How do you feel about the United States now?

It was my home, and it is my home. And it will be my home because I have nowhere else to go. If I went somewhere else, I wouldnt be alive.

Is there something you'd like the Army and the Department of Defense and everyone to know about you?

I am more patriotic than many Americans. I am ready to lay my life down for this country and for the safety of its people. Im not a bad person, and I have never committed a crime. My life is in danger if the institutions like USCIS and DOD does not help me.

turn 3 : The speaker needs the help of the Army and DOD to survive because his life is in danger.

What institutions does the speaker need help from to ensure his safety?

Answer: Army


Yeah, he was a loner. He was very studious in high school. He was a brilliant student and a bookworm. Obama has a reputation for having been a bookworm himself, so maybe there's something there.

Right. Something.

Yeah, it's a little silly to read too much into this. But it's - if you look too deeply into anything, you'll find metaphors, right?So. . .

Right. Spinning a web, any size. Catching Republicans just like flies. I don't know.

turn 3 : B in the statement made a reference to the Spider-Man theme song, which implies that they find the previous discussion to be overly speculative or not worth taking seriously.

What did PersonB reference with their statement in turn 3?

Answer: Spider-Man


I am doing great, but consumer confidence, not so much. It's at its lowest level since the early 1990s. What exactly does that mean?

The Conference Board surveys consumers about what they think is going to happen, about how confident they are. It's important because consumer confidence determines lots of discretionary spending. In other words, if you can buy a car this year or next year and you think the economy is going to turn down or you're worried about your job, you're going to postpone that car purchase. Well, that's a great decision for the Chideya residence, but it might not be for the economy if it's multiplied by thousands or tens of thousands. So people predicate their spending on what they think is going to happened into the economy. It doesn't affect our spending on things like food or things we can't, we have no discretion over - gasoline, perhaps, if you have to commute with your car, other kinds of things.

But there are some things that you'll make decisions - I'm not going to do this now. Some people are holding back from the housing market, although this is a particularly good time to get in, because interest rates are low and because the market is troubled. But some younger people are holding back because they're not so sure what their jobs are going to be like. So when consumer confidence is down, you can expect that spenders are withholding some of their spending.

There's also signs that the cost of imported goods are rising. Is that because of gasoline prices?Or what's driving that?

turn 2 : The speaker may be hinting at a desire for something or someone, but is hesitant to express it directly, possibly due to fear of rejection or embarrassment.

What is the reason for consumers withholding some of their spending when consumer confidence is down?

Answer: Job


I think my career - had before this was 48, and I thought I had a pretty good game in that game. But it turns out it didn't even come close to this one.

I've read you just came from a weekend tournament where you went 11-41 in two games; from the depths to the heights.

Yeah. Yeah. I had a pretty poor shooting weekend. So coming into this game, my coaches and my teammates really wanted to get me going a little bit offensively to get my confidence up before we head into conference play.

And get your confidence up, you made, I think - what was it?More than 50 shots.

turn 3 : shots implies the activities in a game and not referring to a gunshot

Answer: 50


Here to tell us more about that report is the vice chair of the commission, former senator from Missouri, Jim Talent. Welcome to the program, sir. And if you could tell us a bit about this report. It states that the biological threat to this country is greater than the nuclear one. What sort of biological threat are we talking about?

Well, people normally think in terms of like Anthrax, and that's the most visible potential pathogen. There's others that could be used, smallpox, for example. And one of the dangers is that, with DNA synthesizers that are available and dual-use technology all over the world, it's becoming increasingly easy to isolate pathogens, old or new. It's technologically easier to weaponize.

Can you tell me a little bit about how you conducted the research for this report?

We're a follow onto the 9/11 commission, congressionally created, bipartisan. The report was unanimous, and we interviewed hundreds of people who travel all over the world, everywhere from the national labs in Sandia, to London, to Asia, to Russia interviewing people.

And then we all, each of us on the commission, has experience in this area as well. And what Congress wanted was an update on the assessment of the threat and then recommendations about what can be done to reduce it.

turn 1 : There are other pathogens that could be used as weapons besides Anthrax

What is one example of another potential pathogen that could be used as a weapon besides Anthrax?

Answer: Smallpox


It's out of sight. It's really high. We have actual concentrations and standards that are somewhere like four, five times lower than that. So, these are all very, very high numbers, even when they're low on the Chinese scale.

It sounds as though you could project things ahead for the beginning of the Olympics. What would you expect?

Well, it's pretty good right now. But I've just been looking at the extended forecast for winds, and the middle of next week, things are going to change quite radically, around the 3rd or the 4th. The big high-pressure system from out over the Pacific is going to kick in, and that's going to produce strong winds coming over the polluted areas to the south of Beijing, and it's going to pick up a lot of pollution. And according to these forecasts, it's going to be a pretty dirty end of next week. And unfortunately, that coincides with the Opening Ceremonies a week from today.

Ken, these are official Chinese numbers that you're working with, and you are sitting there in Rhode Island looking at these. Are the numbers trustworthy?

turn 0 : "It's out of sight." - This does not literally mean that the object is out of sight. It implies that the object is not visible or noticeable, and the speaker is emphasizing its high concentration level.

What does the phrase "out of sight" imply about the concentration level of the object being discussed?

Answer: Concentration


All right. Give me - we just have time for one tip for online dating, something you should do or shouldn't do.

One thing you should do is be yourself. Never ever, ever post any picture that's like five years old and 50 pounds lighter or heavier than you are. It's like your picture should reflect who you are, and the way that you write your profile should reflect who you are as a person, as well as the person that you're trying to attract for a date. Things you should not do, never have someone meet you in your home on a first date that you've never met before. Don't give out any specifics. I say, don't tell someone where you work unless you want them to come and visit you there.

Right.

Don't give them your address unless you want them to come and visit you there as well.

turn 0 : 50 pounds  implies a weight and not referring to 50 British pounds

What detail about the picture should reflect who you are according to PersonA in the dialogue?

Answer: Weight.


Senator Clinton is showing signs of being very interested in having the second slot on the ticket, whether or not ultimately she really wants to be vice president. I think she wants to have the salute that goes with having that job offered. Even if she chooses not to take it, and perhaps there would be good reasons for her to go either way, she would like to have the salute to her efforts and her constituencies that's implied by the offer.

Does that salute include money?

Well, she does have a campaign debt. I don't think that it's a crippling debt, and the Clintons have their own ability to either cover that debt or to raise money on their own. But they do need to get that money raised by the end of the summer. Otherwise, it's not going to be retireable under the current fundraising rules. So she needs to get it done soon, and she could use some help with that. Barack Obama could provide that support with his online fundraising base of a million and a half contributors.

All right, Ron. Thanks again.

turn 0 : This implies that Senator Clinton does not really want to become the Vice President, she just wanted to be honored for trying.

Answer: money


Not so well now. We're expecting to have a peace completely after the election, but we still have a few problems here and there as far as human right is concerned. And there is also killings in some parts of the country, in the west, also in east. So, that's not good.

There are a lot of people who've used music to raise awareness about what's going on in different parts of the world. Why do you think people relate to music as a way of understanding and humanizing other people?What is it about music that's so special?

Music is very natural. We are born - our mothers sing for us. The community welcomes you with music, with singing. So, it becomes part of your being, of your nature. At the same time, when you cry, it's also like singing. So, it seems like singing and music is set of human being. So, when we sing, we cry, we shout, we just bring it outside. So, it's very natural.

And your family had a musical tradition, what was its like growing up?

turn 1 : Why do you think people relate to music as a way of understanding and humanizing other people? What is it about music that's so special?"

How does PersonA describe the use of music in relation to understanding and humanizing other people?

Answer: Music


Race is so divisive. What can we learn from your relationship with a white man from a different generation?

That's what "Coach Wooden And Me" is about. It's about the fact that despite all the differences here in America, we come together on so much that we agree on, you know, our love for sport. Basketball fans across all ethnicities and socioeconomic lines, everybody loves hoops. And that's where we come together, within our country and with other countries of the world.

When you talk about your friendship with coach Wooden in the book, you use the word accomplishment. Why that word?Is having an enduring friendship and accomplishment?

Yeah, I think so because it's something that you have to work at. It just doesn't come. Building up trust and love and affection with someone else, you've got to take some risks. You could fail. It is an accomplishment, you know, because it tests your judgment and, what is your commitment?

turn 1 : In turn (2), when Bill Russell says "we come together on so much that we agree on," he is not referring to literal agreement, but rather the shared enjoyment and appreciation of basketball. Similarly, when he says "that's where we come together," he is not referring to a physical location, but rather a shared interest and passion.

Which word did Bill Russell use to describe enduring friendship as an accomplishment in turn (3)?

Answer: Accomplishment


You know, it may explain why you're such a good writer. I mean, you are one of the best science explainers. I mean, I've been doing this for a few years, and your book, "Letters to a Young Scientist", I think is the best book you've ever written because it is so much of you, and it is written in such an easy language, and we get you passion, we see your background.

Maybe it's because you talk to yourself that it's easier to write.

Yeah, and lots of students. And I've trained myself in clear explanation in order - when I went in to lecture to - sometimes I had a class of 150 because I taught basic biology, I had to have a device to keep the Harvard students in front of me from starting to read the Crimson.

So you had to come prepared to tell a good yarn, tell a good story or something.

turn 2 : He had to find a way to keep the students from becoming bored and distracted.

How did the lecturer prevent students from getting distracted?

