Podcast 220

Bonfire at the Broadcast Bunker. On what may be one of the last great nights of the early fall/late summer season in the upper midwest, a back yard bonfire produces some reflection on this year’s election (not exactly inspiring), constant media predictions about its outcome (which are probably wrong) and the increasing desire to just vote and get it over with. A little bit of insight on where content for podcasts comes from. It would be easy to just pull some news stories and talk about them. The good stuff comes from what you pull from deep down. What does one do when there is no inspiration? Go to Yoga, have dinner with friends, light a late night bonfire by the bunker and turn on the microphones! A rant about restaurants that have TV monitors everywhere, the constant ‘push’ of the media filling ‘the news beast’ with updates, which really don’t mean anything, and why this podcaster will continue to scan, print and read to stay on top of developments. And, what about the 2014 election cycle. We have heard many predictions about its ‘probable’ outcome, from a ‘Republican Wave’, to the Democrats holding the Senate and gaining seats in the House. Are any of these predictions close to being correct? What will the ‘big story’ be on election night? What constitutes a ‘republican wave’, a loss or a win for democrats? How will a republican controlled Senate play in Season 6 and 7 of ‘Obama!, the series? How reliable are polls? Are they in any way useful in giving us any idea of what everyday Americans are thinking and feeling? Or, have people checked out of this one already? (Two misstatements in this podcast. First; Republicans don’t have to win 6 races, they have to pick up 6 seats to gain control of the Senate. Second, Republicans aren’t retaining control of the Senate. The Democratic Party currently holds a majority in the US Senate.) Sponsored by X Government Cars

If Nothing Changes…

When the politicians in Washington see permanent, action oriented organizations in control of large blocks of money and votes, they’ll be singing your tune and they’ll keep singing it.

Podcast 199

News Cleanse Day Five. First Day of The Minnesota State Fair. Observations on the final day of the ‘News Cleanse’. Memories of the Minnesota State Fair. Broadcasting live, handing out bags, how the fair has changed over the years. Has an agricultural fair become a food fair, despite being the biggest attraction in the State of Minnesota the whole year? How Podcast 19 (The Lost State Fair Podcast) came about. What is it like to work out at the fair for ten hours a day, ten days straight? This is the last podcast of impressions from the News Cleanse. Back to the news for the next podcast. History is made slowly; we become aware of it only after many years of change. What kinds of changes are happening now, we’re unaware of? An age of disruption (as overused as that term is) is just beginning. All Americans are on this journey together, and all Americans will experience ‘history’ when the journey ends. The media ill serves us in this quest. What are the problems? How do we learn what works to solve those problems? How do we re-learn the citizenship process to help ourselves? Because no one is coming to help…and our ‘leaders’ aren’t creative enough, to solve them. Either informed, responsible citizens will decide the future, through the political process, or the mob will. Which do you prefer? Sponsored by X Government Cars.