paraflyer/flickrWe here at Austinist are asking for your help. In a story that could only be described as utterly heartbreaking, Josh Talbot, a junior Radio-TV-Film student at UT, is in desperate need of both white blood cells and a bone marrow donor. What started out as a case of mononucleosis in September has morphed into a very rare complication from Epstein-Barr called Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). We’ll spare you a long-winded medical dissertation and sum it......

Our "heavy" rains have dripped into the burned out Governor's Mansion. Driver dead after hydroplaning and hitting an 18-wheeler head-on in Bastrop. EPPICard/Texas Debit Card users a target for identity thieves. UT team working on a pen-shaped probe that could someday help detect skin cancer. San Angelo judge orders Warren Jeffs' teenage wife to be removed from her mother's care and placed in foster care. exas musician Pat Green knocked out by thrown beer can during a Michigan concert after asking, "Anyone got a beer?"...

For what it’s worth, Los Angeles really has a toehold on trendy noise-rock right now. First you have the ubiquitous No Age, who have visited Austin at least twice this year already, and then you’ve also got their caps-lock lovin’ pals HEALTH also touring the States as of right this second. A quartet who formed not even three years ago, HEALTH have already been (some would say excessively) hyped by indie media outlets galore, including but not limited to the insufferable know-it-alls at Pitchfork, who invited the band to play their music festival just this past weekend. Having cut a split 7” with equally buzzed-about group Crystal Castles and planning a few tour dates with of Montreal in the near future, HEALTH seem poised to remain on the tips of tongues at least until the inevitable backlash in a few weeks. ...

Man who escaped Fayette County jail over the weekend found in Houston. APD chief fired a detective today for insubordination (keeping up financial investigations when he had been told to stop). This sort of thing seems to work better on TV. Three men from Central Texas are sentenced to two years in prison for identity theft after cashing fake checks. Grand jury rules that the Pasadena man who shot the two men robbing his neighbor's house shouldn't be charged. District Judge rules that Democrat Bill Dingus can run against current State Speaker of the House Craddick for his seat....

The Texas House is looking at ways to curb "ghost voting". Hutto residents speak out against the proposal to set up high-voltage transmission lines through the town. At least ten of the "girls" removed from the FLDS sect are really adult women; officials have been told that there may still be some children at the YFZ compound. Preliminary autopsy results are inconclusive for Raymond Moxley (the 81-year-old with 50 bee stings); officials think the toxicology results will provide them with answers. Nuclear waste will soon be on its way to West Texas, and some New Mexico residents aren't happy about it....

First the traffic cams, now this: Chief Acevedo wants surveillance cameras on high-crime zones. Rep. Krusee from Round Rock, who fought for harsher DWI laws, was arrested last night on DWI charges. Blame a water main break on why you were stuck in traffic this morning near Lavaca and Fifth. American Lung Association gives our city a D for ozone pollution....

Bush to meet Benedict at the airport, near the Alitalia baggage claim, holding a white carnation. If they miss each other they'll use their cell phones. Sure, and NOBODY was bitter during the Depression. Tell that to Herbert Hoover. Bloomberg picks gun control as way to bring himself to national attention - almost as politic a choice as that congestion pricing thing. Gawker Media is selling Wonkette. We care more than we should. Supposedly,......

Obama had "three times as much money in the bank at the end of February as Hillary Clinton." This puts him at a significant advantage as the Democratic convention grows closer. Yes! Money can buy you happiness. But here's the rub: You have to give it to someone else. The Chinese government claims that the Dalai Lama is colluding with Muslim terrorists to disrupt the coming Olympic Games. There may be water on one......

Mistah Castro, he dead. Well, not really, but he did resign. Big shocker: Pappy Bush endorses McCain. Those without health insurance receive their cancer diagnoses much later in the disease's progress. Doctors are trying to fix the fertility drug triplet syndrome. Oh man, HD DVDs are really kaputski. Boy, did we bet on the wrong horse....

Obama takes South Carolina by storm in the Democratic Primary contest with 55% of the vote. Hillary came in second with 27% and Edwards landed in third position with 18%. The Vineland Festival - originally scheduled for its debut in August 2008 - has been temporarily canceled by its promoter, Austin's C3 Presents. New study claims that isolation's not only bad for human beings, but that it "breeds belief in the supernatural." English doctors......

Cap Metro bus caught fire on northbound 183 this morning. Ronnie Earle endorses Rosemary Lehmberg, his co-worker, to run for his current position. A case of death, mutilation and possible cannibalism in Tyler over the weekend....

Schwarzenegger continues to make us weirdly like him. (But we're still not moving to California.) Castro beginning to show signs of willingness to retire. Monkeys are better at estimating quantities than Duke undergrads. Students, beware: Professors are spying on your Facebookings. Good news: Cancer death rates are falling in the United States. Lady lets the New York Times take a picture of her Celine Dion tattoo. Are Leno and Conan scabbing, technically?......

Russian Premier, er, we mean President Putin using Soviet-style measures to suppress political opposition? The evidence just keeps on rolling in... Yesterday, British forces formally handed the province of Basra to the Iraqi government. This is the ninth province transferred to Iraqi control by American-led forces since July 2006. The week-long U.N. climate-change conference, held in Bali, ended last Friday. A ranking has been released showing which countries have the most proactive greenhouse gas......

Son of Rambow - Free Screening!Monday, December 10thAlamo Drafthouse South Lamar (1120 S. Lamar)Free, 7pm[info]Amidst the blood, guts and graphic violence of Fantastic Fest 2007, which we lovingly embraced in all its gory glory, was nestled a small, quiet film about the wonders and struggles of growing up and growing out. Son of Rambow was like a tall glass of Iced Tea on a 110 degree day: refreshing, calming and cool. We went into......

