Having won the Iowa Democratic Primary, U.S. Presidential candidate Barack Obama appears to be rocking and rolling with new momentum. The latest numbers show Obama leading the pack in the New Hampshire Democratic Primary, with Hillary Clinton lagging in second place by a 10 point gap. What's going on here?...

In case you’ve been holed up in your apartment/home/condo with no electricity for the past few days, we’re sad to tell you that Southern California is currently being devoured by raging wildfires, and there are no signs of the fires stopping. CNN is updating like, every 2.3 minutes, and it’s one of the most devastating things we’ve ever seen. Times like these, it feels like there’s not much you can do but sit and refresh......

Someone other than the government might have your census information. Speaking of the government, the feds allowed the Red Cross to visit the "high value detainees" at Guantanamo. The Yankees pitcher who loved flying was killed yesterday in a fiery plane crash in Manhattan. Gothamist kept us updated throughout the afternoon. No more cursive in schools? What about graphologists? Won't somebody think of them? Students at Gallaudet University are so upset with their proposed......

The Red Cross is a beautiful thing. “Together, we can save lives.” And by “save lives” they mean “help you buy a quarter million dollars worth of luxury items.” Dallas volunteer Brian Hines and his sister, Charmaine Hines, used over 100 stolen Red Cross debit cards to purchase jewelry, cars and clothes. We had no idea volunteering had become such a lucrative opportunity. Besides, holiday bling is a far wiser investment than, say, food......

[This post by future Austinist contributor Ami]Specifically, remember to go there next Tuesday or Wednesday night.  No, not the historically significant Alamo in San Antonio, silly, we’re talking about the Alamo Drafthouse Village.  Leave it to our friends at the Alamo to come up with a fantastic fundraiser for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Now, we know that we shouldn’t require some benefit for ourselves in order to help those displaced by the hurricane - we......

Twenty bucks goes a long way on Tuesday night as Antone’s hosts a benefit performance for survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Headliner Alejandro Escovedo will be supported by a who’s who of Austin singer-songwriters including John Dee Graham, Charlie Sexton, James McMurtry, Dan Dyer, Ian McLagan, James McMurtry, Fastball, and Heybale. Doors open at 6, and the show start at 7. Proceeds will benefit the American Red Cross, so please come out and show your......

Listen up, Austinites, Choose Austin First members--many of them restaurants--will donate a portion of their sales tomorrow, SEPTEMBER 8TH, to the American Red Cross Children's Fund. Here is a list of participating businesses. Dinner at Uchi, dessert from Amy's, flowers for loved ones from Freytag's, no prob.......

In times of great tragedy, like the times we seem to be living in right now, people must do their best to help in whatever way they can. Our friends at Mule Design have decided to put their talents to use to create a teeshirt inspired by the recent events in New Orleans, all profits from which will go to the Red Cross. It's a nice way to show your support for those in......

Contaminated water is being pumped out of New Orleans, now that a major levee has been plugged. The mayor is saying it could take up to two months to get the water cleared out and the energy back on. In an article in The Statesman, Austin is praised for its generosity. About three warehouses are full of donations; they're so full, in fact, that donations are being put on hold in Austin . Monetary......

One of the advantages of being marginally employed is that we sometimes have days, like today, off from work. We were going to do something important with our day off, like take out the trash and check our e-mail, but then we kept reading the awful hurricane news. We got all worked up and decided to go do some volunteer work. Note that the last time we did some volunteer work that didn't involve......

Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by Hurricane Katrina. PLEASE /">HELP IF YOU CAN. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott released a statement yesterday warning against price gouging as many residents of Louisiana are seeking shelter in Austin and other Texas cities. Businesses that take advantage of our displaced neighbors need to be reported. UPDATE: Fox7News has a bunch of stuff posted about how Austinites can help hurricane victims . The news......

Thousands of Hurricane Katrina's refugees will be bused to Houston and sheltered at the Astrodome. The news was announced this morning by Rusty Cornelius, administrative coordinator for the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Cornelius said, "We are planning on being able to do a full shelter operation for 25,000 people." The majority of the refugees coming to Texas were staying in the New Orleans Superdome, which held about about 20,000......