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MetroMogul

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Everything posted by MetroMogul

  1. I see everyone has strayed away or skewered my point towards something that they can actually debate instead of the initial intent which seemingly only two people understand. That's fine, anything to maintain your current line of thinking. I'm done debating the matter, I've already made my point.
  2. So, are you trying to infer that a homeless person has no job or family? It's those stereotypical arguments that allowed me to make my original statement in the first place. And measuring a person's "worth" by relationships and interactions is faulty as well seeing as how you have no knowledge of a homeless person other than the fact that you are extremely angry that he dare foul your air with his presence. What he was contributing to society before his downfall is obviously of little or no consequence to you. For all you know, that bum could have been a fireman who saved countless lives, but because now, for whatever reason, his dominoes have tumbled and he's homeless all of a sudden his worth is less than some arrogant yuppie? Give me a break. This just shows how black and white most people view complex issues. Many seem to think of the homeless as mentally ill or just lazy people getting what they deserve. But I suppose that's how you all can turn your nose up at them and still sleep at night. You'd have to change your way of thinking if you actually looked at them as persons comparable to yourselves.
  3. What does LTAWACS offer as an individual? If he can't lay claim to any specific contribution that would not exist if say, he were dead, he is no more useful than a homeless bum which can just as easily be replaced by another on the street. He can't be the arbiter of who is or who is not a contributor to this society if he himself can offer no unique gifts, which he doesn't so I think he should clam up and be thankful his three dominoes have yet to tumble. And Red is not advocating for the criminal elements and drug addicts and you well know this. The extremism and hyperbole here is rampant, annoying and childish. You have the debating skills of a seven year old. I can only imagine you putting your hands on your hips with a Bart Simpson smirk after typing your reply. I guess I'll give you credit for being on par with a 10 year old. But I digress, what Red was stating is that the element you all wish to eliminate was there long before cheap cookie cutter town homes and apartments were built. Just because your average bum sees a "Coming Soon - Pretentious Dwellings" sign planted into his encampment does not mean that he will inform his brethren that it's time to go so bubble encased hipsters can live in their little world without the intrusions of that little pesky creature called reality informing them that no, the world does not revolve around the general vicinity of 2222 Smith and whole mountains (or long time bus stations) will not be moved to make it happen.
  4. And no Red, I don't come up with these gems on the Metro. I'm too busy worrying about getting to work on time. I just see posts like that and have to respond. Alot of people live in these little bubbles and they understand little how the world really works and operates. They have their nice office McJob, they have a decent six figure income, a pretentious apartment in the new trendy urban cluster, and a mildly attractive spouse and they feel the world is their oyster and they have mastered and gained full understanding of all of it's various complex problems when in fact they are the least informed and knowledgeable. When "go away" is presented as a viable option to deal with a problem on such a grand scale as the homeless, I realize I am dealing with very developmentally challenged "adults." Any child past the age of three could come up with a better solution. Wealth and elitism does not a smart person make.
  5. No, my point is to say that this little man should not say that someone should "go away" because he feels they do not contribute anything to society when he himself contributes little or nothing. Even his smug, elisitist attitude can be duplicated. He is not special in any way, shape or form and if he were to die, who would care? He has the same value and worth of a homeless man.
  6. Stop, just stop, lol. Your righteous indignation is hilarious! You, my friend, in your bubble, cannot and never will understand the gravity of the situation. Just know that the average American is only three domino tumbles from being under a bridge themselves. And you whine about the handouts but then you fail to grasp the fact that if these "mental institutions" are to be built, YOU, the taxpayer will be funding them at a cost much more than $1 handed over to a bum. It's simple math really, even pee stained human debris could have figured that one out. And what's with this tax payer elitism anyways? You pay taxes, I pay taxes, bums even pay taxes when they buy that 40 ounce. Stop throwing it out there in arguments or impassioned rants like the whole of society is on the back of your paltry contributions.
