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Podcast title	Independent America
Website URL	http://hhosein.hipcast.com?pod...
Description	Shun the superhighway and bypass an America blanketed by Wal-Marts and McDonalds. Stick to two-lane roads through the heartland and make your acquaintance with Mom & Pop. Yes, they're endangered, but they're still around. And believe it or not, a deep, not-so-silent groundswell of support is growing for them as Americans realize that nice things maybe do come in small packages, and not always in Big Boxes. That's what two former network journalists discover as they produce their own road movie across an increasingly polarized United States in search of Independent America that mystical, picturesque place unchained from corporate retail. Economies of scale, globalization, the endless quest for growth -- they're all here to stay. Yet perhaps technology and homeland security concerns point to another way for the local entrepreneur to succeed and thrive in the furthest reaches of America.
Updated	Sun, 21 Mar 2010 16:52:47 GMT
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Category	Travel
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1. Podcast #1 Road Wisdom download (, 0.00Mb) Description: Our first podcast! We chatted with Jeff Thomlinson here in Seattle about how to stay healthy and relaxed on the road. Jeff should know: he's a former U.S. Navy Air Traffic Controller, and now co-owner of Trinity Yoga Center in Kelowna, B.C. Coincidentally, he was in Seattle visiting at the same time we arrived. So we thought we should get some pearls of advice from him before we hit the road and officially launched Independent America.
2. Fear of a Wal-Mart Planet: The Realm of Yelm download (, 0.00Mb) Description: The tiny town of Yelm, Washington made international headlines last week when it got out that the city council had outlawed the utterance of the words "Wal-Mart" and "Big Box" at council meetings. Here in Seattle, at the end of our trip, we knew we had to head down there and chat with the people of Yelm. Bottom line: Washington state's "Fairness Doctrine" has driven the town council to adopt a very conservative stance on Wal-Mart's application for a new Supercenter. They can't afford the appearance of bias in their decision, hence the need to not allow any further outbursts. They have everything to fear, including fear itself -- and a potential Wal-Mart lawsuit.
3. Homeward Bound Heather download (, 0.00Mb) Description: American expat Heather reflects on our 12,000 mile trip across her country. The food, the people, the food, the politics. And yes. The food. We're all pretty sure she can't wait to start feeding her Viva Epicurea food blog a gain once she's back in Kelowna. But wait...there's more Independent America to be explore tomorrow, just south of Seattle. Stay tuned...
4. The Revolution Will Be Podcasted download (, 0.00Mb) Description: Podcast #10 with AMIBA's (American Independent Business Alliance) Jennifer Rockne. After an inspiring visit with the folks from Powell WY who started their own department store after the corporate chains abandoned them (Western self-sufficiency at its best), we moved on to Bozeman MT to share our expedition's findings with Jennifer. She has encouraged us to undertake Independent America for two years. So we took the opportunity to bounce some of our newfound ideas off of a true Mom & Pop expert.
5. Podcast #9 Fourth of July Town download (, 0.00Mb) Description: Jessica Kolterman's family have lived in Seward Nebraska since the early 19th century. They also helped put it on the map by making it America's official July 4th Small Town. Jessica is an anti-abortion Republican who supports the President's "War Against Terror." This 27 year-old also has some strong views about what it takes to keep Seward independent -- she opposed the recent opening of a Wal-Mart Supercentre here. We thought on this Independence Day weekend, you might enjoy listening to this eloquent young woman on her thoughts about Independent America.
