Do you feel how I feel?

Cinco de Drinko's aftermath casts a pall over the city; productivity plummets

Just one day after 23 Houston companies were honored on Fortune's list of the top 500 grossing companies in America, the city is in grave danger of toppling off its pedestal as one of the nation's most flourishing metropolises.

On Friday, clear signs of lethargy had descended upon the city's workforce. Record numbers had called in "sick" and offices city wide were quiet, clammy and nauseous. Something smelled different — and not in a good way.

Cinco de Drinko had obviously taken its toll, and the extent of its aftermath has yet to be determined.

A sampling of the Twitter messages some Houstonians still managed to get out the day after Cinco de Mayo include:

"Ugghhh. May 6th. #hungover."

"Why yes Rich Hardesty, I am a little hungover. I did not however take a leak in the drain."

"Last night was not OK."

"I am not OK."

"I woke up with no phone, no wallet, no shirt, no pants and no shoes. Wallet cannot be found. Phone was in car. Pants, shirt and shoes piled on hood of car."

And "Pedialyte: The breakfast of champions."

The depth of this dent to Houston's earnings is unforeseen. But in lighter news, El Pueblito earned its cost for the next five years.

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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.”