Costa Rica

Constitutional Right to Bear Arms Found in Only Three Nations -- Rest of World Smothered in Tyranny, Apparently

We've known for some time that the American Constitution, that yellowed document containing all our inalienable and God-given rights, was a special slip of parchment. The first of its kind, we've been told. The example. The lodestar. The exceptional. But recent research, publicized last week in Blo ... More >>

First Look at Cove, the New Raw Bar Inside Haven

Jean-Philippe Gaston, the sous chef at Haven, is curling vermillion-colored slices of yellowfin tuna into elegant half-rosettes with his fingers before placing them gently on a white plate, all in a gently curving row. It doesn't take long; he plates as swiftly and surely as he cut the ribbons of fi ... More >>

ACL 2012: Saturday's 9 Best & Funniest Moments at Zilker

The return of terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad rain made Saturday a muddy but fun mess. Thankfully, the downpours didn't dampen the spirits of the crowd on day two of ACL, but it did seem to thin out the herds. Aside from remembering how to walk in inches-deep goop like we did back at the Dillo ... More >>

Gay Couple Sues United Airlines Over Sex Toy Allegedly Taped To Their Luggage

Back in the day, there used to be a popular TV ad featuring an ape as an aiprot baggage-handler.... ....and things somewhat predictably did not go well. Sure, the ape was a little rough on the goods, but one thing he/she/it didn't do? He/she/it didn't tape a greasy dildo to the outside of the merch ... More >>

Beaumont Diocese Sued Over Priest Who Allegedly Abused Teen in 1976

A Dallas County man is suing the Roman Catholic Diocese of Beaumont, and Bishop Curtis Guillory, over sexual abuse the man allegedly suffered by a now-deceased priest in 1976-1977. Filed last week in Jefferson County District Court, the man -- identified as John Doe 104 -- claims that Father Ronald ... More >>

Hankering for an Ujukitsu Fruit: Do You Know If It's in Season?

Don't you hate it when you go to the market and you really want an Ujukitsu, but all they have are strawberries? How do you know which fruit and vegetables are in season, and if they're local? A stroll through the markets this past weekend revealed a treasure trove of seasonal and local fruits and ... More >>

They Were Kings for a Moment

The feds attack online poker, killing livelihoods and a $2.5 billion industry.

Walter Wright & the Feds' Attack on Online Poker: A Tale of a $2.5 Billion Industry

April 15, 2011 is known as Black Friday in the online-poker world, the day the feds seized the assets and shut down the three biggest companies serving the American market -- PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker. Among the people affected: Walter Wright, a former Houstonian who was making ... More >>

German Moreno: Fugitive Child Rapist Found in Costa Rica, Can't Be Arrested

Found but not arrested.​A man who fled Houston after being charged with sexual assault of a minor in 2005 has been found in Costa Rica, according to reporters there. German Moreno was already a fugitive from Costa Rica, where he'd been convicted of sexually assaulting minors, when he was char ... More >>

Sunday: Girls Rock Camp Showcase At Fitzgerald's

Photos by Marc BrubakerAll Together Now: Girls Rock Camp Houston's 2011 alumni sing "Don't Be Afraid to Be Weird."​Girls Rock Camp Houston showcase Fitzgerald's August 7, 2011 The six bands formed at this year's Girls Rock Camp Houston filled the upstairs area at Fitz Sunday afternoon with a ... More >>

Anna Eastman: HISD Board May Be Losing the Public Trust

Anna Eastman calls for an audit.​Acknowledging that "the public trust that we've had is really waning" and that "there's an appearance of impropriety," Houston ISD board trustee Anna Eastman said today she believes the district should have "a third party to audit our bidding and procurement pr ... More >>

HISD Trustees Pass Budget, Listen as Larry Says He's Not a Mooch, Anna Says She's Not a Basher and Paula Says I'm No Judas

Truth or Dare at HISD.​Trustee Larry Marshall denied any conflicts of interest in his trip to Costa Rica no matter what the Houston Chronicle says. Anna Eastman said she isn't a "teacher basher" even though she knows some people think she is. And Board President Paula Harris saluted her friend ... More >>

CONCACAF Gold Cup: Five Things We Learned At Reliant Stadium Wednesday Night

Photos by Marco Torres​As anyone not a fan of Panama or Honduras expected, the USA and Mexico came out victorious from their CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal matches at Reliant Stadium on Wednesday night. The Stars and Stripes opened up the doubleheader with a high-scoring 1-0 victory over Panama, ... More >>

Kareem Jackson -- First Cockfighting and Now....

