Daily - The Austin Chronicle (2024)

Hmmm, I wonder who created the Austin Listening site advertising Austin Police Department's chief search?

Jesus, everything about this endeavor screams "budget" at the top of its lungs – from the crass wallpaper advertising public-sector pimps MGT of America (who I suppose was tasked with doing "community outreach") to creation of a Statesman blog (free, natch) to having the contact e-mails be freebie Gmail accounts. I'm surprised there are no Google AdWords up on that piece to turn a quick buck.

Now I'm not saying these community sites need to be gleaming, tag-able Web 2.0 monsters that will crash any computer older than three months. But a little effort would be nice. With disturbing details leaking out about the police shooting in East Austin this weekend, the Austin blogosphere all abuzz today about an UT student documentary on APD's use of force, and the impending Justice Department investigation of the department, it would be nice if the APD search info didn't look like it was cobbled together by that cousin of yours who's "good with computers."

But with people like Texas Monthly publisher/Public Safety Task Force member Mike Levy complaining that the entire police chief search has been done on the cheap, you can't be too surprised.

Still shaken from this visitation.

It happened at Chuy's. At happy hour.

We are convinced it had nothing to do with the margaritas: rocks, no salt. We did, after all, obtain photographic proof.

First, la virgen herself, or perhaps a beatific prankster, appeared in the queso, but Kate B. was so famished that she dipped and scooped, and the lady disappeared.

We were lucky – blessed, you might say. The spirit was strong, despite the will being weak, yet we were still offered one more chance at redemption, to appreciate the benevolence of her visitation – an intimate encounter, if you will. (See pic.)

She came in a blaze of maize. Gentle, symmetrical folds. Tender, blushing button. Hosanna. Hey. Sanna. Sanna. Sanna corn. Aparicion misteriosa.

TODAY'S EVENTS

¡BAILE! Queer Night on the Ranch! at Esquina Tango

Slam Portal VIII: Swift Justice at Central Machine Works

MUSIC | MOVIES | ARTS | COMMUNITY

If George Bush swears in public, so can TV! That's the gist of a decision in favor letting the odd rude NSFW term through on broadcast TV.

The Federal Communications Commission, which never met a media merger it didn't like, just got slapped by the U.S. Court of Appeals in New York for coming down so hard on TV networks for the odd swear word. The Big Four – CBS, ABC, NBC, and Fox – said this was a capricious and unworkable change in decades of policy that didn't hold networks liable for the odd accident – like, say, an embedded reporter letting one fly when a shell almost takes their head off or when it's artistically justified. Or when Lindsay Lohan is, ahem, tired and emotional.

The Bush-era FCC has been cracking down on what it calls fleeting expletives, like when someone gets carried away at an awards show and the outside broadcast unit technicians don't get to the bleep button in time. This led to some hypocrisy-baiting: The judges said if Bush and Cheney are going to swear like sailors on shore leave, then TV news should have the right to report it.

The court had most problems with the FCC's term "fleeting expletive." What is a fleeting expletive? One swearword? Several said very quickly? What about if it's in a foreign language? Or what if it's only one, but you say it really, really long? Like fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhh – you get the idea.

"There's a lot of games left – don't give up on us" – Astros SS Adam Everett after Saturday's 8-3 win over St. Louis

Most years the Houston Astros are only interesting if they're at or near the top of the league. Let's face it, personality and charismawise, we're not exactly talking Johnny Damon or Manny Ramirez here. Even that midnight creeper A-Rod just got a whole lot more interesting in the last week or so. (Come back, Derek Bell, all is forgiven.) This year, however, they may be sucking wind in the standings – 23-33 after Sunday's loss, 8.5 games behind the pacesetting Brewers – but there's all sorts of interesting subplots to hold fans' interest. Lucky us.

Thursday, June 7, 2007
Snark-free edition:

Item 3: Settlement between the city and the Lower Colorado River Authority over use of return flows and pending applications for water-rights determinations before the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Fun!

Item 8: $750,000 loan to Las Manitas, forgivable after five years of payments, under the city’s new Business Retention and Enhancement Program.

Item 9: Authorizing the $5 million in bond dollars allocated to repairs and improvements at Austin Studios.

Item 11: What looks like the anti-chaining ordinance from the Animal Advisory Commission.

Item 12: $135,000 for Water Treatment Plant 4 lawyering regarding endangered species – bringing the total to $235,000.

Item 13: Amending the SMART Housing program to include the Affordable Housing Incentives Task Force's recommendations.

Item 15: Charging fees for use of the Mexican American Cultural Center and staff.

Item 17: $1.5 million for land for an an Asian-American Resource Center.

Public Works: Seven construction contracts

Purchasing Office: 16 contracts, including

Item 52: Awarding Morris Williams Golf Course concessionaire contract to campus-burger legend Player's.

Item 55: Council creates Energy Depletion Risks (i.e., peak oil) Task Force

Item 59: Action on remaining AHITF recos

10:30am – Morning Briefings
Item 70: Discussion of policy direction for the Fiscal Year 2007-2008 Budget.

4pm – Zoning Ordinances
Second and third reading on Caswell Lofts, Lamar/Manchaca mixed-use (Habibi's Hutch, et al.). Plus first on a mess more (18).

It was perfect, really. There among the sound of motorcycle engines gunning and the smell of diesel and T-shirts with sayings like “If you can read this, the bastard won’t let me drive,” Jennifer Herrema, often imitated, never duplicated, and RTX stumbled onstage Friday night at Emo’s. With white fox tails draped around her neck, a sweatshirt over her ratty blond hair, and a lit cigarette constantly in hand, she looked like the pied piper of gutter metal. That’s perfect, too, because RTX’s latest, Western Xterminator, is straight road hog from the Sunset Strip circa 1989, and they did not disappoint.

Herrema sat on the drum kit, fell to her knees, and two-stepped around in her snake-skin boots. Her voice is a little clearer than in her Royal Trux days, and the band fogged up the place via big-hair riffs. Sadly, their cover of Fang's (Fang! Does anyone remember Fang?) "The Money Will Roll Right In" wasn't on the set list, but the crowning moment came toward the end of the night, when Herrema finally dropped the bag she’d had strapped across her chest, pulled out a lovely and elusive powder-blue fox tail, and dropped it on the ground. Just like that. Poof.

PHOTO GALLERIES