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When I was in college, I had to drive 35 miles from San Marcos to Austin to visit Planned Parenthood. The first time I drove there in 2016, I didn’t know the way and the traffic on Interstate 35 overwhelmed me. For someone like me, young, uninsured, and terrified of driving in a big city, the short trip felt like crossing a continent.

So obtaining basic reproductive health care seemed virtually impossible. But I had no choice. I had no insurance. I needed care and answers.

It wasn’t the first time I’d been to a Planned Parenthood clinic. When I was 10, I remember sitting in the waiting room while my mom received care at the Planned Parenthood in the Rio Grande Valley. She tried to hide her nervousness, but I sensed it in the hum of the TV, the quiet whispers, and the weight of the moment. I didn’t fully understand what was happening, but I understood enough that this place mattered. It helped women like my mom. And one day, it would help me too.

Unfortunately, that is no longer as true. Last month, a panel of the U.S. House of Representatives advanced a measure that would block Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood nationwide, though even the Congressional Budget Office has warned this cut wouldn’t save money. Instead, this move would cost taxpayers $300 million. 

It will also strip essential care from millions who already have too few options. The places in Texas where low-income women could obtain basic care without fear or shame are disappearing.

For me, this cut feels personal. I learned early as a Texan that our state doesn’t always fight for its people. Especially if you’re Latina. Especially if you’re undocumented. Especially if you’re young, brown, or poor.

In 2007, when I was just a girl, Texas had around 80 Planned Parenthood clinics. Then came budget cuts. The political attacks. And more defunding. By 2011, about a third of those clinics had closed. In 2025, only 39 remain—and none of them can provide abortion care. Even before Texas banned abortion entirely, 96 percent of our counties already didn’t have a provider.

Let’s be clear: This issue isn’t about budgets. It’s about control.

When politicians take away clinics, birth control, abortion access, and trusted community providers, they’re not saving lives. They’re putting people in danger. And disproportionately, they’re endangering Latinas. In Texas, nearly half of Latinas live in medically underserved areas. Nearly one in four of us who are of reproductive age lack health insurance. 

Although politicians continue to pass policies that harm us, we are the ones shaping this state’s future. Hispanic Texans now make up 40.2 percent of the population—surpassing non-Hispanic white Texans. But those numbers don’t matter if we’re still treated like we don’t count.

I grew up in Palmview, a Rio Grande Valley city where the community runs deep but resources do not. I saw friends share medication because they couldn’t afford refills. I saw pregnancies carried to term not out of choice but because Texas left them no other option.

Back in my college days in San Marcos, I served as a senator in the student body government from 2016-2019. During one of my terms, we passed a “Menstrual Act” to supply free menstrual products on campus. Because of that, I was invited to speak on a panel where I talked about the lack of access to period products which led me to address reproductive justice,and how hard it is for many students to access resources. Afterward, someone told me I was “too emotional” to be taken seriously. 

Too emotional? I wanted to scream. If they’d experienced what I had, they’d be emotional too.

Texas taught me contradiction. It taught me how to love a place that doesn’t always love me back. But it also taught me how to speak up and keep going, even when it’s hard.

I’ve seen teens organize marches in 100-degree heat, sweat dripping down their faces, but not falter. I’ve seen immigrant mothers testify at the Texas Capitol in their second language, their voices steady despite the weight of the lawmakers’ stares. I’ve seen organizers build movements with nothing but heart and a folding table.

That’s why I decided to become an activist myself. I’ve worked in reproductive justice for over a decade. I’ve stood alongside people who have been activists since before I was born. I believe in the power of sharing and of storytelling. I believe in what happens when people stop whispering and start working. And I believe Texas can be better—not because it’s always been good to us, but because Texans deserve more.

We may not have access to abortion in our state anymore. We may be facing policy after policy meant to push us out. But we are still here, and we’re still fighting.

The post Why I Still Believe Texas Can Be Better appeared first on The Texas Observer.

Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, ended in tragedy this week on June 12, 2025. Just short moments after takeoff, the flight from Ahmedabad to London-Gatwick crashed into a medical hostel, ending the lives of 241 people on board along with many more on the ground.

The flight to London had lost power as well as contact to surrounding air control only 2 minutes into their journey. Witnesses recall hearing a loud bang before watching a rolling ball of black smoke ascent into the air as the plane hit the ground. The building that caught immediate impact from this aircraft was a hostel near B.J. Medical College.

Through all of this tragedy, one miracle arose. 1 singular survivor. A man named Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 34 year old English native, was thrown out of the plane through the emergency exit and has walked away with only minor injuries. His seat, 11A. Among the 241 passengers killed, there has been a reported 28 others. The search is ongoing.

