I want to kind of mention quickly the things that are floating out there as rumors and are not confirmed. Again, these are things that people are talking about and are not confirmed. There are many people who immediately assumed this is a terror attack. Tovia, this is not confirmed.

Not confirmed. Nothing about the cause of this, whether it was some kind of unintentional explosion from down in a manhole or something or whether it was a bomb. The police do tell me that the bomb squad is on the scene, as you would expect, along with police and fire and rescue, but they are not talking about the cause. They - a briefing is coming soon but it's taking some time to maneuver down there and also to collect some good information, some hard data about what's going on and numbers of injured and the rest.

What agency are you speaking with to confirm what's going on?Is it the Boston Police Department?

Boston police is who I have been talking to. The hospitals are confirming that people are on their way as well.

This is TALK OF THE NATION from NPR News.

turn 1 : The authorities are not revealing the actual cause of the explosion.

How are the authorities keeping the cause of the explosion?

Answer: Unknown


Maybe in part but certainly not for all of it. I mean, look. You can see how investor might be inspired by the Trump administration, right?He is seen as business-friendly, as is the Republican Congress. They're talking about cutting corporate taxes. They're talking about cutting regulations. So that might make investors more bullish.

But you have so many other factors that weigh on the markets. For example, low interest rates. That might be sending stocks higher. Job creation is steady, like we were saying. And the global economy is doing OK.  And one other thing to emphasize here, Donald Trump does have a lot of economic policies he wants to pass. You know, he's talked about infrastructure. They've talked about overhauling the tax code. Those things haven't happened yet.

Definitely rich people, I mean, is the short answer. You know, according to data from 2013 - and I find this astounding - the top 10 percent of households in terms of wealth owned 80 percent of the stocks in America. That's a huge discrepancy. And still others, you know, are invested via retirement accounts. So you have some of the middle class that is benefiting, but you have all of those other people that own no stock. They might see some indirect effects.

turn 2 : (3) Who seems to benefit from the stock market climb right now? - Implied meaning: Who is most likely to benefit from the current rise in stock prices?

How much of the stocks in America are owned by the top 10 percent of households in terms of wealth according to data from 2013?

Answer: 80


First was a story of tremendous heartbreak, tremendous disappointment of people who had, in many cases, been displaced for many years during the country's long civil war, who had returned home to South Sudan only to find a few years later that they were being displaced again. That feeling of being uprooted when they had expected to be settled once and for all back home was really palpable and really so tragic and heartbreaking to see.

But at the same time, I also saw a story of incredible resilience and strength, people who after having walked in many cases for days or weeks to arrive in Uganda were setting about constructing their own homes, beginning to plant the small fields that are allocated around their homes. It's just, I think, an incredible testament to the resilience of the South Sudanese people.

When we think of refugee crises, of course, we often envision refugee camps, but tell us about the plots of land that refugees receive in Uganda.

Well, unlike a lot of the refugee camps around the world, where where my organization, Oxfam, works, people in Uganda and the refugee settlement model they have are actually spread out in agricultural settlements, where they are granted in the case of Uganda plots of land 30 by 30 meters or 50 by 50 meters. And that's so they can plant some of the crops that they are accustomed to from home, things like corn, beans.

turn 3 : The Ugandan refugee settlement model provides refugees with an opportunity to live a self-sufficient life, with the ability to grow their own food and perhaps even build a livelihood.

How does the Ugandan refugee settlement model promote self-sufficiency?

Answer: Granted


Yeah.

. . . And they're called casseurs - breakers. They love to smash windows. They love to tear stuff up. And actually, the interior minister said that Marine Le Pen - that's the far-right leader - sent out far-right, you know, hooligans to cause havoc. So she, of course, denies that. But in every demonstration in France, these young men - they wear hoods, and they love to come out. So there's definitely that element.

And I've been talking to people out here. You know, a father had his 6-year-old daughter out here. He's not out there smashing things. So they're angry. They feel like their march is being taken over. But I can hear them screaming, Macron resign, way up, chanting in the crowd. So yes, people are causing, you know, damage and havoc, but there are regular people who are just angry.

NPR's Eleanor Beardsley on the streets of Paris. Eleanor, thanks very, very much for being with us.

turn 1 : elements in this context is something that causes something else, or something that can help something, in this case its asthma

What medical condition is being compared to the elements mentioned in the dialogue?

Answer: Unrelated


I don't think so. Like I told you earlier, you know, what I see on the ground is the agents going out of their ways, you know, in rescuing these people. It's a shame to shadow that heroism with the social media.

Do you worry about the mental health of Border Patrol agents?Do you worry about people who are just sick, tired, fed up, overwhelmed?Are you seeing evidence in Customs and Border Protection that people are burning out?

We've heard people talking that they were - they are burning out. There's agents talking about how they have to call in sick more regularly than before.

Why?

turn 1 : burning out implies that people are being frustrated and not burnt out in fire

How would you describe the physical state of the people mentioned in the dialogue?

Answer: Frustrated


But first, we're going to look at the news affecting the media industry itself. This week, newspapers and magazines across the country were hit again with massive layoffs. The Christian Science Monitor announced this week that after a century, it would stop publishing a daily-print paper. Joining us to talk about the cuts is Neil Henry.

He's the dean of U. C. Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism and the author of " American Carnival: Journalism Under Siege in an Age of New Media. "Welcome Neil.

Thank you.

So, I'm not exactly the newest babe on the media block, I have worked in print for Newsweek and, you know, on-air for television, off-air, blah, blah, blah. And it just - it hurts me.

turn 3 : newest babe on the media block means the newest girl that is becoming popular in media

How does PersonB feel about the news affecting the media industry?

Answer: hurts


One of the stories in the collection is called "Missed Connection-m4w" - men for women - and it begins sort of like a Craigslist post in missed connections and then evolves from there. And you actually first published this on Craigslist. Is that right?

Yeah. What the story is about is about this guy who can't work up the nerve to talk to this woman sitting on the same train car as him. And in fact, 60 years pass where they. . .

He also can't get up and leave.

He - yeah. Well, 'cause he's paralyzed by this idea of who this woman is even though he never actually talks to her. But - so I had the idea to write this fake missed connection and just post it anonymously on Craigslist.

turn 2 : paralyzed by this idea  implies being confused and weak

What is the reason for the protagonist's immobility in the story "Missed Connection-m4w"?

Answer: Idea.


Why reform?What has been wrong with the bail system up to this point?

It is extremely unfair. Essentially, what you're doing is taking people who have zero dollars and asking them to pay you dollars to preserve their own liberty. In New York, it's something like 45,000 people per year are detained on bail. And of those, 85 percent have a bail that they can't afford to pay, even though it's less than $500. And we have to keep in mind that in New York City, the cost of jail is something like $400 - at least $400 a day, so the math quickly does not add up.

Which is why I'm wondering, you know, why does the system do it this way?How does the system benefit from the current way of asking for bail?

I think that it's kind of a version of inertia. I think, you know, the idea was that the most important thing we have in our society and culture is money, so if you take that away from somebody or threaten to take it away from them, then you can compel them to do what you want them to do, which is to return to court. And then we have an industry that this set up - often, you know, in any downtown area, you see the bail bondsmen is right next-door to the court. And so we have an industry that has a lot of entrenched interest to keep the current system alive and well.

turn 1 : This statement implies that the amount dollar charged for bail in New York is exorbitant.

Which state has a high number of people detained on bail that they cannot afford to pay?

Answer: New-York


And the damage that has been done and that has been wrought does not appear to be facing any kind of true reconciliation or any kind of true reckoning. There's a lack of justice. There's a lack of accountability. And there's the presence of an incredible amount of impunity.

Well, take me into Syria. What are people feeling there now after these eight long years?

You know, it really depends on where you're situated and how you're situated. And a lot of Syrians are now outside of Syria. I, myself, haven't been back since 2013.

I think people right now are in a place of absolute exhaustion, whether they're, you know, see themselves as amongst the victors or not. It took an incredible toll. And the death and the destruction, as you've noted, is incredible.

turn 1 : He does not go into Syria, just told what is happening there.

Which country does PersonA mention he hasn't been back to since 2013?

Answer: Syria


Well, that's after Stephen Hawking's book "A Brief History Of Time" which is a huge bestseller and many people read it, of course, but probably many more people didn't read it. It's sort of famous as a book that many, many people bought and didn't make it all the way through.

How does the index work?And we should also be very clear that this is completely unscientific and totally for fun.

Absolutely, yeah. So what I did was when you highlight books on your Kindle, when you highlight a sentence that you particularly like, Amazon is keeping track of that - I'm not sure everyone knows that - and Amazon records what five sentences in a book are the most commonly highlighted. So in a book that people are reading all the way through, it might be the case, that those highlights are scattered all the way through the length of the book. But if, on the other hand, there was a book that almost everyone was starting and reading a few pages and then putting down, then all of those highlights would have to be clustered in the first part. So what I did was just average the location of the top five highlights in the book - a very simple measure.

