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Houstonist vs. Houstonist: Joe Horn

Unless you've just returned from a sabbatical taken underneath a rock, you'll have heard the news that Joe Horn, the Pasadena man who shot and killed two men who were robbing his neighbor's house, was cleared of any crimes by a grand jury yesterday. The decision came after seven months of private deliberation and public debate over a case that could have serious repercussions and set legal precedents for years to come.

The facts are straightforward: On November 14, 2007, Joe Horn, a 61-year-old Pasadena resident, noticed that his neighbor's house was being broken into by two men. He called 9-1-1 and informed the dispatcher of the robbery in progress. He told the dispatcher, "I'm not going to let them get away with it." Shortly after, he said, "I'm gonna shoot. I'm gonna shoot." At some point thereafter, Horn took his shotgun and confronted the two men, despite the dispatcher's repeated requests that he not interfere in the situation as police were on their way.

On the 9-1-1 tapes, Horn could be heard yelling, "Move and you're dead." Very shortly after that, three shotgun blasts were heard. Pasadena police arrived in time to find the two burglars, Miguel Antonio DeJesus, 38, and Diego Ortiz, 30, dead from shotgun wounds in Horn's front yard. It was later determined through an autopsy that both men were shot in the back. It was also revealed that both men had long criminal pasts, including convictions on drug charges and deporations back to their home country of Colombia. Both men were involved in an organized burglary ring in Houston, which was the reason for the robbery that day.

As new information about the shootings was released each day afterwards, people became increasingly divided as to whether or not Joe Horn was a hero or a murderer. Protests were held in Horn's neighborhood in Pasadena, impassioned speeches were given denouncing Horn's actions, and articles condeming him as a "vigilante" appeared like clockwork in Houston's main newspaper. At the same time, people across the city lauded Horn as a hero for the times, one who had seen enough of the crime and violence that plagues certain areas of the city and decided to take action against it, and those people proclaimed that they'd welcome Joe Horn as their neighbor any time.

Arguments for both sides hinged upon a Texas law that allowed the use of deadly force to protect one's property. Since the two men were found on Horn's lawn, the decision was made not to arrest him or immediately charge him with a crime. Instead, any decision to indict him was left to a grand jury.

On June 30, 2008, that grand jury cleared Joe Horn of any wrongdoing and the debates were reignited. Was Joe Horn wrong for gunning down two criminals and playing judge, jury and executioner? Is our society wrong for giving more rights and consideration to criminals than victims?

Houstonist decided to let two of its staffers tackle both sides of the story, in a Houstonist vs. Houstonist debate. Their arguments are below, and in no way reflect the opinion of Houstonist or its editors or staffers as a whole.

Pro Joe Horn

Joe Horn, we’ve all heard his name in the news recently, the Pasadena homeowner defended his neighbor’s property by firing at, and killing, two criminals. Let’s just clarify the degree of criminal activity, the two burglars were criminals, twice-over.

First, neither had a legal right to be here (but, that’s not the heart of this issue) and second, they were busily engaged in relieving an honest, tax-paying individual(s) of their property. We’re guessing said property was paid for with legally gotten gains. Further, it is reported that a plainclothes officer arrived at the scene to witness one of the men running at Mr. Horn prior to veering off (we guess he saw the shotgun aimed at him).

While any loss of life is tragic, the right to arm yourself, defend your own property and that of your neighbors, well, it seems pretty commonsense. Effectively, this does not reduce our society to a “wild west” mentality as inferred by Quannel X, the lack of indictment upholds the theory that if you commit a crime you may be subject to a form of punishment – especially when someone racks a shotgun and tells you “Stop or you’re dead”.

This was no hate crime, and Joe Horn did not go looking for someone to shoot, like the infamous line in “Folsom Prison Blues”…”I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die”, rather each of these men made the choice to steal (one might reasonable infer from the drug possession charges) for drug money and Joe Horn was not turning a blind eye on his neighbor’s right to keep his property, valuables and/or cash. Part of being free is the freedom to choose – that includes how we choose to live our lives, honestly or dishonestly. We are also free to defend property, ours and that of our neighbors, fortunately.

The level of outrage seems disparate to instances where business owners are killed during a crime – where are the protests? Where is Quannel? More importantly, where is the justice? This is not a question of race, religion or sexual orientation, it’s all about right (or legal) and wrong (or illegal) those boundaries are clearly defined by our legal system, which also allows a wounded or maimed criminal to sue the person trying to defend themselves (how wrong is that – it honestly makes us think, hmmm, moral of the story here is “dead men don’t sue”, which should not be the point!).

Bottom line, in the case of Joe Horn vs. the Criminal Element, justice was served, perhaps the hard way, but, if you don’t steal – you don’t have to face such events. The Second Amendment has existed for over two hundred years, here’s hoping it goes on, in perpetuity. We should all hope “Citizen Horn” is watching our residence.

Anti Joe Horn

Joe Horn isn't God. Joe Horn isn't a judge. He isn't a jury. The only role he played in this whole sordid affair was the executioner, a role which wasn't his to play.

What's worse, Joe Horn has brought national attention to a perceived mindset that Houston (and Texas) is a cowboy town, full of lawlessness and gun racks and thoughtless crimes perpetrated by criminals and regular citizens alike. We can't allow this stereotype to be perpetuated about our city, and we shouldn't allow miscarriages of justice like this case.

Joe Horn didn't know that these two men were recidivist criminals. He didn't have the full benefit of knowing exactly what was going on, that this was all part of a larger crime syndicate. He only knew that he saw suspicious activity going on at someone else's home -- not even his own house! -- and thoughtlessly took matters into his own hands.

What if appearances were deceiving and Mr. Horn shot two men who had no prior criminal activity and had simply made a poor decision that day? Worse, what if he hadn't seen things clearly and had accidentally shot the homeowners themselves, or friends of family of the homeowners? Are we saying that it's okay for people to suddenly start arming themselves to shoot at every suspicious activity they see, whether they're correct about their snap judgements or not?

Where could this lead? How about to a homeowner who absentmindedly locked themselves out of their house and is crawling through a bedroom window to get back in? Or to teenagers playing harmless pranks on a friend's lawn at night, creeping through the bushes to TP the trees and house? Should we shoot at them, too?

Even worse, Mr. Horn clearly indicated that this shooting was premeditated when he grabbed his shotgun and said the words: "I'm gonna shoot" and "I'm not going to let them get away with this." He wasn't confronted by these men; they never even would have known Mr. Horn was a witness to the entire robbery if he hadn't inserted himself into the situation with a shotgun. He wasn't defending his property. He wasn't defending his life. He was barely defending his neighbor's property.

