Texas?

Most Americans’ perceptions of Texas are fairly negative, insofar as the state is known for Big Oil, cruelty to immigrants, and its status as the death penalty capital of the United States.

But what about Austin, the south’s Mecca of live music and one of our nation’s most important points of the development of cutting-edge technology?

At left are the words of American science and environmental journalist Andrew Revkin, who has written on a wide range of subjects including the destruction of the Amazon rainforest, sustainable development, climate change, and the changing environment around the North Pole.

If I had the slightest reason to be in Austin a few days from now, it would be a great honor to be in this man’s presence.