dbigtex56

So far as I know, no law is being violated. This is a private club, and the activities are legal (except in the case of someone who knowingly transmits HIV). What appears to be happening is that an existing (not new) SOB is moving to a more sparsely populated part of Midtown. Isn't that a slight improvement?

Post deleted, because of the above language. Personal insults will not be tolerated.

Since we're on the subject of language, I've noticed that in the past few years fewer and fewer people understand the difference between "it's" and "its". "It's" is a contraction for "it is". "Its" is a possessive pronoun. The same punctuation rule applies to "who's" and "whose". Do schools no longer teach English?

Westheimer @ Whitney - Nuevo Italian restaurant (415 Westheimer, I think) Will get back with you, edit...GREAT place

Let's define 'urban'. As someone who grew in a rural area, I suppose my idea of 'urban' is probably different than someone who grew up in a suburb. Where I grew up, people walked or biked, for long distances, and no one thought twice about it; maybe they felt like walking down scenic country roads. And the same was true when I moved to an urban environment; walking distance wasn't a problem. I've walked through unfashionable areas in various cities, and seen some wonderful things. You keep your eyes open, you learn not to be stupid. So my idea of 'urban' is probably different than someone who's negotiating freeways and looking for parking spots; but that's often the case in Houston, and it's as defensibly urban as any city. So what's urban, again? I think urban is as much a state of mind as a physical locale. I think it's having confidence in dealing with whomever you encounter, and a willingness to do so.

Yes indeed. The British have suffered terribly from poor dental hygiene

Are the expenses incurred by the hosts of these fund-raisers tax deductable?

Point well taken - I checked my dictionary and it too makes no mention of the financial arrangement for the word 'apartment'. But I think we're all pretty much on the same page here - by "apartment building" (or complex) it's assumed that we mean rental units. As someone else pointed out, the newer, more expensive buildings will have fairly strict criteria for lessees. Also, the circumstances which brought about the huge, cheaply constructed apartment complexes in the Gulfton (and Greenspoint) areas were different from today's market. If I recall correctly, the vacancy rate for apartments in the late 70's - early 80's was <5%. They were built on the cheap, because anything that had four walls and plumbing was being snapped up. There's a dizzying array of different ownership/rental options out there today. As I understand it, some of those NYC "apartments" are sold for huge sums, but also have steep monthly rents (or maintenance fees). What's the difference between a condo and a co-op? Darned if I know. The point I'm trying to make is that these 'apartments' may someday turn into some mix of ownership and rental. There are a couple of apartment complexes which have converted into individually owned units in the Montrose area (Montrose Gardens, the Burlington), and I imagine the same might eventually happen in Midtown.

Opinions can be, and shall be, expressed civilly on this message board. Any further rude comments will be deleted.

Duplicate thread - please see The Asia House

An interesting aside - Houston was (I believe) the 2nd city in the US to have electric street lights, only a few months after NYC's (1882). This was in the days when DC (not AC) power was used, and electricity could be transmitted only within a limited area. The earliest elevators ran on DC electricity, and for that reason HL&P kept the original generating plant (Gable Street- it's right on Buffalo Bayou, downtown) in operation until the 1950's, for the sole reason of supplying power for elevators. I'm not sure which building had the first escalator, but the old Music Hall (where the Hobby Center now stands) was built in 1937 and the escalators looked to be original. Also the Sears on Main and Wheeler, which pre-dates Foley's, had beautiful brass escalators (which were replaced only a few years ago.)

The HAIF moderators (if I can speak for all of us) have a fairly liberal posting policy. Certainly, some members are better informed, more articulate and possess better social skills than others. And I agree that some judicious pruning would make reading the posts more pleasant. On the other hand, some of the most ignorant posts have prompted people to post thoughtful replies. While we're reluctant to allow this forum to degenerate into a flaming chatroom, there's also a hope that the exchange of opinions will remain lively enough to encourage people to return. I hope that all of our members will consider the views you expressed, and use some common sense before posting messages. Moderators walk a fine line between alienating people by a heavy-handed approach, and allowing conversations to degenerate into idiocy. Thanks for the imput.

I've read less vague statements in fortune cookies. Any dwelling carries an element of risk. How can you be sure that your homeowners' association will remain intact? or that the person who lives in the townhome next door doesn't rent it out to undesirables?

