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KUT and KUTX news and music podcasts for Austin, Texas and beyond
Some people do their holiday shopping all year long, others wait until the last minute. With online shopping and fast delivery, it’s easier than ever to take care of everyone on your list without leaving your couch. But a brave few are determined to make gifts, with their DIY skills and eye for detail.
(But online shopping is a nice backup for those of us who can’t draw a straight line.)
It’s that time again – time to pull out the yule log, unwrap a candy cane, spin the dreidel and pour yourself a cup of nog. The creamy holiday treat is what inspired Typewriter Rodeo’s David Fruchter to write this week’s poem.
It’s a common misconception that all Texans love country music. Sure, a lot of us do but you’ll find plenty of Texans that just don’t care for it.
Unless it’s Willie Nelson. We all love Willie.
As it gets cooler outside, everyone starts pulling out their “winter” clothes – for the few weeks of the year when layers aren’t just a fashion statement and the wind hits your face a little harder in the morning. Of course, there’s sweaters and jackets and scarfs, but you shouldn’t forget a good pair of socks to stay warm. Today’s poem is dedicated to a special kind of sock, for the end of the day when you curl up with a mug of hot chocolate.
Any Texpat can give you a list of things they miss about the Lone Star State. The weather, the football, the music – and near the top of many of these homesick lists: the food. Specifically, a good tortilla. Whether you prefer tacos, fajitas or burritos, there’s just nothing like a great tortilla.
Man’s Best Friend. The family pet. Hunting companion. Support animal. Texans have dogs for all sorts of reasons, in all sorts of shapes and sizes. But anyone who has ever spent time around a big smelly dog knows that it’s not all rainbows and games of fetch – sometimes, dogs just stink.
It’s been a long year and a long week, no matter how you voted on Election Day. We are all tired, and starting to look towards the future. It’s worth remembering that even though we may have different points of view – in the end, we are all humans.
Today is the last day of early voting in Texas, and next Tuesday is Election Day. Forget the candidates, forget the talking heads on cable news, forget the social media arguments – remember that part of what makes our country special is our right to vote. No matter who you tick the box for, make sure you get your voice heard.
Each year, October 29 is dedicated to all things feline. Cat owners will be trying to get their cat to behave for the perfect Instagram photo and dog lovers will be rolling their eyes. The cats themselves – despite our best efforts – likely will not care about their own holiday, content to sleep in the corner. And occasionally walk all over our keyboards.
Experts estimate that between 15 and 20 percent of the general population has dyslexia in some form. Reading and writing are different experiences for those with the language-based learning disability – and we learn more about it all the time.
Highways are supposed to let us get around local traffic, across town or to the next big city quickly. But anyone who has lived in Texas for more than a week knows that there’s one exception to the rule: Interstate 35. Locals who live along the highway itself avoid it on their daily commutes. Long-distance travelers will drive an extra two hours on backroads just to ensure they won’t have to use it. But sometimes you just have to, sometimes there’s no choice, sometimes you sigh and say, “Let’s try I-35.”
Whether you need to read a book for school or for book club, you can likely find it online as an ebook, audiobook, or have the real book shipped in a matter of hours. But before you head straight to the internet, remember that there’s a magic place you can look first. A place with people who would love to help you find what you need – all without relying on a wifi connection.
Today, thousands of fans from all over will pile into Austin’s Zilker Park for the first weekend of the Austin City Limits Music Festival. And while the locals love to hate the event, deep down, we’re proud to host one of the best events for music lovers. We’ll still complain about traffic, though.
Many voters are asking each other, Republican or Democrat? Clinton or Trump? But they aren’t the only options, no matter what the talking heads say. This year, more people are considering the often-overlooked third party candidates and asking themselves, is this the election where I break the cycle?
It’s 2016 – we’ve got waterproof supercomputers in our pockets, an artifical intelligence assistant and buttons we can press to have toilet paper delivered. News gets to our screens faster than we can read it. We can watch an event across the world from the comfort of our couches in real-time. But it wasn’t always like this. Things used to be simple.
A temporary ceasefire… it sounds like good news for Syria… but not everyone’s happy with the deal. We’ll explain on today’s Texas Standard.
How much do we really need to know about the health of the people running for the nation’s highest office? And how much do they have to tell us?
A start up before there were start ups. A look at how one early computer company took Houston- and the world by storm.
Ok, we get it… Pluto isn’t a planet… but wait… some scientists say that it is? We’ll have the details.
And… it’s Friday on the Texas Standard… that means Typewriter Rodeo and wrapping up another eventful week in Texas politics.
With 59 days left to the 2016 Presidential Election, most people have had their decision made for several months. But there are hold-outs – some are still researching issues and exploring their options. This poem is for the ones who dare to wait.
The earth shook this weekend rattling people out of bed all across the midwest. Why Texas oil producers are likely watching Oklahoma’s response. Plus thousands of pieces of criminal evidence destroyed: now the Texas law enforcement office involved is under investigation itself. And do you know what you need to take with you to the poll this November election? Do you really? We’ll ID the facts. Plus two Texas cities are leading the national charge against ending youth homelessness. We’ll have the details. Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:
While many Texans firmly believe seasons do not exist in our great state, we all look forward to the few weeks of cool weather in the fall. It’s the perfect time for cardigans, sweaters, and a cup of hot chocolate. The hard part is waiting for the blissful respite from the heat.
He became a national figure after the deadly attack on police in July, but now the Dallas Police Chief is stepping down. Our conversation with the city’s mayor, we’ll explore. Also It’s been hard to track shootings involving police, but it’s recently gotten a little easier in Texas, we’ll explain. Plus Labor Day boaters beware: a marine menace could try to put a damper on your holiday fun. And relatively small pieces of hardware could cause big problems on offshore oil rigs, and the issue could extend on land. And embracing the data. Why some say we should let go of privacy concerns and enjoy all the tracking technology does.