Answer: device


Well, it's a heck of a lot more. So the total incentive package, when you include some training grants and other things like that, is $7 million over 10 years that they're being offered now. What critics are complaining about is that it appears from a certain perspective that the state is essentially rewarding Carrier, even as it ships some of the jobs to Mexico anyway. From another perspective, they're retaining, you know, a thousand jobs at least. And those jobs do produce revenue for the state through state income taxes and sales tax, and the state would argue that it - and Mike Pence would argue - that they come out ahead still on that.

I'm wondering if that doesn't make sense to you, given the fact that if those employers just left the state, there'd be no tax revenue for the state of Indiana to tap, and even more people losing jobs.

This is the gray area of economic development. You know, how many of these workers would find other jobs in this state?And in terms of these incentives, you know, these don't even appear to be the primary factor in Carrier's decision to keep these jobs here.

Is it felt that the most persuasive argument was the fact that United Technologies, which is the parent company of Carrier is a federal contractor and needs to have good relations with the federal government, which Mr.  Trump's about to head?

turn 1 : The state is trying to make the best out of a bad situation by providing incentives to Carrier, even though it will still be shipping jobs to Mexico.

What is the state offering Carrier despite their decision to move jobs to Mexico?

Answer: Incentives


Well, it was a a very powerful scene. Francis stood with his head bowed in prayer next to the Armenian apostolate patriarch and a group of black hooded Orthodox bishops while musicians performed a mournful melody on an ancient Armenian flute that's called the duduk. Here's what it sounds like.

The memorial itself is very impressive - 12 tall, slanted slabs of rock that suggest figures in mourning in a circle around an eternal flame. Francis prayed, and then he wrote in the memorial guest book, here I pray with pain in my heart so that never again will there be tragedies like this. He went on - may God protect the memory of the Armenian people. Memory should never be watered down or forgotten. Memory is the source of peace and the future. And I've heard a lot of Armenians who are mostly Orthodox express admiration and thanks that the leader of the Catholic Church acknowledges their history and loyalty to the Christian faith.

Before the pope landed in Yerevan, I gather he met with reporters on the plane. And he was asked about the subject of the past couple of days - Britain's exit from the European Union. What did he say?

Well, he looked very pensive, and he said this was the will of the people. He added this requires a great responsibility on the part of all of us to guarantee the good of the people of the United Kingdom and also the good and coexistence of the entire European continent.

turn 1 : Memory should never be watered down or forgotten.Memory is the source of peace and the future. - This implies that it is important to remember the past in order to build a peaceful future.

Which concept does Francis emphasize as the source of peace and the future?

Answer: Memory


Global warming?

Global warming, you know, is warming or changes in the, you know, there are two theories right now kind of competing, although it's probably some of the both. Natural cycles versus anthropogenic causes in global warming. And both have been identified in records of gulfstream modulation or the changing of its speeds.

Yeah. Water will also - changing the temperatures, water gets warmer. We all know it expands and rises sea levels. So there's three causes of sea level rise. One, the land can sink or rise up. That will change sea levels of the coasts. Warming of the water, as it gets warmer, it expands, and sea level will go up. And you can add water essentially to the bathtub by melting ice sheets from the. . .

turn 2 : The turn "If the water gets - just gets warmer, though, doesn't it expand the volume of it?" is an example of literal language. The speaker is referring to the scientific fact that water expands as it warms.

Which turn in the dialogue refers to the scientific fact that water expands as it warms?

Answer: 2


So one of the most famous stories about Julie takes place at a royal ball, at the Palais Royal. She attended in men's clothes. She often dressed in men's clothes, in the way that Katharine Hepburn dressed in men's clothes, not pretending to be a man, just, that was her style. And she saw a young woman on the dance floor, beautiful young woman, and she kissed her. Everyone gasped. And three men, one after another, three noblemen challenged her to a duel. So she said to them, one after another, yes, I'll meet you outside at midnight. Fought them, one after another, beat them all and then returned to the ball.

(Laughter) Just another night at the palace.

As you do, that's right. And, you know, that really sealed her reputation as a wild, uncontained woman who just did not care about any of the protocols.

Yeah. And how important was historical accuracy to you as a novelist?

turn 1 : In context, B's response "Just another night at the palace" is a sarcastic comment and doesn't actually mean that it was a typical night at the palace. Instead, it implies that the situation was unusual and scandalous, but B is making light of it with humor.

Which word describes PersonB's response to PersonA's story about Julie's scandalous behavior at the royal ball?

Answer: Humorous


Well, I think that where journalists and correspondents tend to stray into trouble is when they use metaphor. For instance, using words like blank slate. They tend to sort of overlook the fact that there are more than 600,000 people still living here.

Yeah, that's a pretty crowded slate. What about when you see a phrase like urban settlers?

Well, that sets off all kinds of unpleasant associations. You're talking about the process of colonization in a metaphoric sense. And typically, the people who are colonized tend to see their culture and their land and, you know, their identity despoiled.

Putting Detroit on the map.

turn 1 : "Crowded slate" implies that the city of Detroit is becoming crowded with people,

How does PersonB describe the phrase "urban settlers"?

Answer: Metaphor


Well, we got a response from a listener in Athens, Georgia, when our bloggers discussed whether black media outlets were balanced when covering Barack Obama. Scott Dugan (ph) wrote us this. I am surprised to find no mention of the constant comments from the media and McCain campaign that Obama was behaving presumptuously during his trip abroad. To me, these comments are all short hand for calling Obama uppity. Why have you called the media and the McCain campaign out on this?

And this month we're doing a series on addiction. Vernon Martin (ph) in Hollywood, Florida, wrote in to say he liked the segment we did last week on functioning addicts. So many times we conjure the wrong view in our minds about functioning addicts. They're found practicing law, operating, or assisting in operating rooms, teachers, police officers, construction workers or any other person maintaining a career. As a drug and alcohol counselor, I have seen all of them.

And last week, we covered the news that Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was sent to jail. Peter Williams (ph) lives in the Motor City and wrote us this. Your panel missed the point on Mayor Kilpatrick. The problem is not his unfaithfulness to his marriage. It is that he wrongfully fired three police officers who, while performing their duties, might have uncovered the affair. That is the type of abuse of public trust that warrants his dismissal.

And finally, Victor Emanuel (ph) in Inglewood, New Jersey wrote in about the interview we did about a black reporter who was thrown out of a John McCain event. Victor thought we cut the story short.

turn 0 : It implies that media and the McCain campaign were biased as they have used coded language to criticize Obama, and that this language is racially charged.

Which candidate was being discussed by the media and McCain campaign in turn 0?

Answer: Obama


It's a pleasure to be with you. And thank you very much for having me.

So this issue has been kind of dancing around the edges of political discourse for years now. I mean, Jesse Jackson made it part of his platform when he ran for president in 1988. And as we mentioned, your former colleague, Representative Conyers, reintroduced the bill in every congressional session for 25 years. But now it seems to be gaining some traction again. Why do you think that is?

I frankly believe that there's something to elections - And this is a Democratic House with Democratic leadership - and also the times. And it is tragic, but it is real that we've seen an uptick in racial incidences - white supremacy, white nationalism. And so the question of slavery, frankly, has never been addressed, particularly from the institutional governmental perspective. And I've updated the language of the resolution, HR40, and that is that it is a commission to study and to engage in proposals, recommendations on the question of reparation.

And it really goes to, I think, more people understanding that 40 acres and a mule was a legitimate concept right after the Emancipation Proclamation, and that never happened. But yet cotton was king. It was an economic engine of the entire United States. And so the prominence of the United States today in the 21st century is grounded on the free brutal labor that Africans gave and their descendants.

turn 0 : Expressing gratitude for the invitation and glad to be here.

What was the economic engine of the entire United States?

Answer: Cotton


Mike Dunleavy like, drained, I think, a dozen three-pointers, if I'm not mistaken.

At least, yeah. And the Blazers lost to Houston 121 to 116 in overtime - not to move on to Portland too quickly here. What's going on?Strange and spreading malady in these playoffs, Scott. Road teams are winning at a stunning rate. In the first week of the postseason, road teams won 12 of the 22 games. Now remember, teams are clawing for much of the regular season - clawing to win games in order to give them the home-court advantage in the playoffs.

The psychology of playing in front of your own cheering fans, the comfort and routine of home - it's supposed to make winning in the postseason more likely. So far, not the case.

And why not?

turn 1 : Implied meaning: The speaker may be using a metaphor or analogy to convey a deeper meaning or idea, often related to emotions or personal experiences.

How did the speaker convey a deeper meaning or idea?

Answer: Damage


You know, in the post-Katrina era, Scott, the assumption has been that when a hurricane comes, you focus on that and set other things aside. So it was jarring when the president went ahead with his summit with Kanye West. And as you say, it was a major full-media presence in the Oval Office.

But the president's theme all week has been to keep the focus on the president. He's had a flurry of news availabilities - way more than usual. In fact, in the last month, he's had more than in all the time previously in his presidency - very flashy events, campaign rallies around the country, night after night.

And that happens just as the cable operations - television, news - has - well, they've begun to lose interest in some of those rallies. They're not covering them from beginning to end anymore, sometimes not covering them all - at all, perhaps because they do seem to be news-free campaign events, and maybe because they've become so frequent.

Does this week's sudden stock sell-off raise questions about what had seemed to be so much good news about the economy, including that historically low unemployment rate?

turn 0 : The President's focus has been on himself, rather than hurricane relief efforts. The meeting with Kanye West was unexpected and inappropriate during a crisis

How was the President's focus during the hurricane season?

