Austin Community College has completed its land purchase plan of Highland Mall. more ›

• The big health reform speech was last night, in case you hadn't heard.
• Republicans respond as expected.
• Climate change leads a certain creature to congregate on Alaska's shore (coo coo ca choo).

For 2008, Capital Metro is planning to double bus fare for adult passengers from 50 cents to $1. Other fares would increase in proportion (students would have to pay 50 cents instead of 25 cents for local/rapid routes); the Dillo would remain free for everyone. In their informational brochure(.pdf), Capital Metro makes a point of saying that the current fares have been the same since 1985, while operational costs keep going up. Is this... more ›

Two years ago LB Deyo and Buzz Moran first gathered the faithful for a unique festival of intellect and revelry called The Dionysium. Tonight, we're all invited to celebrate that event, with "another scintillating monthly installment of cerebral stimulation, cultural enlightenment and ill-advised drunkenness." Here's the line-up for the June Dionysium: Owen Egerton of the Sinus Show will read his short story "Waffle," while someone else sits in the front row and makes jokes over... more ›

• Change in Austin/Round Rock unemployment rate from February to March, according to the Texas Workforce Commission : -.1% [reference]
  
• Combined wattage of new solar panels installed at Austin's St. Gabriel's Catholic School: 21,000 [reference]
  
• Equivalent pollution reduction this represents, in number of cars per year: 6
  
• Amount hoped to be raised by Austin resident-slash-actor Dennis Quaid at his annual Charity Weekend in May : $500,000 [reference]
  
• Number of pounds Quaid thinks he lost back in 1994 after developing manorexia: 42 [reference]
  
• Number of single-family homes sold in March 2006: 2,400 [reference]
  
• Total funding allocated to new internship program between tech consortium Sematech and Austin Community College: $4 million [reference]
  
• Cost of a modest home on Valeria Street in Zilker neighborhood in 1953: $10,000 [reference]
  
• Estimated population of Austin that year: 125,000
  
• Increase in New Commercial Building Applications (permits) from 2004-2005 to 2005-2006, through March: 18% [reference]
  
• Total firetrucks needed to contain a 50-acre fire in Caldwell County this week, plus unknown number of helicoptoers, : 18 [reference]
  
• Number of Branch Davidians released from prison this week: 6 [reference]
  
• For-sale items on austin.craigslist tagged "vintage": 992
  
• Acreage of new manmade lake in Pflugerville: 180 [reference]
  
• Estimated number of feet that a mobile home in Georgetown was thrown by last night's gusty winds: 50 [reference]
  
• Check cut by 107.1 KGSR from proceeds of Broadcasts, Vol. 13 to the SIMS Foundation: $223,687 [reference]
  
• Rank of Texas' high-tech sector versus other states, according to a national industry trade association report: 2 [reference]
  
• Percentage of private sector employees in Texas employed by a high-tech firm: 5.7%
  
• Amount allocated in 2006 city budget for bridge maintenance: $725,000 [reference]
  
• Amount earmarked for school crossing guards: $1.13 million
  
• Cost of a day trip to the "Barton Healing Springs" during ACL for out-of-towners, if booked through ACL Concierge Service : $106 [reference]
  
• Realistic estimate of how much this would actually cost: $12
  

MONDAY [17][music] The High Flyers at Continental Club (10pm) (link) [lecture] Josh Rushing, future host of a show on Al Jazeera International and "accidental media star" in "Control Room," speaks at UT LBJ Auditorium (7pm) (link) [art] Opening Reception for Michael Schliefke's newest works, "What If We Could Get It All Back?" at bolm Studios (6pm-11pm) (link) [film] Oscar-Nominated Documentary shorts at Alamo Downtown (7pm) (link) [film] Anime Movie Monday at Ventana del Sol (7:30pm)... more ›

Some notable weekend art openings from around the town... Friday, December 9th D Berman Gallery ( 1701 Guadalupe St) presents Sydney Yeager: Billow and Fold. From D Berman's website: With a new palette of vivid hues, Ms. Yeager’s paintings continue to evolve and delight. In these paintings, forms familiar from the artist’s earlier work are chopped, compressed, and stretched. Implied boundary lines coax plumes of bright colors to bend, loop, and ultimately fill the picture... more ›