He was clearly and concisely making a decision to kill these two men, just as one would decide to make a sandwich. He informed someone of this -- in a taped phone call, no less -- walked outside and shot two men down. He made the arbitrary decision that day that our legal system, our justice system, our rights as American citizens to due process and a fair trial by a jury of our peers was worthless. He made the decision to kill those men, and to ignore the Fifth Amendment as if it were just a piece of garbage.

And we let him get away with it.

Have an opinion? Share it with us in the comments section below.

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Photo courtesy of flickr user darkhairedgirl.

So Fresh and So Green

Hey, locavores! Find yourself wanting a more comprehensive listing of all the farmers markets in town? Wondering where else to hit after your weekly jaunt to the Midtown Farmers Market or Urban Harvest? Wishing that there were markets on days other than Saturday mornings? Houstonist has got your back, babies!

Some of these markets may be familiar to you, some may be brand new, and all are worth a visit. So get out there this weekend and enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of the great summer harvests!

Central City Co-Op Green Market: This market is only open on Thursday afternoons from 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm at Discovery Green. But what it lacks in extended hours, it makes up for in variety and quality. All of their vendors have farms within a 200 mile radius of Houston and use organic farming techniques. They also take orders for "shares" of fruits and veggies from their farmers, a practice that allows you to place an advance order for a small, medium or large bundle of produce and pick it up each week. The produce bundles include green leafy veggies, three to six other vegetables, and a mix of two to four kinds of fruit (all depending upon season and availability). It's a great, convenient way to support local farmers, eat organic and get your weekly fix of fruits and veggies -- and for far less money than you'd pay at the grocery store!

Bayou City Farmers Market: This market, run by local gardening non-profit Urban Harvest, offers more than just fresh produce. They also have live cooking demonstrations, chickens (and yard eggs!) for sale, local honey, organic breads, fresh flowers and many other vendors from which to stock your pantry. Open on Saturdays from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm, this is one of Houston's more popular farmers markets because of its variety and convenient location (right off Kirby and 59).

Midtown Farmers Market: The brainchild of locavore and organic food advocate Monica Pope, who also runs the attached restaurant -- t'afia -- the Midtown Farmers Market is small but potent. Running on Saturday mornings from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm, this market has a limited selection of produce but a large selection of products from other local vendors, including the Houston Dairymaids and Krafts'men Baking. On certain days, you can also get great Indian food from Nisha's or gelato, coffee and even grass-fed beef and lamb.

Canino's Produce and Airline Farmers Market: This hybrid grocery store cum farmers market is a longtime Houston favorite. Located off Airline and Loop 610, Canino's Produce is the storefront to a huge lot of farmers market stalls located behind it. Although it's open throughout the week, we recommend going early on weekends before the traffic hits and when the food has just been put out. You can often find things at Canino's (and the stalls behind it) that you can't get anywhere else in Houston. This summer has found Houstonist gleefully picking up cream peas, purple hull peas, patty squash, green tomatoes and 1015 onions. The stalls in the back have some of the best and cheapest Central American vegetables, spices and herbs in Houston. And if you get hungry, you can always hit up the taco trucks in the back or grab a slice of sweet pineapple from one of the stalls as you browse.

Houston Farmers Market: This market has two locations, run on different days. The market in the Heights runs from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm on Saturdays and is located behind Onion Creek Coffeehouse, so you can make a full morning out of your trip. The market in Rice Village is located in the south parking lot of Rice University's stadium and runs every Tuesday from 3:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Both markets have fresh produce from Gundermann Farms and Jolie Vue Farms, as well as cheeses, organic meats and gardening products. And if you're worried about bringing the kiddos, don't despair: the Heights market has a children's area that offers activites for the kids starting at 10:30 am, so they can play while you shop.

La Centerra Farmers Market: Way out west? Katy has a farmers market for you, too! Every Saturday morning from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm, this brand-new market (its birthday was June 21st) located in Heritage Square at La Centerra offers everything that its cousins in the city offer: organic fruits and veggies and other assorted organic products (such as skin and hair care, candles and soaps). On the third Saturday of each month, local artisans are also on hand with their wares.

Creekside Farmers Market: Live in Fort Bend County and don't want to fight the traffic to come into town? The Creekside Farmers Market in Needville is just the ticket. Even stricter than its city cousins, this market requires that all vendors must have raised their meat, farmed their veggies, picked their fruit and gathered their eggs within 100 miles of Needville, and using organic practices. The produce here is usually less than 24 hours old -- as fresh as it gets, folks. This market runs every Thursday from 4:00 pm until dusk and is located at the Creekside Christian Fellowship Campus, right across the street from Needville High School.

Wild West Farmers Market: While you're out in Fort Bend, check out the Wild West market in Richmond. Held on Sundays from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm, this is one of the few farmers markets that you can catch on the non-Saturday day of the weekend. Located in Wild West World, a local bazaar/outdoor market off FM 359, they feature local honeys, jellies, eggs, produce and grass-fed beef.

Galveston Farmers Market: The elusive Galveston market is only held on the second Saturday of each month, but it's worth a visit if only to make a day out of it on the historic Strand. Held in Saengerfest Park from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm from April thru December, this market offers the standard array of organic produce plus a little something extra: fresh Gulf seafood, from shrimp to flounder.

Know of any markets we missed? Have a favorite that you want to share with our readers? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Photo courtesy of flickr user cpm1.

Morning Roundup

Who spray painted racist and obscene slogans on New Territory homes and vehicles this weekend? That's what police are trying to figure out

And, speaking of things police want to know, consider this: How did a handgun make it past security at the municipal courthouse?

Medical examiner's preliminary report on the deaths of two Pasadena children: They died after an "unknown violent episode"; meanwhile, the kids' father claims drug dealers killed the children

Looks like the city's Hogg Bird Sanctuary is anything but a sanctuary these days

The HISD school board will vote Thursday on a proposal to begin using biodegradable cafeteria trays

Stafford Mayor Leonard Scarcella: Metro is turning its back on Fort Bend's commuter rail needs because it doesn't want to tangle with Union Pacific

Officials in Clute are trying to clean up houses and apartments contaminated by a mercury spill earlier this month

Looks like the Heights may be getting its own Ashby high-rise if rumors of a 14-story condo tower adjacent to Onion Creek turn out to be true

Today's weather: Guess! And if you guessed a high in the low 90s with a good chance of afternoon showers, you're right. Look for a decreased chance of rain tonight with a low in the mid 70s.

Houstonist Flickr Photo of the Day - Where is Ringo?

Where is Ringo?
by mlsnp

Where is Ringo, you ask? It appears that he is behind Paul!

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Every day, Houstonist features an outstanding photo from our flickr pool. If you have a passion for Houston and photography, consider joining Houston's best photographers in the Houstonist Flickr Photo Group. If Houstonist uses your photo for Photo Of The Day, submit it here.

