George Washington

Nine Awful, Terrible, "What Were They Thinking?" Political Halloween Masks

You're deep into your Halloween plans, possibly distracted by the presidential race. Or possibly not. Should you combine the two and do your trick-and-treating dressed as one of the leading pols of the day? You might want to think twice about your answer. A survey of Halloween websites shows that ... More >>

Texas BBQ Predates the Civil War

The tradition of open-pit barbecues in Texas is older than you think.

How I Got Banned from the "We Survived Bush, You Will Survive Obama" Facebook Page

When I started following the popular We Survived Bush, You Will Survive Obama page I did so because I liked the sentiment it seemed to project of telling the doomsayers to breathe into a bag, pull on their big-girl panties and stop saying that the world was ending because of Obama's election. I was ... More >>

Walking Through The Five Stages Of Grief With Ghostface Killah

This weekend, my father and I had a falling-out. The specifics of the exchange will not advance the narrative in any meaningful way. You just need to know that he felt one way about something and I felt another way about that same thing, and we let each other know that neither agreed with the othe ... More >>

The 5 Most B.S. Rebuttals in Internet Arguments

Lately, my colleagues here on the Houston Press blogs have posted some kind, helpful tips on proper usage of social media to help you avoid pitfalls in a world where employers regularly look you up. That was sweet of them because I work with good people full of love and huggles (hugs snuggles) fo ... More >>

Comment of the Day: Gun Culture Gets Creepy

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 involving wit ... More >>

No, George Washington Doesn't Want You Armed Against the Government: E-Mail Debunking Part II

This little infographic has been making the rounds on Facebook among the more pro-gun people... especially a certain kind of pro-gun people. See, there are hunters, there are people who want to own guns for home protection, and there are people who want to own guns simply because they are adults who ... More >>

For President's Day: The Best Movie Portrayals of 15 Presidents

Portraying presidents on screen is always tricky. Crass imitation makes the thing look like a comedy skit, but completely ignoring the mannerisms and voice that people know doesn't work either. There have been some laughingly inept acting jobs when it comes to the 44 people who have been the countr ... More >>

7 Little-Known (And Completely Unverified) Facts About U.S. Presidents

Today, the nation celebrates Presidents' Day, the most important holiday of all time. No other national holiday has such a clear purpose or overall popularity. Therefore, why not recognize this momentous occasion with a look back at some of our greatest presidents, and learn some facets of their bio ... More >>

The Eight Toughest Soldiers Texas Ever Produced (Featuring Heroism, Betrayal & Many Dead Bodies)

Audie Murphy, starring in the story of his own life​Our war heroes are presented to us in different varieties. There are those we create for ourselves, in the mold of what we think a hero should be: David Crockett (nobody but Walt Disney called him Davey), astride the ramparts at the Alamo goi ... More >>

Rick Perry's Unique American Revolution Analysis: Best Twitter Responses, and Our Dumb-Quotes Random Generator Is Updated

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economyRick Perry last night did what most presidential candidates do after sucking again in a debate -- he went to a frat house. In explaining to the Beta Theta Pi boys his views of governance, Perry said that the American Revolutio ... More >>

We Want to Dine with These Five Dead Famous People

Consummate hostess: Dolley Madison.​5. Dolley Madison. Forget about Martha Stewart. As First Lady, Madison took the role of hostess to a whole new level, earning accolades for her brilliant dress, witty conversation, and terrific dinner menus. And she had moxie as well domestic graces: She off ... More >>

Can You Spot the Real Meat?

Here is George Washington demanding shaved meat from a fellow patriot. (No, really.)​What's more patriotic for a red-blooded American to do on the Fourth of July than eat meat? Grill it, barbecue it, broil it, fry it, tie it to the end of a bottle rocket and shoot it in to the sky (don't reall ... More >>

Five Presidents Who Could Kick Chuck Norris's Ass

Abe Lincoln: Let's get rrrrready to rrrrumble​In our continuing series of scholarly meditations on the United States Presidency, we now bring you a list of five presidents who could kick the crap out of Chuck Norris. Of note: only one of the top five served after 1908, although two honorable m ... More >>

Don't Feel Turbulence

The Best "B-Sides"

Never-shown-before works dominate FotoFest.

Tea Party: At The Race Track With George Washington

Photos by Craig HlavatyNo treading allowed​On Saturday afternoon I visited the North Houston Tea Party's "I Will Vote" rally, held at the Sam Houston Race Park. This was my second Tea Party rally in six months, following on the heels of the one in April at Discovery Green where my photographer was ... More >>

This Week in Deliciousness

So THAT'S what they did with all the oil-coated octopi they fished out of the Gulf.​Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where THE SPICE MUST FLOW. We started the week off by getting some terrible tapas in the Arcade Fire's least-favorite Houston suburb, the Woodlands. ... More >>

Pat Robertson: Has The Man Ever Been Wrong?