Kareem Jackson: Filling the empty hours.​While the NFL's work stoppage has fans (and several players needing a cash influx) a little bit nervous that we may not see football start on time this fall, there has been a silver lining in players' being banned from the teams' facilities. The work s ... More >>

Comment Of The Day: DynCorp Edition

​We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it's time we paid some damn attention to them. So we'll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day's work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula involv ... More >>

An Immigrant's Heart

To survive the ordeal of escaping Guatemala, Julia needed a big Heart. But not this big.

Norah Jones, Miranda Lambert Top Lilith Houston Lineup

​ If you missed Norah Jones Wednesday or Miranda Lambert a couple weeks back, don't worry - they'll both be back when the revived Lilith Fair hits the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 16. Also scheduled for Houston are Dixie Chicks Emily Robison and Martie Maguire's new band, Court Yard Houn ... More >>

Random Ingredient of the Week: Panela

​What is it? A solid mass of evaporated cane juice. Completely unrefined, its richer flavor is developed from a natural process that consists of boiling cane juice until all the liquid has evaporated, leaving behind a mass of brown fructose and sucrose. Panela is the name used for the Colombia ... More >>

It's The Middle of The Month -- And The Beginning Of Hispanic Heritage Month

​Hispanic Heritage Month started yesterday and if you didn't notice, we're betting you do today since the majority of Latinos in U.S. will be celebrating 16 de Septiembre -- Mexican Independence Day.Maybe you missed it because no other month-long celebration begins in the middle of the month. Yes ... More >>

SPECIAL EL EDITION

Touring with Sleepytime Gorilla Museum

Get on the bus, it's a family affair.

Houston Exports Its Airport Know-How, God Help Us All

Believe it or not, the Juan Santamaria airport in San Jose, Costa Rica, might actually get finished.Stunning, right?You may not have known that there have been ongoing delay problems with the airport. Even more likely, you may be wondering why you should care.But it was the opening of this story tha ... More >>

Parish Predators: Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Agrees to Settlement in Abuse Case

Death at West Oaks Hospital

Two men went into a walled-in courtyard at a mental hospital. One came out alive.

Parish Predators: Are Daniel DiNardo and Juan Carlos Patino-Arango Cut from the Same Cloth?

Friends sponsor movie fund-raiser for injured Gulf Coast surfer

Aliens to the Rescue

U.S. informants take part in murder and drug running in Mexico

Oh, Brother

Parish Predators

Despite the bishop’s remarks to the contrary, the Galveston-Houston Roman Catholic Archdiocese had child molesters and let them go. But don’t blame just the Church.

Feel My Pain

A reporter goes after the online drug business and gets wasted

Feel My Pain

A reporter goes after the online drug business and gets wasted

Cyber Sunday

It's not just for geeks anymore. Fantasy football's gone mainstream.

Fool's Gold

Desperate clients hand over thousands of dollars for a chance at a job

The Youngest Ballerette

Ten-year-old Sucka Free signee Kayla talks about what it means to be young, gifted and brown

Best Place to Buy Coffee Beans

Spotted Cock

Sure Shot

Texas author explores the people who made pool cool

Running Mates

Michael and Nandy Berry are world-class charmers. But what's really behind those two smiles?

Wake-Up Call

The TAKS field test results were so gawd-awful they may become a catalyst for good

E-jukebox

Conspiracy Theory

Arms dealer-turned-gadfly Al Johnson thinks everyone's out to get him. He's right

Beating the Rep

Forget everything you thought you knew about Jalapenos

Barney! Biz! Bluebonnets!

And other signs that Texas Monthly's brain trust doesn't have a neuron left

Rotation

Night & Day

March 19-25, 1998

Opposing Counsel

County attorney candidate Mike Fleming brands his opponent a traffic-court jockey. Sylvia Garcia labels him a special-interest pawn. You be the judge.

Naturalist Born Thrillers

Butterflies are nature's floorshow and the Natural Science Museum's cash cow. John Watts' job is to keep the performers alive and flitting.

The Brothers Graham (Part I)

Once upon a time in Humble, there lived two guys named Pat and Mike. They had a way of making people believe, and those people included some of Texas' highest public officials. While it turned out that their stories usually were just too good to be true,

Static

Surfing Safari

Bruce Brown goes back to the beach to hang ten, again