While there have been other plane crashes reported throughout the years, this is the first crash involving a Boeing Dreamliner 787. An immediate investigation by the Indian Aviation Authorities has begun as they try to figure out the exact cause. Both the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder have been recovered and are being investigated. It has been reported that a possible main threat could have been a flap failure or a major engine malfunction, although nothing has been confirmed. A safety inspection has been ordered for all Dreamliner aircrafts in the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken out, calling the crash a “national tragedy”. Many United Kingdom and United States leaders have expressed their sorrows as well. Air India is reportedly issuing a 1 crore, or $120,000, to each of the victims families in order to give support.

An investigation is ongoing as the world awaits its answers to feel safe enough to fly again.

 

 

The post Netanyahu Calls Iran Strikes Necessary To Prevent War He Just Started appeared first on The Onion.

Iranian officials expanded a ban on dog walking to a swathe of cities across the country, with authorities calling dogs “unclean” and claiming they symbolize a legacy of Western cultural influence. What do you think?

The post Iran Cracks Down On Pet Dogs appeared first on The Onion.

Saturday, June 14 marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Army, which will be celebrated with a festival and military parade in Washington, D.C. The Onion examines the facts and figures behind the event.

12:

Repurposed Mastercard Pride floats

26%:

Likelihood tanks cave in city street and plunge into center of Earth

4:

Military stars being awarded to Kid Rock

200,000:

Attendees who just remembered parades are kind of boring to watch

833:

Tanks it takes to spell out HAPPY BIRTHDAY ARMY AND, COINCIDENTALLY, DONALD TRUMP

9:45 p.m.:

250 Years Of PTSD Fireworks Show

0:

Number Of JD Vances invited

15 to 20:

Sentencing range for protesting the parade peacefully

Priceless:

The smile on that sweet president’s face

The post Trump’s Military Parade By The Numbers appeared first on The Onion.

The post Kristi Noem Appears With Bandage Over Ear Struck By Words appeared first on The Onion.

There’s a five-page preview of issue 3 of GREAT BRITISH BUMP-OFF: KILL OR BE QUILT on my Patreon (an unlocked post open to all). That’s five pages of comics, right? And you thought you were getting none this week. The issue’s out on June 18th.

The post Kill Or Be Quilt #3 preview appeared first on Bad Machinery.

Stay tuned, Observer Eyewitness News is next on most Observer stations.

Two granting organizations have announced major awards in support of the Rothko Chapel in Houston and Artpace in San Antonio. 

Bank of America has selected the Rothko Chapel as one of 16 grantees for the 2025 Bank of America Art Conservation Project. The project grants will provide funding for the restoration of the east wall triptych by American painter Mark Rothko, which was damaged by a water leak during Hurricane Beryl in 2024. Of the three canvases, RC65-2c is reported in fair condition with areas of cracked and lifted paint; RC65-2b has drip marks running the length of the painting; and RC65-2a is reported in the worst condition, with drip marks, lifted and cracked paint and paint loss.

The amount of the Bank America grant is not specified. According to the Bank of America announcement, each of the funded projects is unique, and will require a wide range of advanced conservation techniques. The grantees include the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery for restoration of presidential portraits, The Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia for a Renoir painting, and the Yale University Gallery in New Haven, Connecticut for restoration of the 1969 outdoor public sculpture Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks.

The Bank of America Art Conservation Project advisory panel included representatives from The Barnes Foundation, the National Gallery of Art, and the J. Paul Getty Foundation.

Artpace, the longstanding San Antonio artists residency program founded by philanthropist and art collector Linda Pace, has received a $40,000 unrestricted grant from the Wisconsin-based Ruth Foundation for the Arts to support continued programming.  

The grant is a part of the Ruth Foundation’s 2025 Artist’s Choice program, guided by an artist-driven nomination process. Among this year’s 21 nominators were Nayland Blake, Nina Ghanbarzadeh, Joy Harjo, Bill T. Jones, Walid Raad, Yvonne Rainer, and Diane Simpson.

Kim Nguyen, Program Director at Ruth Arts, said in a press announcement, “This year we asked nominators to recommend unsung organizations that have stood the test of time, while maintaining and fostering rigorous, dynamic programs.” 

Artpace is one of 29 organizations from around the U.S. to receive a 2025 grant, including Danspace Project in New York, Urban Bush Women in Brooklyn, and the Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago. In total, $1.16 million in unrestricted grants will be distributed, with $4.5 million granted to 193 organizations since the program’s inception in 2022.

Artpace Director Riley Robinson said receiving the award during the organization’s 30th anniversary year “affirms the impact of our work over the past three decades,” and in that time, “Artpace has helped artists from around the world realize their visions and has played a pivotal role in shaping influential artistic and curatorial careers.”

For more information on the Ruth Foundation for the Arts, visit the organization’s website. For more on the Bank of America Art Conservation Project, including details on its 275 grantee projects over 15 years, visit the project web page.

The post Art Organizations in Houston and San Antonio Receive Major Grants appeared first on Glasstire.

Editor’s note: This article is also published in English on Glasstire. Find that here.

