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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Colin Loalva.

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<v Speaker 2>And I'm Megan Noled. Spotlight uses a special English method

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<v Speaker 2>of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no

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<v Speaker 2>matter where in the world they live.

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<v Speaker 1>In twenty twenty, a woman named Claire took a DNA test.

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<v Speaker 1>This test was supposed to give Claire information about her family.

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<v Speaker 1>It would tell her who her ancestors were. It could

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<v Speaker 1>even tell her if she was at risk for diseases.

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<v Speaker 1>But when she got the test back, she discovered something strange.

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<v Speaker 1>The test showed that her family was not who she

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<v Speaker 1>thought they were. She was not related to her parents.

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<v Speaker 2>Claire had been switched at birth. Claire was born at

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<v Speaker 2>a hospital. While doctors in the hospital nursery were checking

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<v Speaker 2>her health after her birth, she was accidentally switched with

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<v Speaker 2>another baby born the same day. This other baby was

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<v Speaker 2>also having her health checked in the same nursery. Somehow,

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<v Speaker 2>someone put Claire in the crib with the other baby's name.

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<v Speaker 2>The medical staff accidentally gave Claire to another set of parents.

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<v Speaker 2>They gave another baby, girl to Claire's parents.

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<v Speaker 1>Claire had been switched at birth. Both Claire and the

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<v Speaker 1>other girl grew up with each other's biological parents. Both

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<v Speaker 1>girls spent years believing they belonged in the other child's family,

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<v Speaker 1>but when each girl found out she had not been

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<v Speaker 1>living with her true biological family, they both said they

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<v Speaker 1>had a strange feeling that they did not exactly belong

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<v Speaker 1>in the family in which they grew up.

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<v Speaker 2>Today's spotlight is on DNA testing and family is our family?

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<v Speaker 2>The people who give birth to us, our biological mother

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<v Speaker 2>and father is our real family, the parents who raised us?

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<v Speaker 2>Or is it something even more complicated?

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<v Speaker 1>The more she thought about it, the more Claire's test

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<v Speaker 1>made sense. Growing up, she did did not look like

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<v Speaker 1>anyone else in her family. She told the British Broadcasting

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<v Speaker 1>Corporation or BBC.

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<v Speaker 3>I felt like a cheat. There were no similarities in

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<v Speaker 3>looks or nature. I thought, yes, my parents must have

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<v Speaker 3>got me from a different family.

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<v Speaker 2>For Claire, finding her family was helpful. Suddenly things made

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<v Speaker 2>sense for her. She was able to meet her biological

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<v Speaker 2>mother and brother, but the meeting was difficult too. Claire

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<v Speaker 2>got a new family, but she saw how different her

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<v Speaker 2>life could have been.

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<v Speaker 3>Claire said, my parents separated when I was very young.

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<v Speaker 3>I do not remember them being together. I was raised

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<v Speaker 3>in complete poverty, homelessness, often went hungry, and everything that

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<v Speaker 3>goes with these things. It was a very difficult childhood.

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<v Speaker 1>In many ways, she looked like her new family. She

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<v Speaker 1>had the same DNA. DNA is the genetic code inside

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<v Speaker 1>the cells of every person. DNA holds the instructions for

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<v Speaker 1>how cells grow. During reproduction, a mother's DNA combines with

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<v Speaker 1>a father's DNA to create a new person. This shared

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<v Speaker 1>DNA is what makes us look like our parents. It

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<v Speaker 1>is why we have eye color or hair color like

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<v Speaker 1>our parents. It is why we walk or talk like

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<v Speaker 1>our parents. Sometimes we may develop cancer, heart problems, or

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<v Speaker 1>other health issues just like our parents.

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<v Speaker 2>But in many ways, Claire did not feel like she

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<v Speaker 2>belonged to her new family. She was fifty five years old.

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<v Speaker 2>She had grown up separately. Different people raised her. Who

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<v Speaker 2>did she belong to? Who were her parents? Really?

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<v Speaker 1>Claire's answer is that she belongs to both families. Now

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<v Speaker 1>she still keeps in touch with her birth mother and

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<v Speaker 1>with the mother who raised her.

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<v Speaker 2>What then, is a family? For some, the answer is simple,

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<v Speaker 2>It is the people who are biologically related to us.

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<v Speaker 2>When Claire found her birth mother, she found her proper family.

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<v Speaker 2>But others may find different answers to this question.

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<v Speaker 1>Alexis Howslet is a podcaster. She discovered that the man

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<v Speaker 1>who raised her was not her father. She spent long

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<v Speaker 1>hours searching for her biological father. At first, their reunion

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<v Speaker 1>was satisfying. Howerslut discovered many similar parts of their personalities.

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<v Speaker 1>But Howslut had been raised in a Mexican American home,

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<v Speaker 1>her father was African American. Their cultures were very different.

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<v Speaker 1>Hawaslutt loved her father, but she had a difficult time

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<v Speaker 1>feeling like she belonged in his family.

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<v Speaker 2>The truth is that families are complex. An ideal family

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<v Speaker 2>would be a group that gives love, support, and stability

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<v Speaker 2>to all the people within it. For some, this means

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<v Speaker 2>they're birth parents and their extended family their grandparents, uncles, aunts, nephews,

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<v Speaker 2>and nieces. All these biological kin are family.

