dbigtex56

Ah, cut Rush some slack. It's the drugs talking.

That's exactly right. According to a televised news report, they have trucks equipped with digital cameras and GPS locaters.

Yeah, that doesn't sit well in some circles: Alleged Pimp Shot In Turf War alternate title: Concerned Citizen Protects Local Interests

Interesting article: Survey: Half of Mexicans want to come here Analysts in that nation blast a U.S.-based poll as misleading By IOAN GRILLO Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Foreign Service MEXICO CITY - A survey reported Tuesday that nearly half of all Mexicans would like to live in the United States and that the sentiment seemed as strong among Mexico's college-educated middle class as the poor. link to full article

That fits in neatly with the psilocybin mushrooms which grow wild in the Houston area. "Shroom City - it's a trip!"

Well gee. Thanks for clearing that up. I'll have to explain that to the Muslims who operate my local convenience store. You know, the ones whose success has allowed them to open two additional stores. The ones who spend their spare time getting degrees in computer science and business administration. Poor backward bastards! Yet, there they stand, reading the financial pages of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Don't they know that violence is their only hope? And they tell me about their pathetic relatives, like the sister back in India who's a medical doctor and cancer researcher. If only they belonged to a civilized religion! Perhaps the recent events in the Gaza Strip can serve as a sort of inspiration.

Were you a guest on "Sprockets"? "Would you like to touch my monkey?"

The original idea was to meet up in a bar, restaurant or club. We're still fielding ideas for Friday, Aug. 26th evening. The proposal on the table is La Carafe, but suggestions are still being taken. Unfortunately, budget constraints don't allow for the distribution of jackets at this time. However, we may be able to make tinfoil hats for those we deem worthy.

Well no. That's like telling your football coach he shouldn't send you out there doing windsprints unless he'd do the same to his own kid. P.S. What's a windsprint?

Hey, if you're buying the Grey Goose, I'll see you there!

hmm...perhaps that a great deal of Israel's military budget comes from us, the last Superpower? And that Israel is a much smaller country? Edit: Population-wise. At least Israel seems sincere about their goals. They're using every resource, including mandatory military service. I don't see Cheney's or Bush's kids in Iraq.

Yes, the Bosnian conflict is interesting. So is Vietnam, the American Civil War, the Crusaides and the Trojan War. However, this war is now. As you're reading this, it's entirely possible that another American is losing his or her life in Iraq NOW (and notice that I didn't specify that this American would necessarily be a soldier). Let's stick to the present and the future. We can discuss the past, but we cannot change it. Until very recently, I thought that we should stay in Iraq until order was restored and the Iraqi people could self-govern. If I thought there was even a remote chance this could be accomplished, I'd still support keeping our troups in Iraq. But it has become obvious that this administration has no idea what they're doing. This 'military action' was supposed to be swift and surgical (remember "shock and awe"?) Once Saddam was removed, we were to be greeted as liberators, not occupiers. When we went into Iraq, the administration told us that we'd be out of there in six months, tops. Or have you forgotten? When Saddam was captured, W. appeared in front of a huge banner saying MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. So why are we still there? Oh, wait...now it's not about Saddam, it's about bringing democracy to the Middle East. So we send in ground troups. Not nearly enough, and poorly equipped. If we had set out to show the world our embarrassing lack of military preparedness, we could scarcely have done a better job. The mightiest nation on Earth cannot control an area the size of California. Kind of makes you wonder - is this because our leaders are incompetent? or that our enormous Department of Defense budget has been mismanaged? We've already lost face in every imaginable way. Our only hope for redemption is to hold accountable the administration which got us into this mess.

Perhaps they're reporting on it because they're newspapers - and this is news. From the Post article: "The reputation is reflected in a trial that begins Tuesday of six pharmacists charged with illegally dispensing the highly addictive prescription cough syrup codeine with promethazine." "The six are charged in a 170-count indictment of illegally dispensing thousands of gallons of the cough syrup and thousands of tablets of hydrocodone, a synthetic narcotic used as a painkiller. They also are charged with conspiracy and money laundering." THOUSANDS of gallons! My gosh. I see no dark plots behind reporting a major drug bust - especially when those involved are supposedly professionals, and a disturbing number of their customers are children. Edit: So what do you think - is Bush behind this?

