You Know What I Mean?

Meet Houston's new advice columnist: A problem solver for the Twitter age

And worth every penny.
Is Fayza the new Ann Landers?
Or perhaps, the new Dan Savage? OK, maybe she's a little different from all ofthe above.

What do Cary Tennis, Dan Savage, Emily Yoffe, Ann Landers and I have in common?

We all know what's best for you.

At least we figure we do. And the hordes of you with guilty consciences, thoughts that keep you up at night, pens, papers, and now keyboards have dumped your deepest fears and darkest concerns into the laps of those esteemed advice columnists throughout the years, wishing and hoping for a solid solution to hang your hat on.

They've delivered. And now it's my turn.

Houston, we have an advice columnist. Say hello to my brand new column, "You Know What I Mean?"

Hit me with your best shot. I want to be your hometown Dear Abby.

Send me an e-mail at advice@culturemap.com, and let me take a crack at your problems. I promise, the truth won't hurt. Too much.

Are your balls iron-clad? Leave your questions in the comments. Or message me on Facebook and put a face to that dilemma. Or send me a public reply (or DM) on Twitter. Pick your poison, baby.

You say you've swindled resources from the non-profit agency for which you are the treasurer to pay your electricity bill before your power gets cut off? I'm going to straighten you out.

You say your best friend's husband is a vocalist in a simply awful a cappella trio, yet you feel forced to attend every performance because she babysits your children for free? I'll help you break the news.

I won't tackle your medical, legal, or financial dilemmas — those are best left to the professionals (the ones with licenses to practice in said fields, unlike yours truly).

But if you're flummoxed as to who to talk to about your co-worker's strange habit of berating you in front of the boss, or you find yourself conflicted about your girlfriend's swinging past, I'm your girl.

So ask me your questions at advice@culturemap.com (or through comments on this post, Facebook or Twitter). But ask like you mean it — e-mail cannot be taken back once submitted. And remember, by sending your questions to me, you're telling CultureMap it's cool to publish it. We'll protect your identities, though, and we may edit your requests if deemed necessary.

I'm cheaper than your shrink and more candid than your mother. Go ahead. Ask for my advice. I'll begin unraveling your personal mysteries next week.

Until then, get into plenty of trouble and tell me about it. Because if you're all perfect little angels, the advice columnist breed will die a slow, horrible death.

Don't be the cause for the extinction of an entire species. Go on and lead a dysfunctional life. No judgment here. Advice columnist's honor.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”