Ron Paul

Happy Birthday, Ray Parker Jr.! Seven Songs That Aren't "Ghostbusters"

Today Ray Parker Jr. turns 55 years old, and many happy returns to the man. Likely the only thing most of us know about him is that he penned the ever-catchy theme to Ghostbusters... though Huey Lewis claims Parker just ripped off "I Want a New Drug" with the tune. You can certainly hear the similar ... More >>

Happy E-Day: What If Elvis Had Lived?

Note: Elvis Presley would be 78 years old today, if he had not (supposedly) died in Memphis in August 1977. This article originally appeared as part of Rocks Off's "Elvis Week" in January 2011, and still seems plausible two years later. Do you realize that Woody Allen, Julie Andrews, the dude who w ... More >>

10 Texas Christmas Ornaments from Etsy You May or May Not Want on Your Tree

We Texans like stuff made by other Texans. We like to believe we are our own little country down here. In fact, some of us wish we were. In short, Texas pride runs deep, which is why we take every opportunity we can to demonstrate it. This Christmas, all over the state, there are houses decorated wi ... More >>

2012 Turkeys of the Year

Puffed up, plucked and ready for roasting, here's this year's best of the worst.

Your Gonzo Guide to the Republican National Convention

From cash-hungry strippers to protesters dressed as vaginas.

Crucifying America on a Playlist of Gold

In addition to the short list of people that we've elected president is an even shorter list of people that by all rights should have been at some point. I'm not talking about Ron Paul or Ralph Nader or Ross Perot but huge figures of statesmanship like Colin Powell or Daniel Webster who seem like th ... More >>

Who's Behind Helena Brown?

Some say the councilwoman known for her diatribes is influenced by senior adviser William Park, who last year was banned from the investments industry.

Forget Etch-a-Sketch: Vintage `60s Toys For Newt, Obama & Rick

A spokesman for Mitt Romney stepped in it this week when he cited the 1960s toy Etch-a-Sketch when discussing how easy it would be for his candidate to pivot, issues-wise, from appealing to the rightwingers of the GOP primary to the more centrist voters in the general election. It was a bad metapho ... More >>

Montrose, Meet Your New Congressman: Ted Poe, Homophobe

It looks like Texas just might finally have a redistricting map, after several tries. If this one goes through, Montrose will be represented by...Ted Poe. Now, it's not like the neighborhood has been represented by a GLBT-friendly rep prior to redistricting; John Culberson is a hardcore rightwinge ... More >>

The "Battle of LA," 70 Years Ago Today: 5 Irrefutable Arguments Why It Was Actually a UFO Attack

Seventy years ago today, the Battle of Los Angeles occurred, a vicious fight that resulted in three civilian deaths. Haven't heard of it? We're not surprised. The U.S. government said what happened was nighttime antiaircraft crews protecting Los Angeles got nervous -- it was just two months after ... More >>

Some Freeport Folks Don't Want to Live by Proposed LNG Plant

Residents of a quiet community near the Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge are worried that their hood won't be peaceful if a new neighbor moves in -- a liquefied natural gas plant, complete with new pipelines delivering billions of cubic feet of fuel daily. You can pretty much guess the story: The ... More >>

10 Rock Stars the GOP Should Nominate for President

As the 2012 presidential race begins to heat up in earnest, Rocks Off can't help but feel that the front-runners for the Republican nomination are lacking a certain je ne sais quoi. Call it star power. Call it sex appeal. Whatever it is, these guys ain't got it. If the GOP is serious about wresti ... More >>

Houston's Nine Members of Congress: Net Worth of Almost $400 Million

​Welcome to Congress!​The Center for Responsive Politics has put out its list of the net worth of every member of Congress, and the Houston delegation are no slackers. The nine representatives have a net worth estimated to be $392.4 million, which is a pretty impressive figure. Actually, m ... More >>

Pop Rocks: A Few (Updated) Non-Pokemon Speeches for Herman Cain

"Over?"​It was fun (to watch) while it lasted, but Herman Cain officially "suspended" his Presidential campaign last weekend. The former Godfather's CEO had long been dogged by accusations of sexual harassment (to say nothing of his unfamiliarity with the Libyan crisis or how to pronounce "Uzb ... More >>

