dbigtex56

Merged and retitled topics.

Who determines what is and what is not graffiti? If someone paints a mural on his building, does he need to defend it against the graffiti police? Rather than paying a fine, I'd be tempted to respond to the city by saying "I paid someone to paint that. It's art, dammit!"

My father was a crane operator, and used to discuss his job at length. Yes, wind is definitely a factor; although the structure appears rather spidery there's still enough surface area to impact the operation of the crane. Even more problematic are the items being lifted. A good gust of wind can get tons of steel and concrete going in unexpected and dangerous directions. He hated operating tower cranes, both because of the heights and because of their lack of stability. When rotating the crane, a huge amount of torsion is created, which causes the support structure to flex, then snap back into place. Even a small amount of displacement is magnified at the end of a hundred foot boom, and when there's great amounts of money (and human lives) at stake, precision is vital. I believe self-constructing cranes built within the building's core or elevator shaft is known as a kangaroo crane (because the technology was originally used in Australia).

Could this be it?

Merged topics with existing thread

Walgreens may not be as insensitive as you fear. In at least one instance, they decided to put support for local historic architecture ahead of mindless development. Preservation Success Story

Unless I'm greatly mistaken, the company does provide you with insurance. They know that providing health insurance for all of its employees makes good economic sense. The fact that some of their employees might be foolish or arrogant enough to forgo insurance in exchange for a higher wage is not lost on them. They do not offer this option because some people simply lack the life experience which is needed to make wise choices. They don't want to take that chance. Goodness is not to be thanked for your "uncommon decency". Poor parenting is. How sad that your moral development was so neglected. You reap the benefits of a stable society, yet resent paying your fair share. Or did you simply forget to enumerate your prodigious acts of charity? Perhaps there are places which do not advocate the "theft" to which you're so opposed - but they are not among the economically advanced industrialized nations.

That certainly has been the pattern here so far. Yet, Houston is capable of change. Fifty years ago, there were separate drinking fountains and restrooms for blacks and whites. We're now a city proud of its racial and cultural diversity. When I moved to Houston 25 years ago, inside the Loop was considered to be past its prime; there was virtually no redevelopment in Montrose or Midtown. That situation certainly has undergone a dramatic change. In the 1970s Buffalo Bayou was an open sewer; the EPA had to step in to make the city clean up its act. Now, the western portion is an attraction, and it appears that the eastern portion will follow suit. Houston is a dynamic city, and if enough citizens express an interest in historic preservation it has a chance of taking hold here, too. We've overcome many of our past failings; why stop now? (Regarding that town in New York - although it's spelled 'Chili', the natives pronounce it Shy-Lye. The food is pronounced in the conventional way. Go figure! )

Allen Parkway Village (now known as Historic Oaks at Allen Parkway Village)

These articles illustrate how ordinary citizens can take on corporate America and make a difference. Walgreens has reversed its decision to demolish an historic structure, and are now contributing to its restoration. March 22, 2006 A 190-year-old inn that may have been a stop on the Underground Railroad could be torn down for a Walgreens. Last week the town of Chili, N.Y., located outside Rochester, approved a developer's plan to build a drugstore on the site of the Stagecoach Inn. "There are quite a few people who are against it," says Darcy Beeman, a member of the grassroots group Friends of the Stagecoach Inn. "Our take is that the two buildings can coexist." "My feeling is that they didn't do their homework on its cultural and historical significance," says longtime resident Pastor Rodney Jones. "It's the most important historic site in our town." Built around 1816 as a stagecoach stop, inn, tavern, and post office, in 1867 the two-story brick building became the Chili Seminary, the first Free Methodist educational institution in the country. The Free Methodists, who were abolitionists, operated a "temperance house" in the building and may have sheltered runaway slaves there, Beeman says. Link to full National Trust article ******************************** From the Democrat & Chronicle(Rochester, NY): (January 24, 2007)

Yeah, I love that, too. I love that people in Houston are beginning to realize that they don't have to put up with everything that developers throw their way. If they're anything like other developers, Trammell Crow has only one goal: to make money. That usually means throwing up whatever is most cost-effective. If the plans posted on this thread are any indication, little or no regard is given to the effects on surrounding neighborhoods or aesthetic concerns. The only incentive they have to put more thought into its design is to gauge the effect on the market - and that's us. People in other cities have known for a long time that they don't have to take bad architecture lying down. Thankfully, word seems to be spreading to Houston.

Would you believe me if I told you? No. So why should I act as your damn secretary? Look it up yourself. And be sure to cite a source.

Yeah, I always love that joke. Ha. Ha. Keep your day job.

I sent a PM to 'squatterkid' asking if he'd be interested in sharing his experiences and observations with a wider audience. Craig, you can go to the Members tab and check out some of his posts - you might find them helpful.

