mojeaux131

No pessimism was intended. I'm quite pleased with the new prez and share your optimism. Go Coogs! Especially what you said about Tier 1 Status--WORD.

Definitely. Just need more people walking around before the taco trucks evolve into push-carts and kiosks. Bam! Seriously though, that's a wicked idea.

I worry about that too, but that may be part of why Dr. Khator is having them re-do the plans. Not that she's an expert on development, but you'd be suprised how much administrative mindsets can affect things in a very physical way at UH. Let's hope they make the right choices from the beginning, even if they are a little more expensive at first.

Ah. Well I hope the new location is as cool as the one I went to.

Three from UH Days: 1. Super Happy Fun Land off the North Loop, on Polk St. Really cool little venue to see some music and have some drinks. When I went the drinks weren't rip-offs at all, but "suggested donation" instead. http://www.superhappyfunland.com/ 2. Mai's Vietnamese restaurant on Milam. Open pretty late and the food is just terrific. You can get a satisfying bowl of vermicelli with BBQ pork and chopped egg rolls, or garlic tofu, or sticky rice or (their menu has LOTS of options). And of course the prices are excellent. I think the vermicelli bowls are like $5.75. On St. Paddy's Day 2006 my buddy and I saw Kinky Friedman there and took a picture with him. He was super cool. http://www.maisrestauranttx.com/ 3. Two Rows Restaurant and Brewery in Rice Village. It can get crowded, but if you can get a table for Dollar Pints, it's worth the wait. Your choice of specialty beer brewed on location at Two Rows, for just a dollar a pint. Thank goodness for designated drivers. The food's not bad, but you can always get your desi to take you to Ruchi's which is just down the road on Kirby (does that count as four? moo, whatever). When I went there, Dollar Pints was on Wednesday every week. Good times. Sometimes, they'd run out of glasses and use plastic cups instead, which was fine because then we could make beeramids.

Ha ha ha. That is EXACTLY right. I'm actually spending less time on the forum now that I'm on vacation than when I was at work in Japan. Mmm, slacking...(drool). Anyway, good luck finding something that makes you happy, Mr. Editor, sir.

That article doesn't really "counter" Whitlock at all. If anything, it seems like the author misinterpreted Whitlock's neologism (or at least took one aspect of it and ran with it). I do wish voices like Whitlock's were heard more often whenever a racial controversy occurs, but I would also ask other whites to think more about race and to consider the effects of historical white privilege. Editor is right about money, but white privilege is responsible for much of the assets that whites hold. I'd direct y'all to this guy: http://www.timwise.org/ Also, for a great conversation about Affirmative Action, please see: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.p...toryId=16337441

I can't wait to see this. Batman Begins totally revived the Batman film franchise. It was pretty lame during the Kilmer and Clooney years. I haven't seen the new preview yet, but just the teaser where you hear Ledger's Joker voice...man. Gonna be sweet. In that teaer, even Michael Caine's Alfred seemed cool. Alfred. Awesome.

I really hope they raze Cougar Place. Those apartments were never intended to be used for so long. If you leave a piece of paper out for a couple of hours, it'll get soggy (unless you have a dehumidifier or the a/c running). Good news about Renu Khator. She seems like a great replacement for Gogue. Even without as much state coddling at UT and A&M, UH seems to be doing just fine. Go Coogs!

I'm not surprised at all by either the land area or population rankings. Dallas is totally surrounded by smaller satellite cities--Garland, Richardson, Plano, Irving, Arlington. Of course their presence would limit Dallas' land area and population growth when compared to cities like Houston and SA which lack such clusters of suburbs. That being said, Dallas' metropolitan area is still the most populated in Texas and fifth in the nation, I think. Edit: fourth-largest MSA in the nation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas-Fort_Worth

Whitlock is absolutely brilliant. He's on Fox Sports now, but he was formerly on AOL Sports. I don't think it's possible to access his old AOL articles, but they were spectacular. The first one he wrote about the Black KKK was inspired I believe by what he observed in Las Vegas for the NBA All-Star Game in early 2007. He also had some great commentary to offer on the whole Don Imus thing. For those people who would like to make sweeping generalizations about Black American opinion every time Jackson or Sharpton become annoying, I'd refer them to Whitlock in a heartbeat. I agree with satriela's comments regarding drugs. Whether or not you agree with the illegality of drugs like marijuana, the fact remains that small time, nonviolent drug offenders are punished way too severely and that this contributes in no small part to "the cycle".

It might not answer your question fully, but if you haven't read it, I totally recommend Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond. He does a fantastic job of accounting for disparities like the one you described. I do think the UN ranking has something to say, but it's nonsensical to compare tiny, Scandinavian countries (with mostly homogeneous populations) to countries like the U.S. It's apples and oranges if you ask me. For all the size and diversity of the U.S. I think we do pretty well. Note: diversity does not necessarily cause poverty, but over time discrimination against minorities by the dominant ethnic group will culminate in higher rates of poverty for said country than in more ethnically homogeneous societies.

Whoopsie. He he, I thought it was a photo of the rendering. Aw, shucks. Edit: Derrrrrrr.

Lame. It looks too much like the Hobby Center.

