Does Mitt Romney really want to be President? We wonder. more ›

• President Obama welcomes Chinese President Hu to White House
• Bomb found at MLK parade
• Mutilated bodies found near Mexico's richest city

• ‘La Barbie’ may be the biggest criminal to ever come out of Laredo.
• During the trial, details are emerging about that shooting at Spiros nightclub.
• Texas hates gay marriage so much that they’re making a gay couple stay married?

• 60 dead after suicide bomb attacks people waiting in line at Iraqi military recruiting office.
• CA gay marriage on hold after decision by 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
• Justice department gives up federal investigation into DeLay's shady dealings.

• When in doubt, blame Bush.
• Iran will soon be able to generate 1.21 gigawatts! That just so happens to be the exact amount to power love. Get it?
• From the makers of Mad Cow, Bird Flu, Foot & Mouth, comes Superbug!

• The supporters of the ban against gay marriage question Judge Walker's impartiality.
• Hey, guess what? There is still unemployment in America.
• Do you think $600 million is enough to fix border security?

• Diamonds from Sierra Leone: Supermodel Campbell testifies at the Hague
• Overruled: California Prop. 8 ban on same-sex marriage
• Cement kill: BP cleared to fill well

• Is the hole plugged yet? BP says... maybe.
• Ahmadinejad survives assassination attempt
• Federal ruling on same-sex marriage expected to drop today; both sides bracing for next round

Members of the LGBT community calling on the US Census Bureau to provide an accurate count of Americans that includes how many individuals identify as gay or lesbian may have finally gotten their wish. Well, something close. For the first time, the 2010 Census will recognize households of same-sex marriages and relationships. more ›

• California's gay marriage ban on trial
• Harry Reid's Obama comments, again
• Yeah, that Facebook bra color thing?

• World economies grow, but surprisingly, China's economy poised to kick everyone's ass.
• FAA says our state-of-the-art air traffic control system is running smoothly (after a large blip earlier this morning).
• South African runner whose gender was questioned will keep medal.

• President Obama's latest report card: (still) Incomplete
• Hamid Karzai declared winner of canceled Afghan runoff
• Attorney General Holder asserts state secrets in wiretap suit

• Three Americans share Nobel Prize for medicine
• Iran playing nice?
• Foreign frenemy policy: Obama delays meeting with Dalai Lama

• No (more) Nukes!
• Hope for an AIDS vaccine.
• Dear Sen. Kent Conrad, France have a public option.

Protests continue in Iran; the Web watches. Breaking: Iran's Guardian Council says it will recount votes. Gay marriage: DC may be next. Obama pitches health care to the AMA. British Airways wants a free ride. Study says swine flu proves we're all connected. Bruce Willis gets remarried, celebrates in interesting ways. more ›

Non-surprise du semaine: GM files for bankruptcy Devils and details of GM bankruptcy Sonia Sotomayor: "A passionate but civil activist" Controversial abortion provider shot dead in Kansas church The right-wing resume of abortion doctor's assassin Cali pastor: No wedding for you! Talent phenom Boyle checks into clinic China says "Not" to cocks in pots more ›

South Carolina Mayor wonders: Could Obama be the Antichrist? Bailout agreement tentative. Google feels good about gay marriage, bad about Prop 8. Martial law in the US? Huh. Some conservatives not backing Palin. Wall Street not wicked popular. Chavez wants the bomb. more ›

Britain creates new drug to combat obesity...dog obesity. Dear Abby supports gay marriage. A London judge has found nine lies in Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, orders disclaimer to air before being played in schools. The Empire State Building will glow green for the end of Ramadan this year. In China, there is a 95-year old woman growing a horn out of her forehead. Houston ISD is thinking of charging students (and their parents)... more ›

This week marks the tenth anniversary of National Freedom to Marry week, and to celebrate, local groups Atticus Circle, Equality Texas, and The Right to Marry have organized an "illegal" marriage ceremony at City Hall this Saturday, February 20th. Gay and straight couples can show their support for legalizing gay marriage by participating in the reciting of vows at Austin City Hall. Interested parties can also show up at the Travis County Tax Assessor's Office... more ›

