VOA – CONNECT EPISODE # 138 AIR DATE 09 04 2020 TRANSCRIPT OPEN ((VO/SOT/NAT)) ((Open Animation)) ((Banner)) The New Labor: Adapting ((SOT)) ((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond)) Since the pandemic, I haven't seen any clients. ((Jean, Client)) And should I go to the front all the way? ((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond)) All the way to the front. ((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond)) My business will survive this. Who knows how long this pandemic is going to go on. ((Animation Transition)) ((Banner)) The New Labor: Displaced ((SOT)) ((Sonia Benítez, Unemployed Single Mother)) The food bank has been literally a great help during this time. And at the end of the day, my kids, they're fed, they're healthy and it didn't cost you anything. ((Animation Transition)) ((Banner)) The New Labor: Going Online ((SOT)) ((Margaret Batjer, Concert Master, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) It's the audience reaction and interaction of a live performance but there is also something very intimate about being in your home studio. ((Open Animation)) BLOCK A ((PKG)) COVID / REMOTE HAIR SALON ((TRT: 07:29)) ((Banner: A Business Adapts)) ((Reporter/Camera: Gabrielle Weiss)) ((Map: Garrett Park, Maryland)) ((Main character: 1 female)) ((Sub characters: 1 female; 1 male)) ((MUSIC/NATS)) ((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond)) So, I'm Maggie Sprague. My salon is Salon Bond and I've been in business since 2006. Before the pandemic, I had a booming business. I work in my home and I started work at 6:30 in the morning and worked until about 2:30 when I would pick my kids up from school. ((Photos Courtesy: Maggie Sprague)) ((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond)) I have a really, really nice base of ladies that come in here and I don't know that it'll be the same again ever, because when they come in, normally I have a few people in at once and there is sort of this groove in the room and the conversations start and you sort of feel like you're with your girlfriends having cocktails, only there’s no cocktails involved and I miss the salon terribly. I miss my clients. I love the people that I work with. ((NATS: Maggie Sprague and her son)) ((Maggie Sprague)) You have to read it, sweetie. ((Maggie’s Son)) I’m reading in my mind. ((Maggie Sprague)) No, you’ve got to read it out loud. ((Maggie’s Son)) No, I don’t have to. ((NATS)) ((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond)) Since the pandemic, I haven't seen any clients. I spend most of my days cooking and cleaning and folding laundry and cleaning again and making beds and cleaning again and yelling at my children which I've been doing a lot of. I have three little kids. I'm trying to school them, which is not easy. I think I’ve about given up on schooling the three-year-old. I feel like my life has been completely taken over by my children and they're too young to appreciate it. So, I feel completely underappreciated like I am just the hired help here to serve. And, you know, some days that's okay and some days it's not. ((NATS)) ((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond)) So, the last morning that I saw clients, I thought, you know, I'm going to have to come up with some idea for my clients to be able to touch their hair up. People are still working. They're still doing Zoom. You're still being seen and no woman wants to look in a video camera or a computer at herself and see roots and feel horrible. ((NATS: Maggie Sprague and her client, Jean)) ((Courtesy: Recorded on Zoom)) ((Jean)) Hi, Maggie. ((Maggie Sprague)) Hi. Is your hair nice and wet? ((Jean) It's wet. ((Maggie Sprague)) Okay. So maybe you could hold your kit up so I can show you what you’re going to mix. You have gloves, you have a brush and you have two containers. One of the, yeah, that's it. ((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond)) So, I came up with this idea to do custom color kits at a reduced cost and simple instructions where I could FaceTime my clients or Zoom with them at home and walk them through it. So, it was a lot less scary than if you were to go buy a box from the grocery store, not knowing what you're putting on your head and then guessing how you put it on. So, when I video chat with my clients, the first thing I do is tell them how to mix the color, right, because there's two separate things, there's the color and the developer. ((NATS: Maggie Sprague and her client, Jean)) ((Courtesy: Recorded on Zoom)) ((Jean)) Okay. So, I’ve