barracuda

I'm still trying to understand the pent-up excitement over this store. For me, this city is too full of supermarkets and places for foodies (Specs, Central Market, etc.) to justify toiling through such grand-opening madness. I am kind of curious how the interior gutting turned out though, if you or others can post photos.

That would be the old Central Bank building. http://www.houstonar...l-square-plaza/

They fixed my bike for cheap and are really friendly, good to hear they're expanding. Biking through DT is great too on Sundays so long as there are no big events.

I bicycled by the Sawyer Target last weekend and was surprised by the amount of traffic. Folks were circling the parking lot looking for spaces for Target and the surrounding strip mall stores. If this is any indication, the new Walmart development should probably do pretty well. Both shopping centers do seem focused primarily on retail chains, but maybe something unique will pop up on account of the revenue potential. What I really wish is that Fadi's, Crave, and a good Indian restaurant would decide to setup shop there so I wouldn't have to drive across town. But I'll keep my expectations low for now to avoid disappointment.

Uchi and Kubo's are my favorites. I'm waiting for Uchi's popularity to wane a bit before I go back though...I'm not inclined to wait an hour and a half just to sit at a sushi bar. Tokyo Bowl (near NASA) is also one of my favorites...it's nice and quaint inside, and the serve kimchi.

The first line in the Chronicle article indicates 250 new jobs will be created, so it's really $24,000 per job. The article you linked to is a little misleading. Out of the $787B stimulus package, $288B were tax cuts and $224B were to extend various benefits, and $275B was designated for job creation. Using the same CBO estimates of 1.4 million to 4 million "full time equivalent" jobs created by the stimulus, the job stimulus cost was more like $196,429 to $68,750 per job. To make the comparison even more accurate, I'd want to know how many of those Walmart jobs will be full time, and whether these new associates will make a living wage so they can avoid relying on government entitlement programs for basic needs.

We just pulled ahead by 50 votes.

According to the Chronicle, the county will be using a chemical called 'naled' and only areas northwest of town will be targeted for this particular application. http://www.chron.com...day-3804639.php ABC has even more details. http://abclocal.go.c...ocal&id=8781470

This is sad, I walk and bike to this store regularly. I'll miss the store employees, who seem genuinely friendly and *gasp* say hello and smile when you check out. Kroger could learn a lesson in employee and customer satisfaction, which would be nice now that they have the Heights surrounded.

Wouldn't you say cheap gas, challenges with battery technology, and high manufacturing costs have more to do with the paucity of electric cars? And even despite of those challenges, there are a growing number of electric and plug-in cars on the market today, including one made by evil GM.

Fortunately for you, there is backup nearby in the form of 20 other Walmart Castles yielding sizable supporters inside or near the perimeter of the belt-shire. Due to their loyal support of the Walmart Castles, the help of local parliament and their bags of taxpayer gold, and the backing of the $446B Royal Empire of Walmart, this invasion will likely be victorious. Perhaps it would be wise to conform with the status quo now and begin practicing your Walmart cheer, or else you may be deemed a traitor and denied your ration of Dr. Thunder.

Trying to keep it professional. Plastic bags don't biodegrade. Even though they may gradually break down into smaller pieces over centuries when exposed to UV radiation, they will be permanent components of the environment and the food chain. That's a pretty big disadvantage. I don't really believe folks who want this ban are doing so for vanity. I suspect it's out of genuine concern for the environment, whether or not you agree that landfills and litter are negative additions to our shared landscape. According to one source, the Texas Campaign for the Environment, "Every day Houston residents consume over 1.9 million plastic bags and more than 80% of them will end up in our landfills or littering our community". I try to avoid plastic bags mainly for practical reasons as stated earlier. Other cities seem to have implemented similar rules (as have some retailers) without too much of an inconvenience to consumers.

Keep in mind that most paper bags used domestically are also made in USA. And while they may use more energy to manufacture and cost a few cents more than plastic bags, I think they still have several advantages. They typically hold more volume per bag, especially for groceries. They are also more reusable since they don't stretch and fall apart as easily. I don't recall ever wrapping my textbooks in plastic bags as a kid, but we did use paper grocery bags. They are easily recycleable and remanufacured from recycled fibers (Whole Foods uses 100% recycled content in their paper bags). Lastly, paper decomposes quickly in the environment, unlike plastic, and it's not as likely to suffocate or cause harm by ingestion, which happens with platic bags in the wild. The only disadvantage I see is with holding liquids, so plastic bags do still have the advantage when it comes to waste receptacles.

