• Iraq's top general says their army won't be ready to assume control until 2020.
• Decorated 20-year Air Force officer sues to stop the military discharging him for his sexuality.
• More on the bank executive involved in Rep. Maxine Waters' ethics case.

If the evidence is to be believed, Jesse Bernard Johnston III, 26, was extremely brazen, a liar, lucky, or all three. The Associated Press reports that the Texan was able to enter the Army Reserves at the rank of sergeant, despite being unqualified to hold that rank due to having no service record -- save for attending part of a 12-week Marine officer candidate course for college students in 2004. more ›

• Putin visits Chavez in Russian bid to expand influence.
• U.S. to implement new airport security measures.
• U.S. Army backtracks on gay discharges, no moratorium.

• One man, 400 I.D.s.
• Sex abuse scandals testing the Catholic Church.
• U.S. ally Saudi Arabia sets beheading date for 'sorcerer'.

KLBJ DJs suspended after making repeated racial slurs. Austin man's death likely to be heat-related. Our troops need their smokes. Oh Paris, we don't need your stinkin' smiles. Je t'aime! Meghan, just come out of the closet...as a Democrat. 50 million and counting. Who needs health coverage, really. Obama and his mom jeans (video). more ›

Tonight, KLRU hosts its second Community Cinema screening featuring this documentary, which explores the effects that the incredibly discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy has had on our nation's military and its gay and lesbian service members. Held in the venerable halls of the KLRU Austin City Limits studio, the doors to the Community Cinema screening of Ask Not will open at 6:30 p.m., with the film starting promptly at 7 p.m. and will be followed by a questions and answer discussion with local veterans about the DADT policy and how it affected their experience in the military. more ›

• Athletes, take your oxygen masks: pollution levels aren't looking that great for the Beijing Olympics.
• G8 leaders pledge to cut in half the amount of greenhouse emissions by 2050.
• Earthquake this morning hits southern Peru.

Score one more for the acquisitions team at the Harry Ransom Center. Yesterday morning, the UT facility announced that it had purchased the papers of Tim O'Brien, American novelist and resident of Central Texas. O'Brien teaches at Texas State University in San Marcos. more ›

The death toll from the cyclone that hit Bangladesh is over 3,000 now; the UN says a million people have been left homeless. We're (*cough*) so surprised: Austin named the fall allergy capital of the nation. Alberto Gonzales didn't have an easy time speaking at the University of Florida last night. After child workers were found at one of their factories in India, Gap is determined to improve working conditions there. US Military calls... more ›

Photo by hamron on flickr 48 cats rescued from deplorable conditions in Rescuties' founder's home earlier this month; a judge is allowing her to keep 3 of them and recommended psychological counseling. Capitol One will not be buying Austin-based business NetSpend for $700 million as was planned, but will buy a minority share of the company. Work starts on making Cesar Chavez fully 2-way. Starting this week and going through January 1, APD will be... more ›

Poster image from Wikipedia Starship TroopersFriday, November 9th / Saturday, November 10thAlamo Drafthouse Lake Creek (17329 Research Blvd)Midnight, $8.25[info] | [tickets]It takes a certain type of movie to make it to midnight-movie cult status, and on first glance the big-budget gloss of Starship Troopers would seem to preclude such distinction. When was the last time Con Air or Timecop played to a packed house of screaming fans in the middle of the night? But hang... more ›

Photo from City of Austin Tree Planting CeremonySaturday, November 10Zilker Park Rock Gardens (2100 Barton Springs Road)(9am, Volunteers Welcome)[info]In observance of Veterans Day, the City of Austin's Parks and Recreation Department is getting together tomorrow morning to plant 57 trees at the Zilker Park Rock Gardens: A special ceremony will honor the dedication and sacrifice of men and women who have fought to preserve our nation's liberty. Following the ceremony, volunteers organized by Tree Folks... more ›

It's official! A California boy playing with matches started a 38,000 acre fire. Victoria's Secret in hot water over releasing scantily-clad dolls. Sex is a no-no in the cabins inside the new jumbo airliner, The Airbus A380. The State of Texas and Travis County are both suing the developer who polluted Hamilton Pool. Remember that military contractor that killed innocent people in Iraq, your government is reportedly granting them immunity. The House passes legislation... more ›

Late night fire at police commander's house in Northwest Austin leaves over half a million dollars worth of damage. Firefighters from various regions of the country attend Central Texas wildfire training school. Hays County Area Food Bank starts their Thanksgiving food drive. Hannah Hawley, announced missing yesterday, is back with her family. Notice a different taste to our tap water? Sen. Cornyn votes against bill that would grant citizenship to young illegal immigrants who... more ›

A middle school in Maine has greenlighted birth control pills in their health center. An illegal immigrant with a seriously contagious form of TB criss-crossed the US-Mexico border 76 times. The military accidentally advertises on GLEE.com, a website for gay professionals. I think we might have to say the answer is, no. And then there were 12...or whatever, we lost count already. Apple to now allow unlicensed applications to be downloaded onto the iPhone.... more ›