For more great Houston photography, check out the Houston Photobloggers.

Friday Afternoon Video: Bob Log III, Tonight at Rudz

Houstonist first learned of Bob Log III while watching late-night television sometime in the midst of our sloppy punk rock blues phase. We were fascinated and puzzled by the Evil Knievel jumpsuit and the motorcycle helmet-telephone receiver hybrid the one-man-band wears in lieu of a microphone.

Somehow Bob Log III managed to escape our conscience until the advent of YouTube, which boasts numerous videos of his live acts. Since then we've been anxiously awaiting an opportunity to see him play in Houston. Readers, that time is now. Log will perform at Rudyard's tonight with fellow one-man-banders Scott Biram of Austin and Posessed by Paul James of Kerrville, TX.

The Tuscan native's Wikipedia entry is a slightly NSFW thing of beauty in and of itself, claiming, among other things, that Log has a monkey paw surgically grafted onto his left arm. Log also has a huge following in Japan.

Here is a quote from Tom Waits, who is apparently a fan:

"And then there’s this guy named Bob Log, you ever heard of him? He’s this little kid — nobody ever knows how old he is — wears a motorcycle helmet and he has a microphone inside of it and he puts the glass over the front so you can’t see his face, and plays slide guitar. It’s just the loudest strangest stuff you’ve ever heard. You don’t understand one word he’s saying. I like people who glue macaroni on to a piece of cardboard and paint it gold. That’s what I aspire to basically.”

If all of this is too much to comprehend, perhaps a video will do him justice.

Morning Roundup

Dolly came to Texas, tore the roofs off of homes and knocked out power in the area; but surfers love Dolly for her waves

Houston gets a taste of Dolly today as remnants roll through the area. 70% chance of thunderstorms. High: 88. Low 76.

The Air Force decorated a pilot from Kingwood with the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor for saving the lives of German soldiers

How much did you spend on gas last year? A study indicates the average for Texans nearly $2,200. Yowza!

Ralph Nader, a constant presence on the presidential candidate circuit, is coming to Houston despite not being on the ballot

Senator John Edwards visited Houston yesterday to promote his anti-poverty plan

The Houston Zoo has their own plan in mind. Free admission to low income families. The program is based on enrollment in food stamps. FYI, all visitors all get in for free on some holidays.

Meanwhile, the City of Houston got some encouraging feedback on its effort to fight area homelessness

Think twice before you decide to skip paying at the toll

Another escaped prisoner was recovered. This time he was caught swimming in a motel pool.

Houston's finally getting decent press with "boomtown" status. Now, Houston offers 15 reasons for folks to visit.

Chinese love Yao

The Astros are now in last place in the NL Central

Want to write for Houstonist? Shoot an email to write at houstonist dot com

Is This The New Texas Jam?

Many, many moons ago, when most of our 11 readers were just in diapers or better yet, not even born, there was a mega concert event that occurred at various times in both Dallas and Houston called The Texas Jam. The Texas Jam was legendary with huge names in rock headlining an all day concert.

That was then... Rock The Bayou is now!

Rock The Bayou is going to be a four day event occurring over Labor Day weekend that will be taking place on the site that used to be Astroworld. Houstonist has not visited the site since it was demolished, so we're not sure if a concert facility has been built or if the promoters are just going to put this event on with a stage and port-a-potties in a leveled field. The promoters are touting this new facility as a "hundred acre playground for music lovers and rock enthusiasts." So it literally could just be a grass field, aren't playgrounds in schools also grass fields?

The lineup looks like a who's who of a segment of Metal Mania on VH1 Classic. Sammy Hagar, Alice Cooper, Queensryche, Ratt, Skid Row, Dokken, Great White, Warrant, Twisted Sister, Slaughter, Yngwie Malmsteen, Y&T, and many more are scheduled to appear and have yet to be announced.

Tickets range from $49.50 for active military members with ID, $99 for a early bird festival pass and $125 for a regular priced four day pass. Camping and RV spots range from what seem to be free to camp, to $30 for a four day car parking pass and $100 for four day RV camping.

Be sure to check the Rock The Bayou website for the latest news. They also have a forum set up for fans to interact and ask questions.

On a side note, of all the 40 plus bands that are currently scheduled to play Rock The Bayou, three have played the old Texas Jam. These artists are Sammy Hagar, Brett Michaels (when he was with Poison) and Dokken.

Not only will it be interesting to see which bands will be added, but also how well this is going to go over, for four days, in a field, off of 610 during the end of summer.

Rock on Houston.

A Note From the Editors: Crawfish Boil Wrap-up

In case you missed it, Houstonist had a crawfish boil this weekend. Over the course of three hours, we boiled and served 496 pounds of crawfish with Volcano holding the last five pounds for their own culinary delight.

Thanks to everyone who made this event a success. Thanks to our 11 readers and your 109 friends for showing up to get your dine on. Thanks to Volcano Pete and his staff, particularly Andrea and Meryl, for taking care of us during the event and being flexible when then quarter ton of critters arrived two-and-a-half hours early. Thanks to BoilCrawfish.com for the discounted equipment.

Finally, thanks to our staff for running the event and maintaining order. Big thanks to Groovehouse, Mary Jane, Ross, KSG, Adri, Ignacio, Judy and the others who were sweating their butts off to get the crawdads out of the sacks, into the pots and delivered to the eaters.

And, to the lady who inquired about us catering her event: that’s no problem; make sure you’ve got beer. We’ll bring the writers and photographers. We would also like to apologize to anyone that tried to buy cayenne pepper at the Kirby Fiesta on Saturday afternoon.

Thanks for reading Houstonist.

Jason Bargas & Jim Parsons

For it's one, two, three strikes you're out at Maggie Rita's!

While driving through the Galleria area over the weekend, Houstonist stumbled across a new Tex-Mex restaurant dubbed “Maggie Rita’s.” Never one to turn down the opportunity to guzzle a new margarita or two or twenty, we decided to make a night of it at the newest bistro to grace the strip mall at the intersection of Sage and West Alabama and skip out on our traditional Saturday night dinner at Chuy’s.

Bad choice.

To say that Maggie Rita’s proved to be a poor excuse for an eatery is but to put it mildly. However, we had an inkling that our evening was not destined to turn out as desired after reading several online reviews prior to our arrival. Nevertheless we decided to throw caution to the wind and ignore the plethora of negative commentary found all across the Internet. Well, what we found was that the wind shifted a few minutes into our evening, as caution sure did come back and hit us squarely in the face! Just as we had earlier read in the poor reviews – we experienced the holy trinity of a dreadful restaurant – problems with the food, the prices, and the wait staff.Food
The food was extremely bland for a Tex-Mex joint located in the city of Houston – a town world-renowned for its fine Mexican dining. All of the dishes that we ordered, from the enchiladas to the nachos to the tacos, were drenched in cheese. We tasted little to no flavor in our food due the massive amounts of cheese that coated our dishes. In our experience, excessive cheese has often lent itself to lazy chefs who take no pride in attempting to create some sort of personal sabor to their food via an array of seasoning.

