dbigtex56

Welcome to HAIF, SamHouston. Click here to see a 1913 map of Houston - it's fascinating, and may answer some of your questions. The 'zero' point you asked about would appear to be at Buffalo Bayou and Main Street (Allen's Landing) - the birthplace of Houston. edit: Now that I think about it, the University of Houston's downtown campus is listed as 1 Main Street, and it's on the north bank of Buffalo Bayou.

(the above in reply to a major city not having an amusement park) Never heard of Coney Island? True, it's in Brooklyn, but still you can reach it by rail fairly easily. An advantage Astroworld had that cannot be duplicated (at this time) is its accessability to both motorists and public transportation riders. As an aside, I read somewhere that part of the reason amusement parks prospered at the turn of the 20th century was that electric companies had excess generating capacity on Saturday nights and Sundays, when factories were closed. What better way to generate income during these times than to put a well-lit amusement park at the end of an electric trolley line? They were accessable to and well attended by people of all economic classes. The socioeconomic forces which once made modestly priced amusement parks common have changed. People who can afford to do so would rather take their families on weekend trips to a modern mega-amusement park. And those who can't afford to do that probably aren't going to spend enough at a second-rate local park to make it worthwhile. I'm not optimistic about another park taking AstroWorld's place.

Bush takes full responsibility? 'Responsibility' includes accepting the consequences for his actions. Impeachment is called for. His ability to lead our country is legitimately under question. Regardless of a person's political leanings, President Bush has shown the glaring errors in judgement and bizarre behavior that are characteristic of people who suffer from long-term alcohol and drug abuse. He cannot grasp questions, nor can he formulate answers. If he were black, in rags, and on Main Street, you'd immediately peg him as a burned-out old wino. Bear in mind that he once had the intellegence to graduate from Yale - not brilliant, but certainly not the shell of a man we see today. We test our atheletes for drugs, and drivers for alcohol consumption. Why shouldn't the leader of the free world be held to the same standards? We cannot - must not - take the word of a confirmed alcoholic that he's been 'clean' since he was 40. There's too much at stake. No. This is in the same category as the drunken wife-beater who bursts into tears and tells her how sorry he is when he knows she might leave him. "I'm sorry, baby! I'll never do it again! I take full responsibility!" He is neither mentally nor emotionally equipped to continue being President. So, this liberal has stopped hating Bush. He's not just mean and stupid - he's sick and brain-damaged because of a disease he cannot control. I pity his children, because these things run in families, and they seem to be off to a rip-roarin' start. Our country comes first. Let's not let one man's personal failings bring it down. Be a man, Bush. Resign. Don't put us through another impeachment.

A general reminder: threads that degenerate into flame wars will be shut down. Please refrain from voicing personal remarks or judgements about other HAIF members.

Welcome to HAIF, Gordon. Can anyone else confirm this? I've seen attempts to replace unstable marble cladding with metal before, and sometimes it ain't pretty. Much more economical, I'm sure.

Is there a point to this hacking into internet systems? Can people steal bandwidth, for their own use or resale? Is it a form of terrorist attack? Or just bratty kids with too much time on their hands?

Has she also considered experimenting with ambidexterity?

I've been Ayn Randed, nearly branded Communist 'cause I'm left handed, That's the hand I use, well, Never mind. "A Simple Desultory Philippic", Simon & Garfunkel Being left-handed and a male homosexual, I tend to notice those qualities in others - and yes, it seems I spot a lot more lefties in gay bars than in the populance at large. Purely empirical observation.

After Days of Criticism, Emergency Director Resigns (link to New York Times article). Ah, Brownie, we barely knew ye... "The press was too focused on what did we do, what didn't we do, the whole blame game," he said. "I wanted to take that factor out of the equation, so that the people at FEMA, who are some of the most hard-working, dedicated civil servants I have ever met, could just go do their job." "Blame game". Isn't that what used to be known as "determining responsibility"?

So which were you trying to buy? Crack or liquor?

merged with existing topic

OH my! Yessiree, our priorities are in order. The threat of nipples!

A second reply, as my first was rather flippant. I said that maybe you should have grown a backbone and told the litterers to 'pick it up'. I stand by that statement, but there's more. The more important aspect is that it appears that you volunteered with the expectation that these evacuees, these Displaced Persons, were somehow undeserving; how dare they treat Miss Scarlett Saigon O'Hara as if she were a mere waitress! I can imagine the sneer with which you 'served' these people. If I'd been there, I'd have done more than throw trash on the floor; I would have spit in your face. You've made your attitude very clear in all of your posts. Do everyone a favor. Stop volunteering. Here's a challenge for you. Go sit on your roof for three or four days without food or water or sleep. Let a perfect stranger take you Lord knows where (and forgive my invocation of the Almighty - you might doubt my Christian credentials.) Then let some sneering little ... oh, what's the word you use? Barbara Bush says it rhymes with 'rich' - serve you beans and rice on a styrofoam plate. With contempt. You'd throw your plate on the floor, too.

Oh, my! You're young, aren't you? Things happen, and the world is never 'normal' again. Change is relentless. I'm only (!) 48, and I'll say with confidence that the effects of Katrina will have longer-lasting consequences than Brittney's last marriage, or this week's popular nightclub. Please understand; this is huge. Bigger than Tom Cruise coming out, huge. As in, even the grown-ups don't know what's going to happen next. My parents lived through the Great Depression. I've lived through stagflation (google it) and waiting in line to get gasoline. You might see things you haven't yet imagined. We'll live through it. But don't ever think things will 'get back to normal'. They'll change; you'll adapt. There is no normal. How boring, if there was.

To his credit, Chuck George did some charitable work here in Houston, notably fundraising for Stone Soup (the AIDS food pantry).

I recall seeing an episode of This Old House (or a similar home repair show) where a Massachusetts house was being stripped of lead paint. They had to spread a tarp around the building to catch the paint chips as they were scraped off, then dispose of it through a licensed toxic waste disposal company. Anyone know if this was due to local, state or federal law? Does it apply in Houston?

That sucks, Wayne. Did you get my email? Got an error message when I tried to access the second page of the "View Last Click" section. Seems to be stable again - for the time being.

Great idea! We'll leave the building just as it is, and rename it the "George W. Bush Dome" - not a soul in it, and so full of sh**!

The worst of the worst I've seen so far is Kris G-something (Hispanic last name) from Channel 2. The night that the buses started arriving at the Astrodome (last Wednesday night?) and mass confusion reigned, he was stopping people from getting back on the bus to ask them such important questions as "How do you feel?". Talk about your heartless him-bo.

So tell them to PICK...IT...UP! duh! Grow a backbone, girl.

Fun fact about this house: The swimming pool was used in a scene from the 80's cult film I Was A Teenage Zombie. They filled it with green slime and shot at night. I've lived within a block of this house for more than 20 years, and have seen no signs of rennovation. The 2x4s holding up the roof of the porte-cochere? they're there out of necessity. Many of the decorative elements have fallen off, and the peeling paint is due to time and neglect. Although the house is falling further into disrepair every year, they still maintain the lawn immaculately. I've seen cars in the driveway but never once a sign of human life. Weird.

The Neon Curve! I had a friend, Marvin, who worked at Sheer Insanity, and selected a lot of the stock. Useless but witty gift-y things. After he died, the quality really went downhill.

Oh, the News Media mentioned it, all right. They also mentioned that Office Depot is donating $1 million, and that Target is donating $1.5 million. This, despite the fact that their profits are dwarfed by those of Wal-Mart.

Just to clarify things, the major damage is coming from a failed flood wall - not a levee. They're not the same things.