Podcast 263

Nashville. Live from a hotel room in Music City. White Line Fever. Over eating on Thanksgiving and not enough sleep finally pushes The Bob Davis Podcasts to splurge for a hotel room in the heart of Tennessee, after a speed run through the Blue Ridge Mountains, across the Smokies. (Editor’s Note: We checked with the General Manager and the expenses have been approved.) The next leg of the trip will be north through Southern Illinois. In the meantime, throughout the holiday news stories have been brewing but our minds have been on other concerns; Family. Football. Eating. Sleeping. As we return to the new work week what stories will be making headlines? It was odd to hear protesters shouting, “No Peace, No Justice and no more Black Fridays” this weekend since the Bob Davis Podcasts advocated boycotting Black Friday weeks before the current spate of protests erupted. But not for the same reasons. Expect all sorts of hype from the National Retailers about what a great year it was in spite of the madness. Early estimates indicate lower numbers this year, but don’t expect to hear that. Black Friday has become nothing more than an excuse for publicly traded retailers to hype their stocks before the end of the fourth quarter. As the new congress prepares to be sworn in (one more election; a run off in Louisiana), get ready for the media to really push the ‘Republicans are Obstructionists’ story line, with full cooperation from the White House. Is that how it will be? Expect changes in Democratic Party leadership, and perhaps some changes on the Republican side too. Meanwhile the ‘shakeup’ at the White House turns out to be cosmetic as President Obama dumps Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, but his inner circle remains untouched as predicted by The Bob Davis Podcasts. With ISIS grabbing headlines (stoning homosexuals and threatening to behead women tend to do that), Russia continues destabilizing the Ukraine. New concerns about Russian pressure of Latvia, Estonia and Finland concern EU leaders. What about that NATO ‘Quick Reaction Force’ announced at the G8 meeting this year? Turns out NATO does not have the equipment or the budget. And you wonder how European countries are able to provide such lavish benefits to their people; They’re not spending it on defense. The United States still stands as the primary defense for Europe, and this could make the Russia Story very big in 2015. New numbers released this weekend say that Minnesota’s voter turn out in the 2014 election cycle hit lows not seen since 1986. And still, Republicans were unable to win state-wide offices. Is it the party? The Candidates? Or the Voters? Finally, another polar vortex dropping temperatures in the Upper Midwest, as The Bob Davis Podcasts makes its way north. Sponsored by Depotstar. [Powerpress]

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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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Podcast 249

Snowstorm! As tropical storm Nuri hits the Aleutian Islands and Northwest Alaska (Nuri is the same size as Super Storm Sandy, we are told), its hurricane force winds are sucking the jet stream down to the lower 48 from Canada. That means the return of Old Man Winter to the Upper Midwest, in spades. Minneapolis-Saint Paul is forecasted to get as much as a foot of snow before it is all over sometime Tuesday, November 11th. It’s been a long time since Minnesota had a winter storm in November. The smell of the air and snow predictions brings back memories of snowstorms in childhood. Which storm do you remember the best? The 1960’s? 1980’s? The great Halloween Storm in Minnesota of 1991? Sitting by the fire, enjoying potato soup and watching the snow fall, and being elated, because it meant the best thing in childhood; No School. These times in late fall also bring back memories of late fall and winter camping, in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin, with best friends in the boy scouts. (Editor’s Note: Of my two best friends, Steve’s dad was the quirky scoutmaster of the troop. The men wanted older boys to take care of the ‘little kids’ as they were called, so the men could have sumptuous dinners and enjoy themselves. While they never abdicated their responsibilities, Steve, Andy and myself were ‘inducted’ into the scouts at a much older and wiser 13, 14 and 15 to fill this role). We had some adventures — far too many for one podcast — but we formed a bond that has lasted a lifetime, and learned some pretty good lessons that have also lasted a lifetime. While visiting Andy down in Arizona this fall, we learned our scoutmaster, and one of our friends had died recently. We were both a little shocked since we’d lost contact over the years. Between snowstorms, memories of campouts and mischief in those days, those perfect days when you’re in between childhood and adolescence, it serves as a break from the constant blaring about politics over the last few days in the wake of election 2014. Yeah, we talked about politics in those days, around the campfire but mostly it was about girls, the right camping equipment, what we were going to do on the next campout, our favorite songs, our shared friends and enemies. Take a break in this podcast from politics, sit by the fire, and remember your own stories from the best snow storms and campouts when you were a kid, where ever you grew up. Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating, and by Depotstar. 

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