got developer. ((Maggie Sprague)) Yeah. ((Jean)) And then color and you wrote the directions. ((Maggie Sprague)) Once you get that stirred, you can start at the back of your head. So, you want to start sort of at the nape of your neck painting your hairline completely. ((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond)) I don't prefer it. I prefer to have contact with people and the normal line of communication. But, you know, it's not terrible. At least I get to see people. Their personalities still come through on Zoom. And, you know, every day, I have at least a few FaceTimes or Zoom calls with different clients and they're so funny. It's my adult interaction for the day. ((NATS: Maggie Sprague and her client, Jean)) ((Courtesy: Recorded on Zoom)) ((Jean)) Where are all your people? Where are all your little muffins? ((Maggie Sprague)) The boys are outside and Gigi is in her room and my husband’s been on work calls all day. Sometimes I think he adds extra work calls so he doesn't have to come upstairs. ((Jean)) Absolutely he does. Absolutely. Don't think it, know it, he does. He's probably playing. He’s like playing Candy Crush, looking at Facebook and then you come in, he's like, ‘Oh Maggie, I’m very busy.’ ((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond)) My business will survive this. One of the reasons is that I don't have rent to pay because I manage my salon out of my home. I do have a mortgage and my income is relevant. We are a dual income family, but we'll survive this. The kits, because I have such a large client base to begin with, I have more of an audience of people to sell my kits to. ((NATS: Maggie Sprague and her client, Jean)) ((Courtesy: Recorded on Zoom)) ((Jean)) And should I go to the front all the way? ((Maggie Sprague)) Oh yeah, all the way to the front. And that's the part that's really important, so make sure you really get it on. ((Jean)) My kids don't even recognize me. They have no idea who I am. They're like, ‘Who are you, lady with black hair at the roots?’ I’m like, ‘It’s your mom’. ((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond)) Maybe, there is a future in this and who knows how long this pandemic is going to go on? There's no vaccine and even when there is, when there's an outbreak of the pandemic, older people are not going to want to come in and take their health at risk to get their hair colored but yet they still want to look good. ((NATS)) ((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond)) I am eager to get back to my normal way of working. However, I see this as a new way of doing things. I would love to be able to provide kits for people after the pandemic and not just my clients. I would be happy to provide them for anybody. It may turn into another type of business for me, something that I do on the side that helps people when they can’t get into the salon. ((NATS: Maggie Sprague and her client, Jean)) ((Courtesy: Recorded on Zoom)) ((Maggie Sprague)) So, Jean, I mean, this was like amazing. I'm so psyched that you are so happy with your hair. And I hope, you know, we're able to get back in the salon again soon but, you know, for now, this will do the trick. ((Jean)) Oh, my God yeah. Maggie, you, for real, are a super lifesaver. And this did make you so happy because I'm not even joking. It's awful if you're locked up and your hair looks awful. And you made it super easy and it was super fun and then everyone was like, ‘Oh Jean, your hair looks really good.’ I’m like, ‘Call Maggie. It’s Maggie, the miracle muffin.’ ((Maggie Sprague)) I love it. ((Maggie Sprague, Owner, Salon Bond)) And that's one thing I realized through this and I knew it before but it's very apparent now. Women care about what they look like no matter if they're 15 or 90. Everybody cares about their appearance. Everybody wants to look good. No one wants to look bad. TEASE ((VO/SOT/NAT)) Coming up….. ((Banner)) Making it Through ((SOT)) ((Sonia Benítez, Unemployed single mother)) Bills can always get paid later on but you can't replace your health. Am I struggling? Yes, but I'm not dying. 