Nota de la editora: este artículo fue publicado originalmente en inglés en Glasstire el 24 de marzo del 2025.

Traducción de Yolanda Fauvet y Paulina H. Marroquín.

La exposición más reciente del Blanton Museum of Art, In Creative Harmony: Three Artistic Partnerships [En armonía creativa: Tres asociaciones artísticas], desafía la idea del genio artista solitario enfatizando que las grandes innovaciones rara vez son creadas en soledad. Esta exposición, que muestra más de 100 obras, incluye pinturas, esculturas y piezas de técnica mixta y subraya el intercambio dinámico de ideas entre seis artistas que conforman tres dúos. La muestra abarca obras históricas y contemporáneas y explora el poder de la colaboración a través de las asociaciones de los grabadores mexicanos José Guadalupe Posada y Artemio Rodríguez, los visionarios del modernismo Arshile Gorky e Isamu Noguchi y las ceramistas puebloanas Nora y Elisa Naranjo Morse, un dúo formado por madre e hija que continúa un linaje de destreza artística indígena. 

Para ahondar el tema de la colaboración, cada par de artistas fue curado por una curadora diferente: Vanessa Davidson, curadora de investigación de arte latinoamericano; Claire Howard, excuradora asociada de exposiciones y colecciones del Blanton, y Hannah Klemm, curadora de arte moderno y contemporáneo.

“Los artistas se han inspirado los unos a los otros durante siglos. In Creative Harmony demuestra cómo estos intercambios expanden los límites de la creatividad al entrelazar de una manera hermosa tres asociaciones transformadoras”, dice la directora del Blanton, Simone Wicha.

El primer dúo está formado por grabadores mexicanos que nacieron con un siglo de diferencia: José Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913), a quien algunos conocen como “el Goya mexicano”, y Artemio Rodríguez (n. 1972), cuyo trabajo se expone junto al de Posada por primera vez en un ambiente museístico. “La vida y obra de Posada han sido un gran ejemplo e inspiración para mí”, compartió Rodríguez.

Ambos artistas mezclan celebración y sátira mediante el uso de calaveras, las figuras esqueléticas que Posada ayudó a popularizar, para reflejar la identidad cultural y desafiar las estructuras de poder. Mickey Muerto y Supermuerto, de Rodríguez, transforman íconos de la cultura pop mundial en símbolos subversivos, expandiendo así el legado de Posada a nuevos paisajes culturales y políticos.

Para Howard, fue especialmente emocionante descubrir la amistad entre Gorky y Noguchi, sobre todo sus experiencias compartidas y el contexto que dio forma a sus obras. “Desde su enfrentamiento con los precursores modernistas hasta su adopción de la abstracción biomórfica, su sentimiento de desarraigo nacional y su involucramiento con el surrealismo y el expresionismo abstracto naciente, su conexión influyó profundamente en sus trayectorias artísticas”, afirma.

El dúo expuso su obra conjuntamente en Nueva York en la década de 1930, y esta muestra destaca dibujos colaborativos que pocas veces han sido vistos.

“Estoy especialmente emocionada de reunir, por primera vez desde su creación, los tres dibujos colaborativos que se sabe que crearon con De Hirsh Margules en respuesta al estallido de la Segunda Guerra Mundial en Europa. Además, estoy encantada de reunir Nude [Desnudo] de Gorky y Trinity [Trinidad] de Noguchi, que originalmente se mostraron juntas en la fascinante exposición surrealista Bloodflames [Llamas de sangre] en Nueva York en 1947”, añadió Howard.

Las artistas Nora y Eliza Naranjo Morse, madre e hija y miembros del largo legado artístico de la familia Naranjo, crearon un importante conjunto de obras nuevas para esta exposición. Healers from Some Other Place [Sanadores de algún otro lugar], de Nora, está formada por un grupo de esculturas que realizó con materiales recuperados, como sacos de arpillera y bolsas de Walmart, durante la pandemia de COVID-19. El proyecto, creado en etapas del confinamiento, se convirtió en un esfuerzo de colaboración entre mujeres, incluidas ancianas de la tribu kha’p’o owenge y de otras de lugares tan lejanos como Minnesota, que formaron una comunidad de sanación a lo largo de tres años.

La exposición está centrada en estos Healers, o sanadores, de arpillera junto a We Come With Stories [Venimos con historias], una serie de esculturas hechas a mano por Nora con arcilla micácea y de Santa Clara. Arraigadas en las tradiciones puebloanas, honran el conocimiento ancestral y las narrativas culturales indígenas.

 

 In Creative Harmony está en exhibición en el Blanton Museum of Art hasta el 20 de julio del 2025.

The post Una nueva exposición en el Blanton explora la colaboración artística appeared first on Glasstire.

Ryan Goolsby’s geometric installation current fills the front room of Erin Cluley Gallery’s exhibition space on Manufacturing Street in Dallas. The show’s title references flowing water, a theme that the eight wooden artworks (all Untitled, 2025) gesture toward through their forms. Each resembles the footprint of a fountain, with art deco curves and symmetry, or rippling tiers of half circles suggesting an effervescent movement through line. 