And that's publicly available data?

turn 3 : Implied meaning: The speaker anticipates that the conversation with the boss will be negative or unpleasant based on the boss's tone.

Which measure did the speaker use to determine the top five highlighted sentences in a book?

Answer: Average


Yeah. What damage in the United States near as you can tell?

Well, we're not really aware of what the damage is precisely. I mean, that's still being accounted for. One thing interestingly for people that are dissecting what happened is that many systems are now trying to clean up the damage. So it's hard to know exactly what happened. It's kind of like cleaning up a crime scene before doing the forensics on it. One thing that is being discussed - this is possibly malware coming from the NSA. Some security experts who've been collecting samples of the malware and dissecting them have been saying that these criminal attacks are based on attacks designed by the National Security Agency and then released into the public by a hacking group called The Shadow Brokers.

You know, now, the NSA, they would have wanted to use the malware for spying purposes, right?The agency has a huge shop - we're very well aware of this - one of the world's best shops, dedicated to finding weaknesses in software and taking advantage of those weaknesses to break in and steal information for spying purposes. The problem is once you break in, you make digital keys, you can't really control who gets them. So this attack is raising one of these fundamental issues that we talk about in the security world about whether NSA surveillance protects people or creates unexpected damage that does more harm than good.

So I - so it's possible that there - it's possible that the NSA program to try and limit damage and trace people who would do harm to the country wound up doing harm across the world.

turn 3 :  (4) suggests that the NSA's efforts to protect the country may have caused damage around the world.

What issue is raised by the attack in turn 2?

Answer: Issue


Let me just unpack that. SIT: sexually transmitted infection?

Yes.

That's - okay. So, you've got a lot of diversity in the book, people of all races. Did you make a choice as to how to portray not just body size diversity of issue diversity, but also racial diversity?

Well, absolutely. I think that it's very important for a variety of reasons. Number one: Women need to be able to see themselves in print. So I made sure to include Asian women, Indian women, black, Hispanic women, white women, all shapes and sizes and all different types of bodies - not just super skinny, not just very large, but everybody in between: flat butts, big butts, big boobs, little boobs. . .

Everything's in "Body Drama. "And I did that because we want to see ourselves, but we're also really curious about what other people look like. And it's that information and acknowledgement that can really help us get over our own body drama, by seeing, oh, wow - I hear this from all the girls who look at the book. Oh, okay. My boobs aren't that bad after all.

And I'd take that to mean that women are sitting around looking in the mirror and then looking at the airbrushed magazines and looking at the surgically enhanced pornography. And when you see actual, real representations of bumpy nipples, of large areola, of imperfect sizes, where one is bigger than the other, then you can look in the mirror and say, all right. Well, actually, I am normal.

turn 4 : Everything's in "Body Drama." And I did that because we want to see ourselves, but we're also really curious about what other people look like. And it's that information and acknowledgement that can really help us get over our own body drama, by seeing, oh, wow - I hear this from all the girls who look at the book. Oh, okay. My boobs aren't that bad after all.  Actual meaning: Including a variety of body types in the book can help women feel more comfortable with their own bodies by showing them that others have similar experiences. Literal meaning: The book "Body Drama" includes information on a variety of body types because people are curious about what others look like.

What can the inclusion of diverse body types in "Body Drama" help women with?

Answer: Body-image


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.

What is the broader point being made about eradicating an ideology in turn 2?

Answer: Limitations


That raises the point - did he wind up being useful to the Qatar regime?

Well, the lobbyists said that they didn't make any specific asks of the people who went to Doha. But they just hoped, and it turns out they were right about this, that these people would say nice things about Qatar and just sort of start to change the conversation that they thought the president might be picking up on through the media that he listens to, the social media that he uses and the people that he has in the White House.

Alan Dershowitz - as an example, he wrote a very glowing column about his visit in The Hill newspaper. And then, people like Governor Huckabee tweeted a couple of nice things about Doha and how lovely it was. The radio host who went over, John Batchelor, actually broadcast from Doha for a week and then spoke very glowingly afterwards in very positive terms, you know, really saying that the U. S.  ought to embrace this country more. And, indeed, when the emir visited the White House in April of this year, which, in and of itself, was a big move, the president seemed very friendly with him, very open to him and called him and his country a friend of the U. S.  And so to these lobbyists' minds, what they did worked.

What are the implications of this new approach in lobbying?I mean, I'm wondering - would Qatar or some other power start trying to get close to the people who are Mar-a-Lago members and might see Mr.  Trump over the relish tray?

turn 2 : The lobbyists were successful in changing the conversation about Qatar and influencing the President's opinion.

Which conversation did the lobbyists change successfully?

Answer: Qatar


What we saw was as the Republicans proposed their version of Trumpcare, no matter what you called it, people began to understand the important components of the Affordable Care Act that they relied on and that had made health insurance available to many people who hadn't had it. You know, Senator Shaheen and I - my senior senator - had an emergency field. . .

Let me interrupt.

. . . Hearing. And I'll just say, people told us over and over again that they had pre-existing conditions and they finally got health care.

But didn't health care prices and premiums go up for millions of Americans?

turn 3 : THERE IS AN UNUSUAL CONDITION WHICH IS UNEXPECTED

Answer: Unusual


What does it mean to have a populist party and right-wing party win the parliamentary majority?

Oh, it's a very simple answer to a difficult question. We don't know. It's an experiment, not only for Italy, for the whole of Europe. I mean, for Italy today, June the Second is like the 14th of July in the United States. It's our birthday. The Italian Republic was born 72 years ago in 1946, and we never had anything like that. You know, the 5-Star are closer with sort of South American populist movement.

Yeah.

You know, you have good and bad over there. And the Northern League is a right-wing party. What will they do together?I don't know. I wish them luck.

turn 3 : They are implying they don't have any confidence

How does PersonA feel about the future prospects of the coalition between the 5-Star and Northern League?

Answer: Luck


Yeah. So the brain obviously is functioning at a much higher level, but we should understand that the brain alone is not causing the weight loss. The brain's metabolism is causing for different reaction to occur in your body, like increased stress, like loss of appetite, like disturbed sleep patterns. And because of all of these different factors that the brain is setting off - that is the reason they're losing weight.

I want to talk about world champion Magnus Carlsen from Norway. You learned about his training regimen. Tell me about the moment he realized that he needed a competitive edge and what he did to get it.

Yeah. So it's interesting with Magnus Carlsen - he realized early on that fixing small things, like what he drinks during the course of a game, will alter the way he functions, especially in the last hour or so of the game. And so one of the things that was really fascinating about this was when I was talking to his dad. His dad was like, oh, we went to the Olympic Training Center. And they were told immediately that the orange juice that he was drinking was causing for the sugar levels to take a huge dip in the fifth and sixth hours of game. And so they were asked to replace that with milk.

Meaning he'd have a little energy crash. So the idea is you need to keep yourself sustained with something that gives you energy but won't have the crash and that you need to do that even if you're not skiing, right. . .

Exactly. Exactly.

turn 3 : having an energy crash implies that a person runs out of energy all of a sudden.

Which term describes the sudden depletion of energy?

Answer: Energy


I felt that way, sometimes the way she looked at me. But you know, writing this book, I also discovered her vulnerability, that despite her domineering personality, she suffered all her life from a lack, her own mother having died when she was so very young; her first husband, with whom she was so much in love on the first night of their wedding, discovering that he was going to die of a disease that he had never told her about before their wedding. And she always wanted to be a public woman, an independent woman, and that dream was never fulfilled. So, I realized how much she tried to invest in me. And that put a great burden on me, but in some ways, she gave a lot in order for me to become independent and to fulfill her dream in a sense. So, finishing this book, I feel maybe I was not as much as a disappointment as I sometimes feel I was.

And where was your father in this, in all this?I mean, you write in your book that you were very, very close with him. And I'm just wondering, you have this very intense, tortured relationship with your mother. . .

Yeah.

And where is your father?

turn 0 : Despite her domineering personality, she suffered from a lack

Answer: vulnerability


Tracy Letts, who won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for his play, has adapted it for the screen. He's also won a Tony for starring on Broadway in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"He plays a U. S.  senator in the latest season of "Homeland," and is a member of Chicago's Steppenwolf ensemble. Tracy Letts joins us from Chicago. Thanks so much for being with us.

Thanks for having me.

You know, such a well-known play, but I'm afraid I don't think I've ever heard the story of how you came to write "August: Osage County. "

It's based on family history. My grandfather - my mother's father - committed suicide when I was 10 years old. And my grandmother descended into years of downer addiction, which had a horrible impact on my family and has ripples in my family even to this day. And watching all of that unfold as a 10-year-old certainly had an impact on me.

turn 3 : The literal meaning of (4) is that Tracy Letts watched his family suffer when he was 10 years old, but the implied meaning is that the experience had a lasting effect on him and shaped his life and art.

How did Tracy Letts' experience as a 10-year-old impact him?

