This is a good example of poor judgment.The students of Penn State University should have taken a note from their counterparts at Tarleton State University when picking out this year's Halloween costumes. Even more idiotic than their costume idea was their decision to post the resulting pictures on Facebook. Photos of two Penn State students donning Virginia Tech t-shirts, covered with bullet holes and fake blood, were put up on Facebook and quickly spread over......

UN reports: Poorest people are most at risk through climate change. Dick Cheney's heart (ha) may be in trouble. In California, they drink sewage. Sort of. Russian hipsters carefully ignore Stalin, long for the good old days. Speaking as a nation wearing Native American t-shirts, we could teach them a thing or two about revisionist history... Living in the city makes your breasts denser. (This is not a metaphor, and it could be dangerous!)......

Image from AmericanApparel.netAustin will move three steps closer to becoming Southern California a real city a place where you can try on those high-waisted hot shorts and shiny tights before buying them with the opening of three new American Apparel locations (two real stores in Austin and an outlet in Round Rock). The first location will be on the Drag at 2316 Guadalupe, which is good news, because there are few things as vital to......

Photo courtesy Ornamental Things StitchSaturday, November 10Austin Convention Center (500 E Cesar Chavez Street)Doors at 4pm, Fashion show 9:30pm, Tickets $10[info] | [tickets]Austinite Natalie Tischler's reworked vintage jewelry, Ornamental Things, has a strong magnetic pull on us every time we walk into Parts and Labour. It's always hard to decide what's cooler, the button rings or the dangle-y earring and necklaces she creates from things found at flea markets. Natalie's bringing her beautiful pieces to......

We remember Austin Tinius over a year ago, peddling his Burger and Friends line at Circa 77, a boutique in Denton, Texas. Everything was made with a light-hearted, punk-rock sense of humor—from acid colored T-shirts silkscreened with line-drawings of Playboy models posing with a grizzly bear, to Star Wars-inspired wallets and purses. We knew he was on to something. Sure enough, Burger and Friends (finally) got some attention shortly after last year's Stitch. Austin......

The mysterious post that showed up on the John Edwards campaign site last week turns out to have originated from Waxahachie, Texas, a city roughly 30 miles south of Dallas. In it, the enraged parent of a Texas high school student described how his son had had been suspended for wearing an Edwards t-shirt to school — details were scarce, so we weren't sure what the grounds for suspension were. Some Austinist readers speculated that......

Dallas native Ben Kweller is an interesting tangle of contradictions. He's 26, but his first major label album was released a decade ago. Kweller is an indie rock star, but lives in a Brooklyn brownstone with his longtime wife and young son. And his music is accessible and catchy, yet it hasn't quite found the large audience it deserves. Kweller returns to the Austin City Limits Festival for two shows this weekend to bounce......

We always bitch about the small things. Probably because real and heavy oppression either leaves you dead or makes you flee, or imprisons you, or makes you reach for the martini shaker right after breakfast as you shrug and sheepishly tell your children, “Hey, it’s five o’clock somewhere.”...

Once in a while, we like to take some time to introduce you to bands -- both local otherwise -- that we think you'd enjoy. Le Diamont Brut aims to showcase those MySpace gems we hope to see shine. Recommend your local suggestions by emailing music@austinist.com. THE UNFORTUNATE HEADS What’s the Deal: The Austin indie folk fivesome has just released their sophomore disc, Come Be Light. Featuring multi-instrumentation by the likes of banjo, keyboards, upright......

[Editor's note: Cockfight Ethics is a biweekly column written by a long-time Austin opinion-monger and word-slanger, Percy Julian. The opinions expressed herein are the writer’s, and the writer’s alone. They do not necessarily represent those of the Austinist or its editorial staff.] If the other articles don’t hurt me later, this one will, initially. I go to Spider House and Beauty Bar quite often. And each time, I can’t help but to think “Are these......

One of UT's more infamous fraternities is in hot water again, this time as the defendant in a civil lawsuit over assault charges. 21-year-old Michael Austin Presley was allegedly assaulted at a Phi Gamma Delta party on July 7, during which he claims he was beaten and kicked by fraternity member Bryan Kniepp. Presley was left with broken bones in his right eye socket and nose. Not much else is known about the case; the......

Austin native Rebecca Rosenberg has been living in South Korea teaching English, and she wants to share her experiences abroad with all of Austin. Austinist believes that we could all use some Korean culture. After nine months away from Austin, working as an English teacher in South Korea, I most miss lying on the grass with a margarita, relaxing at the meat market that is Barton Springs, with a Shady Thing pilfered from the......

*The views expressed in Foodie Friday are those of the author and do not represent Austinist (and quite often our readership) as a whole. Ahh, the subjective nature of tastebuds.* -The Editors (Playing the part of Foodie Column-IST this week is one of our newest food writers, Veronica Meewes, freshly returned from the greater Tri-state Metropolitan whatsit.) When I return to the Tri-state Area I called home for so many years, there are several......

"This one is called 'Sacrament of the Unholy Communion" -opening act, Ball Gag Boston thrash metal gurus AC have long teased and taunted fans with their relentless pursuit of all things offensive, both audibly and lyrically. Frontman Seth Putnam has spearheaded the band's rise to infamy since 1988, pushing the limits of feasible tongue-in-cheek aversions to political correctness to the outer limits despite death threats, drug-induced comas and censorship woes (well, and a libel......

Let's be honest: everyone loves SXSW week, but when it ends, you are secretly very ready to move on. Before we do, let's take a look at some of the isolated, crazy, and wonderful moments that make SXSW such an over-the-top sensory experience. – The dude at Girl Talk dancing with a broken pinata on his head. Then passing said pinata to someone else to dance with. – Isaac Hayes talking in his famous......

