Understanding the Escalating Conflict Between Armenia and Azerbaijan (0:31)

Guest: Carey Cavanaugh, Former US Ambassador for Eurasian Conflicts, OSCE’s Minsk Group, Professor of Diplomacy, University of Kentucky

A long-simmering conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is quickly escalating toward war. The two countries are former Soviet Republics that have long been at odds. In the last week, nearly 400 people have been killed in a region called Nagorno-Karabakh, which belongs to Azerbaijan under international law, but is populated and controlled by ethnic Armenians.

The Internet Loves Fat Bears. Here’s Why They’re So Roly-Poly. (19:10)

Guest: Michael Saxton, PhD Candidate, Bear Center, Washington State University, Seasonal Ranger at Katmai National Park

Fat Bear Week is a worldwide sensation for Katmai National Park in Alaska. There are calendars of the roly-poly bears, before-and-after shots go viral on Instagram. The park does an online voting bracket to crown a champion of Fat Bear Week–more than 100,000 people cast votes this year and Bear 747 nabbed the win, cause he’s big like a jumbo jet. Why do the bears at Katmai get so fat this time of year?

What It’s Like to Actually Run Away With the Carnival (32:57)

Guest: Tessa Fontaine, Author of “The Electric Woman: A Memoir in Death-Defying Acts”, Professor of Creative Writing, Warren Wilson College

Who among us hasn’t daydreamed, at some point, about dropping everything to go do something dramatic like travel the world or downsize to an camper van or try your hand at doing your hobby professionally. There’s the old saying about “running away to join the circus.” That’s basically what Tessa Fontaine did for five months in 2013. Not the circus really, but the country’s last traveling sideshow. She told them she could eat fire and charm snakes, so they hired her. Then she had to learn to eat fire and charm snakes.

The Apple Seed (52:38)

Guest: Sam Payne, Host, BYUradio's The Apple Seed

You might Sam Payne singing around his home during the COVID-19 pandemic, but you won't find him dancing.  That doesn't mean that you can't find joy in dancing around your home.

The Godfather of the Thriller Genre (1:02:39)

Guest: Ryan Steck, Book Critic and Editor, therealbookspy.com

In the world of thriller and spy novel publishing, one self-made book reviewer has become a kingmaker in the genre. His name is Ryan Steck and his website is www.therealbookspy.com. It’s nothing fancy, but authors clamor for his star of approval. Readers take his recommendations seriously. But instead of pitting authors against each other, Ryan Steck has focused on turning the genre into a community where authors cheer each other on.

MS-13: The Making of America’s Most Notorious Gang (1:23:41)

Guest: Steven Dudley, Co-Director and Co-Founder of InSight Crime, Senior Fellow, Center for Latin American and Latino Studies, American University, Author of “MS-13: The Making of America’s Most Notorious Gang”

MS-13 is America’s most notorious gang and is famously brutal. It’s also really misunderstood by American politicians and the public, says journalist Steven Dudley.