State Fair-Anxiety-Relief-Bob Davis Podcast 857

Weather Already Changing

Seems like all the media does these days is react to the President’s Twitter Feed. This creates stress. In Minnesota, the weather is already changing as we head to fall. That means it’s State Fair time. Many Minnesotans head to the state fair for anxiety relief. We’ll talk about it in State Fair-Anxiety-Relief-Bob Davis Podcast 857.

Working At The Fair

I don’t go to the state fair anymore. For me the especially relevant fact is over years I’ve spent hundreds of hours working at the fair. I’ve seen it change from an agriculturally focused event to a food fair.

Millions of Visitors But Not Me

Not that there’s anything wrong with a food fair. If that’s what you’re looking for Minnesota’s State Fair is probably the best in the nation. Moreover, switching to a more urban approach nets the fair hundreds of thousands of visitors per day, for the ten days it’s on.

Lost State Fair Podcast

Back in the day I recorded an audio project with friends at the Minnesota State Fair. A podcast before there were podcasts. I used to do a state fair podcast every year and drop in my ‘lost state fair podcast’, since it less than fifteen minutes long. No need to do that again. If you want to hear the lost state fair podcast, click here.

Freeze Baby

First of all when the weather changes my focus shifts indoors. I am what Minnesotan’s call a ‘freeze baby’. I don’t like being cold. Moreover I already miss the heat and humidity of late July. This year the humidity and heat departed the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes early in August.

Shifting To The Horrible Experience Of Social Media

As a result I am in the studio for State Fair-Anxiety-Relief-Bob Davis Podcast 857, late on a Saturday night. I can’t help but shift from telling some State Fair stories to talking politics and the reaction that subject garners on social media.

Running The Country From Twitter

In addition I single out the media again for seemingly reporting on a twitter feed. These days it feels like all the media does is report on the president’s twitter feed. Consequently we don’t report on outcomes anymore.

Telling Audiences What They Want To Hear

Even more it’s necessary for me to reinforce the fact that I refuse to join the ranks of partisan commentators either predicting the future or telling their audiences what they want to hear.

Focus On Society and Outcomes

As I have been saying, in contrast, my focus is increasingly on society. I am looking for outcomes. Conclusions. Things we can talk about that have some concrete presence in the world. I think the social media experience is increasingly negative, promotes anxiety, and gets us all nowhere.

Play The Game To Find Out Who Wins

In conclusion I refuse to do politician’s work for them. I think they rely too much on media magpies to formulate the explanations and excuses. Sometimes we have to play the game to know the outcome.

Cheese Curds and Something On A Stick

Finally sometimes it’s just good to take a pause at the end of the summer for some cheese curds and something on a stick.

Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating and Reliafund Payment Processors

State Fair-Anxiety-Relief-Bob Davis Podcast 857

 

Summer Without Air Conditioning-Reading More News-Midnight Walk Talk-Bob Davis Podcast 738

Some people turn off their air conditioning as some kind of statement. I just don’t like air conditioning and it doesn’t matter how hot it is. It’s perfectly still outside at midnight. Storms on the way. Time for a walk and talk podcast in Summer Without Air Conditioning-Reading More News-Midnight Walk Talk-Bob Davis Podcast 738.

Back To Reading

These days in my world I feel the need to start reading in depth again. During my talk radio days it wasn’t uncommon to read two to three hundred pages of information a day. Most noteworthy here is podcasting doesn’t require that level of prep. Unfortunately you lose the detail on key issues.

So it’s back to scanning, printing and reading. I feel like I am in summer school!

Two Big Stories

In Summer Without Air Conditioning-Reading More News-Midnight Walk Talk-Bob Davis Podcast 738 we’ll take a look at two big developing stories with an eye toward pointing out how story lines force us to anticipate outcomes rather than waiting until a story plays out.

Telling Us What’s Going To Happen Again

It has been a week since the president slapped tariffs on US trading partners. There has been no measurable economic effect to this date but that doesn’t stop commentators and reporters from telling us how Trump’s actions are already ‘having an economic effect’.

In addition the president’s comments on NATO are generating all kinds of talk. What’s going to happen? Why don’t we wait and see?

No Information Means Shouting Matches Not Conversations

Do you feel confident discussing trade and international defense agreements with strangers? Maybe it’s because you don’t have enough information.

Finally if we’re being fed a constant stream of speculation with no real information, is it any wonder our conversations about issues turn into shouting matches?

Join me on the walk and talk as the storms roll in and we’ll talk it out.

Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul and Reliafund Payment Processors

Summer Without Air Conditioning-Reading More News-Midnight Walk Talk-Bob Davis Podcast 738

Pause Crazy News Coverage-Summer Stories-Bob Davis Podcast 734

We all agree on one thing. There’s a lot of crazy to go around these days. It’s especially relevant and important to remember it’s summer. Join me on the deck and we’ll talk about it in Pause Crazy News Coverage-Summer Stories-Bob Davis Podcast 734.

Taco Night!

Taco night at the Broadcast Bunker ends on the deck, with fresh hot coffee, as the rain rolls in.

Stream Of Consciousness

As a long time podcaster I prefer preparation and even writing content. However subscribers and listeners tell me they love my free wheeling stream of consciousness style.

Furthermore it takes a lot of thought to get to the nub of what is near and dear to talk about in a podcast. Easy for me to talk about politics and society. Maybe because politics is always top of mind.

Awash In News Coverage

To me, valuable content is just beneath that crust of all this political talk. Moreover society is awash in so called news coverage that ends up forcing us all deeper into our ‘positions’. The great thing about podcasting is, I don’t have to keep banging away on a political topic. I’ve done plenty of unique podcasts on society and politics that are still current.

Then I remember it’s summer!

In the Upper Midwest summer is short and sweet. Most of all this year we’ve had a lot of rain and it has been hot. That means thick leaves and bugs and lots of green.

No Shoes And Running Free

Summer nights make me think of summer stories. Spending summer with no shoes. Days at the community pool. Bike rides. Running free from morning til late at night. Sitting on the front steps listening to the radio all night.

All of this, kicked off from the last day of school and running straight through to Labor Day.

Summer Nights

My experience has been that it doesn’t matter when someone grew up. Summer nights are always good for thinking about those days when we had endless freedom and possibilities.

Remember Your Summer Stories

Finally considering the intensity, the yelling and screaming, the rancor that passes for ‘news’, it sure made me feel good to do this podcast. Listen and remember your summer stories, no matter when you grew up. And all this kicked off because someone asked me why I don’t wear shoes in the summer.

Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul

Pause Crazy News Coverage-Summer Stories-Bob Davis Podcast 734