sttombiz

well...I'm not in 7th grade but I wish I were (man those were some great times!). you need to lighten up though. I'm sorry you didnt go to st thomas. I know you wish you did, but you didnt. dont take it out on me. gosh!

st thomas = awesome

the question was colbert-esque. yes I do attend st thomas (senior). I have been there just before the start of the new construction when the mall used to be an ugly parking lot and mt vernon was a drivable street. now that they have used it as a campus mall and a pedestrian walkway, it looks great. they are also planning to shut down w main and turn it into a pedestrian walkway so that there is less congestion next to the new athletic center.

the medical program there is ranked at on of the best in the country (seeing how theres around a 99% acceptance rating from st thomas into medical school)

the only thing they need to do is make the school more of an exclusive university and not allow every D student from a private high school into its academia.

my opinion...greatest school (1st best in Houston, who the heck cares about those Rice morons)

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

anything with John Wayne

Fight Club

Donnie Darko

Motorcycle Diaries

...a lot of people like st elmo's fire but who doesnt enjoy The Outsiders or Class

great school or greatest school?

Thanks.

does someone know where I can check the avg housing appreciation rate of the memorial area (77024 and 77079) besides for calculating the numbers on HCAD and har.com? is there a site which measures the appreciation rate of areas in Houston?

I read on the going up section that they plan to extend memorial drive to barker cypress. is this true? I heard something before about making memorial, briar forest-san felipe, and westheimer into super streets (meaning that they would become toll roads). I believe nothing came of the idea, but is any of this true?

...also does someone know where I can check the avg housing appreciation rate of the memorial area (77024 and 77079) besides for calculating the numbers on HCAD and har.com? is there a site which measures the appreciation rate of areas in Houston?

Thanks.

theyre going to extend memorial drive? where did you hear about this? will this make memorial the longest street in houston?

yea theres its around 14 acres on grisby road. its north of a neighborhood and south of I-10. BP bought it?

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/stories.../21/story3.html

...this is dated 1997. what is happening at this site?

Transwestern Property Co. is considering purchasing and demolishing the J. Ray McDermott Inc. building in West Houston to make way for a huge new office building complex, according to real estate sources.

Transwestern, which last year moved its headquarters from Houston to Dallas, may be the first company to take advantage of newfound development opportunities in the booming Energy Corridor, which is boasting the highest office occupancy rates in the city.

Transwestern officials would not comment on the project, but sources close to the deal say the company is eyeing plans for what could be a three-building complex spanning between 600,000 and 700,000 square feet. It is not known whether Transwestern has a potential tenant lined up for the project or whether the firm will proceed with a speculative development.

Cooper Ford, manager of human resources for McDermott, confirms the company is in discussions with Transwestern for the possible purchase of its 21-acre tract at the northwest corner of Eldridge Parkway and Memorial Drive.

"They are a prospect, but that's all I can say right now," Ford says.

Transwestern Executive Vice President Larry Heard could not be reached for comment by press time, and a Transwestern spokeswoman declined to comment on the deal.

"We consider that rumors and speculation, and we don't comment on speculation," says Transwestern spokeswoman Karin Knapp. Cushman Realty broker Tim Relyea, who represents McDermott, did not return telephone calls. But real estate sources familiar with the deal say the land is expected to go under contract within the next week.

McDermott announced last fall that it would move its headquarters to a vacant 215,000-square-foot building at 9401 Southwest Freeway. Ford says the move will be made this fall.

Real estate sources say McDermott has been considering demolishing its 225,000-square-foot building at 801 Eldridge to make the land more marketable. The three-story building was developed in 1981.

As plans simmer for what could be the first major building to be developed within the city of Houston in several years, Transwestern is moving forward with a similar office project in Sugar Land. The company is working with the City of Sugar Land for a tax abatement on a project that calls for the development of a 500,000-square-foot office complex on 18 acres near the Southwest Freeway and Sugar Creek Boulevard.

U.S. wants $183 million from Lay, Skilling

Prosecutors say the former Enron executives earned incentives based on illegal activity

By JOHN C. ROPER

Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Prosecutors want Jeff Skilling and Ken Lay to pay the government $183 million it says were ill-gotten gains derived from fraud they committed while at Enron.

And in listing the assets they hope to seize, prosecutors pointed to a $6.3 million investment owned by Lay.

Lay never mentioned the fund during his jury trial while testifying about his assets, nor was it raised by prosecutors.

During that trial, in which he was convicted on six counts related to Enron, the former chairman told jurors his net worth was once $400 million but that he was $250,000 in the hole.

