dbigtex56

uh....because FEMA's "doing it"?

You thought correctly. Fire Station No. 6 In 1903, another No. 6 fire station was constructed at 1702 Washington Ave. and Ash Place. It was a "modern" single-bay, two-story brick building.

^^^^^^ Maybe Gary does have a chance. There's boobs bigger than him out there....

Thank you. That's exactly what I was referring to. If someone doesn't understand what I'm saying, allow me to elaborate. I've lived in Houston for 25 years now. Suppose I've heard people make reference to The 100 Club four times a year during that time. That makes a hundred times. And every single time, it's the same thing: "I consider giving to The 100 Club as money well spent", or "Hell, it's a good investment", followed by a knowing smile, a little laugh, a wink. Always. Always. Sometimes people will even add, "If if saves me from one ticket, I'm still money ahead." Now, I've never seen anyone act that way about any other charitable contribution. "I gave to Jerry's Kids", (wink-wink). "I support breast cancer research, if you get my drift", (nudge-nudge). "I contribute to AMFAR",(tee-hee). No. Doesn't happen. See, it's commonly understood that a "100 Club" sticker might make the difference between speeding and not-quite speeding, between running a red light or too-close-to-call. It's just a little bit of extra insurance, if you will. Other words which might fit are extortion and bribery. However, if one points that out, suddenly people assume a morally superior attitude. "Oh!" they say,"So you don't care about the widowed and orphaned family members of the brave people who put their lives on the line every day so you can be safe!" In other words, I'm suddenly a complete heartless bastard because I don't like open bribery. Keep in mind that these are the same people who were wink-winking and nudge-nudging just a moment before. The pathetic part is that the stated goals of The 100 Club are admirable, and those who contribute for purely altruistic reasons are to be commended. Why besmirch our police officers, those who have lost spouses or parents, and those who generously support a worthy charity by allowing this sleazy fund-raising device?

Subdude...you had to go and post the lyrics to that damn Chipmunks song? That's just plain sadistic! I remember as a child being stuck in a store for what seemed like hours, and they had this song on an endless tape....it repeated over, and over, and over, and... I've never really recovered.

Guess I'm the only one who actually watched part of Deborah Duncan's special. She interviewed Oprah Winfrey. Hard-hitting as a kitten batting around a marshmallow, but still, Oprah had some very positive things to say about Houston's response to the Katrina refugees...er, evacuees. However, since it's doubtful that this show will be seen outside the Houston market, her remarks will do little to improve our national image. My only regret is that the decision to delay the broadcast of this infomercial (and that's what it is) might encourage those who want to regulate what others can view on their own television sets. Otherwise, I couldn't care less about Victoria's Secret. I don't buy ladies lingerie; and besides, they never have anything in my size.

haiku: Passage of a year Achievement of note, Red Scare Both Blues and Reds Care

Is there any other city where people openly brag that they've paid a bribe to the police department? Every time I see a '100 Club' sticker, I want to get out my ball-peen hammer. Save me the widows and orphans drivel. There other, less demeaning ways to collect money.

First TV set I remember was a Zenith (circa 1960). It was turquoise, with a gold-tone bezel around the picture tube. This was what they rather optimistically referred to as a 'portable' model - the damn thing must have weighed sixty pounds. In those pre-transistor days, it seemed to take forever between the time the TV was turned on and the picture finally appeared. You'd hear a high pitched whine as the tubes powered up; a brilliant pin-point of light would appear in the center of the screen, then disappear. Finally, you'd see a dim image, which would gradually grow brighter. We had a neighbor who had color TV in the mid-sixties, and we made a special trip to their house to see the very first news broadcast in color - I think it was Walter Chronkite. Even after most entertainment shows had converted to color, the news continued in black&white for several years; apparently color was considered a bit frivolous.

'tis the season...

Not surprisingly, I'm in favor of preserving/restoring these houses. How interesting that although they're otherwise virtually identical, the color of the brick porch support piers varies from one house to the next. I think that the houses being uniformly painted white accentuate this feature, but wouldn't be opposed to the 'painted lady' idea, either. And while I'm also a great fan of trees, some of the ones in the photos are posing an immediate threat to these houses. Cut 'em down, and plant small, fast-growing replacements in front of each house. Considering the neighborhood, a continual fence along the sidewalk would deter scamps from playing hide-and-seek with the cops by dodging between the houses. No chain link, please...

I think we can agree that ideally Iraq would have a stable, democratic, pro-Western government. This should happen about the same time that Palestine and Israel agree to peacefully unite.

