Gray Haired Dave returns after a month away to share his insights on the tumultuous events happening in the United States, particularly focusing on the devastating wildfires in California. He highlights the destruction of towns and the challenges faced by first responders as they battle these relentless fires, emphasizing the need for support and donations to organizations like the American Red Cross. Alongside this serious topic, he touches upon the political landscape, including Donald Trump's recent election and the reactions to his cabinet appointments, which have stirred significant public debate. Dave also shares his technical setup for recording the podcast, showcasing his dual use of DAWs like Hindenburg Pro and Logic Pro. As he wraps up, he encourages listeners to spread kindness and help others discover the world of podcasts, while reminding everyone to keep the affected communities in their thoughts and prayers.

Gray Haired Dave opens his latest podcast episode with a warm welcome, reflecting on his brief hiatus and the whirlwind of events that have transpired in his absence. His lighthearted introduction sets the stage for a more profound exploration of the political and social fabric of the United States, particularly focusing on the implications of Donald Trump's election as the 47th president. Dave candidly discusses the reactions to Trump's cabinet appointments, pointing out the heightened emotions and divisive opinions that characterize contemporary political discourse. His observations are peppered with humor, yet they underscore a significant concern about the polarization in society and the obsession some individuals seem to have with Trump's presidency.

The tone shifts dramatically as Dave transitions to discussing the catastrophic wildfires that have been wreaking havoc in California. His description of the destruction is both vivid and harrowing, capturing the emotional weight of the situation as entire communities grapple with loss and displacement. Dave emphasizes the heroism of firefighters and first responders who are tirelessly working to combat the flames, while also highlighting the struggles faced by those whose homes and livelihoods have been destroyed. He urges listeners to contribute to relief efforts through reputable organizations like the American Red Cross, reminding everyone of the critical need for support in times of crisis. His heartfelt commentary reflects a deep compassion for the victims and a frustration with the systemic failures that exacerbate such disasters.

Concluding the podcast, Dave shifts gears to a more uplifting message, encouraging listeners to engage with their communities and spread kindness. He emphasizes the importance of small gestures, like smiling at strangers, which can have a profound impact on others' lives. His final thoughts serve as a reminder of the power of community and the human spirit's resilience even amidst turmoil. By blending humor, heartfelt concern, and a call to action, this episode not only informs listeners about pressing issues but also inspires them to contribute positively to their communities.

Takeaways:

• Gray Haired Dave introduces himself and discusses the current political climate in the United States.
• He shares his experiences with different digital audio workstations for podcast recording.
• The devastating California wildfires are affecting many towns, causing widespread destruction and displacement.
• Dave emphasizes the importance of supporting the American Red Cross during this crisis.
• He reflects on the rising cost of fire insurance in California due to increasing risks.
• Listeners are encouraged to help educate those unfamiliar with podcasts on how to access them.

Links referenced in this episode:

• americanredcross.org

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• 11 Labs AI
• Hindenburg Pro
• Logic Pro
• Reaper
• Audacity
• American Red Cross

Welcome to five minutes with Gray Haired Dave.

He has gray hair, has a gray beard and wears glasses like the guy in the artwork.

Oh, and the guy in the artwork's better looking.

Now here is Gray Hair Dave.

Well, folks, what did you think of that?

I have been gone for over a month.

I have had a bunch of things happening in my life and that's beside the point.

We'll talk about that in a bit.

But what I wanted you to know also today, folks, is that I'm recording this also on ecamm for my folks who are going to be watching this on YouTube.

This, this is a recording of how I'm recording.

So what I'm doing is I'm showing them in two different DAWs.

DAWs, which is a digital audio workstation, how to record.

And I'm doing it in two different daws at the same time.

I'm using Hindenburg Pro.

I'm also using Logic Pro.

Now the next time I do this, I will probably use Reaper and Audacity to show them what to do and to show you what to do if this is something you're interested in doing in podcasting.

Now this is the audio portion only.

Now I'm also recording this on ECAMM Live, so I've got a recording there too, an audio recording.

So it's very, very fun to do it that way.

But I told them I was going to show you the whole show, so I may cut that off with ECAMM later and then edit in other things.

But that's all right.

I just want you, my listeners, my patient, and hopefully listeners that are still there, what's going on lately here, here in the United States, because that's where I live.

The world is a little bit wackier than it was when I recorded my last one.

I know that was a Christmas time.

Happy New Year, everybody.

Now a couple of things have happened besides Donald Trump being elected to be our 47th president.

He has quickly named a bunch of people he wants in his cabinet and those confirmations are taking place this week, which is really kind of fun to watch if you're a, a political junkie like I tend to be sometimes.

Now it's if you're not well, it's just don't watch the news.

But it's, it's it.

People are going a crap bananas over his, his choices and, and I, I, I look at some of his choices and I go wow, that was bold.

Yeah, I think that person is going to do a phenomenal job.

I do.

That's me personally folks.

And I'm not here to force my opinions on you.

I've told you that before.

