In an unprecedented move being hailed by environmentalists and advocates of energy reform, the Texas Public Utility Committee voted 2 to 1 for preliminary approval of the largest investment in renewable energy in the history of the United States. With 35 states currently producing some sort of wind power, PUC Commissioner Paul Hudson boasted that this new initiative would have Texas, already the leader when it comes to most megawatts produced, generating more than the 14 next-highest states combined.... [continue]

Former Texas Senator and McCain economic advisor Phill Gramm told the Washington Times on Wednesday that the economy is merely in a state of “mental recession” and that the United States has become a “nation of whiners.”... [continue]

I personally believe that racism is little more than lazy analysis, for which every human who has ever existed is guilty. Generalizations of any kind, whether drawn along lines of race, gender, sexual preference, eye color, juggling ability, or gastrointestinal fortitude, are simply the product of a lazy, bullshit short-cut. ... [continue]

In March 1997 a doctor said to me, “Your jeans are going to fit a lot better once we get that out.” So tactful. The that to which he referred was a cyst-morphing-into-a-tumor that had wrapped itself around my left ovary. This was discovered at a post-abortion checkup. I paid cash for the abortion. The removal of both the tumor, which as it turned out had malignant cells in it, and the ovary (the two could not be disentangled) were covered by insurance. Luckily, I required no chemo or radiation. I don’t recall that my jeans fit any different when all was said and done.... [continue]

Hungry to share your most provocative Austin food photos? Send them here. Make sure to include your name, where the photo was taken and a complete description of the food.... [continue]

When I heard yesterday that Austin slam poet, Shannon Leigh, 20, died this past Monday, I felt sick. I didn’t know Shannon, but was consumed for a couple of reasons. For one, my son is nearly the same age, and the idea of parents outliving their children is commonly held to be the worst kind of pain. My heart broke for her parents. The other reason the news caught me is that, though it’s been years since I’ve been part of the community, there was a time when the Austin slam scene was a huge part of my life. In fact, it was the slam that got me performing in Austin. As far as I know, Wammo—he of Asylum Street Spankers fame—was the first to introduce the slam to Austin. Slamming, which started in Chicago in 1984, caught on fast here. It didn’t take long before there was a regular, wild, weekly gathering, one that for a long time found its home in the long gone, much missed Electric Lounge.... [continue]

You may not realize this, but in 1492 when George Washington wrote the Constitution, the entire world was watching on closed circuit television. It was like we were the baby Jesus in that barn, with England and France as our virgin parent-handlers, and the rest of the infinite universe as the sheep being watched over by Germany, Earth's kindliest human shepherds. ... [continue]

Back in the old days, when I still drank, I’d finish up a bartending shift on 6th Street, by which I mean throw back a few cocktails. Then I’d float, heavily buzzed, on down to the 311 Club to see CJ. The 311 was not really “my” kind of place. Except for CJ, a bartender so amazingly skilled I would go just to watch him. Okay, well that and get a little drunker. The thing about CJ was that he could make any customer—big, small, young, old, stupid, suave—feel like his one true love in the few moments it took him to mix a drink, run a charge card, and wink like he meant it. Maybe it was an act, all this showmanship, but I had the feeling that CJ genuinely liked people and wasn’t just shaking it for tips.... [continue]

The Austin Ice Bats, who entertained hockey fans in these parts for more than a decade, receive a well-deserved tribute in today's New York Times.... [continue]

On this day in music history in 2003, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) disclosed its "plans to fight Internet piracy." The plan was to sue hundreds of individual computer users "who illegally share music files online." Hey! That worked out well, didn't it?... [continue]

*The views expressed in Truesday are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole. Thank heavens.* -The Editors You can’t deny- The other side- Don’t want to die- Any more than we do. What I’m trying to say, Is don’t they pray- To the same God that we do? Tell me how does God choose? Whose prayers does he refuse? Who turns the wheel- Who throws the dice- On the... [continue]

And just before I completely blacked out from severe blunt force trauma (her hams against my head), Sweet Cream and strawberries all over everything, I noticed that my torn left ear had fallen into my lap. Yes, I just made that last moment up. ... [continue]

From top to bottom: The Sasquatch (oatmeal chocolate cookie with vanilla ice cream), The Yeti (vanilla cake with strawberry ice cream, and The Big Foot (chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream) available on Thursdays and Fridays at the lemonade stand in front of The Woodland.... [continue]

One day last year, I asked my young, hot boyfriend, Warren, what I might knit for him. I’d already made him a whimsical cock sock featuring three little airplane buttons with real moving propellers. For my next woolly gift of love, he suggested the following: a Jesus suit, chaps, handcuffs. I’m a halfway decent knitter, making up with compulsion what I lack in technical skill. While I liked the idea of the challenge of the first two choices, I knew they’d take a lot of time. As I am ever eager to bestow gifts upon my man at frequent intervals, I therefore opted for choice c) handcuffs. I didn’t have a pattern or much of an idea how to knit bondage devices. But I got out some leftover yarn from my stash and knitted on the fly. ... [continue]

As seen in the past, shopping at Wal-Mart can on rare occasion be a scary proposition, but the last thing we'd expect is to get screwed by the discount retailer itself.... [continue]

Hungry to share your most provocative Austin food photos? Send them here. Make sure to include your name, where the photo was taken and a complete description of the food.... [continue]

I love Sarah Bird. I LOVE HER, PEOPLE, do you hear me? In case you aren’t familiar with Sarah, let me tell you a few things. Sarah is this incredible novelist whom Austin is fortunate enough to call our own. In 2006, she and I tied for Best Author in Austin in the Chronicle’s Best of Austin Poll. When this happened, I told Sarah that I felt like a dandelion that had been placed in a vase alongside a gorgeous long stemmed rose. I could not believe that I might share such an honor with a writer of Sarah’s caliber.... [continue]

Shearwater weren’t what you’d call a secret, but the acclaim and attention that they’ve somehow ducked for years has finally caught up with them, thank god. Their musical direction over the years has evolved and twisted, moving from hushed and occasionally melodramatic folk on their first record and snuggly pushing into the more artful and strange world of operatic-pop where we find them now, for their first proper full-length for Matador entitled Rook and their fifth album in all.... [continue]

Austin places #6 on Kiplinger's 10 Best Cities (Houston is #1). Suspect on the run after shooting someone in Southeast Austin yesterday afternoon. Early voting for the city council runoff starts today. Round Rock Roller Rink going out of business. FLDS kids on their way back to their families.... [continue]

Last Thursday at the Parish Room, Shearwater gifted their attentive audience a very special performance, showcasing their new record (Rook, out tomorrow) in its entirety. Supported by a small woodwind and string section as well as the album's studio harpist, Elaine Barber, the band soared through the record's highs and lows effortlessly. Jonathan Meiburg's voice brought the room to a hushed awe, ranging between vulnerable insistence ("I Was a Cloud") and emotional volatility ("Leviathan, Bound"). After a short break, a reduced ensemble rejoined for a second set full of archive material, pulling from 2006's Palo Santo for a grittier ending to the night's performance. ... [continue]