I'm a bit confused - is Michael Raider connected to the former Day's Inn (Raider's Lofts)? or is the name coincidental? Let's put it this way - drive by at night and you won't see many lights on...

big...words...bad me...angry...good

I'm a bit skeptical about drawing conclusions about literacy from library internet connectiveness and newspaper circulation. From what I've observed, many library patrons are using the internet to further educate themselves about pornography. And the content, as well as the circulation, of the newspapers in question should also be noted. For example, what's the ratio of 'serious' pieces to those more geared towards entertainment? You'll note that the Houston Chronicle includes four pages of comic strips...

I hope you're right. Ms Parker is honest, hardworking, dedicated, smart as a whip and a born leader. None of these things will matter to the Prop 2 supporters.

You mean, stories like the Abu Ghraib prison scandal? If I recall correctly, this was leaked by soldiers, and the military doesn't want something like that to happen again. Don't blame the 'liberal media' (as if there was such a thing) for unpleasant truths that challange the propagana being crammed down our throat by this Administration. Bear in mind that the military hasn't exactly welcomed journalists with open arms. And soldiers are not encouraged to have dissenting opinions - it's the nature of military life. I suspect that soldiers would be heavily influenced by the fact that there could be repercussions if the stories they wrote didn't meet with the approval of their superior officers - hardly a source of unbiased journalism.

Gotta love that name. "Urbanyl...the Big City drug!" According to my Googling, it's made in Switzerland. Here's a description auto-translated from the French: "It is used in the treatment of the anxiety when this one is accompanied by awkward disorders (generalized anxiety , crisis of anguish...) and within the framework by an alcoholic weaning. The tablets with 10 Mg are used in the treatment of certain forms epilepsy ." The very thought of scaling the Sears Tower gives me awkward disorders and crisis of anguish.

After you've succeeded in paving everything, where are you going to put the parks?

Sorry that I can't post a picture, but it's time for a reality check. The finished structure bears only a passing resemblance to this rendering. It's been 'dumbed-down' considerably, and many of the details that made this project exciting didn't make it off the drawing board. While it's certainly better than some other developments that have gone up in the neighborhood, my enthusiasm for it has cooled off by several degrees. It's OK. Not great.

"I am SO gay" I'm thinking...Montrose 1100?

I'd say that Midtown changes to Montrose at Bagby (where Elgin turns to Westheimer.) Except for a couple of blocks, WesternGulf was correct in referring to this stretch as Montrose. As someone who's made that walk innumerable times, I agree that the development that has taken place in the past 20 years has been uniformly detrimental to pedestrian traffic (the sole exception being the new structure at Elgin & Smith.) There's not much pleasure in walking past a bunch of damn parking lots in front of strip centers. It's hard to window shop from 100' away. There's still a few clusters of the 'old' Montrose remaining, such as the old Cherryhurst Pharmacy area (The Curve), the resale shops just east of Dunlavy, and Antique Row, near the Empire Cafe'. If only developers had had the courage to build something appropriate to the neighborhood! It's not much fun making one's way through an asphalt desert.

torvald, the reason that some of us haven't responded to your posts is that we might not have as much good information as that which you're providing. Many of us are interested in this property and the attendant issues. Because this isn't my corner of the 'hood, I can't keep up with the daily changes which occur there - and the local mass media are of little help. Thanks for keeping us updated on this property.

Plants are nice. So are pleasant places to wait - and you will wait, regardless of the means of transportation. I'm thinking that transit stops could be improved first, before we start taking heroic measures. Stop laughing. I'm serious. We already have a pretty good public transportation network in place. The greatest flaw is that it's user unfriendly. If you wait at a bus stop...then what? Where's it going to take you? is it where you want to go? And how the hell long am I gonna have to wait? I'd blow a lot of money on making public transportation safe, convenient and efficient. No kidding. You go to a transit stop and there's a (free) touch pad that tells you when the next transit option is arriving (in real time) and your alternatives (walk two blocks over to the train, you'll save half an hour....). Impossible? I hope not. I do it in my head nearly every day. Why not also provide decent places to wait for a bus (or train, or hovercraft, or monorail) that are clean, safe and (gasp! climate controlled? Twenty-five years ago when I first visted Toronto, I was so greatly impressed. It seemed as if anywhere I went, there were helpful signs and maps. Even a chump like me never felt lost. Major intersections had heated stations. For the money that was spent on the Big Dig in Boston, a person with marketing skills could make Houston a dream.

I, too, am disappointed that Christmas isn't represented by the current crop of holiday stamps. And that brings me to another point; where's the Feast of The Circumcision stamps when you need them? Happy New Year's doesn't cut it with me.* *This was a joke. The Feast of The Circumcision is a Catholic holiday, celebrated on January 1st. When I said it doesn't 'cut' it with me, it's in reference to the act of circumcision, i.e., the cutting of the foreskin. Don't you wish you hadn't asked?