You could wear it on your clothing?

Right. Well, their hope is - I mean, the - I think the sort of grand dream here is that if you make these little pocket factory sort of easy, you know, easy to install in cities, then inventors and companies who might have a need for micro solar but didn't want to go through the rigmarole of acquiring those panels before might incorporate them. So you could have sort of more micro solar use. That's their grand dream, although of course they say, you know, who knows?

Well - but you see, working - so the Video Pick of the Week is the video - it's up on our website at sciencefriday. com, in Flora's backyard. You get a little peek. . .

Yeah. Don't judge me.

turn 1 : The goal is to make micro solar installation easy and convenient for inventors and companies.

What is the dream of making pocket factories for?

Answer: Micro-solar


Feel at home here.

So, you know, the oceans, they aren't just sitting there. It's not just still water. There are currents. There are winds blowing over the top of them. And in case of the circulation in the Atlantic, the wind is blowing, piles water up in the middle because of something called Ekman transport. You can look that up on Wikipedia. And it makes a big pile - a hill of water in the middle of the Atlantic.

Really?

It's about a meter high, something like that.

turn 0 : The author is talking about a 'pile' of water which of course is not a thing, instead he is talking about a swelling of the ocean created by water flowing in and being manipulated by currents and underwater streams and such

Answer: Water


All right. Does this activity now go completely unregulated after Congress sort of blocked this legislation taking force?

So since the privacy rule has been blocked, as, you say, a few things have happened. The companies themselves the Internet service providers, have gone on a campaign. They're reassuring users that they do offer opt-outs. Now, they're not opt-ins, but they're opt-outs. And also they say that they do not and will not sell people's individual browsing history. They might use this history but - to tailor ads - but they do not sell it to third parties. One thing that the angry customers have prompted is interest from lawmakers in a bunch of states - to name a few, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, I randomly picked a bunch of M's - these lawmakers are tackling Internet privacy laws. They're debating them on a state level.

So we may see a change soon. All right. Alina Selyukh, she reports on technology for NPR. Thanks so much.

Thank you.

turn 1 : A: "They might use this history but - to tailor ads - but they do not sell it to third parties." In this turn, the literal meaning suggests that the companies use users' browsing history to customize advertisements. However, the implicated meaning is that the companies collect and utilize users' browsing history for targeted advertising purposes, although they claim not to sell it to third parties.

What do companies do with users' browsing history according to A?

Answer: Utilize


So many things were surprising, Scott, including the willingness of hard-core partisans in both parties to overlook big, obvious problems for their candidates in the primaries and in the fall. And I've been amazed that, for example, the willingness of so many evangelical Christians, people who wanted to emphasize social issues, to embrace Donald Trump with all of his history and all of his attitudes.

Hillary Clinton is ahead in the polls. But the last Washington-ABC News poll showed that she is less trusted than Donald Trump despite the fact that the news industry has documented many lies that he's told during this campaign. How has she run such a strong campaign despite the lack of trust?

One could be cynical and say some of us don't expect to trust our politicians. But look, this is the presidency. And in weighing the balance of assets, her experience does matter to many. She projects determination. She has the support of a united party - unusually united - and a newly popular first couple campaigning for her. And finally, there is her historic appeal to women.

Ron, ratings for news have been through the roof during this campaign. Will you miss it or may the campaign maybe not be over on Tuesday?

turn 2 :  (3):  When A says "One could be cynical and say some of us don't expect to trust our politicians.But look, this is the presidency.And in weighing the balance of assets, her experience does matter to many.She projects determination.She has the support of a united party - unusually united - and a newly popular first couple campaigning for her.And finally, there is her historic appeal to women," the implied meaning is that while some people may be cynical about trusting politicians, many voters are willing to overlook trust issues and instead prioritize other factors such as experience, determination, and support from a united party and popular figures. Furthermore, A suggests that Hillary Clinton's historic appeal to women is another factor that contributes to her strong campaign. This is different from the literal meaning of the words, which simply describe the reasons why Clinton's experience matters to many voters.

What are the factors contributing to Hillary Clinton's strong campaign?

Answer: Experience,determination,support,women


And how do you?

So what we found works the best is you need champions within that community. You need strong, influential voices that are going to say we need to accept these girls and women back, and the children. These are victims, it was not their fault. They're part and parcel of our society. So what we do is we identify not just the traditional religious and community leaders, but also those who have an influential voice amongst the women in particular in the community, so that they can become those carriers of the messages that these girls, these women, they deserve our support. They deserve our acceptance back. And then we can open up community dialogues so that people - we can't just dismiss that communities have fear. We must address it head on and allow communities to express those fears, but with religious and traditional leaders providing that voice of reason and tolerance so that these girls and women can come back into their communities.

Rachel Harvey of UNICEF in Nigeria. Thanks for joining us.

Thank you very much.

turn 1 : There are no turns in this conversation.whose actual meaniniNG are different from their literal meanings .All of the turns are being used in a straightforward and litreal meanings

How do champions within the community help in accepting girls and women back?

Answer: Support


Why does the American Civil Liberties Union defend the rights of Nazis?Membership and donations have boomed since the 2016 election, as the ACLU has taken on a number of high-profile cases challenging Trump administration policies on immigration, deportation and voter suppression. But some supporters of the organization have questioned the ACLU's defense of the free-speech rights of hate groups, especially following their defense of white nationalist rally at Emancipation Park in Charlottesville a couple of weeks ago, when Heather Heyer was killed. A board member of the ACLU's Virginia affiliate resigned, tweeting - what's legal and what's right are sometimes different. I won't be a fig leaf for Nazis.

We're joined now by the national executive director of the ACLU, Anthony Romero. Mr.  Romero, thanks so much for being with us.

It's my pleasure, Scott. Thank you for having me.

Is the ACLU a fig leaf for Nazis?

turn 2 : having me implies hosting someone or engaging with someone and not referring to owning someone

What does having someone imply in turn 2?

Answer: Hosting


That was where I really developed my love for music. That was where all the walls and lines between music were just taken down for me when I was a kid because I just loved everything. I couldn't understand why everybody wouldn't listen to a country song, everybody wasn't listening to, you know, Rock n Rolls songs. I thought it was awesome.

Radio's gotten a lot more segregated since then, hasn't it?

Yeah. That's an understatement. I mean, the - today everything is so specialty oriented. It's one kind of music and that's all you get to hear on the radio and, you know, I liked it when I was a kid and you could hear anybody on the radio station as long as it was a good song or a hit.

So you go - you're in Hootie & the Blowfish, you have any number of talents and interests musically. "Learn To Live" is doing so well commercially. Your R&B record did not find quite the same home.

turn 1 : LOVE FOR MUSIC AND RADIO HELPS MORE TO HEAR MUSIC LIKE COUNTRYSIDE MUSIC

What developed for PersonA when they were a kid?

Answer: Love


And that's the predominant tribe?

That's the predominant tribe. And I think the government will tell you that this is not happening. And it's true that the other sides in this war are also committing atrocities. But what reporting from monitoring groups set up by East African states has found is that the government is leading the charge.

Where is the mediation efforts?Where are other African nations?Where is the United States in trying to bring an end to this conflict?

Everyone is sort of putting their hopes on this peace agreement that brought momentary peace in 2016. The problem is that the former vice president is now in exile in South Africa and not part of these talks. So, you know, observers essentially say this is a dead end.

turn 1 : The government is denying their involvement in the atrocities

How is the government responding to the allegations of their involvement in the atrocities?

Answer: Denying


No problem.

Aren't the British the original soccer hooligans?

Yeah, exactly. And the Russian fans rioting in France right now, for them the inspiration was the English football hooligan scene of the 1970s, '80s and '90s even. They see England as a spiritual home of football hooliganism, as it were.

turn 3 : 4) "How does football hooliganism wind up being a source of inspiration?"  The literal meaning of this turn is simply asking how football hooliganism can be a source of inspiration. However, the implied meaning is that the speaker is expressing disbelief or confusion about how something as negative as football hooliganism could inspire others. The question implies that the speaker does not understand how people could find inspiration in such behavior, and perhaps even disapproves of it.

What is the PersonA's attitude towards finding inspiration in football hooliganism?

Answer: Disapproval


No. But what about the misinformation campaign that we keep discovering more about, hacking, what seems to be just a lot of Russian involvement on a lot of different fronts?Why - what is the Russian interest in causing unrest or consternation in the United States or Western Europe?

Well, actually, I think that causing unrest and consternation is an end in itself. And part of it - part of the goa; is psychological. You know, all of us are interested in seeing our worldviews affirmed. And Russia's worldview - the Russian - the contemporary Russian ideology is that the whole world is rotten. Everybody is corrupt. Everything is for sale. Elections and the United States are just as rigged as they are in Russia. And so sowing the kind of disruption that Russia is sowing first and foremost pursues the goal of affirming that view.

Much of your book is devoted to the stories of four Russians who'd hoped that when the Soviet Union came undone, free speech and democracy would take hold. What happened instead?

Well, actually, those four Russians were much too young to hope for anything when the Soviet Union collapsed. They were preschoolers or kindergarteners when the Soviet Union collapsed. But what happened - and I was interested in them because they came of age - you know, they - or they became human beings in the 1990s, a period that is variously portrayed as a flowering of democracy or as a period of chaos and, you know, robber barons and that sort of thing.

turn 3 :  (4) implies that the four Russians were young during the collapse of the Soviet Union and experienced the transition to democracy or chaos during their adulthood.

