Archives for September 2017

This Song: Suzanna Choffel

Austin singer-songwriter Suzanna Choffel  describes the vibe behind Reggae music and shares how Bob Marley exposed her to the magic of chasing suffering with love. While she grew up hearing hints of this sound from Sublime and The Police, it wasn’t until Bob Marley that the voice and vibe of reggae taught her how to express the jarring truth in a beautiful, poetic, and gentle way. Step out of the world of chaos, and for a moment be reminded by reggae that, while so much is happening, there is also so much space; every little piece has it’s part.

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Listen to Collie Buddz on This Song

Listen to Songs from Episode 101 of This Song

 

Texas Standard: September 20, 2017

7.1 on the Richter Scale: a deadly earthquake in central Mexico on the anniversary of a historic temblor. We’ll take you to Mexico city this hour. Also, the military plane is designated for TX and it could be a shot in the arm for you know where, we’ll have the story. Plus Ken Paxton says president Obama tried to confer citizenship status on daca recipients: Politifact Texas looks into that claim. And they say that news is the first draft of history. Now comes an important second draft you might say, with an exploration of a Texas reshaped by Harvey. Our conversation with the editor in chief of Texas monthly. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Uncle Dale’s Greatest Gift

Uncle Dale was the first grownup to come home in the afternoon. He wasn’t our real Uncle – we just called him that. Back then, it was considered rude for a child to call an adult only by their first name, so we had lots of aunts and uncles.

Uncle Dale got up when it was still dark and walked a mile to work, where he put in hard days at the Halliburton yard. At 3:30 in the afternoon, he would, as the poet Appleman put it, “follow his shadow home to grass.”

And there he would sit, in his law chair, under the gauzy shade of a mesquite tree, and watch over us as we played baseball in the street. It was a caliche road – hard and dusty in dry times and it turned to  cake-like mud when it rained.

Home plate and second base were in the middle of the street. First base was in the Garcias’ yard and third base was in Uncle Dale’s yard. Uncle Dale was our umpire. He would sit there drinking coffee from a big white mug, smoking one cigar after another. We could smell the sweet tobacco drifting through the infield. Even now, I can smell it as it drifts across the years to where I sit.

Uncle Dale ruled on close calls from the comfort of his place in the shade. “That was a foul,” he’d say. Or he would coach: “Two hands while learning, RJ!” He also served as traffic cop: “You boys get out of the road before that truck runs over you!”

I can only remember his getting out of his chair one time. We were having our own little baseball draft, the way we always did: hand over hand up the bat – you remember. Well, Mrs. Anderson came over and suggested we draw numbers out of hat – making one team out of the even numbers and the other out of the odd numbers – to spare the feelings of those often chosen last. Uncle Dale would not stand for these progressive ideas. He was a purist. He got up and he waved her off, saying, “If a boy is struggling, he needs to know it early so he can do something about it.”

One day we came home from school, and we saw Uncle Dale on a huge Halliburton bulldozer in the brush down the road. We went down there to watch him because, like all boys, we were fascinated with anything that could topple trees and reform the earth. After about thirty minutes, he shut down the dozer, hopped off and said, “There’s your new baseball field boys! You’re off the streets.”

“Well, don’t just stand there,” he said, “Get your gloves. Let’s break her in!” Never again was the crack of a bat muffled by a car horn wanting to drive through our infield.

Uncle Dale’s baseball field cost him a few phone calls and three hours of his expert labor. But it gave us and the boys that followed us years of immeasurable joy. It was the greatest gift we ever got, really – the gift of a beautiful boyhood and the lifelong memory of it.

Texas Standard: September 19, 2017

Looking for bipartisanship? Look in the direction of the Pentagon. Lawmakers take a big step toward a massive boost for the US military, we’ll have the latest. Also, President Trump makes his first foray into the UN club he once made fun of. What’s his message, and what does it tell us about the relevance of the United Nations? And quick: name the last president who really delivered on his campaign promises. A Texas scholar says modern presidents are doomed to failure because of what the office has become, we’ll explore. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 18, 2017

According to the US census bureau the American middle class is back, but what about in Texas? We’ll have a check in across the lone star state. Also: SB4, the wall, a boost in deportations. Taken together, is this having an impact on health? And the offer for aid that that some Harvey victims regret having taken. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Higher Ed: To Transfer or Not To Transfer

Sometimes, a relationship just doesn’t feel like a good match. You can’t put your finger on it, but it just feels like it’s time to move on. That feeling can crop up in personal relationships as well as in our relationships with schools. In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger answer a question from a listener who wanted to know when is it the right decision – and when is it not – to transfer from one college to another. It might seem like a pretty simple question, but there are actually quite a few factors to weigh. Ed and Jennifer discuss both the practical and emotional elements students and families should consider when making a decision about a transfer. And yes – it can be a little like deciding whether to stay with a boyfriend or girlfriend or break up. They also reveal the solution to last week’s puzzler about those elusive matching pairs of socks. Hint: no socks mysteriously disappeared in a dryer!

This episode was recorded Aug. 10, 2017.

Elva Diane Green, pt. 1 (Ep. 41, 2017)

In Black America producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. begins a conversation with Elva Diane Green, daughter of Vaudeville performer, actor, singer and filmmaker, and author of Eddie Green: The Rise of an Early 1900’s Black American Entertainment Pioneer.”