Photo by mirsasha on flickr In June an APD officer sped 139 miles/hour through a funeral procession on Mopac; he resigned in November. Ford recalling over a million trucks and SUVs because of a faulty engine sensor. The Austin Energy Alt-Car Expo is coming next October. Texas Legislative Conference (who?) names Lt. Gov. Dewhurst as Texan of the Year. New state law set to go into effect January 1 charges $5 per each strip club......

A teenage gunman wishing to "go down in style" killed 8 people, then himself, at an Omaha Shopping Mall. Hearings began yesterday in landmark case about whether Guantanamo detainees have a constitutional right to challenge their imprisonment. A portion of the US-Mexico border fence may be put on a wildlife refuge. If you drive by any Austin area high school right after school lets out, you will not be surprised by this. What's worse......

Image from www.ajataharimarsh.com In addition to being a photographer and designer, Chef Aja Tahari Marsh (pronounced "Asia") is a trained chef with a focus on sustainable and organic foods. She studied at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in New York City and has brought her skills home to Texas where she now works as a personal chef and cooking instructor. Tonight, she'll be teaching a knife skills class, and upcoming classes......

"Barista Babe" From Unrelated Source, Found on Seattle MetblogsA new coffee trailer in South Austin is hoping to capitalize on the recent "sexpresso" fad that's taken over Seattle. Latte Dolls offers a selection of coffees and espresso drinks served by scantily-clad female baristas with stripper fascinating names like Kyana, Alysha, and Reyna. Touting itself as a "highly-personalized, memorable and convenient coffee alternative to morning commuters and the mobile labor force of Austin," the stand plans......

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!)......

Senator Barack Obama delivered a rousing speech to thousands of die-hard supporters this past Saturday at the Backyard, touching on just about every hot issue at the core of next year's election debates. Pledging to shut down Guantanamo, restore habeas corpus, and renew the hunt for Al Qaeda, Obama stressed the need for a stronger international agenda and quoted Kennedy's famous inaugural address—"Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear......

Warhol painting of Liz Taylor fetches $23 million. Proof that we started this whole campaign thing a little too early. O.J. "relies on the jury system." WWII plane appears on shore sixty-five years after it went down. Spanish is the most popular foreign language to study while in college; Arabic is quickly gaining popularity. Here's a list of the Top 10 Worst Toys for this holiday season. Careful going out this weekend, one million......

Stay away from the Denver International Airport. Major anti-abortion group endorses that Law & Order guy. Ship spills more than 1.3 million gallons of oil into the Black Sea. As if Russia's environment wasn't effed up enough... New studies show that children who are identified as troubled in kindergarten might end up doing fine in elementary school. So give the kids a chance, okay? Having good friends at work makes you less stressed out.......

All state constitutional amendments passed in the election yesterday. Famed architect Frank Gehry is being sued by MIT for the design for the Stata Center. "Product of a judicial system dominated by men": According to the Board of immigration appeals, genital cutting isn't enough to grant asylum, but forced sterilization is. Anti-Musharraf protesters angry about emergency rule were beaten by police in Pakistan today. Surgery to remove 4 extra limbs from an Indian girl......

Hark! U.S. health care reform cometh, and that right soon! Boston Red Sox win World Series. Homus Neanderthalensis may have been the Earth's first natural redhead. Study suggests that sexual orientation is coded in genetic material. Wired Magazine's review of the new Mac operating system. French president evidently working overtime to reinforce common stereotypes held about the French people. Sacre bleu! New Jersey school proves the true importance of accessories in a Halloween costume.......

Paul Ross Evans gets 40 years in federal prison for attempting to blow up the Austin Women's Health Center in April. The state's first sex offender treatment program may start in Milam County. Mueller Property Owners Association Open House tomorrow (Sat, Oct. 20) from 10am to 2pm at Mueller Central. Will your comments and questions be addressed? Is Dubya really the best fund-raising tool the Cornyn campaign can come up with? Georgetown woman escapes......

A middle school in Maine has greenlighted birth control pills in their health center. An illegal immigrant with a seriously contagious form of TB criss-crossed the US-Mexico border 76 times. The military accidentally advertises on GLEE.com, a website for gay professionals. I think we might have to say the answer is, no. And then there were 12...or whatever, we lost count already. Apple to now allow unlicensed applications to be downloaded onto the iPhone.......

An industrial crane toppled this morning in the 900 block of Red River Street. No one was hurt when the crane fell, police said. Red River Street between 9th and 10th was shut for about two hours but reopened shortly after 11 a.m. The site under construction is near the Sheraton Hotel and is a four-story apartment building. Update: (10:40am) The Austin American Statesman has reported that the crane is not one of the giant......

The British are pulling out half their Iraq troops by spring. Take us with you! Please? It's been 40 years since Che died, and all we got is this lousy T-shirt. Poor Joe Biden. At least when we throw a party and nobody shows, it doesn't get written up in the national news. See, skydiving *is* dangerous - just not the way we thought. TiVo soon to offer music - but there are possibly......

The Health Alliance For Austin Musicians (or HAAM) provides local artists with low-cost health care and other related services. This year’s HAAM Benefit Day is here (today), and the organization is presenting numerous shows all over town this evening, along with a Telethon on ME Television. One can offer their assistance in funds by donating online as well. The HAAM Benefit Day is presented with support from a number of entities, including Whole Foods......

Huge Arctic icemelt convinces even some global warming skeptics. Texas oilman pleads guilty to paying Saddam Hussein money in order to gain access to his raw materials. Profits make you do strange things... They found a (very old) former Nazi dog trainer in Georgia. Saber-toothed tiger was more like a bear than a cat. Next time you dress your man down for leaving his clothes on the floor, remind him it's all for your......