ricco67

Well Annise Parker has made it official, In tough times NO FUNDING FOR MUSEUMS! So I think I can be safe in saying her priorities are not positive regarding the formation of a Museum for Houston's history and culture... Yet another pundit working towards the continuing fragmentation of our society........

I also heard about the stadium part, and now I'm eagerly awaiting on her position on Houston in the long term.

Now that I think public safety is important, it makes me ponder if perhaps Brown might be better.

Now if someone can revive the Mayoral race thread....

Between all the bickering on here, I lost track on the occupation rate. Anyone have numbers of propose VS. current?

I've always blown off the "2012" thing for years.

The only thing that got my attention was a mention in a show that was about 4 or 5 years old that mentioned a black hole that could go gamma(?), it was highlighted on "The Universe" and mentioned that, theoretically, it should shoot a burst in our general direction.

Given the distance involved, which I think was mentioned at about 200 Million Light Years, if it was more than a few degrees off that it could miss our solar system entirely.

Now, if it HITS even remotely close to our solar system and takes out a planet or two, I'm sure it would make our existence rather short and exciting.

Not to bash, but I have AT&T U-verse as well, and here are a couple of my observations:

1. Their service really stunk when I first moved in, but now everything seems to be running pretty much as promised. I have had a few bad boxes that they replaced and whenever it is a problem that requires more than a reboot, I call them up and they are pretty prompt
2. Part of the problem with the DVR (and this is not to bash) is that it is running Windows CE. I mean, that software was barely usable on a PDA and they have it running an entire PDA ... I think it's simply not made for that
3. My ONE complaint is in programming. I hate when a show moves to a different night and I have it programmed for another night. I mean, is it really so hard to ask that the software be smart enough to keep up with shows that move (heck, I can't keep up which is the reason I bought a DVR system in the first place!

Okay, that's all, I think.

Well, my humble Tivo will keep up with most programming changes unless its a last minute one; like Obama running past his allotted talk time on TV and the talking head putting intheir .02 worth before going back to normal programming.

My current issue with Comcast is now I NEED a converter box to see the cartoon network instead of relying on their cable cards.

I'm debating if Robot chicken and Family guy is worth the effort.

Here's what I don't get. The oldest of these kids is what, 22? They're shooting at people with BB guns, not AK-47s. Is there actually a single victim hurt by these so-called attacks? In order for an assault to be a felony aggravated charge, there must be a weapon (check - sorta, if you're a bird I guess) and the intent to do bodily harm (ehhh... I doubt it). I'm pretty sure these are just kids caught up in what's essentially a prank and nothing more. It ain't as if they're auditioning for the villain role in the next Batman movie. It's a shame these kids aren't let off with a stern warning and a slap on the wrist. No harm, no foul. A $30k bond is outrageous for a BB prank.

You might think differently if YOU were the one that got hit.

I just liked how some people were quick to proclaim that "stuff like that" doesn't happen in the area and immediately wanted increased patrols.

All they had to do was look within.

If you're relying on the cops to do more than help generate city and county revenue by writing tickets, you'll end up disappointed. Looking after each other is the only way to stop criminals.

It's a depressing thing that you're that cynical about police.

Perhaps next time you get robbed or into a traffic accident, just suck it up and get over it instead of calling the cops.

Then again, shooting them might be good too, if you're fast enough.

Los Angeles has a corridor that goes all the way from the port to the west side of town, this corridor is underground, but uncovered.

Houston should take a look at this, and choose a few of the freight lines that are heavily trafficked in heavily populated areas and consider this.

Not only do the trains get to go like 55mph through residential areas, and cars don't have to stop. I'm sure they've considered this as a possibility though.

They could do something like that, but they'd have to shut down that section and reroute while the digging is done, then there is a matter of potential flooding. With a little contingency planning I'm sure they can work around the matter, along with some healthy pumps. The Railroad is fanatical about construction speed, so I would imagine the whole thing can be done relatively quickly once the engineering is done.

Rerouting would involve cutting it off from near Washington @ I-10 to Main street @ Holmes Rd, which is a healthy reroute through the east side and THAT route is already clogged. From what I've been able to see, the nearest turn to the north is in RICHMOND up to Katy, and I gave up from there. Once I saw that, I realize why the railroad would NEVER give up that stretch of roadway.

I was in the area last night and I decided to drive a portion of the route from Lockwood to scott and I couldn't see any signs of ongoing construction except for utility work and a little widening.

Since when was there a CVS at Harrisburg and Lockwood? I had to do a double-take when I spotted it.

I've had Chicago Pizza in Chicago a few years ago. Eh.

I've had New York Pizza last year. Eh.

I've enjoyed Deep dish AND thin crust pizza, I just think it's all in the ingredients and how it's made and a matter of personal preference.

Sorta like how people will get into fist fights over who has the best BBQ in Houston.

California Pizza SUCKS.

Should I bring in guns and knives into this little debate?

A midrise would probable do quite well, particularly if it had a retail on the first floor. As it currently stands, qwuite a few people in the 'Trose. Walk or ride their scooters/bikes to DK and other establishments in the areas to get what they need and rarely go further than Shepherd for day to day stuff.

As I have said (many times) in other threads; I would not be urprised if they shut that part of Westiemer and make it accessable to busses, bikes, and scooters.

After 12 years in Houston and 7 1/2 years flipping houses here, we are moving out of state. Keep up the good work HAIF'ers!

flipper

It's been surreal, Flip, and you've been a fun read.

What city are you moving to?

Don't forget to use one of Ed's other sites if you can.

While, I don't know about the political approach, it would have made more sense if the Mayor White was up for re-election. The none of the Candidates have really made a comment or is benefiting from it.