If you, like me, receive a 20% off coupon from BB&B in the mail even three days, you could probably get it for only $64. Assuming this is the one. http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=18223562 Also, I think it's funny that anyone would brag about shopping at Target.

I always get a kick out of these conflicting stereotypes. None of my immediate neighbors have nannies and many of them are of very moderate incomes. Nobody on my street had any anti-Walmart signs in their yards. But if we're going to stereotype, I will bet that many of the McMansionaires with families living in the unrestricted portions have nannies.

People are entitled to their personal preferences, whether they are related to ambiance, merchandise, politics, etc. My father likes shopping at Walmart because his sole concern is bottom-line, yet my mother much prefers shopping at Target because she thinks they have nicer merchandise. Personally, I don't think Target is superior to Walmart, in fact, I credit Walmart for some of the progressive moves they've made as a result of the opposition they encounter when trying to build in urban environments. I stopped shopping at Target a year or so ago because I realized I hate the feel of the place (fluorescent lights and glaring red colors everywhere) and because their CEO donates to right wing anti-gay and anti-immigrant groups. Not that I ever shopped there much to begin with. Even though I occasionally shop at Home Depot, I rarely go to Lowes. Go figure. Other than HD, I don't really shop at big-box retailers. I'm also not likely to shop at the Yale St. Walmart development, but I'm not one of the folks trying futilely to stop them.

It does bother me when someone believes that buying something new is helping to "save the world". My favorite example is when someone claims a hybrid vehicle purchase means they are saving the environment, while ignoring the resources and pollution involved in the vehicle's production and shipment. It will take many years to offset that initial toll in terms of reduced petroleum usage, and even then they are polluting the air with the same fuel as a conventional car, albeit at a slightly reduced rate. As for plastic bags, as I mentioned earlier, I think they are lousy for carrying most items, and they often seem to be treated as merely a proof-of-purchase when a shopper walks from the cash register to the exit door. I frequently witness a single item, itself with a handle, being placed in a plastic bag for no apparent reason. I'm not opposed to folks who want to use plastic bags, but I also wouldn't mind if there was some incentive for cashiers/baggers to be mindful and less wasteful with them.

I'm sure that is exactly the problem and that there are absolutely no sensible reasons why a person would not shop at Walmart.

And it's gone...sorry for the photo quality from my car. I don't see any signage, but I'm guessing that new residential will be replacing it.

Does this make us a police state?

You could even say it dates back to 1951, when CONELRAD was established to provide emergency broadcasting. I don't see how this executive order makes us a police state if it's for emergencies only, has been around in one form or another for over 60 years, and hasn't even been activated since the modern EAS was implemented over 15 years ago.

Well I agree that government purchases should be awarded based on merit rather than manufacturer location, and if a better product meets the requirements for less cost, it should be chosen. I know that at the Federal level, exceptions are allowed when buying a domestic product is too expensive, not sufficiently available, etc. Going back to local police, I'm not sure exactly why they buy domestic vehicles, but my hunch is that the large volume of orders for these vehicles from police units across the country results in parts and equipment being readily available and probably less expensive than retrofitting lesser-used vehicles. Also, the models used by police departments are not the standard consumer models, and foreign automakers may not be as keen on creating and maintaining customized vehicles for this market unless they can grab significant marketshare to justify the investment. Lastly, sticking with the domestics is probably viewed as a safe bet by public officials to keep vocal taxpayers from complaining about sending their tax dollars overseas.

Here are some actual numbers, although they're weighted for sales. The domestic car companies are well over 50% domestic content overall. Honda is the only non-US based carmaker listed with a majority American-made content for vehicles sold in the US. http://blogs.cars.co...automakers.html You can also look up data for individual models on the NHTSA site (http://www.nhtsa.gov... (AALA) Reports).

The property is still for sale and has been for some time. Fiesta's current lease expires January 2013. http://www.loopnet.c...od-Houston-TX/? http://blogs.houston...14th_street.php I personally hope they don't close or I won't have any full-service grocers within walking distance.

Maybe they can offer discounted ticket prices to the needy with the catch that they have corporate logos tattooed to the forehead. After all, it's not a good deed if you don't flaunt it, right?