Which period did the four Russians come of age in?

Answer: 1990s


Now, the Russian government doesn't get many chances in this context internationally, on the global stage, to do the right thing. I have been criticizing the Russian government while I am here. What more can I do to satisfy you or any of these critics who hold these positions?The reality is there is nothing that will satisfy them because it is their suspicion, it is their skepticism, it is their distrust of the Russian government as an institution which is motivating this.

I mean, do I have to detail for you the ways in which the Putin government has earned (laughter) some suspicion?

No, no. Absolutely not. Again, I agree with you. This (laughter) - look, look; this is why I have been criticizing the Russian government. There's no distance between us on that. I'm not saying Vladimir Putin is an angel. I'm not even saying Vladimir Putin is a decent guy. What I'm saying is you have to understand there doesn't need to be a quid pro quo here for it to make sense.

Edward Snowden. Elsewhere in the program, he talks about his work at the NSA before he leaked classified information and tells us what's keeping him from returning to the U. S.  to face trial.

turn 0 : The Russian government does not get many chances for people to see them all over the world.

What is motivating the critics to hold positions of suspicion and distrust towards the Russian government as an institution?

Answer: Suspicion


When we say those reductions are temporary, we have to remember that they go until at least 2025. So for most of us out there, regular working folks, seven years of tax reductions is a big deal. We can have that fight again in seven years. I'm sure the Democrats will be promoting increasing taxes in seven years. That's what the Democrats always promote. The Democrat plan today was to increase taxes by over a trillion dollars. So we have to remember what our alternative option was with the other party.

But why make it temporary for individuals who might need that tax relief when corporations, who are doing very well, get a permanent. . .

Yeah, you and I are on the same page. I think that's craziness. I don't like temporary tax reductions. I don't like temporary legislative fixes, generally. I want to see permanent legislative fixes. So I am against the fact that they are temporary, but I'd rather have, as a person who pays these taxes, as a middle-income person - I'd rather have seven years of tax reduction than what the Democrats were proposing, which was a trillion dollars in increased taxes.

I'd like to talk about the political ramifications. By and large, polls show this isn't popular, and it pushes through some very substantial changes in the financial lives of Americans. Do you think that there will be a cost come 2018?

turn 3 :  "Do you think that there will be a cost come 2018?" - The speaker is asking about potential negative consequences in the future, rather than an actual financial cost in 2018.

Which year is the speaker referring to in their question?

Answer: 2018


Well, do you know, patients liked me 'cause I was really jolly and nice and what they didn't realize is they'd probably been much better off with some mumbling introvert who actually knew something. And in fact, I dreaded it. And my only happy day as a doctor was one sunny summer day where we got no admissions at all and I sat on the lawn outside the hospital and read "The Longest Journey" by E.  M.  Forster. That was the only happy day, and in the end, I didn't go back. And I thought, well, what could I do?I'm not qualified for anything else. I thought, the only thing I've done is comedy. And I applied for and got a job with BBC Light Entertainment in radio.

I am among those that think that British humor is one of the great forces for civilization in the world.

(Laughter).

turn 3 :  "But that being noted, it must be rough to - a challenge to take a comic approach to the Blitz, which is, in a sense, the great national heroic story of Britain." - This turn does not have a literal meaning, as it expresses the speaker's opinion about the challenge of taking a comic approach to a serious historical event.

Which historical event does "B" refer to as the great national heroic story of Britain?

Answer: Blitz


Oh no. I think the debate is a crucial - the presidential race, even if you look at state by state. The key battleground states going in to November - Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, Michigan, all those states, very, very close. We saw in 1980 a very close race between Carter and Reagan. Once Reagan did really well on that debate, it boosted him and gave him a landslide victory. People are - even though there's three debate plus a vice presidential debate, people are expecting that the presidential race will be won or loss in these debates.

I saw CNN running a poll of expectations a little earlier today. People thinking that Senator Obama might do much better than Senator McCain in these debates. So, how will you know who's won?

Well, because I will tell you, you'll hear me on NPR. No. But I think the real reason is look, a lot of people thought that Al Gore would wipe the floor with George W.  Bush in 2000 and then somehow the media focused on Al Gore's sighs. Not a size, but sighs. His audible sighs during it. So, it's very interesting how we decide to focus on what's important and what's not important, which is unfortunate many times. But I think, it won't be after one debate you'll have three debates and then everybody will sit back and decide what happens.

Ken, I'll be guided by your wisdom tonight. NPR political editor, Ken Rudin. Thanks, Ken.

turn 1 : wipe the floor with George Bush implies a lot of people though Al Gore would win by a wide margin

How did a lot of people expect Al Gore to perform against George W. Bush in the 2000 debate?

Answer: Well


Thanks for having me.

What new details did we learn with this filing?

So the new filing focuses on five extramarital affairs that Duncan Hunter had when he was in Congress, the first one starting just four months after he was elected and took office in April 2009. So he took office in January.

The longest feature in the filing is about an individual identified as Individual 14, who was a lobbyist. And they spent campaign money on things like a ski trip together, a thousand-dollar hotel tab. They went to concerts together. And they also went on a double date with another congressperson to Virginia Beach, but that congressperson has not been identified.

turn 2 : Duncan Hunter had extramarital affairs while in Congress

What was the focus of the new filing related to Duncan Hunter?

Answer: Affairs


Do you feel confident that a vaccine could essentially contain the outbreak?

We are confident that the vaccination is a good complementary measure. So by the time we started the vaccination, we already had a number of cholera cases. What we are trying to prevent is an outbreak of huge proportions that would essentially make our entire health system collapse completely.

Dr.  Ilesh Jani is director general of Mozambique's National Institute of Health. Thank you for speaking with us.

Thank you for having me.

turn 3 : having me implies hosting someone or engaging with someone and not referring to owning someone

Which word in turn 3 implies engaging with someone instead of owning them?

Answer: Having


I think that, you know, the fantasy genre, it lets you explore all these human emotions and feelings. But now, going back and learning about his passion for language and realizing that each word, name of a place or person, it's steeped in so much history and thought that you realize that the reason these worlds feel so realistic and are easy to disappear into are because of the amount of work he put into it - and building maps so that he could figure out how long it would take a character to travel from this area to this area and if they could reliably be there in the time it needed for the story to work and make sense. And just things that - the depth of his knowledge and creation was incredible.

So last question, I understand that you can speak some Elvish now (laughter) as part. . .

(Laughter).

. . . Of your going into the characters. I was wondering if you could say something for us.

turn 0 : You don't disappear but get involved in the story due to the worlds.

What is the reason the worlds feel realistic?

Answer: Work


So is this new policy on Iran loud huffing and puffing or a strong and proportionate response?Well, for one view on it, we are joined by Suzanne Maloney. She was an adviser to the State Department on Iran issues during the George W.  Bush administration, and she is now with the Brookings Institution. Welcome.

Thank you.

So we heard the president say that these sanctions are going to deny access to key financial resources from the senior leaders of Iran. Do you have a sense of what exactly the sanctions are going to do?

I think that may be a bit of an overstatement about denying key economic resources to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran is already heavily sanctioned. In fact, many of the organizations and institutions that are associated with the Office of the Supreme Leader that were highlighted in today's announcement have already been subject to American sanctions.

turn 3 : The sanctions may not be as effective as the president suggests.

What is the view of PersonA on the effectiveness of the sanctions?

Answer: Overstatement


Oh, it was amazing. It was phenomenal. For comedians, we don't really have many prestigious things. We don't have the Olympics. We don't have an all-star game. We don't have - so there's very few milestones you can achieve as a stand-up comedian, and being on a late-night talk show, especially "The Tonight Show," which goes back to the Carson days, I mean, that's - that is what you strive for, you know?

So it was amazing to come out and do that. Although it was funny, I mean that wasn't my lifelong dream because I didn't even know about that. So people ask me, they go, was that - well, I mean, this must have been your dream since you were a child. I go, no, no. Actually, my dream when I was child was to be free and just to get more candy. That's really all I wanted. So. . .

They go together.

Yeah. Leno came much later on. That was - but it was an amazing, amazing time, being on the show.

turn 1 : "my dream when I was a child was to be free and just to get more candy." - The speaker is using humor to downplay the idea that appearing on a late-night talk show was their lifelong dream. They are implying that their childhood dream was much simpler and less ambitious than what they have achieved as an adult.

How would you describe the PersonA's childhood dream in one word?

Answer: Candy


Your narrator and her husband are audio journalists and archivists. The husband declares they have to relocate to fulfill his project to tell the story of the Apache nation. But she finds a story, too, doesn't she, in a woman named Manuela who has two daughters.

That's right. The narrator and mother of the kids who are travelling in this car from New York towards Arizona towards the old Apacheria has met - in her daughter's school had met a woman called Manuela. And she's been working with her husband on a big sound project recording all the languages spoken in New York. And she asks this woman, Manuela, if she can record her. This woman speaks (unintelligible) which is a very rare Mayan language. And the woman says fine, but in exchange, she asks her to translate some documents, legal documents, of her daughters who are on their way from Mexico to the U. S.  border.

And these two girls, when they arrive in the U. S.  border as happens with all the kids that arrive here seeking asylum, are first placed in an ICE detention space - an icebox they call them colloquially. And then these girls are transferred to a shelter. And at some point, they go missing. So the narrator of the novel becomes deeply involved with looking for these two girls, helping Manuela look for her daughters.