Answer: Himself


Today, Turkey formally requested NATO to deploy Patriot missiles on the border with Syria. And while the new anti-government coalition wins friends in foreign capitals, it gets a mixed reception from rebel groups inside Syria. NPR correspondent Deborah Amos joins us now by Skype from southern Turkey. And Deborah, always good to talk with you.

Thank you, Neal. Glad to be here.

And some European nations are already considering Turkey's Patriot missile request. If fulfilled, will that effectively establish a no-fly zone over parts of - over northern Syria?

NATO officials are downplaying the no-fly zone aspect of this. But there is no doubt that if there are Patriot missiles on the border, the Syrian air force will think twice about bombing any city close to that border. That is already happening on this - on the Turkish border. There are towns now that are under the umbrella of Turkey.

turn 3 : The presence of Patriot missiles on the border will deter the Syrian air force from bombing cities close to the border.

Which country requested NATO to deploy Patriot missiles on the border with Syria?

Answer: Turkey


Now, the first Crohn's gene was cofounded here at the University of Chicago by one of my colleagues. And subsequently, multiple genes for Crohn's disease have been found, most of which have to do with how the body's immune system interacts with the bugs living in the gut.

This is SCIENCE FRIDAY, from NPR. I'm Ira Flatow, talking with Dr.  Russell Cohen. And so there's more than one gene involved, is what you're saying.

Well, yes, there are multiple genes, and there's been big breakthroughs in genetic discoveries with something called genome-wide association, GWAS. So now the genes are falling out of the sky at us every time a group does a big genetic study.

Falling out of the sky. They're - is it that easy to discover them, or are there are just so many you can't really narrow down the important ones?Or are they all important?

turn 3 : There are so many genes that it is difficult to determine which ones are important

What is the reason for the difficulty in determining important genes?

Answer: many


But you also said let me reassure you, I've seen the quality of that work. In other words, these plans are viable, credible, ready to go?

Yes, I have. I did say that. Part of my job in the Pentagon was the oversight - civilian oversight of military planning, and one of the things that we've, you know, we're charged with is to prepare options for the president no matter the contingency. And certainly, there are very viable plans with regard to contingencies involving Iran. But again, the judgment is at this point that's not where the focus should be.

And as you know, Israel has - well, has plans of its own - contingencies. And I know a large part of your speech was devoted to the idea that they should hold off and reassuring them the United States would take action if necessary and that Israeli action would be counterproductive. More counterproductive than an American strike?

Well, my point to them was we have a shared objective here - preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons and that, you know, any military action really only buys time. It's a delaying action for one to three years. It sets the program back, but it doesn't solve the fundamental problem of Iran's pursuit of a nuclear weapons capability. To do that, you'll need a continued international campaign with sanctions, with negotiations to eventually change their calculus.

turn 2 : "And I know a large part of your speech was devoted to the idea that they should hold off and reassuring them the United States would take action if necessary and that Israeli action would be counterproductive." - The actual meaning here is not about the meaning of the words used but rather about the speaker acknowledging the content of the other person's speech and seeking clarification.

Which country is mentioned in turn 2 as having plans of its own?

Answer: Israel


Yeah, I believe there's a certainty of it. I started out my career as a journalist covering races in Mississippi, and every year people would try to give black people bad information, and we at the local black newspaper would find ourselves, you know, working with the NAACP, trying to get out good information. They would go through black neighborhoods and pass out flyers saying don't forget to vote on Wednesday, for instance. I'm sure that tactic, which is one of the tried and true, will be tried again somewhere in this country.

Well, Benjamin Jealous, thank you so much.

Thank you. It's a real pleasure.

Benjamin Jealous is the president of the NAACP.

turn 0 : People may try to give misleading information to black people during an election.

Which group did Benjamin Jealous lead as mentioned in the dialogue?

Answer: NAACP


Yeah, yeah, for sure. I definitely had it going last night.

And where do you hope to take it next?

Well, I think the rest of the season here, I'm going to be a marked man. I think I'm going to face a little bit more double-team. It's going to be. . .

I was going to ask you, are you going to get a double team on Sunday, yeah.

turn 2 : A is worried that he will face more difficulties in the upcoming games.

What is PersonA concerned about in the upcoming games?

Answer: Difficulties


Yeah. This is, again, completely innovative. You know, part of the problem that we have with tall buildings is building them all out of glass and then having to go to gymnastics to kind of cover them up on the outside, and we see that in America. But in intense solar environments like the desert, it makes even less sense.

This is an innovative way to control this. It actually, to my knowledge, for the first time creates this skin on the outside made up of, you know, hundreds of modules, which can open and close by computer control, depending on the angle of incident sun. So if the sun's on the other side of the building, the modules open up and allow natural daylight into the space. And if the sun is incident on the building, then those modules close up and block the sun from entering.

Is what makes a tall building great the ability to actually look like it fits in with the rest of the buildings in the neighborhood or the culture of the people?

I believe so. That's - you know, as a professor, that's the thing that I advocate. I believe that a Chinese tall building or a, you know, an American tall building or a Middle Eastern tall building should be different to each other in the same way that, you know, religious and other architecture is clearly identifiable.

turn 2 : "fits in with the rest of the buildings" - This is a figurative expression that means to be harmonious with the surrounding architecture or cultural context, rather than literally fitting in like a puzzle piece.

Which expression is used figuratively to describe the harmony of a tall building with its surrounding architecture or cultural context?

Answer: Fits


Thanks so much for having me on.

Can you tell me a little bit about Nebraska's land and what it means to its residents, the farmers?

Yeah. So Nebraska is in many ways a typical Great Plains state. Because the Missouri River cuts through along the eastern edge of the state, that's where all of the population originally settled. And so you have major industrial centers in south Sioux City and in Omaha. And then you have the capital educational center of Lincoln. But when you travel west of Lincoln, there's almost no one there. The small farming communities have gotten smaller and smaller in the last 50 years. And you can drive for hours essentially seeing only flatlands that are planted to corn and to soybeans and occasionally dotted with hog barns and feedlots for cattle.

Speaking to that disappearing landscape, I'd like you to read a page from your book, page 69.

(Reading) To understand, first remember - Nebraska is a place. It sits square as an anvil in the center of our maps. And yet somehow, everyone manages to forget it exists. Maybe that's because Nebraska is also a land of ghosts, of small towns dwindling to the point where in another generation they might simply cease to exist.

Why are they disappearing?Where are they going?

turn 1 : B is asking about the impact of Nebraska's land on its residents, not just its geographical features.

How does PersonB want PersonA to describe Nebraska's impact on its residents beyond its geographical features?

Answer: Impact


So, maybe they're taking a loss on the turkey, but the consumer comes in and buys cranberries, buys potatoes, buys a turkey baster, all of these other things.

Prices for avocados drop right before the Super Bowl, too, when a lot of guacamole gets made. But Valentine's Day bucks that price drop trend. Roses are popular for that holiday, and it turns out that roses are fussier than turkeys, which, after all, can be frozen. In economist-speak, roses are supply inelastic.

They all have to be harvested within a very short period of time. They have to be packed and sorted and shipped around the country.

But turkeys can be thrown into a freezer months ahead of time. So, if you're already thinking about what to get for a special someone next February 14th, here's an idea in economic verse. . .

turn 1 : There are no turns in this conversation.Whose atual meaning are different from their  literal meanings.All of the  return  are being used in straight for word and literal meanings.

What is the economist term used to describe the supply of roses?

Answer: inelastic


U. S.  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for the latest incidents and used strong language, calling them an attack on international peace and security as well as an assault on freedom of navigation. Iran maintains that it had no role in the explosions and called the U. S.  accusations part of a campaign against Iran. And all of this is taking place as the Trump administration is hoping to pressure Iran for what it considers better terms after earlier pulling the U. S.  out of the deal aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear campaign.

So in this moment of rising tension, we thought it would be helpful to get perspective from someone who's been involved in previous negotiations between the two nations. Gary Sick negotiated the agreement that ended the hostage crisis that began during the Carter administration. He's now a senior research scholar at Columbia University's Middle East Institute. Gary Sick, welcome. Thanks for joining us.

It's good to be with you.

How do you view what happened this week?

turn 0 : The U.S. blames Iran for the explosions, but Iran denies involvement and considers it part of a campaign against them.

What did Iran say about the U.S. accusations?

Answer: Part


Rod Blagojevich appealed for his sentence to be reduced last year. A judge refused, saying his long sentence is deserved, but Blagojevich's lawyer attached letters from a hundred other prisoners who spoke of his kindness and spirit. He was at the top level, wrote a man who identified himself as a convicted drug dealer, and now he is in prison with so many true felons and he accepts that as fate with his head held high, no ego, no arrogance and, most importantly, with humble humility.

A portrait of Rod Blagojevich in ornate, official hallways could remind governors who follow why citizens can be cynical about politicians. It might remind politicians not to think that getting elected endows them with honesty, wisdom or character. And, yes, it might give a disgraced politician a little recognition for finding a way to make his life useful to others.

The King. You're listening to NPR News.

turn 2 : (Singing) The warden threw a party in the county jail. The prison band was there, and they began to wail. The band was jumpin' and the joint began to swing.  Implicated meaning: The warden organizing a party in the county jail and having the prison band perform creates an atmosphere of excitement and enjoyment, turning the otherwise somber and restrictive environment of a jail into a lively and energetic place.

What was the atmosphere of the county jail during the warden's party?

Answer: Lively


Yes. Tsar Nicholas tried to seek asylum in Britain. And the British parliament actually was about to grant him asylum, but the king, King George V, vetoed it. And what's interesting is King George V happened to be Nicholas' first cousin. So, as the saying goes, with relatives like that, who needs enemies?

