Pretty Poison Girl
If for some reason you're young, Houstonian and not familiar with Poison Girl (1641 Westheimer), know this: It's not a titty bar. That's the gist of a cell-phone conversation Nightfly intended to butt in on because, as everyone knows, anytime the terms "titty" and "bar" are used in conjunction with ...

Rounding out 2008
Economic crisis, soaring gas prices? There were some shining moments last year.

Iraqi woman accused of Shia pilgrimage suicide bomb plot
Iraqi police havearrested a woman they said was a suicide bomber planning to blow herself up among Shia pilgrims to honour the martyrdom of the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.

Recent Comments
Archie Battles , 24, was just getting started on the 18th Street strip at 2:30 a.m., well after Adams Morgan bars had dried up. ?I get off late, and I like to go out at a fashionable time,? says Battles.

Breaking Down Walls
Base Cooperative Gallery celebrates the Age of Obama As Barack Obama prepares to become America?s 44th president on Jan. 20, there are many who see something of themselves in his progressive, time-for-a-change victory against the ruinous Republican status quo. Those include visual artists working on the fringes, showing in urban co-op galleries with limited hours or in coffee houses and group ...

Handmark Announces Top 10 ?Must Have? Mobile Apps to Kick off 2009
Whether you are looking to watch your weight, be more productive, manage your finances more effectively, or just have more fun this year, Handmark has you covered with a variety of mobile apps to help. The company today announced its Top 10 list of ?Must Have? applications to kick off 2009 that are immediately available via www.handmark.com .

Dollar goes a long way on winter trip to Iceland
REYKJAVIK, Iceland  ? We figured the driver taking us to a New York airport didn't know much about our destination when we said we were going to Iceland and he asked us to spell it.

Paluch: Five resolutions for 2009
I?ve never been good with New Year?s resolutions.

Shooter?s site goes on the market
Proceeds from the sale of the former nightclub site, taken by eminent domain, would be used to help pay for the Iway project.

Shooter's site goes on the market
PROVIDENCE ? The state will put on the market, with an asking price of $3.5 million, the bulk of the former site of Shooter?s Waterfront Cafe, the popular but notorious Fox Point waterfront nightclub built in 1990 that today is badly deteriorated and heavily vandalized.

Top readers tips for Mexico travel
Along with kudos, corrections, criticisms and gratuitous rants, reader comments on Mexico Mix topics over the past year have yielded a trove of useful tips, and we thought it was time to share. This selection is limited to comments that add new information or...

Navigon Integrates Rand McNally Travel Guides Into GPS Devices [Ces 2009]
Rand McNally has been in the travel biz so long, I wouldn't be surprised if they made maps of Pangaea. With that kind of history, you know you can trust their Navigon GPS travel guides. ...

Oklahoma has a long history of bowl games in Miami
Familiarity breeds all sorts of benefits for the Oklahoma Sooners this time of year.

Iceland, a Bargain Winter Trip
Iceland's winter tourists can get travel deals despite the country's economy.

Pop Tarts: Patricia Arquette Files For Divorce
Patricia Arquette files for divorce from actor Thomas Jane, Lindsay and Sam split

PLAYBILL ON CLOSING NIGHT: Hairspray ? The Fat Lady Sings
Edna Turnblad croaked her last on Jan. 4 at the Neil Simon Theatre as Hairspray went out in a blue blaze of glory with its 2,641th ? and final ? performance.

Shanty Shack hosts free show tonight
Local party band Mindblender performs a free show tonight at the Shanty Shack, 4475 Warm Springs Road. Music starts at 9 p.m.

Former butler to Queen jailed for child abuse
A paedophile royal butler who took one of his victims to tea with the Queen Mother was jailed today for a minimum of six years. Described by police as a "brilliant groomer", Paul Kidd, 55, of Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, had pleaded guilty to a string of sex offences at an earlier hearing. Kidd started grooming one of his victims when the boy was 12 and a patient on a hospital ward ...

Steering clear of road to nowhere
Jordan McMillan and Paul McGowan will leave the Old Firm for Hamilton in search of a regular game. James McCarthy is not prepared to make the opposite journey to familiarise himself with frustration and reserve football.

Mardi Gras is coming: Let the good times roll
A masked rider in the Mardi Gras parade "Alla" tosses beads to the crowds along the parade route in New Orleans in 2001. (Bill Haber/AP) Parade floats are being built, costumes are being fitted and krewes are practicing. Let the good times roll! It's almost time for Mardi Gras in New Orleans.