According to a motion filed Friday by prosecutors, Lay has a private equity fund with Goldman Sachs he bought in 1999 that has reached its required seven-year maturation period and is available to him this month.

Lay's attorney, Michael Ramsey, said Lay didn't mention the fund "probably because it had nothing to do with the case." He added that it was purchased years before the charges in his indictment.

Ramsey declined to comment on the motion, saying he needed time to review it.

Skilling's attorney Dan Petrocelli said the motion was unfair and would leave his client's family without financial support.

Assets have been frozen

The government is asking the judge to allow it to seize $140 million in stock sales, a bonus and other compensation from former Enron CEO Skilling and $43 million from Lay's use of a company credit line and a bonus.

"As a direct result of this criminal behavior they received incentive-based compensation and were able to sell Enron stock and reap hundreds of millions of dollars in benefits, all while knowingly misrepresenting Enron's true financial condition to the public," the motion, filed in a Houston federal court said.

Prior to the trial, prosecutors stated they intended to seize from Skilling $50 million in stocks and bonds and any properties, including his $5 million home in River Oaks. From Lay, prosecutors had said they planned to take his $5 million high-rise condominium.

All of those assets have been frozen.

One reason the government is seeking such large amounts from Skilling and Lay in the so-called "money judgment" motion filed Friday is to capture any other assets of the former executives prosecutors may stumble upon in the future, said Houston defense attorney Joel Androphy.

"With a money judgment they could do it," Androphy said. "Without a money judgment, they have no mechanism to seize the property."

Prosecutors also said in the motion they plan to "request authority" to search for any unknown assets of the men.

Androphy said courts are split on approving money judgments

macy's is moving into the new simon and interfin construction north of I-10 at Grand Parkway. There is a post in on the Katy board concerning Grand Shoppes.

nordstroms or bloomies?

federated is shutting down all macys right or just this one? because a macys is one of the spots taking position in the new development in katy (grand shoppes or what ever). what needs to go in is a ruehl 925. it would be great to have and also position itself next to the new mid-rise development of macy's (if it occurs).

...if they want to be awesome or jawsome is my book they need to make the new section more open and not prison-esque with absolutely no windows. none too style. also, the rolls royce dealership needs to move to the galleria. just think of having a test track which drives through neimans. great idea! haha

the falcon point club has golf and dining facilities. it belongs to club corp, a privately owned business which is in charge of thousands of clubs across the US. If you belong to club corp you belong to many other clubs in Houston. Some include: the Westlake Club (in the BP energy center), the University Club (atop the Galleria), and the Downtown Club (I believe in the Pennzoil building)

another golf club in Katy is Willowfork Country Club (off westheimer). It was designed by Kickerillo has a community golf club for his surrounding developments. The lay out of the club is not that nice and they do not offer a vast facility in the way of athletics. I cannot say anything on their golf course.

lastly, there is the equestrian center which is basically a country club off mason. I do not know much about it.

...unless anything else has been built in the past few years, this is all I can think of

no, windsor has expanded. its a great subdivision (always has and always will be)

1.) Windsor Park Lakes

2.) Westside Forest

3.) LakeForest

4.) Lake Pointe Estates

5.) Cinco Ranch at Bayou Park

6.) Seven Meadows

7.) Parklake Village

8.) Grand Lakes

9.) Falcon Point

10.) Kelliwood Lakes

11.) other Kelliwoods

12.) everything else (green trails, nottingham, etc)

...the first two are farther east than grand parkway (windsor = off baker, forest = off s fry close to kingsland)

I didnt know how expensive you wanted to purchase a home but these neighborhoods range in prices from $185k- over $2 mil

...there is also another gated neighborhood in Katy that I cannot remember the name of but my friend lived there and it was extremely nice (his dad was the President of BP and they sold their home in 2003 for $1.1 mil)

the Grand Parkway area is a great area of town seeing all the new developments going up in the area. if they get their feet off the ground, there should be quite a few uptown park type areas and also Simon and Interfin are trying to establish a Galleria type mall north of i-10 on grand parkway. The new medical center is also near Grand Parkway. the only downside is that they are going to turn 99 into a toll road, so an EZ tag is required.

other ppl on the board may be a lot more helpful in the future developments of the area and the traffic problems.

thanks for you help

we are fighting to stabilize a region in order to secure a free flow of oil to the US and other western countries. it is a war of economics.