KUT Weekend – September 15, 2017

A local community group aims to create culturally appropriate spaces for Harvey evacuees. Plus, two sisters who face very different paths forward post-DACA. And how is college football dealing with its sexual assault problem? Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!

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Texas Standard: September 15, 2017

The risk to lives now reduced if not completely eliminated as we enter the next phase post Harvey. Did pre-storm preparations pay off? We’ll explore. Also after 81 years: a crane removed a giant monument to confederate general Robert E Lee from a Dallas park. And today: word that no less senior an official than governor Abbott himself will meet to discuss the fate of other confederate memorials, namely those on the capitol grounds. A turning point? We’ll have the latest. Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:

Post-Midnight Internet Report

Oh, the ridiculous and often dark paths you can take online late, late at night… that’s the subject of this week’s Typewriter Rodeo poem.

Life After Loss: How to Reshape, Move On and Let it Go

A traumatic event in life is like a scratch on a record. Every time the record player, or your mind, runs over the scratch, it skips. This skipping record thought pattern is called rumination. Until we’re able to fill the scratch, it will keep skipping. So how do we fill the scratch, move on and heal? On this episode of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke talk about the various ways we live with and explain grief, and they offer some strategies that might help it make sense.

Texas Standard: September 14, 2017

What just happened between the Democrats and Donald Trump? Both less and more than meets the eye. Has the president reached a deal with democrats to save DACA and stop the wall? The idea alone, improbable as it may sound, creating ripples across the political landscape and raising eyebrows among Texas republicans. Also joining us on the line, a Texas lineman in Florida with a perspective on the Irma aftermath. And A Harvey delay for statewide student testing? Not gonna happen, says the states top education official. We’ll hear the reasoning. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 13, 2017

Those Texas political maps ruled as drafted with discriminatory intent? The supreme court says they’re staying for now, we’ll have the latest. Plus, something weird happening in Waco? A certain disorder in the court as the first trials get underway in the so-called twin peaks biker shootout story, we’ll explore. And in El Paso the demolition of historic buildings despite a court order. We’ll hear about why, and the protests over the changing character of a downtown. And if the business is fighting deadly pathogens, in Texas business is very good. We’ll hear why. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

This Song’s 100th Episode! Elizabeth and Lisel McQueen

It’s This Song’s 100th Episode!!!! To celebrate we’ve made it a family affair.  Host Elizabeth McQueen gets interviewed by her 8 year old daughter Lisel about how Rebecca Sugar’s “Here Comes a Thought” from Steven Universe expanded her idea of what songs can do. Then Lisel explains to Elizabeth how “Peace and Love on the Planet Earth,” also from Steven Universe, blows her mind and is helping her process big ideas like, Peace, War, Death and Birth and the fact that the earth may explode some day.

And Antonette Masando, creator of the She’s the Boss podcast and former This Song intern, explains how Nicki Minaj’s “Fly” and Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” changed her life.

Photo Credit: Willow McQueen

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Listen to Songs from Episode 100 of This Song

 

Texas Standard: September 12, 2017

Theres gotta be a better way: a top official in Houston says the whole region needs to rethink flood preparation to adjust to a new normal, we’ll have the story. Also: what’s in the water? Residents of Harvey hit Texas want to return to their homes and many have, but experts are concerned about high levels of toxic chemicals still standing in the water. We’ll explore what residents know and don’t know about the dangers. And after the controversy over a pro football player taking a knee in protest during the national anthem, the head of the National Basketball Association is encouraging its players to speak out on special issues. Why the difference in approach? We’ll talk to a former NFL coach. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Donnie Simpson (Ep. 40, 2017)

In Black America producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. speaks with veteran radio and television personality and Detroit native Donnie Simpson, about his illustrious career and ground-breaking work in high-profile radio and television programs, and his return to the airwaves after a five-year retirement.

Joe Madison (Ep. 39, 2017)

In Black America producer and host John L. Hanson, Jr. speaks with  Joe Madison, “The Black Eagle,” about his career in broadcasting, politics, civil rights and social activism, and his  award-winning talk show on Sirius/XM’s Urban View Radio.

Texas Standard: September 11, 2017

Hurricane directly affected roughly one in three in Texas, but for kids in the state’s troubled foster care system, special concerns, we’ll have the story. Also- Houston and its environs are especially car dependent. So what happens to what may be half a million cars flooded by Harvey? We’ll find out. Plus the gasoline shortages are disappearing. How long till prices return to pre harvey levels? and why one fossil fuel was spared by the hurricane. And a new survey reveals what many have long suspected about where the big bucks go in high school salaries. We’ll explore who gets em and why. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Higher Ed: Summer Mailbag and Back to School

Getting back into the swing of school is always an adjustment. Alarm clocks, long days and homework make the school year schedule fuller and more structured than summertime. In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger talk about some ways to get the school year off to a smooth start and get the most out of it. They also respond to some listener comments about “Higher Ed” that came in over the summer. What’s the best back to school advice you’ve ever gotten? What about the worst? Listen on to get some of the best and worst as well as Ed’s responses to some summer emails from “Higher Ed” listeners. It’s also time for the first new puzzler of the season. This one will knock your socks off!

This episode was recorded August 10, 2017.

KUT Weekend – September 8, 2017

After President Trump rescinds DACA, immigrant teachers in Austin worry about their future. Plus, some Harvey evacuees want to stay in Austin but worry it’s become too expensive. And the Austin-based dating app Bumble banned hate speech after an attack by online trolls. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend!

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