You know, you've been criticized on both sides of the aisle, as they say now. I think some scientists are saying: Why did you publish - why didn't you publish it in legitimate, peer-reviewed journals first?

Oh, we're following the - I mean, we're following the tradition of science, which is that you distribute this widely to your peers before you publish it. Jim Hansen does the same thing. He puts his papers online. This is a tradition in the field.

Peer review means you present results in a public forum, you distribute pre-prints. Most of my important papers were widely distributed to other scientists far before they appeared. It's the best kind of peer review.

And you challenge anyone to come up with a better explanation.

turn 1 : "Oh, we're following the - I mean, we're following the tradition of science" - The actual meaning is that the speaker is defending the decision to not publish in peer-reviewed journals by saying it is a common practice in the scientific community, even though it may not be the best practice.

What is the reason for the PersonA's decision to not publish in peer-reviewed journals?

Answer: Tradition


Well, that's the thing. Three areas we've looked at - covering about 55 square miles of the jungle - target one, target two and target three. And the first one was target one, and we found these all these archeological features. They covered hundreds of acres, maybe even thousands of acres, and this is gigantic. And then they moved on to target two, and they marked that, and then they moved on to target three. And target three showed even more striking features.

And we've - an archaeologist has been looking at them and a guy named Chris Fisher, who is an archaeologist at the Colorado State University, who's an expert on LIDAR, and he tells us that there is a city in T3 that is comparable in area to the city of Copan. It's absolutely enormous. The track is two square - five square kilometers.

And if these valleys are so remote, how did these civilizations develop in this unforgiving area?

Well, that's the thing. We're only now starting to realize that this so-called virgin or impenetrable jungle in prehistoric times was anything but. It was very heavily settled. There were many thousands of people living in these areas, and it wasn't virgin jungle. It was more like a tended garden. They cleared huge areas for farming. They terraced. They built irrigation canals. They built roads. They built enormous pyramids and structures.

turn 3 : The jungle was transformed by early civilizations through farming, terracing, irrigation, and building.

Which features were found in target one?

Answer: Features


Antivirus experts are calling Flame one of the most complex threats ever discovered. Once a machine is infected, the operator of the malware can expand its functionality almost like adding apps to a smartphone. Its operators sent out another app with orders to erase it this week, leaving no tracks behind.

Much like Stuxnet, Flame is also believed to be the handiwork of a nation-state. Why are antivirus experts so concerned about Flame?How does this malware tool, spy kit(ph) and eavesdrop?Who's behind Flame, and who are they targeting, and why is it being compared to Stuxnet?

That's what we're going to be talking about this hour. Our number is 1-800-989-8255, 1-800-989-TALK. My guest is Kim Zetter. She is senior reporter at Wired covering cybercrime, privacy, security and civil liberties. She's currently writing a book about Stuxnet and joins us from Oakland, California. Welcome to SCIENCE FRIDAY.

Thank you.

What makes Flame different?

Well, different from the average run-of-the-mill malware that criminals use?

turn 4 : "What makes Flame different?" - The literal meaning is a straightforward question about the characteristics of the Flame malware. The implied meaning is that the experts have identified Flame as a unique and potentially dangerous threat, and they want to know more about it.

How does the question in turn 4 indicate the concern of the experts about Flame?

Answer: unique


This is an exceptional decree. It's - it is - if you look at it for face value, it is wholly undemocratic. But they say this is the only way to cut out institutions that are undermining us and get to a point of political stability because every time we take one step forward, it's 10 steps back with this court.

There is a - after so long under dictatorship, and it was certainly not just Mr.  Mubarak but his predecessors all the way back through Nasser and before it had a king and, well, effective British rule before that, there's been one person in charge of Egypt for a very long time.

Yes. And, you know, people wanted that to change. And one of the things we heard a lot of in Tahrir Square today is we didn't oust Mubarak to get an Islamist dictator - oust a secular dictator to get an Islamist dictator. And Morsi was elected, but the idea is to have a democratic process. One of the complaints also about the draft constitution is it gives too much power to the president. And now people are saying, we want to be represented; all of Egypt, not just the Muslim Brotherhood.

Is there any indication that at this point, the president and the Muslim Brotherhood will reconsider?

turn 0 : The decree does not have an actual monetary value, at face value means without looking into it more.

How does PersonA describe the decree at face value?

Answer: Undemocratic


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

What drew you to monarchs in the first place?

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

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

turn 2 : Farmers in southern Appalachia feel the harm of a changing climate but are the last to talk about it.

How do farmers in southern Appalachia feel about climate change?

Answer: Don'tbelieve


It's good to be here, Tony.

You know, you've been getting pretty hot under the collar about this issue, I understand. Why is it such a concern for you?

It's a concern for me because it's a misunderstanding that a lot of ex-convicts have. If you have a felony it has been in the past that often states do restrict or disenfranchise those who have a felony conviction. Those laws have changed over the years, and now in most states it's no longer the case, or there are means by which you can get your civil rights back. But a lot of people - a lot of ex-convicts or felons that I knew that ended up in my court system simply rested on the false notion that they did not have the ability to vote. And that ended and that kept them from further embracing or engaging in the community, and kept them separate, and apart, and not where they needed to be.

Is it a situation where an ex-felon is allowed - is entitled to have his or her voting rights restored, but the process by which those voting rights are restored is so cumbersome that they either don't know about it or they don't go through it?

turn 3 : The process of restoring voting rights is too complicated and difficult for ex-felons to understand or complete.

How complicated is the process of restoring voting rights for ex-felons?

Answer: Cumbersome


Congress looked like they might get some kind of deal on immigration this past week. Didn't happen. What did happen?

They had a big sit-down meeting among all the House Republicans, and they talked about a deal, but they didn't reach one. The problem is that one faction within the House Republican caucus wants to protect the DREAMers, the people in the U. S.  illegally who were brought here as children. The other faction at the opposite end of the spectrum opposes anything they see as amnesty. And they want full funding for Trump's border wall with Mexico and a number of other changes to current law on legal immigration as well.

So it's not clear how much of that can get worked out, even among House Republicans, let alone with the Senate or the president.

I have to ask, how does the director of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, hold onto his job?It seems like every few hours, there's charges of some kind of new ethical infraction. Yeah. I mean, he would have been let go from a greeter position at Walmart by now.

turn 1 : The House Republicans have conflicting views on illegal immigration and the border wall, making it difficult to reach a deal.

How do House Republicans feel about illegal immigration and the border wall?

Answer: Conflicting


I spent a lot of time reading, writing - self-education. I used the time to teach myself both criminal and civil law. And we lived on what we call an organized tier along the principles of the Black Panther Party, developing unity among the other guys on the tier. We taught guys how to read and write, which, you know, I think was my greatest achievement.

Mr.  Woodfox, how often were you gassed?

Oh, my goodness. Well, gas was a standard form of weapons that the security people used. So anytime you challenge inhumane treatment or you challenge unconstitutional conduct, they would gas you, you know. And depending on the severity of the confrontation, they would open up your cell, and they would come in and beat you down and then, you know, shackle you and bring you to the dungeon. And you probably would stay there a minimum of 10 days. The fact that I was involved in organizing a lot of the protests against - you know, along with Herman and Rob. . .

Friends of yours, fellow inmates who were in at the same time.

turn 2 : Speaker A is implying that they were gassed a LOT by exclaiming "oh my goodness" and noting he was involved in organizing a lot of the protests

What was a standard form of weapon used by the security people?

Answer: Gas


I wish I could think of a better opening. Tell me the Lyndon Baines Johnson story, if you could, please.

So during LBJ's administration, Mary was at home in her apartment one night. And she got a call from someone saying that he was with the Secret Service and the president planned to stop by. Mary was immediately convinced that it was one of her colleagues or friends pulling her leg. But when she opened her door and saw two Secret Service men standing by the elevator, she furiously began to tidy up her apartment and prepare for an impromptu visit from the commander-in-chief. Lyndon came in, they had a drink or two and Lyndon professed his great affection for her, Mary, I'm crazy about you, and made clear that he wanted to sleep with her. And in a way that was prototypically Lyndon Johnson, also said, I know you love the Kennedys, and now you should love me, which has to be about the worst pick-up line. . .

(Laughter).

. . . That I've ever heard in my life. And certainly the worst pick-up line for Mary.

turn 2 : The turn "Laughter" is not meant to indicate that someone is actually laughing but rather to acknowledge the humorous nature of the story being told.

Which turn did PersonA make a comment about the worst pick-up line?

Answer: 1


Meaning it has a comparably sized economy.

It means it has a comparably sized economy. It is narrowing the gap - military gap - especially in the Western Pacific, where it is using asymmetric tactics that can offset things like our aircraft carriers. China is also an education leader. It is becoming a technological leader. And it's the world's biggest trading nation.

So China is on the move all over the world. And the U. S. -China relationship is not anymore just Beijing to Washington. It's being measured in Africa, in South America, at both poles, in cyberspace and outer space.

And is it becoming a more adversarial relationship now because of China's growth, because it suddenly is big enough to really challenge the United States?

turn 3 : CHINA IS GOING TO BE COMPETITION AS FAR AS IT'S ADVANCEMENTS IN THEIR ECONOMY

What kind of relationship is being measured in various regions of the world?

Answer: U.S.-China


There is no good precedent for thinking that these peace talks will work well for exactly the reason that you have said. The Syrian regime and its allies should - have at no point countenanced the idea that Bashar al-Assad will step down. And then the opposition negotiating committee reiterated in London this week that they foresee a six-month transitional period at the end of which Assad is no longer the president of Syria. So that's a pretty big sticking point.