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 cannot vote. BUMP IN ((ANIM)) BLOCK B ((PKG)) UNEMPLOYED SINGLE MOTHER ((TRT: 08:39)) ((Banner: Getting by with Some Help)) ((Reporter/Camera: Arturo Martinez)) ((Map: Los Angeles, California)) ((Main character: 1 female)) ((NATS/MUSIC)) ((Sonia Benítez, Unemployed single mother)) My name is Sonia. I was working as a caregiver and I had to stop working because of the coronavirus. Now, I find myself being unemployed and having to care for my three children as a single parent. The senior that I was taking care of is the sweetest person on earth and I love her and she loves me. Am I going to go back to her? I don't know. In these times right now, people are scavenging to pay their bills. The last thing they need is another bill like mine. ((NATS)) ((Sonia Benítez)) Do you want water? Hold on. Here you go. ((Sonia Benítez, Unemployed single mother)) I'm the head of this house. I am the only income that comes in. But I've been paying with my savings. How long am I going to last like this? I don't know. I did receive the [federal] stimulus check and that helped. That’s one breather. That money is already set to pay my mortgage for this coming month. But one month at a time, that's all I can do. ((NATS)) ((Sonia Benítez)) Okay, time for homework. We have literally been locked up in here, like, locked up. ((Computer)) Let's look at the relationship between a fringing reef and a coral reef again. ((Sonia Benítez, Unemployed single mother)) So, they're getting their WiFi from the school. I'm trying to cut back as much as I can from bills so that I can pay the most important ones: mortgage. We open up the windows to get fresh air. I always go throughout the house making sure that the ceiling fans are off if we don't need them. And I try to disconnect any unused plug that is just sucking electricity for no apparent reason. ((Sonia Benítez, Unemployed single mother)) So, my notice of unemployment insurance award and all I see is zero. So, what does that mean? I have no idea. Weekly benefit amount: zero. High quarter earnings: zero. I've given up calling for every day between the hours of 8 through 11 and just calling and calling and calling and calling. ((NATS)) ((Sonia Benítez)) Five - six - one - six…. ((Voicemail)) We have established a new Unemployment Insurance Online Assistance Center. We are currently receiving more calls than we have the capacity to answer. At the end of the message, the phone will hang up. ((Sonia Benítez, Unemployed single mother)) We definitely need more help from the outside because inside, there's only so much you can do. ((NATS)) ((Sonia Benítez)) The food bank has been literally a great help during this time. And at the end of the day, my kids, they're fed, they're healthy and it didn't cost you anything. ((NATS)) ((Sonia Benítez)) We're almost there. ((Lady)) Yes. At what time did you get in line? ((Sonia Benítez)) At 8:30. How about you? ((Lady)) It was like 8:20, 8:15. ((Sonia Benítez)) Yes. Do you come here often? ((Lady)) It's my first time. ((Sonia Benítez)) First time? ((Lady)) Yes. How about you? ((Sonia Benítez)) I've been here before. Go for it. Good luck. ((Sonia Benítez, Unemployed single mother)) So, I've been waiting here since, what, two hours-and-a-half so far. It helps everybody right now. I see Hispanics. I see Asians. I see Caucasians. I see everything. People in good cars, people in not so good cars. We all have the same need. We're all in the same boat right now. Financially we are at our limit. ((NATS)) ((Sonia Benítez)) There we go. ((Volunteer)) All the way up. ((Sonia Benítez)) Thank you. ((Sonia Benítez)) It looks like this time we're going to get meat patties, lemons, saltines, beans. ((Volunteer)) Hi, any donations today? We all stick together so this way we all have somewhere to go when we need. So, thank you so very much. ((Sonia Benítez)) Thank you. ((Volunteer)) Is this a blessing? ((Sonia Benítez)) Yes, it is. ((Volunteer)) Praise the Lord. ((Sonia Benítez)) I don't know if you remember my mom. She used to come here all the time. ((Volunteer)) Really? ((Sonia Benítez)) Yes, the white hair. ((Volunteer)) I get a lot of white hair ladies. ((Sonia Benítez)) I know. ((Volunteer)) Ok, God bless you. ((Sonia Benítez)) Thank you. ((Sonia Benítez)) Do I feel embarrassed? No. Thankful. I see all those people there and they are just, they really are pouring their hearts out assisting everyone. ((Volunteer)) Hallelujah. ((Sonia Benítez, Unemployed single mother)) Alright. They give us enough, to tell you the truth, that when I come here, I get a couple of ingredients and then I share the other half. It feeds several homes. ((Sonia Benítez, Unemployed single mother)) Some beans. So, I'm going to give this bag to my neighbor. If she has enough beans, then hopefully she'll pass it down to her friend who's also a single mom of two girls. And this is what I'll give her. Hopefully, she'll take two and then give out two. Oh, there's apples and oranges. Plenty for at least two