Strike 1!

Prices
We’ll be honest. What really caught our eye when we first learned about Maggie Rita’s (and checked out their menu online) was a drink called the “Martini Mexicano,” which seemed to mimic our most favorite of all margaritas – the Mexican Martini found only at an eatery called Trudy’s in Austin. After spending last weekend in our great state’s capital attempting to complete the Trudy’s Trifecta (mission not so accomplished), we craved a replacement drink in our very own backyard only seven days later. It almost seemed like fate when we learned about Maggie Rita’s.

Upon arrival our first order of business was to order the Martini Mexicano. Imagine our surprise when the drinks proved to be an adequate substitute, only much, much smaller than anticipated. We went on to order a second beverage within minutes of purchasing our first. However, when subsequently glancing at the menu we nearly experienced whiplash after successfully executing doing a triple-take. The Martini Mexcianos were going for $11 a pop and we were throwing them back once every five minutes. A quick bout of math proved there was no way we’d be able to afford to keep drinking the Martini Mexicanos at our current rate, unless we took a second mortgage out on the house before dinner. Thus we were forced to switch to the cheaper house margarita, which proved to be as tasty as an old shoe drenched in Jose Cuervo.

Strike 2!

Wait Staff

Our waiter spent much of the night ignoring a large portion of our party. When drink orders were taken, our waiter often forgot to go around the table and would leave certain members of our party with a great thirst and no means to quench it. Drink refills were hard to come by and at the end of the night, the waiter made a mistake on our bill. When we pointed out the error, rather than offering an apology – we were served with nothing but sheer attitude and sass.

Strike 3! Maggie Rita’s is out!

Heed our advice. Stay away. Go to Chuy’s. Order a “New Mexican Martini.” That’s what we plan to do every weekend from here on out. That will teach us to venture outside of our usual hangout spot!

Stimulating!

With the very last of the stimulus checks being sent out to taxpayers this week, economic analysts are looking forward to viewing the full picture when it comes to how (and if) those taxpayers will use this money for its intended purpose. When the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 was passed on February 13th of this year, the idea was that low- and middle-class Americans who had made at least $3,000 in 2007 (and, more importantly, paid taxes on that income) would receive a tax rebate that would be used to stimulate the U.S. economy and ameliorate the effects of the recession in which we currently find ourselves.

Critics claimed that the money would be spent on items that wouldn't stimulate our economy, but instead that of China, Mexico, India or any other country which mass produces the products that line the shelves of our stores. They also doubted whether or not any of the rebate would be spent on one of the largest crises: paying off or paying down mortgages. In fact, many news outlets encouraged devoting those rebates to areas that were in complete opposition to the government's suggestions.

Since the first of the checks were issued in early May, most taxpayers have proved the critics right, using their rebates to pay down credit cards, past-due medical bills, utility payments, vacations, foreign-made electronics and investments in savings accounts. And speaking of "stimulus," reports have shown that a significant number of people have spent their rebates on the porn industry, with membership numbers on various adult wesbites up 20 to 30% since the checks were first issued. Of course, not everyone received a stimulus check; people who earned more than $75,000 as a single filer or families who earned more than $150,000 saw their rebates phased out in increments of $50 for every $1,000 of income over those limits.

But what about Houston?

Houstonist was curious to find out how and on what our fellow citizens had spent their stimulus checks, so we conducted a (decidedly unscientific) poll. People from across the city, of all ages, from all walks of life and demographics, and of all occupations responded to our question: How did you spend your stimulus check? Some answers were unsurprising while others made us do a double-take, but all of them seem to fit with the critics' general idea of how the checks would be spent:

Collin, grant proposal coordinator, age 31: Spent on a trip to China.

Payam, engineer, age 28: Deposited the $600 into my online MMA. I did not stimulate the economy.

Vickie, administrative associate, age 48: GAS!!!

Mike, HR analyst, age 33: My family did not receive one as my wife makes too much money. If we had, I can guarantee you I would have spent it. I don't see how someone on welfare who received the check and can now afford groceries is going to stimulate the economy.

E, I.T., age 37: Deposited straight into my savings account. I'm not gonna do what Bush tells me.

Sarah, case manager, age 28: A new laptop for school.

Jeffrey, graduate student, age 28: Bills; nothing glamorous here. We graduate students aren't exactly in the "high-earner" sector, so our stimulation went directly into the necessities: food, mortgage, gas, and beer.

Adam, freelance writer, age 29: 80% went to make a credit card payment; 20% to various and sundry items.

Jo Ann, self-employed, age 52: Home improvement (new windows!). It was really big of the goverment to give me my money back.

Wally, museum management, age 60: Put money in savings but drew it out to buy tires. Oh, world!

Jacquelyn, senior accountant, age 25: I used my check to make a large payment on my undergraduate student loan. I am starting grad school in about a month and had to pull out more money, so I figured that it was only appropriate I get one done before I started with another. Probably that practical accountant in me.

Chris, purchaser, age 28: It was absorbed by the money I owed due to self-employement.

Jonathan, new accounts specialist, age 38: I was going to use it to buy a Canon 40D SLR Digital camera. Instead, it got absorbed by bills my wife fell behind on. Supposedly I'll get it back out of our monthly budget next month, but I'm not holding my breath.

Juan, ERP support analyst, age 27: Clearing up credit card debt.

Bruce, banker, age 53: I did not get one; the government gave mine to a crackwhore unwed mother of 8 before I ever saw it. But I'm not bitter.

Carole, student, age 35: Putting it toward the townhouse that we just accepted the bank's offer on today!

Michael, architect, age 29: Both my check as well as my fiancee's check went into our wedding fund, where it slowly trickles out into the world.

Erik, temporary assistant, age 28: Paying my cell phone bill. I sent too many text messages one month.

Sarah, college professor, age 36: New camera and car repairs.

Ian, I.T., age 33: We got a joint stimulus check for $1200, which we immediately spent on french fries. No, just kidding. We're putting it towards a house downpayment.

Chris, engineer, age 30: Used it to pay part of my daughter's adoption expenses.

Shane, pilot, age 28: We bought a Sony surround sound system, the DVD collection of Planet Earth by the BBC, Level 1 of Rosetta Stone Spanish and the rest of it went to get my wife's Advanced Trauma Life Support certification.

Aurora, accounts receivable clerk, age 35: I put mine in savings, since I hardly had anything in there. I will be opening accounts for the kids for $300.00 each.