Answer: Suicide


So on Sept.  5, the Trump administration ended DACA. Anybody whose DACA ended between Sept.  5 and March 5 were able to apply for an extension. Mine, unfortunately, expires on March 22. So I was basically two weeks shy of being able to apply for an extension.

What has been the advice that you've gotten in terms of what needs to happen next or what you can do?

Well, what people don't really realize is my DACA has expired before. You know, it takes quite a while for all of these things to be processed. And so I filled everything out. And my DACA actually expired. And I had to - you know, my employer was not able to employ me. So I had to stop and go on a leave of absence. It was extremely humiliating. And obviously, that disruption to your life is, you know, pretty devastating when you're not getting paid.

On Thursday, President Trump also referred to African nations using a highly offensive term. You are originally from Nigeria. What's your reaction to that?

turn 2 : Losing DACA could result in job loss and humiliation

What was the impact of losing DACPersonA on PersonA's life?

Answer: Job


Well, you're right. In the temporary workforce, for example, which is only something between 2 and 3 million of the employment, so that's a smaller portion, but temporary worker employment's down about 20 percent. When you look at total employment, it's down about 2 percent. So one of the things that temporary workers or contract workers or self-employed workers offer employers is flexibility.

So when there's a slowdown, when there is less project work, when there's less money available for financing, new projects, mergers and acquisitions, those kinds of things, the flexible workers generally take a harder hit than usual, and there's plenty of evidence to support that. You know, one measure of unemployment, which is called U-6, which would - includes people that are underemployed or are working temporary or part time because they can't find other work, that's up to like 13. 5 percent.

And we see that the average hourly - the average work week, at 33. 3 hours, is at a historic low. So, you're right, there's no question the flexible workers are taking it harder.

We haven't talked about pay, and in the few moments that we have left, let's talk about that. In terms of the temporary workforce, is the pay on par with those who are working permanently?Is it below?Is it, in some cases, higher?

turn 1 : "Harder hit" doesn't refer to a literal, physical hit, it just means they suffer the consequences more than they usually do.

Which phrase is used to describe the impact on flexible workers during a slowdown?

Answer: Harderhit


I think hemp is certainly an opportunity for small-scale farmers like myself. And I see the future of agriculture in trouble on the major commodities such as corn, wheat and soybeans because these prices are too low for farmers to stay in business.

And is that because the timing is such that, you know, waiting it out has different meaning in farming than it does in other jobs, for example, right. I mean, like, waiting out, you have to plan so far ahead and - that you can't just - it's not a 90 day problem. Is that what I'm hearing from you?

Exactly. And for the people that are listening, most Americans pay their bills every 30 days. Farmers pay their bills basically twice a year. Like right now, I'm getting ready to sell my winter wheat, which is coming for harvest next month. So I receive a payday there - hopefully it's a fair payday - and then my soybean crop later on this fall.

So we plan our operations a year out. And I thought by now that there would be a big change in the commodity price for soybeans. And that simply hasn't happened. And this president is playing footsie with American agriculture and American farmers here.

turn 3 : In this case, the speaker is using the idiom "playing footsie" figuratively to mean that the current president is not fully committed to supporting American agriculture and farmers, and is instead giving them only superficial or insincere attention. The speaker is not suggesting that the president is actually playing the game footsie.

Which idiom does the speaker use to suggest that the current president is not fully committed to supporting American agriculture and farmers?

Answer: Playingfootsie


I want to get into one other really fascinating part because we're running out of time, and that's is when you did this preliminary work in mice before you did it in humans, you used nanoparticles instead of white blood cells.

Well, we used both, actually. We developed over many years the use of the white blood cells as carriers for the antigens to knock down the autoimmune response. But more recently, we used nanoparticles that we think are surrogates of these apoptotic white blood cells. So they actually have the same efficacy in mouse models of both preventing and treating animal models of multiple sclerosis.

The advantage, of course, being that these nanoparticles can be manufactured under FDA-approved conditions and can be pulled off the shelf, the therapy is less intrusive than withdrawing, you know, billions of cells from a patient and manipulating them in a blood bag and re-introducing them.

So when do we get to a human trial of whether your technique works, in this phase two where you actually. . .

turn 2 : nanoparticles can be easily kept on hand and accessed quickly when needed

Which advantage of using nanoparticles in the therapy did PersonA mention?

Answer: intrusive


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 : is a private meeting between people, while the actual meaning of "dress rehearsal" (

What does "dress rehearsal" refer to in the context of the dialogue?

Answer: preparation


Are there any good reasons to use this?

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

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

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

turn 1 : ) Implied meaning: DNA is a reliable storage option for long-term archiving of data

What is the benefit of using DNPersonA for data storage?

Answer: Reliable


And how did this start?

Well, about 20 years ago, we were thinking about doing a literary magazine because at the time there weren't too many journals out there for new writers. There weren't many literary journals at all during that time. And so we stumbled upon an idea that we had started with one of our friends from college where he had given me a first line to start a story. And then I would write the story. And then I would send it to him. And I'd give him a first line. And he would start a story. And he would send that back to me. And we did that. And so we decided that we'd open that up to the rest of the world.

How many stories do you typically get?

We run between 300 and 450 submissions in issue.

turn 1 : "Well, about 20 years ago, we were thinking about doing a literary magazine because at the time there weren't too many journals out there for new writers. There weren't many literary journals at all during that time. And so we stumbled upon an idea that we had started with one of our friends from college where he had given me a first line to start a story." - This turn has a literal meaning and it explains how the idea of the literary magazine was born and how they came up with the concept of exchanging first lines to create stories.

What was the reason behind starting a literary magazine?

Answer: Friends


Well, they have these antifreeze proteins, and as far as we know, what they do is bind to the surface of any seed ice crystal that might otherwise grow. And they stop it from growing because they've coated the ice with the protein.

Because it's the crystal, the actual, physical presence of the crystal that kills off the cells?

Well yes, that ice crystal gets too big. It will definitely do serious damage to the organism, whether it be a fish or an insect. It will eventually kill it, yeah.

So the protein coats the ice crystal and sort of locks it up from freezing or becoming larger?

turn 3 : The protein locks it up means it stops the ice crystal from freezing or getting larger.

How does the protein prevent the ice crystal from growing?

Answer: locks


And this email from Daryl: I used to be a student of Vernor Vinge, a wonderful professor. I'm legally blind. He writes, I'm wondering, how would this work with those individuals?We do have iPhone apps that can give turn-by-turn navigation, but all those other features of Google glasses would not be present.

Sort of two possibilities there: One, is the sort of thing that I was talking about, learning to use the devices that you have and that you are wearing. That depends on the plasticity of the human brain. We're quite capable of learning new tricks and cooperating with the devices that we have to get results that we may be barred from getting in other ways. The other approach to this sort of thing is to actually look at where the blindness happens. If the blindness happens within the eyes, then you want to just go a little bit upstream from that and see whether the neurons behind that are still capable of responding to stimulus and then figuring out how to stimulate them directly without the light.

If that's gone, then you're talking about something, perhaps, much harder, which is to go upstream from that and look at the beginning of neuron interpretation of sight that's happening within the brain and actually making your input at that level.

Have you signed up for Google glasses yet?

Answer: Email


The sport right now is not very big, but the potential is huge. And one of the reasons there's such a big potential is that the typical esports viewer and esports player are young males. Those are people that don't watch television. They've never watched television. We talk about cord-cutters in the business. These are cord-nevers.

And so advertisers are desperate to try to reach them because they can't reach them anywhere else. So you have companies like Turner Sports, the Big Agency, WME-IMG - they see that advertisers want to reach this group, so they're all trying to get into that group to sort of prove that advertisers should go with them in order to build up the business.

Where is the money coming from, though?And sort of where is it going?Where are they investing the money in?

In several different places. You have certain NBA team owners that have invested in actual teams. I mentioned Turner Sports and WME-IMG. They actually created a league called ELEAGUE with different teams, and they have a regular season and a playoff tournament. Sponsors are sort of getting attached to all of this, and that's where all the money is coming in from, sort of all areas.

turn 0 : In (1), the speaker is saying that the potential for esports is huge because the typical viewers and players are young males who do not watch traditional television. The literal meaning is straightforward, but the implied meaning is that traditional forms of media are becoming less relevant to younger generations, which is an important factor in the growth potential of esports.

What is one important factor in the growth potential of esports?

Answer: Relevance


People go armed with treats and halters, and so they're able to catch them. And, you know, mostly, if you're calm, the horses stay calm.

Horses eat a lot, don't they?How do you care for every one?

Sure thing. Well, many of us were able to grab hay and some supplies as we were evacuating our barn. So we came with food and some items in hand. But the local seed stores have been donating all kinds of hay and shavings and pellets. So we have had, again, tremendous support from the local community, making sure that every horse here is fed.

Can you smell the smoke, see the fire?

turn 1 : The horses can be tamed and controlled if people approach them calmly and gently.