houses, if not three. Some chocolate, asparagus and baby tomatoes. I wouldn't buy cherry tomatoes personally because it's out of budget. It's out of my budget. Lemons. More onions. So, all of this will get distributed to assist 12 people in three households. ((NATS)) ((Sonia Benítez)) Here you go. There's more coming, ok? Here you go. They gave a lot today. ((Neighbor)) I'll give you some money. ((Sonia Benítez)) No, it’s all good. ((Sonia Benítez, Unemployed single mother)) The only person that goes out is me and as soon as I come back in, the first thing I do is wash my hands. Health, it literally is priority. I would not push for the economy to open. No. Why would you expose yourself or somebody you would love unless there's some sort of treatment that guarantees that my life will not be at stake. No. I don't want to push it. Bills can always get paid later on but you can't replace your health. Am I struggling? Yes, but I'm not dying. That's the worst. I mean, I'd rather lose the house. I'd rather stand in line and food bank and everything else but I'll still be alive with all my kids. Out there is just a lot of heartbreaks and it makes me value what I have here at the house even more. ((NATS)) ((Sonia Benítez, Unemployed single mother)) I lost my mom not too long ago. And while she was in the hospital, I was there every day, every single day. And it's sad to see what all these families are going through, you know, not able to tell their families goodbye. I would just, I would just die if my mother would have passed away and, and not been able to hold her hand and be there with her. Some of these families are just going at it by themselves. You drop them off at the hospital and that is it. You don't get to say goodbye. A video chat, what is that? That is so cold, so impersonal. It really is almost inhumane. But that's the, that's where they're living and you don't want to be part of that. As long as anybody around you doesn't have any contact with this disease at this point, I mean, with this virus at this point, it's a blessing. It is. You just, you don't want to know anybody that goes through this because it is painful. ((NATS)) ((Banner: California has since lifted some of its lockdown restrictions, but Sonia remains without a job. She stopped trying to get unemployment benefits as she thinks she doesn’t qualify.)) TEASE ((VO/NAT)) Coming up….. ((Banner)) The Band Plays On ((SOT)) ((NATS/MUSIC)) ((Margaret Batjer, Concert Master, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) I am home, trying to offer performances online and also learning to teach violin lessons online. ((NATS/MUSIC)) BREAK TWO BUMP IN ((ANIM)) BLOCK C ((PKG)) ISOLATED VIOLINIST ((TRT: 05:53)) ((April, 2020)) ((Banner: Taking it Online)) ((Reporter: Arturo Martinez)) ((Camera: Margaret Batjer, Arturo Martinez)) ((Map: Los Angeles, California)) ((Main character: 1 female)) ((NATS)) ((Banner: Most of the images in this video were filmed by the performer herself.)) ((NATS/MUSIC)) ((Margaret Batjer, Concert Master, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) Hi, my name is Margaret Batjer. I’m Concert Master of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. ((NATS/MUSIC)) ((Margaret Batjer, Concert Master, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) I've been home due to the COVID-19 virus. Normally, I am in downtown Los Angeles almost all week and most weekends, ((Courtesy: Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) rehearsing for concerts, playing concerts and teaching. ((NATS/MUSIC)) ((Margaret Batjer, Concert Master, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) But I am home these weeks, ((Courtesy: Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) trying to offer performances online and also learning to teach violin lessons online. ((Margaret Batjer, Concert Master, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) I'm going to be recording some solo Bach tonight and it's a family affair because of the quarantine. No one could come to professionally record any of myself or any of my colleagues and my daughter here is helping. She's going to be doing the video and my husband will record the audio. ((NATS/MUSIC)) ((Margaret Batjer, Concert Master, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) This week, I'm working to record ((Courtesy: Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) a program for In Focus, which is our chamber music series. Our LACO audiences, who reached out to me in many different ways, are all very sad to not be going to our concerts. And