I made a note of your line. The son says that if they ran off, he said ma would start thinking of us the way she thought of them, the lost children, all the time and with all her heart.

turn 0 : The husband's project is more important than the narrator's project.

How does the narrator become involved in looking for the missing girls?

Answer: Translation


Is your area of focus because you believe, you know, what's the old classic Willie Sutton line: why do you rob banks?'Cause that's where the money is.

I would say it's more where the need is. For many years, we had invested in pharmaceutical companies, some device companies. With the advent of the Internet, it was time to bring technology, information technology to health care. You know, hospital systems, payers, physicians' offices were really in the dark ages of technology. I mean, back then, we were literally just wiring up physicians with the Internet in order to get them online. And I think our view is that with better information and information sharing, there's a better coordination of care. If you think about patients which bounce around to different doctors and then have the same diagnostic tests repeated three times, that doesn't help the patient. That only adds cost to the system. And when you have miscommunications between hospital systems and physicians, then you have poor care.

Is - forgive me for putting it in a simplistic way - is health care the new real estate?

I do think there's more innovation and investment going into the area. Some of that will be unwise. It always is in venture capital. We're investing in early-stage companies. Do I think it's a bubble?No, I don't think it's a bubble. I think there are so many ways that we can improve health care delivery today that it's worth a tremendous amount of investment in systems and information to do so.

turn 2 : The speaker is using the phrase "is health care the new real estate?" as a metaphor to ask if health care is becoming a popular and lucrative investment opportunity, similar to how real estate was in the past.

What phrase did the speaker use as a metaphor to ask about the popularity of investment in health care?

Answer: New


1-800-989-8255 is our number, talking with Annalee Newitz, author of "Scatter, Adapt, and Remember: How Humans Will Survive a Mass Extinction. "Of course you could have a sudden mass extinction like that asteroid that hit us, you know, and wiped out all that life, or something slower that could take a lot longer time to develop. Are there two different strategies for that, surviving that?

Actually, the idea that there is such a thing as a rapid mass extinction is kind of a misnomer. We have - we've all heard about, you know, the dramatic end that the dinosaurs met when an asteroid crashed into the planet. And also now it turns out that there were mega-volcanoes going off at the same time in India. So there was this kind of horrible one-two punch with volcanoes and. . .

The perfect extinction.

Yeah, great Michael Bay movie material, if he were ever to actually make a film that was scientifically accurate.

turn 3 : No one nis literally expecting this scenario to be in a Michael Bay movie. The implication is that it involves a huge, damaging scenario that sounds unrealistic.

Answer: Stimulus


What is - let's start with this. What is your personal collection to the work and the images in this book?

Well, to me this was a labor of love. I've been living in the U. S. I came back to England. It's my homeland. I came back to London, my home city, and I felt that the culture of the young black people in particular here were suffering from a kind of deficit, historically speaking.

There were younger people in my neighborhood who were bereft of history, who took their idea of themselves from watching their kind of generic hip-hop video material that they got from the video screen rather than really inquiring into the particular history and experience of our communities in this country.

As I looked at the book, I was trying to find a theme, and I don't know if I found one or not. What was, in your view, the major trends or themes that you saw unfolding over the century that are depicted in these photographs?

turn 1 : "labor of love" is a figurative expression meaning "a task done for enjoyment or personal satisfaction, rather than for money or reward"

How would you describe the reason behind PersonA's work in one word?

Answer: Love


That's right. And the U. S.  scientists had been very disappointed in the '58 Brussels fair because they felt the Russians had outshone us in terms of science. And they said we need to do something. And the Seattle guys came along and said, we want to do a fair. You want a science fair. That's what this will be about. The Space Needle was designed to be a symbol of the kind of uplift that science and technology represented to the world.

When they broke ground on the Space Needle, it was literally the same time that the Berlin Wall was being built. And it became this kind of symbol about the difference between us and the Soviets. They were putting up barbwire. We were putting up a vista to the world.

Talking with Knute Berger on SCIENCE FRIDAY from NPR. I'm Ira Flatow here at - in Seattle at the Pacific Science Center right next to the Space Needle. If it were to be built today, would anything be built differently about it, structurally or design-wise or is it almost a perfect needle?

You know, I asked the engineer who's still alive who worked on it. I asked him that exact question. I said what would you today?And he said, basically, we wouldn't anything different. He said we could take some of the weight out of it. They overbuilt it. He. . .

turn 0 : They felt the Russians had done a great deal better than they had. The Seattle guys contacted them about doing a fair. The Space Needle is a large tower with a pointed end at the top.

What did the Seattle guys propose to do?

Answer: Fair


Hurricane Dorian is pounding the Carolinas. Parts of downtown Charleston are already flooded. It has weakened since it hit the Bahamas as a Category 5 storm. At least 20 people are confirmed dead there, and that number is expected to rise as recovery efforts are just beginning. Parts of the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas are destroyed.

Alex Cepero stayed in the Abacos town of Marsh Harbour, thinking he could ride out the storm with his two dogs, but Hurricane Dorian destroyed his home while he was still inside of it. And I want to warn listeners that this is a wrenching story. Alex, thank you for talking with ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.

You're welcome.

First of all, are you OK?Were you injured or hurt during the storm?

turn 1 : The story is emotional and difficult to hear.

Answer: Difficult


As you were growing up, your father wouldn't even let you sit back in a chair.

My father believed the world was divided between those who were mentally and physically strong and those who were weak and lazy. For this, I had to undergo a physical and psychological training.

Can you tell us about those nights in the cellar?

From the age of 6, I had to spend one night a month in the basement meditating on death. I sat on a stool, alone, in the dark, surrounded by rats. And I had a cardigan with small bells on it. I wasn't allowed to let the bells tinkle, as it meant that I was moving. It was one of his exercises.

There are just too many instances of abuse and cruelty to recount - I mean, the way he didn't turn on the heat, the way he made you bathe in his dirty water. He said he gave you his energy that way or something.

Yes. There was a lot of violence in what my father made me do. We could describe it as sadistic. For him, violence was meant to make me stronger and to remind me that life was horrible.

turn 0 : 1. The implied meaning of this statement is that the father was very strict and did not allow the speaker to relax.

What was the father's belief about the world?

Answer: Strong


Does an event like this and forecast like that have the effect of concentrating the mind of not just financial planners. . .

. . . but people in Congress making these decisions. And I hear a little laugh.

You would think it would. And in the past, it has. I mean, as they gotten closer to the deadline, enough fear spread that they could pass something or do something or kick the can or whatever. But this time, one of the things that makes this time feel different is that there really are a lot of House Republicans who say, ah, let it default. It'll just shrink the government, will be all good. And it is an act of - I don't even know how to describe it. It's insanity.

Yeah. Well, Austan Goolsbee, I believe, used that word. Quick last question, if we could. So, October 17th is a real deadline but you think some of the effects, potentially, will be down the road.

turn 3 : The phrase "down the road" is a figurative expression meaning at some point in the future.

Which phrase did Austan Goolsbee use to describe the situation?

Answer: Insanity


In - yes, all of those things. There were royal guards lining a red carpet that extended from Air Force One all the way to the terminal, children with flowers, trumpets, jets flying over with red-white-and-blue smoke trails decorating the sky. And then that was actually only the first arrival ceremony. There was a second arrival ceremony at the royal court, where a band played "The Star-Spangled Banner. "There were bagpipes. The president was awarded a medal, one of the top honors in the country for for people who are not from Saudi Arabia. Now, President Obama. . .

I've seen that on the television images. It looks like the kind of thing a sommelier wears in a classy restaurant.

(Laughter) I don't think I go to those kind of restaurants, Scott.

(Laughter).

turn 3 : The literal meaning of (3) and (4) is that A and B are laughing, but their actual meaning is that A and B are joking with each other.

What is the actual meaning of PersonA and PersonB's laughter?

Answer: Joking


No. OK. The regime have been mistaken for certain things. We used to have corruption. It's not new. Everybody knows that. But most of the Syrians think that the corruption and the mistakes the regime have, it's not to be correct this way.

This way meaning. . .

Destroying the country, killing people.

What do you think about the regime killing Syrian civilians and perhaps with chemical weapons?

turn 2 : The regime has been causing damage to the country and harming innocent people.

How has the regime been affecting the country and its people?

Answer: killing


And no birthdays, no Christmas, no nothing. And at age 15, I couldn't take it anymore, so I moved in with my real father, but I didn't know he was a pimp. And the transition from living in essentially a middle-class, suburban area, because he sold BMWs and Porsche automobiles, he did very well. Moving from that middle-class area and the. . .

And the picket fences, all the way to the other end of East 14th, where it was like. . .

Cars sliding by, was a huge transition. Going from one spectrum to another. And I was essentially a nerd coming out of knocking on doors and moving into where my brothers and everybody was like, David, we're about to have another party. And like, oh, really?How do I fit in here, you know?

Right, right.

turn 0 : A had a difficult childhood with no celebrations, and later moved in with his father who was involved in illegal activities.

Which celebrations did PersonA miss out on in his childhood?

Answer: Birthdays


There are U. S.  citizens who've been caught up in these really devastating attacks. I can't give out more details at this time because of privacy concerns. But I think we're all just very shocked and saddened by the breadth of the attacks and how senseless they were, particularly targeting people as they worship this morning at Sunday services and were enjoying holiday meals at several of the big hotels.

Right - Easter day. Now, a decade ago, Sri Lanka ended an extremely violent civil war where large-scale suicide bombings were common. Do we know why this now after a relatively peaceful past 10 years?