Which animals can be tamed through gentle approach?

Answer: Horses


You offered to do this for nothing. Is that offer still out there?

Of course.

You manage, well, you did manage $720 billion in assets. I'm not sure your portfolio's still worth 720. A month ago, it was.

Well, it's worth more now because we've grown and taken in additional assets, not because our assets have miraculously gone up in price.

turn 3 : A clarifies that the value of the portfolio increased due to acquiring additional assets, not due to a rise in asset prices

What was the reason for the increase in the value of the portfolio?

Answer: Acquiring


Well, they do do some of it. Delta in the most recent quarter had about 300 million dollars in gains from fuel hedges, but the biggest problem is other airlines just don't have the cash or the credit to put into this. Southwest has the luxury of very strong financial balance sheet so they can put their money to work years ahead of time. Other airlines, you know, if you're cutting costs, if you're fighting for survival, if your cash is tight, your employees are getting laid off, you know, it's hard to say hey, we're going to buy some fuel for 2012.

And Delta was in bankruptcy proceedings, it had to unload everything it could to deal with its debt.

That's right, very costly. Delta actually had good fuel hedges leading into the 2004 bankruptcy. They had to sell those to raise some cash in the bankruptcy, but selling early meant they lost out on a whole lot of profits that they could have had later on.

Scott, you're a travel writer but you do write for the Wall Street Journal, so maybe you can answer this question for me. On the day that Southwest reported things going very well, its stock actually fell by a dollar to just under 15 dollars a share. Now, how does that work?

turn 0 : Other airlines have too much financial strain to be able to invest in fuel hedging.

How did Southwest's stock perform on the day they reported good news?

Answer: Fell


If you stand outside the old DeKalb County Courthouse in Decatur, Ga. , you can't miss the 30-foot-tall obelisk erected there in 1908. It's a monument to Confederate soldiers, and its inscription calls those men part of a, quote, "covenant keeping race," praising them as men of virtues in peace and in war.

Well, as of this month, there's now a contextualizing plaque alongside that obelisk. It reads, in part, this monument and similar ones were created to intimidate African Americans and limit their full participation in the social and political life of their communities. That marker was approved by vote of the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners. And county Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson joins us to talk about that decision.

Welcome to the program.

Thanks so much, Melissa. I am happy to be here.

The original vote by the county commission was to remove that Confederate obelisk, but ultimately, that ran up against a state law in Georgia. What does that state law say?

turn 2 : You may not actually want to be here.

How does PersonA feel about being on the program?

Answer: Happy


And it also allows the Republicans now to use this process called reconciliation, which means they can pass the tax cut out of the Senate with 50 votes. So now - as you said, now they have to construct the bill. They have a bill that - right now all the elements that you talked about, including the repeal of the death tax, other elements - that's about a $4 or $5 trillion tax cut. And yet they're allocated $1. 5 trillion. So they've got to figure out how they're going to smush $4 trillion dollars in tax cuts. . .

Yeah.

. . . In a $1. 5 trillion box. So we'll see how that happens.

Well, if this were to fall through, how devastating do you feel that would be for your party?

turn 0 : The $4 trillion tax cuts will be difficult to fit into the $5 trillion budget.

Which amount of tax cuts needs to be fit into a smaller budget?

Answer: 6


I mean, there is evidence that companies invest more when stock prices go up. But yeah, like you said, it's not necessarily on hiring. They might spend on equipment, factories, technology. And some of that could mean fewer jobs. You know, some of that technology makes things more efficient. The bottom line is it's not an easy cause and effect.

In the recovery from the recession, stocks went up, jobs didn't go up nearly as quickly. And sometimes, a company's stock price goes up after it lays people off. Investors say, oh, you're saving money. You're cutting spending. Good for you. In other words, it's not very simple. The stock market is a broad economic indicator, but it is not at all nuanced.

Danielle Kurtzleben. Thanks so much for being with us.

Sure. You bet.

turn 2 : The stock market is not reliable to determine whether companies will create more jobs or not.

How is the stock market related to job creation?

Answer: Investment


I failed chemistry really disastrously. Kind of tellingly, my father wanted me to take it because he wanted me to be a doctor. And I really didn't want to be a doctor. I wanted to be a writer and an actor. You know, a lot of people don't know how to break into show business.

(Laughter) But failing chemistry is the way.

First way.

(Laughter) So what prompted you to pick up science journals and read them later on?

turn 1 : Failing chemistry is a hindrance to becoming a doctor

How did PersonA suggest failing chemistry can be helpful?

Answer: Way


Well, there was a line of thunderstorms that was moving across Oklahoma. And most people were aware of it. But it spun up this brief tornado called a QLCS tornado. These are the specific kinds of tornadoes that happen in these lines of thunderstorms. And they're known for being brief and weak. But they're also known for coming with very little warning.

And this came at night. It only stayed on the ground for just four minutes. It was only 75 yards wide. But it hit right at this point - if you look on either one side or the other side of this 75-yard section, there's a car lot and a boat lot. It hit a motel and a trailer park. So two people died, and it was terrible.

And do you know what the situation is today in El Reno, how they're doing?

Well, they had already activated their severe weather plan. And this town is well-practiced because it was hit just six years ago by the largest tornado on record. They were already dealing with flooding that had happened earlier in the week. The governor of Oklahoma visited today. And President Donald Trump did call Governor Kevin Stitt while he was out and about saying that the nation's prayers were with Oklahoma.

And I imagine everybody who was in this trailer park has had to find somewhere else to stay for the meantime.

turn 3 : El Reno is a town that is well-practiced in dealing with severe weather and natural disasters.

How is El Reno prepared for severe weather events?

Answer: Prepared


How fair or accurate is the idea that Joan Kroc gave away Ray Kroc's money to a lot of places and causes of which he would not have approved?

A lot of old-guard McDonald's people I've talked to are angry that Joan made gifts that, in their estimation, were more liberal-leaning than Ray, perhaps, would've liked, including her million-dollar gift to the Democrats - now - and her active work in the peace movement and building these peace institutes at both Notre Dame and the University of San Diego.

I don't think she did it to spite Ray or to get back at him at all, although I do know that during the course of their marriage, she said she suppressed her politics and her interests in some ways because she didn't want to seem untoward. And yet, that doesn't square up with the fact that she started this alcoholism education charity while Ray was clearly afflicted. So the dichotomy or the juxtaposition of all these odd facts with Joan is what makes her so interesting to me. She was a very complicated person.

Lisa Napoli, her book, "Ray And Joan: The Man Who Made The Mcdonald's Fortune And The Woman Who Gave It All Away. "

turn 3 : Lisa Napoli wrote a book about Ray and Joan Kroc, but its actual meaning is that Lisa Napoli wrote a book about Ray and Joan Kroc and their relationship.

How did Lisa Napoli's book focus on the Krocs?

Answer: Relationship


That seems to be the case.

Thanks very much for being with us today.

Thank you so much, Neal. Keep an eye on your belly button.

Rob Dunn is a science writer, a biologist in the Department of Biology at North Carolina State University. He joined us today from Raleigh. Tomorrow, traffic. L. A. 's is legendary, they're trying something new. They have synchronized every traffic light in the city. Join us for an update with Tom Vanderbilt tomorrow right after I go home and take a shower. It's the TALK OF THE NATION from NPR News. I'm Neal Conan in Washington.

turn 2 : Not sure what the belly button reference means exactly (it refers to the earlier discussion), but it isn't literal. It's a joke.

How does PersonA's comment about "keeping an eye on your belly button" relate to the earlier discussion?

Answer: Joke


Yeah. In fact, if a car is assembled in Canada and shipped to the United States, Americans should realize that about 50 percent of the content of that car is American-made. A carburetor could cross the border up to eight times during the manufacturing process. We have a completely integrated manufacturing process in the automobile industry.

And here, we have something very amazing. We have the labor unions - the head of the AFL-CIO; the industry - head of the automobile manufacturers - each of them; and we have the U. S.  Chamber of Commerce, all coming together and agreeing that auto tariffs would be bad for not only Canada, but also U. S.  jobs. And it would be bad for the U. S. -Canada relationship overall. And so I think that there are a lot of people that do not want to see us go down that road. And it would be very detrimental economically.

So one last yes or no question - do you see an agreement?

I'm the eternal optimist. You know, President Obama said once to me he's a congenital optimist, so I'll go with that.

turn 3 : He wants to believe that an agreement will be reached that benefits everyone.

How is PersonA feeling about the possibility of an agreement being reached?

Answer: Optimistic


Well, we've got quite a few people that have moved in with other family members. Some houses that have only been destroyed partially - some are completely to the ground. We've still got some living in hotels. We've got some that are living in tents and vehicles. We found out yesterday from our school district that quite a few schoolkids are homeless. You know, 67 percent of the property here has been damaged in some way - or more.

