Archives for May 2014

KUT Weekend – May 30, 2014

What happens when Austin runs out of water….middle school principal tries to turn school around….and what to new Texas drinks to try this summer. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!

Theory of Mind

Who knows what? Essentially, this is the basis of the complex concept of Theory of Mind, which is very misleadingly labeled. No, it’s not a theory that explains how mind works, as you might assume by the term, Theory of Mind. It’s a process within our minds that allows us to separate and distinguish between what we know ourselves and what we know that other people know, or don’t know. It’s a skill that is critical for accomplishing effective social interaction in the world. A better term might be Theory of Other’s Minds.

Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke do a wonderful job of explaining and dissecting this important skill in this week’s episode of Two Guys on Your Head. Have a listen and get smarter.

Green Room: Nolan Ryan

Sure, Nolan Ryan’s known the world over as one of baseball’s all time greats, but few realize that first and foremost, he’s a rancher! Ryan’s childhood passion for beef led him to put together a new cookbook. In our conversation with one of today’s most famous Texans, Ryan talks about his childhood, great ballpark eats, plus some tips for your own summer grill.

Green Room: Summer Reading

T’is the season for hitting the beach and pulling out some great new reads. But with so much to choose from these days, what to you pack for vacation? Clay Smith, Editor-in-Chief at Kirkus Books gives us some top tips, plus some insight on the state of the book industry in this digital age.

Miles Davis (5.25.14)

Miles Davis is considered one of the most innovative and influential musicians of the 20th century. He added his voice to the narratives of our culture at significant points, and offered a perspective which considered the sanctity of silence in each moment. In this edition of Liner Notes Rabbi Neil Blumofe acknowledges what Miles Davis can teach us through this approach, not only in music but in our daily lives.

KUT Weekend – May 23, 2014

Major demographic shifts make Austin a fastest growing city but the percentage of African Americans in the city is declining….why are foster kids being fed psychotropic drugs….and paying for a $1.4 billion urban rail system. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!

Online Dating

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke take us through the ins-and-outs of dating.

V&B: Time

Time is the substance I am made of. Time is a river which sweeps me along, but I am the river; it is a tiger which destroys me, but I am the tiger; it is a fire which consumes me, but I am the fire.” –Jorge Luis Borge

What is time? How can rhythm and time phrases bring us into a dialogue with the past? and  how much of our relationship to and our knowledge of time is driven by our intuition? Listen back as KUT’s Rebecca McInroy talks with: cosmologist and astrologer, Kerrie Welch;  jazz drummer Brannen Temple; and astrophysicist and psychology professor, David Gilden about Time.

V&B Extra: Neuroscience and Alzheimer’s Disease

On May 15, 2014 Views and Brews teamed up with the Center For Learning and Memory at The University of Texas at Austin for conversation about the neuroscience underlying Alzheimer’s disease. Listen back as Dr. Boris Zemelman, Dr. Kimberly Raab-Grahm, Dr. Mike Mauk and Dr. Jon Pierce-Shimomura talk with KUT’s Rebecca McInroy about what we know about memory and the brain, and their current research exploring various aspects of Alzheimer’s.

Archie Shepp (5.18.14)

Archie Shepp is a  jazz saxophonist whose compositions and rhythms added a political and powerful voice to conversations about race, inequality, power and justice in America, especially in the 1970s. In this edition of Liner Notes Rabbi and jazz historian Neil Blumofe talks about the what it means to be a unique voice in a dialogue of timelessness–rooted in tradition and continuing to unfold.

KUT Weekend – May 16, 2014

Gentrification in one of Austin’s poorest neighborhoods….Republicans go negative in Railroad Commissioner race….unlikely Austin friends who met because of desegregation. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!

Green Room: Smaller, Faster, Lighter, Denser, Cheaper

From overpopulation to global warming, ‘catastrophists’ have ignored a major trend of human history. Austin-based author Robert Bryce
argues that in often unforeseeable ways, technology moves inexorably toward solutions making the world a better place. Don’t worry, be happy? Well, it’s a lot more complicated than that.

Green Room: Moyers on Family and Addiction

When PBS journalist Bill Moyers suffered a relapse of a heart condition, everyone wished him a speedy recovery. When his son suffered an addiction relapse, people weren’t so generous–to put it mildly. In this candid conversation with the Moyers’ family, we hear a stirring account of how the disease of addiction affects loved ones, and what we all can do to help overcome obstacles to treatment.

Green Room: Come and Take It!

Come and Take It!’ It’s more than just a motto on an historic Texas flag: it’s a rallying cry that resonates with the independent spirit of the Lone Star state. Little wonder, then, that politicians are invoking the phrase in a growing protest over what some ranchers see as a ‘land grab’ by the federal Bureau of Land Management. Jim Malewitz of the Texas Tribune recently visited the land in dispute–and he says the case may alter the Red River border between Texas and Oklahoma.

KUT Weekend – May 9, 2014

Austin middle school defies teen pregnancy trends….Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate differ sharply….and cooking food in the Hill Country. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!

Mary Lou Williams (5.11.14)

Mary Lou Williams was a a giant in the jazz world in the beginning of the 20th century. As an arranger, composer and pianist she worked with Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman and went on to mentor jazz legends like Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis.

In this installment of Liner Notes Rabbi, jazz historian and musician Neil Blumofe explores how the idea of a “Mother” can be extended beyond our biological lines to include those who love and nurture us, and help to bring us up in this world so we can in turn help and love others.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Mental Illness From Outside

A talk about why it can be so hard to live with mental illness, as a sufferer and as a caregiver with Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke.

Green Room: How to Manage Like the Spurs

They may not have superstars, or the massive resources of other teams–but what the San Antonio Spurs do have are championships. UTSA business professor Mark Lengnick-Hall argues that American businesses could learn a lot from how the Spurs get the job done.

Professor Longhair (5.4.14)

Professor Longhair, born Henry Roeland Byrd in Louisianan in 1918 was a piano player who shaped the sound of New Orleans’ jazz in the early 20th Century. Much of how we imagine New Orleans, and especially Marti Gras, is flavored and textured by the rhythm created by Professor Longhair. In this edition of Liner Notes Rabbi Neil Blumofe explores what it means explore the New Orleans of today through the ghosts of it’s past.

Green Room: Secret Arsenal of the CIA

The Midwest Depot: that’s ben the code name for the CIA’s secret arsenal, involved with some of the biggest covert operations in history, from the Bay of Pigs to Iran-Contra and the wars in Angola and Afghanistan. Now New York Times reporter Charlie Savage thinks he’s found the true location of this secret arms cache. Deep in the heart of you-know-where.