That's a good question. We don't really have all the answers we want about who was behind these attacks. I don't believe they were linked to that conflict period. But for a country trying to recover, trying to achieve reconciliation among the ethnic and religious groups here, this is not going to support that effort.

Could you tell us more about the ethnic and religious makeup of Sri Lanka and whether those demographics are relevant to what is happening today?

turn 0 : implies that the speaker has information about U.S. citizens affected by the attacks, but cannot disclose it due to privacy concerns. The use of passive voice ("have been caught up") and vague expressions like "devastating attacks" and "senseless they were" create a sense of emotional distance and uncertainty, while the phrase "I think we're all just very shocked and saddened" suggests a shared reaction.

Which phrase used by the speaker implies emotional distance and uncertainty in turn 0?

Answer: vague


Yeah. Some of the Republicans who used to sound the alarm about rising deficits during the Obama administration seem less concerned about that now. I'm not sure if that's because they've gotten some new economic theory. It may have more to do just with who's in charge. During the recession, we saw dire warnings about debt-to-GDP ratios. Those turned out not to be true. A better question might be, you know, what are we running up the debt for?

During World War II, the country ran huge deficits, and I think history generally considers that money well spent to preserve democracy, defeat the Nazis. We'll see how history judges deficit spending now to provide tax cuts and boost government spending in an economy that's already close to full employment.

That is NPR's White House correspondent Scott Horsley. Thanks so much.

Good to be with you.

turn 1 : Deficit spending to provide tax cuts may not be judged favorably in history

How might history judge deficit spending for tax cuts?

Answer: unfavorably


"VIC" (Member, Overeaters Anonymous): Hi.

Vic, I want to start with you, and I want to be very specific. Give me an example of a day when you completely lost control over your eating.

"VIC": It wasn't a day. It was the day before (Laughing) and that day and the next day. But anyway - OK, so I wake up in the morning, totally hung over. Dr.  Lerner - Marty - described very well, you know, having lost control. So, I wake up, I feel terrible, and the last thing I want to do, I think in my rational brain, is eat because I feel so bad. And yet, I know that if I take one bite of anything, I'll be off and running. And I'm scared. I'm really scared.

Let me just ask one thing. When you say hung over, do you mean hung over from overeating or hung…

turn 1 : Vic has lost control over eating in the past.

Which word describes how Vic feels when he wakes up in the morning?

Answer: Terrible


Why would Hezbollah have anyone in Latin America except on vacation?

Well, historically there have been and are very large Lebanese expatriate communities in South America and Africa and, more recently now, in North America. And of course the vast, vast majority of those communities are perfectly law-abiding and wonderful people. But within those communities, over the course of the Lebanese civil war, you had some people who were providing support back home to one or another side of the civil war. And in the wake of the civil war, that continued. And as Hezbollah became the primary powerhouse on the Shia political, social and military side of the equation, support for the group continued to flow from the Shia Lebanese expatriates, some of whom were only supporting the group because it supported the Shia community back home and others because they supported the group's opposition to Israel, opposition to the West and sometimes even its axe militancy at home and abroad.

They get their product moved. They get the proceeds of their transactions laundered. And those are the two things, along with production in the first instance, without which they don't function. And they really don't care who they do business with. They don't care if you call yourself Hezbollah or something else. Most of the people that do this for them are not terrorists. As long as you can move product and launder product, they don't really care about the rest of it.

turn 2 : And what do the drug cartels get out of this arrangement? Implicated meaning: The speaker is asking about the benefits or advantages that the drug cartels gain from their involvement or collaboration with Hezbollah. The speaker suggests that there is an arrangement between Hezbollah and the drug cartels, indicating a deeper connection and mutual benefit beyond a simple association.

What is the primary thing that the drug cartels need in order to function?

Answer: product


The United Nations, in a new report, paints a picture of just how violent Venezuela has become. The U. N.  human rights chief says security forces have killed nearly 7,000 people over the past year and a half. She says, quote, "a shockingly high number of these were extrajudicial killings at the hands of what interviewees called death squads. "All as President Nicolas Maduro has vowed to stay in power.

NPR's Philip Reeves joins us now with more on that report. Philip, can you give us a little more detail on what the U. N.  team found in Venezuela?

Yeah. This takes a very broad look at the crisis in Venezuela over the last year up to this May. But a couple of things really leap out at you. One is the treatment of men and women in detention. The report says people are frequently arbitrarily detained and cites evidence of a variety of forms of torture - routinely used, it says - against prisoners by the intelligence or security services, others a form of punishment or to get them to talk. And that includes electric shocks, suffocation by plastic bags, waterboarding and sexual violence.

And the other striking section concerns those extrajudicial killings you mentioned. The Maduro government says, since the beginning of last year, some 7,000 people were killed in security operations, as you mentioned. And it says this was for resisting authority, as it puts it. But the U. N.  rights team believes many of these may be extrajudicial killings.

turn 0 : The situation in Venezuela is very violent and dangerous.

How many people have been killed by security forces in Venezuela according to the UN report mentioned in the dialogue?

Answer: 7000


Correct.

And that's the idea?

That's exactly the idea and that's where we are today. So you kind of keep the country in limbo. And you say, as long as there's no election then I get to be president.

Have there been any calls for President Kabila to be investigated, forced to step down, impeached, put on trial for violating the constitution?

turn 1 : (2) Implied Meaning: Is this the overall goal we are striving towards?

Which word describes the country's state according to the turn mentioned?

Answer: President-Kabila


This report also looked at who could possibly pose this sort of threat, where they're based. What were the findings there?

Al-Qaeda is probably still the lead terrorist group. There are others, as we're seeing, or could be seeing, in India right now. Some of them are regional in nature, but the problem is that these terrorists all have organizationally the sophistication to get the technology to use one of these weapons. And we know that they have the desire to do it.

Now, we don't think they have the capability yet, but they have the sophistication to get it. And it terms of bio, if they recruit the right, you know, bio scientist or two, they get the technical capability.

Do the recent bombings last week in Mumbai add any weight to this report?

turn 1 : Al-Qaeda is the most likely terrorist group to use weapons

How is Al-Qaeda characterized in terms of weapon usage?

Answer: Likely


All right.

. . . I will say. . .

My generation.

(Laughter) This is - you know, the past two years have, of course, been dominated by the Russia investigation, the Mueller probe. And that was centered on the idea of foreign influence in the 2016 election from Russia. And now we have, you know, what appears to be a conversation between President Trump and the president of Russia's neighbor Ukraine talking about looking into a political opponent, Joe Biden, and his son. And so this does raise questions, again, about foreign interference and what the president is inviting or doing heading into the 2020 campaign.

If we can get a yes-or-no question, have you confirmed that this is the subject of the whistleblower's complaint?

turn 4 : A whistle was not blown but a person complained about an event publically that could be illegal.

What was the subject of the person's complaint?

Answer: Russia


Look, I think the president's actually been very clear about the things that he wants. He wants to address border security, he wants to deal with chain migration, and he wants to deal with the lottery. And he's certainly willing to provide legal status for DREAMers. So if those are your four principle points and they've been known for months, there ought to be a way to reach an agreement.

Border security means a wall?

It means border security. The president's acknowledged he's not talking about a wall from sea to shining sea. But it does require physical structures in a lot of places. Back in 2006, Congress actually voted for about twice the amount of physical barriers that we have today - so finishing that off, rebuilding parts of it. But again, as both General Kelly and the president acknowledged, we're not talking about a wall across the entire length of the border. But we are calling for much more intense border security.

Representative Tom Cole of Oklahoma, thanks for joining us.

turn 0 : A: Look, I think the president's actually been very clear about the things that he wants... So if those are your four principle points and they've been known for months, there ought to be a way to reach an agreement.  Implication: A is suggesting that the four principle points that the president has mentioned are clear and have been discussed for months, and therefore there should be a way to reach an agreement based on them.

What is PersonA's proposed solution based on the fact that the four principle points have been known for months?

Answer: agreement


My father believed the world was divided between those who were mentally and physically strong and those who were weak and lazy. For this, I had to undergo a physical and psychological training.

Can you tell us about those nights in the cellar?

From the age of 6, I had to spend one night a month in the basement meditating on death. I sat on a stool, alone, in the dark, surrounded by rats. And I had a cardigan with small bells on it. I wasn't allowed to let the bells tinkle, as it meant that I was moving. It was one of his exercises.

There are just too many instances of abuse and cruelty to recount - I mean, the way he didn't turn on the heat, the way he made you bathe in his dirty water. He said he gave you his energy that way or something.

turn 2 : His views of the world were oppressive and unfair, requiring certain people to be subjected to physical and mental hardships.

Which training was one of his exercises?

Answer: Basement


. . . About 30 seconds left.

OK.

Do you think the administration perceives ISIS as a greater threat than the Assad regime in Syria and is making that choice in so many words?

Scott, that's the problem. The Iraq strategy is clear, but the Syria strategy is a muttle (ph) because there's a desire to the defeat ISIL. And we've had some success with the Kurds in the north, but there hasn't been a clear strategy vis-a-vis Assad. These are two problems that are connected, and you can't have a strategy that's just about one. We're hoping for a, you know, a strong outcome to these discussions in Geneva, the restart of a peace discussion about Syria. But we've been pursuing a strategy in Syria that's kind of a half strategy without having a strategy on Assad and the refugee crisis and so many other (unintelligible) for that.

turn 2 :  (3) implies that B is asking A to comment on the administration's decision to prioritize the threat of ISIS over the Assad regime in Syria,

Which regime is mentioned in the turn 2 of the dialogue?

