kjb434

Althought the map says subway station, the map also says LRT. LRT can be lowered into a tunnel, but I doubt it. Also, everything is that is visionary. Nothing is set in stone. It is used as a template. Just like the Buffalo Bayou Plan.

The area is quite nice. I'm having some projects I have to work on out there. I see the Westpark Tollway becoming another major revenue stream for HCTRA besides the West Belt. Also, FBCTRA has the westermost section of the toll road too. The amazing thing is that more trees are planted out there now than before the land was developed. Most of the land was farmland will a little amount of trees only on the property lines.

Yeah, both are lumps of data that can easily be manipulated to anything you want it to be. The quality of a transportation study usually does go to how much money is spent. Most of the data is dumped into software design for transportation analysis. The more data you gather the better the results are. Interpolation and extrapolation can be dangerous if done incorrectly. The same for environmental studies. I just want people to ask questions when they see environmental data reported. Many studies will fall in the trap Mr. Crichton lays out. And the fact that the scientist make it a hassle to release this data. If there study is correct, they shouldn't have a problem of releasing the data.

Don't forget to bring some bibles and scissors. If any book has a little bit everything that is objectionable, the bible has it. I'm not saying it's a bad book in no way, but there's content in there that makes pretty much all this book destroying pointless. Does anyone have a list of the books they are trying to destroy and ban? There are many books that I don't agree with or like, but i don't try to ban or destroy them. Just don't buy it.

On this forum we've dabbled in environmental issues. One of my personal criticisms of the environmental sciences and particularly published studies is that they aren't critiqued heavily for valid results. They are often taken at face value and believed to be true. Studies that predict global warming (from humans), the hole in the ozone layer (it always existed), and etc. have large groups of detractors that are often not given a voice. Michael Crichton (who also is a medical doctor) has recently written a book (fact/fiction novel) and been on a crusade regarding the issue of environmental studies. Below is a link to the text from his speech at the senate subcommittee on environmental issues: Crichton Speech The really import thing is the last couple of paragraphs. This doesn't mean we dont' have environmental issues, but we can't base our actions to fix environmental problems that we don't have good scientific data to back up.

It's theirs and many newpapers feeble attempt to be in the now and cool. The big problem is that they censor their blogs which is something that not normally accepted. The blog is supposed to offer the raw news.

Could we just close it anyway? Just make a rule that city vs city be taking out. Could we call it city comparisons? The vs makes it seem like one has to win. I'm all about competition and winning, but that's in cases where it is not subjective. All of this would subjective and no clear winner can be determined.

^^^ Yeah, blogs are out on all ends of the spectrum. If you read and compare a couple you can end up getting the real story instead of having to rely on some editor who my be biased (in either way). Editorless blogs check themsleves because it the post something that is factually untrue, another blog will challenge it. It make the reader more informed and involved in the story instead of sitting back having is spoonfed. I think this is why the mainstream media is suffering so much from blogs, independant news websites, and radio. I would much rather read a blog (even if I disagree with it) because it is unfiltered. I find reading coverage on blogs to be quite more informative. I even catch news on HAIF. Someone will post an article, the valuable part is the discussion after. It gives people chances to challange the article and give other facts that may have been missed. I've seen it on here many of times.

Alienware's appeal is the customization, warranty, and customer service. You pay a little more to get excactly what you want. There plenty of custom vendors that come and go like Alienware. They've seem to hit the market right and are staying strong. I've seen some others that are about the same or a little cheaper. I like cyberpowerinc.com, they offer a lot of options at a good price. You can get exactly what you want.

The chronicle: is it a newspaper? I couldn't tell with all the adds and fluff. Of course practically all newspapers are going this way.

It seems the statement was taken out of context. If the Media Matters quote was a evenhanded website and put his entire statment out, you'll find out he was referencing a book call Freakanomics which makes tons of crazy statistical relationships. Including the one Bennet made on abortion. Freakanomics is not ment to push one agenda or another, its just a writer pulling all kinds of statistics (and referencing them) and making wacking conclusions. It's kind of a fun read. The book really leaves it up to you to choose whether think the points are truely related. Bennet did state that the relationship that was make was off the wall and not something he believes. Maygbe Media Matters should try not start something that isn't there. Also, there isn't much immoral with gambling. Back home, whole bus loads of churches (catholic) go to casinos with the priest. Gambling, as for as catholics see it, is only wrong when you use the money you need to live for gambling.

I went to a Catholic School for 13 years. As much as the teachers object to some books, they didn't want to censor anything. This was especially true in high-school. I wish people would just wake up. If you don't like the book, don't read it. Many of times the reasons they are banning the book would also ban the bible. How many other books have as much violence, sex, and other debauchery as the bible?

The mall will be open air lifestyle center type and not the typical mall. Think Memorial City with warm outdoor hallways.

The website is nice and even has a construction tab so we can watch it get built. At first i though it was a lot of ground parking, but looking at the site plan, the two large areas of parking are garages. One is two levels with a ground floor (3) and one with one levles with a ground floor (2). This is mid-rise development without residential. Not bad for far west Houston.