The only ones that I rooting for this seems to be an HPD Union that wants two man patrols.

No, I still think it's more about opportunistic money hunt under the guise of "For Change" for the safety of officers.

I'm surprised no one mentioned this:

During an episode of the "Big Bang Theory", they showed a view of Westheimer heading AWAY from Williams Tower to where "Sheldon" lived.

Who knew "Sheldon" lived in the West Side? LOL!

Makes me wonder if Jim Parsons, a Houston Native, had anything to do with the selection.

[rant]

I just heard on KTRK, that the widow of a Police Officer who was shot by an illegal immigrant has filed a lawsuit against the city.

From what I have gathered, she's blaming HPD (of which she is a current employed by) for the death of her husband because they currently don't have the means to check on a person's immigrant status.

For those that don't remember or aren't familiar with this, the officer was shot after putting a suspect in his backseat by a gun that was missed by an initial search.

While everyone involved (Officer is black, the widow hispanic, the Suspect Mexican) is a minority, I think this is simply deflecting the blame for the officer's death on illegal immigration and not the Late officer's inability to find a gun on the suspect.

Regardless of the personal race or immigration status, if you fail to find a gun of someone you're putting into the backseat of your car then you have an equal chance of dying.

Supposedly, this lawsuit "Isn't about the money", but it's really sounding like it is to me and it just irritates me to hell to blame everyone but the officer not finding the gun in the first place.

[/rant]

Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest.

-4 for me in advance from those that may not agree.

I went ahead and delete my previous vote on the approval vote to "Somewhat" disapprove.

The issue with pulling the missile defense system from europe is a major mistake, along with some other issues he isn't handling very well. At least, in my opinion he's screwing up on foreign policy and he's starting to backtrack on the war. Major mistake.

For those that might be remotely interested, I HAD a "Somewhat approve", but the health care plan is total crap as it is, but I DO believe in universal healthcare.

That's my belief without the partisan BS rants that I've seen.

EDIT: I think everyone should change their vote accordingly, even those that previous strongly disapproved or approved of his performance and it would be interesting where the polls are now.

Great. Now I've got Michael Jackson stuck in my head.

*BZZZZ*!

Sorry! Wrong answer!

Try again?

I don't shop at walmart because of how they have a tendency to push local business out of the way. While it's not noticeable in a larger city, it was quite blatant in some of the smaller towns I had visited.

For several years, I had a statement and a link in my signature as a sign of protest against that company.

A CEO's political views shouldn't be held against them, but I go for what they, as a company stand for.

I recently found out that Mattress Mac was a major sponsor to an Anti Abortion campaign which sharply goes against my views on the topic, but that doesn't keep me from supporting and endorsing his business.

Now if the company told it's employees that they're fired if they don't follow his line of thinking on the topic, THEN I'd howl in protest.

I was very surprised by the quality and the variety of functions of the camera.

I think we should make it a point to go there in turn with a large sign with "HAIF" and our name.

So... some guy who admits he's a stalker had posted a music video on YouTube about KHOU television's Lucy Noland.

It's either very creepy, or a mediocre PR stunt for his new album.

Wow.

I mean, Noland is VERY easy on the eyes, but wow.

I am currently rotating through the following for best breakfast:

• Harry's
• Katz'
• Ziggy's Montrose
• Le Peep
• Baba Yega - Saturday Brunch (it's chepaer)

Is that Katz' as in Katz coffee? If so, where is it? I love their coffee when I've had it elsewhere.

Not the same "Kat's" and I have avoided them for years but, "One's a meal" that's now located across the street makes a pretty mean breakfast.

Yumm....

Breakfast tacos. Damnit. Now I want some!

The only time I will get breakfast and McD's if there is no other option or craving a McGriddle. They're terrible for you, but ooooh...so good!

Considering this is an Architecture forum, yes it is the most important historic event. I dare you to name something more significant than the revelation of the spectacle.

Pearl harbor

WWII

1906 (03?) San Fransisco Earthquake

1900 Galveston storm

The McCarthyism era

The End of WW2

The Civil Rights movement

The Kennedy assassination(s)

The 60's-70's anti war movement

Those are some of what I would consider "significant", a few of them MORE significant, but not by much.

I think that we, as a nation, have a notoriously short memory when it comes to historical events.

An increasing number of people think we did NOT go to moon, we knew about Pearl Harbor before it happened, AND the 9/11 "truther" idiots that believe that it was all staged.

Well, I had to reset my phone yesterday and had to use "Thehaif.com" to come here and I didn't have any problems

like i said earlier, those that are unfamiliar are the problem, no explanation necessary. getting off of 59 onto fannin i still see people turning left on blodgett even though it has been one way, post light rail construction for years now. even downtown, 1-2x/month, i see cars going the wrong direction.

Go watch unfamiliar drivers in the Woodlands and get back to me. The trains simply are not the problem you wish them to be, no matter how many times you post a hyped up "problem".

Going down the wrong way on a street is not exclusive to downtown. I've back in the early 90s I was hit by people pulling out of of the kroger on 11th. Street onto shepherd and smacked into me.

I've seen it downtown, galleria, and downtown.

The thing is people don't know to read street signs or aren't paying attention.

Hell, I've done it once.

The skywalks? Maybe they could be redone into an elevated station. People could get off/on the train without ever going outdoors, which will work well for the lightweights who can't handle a little heat and humidity

Wrong.

The skyways are multi level and some are done to transport patients to and from surgery and other procedures, and are basically off limits to the general public.

You don't think it would look a little less awkward if, say, it ran along the street in that open space between the trees, rather than jutting straight out into the middle of the green lawn?

It doesn't look odd to me. I think they wanted the greenspace to be viewed by those walking along the Congress side instead of a solid wall for most of that block.