Most Popular
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Barack Obama and Me
It was the year 2000 and I was a young hungry reporter in Chicago covering a young hungry state legislator
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Mescaline on the Mexican Border
Texas is the only state in the country where peyote is sold legally. Really.
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A Prison Cover-up During Hurricane Rita
For days after the storm, inmates in Beaumont lived without A/C, electricity or hot meals. Press releases kept saying everything inside was fine. Guards and prisoners agree — that was nothing but B.S.
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Little Bitty Burger Barn
"It's okay to be little bitty in the big city" is an apt slogan for this new burger joint, where sliders rule
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Ghost Town CFS: Carriage House Cafe
Step back in time to a spooky old carriage barn with a monster chicken-fried steak
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Barack Obama and Me (246)
It was the year 2000 and I was a young hungry reporter in Chicago covering a young hungry state legislator
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Save Lobo: A Siberian Husky Mix is Sentenced to Die (28)
Why? Because he's big and intimidating and because one family complained about him over and over again
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A Prison Cover-up During Hurricane Rita (13)
For days after the storm, inmates in Beaumont lived without A/C, electricity or hot meals. Press releases kept saying everything inside was fine. Guards and prisoners agree — that was nothing but B.S.
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Rotten to the Corps: A Question of Justice at Texas A&M (140)
Thanks to A& M and a district attorney, two cadets escape punishment for beating in a student's face
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Are You Hot Enough for Citizen Lounge? (6)
All This Useless Beauty
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"CSI: The Experience"
Exhibit inspired by CBS series puts you behind the evidence
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Lisa Landolt and Jo Barrett
Two law-school-grads-turned-chick-lit-authors show us amore might be the death of us yet
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Michael Winslow
The man with ten thousand noises comes to Houston
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Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Parade
Watch downtown turn into cowpoke heaven
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Free First Sundays: Family Flicks
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston hosts four kid-friendly films
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Geraldo Rivera Is Stupid: A Review of His Panic: Why Americans Fear Hispanics in the U.S.
06:06AM 03/09/08 -
Weekend Music: Help Save the Houston Music Scene
03:54PM 03/07/08 -
To Do: Hockey and Roller Derby
04:12PM 03/07/08 -
Sausage Fest: Bangers and Mash at Red Lion Pub
11:40AM 03/08/08
What we are writing about
- American Gangster
- Amy Sillman: Suitors...
- birth defects
- Bob Dylan
- Christmas Tree-O
- Continental Club
- Houston art
- Houston local music
- Houston music stores
- Houston Rockets
- Houston theater
- I'm Not There
- illegal immigrants
- Main Street Theater
- McGonigel's Mucky Duck
- Meridian
- Perspectives 158:...
- players' scoring averages
- Proletariat
- Rudyard's
- Rumors
- Sig's Lagoon
- Somerville
- Sound Exchange
- toxic industrial...
- Toyota Center
- Turkeys of the Year
- Verizon Wireless Theater
- Warehouse Live
- Wii
Recent Articles By Bob Ruggiero
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Detroit Cobras, Willowz
concert preview
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Valient Thorr, Riverboat Gamblers
Valient Thorr and Riverboat Gamblers perform Monday, August 6, at Red Room inside Meridian, 1503 Chartres, 713-225-1717. ASG and Totimoshi are also on the bill.
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Grady
Grady performs Saturday, July 28, at the Continental Club, 3700 Main, 713-529-9899. Studio Magick Black is also on the bill.
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Elvis on Speed, Amplified Heat
Elvis on Speed and Amplified Heat perform Friday, July 13, at Rudyard's, 2010 Waugh, 713-521-0521.
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Houston Roller Derby
Skating queens hit the rink -- and each other
National Features
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SF Weekly
The Candidate
Our columnist knows Ralph Nader's running mate all too well.
By Matt Smith -
The Pitch
How Not To Be a Rap Star
First of all, lay off the Ecstasy.
By Nadia Pflaum -
Village Voice
Project Runaway
What becomes a gossip columnist most?
By Michael Musto
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Parade
Watch downtown turn into cowpoke heaven
By Bob Ruggiero
Published: February 28, 2008As a ten-year-old Yankee transplant to Houston in the mid-70s, the strangest cultural tradition I encountered (outside of the delicacy called Frito pie) was the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Parade of cowboys, Stetsons and Dolly Parton lookalikes that signaled the kickoff of the rodeo. For two weeks, I would give my goombahs back home reports of record-size pigs from the local nightly news. Since then Ive learned that rodeo time is an integral part of Houstons cultural fabric, even if these days, more people are interested in seeing Hannah Montana than the steer-wrestling semifinals.
The 2008 celebration kicks off with the annual parade, marking the marchs 70th anniversary. Original parade organizers envisioned something with the pomp and ceremony of a Roman holiday presumably without the Christian-eating lions. Today the parade is made up of thousands of cowboys and cowgirls on horseback, marching bands, decorated floats and giant balloons (oh, and the occasional hay bale hottie). Baseball legend Craig Biggio is this years grand marshal. Hey, its the rodeo everyone wants in on the act. 10 a.m. The parade route begins at Smith and Texas, and ends at Walker and Bagby. For information, call 832-667-1000 or visit www.rodeohouston.com. Free.
Sat., March 1, 10 a.m., 2008








