel Islands))
BUMP IN ((ANIM))
SHOW ENDS
