Archives for August 2016

Best of “Higher Ed:” Liberal Arts, Democracy, and the Media

What happens when you mix liberal arts and democracy and throw in a little media coverage? You get a fascinating discussion about the intersection of those three institutions. In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss how learning habits developed while studying the liberal arts can help us navigate our democracy – especially when political discussions are sometimes more contentious than civil. Ed and Jennifer talk politics in this episode – or more specifically, they talk about talking about politics. They also hash out the solution to the latest math puzzler about truth-tellers and liars. How can you tell them apart? Listen on for the key questions to ask.

This episode was recorded on August 5, 2015 and was originally released on September 20, 2015.

The Race Has Gotten Ugly

We’ve been hearing from presidential hopefuls for nearly three years now. It’s 2016, and here we are counting down to the general election. Tensions are high and lines have been drawn. The one thing we can all agree on: things are getting ugly.

Texas Standard: August 18, 2016

The Aleppo boy in the ambulance – could a haunting photo mark a tipping point in what’s been called a forever war? The case today on the Texas Standard.

The feds are phasing out private prisons. How did we get there in the first place? Would you believe Texas led the way?

Also the dwindling population at the nation’s biggest military base raises new opportunities- for civilian homehunters looking for the ultimate in gated communities.

Mental health behind the badge: how the stuff they don’t tell you at the academy can hurt, and what’s being done to help.

It started with a game between New York and San Francisco. This weekend, Texas hosts the world series of gay softball.

Plus the week in politics, and much more to share— the Texas Standard is back on the air.

KUT Weekend – August 19, 2016

The Austin City Council takes the final step to send a $720 million transportation bond to voters. The city aims to protect renters who feel they’ve been targeted by landlords. The gay softball world series comes to Austin. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!

Subscribe at https://weekend.kut.org

Texas Standard: August 18, 2016

In a year of deadly storms, and torrential downpours, one south Texas sheriff is wishing for a hurricane. His radical call for relief near the border, we’ll explore. Also he’s accused of being a deserter but new evidence suggests Bowe Bergdahl wanted to be something else: a Russian mob hitman. We’ll hear the latest on the eve of a potential turning point in his court martial. And if its good enough for kids, why not for schools? A plan to give Texas educators grades of A to F. And when it comes to the unofficial state entree, one town must be crowned as most improved. We’ll taco all about that and much more in just a moment, on todays Texas Standard:

I.Q. Tests (Rebroadcast)

We value brains. We hold test scores in high esteem. We spend money and hours on brain training games and ginseng. But what does intelligence really mean? How do we define and gauge actual smarts? Does a high IQ predict success?

In this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the history and development of intelligence tests; as well as what these tests can actually tell us about one’s ability to achieve.

It turns out that intelligence can be a dangerous label when thinking about the ongoing, dynamic, interconnected process that is our brain. Once we label something as intelligent we ignore that a lot goes into how we create, solve problems and overcome obstacles.

So next time you’re tempted (or forced) to take an intelligence test, don’t stress, they don’t tell the whole story of what you’re capable of.

This Song: The Octopus Project // Jane Weaver

The members of The Octopus Project have known each other since they were kids and this familiarity is in great evidence as they talk about how the Guns n Roses’ Appetite for Destruction, the theme song from 2001: A Space Oddysey and a live show by The Jesus Lizard. Along the way, the three end up talking about abandoning the trumpet, the connection between music and emotion and the difference between going to a show in 90’s versus today.

Then British singer-songwriter Jane Weaver shares her experience of seeing Kate Bush performing Wuthering Heights on Top of the Pops when she was just five years old, and how Bush’s look, dance and singing style still influence her work today.

Subscribe via iTunes or Stitcher to get the new episodes of This Song delivered to you as soon as they come out.

Listen to songs from episode 52 of This Song

Watch the Octopus Project perform Small Hundred live on VuHaus

Listen to the Octopus Project perform live in Studio 1A

Watch Kate Bush perform Withering Heights on Top of the Pops

Watch the Music Video for Top of the Pops

Texas Standard: August 17, 2016

11 people dead in Louisiana, the floodwaters now moving south and the national media somewhere else. A drought of concern? We’ll explore. Also two years after the so-called surge of central americans crossing the Texas border, what we’re learning about a sweetheart billion dollar deal to lock them them up. Plus its true, big oil didn’t have major stakes in the fracking boom, but now that oil prices have gone bust, guess who’s getting in the fracking business? All that and then some today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: August 16, 2016

Texas politicians have to disclose how they’re spending on campaigns unless they’ve bought a campaign in a box. The lid comes off today we’ll explore. Plus more than just the facts: new research shows how race and social media combine to shape perceptions of events like the recent Dallas police shooting. Also, a beer battle coming to a head…why Texas craft brews are battling the big dogs in court. And dig this: 7 very famous skeletons and how their celebrity tells us about much more than the distant past. And a personal journey from the Bayou city to the executive mansion, takes center stage. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: August 15, 2016