Created using a CNC router, the works are embellished with rows of grooves. The raised surfaces of the pieces are painted with relief printing ink, while the channels show either natural wood, or a complementary color. The artworks allude to the tradition of woodblock printing, but make the colored wood forms, rather than a resulting print, the objects of interest.

Several of Goolsby’s new works are constructed in multiple pieces. Small gaps between sections of the interlocking geometric designs add balance and harmony to the forms, providing rest points for the eye. 

Another of Goolsby’s artworks in the show creates a rest point for the feet: Bench (2025) is elegantly constructed of teak. A scalloped pattern along the edges contrasts the piece’s right angles. Together with the wall mounted wooden monochromes, the inclusion of Bench rounds out the display of Goolsby’s design aesthetic. A lightness and buoyancy created through line is made even more playful through bright color selections (orange, blue, purple, red, green, and yellow all appear), and the materiality of wood grounds it all. 

Beyond Goolsby’s show, in Shotor 〇 Morghe, a solo exhibition by 2025 Cluley Projects Open Call Winner Leili Arai Tavallaei, objects that signal memory meet mythical guardians in multimedia works with found objects. 

The hang, in the gallery’s rear space, begins with nostalgia. One silkscreen print, Bouquets Outlived Her and the Suitcases (2022) — a sepia family photograph overlaid with flower motifs — has a memorial quality, yet an adjacent silkscreen makes memories vibrant. In Your Amé Brought This Over (2022), gift boxes from visiting family members and the artist’s mother’s Nokia phone are rendered in layers of neon green, pink, and blue.

The motif of gifts and trinkets continues throughout the show. Iranian and Japanese candy wrappers form backgrounds and hang from artworks as a tactile representation of the artist’s multicultural heritage. These wrappers and tissue paper, layered onto several of the works in fragments, suggest a fragility and youthfulness.

Drawers that might contain such trinkets, literal places of stowing away items, are also prominent. In Recollection (2024), a drawer concealing a small piece of candy is built into the wooden canvas. Confluence (2025) is a diorama constructed inside an upturned drawer. And in Fortuitous (2025), a narrative of a house fire the artist experienced in Houston is etched into a drawer that sits below a mixed media painting of the scene it describes. A figure with an alien quality, outlined in ethereal blues and yellows, with wide-set eyes, crawls low. It’s drawn in a 2D animation style reminiscent of Chris Sanders’ (best known for Lilo & Stitch (2002)). Behind, the black silhouette of a house blazes with a fire that branches out in a star-like pattern. 

In Recollection and Confluence, this cast of mythological figures expands. Each has yellow tinted skin and an otherworldly quality. Beams of light shine from the eyes of the figure kneeling in Recollection, and he holds a plastic strap with a red wheat pattern as if it were a lantern. It dangles off the canvas, breaking the frame vertically, as the working drawer breaks it horizontally.

From another drawer, a multi-channel video installation, Gol e Gorbe (2025) emerges like a tree, green wires branching to seven screens. Tavallaei’s subtle animations (a doodle of a running figure, ripples, etc.) play over family photos to a soundtrack of calm, distant insect and bird sounds recorded by the artist. Wafting throughout the gallery, the soundtrack has the secondary effect of drawing out the meditative qualities of Goolsby’s forms in the adjoining room.

Tavallaei’s melding of personal mementos, otherworldly creatures, and preserved wrappers creates a world with many entry points for discovery, with literal drawers to open, where both magical imagery and tender relics reside.

 

Leili Arai Tavallaei: Shotor O Morghe and Ryan Goolsby: current are on view through June 21 at Erin Cluley Gallery in Dallas.

The post Review: Ryan Goolsby and Leili Arai Tavallaei at Erin Cluley Gallery, Dallas appeared first on Glasstire.

On Wednesday morning, the Houston City Council voted 14-3 on Mayor John Whitmire’s $7 billion budget proposal. This proposal was introduced back in May and caused controversy over where the allocated funds were going.

In the proposal, many city departments saw substantial budget cuts. Some of these included Houston public libraries, the Department of Neighborhoods, the Houston Health Department, and more. These departments saw a loss of millions of dollars which has led to multiple lay-offs and cut-backs on services such as security.

On the other hand, the Houston Police and Fire Department saw a significant increase in their budget. Both will receive an increase of millions of dollars, placing Houston’s Police Department as the highest-paid in the state. Additionally, the Houston Fire Department’s increase in pay and budget, comes after nearly a decade of disputes under Sylvester Turner’s, former Houston mayor, mayoral term.

Throughout his term, there was massive debate between Turner and the Houston Firefighter’s Union over their lack of negotiation and low pay. Over the course of many years, the firefighter union requested an increase in pay in order to match the wages of their surrounding departments.