Ambassador Dennis Ross, U.S. point man on the Middle East peace process during Bush I and the Clinton administrations, is coming to town to deliver a special morning lecture in advance of the Austin Jewish Book Fair. Now counselor to the Washington Institute and author of Statecraft, And How to Restore America's Standing in the World, Ross will discuss "how it came to pass that, not so long after 9/11 brought the free world to... more ›

Senator Larry E. Craig of Idaho will remain in the Senate despite calls for his resignation. Myanmar junta summons U.S. envoy for talks. Ig Nobel awards celebrate jet-setting Viagra-using hamsters and our military's attempt to make a "gay bomb." East Sixth Street, between Pedernales and Robert Martinez, now open after yesterday's train accident caused it to be closed. North Korea agrees to dismantle "all" of its nuclear facilities by the end of the year.... more ›

We were strolling through West Campus this morning when we came across a gaggle of cops, endless yellow Police Line tape and, of all things, the bomb squad. Rio Grande between 22nd and 24th streets had been sealed off. Word was that some residences had been evacuated as well. Minutes earlier, the ubiquitous post-9/11 "suspicious package" reared its ugly head and was reported to the police. We stuck around, alongside the small crowd of bleary-eyed... more ›

It's unknown how Ledwik managed to acquire this military-grade weapon. more ›

Delaware State University is locked down after two students were shot there in the wee hours of the morning. Burmese monks have been walking in protest of the dictatorship for four days now. The Justice Department hasn't forgotten DeLay (or his staffers). Military cemetery at Ft. Riley in Kansas is full. The Vatican actually approves of China's pick for bishop of Beijing. In case you were worried: Paddington Bear still eats marmalade. Well, it... more ›

Badass: Your private jet holds 180 passengers. Google.com: NASA geeks think it is so cool, they're going to let you park it on their runway. Lame: Being seen in one of those electric cars they sell by 6th and Lamar. More lame than that? Being seen in one of these things. (We're kidding, folks, seriously.) Remember when we told you about that OU guy that tore that UT guy's balls? Yeah, he's going to... more ›

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This Thursday night, the Alamo will host a special advance screening of the new documentary No End In Sight. The film (which won the Special Jury Prize at Sundance earlier this year) paints a grim picture of the current situation in Iraq, and suggests that key errors in policy and strategy have caused a slow but certain spiral into chaos in the war-torn country. more ›

As temperatures climbed over the 100-degree mark for the third straight day on Tuesday, the Texas Longhorns are taking innovative measures to beat the heat. The Longhorns are one of a handful of college and pro teams using the CorTemp ingestible core body thermometer pill. Before practice, a player swallows a silicone-coated capsule the size of a large vitamin. Inside the capsule is a sensor that transmits core body temperature to a data recorder.... more ›

Stop-Loss is the first film from director Kimberly Peirce since her brilliant, award-winning 1999 drama Boy's Don't Cry. Filmed in and around Austin, Stop-Loss follows an Iraq war hero named Brandon King (played by Ryan Phillippe) who returns home only to be called back to active duty under the US military's "stop-loss policy". But rather than return to Iraq, King flees with his friend Michele (Abbie Cornish) while trying to figure a way out of... more ›

Okay, we thought New Mexico guv Bill Richardson had already announced his campaign for Presidency, but guess not. In GOP news, Giuliani isn't polling well in Iowa; Mitt Romney is beating him and McCain in the polls up there. Al Qaeda militants are taking on the military at a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. 71 people have been killed so far. European developers are not amused with soon-to-be-former World Bank Prez Wolfowitz. Former US... more ›

TUESDAY [1] music • The Mohawk Residency series with Peel and Joy Division Cover Band at The Mohawk music • Toots and the Maytals at La Zona Rosa music • Asleep at the Wheel at Waterloo Records (Free, 5pm) music • That Damned Band, Trouble Puppet Theatre, Lowrent the Clown, Luna Tart at Beerland music • Drive By Truckers at Antone's music • The Hudsons at Cactus Café books • Rick Riordan presents Book... more ›

A woman in South Austin was taking out the trash yesterday when she stumbled upon a suspicious-looking device outside her house. This contraption, a metal pipe wrapped in electrical tape, turned out to be what Austin Police are calling an "improvised explosive device," essentially a catch-all term for a homemade bomb. Austin Police Department's Bomb Squad safely detonated the explosive. It's currently believed that yesterday's discovery was unrelated to last week's attempted bombing of the... more ›

What do you give the dear leader who's already got it all? If you're a decorated war vet with medals to spare, one option is (evidently) a Purple Heart. At least that's what Round Rock resident Bill Thomas decided to do when he and his wife met with President Bush yesterday at the Oval Office, where they presented our commander in chief with one of the three Purple Hearts that Thomas received in Vietnam. To... more ›

Note: Several weekend events will be added in the afternoon. THURSDAY [5] fashion/music/party • Car Stereo (Wars), Visuals by Super!Alright!, and 30-40% Everything at Strut (6-10pm) film • "Military Intelligence and You" at Alamo Drafthouse Lakecreek (7:30pm) art •Opening Reception for Aki Nagasaka's "Yellow Labyrinth" at Women and Their Work (6-8pm) books •Pam Oslie presents Love Colors at BookPeople (7:00pm) books •Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht presents "In 1926: Why and How?" at The Harry Ransom... more ›