Here's Something: Obama Polls As Well As Perry In Texas; Both Over 50 Percent

Make his next one a Shiner​Here's something we wouldn't have guessed: Texans give President Obama about as good a job approval rating as they do Governor Rick Perry. More surprising, both are over 50 percent. The Texas Lyceum has a new poll out, and it shows Obama with an approval rating of ... More >>

Pop Rocks: Trump's Out -- Bridging the 2012 Asshole Gap

Now we'll never know what his currency would have looked like.​With apologies to Richard Adams: My heart has joined the Thousand. Donald Trump stopped running today: "After considerable deliberation and reflection, I have decided not to pursue the office of the presidency," Trump announced in ... More >>

Arlo Guthrie

Future Elvis: What If The King Had Lived?

​Do you realize that Woody Allen, Julie Andrews, the dude who was in the Darth Vader suit, and Ron Paul are all the same age as Elvis Presley would be on Saturday? Look at Woody Allen next time you see him on TMZ and just think, he's as old as Elvis. In order to get in the frame of mind to t ... More >>

Tilman Fertitta: ATMs for Gold Bars Are Genius

Tilman Fertitta knows a hot trend when he sees one​Most people, when they read about the Florida ATM that disbursed bars of gold instead of cash, thought, "Good Lord, that is possibly the most idiotic thing I've ever heard in my life. And that includes the Matrix sequels." Tilman Fertitta, th ... More >>

No Justice

We've bailed out the banks. When do we go after the crooks behind our financial collapse?

Halloween Countdown: How Best To Go For The `90s-Nostalgia Look

Halloween is coming, and that means many, many costuming mistakes will be made by normally sane adults. To help stop this scourge, each Thursday we will be offering tips and analysis of what to avoid, or possibly what to do. Check out past entries here and here. If VH1 has taught us nothing else, it ... More >>

Move Over, Ron Paul: There's A New Nut In The Texas Congressional Delegation

​Be proud, Lufkin: Your Congressman is a nut.We're not talking even Ron Paul nuttiness; U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert has left even that far behind.Gohmert appeared on the Alex Jones radio show last week. That sentence should be enough to prove nuttiness; Jones (a native Texan! He's appeared in Richard ... More >>

Texas Traveler: Angleton's Mysterious House of the Century

It all started with an obsession. And a blog post. The House of the Century was built in 1972 by the Ant Farm Art Collective, a group that included architects Richard Jost, a then-recent graduate of the University of Houston, and Doug Michels, founder of the collective and professor at UofH. (Ant ... More >>

Totally Gay for You

Sacha Baron Cohen's in queerface. But what's Brüno's real target?

What We Lose, And What We Gain, If Texas Secedes

Rick Perry, our governor, has taken a steep dive off the sanity cliff with his preachin'-to-the-Rush-choir talk of seceding from the United States.This may be hard to imagine, but we think Perry might not have thought the whole thing through so well. And not just because he's presented the image of ... More >>

R.I.P. Texas, Says Best-Selling Author (A Non-Texan)

Texas, your day is done.That's according to Bryan Burrough, the Vanity Fair contributor and author of The Big Rich, a best-selling look at the oilmen who ruled the state and beyond for much of the 20th century.Burrough writes in an op-ed column in the Washington Post that, with the farewell of Georg ... More >>

Executive Director of Texas Medical Board Announces Retirement

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in Austin

Playing Pretend: Local Sports Media Figures as Political Pundits

Texans vs. Saints: Why Houston's NFL Franchise Is a Little Bit Like Ron Paul

Pimp C Apologizes

Scooby-Dooby-Done

The Sinatra magic fails, and baffles, in rural Texas

No-Balls Buzz

Morning-radio wackiness has its limits

Letters to the Editor

Ross Tossed

Perot inspired his legions to throw the hypocritical rascals out of politics. He just never thought he'd get the boot, too

News Hostage

Alison Cook looks back at 1997: The Year That Bit

The Great Decolorizer

As a student radical in the late sixties, Ed Blum fought for affirmative action. Now, as a middle- aged neocon, he wants to destroy it.

Alison Cook looks back at 1996: Year of the Rat

The Exterminator

Tom DeLay, the bug man from Sugar Land, has always despised environmental regulation. Now, as House majority whip, he's in a position to do something about it.