6. A Supremely Big Box download (, 0.00Mb) Description: Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that municipalities have the power to seize private property for the purposes of economic development if it serves "a public use." The specific case dealt with the economically depressed town of New London CT and how it wanted to bring in a Pfizer facility -- but a few homeowners resisted. So their homes were condemned, and voila, a huge court case. This ruling from on high speaks loudly to what we've discovered during this expedition: for many towns, retail constitutes economic development. So if a town wants to attract a Target or a Wal-Mart to the right area, it can now expropriate the property of unwilling property owners in the name of "public use" and jobs. That's huge. So we spoke to Vermont Law School professor Janet Milne this morning about this very ruling. It's an appropriate place to discuss the law -- the opening salvo in the war against Big Boxes was fired here in the 1980's as this fiercely independent state split in two on the issue of Wal-Mart. In fact, Professor Milne helped host a "Big Box Syposium" earlier this year at the school, because it remains a statewide issue. Please note: the heavy breathing you hear from time to time in the background is nothing more than Miles the Black Lab trying to find some shade behind the park bench where the interview was conducted. It's excruciatingly hot and humid in Vermont right now.
7. Podcast #7: Going Going -- Naomi Shihab Nye download (, 0.00Mb) Description: Texas -- the seemingly monolithic heart of Big, Conservative America. Yet, as we looked deeper, we also see Big, Beautiful and Diverse. Conservatives, and Liberals abound in George W's home state. We call poet and author Naomi Shihab Nye a "Preservative." Her latest book, "Going Going" tells the story of how one teenage girl starts her own anti-chain campaign, to preserve Mom & Pop. We chatted with this Palestinian-American dynamo over some Texas tea and a couple of New York City independent bakery cookies that she had just brought back with her. This podcast is a must-listen, and while you're at it, check out "Going Going" (Naomi reads an excerpt near the end of the show).
8. Podcast #6: Chains are Good When... download (, 0.00Mb) Description: Before leaving Durango, Colorado, we had a great conversation with Chamber director Bobby Lieb. He's a firm believer in the free market. And you have to believe that since his family used to be in the garment industry before that particular trade was wiped out by cheap imports. Lieb says Starbucks, Wal-Mart and everoyone else has the right to do business in Durango. But he also warns that communities should not rely on retails sales tax as a form of economic development -- nor should they be giving sales tax abatements to lure corporate chains to their towns. The free market works both ways, and companies such as Wal-Mart have been accused of not playing on a level playing field because of its search for incentives.
9. Podcast #5: Coffee Talk download (, 0.00Mb) Description: Beautiful Durango, Colorado is the unlikely host to a long-simmering controversy over Starbucks. There were protests here when the first Starbucks set up shop near an Albertson's in a strip mall. But now there's a second one in downtown Durango, and it has been vandalized several times since it opened. It's odd because there are a number of other chain stores here -- for some reason, Starbucks has become a provocation. We spoke to Tom Mulligan who owns Magpie's Newsstand Cafe, and friendly competitor Julie Dunn, owner of The Steaming Bean. They talked to us about Durango's independent streak, some innovative ideas they're thinking up to survive in the coffee business, and why they believe they're better than Starbucks.
10. Tales from the Mother Road download (, 0.00Mb) Description: John Steinbeck called Route 66 the Mother Road. It has long been bypassed by Interstate 40. But a number of people won't let the original 66 die, including John Pritchard. He runs the Hackberry General store in Hackberry, Arizona and is a passionate devotee of the famous road that runs in front of his establishment. Listen to what he told us about America's secondary highways, and what it takes to be a Mom & Pop these days.
11. The Road to Arcata download (, 0.00Mb) Description: Podcast #2 -- Heather and Hanson try to stay awake on the foggy, windy Highway 101 by chatting amongst themselves. The wind is howling outside, hence the somewhat dubious audio. But still a good listen.
12. Road Wisdom download (, 0.00Mb) Description: Our Podcast's first episode. We chatted with Jeff Thomlinson here in Seattle about how to stay healthy and relaxed on the road. Jeff should know: he's a former U.S. Navy Air Traffic Controller, and now co-owner of Trinity Yoga Center in Kelowna, B.C. Coincidentally, he was in Seattle visiting at the same time we arrived. So we thought we should get some pearls of advice from him before we hit the road and officially launched Independent America.