  7. That's an interesting statement, good sir. I have to ask then, what makes you better than a homeless bum using his trousers as a toilet and a sidewalk as a bed? I mean, you most likely have a cookie cutter McJob, which provides a cookie cutter life for you and your family (if you have one). With the right training and skills (not even college), I'm quite certain the homeless bum you are turning your nose up at can do your job just as well as you, if not better. I mean, think about it; if you didn't exist there'd be some other stiff in your position, some other man pleasing your girl/wife/male partner and your parents would just love someone else. With that said, what exactly are you contributing to this society that is so worthwhile? This society doesn't need you or your meager contribtutions to function. If you were dead, this world and civilization would continue to operate without skipping a beat. Now, isn't that amazing? You're no more useful to this society than a homeless person as you and your skillset are wholly replaceable and interchangeable with someone else. The only real difference between you and a bum is that the bum does not have the means to vocally express and display anger at your worthlessness.
  8. I noticed that yesterday in an article about FM1960. The three main reasons for the decline where Katrina "people," Metro, and apartment complexes. These reasons are pretty um, "Canadian" if you get my drift. I found them blaming Metro for the decay of any previously well kept neighborhood hilarious because Metro can barely seem to tie its on shoes at times, let alone orchestrate the decline of a sleepy suburb. Average A. White that posts on that board seems to believe that Metro runs a line out somewhere and decay develops around it instead of Metro running a line into an already decaying area to take advantage of it. To do otherwise would mean Metro is on the cutting edge of providing regional transportation, which it is not. And I have also learned that you can blame Katrina People for anything whatsoever. Property values decline; Katrina people. Crime rates go up; Katrina people. Schools go broke; Katrina people. Gas prices high; Katrina people. Foreclosures, credit crunch, and near recession, yes, Katrina people. They might as wll just say the N-word though and be done with it. We know what you really mean.
  9. Well, this at least shows that Metro caves in to all races and social statuses. The line makes the most sense going down Wheeler to Ennis. In fact, at one point it went straight through TSU and on down Wheeler to UH and then to the Eastwood TC. TSU objected to a rail ine going through the middle of campus (though there was one there for almost 40 years of it's existence) so they moved a portion onto Alabama, but at least it still ran by the school. Now, it's going to miss TSU entirely.
  10. I just wish people wouldn't open mouth and insert foot. He's acting as if the "ghetto mall" was the blight of some white suburban utopia and pulls in the black, ghetto scum of Houston. The mall is in the correct place to draw it's unique clientele and there is no where else to place it. Even if there were; it's not even finacially feasible to relocate that sort of mall just so there'd be less black presence in the Sharpstown area.
  11. The mall is close to it's target demographic. You being a "white guy," I'm certain you're not going to concern yourself with where the black folk are staying, so let me school you. Most of the patrons who come to Sharpstown are from Fondren SW, Corporate Dr, Club Creek, Woodfair/Forum Park, Spice Lane and a number of middle class neighborhoods with sizeable black populations. The balance comes from the other side of town on the 2 - Bellaire (a bus black people ride). Most of the people who utilize the mall live within a 5-10 mile radius of it. Where else do you suggest they place the mall? Ha, clever. I have a question; do you even live by the mall or just resent it because it caters to an urban clientele?
  12. Any place where you can post random "comments" in a basically unmoderated format (having to report a litany of racism before the mods act, if at all, is not a moderated environment) breeds ignorance not limited to racism, xenophobia, whacked out theories, and Metro/government bashing (a favorite pass time for Chronicle readers). Someone actually thought Metro was in charge of the Westpark tollway and profited from the tolls. It's good for laughs, but it's no longer funny when you understand that these people are probably well respected in some parts of society.
  13. I only remember that happening during the Superbowl. Ahhhh, the heady days of 2004. We thought Houston had finally made it as a clubbing and nitelife city.
