Giving someone a gift card for Christmas may be wildly popular, but it doesn't always show a lot of imagination. The Austin Community Foundation believes they've found something better. more ›

Slip-on your shoes on March 2nd and head over to see native Texan Blake Mycoskie, TOMS Shoes Chief Shoe Giver speak as part of the RGK Center’s Frances Moody Newman Distinguished Lecture Series and the RISE Austin entrepreneurship conference. The lecture -which is free and open to the public- will begin at 6:30 PM at the AT&T Executive Education & Conference Center ballroom on the University of Texas at Austin campus. more ›

House passes proposal allowing concealed, loaded handguns in national parks. Rail = jobs. Minnesota parent and cancer-stricken son on the run. American Idol results: we're still totally stunned anyone cares. Making his party proud. OpenAustin: crowdsourcing the unemployed for the city's new website. The Uber-Rich meet about "philanthropy." more ›

we are co-sponsoring the 2009 edition of the 6th annual Kick Ass Awards this Friday at BookPeople (our co-sponsor). Come one, come all and bask in the glorious warmth that is community recognition! more ›

After more than six years with our country hog-tied by George W. Bush and his Texas neo-con cronies, it is not hard to feel a nostalgic pull to the nineties. We may not be longing for rap-rock, JNCO jeans or Pauly Shore, but the roaring nineties and their dot-com excess did have some bright spots. Like a good president. (Though even Warren G. Harding looks pretty good right now.) If you are looking for... more ›

Or so the people at HappyNews.com like to think. Today they released their Top Ten Happy Stories of 2006. Some of these items are genuine "news" items, such as NBA player Dikembe Mutombo donating millions of dollars to start a hospital in his native Congo, Warren Buffett's ginormous donation to the Gates foundation, and Google allowing free book downloads. The website also includes some random human interest stories on the list, such as "Boy... 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 ›

The BBC mistakenly interviewed a cab driver instead of the computer expert they intended. Check out the video. South Texas is hot, but when you perspire tar, its time to get checked out. Morgellons Disease has many doctors and scientists stumped. In England, a court ruled that patients can get reimbursed for the cost of their surgery if they have to travel to a foreign country to get it done in a timely manner.... more ›

Starting this Friday, Austinist has yet another perfect excuse for getting out of the city for a day and enjoying the nearby hill country: Clifford's Original Wine Bar is opening its doors. [Visit Clifford's Website] Built in a clearing on the rolling hills of Wimberley, just minutes from Wimberley Square (roughly 40 minutes from Travis Heights), Clifford's Original stocks a fabulous selection of wines both domestic and international, with a well-represented assortment of reds and... more ›

Remember how several weeks ago we told you about about the International Folk Alliance Conference being in town and all? Well, apparently, they were on to something. The Austin Business Journal is reporting that Texas Folklife Resources has received a $60,000 grant. The financial benevolence comes from the Meadows Foundation, a Dallas-Based philanthropy group. more ›