How did you spend your stimulus check, readers? If you're interested in reading about a larger cross-section of people on a national level, be sure to check out the How I Spent My Stimulus Check project.

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Photo courtesty of flickr user wednesday181.

Smackdown, BBQ Style (Not WWE Style)

This weekend, the Houston-area chapter of the Chowhounds boldly declared, "We don't need no stinkin' Texas Monthly surveys!" as Pearl Bar played host to the first annual Chowhound BBQ Smackdown to find the best barbeque in Houston. The results were surprising, to say the least.

The Houston Chowhounds are a group of food bloggers (pro, semi-pro and amateur), food lovers and industry insiders from around town who arrange various meet-ups and events for fellow foodies, ranging from casual to competitive. Saturday's BBQ Smackdown fell solidly into the latter category.

The six contestants for the Smackdown were culled from a number of barbeque restaurants around town, both new and old, revered and unheralded alike. None of the contestants were informed that their food was going to be judged. And the taste testing was performed blind (not with actual blindfolds, of course...) so that no bias could enter into the competition, either from the restaurants' end or the judges' end.

Restaurants were judged on the holy duo of Texas barbeque: brisket and pork ribs. Sauce was served on the side, so that the ribs and brisket could be critiqued solely on their own merits. Each meat was judged in five sub-categories, including smokiness, tenderness and moistness. And the thirty judges ranked their favorites in each main category, with winners announced after a solid two hours of debate, discussion and devouring.

Want to know which smokers were supreme? Which pits were peerless? Which barbeque was boss? Houstonist has the answers for you, after the jump.The dark horse of the competition was Pierson & Company, a little BBQ shack off Tidwell in Oak Forest. Family-owned and operated, this spot deserves a lot more credit than it's currently getting. The Houston-area barbeque market is a tough one, but Pierson's has 'em all beat when it comes to their melt-in-your-mouth brisket (winning the number one spot). Their succulent pork ribs ain't too bad, either (coming in at number two).

The breakdown broke like this:

Brisket

Pierson's

Burns BBQ

Luling City Market

Swinging Door

Goode Company

Kozy Kitchen

Pierson easily won the brisket category, with Burns BBQ a somewhat distant second. The judges were surprised at the last and second-to-last place winners, with Kozy Kitchen's brisket being called "rubbery and nearly inedible" and Goode Company's only "mediocre at best."

Ribs

Luling City Market

Pierson's

Burns BBQ

The Swinging Door

Goode Company

Kozy Kitchen (tied for fifth place)

Luling City Market (not to be confused with the original Luling Bar-B-Q in Luling, Texas) barely edged out Pierson in the ribs category, with Goode Company and Kozy Kitchen once again rounding out the bottom in a tie for fifth-place. Houstonist advises sticking with the turkey or wild game when taking out-of-towners (or just yourself) to Goode Company, and avoiding Kozy Kitchen altogether if you want good barbeque.

You may notice that some of your favorite restaurants aren't listed here. "Why," you may inquire, "isn't Pappas listed? Where is Demeris? Or Thelma's? Or that young upstart Virgie's?" Houstonist has those answers for you, too:

The Smackdown coordinators could only choose six out of about eight hundred barbeque joints in town, so some cuts had to be made.

Thelma's and Virgie's were originally two of the six competitors.
- However, the proprietor of Thelma's was allegedly so ugly to the head Chowhound when she attempted to place an order (in person), that the Chowhounds decided anyone who was that rude didn't deserve any business or publicity.
- Virgie's did them one worse, by accepting the huge order and even confiming it the day before, but closing up shop when the Chowhound courier went to pick up the order on the day of. Luckily, an alternate competitor -- Goode Company -- was able to put together the enormous to-go order with only twenty minutes notice.

If you're still worried about your favorite joint not getting a shot at fame and glory, don't despair. Next year's Chowhound BBQ Smackdown will see the top three restaurants (Pierson, Burns and Luling City Market) compete against three all-new competitors. Will your favorite make the cut?

More importantly, if you want to be a judge next year (or just wanna hang out with some local foodies and engage in a little eating-for-sport), make sure to check out the Houston Chowhounds website.

The Nipple Song

As a reward for making it through yet another Monday, prepare yourself to see a few Houston landmarks in a whole new light (and don't worry; despite the title, the video is completely SFW):

While the lead singer looks too close to the edge of The Esperson Building's cupola for our heights phobia to be completely under control, we do enjoy the "translator's" confusion at the visual trick the Water Wall plays on you when you stand close enough to its interior walls. That's an edge we can get close to.

For those of you still wondering, the video is a musical interlude from a popular Bollywood movie called Sirf Tum ("Only You" in Urdu), released in 1999 and shot on location in Houston. It starred the so-pretty-it-should-be-illegal Sushmita Sen, who was the first Indian woman to win Miss Universe. All in all, a fun reminder of Houston's enormous and vibrant Indian and south Asian culture. We even have our own Bollywood cinema, after all.

And it's worth mentioning that if you think the words in the video are meant as an accurate translation, you probably shouldn't leave the house without a helmet on.

Would You Like That Iced?

By now, we're sure that everyone's heard the news about Starbucks' decision to shutter 600 stores nationwide.

Houston can expect to see a signifcant portion of that impact, as we are not only home to the world's first pair of side-by-side Starbucks (at West Gray and Shepherd), we also have a whopping 283 stores (although it seems like much more than just that at times) throughout the greater metropolitan area. These 283 stores are comprised of both freestanding Starbucks locations and "licensed" stores, such as the kiosks inside of Intercontinental Airport and your local grocery store. The Houston area accounts for about 4% of Starbucks' 7,100 cafes nationwide.

Following that math, if 600 store closures represents an 8.5% decrease in stores, and assuming the closures would be spread evenly across all markets (which won't likely be the case), that means that at least two dozen Starbucks locations could be closed in Houston. However, Houstonist was a liberal arts major, so don't quote us on the math part.

We sat down with a local Starbucks source, who asked to remain anonymous, and asked a few questions about the recent announcement. All store managers and zone/district managers throughout Houston were present on a conference call today in which the regional director discussed the upcoming closures. Roughly 70% of the soon-to-be-closed stores are new. These are stores that were built after 2006 which haven't yet paid for themselves and are simply too costly to operate -- they aren't contributing to the bottom line with their sales, they're only paying for their own overhead.

Of the 600 stores, 50 of the stores across the nation were told today that they were first onto the chopping block and would be shuttered by the end of the month. However, it's unclear if any of those 50 stores were in Houston. Our source estimated that between five and ten Houston locations would be affected by the closure. When asked to speculate which locations he thought were least profitable and most likely to close, our source guessed the new Chinatown location (Bellaire and Wilcrest) and a Galleria-area store at Richmond and Chimney Rock.