Answer: Assad


Well, the regulations that I'm most concerned with are the ones that could be causing issues in getting approvals, new chemistries approved for crops that we grow. Cuts to different agencies could cause approval processes to take longer, which certainly in times where you have different pests and things that need taken care of, whether it's plant pests or, in our case, we have cattle as well, and if there's problems there and we don't have the ability to treat our plants or animals well or with the latest tools - you definitely want things to be safe. But it seems more like it's being pushed to the back burner for political reasons. It's very frustrating as a farmer sometimes when you see needs for things and you know there's fixes coming but regulatory issues are holding them up.

I have to ask, has your business been affected by climate in recent years?

(Laughter) Well, in the agricultural business, everybody's affected by climate. You know, I think anybody that says there's not changes happening is somewhat naive. On the other hand, it's the things that we can do to figure out what things we can do long term to make sure we're, you know, in good position to continue to grow the crops that we have here in the U. S.  and hopefully be profitable in the future and continue to be, you know, the largest producer of food in the world.

Kevin Ross, who grows corn and soybeans and raises cattle in Minden, Iowa, thanks so much for being with us.

turn 3 : The government’s lack of interest and prioritization of political issues is causing a delay in getting necessary approvals and treatments for crops and animals.

How is the government affecting approvals and treatments for crops and animals?

Answer: Approvals


Like, for example, in Denmark, they have these open sandwiches that they're very famous for. And they really say a lot about, you know, Denmark as a country, being a very rich agriculture region, and you see this on these sandwiches. You know, they're fully laden with a huge spectrum of different toppings, very sort of rich and opulent sandwiches that you can't even - you know, you have to eat them from a plate with knife and a fork, right?

Yeah.

And then if you go up to where I grew up, a sandwich there would probably be more of a, you know, a piece of flatbread with a layer of butter and a layer of cheese on it that you would eat standing up. And I think it's a very interesting thing, you know, those things that, you know, are kind of a broader concept exist in a big geographic region but that vary a lot depending on where you are.

Chef Magnus Nilsson of "The Nordic Cookbook. "Thank you, chef.

turn 0 : "they really say a lot about, you know, Denmark as a country" - This turn means that the open sandwiches are representative of Denmark's rich agricultural region, not that they literally communicate something about the country.

Which country has open sandwiches that are fully laden with a huge spectrum of different toppings?

Answer: Denmark


Well, just along those lines, we read reports that temperatures in the contiguous 48 states have been above average in each of the last 15 months, which has never happened for as long as people have been keeping records, and that 2012 is on track to be the warmest year ever. As we read about this record Arctic ice melt, is this a coincidence?

Well, it's all part and parcel of the same thing, but I will say that January through August of this year has been the warmest period - January through August period since 1895 when they started taking temperature records. That's in the contiguous lower 48. Alaska has actually had a fairly average year, so everything doesn't march in lockstep. But again, the situation with the ice and the Arctic is this has been accumulating over decades of warming up there, and we're finally seeing the results of that.

So this one summer was not at all a key up there. In fact, what was interesting to one of the scientists I talked to, he said, basically, you know, what was astounding about this was that there was no astounding weather pattern up there that explained this dramatic difference. It was just kind of reaching this point of where the ice was just so thin that it was just ready to crumble.

Ice is white. It reflects light. The sea is blue. It does not reflect light. It absorbs it, and thereby, the heat that comes with it.

turn 2 : There was no extraordinary weather pattern to explain the dramatic ice melting in the Arctic, it was caused by the ice being too thin.

How was the dramatic ice melting in the Arctic caused?

Answer: Thin


It's been, you know, the most difficult and the most rewarding. And as I've performed in America and in England, I've seen some of the slight language differences have actually come up between, you know, performances and altering things.

Joe, do you think that you've learned something about human nature, in other words, the things that the psychologists are trying to put - to quantify and put numbers on. Do you think that you've instinctively figured out some things about human nature, about how the mind works, and how perception works?

JOE #2: Absolutely. Absolutely. And it's the most rewarding part about being a magician, I think. And I think that anybody who would want to go to your public library and get, you know, the first book on card tricks or coin tricks or whatever interests you, you'll find that you'll learn way more than just how to do a trick at a party because it's in performing that trick at a party or for your friends or your family that you'll find that you get a little inside glimpse at the backstage of the human mind.

Interesting. Joe, thanks very much for your call. You're listening to TALK OF THE NATION on NPR News. Teller, we have an email that's just come in. Guess what the guy's name is.

turn 0 : (1) The implied meaning is that the speaker has encountered some subtle differences in language between American and British audiences while performing, which has been challenging but also rewarding.

Which country did the speaker experience language differences in?

Answer: England


I think there's also a message to be had in the region. Mr.  Trump in Tokyo, with all the pomp and circumstance, with even the irritations on trade and that mixed signal in North Korea - it was clear that this is an alliance that was vibrant, that was coherent and that was still being deeply supported by both countries. That's the message Mr.  Abe wants to send to Pyongyang and certainly the message he wants to send to Beijing.

That pomp and circumstance extended to the appearance of Trump 2020 campaign banners. They were visible as the president was making his way through Japan's streets. Another of the events that he attended was this sumo tournament. Why is Prime Minister Abe so intent on courting President Trump?

Well, you know, you - the backdrop here, too, is the Japanese people are not as critical of President Trump as many of the citizens of our other allies in Europe, for example. The president and the prime minister do have a reasonably strong working relationship. The Japanese diplomats pointed out before the visit that they've spoken or met 42 times since the president came into office.

Forty-two times, wow.

An unprecedented amount of contact. So I think there's still this sense that this is a good partnership and that Mr.  Abe can make it work.

turn 2 : The relationship between President Trump and Prime Minister Abe is stronger than with other allies

What is the number of times President Trump and Prime Minister Abe have spoken or met since the president came into office?

Answer: 42


Help us understand how - what life has been like in Venezuela over the past few years that's brought the country to this point.

Venezuela's shockingly misgoverned. It's hard to wrap your head around a country that has lost half of its GDP in five years without a war. That's worse economic performance than Syria. It's the - only the first case of hyperinflation in Latin America in the 21st century. Inflation is running at over 1 million percent a year, and prices are doubling every three weeks or so. And so what we've seen is a mass exodus. People have just walked - in many cases, actually walked - tens, hundreds of kilometers to the border of Colombia and Brazil to find a better life in neighboring countries.

So it's a first humanitarian crisis in South America in the 21st century. And neighboring countries have never seen anything like it. Colombia had to send a fact-finding team to the Turkish-Syrian border to figure out how to deal with an influx of hundreds of thousands of desperate, hungry people.

Can your reporters operate freely?

turn 1 : to wrap your head around something in this context means to understand something that is really horrible

Which country's economic performance is worse than Syria's in the context of this dialogue?

Answer: Venezuela


You've been on this beat for a while.

I have, a decade or so.

Any - ever seen anything like it?

Wow. I think this is a story I will tell the grandkids about covering.

turn 3 : In (4), "tell the grandkids" means to pass on the experience as a memorable story.

What did the speaker say they would do with the experience?

Answer: Pass


Non-binary meaning they don't identify as male or female. They and many other English speakers have been using they like this for years. Here, Emily Brewster will use it in a sentence.

Here is my friend J. They will be joining us for dinner. The they is referring to this individual who is standing right here.

Now, there's been criticism of this usage - some by those who don't understand why someone might identify as non-binary but also by those who are put off by this change in grammar. They - the critics - say it's confusing to hear they are in a sentence if the speaker is only referring to one person. But our word expert disagrees. Brewster says we already do this with another pronoun.

The word you was originally a plural pronoun, and in the 14th century, it started to slide toward this use of being both plural and singular. And so when I am speaking to you, an individual, a single person, I say you are. I don't say you is. The you are is grammatical.

turn 3 : The usage of the word started to become used as singular and plural.

Which word started to slide toward the use of being both singular and plural?

Answer: you


And so the last of this accretion events formed the moon, because accretion, when you have giant planets the size of Mars and Earth hitting each other, it's a pretty messy phenomenon.

But based on news this week, it sounds like that may not be the best theory.

Well, you know, the devil gets down to the details, and when you push these models forward, they start to come apart, and that's kind of the fun thing about science is you're sort of grasping at things, and they - sometimes you get them and hold them in your hand for a while, and they slip away like a fish.

Here we had this notion - and the reason this is so exciting right now is that starting in, you know, the mid-1970s, these sort of back-of-the-envelope calculations said hey, you know, we think planets formed this way, by collisions. We think we can explain the spin of the Earth, which is actually pretty fast if you add in the spin of the moon to the spin of the Earth, you know, that moon's orbiting the Earth, and if you think of it as one single planet, and if you brought all that mass together into one place, it would be equivalent to the Earth spinning with a period of only five hours, so much faster than it is today.

turn 3 : The accretion theory is interesting and exciting but may not be entirely accurate.

How is the accretion theory described in the dialogue?

Answer: Accretion


Absolutely. No question. When I first started to sing, the last thing I wanted to do was sing my dad's music. And ironically, when I was signed to a label, it was Capitol Records, which I thought that they would be like, oh, you got to sing your dad's music. But they did not. . .

He made Capitol Records.

He certainly did. The house that Nat built. But they did not insist on that, whereas I went to two other labels and they said, well, are you going to sing your father's music?And I said no. And it took 15 years into my career before I felt comfortable and confident enough to even attempt at singing my father's music.