We first ran into The Small Stakes at The Flatstock Poster Show during SXSW 2006. The three-day concert poster convention features works by today's premiere screenprinters and artists. Sifting through the field of amazing choices, we kept finding ourselves returning to The Small Stakes before making our final purchases. We grabbed up a number of their posters that day; now, their business card is the only one we still have. Behind The Small Stakes......

Boutiques are opening, changing or moving everywhere you look around Austin. We found these when we hit the streets this week: Guys into New York’s streetwear look will love Complete Clothing. The men’s boutique carries limited-edition and independent lines geared to people in their 20s, says owner Zaul Zamora. Look around and you’ll find Crayola-colored hoodies, patent-leather sneakers (easier to clean but crease, Zamora says) and graphics-heavy T-shirts from Los Angeles, New York, London......

Anytime over the next three weeks we invite you to visit the Barton Springs spillway, where, while wading in dog piss and dodging abandoned Lone Star tall-boys, you can join us in chuckling at families sporting towels, ear-to-ear grins and National Championship t-shirts. Watch them walk anxiously over to the gates of Barton Springs pool, only to be greeted by an unwelcoming CLOSED FOR CLEANING notice, stenciled on a tattered wooden sign. City of......

We have a confesstion to make: We are not expert gift-wrappers. We can admit it; it's cool. While we have always thought that there was a bit of charm in our mishmash newspaper and (visible) Scotch tape wrap jobs, the truth of the matter is, our friends and family were probably just being kind as they gave an obligatory chuckle upon viewing our shabbily-wrapped tidings. Furthermore, if you’re giving said shambles to certain adorable......

The first-ever Fun Fun Fun Fest is this Friday, December 1st, at Waterloo Park. Over two dozen great acts are on the bill, including Spoon, Peaches, The Black Angels, Prefuse 73, and DJ Mel. Tickets are $20, and can be purchased online. Circle Jerks perform on the Punk stage at 8:55pm. -- The Editors We’re excited to have you coming to Austin. You were here in March attending South By Southwest, right? I’ve been......

Today being National Coming Out Day and all, we think it's the perfect opportunity to clue you in on a nifty nonprof that recently relocated to our little blue oasis: Fine By Me prints t-shirts emblazoned with the simple and catchy slogan, "Gay? Fine By Me." The long and short of it, as told by the FBM folks themselves: The T-Shirt Project is an easy way for the many, many Americans who support their LGBT......

Starting today (actually, you are probably missing some of it right now, so hurry up and finish reading) The Queer Students Alliance of The University of Texas at Austin will be kicking off their sixth annual Pride Week. Until next Monday, October 16th, the QSA will be holding events from early in the morning til late in the evening--from rallies, conferences, workshops, movies and an AIDS walk at Waterloo Park. The theme for this year's......

- Wild Horses Couldn't Sell Those Cheap Seats: Charles Attal must be having some trouble filling those far corners of Zilker Park, because KGSR sent out an email this week offering four Rolling Stones tickets and four concert T-Shirts for $199. If you're keeping score, this is roughly half of the original $95 ticket cost. If you'd like to take advantage of the offer, head over here. - New Concerts Going On Sale his......

With all of the controversy revolving around the belated announcement that McNeil High School administrators have decided to no longer sponsor an annual homecoming dance and the ensuing news coverage and snickering good fun on the interweb, we almost forgot to change our Mavericks muscle calendar from August to September. The Abercrombie & Fitch-style calendar features members of the football team in poses to make grandma proud. Reportedly during the planning stage, doting parents......

Or, if you prefer, swim, bike and then run like hell. The weather is finally cool down to double-digit temps, so it’s a great time to get out and give it all you've got at one of the many races going on this weekend. Arts Run 5K - Saturday, September 9 at 8:30 a.m. We're partial to this race, mostly because the T-shirts look so cool. And it’s all about the shirt, you know.......

Besides the 80 degree August weather, you probably noticed something was a little off this Wednesday. More traffic on the roads, fewer sunbathers at Barton Springs? For those of you who forgot and for those of you who just don't care, The University of Texas began its first day of classes today. A couple of weeks ago, we let you know what’s been happening around campus; now we want to let you know what’s......

On the heels of Central Market’s Hatch Chile Festival, Chuy’s restaurants in Austin (yay!), Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Round Rock and Shenandoah (where?) are two days into their 18th Annual Green Chile Festival which runs Monday, August 28 through Sunday, September 17. The information on Chuy’s website is inversely proportional to the size of their big-ass chimichanga, announcing, “Fun Giveaways, Commemorative T-shirts for sale & great new menu items featuring New Mexico's famous green......

Last week, Austin's American Repertory Ensemble (ARE) was in the land of fried Snicker bars, indiscernible drunkards, and the largest fringe performance festival in the world. (Read: Edinburgh, Scotland.) Everything was laughs and lager until the terrorists got involved. After British police arrested 21 people suspected of planning to blow up a dozen planes with liquid explosives, the UK banned all carry-on items. No more laptops. No more zit cream. No more safe passage......

There will be a free show this weekend for your enjoyment. Fastball along with Kevin McKinney (from Soul Hat), Beto y Los Fairlanes, Alteza, and The Steps will be putting it on hot, live, and FREE at Waterloo Park on Sunday, August 6th. The fun begins at 4PM and the first 1,000 people in attendance are entitled to not only free music, but free swag* as well. How can you beat this deal? Oh......

Poverty, famine, political corruption, a fragile ecosystem that is growing more fragile by the day. The world is facing some serious concerns and we must be very conscientious in the way we move forward if we want to have any hope of leaving it a better place for our children. Author, actor, filmmaker Turk Pipkin felt the weight of these pressing global concerns, so he went and found some of the world’s brightest people......