dbigtex56

Traffic circles seem to be acceptable - even common - in foreign cities. (I'm basing this on my fondness for black-and-white movies from the early 50's). So - since I don't drive anymore, are traffic circles a good way to deal with intersections? Will people behave? And would it help if they drove Fiats or Renaults?

Interesting idea! I'm picturing the Trylon and Perisphere mating in zero gravity...

My mistake. Of course he was in the National Guard (when it suited him). That was a poorly constructed sentence on my part, and I'm man enough to admit it. Until George W. Bush comes out and says "Yes, I always reported for duty; I was never AWOL" - and what could be easier? - I remain unimpressed by his apologists.

"Never apologize, never explain". That pretty much sums up George W. Bush's approach to life. This whole matter could be cleared up and put behind us, if he woud come right out and answer the questions about his service (?) in the National Guard. But he hasn't. And he won't. Some people call Bush a liar. In his own mind, he is not. He will avoid answering questions; he will make misleading statements; he is a master of innuendo. He is not truthful, nor forthright. Yet, technically, he is not a liar. And that is why he refuses to answer this question. There is not even one person who saw Bush when he was supposed to be serving with his unit in Alabama. Not even one. There is not even one shred of evidence that he did serve. Even he has not come out and stated, without qualification, that he obeyed the order to report for a physical exam, nor that he was AWOL. He didn't fulfill his obligations in the National Guard. And he's not man enough to admit it. That's what I find so disturbing.

Don't know if this helps... I've heard that the reason hookers prefer fishnet stockings is that they do a better job of concealling leg stubble.

Frank Lloyd Wright said, "A great architectural highway with its roadside markets, super service stations, fine schools and playgrounds, small integrated intensive farming units, great automobile objectives and fine homes winding up in the beautiful natural features of the landscape of Broadacres City." In other words, sprawl. With the exception of the farming units, this pretty much describes the modern American landscape. Frank Lloyd Wright hated cities. Suburbs (argueably) are the legacy of his Broadacres City, but without the idealism. Farming units and preservation of beautiful natural features have taken second place to economics. I don't think he forsaw the advent of SuperBox shopping centers. Discuss among yourselves... Personally, I'd call Louis Sullivan the first 'real' American architect; Father of the skyscraper, and all that. A good case can be made for FLW being the first/most influential American residential architect, though.

Cypress? Cypress? This location is closer to Prairie View than it is to downtown Houston! As Chandler Bing might say, "Could it be any less convenient?" Hope they're not counting on a big turnout.

And who can forget those old Soundwaves ads: Two very buxom girls are bemoaning their lack of money. "I'm FLAT BUSTED!" one moans (tight shot of cleavage) So they steal their boyfriends' CDs and sell 'em at Soundwaves. Such nice girls!

It's a vicious cycle: build a new CVS, people get anxious, doctor prescribes Xanex, CVS fills prescription, then builds a new store...

How come we're rehashing the dirt on Ed Brandon from 15 years ago? Yes, the man had a problem - a very bad one. As I recall, some hustler was attempting to blackmail him, too. Rather than sweeping it under the rug, Ed acknowleged that he had a problem. Channel 13 should be commended for sticking by a faithful employee, and Mr. Brandon should be commended for turning his life around. Would you rather that he was tossed in the trashbin? If people cannot be given a second chance, what motivation would anyone have for reforming himself?

I too took the view (if you'll excuse the expression) that there's no guarantee that the view which may have been a deciding factor in buying a townhome would always exist. The only thing that's constant is change, let the buyer beware, etc. However, WGG mentioned that the developers of Parker Lofts indicated to buyers that they held some sort of control over the property across the street. If so, I'd be pissed, too. As Max Fabian said in All About Eve: "This is for lawyers to talk about."

Voice our opinion to whom? The planning commission? The zoning board? Surely you don't mean CVS! They're going to care about Montrose the way the Witch of the West cared about Toto. Other than pelting the place with doggie doo-doo or home-made explosives, we're sunk. This is Houston.

I have the regrettable task of telling you y'all full of crap. The boundries of the Fourth Ward are not disputable. They are historic. They are defined. It include parts of what we now call Downtown, parts of what some people call Montrose, parts of what we now call Midtown, and all of what we now call Freeman's Town.

Easier link; take the survey. Downtown Survey

People are asking an awful lot of Kirby. It's a street which happens to run through a lovely neighborhood; it's a vital traffic artery; and it's commercially desirable. There's no simple solution. If something needs to be sacrificed, I reluctantly vote for the commercial interests. This gives me no pleasure. Businesses can be relocated more easily than desirable neighborhoods can be established, or traffic can be redirected. This section of Kirby Drive is best reserved for through traffic and as an attractive street which serves some of the most valuable residential property in Houston. Viable businesses will have to bite the bullet and relocate. btw, ssullivan, I admire and appreciate your point of view.

(off topic) Hey, MontroseNeighborhoodCafe - did you used to be InTheHeartOfMontrose? If so, welcome back. If not, welcome to the Forum.

This looks like a short-term solution block. Let's take the Houston approach and put a couple of fast-food restaurants on this block, or cheap entertainment. I hope the owners would accept a five year lease. It will be properly developed in the future. Let's put anything there in the meantime.