The dust had barely settled in Port-au-Prince following Tuesday's 7.0 magnitude earthquake before opportunistic Jesus-bot Pat Robertson offered his take on the tragedy. Surely a prominent religious figure like Roberts could be counted on to offer words of comfort and solace for the thousands of vict ... More >>

He Said She Said: Songs for Your New Year's Eve Party, Part 2

​ When it comes time for He Said to make a party mix, you would think he would go for some classic metal or punk rock. But you would be totally wrong. When it's time for single boys and single girls to drink, mingle and start making questionable choices, we can leave the Motorhead and AC/DC for th ... More >>

I Wanna Be Your Dog (Or Cat): Thanksgiving Edition

We all know the story of the first Thanksgiving -- the Penguins traveling to the New World in the rickety Mayday; Squinty the Indian teaching the clueless newcomers how to grow potatoes (the Penguins had left Ireland because of a famine); George Washington marrying Pocahantas on Plymouth Mount.These ... More >>

Texas Traveler: Holy City

Photos by Brittanie Shey​Traveling for the holidays? If you'll be near Wichita Falls you should consider crossing the border to the north to explore the village of extraordinary weirdness known as The Holy City, near Lawton, Oklahoma. Nestled in the measly foothills of the Wichita Mountains, ... More >>

The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment

Author A.J. Jacobs goes honest, female and whipped (but not all at the same time)

Now You Can Watch The State Board Of Education Hijinks Live!! On Your Computer

​Television just got a lot more entertaining this week. And we're not talking about the Jay Leno show.The State Board of Education announced today that it will be televising its committee meetings for the world to see. (A new law requires them to do so, but we like to think it's just civic-mindedn ... More >>

Houston 101: A Convention Center Built In 64 Days

​In 1928, Jesse Jones -- grand poobah of Houston, Lord of Suite 8-F -- was determined to bring national glory to his town by hosting the 1928 Democratic convention. Cleveland, San Francisco and Detroit also wanted the prize, but Jones took a $200,000 check to the bidding committee and got the nod. ... More >>

10 Ways To Tell Your Teachers & Staff Are Getting High

HISD teachers and staff getting arrested for pot and other drugs have become so common lately that we don't even feel like providing all the links to stories we've done on it. You'll have to scroll down on your own.The onslaught of dope arrests is a PR nightmare for the district, which is dispatchin ... More >>

Sam Houston's Not The First Politician To Be In A Cheesy Ad

If you needed any more evidence that Comcast was an agent of evil on par with Al Qaeda or whomever makes those peanut-butter-filled pretzels, look no further than the cable company's inescapable local commercials featuring Sam Houston. The former Texas President/Governor is shown engaging in a varie ... More >>

Father Time

Big, Big Upset Coming Tomorrow, Says Possibly Untrustworthy Source

Don’t Blame Me. I Voted for the Duck.

An Elevated Conversation with Perseph One and AndAcc

Oh Slippin'

Sarah Miles Bolam

A former journalist looks at presidents on film

Over the Weekend: Bar Hopping and Political Posturing

“Jackie Gendel and Valerie Hegarty”

Painters’ painters show off their work at CTRL Gallery

“Forgers, Fakes and Pirates: Faking the Book”

See original printings of the Texas Declaration of Independence and Adolph Hitler’s autobiography – Not!

Capsule Reviews

A picture of our critics' opinions on local exhibits

Pop Rocks

"Power Pathos" presents pop surrealism with Texas ties

Green Achers

Undertow relishes the pain and beauty of a reclusive Southern family

Sleep

Dopesmoker (Tee Pee Records)

Blunt About High Fashion

Roll up more than your sleeves with this clothing line

The True-Hearted Traitor

Why did Benedict Arnold defect? The Alley has an unusual explanation

Land of the Free

"Made in USA" gives patriotism a twist

The Immigrant's Song

Carroll Robinson has been running for something ever since he arrived in Houston. Now he may be nearly out of track.

Stirred and Shaken

Mark's Maker's Mark Lemonade

Punched Out

Have patience: From the wrath of dangling chads comes computerized dial-a-voting

Cold Comfort

Though their usefulness melted away long ago, icehouses continue to float to the surface

Step Right Up

Back to the Beat

Source pays homage to Kerouac and company

Thai One On

Sawadee trades in summery charm and sweet -- but engaging -- Thai cuisine

Arming Peggy MacGregor

Why is this winsome public sculpture, created by Mount Rushmore's sculptor, languishing in disrepair? And where is her arm?