10 Million Down, 990 Million To Go.

(BBC NEWS)
The northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has attempted to set a world record by planting 10 million trees in a single day on Tuesday.

Officials say the plantings, aiming to raise awareness of the need to protect the environment, were a success.
In all, 10,266,736 saplings were planted at 9,320 sites across Uttar Pradesh's 70 districts.
The authorities say they have notified Guinness World Records of their attempt and are awaiting confirmation. The record stands at 852,587 trees, planted in 6,284 locations in Tamil Nadu state in 2006.

The programme has been included in The Billion Tree Campaign being run by the United Nations Environment Programme. Banks and other institutions provided the financial help needed to procure saplings. BK Patnaik, chief conservator at the state forest department, said: "The response from the people was overwhelming and heartening."

The leader of India's governing Congress Party, Sonia Gandhi, planted a sapling in her parliamentary constituency of Rai Bareli. Read On>>

Patton Oswalt's New Austin Album

Patton's on my short list of favorite comedians/writers/actors (still alive), up there with Janeane Garofalo, David Cross, and Maria Bamford.

The CD was cut here at Cap City, and the included full-show DVD somewhere else. Last time he was in town he played Emo's with Garafalo - check his web page for his valentine to Austin (and eulogy to Houston).

Buy this album now, so that you will associate his brilliance with me and love me more.

Finally. One of Rove 's Chickens Comes Home to Roost.

It's been 25 years since Turd Blossom bugged his own office, here in downtown Austin, greasily insinuating his opponents were responsible. And now:

Senate panel subpoenas White House aide Rove

Thu Jul 26, 2007 1:15PM EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The chairman of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee said on Thursday he had subpoenaed two more White House aides, including political adviser Karl Rove, in the probe of fired federal prosecutors. More>>

I was afraid he'd have to shoot someone in the face before someone did something about him "shooting" people in the "face."

Please, please, please, let this be something.

It's Wednesday. Conditions are Perfect.

Two years ago I saw these cats' HBO special. Then I DVRed it and watched with Mom and Dad during one of their visits. Last month I peed myself a little when I heard about this.
Up to episode 6, man.

It's what I'm into.


Also, if you misspell "hiphopoppotumus" in a Google search, the only result is a Texpatriate blog entry. So I got that going for me.

The "$100 Laptop" Ships (for 100 Euros)

The XO-1 project is something I've been very excitedly talking about for five years, with responses from "wouldn't that be nice" to rolled eyes. The "One Laptop Per Child" nonprofit org (extremely cool-looking website) was created by MIT faculty to provide schools in developing countries with cheap, rugged, full-feature computers. There are very few moving parts, and they use free, open source software, starting with a Linux operating system.

The cost is actually $176, but will drop disproportionately to production (the price will also obey Moore's Law). Ten years ago I bought me a very loud, very heavy 2-gigabyte hard drive for $250. Today, a 2G memory stick that you can lose in your pocket costs 20 bucks.
Here's a picture of kids in Thailand using the XO-1 to take web shots of what looks like animal poop on a leaf. Proof positive that it's contributing to the lives of children, I tell you what.

Mediapersons Report Patil's Over 3 Lakh Vote Value as Big Margin

This Times of India article makes me pine, yet again, for the India-specific wordsmithing. Especially the copious use of "absconding."

Anyway, Pratibha Patil is India's new President.


According to the Times, "in the final count, Patil got a vote value of 6,38,116 while Shekhawat secured 3,31,306 in an electoral college of 10.98 lakh."

As you know, a lakh is one hundredth of a crore.

Uprooting Austin's Holly Street Power Plant

The tubes-and-concrete blight that is the Holly Power Plant will finally close. Built almost 50 years ago, plant staff have been busy turning the useless hulk into our own little Jolly Rubino. It barely supplies a tenth of Austin's power grid, yet has bullied a loud, ugly, foul-smelling footprint on the banks of Town Lake since 1960.

Even though a Texas Dept. of Health report didn't find immediate risks to Austin residents, it lists 17 major leak incidents, including fuel oil, turbine oil and lubricants. Oh, and PCBs.

Did I mention that it's caught fire four times since 1993? Whoever was in charge of keeping this corpse resuscitated through all that for 47 years (including a City Council decision to close it two years ago, which they reneged on) needs to be repurposed for good. Put them in charge of the Save Barton Springs coalition. Hell, hire them for Austin's GreenChoice program, and keep 'em on familiar turf.

In 1989 I was a wide-eyed 23-yr-old tooling around Austin with my fishing pole tied to my bike. I stopped at the Longhorn dam and dropped my lure in. After a minute the quiet was shattered by a voice blasting across the river: "Jimbo Whosit, call on line four. Jimbo Line four." Then, as I was packing up (nary a bite), this obnoxious mechanical whine started up inside the plant, spooking grackles from the trees.

After its razing (not a moment too soon) the only thing remaining will be that way cool arch along the hike and bike trail.


Good riddance to bad rubbish. Let's turn it into an Eastside brewpub and outdoor stage!

What I Imagined People Were Saying...

"When I was 11, 12, 13..."

My laugh-out-loud for the day: Simon Rich's article in The New Yorker's Shouts & Murmurs.

“I’m impressed by the fact that he isn’t trying to call attention to himself.”

Girls Rock - The Doc

Stumbled on this while "researching" standup acts. Have I mentioned I have 3 daughters? That rock?
I know, how awesome is this?
Seattle Int'l Film Fest Official Selection. Coming in 2008. We'll be there.

Crouching Bunker, Circled Wagons

Dad sent me the Washington Post series on our psychopathic thug of a VP, Angler "What a Dick" Cheney. I'm halfway through; so far it's fantastic.

Also came across this Post article, by staff writer Peter Baker, from a few days ago.

"In public and in private, according to intimates, he (Dubya) exhibits an inexorable upbeat energy that defies the political storms. Even when he convenes philosophical discussions with scholars, he avoids second-guessing his actions. He still acts as if he were master of the universe, even if the rest of Washington no longer sees him that way.

'You don't get any feeling of somebody crouching down in the bunker,' said Irwin M. Stelzer, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute who was part of one group of scholars who met with Bush. "This is either extraordinary self-confidence or out of touch with reality. I can't tell you which.'"

I can! Me, me! Pick me! Ooo, I know! Teacher, I can tell you which!

It is federal law that the VP must stand this far behind the President when his pants are on fire.

Forgive Me For Taking Up So Much of Your Time

How ardently? Most.


(This is a feature on Charlyne Yi's MySpace page. Interesting: this scene traces back the first use of the term "yadda yadda.")