However, our source was quick to note that all stores to be shuttered will be in close proximity to other Starbucks locations for two reasons. One reason is that the stores were cannibalizing each others' business (as any rational person would expect). The other is so that the neighboring store can absorb the closed location's partners (i.e., employees) and customers. Moreover, our source also indicated that California and Florida were likely to be hit hardest with the closures, as their markets are currently oversaturated and in need of culling.

So here's a question for you: out of the potential locations, which Starbucks do you think should be closed down and why? Alternately, which Starbucks do you hope is spared the ignominy of closure?

Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Photo courtesy of flickr user mlsnp.

Houston's Missed Connections: Starbucks & Valtrex

Each week Houstonist checks out the Missed Connections on Craiglist. Here's a thread that we found interesting.

While He Traveled To Visit His Sick Mother - w4m - 35 (Pasadena Blvd)

Those times he went away to Paducah to visit his family were life-changing times for me. I lived with him in Midtown then. Now, I know that some would frown upon the fact that I had you over in his home and in his bed, but our passion took hold and nothing could stop us. True, I was only with him for his money. Ultimately, I have suffered greatly. He is gone, which means the money is gone, and it has been so hard on me. At the same time, I have pushed you away as well, so tonight, I find myself alone. I tried to find that passion again, but only found a series of meaningless one night stands with strangers. Wondering what to do? Throwing myself into work hasn't helped, as dealing with families experiencing grief only adds to the sadness that I feel. I found a pic you took then.

Red Ferrari - Silver Mercedes - w4m - 38 (Westheimer)

You should've followed me to Starbucks!

RE: Red Ferrari Silver Mercedes

How sad that he can afford a red Ferrari but the best coffee he knows is Starbucks. He probably went to Paducah, KY. for vacation while we had fun in his house in Midtown and I drove his Ferrari. Remember, I scraped it on the garage door?

Following His Trip - w4m - 35 (Pasadena)

When he came back from Paducah, I dripped for two weeks. He thought I was simply excited to see him. He couldn't even taste the difference...giggle. You know those engineering types, no common sense. MJ.

Lady, quit whoring around with that jackass and have the decency to leave the poor sap whose sheets you've been surfing with the douchebag. Oh, hate to break it to you, but you should look into a getting a scrip for Valtrex, or another antibiotic, if you're experiencing dripping. That's just gross.

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Photo: flickr user fd.

Opinionist: Identity Crosses

Houston makes it into the national news with the expected frequency of the fourth-largest city in the United States. Too often it's for terrible things -- like a mother drowning her children or a spurned wife running down her husband in a hotel parking lot or a man shooting burglars at his neighbor's house -- but sometimes it's for downright silly things, too.

In the category of "silly things" comes news from Grace Community Church, where the leader of this local megachurch south of The Woodlands has put forward a plan for his congregation to erect giant, 150-foot tall crosses at two points in the city.

The crosses would be located at the "north and south entrances to the city" (actually, the north and south campuses of the megachurch) and would, in Pastor Steve Riggle's words, "mark our city for God." His original plan was to erect 200-foot tall crosses, but FAA regulations have forced a downsize for now (and for sake of comparison, the statue of Sam Houston which graces Interstate 45 outside of Huntsville is a measly 67 feet tall, less than half the height of the proposed crosses).

It isn't enough that Houston is a city of oil, a city of space exploration, a city of diversity, a city of acceptance, a city of technology, a city of restaurants, a city of higher education, a city of families or a city of friendly, welcoming people. Apparently, the congregation at Grace feels the need to publicly identify Houston as a "city of God" as well, despite the fact that the existence of myriad other churches, mosques, synagogues, temples and shrines already clearly delineates that idea in a much less obtrusive and obnoxious way. They feel that the best use of their congregations' tithed money wouldn't be to help the poor, the hungry, the abused or the unwanted -- it would be to toady up to God by displaying their "acts of righteousness" for everyone to see.

This story, originally published in the Houston Community Newspaper, made its way onto the front page of FARK.com, a website that aggregates top news headlines (serious or otherwise) and invites people to comment on these ludicrous, asinine or hotly debated stories.

When a story about Houston makes it to the front page of FARK, Houstonist always has a good time reading the replies and comments that get posted about our fair city. We thought we'd share a few of those today, in response to the Grace article above.

FYI God:

Wait ... what? Is this supposed to be like a Post-It Flag on Houston for when the Rapture comes? "Oh hey, God, in case you forgot about us, this is so totally your city! See, we marked it and everything!" This guy makes his God sound like an idiot or a chihuahua or something. -- ThisIsNotSubtle

More quotes and news on the future of the crosses themselves after the jump.A firsthand encounter with Grace:

I was dragged to this church a couple of years ago. It was kind of like being in the audience of game show only no one won any money...the church did, though. In fact, my friend had her own church account number so she could give her money to Jesus without all the fuss of having to write a check or hit the ATM. I didn't give a dime. Something told me they didn't need my money. The pastor basically gave a long motivational speech with God and Jesus thrown in a few every once in a while. I left feeling kinda dirty. -- ohmyvariousgods

Someone who's clearly never been to Houston or has been to Channelview exactly once:

Seriously, has the moron ever friggin' BEEN to Houston? It's hot enough to melt lead and the air smells like a skunk ate five tons of sulfur and let out one enormous fart. Houston is about as close as you can get to hell on earth. -- Abstruse

Mysteriously absent from other news sources:

News Flash: Houston is being over run by Vampires. Senior Pastor Steve Riggle wages a campain against these creatures. His new secret weapon is to prevent any more vampires from entering the city by erecting 150ft tall crosses at each entrance way to the city. He can then hunt down the remaining creatures with his other Holy weapons. -- noblewolf

A poignant trip down memory lane:

Everything is bigger in Texas.
In 70's there was a men's club in North Houston that erected ~50 tall statue of a woman just outside the club. Patrons had to walk between her legs to enter club. Saw it once or twice on way to IAH. Houston had no zoning ordinance so there was no zoning violation. The statue was not attached to the building so there was no building code violation. City was stymied in finding a way to force removal. Don't know how things turned out but haven't seen the statue in many trips back to Houston. -- CowboyDave

From an outnumbered Houston defender:

Houston is actually quite a hotbed of cosmopolitan religious diversity. From a simple Google search, a number of Hindu temples come up in the greater Houston area, with more planned. There also seem to be at least 3 Buddhist temples as well. -- Somacandra

An often-overlooked point of view on Christian symbology:

Empty crosses creep me out. It's like Christians are saying "come on back Jesus, we got some fresh pine waiting for you." If I were Jesus and saw a 150 ft empty cross you wouldn't see me near Houston. -- EL_FABREZ

And if you're wondering where all the humility has gone, here's your answer:

You must be unfamiliar with the Epistle to the Texas Megachurches. It's a lesser-known Pauline writing, believed to be dated to the century of Never, A.D., and is considered by many outside of the evangelical movement to be apocryphal, but in Chapter 3 verse 49, the Apostle writes that God hath given to the Great Churches the blessing of pride, and commands not that his subjects be given succor but instead that monuments to his glory be created, including golden statues and graven images. -- Lane83

Whether or not the crosses will actually be financed and built remains to be seen. But in the meantime, Grace has erected something equally tacky along Houston roadways: billboards announcing their intentions and, of course, the times of their televised church services.