I agree with pineda that Ron Peters's statistical methods seem questionable, and with Coog's observation that this is hardly 'breaking news'. Houston has been known for years as the capital of opiate-derivative cough syrup abuse. What I don't understand is how the pharmacists have gotten away with it for so long. Does Texas have especially lax oversight? Seems like a very foolish risk for someone to devote years of study to becoming a pharmacist, and then distribute controlled drugs with abandon - unless the profit margin is very wide, and the chances of getting caught are very low, and the consequences not very severe.

We tried to confining posts to matters relating to Houston architecture. After all, the name of the website is Houston Architectural Information Forum. It became apparent that issues such as transportation, flood control, zoning, etc. impact the development - and ultimately, the architecture - of Houston. With issues like these, it's impossible to completely divorce ourselves from politics. However, we tried to minimize political discussion. Didn't work. So the editor decided that people who were determined to continue talking about sex, politics and religion could do so seperately from the main topics. Those who didn't want to view or participate in these discussions would be forewarned. Therefore, "WAY Off-Topic". I agree that most of the people who participate on HAIF are likeable and thoughtful - even the "misguided" ones . If you'd rather not know their opinions on controversial subjects, it's best to avoid the "Way Off-Topic" section altogether.

Thread closed - disciplinary action started.

You're right. And I'm tired of them terrorizing us. Let's bomb Spring.

The media report the death tolls for American soldiers. This doesn't tell the whole story. Servicemen and women aren't the only ones being killed in Iraq. More than any war in recent memory (and correct me if I'm wrong) we're relying on contractors (such as Halliburton) to do jobs usually performed by military personnel. Are these people as well equipped and trained as our soldiers? I'm thinking no. It can be argued that these people are in it for the money, that they knew what they were doing when they signed up; they take their chances and sometimes they lose. Yet, the result is the same. Another American is killed fighting for...for what? The justifications seem to change quite often. And another family is left to grieve. So, how many of these non-military American casualties are there? Oddly enough, if the administration or the contractors are keeping count, they're not releasing the statistics (or if they are, I can't find them). Perhaps it would not benefit either to do so. Perhaps we should insist they do.

Well, you gotta admit...I am kinda scary looking!

LMAO

Those graffiti people are incorrigible. I'm afraid we'd just wind up with painted rats.

^^^ What Subdude said. I was surprised at the turnout - perhaps 50-60 people? After the initial lecture, we were divided into several groups, each with its own docent. Unfortunately, we HAIF people ended up in different groups, and didn't have a lot of time to talk. Some things I gleaned: The building has been extensively remodelled several times, yet has managed to maintain its architectural integrity. This especially impressed me, as one of the major remodellings was in 1959, which was a time not noted for sympathetic alterations or appreciation for Art Deco buildings. They even went through the trouble of replicating the original decorative nickel gratings. Although the original tellers' cages have been removed, you can still see where each window was located by subtle wear in the marble inset on the floor. After construction had begun, Jesse Jones decided that he wanted four additional floors. He called the architect and asked if that was feasible. The architect said "I don't know, I'll need to do some calculations", and Jones said, "Fine. I'll hold." He did. And it was. The Gulf Building was the first to employ a "floating" foundation - the basis of every modern skyscraper in Houston. The original frescos remain in the hallway of the Main St. entrance. I especially liked the one entitled "Modern Houston", which features a woman who's the spitting image of Thoroughly Modern Millie. All in all, a good time. I look forward to attending the next GHPA tour.

There was an article in the Chronicle a few years ago about residents who were upset that their street signs kept getting stolen. This was during the height of Bevis & Butthead's popularity, and they had the misfortune of living on a street called "Morningwood".

The problem is that kitties are cute. People would want to feed them, and the rats would invite themselves to the buffet.