As the former deputy chief of the U.S Government’s counterterrorism division, he was in charge of keeping the world safe from pesky problems like nuclear war, large-scale attacks and the assassinations of high ranking officials—you know, the usual work stuff. His recently-published memoir, Ghost: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent, details his insomnia-inducing struggle to thwart the criminal plans of Libyan terrorist Abu Nidal, 1993 WTC bombing mastermind Ramzi Yousef, and various other evildoers. more ›

Fire ravages Griffith Park in L.A.; city councilman compares fire to Mick Jagger. Things really are different out there. The five-second rule, explained. Way fewer people watched TV this spring, and network suits are flipping out. Maybe everybody found out that Jack Bauer is a neocon fantasy? Sorry ladies—Ty Pennington ain't as perfect as you're always telling us. Sammy Hagar need never argue with the Van Halen brothers again, or do anything else for... more ›

[The following is an editorial column by contributor Alison Coffey and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Austinist staff. --The Editors] I realize that I should be blogging about the new season of 24, but four hours of Jack Bauer and company is a lot to commit to, and so it's waiting on my DVR for a few long evenings of reruns. Or at least next weekend. Instead, let's talk about Grey's... more ›

News Corp, mother company of MySpace.com, yesterday announced that it would be spending "millions of dollars" to launch TV and online ad campaigns promoting internet safety for kids. No doubt motivated in large part by lawsuits, such as the one recently filed by a Travis County mother-daughter duo, that accuse MySpace of making it too easy for online predators to pick up underaged teens, and emotionally troubled youths like the 13-year-old girl who ran... more ›

We're just gonna get down to it, y'all... more ›

[The following is an editorial column by contributor Alison Coffey and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Austinist staff. --The Editors] more ›