Trinity Associate Professor Talks Contemporary Chinese Culture and ’28 Chinese’
While working on the delightfully tall task of trying to fit the nuances of San Antonio Museum of Art’s brilliant and massive 28 Chinese exhibit into a few pages of print, I had the chance to interview quite a few individuals with important perspectives. But, none were quite as insightful, or valuable in the sense…
The Piecaken Is Everything You Want in a Dessert, And It’s Here to Destroy You
Now there’s this new craze: piecaken or a quicker way to diabeetus. From its initial invention in 2010, this heartily sweet version of the turducken serves to remind us that, as Americans, if we can make anything more excessive, we will. So how does this even work? From first glance the piecaken looks like your…
Local Officials Say San Antonio Is Open for Refugees
Plenty of Texas’ elected officials — including the governor, a senator and a slew of lawmakers from the state Legislature — have recently stated their support for barring Syrian refugees from entering the state. Their rationale is that allowing refugees — who’ve seen roughly 200,000 of their countrymen die and millions more be displaced by…
Planned Parenthood South Texas CEO Speaks Out Against State Attacks
The state of Texas has one goal, kicking Planned Parenthood out of the Lone Star State, which would cause the loss reproductive care for thousands of women. “They don’t want Planned Parenthood to exist,” says Jeffrey Hons, CEO of Planned Parenthood South Texas. In the last 30 days, Governor Greg Abbott threatened to cut off…
Uber Español now Available in San Antonio
Uber has announces that it’s now offering San Antonio its Uber Español service, which allows customers to select Spanish-speaking drivers when they’re ordering up a ride. The service is available in a handful of cities, including San Diego, Chicago, Los Angeles and Phoenix. To request a Spanish-speaking driver, users need to enter the code ESPANOLTX…
Brick Is Hosting a Star Wars Party Tonight, and They’re Screening the Worst One!
Bust out your Jedi robes, and make your way down to Brick at Blue Star at 9 p.m. Tonight they’ll be hosting a Star Wars Party where they’ll be screening everyone’s favorite, Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones or the introduction of CGI Yoda, on a 30 foot screen. Can I get a…
San Antonio Raceway Is Hosting a Paul Walker Memorial Rally This Weekend
SPONSORED The San Antonio Raceway’s Paul Walker Memorial Rally and SACM Race is one of the largest car rallies around in memory of Paul Walker. This event is fun for all ages, so invite your friends and family. There will be a car show, sound off competition, burn out contest, kids tricycle race, live DJs,…
Free Afro-Uruguayan Drum Show This Sunday
You are invited to witness the syncopated groovi-tude, which is groove with an attitude, obviously, of Afro-Uruguayan drum group Candombe Houston as they rattle downtown San Antonio this Sunday. Candombe is an Uruguayan dance and music that originated amongst the African slave population of Uruguay. One elementary rhythmic principle of Candombe is the clave, in…
Three Thanksgiving Cheat Sheets That Could Save Your Turkey Day
Let me save you the trouble by just telling you that you need to bookmark this blogpost right this second. No matter where you are in the Thanksgiving-dinner-planning thought process, the freaking brilliant Turkey Day hacks on these three sites will help. BuzzFeed’s How to Host Thanksgiving for the First Time Ever (with pictures!) Beyond…
Rapper Killer Mike Gives Stump Speech for Bernie Sanders
Killer Mike, who made his mark on mainstream hip-hop on Outkast’s 2000 LP Stankonia, specifically “Snappin and Trappin,” and on the so fresh, so clean Grammy-winning track “The Whole World,” recently gave an introductory speech for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in Atlanta. In 2008 Mike signed to T.I.’s Grand Hustle Records and after being produced…
4 Dead in Helicopter Crash at Ft. Hood
The military is trying to figure out what happened “sometime” after 5:49 p.m. Monday when a UH-60 helicopter crashed, killing all four crew members. Media officials said this morning in a statement that the deceased won’t be identified until 24 hours after next of kin notification. Here’s the full statement: A UH-60 helicopter aircraft with…
Blessed Lion Cubs Christened By Tony Parker
Update: Tuesday, November 24, 11:09 a.m. The Tony Parker sacred lion cub naming ceremony/press conference is over. Parker named the cubs TP, Axelle and Josh, after himself, his wife and their son respectively. Now that they are all family, he spent some intimate time with the Parker pride inside their den. There’s video of it…
SeaWorld San Antonio to Make Aquatica a Standalone Park and Offer Swimming With Dolphins at New Discovery Point Park
