The Path Ahead for Sen. Joe Manchin
On Nov. 9, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin announced he will not seek another term for the Senate. It now seems likely he will announce a third-party candidacy for the presidency.…
Art + Music: Austin Symphony
The first half of the latest masterpiece performance by the Austin Symphony Orchestra was a notable departure from the usual classical fare. While it concluded with the somnambulant Symphony No.…
Halloween 2023
Oil Can Harry’s in Austin hosted the second annual Midnight Monster contest on Halloween night. This is not just for a fine costume, but performance art. Each of the six…
Christmess – the Indie Film that Makes You Laugh and Cry
At this year’s 30th Austin Film Festival, I caught up with Australian indie filmmaker Heath Davis (pictured), a writer/director/producer of the features Broke, Book Week, and Locusts. Featured at this…
The Little Star Ranch
City slickers like myself tend to romanticize the “country,” so when I have a staycation, as I’m doing now at The Little Star Ranch in Somerville, I am somewhat surprised…
Spooky times in The Thin Place
The area of the paranormal has fascinated and enthralled people through the ages. From the days of the 50s, with the TV show Topper, to the 60s with The Twilight…
AUSTIN OPERA’s Season Opener is a Sizzler
Austin Opera has just staged one of the most famous operas in the canon: Pagliacci. This was a superlative production, which received a rapturous welcome by the mostly well-dressed audience…
A Quilt So Vast You Will See It From Heaven
World Premiere Opera in Houston: INTELLIGENCE Matching La Scala in Italy (which began in 1788), Houston Grand Opera now ties the record of premiering 75 new operas. The latest entry…
Austin Symphony and the Glories of Rome
Rome still rules. Those looking for the foundation of American law need seek no further than the Twelve Tables, the basis of Roman law promulgated in 449 BCE. At the…
HALLOWEEN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 is
about Scotland’s Darkest Secret This is not just a book about witches, but about Scottish witches! And Halloween is mentioned many times. Author Allyson Shaw, who has written much about…