And starts on Monday?

Starts on Monday at sundown, which is also the beginning of the Muslim Eid festival, yes.

Alice Fordham in Beirut. Thanks so much.

turn 1 : expression of surprise, as the speaker is asking if the peace talks are starting on Monday despite the big sticking point.

How does PersonB react to the information provided by PersonA about the peace talks?

Answer: Surprise


You mean somebody rational?
Yeah, someone he could work with.
Yeah.
That would be very good.

turn 2 :  while turn (3) implies agreement and understanding of the speaker's request.

Answer: Agreement


Hi.

So, where were you when the typhoon hit?

I was on the island of Baho, and Baho was affected yesterday about 2 P. M. The problem for Baho is that it had already been basically destroyed, parts of it, by a massive earthquake just three weeks ago. So, there are certain areas of Baho that were particularly vulnerable to the extreme weather that we had yesterday.

I know you're still struggling to assess things but what can you tell us about what conditions look like now?

turn 3 : The implied meaning is to ask for an update on the current condition of Baho after the typhoon.

Answer: Now


That's right. The discussions we've had about whether the First Lady should have worn clothing by black designers for her husband's inauguration is still creating a lot of traffic. Aljory Stallings(ph) wrote us this on our Web site, I am completely irritated on this trivial commentary on this issue. I wonder if the black designers who were complaining about this realize that by doing that, they are cutting off their noses to spite their faces.

Flora Gayle(ph) chimed in with this, I think she needs to get some credit for almost always wearing American designers. I am not black, but I do work in fashion. I think before we start judging this, we should look at how many black students are going to fashion school. I wish there were more.

And Dianne Truckenberg(ph) wrote in to say, I am concerned with the concept drawing lines for black versus white, for fill in whatever topic. Insistence on basing decisions on whether or not something or someone is of a certain race will certainly bring back racial tension.

And then last week, we had a discussion about spanking with Judge Lynn Toller. Well, that topic raised a lot of listener hackles. Here are a few letters that summed up the debate. Christopher Watson(ph) sent us this, I sat in my car shocked as I listened to your program talk about spanking. I'm a 33-year-old black male who was spanked as a child and has since worked for several organizations fighting domestic and sexual violence and child abuse. I was slack-jawed as I heard two highly educated adults advocate child abuse.

turn 3 : The discussion on spanking raised concerns among listeners and caused shock among advocates against domestic and sexual violence and child abuse.

Which topic caused shock among advocates against domestic and sexual violence and child abuse?

Answer: Spanking


For political directive, sure.

Yeah. Yeah.

It's not Abraham Lincoln and his team of rivals.

They're like instruction manuals for how to run the government.

turn 2 : The political directive is not related to Abraham Lincoln or his team of rivals.

How is the political directive related to Abraham Lincoln?

Answer: Not


And I saw that with just kids I knew at public school that were gifted. A lot of them struggled as they got older because they've been told they were smart. And so when they failed, they felt let down, they felt confused, and they blamed themselves.

So I think you see that on a much grander level with a child star where they get this level of fame and success and they think that that's going to last forever because they get used to it. And as they get older it's taken away from them, and they're not sure who to blame. And they don't know how to do anything for themselves.

And almost inevitably taken away from them by a disease called adolescence.

Yes, exactly. I mean I think that child stars are - they're used, in a way, to - their cuteness is used. And a lot of child actors - I mean people often ask me, they say why were you in so many kids' movies. And one was that my mother and father believed that there weren't enough good kids' movies out there. Now, I wasn't always in the best kids' movies, but they thought that that was important. And another thing is that there can really only be so many "To Kill A Mockingbirds" out there.

turn 2 : Adolescence is when children change and is not easy to go through.

How is adolescence described in the dialogue?

Answer: Change


We're seeing - from last night, there were lots of videos showing intense artillery airstrikes on this place. It's just a few piece - few hundred yards wide. And you know, you can actually kind of look out across it - it's such a small area - with binoculars. Reporters there are seeing ISIS flags on what's left of the buildings. There's a collection of squalid tents. But people are hiding out in tunnels and caves, we're hearing.

Wow. I mean, it just - it speaks - this moment speaks so much to the larger story. I mean, if this family who might be holding these children want to stick it out and want to remain committed to ISIS and the ideology and they're not going anywhere, I mean, it just creates an impossible situation.

Exactly, for this father - and also, it's a broader lesson that, you know, it's very difficult to bomb an ideology into oblivion. A lot of the people that have been coming out of this area in recent weeks, you know, remain faithful to ISIS and especially because they've been bombed by, you know, a U. S. -backed force that they see them as the enemy now. And they've been saying that they're going to still support the group and raise their children in the beliefs of the group. So whilst, you know, ultimately this territory probably will be taken back, the broader question of ISIS as existing in its ideology continues.

NPR's Ruth Sherlock - Ruth, thanks so much.

turn 2 : In this turn, the speaker is making a broader point about the difficulty of eradicating an ideology, even if a military force takes back territory from a group like ISIS. The literal meaning of "it's very difficult to bomb an ideology into oblivion" suggests that the speaker is talking about the limitations of military force against an idea rather than a physical target.

Which phrase suggests the larger issue that even if a military force takes back territory from a group like ISIS, it remains difficult to eradicate the ideology?

Answer: Bombideology


I was wondering if we should do - or if such a thing exists, that human microbe projects, like the Human Genome Project.

Yes, there are a variety of types of human microbe projects at this point. So there are two gut projects right now that aim to characterize difference in gut microbes of people around the world. One of those in American Gut and is uBiome. And both of those projects, people can either donate or pay money to have their gut microbes sequenced.

And when they do, they can see what they have, and the scientists are going to see how that relates to what we know. And so in a way that's a beginning step. But what I think we kind of hope for is to have something akin to Mendelian genetics, where we can predict, you know, why you have a specific set of microbes and microbe genes. But we're very far from that still.

In the 30 seconds we have left, how can people get involved if they want their own microbes sampled and surveyed?

turn 2 : Understanding and predicting human microbe genetics is still a long way off.

How far is the understanding and prediction of human microbe genetics?

Answer: Far


Depending on how they go about it, how big of a deal could this announcement by Zara be, and what kind of an impact could it have?

Well, I think the really interesting thing about Zara's statement is they've made a public statement to back their intention, and they will be held accountable for whether they achieve that target or not over time. So the fact that they made this very public target I think is really positive. And I think hopefully what that will do is also encourage other brands and retailers to be bold and to make these statements as well.

What individual responsibility do consumers have here?

Personally, I think every consumer has some responsibility for their actions. The consumers are buying products, they are making decisions about where they're buying those products from, how long they keep those products for and what they do with those products at end of life. So I think there is definitely some responsibility that the consumers have in all of this. But I also recognize as - there is this deep-seated sort of psychological driver within our human psyche to engage in fashion.

turn 3 : "Engage in fashion" means to buy clothing that is about fashion rather than pure functionality.

How does the human psyche drive consumers to participate in fashion?

Answer: Desire


The Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi continues to oppose proceeding with impeachment, and there's no law that says she has to go forward if a majority of her caucus wants it. And something that you do hear in the nuance of these statements from members of the House is they're not putting a lot of pressure on the speaker. They're not vocally opposing her strategy, going after her. They're saying this is where they are personally, and, in fact, she's given them permission to do so. But they're not saying, you know, the leadership is wrong, and we've got to push this through. So there is some patience, I think, that allows the speaker to continue to move the process forward.

So she is still the engineer.

She is. I. . .

But not necessarily plotting the course. I told you this analogy would be hard to take.

(Laughter) Well, she has very firm control over the caucus of House Democrats. And, so far, they have deferred to her, even if they differ with her on where this train, as you put it, is likely to end up.

turn 3 : She is not necessarily the one that is making the decisions with the impeachment.

What is the Speaker of the House's stance on impeachment?

Answer: Oppose


We've been covering the life and legacy of President George H. W. Bush today. A look now at his foreign policy; the first major foreign crisis for the U. S.  after the end of the Cold War occurred during his presidency. In August of 1990, Saddam Hussein, the leader of Iraq, ordered his army to invade Kuwait. The small gulf country was a major supplier of oil to the U. S.  Saudi Arabia was also worried. So in December, the United States launched Operation Desert Shield. We're going to turn now to a well-traveled war correspondent, our colleague, NPR's Deborah Amos. She arrived in Saudi Arabia two days after the invasion of Kuwait and was there for the duration. Deb, thanks so much for being with us.

Good morning, Scott.

Tell us about Gulf War I. It was preceded by a lot of diplomacy, wasn't it?

Well, he - President Bush is remembered for this phrase - this will not stand, this aggression against Kuwait will not stand. Here was a leader who - he was the last president who served in World War II. He was a diplomat. But what was important about the way he embraced this war, he was proud of being prudent. You know, it's said that. . .

turn 0 : The first major foreign crisis for the U.S. after the end of the Cold War occurred during his presidency.

What was the name of the country that Saddam Hussein invaded?

Answer: Kuwait


So how did this all come about, and how did you get involved?

My partner, Josh Farahzad, just about this time last year, you know, he started thinking - well, what if I launched a rocket into outer space?You know, he didn't really know what he was doing. So he started sending emails to pretty much every university rocketry team in the country. And I was doing a launch with the Princeton University Rocketry Club. He saw our livestream, and he had reached out. I guess after that, I spent thousands of hours just working with Josh one-on-one and leading this very, very tremendous team.