So people have got stress trying to do a normal life during the day and have a normal job and then end up having to deal with the insurance companies and dealing with your mortgage companies and dealing with the assistance programs that you're trying to get help from that just takes repetitive, repetitive visits with to get things done. And it's not their fault. It's just the bureaucracy that's involved in everything doing nowadays.

Yeah. So they have to make repeated visits and work for a living all at the same time.

Yes, sir. It takes a mental strain on you. In my case, we sleep on a mattress in the back part of my living room 'cause the other half of my house doesn't have electricity and has got - you know, leaks like a sieve. And that's not a normal life.

turn 1 :  (2) implies that people are facing a lot of bureaucracy and paperwork,

How are people affected by the paperwork and bureaucracy?

Answer: Bureaucracy


Now, in both the Enron case and the Madoff situation, they're very different in some ways, but they both benefited at least for a time from the fact that a lot of people don't understand finance, and it's very difficult to understand. What do you think people need to do who are not financiers to understand why is it important to even understand the issue of finance, white-collar crime, and all of this?

White-collar crime matters because it affects all of us. Even if you happen to be a blue-collar person, you undoubtedly get affected one way or another - your investments, your company, your suppliers, your neighbors. Everyone gets affected by serious white-collar crime, and the old joke is, right, you walk into a bank with a gun, steal $50,000, they send you away for 10 years. You steal $50 million in some sort of white-collar crime thing, and you get, you know, five minutes and a warning from the judge.

I mean, that's an exaggeration. But that's the kind of thing that for years has annoyed people, including me. And somehow the - because there's been now so much of the stuff has surfaced, and there's such conscientiousness about it and in the case of Madoff largely because he scammed people that members of the media know. So you get really angry when your friends go down. I mean, I don't have any friends who were in there, but a lot of people in my business. . .

Right.

turn 1 : send you away means they put you in prison, not just put you on a flight or mail you like a package

Which term describes the punishment for stealing $50,000 in a bank robbery according to the speaker?

Answer: years


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

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

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

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

turn 0 : This statement implies that President Trump has a history of not trusting U.S. intelligence agencies, which may affect his response to the CIA report on the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.

Which agency does President Trump often criticize for being wrong on Russia?

Answer: U.S.


I'm embarrassed to say I'd never heard of a tardigrade before this story. What are they?

So these are microorganisms. They're a little under a millimeter in size. They have four legs. And a lot of people think they look like bears, hence the name water bear. They are found everywhere on Earth, from jungles, to the top of the Himalayas, to the Antarctic. And as you had mentioned, they can survive pretty much any sort of environment, from extremely hot temperatures to extremely cold temperatures. They can survive in the vacuum of space. They're pretty much indestructible.

And how did a few thousand of them potentially end up on the moon?

A non-profit organization called the Arch Mission Foundation sent a lunar library to the surface of the moon with the Beresheet lander.

turn 3 : The Arch Mission Foundation sent a library to the moon.

Which organization sent a lunar library to the surface of the moon?

Answer: Arch


He doesn't mash the beans.

OK.

He puts the tahini sauce on the bottom of the bowl.

OK, so that's the No. 1 issue we had is I could not find tahini sauce.

turn 2 : He puts the tahini sauce on the bottom of the bowl" is different from its literal meaning. Its actual meaning is that the speaker had a problem with the tahini sauce being on the bottom of the bowl, rather than on top where it should be.

What was the issue that the speaker had with the tahini sauce's placement in the bowl?

Answer: Placement


This week, during a trip to California, President Trump turned his attention to the homelessness crisis there. Previously, he's criticized the cleanliness of San Francisco's streets. On this trip, he called homelessness in Los Angeles a disaster. And he said, quote, "we're going to get involved very soon on a federal basis if they don't clean up their act," unquote. We wanted to see what the mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, had to say about all this. And he is with us now.

Mr.  Mayor, thank you so much for being with us.

Great to be with you, Michel.

President Trump has described the homelessness crisis as a, quote-unquote, "disgrace to our country. "And we know based on data from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority that homelessness is up 16% over the last year in the city of Los Angeles. Based on that, do you agree with the president's description of the problem?

turn 3 : There is evidence that would support the Presidents statement.

How is there evidence to support the President's statement?

Answer: Data


It's going great. I understand that spanking and Michelle Obama's fashion stuffed our inbox this week, right?

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.

turn 1 : The discussion is still happening between a great many people. The black designers are only hurting themselves by complaining about what she wore.

What is the topic of discussion regarding Michelle Obama's fashion choices?

Answer: Fashion


Jamal Khashoggi's eldest son was photographed meeting the crown prince earlier this week. For a lot of people, it was heart-rending to see. And it was announced shortly after he'd be allowed to travel to the U. S.  We gather, according to reports, he's arrived there. Is it possible someone told him pose with the prince and you can get out of here?

Absolutely. There's no question. The royal family had banned him from traveling since his father had left the kingdom to go into exile. And there had to be a lot of behind-the-scenes maneuvering, including requests specifically by the United States and Secretary of State Pompeo to allow him to leave the country and join his brothers in the United States. Three of Khashoggi's sons are American citizens, and I gather the fourth son was not.

The head of the CIA, Gina Haspel, was in Turkey this week being briefed. What do we know about what she was told and what she did?

Well, the CIA hasn't provided specifics, but it's been widely reported that she listened to this alleged tape of Jamal's last moments and what happened to him inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. I mean, this is going to be a pivotal moment for the Trump administration. It has to make a very hard call - what to do about an ally that has been pivotal in three of President Trump's five most important foreign policy goals.

turn 1 : The United States government intervened to secure the safe departure of Jamal Khashoggi's son, despite the Saudi royal family's ban on his travel.

What government intervened to secure the safe departure of Jamal Khashoggi's son?

Answer: US


Well, look, I like the fact that we've eliminated pre-existing conditions. I think that's really important. But Ronald Reagan expanded Medicaid a number of times and he didn't need Obamacare, OK?And my feeling about Medicaid is we've been able to manage this program. And by bringing Ohio money back to Ohio to treat the mentally ill, the drug addicted and the working poor, it's not - we're not only ahead on an arithmetic basis, but we think it's the right issue in terms of giving people a chance and an ability to be lifted.

Biographical question - did you ever consider becoming a priest?

Well, when I was a kid, really early in my life, you know, all Catholic altar boys I think at one time or another thought about being a priest. But then that just wasn't in the cards for me.

But I gather religion is an important factor in your life.

turn 3 : Implies that religion is an important factor in the speaker's life, not just a literal question about religion.

How would you describe the PersonA's attitude towards religion?

Answer: Important


No. We all hang about. That's exactly the same as "Mrs. Brown. "People will call you, amazed that - you know, you read all about actors who stay in character all day and hide in caves, and then only come when they're called for and get the family to behave as a fill-in character.

Well, I have found with the vast majority of those great British actors, that they stand, telling stories at the side of the set, and they're called for. And they say, oh, look. The light's one. We've got to go. And they go and get straight into character. It's like stepping into an old shoe. And it's lovely. It's - especially Judi Dench. You know, we used to just stand screaming well after and then say, right, lads. Get yourself together. Right, then, action, and we'd be into it again.

And there she's queenly again.

And then she's a queen, yeah, and I'm a scruff.

turn 0 : Actors don't have to stay in character all day

Answer: Queen


That poem is called "A Flower Song For Maidens Coming Of Age. "It was written in 1440 before European contact in Mexico. And it's from a collection of Mayan poems - extraordinary. Tell me about why this poem resonated for you. It describes a moon ceremony.

It was such an important revelation to have come across this poem. I cried. I cried for two days - the whole week because, as you know, colonization basically eradicated all of our written documentation in the Americas. All of our traditions have been passed down through word of mouth. But to have written documentation that women have been honoring the moon and celebrating their bodies and their transitions, their milestones in this way, I really felt like my ancestors were watching over.

And you wrote in the afterword to this book that you really wanted young women to find their own way to connect with their roots. Why?

Well, I think it's important for any person, really, but young girls in particular who come from marginalized communities to find their - not only their roots but the meaning and the legacy of wisdom and power that comes from those traditions. And Celi, because she's bicultural and multiracial, she has all of these beautiful intersections happening that I really tried to play up in the novel because I wanted children that are just like Celi, who are multiracial and bicultural, to see themselves and their hybridity in all of its beauty and all of its power.

turn 2 : People do not have roots but they do have places where they began something or where family is.

What did the author want young women to find?

Answer: roots


Well, I think that Dr.  King was trying to reinforce the troops, so to speak, who were fighting in the trenches of racial warfare. To believe that the movement was bigger than any man or any woman, any individual that there was a collective will of the people being exercised through their individual talents, gifts and sensibilities. But that the movement couldn't be tromped, that his death would only strengthen the movement. That the death of any other figure would in no way diminish the greatness of the cause for which they were willing to die.

He was willing to die for his people. He struggled back and forth with that death and what it might mean. But he was signaling to the rest of them that, you know, he wasn't an egomaniac. He wasn't a guy who was trying to say I wanted to be the messiah, even though people had made him that way.