Weeks after company executives announced a drop in attendance at SeaWorld San Antonio during the third quarter, SeaWorld Entertainment is moving forward with plans to separate admission for its Aquatica water park from its SeaWorld marine park. Beginning in March, you’ll be able to buy a ticket to Aquatica for $40, a ticket to SeaWorld…
Gov. Greg Abbott Says Multipurpose Municipal Buildings Can’t Ban Concealed Handguns
The Austin Community Impact Newspaper is reporting that multipurpose government buildings cannot prohibit the concealed carry of handguns. From the report: However, the memo from the governor’s office addresses “some confusion” caused by state law language. Licensed concealed handgun carriers can only be barred from portions of public buildings where governmental meetings and court proceedings…
First Untapped Fest Pleases Boozy Crowds
I understand that there are big plans to make the old Lone Star Brewery into a hub of commerce — a la The Pearl, but hopefully with a little of the Southside’s spirit —but for now, the space has this charming post-apocalyptic vibe. While the buildings retain a bombed-out, badlands aesthetic, the old pond, in…
Lawyers for Student Suspended for Building a Clock Demand $15M, Threaten to Sue
The father of a Muslim teen who was suspended from a Dallas-area school for bringing a clock to show his teachers is ready to sue, unless the City of Irving and the community’s school district pay $15 million. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that lawyers representing the family want $10 million from the city and…
Top Off The Season At Topgolf
Tis’ the season to be golfing. Staying in for the holidays becomes a little monotonous after while and trying to find activities that the whole family can agree on, is exhausting. Topgolf (5539 N. Loop 1604 W.) is the answer to all of your family feuds. For the holidays, they will have activities for everyone…
Planned Parenthood Takes Texas to Court
In late October, Lone Star State Governor Greg Abbott axed Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood in reaction to heavily edited videos that purported to show officials with the organization talking about selling fetal tissue. Today, Planned Parenthood sued. From the Texas Tribune: Ten patients joined Planned Parenthood in the lawsuit, according to the organization. One…
5 Shows to See This Week
Monday, November 23 The Migrant, El Campo, Parallelephants With coffee shop-tender songs about ponies, The Migrant – a Danish immigrant – picks back up with his Austin crew to help empower his folksy delivery. Purveyors of the new school of high and lonesome harmonies, claw-picking banjo and a steel guitar smooth as molasses, El Campo…
Did the First Thanksgiving Actually Happen in Texas?
The story surrounding the so-called “First Thanksgiving” is a familiar one: in the spirit of peace and fellowship, European pilgrims near Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts shared the bounty of a successful harvest with local American Indian tribes. To celebrate, we now stuff ourselves full of carbs and gravy, watch football and then bludgeon each other…
Here Are the 100 Best Public High Schools in San Antonio
Correction: Health Careers High School is part of the Northside Independent School District (NISD), not the Northeast Independent School District. The rankings website Niche released a list of the 100 best public high schools in San Antonio. Leading the way in the Alamo City is Health Careers High School, a Northside Independent School District (NISD)…
Immigration Reform Advocates Marched to the Gov.’s Mansion This Weekend
Immigration activists marched to the Governor’s Mansion Saturday to commemorate the first anniversary of Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) — two executive orders issued by President Barack Obama that would provide temporary deportation relief to roughly 5 million people. While Governor Greg Abbott was attorney general,…
SA’s Newest Jazz Bar Hosts a Big Band Christmas
I know nothing is as cool as the Brian Setzer Orchestra playing “Yabba-Dabba Yuletide” or the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies doing anything, but local piano whisperer Brent “Doc” Watkins and his Big Band will be surfing the cranberry-crimson wave of holiday classics on the crest of the yuletide (could you follow that?) on Thursday, December 10. The…
Butt-hurt at Club Rio with Migos
When asked to write a 350-word review on the Migos, “Return to the Bando Tour” stop in San Antonio it was very difficult not to just write the words “Hannah Montana” 175 times. But, that would be unfair as the Southern trap-rap group is nothing short of impressive with their DIY ethics and impeccable timing…
Video: Errant San Antonio Cow Makes National News
Which Texas stories make international news? Ones that involve cows, of course, because nobody’s ever seen an angry bovine roaming the streets of their city before, right? (We’re looking at you, Baltimore.) So far, this cow, which ran through an intersection near Pleasanton Road and Southwest Military Drive at around midnight on Nov. 18 has…