And as the team grew to - what?- I guess about 40 people, you're communicating with one another via a Slack channel.

That's right. You know, at some point, we didn't pay for the Slack premium account. So, you know, I think within a month or two, our messages capped at 10,000. So we started losing our data.

Well, what's the big goal here, aside from actually getting a rocket into space?

turn 1 : Josh Farahzad had a random idea about launching a rocket and reached out for help. A worked hard to lead the team.

Which member of the rocketry team showed their launch to Josh Farahzad?

Answer: launch


Hello.

Hi. I don't even know where to begin this story. It is so crazy. I guess I'll note Britons who do seem to love a really deliciously gossipy trashy tabloid tell-all, maybe they were overdue for a good scandal.

I have to say we've really, really needed it. Britain is exhausted by Brexit and the constant doom and gloom. So it's no surprise that WAGatha Christie, as you mentioned in the introduction, has broken the Internet today. And the reason why it's called WAGatha Christie is that WAG or WAGs is an acronym commonly used here to refer to the wives and girlfriends of high-profile athletes. And two of the women involved in today's feud are two of the most high-profile WAGs in the country.

OK. The wives or girlfriends in question here are Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy. Who are these two women?

turn 1 : The internet had a large amount of cites where they was mentioned

How was the topic referred to in the introduction?

Answer: Trashy


If someone's going to walk into a synagogue, as they did in Tree of Life, and murder Jews at prayer, there's a good chance, you know, given gun violence in this country and who it's coming from in this particular moment, that that person's going to be a white supremacist. But that doesn't mean that I shouldn't worry about, for example, at the University of Virginia, Jewish students being prevented from joining a minority student coalition to fight white supremacy because they were smeared themselves as white supremacists for supporting the state of Israel. I'm worried about that, too.

Are you conflating people who are opposed to Israeli policy towards Palestinians with anti-Semitism?

I'm not. I myself am deeply opposed to the occupation of the Palestinian people. I believe that they have an indigenous right and claim to the land. And I'm on the record in many columns in the Times as being very opposed to various policies of the Netanyahu government, and I was cheered by the election this past week.

What I am opposed to is an ideological movement that insists that only one nation-state in the world doesn't have the right to exist, and that that nation-state is home to the largest Jewish community on planet Earth.

turn 0 : None . There's nothing in this that implies anything.

Which community is the nation-state home to, according to turn 3?

Answer: Jewish


Yeah. The embassy guards, it's kind of a, you know, a misperception. In any embassy they essentially protect the chancellery in the embassy and the ambassador's residence itself, and particularly to, you know, you get them into a safe place if there is an attack or to - and if that fails, to destroy the classified material and so forth.

They're not responsible for the overall external or internal security of the embassy compound per se. They can augment that and they have if necessary, but there is a diplomatic security mission that does that sort of thing, and then - obviously which didn't happen on this case. You're hoping that you've got a competent external protection from the host nation, which is responsible for the safety of the entire compound.

We're talking with retired Marine Colonel Gary Anderson about lessons learned from before and during the attack in Benghazi. You're listening to TALK OF THE NATION from NPR News.

And any number of recommendations were made by the Pickering Mullen report. As you look at those, are they going to address the kinds of interagency communications problems that you're worried about?

turn 1 : The host nation is responsible for the safety of the entire compound.

Which entity is responsible for the safety of the entire compound?

Answer: Host


Yup. And then, suddenly, it came back, and then it went back down. And they scratched their heads for quite a while. And finally, what they realized is that there was so much radiation there that it was doing what's called saturating the detector. So it just couldn't count anymore. It was just overwhelmed. And then when they would go out of the radiation belts, it would come back down to a reasonable level that it was designed for, and it would start counting again. And so it took them a little while to figure that out. But once they did, that was the discovery of the radiation belts.

And now we have the probes to follow up. Thanks, Craig Kletzing, for joining us today.

You're very welcome. Thanks for having me.

Craig Kletzing is a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Iowa.

turn 0 : The discovery of the radiation belts was a result of a long process of understanding what was causing the detector to be overwhelmed by radiation.

What was the reason for the detector being overwhelmed?

Answer: Radiation


They also break up the states into more subregions than the current exit polls do. They think that this is going to help them be more accurate. And Fox and AP are pretty confident that their results are better than the traditional exit polls in some ways. They actually did shadow polls with the new system in three big specials this year - special elections in the 6th Congressional District in Georgia, the New Jersey governor's race and the Alabama Senate race. And guess what - they got the winner right in all three.

That sounds promising. But are there pitfalls to this way of doing things?I mean, are people asking questions about whether or not they are going to be able to keep their winning streak?

Yes (laughter). And there's a big degree of risk when you're not actually speaking to voters. They're not actually speaking to people who have gone and voted. There's always a number of people who say they're going to vote who don't. And this is an experiment. AP and Fox - even though they're putting this - they're operationalizing this, they acknowledge that there are some demographic shortcomings. They found this in their tests in their poll. They underestimated in Alabama, for example, the number of black voters who would show up. But like scientists, they acknowledge those shortcomings. And they're going to be tinkering with their models along the way. So we may have something good eventually, but it's a whole new Wild West era here.

What has been the reaction to this from the pollsters at this conference that you're at?

turn 1 : There are dangers that cause problems by doing these polls.

Answer: polls


Jay Austin and Lauren Geoghegan were both 29. For years, they worked desk jobs in Washington, D. C.  - Lauren at the admissions office at Georgetown University, Jay at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. In their travel blog, they wrote that they wanted to live life on simpler, more deliberate terms and see the globe in an inexpensive, sustainable and gratifying way. They wanted to bike it. Back in 2015, Jay Austin showed an NPR reporter around his house as part of a feature on the tiny house movement.

That's the parlor over there, seating for about seven or so, two couches.

All 143 square feet of it. Jay Austin believed in tiny homes.

I think it's really been great to have kind of not a very complex, not a very expensive space but to have the ability to have easy access to nature. If I am feeling like I have cabin fever, I open my front door.

turn 2 : Jay Austin's belief in tiny homes is reflected in the 143 square feet parlor.

What is reflected in the 143 square feet parlor?

Answer: Belief


When we say kids, how old are these kids?

So once they get these cars, what do they do with them?

Well, so that's where the fact that they're juveniles really comes into play. When adults steal cars, it's often about, you know, sending them off to another continent or chopping them up for parts, making money.

When kids steal cars, they keep them on the streets. They're using them as toys. They're seeing how fast they can go - 160 miles per hour on the highway. They're driving the wrong way. They're chasing other friends in other stolen cars. In at least one case, we saw stolen cars used in a drive-by shooting.

turn 1 :  A: "We saw kids as young as 10 stealing cars. And the kids we spoke to that were older talked about getting involved around that age, around 10 or 11." - The literal meaning is that children who were 10 or 11 years old were involved in stealing cars. The actual meaning is that children as young as 10 years old were involved in stealing cars, which is surprising and concerning.

Which age group was involved in stealing cars according to PersonA's statement?

Answer: Kids


Yes, it has. Theater has definitely been an escape to just, you know, work on the show, work on the production and see the magic of it going up and seeing that art. And theater has just become so much more diverse. All these stories that just tell these stories about people that you don't usually hear about. Whether they're queer, brown, black, trans, undocumented, it's all these stories. And I think that it's really magical, and it really paints like a really great picture of everybody on stage.

What shows have you worked on?

Here at VCU, we just closed "Into The Woods. "

Well, lots of luck to you - very good speaking with you.

turn 0 : "Theater has definitely been an escape" implies that A sees production and acting as a way to get away from stress and problems in the real world.

Which art form does PersonA say has become more diverse?

Answer: Theater


The tragedy in Burma is it's just hard for us to comprehend. It is true that the current projections are that the numbers will rise significantly. I've heard numbers as high as 50,000 people being killed. So it's something that just automatically pulls at the heartstrings.

And you know, Farai, scientists have discovered that human beings are actually wired to be altruistic, so it's a part of our DNA. It's natural for us to want to give. We see a crisis, we want to give. And so I think it's really important to acknowledge that, and to really encourage people to give. It can. The giving, overwhelming giving for a major public emergency like this can have a negative impact on other parts of the world. We've seen it in the past.

For example, when the tsunami hit Asia, several years ago, where a quarter of a million people lost their lives, you saw relief and development organizations flooded with donations. OxFam UK, at a certain point, actually had to refuse donations because they no longer had the capacity to actually program funds. So what I would actually advocate for those that are really interested in making contributions, is to give responsibly. To really look at those organizations that you are interested in making a contribution to, and making your donation in flexible kinds of ways. . .

So, for general support as opposed to necessarily for one thing.

turn 2 : Donating responsibly and researching the organizations one is donating to is important in ensuring that the funds are used effectively.

What is important in ensuring effective use of donated funds?

Answer: Effectiveness


Now it's, I should say this is a demonstration, it's not, you know, there is an actual kill that takes place in the video, but it's not a real kill, it's a demo kill. But what the system that they are playing or working on actually is designed to do and will do when it is deployed is to hunt, and if necessary kill, real targets. It fires missiles, it drops bombs, you can hear the guy talking about the weapons that he has available on one of his drones.

And they didn't just make it feel like a video game, they figured out that there's a sort of a feedback loop that was a problem for the operators, they couldn't kind of sense what was happening. And they hired video gamers to redesign their system for them.