We should appeal the steel tariffs to help that price. American steel is way overpriced. The cement powder for concrete is another issue. Demand is high and the US imports most of its cement power. We do import some of the raw materials to make the powder and manufacture it here, but most if the finished product comes on ships. As an engineer, I'm noticing contractors are bidding slightly higher than cost estimates. The cost is showing up in the concrete and in hauling items. We are currently adjusting our cost estimates so we can give our clients better numbers. It doesn't look good when all the contractors bidding bid higher than the estimate. As long as these projects can cover the rising construction cost with their sales, i think we will be fine, but i'm wondering what this will do to types of available units in the new condos.

Nice new renderings

the link is earlier in the thread, please read the thread to find it

One thing I just learned, I need a job that travels internationally. I may start looking for Civil Engineering work that requires travel (other than Iraq). I may have to look towards an oil company though.

Yeah, They work really well, but I'd rather get an expert to put it together with a warranty. Building it yourself leaves little warranty other than you know what you are doing. I have about 6 fans and a massive heat sink. I also found a little gem that helps filter inflowing air. This helps keep dust out of the system. I don't know where I found it though. Water cooling was first really implemented in lab tops since they don't get much airflow to cool off. The use in destops was for novelty and overclocking. It thing it may become more mainstream in several years especially since the watercooling will allow for more efficient cooling.

Also, didn't we have a thread that Houston was second in Fortune 500 companies second to New York City. I think we are well off as a city. And our economy is diversified more from oil and oil services industry. This helps us maintain an overall balance.

hey, nmainguy, they democrats Earle went after were die-hard conservative democrate. Earle is an equal operturnity conservative attacker. The fact he went after democrats doesn't mean he's bipartisan. The fact that conspiracy is only charge, I think Delay will get through. Does this mean he's innocent? I don't know. Our justice system does not determine innocence, only if you are not guilty or guilty. Delay isn't perfect and I wouldn't claim him to be. Also, he is not removed from being a representative right now, he just isn't a majority leader because of the rules within the republican party. Techinically he could still be majority leader, but the republicans won't let people indicted have the positions. It's almost like that was planned just before election season. Earle did it to Kay Baily Hutchinson during her campaign for the senate too. The charges were dropped after she got elected. Also, Earle has hired a camara crew to follow him around only on the Delay case and has spoken to strong left leaning groups constantly about how he is going to get Delay. Earle is by no means all innocent and perfect in this matter. This is politics plain and simple. Why were many constitutuents getting phone calls within minutes of the reading of the indictment from the DNC and local democratic party officials about the situation and whether they would vote for Delay again? Seems kind of quick since the indictment was just read that phonebanks are running to get future election data. Just seems kind of fishy. It seems like they are just throwing these charges to wall and hoping one sticks. Of course, the media care more about the seriousness of the charge and not whether they are substantial. Why is it when some is indicted where well know or not, our assumption is that they did something? Also, many other representatives in this state and in other states commonly engage in the practice that the PAC did. Nacy Pelosi is being investigated for the same thing. Harry Ried is also being investigated and the case against him makes Delay looking like and innocent schoolgirl, but of course we would never here that in the news.

yes, That's why the message is and history the time it was written is more important than the word for word interpretation. Anyway, couldn't the all news media outlets be charged with contributing to the hysteria and false reporting? Free press is one thing, but lying is a completely different thing. I guess blogs and forums are just as good as old fashion media, if not better even though copy editors aren't present.

As soon as some hotel rooms free up in the downtown area, i'll go in an visit. They only thing now I can do is a day trip to the quarter when I visit my parents. The most I'll do then is just sit in some of the old watering holes to dring and have good conversation.

Also, three days without power in the woodlands. I guess many of you never really went through huricane aftermath. Many people will lose power in a huricane even if they felt little impacts from the weather system directly. I had to go without power for 5 days during Andrew back in Louisiana and the nearby town was only 3 days. If you are in the middle of nowhere, you will be last on the list to get helped. They try to get the urban areas and employment centers up first. The comments abour the tranmission towers from Red are also key too. NIMBY many of times doesn't help utility services. Having more substations and transmission lines help. They only have the unattractiveness, the cancer crap from the transmission lines is hype only. You would have to be within 3 feet of the actual line to get any radiation and then you will have to stay there for many hours to get any real dangerous side effects. It's fun what you learn when you have a physics masters student as a college apartment roommate.

^^ As with your earlier statement too about the mall, I see Houston performing a specially annexation with the town center area (no residences) of the Woodlands. This way the city and operating MUD's with commercial could get sales tax revenue. Your are right the city doesn't want to annex any residential. The city is growning on the inside anyway with a population increase. The special limited annexation is a win-win since the city doesn't have to provide services but gets a share in the sales tax revenue. The MUD which couldn't receive sales tax before now can get a share of it handed to them by the city.