Why did he do that?Do you know?

He was afraid that it would cause a revolution in England as well. So, he said better stay away.

Now, then, of course, we have Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos. Most of us remember Imelda Marcos for her shoe collection. But I gather that before they left the Philippines, they gathered up a few more things.

turn 2 : The speaker's literal meaning is that King George V vetoed Tsar Nicholas' asylum request because he was afraid it would cause a revolution in England. The implicated meaning could be that family loyalty can sometimes be compromised by political considerations, and that monarchs might prioritize the interests of their country over those of their own relatives.

How can family loyalty sometimes be compromised?

Answer: political


(Singing) Don't act surprised, It ain't like you didn't know. It's been a long, long time comin' And it's time for me to go.

Tryin' to split things up Could drive us crazy.

So where'd that song come from?

That song - Frank Rogers is my producer, and we got together - it was the first time we had met each other, we were talking about what kind of record I wanted to make. And I told him I really wanted to make a country record, and that was the first song we wrote together.

turn 3 : The singer is implyihng that Frank Rogers and he cowrote the song in question together.

Which person co-wrote the song with the singer?

Answer: Frank-Rogers


Reading this book, the thing that always shone through was that you never took no for an answer. You talk about, despite all your successes, always feeling like you might never be good enough, or that people were judging you. And yet, you always sort of came back swinging, sometimes literally.

I love the word no (laughter). Because of the ADD and the dyslexic, I couldn't follow anyone's formula at all. So no to me was the yes that I needed to hear. And I wanted to succeed so I could grow my team and grow my staff as well. And a lot has to do about Boston in general. I wanted to be somebody, you know?I think so.

Barbara Lynch - her book is called "Out Of Line: A Life Of Playing With Fire. "Thanks so much for joining us.

Thank you so much.

turn 1 : In this turn, the speaker says "I love the word no" and goes on to explain how the word "no" was actually a motivating force for them, rather than a discouraging one. This is different from the literal meaning of the word "no," which is generally used to signify a negative response or refusal. The speaker's implication is that they have learned to reframe the word "no" in a positive way and use it as a tool for success.

Which word did the speaker say they love?

Answer: No


And the Trump administration has said that some of these many navigator programs were failing to meet their targets, that they were going to put the largest reductions on to the groups that weren't performing. How does that apply to you?

It does not apply to the Ohio Association of Food Banks and our consortia partners. We have served for four years to carry out navigator activities in the state of Ohio. And for those four years, we have met, nearly met or exceeded all of our deliverables. All of the feedback that we had received was very positive - keep up the great work. We certainly wish other states would perform to your level and standards. I believe at one point they even said that we were, quote, "rock stars. "

So I can - may I presume that you were shocked?

Shocked would be an understatement, but really deeply, deeply and profoundly disappointed and felt as though, quite frankly, we were being held hostage in the belief that it was really - appeared to be a political maneuver to damage the viability and stability of the Affordable Care Act. And at that point, our members voted unanimously to terminate our contract on navigator services in Ohio.

turn 1 : "rock stars" is used figuratively to mean that the Ohio Association of Food Banks and their partners were performing exceptionally well, rather than literally referring to musicians or performers.

Which term was used figuratively to describe the performance of Ohio Association of Food Banks and their partners?

Answer: Figurative


A tall building may become synonymous with a place, but it doesn't mean that it's born of that place. You can almost pick it up and put it in any city around the world and it would become synonymous with that city. And it denying thousands of years of vernacular architectural tradition, you know. . .

Yeah, yeah.

. . . to relate to environment and all these other things. So that's where the 95 percent figure, an arbitrary figure, comes from.

The Twin Towers in Abu Dhabi received the tall building innovation award. These buildings carry their own sunscreen, in a sense.

turn 3 :  "These buildings carry their own sunscreen, in a sense." - This turn means that the buildings have a feature that provides protection from the sun, rather than literally carrying sunscreen.

How do the buildings in Abu Dhabi protect themselves from the sun?

Answer: Sunscreen


So your position would be that your dean of students would be there, even if there were some Oberlin students who decided to have a Make America Great rally.

Absolutely. The content of the speech isn't relevant. And she's supposed to be a liaison to the police. And, in fact, the police contacted her staff to talk about this particular protest as it was happening. So it wouldn't matter whether they were there for a Make America Great rally or whether they were there to talk about some progressive cause. The content of the speech is not why we're there. It's there to be able to protect the community and to make it a lawful protest.

Racism is an ugly charge. Can you see why the Gibsons were upset by it?

Oh, absolutely. I - absolutely. If you're called a name that you don't believe is true, then I can absolutely see why the Gibsons were upset.

turn 3 : The Gibsons were upset because they were called a name they believed was untrue

Which family was upset by a false accusation?

Answer: Gibsons


We're in the last few weeks of the Supreme Court's current term, and justices still have loads of decisions to hand down - two dozen, to be precise. And some of those may come as soon as Monday. We'll bring in NPR's legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg. Nina, thanks so much for being with us.

My pleasure, as always, Scott.

Twenty-four cases in which there are no decision. I gather a dozen could be of particular interest. Which ones do you most anticipate?

Well, there are three big ones. The first is what I call the cross case. This is a giant cross on public property in Bladensburg, Md. It's a World War I war memorial. And civil libertarians have objected to it because they see the cross as a symbol of Christianity and that it ought to be on private property, maintained with private funds, not taxpayer money. We're going to see what the court does with that. My suspicion is that they're going to let the cross stand. And whatever they write probably will have a lot of impact on religious symbol cases in the future.

turn 0 : The supreme court has a great many decisions to make on cases.

How many cases does the Supreme Court have to make decisions on?

Answer: Two-dozen


This is such a different type of story than we often see after a disaster. I mean, it's just the sheer numbers and the sheer amount of land in these three countries that was affected. I mean, you've decided to bring us just into one life and profile - one person doing one thing. Was that experience different for you journalistically?

It was a different - oh, gosh. It was a different experience for sure. I've never followed anyone doing this kind of work. And I've had two reporting trips to Mozambique now. And a lot of the work has been focused on the many, many people trying to deliver aid to people still alive - you know, frantic - organized frantic chaos, you know, trying to help people survive. And this was a very different, quiet experience but just fascinating to see.

Is there one image or one scene or one moment that stands out for you after following this man?

I think it was just the one in the field. It just struck me as an immense task. And I wanted to bring that to life as much as possible immediately for people. And he said it himself as he stood and he looked around the field. And he said, this is literally like a needle in a haystack.

turn 2 :  "one image or one scene or one moment that stands out"

What stands out for PersonB after following this man?

Answer: Field


Yes, we're all OK.  We're all safe. We're at his house in James City, thank goodness.

Yeah. I'm told you left after the evacuation order. May I ask why?

We made the decision to stay based on the fact that all of the ATMs were out of cash, there was a gas shortage, monetary reasons and concerns of not being able to get back in. I have my father, who is in a nursing facility fighting Stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma, and I was really concerned about what would happen with him.

How is your father?How is your father, may I ask?

turn 2 : The decision to stay was based on financial and personal concerns, not just the evacuation order.

Which order was not the only reason for their decision to stay?

Answer: Evacuation


. . . in the most efficient way.

Right. So the ones in the back may get an advantage by swimming behind the fish, but they, you know, pay the cost of not getting to food first. They also are safer because they don't get eaten first if a predator is coming right at them. So it's a complicated issue, and he's just looking at this one little piece, but. . .

It's fascinating. The video is - I call it the Pied Piper fish.

Yeah, absolutely.

turn 2 : The literal meaning of B's turn is that the video is fascinating and is like the Pied Piper fish. However, the implied meaning is that the video is about the Pied Piper fish and thus the fish in the video are like the Pied Piper fish.

Answer: None


Well, the - there in every single state, and the data changes state by state, but in every single state, there is a huge disproportionality between the number of particularly African-Americans, but also Latino youths, who wind up in high-level facilities, as opposed to Caucasians youth who wind up in high-level facilities.

And by high level you mean the higher security, more. . .

I mean, higher - yes, more intensive, more secure facilities. Ironically, or maybe not so ironically, when you look at high - facilities that have a high-level of treatment, you'll see disproportionally white youth in the high-level of treatment facilities. But from the very first day, when we start with arrests, which I'm sure you're very familiar with, but moving on through the system, there is continuous and increased disproportionality.

That doesn't even deal with the real disproportionality in the system, between families that have assets, and the families that have fewer assets. So, youth in the juvenile justice system are primarily African-Americans and Latinos that are almost entirely low-income youth.

turn 3 : The juvenile justice system disproportionately affects low-income African-American and Latino youths.

How does the juvenile justice system affect low-income African-American and Latino youths?

Answer: Disproportionately


Oh, absolutely, 100 percent.

Do you ever talk to the students that you went to college with recently, students who were maybe sometimes 60 years younger than you, about what you have lived and what you have gone through?Do you ever tell them these kinds of stories?

In some of my classes, some of the fellows would ask me about the segregated South. I would reveal to them, like in one instance, we had a history major and he was just tickled to death to learn this stuff firsthand from somebody who had actually been through it. Example, I used to tell him that at Norfolk Navy Yard, the drinking fountains and lavatories were all segregated - black, colored water and colored bathrooms, white bathrooms. And the white water always broke down and they drank the colored water.

turn 0 : "So you were ready to stand up for yourself?" - The actual meaning could be, "Were you prepared to defend yourself and your beliefs when faced with opposition or criticism?" It may not necessarily mean the person was physically standing up.