I'm so sorry that things haven't improved. You have my sympathy. In an earlier post you mentioned that your mother was (is) an alcoholic. Whether she has stopped drinking is irrelevant - she still thinks and acts like a drunk, from your description. You shouldn't have to bear this alone. Have you considered attending an Al-Anon meeting? Some people find the support offered there comforting and helpful - and empowering. The emphasis on serenity, courage and wisdom is applicable to many of life's problems; this is especially true when an alcoholic is the source. Or, you could just call Tony Soprano and have her whacked.

Thanks for pointing out my error in transcription - I've made the correction. I agree, his choice of words is pretty funny in this context.

Read the whole article. That's not what's being said. By comparing these with past data, they can calculate just how much of Kilimanjaro's ice has vanished. About 82 percent of the ice fields were lost between the time they were first mapped in 1912 and 2000. Oversimplify the matter!? Note the source: Rocky Mountain News. This was written for an audience who lives with the effects of snowpack melts (or lack thereof) and how it pertains to the availability of fresh water. If you remain unconvinced, that's your choice - but apparently the people with firsthand knowledge feel differently. Of course, you could go to Colorado and explain to people there why they really haven't suffered from droughts. If you're lucky, they'll only laugh at you.

With a little makeup it could look like Joan Rivers. But why would it want to?

New snowpack stirs hopes of plentiful water in 2007 But the experts say it's too early in the season to celebrate Ellen Jaskol

The Himalayas, the Alps, the Rockies, the Andes (to name a few) have watersheds which are dependent on the runoff from snowfall.

What is it that we are not understanding? Explain, please. Why is our calendar inaccurate? (It isn't. It is constantly being adjusted to remain correct. Every now and then a leap second will be added or subtracted to maintain its accuracy.) What does the accuracy of a calendar have to do with the measurement of global warming? (It has nothing to do with it. A year is a year. Even if the calendar gets out of whack with the actual seasons - which it has, in the past - that will not affect the measurement of whole years. If spring comes "too early, than it will be balanced by fall coming "too early" as well.) If you have information which shows that current data being used to calculate global warming are inaccurate due to the inaccuracy of our calendar, please cite a source. Please explain how such a thing could happen.

You've made statements such as this in the past. Please consider that in many parts of the world snow is the primary source of water. In winter months snow accumulates in mountains, and then is gradually released through thawing in the warmer months. This provides a steady supply of fresh water. If the precipitation falls as rain, it runs off rapidly, causing erosion, landslides, muddying streams and rivers, etc. It also serves to protect plant and animal life, as it's an insulator. While snow can be an inconvenience when it falls where it's unwanted, the harm done by its absence is far greater than you seem to realize.

Really!? And here I thought it was the far right who are being argumentative. In addition to discrediting the person, a few of the theories have been discredited, too (e.g., that absolute nonsense about calendars. The modern calendar is accurate. Even if it wasn't it would have no bearing on the measurement of global warming.) The problem is that it's a lot easier to airily make these sweeping, unsubstantiated statements than it is to refute them. It's like cleaning a stable with a teaspoon.

What an amazing document! Such a cast of charectors! I've taken the liberty of transcribing your scan: there, which swayed hope full in the unpredictable whimsey of law and order until the late thirties when the street was destroyed to make room for the huge San Filipe housing project. The erection of San Felipe was the beginning of a less extravagant era for this particular branch of Houston's sin, and never was this more clear than one day in 1950 when two young prostitutes were jailed for shoplifling. "For us," one of them complained to a cop, "things are so tough here that we have to steal to make a living." But the two girls were young, and experience is the best teacher. The city's veterans of the oldest profession were still finding ways to make ends meet in the early 1950s. Most of the scattered brothels in Houston in 1951 though sadly run-of-the-mill, compared to their former luxury, are run by madams who have been active for at least a quarter of a century. Two of them were spangled operators during Howard Street's heyday, and at the midpoint of the twentieth century, they are the only two who are rich in cash and legend. The richest and the best known is a shrewd, smart woman Negro woman in her seventies who began in a small way on Howard Street in the 1890's. The citizens know less and speculate more about Addie Sasser than about any other character in the history of the city's bawdyhouses. Addie showed from the start two talents which were to endear her to several thousand Houston males: uncommonly artful discretion and the ability to get the most spectacular girls. She moved to a huge, old-fashioned house on Bastrop Street when Howard Street folded, and there she built an immense 12-story garage so her customers could park their cars in seclusion, painted the house a shiny white, and put striped awnings above every window. At least one of her rooms is a marvel of Victorian splendor, (I'll do more later)

But you are. You've been caught, sir. No; that's the way cut-and-paste works. No, sir; a personal attack is calling someone light in the loafers. That was you, not me. From The American Heritage Dictionary: plagiarize 1. To steal and use (the ideas or writings of another) as one's own. 2. To appropriate passages or ideas from (another) and use them as one's own. It doesn't mention anything about a formal setting. Perhaps you're of the opinion that plagiarism only counts if you get sued. I'm of the opinion that it reflects on a person's integrity.