14 Local Restaurants That Have Your Thanksgiving Meal Covered
Preparing for Thanksgiving takes a lot of time and multiple trips to H-E-B. Sometimes having to clean up after your whole familia just doesn’t sound that appealing. If your family tradition is to dine-out for Thanksgiving at your favorite local or chain restaurant, here are some ideas to think about. The restaurants will offer dine-in…
Top 10 Thanksgiving Side Dishes, Scientifically Ranked (Sorta)
More than 9,700 people were polled on the all-important topic of Thanksgiving side dishes by opinion site Ranker, and according to this very, very scientific survey, America’s favorite Thanksgiving side dishes are as follows (drum roll, please): Mashed potatoes Stuffing Gravy Bread Green bean casserole Corn on the cob Macaroni and cheese Baked sweet potatoes…
Texas Organizing Project Protests Gov. Greg Abbott at SA City Hall
The Texas Organizing Project, along with several local advocacy groups, rallied in front of San Antonio City Hall this afternoon, calling out Governor Greg Abbott for his immigration policies and lawsuit over President Barack Obama’s immigration executive orders. The march coincides the one-year anniversary of Obama’s Deferred Action for Parents (DAPA) and his expansion of…
SA Food Pics: Get Some Weekend Food Inspiration
SA Food Pics is back this week and here to give you some ideas for where to head this weekend. This list is incredible and will have your mouth watering. Aldino’s (1203 N. Loop 1604 W. #101) is serving up some colorful and fresh bruschetta that is packed with tomato, basil, parmesan and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. If…
Bonehead Quote of the Week: Ag Commissioner Sid Miller Compares Muslims to Rattlesnakes
Nothing like a tragedy to bring out the worst in some people. There were many, many candidates for this edition of Bonehead Quote of the Week, nearly all of them revolving around the bigoted and tone-deaf responses to Syrian refugees in the wake of last week’s terror attacks in Paris. My first inclination was to…
From Habitual Smoker to Vape Shop Owner
SPONSORED I am a former cigarette smoker who discovered vaping, quit smoking, opened a business. At 730 packs of cigarettes a year for 28 years, my smoking habit had reached a critical stage. After numerous, unsuccessful attempts at quitting, I tried e-cigarettes. Its impact was so profound, I dropped my traditional cigarette habit and eventually…
San Antonio Food Bank Needs Turkeys for Holiday Meals
The San Antonio Food Bank is short of turkeys this year, with less than a week to go before Thanksgiving. The agency, which feeds 58,000 people every week, needs about 12,000 turkeys to get through the holiday season. It’s not so unusual to need extra donations during in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, says…
Texas Board of Education Won’t Let Academics Fact Check Textbooks
The Texas Board of Education doesn’t want to create a panel of academics to fact check textbooks because it would send a message that the current adoption process doesn’t work. Not only that, it would create more bureaucracy, apparently. From the Texas Tribune: However, the 15-member elected board on Wednesday narrowly rejected a proposal that…
Hey, San Antonio, You Can Order Booze from Your Phone
Minibar Delivery has hit San Antonio with the latest trend of alcohol delivery. You can now order wine, beer or spirits right at your fingertips. You can start your order at their website or their app “Minibar” and your drinks will be delivered in under an hour. The service will carry the same pricing as…
About Those Humans Who Surrendered to Border Patrol
They happened to be Syrian. But if you believe the conservative blog Brietbart, you should all be afraid because two families of asylum seekers were apprehended by Border Patrol, flaming “concerns” and “reports” among the agency’s officials. Well, poor choice of words, Brietbart. The families were “apprehended” at an international bridge where they turned themselves…
Jim Hasslocher of Jim’s Restaurants Has Died
Jim Hasslocher, founder of the Jim’s Restaurant chain, has passed away Wednesday at the age of 93. He was born Germano Hasslocher on August 25, 1922, in Shreveport, Louisiana. Hasslocher began his successful business career in 1947 by manning his uncle’s bicycle rental stand at the front gate of Brackenridge Park, where he sold sliced watermelon…
‘Thrift Shop’ Rappers Macklemore and Ryan Lewis Head to the Alamo City
Known for taking the swagger and confrontational content of hip-hop and white-washing it so that even grandmothers, toddlers and Republicans can tolerate their kitschy interpretation (“Thrift Shop”), Macklemore – whose name hurts my tongue and sours my tastebuds to pronounce – and DJ/Producer Ryan Lewis – whose name is perfect for a white dude from…