Yeah, they hired real game developers. Because, you know, when you compared what people in the military were using to operate drones to what the latest Xbox or PlayStation system looked like, I mean the screens on this wrap around you so you feel as though you were there. One of the executives Raytheon describes it as projecting your mind into a place where you want it.

You write about watching this demonstration video with your seven year old kind of standing behind you watching this screen, and he gets it right away and he kind of likes it.

turn 3 : "he gets it right away and he kind of likes it" - The literal meaning is that the seven year old understands the demonstration and enjoys it. The implied meaning is that the seven year old is being desensitized to violence and is being exposed to the idea of killing as a form of entertainment.

What is the implied consequence of the seven year old liking the demonstration?

Answer: Desensitization


The proposed bailout of the auto industry, which includes $15 billion in loans and a car czar to oversee the company's business decisions, is being criticized by some people as too much government interference. Malcolm Salter has advised Ford and GM, and he has studied the auto industry for decades. He's a professor emeritus at Harvard Business School. Welcome to the program.

Good to be here.

Well, what do you think of that plan?

I have some very serious questions about oversight, and I think we're moving awfully quickly on this because, obviously, the events are forcing us to do so. But I have some concerns about this so-called car czar. I'm not quite sure I know what it means. I'm not quite sure I know what decision rights the car czar will have.

And if, in fact, the car czar does have decision rights such as reported the Wall Street Journal this morning, which was where they were to review and presumably review all transactions more than $25 million, that seems to me like pretty granular oversight. And the question that I would ask, who has sufficient specific knowledge to make those kind of decisions who really hasn't been involved in the auto industry?

turn 1 : The professor welcomes the opportunity to share his expertise on the proposed bailout plan.

What is the professor's area of expertise?

Answer: Autoindustry


Claire Messud's "The Burning Girl" is a novel about two girls, Cassie and Julia, who make each other who they are. Cassie's the bold one who looks for rules to break. Julia is the voice of caution and conscience who'd like a little of Cassie's daring. We had one mind, as Julia recall, and could roam its limits together. They grow apart in middle school. Cassie hangs out with the more conspicuously popular crowd. Julia's hurt but becomes aware that Cassie is on the verge of disaster. Julia may be the one person to help pull her back.

"The Burning Girl" is the latest novel from Claire Messud, author of "The Emperor's Children" and other acclaimed novels. She's also taught creative writing and special programs at many colleges and joins us from New York. Thanks so much for being with us.

Thanks, Scott, for having me.

What's the special intensity of being BFFs as youngsters?

turn 0 : The strong bond between Cassie and Julia is both powerful and fragile.

What is the nature of the bond between Cassie and Julia in "The Burning Girl"?

Answer: powerful


The narrower strike, I think, on chemical weapons, there probably would be - would have been a favorable vote because most - this is a - this has nothing - in a sense, it's not Syria. We're against chemical weapons wherever and however they're used. So that kind of strike, I think, has a justification in international law and in history. But it's the idea of a - intervening in this tragic civil war, I think, is a much broader question.

A while ago, Senator King, you were among those people in the Senate who supported greater support for Syrian rebels in the hope that they might be able to overturn the Assad regime. How do you feel about that now?Has the time for that opportunity passed?Does a strike like this promote that or have got nothing to do with it?

I don't think it has much to do with, as I say, the overall calculus on the battlefield in the civil war. And I'm afraid you may be right. Clearly, the momentum at this point is with Assad. The critical moment was when Russia came in in support of the Assad regime. And then you add Iran, Hezbollah and the other support that they're getting, all you'd have to do is look at the map. Two years ago, the opposition controlled a great deal of the country. And now, that territory is narrowing. And the fight now, this alleged chemical attack, took place in the Damascus suburbs.

So what should the U. S.  strategic goal be as far as you're concerned?

turn 2 : The opposition has lost territory and the alleged chemical attack took place in Damascus suburbs

Which attack took place in the suburbs of Damascus?

Answer: Chemical


Thank you.

What did you see when you drove through that deep water?What did you do?

It was just devastation everywhere. I mean, it looked like a lake. It looks like a lake in the middle of the neighborhood. You can't even fathom it.

Do you remember some of the people you were able to help?

turn 3 : (4) - The actual meaning is to ask if the individual remembers the people whose lives were positively impacted by their help, rather than asking if the individual remembers helping people.

How does turn 3 clarify the intention behind the question asked by PersonB in turn 3?

Answer: Positive


But we can also use technology to, you know, warn providers when they're entering orders, for instance. If I'm supposed to be in Mr.  James Smith and entering a complex chemotherapy order, for instance, I'd get an alert saying, are you sure?

Because there was another, you know, Mr.  James Smith on the same ward in the hospital. Are you sure you're entering orders on the right Mr.  James Smith, you know, for instance?

Anything a patient can do to protect him or herself?

With electronic health records has come in a layer of additional transparency for the health care system where patients can access more information electronically than they could ever do before.

turn 3 : Patients can now have more access to their own medical records and other health care information online.

Which layer of transparency has come with electronic health records?

Answer: Access.


I think one of the reasons, Tony, that we're seeing so of many of these come to light has, really, nothing to do with the fact that people are being - that this is happening more often so much as it is the fact that people are just paying attention to it more. You know, you watch the news and somebody says, oh, there's a stolen car ring. Now, all of a sudden, everybody's watching for people breaking into cars. Well, people break into cars every day. But when you hear about it on the news, people start paying attention.

There have always been Ponzi schemes. This is not new. This has been going on forever. It has been happening to investors. It'll continue to go on, but we're just aware of because the Madoff scandal was so large and so visible.

You know, it's funny. I was listening to your description of the Ponzi scheme - as our time is running out - and I couldn't help but think that there must be somebody listening to your description who is saying, wow, the stimulus package, that sounds like a Ponzi scheme to me.

The government covering its own losses by printing more money back, which covers losses in which it prints more money. Hey, you know, you could make that - I'm not going to make that argument, but somebody might.

turn 1 : Ponzi schemes have been around for a long time and will continue to exist.

What type of schemes have been around for a long time and will continue to exist?

Answer: Ponzi.


That's absolutely - and people are outraged at the written bylines. They just haven't taken that conversation from the words to the images.

You have cited a bombshell report in the Columbia Journalism Review by Kristen Chick. It documents assault, harassment, allegations against prominent men in the field. And you, I gather, were not surprised.

We all knew this. We all know how bad it's been. I've been in this industry for almost two decades. I've been paid less by men, overlooked on assignments that have been given to men. I've been groped and intimidated in the field and in the workplace by men. But I have been lucky for the most part. Kristen interviewed 50 women over five months, named two prominent photographers but, more importantly, detailed an industry that is rampant with physical, emotional, mental discrimination that is preventing women from being behind the camera, that is causing women to leave the industry but also that is signaling to women, this is the cost of business. This is what you have to accept if you want to do this job.

I want to drill down on one of the photojournalism agencies involved in these allegations. That's VII. It's an incredibly prominent agency, influential in the field. Can you remind us of what those allegations are about?

turn 3 : There is no drill, the person wants to get right to the basic part of the information.

Which agency does PersonB want to know more about in relation to the allegations?

Answer: VII


Well, there might be something of a disconnect between the president and others in his administration. Others in his administration want to resolve what has been an escalating and ongoing trade dispute with China. What's being discussed here are $200 billion in tariffs on Chinese products. It isn't official yet, but according to many reports, it is coming. The question is whether these tariffs are a means to an end, the idea that you would be tightening the screws on China to get them to change their behavior and that then these tariffs would be dropped, or whether it's an end in itself.

And to hear the president - last week he tweeted something that would make it seem as though he thinks that tariffs may be good on their own. He says that the U. S.  is under no pressure to make a deal with China. China is under pressure to make a deal with us. Quote, "Our markets are surging. Theirs are collapsing. We will soon be taking in billions in tariffs and making products at home. If we meet, we meet. "

That's NPR White House correspondent Tamara Keith. Thank you so much.

You're welcome.

turn 0 : Screws are not tightened but pressure is being applied to China regarding tariffs.

How are the tariffs on Chinese products perceived by the president?

Answer: good


That's exactly the concern that advertisers have about this, they use these small data tracking files called, cookies. And by watching where you go on the web they can build a customer profile and decide what kinds of ads to show. Well, the internet advertising bureau which represents a lot of these companies, and web publishers says if this feature becomes widely adopted a lot of sites and especially smaller ones that rely almost entirely on their ad revenue - they won't be able to survive. On the other hand, some analysts are taking note that Microsoft's own future could hinge on web advertising, and this could affect its own business in much the same way.

That's true, the Firefox browser and Apple Safari browser do offer similar features.

Bob Moon of Public Radio's Daily Business Show, Marketplace - thank you.

turn 1 : "Other browsers have offered something like this?" - the word "this" refers to the feature discussed in the previous sentences, not a physical object.

What does the word "this" refer to in turn 1?

Answer: Feature


Is this situation just overshadowed by other refugee and humanitarian crises in the world?

I think so. I think its a challenge that, you know, Uganda is the third largest refugee-hosting country in the world now, but I think most people dont realize that. When we think about refugees, we often think about the Syria crisis, which is the world's largest. We think about people who are crossing the Mediterranean. But we're not thinking about the now almost a million people who've crossed this land border into Uganda but have also fled from South Sudan into Kenya and Ethiopia and even into Sudan.