Like a lot of famous fathers, Nat King Cole was often away from home. He died when Natalie was just 15. She had some rough times in the years that followed, sometimes making her own name in all the wrong ways with drugs and drink. But she sought help and she persisted, having her own R&B hits in the 1970s before she recorded a 1991 duet with the recorded voice of her father that sold over seven million copies and won many Grammys.

turn 0 : Singing my dad's music wasn't literally the last thing I wanted to do, it just means I really didn't want to do it.

Which label signed Natalie Cole and did not insist on her singing her father's music?

Answer: Capitol


Sorry. Sorry. Well, one more sticky issue. You got some pushback from a song - on the song, "Wish You Were Gay. "And people were hoping it would become an anthem for the LGBTQ community. But some people are actually not pleased about it. They feel that it's - there's pushback about it. And how do you think about that?

You know what I think is that everybody has a right to feel exactly what they feel. And it's not anyone's place to tell somebody that their being offended is not correct, you know?It's, like, that's a thing that you can't control. And if somebody doesn't feel OK with something, then you have to respect that and understand that and not try to fight that.

And so I knew writing that song that - it wasn't meant as an insult. And it wasn't meant to be offensive in any way. So for me, I didn't even really think about it because it was so not at all. . .

O'CONNELL: Controversial to us.

. . . Controversial in my mind because I thought of it as almost like a positive thing.

turn 3 : Everyone should respect other people's feelings and not try to control them, even if they don't agree.

What was the intention behind writing the song "Wish You Were Gay"?

Answer: Positive


And yet despite all this, is Sisi still a popular figure?

Yeah, he is a popular figure. The military is seen as the most trusted institution in Egypt. He comes from that institution. He was elected in an election that maybe wasn't really fair, but it wasn't rigged in a wide scale manner. He was voted in with more than 95 percent of the votes here. But it's an election that took place in an atmosphere of fear, where you're basically with us or against us. And if you're against us, the idea of against us lands you in jail.

What are the challenges that he faces?

The biggest challenge he' got is the economy - the foundering economy. Egypt is in debt and needs to dig itself out of that hole. And there are constant power cuts going on right now in the soaring summer heat. And the way he's doing that is lifting the subsidies, which take a huge part of the budget. But that will also possibly lead to protests against him, possibly, because that means people are going to be paying higher gas prices, which have already been lifted, and higher food prices.

turn 1 :  The implied meaning of this turn is that Sisi is popular only because he is part of the military and he was elected in a possibly unfair election, with many people voting out of fear.

What is the reason for Sisi's popularity?

Answer: Military


Does the seriousness of this cast a shadow on the White House?Are they concerned about what, for instance, is going to be coming out today?

I think it casts a huge shadow over the White House. I think it's very serious. I want Congress to conduct full oversight on it. And I think we need to look at it. I think Congress and I think Republicans and Democrats have a duty, no matter who's in the White House, to ask tough questions, and the president can push back when they think they overreach.

Finally, with the president calling this a hoax and a scam, do you think that is wise?

Well, I - you know, I'm not going to comment on every description the president. . .

turn 1 : They think it does make the government look bad to the public.

What does the turn imply about the government's image?

Answer: Bad


Yeah, that was easy. Planet Fitness was the best job actually because I could do my little squats behind the desk. There was always time to just like mess around and just do whatever.

But Uber seems like that would offer a lot of storytelling possibilities.

Oh, my gosh, it did.

Do you think we'll find some of that in your songs at some point?

turn 0 : Planet Fitness job was easy because I could exercise while working

Which job offered exercise opportunities to the speaker?

Answer: Exercise


Yes.

Have you photographed them?Or have they been clients of yours?

Not paying clients. Yes, I have shot them at a rally in Chicago.

OK.  Not - well, not paying in the sense that you would like to have them as clients or pursue them at one point, or you just are taking pictures of them, as everyone else is doing, when they're out in public?

No, I was part of the campaign. I was heavily involved in fundraising and (unintelligible) and have gone to battleground states, signing up voters. So, yeah, I was there, part of the group, and I shot them because this is something I wanted to do. I wasn't a paid photographer of staff, but yes. Would I like to shoot them as a paid person?Absolutely.

Yeah, I'm guessing the answer to that would be yes. Are you hopeful of that opportunity still?

turn 4 : Although the person was not a paid photographer, they were heavily involved in a political campaign and took photos for personal interest. They would like to be a paid photographer for these clients in the future.

What was the person's involvement in the political campaign?

Answer: Heavily


Give us a call, our number 1-800-989-8255. You can also tweet us @scifri. Gerald Crabtree is the David Korn Professor of Pathology and Developmental Biology at Stanford School of Medicine. He's also an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Welcome to SCIENCE FRIDAY.

Good morning, Ira.

Good morning to you. What evidence do you cite?What evidence is there that human intelligence is slowly declining?

Well, you know, there are a few things I'd like to say I guess at the onset, and you referred to them in your introduction, and that is any genetically based decay in intelligence is extremely slow. And so we should never be able to detect it by comparisons to people within generations existing right now on the Earth.

turn 2 : What evidence do you have for human intelligence decline?

Which professor is the investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute?

Answer: Gerald


Well, yeah. But you see what I mean?Because it is about perception and how we need to be - to understand what we're seeing before we can really see it, that's really key to understanding this whole issue of climate change and why we see or don't see what's right in front of us.

What drew you to monarchs in the first place?

I had really wanted to write about the subject for a long time. I live in southern Appalachia. I am surrounded by neighbors and friends - people I respect very much - who don't really understand climate change or believe in it, even though, as farmers, they're getting socked by it. We've had unprecedented, disastrous weather time and again. So it's such a strange contradiction that the people in our continent who are first to feel the harm of a changing climate are the last to be able to talk about it.

That was such a conundrum and such rich territory for a novel to tread, that I was just looking for the right way to get into the subject. And one morning, I just woke up with this vision in my eyes of millions of butterflies covering the forest behind my house. I just - I mean, I didn't actually see it. I imagined it. I woke up and there it was, and I knew that was it.

turn 3 : The author woke up with a vision of millions of butterflies covering the forest, which inspired the novel.

How did the author come up with the idea for the novel?

Answer: Vision


So I think - I think we're - we have to understand the complexity of it. I think we have to understand that the president has put together a good team on this. And now we're really looking at the next step. But I do think it's important to underscore that in this kind of negotiation, especially at this high level, you get to walk away from the table once. You don't get to walk away from the table twice.

Right. I mean, you used a phrase there, pick up the pieces. It's not just President Trump and North Korea. It's the president's son-in-law trying to almost single handedly bring Middle East peace after the United States took a move like moving the embassy to Jerusalem. You know, some would say that the Trump administration gives away the carrots, like moving the embassy to Jerusalem, without getting concessions and only selectively applies the sticks, like curtailing Palestinian aid. Doesn't that make it harder to negotiate?

Sometimes it can. Sometimes, however, that - what you want to do is try to rearrange the pieces on the table and do so in ways that are surprising or unexpected and can open space for - for talks and negotiations.

Do you think Jared Kushner is the man to do that?

turn 1 : The carrots and sticks refer to how you get a horse to move the way you want.

What do the carrots and sticks refer to?

Answer: Incentives


I know I'm going to get emails, perhaps you too, from people who say, look, I am an agnostic or an atheist really specifically because I thought organized religion had a hand in racializing in our society and a history with slavery and has not had a good effect on U. S.  history.

Sure. I'm not in any way suggesting in this article that I'm telling people that they need to go to religious services. I do think we know that civic connection more broadly tends to help people weather difficulties in their lives. There are many other ways other than doing it through religious institutions.

It just happens that the church has been probably the most central form of civic engagement that Americans have had. And so when Americans disengage from church, for many of them that essentially becomes de facto disengaging from any civic institution. It's not like they're replacing church with some other form of civic institution that might fill some of that same function.

Peter Beinart of The Atlantic. Thanks so much for being with us.

turn 2 : (3) Stating that when Americans disengage from church, they are not replacing it with another form of civic institution implies that there is no other source of civic engagement that could provide the same benefits that church once did.

What is the central form of civic engagement that Americans have had?

Answer: Church


He hasn't always fallen right in line with Trump by any means. He hasn't always fallen right in line with Trump by any means. He's been critical of Putin over some gas projects that he's been involved in. He's been critical of Putin over some gas projects that he's been involved in. But generally, he has held the Trump line. But generally, he has held the Trump line. So I think this is going to be interesting to go in. So I think this is going to be interesting to go in. He did have that one key moment in the text chain where he came in and clearly stated this was not quid pro quo but then suggested they get offline. He did have that one key moment in the text chain where he came in and clearly stated this was not quid pro quo but then suggested they get offline. So. . . So. . .

Right. Right.

So we'll see what happens once he jumps in there. So we'll see what happens once he jumps in there.

Are people following this in Portland?Are people following this in Portland?I mean, how are they reacting?I mean, how are they reacting?

turn 1 : "Right. Right." implies to understand what was said.

How did PersonB respond to PersonA's statement?

Answer: Right


You've been speaking with current and former EPA staffers. What is the mood like at the EPA right now?

It's not good. I think that - you know, one person told me that they worry that there is a lot of backstabbing going on. There is some paranoia about where these leaks are coming from because a lot of the information would have had to come from someone very close to the administrator. And so there's some finger-pointing over that. And then when you talk to the career officials - the people who have worked for EPA and previous administrations as well - they get the feeling that there's no way that leadership could be focusing on policy right now because they just have controversy after controversy to address.

