So my post yesterday was meant as a joke but I didn’t know I was being accurate. Check out what I found today:

“Parker’s office initiated a full-scale review of HPD’s policies and training on Tasers and examined the 1,000-plus times they’ve been used since December 2004.”

I suggest reading the following article if you’re concerned with this topic…
(more…)

Did you get tickets to the event? He’ll be in town on May 1 so if you didn’t get tickets (they are sold out now) you can watch online here or listen here or here.

He will be speaking about compassion, tolerance and universal responsibility. I think the compassion talk should be of interest, especially with the recent shootings that are grazing the headlines lately.

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24 moments de détente sur une ile déserte, originally uploaded by Frabuleuse.

Some people have gambling and drug addictions, I have a book addiction. I buy more than my bookcases can handle sometimes, but ahhhh…. the thrill of selecting topic and title, flipping through paper pages and bringing tomes home to read and keep my many other books company.

This weekend, April 20 – 22, is the Houston Public Library’s Annual Book Sale at the George R. Brown Convention Center (1001 Avenida de las Americas). They’re selling them nice and cheap for all you literary junkies needing a hook-up.

Regular Adult books are priced at $2 for hardcover editions and $1 for paperbacks. Better and Best Adult books are individually priced, usually between $3 and $10. Regular Children’s books are 50 cents, with the Better Children’s books starting at $1. Fiesta Mart bags are provided for those wishing to purchase a large quantity of books, and buyers are also encouraged to bring their own bags and wagons to make it easier for them to navigate the large collection of treasures.

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The Big Shiny – does this look Lomo to you?, originally uploaded by happykatie.

Big beautiful Vegas-style signs make me drool. This beauty is a pretty spectacular sight sitting in rush hour traffic.

Where am I?

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houston skyline, originally uploaded by T3o.

Houston photographer T3o captured this GORGEOUS shot of the city illuminated by filtered Texas sunlight.

I think this is a beautiful representation of Houston. Have a cool Houston photo of your own to share? Be sure to add it to the Houston Metblog Flickr group.

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Retro club, originally uploaded by LillaKat*.

Next month is Houston’s 2nd Annual Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM), sponsored locally by Da Camera of Houston and held throughout the nation with the Smithsonian National Museum of American History’s support.

The month-long event will be kicked off with a free concert at the Miller Outdoor Theater on Sunday April 1.

3:00 PM Project Grad’s City Jazz Kidz
4:00 PM HSPVA Big Band
5:00 PM Young Sounds of Houston
6:00 PM Bill Charlap, piano with University of Houston Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Noe Marmolejo

I really dig this JAM concept, as it encourages music lovers and jazz aficionados to ‘Move Beyond the Concert Hall’ and celebrate the jazz scene all over town. Keep an eye on ArtsHound for more April JAM details.

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Falling Silhouette, originally uploaded by Mish Mish.

Houston blogger and photographer Mish Mish captured a great shot of a bunch of crazies riding a Tower of Death and Potential Vomit (my name, probably not their’s) at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

It’s a great photo – although it did make me a little queasy upon first glance . What weird things did you do at the Rodeo this year?

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Art on picnik, originally uploaded by Christine (bpc).

Local blogger and photographer Christine (of Big Pink Cookie) has an eye for the surreal on the corner of 1100 Louisiana in downtown Houston.

Check out her Fresh Photography site where she and Cybertoad/Elaine collaborate on taking gorgeous photos of everything under the Texan sun. You can also visit them at Yale Street Arts Market to make your world a little more beautiful and your walls a little less bare.

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2, originally uploaded by inkoluv.

Houston photographer and Houston Metblog Flickr lover inkoluv shot this gorgeous urban-y photo of a building with a soon-to-be-lost history.

She says:

This photo was taken at a totally dangerous, forbidden and cool demolished Houston Police Garage at the corner of Washington and Franklin. The building was all decayed and half torn down. It was my first experience with 2 awesome lenses. I don’t think I could ever go back to a normal camera…

With images like that I can hardly blame her! Nice urban adventuresome work inkoluv!

photo courtesy of Yar