What kind of segregation was present in the Norfolk Navy Yard according to the speaker?

Answer: Opposition


Mm-hmm. I'm Ira Flatow. This is SCIENCE FRIDAY from NPR, talking with Anthony Leiserowitz of the - he's the director of the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication at Yale. How can you follow up with this?Can you keep coming up with new polls so we can follow this?

Oh, absolutely. We'll be doing this at least twice a year and, of course, we have lots of other colleagues around the country that are also surveying on this exact same topics.

And will we know if this does move into the - more into the political discourse as well as the public discourse?

Well, I think we'll see it. I mean, first of all, you can see it in the amount of - number of times that the president talks about this, that candidate Mitt Romney talks about this, as well as across the board. I mean, remember, it's not just the presidential election. There are some Senate races and congressional races all over this country. And what we're seeing is that a lot of people are beginning to ask the question about climate change.

turn 1 :  "Oh, absolutely." - This is a literal response that affirms the ability to conduct new polls twice a year and that other colleagues are also surveying on the same topic.

Which response of PersonA affirms the ability to conduct new polls and mentions the involvement of colleagues in surveying on the same topic?

Answer: Absolutely


I gather Jim Dunne was a great father.

He was a great father. And - yes. And he has two sons that are in the automotive business. And yeah, he was a terrific father and a wonderful grandfather as well and a great friend.

Yeah. You're going to miss him.

I'm going to miss him. I'm going to miss - he also was wonderful for - he held lunches at some of Detroit's divier (ph) places. And you know, I'm going to miss when he'd call up and say, hey, we're meeting at Buddy's Pizza (ph) at 12:15. Be there. I wish I'd said yes more often.

turn 1 : Jim Dunne was a great father and successful in raising his sons, while emphasizing he was a wonderful grandfather and friend

What did Jim Dunne emphasize besides being a great father?

Answer: Grandfather


The Trump administration - or at least the president - have indicated previously they don't share this conclusion. Saudi Embassy says the claims and the purported assessment are false. Now, let's note - President Trump has often criticized the U. S.  intelligence establishment, saying they're not right on Russia. Oh, yeah. They were the ones who said Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

We have to ask, is there any indication in this CIA report, which has sources inside, that this is some kind of attempt by what the president's supporters call the deep state to bring him into line?

No, I don't think so. I mean, the CIA - you know, for all of the ways that the president somehow misunderstands how they operate - is looking at this situation objectively. And, yes, to some degree, they are factoring in subjective judgments about how people behave, like the crown prince. But this is not an attempt, I think, to, you know, bring the crown prince to heel or to somehow influence policy.

And we should note, too, the president, I mean, has been briefed on the CIA's findings. And what we understand is that he keeps resisting them because he doesn't have, I guess, the smoking gun. He keeps asking, well, where's the body?Or, show me the definitive proof that Mohammed bin Salman ordered this. And, you know, it doesn't always work that way.

turn 1 : This statement implies a suggestion that some of President Trump's supporters may believe that the CIA report is an attempt to undermine his authority, rather than an objective assessment of the facts.

Which group of people may believe the CIPersonA report is an attempt to undermine President Trump's authority?

Answer: supporters


Because they - the bystander effect being that they thought somebody else would call in, or I don't want to get involved.

Yeah.

And I think it is different from the bystander effect, because it depends on the community that you're in and what becomes normal for that community and what causes concern in that community. That changes depending upon the way the community does.

Now, having said that, I will say this. We have become a society who says, not me, not get involved. One, out of fear, because you don't want to get involved, you think you'll get hurt too. And number two, I think we've become attenuated as a society for a variety of reasons. One, because of our mobility. I don't live where my grandmother lived, where her mother lived, where my uncles and cousins and aunts are. And most people don't anymore. Not any more, but we're so much of a mobile society, and we're become a technological society. My husband yesterday called my son on his cell phone from our bedroom to his room to tell him to do something.

turn 1 : to call in with this context means to call the police

Which action is being discussed in the context of the word "call"?

Answer: Call


. . . Transparency. They want to know how we got to this point so that no presidential candidate, Democrat or Republican, ever sees something like this happen to them.

So you would like to see an investigation of the investigation. You do think that's a productive use of time.

What I want to make certain is we know that bad actors are rooted out and that we are going to be well served by individuals who realize we are a nation of laws, that we will abide by the rule of law. And you are going to have law enforcement there that is to uphold the law.

Marsha Blackburn is a Republican senator from Tennessee. She sits on the Judiciary Committee. Thank you very much for joining us.

turn 3 : joining us implies being part of a program or activity and not referring to mixing or attaching people together

How does joining us imply involvement in a program or activity rather than attaching people together?

Answer: guest


Well, to be quite honest with you, at the end of the day, when you're looking at a product that is an adult product - and that's how we see it - the adult has the ability to choose.

But why blueberry, vanilla and cherry - why those flavors?

Actually, you know, we have quite a few individuals that like the blueberry. For me, it gets old quick. So therefore, I have, like, more coffee flavors. But the point is cherry and strawberry are actually fairly popular flavors amongst adults.

And when we're talking about flavors, we're not talking about those kind of flavors. We're talking about the cotton candy type of flavors. We steer away from any flavors that expressly go after a particular target market audience. And those flavors we obviously will never carry, never made and will never participate in our lineup.

turn 0 : at the end of the day means something is likely going to happen or what happens after everything else.

What flavors does the company steer away from?

Answer: Flavors


OK, which theory do you want to start with?

Well, the ships became frozen in the ice and the crewmen set out on foot.

Well, we know that's true. Captain Franklin - Sir John - made a huge mistake trying to force the Victoria passage with that much ice. And he kept going when they could turn back to shelter. And it got them stuck in the worst possible place. So his error of judgment doomed those men.

What other theories are there?

turn 2 : Although the speaker says "we know that's true," they are not expressing a belief that the events described in turn (2) are factual. Rather, they are acknowledging the information that has been presented and using it as a basis to introduce a theory about what might have happened to the crewmen. T

How did the speaker use the information in turn 2?

Answer: Basis


Tell me a little bit about Riot Games. They're funding a lot of esports events.

Yeah.

What is their role in this?

They are creating a lot of the games. They've been out in front and doing a ton of deals. They did a deal with the Big Ten Network where they sponsor an esports tournament among Big Ten schools, and the winner of that tournament sort of gets a scholarship to one of the Big Ten schools. They're very heavily involved in sort of not only developing the games but also developing the business in total.

turn 3 : Task Don't just paraphase the words! Find the implicated meaning! We don't want answers like: to be silent means stay quiet and not making noise, bad answer!  Please read the examples above carefully!      (1)	B:	Tell me a little bit about Riot Games.They're funding a lot of esports events. (2)	A:	Yeah. (3)	B:	What is their role in this? (4)	A:	They are creating a lot of the games.They've been out in front and doing a ton of deals.They did a deal with the Big Ten Network where they sponsor an esports tournament among Big Ten schools, and the winner of that tournament sort of gets a scholarship to one of the Big Ten schools.They're very heavily involved in sort of not only developing the games but also developing the business in total.  Please choose the turns whose actual meanings are different from their literal meanings.   (1)  (2)  (3)  (4)

How is Riot Games involved in developing the esports business?

Answer: Developing


Madam de Pompadour was the mistress of Louis XV and a style-setter. A painting shows her at her vanity table with her mirror, her makeup brush and compact, wearing a shockingly low-cut gown. Her preening went on for hours, so she'd receive visitors as she put on her makeup.

She had incredibly good taste, and hired only the most important, the most well-known furniture designers, painters. She was very cultured, and she created amazing furniture. And this table was made for her Chateau Bellevue. And it's impeccably made. The marquetry is fantastic. It's all about her life and who she is and her lifestyle. And so you should notice that on the top of the bronze-gilt mounts of the legs, there are little castle tops representing where she lives, her chateau. And then the top shows all of her interests - her interests in gardening and nature, her interest in music. And this was, obviously, commissioned by her and was to make to show her interests and her likes.

There are exquisite combs in the exhibit. Some of them are decorated with precious gems, others made out of rubber, and some made out of ebony and ivory. But they were not all used for beauty alone.

The interesting thing about the double-sided combs: the wide tooth is to comb hair, and the narrow end is to comb out the lice.

turn 0 : (1) implies that Madam de Pompadour was very vain and spent a lot of time preening herself, indicating that she may have been more concerned with her appearance than her actual duties as the mistress of Louis XV.

What aspect of Madam de Pompadour's life does the table commissioned for her reflect?

Answer: Interests


Wow.

. . . Actually the night he died. So he was a very well-respected young person by our staff, by our students and our community. And, you know, it was a very shame that that did happen.

I'm so impressed. I gather the youngsters themselves in your school came up with the idea of electing them king and queen. I got to tell you. . .

Yeah, you know, you think about social media as something that's bad sometimes. Well, they - her friends and his friends kind of started a little social media thing and the adults weren't even totally aware. And they wanted to - they wanted to have them be king and queen. Now, it wasn't, you know, the whole school. It wasn't everybody. It was a very tight group of kids that really. . .

turn 0 : Wow. Implicated Meaning: B is expressing surprise or admiration. It implies that B is impressed or astonished by something.

How did PersonB react to something in the conversation?

Answer: Impressed


Hi, senator. How are you doing?

I'm great. How are you?

I'm doing great. So your two major competitors in this race have come to symbolize certain things. Senator Edwards paints himself as the candidate who's going to end poverty and Senator Obama's supporters say he's the candidate of change. So what do you symbolize?

