Podcast 262

White Line Fever. Road Trip Return! The trip back to Minneapolis, staying in the warmth of the southern late fall for as long as possible. Richmond, southwest to Roanoke, Virginia and then onto Nashville, Tennessee. Passing through Bristol, Virginia and Knoxville, Tennessee and all points in between. You know all that talk about ‘infrastructure’ in the US? How we need new roads and bridges? With many miles covered on these Road Trip Podcasts, there have been few – if any – pot-holes, rotted bridges, or signs of any crumbling infrastructure. Even cities like Bristol, Virginia and Roanoke feature new construction, smooth roads, brand spanking new housing developments, and new and thriving downtown ‘urban’ experiences like Farmer’s Markets, yoga studios and the like. There are so many smooth roads you can get ‘white line fever’ rolling through hills and gentle turns, as traffic comfortably hits eighty plus mile an hour speeds. Sounds like a science fiction novel, but it is true. From the Twin Cities east, all the way to Virginia, and now coming back across the mid south, it’s hard to find evidence of ‘decaying infrastructure’, not to mention all the shiny new cars! Hear tips on how to travel fast and easy, avoiding speed traps, and getting a boat load of coffee before departure. As we ease back into the work week after a long Thanksgiving Holiday, some thoughts about what we should be hearing from politicians in Washington; how to make our economy thrive, not just ‘do better’. Traveling across the country this quickly, you can’t help but notice the developing economies of small, medium and large sized cities you pass through, especially outside the center cities. The overall effect is optimism. Americans are still innovative, and ready to work. Its about time our lawmakers understood what to do, how to do it, and how to talk about it so they can get what they need to get done, so we can get done what we need to get done. Sponsored by Baklund R&D.

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The Bob Davis Podcast

Podcast 261

Giving Thanks? Is it Thanksgiving or Halloween? Because sometimes it’s hard to tell. In keeping with the snark of the times, some of the things that are the most irritating about the nearly four day “Thanksgiving” “Holiday”. First, the Pilgrims don’t have much to do with it. You can thank that dictator Lincoln for the ‘holiday’, and that dictator Franklin Roosevelt for moving “Thanksgiving” so we could celebrate an orgy of consumption. For God’s sake, don’t blame the Pilgrims. What about the down market behavior? If you watch TV 24/7 you wouldn’t be worrying about beheadings or the plummeting price of commodities, you’d be worried about downmarket behavior that would make Judge Judy happy. Fighting over wide screen TV’s, Barbies, panties and stealing stuff from other people’s carts so you can get the deal. Staying with relatives? The relentless blare of the TV and endless commercials for ED medication, back pain mitigators, cures for baldness, vitamin drinks, charities, car dealers, is slightly more informative than local TV news, featuring 40 minutes of round robin coverage from — you guessed it — the local Wal Mart! Our solemn attitude of gratitude gives way to buying, you know, stuff. Thanksgiving also signals the quickening; The vaunted ‘Holiday Season’ where reality rarely meets expectations and expectations are very, very high. In Podcast 261, a list of ways to mitigate the disaster, especially if you’re a man. (Editors Note: I’m thinking about a cruise next year, that starts the week before Thanksgiving and ends about January 1oth. You know you’re in trouble when you start envying the people on ‘Survivor’.) Sponsored by Depotstar.

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Podcast 260

Road Trip Part 2. Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia. Taking stock in a Shoney’s restaurant in West Virginia, as we become aware; this is a really long trip. The ‘southern strategy’, getting out of the weather up North, meant enjoying a perfect sunny day for the run across horse country, into the mountains of West Virginia and western Virginia finally to central Virginia. The second day after the Grand Jury announced it will not indict a police officer in the shooting death of Ferguson’s Michael Brown. Are the protests across the country really about racism and injustice, or are these people professional protesters? Or, is it possible that despite revised economic numbers for the third quarter, low inflation and lower gas prices, Americans are restive? Maybe we just don’t feel ‘right’. As the ride across the country’s middle stretches out, we find there is much to like about West Virginia. A hunting ground for Indians and settlers in Colonial times, settled by Scots Irish and Germans, split from Confederate Virginia in 1862 and become an energy and mineral powerhouse. You don’t have pretend anything in West Virginia. People are just fine with you, as you are. And these people can drive! Lots of coverage of the ‘crazy uncle’ syndrome this Thanksgiving. Suggestions on how to handle your ‘crazy uncle’. Why is the crazy uncle always a right winger? What about your crazy socialist uncle. He gets a pass? (Editor’s Note: For the record, I am the crazy uncle in my family.) Finally, reaching our destination after 27 hours. Central Virginia, in the middle of nowhere, hunting country, ready to cook Cornish Game Hens, Green Beans and real Mashed Potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner. (Editor’s Note: Yeah, my family is quirky.) Get ready for some Davis family hijinks on Podcast 261. Sponsored by Autonomous Cad. 

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