As SxSW kicks off this year, the world has watched uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia primarily through the lens of social media innovations that launched themselves out of this very city, eg Twitter. more ›

When pairing wine with Mexican food, one might reasonably gravitate toward new-world selections from South America - but next week, Fonda San Miguel will travel a little further, crafting a pairing dinner with South...Africa.

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• 85% of people displaced by flooding in Pakistan are women and children.
• Venezuela deadlier than Iraq, with 16,000 civilian deaths in 2009.
• 33 Chilean miners alive after mine collapse, but it could take four months to get them out.

Tonight is your chance to see famously reclusive author and academic J.M. Coetzee in person. (That’s cut-ZEE-uh, should you need to say it aloud.) Winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize for Literature and one of UT Austin’s most prominent graduates - he received a PhD in Linguistics here, back in the sixties - Coetzee will be speaking in a rare public appearance at UT's LBJ Auditorium at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. He’ll talk about his time in Texas and his boyhood in South Africa. more ›

As American wine consumers retrench in the face of a recession, buying patterns have shifted dramatically. While buyers used to focus on location first, varietal second, and price third, this is no longer the case. Price is now the prime decision maker, and location is now viewed as the third factor in wine purchase decisions, which has led to a number of international wines gaining traction in the USA. Along with Argentina and Chile, South Africa has benefited quite a bit from the turn away from high-priced wines from California and France.

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• Man killed in drive-by shooting on Willow Street.
• Lockerbie bomber released from prison. U.S. not happy.
• South African athlete humiliated by gender testing.

When local artist and entrepreneur Candace Carlisle recently traveled to Cape Town, South Africa, she was struck by the extent to which that society was still overcoming the hardships perpetuated by apartheid. Carlisle was able to visit several townships in and around Cape Town, and bore witness to the many challenges that face the underprivileged residents there — violent crime, HIV, unemployment, and continued racism still routinely threaten stability more than a dozen years after South Africa's first free general election. This weekend, Carlisle will be showing photos from her travels at IF+D, Austin's modern design store with a heart of gold. The artist hopes that her show will raise funds to help support small businesses in the townships. One such organization, Beauty's Sewing School, is run by an HIV positive woman who teaches others how to sew and sell their wares. more ›

J. M. Coetzee is probably the only Nobel Prize winner for Literature with a degree from UT. He spent several years in Austin in the 1960’s, playing intramural cricket, protesting the Vietnam War in the pages of the Daily Texan, and writing a dissertation on Sam Beckett’s novels. A few years later, he returned to South Africa, the country of his birth, and started writing one amazing book after another. (He hasn’t really stopped since then.) He’s visited Austin a few times since then, including a stint in 1995 as a visiting professor at UT. more ›

Hillary Clinton compares Dick Cheney to infamous science fiction character. Guess which one. Thousands are gathering in Jena, LA today in support of the 'Jena 6.' Republican representative claims just too many mosques in this country. The UN's General Assembly is next week and Iranian President Ahmadinejad asked to lay a wreath at Ground Zero. The NYPD is not having it. One heck of prank or one heck of a hangover. 100,000 cans of... more ›

New Yorker Leona ("Queen of Mean") Helmsley seals her fate as a heartless biatch by leaving $12 million, the majority of her will, to her dog. Lindsay Lohan checklist: Coke possession. Check. Arrested. Check. Sex Scene? Check! With his last official day of work approaching this Friday, Karl Rove's car got Saran Wrapped and slapped with an I Heart Obama sticker. Straight out of the 18th century--drug dealer gets tarred, feathered while holding a... more ›

The Boggs Forts Forts is quite possibly a modern breakthrough in the use of fusing modern sampling and eclectic songwriting. The Boggs create a stirring soundscape of both cut-up and collage and multi-cultura pop songs around foreign noise with traditional rock elements (guitar, bass drums etc). There are elements of '60s influence in tunes like the left field "Kinkesque", "Little Windows" and bouncy glam rock ala "Arm In Arm". However, the album really starts going... more ›

*The views expressed in Truesday are those of the author and do not represent Austinist as a whole. Thank heavens.* -The Editors Nothing quite like a reunion to remind us how important we must convince ourselves we are, to ourselves, to make up for what little regard the rest of our known, historical universe holds for us. Because really, it’s a question of perspective. And I don’t mean that in a “half full, or... more ›

SXSW has truly built a strong reputation around the world, and every year various countries send their top-notch artists to Austin to display their nation’s talent. Scandinavia is one such area with a booming music scene. Danish band Mew and Sverige’s own Loney, Dear (Emil Svanängen) will bring their best to the festival this year. Finland, too, is doing its bit, with the Finnish Moosic Tour. Featuring punk rock from Disco Ensemble and electro-pop from... more ›

Okay then. I’m not going to launch into some worthless tirade about Texas weather, but I will say that it is seriously fucking with my sleep. Well, it’s joining forces with other less-pleasant elements to turn my private slumberland into a deranged dreamscape that would likely force Snake Pliskin to gouge out his last functioning eye. 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 ›

Ahhh, it’s that time of year again – can you smell the celebrity sweat in the air? Oscar time, baby! The 78th annual Academy Awards will air March 5 on ABC. Plan your party now: gather your friends together, don your Oscar de la Renta (that was kind of a pun, see?), break out the Dom Perignon Andre and the brie, place your bets and watch the magic unfold. The absolute best part about... more ›

That’s right bitches, Dave "I’m Not Crazy and I Don’t Have a Drug Problem" Chappelle is coming to the Frank Erwin Center on Sunday, November 13th. Chappelle has only a handful of dates scheduled for his comedy tour, including only one other stop in Texas. Tickets for the show are priced at $40-$50 and they will quickly sell out when they go on sale this Saturday at 10 a.m. Chappelle made news earlier this... more ›

Shocking news has surfaced revealing that Dave Chappelle, star of Comedy Central’s “Chappelle’s Show,” has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital in South Africa. It may seem like just another Kaufman-esque type joke , but all signs point to Dave Chappelle and his show not returning to its sketch comedy throne anytime soon. Chappelle, who received a new 2-year 50 million dollar contract for seasons three and four, has pushed production back several times... more ›