Well, I think that I'm the candidate with the experience we need to make the changes we want. I don't think there is an either or here. That's a false choice. We have to look at each of us and what we represent and what we have done in our lives and what we believe we can do as the next president.

turn 2 :  (3).  In this turn, the speaker asks what the senator symbolizes in the current political race. The literal meaning of the words is clear, but the implied meaning is more complex. The speaker is really asking the senator to define their political platform and message, and to explain how they differ from their competitors. The question is meant to elicit a nuanced response that goes beyond simple symbolism.

What does the speaker ask the senator to define in turn 2?

Answer: Political


Well, that's how your muscles grow. And in this case, what we found was with the exercise, after very strenuous exercise of 20 minutes, we found a disappearance of the chemical tags from the DNA. And what this means is that it allowed other proteins' transcription factors to access the DNA, and this could instruct the cell to make specialized proteins that could support growth and metabolism.

Wow. Does it also explain why you lose your muscle tone if you don't exercise?

Well, we actually - we didn't study that.

Yeah.

turn 0 : The implied meaning of turn (1) is that engaging in strenuous exercise leads to changes in DNA that enable the production of specific proteins necessary for muscle growth and metabolism. It implies that the process of muscle growth involves more than just physical strain.

Which process allows other proteins to access DNPersonA after strenuous exercise, leading to specialized protein production for growth and metabolism?

Answer: Transcription


Are there any good reasons to use this?

There is a separate group here working on storing data in DNA. It turns out that DNA is really robust for long-term storage, whereas, you know, hard drives may die after a few years. You can conceivably store data in DNA for hundreds or thousands of years. And as long as life continues to be based on DNA, we'll always have a reason to read and write DNA. So it's sort of a technology that won't go obsolete.

So, I mean, we underscored the aspect of some kind of mischief or outright miscreants. But I wonder, you know, a few years from now, instead of having hard drives or storage systems, will people just carry around that information in themselves, in their DNA?

I'm not sure that people will carry around that information within them. But I do believe people will start using DNA for sort of long-term storage. So accessing data from DNA and putting data into DNA is a pretty slow process. And so you'll want to, you know, archive photos in there and things like that. But you won't want to use it for your day-to-day tasks, at least not for the foreseeable future.

turn 3 : Implied meaning: DNA may not be suitable for carrying out everyday tasks due to its slow processing speed.

Which technology may not be suitable for day-to-day tasks due to its slow processing speed?

Answer: DNA


Not a bad thing. Oh, yes. But my favorite apple that's in the book - that's mentioned in the book - is called the Pitmaston Pineapple. And it tastes of nuts and honey, but it also has a kind of pineapple finish - faint taste of pineapple at the end. And - but I love them so much that I have planted my own Pitmaston Pineapple tree. And in a couple years, I'm really hoping it bears fruit.

Tracy Chevalier's new novel is "At The Edge Of The Orchard. "

Tracy Chevalier, it's good to talk to you. Thanks so much.

Thank you.

turn 1 : The narrator has a strong appreciation for the Pitmaston Pineapple, as they have made the effort to plant their own tree to experience the taste of it.

What is the name of the narrator's favorite apple?

Answer: Pitmaston


Shanta, thanks for coming on.

Thank you for having me.

So we just heard Ward Connerly and he strongly disagrees with your position. He says that people shouldn't be treated differently in hiring and education because of race and that you've actually mischaracterized the deposition you did with him on October. How do you respond to that?

I think our characterization, my characterization of the deposition was completely accurate, and I think what Mr.  Connerly was saying was a complete non-sequitur. The truth of the matter is where affirmative action programs have been eliminated like in the University of California system. There's been a tremendous drop in black and Latino student enrollment in all the graduate law and medical programs and at U. C. Berkeley and UCLA and I think it's just disingenuous and dishonest to say that black and Latino students are now being matched with colleges that they're academically able to go to.

turn 3 : Literally, turn (4) is a response to the question posed by the interviewer. However, the implied meaning is that the speaker is defending affirmative action programs and arguing against Ward Connerly's stance on the issue. The speaker is also accusing Mr. Connerly of being disingenuous and dishonest in his arguments against affirmative action.

What is the PersonA's stance on affirmative action programs?

Answer: Support


Yes, and that's a very different situation because the ice sitting on the ocean, when it melts, it doesn't change sea level. If you think of a glass of ice tea and you put your ice cubes in the ice tea, when the ice melts, your ice tea, obviously, doesn't overflow. The ice just - it. . .

There's quite a difference in volume, but not big enough.

Yeah. It basically doesn't - but the melting ice that's floating doesn't matter, but what - but a lot of the ice sitting on Greenland and on Antarctic, the continent of Antarctica, when that ice melts, that does, in fact, add water to the sea. And those are in the long term, likely to drive the sea level rise and could drive the sea level rise by a great deal in the coming decades and centuries.

So is anomalous - I mean, is this - as you said, it's definitely part of a trend. There's no way to argue with it anymore, about the warming and that it's having real effects. How is it going faster than people feared?

turn 0 : Melting ice on Greenland and Antarctica will increase sea levels

How will melting ice on Greenland and Antarctica affect sea levels?

Answer: Increase.


It's time now for our Africa Update. The search begins for an African Einstein. In South Africa this week, at least two dozen people have been killed in a wave of attacks on foreigners and we look at Rwanda's new economic force, women. For more, we've got Roxanne Lawson, she's director of Africa Policy for TransAfrica Forum. Hey, Roxanne.

Hi, how are you doing?

I'm doing great. So let's talk about some disturbing news form South Africa. It's the biggest economic power on the continent and plenty of immigrants from other African nations are flooding into the country, legally or not. South Africans are accusing these immigrants of taking away jobs and causing crime, in some ways it's similar to a lot of the debates right here in the U. S.  Now, some South Africans are getting into brutal attacks on foreigners. At least 24 people have been killed in unrest that broke out a week ago. So what's the latest on the violence?

You're directly right that it actually is very much like what we see here in the United States with our migration issues. As of this morning, official reports that 217 people have been arrested, over 3,000 have been displaced and 22 people are dead.

turn 2 :  "South Africans are accusing these immigrants of taking away jobs and causing crime" - This turn has a figurative meaning, as immigrants are not literally taking away jobs and causing crime, but rather this is a perceived issue by some South Africans.

Which issue with immigrants in South Africa is perceived by some people as taking away jobs and causing crime?

Answer: Job


Well, I met him on the phone first. I asked him what he did and he said: Walter, I'm a freelance central banker. Other things that came up during the phone call - the fact that he'd never tasted Coca-Cola, never eaten in a restaurant - got me to thinking, I, as a fiction writer, have to meet this guy. It would be professional malpractice if I didn't.

Now, you met him finally. He said he lived in the same apartment building as Tony Bennett, as a matter of fact. This struck you as a building where a rich person might live but. . .

Well, you know, it was a block off of Central Park. He invited me up and there was no furniture, no real food in the kitchen. But there was what appeared to be, em, maybe $80, $90 million worth of Jackson Pollocks, Rothkos, and de Koonings hanging on the walls.

Was he brilliant at some level?

turn 3 : Was he brilliant at some level? - Implied meaning: Was he very wealthy or successful?

What kind of paintings were hanging on the walls?

Answer: Jackson,Pollocks,,Rothkos,,and,de,Koonings


You can see the hurricanes. . .

That's right.

. . . the tornadoes and things and try to connect the dots themselves if no one else is going to connect the dots for them.

That's exactly right.

turn 2 : The implied meaning of (3) is to encourage people to learn and understand the connection between the hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters, without relying on someone else to do it for them.

Answer: Encourage


Oh, there's a sea lion. See its nose coming up right there?

Oh, yeah.

That sea lion's got the same mission we do. We're both looking for salmon. But first, we need that ice to chill the catch.

It gets sprayed down from the dock in a giant tube, enough for two big coolers.

turn 0 : The sea lion is searching for food in the same way that we are, so it can be seen as a symbol of perseverance and determination.

How can the sea lion be interpreted in the context of the dialogue?

Answer: symbol


People who read the exchange drove from all over to eat at Sichuan Garden, post praise for their food and service and suggest that the Harvard prof had too many degrees and not enough good sense or human grace.

By weeks' end, the sheriff of the Internet had surrendered. It's clear that I was very much out of line, Ben Edelman posted on his website. I am sorry and I intend to do better in the future.

And some Harvard business students, perhaps from chagrin, began a campaign for people to make $4 donations to the Greater Boston Food Bank. Maybe the next time Mr.  Edelman has Chinese food, he'll end the meal with a fortune cookie that says it is sometimes better to be wise then right.

(Singing) Everybody has the right to be wrong at least once. Everybody has the right to be dunce-like once-like. Not being too smart is no disgrace. What sets you apart is smiling with egg on your face.

turn 1 : Implied meaning: The speaker is aware that there may be differing opinions on the topic being discussed and is acknowledging the possibility of disagreement.

How did the speaker acknowledge the possibility of disagreement?

Answer: Acknowledged


So what you're hearing is a measurement that we make on our new mission. We just launched the Radiation Storm Belt Probes back in the very end of August. And we make measurements of the radio waves, and it turns out that these radio waves are in the same frequency range as human hearing. So we can take our measurement. We just turned into a WAV file or an MP3 file, and then you can listen to it.

Wow. And you have some other sounds as well, right?I think we have one ready to go.

What's that one?

