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Austin’s Next Mayor?
Will it be Celia Israel or Kirk Watson? Israel is a State Representative and Watson was mayor of Austin from 1997-2001. He then served three terms as a State Senator. Both made an appearance at the Texas Tribune Festival here in Austin. Here is a report on the positions they put forward for the future […]
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HALLOWEEN: Midnight Monster Contest
Oil Can Harry’s, Austin’s most famous bar, hosted the first annual Midnight Monster contest on Halloween night. It was not just people dressed in costumes getting judged, but full performance art from some very dedicated people. Much more entertaining than walking along 6th street! The winner of the contest was an Austinite known only as […]
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Best Italian in London: La Mia Mamma
In June I dined at La Mia Mamma, the best Italian restaurant in London. This month I will be there again. Unique among Italian restaurants real Italian mothers are the cooks. They are flown in from Italy, from a particular region, so the menu reflects their style of cooking. Every few months they change. And […]
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Texas Honey Bee Farm
Not far from Austin Zoo lies the Texas Honey Bee Farm, nestled in a wooded area close to Cedar Valley. I visited there recently for a honey tasting (available in the gift shop) and an interview with Master Beekeeper Tanya Phillips. “It used to be called Bee Friendly Austin. I started keeping bees 11 years […]
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New Bakery in Ingram
I was in Ingram last week for the Scottish Highland Games. It was held at Stonehenge II, which is 90% as wide and 60% the height of the original one built in England about 4,000 years ago. It was built here by Al Shepperd and Doug Hill in the early 90s. In 2010 the property […]
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WANTED: Ukrainian Satellite Imagery
There are many shortages in the Ukrainian war: food, medicine, shelter, armaments to fight the aggressor and many more. But one of some importance that is not so obvious is imagery of the country from space. Three space industry experts, appearing at SXSW, spoke about the situation and the implications of taking imagery from […]
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Noah Hawley: Is America becoming Russia?
He has been called the pre-eminent cultural anthropologist of American ridiculousness. Austin-based writer Noah Hawley kicked off the first day of SXSW 2022 with a wide-ranging discussion of absurdity. In an on-stage exchange with Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor in Chief at The Atlantic, Hawley talked about his new book, Anthem, and his role as a novelist […]
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Thanks Donald, I could not have done it without you
I’m sure you remember that president of the Ukraine who got you impeached the first time? Yes, I wish I could exact vengeance on him as I have done to so many others! Well, since you have been my most faithful Russian asset for so many years, I am going to take care of him […]
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Hummingbird Tea Room marks 10 Years
For the finest English tea experience in Texas, one must travel to The Woodlands, close to a 3-hour drive from Austin. I recently had High Tea at the Driskill hotel in downtown Austin, and while the ambiance was very fine, the entire ‘tea experience’ fell short of what is on offer at the Hummingbird Tea […]
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Zoe Saldana and Pandora’s Box
The Star Trek actress Zoe Saldana (Uhura in the current run of Star Trek movies) made an appearance at SXSW in Austin to discuss BESE (pronounced “Bee-Seh”), a digital platform intended to reshape the cultural narrative by shining light on the untold stories that reflect today’s America. “Two thirds of people of Latinx origin are […]