  14. Speaking of downtown scammers; there was a black man who came up to me once and said he had $1500 on him. He pulled out a thick stack of bills, at least 6 inches thick. He wanted me to hold on to it while he went to fornicate with some "white girls" he didn't trust at the San Jacinto Hotel. He said to wait an hour, then bring him the money. If I did this; I'd get $600. I declined of course because who in their right mind would entrust a total stranger with $1500? I'm sure if I agreed, he'd have gone into the second level of the scheme where reality would have come crashing in. Funny thing; a few years later, same guy came up to me and tried to repeat the same scam. I declined again and went on my way. Never seen him since. Hope he enjoyed those young ladies of little to no virtue.
  15. I think some sort of clubbing district should be opened on Westpark in advance of the University line, kind of like how alot of the clubs opened up in anticipation of the Red Line.
  16. LMAO. Ah, so true. And looking at the pics of LA's downtown comapred to Houston's is so embarrassing. That's like 1/10th of the traffic on a good night back in 2004.
  17. I'm just going to have to assume some of you all don't get out much. First of all; I'm going to address the noise issue. Most of the new loft developments are in and around the north and eastern edges of downtown. There is frequent train traffic in those areas. You mean to tell me that vibrations and airhorns from trains are less offensive than the noise from actual patrons of the few remaining clubs and bars downtown? Come on, it's downtown, like someone said; if you want quiet, move to the Woodlands. Even if the clubs do move out and something else is developed in their place, you're still going to have a noise factor involved, particularly if you want a 24 hour living/mingling area as many are dreaming about instead of the current clubs. This is why this city is so behind on so many levels; you want a certain amenity and the benefits, but at the same time want none of the inconveniences it may bring. I remember many years ago right after the rail was built and DT really took off, people couldn't say enough nice things about the club scene. NOW, it's a problem, um, okay. Second; downtown is not the place to be anymore. It's dead. When my cousin and I used to go back in the golden days of 2004 and 2005, there was a huge crowd from Wednesday on. It was always racially mixed on the weekends, though, at this point blacks were in the minority. They only frequented two bars that I can remember; Suede and Club Glo, and to a much lesser extent M Bar. Now, here's something else I wanted to touch on, this whole "they don't play our type of music anymore" crap. It's no secret now that Grasshopper is black and young, but in 2004, it was mostly white and hispanic and guess what; they played the same music then as they do now, hip to the hip hop and you don't stop! Crazy I know, white people liking stuff us blacks like, but it's true. Third; the whole "thugs" issue. I know you guys are trying your DARNDEST to stay PC, but come on, you can't fool ol' Jason. Just like northbeaumont's "African-American rigged" comment, I see right through the text. I've gone downtown alot, and hey, maybe it's because I was intoxicated and somehow temporarily blinded, but I didn't see any white people who would fit any sort of "thug" description. Like I said, maybe I missed them, but I can only go by what I saw. So, who are these "thugs" we're talking about, hmmm? And let me make this clear for you, downtown does not have any thugs frequenting those clubs on a regular basis. Real thugs, they go to places where they can still wear a white tee shirt and jean shorts and be admitted with no problem. Places far away from the serene downtown scene, places you'd wet your Ralph Lauren khakis if you even passed by. Fourth; parking lot pimping. Um, WHERE?! Hell, I wish I stumbled upon some of that! Sounds much more fun than anything going on downtown. Let ask you all something; you guys ever been into a predominantly African-American club? Of course not, silly me. Let me tell you why we mill around before we go into one, if at all. There's an internal dispute between black men and women. You see, black women are perfectly content with dancing with each other now while we feed them drinks. Is that worth $20 and up? That's the decision we're making when we're "loitering." Downtown is so bad now, you really have to think before you just spend your hard earned money. Sorry if that bothers or frightens you. Fifth; the violence. Boy oh boy, let me explain. Before the rail, downtown was a wasteland so no one was there. Then the rail came, then the clubs and bars and of course for a time, the people. When people come into an area, crime increases. Just a natural law, sorry to say. And for all of the people going in and out of downtown in these past few years, I think the crime rate is relatively low. But that's just me thinking outside the box. If some of you wish to believe that Main St. is Sarajevo, be my guests. Sixth and last (like the Wards); Midtown. Hey, guys, Midtown is really not popping like you'd think. Smith Street is, yes, that's nice and I commend it for that. But hey, you know that other, darker part of Midtown, like around San Jacinto and Fannin? Yeah, that's midtown too. And guess what? *Pulls you close and whispers in your ear* There's clubs over on dem dere streets, and whoo wee, they ain't doing too well partner. You know XO Bar, Red Star, Rich's, they've all seen better days. You know what's funny. The only places I know that have been consistent with clientale over the last several years are semi hole in the wall spots where "thugs" hang out. I'm talking Metropolis, Club Butta, Candy Shop, and um, Connections. That just goes to show you that black people, even those thugs in are midst, are not the harbingers or club and bar death. But hey, maybe I'M the crazy one.