Yet for four years, they would not see any raises. It was not until Mayor John Whitmire took office that the Houston Fire Department was finally able to not only receive a raise, but some back-pay as well. Not only was this historical for current firefighters, but also for those that had retired and for the families of the deceased firefighters. Officials at the police and fire department believe that with these new benefits, the city will see many new recruits, which will bring down their overtime costs.

However, because of the pay raises that the police and fire department are seeing, other city departments are going through massive cuts and some Houston citizens have voiced their disapproval of the budget. During the press conference that took place last Wednesday, a group of protesters held up signs that read “HOUSTON SAYS NO” and claiming that the budget was a scam.

They argued that the city was not doing enough regarding the city’s drainage projects. This comes after a legal dispute between engineers, Bob Jones and Alan Watson, and the City of Houston. They claimed that the money that was meant to be spent on drainage projects, was misused.

An agreement was made on how that money would be paid back and in what increments. Furthermore, protesters were also unhappy with the pay increase that the Houston Police Department is facing. Instead of allocating more money for the already heavily budgeted police department, they felt that the city should focus more on their drainage and flood plans as well as recouping the missing funds that were supposed to be used for that purpose. Although there are plans to bridge the gap between the funds being spent and the funds being saved, the money is being pulled from the city’s savings account which leaves many to wonder how Houston will be able to come back from its massive debt.

HOUSTON, TEXAS — Do you want something fun to do for the summer whilst making new friends and joining the community? Do you want to experience

Join us on Saturday, June 28^th as many Houstonians are getting themselves prepared for the 47^th anniversary of the LGBTQ+ community using festivities, parades, and decorating the streets with vibrant colors to help attract the community to celebrate peace, love, and diversity.

Back in the 1970s, this decade sparked a revolution and established laws that indicated the protection of African Americans’ rights, Women’s rights, Peace and environmental rights, and the Lgbtq+ rights movements. Then the civil rights movement started making history with multiple rights that were established that protected all aspects of their people.

Therefore marking June 28^th, 1970s with its first annual pride parade. As generations pass, now with 2025, the celebration is worldwide and international that is celebrated everywhere.

According to Pride Houston, the festivities will be located at the Houston City Hall, 901 Bagby Street Houston, in the heart of downtown.  The festival event will have many activities and vendors with exotic foods and goodies you can enjoy and spread your love with social media like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, and many others.

So, gather round the dinner tables and prepare your tastebuds to your true colors with the vibrant cuisine with the Rainbow recipes. From sweet to crispy, they cook lovely desserts like the Rainbow cupcakes, don’t let the white frosting and the paper cups fool you! Once you take a bite out of this sweet goodness, the layer inside the cupcake is the colors of the rainbow, made to introduce your tastebuds to a whole new world of flavor! They have most stuff there rainbow colored, cakes, ice cream, chips, sandwiches, popcorn, pretty much every meal you could think of is decorated with a rainbow.

They also have community resources that pass out flyers or information about many colleges and universities you could attend, affordable healthcare you could get, help related to abuse, stress, or depression, and many more!

The community always wants to extend a helping hand to those who are in need so feel free to hear them out as you head on down the DJ booth. Sponsored by 97.9 the Box radio station they play all of the popular hits known today, along with special performances from Asiahn, Djs Rosez, Twerksum, and Drea.  They also play some classical hits, The Wobble, The Cupid Shuffle, and so much more, so you can get your boogie on!

There are so many fun and cool activities to do during this event, but in order to get in you need to get yourself some tickets, they are required for individuals who are aged 13 – 59, they are required to give tickets due to safety concerns and you are free to wear whatever you want there so pull out those colors from your wardrobe and let yourself out!

According to EventBrite,  Most tickets start from $25 plus a $5 fee per person, this is for access to the festival grounds which includes the outdoor DJ booths, Dance floors, different entertainments, the family fun zone for kids, as well as the vendor booths. However, the ages 12 and under and seniors 60 and above are free upon entry.

They also have a V.I.P. area which includes free food, drinks, private bar, free access to the main stage/plaza, access to a cooling room/restrooms, and also a V.I.P. grandstand of the parade where you can have the best viewing of the parade floats! Personally, I enjoyed the V.I.P. experience at the festival, there were a lot of friendly and outgoing people who knew how to have fun!

These tickets are selling out pretty fast so feel free to get some tickets while you can!

Link to get tickets today is down below:

Houston Pride LGBT+ Celebration® 2025| Tickets (Official) Tickets, Sat, Jun 28, 2025 at 11:00 AM | Eventbrite

As many iconic works have entered into the public domain since 2019, there has been a surge of horror film adaptations. These horror adaptations have received strong critiques for their deviation from or failure to say something unique about their source material. Ultimately, this criticism has spilled over into skepticism about the public domain itself, framing it as a creative dead-end. This critique, however, overlooks the underlying benefit of the public domain: the ability for anyone, not just corporations, to create their own version/adaptation of the same work. Despite consistent criticism surrounding public domain horror adaptations, a further study of these works reveals underlying contemporary industry conditions that lead to their creation, and demonstrates the enduring importance of the public domain in enabling creative freedom beyond pure corporate control.