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<v Speaker 1>For others, the answer is more complicated. There are those

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<v Speaker 1>who grow up within families that are not ideal. For example,

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<v Speaker 1>a young woman whose parents neglected her health or hurt her.

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<v Speaker 1>This woman may look to other places for her family,

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<v Speaker 1>perhaps a circle of very close friends. She may consider

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<v Speaker 1>these friends her family.

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<v Speaker 2>Are they do we define what our family is? Or

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<v Speaker 2>do our families define us?

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<v Speaker 1>DNA testing has opened up another way of looking at families.

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<v Speaker 1>Most popular tests do not just tell you who you

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<v Speaker 1>are related to. They can also tell you where your

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<v Speaker 1>family came from many years ago. A DNA test might

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<v Speaker 1>tell a man from the United States that he had

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<v Speaker 1>ancestors from Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and Poland. Some of these

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<v Speaker 1>histories may be lost to him, so a DNA test

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<v Speaker 1>might show something about these unknown stories to him. DNA

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<v Speaker 1>testing may present a way of connecting ourselves to a

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<v Speaker 1>hidden past that we can be proud of.

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<v Speaker 2>Other DNA tests may even tell you famous people you

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<v Speaker 2>are related to. Say a woman from China takes one

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<v Speaker 2>of these tests, the test may show she is related

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<v Speaker 2>to Djengis Khan. This Mongol leader ruled much of Asia

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<v Speaker 2>in the thirteenth century.

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<v Speaker 1>Tests like this can make us feel special, but even

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<v Speaker 1>DNA is more complex than we think. It is estimated

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<v Speaker 1>that eight percent of the people in China are related

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<v Speaker 1>to the Khan. This family would have more than one

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<v Speaker 1>hundred and ten million people. Gengis Khan had many many children,

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<v Speaker 1>and more people are closely related to each other than

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<v Speaker 1>we think. Shi Kami is a genetic researcher. He told

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<v Speaker 1>the conversation.

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<v Speaker 4>The first thing to understand is how many ancestors you

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<v Speaker 4>have in each past generation. One generation back, you have

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<v Speaker 4>two ancestors. Two generations back, that doubles to four, then eight,

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<v Speaker 4>and sixteen. By thirty generations ago, around the twelfth century,

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<v Speaker 4>you have over a billion ancestors.

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<v Speaker 2>Experts now believe that we all share a common and

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<v Speaker 2>this ancestor may have been very recent. This ancestor probably

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<v Speaker 2>lived only a few thousand years ago. This statistic parallels

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<v Speaker 2>the teaching of the Sacred Books of the Jewish, Muslim,

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<v Speaker 2>and Christian people about Adam and Eve and the beginning

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<v Speaker 2>of human history.

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<v Speaker 1>Nathan H. Lentz teaches life sciences at John Jay College.

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<v Speaker 1>He estimates we are all cousins one hundred and twenty

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<v Speaker 1>times removed. This means that we would all be related

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<v Speaker 1>one hundred and twenty generations ago.

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<v Speaker 2>What does this mean for people trying to find their family?

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<v Speaker 2>Not much, really, These ancient ancestors have little similarity to

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<v Speaker 2>who you and I are today. Recent ancestors, such as

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<v Speaker 2>grandparents and great grandparents are much more important to know.

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<v Speaker 2>Their genes still affect who you are, along with their customs,

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<v Speaker 2>traditions and expectations. However, that ancient DNA may show one

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<v Speaker 2>important factor that we are not so different after all.

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<v Speaker 5>Lens explains, our particular ancestry should not be called a

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<v Speaker 5>family tree. It is not an independent structure with its

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<v Speaker 5>own roots. It is just one brand, not all that

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<v Speaker 5>different from the others on the larger tree of the

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<v Speaker 5>one human family.

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<v Speaker 1>The next time you walk down the street, picnic in

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<v Speaker 1>the park, shop in a market, crowd onto a subway

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<v Speaker 1>or bus, or see a visitor from another country, smile.

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<v Speaker 1>Smile because you are looking at another member of your

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<v Speaker 1>human family. Many generations ago, you shared the same ancestor,

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<v Speaker 1>and now you have the opportunity to meet each other

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<v Speaker 1>and say hello, I am glad to meet you.

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<v Speaker 2>Have you ever taken a DNA test? What did it

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<v Speaker 2>tell you?

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<v Speaker 1>Do?

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<v Speaker 2>These DNA tests help you to know your family better?

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<v Speaker 2>How do you define family? You can leave a comment

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<v Speaker 2>on our website at www dot Spotlight English dot com.

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<v Speaker 2>You can also find us on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and

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<v Speaker 2>x You can also get our programs delivered directly to

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<v Speaker 2>your Android or Apple device through our free official Spotlight

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<v Speaker 2>English app.

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<v Speaker 1>The writer of this program was Dan Christman. The producer

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<v Speaker 1>was Michio or Zaki. The voice you heard were from

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<v Speaker 1>the United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes were

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<v Speaker 1>adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. This program

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<v Speaker 1>is called Finding Your Family.

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<v Speaker 2>We hope you can join us again for the next

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<v Speaker 2>Spotlight program. Goodbye,