Just here to let you know what my opinions are sometimes.

So what I had, had wanted you to know also is that for a second there I backed away from the microphone.

And if you're watching this on video you'll notice that some of the wavelengths got smaller.

But anyways, let's get back to this.

So what I wanted also y'all to know is that a terrible thing is happening here in the United States over in California.

The wildfires, oh my gosh, the California wildfires have been going on for a week.

Towns, cities have been destroyed by fire.

It, Pacific Palisades is pretty much gone now and, and the whole air Altadena.

I, I, I can't name them all because I don't know all the names of the towns in California.

But this is such a devastating and, and, and heart, heart wrenching thing to watch and to see that the people of the United States stand behind our firefighters and our first responders is amazing.

It is absolutely amazing.

And there are so many other organizations out there helping.

The American Red Cross is trying to help the hundreds of thousands of people who have been displaced because their homes are no longer there.

And something that had happened in California over the last year or so is a lot of the home insurance agencies.

I know I said that kind of weird.

The home insurance agencies have canceled their fire insurance for these homes.

It's just too expensive and they were paying thousands of dollars a year.

One guy told, I heard online he was telling the story that his Insurance went from $1,000 a year to $4,000 a year just for fire insurance.

Because he happens to be in a town that's right behind a mountain.

And a lot of this is being spread by what they call the Santa Ana winds, which my understanding is are completely on unable, you're unable to predict what's going to happen.

God, it's just, it is, it is tragic.

And this is happening, happening in la, which means you have expensive homes to begin with.

It's in LA county and I don't know what other counties, but it's just to live there, to buy a home anywhere else the United States, under $500,000.

There's over a million dollars there.

Yeah, a nice three bedroom home in Florida.

Let's use Orlando as an example because that's where I live.

Nice three bedroom home you can get it for anywhere from, you know, 150,000 to 400,000 depending upon what you want.

And it can go up from there.

Don't get me wrong, you can get on the golf courses and do all that kind of stuff, but you compare that to the same house, same size, same basic lot in California and you're over a million dollars.

You believe that?

That's insane.

Insane folks, but that's what it's like in California.

And then they're running out of water and they won't let them use this enormous, enormous.

They won't let me use the ocean.

They won't let them use salt water to put these fires out because it will eventually erode the pipes and erode the equipment.

Who cares?

Equipment is a whole lot easier to repair or replace than.

Million dollar homes and livelihood of businesses are gone.

I saw a bank burned down.

My God, a bank.

And you know, it's who care?

They're, they're, they're dip.

The helicopters have got, some of them have got these big bags that they're carrying underneath them where they'll go and they'll, they'll go over a pool at somebody's house, they'll hover over it lower down, go down low enough and then there's somebody there to help them, guide them.

And they'll take the water out of the pool before they'll take the water out of the ocean.

Now the water out of the pool is probably a lot closer than, than the ocean is for all this, but holy cow.

And I guess it's really the wind is the way they are.

Some days they can't even fly these helicopters and airplanes.

It's just, I'm sorry, I don't want to take up my whole, my whole time with you here talking about the fires, but it's devastating here and I want you and I to both pray for the people in LA and the first responders and fire department there.

That's a.

Let's keep them all in our thoughts and prayers.

If you wouldn't mind, please do that.

Also if you're Interested, the Red Cross.org I mean American Red Cross.org you can go to, there's many, many other organizations out there, but be careful of the ones you may not ever have heard of before you donate to them, okay?

The American Red Cross, you know, the ones for giving blood, things like that, you know, are pretty well known.

So if you want to donate, please donate to something that is not a scam, okay?

Because that's about to start happening here, too.

You can tell it's going to happen.

You know it is, right?

They're gonna be people out there helping, wanting to rebuild them for 14,000 times the amount of, amount of money it would cost to do it normally.

So our prayers and thoughts are with them today.

And it's a crazy world over here in the United States right now if you're not from here.

And I know you're not laughing about the fires, but I know you're probably laughing at us about our political system and what's going on with, you know, President Elect Trump and his nominees.

And I watched a little bit of a show earlier on TV today and all they did for the first five minutes that I could stand was, was bash President Elect Trump.

He's living rent free in these people's lives.

For in their head, folks, he did nothing to these people and they're just going nuts on it.

I don't get it.

I, I never had those kinds of thoughts about the presidents I didn't like, let alone the ones I do.

You know, it's just, it amazes me.

So with that in mind, again, if you can donate, please do for the, the, the Red Cross or whoever you're going to use.

I appreciate that and they appreciate it.

Also, folks, if you know somebody who doesn't know what a podcast is, doesn't know where to find one, and doesn't know how to choose a genre or to download or to to follow subscribe, do me a favor and show them how to do that for me, will you, please?

Also, don't forget, smile at somebody you don't know when you're out and about today.

It's going to make their day and it's going to make you feel better, too.

So this gray hair Dave signing off this, we're going back to weekly when record one next week and we're going to get right back on track.

So you all have a great day and I will talk to you soon.