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mattyt36

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Everything posted by mattyt36

  1. mattyt36
    Are you sure SB 1057 even applies to counties? The law applies to "municipalities" and local government corporations that "operates a convention center facility located not more than three miles from the city hall of the municipality in which the convention center facility is located." As far as I can tell, municipalities in Texas include only cities and, while the County operates NRG Park, it's definitely more than 3 miles from Houston City Hall.
  2. mattyt36
    Seems like it had to be way more related to the fact that they already had the coliseum complex there (i.e., they already owned the land), and like us with NRG, they also wanted it also to be used for the Stock Show and required the surrounding buildings. Are there any examples of arenas in more remote areas spurring any economic development considering there are less than 50 dates a year? If the local leaders did say that, I'd say they were being entirely disingenuous.
  3. mattyt36
    Looks to be a PR placement by Whitmire considering there is nothing new.
  4. mattyt36
    Is anyone else suffering from banausea or is it just me?
  5. mattyt36
    Saw the same thing, guess Hines owns Drewery now? What could go possibly go … right?
  6. mattyt36
    Yet another reason they never have anything to celebrate in Spring 🤣
  7. mattyt36
    Great question--here's another one--what was the name of the street that was there to begin with? In this map from 1950, the US 75 alignment was essentially the same around downtown and it was even then called the "North Freeway." Interestingly, Memorial was called the "Memorial Freeway," even though Allen Parkway was called the "Buffalo Expressway" (was called Buffalo Drive at one point). Wonder what the distinction was. Not to mention the confusion with Buffalo Speedway, which also existed at the time. Houston Street Map 1950 - Maps - Houston Public Library Digital Archives (oclc.org) In this from 1890, looks like Bagby in Midtown was Burnett and Heiner was Stanley, with the area where 45 being large lots without streets. Many moons ago, I recall, not widening the freeway was one of the criteria that you said would lead to your supporting the project. Quelle surprise.
  8. mattyt36
    Should’ve waited until 713 Day!
  9. mattyt36
    There's our signature tourist attraction!
  10. mattyt36
    Maybe in the past, but the State is targeting Harris County--this latest law applies only to it. (And Tarrant County has never been known for progressiveness, so it's never been a target. Travis, sure.) Texas election law: Harris County sues over law that eliminates its elections administrator position | CNN Politics The law is one of two measures enacted by state Republicans that target the elections process in Harris County. The other law, SB 1933, authorizes the Texas secretary of state – an appointee of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott – to “order administrative oversight” of a county elections office if, for instance, a complaint is filed or there’s cause to believe there’s a recurring pattern of problems involving election administration or voter registration. “As soon as we’re done with this lawsuit, we can evaluate the other laws that need to be challenged, including Senate Bill 1933,” Menefee said at a news conference Thursday. SB 1750 and SB 1933 apply to counties with a population of more than 3.5 million and 4 million people respectively – criteria met only by Harris County.
  11. mattyt36
    Good Lord, I saw that interview and I was like who do you think you’re kidding, Dusty?!
  12. mattyt36
    Sorry, augie, I'm not in on the details of the coup plotting (shouldn't that be obvious?). Try pretty much any member of the Freedom Caucus, Tucker Carlson, John Eastman, the Claremont Institute, your local Proud Boys chapter, or anyone else similarly spouting off about a "national divorce" if you're interested as they've definitely been working on it for a while, each bringing their own strength. Hell, you may have heard--they even had a dry run not too long ago!
  13. mattyt36
    Trump has made comments repeatedly about taking extrajudicial actions (e.g., instituting martial law, having the military seize voting machines, encouraging state attorneys general to overturn election results), not quite sure what else you're looking for. His rhetoric since Day 1 has been to inflame half of the country against the other. He has told militia groups to "Stand back and stand by," and only this week "Truthed" for his supporters to put the Special Prosecutor "out to rest." What in the heck do you think "put out to rest" means? What do you think "take back our country" means? An innocent turn of phrase? That the guy is simply misunderstood? Watch any one of his famous rallies--he makes these comments, and his supporters want MORE, not less. Maybe he is just misunderstood and is just a total joker of a guy. Seems like, if that were true, he would eventually learn how to "change tack," and, even if he didn't, not sure why anyone would want to take the chance. You've got to be kidding me--it would work as every other revolution in history has.
  14. mattyt36
    augie, here's where I am obligated to remind you that you're the one who brought the Nazis into the discussion and linked them to the GOP. I know this infantile pseudo-libertarian cynical nihilism has made some people literal to the point such that, until Trump sprouts a toothbrush mustache, does the Nazi salute, and has a ribbon cutting for concentration camps in San Francisco, you won't believe him to be a fascist. (Although, quite honestly, I wouldn't be surprised to see if you couldn't find some way to laugh it off with something like, "lolz, can't you do better than that?") If that's what you want to hang your hat on, be my guest--those are definitely some "special" kind of moral standards to aspire to. I'd definitely not want to spend my personal capital standing behind that bunch as if it were some sort of shield, but you do you, buddy.