These adaptations exist within the current characteristics of contemporary filmmaking; a type of filmmaking largely driven by financial risk-aversion that relies on Intellectual Property (IP) adaptations rather than original stories to guarantee audience attendance and big money earnings. Look no further than April 2025’s A Minecraft Movie that relied on the Minecraft IP to pull in over $150 million in a single weekend in the United States and Canada, as well as over $900 million worldwide across its theatrical run. As studios continue to embrace IP and risk-aversion as rules of the game, creators must either find ways to craft original stories within these confines, or find another way to keep the cost down, such as working in a historically proven low-cost genre: Horror.

Horror films are a popular selection for filmmakers as they can be made more economically compared to other genres by utilizing fewer elements such as limited locations, small casts, and visual ambiguity to enact the horror/unease. There is a long lineage of economical horror films that set off careers including John Carpenter’s Halloween, Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead, and Mike Flanagan’s Absentia. Each film was made for less than $500,000, unadjusted for inflation, and launched careers of well known and successful filmmakers. While each film is hugely varied and different from one another, they are all connected by one common element: being original stories. But when IP is heavily guarded and protected by risk-averse studios, it makes sense to turn to the public domain for creative freedom as an independent filmmaker working with budgetary constrictions. 

Though shaped by the same constraints and standards, the resulting films vary wildly. Some horror films adapted from public domain works lean heavily on shock value while others take a more reflexive approach, using the tools of horror to comment on copyright itself. In 2022, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey utilized the shock elements to draw an audience, while 2025’s Screamboat embedded a metatextual critique of copyright lengths.

In 2022, shortly after 1926’s Winnie-the-Pooh entered the public domain, filmmaker Rhys Frake-Waterfield, whose earlier indie films received little attention, announced Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey. By adapting the Pooh stories, Frake-Waterfield utilized their near-hundred year history and public recognition to garner immediate attention to his new production, highlighting the benefits that IP provides even in an area of filmmaking that is historically amenable to emerging filmmakers. 

Since its release, critics and viewers alike have highlighted the deviation from the childhood source material through a gory slasher adaptation. These critiques are reasonable and definitely feel notable to viewers as a dead-eyed Pooh Bear and tusk-bearing Piglet eat Eeyore. However jarring the contrast of the adaptation to the source material may be, it does not undercut the value of the public domain. In creating this adaptation, it acts as a celebration of the public domain as a vehicle for filmmakers and other creatives to remix old works for their own creative and commercial benefit and not just the benefit of select corporate IP holders.

The Blood and Honey film is an adaptation that does not utilize the Pooh stories for much more than audience familiarity. It utilizes the public domain works primarily as a shock factor to attract audience attention. Generally it grafts the iconography of these stories onto an indie horror film that would remain fundamentally unchanged if all of the Pooh elements were stripped away. Beneath the surface of this iconography is a standard slasher film playing in the mold of what has come before.

This adaptation does not diminish the original stories that still exist and are available to everyone. Nor does it create a new monopoly on the stories, as these Pooh stories remain in the public domain. Instead, it highlights the underlying conditions of filmmaking that surround the film during the time in which it was made. By entering the public domain in the 2020s, newly public domain works give rise to modern adaptations that reflect the popular trends of the moment. They fit within the confines of the corporate, risk-averse IP conditions that drive filmmaking. And yes, many are becoming franchises, itself a reflection of the current moment. Frake-Waterfield has expanded upon his original Blood and Honey film with a direct sequel as well as the greater Twisted Childhood Universe, pulling from other public domain works such as the original Bambi and Peter Pan. 

Similarly to Blood and Honey, the recent Screamboat adaptation of Steamboat Willie by Steven LaMorte is also a grafting of a public domain work onto a more standard narrative. In a 2025 interview with Paul Marsh, LaMorte reveals that he had been working on a Staten Island Ferry horror film since the early 2010s. However, following Steamboat Willie’s passage into the public domain in 2024, LaMorte reworked the film into an adaptation. In contrast to Blood and Honey, Screamboat functions as a metatextual film commenting not only on the original work, but also the nature of the public domain. It is not solely a horror film based on a public domain work, but a horror film about corporate copyright terms and how these long terms may alienate creators from their original works. This perspective becomes especially vivid in the film’s midsection, which recounts the story of Willie’s separation from Walt Disney in a visually striking animated flashback.