We're also in a situation where the administration has sent very limited aid budgets to Congress. And fortunately because the commitment that Congress continues to show, they've actually rejected those steep cuts to humanitarian aid and provided strong funding - robust funding for humanitarian assistance. But we need to see that funding really get out of the bank accounts in D. C.  and get out to the ground, where it's needed.

Has Uganda been been so welcoming?The international community has thought there's relatively little reason to get involved.

turn 2 : We're also in a situation where the administration has sent very limited aid budgets to Congress. And fortunately because of the commitment that Congress continues to show, they've actually rejected those steep cuts to humanitarian aid and provided strong funding - robust funding for humanitarian assistance. But we need to see that funding really get out of the bank accounts in D.C. and get out to the ground, where it's needed.  Implicated meaning: Despite the administration sending limited aid budgets to Congress, Congress has shown commitment by rejecting steep cuts to humanitarian aid and providing strong funding. However, it is necessary for the allocated funding to be effectively utilized and reach the areas where humanitarian assistance is required.

Which country is the third largest refugee-hosting country in the world?

Answer: Less


I have no idea where my sister is. I heard my aunt was released from the distant relatives, but I have no information on my sister.

So do you have any sense of what their lives have been like in these camps that they were sent to?Do you know for sure that they were sent to camps?

I assume that they are in the camps because I hear many people - such as my sister, they are just disappearing. I don't know what kind of condition that my sister is being held. But I know the conditions of the camps. We have been talking to former detainees who's been released from these camps. People there facing forced indoctrinations, mental and physical abuses, forced to take unknown medicines, food and the sleep deprivations. The conditions are extremely bad.

I mean, it's not only the people who are in these camps whose lives have been affected by this crackdown by the Chinese government. It's also the lives of people who are just living in Xinjiang. Can you describe what daily life is like for them?

The people in the entire region is facing Orwellian-style-like police state. They are being monitored 24 hours a day. There are news reports that 1. 1 million Chinese cadres deployed to the Uighur homes to live with.

Officials who are just sitting there in the homes. . .

turn 4 : The entire region is under heavy surveillance by the Chinese government

Which region is under constant monitoring by the Chinese government?

Answer: Entire-region


Well, things are more quiet than usual. There's many, many fewer people and cars out on the street during the day because of the day of mourning. People are just (unintelligible). And it's also the weather is really bad. There is like a storm and cold and rain, so people are staying home, and then some people go out to celebrate New Year's Eve tonight. A lot of people won't because of the situation.

But it's a situation that is reflected all over the Arab world and many other parts of the world where people are really angry about what's going on. They think Israel is using excessive force. But they feel frustrated because they can't do anything about it, and their governments aren't - seemingly aren't doing anything about it either.

Leaders are calling for an end to the violence, but there hasn't been much talk in terms of specifics. What can be done to accomplish that goal of ending these attacks?

Well, if they wanted to do something, they could a lot - diplomatically, politically, economically - but they are really more talk than action. This is the problem. The Arab leaders I think genuinely share their people's anger with what's going on in the Israeli attack. Many Arab leaders are also angry at Hamas. They don't like Hamas very much.

turn 1 : 'Leaders are calling for an end to the violence, but there hasn't been much talk in terms of specifics.' implies that leaders are not taking specific actions to end the violence.

Which goal are leaders calling for an end to?

Answer: Violence


And that made both party's much more democratic operations - again, small D.  But the Democrats - large D, capital D - pushed it a lot further than the Republicans. The Republicans want to restrain the representational nature of the system a little bit so as to reach a conclusion a little faster. And that's the big difference now.

I think in Super Tuesday-voting today, for example, it's quite possible that one Republican candidate will get enough votes around the country that he'll become the nominee more or less de facto. On the Democratic side, though, there's really no chance to that. The proportional splits that I've been talking about, the breaking of the vote down and making it representative of the vote, that's going to divide the delegates between the two parties - or between the two candidates on the Democratic side.

So there are people on both sides of the major party system who have dropped out, and they have delegates. What happens to their delegates?

There aren't many, really. It's just a handful in both parties. And what will happen to those delegates is after their candidate is officially out - John Edwards, for example, is not officially out. He's just suspended his campaign.

turn 3 : The phrase "officially out" in this context refers to a candidate formally ending their campaign and withdrawing from the race. It implies that there is a distinction between being "officially out" and merely suspending the campaign, suggesting the possibility of a candidate re-entering the race in the future.

Which phrase in turn 3 suggests the possibility of a candidate re-entering the race in the future?

Answer: Re-entering


So it changes the calculus in this way. If you're the Syrian Kurdish commander and you feel that the U. S.  is essentially abandoning you, where do you turn for help against your mortal enemies, the Turks?And increasingly, I'm told by the Syrian Kurdish commander they think that they have to turn to Damascus. They have to turn to the regime. Meanwhile, Assad's key ally, Russia, is said to be moving with Syrian army troops north towards these Kurdish areas, seeking to capitalize on what they think is a vacuum caused by the instability and the U. S.  withdrawal.

So these Kurds would have to deal with the threat from Turkey and then, on the other side of things, the threat from the Syrian government trying to reclaim this area.

So this is essentially the Kurdish condition - surrounded by enemies. It's the case in Syria. It's the case in northern Iraq. It's the case in Iran. This is a people who just live in inconvenient countries. So yes, as in the past, the Kurds are surrounded. They feel they have enemies on all sides. They thought the U. S.  was a reliable friend, and they now are beginning to doubt that.

I want to come back to something you mentioned earlier - the thousands of ISIS prisoners that Kurds had been guarding. There's concerns about whether they can continue to do that while also fighting off the Turkish military. You had the president saying today in a statement that, quote, "Turkey is now responsible for ensuring all ISIS fighters being held captive remain in prison. "Does that seem likely?

turn 0 : It changes the way you think about the situation. Russia wants to capitalize on everyone's problems in the region.

What country is seeking to capitalize on the instability caused by the U.S. withdrawal, according to the dialogue?

Answer: Russia


Yup. And then, suddenly, it came back, and then it went back down. And they scratched their heads for quite a while. And finally, what they realized is that there was so much radiation there that it was doing what's called saturating the detector. So it just couldn't count anymore. It was just overwhelmed. And then when they would go out of the radiation belts, it would come back down to a reasonable level that it was designed for, and it would start counting again. And so it took them a little while to figure that out. But once they did, that was the discovery of the radiation belts.

And now we have the probes to follow up. Thanks, Craig Kletzing, for joining us today.

You're very welcome. Thanks for having me.

Craig Kletzing is a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Iowa.

turn 0 : The discovery of the radiation belts was a result of a long process of understanding what was causing the detector to be overwhelmed by radiation.

Which process was the discovery of the radiation belts a result of?

Answer: Process


These were all - the Hobbits. They were all living, you know, 50,000 years ago, all of these quite diverged groups of humans were living on Earth, and we're now quite lonely. We're the only group on Earth right now.

So something happened to them that didn't happen to us, that we survived?

That's right.

And the fact that - did they - do you think they knew of one another?

turn 0 : The speaker is not actually referring to the Hobbits from J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth but rather early human groups.

Which literary work is not being referred to by the speaker?

Answer: Tolkien


Well, again, these Italian researchers, the one who did the randomness stuff, looked at this and thought, we can write this up as a simple mathematical description. And they did, and it plays out in a simple way. And that's what led them to their paper in a physics journal that says, we're better off choosing politicians at random, because otherwise, we're all far too prey to this universal plague of stupidness.

That's - what better place to end it, Marc. Thank you very much. Marc Abrahams is editor. . .

. . . and co-founder of the Annals of Improbably Research. . .

Thank you, Ira.

Which journal did the Italian researchers publish their paper in?

Answer: physics


She let you know.

She let me know, I know. She was born with a perfectly normal heart. So for a whole variety of reasons, it was really special to meet her. You know, going through IVF, it's a very planned and purposeful pregnancy. Like, you're really (laughter) we really had to be committed to the idea that we wanted to be parents. So we're really happy it worked out the way it did.

You know, you reached out. What did you want people to know from your story?

Yeah. That's a good question. I've been asking myself because I haven't talked about my infertility experience very often. But I just had this impulse. There's a lot of taboos around infertility. There's a lot of taboos around talking about being a new mother in any other way besides in glowing terms. And now that I am a new mom and I'm working with other new families, I realize how stressful it is and how normal it is. In the event that someone out there can relate, that's what would be my hope.

turn 1 : "You know, going through IVF, it's a very planned and purposeful pregnancy" - The literal meaning is that the pregnancy was a result of in vitro fertilization (IVF) which is a planned and purposeful process. The actual meaning is that the process of going through IVF is challenging and requires a strong commitment to the idea of becoming parents.

Which medical procedure did the speaker go through to conceive?

Answer: IVF


Are you swaying now?

Just a little bit, within legal bounds.

So what happened?

We had a noise complaint from a neighbor from people speaking too loudly on the sidewalk. And when the police came out, they issued two summons, one for violation of the New York City noise code and one for violation the Cabaret Law, which in the context of bars and restaurants, prohibits musical entertainment, singing, dancing or other forms of amusement without a license. And that license is very difficult to obtain and was only possessed by about a hundred bars and restaurants out of more than 25,000 in New York.

turn 1 : 2) "Just a little bit, within legal bounds." The speaker is not actually swaying but is referring to the legal limit of noise allowed in the context of the noise complaint mentioned in (4). The implied meaning is that the speaker is trying to avoid any further trouble with the police by staying within the legal limits of noise.