And then, thirdly, I think, what he was suggesting, Farai, is that the cause in which we are invested will, in many cases, cause people to suffer. And that we shouldn't lie to people about the nature of that suffering, but that suffering could ultimately be redemptive. Martin Luther King Jr.  after all was quite famous for telling black folk constantly that the black blood that would be shed could indeed redeem the nation.

Now, you bring up the term automortology, and you talk about the ways in which Dr.  King essentially gave his own eulogy, not just once but several times. Tell us why that was important to him.

turn 3 : "automortology" - This turn is a term that is not commonly used in everyday language and requires a deeper understanding of its meaning in the context of Dr. King's speeches and actions. It refers to the idea that Dr. King gave his own eulogy by repeatedly emphasizing the importance of his cause and the sacrifices that he and others were making for it.

Answer: Emphasizing


No, because the guys used to sit on the porch and play their guitars and (unintelligible). And then would beat to the tap of their foot. So I kind of adapted that tanta-ta-tan-tum, tanta-ta-tan-tum(ph). I mean, because - I mean, my people - my relatives, most of them were from Jackson, Mississippi. So when they migrated to Indianapolis, they kind of brought a lot of that feeling.

When he said write a hit, that one song people know me all over the world, in Russia, Africa, Japan, all over the world, people, the first thing they say when they see me, "Red Clay. "

In the course of your career, you had, obviously, highs and you had some lows, and they've been described as personal problems. Without going into detail, are we to assume that those problems were substance abuse related?

Well, substance abuse, I wouldn't really say I had a problem with that. I mean, I would say that at one period in the '70s, I started partying, I was in Hollywood A-list(ph). And everybody would come up there, I mean, all kind of movie stars, all kind of football stars, basketball stars, actors. And I had a spot right there in (unintelligible) overlooking the (unintelligible). And the people that I had coming up there - now, the substance abuse, it was around because a lot of people who would come to see me would bring it. But I would never really say I had a habit or anything like that.

turn 2 : There were some personal problems, and he is trying to understand the reason behind them without being too direct.

Which high-profile area did the person refer to while talking about substance abuse?

Answer: Hollywood


So the first thing you need to do is call your fund and see, you know, are you going to be covered, are you going to buy into the pool?I have to say, in all my years - and I've been doing this for a ridiculously long amount of time - I was extraordinarily surprised by the collapse of money funds. If you - right now, they are being backed by the government, and I think that's as good as you can get. If you're - again, if you're terrified, you're going to want to go to Treasury bills or you're going to want to go to your local bank

All right, John, hold on for a minute. We're going to take a quick break and we're going to come back and continue this conversation, and we're going to ask you to answer some questions from some listeners on News & Notes. We'll be right back.

This is News & Notes, I'm Tony Cox. We're back with USA Today's investment columnist, John Waggoner.

John, you've been explaining to us how the ripple effects of Wall Street are hitting the average American, and now we have some questions for you from a few of our listeners. You ready?

turn 0 : Pool is not a literal term, it just means a collection of money.

What does the term "pool" refer to in turn 0?

Answer: Money


It's correlated with overt racism, but it's very different, and the difference is that people are unaware of this. They don't want it, very often. They certainly don't endorse it, and it's what clinical psychologists or psychiatrists call a dissociation. It's like two separate things in the head, one egalitarian and open, the other biased.

All right, Dr.  Greenwald, thank you very much.

Thank you, Ira.

Tony Greenwald, psychologist, professor of psychology at the University of Washington. We're going to take a break, and afterwards we're going to come back and ask the candidates in a science debate - what would you ask them about science?Stay with us. We'll be right back. I'm Ira Flatow. This is SCIENCE FRIDAY from NPR.

turn 0 : The dissociation between conscious egalitarian beliefs and unconscious biased behaviour is a common phenomenon in people.

Answer: Dissociation


Indeed. And on that note, let's get to some of what are listeners had to say, shall we?So Kyle Smith(ph) writes, "As a person of color and a news junkie, I've really come to depend on this show to offer more of a rounded view on current events. The show is truly a lifeline for me during a day that is color-deprived. "And Sharon Oshalle(ph), just to give some indication of the kind of listeners we have, says, "I'm a white, 40-year-old woman, and News & Notes is the only window I have into the perspective that it offers. In my white suburban world, all I get of black perspective are MTV and the Philadelphia City News. It's refreshing to tune in to News & Notes and see other sides of the culture. Isn't that what public radio is all about?Giving voice to different types of people so we can all appreciate each other. "And as you said, you know, some kudos for you, too. Aaron Coleman(ph)= says this, "I absolutely love me some Farai Chideya. Somebody find her a venue. Journalists of her caliber need voice because ears are starving. "

That's beautiful.

Yeah. And we also have some response from listeners who want to know what they can do to help. Monica McClendon(ph) asks, "Can you guys move to a less costly area?The South has all kinds of options. "So I don't know about starting the day with a biscuit and some sweet tea, but…

Mmm, not a bad option.

turn 0 : on that note means speaking of which, or they are moving the discussion forward with a topic that was mentioned.

Answer: Transition


I want to ask you about an episode in which math, science figures into the plot even if you don't realize it at first. And this is "Springfield or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling," where Homer gets endowed with Henry Kissinger's brain.

Of course, that comes about because - I don't know how to explain this - Henry Kissinger uses the loo, and his thick glasses fall into the loo. And Homer puts them on, and he's endowed with this perception.

Well, the thing about that is that it sounds like Pythagoras' theorem. So he gets it all wrong. It sounds right, but it's wrong. And he's actually quoting the scarecrow from "The Wizard of Oz" - because when the scarecrow gets his diploma, he reels off exactly the same equation. It sounds impressive, but it's actually all wrong.

And you say in the book that your judgment is, it was calculatedly wrong because of the way Ray Bolger must have had to rehearse to be able to make that recitation.

turn 3 : (4) B says that Ray Bolger's recitation of Pythagoras' theorem in "The Wizard of Oz" was calculatedly wrong because of the way he must have had to rehearse it. The actual meaning here is that Bolger intentionally delivered the theorem in a way that made it sound impressive and convincing to the audience, even though it was not accurate. This highlights the idea that performance and presentation can be just as important as content, and that people are often willing to overlook mistakes and inaccuracies if they are presented in a compelling way.

Which concept is highlighted in the statement?

Answer: Presentation


Now turning to economics, the housing market is in a shambles. Oil and food prices are skyrocketing. The U. S.  dollar is slumping, and stocks are on a bumpy ride. Gloomy economic news is most of what we hear these days, but the choices that you make can transform your relationship to money, even through these tough economic times. Here with some big picture advice is author and economist Julianne Malveaux. She is also the president of Bennett College. Great to have you on again.

Good to be with you, Farai.

So before we dig into some practical methods that you can help turn around your economy, let's get a good picture of what's going on. Many experts say that we're already in a recession. Do you agree with that?

The data don't suggest that we are. But for African—Americans in particular, you know, when some people have a cold, other people have a fever. We have seen negative growth. We have seen high unemployment rates. We have seen the impact of gas prices over $100 a barrel. And so I think that whether we're in a technical recession or not, people are feeling the pinch of an economy that is not doing well.

turn 3 : "feeling the pinch" - actual meaning: experiencing the negative effects or consequences of something.

What are African-Americans experiencing in the economy?

Answer: Negativegrowth


I'm doing quite well. Always great to talk to you. We just heard from Deroy Murdock, who gave an analysis as a conservative, as a Libertarian conservative that basically said the president is doing us wrong by moving ahead with a program like TARP. Party lines have been divided over this, you know, within the Democratic and Republican parties. What's your perspective on the usefulness of TARP and how the money that has not been allocated is best used?

Well, let me kind a give you a little bit of the history of TARP. As you know, we were confronted with an emergency situation where the secretary, Secretary Paulson, came to us and said, we're in a crisis.

Over the weekend prior to his being in contact with us about our crises, he had engineered a big sale on Wall Street because it appeared that if one of the big banks that was involved in the sale had gone bust-up on that weekend prior to the markets opening on Monday morning, it would have triggered a depression.

When he came to us as the treasurer, knowledgeable about the economy, describing the dire situation, he had a four-page proposal. It really did shake everybody up. But we tried to put some meat on the proposal and not just give him what he was asking for with no strings attached.

turn 2 : The big sale on Wall Street was engineered to avoid depression

How was the sale on Wall Street engineered?

Answer: Engineered


Is there a danger of South Koreans becoming too complacent?

I think that they do talk about that. But there's also reality, which is when you have this incredibly materialistic society, it's literally a, you know, (speaking Korean) style (speaking Korean) land, then, you know, the reality of this war with this nation under Kim Jong Un kind of doesn't strike anyone as a realistic thing. And, yes, there is a danger to it. But at the same time, life does go on. And life is a very, very, very fast and active one in South Korea.