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Photo courtesy of flickr user gwenturnerjuarez.

Houstonist Flickr Photo of the Day - Chicken and waffles

Chicken and waffles
by jyoburn

Proclaimed by some to be the best breakfast in town, The Breakfast Klub serves up chicken and waffles and many other delectable goodies including Katfish and Grits, Biskits and Gravy as well as Green Eggs & Ham. They also turn all hard c's and q's into k's. Hey, it's their schtick, just roll with it.

For more great Houston photography, check out the Houston Photobloggers.

Houstonist Legends: Wilson Whitley

University of Houston legend Wilson Whitley was posthumously inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame this past Friday in South Bend, Indiana along with 12 other players which included stars such as Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie and Penn St. head coach Joe Paterno.

Whitley was a wrecking machine while at UH from 1972-76. His senior season was the best of all and it still remains the standard for all UH defensive players. Whitley's 1976 season included 50 tackles with 15 assists, five sacks and with three recovered fumbles. Whitley captured the Rotary Lombardi Trophy for his spectacular season, which honors the nation's best defensive lineman. Whitley was also honored as a consensus All-American while leading the Southwest Conference champion Houston Cougars to a 10-2 record and a 30-21 win over undefeated Maryland in the 1977 Cotton Bowl. The Cougars finished the season ranked No. 4 after the win which still is the highest ranking to this day.

In 1977, Whitley was chosen eighth overall in the NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. Whitley played six season with the Bengals which was highlighted in 1981 when the Bengals won the AFC championship and played in Super Bowl XVI.

In 1992, Whitley suffered a heart attack and passed away at the age of 37. Along with being inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame, Wilson was also inducted into the Texas Football Hall of Fame in 1985 and and the UH Hall of Honor in 1998.

Notes: Whitley's senior season was UH's first season in the Southwest Conference and yet, he was still named as the Southwest Conference Player of the Decade.

Photo courtesy of UHCougars.com

V is for Viral Anti-Scientology Protests

This weekend marked yet another protest on Westheimer by a nationwide anti-Scientology group. Once again, the group, who call themselves Anonymous, gathered outside the Houston branch of the Church of Scientology (which happens to be the oldest Scientology mission in the United States), located at Fondren and Westheimer, on the evening of July 12th to protest against what they perceive as a "dangerous cult" with a non-legitimate tax exempt status.

Wearing their traditional Guy Fawkes masks and holding posters decrying the church's motives and teachings, the group of 15 to 20 Anonymous protestors held court at the corner of Fondren and Westheimer for several hours on Saturday evening. This was not the first time that Anonymous protestors have appeared in Houston, however. On Feburary 10, 2008, a worldwide effort saw Anonymous groups in dozens of cities across the globe participating in synchronized protests outside local branches of the Church of Scientology, including the one in Houston. These worldwide protests saw over 9,000 Anonymous members in 50 different cities march to commemorate the death of Lisa McPherson, a "victim" of the church's controversial "Introspection Rundown" procedure.

The group, which has received national and international attention, operates through the internet, without any central leadership, and communicates with its members through both grass-roots efforts and more high-tech, sometimes questionable practices such as Google-bombing to make the Church of Scientology the first result when Googling "dangerous cult" and posting anti-propaganda videos to YouTube.

The protest this weekend was in support of recognition for (or should we say against?) the activities of the church's Office of Special Affairs (OSA), the organization within the church responsible for dealing out punishments against current and former Scientologists when rules are broken, and also for attacking anti-Scientology groups or advocates. There is strong evidence to suggest that OSA operatives engage in a number of illegal activities to this end, such as bribery, burglary and even assaults against church members and non-church members alike.

Will there be future Anonymous protests in Houston? You can almost count on it. It's only a matter of when.

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Photo courtesy of flickr user stevegarfield.

Fourth of July-ist

Can't decide what to do for the Fourth of July and upcoming three-day weekend? Don't know which Independence Day scene is quite right for you? Don't worry, patriots: Houstonist is here to help.

Freedom Over Texas

For the traditionalist in you, the City of Houston will hold its annual Freedom Over Texas event at Eleanor Tinsley Park in downtown. Sponsored by Chevy, you can all but count on the attendance of truck-owners and NASCAR fans. The all-Nashville lineup of Jo Dee Messina, Miranda Lambert and Sara Evans will also do its part to ensure that Hobby Lobby will sell out of Stars 'n' Stripes bandannas before the big event on Friday. The plus side? Starting at 9:30 p.m., there will be fireworks and lots of 'em -- this is the largest fireworks display in Houston, the largest in the state of Texas, and the "largest land-based" fireworks display in the entire nation. Houstonist recommends taking them in from La Carafe or Cabo and avoiding the throngs of people at the park. Tickets are $5.00 presale, $8.00 at the door, with children under 10 admitted for free.

A Star-Spangled Salute

If canons and cannons are more your thing, then you'll want to check out Miller Outdoor Theatre's Star-Spangled Salute with the Houston Symphony. Beginning at 8:00 p.m., the Symphony will play a rousing rendition of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, complete with live cannon fire capping off the performance. Of course, fireworks will also be part of this traditional Houston festivity, beginning soon after the Overture has ended. Bring a blanket and a bottle of wine, and enjoy the music and lights under the stars. Best part? It's free. Worst part? Good luck on that parking thing.

Galveston's July Fourth

If you live a bit further south, or just want to spend the day at the beach, then Galveston's got an entire day of celebrations for you. Galveston's July Fourth festival kicks off with a parade through the historic downtown and Strand beginning at 10:00 a.m. Immediately afterwards, a celebration featuring the musical styling of Spanky Koerner will take place inside the Railroad Museum, where free hot dogs and sweet tea will be served along with free museum tours. In the evening, catch the fireworks display beginning at 9:15 p.m. from your favorite bar or restaurant along the Seawall. A touch further inland, you can also catch the fireworks from the boardwalk at Kemah beginning at 9:30 p.m.

Stars and Stripes Celebration

If keeping your kids up past their bedtime isn't in the plans, bring them down to the Children's Museum for a day of Fourth of July fun. From 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., they'll have arts and crafts activities for the kids (including the dangerous-sounding but disappointingly tame "make your own fireworks" table) and Houstonist favorite The Allen Oldies Band on stage at 2:00 p.m. Admission is $5.00 each and free for children under 2 years old.

