Podcast 488

Sick Of Politics. Yeah. Sorry. Sick Of Politics. I’m not the only one. When it’s above 70 degrees and sunny for an entire weekend in the upper midwest, no one wants to talk about whether or not the delegate selection process in Georgia and Colorado is messed up. In Minnesota and Wisconsin, people headed up to the lake to put the dock in, raked their lawns, washed their cars, sat on the deck blinking in the sun, and were amazed, tantalized and thrilled with late May weather in Mid April. I certainly remember mid April tax return mailings when it was snowing, or 30 degrees and raining. Aside from the ‘bring on more of this global warming’ jokes, it is pretty amazing to be able to get a sunburn around here at this time of year. Meanwhile, the cable news jockeys continue to drone away about what this one said about that one, whether the primary process should be scrapped for something else – don’t ask – and how the byzantine ‘state delegate selection process’ is flawed, as though anyone ever gave a damn before this ridiculous election cycle. God! Bring back the smoke filled rooms, cigar chomping, pinkie ring wearing, bourbon drinking ‘operators’. What would happen if we woke up tomorrow and suddenly there wasn’t anymore 24 hour cable news, talk radio, Facebook or Twitter? What would we think about? Is it possible we might discover what we have been thinking about below the crust of all this 24 hour news cycle generated angst and frustration? How would that sit with you? What do you think about when you’re not receiving or transmitting? A late night live podcast from the deck of the broadcast bunker, complete with planes, sirens and a very large mosquito. Mosquito’s already? And so it begins. Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul and Hydrus Performance.

Podcast 385

The Pope and The Media Circus. After a long trip home from the East Coast in the Mobile Podcast Command Unit, it’s time for a full stereo podcast from just outside the Broadcast Bunker, on the flat, by a real fire, back in Minnesota. Sometimes getting you ready for the coming week is a tall order, especially when it comes to the ‘borg’; the modern media machine. Will the new technology revolution – and it is coming – disrupt institutions that have existed for generations? Government, and religion, all seem to have become cloying media whores, looking to make one more lurid statement so they can get another story written for the Daily Beast, or get on CNN, or get some kind coverage for something…anything to stay relevant. Here comes the Pope all tarted up, to condemn capitalism and the ‘filth’ in the world. Of course the reaction is already classified as right wing or left wing, in tweets, on FaceBook and any number of shout-fests, roundtable gabs, and table pounding orations. If there is one takeaway from the recent trip through the American Southeastern Coast, including Washington DC, and from a trip earlier this spring to the West Coast, its seems like the people in this country are living their lives in spite of the constant chatter. Is it possible that our government and other institutions are becoming irrelevant, thus their leaders struggle more and more to be heard, by making one lurid statement after another? The media, and the politician, even when he is a ‘man of the cloth’ have become all one thing, feeding on each other, feathering their own nests and advancing no one else’s fortune but their own. All of them busting into our living rooms, cars and onto our phones with their incessant nonsense. Most of the time we spend our time just trying to get out of the way, hoping whatever international initiative, legislation or some nonsense laden bill sponsored by a publicity hungry politician doesn’t ruin our business, our town, our life or the lives of someone we love. Sometimes you find yourself wishing they would just shut up. You know, maybe we need a new holiday in America. How about Dead Air Day. All the stations go dark, all the politicians shut up, and all the media whores take a day off, including and especially the Pope. Oh wait! That would mean passing another law. Never mind! On the longest day of the year, and the shortest night. Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing of Saint Paul

Podcast 277

Christmas 2014! Live from the mall for the last few hours of Christmas shopping. Getting through the shortest days of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, celebrating the return of the light. This has been a weird holiday season, news wise. With the NYPD police/protester story, and the recent police involved shooting in the Saint Louis Metro, as well as the Sony Hack continuing story the News Watch Never Stops at the Bob Davis Podcasts. So, in a soft way, updating you for Christmas Day, 2014. As protests and police involved shootings continue to happen and people fire off uninformed and ignorant missives to each other on social media, this one may just have to run its course. On the Sony front, the FBI says North Korea did it. Does the FBI have enough evidence to say North Korea is responsible? There will be time to get back down in it, after Christmas. Aside from the lurid stories, the meatiest story this week has been the 3rd quarter economic numbers that have the media, and the President crowing ‘boom’. Is it? The new 5% GDP numbers are revisions, but the media doesn’t explain why US Economic numbers are revised at least three times, and then revised annually. Now the media is rolling every anecdotal experience into the numbers as ‘proof’ the ‘US is back!’. In this podcast, we’ll look a little deeper into those numbers to help you decide what they mean, and inform your decision on whether you think things are ‘booming’, economically speaking. Denver is experiencing an increase in its homeless population. The theory is, they are coming for legal pot. Watch out for the new advice on the ‘homeless’. When you see a street person you’re supposed to engage with them, in order to see them as human beings. This is a dangerous course of action, and really irresponsible, especially if you have small children with you. We all feel bad for those less fortunate, but some of them are dealing from a very challenged perspective, and you don’t know what they’ll do at any moment. Stay clear for your own safety. You’ve heard of the Obama Phone? Now they want to give people free broad band internet access. Yep. The Internet is a human right, which means the rest of us should pay for it, with additional charges on our phone bills, so people less fortunate can have free Internet. Finally, Miley Cyrus is banned from the Shriver/Kennedy Christmas Celebration in Massachusetts. Cyrus is dating Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s son Patrick, and momma doesn’t like her. (Editor’s Note: Aside from the fact that Cyrus probably has more money than the Kennedy’s, and if she doesn’t she will, at least she works, and doesn’t just lay about lending her name to every left wing cause that comes down the pike. Miley, you’re better off!) Sponsored by Autonomous Cad