In late March, many communities around the country saw thousands of people taking to the streets to protest gun violence. The main March for Our Lives event took take place in Washington D.C. but the movement’s website tallied more than 800 other coinciding marches worldwide.  One of them occured here in Fairbanks.  It’s no secret the issues of gun violence and gun rights spark intense debate and rhetoric in our country. My first guest on today’s podcast is part of the response the University of Alaska Fairbanks Summer Sessions offered to coincide with the march. It was loosely called a teach-in because it allowed three professors from various disciplines on campus to address the issues. I agreed to moderate the discussion and questions from the audience. Alexander Hirsch is a professor of political philosophy at UAF and he helped to organize the event and was one of the panelists.

Also on the show: mining is inextricably woven into Fairbanks’ history. While it was gold that thrust the town and region onto the world stage, coal continues to power the community.  The Alaska Miners Association recently held its conference in town and I had a chance to talk with Curt Freeman, President of Avalon Development Organization, a company he formed in 1985. He also received his master’s degree in economic geology from UAF.

And Chris Lott extract’s an intriguing linguistic nugget on Katexic Clippings.

Music from Jukedeck – create your own at http://jukedeck.com