Podcast 503

Slipping Into Summer. Hard to believe, after a long upper midwestern winter, that we are Slipping Into Summer. As the Memorial Day Weekend approaches, some thoughts about the origins of ‘Decoration Day’, Arlington National Cemetery, the Civil War, and our modern day commemoration of those who have given their lives in service to the United States. This is not a national holiday of celebration. It might be suggested it is in fact supposed to be a sober, if not somber day to reflect on the sacrifice of those who did not return home. Some people confuse Memorial Day with Veterans Day. If you’re on the radio, or in public media that is a mistake you will make once. On Veterans Day we honor all those who have served. On Memorial Day we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. With all that, it is still the beginning of summer — even though summer doesn’t start until June 21st — and for kids still in school it means a week or so of school left, depending on how many snow days may have accrued during the brutal winter. It brings back memories for this podcaster. Memories of summers that stretched out like a sea of opportunity and ended all too quickly on Labor Day. In the Upper Midwest, this time is ‘GO’ time, especially for kids, because our summers are so short and sweet. The end of May can be cold, rainy and unfriendly and quite uncomfortable if you are opening the lake cabin and putting in the dock. The end of May can also be warm, sunny and friendly, and Memorial Day kicks it off with its ad hoc parades, and BBQ’s … the first three day weekend of the summer. So people might be forgiven for not remembering some of us will be privately thinking about those they lost, who will not be able to enjoy the great spring weather, the parades and BBQ’s. Here’s to them. Sponsored by X Government Cars and Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul. (Editor’s Note: In describing the mast of the USS Minneapolis, which is at Lake Calhoun, I confused the Cruiser, USS Minneapolis with two US Navy Submarines currently in service. The USS Minnesota is a Virginia Class Submarine, and the USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul is a Los Angeles Class submarine.)

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Podcast 373

Pedal Pub War. On a three-day weekend during which Americans remember those who have died in military service to the country, a group of bicyclists in Minneapolis decided to make war on people who enjoy the fun and conviviality of something called a ‘Pedal Pub’; a bar on wheels which the patrons pedal down the street. Apparently pedal pubs are so controversial that a group of brown shirted cycle thugs decided to go ‘mad max’ on the pedal pubs over the weekend, with water balloons and squirt guns. After two ‘successful’ attacks on unsuspecting pedal pubs, you can imagine the surprise when attackers learned the hard way they had attacked a pedal pub full of off duty Minneapolis police. Seriously? Who appointed bicyclists as the arbiters of all that is good and bad in the city? While thanking a veteran for their service is a good thing on any day, Memorial day has a specific purpose. Do you know what it is? Is it possible that ‘mindfulness’ training can actually cause depression and psychosis? Just ask Russell Brand and Gwyneth Paltrow (need we say more?). Finally, medical and scientific advances as well as development in IT put us on the edge of an age in which human beings can be modified genetically, aging can be slowed, even reversed, intelligence and strength can be enhanced. Not much is being written about the potential for the development of super human beings, literally Demigods. Would you get these enhancements if you could. Since these kinds of technological advances are always available to the rich first — because they’re expensive — will this create a special class of ‘enhanced’ humans to rule over the rest of us Plebeians? Updates for a slow start to a short work week after Memorial Day. Sponsored by X Government Cars. 

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Podcast 148

Memorial Day Weekend Update. It is memorial day weekend, which usually means a long drive back from the lake. Since The Bob Davis Podcasts normally updates listeners on the key stories of the coming week on Sunday night/Monday morning, this podcast is all ready for the drive home. On the US Economy, the story line has been ‘winter’ since the northern tier of the US went into a deep freeze last December. Now ‘suddenly’ and ‘unexpectedly’ retailers aren’t meeting goals and consumers aren’t very confident. The expected ‘rebound’ from winter’s woes hasn’t materialized. What’s happening. Is inflation taking its toll, or is it deflation? Why is the price of fuel and food going up? The darling of the left, Thomas Piketty is on the hot seat for … some pretty serious mistakes in his modeling. Turns out ‘inequality’ may not be as bad as he thought it might be. The President went to Afghanistan as a prelude to a week of trying to defend and take back the high ground on his foreign policy, while democrats call him detached, flat footed and incompetent. Sponsored by Baklund R&D. 

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