North Dakota

Zaprduer Analysis Of A.J. Clemente's (F-Bomb Dropping News Anchor) 15 Minutes Of Fame

As I wrote about yesterday, Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz kind of re-calibrated the acceptability scale for the f-word on Saturday when he dropped it in the middle of his brief speech welcoming Bostonians back to baseball in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings. Hell, even the FCC wasn't go ... More >>

Pope Francis Who?

Five who might have inspired the name.

Breaking Bad: Digital Drug Sales, Analog Drug Deaths

The feds and a prosecutor say a Houston company selling synthetic drugs on the Internet is responsible for the deaths of teenagers in Minnesota and North Dakota.

Cover Story: Prosecutors Say Two Houston Men Sold Analog Drugs That Killed Teenagers Over 1,000 Miles Away.

When kids in North Dakota and Minnesota started overdosing and dropping dead from synthetic drugs in a span of a week last year, authorities there knew they had a problem on their hands. It didn't take long for them to trace the drugs -- called 25-I or NBOME -- to a dealer in Grand Forks, North Dako ... More >>

Porn Proves Texas Is Not Southern: We Prefer "Teen," They Prefer "Ebony"

The question of whether Texas is part of the South or the Southwest has long been debated. Now we can answer that question, thanks to porn. (Is there anything porn can't do?) PornMD, porn-searching website that apparently tries to wrap itself in the aura of the health industry, has put together ra ... More >>

The Battle Against the Keystone Pipeline

Environmentalists and landowners battle to stop the Keystone XL pipeline and its load of crude from flowing across Texas rivers and aquifers.

Report: Texas Ranks Near the Bottom in Tobacco Settlement Spending

Texas is only spending 2.4 percent of the tobacco settlement money it collects on tobacco prevention campaigns, placing the state near the bottom of the Centers for Disease Control's recommended state-spending list, according to a December report. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids' report states t ... More >>

For Flag Day: America's 10 Best State Flags

As all you vexillologists out there know so well, it's Flag Day again: the most wonderful day of the year. Last year's drought and intense hear put us in a sour mood, so we raked ten of the worst state flags over the coals. This year, thanks to all the rain we've been enjoying, we're feeling much b ... More >>

Cinco de Mayo As Celebrated in Five of America's Whitest Cities

Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow, meaning restaurants and bars are all going Mexican-themed with their specials and events. The day has grown to be a big deal in the U.S., if not Mexico, where it's not Mexican Independence Day or anything. Everyone's hopping on the Cinco de Mayo bandwagon, including some ... More >>

In Search of Spring Break

Looking for booze, babes and beach parties on Galveston Island

Track Your Bud Lets You Find Out Where Your Brew Was Born

There are many things about food and drink that I will readily admit confound me. How did salty, slimy fish eggs become a delicacy an ounce of which cost more than my monthly rent? What is the obsession with food so spicy, it literally hurts to eat it? If Anthony Bourdain weren't famous, would he be ... More >>

Grand Forks, North Dakota, Gets an Olive Garden

Since I first read the Grand Forks Herald article last night -- "Long-awaited Olive Garden receives warm welcome" -- it's made its way around the Internet as an object of fascination faster than faked cell phone pictures of Christina Hendricks's breasts. "An Onion-worthy, rave review of...Olive Gar ... More >>

Gulf Coast Diving at the Poop Deck

"Where elite meet in bare feet," looking east off the deck.​I once overheard someone ask a Poop Deck (2928 Seawall) bartender whether the Galveston dive had any happy hour specials. The bartender, like every one I've seen in person at this place or pictured on its matchbooks, was dressed in a ... More >>

Five Reasons Why Texas A&M Just Ruined College Football

It's an emo day to be a college football fan. ​Today, Texas A&M basically ushered in the era of the college football superconference when the Southeastern Conference extended an invite to the university. (That legal threat lobbed by Baylor an anonymous Big 12 school is idle at best.) Well don ... More >>

Top 5 Worst Big 12 Football Games of 2011 (With Suggested Alternatives)

If only Kansas' basketball season started in September.​Compared to the best Big 12 gridiron match-ups of 2011, these stink bombs make us want to reschedule our college-football recordings to international cricket. Texas Tech is on here because year after year, they have proven that they are ... More >>

For Flag Day: The 10 Worst U.S. State Flags

As we are sure you are no doubt keenly aware, Flag Day is tomorrow. We could give you a list of the ten prettiest flags, but we are Hair Balls, and that's not the kind of crap we like to cough up. Here instead is a list of ten state flags to tun up the flagpoles of your worst enemies: 10. Nevada T ... More >>

Look Out Notre Dame: HBU To Challenge For Gridiron Supremacy Of Religious Schools

The Huskies are making a move​The college football world was (not exactly) shaken up today with Houston Baptist University's announcement that it is looking to field a team. The Huskies play in a few sports, but the school says it is looking to play football "should an appropriate league oppo ... More >>

Texas AG Greg Abbott Grabs The Spotlight In Fight Against EPA's Tailpipe-Emissions Rule

Greg Abbott leads a mostly southern uprising​Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott wants everyone to know that he is doing everything he can to stop the federal Environmental Protection Agency from trying to implement greenhouse-gas limits on cars and trucks. In the latest of a series of lawsuit ... More >>

The United States of Murder: A Map

Illustration by Monica FuentesClick here for larger version and more info​Serial killers and famous murderers have existed almost as long as mankind, we're sure. But as in so many things, the United States may just have perfected the thing. Each state has its own infamous episode, some very w ... More >>