  15. mattyt36
    Well, augie, since you're the one who brought up Nazis, maybe it has to do with this: P (N | T) is probably less than 1% P (T | N) is probably in the 99% range That is, the probability that one is a Nazi given they're a Trump voter is miniscule, but the probability that one is a Trump voter given they're a Nazi is almost a certainty, so I'd say that dog hunts. Of course, things like this don't help, either: Neo-Nazi demonstration near Walt Disney World has Tampa Bay area organizations concerned, 'A fear in the air' - CW Tampa (cbsnews.com) Facebook removes Trump campaign ad with Nazi concentration camp symbol - Vox Moms for Liberty chapter apologizes for quoting Hitler in its newsletter | AP News So, I wouldn't fault people for labeling the MAGA wing of the Republican Party as having Fascist tendencies, especially considering the party leadership turns a blind eye to it, or pretend it doesn't exist (sound familiar?). Plenty has been written on the subject if you care to dig deeper. Having a presidential candidate who has stated openly multiple times he will "suspend the Constitution" if re-elected so he can enact retribution on political opponents is a bit Fashy, no? Does that sound like "freedom" and "liberty" to you?
  16. mattyt36
    I'm all for arguing that the extremes generate bad political results, but there is only one political party whose "mainstream" is now effectively being run at the national level by extremists, with the unstated (well, unwritten, I guess, as we've now gotten to the point that plenty of people are "stating" it openly) platform of said party being authoritarianism. This is an important distinction to make, especially considering they are justifying such positions based on paranoid fantasies about a left-wing that is a marginal participant in U.S. politics at best (yet always a favorite go-to boogeyman).
  17. mattyt36
    Must've been designed by the same visionary who created the "trash can" sculptures on JFK Blvd at IAH. Looks nice . . . for less than a quarter of the operating day. The rest of the day, it’s a headscratcher at best, eyesore at worst.
  18. mattyt36
    Chas's job as full-time CF should no longer be up for debate.
  19. mattyt36
    ^^there is NO ONE more disappointed than I that @monarch has not written an ode to the tacochickenhut as an underappreciated gem of luxury while somehow weaving in the LONGHORNS, W HOTELS, dubai, U.A.E., and DeBarge. you SIR, pal, my friend are the ONLY one that can do it. ^^YOUR TIME HAS COME!!!!!!!!!!!
  20. mattyt36
    🤣 @Pleak you won the thread!
  21. mattyt36
  22. mattyt36
    Wish there were more renderings of the Terminal D renovations. Hard to make much of the ones in the presentation--they make the concourse look like it has lower ceilings than it does (unless those are photos of D1-D3). I also wonder what's being done with all the pre-security space since it will no longer be needed.
  23. mattyt36
    @monarch, buddy, there is no contradiction whatsoever between these two points: 1. Another convention center hotel is good, whatever the brand is. W, Loews, St Regis, Ritz Carlton, Fairmont, whatevs. 2. I, for one, and others in this thread have said that we don't feel the same way about the W brand as you (i.e., as if it is commensurate with the second coming of Christ). It is my OPINION, just like you have your OPINION. It's like saying, "Yeah, I think it's great that Houston has a women's soccer team, even when I don't pay them much attention." This will be a fully private development, just like the Marquis (but unlike the Hilton Americas). I guess HoustonFirst can specify certain minimum standards as to numbers of room, height (don't collapse the building!), amenities (read: "must have a full service restaurant"), but I highly doubt that's going to affect the quality of the development as they're not paying for it. Marriott brand standards will likely have a much larger impact. Nothing is stopping them from breaking ground tomorrow, and this State bill does nothing to advance the project as far as I can see. The fact that it is not featured on the Horizon website is telling.
  24. mattyt36
    Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm all for another convention hotel of any label. What I don't get is this fetish with W Hotels as if it is the end all, be all. Whatever cachet it had 10-15 years ago is gone as far as I can tell, which is to be expected with anything that is "over-designed" from day 1. Tastes change and brands need to be refreshed. I can't see that such has happened with the W chain--you step into some W lobbies these days and they look totally cheap and almost comical. Maybe it's just a U.S. thing, and the foreign locations are "keeping up." This ownership group doesn't really give off a "leading edge" vibe either: Home | Horizon (hgiusa.com) As far as I can see, they run two hotels, namely the Hyatt Place downtown and the Hilton Garden Inn Pearland! "Our time has come?!" Yeah, I just don't see a flagship Dubai-like property here. Hip by Hyatt Place and Pearland standards, sure.
  25. mattyt36
    Our Time . . . 15 years ago. W Hotels are not what they were. But whatever floats your boat. I suppose the 1990s are on the verge of becoming hip again.
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