These things seem to go in cycles. 100 years ago, people painted advertising directly on buildings. Eventually, people thought it was tacky, and the practice was discontinued. The flaking signs were long thought to be eyesores. Now, cities take pride in these remnants of the past (e.g., the Sam Houston Hotel). Same thing with neon; it was very fashionable from the 20's until the mid-fifties, and then abruptly fell out of favor. In the 60's 'neon' was practically a synonym for sleazy. In recent years it has experienced a revival and appreciation. These supersigns dazzle us now with their sheer scale and novel effects; but I wonder if in a few years they too will suffer from overexposure. The reason Times Square, Las Vegas and Tokyo are tourist attractions is because tourists can't see these things at home. Once every city has 'em, they'll be old hat. I also wonder if changing technology will pose a problem in maintaining these signs. For a while, it appeared that creating/repairing neon signs was a dying art. Part of the reason the supersigns were such an improvement in Times Square is because the facades they cover were in such poor condition. Would Victory Plaza have enough substance to make an architectural statement if the signs were eventually removed?

Next time someone complains about high property taxes in Texas, count your blessings. At least we don't have the burden of having to support NYC (which the rest of the state views as fondly as an inoperable tumor).

Democrat & Chronicle article Texans drawn to Rochester but repelled by tax burden Geri Dellfava (November 5, 2004) — On Saturday, Oct. 27, I had the pleasure of showing a nice couple from Austin, Texas, some homes in the west Irondequoit and Charlotte areas. They had called me about a home I had listed, but it had sold. However, when we got to talking about Rochester and its change of seasons, they decided to make it one of their stops while traveling. They e-mailed me several times before they left, telling me how excited they were about their impending trip. Their journey brought them through many towns and the weather was stormy, with rain almost every day. But, when they arrived in Rochester, it was autumn at its best — high 60s and sunny. I couldn't have asked for a better day. I picked them up and drove down to Charlotte, showed them the ferry and told them about Abbott's (best ice cream ever) and LDR Char Pit (best onion rings in town). They loved the area, had never seen anything like it. Then, we drove around west Irondequoit and they loved the quaint looks of the homes there. I managed to get appointments quickly on three homes and they loved every one of them. But they almost fainted when they found out what the taxes would be. I explained the STAR tax abatement program — but they were still in shock. I also said that New York City has cost us tax dollars but they couldn't understand why all of New York should be burdened with higher taxes ... but that's just the way it is. I drove them around Kodak Park when they questioned me about Kodak leaving the area (they had done their homework). I explained that Kodak is not leaving the area, it's just that the film industry has gone digital and Kodak is conforming to the needs of the consumer. I told them about the buyouts that Kodak offered and that while I didn't feel it's good business to give employees money without their working, it helped many people move on to other careers. I described how Kodak Park used to be a "city within a city'' and how things have changed since then. I also said that I did not feel that these layoffs had affected the real estate market. The market has been strong and houses have sold for more money than ever. They told me that they picked up from what I was saying a sense of pride in my community and that it is a community that cares. They felt that they would like to belong to such a place but didn't know if they could justify the rate of the taxes. I let them "sleep on it'' and called them in the morning. I was hoping to show them a few more homes. They had ventured out the night before and found things cost more here and that even the gas prices were high in Rochester. They decided to leave right away and go back to Texas and think about it. I think they were just being kind. They thanked me a million times for showing them Rochester, but I told them that was just a start — there was much more to offer. However, in the end, I lost a sale, they lost a dream and the Rochester community lost some potentially good neighbors. Dellfava is an associate broker with Nothnagle Realtors, Webster office.

Again, I respectfully ask: How much time in your life has been devoted to actually riding public transportation? Let's take a reckless guess and say "practically none". Somehow I think that's probably true. I think you hope you're clever. I suggest you're mistaken. I'm going to get all humorless, and take you at your word. Disney ride? You're going to pay more than $1 for a Disney ride. Public transportation is as boring as plumbing, and just as disturbing when it doesn't work. It's been less than a year, and I've frequently ridden the light rail, and I think it's going to work. On a sheerly practical level, it's dependable, safe, cheap, effective. There's not a lot to hate. Disney ride! That seems to be the attitude of the anti-rail forces. Because rail hasn't eliminated traffic, global warming, crime, racism, terrorism and child molestation, it's a failure. Rail hasn't conquered cancer, either. Alas. Here's a cheap suggestion. Ride a crowded 82 Westheimer between Elgin and Kirby while standing up; then ride the Red Line from the Med Center to U of H campus. Be honest; which did you prefer?

