by Rad RichToday, Texas Southern University in conjunction with the Beijing Jiaotong University in China opened up the The Confucius Institute at Texas Southern University , as a partnership between the two universities..  It will provide opportunities  in the Chinese language, culture, business and other fields. Dignitaries from both the Chinese and African American community where on hand to present the opening of the new school, which will be part of the College of Liberal Arts and Behavioral Sciences, and will offer  student exchange programs. Yongli Wang, Deputy Director -General of the HANBAN/Confucius Institute Headquarters China said, “the relationship will deepen and this will help people understand China. It will build trust.” Guyong ... Read More »

In San Diego there is Comic-Con. In Houston, we have Comicpalooza. Well, in Dallas there is Texas Frightmare Weekend. A full weekend of hanging out with your favorite horror film characters and professionals who work in the biz. In the past, they’ve had Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger), Alice Cooper, Anthony Michael Hall, and more! Many guest celebrities will be there for you to meet such as the cast of Walking Dead, Gary Busey (Predator 2), Marilyn Burns (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), Nick Castle (Halloween), Sean Patrick Flanery (Powder, Saw), Mary Lambert (Pet Sematary), Heather Langenkamp (Nightmare on Elm Street), George “The ... Read More »

by Nick Cooper Illustration by Blake Jones One in five adults in Harris County are functionally illiterate. In 2011, Texas (which was already ranked 48th on education spending) hit schools with a double-whammy — cutting the education budget by $5 billion while implementing expensive new testing. Over the past 30 years, the Texas Supreme Court has ruled against these kinds of cuts five times, but legislators keep doing it. Around Texas now, some wealthier districts get over $60,000 more per classroom than some poor districts. Though there is a budget surplus in Texas this year, it won’t go to education. ... Read More »

What kinds of protests have you been to? The most common formula for either night-time or day-time marches is that by the time they get to the parliament, it’s only a matter of time before they get tear gassed and broken up by riot police. (All the marches I’ve been to have been in the center of Athens, though they take place in other cities and even other neighborhoods within the greater Athens-area.) Have any of them turned into riots? Why? Riot-like events often take place nearby. While riot police are busy tear gassing peaceful protesters, others can break store ... Read More »

  Sometimes Houston can feel like featureless flat sprawl of concrete and metal.  It doesn’t help that most of us experience this flat featureless sprawl from the further insulating bubble of our car. It is easy to paint Houston as a sterile and isolating place but you would be ignoring that Houston has the diversity and cultural wealth deserving of the fourth largest city in the United States.  To cash in on these attributes, we need to remove the car window barrier and create some shared experiences. While the individualistic structure of an auto-centric city can make community events more ... Read More »

By Maxwell Morgan After emerging from my turkey induced coma, I cannot believe the Texans pulled off a miraculous consecutive overtime victory Thursday. This game was one that had me worried. I figured to see gassed players, and feared of any devastating injuries. Not to mention, the game just so happened to be on my favorite holiday. Just by the skin of their teeth, the Texans made this Thanksgiving a memorable one for their fans by winning a thriller of game, riddled with controversy, 34-31 in OT to move to 10-1 on the season. I don’t like to think of ... Read More »

Led Zeppelin finally released the footage from their reunion show at the O2 Arena in 2007, as a film they are calling "Celebration Day." They have been hyping up the release for some time now, and I was able to catch the one night only showing at the Studio Movie Grill in City Center, last night. Read More »

Los Valseuses, or Going Places as it’s called in English, will appear at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston on October 26th. During the 1970’s when the film originally showed up in French box offices, the precocious country- like much of the western world- was swept away in revolution. Two of the countries most admired politicians, President DeGaulle and President Pompidou, who salvaged France from the destruction following WWII, had both passed away by the mid 70‘s. France, therefore, faced a deficit in political sages, opening the door for inadequate policy makers. While these former presidents breathed their last, workers took to the streets protesting ... Read More »

You don’t have to be board at Fun Fun Fun Fest, you can BMX instead. This year’s Fun Fun Fun Fest has upped the ante on last year’s skate ramp, and will now feature a bigger, radder, and “fun fun funner” ramp.  Not only that, but dudes like Mat Hoffman will be riding with you, so get ready to represent and “Ride the Plank.” Now you can skate AND ride, while listening to MC’s, DJ’s, and bands, all the while enjoying the nautical pirate aesthetic, designed by artists like Michael Sieben of Roger Skateboards and Tim Kerr, that will grace the ... Read More »

Ab Baars and Ig Henneman Perform Compositions and Improvisations for Autumn: Next Friday at Studio 101, Houston music enthusiasts will be getting a very special treat, as acclaimed Netherlands’ musicians Ab Baars and Ig Hennemen perform their “Autumn Songs”, a program which has been described by Baars as “compositions and improvisations inspired by poems on autumn in all its different meanings.” Nameless Sound will be hosting the event on October 19th at 8 pm, which will be located on Spring Street at Studio 101. The general admission is $13, but you can get in for $10 with a student I.D. ... Read More »