Last week, Pruitt announced he would roll back Obama-era auto emissions standards. President Trump and his supporters really like what he's been doing at the EPA. He's been very popular among conservatives and the president. Just briefly, how have these ethics questions affected his ability to do his job?

Well, I think that - the people that I've talked to said that meetings were proceeding and that things were still moving forward. But it seems like this is all escalating. And there's a sense that more stories will be coming - that journalists are working on other tips that they have and that public records are going to come out and show even more of this. And so I think a lot of the things he's begun - those are things that could be in the courts for years too.

turn 1 : finger-pointing implies making of accusations or blame and not pointing one's finger at a place

Which action is implied by the term "finger-pointing"?

Answer: Accusations


Yes, they are in re-settlement areas. For example, in Mozambique you have 258,000 people, 90,000 of whom have been displaced over the past month or so. In Malawi you already have 700 cholera cases that have been reported. You have about 152,000 people who have been affected. So they are moving away from their home areas into re-settlement camps.

Let's move to Kenya in the east of Africa. The talks between President Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga continue today outside of Nairobi and the negotiations are being mediated by former U. N.  Secretary General Kofi Annan. Since the post-election violence began in late December, more than 1,000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands have been displaced. There are also reports of a wave of sexual violence against women who've been displaced by this turmoil. So Cassandra, what's going on here?

Since the violence after the disputed elections on December 27th, we're seeing that this situation has put women and girls at great risk of sexual assault. We know that always in situations of conflict women and girls are in danger. And in Kenya it is no different. We are hearing reports from Nairobi, from the Nairobi general hospital, that there may be as many as double the number of cases of rape within the days following the eruption of the violence.

And what we know is that for every case that is being treated or is being reported, there are many more victims who fail to seek help.

turn 2 : "put women and girls at great risk of sexual assault" is a figurative expression, meaning that women and girls are in danger of being sexually assaulted, and not a literal placement of women and girls in a dangerous situation.

What is the risk that women and girls face in Kenya due to the post-election violence?

Answer: Sexual-assault


These are, you know, small things, but - you know, you said before somebody who is about to make a radical change. And I would advise them not to make too radical a change, because all forms of abstinence - you know, dieting radically or maybe even sexual abstinence - often, you find yourself longing so much for the thing you're missing that you will really go overboard once you get off the wagon.

Where do you see America a year from now, in terms of how people change their consumption and maybe their long-term attitudes?

You know, I'm not sure that we're going to have a great big attitude change. It's really too early to tell. Surely, when people can get less credit and if they have less jobs, they will be spending less. But you know, it's not going to be like the last Great Depression, because the last Great Depression was not preceded by a half a century of consumer culture, in which they really have brainwashed as to want to buy more and more and more things and throw them out and get the next new thing.

But already, people are changing their habits. And so I do think we may buy less, and we may start to think about buying things that are more durable, that can be fixed, that don't obsolesce so quickly. And we may begin to find, as my partner and I began to find, that you're really just as happy without it.

turn 0 : going overboard means you overreact to something bad or good.

What can happen when you abstain from something too radically?

Answer: Overboard


So ultimately, it ended up ruining my life in every capacity. It's affected my health, my family, my emotional and mental well-being and, ultimately, even jobs. You know, I've been offered all these amazing jobs of a lifetimes that I fought really hard to get and I beat out other candidates for. And each time the job would be offered to me, it would then be retracted because of my connection to Jeffrey Epstein.

So that's what led me to finally come forward because I had just reached a point where I was like, you know, this man was out buying second islands and second airplanes just to show off while I was struggling to feed myself and couldn't even get myself a good job because of him, you know?

Right. How did you feel when you found out about Epstein's death?

It was definitely not a good moment. And it's still not, you know?Even every single time I hear those words, there's a certain amount of anger that shoots through my blood that I can't explain.

turn 0 : The connection with Jeffrey Epstein caused me to lose job opportunities

How did the connection with Epstein affect PersonA's job opportunities?

Answer: Opportunities


Let me ask you about what are called battleground states in this coming election. I'll rattle off Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Is there early voting there?Will people take advantage of it?

Absolutely. Florida - it'll be - approximately 40 percent of the ballots will come in early, perhaps a higher number. Half of those will come in early in person. Ohio also has a lot of early voting. Pennsylvania - no. Pennsylvania still only allows for excuse-required absentee balloting. So in Pennsylvania, they still wait until Election Day.

And, Scott, this is going to change the dynamics in those states so that you will expect to see early rallies timed when the early voting period opens up, likely in Florida, Ohio, North Carolina. The candidates' travel schedule will reflect this because they want to follow up that kind of enthusiasm and get people to the polls right away.

And are more people voting early now not because they have to but because they just want to?

turn 2 : "change the dynamics" means to alter the way things are done

How will early rallies be timed in battleground states?

Answer: Timed


What would happen in a civil contempt is that you would basically be trying to hold the attorney general - get a court order that he was in contempt. And the court would have a hearing. And Justice Department would intervene, and they would fight the contempt citation. And then the court would have a ruling. And that's how the process kind of operates theoretically. What normally happens is the court does not like to step into executive legislative disputes, and they will urge both sides to try to accommodate one another. I think it would only be if the court determined that the Justice Department was really in bad faith would they then hold the attorney general in contempt.

Let me ask you this. If this matter does land in court, if litigation is actively pursued, that could take months. It could take years even. And if the goal is to get information from Attorney General William Barr, how is this an effective strategy?Pursuing a contempt case could result in a huge delay, right?

I think the reality is is that the rules of subpoenas right now as we're discussing in many ways work in favor of the executive for the exact reason that you are hinting at in your question, which is they can run the clock. They can probably run the clock on the enforcement question for months, if not years. And they might be able to even run it up to the next election.

Right. So if the White House intends to stonewall, do you think it's even a wise strategy on the part of the Democrats right now to be talking about contempt?

turn 2 : The rules of subpoenas work in favor of the executive.

How do the rules of subpoenas favor the executive?

Answer: Executive


He does seem more comfortable making deals with his fellow New Yorker Chuck Schumer than he does Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan. But Republicans in Congress almost shrugged this off this week. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, in his own dry way, we look forward to seeing the president's own legislative proposal. But this also does seem to be the first time in this tentative deal on the DREAMers that Donald Trump did something that could possibly alienate his base.

Well, that's a good point. I mean, what about his base?We have seen some reaction to this. What has it been?

This is splitting his base. Polls show that most Americans are sympathetic to the DREAMers. Majorities favor letting them stay, even large numbers of Republicans, but not the president's hardcore base. And we saw this week on Twitter some Trump supporters burning their Make America Great Again hats. We saw the headlines in Breitbart, the "alt-right" website run by his former political adviser, Steve Bannon. The headline said "Amnesty Don. "We're now going to find out how much of his base is what I call the Fifth Avenue voters, people who will stick with him no matter what. You know, he famously said, I could stand on Fifth Avenue and shoot someone and not lose any voters.

Right.

turn 2 : The president's hardcore base does not support letting DREAMers stay

What is the stance of President Trump's hardcore base on letting DREAMers stay?

Answer: Opposed


And I want to just warn listeners before we get going there may be some brief descriptions of violence as we chat this out over the next couple minutes. Start with, why now?As we said, the federal government has not carried out an execution for some years now.

Actually, a senior Justice Department official tells me the previous attorney general, Jeff Sessions, launched this effort, put it into motion. But it's actually happening on the watch of his successor, Bill Barr. Barr says the federal government owes it to victims and their families. He points out, even though there haven't been many executions in the federal system, that Justice Departments representing presidents from both political parties have continued to seek capital punishment in court.

Barr says the people on federal death row are the worst of the worst. And he's directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons to schedule five inmates for executions, all starting - if it goes to plan - December 9.

And who are these five?What do we know about them?

turn 0 : to carry something out means to do something

Which official launched the effort to carry out the executions according to PersonA in turn 1?

Answer: Jeff


There's something magical about that part of a meal that really seems to have inspired the book. Like, the beginning, when everyone is, like, just arriving and gathering and, like, what you want to serve in a moment like that.

Yeah. I mean, even just hearing you describe it that way, it's the best moment of a party. So, you know, everyone's hugging and kissing, and there's catching up and clinking of wine glasses. And it's just the best moment. And I think when those first platters of food start to roll out of the kitchen, it's just a celebration.

Do you ever really sit down, or is it constant movement, like, more plates coming out and just kind of wandering around and eating and talking?

What I love about antipasti is that even in a restaurant, oftentimes they'll have sort of a big communal table in the center of the restaurant, and they'll allow you to come up with, you know, your plate and a big spoon and just kind of point to or pick through and serve yourself whatever you want from the antipasti spread. So that's kind of the most interactive moment of the meal, which is maybe also why it's one of my favorites.

turn 3 : "pick through and serve yourself whatever you want" - This is a figurative expression, meaning to choose items from the antipasti spread rather than actually picking through the food with one's fingers.

How do you serve yourself from the antipasti spread?

Answer: choose


Christmas integration.

Multi-ethnic Christmas celebration. You know, the biggest thing that my parents did was to raise my sister and I in a very diverse neighborhood. It's really, really important, if you're going to adopt a kid that's a different race, to have neighbors that look like that kid.

You know, the study that came out I think is scaring people in thinking that you're going to have to through like a two year master program to learn how to have black kids, if you're white parents. And it's honestly, you could probably knock it out in two hours. It's really not that difficult, there's a few things that you should know. And bringing your kids up in a diverse neighborhood is the most important of that.