I dont understand why people are complaining about high crude prices and not wanting to fight a war or do something to stabilize a region which houses these supplies. dont get me wrong the region will never stabilize but at least we can find the balls to do something about it. a few things could be to (1) stop the stranglehold which saudi arabia has on us and actually fill in the gaps with iraq, iran, jordan, and other producing nations. (2) destroy the corruption in saudi arabia and take away their 'birth right' and give it to the people (3) emphasize to the people that the West is not the enemy but rather their totalitarian govt (4) a stronger justice dept in the US to end the merging of large oil companies, so that more competition can arise in the production of crude (5) globalize so more competition can arise (the oil trust of russia, saudi arabia, and china are raising the prices of crude) (6) again make an effort with iran that does not involve military coups (reminds me a little of Vietnam)...as I recall the middle east used to be a trusted ally and not an 'axis of evil'...britain and france were the bad guys (7) learn from our mistakes and when all else fails go to war

financing the war through tax cuts on the other hand emphasizes the fact that bush did not pay attention in the lectures at harvard or took a page from johnson's book that said that we can fight a war and not have to worry about inflation.

since there is no form of new supply to fuel our houses and our cars we have nothing to rely on but crude. if more government subsidies went to alternative fuel research than to ethanol, it would curb some of the effects. remember the $1.1 billion for hydrogen? isnt that what we spend per day on a war which goes no where?

the only person who has made any sense in this debate is joe biden and his plans for the region.

always remember if talks fail there cannot be more and more talks but action. peace will not come from inaction. just wait until all of us are drafted to fight a war against 2 bil Chinese because there is no doubt if things progress as they are now that this will happen.

and remember...to keep your whites your whitest use ultra fresh Gain

bill white needs to get the vice presidential nod or at least a high ranking cabinet position (at least national security advisor or sec of the interior). he was deputy secretary of energy during the clinton reign. I could see white as president but all I wonder is if he could see himself as president.

just remember matt santos was houston mayor then congressman and then president (but thats the west wing)

if white ran for governor he would win the election but would the dem party ever nominate a texas governor for president? I would think it could be viewed as a good idea. the dems could say well republican couldnt nominate worth shoot but we can and from texas to boot.

yet white is too into politiking and actual management to run for governor. since all they can do is call special sessions

Rep. candidates that could be envisioned are...ted poe, t boone pickens (a little old), michael dell, john culberson (but what has he done as a congressman)

my friends and I nearly missed trouble when we drove into an electrical plant near matagorda. we didnt see the security guard at the entrance so we kept on driving and a cop pulled us over on the inside. it was awesome when they saw it wasnt a bunch of terrorists but a group of pimpled face high school kids. to make matters even worse, we did this in during winter break of 2001.

the place looks amazing at night though. it is the only building for miles and it lights up at night. reminds me of the scene from the matrix revolutions when they are heading towards the 'machine city' and neo can only see it and looks made of light.

in the end dont take pictures of electrical plants in a post 9/11 scared-off-your-ass world.

I am looking to apply to both the ut health science center and the baylor college of medicine and I did not know which offered a better medical school and residency program. the summer before starting undergrad, I interned at the ut health science center and had a great time. although the downside was that facilities were not fully renovated from allison.

I have been to the baylor college of medicine website and like what it offers although it is more costly than ut. ut also offers assured acceptance from the university of st thomas where I am currently studying. I did not know whether baylor offered more via a more in depth learning hospital than ut, so thats why I am asking.

Thanks.

Wilcrest Cafetaria- off wilcrest and westheimer behind the walgreens. this place's food is out of this world and for the cheap price of a cafetaria...its incredible. its an all greek/italian food lineup and new dishes are served every other day. great place to eat but the establishment itself is again a cafetaria so do not expect a fine dining ambiance

Garden Cafe- off dairy ashford just south of briar forest. been under new management for a couple of years now but it still offers a great array of lunch time meals. the brocolli soup there surpasses any other.

Grisby Grill- off grisby road and addicks howell in memorial west. seafood restaurant which offers a great ambiance and exquisite food. on sundays they offer a jazz brunch, so try the dave's benedict (spectacular)

there are tons more but this is just to get the ball rolling...

it is on whittington close to dairy ashford. it used to be called pizza roma, closed down and then just re-opened under a new chef. has anyone heard anything about this place? because every time I drive by, it is virtually empty. hope they can turn around, unlike morgans or that new place that went in where rotessorie vacated.

Vargo's (S Piney Point before Woodway)- this restaurant used to be high class dining. excellent food and attention to detail but the last time I was in there it was deplorable. my family and I waited nearly 3 hours for our food which ended up undercooked and cold. the steak which I ordered was stringy at best. I have tasted better things from marie calendar's. the atmosphere was not as I remember, but the view is and always will be incredible. thats the only thing the restaurant got right...landscaping, but staring at it for 3 hours gets a patron pretty pissed.