When I was a kid, I enjoyed reading about local architecture. This included some sentimental talk about barns, chicken coops, root cellars, outhouses, etc. And now...look where we live! Whether you drive or not, parking garages are a given in modern life. It's my opinion that parking garages should matter, even more than their purported purpose. Seriously. I've seen a lot of 'important' buildings built in Houston which have sleazy parking garages attached. So how come parking garages are given no respect? Sometimes they are. I've seen an urban area where the parking garage was given its due. The South Avenue parking garage in Rochester was favorably compared to the Guggenheim; this was thirty years ago and it still looks good. Isn't that the purpose of good architecture? Parking garages! Who the hell cares? Yet, they're part of daily existence. Architects are responsible for their form, too. So, does someone have a better suggestion as to how to temporarily store cars? I've seen some pretty neat parking garages. In Boston, there was this 1940's leftover parking garage, where they'd take your car and snatch it up, and machinery would move it, bodily, into some storage space. It kinda made sense. They could store a lot of cars in a small space, and didn't have to account for ramps. Is this now impractical? Should we re-explore that idea? How unfortunate that we've lost that "gee-whiz" kind of attitude. I do not like parking garages. They are ugly and alienating. They take up too much room and are unattractive at ground level, usually. And yet, I'm glad that the Foley's parking garage still stands in downtown Houston. This is an excellent example of good parking garage design, circa mid 20th century. Maybe this pragmatic structure needs to be criticized and appreciated, and acknowleged. Preserved, maybe.

OK, face-off: who's cuter, Lucas Wall or Nancy Sarnoff? I think that's how issues are decided these days... Any opinions about Lucas Wall's articles? It seems to me he leans a bit heavily towards criticism of the Red Line. Does he report fairly? Is he well informed? Personally, I think either he's cute or has a good photographer.

And this is the terrible part; perfectly nice, intelligent people have such different views about the world. And there's so little encouragement for people to be civil. buchanan, we fundamentally disagree on what we view as facts. I think you're mistaken. Iraq is not, was not responsible for the terrible events of September 11th. The justification for the war has been unsteady, blurry. The potential for corruption is apparent. I'm not calling Bush a liar, I'm just saying he didn't tell the truth. Terrorism (I think that's a better term than "the war on terror" ...as if...) cannot be confined to a convenient battleplace. Terrorists are and always will be a reality. Don't you remember the attack at the 1996 Olympics? Or Oklahoma City? Who knew? I remember seeing reports about the OK City attacks live, and initially atthorities were looking for some Middle Eastern men. Gee. Good guess but they were wrong. As an Irish-Catholic white boi from western New York State, I ought to be a prime suspect - look at Timothy McVeigh. Of course America needs to (and can) protect herself. We also have a role in how the rest of the world views us. I hope America will prevail because we're admired, not feared. Let's create no new terrorists.

This is perhaps an unusual approach to common sense but it works for me. Before you move somewhere, check out the neighborhood. Pretend you live there. Go there late at night, and on weekends. Say hi to people; strike up conversations if you can. Quality of life means different things to different people. Don't take someone else's word for it. You can do no better than to talk to people who already live in a neighborhood, and decide if this is a place you'd like to live. Look before you leap.

The Astrodome is a real pain in the neck. It's no longer suitable for its intended purpose, and no one has come up with a convincing better use. And stadia are like roads or bridges or anything else people build; they require maintenance. Our tax dollars cover (at least I hope they do) the dreary need to fix leaks, retard corrosion and generally protect our investment. Eventually, we need to ask "is this in our best interest?". I'd hate to see the Astrodome destroyed. I think of it as being like Paxton's Crystal Palace, a significant milestone in architecture. The 'dome helped put Houston on the map. It's audacious and beautiful and influential. When I was a kid, there were three structures being built that really captured my imagination; the St. Louis Arch, the World Trade Towers, and the Astrodome. I've been to two of the three (I've still never been to the Astrodome). People were awestruck; "An indoor, air-conditioned baseball stadium?" The future seemed possible. Until...unless...someone comes up with a great proposal, and has the $$$ to back it up, the 'dome will remain a pain in the neck.

Hasn't chronicallybiased.com moved to/renamed itself lonestartimes.com? My link directs me from the former to the latter. Oh, and I hope you'll explore other media outlets, too. I wouldn't call the ones you mentioned a balanced diet.

How convenient! Something to satisfy any appetite.

Article the third = First Amendment. Third Amendment:"No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law." But I agree with what you're saying.