Utilizing animation reminiscent of the original Steamboat Willie cartoon, the film recounts an old man’s tale of how Willie was separated from his creator, an animated depiction of Walt Disney. Much like in real life, the film too omits inclusion of Ub Iwerks as a creator of Mickey Mouse, reinforcing how authorship itself can be obscured by copyright mythologies. In the course of the tale, Walt falls overboard leaving Willie behind locked away in the ferry’s underbelly. Upon Willie’s release, after ninety-five years, he goes off on a rampage killing and terrorizing anyone that he comes across. Willie’s violence is framed not just as horror, but as retribution—an eruption of neglected cultural memory finally freed from captivity.

The middle animation segment of Screamboat utilizes the public domain nature of Steamboat Willie by formally adapting something that was previously restricted by copyright. This unique passage during the film’s middle point sticks in the viewer’s mind, elevating the work a step beyond pure shock value. It instead evokes an iconic character to examine the legacy of copyright control. Through Willie’s violent acts, the film suggests that long copyright terms can turn cultural icons into imprisoned relics. Screamboat critiques the copyright maximalism that the Disney company helped enshrine, using one of Disney’s earliest icons. Together, Blood and Honey and Screamboat reflect two poles of public domain horror—one exploitative, the other expressive. But both are artifacts of a specific cultural and creative moment.

Placed in the context of this broader moment in filmmaking, public domain horror is not an aberration but a logical outcome. Despite this, the context that surrounds the films now will not always be in living memory. In many years, when reflecting on this particular filmmaking environment, these horror adaptations might be seen as an odd and quirky moment of filmmaking. In actuality, these films are emblematic of the cultural moment in which they were produced, highlighting an evolving landscape of intellectual property and creative voice. Ultimately, these films probably won’t reach the same cultural impact as adaptations of other public domain works like 1961’s West Side Story (Romeo and Juliet) or 1959’s Ben-Hur (Ben-Hur). Still, they will remain important and interesting cultural artifacts that inform future generations as snapshots and reflections of the conditions in which they were made. Looking back at the past through creative works informs us of the societal and creative mores of that moment, and helps to anchor us in a contextual reference point to our own moment. Maybe these films will be celebrated themselves when they inevitably enter the public domain… in nearly 100 years.

Screams in the Vault: Public Domain Horror in the Age of IP by Sterling Dudley is marked with CC0 1.0

Amid a quiet legislative session for health, lawmakers’ priority legislation reinforced the U.S. health secretary’s agenda.

Our interactive tool allows you to search how state lawmakers voted on the most consequential proposals debated during the session, which ended June 2.

Texans for Lawsuit Reform is threatening to primary House members who helped kill their major legislative priorities.

California senator Alex Padilla was pushed out of the news conference by authorities after he interrupted Noem.

Hawaii's Kilauea volcano, one of the world's most active, erupted for the 25th time since 23 December 2024.

In brief: Houston should have one more round of fairly widespread thunderstorms today, especially closer to the coast before things start to ease up closer to what’s typical for June. The relatively mild weather of this week will revert back to typical early summer fare heading into next week.

Today

After yesterday’s widespread rains, we get one more crack at the free car wash today. Things are starting off quiet this morning. That should change as the morning progresses. We’ll have a couple showers pop up along the coast over the next few hours. That will evolve into more numerous downpours and thunderstorms after 10 or 11 AM. This will be especially true along the coast and just inland, so Highway 59/I-69 is kind of our demarcation line today. South and east of there, higher rain risk, north and west lower rain risk.

A flood watch is in effect for coastal counties between Matagorda Bay and Louisiana today. These areas will be more susceptible to the heaviest rains. We will continue the Stage 1 flood alert as well for the rest of today. The Matagorda area was hardest hit yesterday, but today I would watch closer to Galveston and on the island for some healthy street flooding risks. These storms will be capable of dumping 2 to 4 inches in an hour.

So, storms become widespread at the coast after 10 or 11 AM and some additional more scattered activity spreads inland to the northwest from there. Rains should dissipate after sunset.

Saturday & Sunday

On Saturday, the trough that sits over the Arklatex today will move into the Mississippi Valley to our east. That should reduce the overall support for widespread thunderstorms like we’ve had since midweek.

What does this mean? Well, we should revert to more typical summertime weather. I would expect to see some showers or a couple thunderstorms develop each day from late morning through afternoon along the sea breeze as it slowly migrates inland from the Gulf. Many of us will see nothing at all, but a few will receive the often-welcome cooling downpour on Saturday or Sunday. Coverage may be a smidge higher on Sunday than Saturday. But anyone planning to partake in outdoor activities will probably only have to briefly dodge a shower, if anything at all.

It will warm back up though. We should reach the low-90s with a couple mid-90s here or there. Morning lows will be in the upper-70s.

Next week

High pressure over the Southwest will flatten out while a new area of high pressure builds west across the Gulf Coast toward Texas. We’ll probably keep Monday much like Sunday or Saturday, but Tuesday and Wednesday could see slightly increased rain chances before we probably shut off the sprinklers for a couple days later next week. Highs will generally remain in the lower-90s, close to normal for mid-June.

