bachanon

the identity numbers the irs has issued are not falsified numbers. and yes, something i didn't consider, is the fact that i do not live in neighborhoods as you've described. i do think that there is a positive side to the mass migration of mexicans. it is not being reported or investigated. i like to hear both sides of the story. when i begin to hear friends and family getting irate over the immigration issue and not have a bit of information outside of your typical media or gossip, i start reading alternative press. i really like "reason" magazine and its contributors. they tend to have a different kind of approach to major issues.

the article i posted states that the irs has 8 million non citizens paying taxes with alternative identification numbers. that's a big deal to me. there is another commentary at reason magazine that describes how immigrant families become completely immersed in our culture by the third generation. the grandkids of immigrant families seldom speak spanish at all. they are assimilating at the same rate as italians/welsh/irish immigrants earlier in our history. the massive amount of immigrants makes it easy to assume many of the negative things that anti-immigration people perceive; however, much of their assumptions are unfounded. Don

the new cathedral is all pomp and no circumstance. interesting? yes. needed? probably not.

i adore mexican immigrants. some of these people are the most positive, hard working, principled people i know. they put many conservative republicans to shame. in an alternative universe, i think that the US should offer state-hood to mexican regions bordering the US. if they determine they want to be a united states state, we will defend them and localities will extend plumbing, electricity, commerce to their region. it might spark a war with mexico, but hell, mexico's GDP would plummit if we didn't trade with them. the immigration issue would become moot. the US would grow geographically as well as its tax base. basically, we could begin to annex mexico.

Immigration and the Welfare State The real root of the problem Brian Doherty Given the poor quality of ideas on the legislative table, the best outcome of this year

everyone i've met or read about who've served in the israeli military (compulsory service) has seemed to be very honorable. if compulsory service was packaged as if it were an honor or duty, it might be a good thing. but coming from a country who has not required that sort of thing, it might seem an imposition (at least for the first generation of soldiers). i'm not against compulsory service. i do think it is remarkable that people are willing to commit to our armed forces. it has an appearance of "good will". although it is, on many occasion, bribery to more unfortunate citizens. i've met many military families for whom it is an honor to serve. i love these people. they are the backbone of our military. i hate it when people belittle what these families stand for.

that subtitle cracks me up. it lets me know that the writers aren't taking the subject matter too seriously.

i agree. as usual, red, you are quick to point out my flaws; however, i was blowing off some steam. i bite my tongue very often around friends and family. unleashing an irrelevant diatribe on haif is, occasionally, good therapy. sorry to burden you. i still you.

Who

ditto that.

if we are so willing to go to war, why not rely on people who have chosen to be in the armed forces? compulsory service would diminish the resolve of active forces. if you choose to commit to duty, you are less likely to blame someone else for your decision and, a good person, will follow through. rangle, or rangel, is simply being the usual dunce that he is. he thinks that some extreme legislative measure will end war or make the privileged people equal with common folk. he's a small minded man who shouldn't get the press coverage that he does. kind of like al sharpton or al franken. if some of these dorks would at least read alternative press, they might be challenged to be a bit more sophisticated in their endeavors. i doubt that sharpton or rangel read much. franken probably checks someone's voting record before reading their book. god forbid that he read an opposing viewpoint. (note to self.............resubscribe to "reason" magazine.) reason magazine

i don't know if i actually posted it, but i read recently in the census figures, that downtown houston has only 150K workers. that is close to 6% of greater houston's population. i also saw that harris county has 1.7 million jobs. that's amazing to me. less than ten percent of harris county jobs are in downtown houston. my crystal ball tells me that there will be more new jobs outside of downtown houston in '07 than in the CBD.

ummm, yeah. as does the medical center. i had a friend's friend sleep over one year who was from the midwest. he kept asking, "is that downtown?"............"is that downtown?". he concluded that houston had several "downtowns".

exciting news. our museum's are some of the most visited museums in the country.

hmmmmmmmmmmm, i looook intoo my creestal ball and i see..........i seeeeeeeeuh more prosperity for houston, less for the rest of the country. possession of small amounts of drugs will become a misdemeanor. my nephew (i'm his guardian) will continue with his b average and get his first real job. he will continue to be an asset to his high school football program as a varsity player. i will reconnect with old friends. one or more new hi-rise structures will be announced for houston. nancy pelosi will put her foot in her mouth to the chagrine of the moderate democrats. christmas retail sales figures will be the best in years. the US will become increasingly tired of iraq, but the necessity of staying in iraq will become more pronounced. it is a good time to adopt a soldier. they are caught in the middle of this issue and it's not their fault. support a soldier before you attend an anti-war rally. the woodlands town center will recieve three new midrises and two more will be announced. the new season of "the L word" will take up space on my DVR. john mccain will appear to be the "republican" front runner for '08 but will be eclipsed by a different figure near the end of '07. anne rice will release a new book. houston will have another mild summer. home values along north millbend in grogan's mill, the woodlands, will increase in value another 10 to 20%. the woodlands will open new sections of east shore and waterway square will be completed. my buddy "d" and his wife "a" will concieve their second bambino. this exhausts me. i'll have more "crystal ball" predictions later on.

heroes is my latest "guilty pleasure", next to "top chef". i don't think the show needs help.

i dunno,................mad dog, shot glasses. my family can wait. if you people are gonna get silly i might just skip thanksgiving dinner. i'll definitely be home saturday and sunday. i've found that thanksgiving night after everyone is done with their families is a great time to get together: however, i will not be free thanksgiving night.

i'm going to fort worth wednesday evening or early thursday. january is much more flexible.

South County notebook: Town Center shifts program funding By BETH KUHLES Chronicle Correspondent The Town Center Improvement District terminated its participation in The Woodlands Traffic Enforcement Program. The joint effort with the Community Associations of The Woodlands targeted motor vehicle violations on key thoroughfares in The Woodlands. That program, which ran for three years, is being transitioned into a new enhanced law enforcement effort that will include a traffic enforcement component. The Woodlands is expected to expand its contracted force from 14 to 29 officers into a beat system. The $114,000 dedicated to the effort will be redistributed to other security programs at TCID, including traffic control for the holiday and tax holiday seasons, more patrols and more security for pavilion concerts and events, said Steve Sumner, vice president of operations and public safety for TCID. Woodlands receives award for program The Woodlands Watch earned the national award for communities with populations of 30,000 to 99,000 for National Night Out events. It has placed in the top 10 in the country since 1990. The Woodlands hosted 86 registered neighborhood parties and 10 official park locations. The annual event, to raise awareness of crime prevention, featured representatives from the FBI, the Department of Public Safety, the Conroe Independent School District Police Department, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, Montgomery County Hospital District - EMS, Montgomery County Precinct 3 Constable, The Woodlands Fire Department, the Community Associations Park Rangers, a PHI Air Medical Team, Alpha Omega Mounted Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration and Crime Stoppers. houston chronicle story

it was kind of like a bob haircut, but with a 15 to 30 degree angle from above the temple on one side, around the back of the head, to a point lower (sometimes down below the chin) on the opposite side. those haircuts were great for that molly ringwald dance thing. you know the one, a slight stomp or skip and spin, hands swinging to the off beat. combat boots courtesy of col. bubbies. col. bubbies i remember when you could only buy doc martin's in the uk. after that, they started showing up at dream merchant and marshall fields. now they sell them at "journeys".

"bitchin' camero! bitchin' camero!"

i recognize the detailing and the white building in the background. i just can't remember if it's prairie & main or near the courthouse, maybe it's over by houston press. i can't put my finger on it.

is it on caroline near capitol?

the rice

kim son?