Desperate to know what happened to his family, a man obsessively decodes the only information about them he can get. That, and other stories of people looking into the void for answers.
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Courtesy Abdurahman Tohti
Note: The internet version of this episode contains un-beeped curse words. BEEPED VERSION.
Prologue
Couples therapist Esther Perel talks to Ira about the very particular ways she’s seeing lockdown impact couples around the world. Listen to season three of her podcast, “Where Should We Begin: Couples Under Lockdown.” (13 minutes)
A Phone Flickers in the Dark
Abdurahman Tohti left his home country, China, behind 7 years ago to move to Turkey, safe from the Chinese regime that discriminates and arbitrarily detains Uyghurs, specifically, which Abdurahman is. Reporter Durrie Bouscaren talks to him about what happened to his wife and children and extended family in China, and the endless challenges he faces trying to be sure they are safe. (34 minutes)
State of Emergency
Producer Miki Meek talks to two emergency medical service workers in New York about the sheer number of 911 calls they are responding to, and how they are coping under the stress of being on constant high alert. (6 minutes)
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Act Two: Instructions For Sissies
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