And then, you know, if you have friends that are the same race of your kids, you just, you ask them for questions, and it's helpful to have them as a resource, it's something you definitely want to keep next to you when you're raising your kids.

turn 2 : You can probably complete the task in two hours not that you can knock it out.

How long does it take to complete the task?

Answer: Two


I understand, Mr.  Doyle, that you and other members of the Watergate investigation team still with us - well, you have reunions now and then. And I gather for the first time you had a reunion on the actual anniversary of the Saturday Night Massacre. What are the - my 15 year old now says, you know, what's the tea?What went on there?

Three weeks ago, Saturday night October 20, the Watergate Special Prosecution Force held a reunion. It was the 45th anniversary of the Saturday Night Massacre. None of the senior leaders are any longer with us. But the young idealists who had been in their 20s back when we began, they all showed up in their 60s and 70s as earnest as ever, as idealistic as ever and still full of hope.

Sorry.

No, I think someone was talking to you, telling you that, I think, we're running out of time. But did you want to make the final point?

turn 0 : The 15-year-old is asking for the details of the reunion, not the tea

What was the reason for the Watergate Special Prosecution Force reunion?

Answer: Reunion


This is Day to Day from NPR News. I'm Alex Cohen. One of the world's most celebrated playwrights, Harold Pinter, has died. Pinter was a mainstay on the London theater scene since the 1950s. His works include "The Birthday Party," "The Homecoming," "The Celebration," just to name a few. Harold Pinter won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005. Here he is accepting that award.

There are no hard distinctions between what is real and what is unreal, nor between what is true and what is false. I think it's not necessarily either true or false. It can be both true and false.

The obscurity of those words is Pinter in a nutshell. His plays were light on plot, often taking place in a single room. Pinter offered no easy explanations for why characters acted the way they did. His dialogue was known mostly for. . .  pregnant pauses. In fact, the word people have come to use to describe that sort of tension in silence is Pinteresque. Here's Pinter in an interview with Charlie Rose, joking about the way some people reacted to his work.

When I went to see a production of my play, "No Man's Land. "I went into the bar in the interval. And a man and a woman - I couldn't escape, you know. They stand - stood in dead silence for a while. And then the man said, Oh, well, not as boring as the usual Pinteresque.

turn 2 : In a nutshell is a small space, so implies that these words describe Pinter in a short manner.

What word describes Pinter's style of dialogue?

Answer: Pinteresque


So, you know, is this going to be a situation where states line up basically to sue this lender, and what difference would that make in how this is unfolding?

I think it's going to play out in a number of a ways. Countrywide is - obviously they were the largest non-bank mortgage lender in the country. They were - just sold a few weeks ago to Bank of America for what amount - to pennies on a dollar but many many. Countrywide is by far - was by far the largest player in the subprime crisis in terms of a single mortgage lender. But they weren't the only one. The thing is that Countrywide has become a symbol for how bad this gotten many communities.

And I think if you see a challenge like the one here in Ohio or the one here in Florida proceed with favorable results, you will probably see many other states - especially those where minorities or women or the working class, working poor were hit hard by subprime mortgages - are going to start lining up, and attorneys general are going to be filing suit against Countrywide and many other countries like - companies like Countrywide.

Well, Keith, thanks again.

turn 2 : suggests that other states will start to take legal action against Countrywide and other similar companies

What might happen if favorable results are seen in the challenges against Countrywide in Ohio and Florida?

Answer: Lining


But shouldn't you at least offer the people you're polling the option of checking that box as one of the issues?

In terms of?

Of, you know, as climate change or renewable energy, things like that. The choice is not even offered on the sheet of things that you - that is on your radar screen.

Yeah. Well, this is actually a really important point, is that when you look at - and I'll just come back to media coverage as an example. You know, for most people, this is an issue that's invisible. I mean, you can look out your window right this moment, and there's CO2 pouring out of tailpipes, out of smokestacks, out of buildings, but you can't see it, and likewise you can't see the impacts unless you know where to look. In fact, the only way most Americans even know about this issue is because of what they've learned about it in the media. They're not reading the peer-reviewed literature. They don't know scientists personally. They're learning about it through the media. And when the media doesn't report this issue, it's literally out of sight and out of mind.

turn 3 :  "out of sight, out of mind" - This is a well-known idiom that means if you can't see something, you tend to forget about it, rather than a literal interpretation.

What is the idiom used to describe the tendency to forget about something if you can't see it?

Answer: Idiom


I don't know if I'm that much different than a journalist. I just - it's like a mystery that I want to solve that I think everybody's interested in solving. What has gone on and what is going on with Trump and his orbit of people he's dealt with over the years and ties to Russia and Ukraine and all these different matters?

Often when people are doing this kind of thing, they have fact checkers, and they have editors that go over their information, especially if you're a journalist. Do you have anyone that edits you or anyone that you work with that helps you verify the information?

There's some fact checking. But the interviews that I do, I publish them exactly as they're transcribed. I'm not writing an article, per se.

Can I ask you, has your shop - your restaurant, which is very well known here, helped you in your endeavor?Do people walk in to give you tips, try and contact you through that?

turn 3 : (4) Implies that the speaker is asking if the restaurant that the person they are talking to owns has helped them in any way with their endeavours.

How has the person's restaurant contributed to their endeavors?

Answer: Contributed


Now, the economies in Africa, let's say, in the Caribbean are different, are they not, from either the U. S. , Europe, or Asia?And I'm thinking, for example, of the $1 million notes being printed up willy-nilly in Zimbabwe. How has the global downturn affected them?

Well, just on Zimbabwe for a minute. Zimbabwe has a whole host of problems that are really quite unrelated to the credit crunch and the financial crisis. These are big problems that have been in the making for a long, long time because of an economy that's been run into the ground.

But more generally, Africa and Latin America are being hurt, but it doesn't seem quite as bad for example, as those in Eastern Europe, their debt levels are not as high. While they're hurting some because of the big fall in commodity prices - I mean, we've seen for example the first negative growth in South Africa since 1998. But I don't think these are as hard hit because the financial exposure in this part of the world is not as great as let's say it is in the U. S.  certainly, in Europe, and parts of emerging Europe.

Is that what is allowing some countries to be - I hesitate to use the word financially successful at the moment, but allowing them to compete in a way that they had not been able to before?

turn 0 : Money is being printed irresponsibly in Zimbabwe and the person wonder's how the lowering economy of the world affects them.

Which country's economy is being discussed in turn 0?

Answer: Zimbabwe


Billion with a B. And they have their own cable channels. I mean, they're major sports players. And almost all that revenue comes from two sports, men's basketball and football.

So where does all of that money go?

Not to the student athletes. Under NCAA rules, they're amateurs. They cannot be compensated beyond their scholarships and the cost of attending college. But it goes to coaches' salaries. It goes to facilities. It goes to the conference commissioners who all make an excess of $2 million now. There are a lot of people who are millionaires because of these sports. And so everyone gets paid except for the student athletes.

So how does race factor into all of this?

turn 3 : This implies that there is a racial component to the exploitation of student-athletes.

Answer: Racial


Well, I think one of my roles - at least the way I pretty much defined my life and work for 35 years in the academy and was quite lucky in serendipitous ways began teaching at Yale at the time of the moment that's now considered, I guess, the revolutionary moment at Yale with the Black Panthers and Bobby Seale and Erica Huggins and others.

So, I always saw a kind of resistive undercurrent in the university even at its Ivy League level. And I've tried to identify myself in the academy with that resistive undercurrent. And I've tried to maintain an integrity of my public appearances and what I write that never refuses to look at the fact that racism, in my estimation, is more rampant in the United States and globally than ever before.

One can say is the glass half-full or half-empty. I think that's mere casuistry. It seems to me that the glass is empty for the majority of Americans now, not just black Americans, and it's not near any liquid refreshments source that I know of, the foreclosures, the economics of the present time, the war.

It seems to me that Henry Louis Gates Jr.  and Cornel West made a deliberate turn at a certain point in their career and decided, in the case of Mr.  Gates for example, that he was not going to do another profoundly brilliant book in his…

Well, professor, I'm sorry, we have to wrap this up. There's a lot there, but thank you so much, Professor Baker.

turn 4 : The interview or conversation is coming to an end and the speaker needs to conclude.

How does the speaker in turn 4 express the need to end the conversation?

Answer: Wrap


So, you're a beauty journalist living in London, and your life is very cosmopolitan - very British in some ways. You say that this experience made you feel even more British. But it took you 10 years to decide whether or not to really seek out your biological family. Take me through that process that you had of trying to make that decision.

Well, like you said in the introduction, when I was 19, as far as I knew, I didn't have any family. When my family in the U. K.  adopted me from the orphanage in Eritrea, they were told I had no family. My father was dead. My mother was dead. I was, you know, quite literally an orphan.

And so it was only when my father went back to Eritrea in 1993 for the independence celebrations that he visited the orphanage that they got me from. He left a photograph of me there with - there was actually the nun who was in charge of my adoption was still there. She's very so old now, but she was still there.

And he left a photo of me because he thought it would be a nice thing to do. And several months after he returned, we got a letter from somebody who said he was my brother, and basically, it turned out that after my father had left Eritrea, this nun had got in touch with my family, and that's when everything started to unravel.

turn 3 : Family was not lost, but separated by circumstances

What caused the unraveling of everything?

Answer: Nun