10 Things You Have to Do This Weekend
Thu 11/19 Disco Bingo Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum turns back the clock to the polyester-clad 1970s for Disco Bingo — a festive fundraiser that puts a dance-party spin on the classic game of chance. Co-chaired by Mike Casey and Ellie Leeper, the unconventional evening promises “out-of-sight bingo callers,” retro beats spun by DJ Neto, “funkadelic…
Check out This Super Cute Wedding Proposal at Viva Vegeria
So it turns out that love, actually, is all around us, at least it was on Sunday at Viva Vegeria, the place with the great vegan nachos. The vegetarian restaurant off Nogalitos Street was the site of a highly choreographed, Love Actually-themed wedding proposal last weekend. The very public romantic gesture was planned by Fred-Anthony…
Ordinance Change Gives San Antonio Food Trucks More Room to Roam
Score one for tacos on wheels. San Antonio City Council today voted to remove part of an ordinance from the city’s food code which prohibited food trucks from operating within 300 feet of a brick-and-mortar food establishment. Trucks could set up shop within the 300-feet radius, but their owners had to first get permission from…
San Antonio City Council Approves SAWS Water Rate Increase
In a unanimous vote, San Antonio City Council approved water rate increases to pay for a host of upgrades and projects, including the controversial 142-mile Vista Ridge Pipeline. A coalition of groups aggressively tried to convince City Council to vote against the rate increase or to postpone the vote. The San Antonio Water System’s rate…
City Council Bans Smoking at Travis Park and Main Plaza
Act quickly, smokers of San Antonio — you’ve only got 10 more days to legally smoke at Travis Park and Main Plaza. If that’s something you’re interested in, at least. Those two spots will soon be removed from the skimpy list of “Public Places You Can Smoke in San Antonio.” City Council voted today…
San Antonio City Council Designates October 12 as Indigenous Peoples Day
San Antonio joined Bexar County today in designating October 12 as Indigenous Peoples Day. Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran, who recently returned from a trip to Arequipa, Peru, said she was pleased with the recognition. Viagran was in Peru for the “XIII World Congress of the Organization of World Heritage Cities to discuss heritage management and urban…
10 Places to Watch the Cotto-Canelo Fight Tonight
Puerto Rico’s Miguel Cotto takes on Mexico’s Samuel “Canelo” Alvarez in a much anticipated bout on Pay-Per-View this weekend. The fight will be broadcast live on Saturday, November 21 at 8 p.m. local time, and it’ll cost you $59.99 for standard definition, or $69.99 for HD. Sure, you can splurge to watch the fight at home,…
Paste Magazine Calls San Antonio the “Orlando of Texas”
Today, Paste magazine’s City in a Glass, a series about drinking and traveling, hits up San Antonio. In the writeup, the magazine calls San Antonio the “Orlando of Texas” – that is, a family-friendly city with a G-rated reputation that overshadows its more sophisticated drinking, dining and nightlife scenes. To dispel that reputation, City in a Glass highlights…
‘National Geographic’ Says Don’t Visit San Antonio Just for the Alamo
The San Antonio Missions’ designation by UNESCO as a World Heritage site brought the Bexar County gems national and international attention. The milestone also brought San Antonio a lot of press, including from the timeless National Geographic, which included the Alamo City in its “Best Fall Trips 2015” guide. The all-things interesting publication hasn’t forgotten…
Someone Started a Petition to Re-name Lee High School After Coach Pop
There’s been numerous calls by people and via online petitions to change the name of Robert E. Lee High School. However, one of those online petitions posted on November 12, has already garnered more than 1,500 signatures. It sought only 1,000. “I propose, if the school board is going to make such a case to…
‘Spotlight’ Sheds Light on Clergy Scandal
It might not have all the complexity of journalists tracking down a serial killer, like in the 2007 crime thriller Zodiac, or the melodrama needed to spur scribes into breaking open a story on the suspicious death of a congressman’s mistress, like in the 2009 political thriller State of Play, but the relevancy of a…
First Words: What ISIS Wants
On Plan for MLS in SA Excites Fans, Prompts Questions // Huskerdenton: Good to know that San Antonio has all of its education, infrastructure, poverty needs met so it can spend millions on a soccer playpen for rich people who have the means to build it for themselves if they so desired. On Gov. Abbott…
Flavor File: Brunch for Mezcalería Mixtli, Crossroads Kitchen, Di Frabo and Holiday Pies