Answer: Noise


I think, in the very early days, it was computer nerds - I mean, you know, technologists - people who were really interested in the technology. And now it's, I think, more just ordinary people who hear about bitcoin, obviously do some reading - have some understanding of how the technology works but, I think, see more of either profit opportunity or just like the idea of it. I think there's a significant political strain behind the appeal of bitcoin - people who don't like the Federal Reserve, don't like big banks, don't like conventional financial institutions.

Don't like taxes?

Don't like taxes - exactly - kind of libertarian-minded people.

Well, what do you think it's going to do?

turn 2 : (3) has an actual meaning that is different from its literal meaning. While the literal meaning is simply stating that some people who are attracted to bitcoin have a libertarian mindset and don't like taxes, the implied meaning is that there is a political ideology driving the appeal of bitcoin beyond just profit opportunities or curiosity about the technology.

What is the implied meaning behind the appeal of bitcoin?

Answer: political


Right. You have this really shocking statistic in your article where you say that personal consumption amounts to 70 percent of the American economy.

Yeah, that's right. Basically, we are the engine of our own economy. And for far too long apparently, we've just been swiping our Visa cards willy nilly and pumping up this economy. The worry is that when we stop doing that, which is what's happening, our economy is going to sag.

So you went out to see if it was sagging. You went to the Mall of America. What did you find?

The most ambitious mall in the United States, the mall that is doing the most to put you in the fugue state that allows you to spend. They're up against it at the Mall of America. What I found was a lot of people who weren't shopping all that much and a lot of people that were counting their pennies in a way that they never had before.

turn 1 : Personal consumption is the key driver of the American economy, and if people stop consuming, the economy will suffer.

Which factor is the key driver of the American economy?

Answer: consumption


Abby Wambach was a major soccer star - two Olympic gold medals, the all-time highest goal score among women and men internationally, global recognition. But when Barnard College, the all-women's school in New York City, asked her to give its commencement address last year, she felt underqualified. So she poured her heart into her speech and decided to turn it into a rallying cry for women.

That hard work paid off. Her speech went viral, and she's now turned it into a book about leadership for people everywhere. It's called "WOLFPACK: How To Come Together, Unleash Our Power, And Change The Game. "Abby Wambach is with us from Colorado Public Radio to talk about some of the leadership lessons in her new book.

Abby, welcome to the show.

Wow. That was that was maybe the best introduction that I've gotten. . .

turn 3 : Abby Wambach appreciated the introduction she received on the show. Literal meaning: Abby Wambach thought that the introduction she received was very good.  Implicated meaning: There is no implied meaning in this turn. The meaning is literal.

What did Abby Wambach think of the introduction she received on the show?

Answer: Viral


But these are opposition strongholds. So, again, it reinforced this view that Ebola is being exploited for political gain. It's being used by certain political players to make money. And so what we're seeing is a lot of these messages being circulated that Ebola is a hoax or Ebola is a plot. And people are attributing these messages to local political leaders who presumably feel that their power is being threatened by rivals who are aligned with the fight against Ebola.

So the new U. N.  coordinator, what can they do?

This appointment is a recognition that the U. N.  realizes they need to treat this as much as a political problem as a health problem. And my sources in Congo say that they might need to get pretty radical because you can't just fight this with guns because if you do that, you're just going to play into this narrative that the national government is using Ebola as a way to gain power. You need to spread the message that this is not a political issue, that this is something that, you know, affects everyone.

And so some of the ideas that have been talked about, for example, is just really broaden who gets vaccinated. Normally, you vaccinate people who've had direct contact with someone who has Ebola, which makes sense medically, right?But that just makes people wonder, are the people who are getting vaccinated people who have connections, you know?And why isn't everyone getting vaccinated?

turn 2 : The fight against Ebola is not just a health problem, but also a political one

What type of problem is the fight against Ebola not just limited to?

Answer: political


As we mentioned, polls show that a strong majority of Republicans do still support the death penalty. You're one of the growing number of those, though, who have called for repealing it. And there has been a move, as we said earlier, in some red states to repeal the death penalty. What do you think accounts for that shift?Is it just about economics?

No, I don't think it's solely economics. But, again, you know, most Republicans are pro-life. And when you start looking at the abortion issue and the life issue, you start to have to ask yourself, am I being consistent when I'm looking at the death penalty?

And, you know, for the longest time, the death penalty from the criminal law standpoint was there only for society's revenge. You know, it doesn't serve the other goals of criminal law. There's no rehabilitation of anybody. There's no study that shows that it helps prevent crime. So we're really kind of in that Old Testament retribution. And I think as we move more and more away from that and then factor in the economics, there's a real reason to get rid of it.

You mentioned, though, religion in politics as well as economics. I'm curious - how do you think about the morality of this question of the death penalty?

turn 2 : old testament retribution means that some of these laws are very old and outdated

What was the death penalty used for from the criminal law standpoint?

Answer: Revenge


Well, you know, performance is really one of making sure you understand and document what's expected of you in your given role. One of the mistakes I see many professionals make, minority or otherwise, is they don't document and understand really what's expected of them.

And so they go throughout the whole year performing at what they may thing is the optimum level, only to get to the end of the year and find out that they've missed a mark. They're not doing one-on-ones or meetings quarterly or monthly with their manager, and so it's really important that if, you're going to track your performance that you understand what's expected, but more importantly that you follow up to make sure that you're on course.

Now, you have these performance evaluations in some cases, and is that a 100 percent of your success?How much are we talking about?

Yeah, I'm a big believer that success in corporate America, that performance really accounts for 50 percent of that. And what I mean by that is if you go back to childhood, most of what we were taught as children was you are rewarded based on how well you performed.

turn 0 : "performance is really one of making sure you understand and document what's expected of you in your given role" - The literal meaning would be that performance is about actually performing one's job duties, but the actual meaning is that it's about understanding and documenting what's expected in order to perform well.

What mistake do many professionals make, according to A?

Answer: Document


Oh.

OK. So Bill Eberhard and colleagues looked into this and found that it's a little bit different than what people had thought. First of all, spiders definitely touch the sticky part of their web all the time, especially when they're constructing it. But he also found that when he looked at the leg of a spider under a dissecting microscope - and if this appeals to you, you can see this on our website - you see these tiny little hairs called setae. And what happens is when a spider touches the sticky line with this hairy leg, as it pulls away, the glue sort of drips down the hairs, and then you have very little surface area between the sticky glue and the spider. So there's not a lot of pull. And this kind of explains mostly why they - and they touch it very delicately. And then there's this one more little fact, which is my favorite part of this study, which is they wash the spider legs. They clean them off and find that they're much stickier. So they do seem to have a kind of oily substance that repels their own glue.

Wow. Wow.

But - it was cool.

turn 3 : Implies that the speaker found the information about spiders and their webs interesting or impressive, despite the fact that they also thought it was "cool." So, the actual meaning of (4) is slightly different from its literal meaning.

How did the speaker feel about the information on spiders and their webs?

Answer: cool


There's problems, obviously, with monitoring the situation. The government won't let - of Myanmar - won't let international monitors in. And, in fact, the top U. N.  official responsible for human rights was barred from the country. Is that right?

Yanghee Lee, the U. N. 's special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, has been denied entry. A U. N.  fact-finding mission has been denied entry. If there was going to be a return - and this is premature - but if there was going to be a return, there would have to be some sort of international monitoring in place.

Myanmar sees most of the Rohingya as illegal migrants who originally came from Bangladesh generations ago. Bangladesh does not want them either. We're seeing a new generation growing up in refugee camps. In many ways, they are stateless people. Bangladesh is not giving newborns, for example, documents to show that they have any status at all in the country. So what is the way forward?

The bottom line is they - Rohingya have been in Myanmar for centuries. They have legitimate claims to citizenship there. And the notion that they're stateless or somehow they are kind of an alien people is nonsense. It is nonsense. It is a myth perpetrated by the authorities in Myanmar. So yeah, the government of Bangladesh should have policies that are tolerant and willing to take care of the Rohingya for as long as they need to be taken care of. But the culprit here is the government and the military in Myanmar.

turn 3 : The government and military of Myanmar are responsible for the mistreatment of the Rohingya.

What is the main reason for the mistreatment of the Rohingya?

Answer: Government


What about the new government in Kiev. They issued a statement which is, as you described - at least through the translation - sounds like fighting words. What's their reaction been?

Well, there's not been more reaction than that except to say that earlier today, the Ukrainian president, the acting Ukrainian president accused Russia of trying to provoke a military conflict. This was before the vote in the Russian Parliament. And he referred to Russia's action in the past in other former Soviet regions with large Russian populations and said that Moscow's approach in Crimea is very similar to what Russia did before invading in other former Soviets areas.

So, a great sense of concern, a great sense of uncertainty of what will come next. It's not clear whether this is a still a political game or this is military brinksmanship.

And we're told, for example, that the U. N.  had I guess special representative Robert Sery was in Russia. He was supposed to head to the Crimea. Anything you've heard about negotiations to talk this thing through?

turn 2 : (3) The implied meaning is that there is a great sense of uncertainty and concern about what will happen next, and it's not clear whether the situation is still a political game or has escalated to military brinksmanship. The literal meaning is consistent with this implied meaning.

Which word describes the situation in Ukraine as being uncertain and unclear?

Answer: Unclear


Right.

It was just incredible. So our video this week is kind of the back story, the making of his Lego shuttle video, which has gotten tons of hits in the last. I mean, you know, which is the best. . .

It's a camera on - it's a Lego guy with a camera on a weather balloon, right?

Right. So they take this huge helium balloon, you know, a big, rubber weather balloon, fill it with helium, and then it goes up 115,000 feet. It takes two and a half hours to go up, and then, you know, it's shorter on the way down but. . .

turn 0 : (1) "Right." This turn does not convey any literal meaning, but it serves as a signal that the listener is following the speaker's train of thought and agrees with what has been said. It is a type of backchanneling, which is a signal that the listener is actively listening and engaged in the conversation.

What is the turn of phrase used by PersonB to signal agreement and active listening in response to PersonA's statement?

Answer: Right


Believe me, I was - I just went into a state of shock. Yeah, it was one of those things. I mean, I guess some people's imaginations run towards good fortune all the time, but I'm sort of the kid who's always sort of preparing myself for the apocalypse. So when something good happens, it's more extraordinary even than normal.

Yeah, do you know who nominated you, by the way?

Oh hell no, and whoever did kept their secret because I had no clue.

Oh, you won't find that out. That's so interesting because I think you'd want to go and thank them.

turn 2 : The person who nominated A did not reveal themselves intentionally.

What did the person who nominated PersonA intentionally not reveal?

Answer: Identity


Yeah, of course. What really sealed the deal for me was when I had to pay $11. 25 to report each individual score to colleges on my list. And, of course, I believe, you know, there has to be a lot of money that goes into proctors, the readers for the essays, all that stuff. To just send scores?It doesn't cost $11 per score.

Of course, the College Board's a not-for-profit corporation.

Yeah. I mean, they pull in about $750 million-plus a year. In the last three years, there's been about a $60 million profit on average, and that's just insane.

Well, let me follow up on another part of your argument, Mr.  Tonelli. Do you think the costs of the tests deter students from applying to more than one college?And does it perhaps discourage poorer families?

turn 2 : (3) A says that the College Board pulls in about $750 million-plus a year and has made an average profit of $60 million over the last three years, and that this is just insane. The actual meaning here is that the high revenue and profits generated by the College Board, a non-profit organization, are viewed as excessive and unreasonable by some people, particularly given the high costs that students and families must pay to take College Board tests.

How does PersonA describe the revenue and profits of the College Board?

Answer: Excessive


What's missing from that?

I mean, a deeper understanding of why Syrians rose up in the first place. I mean, this is a regime that's been in power for 50 years. It has outlasted eight U. S.  presidents since Nixon. Think about that. And Bashar's organizing elections again in 2021, and he intends to run. So there's a chance he will probably outlast Trump, even if Trump wins a second term.

Sam Dagher is author of the book "Assad Or We Burn The Country. "He also contributes to The Atlantic. Sam, thank you so much for being with us.

You're welcome, Noel.

turn 1 : The Syrian regime's longevity is a sign of their power and oppression, and Bashar's reelection will likely outlast Trump's presidency.

What is the likelihood of Bashar outlasting Trump?

Answer: Likely


Let's start with the AP style guide - maybe I should say the Associated Press style guide because we're going to be talking about abbreviations. Those sometimes present decisions, right?Do we always need the say Internal Revenue Service on first reference?Doesn't everybody kind of know the UN or FBI by its initials, or NPR for that matter?So AP has now ruled about BLT.

They have. We can say BLT on first reference. Now I should start out by saying that NPR - we have our own standards and styles, but we usually are in line with AP's. In this case, I found a reference going back, at least to 2002 by someone named Scott Simon. . .

(Laughter) Oh, no.

. . . Who referred to a BLT as a BLT without saying bacon, lettuce and tomato.

I bring this up though because, as I don't have to tell you of all people, Mark, there are initials that have entered everyday language because they're abbreviations for profanities.

turn 3 :  "referred to a BLT as a BLT without saying bacon, lettuce and tomato" - The literal meaning is that the person referred to a BLT sandwich without mentioning its components, which is also the actual meaning.

Answer: BLT


Yeah?

. . . Is this important, really, at the end of the day?Or is this all a distraction?

Well, in a lot of ways, this is a distraction from the larger issue, which is the Russia investigation and the concern that Russia's been influencing our elections, right?But in the one side, who was involved or who did what with whom?The real problem is that Russia is attacking our body politics. And we have to come together as Republicans, Democrats and really fight back against that problem because we've got by-elections coming up here in 2018.

Jamil Jaffer is the founder of the National Security Institute. Thank you very much for joining us.

Thanks for having me.

turn 1 : B believes that the topic being discussed is not important.

Which word describes PersonB's opinion on the importance of the topic being discussed?

Answer: Distraction


When she decided it was not in the national interest to grant security clearances for these 25 individuals, her supervisor overruled her and never provided any rationale for his decisions. In the past, when she was overruled on rare occasion, they would - supervisor would point out the mitigating circumstances and would work with her to assess the risk. Her former supervisor Carl Kline wouldn't speak to her, in fact would direct her not to get involved in these disputed security adjudications.

There has been reporting that President Trump got personally involved in order to grant security clearances for his son-in-law and others. Do you have any awareness of that?

My client would have no direct awareness of that. It was at a much higher level than she was operating at.

What led your client Tricia Newbold to conclude that the problems she was seeing in her office could not be addressed within the executive branch that she works for but instead needed to be addressed by Congress?

turn 1 :  (2) Implies that the speaker is asking if the client has any knowledge of President Trump's personal involvement in granting security clearances, rather than a literal reading of the question which could be interpreted as asking if the client has any awareness of the reporting itself.

Which question implies that the speaker is asking if the client has any knowledge of President Trump's personal involvement in granting security clearances?

Answer: Question1


Being an African-American police officer is one of the most difficult things that you'll do because there are African-American police officers all around this country and in this city who I talk to on a daily bases that, even before recent history, believe that there were issues between police officers and young black men. And one of the things that I think creates the problem - I've heard the word utilized a lot in describing the relationship - is that African-American men and particularly young men - say late teens to early-to-mid-30s - are - the word used is demonized.

And there are black officers that you talk to on a daily basis who will tell you that it's tough. I see this, and I still have to be accepted. I still have to be a part of the police culture, living in two worlds.

But I'll say that if you're a black police officer in America, there are some difficulties simply because you know that your race and gender has been on the receiving end of some very serious and questionable uses of force, whether they be deadly or just plain force used to make an arrest. So it is seen as something that - a burden that we carry as African-American men who also work in police profession.

Lieutenant Thomas Glover is president of the Black Police Association of Greater Dallas. Lieutenant Glover, thank you very much.

turn 2 : (3) Turn A: The implied meaning is that being a black police officer in America can be difficult because of the historical and ongoing use of excessive force against people of color, which can make it hard to reconcile one's identity as a black person with one's role as a police officer

Which group of people face the burden of carrying the historical and ongoing use of excessive force against them?

Answer: African-American


. . . and you put your own video together out of this.

Right. So he has this whole collection of different embryos at different stages, and they - you measure age of embryo based - its postovulatory age. So it's very hard to tell exactly when the embryo was conceived, but you can kind of estimate based on ovulation. And so you look and you can see after 28 days what it looks like, after 42 days. And he's put together, actually, these sort of amazing time lapses so you can watch these changes over time.

And in talking to Smith, he's really thought a lot about what - why we have such a strong reaction to looking at embryos, and he's found this firsthand. I mean, and he gets emails all the time and sort of unpacks these questions, like, you know, is it - when you look at these pictures, does it strike you as more human or less human than you would have imagined, he asks. This is what he asked audience when he shows them. What is your experience with seeing these pictures in the past?You know, he said imagine 300 or 400 years ago, would - how would people imagine what an embryo is?This is a technologically. . .

Yeah. Yeah.

turn 3 :  implies that the interlocutor agrees with the previous statement and is encouraging the speaker to continue talking.

Which interlocutor is encouraging the speaker to continue talking?

Answer: B


It's something that I think I've kind of really kind of gotten used to it over the years. But back when we really started taken off, it would be really strange to walk into a room with 20,000 people and you were the only African-American person in the room. I mean that happened a lot. And it's one of the things where I really had to come to grips with it.

I mean, I chose this life. I chose this job. This is what I wanted to do and, you know, I just - now it's no big deal, it's just the way it is. I love my job and I'm not going to change my job. So that just comes with the territory.

There's so many, what I call racial sharing moments going on right now and we, you know, we take them seriously, but we can also laugh at them. But sometimes have you ever felt that people ask you to be their guide into some greater understanding of blackness?

Oh, absolutely. You know, I've been playing Hootie & the Blowfish for 23 years, and we, you know, we've been doing' it. And I think my friends use me as a - like you said, as a vehicle to experience - and I know a lot of people that probably when they met me were pretty racist people, that are now really good friends of mine.

turn 0 : Being the only African-American in a room with 20,000 people was a challenging experience for the speaker.

What was one of the things that the speaker had to come to grips with?

Answer: Challenging


I don't know how long people's memories are about that, Jackie, and I raised that because it seems that most people seemed to have understood that President Obama inherited this economic crisis, and yet there is a question as to how long they will allow him to enjoy the good feeling of support before they turn on him. . .

Right.

If things don't turn in the economy quickly.

