
Good morning, Houston. Nothing to lol at here: the Houston SPCA is rolling out a new policy for pet owners who drop off their pets. From now on, there will be a fifteen minute "counseling session," during which the owners will know if the pet is going to be a candidate for adoption or if it's going to the big litterbox in the sky. The policy is meant to make it harder for owners to drop their animals off, and it's working: so far, over 650 pets have gone back home with their owners. Charming.
>> Chron.com earns slot on top newspaper sites list: There are a lot of things to love about the Chronicle, but, frankly, we've never counted their website among them. Apparently some people feel differently, though: Chron.com made the number four spot on a list of the top ten newspaper websites, behind the NY Times, WaPo, and USA Today. They dig its "non-newspaper" feel and its interactive features. We do appreciate the huge lot of blogs the Chron houses, but could probably do without the comments on every single article (What did you think of today's Dear Abby? Tell us in the comments!). We also have to assume that these folks haven't undertaken the headache that is trying to find something in the archives. Our feelings aside, congratulates to the Chron - your web designers must be doing something right.
>> New member of the zoo family: A baby giraffe was born at the Houston Zoo on Sunday afternoon to Noel and Kiva. The baby is 109 lbs. and 5'9" already, but we'll keep our bad jokes to ourselves. And if you think that's big, get this: the baby, a female, will grow to be over 14 feet tall. There are only about 70 Masai giraffes in North American zoos, and the Houston Zoo follows the guidelines set forth by th3 Association of Zoos and Aquariums Population Management Plan. Of course.
>> Today's weather: A high of only 86? How lush. It might feel a little hotter (around 94) though.The lower temperatures are due in large part to the rain that we'll almost definitely see today. A month ago, predictions of rain would have made us cry, but today they're welcomed with open arms.
Lovable, furry headlines behind the jump...
- Low graduation numbers caused HISD to fall short of No Child Left Behind Standards.
- City Council approved the sale of the 2400 block of Bolsover to a mixed-use developer yesterday.
- The parents of a UH football player who was hospitalized on Monday had all good things to say about the school's reaction.
- Some mobile food vendors came out to City Hall yesterday to protest what they believe to be unfair regulations.
- Over 2500 immigrants were naturalized in northwest Houston this week.
- Oil prices are rising as storms brew in the Atlantic and the Gulf.
- Dozens of gunshots rang out at a Houston strip center yesterday, and the incident was caught on tape by an amateur videographer.
- Tropical Storm Erin is bearing down on already rain-logged south Texas.
- An air conditioning unit was the likely cause of a house fire in northeast Houston.

Missed Connections: Gefilte Fish...and "Chain Connections"


Hopefully, the SPCA counseling will make people view their pets as "less disposable", however, the no-kill shelters may be overburdened or owners may decide life on the skreet beats euthanasia.
You used to have to look at the Letters to the Editor to see what crazy shut-ins think; now you just have to scroll down the page!