Red Hot & Blue Festival

The 11th anniversary of this Woodlands tradition will see it move to the newly-completed Waterway Square, The Woodland's small-scale answer to the Riverwalk. Red Hot & Blue boasts free admission and live music from Texas singer-songwriter Rodney Hayden. Their Fourth of July parade begins at 9:00 a.m., while the entertainment starts at 6:00 p.m. Houston's second-largest fireworks display will kick off at 9:30 p.m., so be sure to get to The Goose's Acre or Cru early to catch a good seat.

Red White & Bluefest

Sure, lots of other Fourth of July celebrations offer fireworks and live music. But do any of those other celebrations also offer both clowns and snakes? Sugar Land's 23rd annual Red White & Bluefest will have both of these frightening creatures on hand at their Children's Stage, while the adults can enjoy live music from Password and El Vibes. Free shuttle service runs from Mercer Stadium throughout the evening, with the fireworks display scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m. after your children have been terrified into submission by the pythons and Pennywise impersonators.

Celebration at the Park

If the downtown celebration sounds like your bag, but it's simply too far away, then you're in luck. Sam Houston Race Park is hosting Celebration at the Park beginning at 5:00 p.m. with quarter horse racing and continuing into the evening with live music from Three Fantastic and the Southern Backbones. While you're encouraged to bring a donation of non-perishable food items for the Houston Food Bank, we're willing to bet that you're also encouraged to bring a wad of Copenhagen and your best pair of ropers to enjoy the evening. Fireworks kick off at 9:30 p.m. in a display that's being touted as one of Houston's "most patriotic" displays, although Houstonist is unsure what exactly would make a Fourth of July fireworks display unpatriotic.

Willie Nelson's Picnic

If income tax evasion, illicit substances and legendary musicians all scream "Happy Independence Day" to you, then you won't want to miss Willie Nelson's Picnic at the Sam Houston Race Park's Showgrounds. The Texas icon and his friends -- including Ray Wylie Hubbard, David Allan Coe, Los Lonely Boys and the one and only Merle Haggard -- will be taking the stage beginning at 1:00 p.m on July 5th (the day after the Fourth of July, just so we're all clear on this). Tickets start at $29.50 for lawn seats and $49.50 for reserved seating. You're pretty much guaranteed thick clouds off "herbal cigarette" smoke and an encore of "Pancho and Lefty" that will leave you in tears and hugging random strangers. But isn't that what Willie's all about?

Frankly, no matter which festival you choose to attend -- or whether you elect to stay at home with a cold beer and some friends -- the whole of the city will be lit up like, well, the Fourth of July at around 9:15 to 9:30 p.m. thanks to the numerous displays going on around town (we didn't even write about the ones taking place in Katy, Missouri City, Pasadena or Clear Lake!). Take traffic into consideration and the roof of your house is looking pretty good right about now, ain't it?

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July, from all of us here at Houstonist!

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Photo courtesy of flickr user diseuse.

Houstonist iMix: July - Summer songs!

After almost two months of 90+ degree weather, we thought it was time to share some of our favorite summer songs on the July edition of the Houstonist iMix. For some reason, summer and the 1980’s go hand-in-hand for Houstonist. Maybe it’s because we were wee ones at the time without a worry in the world, or maybe 80’s music was just more fun in general. Either way, we have our share of summer songs from that decade: early B-52’s classic, The Clash, Don Henley’s appropriate “Boys of Summer,” and a few guilty pleasures (The Outfield, Bryan Adams).

We have some favorite summer songs from this decade, too. The Flaming Lips have their own summer them song from Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. Canadian indie-rocker's Islands and Britian's M.I.A.'s also hail from this decade. A few from the 90's (Counting Crows, Dodgy), but the most widely-known, not summer specific, but always one fits a party in July is Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl."

A reminder on how it works: Houstonist contributors submitted a favorite summer song or two. Then, we threw our tracks together and created our own iMix on iTunes. So, if you have iTunes on your computer, you can now download our iMix, or, if you’re afraid of commitment, you can download the tracks individually.

30 Years of Pride

Did you know Houston's Pride Parade is the only one in the country to take place at night? And that it's the largest in the Southwest? Houstonist didn't, but that's never stopped us from enjoying the parade from the patio of Catbirds, beverage in hand.

Pride Houston is celebrating it's 30th year serving H-town's GLBT community with festivities all day Saturday. This year's theme is "We Are Family," a fitting motif in the wake of recent events in California. The event is free and open to the public.

The celebration begins at 11 a.m. on the corner of Yoakum and Westheimer with shopping, live music, street food and a "Community Zone" where festival-goers can visit with some of Houston's most ardent GLBT supports, from non-profits to businesses. The event is family-themed and appropriate for all ages. There will even be a Kids' Zone.

The final round of Pride Idol, a competition to find undiscovered talent in Houston's GLBT community, will also take place Saturday afternoon.

The parade beings at 8:45 p.m. but if you want a good view plan to be there before. The festival regularly draws more than 150,000 attendees, from Texas and surrounding states.

The route begins at Dunlavy and will follow Westheimer eastward to Crocker, just past Montrose. There will be more more than 100 brightly-lit floats, with sponsors including Continental Airlines and PFLAG.

For more information about the parade, including a list of sponsors and viewing tips, visit Pride Houston's website .

Photo: flickr user Galaga Gal

Houstonist Flickr Photo of the Day - untitled

untitled
by mlsnp

Normally, Houstonist would call shenanigans on a shot like this, assuming it was a computer graphic or a repost of a NASA image, but in this case, we know this photographer. Yes, that's Saturn as seen through a high dollar telescope at the George Observatory in Brazos Bend State Park. This shot was taken using a technique known as digiscoping.

For more great Houston photography, check out the Houston Photobloggers.

Berkman, Tejada and Houstonians Punch All-Star Tickets

It's that time of the year again, Houston. This year's mid-summer classic will take place in historic Yankee Stadium as two Astros and two Houston-area products will be showcasing their talent at the 79th All-Star game in The Bronx.

Lance Berkman

Miguel Tejada

Scott Kazmir

Joe Nathan

Notes: Billy Wagner (Mets), Brad Lidge (Phillies) and Carlos Guillen (Tigers), all former Astros draftees, were selected to this year's All-Star game.

Houstonist Flickr Photo of the Day - KA- BOOM!

KA- BOOM!
by baldheretic

Right place, right time. Here's a great HDR image of a lightning strike taken near 610 and San Felipe. It's one of those images that you just sit back and look at and go... "Wow!"

For more great Houston photography, check out the Houston Photobloggers.