The United States of Soft Drinks

Full-size image below.​In 1998, Nebraska set a precedent for all other U.S. states when it formally declared Kool-Aid to be the state soft drink. Sure, plenty of other states have state foods or state dishes, but a state soft drink? The popular children's beverage was developed in Hastings, N ... More >>

Your Holiday Party Won't Break the Bank with $2.99 Wines From Whole Foods Market

Three Wishes, available exclusively at Whole Foods for $2.99 a bottle or $33 for a dozen. ​Save your hard-earned cash for presents by stocking your holiday party with Three Wishes wines, available exclusively at Whole Foods Market for $2.99 a bottle. At this point, some of you are no doubt s ... More >>

Local Spotlight: Bee Wilde Honey

​What: Heavenly honey from a guy that's gone from a figurative worker bee to a literal beekeeper. Kenny Reed started his corporate life as a FedEx courier. He earned a respectable living at a respectable company that most any guy would be thrilled to work for. And he liked it. But one year ... More >>

Game Time: National Signing Day, The Creepiest Day In Sports...And I'm Part Of The Problem

​It's all a matter of how you look at it -- if you're a diehard college football fan, then today is December 25. You woke up this morning and ran over to your computer to pull up ESPN's Recruit Tracker the same way you ran downstairs to see what was under the Christmas tree when you were a kid. (" ... More >>

Aeros Are Back Home -- At Least Their Penalty-Killing Is In Good Shape

​The Houston Aeros are returning home tonight to face the Manitoba Moose at Toyota Center at 7:05 p.m. They spent the past week on the road where they went 0-3 while losing twice in Grand Rapids and once to  the Texas Stars in Austin on Sunday. But despite the team's inability to get its of ... More >>

Jail Hell

Inmates emerging from the Harris County Jail tell remarkably similar stories of horrible conditions inside.

The Sheriff Of Crosby, N.D Protects His Citizens From Terror Better Than Adrian Garcia

​Harris County Republican chair Jared Woodfill is steamed, according to a letter we first found on Isiah Carey's Insite.He is totally pissed and outraged because Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia has "opened the doors" of his office to Al-Jazeera. A, umm, media outlet.Maybe not a media outlet wi ... More >>

For Memorial Day, Part 2: One Vet's Journey Back To Pearl Harbor

The Japanese were bombing Pearl Harbor, and Nicolas Maershbecker's ship was stuck. Maershbecker was an engineer on the USS Perry, a high-speed minesweeper, and responsible for starting the boilers in the engine room. He couldn't, though, because the ship's smokestacks were still blocked by ... More >>

Playboy's Finalists for Sexiest Sportscaster: Erin Andrews, Bonnie Bernstein, Charissa Thompson, Lauren Shehadi and Molly Sullivan

Playboy.com has named its five finalists for this year's Sexiest Sportscaster. And despite my best efforts, neither Carrie Milbank nor Suzy Kolber got the necessary number of write-in votes to qualify. The finalists are Erin Andrews, of course, Bonnie Bernstein, Charissa Thompson, Lauren Shehadi, ... More >>

Playboy's Finalists for Sexiest Sportscaster: Erin Andrews, Bonnie Bernstein, Charissa Thompson, Lauren Shehadi and Molly Sullivan

Playboy.com has named its five finalists for this year's Sexiest Sportscaster. And despite my best efforts, neither Carrie Milbank nor Suzy Kolber got the necessary number of write-in votes to qualify. The finalists are Erin Andrews, of course, Bonnie Bernstein, Charissa Thompson, Lauren Shehadi, ... More >>

Houston Has a Bad Reputation with Touring Indie Bands

They'd just as soon give us a miss.

Silver Spoon: "Designed by Architects"

Margo Grant Walsh wasn't born with one, but she collected her own

Economic Development, the Houston Chronicle, Frivolous Lawsuits and Bad Travel Agents

Message Bored

Hollywood ho-hum horror keeps ripping off the best, turning out the worst

Lord Have Mercy

Jesus Camp pitches its tent in the other America

The Buzz

Mosquitos' Juju Stulbach on love and Eskimos

Rosie Ledet and the Zydeco Playboys

Time and venue to be determined. For more information, call 337-779-2102 or 704-399-2210

The Stars Are Out

Farewell to the Twenty Nickel

Looking back on the '05 and dreaming in the '06

Popping Along

James Rosenquist's workmanlike, old-school approach keeps coming up with new challenges

Hotter than Halal

Islamic fusion restaurants are all the rage because of their organic meat -- and whole chiles

Rock-A-Baby Bye-Bye

A state program was supposed to give moms a safe place to drop off unwanted newborns. Then why are so many babies still ending up in the trash?

Pinch One-Liner

Meet the baseball manager with a gift for gab

Willis Alan Ramsey

Thursday, December 27

Mass (Murder) Media

The satirical Series 7 exposes the black heart of reality TV

The Olympic Bid

Dan Morse is world-ranked. Ruthless. And 62 years old.

Young at Art

Glassell School's Core show reveals the heart, soul and blood-sugar levels of its visiting artists

Urbane Cowboy

Lyle Lovett is smart, funny and wears Armani. That's right: He is from Texas.

News of the Weird

Murder, She Said

Fargo gives us comedy, killing -- and an eight-month pregnant detective

Northern Exposure

Canada's favorites, The Tragically Hip, try to conquer the lower 48 without violence