Buzz builds around a charismatic democrat running for statewide office in Texas, bringing free media and money from Hollywood. Sound familiar? Beto O’Rourke has the sort of charm and charisma that’s drawn the attention of the national press corps, as new fundraising numbers show him leaving his rival, incumbent Ted Cruz in the dust. But is it moving the needle when it comes to winning over voters? We’ll take a closer look. And bag bans statewide have been sacked by the Texas Supreme Court, but that doesn’t mean you’ve got a right to a bag. How are retailers responding to changes in the law? Also the maker of plans for a 3d printed gun scores a court victory that could have ripple effects. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
summer
Texas Standard: June 28, 2018
The end of Rowe versus Wade? Not so fast say a Texas law scholar and a former law clerk to retiring Justice Kennedy, we’ll explore. And conventional wisdom has it that Kennedy’s likely successor on the court will be an ideological opponent of the landmark 1973 abortion rights decision. But in the end, such a challenge might not turn on Kennedy’s successor, we’ll hear why. And first it was bags, but now that Texas bag bans have been trashed in a court challenge, the spotlight turns to plastic straws, we’ll take a look at the latest. Also, digital savant Omar Gallaga with summer tech for kids. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Tubing Down A River
The temperatures are hot in Texas — time to jump into a cold body of water. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Texas Standard: May 23, 2018
Lupe Valdez is the Democratic gubernatorial nominee. We’ll take a look at what she faces as she sets her sights towards the November Election, and Greg Abbott. Plus, we’ll break down the runoff results and hear from the political experts about which races surprised them and which could be clues to what could happen next Election Day. We’ll also look at the conversation from the Governor’s first roundtable on how to prevent school shootings like the one that devastated Santa Fe. And we’ll fact-check some of the claims that came out in the wake of the shooting. Also, drought conditions in Texas are causing some ranchers to take dire measures. We’ll talk to one. Those stories and so much more, today on the Texas Standard:
Big Bend
It’s feeling like summer — time for a Texas road trip. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
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.
Summer Reading
It’s high time for a good summer read. That’s the subject of this week’s Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Ode To The Perfect Summer Watermelon
The watermelon: for many, it’s the fruit that best symbolizes the long days of summer. And it was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Summer Beer
As the Texas heat settles in to stay awhile, some people’s thoughts turn to a cool, refreshing beer. And it’s better if the brew is local. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
It’s Not The Heat, It’s The Humidity
The temperatures across Texas are climbing and, in many places, so are the humidity levels. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Come and Gone
There’s a little more elbow room in the Texas capital city these days… with the university students gone and the legislature out of session… for now. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Cleaning Out Your Backpack
School is over for most Texas kids. It’s time to take stock of the year past. One way to do that is with a good cleaning and disinfection of that ubiquitous part of the school uniform – the faithful backpack.
Texas Standard: May 15, 2017
A Texas Senator on the shortlist for FBI Director. But getting confirmation may not be easy, we’ll explore. Plus a strange connection between a Texas Health official and Trump’s revised travel ban has led to a resignation. We’ll tell you why. And the same sand that makes part of south-central Texas so great for growing strawberries also makes it perfect for mining… but residents aren’t pleased. Plus the shocking way some Texas schools have been dealing with students who can’t pay for lunches and an effort to change that. All of that and more on today’s Texas Standard:
Texas Spring
Wildflowers are dotting the highways, fireflies are flitting about during dusk and it’s still cool enough to sit outside most days. The telling signs of the spring season — and the anticipation of summer — inspired this week’s poem.
Fireflies
Whether you call them fireflies or lightening bugs, these little insects were the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo segment.
Dr Pepper: The Story of Texas’ Favorite Soft Drink
My favorite snack as a teenager was a Dr Pepper with salty peanuts. You remember: you pour the peanuts into the Dr Pepper and let them float around and season the drink. Didn’t get much better than that.
Dr Pepper is the oldest soft drink in America. Older than Coca-Cola, in fact, by a full year. It was created in 1885 by a pharmacist, Charles Alderton, in Waco, Texas. And its original name was Waco – it was served there at the soda fountain in the drugstore. The drink was an instant hit; customers would sit down on one of those old spinning stools and say, “Shoot me a Waco.”
As its popularity exploded, the makers couldn’t keep up supplying the syrup to all the other drug stores that wanted it, so a company was formed, and a new name created.
The name Dr Pepper was suggested by Wade Morrison, the owner of the drugstore. The story goes that Morrison supposedly named it after his would-be father-in-law back in Virginia, a man he wanted to impress because he was in love with his daughter.
Morrison never did get the girl, but I bet the old man Pepper regretted that rejection when Dr Pepper became a national sensation and made the not-good-enough Morrison quite rich. Maybe the saddest person in this whole affair was Charles Alderton – the pharmacist who created Dr Pepper. He simply gave away the recipe because he was more interested in medicine than marketing.
Dr Pepper’s formula is held in two separate bank vaults in Dallas. Each vault has half of the formula and no one person knows the entire secret. Coca-Cola has similar safeguards.
Contrary to soda pop mythology, Dr Pepper is not made of prune juice, nor does it have any part prune juice in it. It is made of a blend of fruit extracts. But the blend of flavors results in a uniqueness that makes many people swear that Diet Dr Pepper is the most undiety tasting soft drink in existence. And let’s not forget Dublin Dr Pepper, now sadly out of production, but once regarded as the finest Pepper of all, thanks to Imperial pure cane sugar.
Dr Pepper Poker – a version of poker where tens, twos, and fours are wild – takes its concept from the numbers 10, 2, and 4 that used to be on every Dr Pepper bottle. The label encouraged you to have three Dr Peppers a day at 10, 2, and 4 to keep you, well… peppy.
A poker purist will not play Dr Pepper. But I like it. It is the only time I have had four a kind, legitimately.
W.F. Strong is a Fulbright Scholar and professor of Culture and Communication at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. At Public Radio 88 FM in Harlingen, Texas, he’s the resident expert on Texas literature, Texas legends, Blue Bell ice cream, Whataburger (with cheese) and mesquite smoked brisket.
Waiting-For-Autumn Blues
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.
Mandals
It’s hot, it’s humid, it’s the height of summer across the state. That means wardrobes are making a transformation, but today’s poem suggests you might want to spend extra time pondering your footwear before you head into the office on Monday.
Higher Ed: Summertime and the Learning is Easy
Summer. For students and teachers, that means a break from books, papers, tests, deadlines, and the stress of school. In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton talk about the benefits of that break, as well as the advantages of keeping the brain at least a little busy during the summer months. In this episode, Ed and Jennifer balance the benefits of a breather from the classroom with the importance of keeping the brain occupied over the summer. Hear about some ways to do that, including sharing what happens during the school year with family and friends over the summer. You’ll also get the solution to the most recent math puzzler. A hint: think small.
This episode was recorded May 16, 2016.
Summertime
It’s July, and everyone is in the midst of pool parties, fireworks and cookouts. But that also means August is around the corner, so it’s time to squeeze every bit of fun out of the season. That feeling inspired Typewriter Rodeo’s Jodi Egerton to write this week’s poem.