so, like many other artistic organizations, we're trying to keep in touch with them and offer them some relief from the fear and the boredom and the unknown. ((NATS/MUSIC)) ((Courtesy: Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) ((Margaret Batjer, Concert Master, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) Good evening and welcome to an In Focus concert presented by LACO At Home. In these extraordinary times, these broadcasts are, what give our musicians and hopefully you, a lot of comfort and I do hope that you enjoy this evening's presentation of In Focus from our homes to yours. ((NATS/MUSIC)) ((YouTube Logo)) ((Margaret Batjer, Concert Master, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) Offering performances online has its own set of challenges. It's different than performing live. I do miss the audience reaction and interaction of a live performance but there is also something very intimate about being in your home studio and making music for strangers. It could be a 100, it could be a 1000. ((NATS/MUSIC)) ((Margaret Batjer, Concert Master, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) This is where I sit and do most of my teaching now, which is odd to say, but with Skype lessons being the only possibility for me to be able to help my students, this is where I have to do it, is sitting at a computer. ((NATS: Margaret Batjer and Students)) ((Margaret Batjer, Concert Master, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) Is everybody doing okay? ((Student)) Yeah. ((Margaret Batjer, Concert Master, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) Yeah? It's old. It's getting old, isn't it, this isolation? ((Student)) Oh, yeah. ((Margaret Batjer, Concert Master, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) It's getting a little depressing. ((Student)) I had a really great chamber group this year, but we're not able to meet anymore. And like end of the year recitals and things like that being cancelled, so, it's very unexpected. ((Margaret Batjer, Concert Master, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) It's very tough and my heart breaks for all of you, but we have to do the best we can under these really difficult circumstances. ((NATS/MUSIC)) ((Margaret Batjer, Concert Master, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) One of the hardest things for me to get used to during this quarantine is sitting here at this desk with the computer. It's so counter-intuitive to being an artist and a musician. ((NATS/MUSIC)) ((Margaret Batjer, Concert Master, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) Albert. ((NATS/MUSIC)) ((Margaret Batjer, Concert Master, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) This is one of the challenges. ((NATS/MUSIC)) ((Margaret Batjer, Concert Master, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) Albert. ((NATS/MUSIC)) ((Margaret Batjer, Concert Master, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) Music is such a hands-on kind of experience for the student and the teacher and it's difficult when the sound is coming through an electronic computer or iPad, it's not a realistic sound, but the students are hungry and they're feeling isolated. So, their hour or two hours a week with me, hopefully keeps them challenged and keeps them inspired to continue to grow as young musicians. ((NATS/MUSIC)) ((Margaret Batjer, Concert Master, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) Bravo. Very, very fine. ((NATS/MUSIC)) ((Margaret Batjer, Concert Master, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) I can only think about what it's going to be like the first time I get to walk back on the stage in our new normal and be able to make music again. ((NATS/MUSIC)) ((Courtesy: Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) ((Margaret Batjer, Concert Master, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra)) What's going to be when all of this ends? Will there still be the orchestras? Can I financially survive? Will our economy be at a place where all of us can still do what we love to do, which is make music? Will people come to our concerts? Will they be too afraid to go into a hall where you have to sit shoulder to shoulder? Those are all big questions and I think it's been tough for everybody, not just me. ((MUSIC)) CLOSING ((ANIM)) voanews.com/connect BREAK THREE ((ANIMATION EXPLAINER -- W/ GFX, CAPTIONS, PHOTOS)) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2020 WHO ARE YOUTH VOTERS? BUMP IN ((ANIM)) CLOSING ((ANIM)) voanews.com/connect SHOW ENDS