In drought-prone Texas, is rain a hazard to our health? Why state officials might want to keep the answers on the down low, we’ll explore. Plus the constitution says owing money is not a crime, but many texans get locked up for it anyway. What some cities are doing to change that if they can. And powered by incentives: tax breaks for energy alternatives will eventually run out of steam. What then? And the Dallas police shooting revisited: what could have caused the shooter to do what he did? What the experts are saying about a possible trigger. Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:

William F. “Bill” Williams (Ep. 36, 2016)

In Black America producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. presents a 1996 conversation with the late William F. “Bill” Williams, confounder of Glory Foods, Inc., a prominent distributor of Southern-style food products targeting African American consumers. Bill Williams passed away in 2001.

Best of “Higher Ed:” Broad Strokes of Learning

Note: This “Best of Higher Ed” episode was originally released on September 13, 2015.

Have you ever heard of a “value study” in art? It’s a way to make a quick sketch of whatever you see and then fill it in with shades of gray. It leaves out detail in favor of broader strokes that capture the essence of the subject. Could this also be a way to tackle a new intellectual endeavor? In this week’s episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger translate this art technique to learning. Listen also for a math puzzler about sorting out liars from truth-tellers. It’s trickier than it sounds!

This episode was recorded on August 5, 2015.

TSI Weekend: Zika

“If you divorce economy from ecology then you end up crumbling the mechanisms by which the forest has typically been able to keep the worst of the pathogens from emerging beyond merely hitting a village or two.” -Rob Wallace

In this edition of The Secret Ingredient Weekend, Raj Patel, Tom Philpott and Rebecca McInroy summarize our show with evolutionary biologist, Rob Wallace, author of “Big Farms Make Big Flu: Dispatches on Infection Disease, Agribusiness, and the Nature of Science.”

What Your Car Brand Says About You

When you meet someone new you often take note of what they’re wearing, their hairstyle, and the kind of taco they order. But if you’re lucky enough to get a peek at what kind of car they left in the parking lot, you can learn a whole lot more about them.

Texas Standard: August 12, 2016

Curious what a Trump presidency might do for the Texas economy? We’ve got answers, An economist who worked for Rick Perry says, that wall he’d build? Texas would pay for it. Also it’s been more than six years since Obamacare went into effect. We’ll look at the law’s legacy in Texas. Plus, if you want a taste of whitetail deer in Texas, you need to know where to look. And we’ve got the the week on politics, and Pete’s Dragon, in Dallas. All that and much more on today’s Texas Standard:

KUT Weekend – August 12, 2016

In Austin public schools, vaccine exemption rates are drawn along socioeconomic lines. New questions surround State Rep. Dawnna Dukes (D-Austin) legislative attendance record. Activists push Austin Mayor Steve Adler to include rail in his $720 million transportation bond proposal. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!

Subscribe at https://weekend.kut.org

Politeness

Why say “please” and “thank you”? It turns out there’s a lot more to it than just having good manners.

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the psychology and purpose of politeness.

The Ticket: If Clinton Makes A Mistake, But Trump Does Too, Does Anyone Notice?

Texas Standard: August 11, 2016

Maybe you thought the battle in the so-called transgender bathroom wars was winding down. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton isn’t giving up, and he’s got ten other states behind him. We’ll explore. Also a program that provides tuition for veterans, unique to Texas, is costing universities more and more every year. The question, how to pay for it? Plus, an uptick in Texas kids skipping vaccines. And yes, the Olympics. We’ll talk technology (think 3-d printed shoes) and the evolution of drug testing, it’s come a long way since amphetamines.
All that and more on today’s Texas Standard:

Cotton: Sven Beckert (Ep. 17)

Cotton. Not quite a food item, but a plant nonetheless with a rather complicated history and an enduring relevance in our lives. Today, a typical day cannot pass without using this pillowy crop that rules our commodified lives.

In this edition of the Secret Ingredient with Raj Patel, Tom Philpott, and Rebecca McInroy: Sven Beckert, Harvard University professor, historian, and author of the 2014 book “Empire of Cotton,” discusses the significance of cotton as the most important commodity of the 19^th century, as well as the violent history cotton production has in the Southern United States, and most importantly the pivotal role cotton plays in the enterprise of capitalism we know today.

We ‘d also like to welcome a very special guest to our show for a new segment called “Letter From a Correspondent,” it’s the world-renowned economist Dr. James K. Galbraith; author of, most recently, “Welcome to the Poisoned Chalice The Destruction of Greece and the Future of Europe.”