Well, that's right. You know, we're all hemming and hawing about this package. All will be forgotten. What people will remember is whether or not they felt like it worked. I think, you know, all the polls suggest now that the people really know the he did inherit this. He has - there's no blame for it and it's a, you know, nobody really knows what to do, they're just sort of experimenting much as Franklin Roosevelt did, you know 70 years ago. And - but I think that he definitely has to be seen as competent and that was a big rap against George Bush, that overtime people of the overwhelming majority of Americans just thought he was proven incompetent in handling the economy.

turn 3 : hemming and hawing is another way of saying they were complaining.... A LOT

Answer: Good


Possibly more powerful or an offshoot of these, yes. Yeah, there's no doubt. This has been - Flame has, looks like, created probably around maybe 2007, 2008. So you know, we're talking five years ago, and Stuxnet was created a little bit after that. And then you've got Duqu that came out a year after Stuxnet. So these are just three of them, and yeah, there's no doubt that there are others.

And once again you say that for people who are concerned, if you update your Windows, Microsoft has a patch out now too, doesn't it, it should remove it from your PC?

Well, Microsoft's patch is different. Microsoft patches the vulnerabilities that the Flame used to spread on a machine or to get on a machine. But if you have antivirus updates, that's the thing that will prevent you from getting infected as well.

And is there any possibility that this was done by a bunch of hobbyists or people who wanted, you know, to just show that they wanted to get into systems?

turn 2 :  A's turn has a different actual meaning from its literal meaning. When A says "Microsoft patches the vulnerabilities that the Flame used to spread on a machine or to get on a machine," they mean that Microsoft released a patch to fix the vulnerabilities that the Flame malware exploited to infect computers. The literal meaning might suggest that Microsoft somehow "patches" the Flame malware itself, which is not what is happening.

How does Microsoft's patch for the Flame malware fix the vulnerabilities?

Answer: Mitigation


Oh, the subpoena is the basic working tool of these investigations. It can be a single piece of paper that demands that the witness show up on pain of contempt. Or it can also be a subpoena of the kind that seeks documents, including digital material like emails. By bringing in a witness, they cut through a lot of the stalling. And by demanding the documents, they have the materials to pin the witness down in the questioning.

And what about the value of closed-door sessions?Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and top adviser, met with the committee behind closed doors this week. What's the value of that to the committee even as it frustrates the public a bit?

Well, there are pluses and minuses to it. It's best if it's a preparation for a public session. Committee staff, for example, will do a behind-closed-doors questioning very thoroughly and minutely using documents in a way that you don't see so much in a public session. So it can be good preparation. It's also, in this particular situation, it's possible that there's a mixture of classified and non-classified material and you sort that out during the behind-closed-doors.

It sounds like you're describing a dress rehearsal or something like that.

turn 1 :  The literal meaning of this turn is to ask what is the value of closed-door sessions, however the implied meaning is to question the fairness of closed-door sessions to the public.

Which type of session does PersonB question the fairness of to the public?

Answer: sessions


Hey. How you doing, Lulu?

I'm very well. For people who haven't been to Richmond, can you describe Monument Avenue for us?What statues are there?

Monument Avenue is one of the most beautiful stretches of street in the United States of America. I mean, it's tree-lined. It's on the national historic registry. There are statues to Robert E.  Lee. There's a statue to Jeb Stuart, to, you know, Stonewall Jackson. And there's a lonely statue of Arthur Ashe, which I call the only true champion on that stretch of street.

The tennis champion, Arthur Ashe.

turn 1 : "I'm very well. For people who haven't been to Richmond, can you describe Monument Avenue for us? What statues are there?" - The actual meaning is the speaker is politely introducing themselves, expressing their good health and asking a genuine question about Monument Avenue and its statues, rather than just making small talk.

What is PersonB's question related to Monument Avenue?

Answer: Description


Well, at a Vatican briefing last Tuesday, the spokesman Father Frederico Lombardi used the Armenian term Medz Yeghern, which means the Great Evil. And he bristled when he was asked why he didn't say genocide. So when the prepared text of the Pope's speech last night used only the Armenian term, most of us thought that was a possible diplomatic overture toward Turkey.

In his actual delivery, the Pope added the word genocide. He said that genocide made possible by the twisted racial ideological or religious aims that darken the minds of the tormentors, even to the point of planning the annihilation of entire peoples. "That drew a standing ovation from the president of Armenia and the diplomatic corps.

The pope visited the genocide memorial today. What did he say there?

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.

turn 3 : (4) The performance of a mournful melody on the Armenian flute symbolized the grief of the Armenian people.

What did the mournful melody on the Armenian flute symbolize?

Answer: Grief


Well, the first thing we did is we discussed with our veterans who had worked to install the Eternal Flame Memorial, this particular feature to this park, and tried to work out some sort of an agreement. And it was agreed that if we could keep the flame going, we would do that, but that it may require us to shut it down for a short period of time while we re-engineer or figure out what we can do to make this work. Unfortunately, we're in a budget crunch, and every penny counts.

I understand that shortly after you got this bill, the flame went out for a little bit.

It was shut off for about a day and half, two days. It was shut off for a brief period of time. That's correct.

And veterans there in Bullhead City didn't take too kindly to that decision.

turn 3 : Veterans were upset about the decision to shut down the flame.

What was the reaction of veterans to the decision mentioned in turn 3?

Answer: Upset


And how much do we know at this moment in time, this early in the day, about what the damage is up there?

You know, we saw reports. As we were doing live coverage, we saw reports of damage start to trickle in. But, really, right after an earthquake, it is, like, fog of war. No one knows what's going on. Emergency responders are just going out trying to survey the damage. We did hear reports of fires.

We got some calls into our - into KPCC of people telling us that they had fallen. One woman said that she thought maybe she broke her wrist. And there were a lot of people who were just afraid to go back into their houses, which is another big thing with big earthquakes - is that it disrupts people's lives not just for that one moment, but continuously, especially after aftershock after aftershock after aftershock keeps hitting.

All right. Well, we'll be getting updates throughout the morning. And thanks very much for joining us. KPCC's Jacob Margolis, science reporter and host of a podcast called "The Big One: Your Survival Guide. "Thank you, Jacob.

turn 1 : We saw reports of damage slowly come in to our studio. It is chaotic and confusing for everyone right after an earthquake and everyone is a bit stunned.

What is the situation like after an earthquake?

Answer: Stunned


I think Gary offers central location. It's close to a number of freeways. There's access to Chicago. There's certainly lower cost of living for employees. Yeah, the employees will be generously compensated. But, you know, moving into a larger market - Chicago, Boston, possibly some places like Austin - you're going to have a lot of that income gobbled up immediately by real estate and housing. And I think for Gary, it's a tremendous opportunity to turn a corner.

Yeah, but what about the tax rate?

Tax rate - I mean, it's more generous than Illinois, so, certainly for businesses and corporations. So there's that appeal there. And I know there's been, you know, conversation with the governor of Indiana, Governor Holcomb, about kind of preparing this plan. I can't speak to how much of that has happened or not. But I think that's another advantage.

There's so many cities preparing a bit for Amazon's second headquarters. But will the winner have to grant so many tax breaks, it won't wind up being that much of an economic gain?

turn 1 :  The implied meaning of the second turn is asking if the tax rate in Indiana is lower than Illinois, and if it is, will the winner of Amazon's second headquarters have to grant so many tax breaks that it won't be a big economic gain in the end.

What is the concern raised by PersonB regarding the tax rate and economic gain for the winner of Amazon's second headquarters?

Answer: tax


And so my point is that with the fact that they didn't seem to have old and outdated technology, you couple that now with an administration that's new, that basically, I say he made it into the White House due to the speed of the Internet. So you have a bunch of people that are used to using Facebook, social networking, mobile phones and wireless connectivity, and then you take them back into what feels like the '80s. That's just not going to work.

It seems really bizarre. I have another question for you, and I don't know if you have the answer to it or not. Since the president - I want to talk about the BlackBerry again - since the president was allowed to keep his BlackBerry, are we to assume that there has been some sort of technological advancement with regard to security that the president's BlackBerry would have, that my BlackBerry and your BlackBerry don't have?

Yeah.

My BlackBerry and your BlackBerry sitting by the fire.

turn 0 : He made into the White House because of how fast information is shared.  If you take people back to a time when they did not happen no one will like it.

Which technology did the president's BlackBerry have that the other BlackBerries didn't have?

Answer: Security


Right. And people in Detroit and in Michigan have seen that up close. Detroit is one of the country's leading cities for foreclosures, and people have just seen the values of their houses plummet there. What do you hear from your readers?

Well, they're very angry. And the next question is, well, who are they angry at?And the answer seems to be, well, who's available. If McCain is doing a swing through the suburbs today, they'll be mad at McCain. If the Democratic governor of Michigan, Jennifer Granholm, visits Detroit, they'll be mad at her. Both candidates still have favorable ratings above 50 percent. That's a little bit at variance with what I'm hearing anecdotally from readers. They seem much more polarized than that, and the Obama people seem much more hateful towards McCain and vice versa.

And what do they want to hear from the candidates?

They want to hear how the candidates are going to stem the hemorrhaging of manufacturing jobs in Michigan or alternatively, what they're going to replace those jobs with. Michigan has been struggling with job losses, foreclosures and high unemployment for well over a year now. And there's anger, but there's also a little bit of numbness at the constant patter of bad news.

turn 1 : "swing through the suburbs" - actual meaning: visit the suburbs

Which city is mentioned as one of the leading cities for foreclosures?

Answer: Detroit