Sunday. Usually, a quiet, contemplative day in the Blogosphere. But not here in the Ist-a-Verse. Nonono! Just look below and see all of the wild and crazy stuff our staffs are up to. In Austin, bands are beginning to confirm for SXSW and the rumor mill is up and running. Good thing, too, because we all know how much Austinites love live performances. Austin also found itself in the national spotlight, with Longhorn Legend... more ›

Starting today (actually, you are probably missing some of it right now, so hurry up and finish reading) The Queer Students Alliance of The University of Texas at Austin will be kicking off their sixth annual Pride Week. Until next Monday, October 16th, the QSA will be holding events from early in the morning til late in the evening--from rallies, conferences, workshops, movies and an AIDS walk at Waterloo Park. The theme for this year's... more ›

This has been a rough week for your -ist pals, though you wouldn't know it from the great posts all over the network. Plagued with server problems, our tech team (led by the great Neil Epstein) toiled around the clock to solve the glitches as they arose. Seriously, we've said, typed, and thought the phrase "server problems" more in the past week than we have for the last 35 years combined. Why not say it... more ›

• Now we know they were just slowly trying to make us dumber on the way to class as if we needed more help. Diesel exhaust proves to be an issue on the big yellow bus.
• Former Iraqui leader Saddam Hussein and his cohorts are faced with new charges; they are accused of and wlll be tried for genocide for the over 5000 killings in Halabja.
• Ex-Lieutenant Colonel Yousef al-Suwaileh won the Kuwaiti election on Tuesday for the final seat in the Municipal Court. Many had hoped that a woman would win the election in a state where women were allowed to vote for the first time.
• Wisconsin now has four Senators who support gay marriage. The state is proposing a Constitutional Amendment to ban gay marriage which will be on the a ballot in November.
• A really busy hurricane season is predicted for the year. William Gray is predicting at least five with winds over 110 mph.
• Brian Doyle, a Department of Homeland Security Press Secretary, had trouble keeping his little habit a secret. He was arrested for attempting to seduce a child over the internet.
• Ex-Microsoft exec Charles Simonyi has decided to take a less traditional vacation and venture in to space. If you've got billions of dollars what else are you going to do?
• If the gas prices and availability were to get to an unreasonable state, Austin would fare relatively well without the stuff.
• As if there wasn't enough reality TV wasting your time, the Miss America Pageant is slated to become a new reality series. Oh yay. more ›

Starting tonight, and running this week only, sexy, socially-conscious performance artist Annie Sprinkle and her partner, experimental artist / professor (is that a great combo or what?) Elizabeth Stephens, are staging the US premiere of their current work, Exposed: Experiments in Love, Sex, Death, Art, at the Vortex. We're bringing it to your attention yet again because this show will sell out fast, and it's a unique opportunity to see a new work by... more ›

Yesterday Texas became the 19th state with a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Prop 2 passed with an overwhelming majority across the state, Travis County being the only one to reject the proposition. more ›

Best Quote in The Statesman Ever
When asked if opponents of the ban on same-sex marriage were considering bussing in voters against the ban, Director of No Nonsense in Texas Glen Maxey said people must be "smoking crack" if they thought this would work, calling it "illegal and immoral." We can't help but point out the irony that this is exactly what proponents of the ban think of gay marriage. more ›

We haven't gotten around to the weekend IST list - we're still hungover after last night's Le Tigre show at Emo's. Check back tomorrow. F R I D A Y in-store · Knife Party and Assacre at End of an Ear. 6pm [mp3: Assacre - I Feel That Gay Marriage Should] music · David Garza at Stubb's [mp3: David Garza - Eleven is Real] music · The Chapters, Vacation Gold, King Tears Duo, and Sumner... more ›

While we're on the subject of gay marriage and pop idols this week, international diva Elton "That's Sir to You" John was in town yesterday showing his support for Andy Roddick's Foundation to harvest black market organs save the children. This came only a day after announcing plans to wed longtime partner David Furnish, which we're guessing won't take place anywhere near here. more ›

In an incredibly dissapointing vote of 101 to 29, Texas House lawmakers have passed a constitutional ammendment to ban gay marriage. HJR 6, the Defence of Marriage Act, basically states the following: Sec. 32. (a) Marriage in this state shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman. (b) This state or a political subdivision of this state may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage. So,... more ›