So we've been talking about war. What about peace?Do the South Koreans even think about the possibility of detente anymore, the possibility of the border reopening?

I mean, I think the issue of one Korea reunification is one of those politically manipulated one. You know, the left parties used it. The right has used it, certainly, in South Korea. So it's almost like this sort of symbol whenever they need to use sort of national security in order to unite people or get their agenda across. So it's almost become a tired one, where everyone - if you were to talk to them and you interview South Koreans, they'll all say, reunification is necessary. Do they want it?They would pause. Do they want to pay for 25 million North Koreans?Do they want refugees?They don't really want that.

turn 0 : The speaker is expressing concern about South Koreans becoming too comfortable and not taking the threat of war seriously.

What kind of society is being described by Speaker PersonA in turn 1?

Answer: Materialistic


Right. We should mention that Purdue Pharma agreed back in March to pay - I think it was 270 million and settle claims and avoid having to go to a trial like the one you've been sitting in on today.

Correct.

So to focus on Johnson & Johnson's role, I wasn't even aware that they manufactured opioid painkillers. What are the products under scrutiny at this trial?

Yeah, so it's interesting. There's actually two separate businesses that they're looking at from the company. The first is that they actually owned two businesses that they sold by 2016 that processed Tasmanian poppies into narcotic raw materials. And then they also had a company that turned those into active pharmaceutical ingredients that they used, I believe, for their own drugs as well as other companies.

turn 2 : Johnson & Johnson's involvement in opioids was surprising.

Which company's involvement in opioids was surprising?

Answer: Johnson&Johnson


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

Oh, yeah.

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

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

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

Which animal is seen as a symbol of perseverance and determination?

Answer: sea-lion


The technology is there, but it's rare. And there isn't - there aren't that many vehicles that can operate at these sorts of depths.

We realize you're thousands of miles away from the scene, but do you have any strong feelings about whether this ping is for real?

It's very difficult to tell. I've seen the pictures. I've seen the news report. I've seen the data that they're collecting. The fact that they have picked up two separate pinger systems - and bear in mind, the 777 has two pingers on board - does lee credence to the fact that this is probably, and I emphasize probably, the MH370 on the seafloor.

Simon Boxall, an oceanographer at Southampton University in Britain. Thanks so much for being with us.

turn 2 : In (3), the implied meaning is that the oceanographer is suggesting that the ping signal is most likely coming from the MH370 plane, but the oceanographer is not 100% sure.

How credible was the fact that the pingers picked up from the seafloor belonged to MH370?

Answer: Probable


Just market access, kind of where the Chinese government was trying to protect the early start-up of industries in China. And I think now the economy's grown enough that this - many of these things could be opened up again and access could increase for American businesses. It's also information technology, being able to make sure you can move information across boundaries, things like that.

OK. I'm hearing you - I'm hearing a wish list on what you want China to do. But is there anything you want to see from this administration that would help things out for Cummins?

Most importantly for me, I want to see engagement. I think that U. S.  businesses do very well whenever there is any access to foreign markets. We can succeed in markets when we have a chance to compete. And that's really what we want to see with every economy around the world. We'd like to see that with the USMCA, too - the Mexico-Canada agreement, too. We'd like to see that signed and completed. We'd like to see more free trade agreements with other countries.

Have you raised any of these concerns directly with the White House?I know that you sit on the Business Roundtable, which is this pretty powerful organization made up of prominent CEOs like yourself.

turn 0 : Market access in China was protected by the government for start-ups, but now it's time to open up and increase access for American businesses

How was market access in China protected for start-ups?

Answer: protected


So in some senses, it's unverifiable. You know, I guess one of the best ways to think about this memorandum is that when asked, Devin Nunes refused to share this memo either with the DOJ - or the Department of Justice - or the FBI - the very people accused in the memo, or with the Republican chairman of the Senate intelligence committee. So that tells you a little bit about his level of confidence in the allegations that are made.

Apparently, Democrats are drafting their own memo in response to this memo. So now we're going to have dueling memos?What's in that one?

Well, we haven't completed it yet, but it will be a memorandum which points out the factual inaccuracies in the original one. Again, it's a bit sensitive because in - there's sort of an evil genius to this first memorandum because it does make reference to very highly classified intelligence that almost nobody has seen. But in as much as we can, we'll try to lay out the facts around these acquisitions - sorry, these allegations. And, again, just make the point that, you know, along with, you know, the belief that there was wiretapping of Donald Trump, you know, that there was improper unmasking - this is the latest in a steady stream of unfounded allegations designed to undermine the FBI in particular.

I'd like to understand a little bit about what the committee, at this point, is doing in the House that is investigating collusion between Russian operatives and the Trump campaign. It's been nearly a year. Have you found an - evidence of any crimes?

turn 0 : Devin Nunes lacks confidence in the allegations made in the memo.

Which person does not have confidence in the allegations made in the memo?

Answer: Devin


The bank says that, you know, it had nothing to do with who the Saudi Committee chose to give money to. And they said that they vetted all of the organizations and individuals against these international lists of designated terrorists and that there were no red flags.

How does it happen that a U. S.  court even has jurisdiction in this?

This is the first case under the Anti-Terrorism Act. And the reason it's being tried here is because again it's a federal - it's a U. S.  federal law. And many of the payments that we're talking about were processed through the New York-based operations of Arab Bank. So in order to clear payments, some of these transactions are routed through branches in the U. S.  And so that's where you get jurisdiction.

Jessica, are there implications for the banking industry in this case?

turn 2 : Implied meaning: The speaker is making a subtle suggestion or insinuation that others may pick up on, but without being too direct or forceful.

What is the tone of the speaker in turn 2?

Answer: Subtle


Well, I think the Senate has this advise and consent role. They have a constitutional duty to vet judges. The way that's principally done is by asking hard questions about how judges think about the law. There's a lot of yardage between saying, how are you going to rule in that DACA case?That would be inappropriate. There's something entirely different about saying, I'm trying to get a sense of how you think about your job and how you think about doctrines. So tell me a little bit about cases, particularly cases that are kind of set in amber.

If cases like Brown v.  Board are set in amber, what's the value of even asking the question?

Well, that is the right question. And I think there's a cynical answer, which is, look; it's just performance art, right?I think it's probably worth the caveat that if that's the case, if this was just always what we did, then there's some signaling - an important signaling - when you suddenly decline to do it.

Do you have any reason that any of these nominees that have evaded the question of Brown v.  Board being correctly decided - do you have any reason to believe that they would be in support of overturning Brown v.  Board?

turn 2 : The actual meaning of the turn in (3) is that if the Senate only performs a ritual of asking hard questions without any intention to actually vet the judges, then declining to do that ritual is an important signal.

How does turn 2 suggest the importance of declining to perform a ritual?

Answer: Performance


I'm Farai Chideya and this is News & Notes. Staycation. It's one of those newfangled words that's caught on fast. A vacation is when you vacate. You take off, you stay in a hotel, or camp out, or see the sights. A staycation is - well, you got it. With soaring gas prices and plane tickets, this was supposed to be the summer of staying at home. But was that prediction off the mark?If you're thinking about traveling soon or for the winter holidays, what should you keep in mind?With us to talk about both of those issues we've got Madeline Nunn, senior travel agent with the Richmond, Virginia, branch of the American Automobile Association, or Triple-A. Hi, Madeline.

How are you?

I'm great. So, back in May, a Rand McNally survey found that two-thirds of Americans planning road trips this summer said they would shorten their trips or cancel them all together. Summer is wrapping up, so what actually panned out?

Well, actually, the staycation thing is sort of a myth, so to speak, because Americans are traveling. They're traveling because they are hard-working and they need the rest and the revitalization. They need this vacation. So, what we're finding is that they're not staying home, per se. Some are just staying a little closer to home. And sometimes they're limiting the length of time that they may take for this vacation.

turn 3 : Americans are limiting the length of their vacations.

What are Americans doing to their vacations?

Answer: Vacations


And I'm sure this was a topic happening this weekend at the Iowa State Fair, where most of the Democratic presidential candidates are. They're hoping to make an impression at the first-in-the-nation caucus. How, Ron, would you assess the Democratic contest right now?

Yes, they all go to the state fair. There seems to be a certain legitimacy that's conferred by posing for pictures with a cow made entirely of butter. The state fair is the unofficial starting gun, as you say, for the Iowa caucuses six months away.

Right now, it's mostly a test of who can be the biggest anti-Trump or who's calling him a racist or who's not calling him a white nationalist or who is or isn't calling for his impeachment. The typical Iowan would probably rather talk about different plans for health care or tariffs on China and China's lack of purchases of some of their products, but talking about Trump gets headlines and brings the cameras.

And China, as you mentioned - the U. S.  has again escalated its trade war with China. The Trump administration labeled China a currency manipulator. That's after China devalued its currency. And that came right after new tariffs the president announced last week. All that has the stock market bouncing around. How is this affecting the presidential race?

turn 3 : The stock market bouncing around means that its values are changing rapidly.

