MidtownCoog

As long as imigrats want to be American, and not "hyphenated-Americans" I'll be happy.

Every city has its ex-pat community, but sooner or later you need to enter the mainstream.

That's what America used to be about!

That's a prime block, and has already been cleared.

Keep an eye on that hood. There won't be many lots left soon. I'd like to fix up one of the brick Tudors, but the Thrid Ward is Not For Sale gang might not appreciate that.

I'll tell you what I'd do, every Saturday, I'd fly a huge Texas flag from my porch, bbq some ribs, and role some dominos with Willie Nelson singing in the background all day long

Awesome!

Citykid, you may be wrong though. Look at Miami:

Some whites interviewed say they know they may seem like "whiners," as one woman put it, but they feel they are not being met halfway by the newcomers, and this is an especially acute feeling in Miami, where Cuban Americans and other immigrants from Latin America now dominate the political landscape, serving as city and county mayors and council members. Both of Miami's representatives to Congress are Cuban Americans.

this one is for citykid:

And many balk at the dominance of Spanish

Immigrants Shunning Idea of Assimilation

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/natio...t/melt0525a.htm

There is a sense that, especially as immigrant populations reach a critical mass in many communities, it is no longer the melting pot that is transforming them, but they who are transforming American society.

Well, can't find the NY Times, but here is a smiliar article on from the Washington Post.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/natio...ot/melt0222.htm

Today, the United States is experiencing its second great wave of immigration, a movement of people that has profound implications for a society that by tradition pays homage to its immigrant roots at the same time it confronts complex and deeply ingrained ethnic and racial divisions.

This shift, according to social historians, demographers and others studying the trends, will severely test the premise of the fabled melting pot, the idea, so central to national identity, that this country can transform people of every color and background into "one America."

Just as possible, they say, is that the nation will continue to fracture into many separate, disconnected communities with no shared sense of commonality or purpose. Or perhaps it will evolve into something in between, a pluralistic society that will hold on to some core ideas about citizenship and capitalism, but with little meaningful interaction among groups.

One study of the children of immigrants, conducted six years ago among young Haitians, Cubans, West Indians, Mexican and Vietnamese in South Florida and Southern California, suggests the parents are not alone in their concerns.

Asked by researchers Alejandro Portes and Ruben Rumbauthow how they identified themselves, most chose categories of hyphenated Americans. Few choose "American" as their identity.

Then there was this

Oh, but it is about being PC. I wish I could find the NY Times essay on the Melting Pot vs. The Stew.

Have you ever heard of the Great Melting Pot? Libertiy and immigrants.

That's what America was built upon. But now, we far too often encougare everyone to do their own thing and live in their own little world, pretending that the WASP work ethic that this nation was founded upon is some evil notion.

---------

From School House Rock:

My grandmother came from Russia,

A satchel on her knee;

My grandfather had his father's cap

He brought from Italy.

They'd heard about a country

Where life might let them win,

They paid the fare to America

And there they melted in.

Lovely Lady Liberty,

With her book of recipes,

And the finest one she's got

Is the great American meltin' pot.

The great American meltin' pot.

{America was founded by the English.}

{But also by the Germans, Dutch and French.}

{The principle still sticks, Our heritage is mixed.}

{So any kid can be the president!}

You simply melt right in,

It doesn't matter what your skin.

It doesn't matter where you're from,

Or your religion,

You jump right in

To the great American meltin' pot.

Great American meltin' pot

Ooh what a stew,

Red white and blue.

America was the new world,

And Europe was the old.

America was the land of hope,

Or so the legend told.

On steamboats by the millions,

In search of honest pay,

Those 19th-century immigrants sailed

To reach the U.S.A.

Lovely Lady Liberty

With her book of recipes

And the finest one she's got

Is the great American melting pot.

The great Anerican melting pot.

What good ingredients:

Liberty and immigrants.

They brought their countries' customs,

Their language and their ways.

They filled the factories,

Tilled the soil,

Helped build the U.S.A.

Go on and ask your Grandma,

Hear what she has to tell,

How great to be an American

And something else as well.

Lovely Lady Liberty

With her book of recipes

And the finest one she's got

Is the great American meltin' pot.

The great American meltin' pot.

The great American meltin' pot.

The great American meltin' pot.

The great American meltin' pot.

The great American meltin' pot.

The great American meltin' pot...

"I believe Spanish should be manditory in all public schools"

Why?

In a nutshell, America needs to become the "Great Melting Pot" once again.

This "PC Chunky Stew" is not good for the digestion.

And the way things are today, there is no need to assimilate. Drive down Fulton and see for yourself.

Thank goodness it's elevated 30'.

White Oak Bayou is a little close for comfort.

We have been down this path before on the old board on this same subject.

Not sure what some people expect from a Target next to an Interstate, but keep dreaming.

Target wants to you drive to their store.

Why?

So you can load up on stuff and spends lots of money.

"How does asking for a little thought behind the design bring up such a well of pent-up frustration"

You must a the whiz at reading land use studies.

If you can actually envision the finished product from a fuzzy .pdf land use study, you are a better man than I.

Q: I missed it. What was the last song played on classical music station KRTS-FM before it left the air?

Claire Sanford, Houston

The last piece was Ode to Joy from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

Lets talk about driving habits on Fulton.

That was a hot topic before!

Anything???? Easy, now. . .

Agree. I am starting to think y'all are smoking crack. It's a freaking Target, and people are going to drive their cars to it.

What do you expect them to do? Take the bus or rail and schlep all their goods home in a buggy? That looks good on TV, but try it in the real world.

It's next to I-10, and we all know about I-10. This fantasy land "urban target" is just that. A fantasy.

Santa Anna is gonna get you, sucka.

He lives in an apartment on Fulton. Watch out!

What in the world is a "true urban style development"

Where can I find one in Houston?

I really don't think there is such a thing.

But since we are fat city, how about bacon and cheese?

On a related note. Dot's Diner has a Houston Omlet. It has every kind of meat you can imagine.

Can you say Gut Bomb!

Don't forget all their battles vs. the Montgomery Co. library and a local playhouse.

It's scary up there.

That part of town needs it.

Never liked the San Felipe location. Too much bad karma from Loop 610.

I'd normally just drive from Midtown to the one near Reliant. It's like going to the UN. You'll hear TONS of languages at that place, and I am not talking about Espanol.

Suburban makes sense for this spot.

Walking next to I-10 is not exactly everyone's cup of tea.

is it just me, or is this building an ugly blight on our preimier parkway?

Help me, Botox.