Is there a way to add residential capacity downtown (or in a nearby area like the east side) that isn't only for the super rich? The more people that live DT (or close by), the more people will go to HP (sorry, just had to say it to make sure people know it's connected to the topic, heeeee )

Blah, blah, blah. I've made my point. It is not my objective to change your mind. Even though by your own admission we "agree" on some things, it's obvious that we aren't going to change each other's minds. I prefer polite discussions and you prefer "correctness". Neither one is better than the other. Different strokes for different folks. Before ending this discussion (between you and I only), I will say that I find your logic (or lack thereof) hilarious. True, politeness does not equal correctness, but an impolite tone in posts will eventually detract from the quality of the discussions. I've seen this many times. Facts and being correct are important, but if you're too rude to hold a civil discussion, people aren't going to want to contribute as much as they would. To paraphrase something you once said, by whose authority do you dare to advise me to "suck it up" and grow a thicker skin? What is the proper formula for being "correct" and polite on this forum? You demand precision from others but do not appear to be respectful of their desire to be treated with respect. IMHO, this is "incorrect". Further, in one post you claim to know Klineberg, a Rice University sociologist. You also say he "knows how to ask a question". Yet in another post, you call his research and article "hearsay" and "big steaming pile of hooey". By whose authority do you judge the survey and the article invalid? It makes no sense whatsoever for you to deny the legitimacy of such a study and then pompously trumpet out your own "observations" and opinions as evidence to the contrary of anything. By your own definitions, your statements are rife with hypocrisy and double standards. It was disingenuous of me to imply that 70% of the population holds my opinion, but the only tenet of my position that I articulated was that we need better planning. Sure, it's subjective, but it's still a statement (however unsubstantial or flawed you personally deem it to be). Of couse poorly-implemented transit can exacerbate traffic problems, but by whose authority do you deem Houston's planned transit (planned, since the vast majority of it has not been implemented and will not be for some time) as such? I think the last paragraph of your post makes the most sense. However, although I am all about the free market, I think many people who extol the virtues of a free market sometimes forget that free markets work best when they are regulated by the state to some degree. Yes, it is subjective to which degree, but the fact remains that state regulation (and support) of markets has helped them realize more of their potential. I do not suppose that you are unaware of this, but I found it necessary to make this statement anyway. Allow me to offer you this constructive advice: learn to talk to people. Otherwise, you're not going to change many minds no matter how much information you have. I could care less that you think I'm whiny or that you perceived (somehow) my assertiveness as trolling. It is quite possible that we agree on many things, but it becomes difficult to see just what those are when posts are rudely worded, no matter how "correct" they are. For all your knowledge, you do a disservice to your cause and opinions when you use condescending language--word to the wise (or at least to the detailed). I will not respond to any further posts you have to offer on this thread. I'm bowing out. If you take this to mean that you're smarter than me or that you've "won", by all means, go ahead. With respect to the original post on this thread, I could care less about Victory Park or gentrification. But my entire point was that Houston will benefit from the presence of greater transport options and more rules (and planning for the future) concerning development in the city. I hope you can find some tasty salsa for that chip on your shoulder. Peace.

nice post.

I could make them, but I don't care to. I just would like to be able to buy decent ones at a not-so-ridiculous price. Every time I go out for Tex-Mex here, it costs around $25 just for myself. Yeesh. I'm not defending Pancho's, but your other statements are pretty uncool and ethnocentric. Good for you. Yeah, you can find it, but it's exorbitant. I found a good place in Osaka and treated my parents, but it came out to $60. I shouldn't complain about the price, though. Many things are ridiculously expensive in Japan. I guess I'm just homesick and bellyachin'. Glad y'all backed me up on the cilantro and onions, though.

Y'all's taco wisdom is much appreciated. Gracias, muchachos. Perhaps one day in Japan, real tacos can be made and sold for a decent price. This is one of my dreams.

I've been telling people that the most standard or normal way people in Mexico eat tacos is tortilla + choice of meat + chopped onions + cilantro. Of course tomatoes or whatever can be added, but if there is a taco "archetype", does the above scenario fit it? I would have written this in the fish tacos thread, but I didn't wanna get yelled at for being off topic. Please help me! The Japanese conception of "tacos" (which they call even a single taco) is horrendous. They come with mayonnaise here! Mayonnaise! AAAAGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, the trees in Kyoto are just super colorful in autumn for some reason. I'm only an hour away by shinkansen and the colors aren't as bright. It might have something to do with elevation. The really red ones are Japanese maple. If you go to Japan in the fall, don't only do Tokyo. Kyoto is incredible in autumn. Here's some more, including some from June 2007.

I finally figured out how to post photos! Mwa ha ha!

Hooray for fake aerodynamics! Say no to Moving Shoeboxes!

That's excellent information, but it didn't really mention Houston so much and there was no "Regional Hazard Assessment" for Southeast Texas and thus, Houston. My post was only about earthquakes in the Houston region, not the state of Texas. http://www.texasbest.com/houston/geograph.html This one --> http://tle.geoscienceworld.org/cgi/content/abstract/25/3/332 speaks of hazards to structures (houses, freeways and industrial buildings) in the Houston area, but from fault creep instead of earthquakes. Besides, have you ever felt an earthquake in Houston? I haven't.

Word. Ethanol is not a true solution. Even without the questions regarding its production, the focus on ethanol as an alternative will only exacerbate the broken system of federal corn subsidies.