That's a very classic sound for people in our field. That's something called a whistler, and it's been known for a very, very long time. And it comes about when a lightning strike occurs on the surface of the Earth. And that sends out a whole broad range of various radio waves, and they go up. And some of them can make it out through the Earth's ionosphere, which tends to reflect a lot of it. And as they move along out into space, it turns out the higher frequencies, the treble pitches, move faster than the slower, basier(ph) pitches. And so when they get to our satellite and measure them, what you hear first is that high pitch, and then it sweeps downward to lower and lower and lower frequency.

turn 0 : The radio waves can be heard by humans.

What is the frequency range of the radio waves?

Answer: B


Well, it is. It starts off in Pumalin Park, which is temperate rain forest - so think of the coast of British Columbia - all the way down into the grassland/steppe areas toward the tip of the country. It really encompasses almost every ecotone that one would find in the south of the country.

We should note this is now the largest private donation of land to a government ever. You and your husband ran this place as a park for a long time. I've been there. And it is indeed just one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Why hand it over to the government of Chile?

Well, you know, we grew up within the national parks here in the United States. And there is a sense of, I would even say, ownership by every American who goes through the front gates of Yellowstone or Yosemite, that those are public parks. They belong to everybody. And Chile is no different. We hope that somehow between the creation of national parks, the development of what we call economic development as a consequence of conservation that precious masterpieces of the country will be preserved forever.

Have you gotten guarantees, though, that the government of Chile will run it in a way that's sustainable?There have been concerns about the capacity of the government of Chile to really run these parks in the same way that you've run them.

turn 3 : In this turn, the speaker is using the phrase "run it in a way that's sustainable" in a metaphorical sense, meaning to manage the park in a way that preserves its natural resources and ecological balance, rather than just its financial profitability.

Which sense is the speaker referencing in turn 3?

Answer: Metaphorical


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.

Which turn indicates that the speaker needs to conclude the interview or conversation?

Answer: Wrap


There's been such wild swings. You know, in 2014, we were here talking about a dreadful harvest in Italy that was mostly due to the olive oil fruit fly, which was a big problem following a warmer-than-usual winter. This year, it's a deep freeze. And among farmers in Italy, they feel like these extreme swings are happening more often. Experts that we talked to believe that climate change is a factor.

I don't know the Olive Oil Times.

(Laughter) Well, you should. It's the most read olive oil publication. You know, it seems niche, but there are 3 million people around the world who make - who work to make olive oil. It's a very important food, one of the healthiest products that the Earth provides us. And there's a lot to tell. It's also a cultural cornerstone for the Mediterranean region and the rest of us.

Curtis Cord, publisher of the Olive Oil Times, we'll be reading it. Thanks so much, Mr.  Cord.

turn 0 : Extreme weather swings are happening more often due to climate change

What is the factor behind the frequent extreme weather swings?

Answer: Climate


That's depressing, Marc. I'm Flora Lichtman and this is SCIENCE FRIDAY from NPR, talking with Marc Abrahams. So the world is getting worse based on Professor Trinkaus' studies. Is there any upside to this news?

The upside is he's still there counting. He hasn't given up on us. And. . .

The other thing is that these are really interesting reports. They're so short and they're written in clear language, and they've got numbers. And he's got all this data. He's got about 100 of these reports on different subjects. They're sitting there waiting for anybody to come along and try to make sense of the data. And some of them are really tiny things. He noticed that in the building where he worked in New York City, sometimes there would be some doors that were open and other doors that were shut. And he counted how many people, when confronted with a door that's open and a door that's shut, will go through the open door and how many people choose to go through the door that's shut so they have to open it themselves.

I liked this one, "Taste Preferences for Brussels Sprouts: An Informal Look. "And as you might have suspected, 54 percent of young students found the vegetable to be very repulsive. That's one of his findings. Does anyone cite his work?

turn 1 : upside implies the advantage or benefits, not a part or side being above

Which word is used to describe the advantage or benefits in the dialogue?

Answer: Upside


You know there are some including the West Point history professor, Lieutenant Colonel John Gentile, who say that it's not so much that we've sent in these extra troops or changed our strategy, it's that we got Muqtada al-Sadr's forces to have a ceasefire and we essentially hired 100,000 former Sunni insurgents to come onto our payroll and try to keep quiet.

That's an absolute distortion of what's actually happened. Look, I've been going to Iraq for the last two years, every three or four months for a couple of weeks at a time. I have spoken to the Sunni insurgent leaders and they have capitulated. There's not a white flag of surrender, but they have come into the political process.

Why did you come into the political process?Why didn't you continue to seek your political objectives using armed violence?Answer, because we couldn't win. One of them said, when Bush occupied Baghdad, we knew we didn't have a chance. Those are his words not mine. The awakening movement had already started in Anbar province, but the fact of the matter is with the catalyst of additional troops, that awakening movement, as you say, the Sons of Iraq.

This is the people we hired to.

turn 1 : The Iraqi Sunni insurgents have given up their struggle against the US-led government, and have accepted its terms for peace.

How have the Iraqi Sunni insurgents responded to the US-led government's terms for peace?

Answer: Capitulated


So I work in merchandising strategy at Tiffany jewelry company.

Have you spoken to your bosses about what may happen in March if your DACA authorization expires?And you're a manager, too. What are you telling your employees?

So at this point, not everyone on the staff is familiar or knows what my status is just because we don't think it's necessary until we finally get to the point where I'll no longer be able to work here. So my management team - they're extremely supportive. And they're watching the news just like I am. So, you know, when it gets closer to March, I'll have to have a discussion with the team that I have out here. But at this point, we're all just hoping and praying that something changes, that we do get a DREAM Act, that we don't have to deal with this because, you know, there's a potential that I just won't have a job after March 22.

Tolu Aleshinloye is a DACA recipient in Miami. Thank you very much for joining us.

turn 2 : A's job may be at risk due to the expiration of their DACA status, and they are hoping for a DREAM Act to be passed.

What is PersonA's hope regarding their job?

Answer: Stability


The 767 is a workhorse of an airplane. It's been flying since 1981. Boeing has made more than a thousand of them. As passenger airlines sell off older members of their fleets, many 767s end up as cargo planes. And it's one of these leased to Amazon that crashed last Saturday near Houston. Three people onboard died. Yesterday, investigators discovered the cockpit voice recorder. We spoke with Todd Curtis, an aviation safety and security analyst and founder of airsafe. com, and asked if the 767 is a safe aircraft.

Generally speaking, yes. This is an aircraft that's been used in military versions, passenger versions, freight versions since the early 1980s. This is an aircraft that's had a lot of experience. It's been through a lot of vetting during the original design phase, as well as throughout its history. So there're, at present, no real issues on the level of the NTSB or the FAA being worried about this airplane.

What's known about this specific aircraft that crashed?It was 26 years old. Anything else about its history we know?

Well, this particular aircraft is typical for an older 767. That is, it went through several operators through its lifespan. And in recent years, after it stopped being a passenger airliner, it was converted to being a cargo airliner and had been flying for some time with Atlas Airlines, which, in this case, had the aircraft leased out to Amazon.

turn 1 : The 767 has a good safety record and is not a concern for the FAA.

What organization is not concerned about the safety of the 767?

Answer: FAA.


That's the idea. With the blue ASU, the Army tried to - it was kind of supposed to be a throwback to the Civil War or to the Revolutionary War when soldiers wore navy-blue jackets. But it wasn't and hasn't been very recognizable to the public. Everyone knows what a Marine looks like. You know what a sailor looks like. Officers wear those nice dress whites. But that ASU wasn't as recognizable. And I think part of the idea behind this is that people have seen movies. They recognize what a World War II-era soldier looked like. And so there's a lot of - yes - public admiration for seeing the guy in the olive-drab suit.

And when are they going to make the decision?

There's supposed to be a decision this spring - so within the next few months. I think, though, the last bit of it is the sergeant major and a couple of models that he has who are wearing prototypes have been going around to events, going to Capitol Hill, getting, you know, Congress and the lawmakers to sign off, to give their stamp of approval and then, in the next couple of months, make a final decision about mass-producing it.

Meghann Myers of the Army Times, thanks so much.

turn 0 : The blue ASU uniform is not recognizable to the public and the Army is trying to change that by making it resemble the uniforms from World War II-era that people recognize from movies.

Which war is the ASU uniform supposed to be a throwback to?

Answer: WorldWar-II


Yeah.

That is just a staggering figure. Is the battle to keep San Francisco affordable already a lost battle?

That's a very good question, Ailsa. And I would - you know, I'm still optimistic that we can turn things around here and right the ship in San Francisco. We can't just keep supporting job creation and growth unchecked. And now in 2019, it's time for us to ask the tech sector to start paying their fair share in taxes so that we can support everybody to be able to live and thrive in our city.

San Francisco Supervisor Gordon Mar joined us from member station KQED in San Francisco. Thank you very much for speaking with us.

Thank you, Ailsa.

turn 2 : San Francisco needs to start asking the tech sector to pay their fair share of taxes so that everyone can live and thrive in the city.

What is the solution proposed by PersonA for ensuring everyone can live and thrive in San Francisco?

Answer: taxes


What drew you to getting involved?

I made a comic about him earlier this year, and I sort of rallied this fan base of Nikola Tesla fans. And then I actually was involved in this little lawsuit in June. It was unrelated to Tesla. But as part of this lawsuit, I ended up starting a charity campaign, a crowd funding campaign to raise money for cancer and for the National Wildlife Federation. And it was a huge success. We raised like 10 times the amount of money we needed. Instead of raising 20 grand, we raised $211,000.

So then I heard in August about this real estate in Long Island that was up for sale that was Nikola Tesla's old laboratory, and I figured with my army of Tesla fans on the Internet and my previous experience with crowd funding, I thought I would be the perfect person to come in and see if I could make a difference.