How is the stock market affected by recent events?

Answer: Bouncing


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

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

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

Thank you for having me.

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

How does turn 3 relate to the concept of ownership?

Answer: Hosting


I've always felt like with Britain that there was always a kind of low-grade racism that one experienced almost on a daily basis. Like, in America, you feel it's a much bigger convulsion. And the society is kind of reckoning with it in a more sincere but more troubled way. In England, it was always very light, you know?So it was - you'd come in and the guys on the walkie-talkie would be like, ah, you're the Indian fellow who's going with Gabriella. And it was like - so like. . .

A limerick.

Yeah. The first line of a limerick. But obviously, there was an implication because at that point, there was no one of my shape and size and color around, you know?So it was definitely there.

You focus in this piece on Princess Michael of Kent, who recently, of course, caused controversy when she wore a blackamoor brooch when she met Meghan Markle, who is biracial. And you say that that isn't surprising that she would have done something like that.

turn 2 : The remark had racial undertones because of his skin color

How did the guys on the walkie-talkie refer to the Indian fellow?

Answer: Indian


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 the speaker for something kept it a secret.

Which turn mentions a secret being kept?

Answer: 2


Leading the tributes to President George H. W. Bush were several former presidents and the current president. President Trump said of Mr.  Bush, with sound judgment, common sense and unflappable leadership, he guided our nation and the world to a peaceful and victorious conclusion of the Cold War. President Bill Clinton, who defeated Mr.  Bush for the presidency in 1992, gave thanks for his great long life of service, love and friendship. Ron Elving, senior Washington correspondent, joins us. Ron, thanks so much for being with us.

Good to be with you, Scott.

He was the last of a different generation - sometimes called the greatest generation. He served in World War II, congressman, former U. S.  ambassador to China and the United Nations, director of the CIA, vice president and then after that finally president.

You know, when he first sought the Republican nomination in 1980, Scott, his TV ads called him, quote, "a president we won't have to train," unquote. And that was a nod to all that preparation and experience he had had even before he was vice president.

turn 3 : George H.W. Bush had a lot of preparation and experience for presidency

Which president had a nod to all his preparation and experience in his TV ads during his campaign for the Republican nomination?

Answer: Bush


The government sets the interest rates and so the banks can make a lot money. And if you're a Chinese person, you can't really get much of your capital out of the country. So where else are you going to put it?

One of the problems with the banks is that they tend to invest in state-owned enterprises. It's kind of part of their job, and it's less risky. But most of the jobs in China are really produced by private enterprise, as they are here in the United States. And it's much harder for them to get capital. So people are, in many ways, feelings that the economy is out of whack in a number ways and that there need to be some serious changes. The government knows this, but there are now very strong vested interests in state-owned enterprises and the banks. And so getting that done is not going to be easy politically.

And even some of those big industries who are in the, I guess, the equivalent of a China's Pittsburgh, the Steel City, and a couple of vast enterprises there, well, they've gone under.

The over-capacity in the steel is extraordinary, and the debt now is over $400 billion. It's actually owned by steel companies largely to Chinese banks. And it's going to take years to work through that over-capacity.

turn 1 : The Chinese economy is not balanced and requires serious changes

How much is the debt in the Chinese steel industry?

Answer: $400


That seems to be the case.

Thanks very much for being with us today.

Thank you so much, Neal. Keep an eye on your belly button.

Rob Dunn is a science writer, a biologist in the Department of Biology at North Carolina State University. He joined us today from Raleigh. Tomorrow, traffic. L. A. 's is legendary, they're trying something new. They have synchronized every traffic light in the city. Join us for an update with Tom Vanderbilt tomorrow right after I go home and take a shower. It's the TALK OF THE NATION from NPR News. I'm Neal Conan in Washington.

turn 3 : 'B' is not actually going home to shower. 'A' probably said something about germs or bacteria on the body, and 'A' is joking about feeling unclean.

Which part of the body did 'A' tell 'B' to keep an eye on?

Answer: Eye


So wait, you're saying to invest in fat?

Well, exactly. Or to invest in companies that prevent that fat. So that's one potential demographic change. The amount of chocolate consumed worldwide is greater every year, particularly, you know, as you have a lower class in China that's moving towards the middle class.

The problems with clean water in these urban areas is getting larger and larger every year. For instance, right now, just about 50 percent of all hospital beds worldwide are filled with people suffering from clean-water-related diseases or unclean-water-related diseases. So making investments based on these trends and the others I discuss in the book could be enormously profitable in the long run.

Does the fact that this economy, which seems to just take hit after hit after hit, and it seems to be heading straight into a recession if not worst, does that at all change the advice that you give?And presumably, you wrote this book before all the really bad news hit.

turn 1 : The implied meaning is that A is suggesting investing in companies related to the growing middle class in China.

What potential demographic change is PersonA suggesting investing in?

Answer: Middle


OK.

We're in a tent at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. So if you hear some extraneous sounds that you wouldn't normally hear in Studio 3A, please forgive us. But it gives us the opportunity to do some things that we wouldn't ordinarily do. We want to hear from comedians today. How do you translate your material, which comes from a certain time and place, to a wider or different cultural or even ethnic group?Give us a call: 800-989-8255. Email us: talk@npr. org.

And Trevor Noah, what did you find translated well?Is there a material that you did in Cape Town that you can do in Los Angeles, or Baltimore for that matter?

Not really, no. Because the points of view changes, you know?I think the one - well, I could talk about Oprah. Oprah is worldwide. Yes.

Oprah is worldwide.

turn 3 : Not really, no. Because the points of view changes, you know? I think the one - well, I could talk about Oprah. Oprah is worldwide. Yes. (This turn has an implied meaning that Trevor Noah's comedy material doesn't translate well across different cultural settings due to differences in perspectives. The mention of Oprah as a worldwide figure is a way of acknowledging that there are some cultural references that are universally understood)

What is the name of the worldwide figure mentioned in turn 3?

Answer: Oprah


Thank you for having me.

You all have investigated conditions at these facilities and concluded that Customs and Border Protection should stop detaining migrants there altogether - right?- in the Rio Grande Valley Sector. Can you just describe what you've seen?

Well, we conducted over 120 interviews with migrants, and we've heard pretty horrendous stories, from being denied access to water to being held outdoors in a pen for three days without access to showers or medicine for children. The conditions are pretty horrific.

You mentioned you've interviewed families seeking asylum there. Can you give an example of a story that stuck with you - someone talking about what it was like to try and get health care treatment that they need?

turn 2 : Migrants are suffering from inhumane conditions in detention centers.

How are migrants being treated in detention centers?

Answer: Horrific


And it might take you until next summer to finish "Wolf Hall," to be ready.

So this is - I want to correct the misapprehension that this is a hard book to read. This is a - like, a - certainly a long piece of psychologically realistic fiction. But you - from the minute you meet Thomas Cromwell, you really are going to be sucked in. And if - if you are a "Game Of Thrones" watcher who is interested in how power corrupts, how an intensely human, brilliant person can, you know, become the kind of person that maybe dragon fires a whole village or - I don't know - takes down the Catholic Church and murders a queen, then, you know, "Wolf Hall" is for you. Plus, you then will have the benefit of being right on time in March, when the third one comes out.

What about for your friend, the - the I-don't-do-fiction reader, the reader that wants to read. . .

I don't know any of those people. (Laughter).

turn 3 : The person does know people like that including himself and is joking.

How does PersonA respond to PersonB's inquiry about "I-don't-do-fiction" readers?

Answer: Joking


And it all comes down really to these apple trees. The husband, James, is obsessed with apples, growing the sweet apples. She, Sadie, the mother, is - well, she's a drunk. She's looking for applejack. She likes the spitters - not the eaters - the spitters.

Yes, and Johnny Appleseed is a little bit like her drug dealer because he comes along twice a year in his canoe to see how they're doing. And he sometimes takes off the barrels of apples and brings them back pressed for them as cider. And, you know, I don't think he does it maliciously, but he is, as I said, he's a businessman. So he's got a slightly different take on it all.

And why don't you describe what Johnny Appleseed looks like in your novel as you paint him?

Actually, some of the myth is true. He did sometimes wear a tin pot for a hat. His clothing was interesting, shall we say?He often wore a coffee sack that he cut holes out of and a rope for a belt. So, yeah, he was a strange guy. He was actually making all this money, not for himself, but really because he was what they called a Swedenborgian, a very peculiar Christian sect. And Johnny Appleseed spent a lot of time proselytizing. And he'd go on this kind of rant, and a lot of the settlers - I read some hilarious accounts of them going, oh, this guy, we don't understand a word he's saying, but, you know, he's kind of entertaining, so he's harmless.

turn 3 : Johnny Appleseed's proselytizing and peculiar behavior may be seen as harmless by some settlers, but it also alienates him from others who do not understand or agree with his beliefs.

Which Christian sect was Johnny Appleseed a part of?

Answer: Swedenborgian