You can’t throw a pancake without it landing on a mimosa come weekends. Just days after Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery (136 E. Grayson St., Suite 120, 210-455-5701) announced their new Saturday brunch lineup, Mezcalería Mixtli (5313 McCullough Ave., 856-630-5142) debuted a Sunday brunch. Served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., dishes include huevos divorciados,…
Happy Hour Hound: Boiler House Texas Grill & Wine Garden
Competition in the Industrial Chic arena has gotten intense at Pearl since the opening of Hotel Emma, but Boiler House still holds its own. Sitting at the bar at happy hour — or any other time, you’re bathed in a gentle (and generally flattering) red glow from the back bar. The snaking tubes that have…
Free Will Astrology, Week of November 16
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Urbandictionary.com defines the English word “balter” as follows: “to dance without particular skill or grace, but with extreme joy.” It’s related to the Danish term *baltre,* which means “to romp, tumble, roll, cavort.” I nominate this activity to be one of your ruling metaphors in the coming weeks. You have a…
The First Untapped Fest Pours Through SA
In the spirit of anything you can do, I can do better, but with our signature humility and disinterest in all of Bexar County becoming a parking lot, San Antonio is set to be one of the five cities to host the first Untapped Indie and Beer Fest, which is a curated attempt by its…
David Allan Coe Fans Ready Confederate Do-Rags
“We’re gonna boil the roof off this damn peanut dong,” says David Allan Coe, appearing as himself in the Squidbillies Season 3 episode “The Okaleechee Dam Jam.” Early Cuyler, the show’s hilariously backward hillbilly protagonist, wears a trucker hat, identifying him as a “Booty Hunter,” crosshairs sighted in on the silhouetted rump of a shapely…
Carrie Brownstein Shreds on the Memoir
The musician’s memoir — that timely mid-career staple and sales boost — is a form plagued by narcissism. Revisiting one’s life demands a certain focus on the self, a hard evaluation of the highs and lows of the surprisingly unglamorous life of a musician. But, in recent years, vibrant writers like Richard Hell and Patty…
While Abbott Attacks, SAPD Updates Manual to Include Immigration Protocol
In the Lone Star State’s five most populous counties — Bexar, Travis, Harris, Dallas and Tarrant — there are an estimated 866,000 undocumented immigrants, just a fraction of the combined 11.6 million residents in those municipalities. Those estimates come from the Migration Policy Institute, an immigration think tank that compiled census data for 94 U.S.…
Newsmonger: A Water Fight, Toyota Field and Courtroom Drama
Vista Ridge Protest at City Hall Protesters from both inner-city San Antonio and the rural area north of the city swarmed City Hall last week to protest the contentious Vista Ridge pipeline, the 142-mile water project that would pipe water from Lee and Burleson Counties to San Antonio. Their gripes were twofold: that the project…
The Beers for the Bands at Untapped Fest
Metric is just a cider. It’s clear. I say that in a matter of fact tone, not a they’re-Canadian-and–therefore-somehow-a-little-wussy-and-ciders-are-wussy sort of way. Some of the toughest, hard rockin-est s.o.b.s I play badminton with drink cider. As to which cider, in the Canadian spirit of fairness (can you tell I know nothing about Canada?) I threw…
Lunchtime Snob: French Sandwiches
In this edition of Lunchtime Snob, we turn our attention to the Medical Center, which is in its own little world. Because I don’t live or work in the hospital-dotted area, I don’t often find myself purposefully going there. But the Medical Center arguably offers the greatest variety of authentic international food in the city.…
Savage Love: Cold Cucked
I’ve always been a big believer in the common-sense obviousness that monogamy is hard. Additionally, I like the idea of my wife getting fucked. I don’t have any desire to be denigrated or emasculated; I just get off on the idea of her being satisfied and a little transgressive. Early in our relationship, we talked…
Honey, I Stabbed the Kids: Wrath and Revenge Take Center Stage in ‘Medea’
To Sigmund Freud, the family hearth is a perilous space of hostility between parents and children. Seizing on the Greek myth of Oedipus, he claimed that patricide is every son’s latent wish. Freud’s disciple Carl Jung looked to Electra, who killed her mother Clytemnestra, as a model for matricidal daughters. But the Greeks themselves were…
Mission Art Portals Fuse Past and Present
San Antonio’s Spanish missions are in many ways portals themselves. Now that they’re part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the missions are a link between our local environs and the rest of the world. Between the natural landscape of the river they’re built along and the urban sprawl that’s risen around them. Between the…