  18. I worked at that Wal-Mart, and it was the worst: rude customers (oh how many times did I get money thrown AT me), rude employees, dirty, disorganized, I could go on. On Fridays and Saturdays, the rugrats from the AMC would come in and steal and fight before their movies would start. It was terrible. And Wal-Mart does build in minority areas because they've built a new Super WalMart off of Beltway, within spitting distance of the notorious Spice Ln.
  19. Thanks for all who have contributed so far! I have a few questions; was Alief-Clodine called Alief Rd. at any time or has it always been named Alief-Clodine. I'm wondering because a number of early 90's maps showed Alief-Clodine as either Alief Rd. or showed Alief Rd. as a phantom road that paralled it from Westpark to Highway 6. This road was also sometimes referred to as Alief-Houston Road. Also, when did the segment of Dairy-Ashford that borders Elsik change it's name from Alief-Cemetary Road to it's present moniker? Also, what happened to Cooper Road; it's a small road that's listed on some of the older maps. I believe it was around as late as the 60's and was a precursor to modern day Wilcrest. I think Rodgers Rd. is the ancestor to modernday Rodgerdale and it used to come close to connecting with Roark/Murphy Road as well.
  20. Well, the HCC you went to was housed in I believe the "Annex" building between Hastings and Elsik high schools. Both of those schools have declined somewhat, but they aren't a ghetto mess on the level of say Kashmere or Jack Yates. They both still serve a suburban core of students along with a number of lower income families on the eastern edge of the school district.
  21. I noticed the thread about Sharpstown and wondered if anyone had any interesting memories from the Alief area (Westwood to Mission Bend and everything in between). I moved there (Club Creek to be exact) as a child in 1994 and there have been so many changes since then. When my family moved into the Villa Madrid (formerly Sundance) Apts, most of the whites and minorities of means had left for the greener pastures of Mission Bend and points west. It was a lower middle class area at this point with the exception of some relatively new houses (now much deteriorated) off of Greenfork. My apartments were a mixture of black and hispanics with the apartments next door, Fairway West (now Happy Homes) being nearly all black. At one point, only my complex and the 100% hispanic Spring Rose complex had sizeable hispanic populations. That would definitely change over time as all apartments along Club Creek from Beechnut to Woodfair would become nearly 100% hispanic. Back in 1994, Westwood Mall was just beginning to enter it's twighlight. It used to be bustling and a great place to hang out, especially the TILT arcade. Each year however, the number of visitors decline and the death knell came when Foley's opted not to relocate from Sharpstown. I think the mall officially closed in 1997 or 1998, maybe later. In these past 13 years, a number of formally undeveloped fields have become cheap strip centers or convenience stores. I remember when Ventures was built on Beltway 8 and Beechnut and went out of business a few years later. K-Mart took over that site and suffered the same fate. It has since been redeveloped as a Viet Hoa. The old Auchan on the Beltway is now a Food Town that has somehow managed to compete with the new Wal-Mart across the street. I used to work at the Home Depot on Bellaire and the Beltway. As I'd walk to work alongside the tollway, I'd see remnants of old gates from ranches that used to be along the former Roark Rd. I'm tired now but I'll type more later. Hopefully others have memories to share of the Alief area.
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