Street art can come in many forms, whether it be a beautiful, detailed mural, a scenic sculpture or even a creative tag in an alleyway. Graffiti can be seen all around major cities just like Houston; depending on who’s looking some might think that urban art is unfavorable to the city and to others this form of art could make an area more aesthetically pleasing. So, where did this come from? (Tate.org 2025) the movement of street art began in between the 1960s and 70s as a form of protest starting from name tagging in certain states such as New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.  

A couple examples of street art is the iconic “Be Someone” tag on a steel bridge that every Houstonian sees when passing through I-45. Or in between Fallen Angel and Leopard Lounge on Westheimer Road, there is a mural of MF DOOM alongside more tags left by the community of Montrose. This goes to show how in the past, as previously mentioned, graffiti and street art was once seen as a radical form of protest that has now transformed into an inspiring and beautiful form of art even here in space city. 

Street art could seem visually appealing to some, what exactly draws the line for some street art? While some people might think the array of tags might be beautiful, not everyone understands the concept of filling a random space of art and believe that it can make a space unsightly. (Derek A. Adame 2021). As everyone might know, graffiti is illegal without the permission of the owners who occupy the space and could be considered vandalism, because it is a minor crime it could lead to a rise in crime rate in the area.  

If done properly, street art could be useful in speaking out politically, sparking social awareness and uplifting a community. Another positive about urban art is that it’s accessible to anyone and everyone. It could even create opportunities for these small artists to get involved with bigger artists or find positions within a company to turn their hobby and passion into a career. (The State of The Arts 2025)  

In the end, beauty can really only be seen and appreciated within the eye of the beholder, but just because something sticks out against most things, it doesn’t necessarily make it an eye-sore but could mean something deeper than what we might think and should be considered more than just colors on a wall. 

 

LOS ANGELES—In recognition of their outstanding contributions to the true crime genre, convicted killers Lyle and Erik Menendez were honored this week with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “The Menendez brothers have truly set the standard for aspiring murderers everywhere,” Monsters showrunner Ryan Murphy said in a speech noting that the duo’s local Beverly Hills roots were part of what made the occasion so special and that many look upon the siblings, who are currently serving life sentences for first-degree murder, as hometown heroes. “It has been an extraordinary privilege getting to work with Erik and Lyle and learn about the immersive process they undertook to gun down their parents. The Menendez brothers are true multihyphenate talents, and I am particularly honored to be associated in some small way with the Walk of Fame stars who did so much for this city and the entertainment industry.”  The honor from Hollywood follows the brothers’ recent induction into the NBA Hall of Fame for appearing courtside in the background of Knicks guard Mark Jackson’s 1990–91 basketball card.

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WASHINGTON—In a landmark decision opposed only by Justice Neil Gorsuch, who advocated for at least one more serving of the “tasty little crustaceans,” a bloated and moaning Supreme Court ruled Friday that they had eaten too many shrimp. “The court holds that we as a judicial body have consumed far more shrimp than anyone could reasonably deem appropriate, let alone advisable, and therefore we find it prudent to impose a nationwide injunction on bottomless shrimp deals, effective immediately,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in a cocktail-sauce-covered majority opinion joined by six other members of the nation’s highest court, with Amy Coney Barrett recusing herself due to a shellfish allergy. “We hereby enjoin the court from eating any more shrimp for at least 48 hours. This overturns the long-standing precedent of Belly v. United States (2024), which determined that one could never eat too many shrimp, a case we now believe was improperly decided by justices who failed to account for the undue toll that a high volume of shrimp takes on one’s gastric health. This is to say nothing of the heightened risk of ingesting bad shrimp that occurs when one eats so very many of them.” At press time, Gorsuch publicly blasted the ruling, claiming he could eat 40 to 50 more shrimp, no problem.

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CHICAGO—In what the museum touted as a rare hands-on opportunity for the public to learn about the universe, the Adler Planetarium opened a new interactive exhibit Tuesday that offers guests the chance to touch a live protostar. “A lot of people in the city have never had the experience of seeing a real protostar up close, so as science educators we were thrilled to let them pet our little friend W75N(B)-VLA2 here,” said planetarium director Stephanie Kern, adding that the mass of collapsing gas and dust had become a minor celebrity after a video of the protostar ejecting hot, ionized wind at a surprised visitor went viral on TikTok. “W75N(B)-VLA2’s parent molecular cloud is always nearby, so it feels safe letting people gently pat its dusty torus with two fingers. And you can tell the kids love it. You’ll hear them giggling and saying, ‘Ooh, it feels weird!’ but before long they’re asking if they can help feed it matter. We’re hoping that the experience of touching a protostar will make these kids feel more invested in taking care of our universe as they grow up themselves.” At press time, the planetarium announced that W75N(B)-VLA2 had sadly gone supernova after an overzealous child squeezed it too hard. 

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Matthew Early, 65, passed away suddenly Wednesday, leaving behind two uneaten slices of pepperoni pizza.

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