Your comic, I think, is titled "Why Nikola Tesla Was The Greatest Geek Who Ever Lived. "Would you mind making that case for us?

turn 2 : A thinks that with their army of Tesla fans and experience with crowd funding, they can make a difference in Nikola Tesla's old laboratory.

How did PersonA feel about their previous experience with crowd funding?

Answer: Perfect


It doesn't want to concede to American pressure because it fears that if it concedes under pressure, that's going to project weakness and invite even more pressure. And so for that reason, you've seen, rather than Iran capitulating or compromising, they've begun escalating. But I think the endgame for both sides is - there's really no alternative to coming back to the negotiating table.

And there has been a string of headlines from the region involving Iran in recent weeks. This incident with the British tanker, of course, comes right after the U. S.  says it brought down an Iranian drone. Of course, Iran disputes that version of events. How connected are these events?

They're all interconnected. And essentially, the Trump administration's policy toward Iran has been to subject Iran to significant economic pressure and sanctions in the hopes that either Iran will come to the negotiating table and capitulate over its nuclear program or - I think there's some folks in the Trump administration, like national security adviser John Bolton, who would like to see the implosion of the Iranian regime.

And what Iran has done in response - Iran's supreme leader has been ruling for 30 years, and he's become pretty adept at these escalatory cycles. And he's adept at waving both the white flag of diplomacy and the black flag of radicalism and escalation. So on one hand, he sent his chief diplomat - Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif - he was recently in New York City, and he met with a lot of Western journalists. And he was talking about Iran wanting to pursue dialogue and diplomacy.

turn 0 : There is no actual endgame - this is hyperbole talking about how the situation might end up

How does "A" describe the endgame for both sides?

Answer: A


Yeah, it's a fine line. There is definitely a vernacular in law enforcement that is regional. On the West Coast, we call them suspects. On the East Coast, I think they call them perps - or maybe that's just the New York or the New England region. . .

Perps, short for perpetrators.

Yeah, short for perpetrator. And for a long time, our crime scene investigators weren't called crime scene investigators. They were crime scene analysts or forensic specialists and whatnot. And just about everybody has now changed their scientific investigations division to be called CSI. 'Cause you got to, you got to answer the phone: CSI, Smith.

Have you had screenwriters, aspiring novelists or actors say to you what kind of person is a cop?Why do they do it?

turn 2 : The turn that has an implied meaning different from its literal meaning is (3). In this turn, the speaker is discussing how the names of crime scene investigators have evolved over time, and how many departments have now adopted the name "CSI." However, the implied meaning is that popular culture, specifically the TV show CSI, has had an influence on the naming conventions of law enforcement agencies.

What has had an influence on the naming conventions of law enforcement agencies?

Answer: Popculture


Well, we have shared the coordinates of health facilities, school facilities and so on for the very purpose to make sure they're protected. Sadly, several of these facilities received a direct hit. Actually, the secretary-general has called for a board of inquiry to investigate into these cases and to find out what had happened.

For us, it's a question of trust, and it's a question of protection when we say - when we give these coordinates, we expect that all parties in the conflict will respect them. And when that doesn't happen, that's really a significant problem for all and, most importantly, for the people who find themselves - that we have had incidents of ambulances receiving direct aid. Hospitals, doctors, nurses would be in the middle of an operational procedure or who had gone to this place for medical treatment and to find themselves being bombed inside the hospital or children in the school. That's something that is really totally unacceptable.

Panos Moumtzis is the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis. Thanks so much for being with us, sir.

Thank you for calling me.

turn 0 : Facilities that were supposed to be safe places were bombed.

Answer: Bombed


If you thought the fight over the FBI's Russia investigation couldn't get any more contentious, this past week, of course, it did. The White House has refused to declassify a competing Democratic memo that challenges claims made by the Republicans alleging bias and abuse in the FBI. President Trump had given the OK to release the GOP memo. Both documents are products of infighting within the House intelligence committee. Jamil Jaffer was a lawyer in the White House under President George W.  Bush. And he was senior counsel to the House intel committee. He joins us from Colorado today. Welcome to the program.

Thanks. Good to be here, Lulu.

You've called this a, quote, "massive strategic miscalculation on the part of the White House. "Why?

Look. I mean, part of the challenge here is the president is alleging that there was massive corruption at the FBI, at the Justice Department - an attempt to engage in political surveillance. And by allowing one side's memo to come out - the House Republicans' memo to come out - without releasing the House Democrats' memo, it plays into that partisan narrative. And as a result, it discredits the ability to make the point that there was - whether there was or was not, in fact, problems with the FBI.

turn 0 : It would suggest that the documents were physically produced as a result of infighting. However, the intended meaning is that the documents were created due to disagreements or conflicts within the House intelligence committee.

What caused the creation of both documents?

Answer: Disagrrements.


I made up my own mind. I figured that at some point it would turn into a mandatory evacuation and I wanted to get ahead of the traffic.

You know, to have gone through this once is bad enough. To be going through it a second time, I can't even imagine what that must have been like. As you were getting closer to having to make the decision to get up and get out, what went through your mind?

I immediately remembered what it was like three years ago, and I think that I was in sort of disbelief. I couldn't believe that I was going through it again. And I - the first thing I thought of was OK, what do I need to take with me that I want to see again?Because I immediately thought of what happened during Katrina and how, you know, it just caught us all off guard, and I just wanted to be prepared.

What did you take?

turn 2 : A remembered the unpreparedness during Katrina and wanted to pack accordingly

Which disaster did PersonA reference while making the decision to evacuate?

Answer: Katrina


Because presidents that are about to be removed from office see the writing on the wall. Richard Nixon had a very good sense of his waning support in the Senate. And when he saw it collapse, he realized that if he hung on, he would be removed, and he would lose his presidential pension.

Interesting. So one of the complaints that President Trump is making and that his supporters are making is that this is a purely partisan process. Has that complaint been made before?Is that what people normally say?Or is there something about this particular circumstance that's different?

The reason that impeachment was kept on the shelf for over a hundred years after the Johnson impeachment process was that it was viewed by all sides in the American political community as highly partisan. But it doesn't always have to be the case. And in the Nixon era - a period when I think we saw a model impeachment process - the democratic leadership bent over backwards to make the process as bipartisan as possible.

We keep hearing all kinds of comments from - particularly from former Republican members about what members of their caucus say privately. But there's no way to know how to evaluate that. We do know that publicly, the Republicans are insisting that this is partisan. The Democrats are insisting that no, it isn't. It's a constitutional matter. Do you see from where you sit a way to bridge this difference of perspective?

turn 0 : Nixon saw his support leave him and realized that if stayed president he would lose money.

Which president had a good sense of his waning support in the Senate?

Answer: Nixon


Thank you.

This study was conducted by some FDA researchers. Can you tell us more about what they found?

They found that some of the chemical active ingredients in sunscreen - oxybenzone, avobenzone - was absorbed through the skin. But they did not make a determination about whether or not that meant health effects - health side effects from that absorption.

You were behind Consumer Reports' extensive ranking of sunscreens. So in light of this news, how should we think about our choice of sunscreen?What should we look for?

turn 2 : Sunscreen ingredients can be absorbed by the skin, but the health effects are still unknown

Which chemical ingredients in sunscreen can be absorbed by the skin?

Answer: Oxybenzone,,Avobenzone


And in most car journeys, he'd be playing me music and reciting poetry. So it was really extraordinary being a daughter of such a man.

Rebecca, I mentioned earlier how I grew up in a very religious family. I don't go to church that much anymore. Actually, I don't go at all. So I'm wondering, for you, where is your faith now?Do you still have it?

No one's asked me that question (laughter). I would say that one of the things I expected from this book was that it would lay some ghosts for me, and I think it has. I still cannot open the Bible without hearing the sound of those men using scriptures almost like rapiers with each other. They knew the Bible inside out, so they would use one scripture to trump another. And it was all men locking horns, you know. So it's hard for me not to see the Bible full of words that have been used for warfare, if you like.

And yeah, I've been surprised at the effect on me of writing the book and also of the many, many people who have written to me, ex-Brethren - I would say 70 or 80 by now - beautiful letters from elderly people writing to me to say, the Brethren was a terrible thing. We all lived through it - and telling me their stories but saying, I came to find a kinder God and kinder Christians outside. And I've been really moved by how much people have wanted me to know about their kinder God.

turn 3 : The implication of the statement is that Rebecca has been touched by the stories of how many of the ex-Brethren were able to find a kinder God and kinder Christians outside of the Brethren.

How has Rebecca been moved by the stories of ex-Brethren?

Answer: Moved


Oh, thanks for having me on, Scott.

What made you decide to do this?

You know, Scott, we'd been trying to sort of open up the view of this place to the public pretty much from day one. But we had to get through some of these hurdles so that, in the event of bad things going on in jail, we're not going to hide from it. We're going to be transparent. And we'll attempt to work through firing, criminally charging, if - as necessary as well - but to let the public know that we're trying. We're not involved with some cover-up, or this isn't some big secret.

Bad things going on - I mean, to be plain about it, you mean mostly guards abusing inmates?

turn 3 : The literal meaning of turn (4) is that the interviewer is seeking clarification on what the interviewee means by "bad things going on." However, the actual meaning is that the interviewer is making an assumption that "bad things going on" primarily refers to guards abusing inmates, even though the interviewee did not explicitly state this.

What is the interviewer assuming about the meaning of "bad things going on" in turn (3)?

Answer: Inmates