The revitalization of Allen's Landing deserves mention. I went there tonight at sunset, because I'd heard that the Main Street bridge has a colony of Mexican Free Tail bats, and I wanted to see them emerge. Alas, I didn't see a single bat. Still, it's a great place. This is the birthplace of Houston; the confluence of Buffalo and White Oak bayous. There are ongoing efforts to make it an attraction. Brick paving is being laid along Commerce Street, and the waterfront has already been given a generous amount of attention. There's some streetwise waterfowl who could benefit from bread-tossing visitors. What fun to see a mother duck sizing me up, and guiding her six ducklings past me! And the view of Main Street Bridge from underneath is pleasing. The concrete arch is downright picturesque. Even the brick faced county jail across the bayou isn't jarring; if you didn't know better, it could be dismissed as residential housing. And I suppose it is, however unwillingly. The place has potential. In addition to ducks, turtles can be seen cruising around the bayou. There's a brick building smack in the center of the park which looks utterly cancerous but with a generous influx of money could become quaint. I hope so. Before it falls down. Also, it's one of the few places in Houston where there's a hill that makes sense. The biggest drawback to Allen's Landing is that it's smack in the middle of the jails, and the homeless who haunt the area under Main Street bridge. They didn't bother me, but the sight wasn't attractive. There are higher uses for this area. There must be better places for the homeless to work out their problems.

I used to help my Dad refill oxygen tanks at the volunteer ambulance hall, and I promise, after 20 minutes or so we'd both feel a bit perkier (there's bound to be a bit of leakage). For the same price as one session at an oxygen bar, you could go to a welding supply shop and buy more oxygen than you'd need for a year. Not being a medical expert, I'm not sure if concentrated oxygen is beneficial. Oxygen is oxygen, whether scented, medicinal, or industrial. Probably jogging is a better option.

If you haven't given blood yet, then you ought to. I have, and I'm a real wimp, and socially irresponsible. If even I can do it, so can you. Oh..but it takes so much time! Um, no. It's over pretty quickly. And what else did you have planned...watching that rerun of "Friends"? It makes you a volunteer, and there's a real satisfaction to being a volunteer. It makes you a good person. But...they stick you with a needle, and it's gonna hurt! Yeah. It's going to hurt as much as about 10 other things are going to hurt you today. You can handle 11. Every now and then, TV stations report that hospitals are running short of blood. Given that TV stations usually don't report things like people starving or freezing to death, it means that blood shortages are a big deal. Maybe someone might die without a blood donation. Hope it's not someone you like or love. Or you.

Oh, it has to be Lawrence Marshall. Here's an overview: Helicopter shot of a pine forest, interrupted by a brutal expanse of asphalt, with hundreds of unsold (unwanted?) automobiles. Insistant sound of a telephone ringing: Ring...Ring...Ring...Ring...Ring... The dumb-asses have put the only working phone in the middle of a car storage lot. Cut to a cute aging jock, who picks up the phone and says "Hello, Lawrence Marshall!" He then puts down the phone and gives his speil, ignoring whoever was calling. Now there's a ringing endorsement of their service! We don't answer our phone, and after we do, we ignore you. Gee, can't wait to deal with y'all!

This is great news for Buffalo. You have to admire their spirit. Maybe it's atonement for the tragic and senseless destruction of the Larkin Building in 1949, which in some people's eyes was the American Parthanon. But I cannot help but laugh at the nearly religious adoration people have of this architect. No one admired Frank Lloyd Wright as much as Frank Lloyd Wright (OK, maybe Ayn Rand). His leaky roofs and uncomfortable furniture would seem to diminish his God-like status; but don't tell that to the True Believers. HE could do no wrong. He was a great architect. One of the most rewarding experiences I've had was my first visit to Chicago; couldn't wait to go to Oak Park and see the greatest concentration of his buildings. It's a museum of his works, from awkward and uninspired adaptions of the Queen Anne style popular at the turn of the century to his Prairie Style structures (especially the lovely Robie House). He was hyperintellectual, and I do not pretend to fully grasp his obscessive mathematical approach. 6" here, 6" there will not diminish popular appreciation for his genius. That people are honoring his memory by re-creating his ideas should be celebrated. The True Believers can go have their circle-jerks (am I allowed to say that?), and guard their vision of FLW as Savior. Just because he wasn't on the job site to make peoples lives miserable doesn't mean that these tributes to him are meaningless. For the rest of us, a sensible interpretation of his work in a city that deserves recognition is a breath of fresh air.

I quote from John Culberson's (R-TX) August 2004 mail-out (Volume 4, Number 1): "I know that taxpayers can be repaid with Iraqi oil revenues, and at an absolute minimum, America must be paid back in the same manner as other nations like France, Russia and China. Overburdened American taxpayers deserve no less." Interesting! "Repaid"? I don't recall Iraq issuing any bonds or making any promises to repay us. Using that logic, I demand to be repaid for writing this reply. And am I to believe that American oil concerns will not be involved with 'helping' Iraq get our oil (oh, excuse me...their oil) back on the market? Bush managed to get support for this war by first confusing the American public as to Iraq's role in the 9-11 terrorist attacks (it had, at most, a minimal role), and then using intelligence which had already been discredited to suggest that Americans were in imminent danger from weapons of mass destruction. This excuse that we were overthrowing a brutal dictator to make Iraq free for democracy came much later. Yet, people still believe it. Why?

And let's not forget the huge Farmers' Market on Airline.

Gotta love buildings with wacky tops: