Rammer

5) Babes Cabaret

4) GiGi's(old)

3) The Men's Club

2) The Gold Cup

1) Treasure's

Only needed 5....

If you didn't load up on oil when it was only $33 per barrel, then you missed the easiest money making decision you'll ever see.

Oil was over $71 today.

Everyone needs to read the article entitled 'How Goldman Sachs Runs Washington' in the July issue of Rolling Stone.

MUST reading!

Also watch Glen Beck's 'The Tentacles of Goldman Sachs' show from mid July.

It can be seen on Youtube...but watch it before Goldman has it blocked!

*Fun Fact* - Alfred Berkeley, former head of the NASDAQ, says that "73% of ALL trades are done by only 2% of the participants".

The 2% is composed of the 'high frequency traders'..like Goldman Sachs. (Mutual fund companies are NOT included in this 2%)

Everyone needs to read the article entitled 'How Goldman Sachs Runs Washington' in the July issue of Rolling Stone.

MUST reading!

What are your 'Most Ignored Stories' by the Media???

They can be ignored, underreported, or flat out covered up.

(By the way, I'm an independant who has no respect for either party)

Here are some of mine in no particular order:

1) I'm still stunned after 5 years, that a respected man like Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill can publicly state on '60 Minutes' that Bush discussed attacking Iraq 8 months BEFORE 9/11...and yet everyone has ignored him.

2) Most dieticians, including 'Nutrition By Natalie'(Youtube), will tell you that soft drinks are the absolute WORST food that you can put into your body. Worse than hotdogs, doughnuts, or even french fries. This liquid candy is being covered up like cigarettes were in the 50's. Because it is such an incredible moneymaker and sponsor, Coke & Pepsi have managed to maintain a false image of healthy normalcy. It should be banned by the FDA, but the corruption at the FDA is a whole other story.

3) The Banksters story is just now coming to light in the media...barely. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley completely controlled oil prices last summer by false electronic manipulation(via Enron).

Former GOLDMAN SACHS employees head/headed:

The New York Stock Exchange(Niederauer)Wants to keep derivatives.

The World Bank(Zoellick)Ever wonder where that 'green' talk started?

The U.S. Treasury Department (Paulson/under Bush)This man is an idiot.

The White House chief of Staff(Bolten/under Bush)

Citigroup(Rubin)Left 01/09/09....where will he go?

Merrill Lynch(Thain)Ousted for his million dollar office bathroom.

Under Secretary for Economic, Energy and Agricultural Affairs(Reuben Jeffery)

Commodity Futures Trading Commission head/Obama(Gary Gensler)Corruption is the motto at CFTC.

Interim Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Stability-(Kashari)Controls TARP handouts.

Governor of New Jersey(Corzine)

Chairman of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board(Friedman)

Treasury Chief of Staff (Mark Patterson)So much for Obama's 'no lobbyists' talk.

President of the New York Fed(William Dudley)Just appointed.

4) Prior to 1980, Afghanistan hardly had any poppys. Then the CIA moved in and made Afghanistan the heroin capital of the world. 90% of the world's heroin & opium comes from Afghanistan thanks to the CIA. You won't believe what they do with dead soldier's bodies...you can read that yourself.

5) John Perkins wrote a book called 'Confessions of an Economic Hitman'. It detailed the deceit of the World Bank, the CIA, and the 'Corporatocracy' of how the world works. We make loans to third world countries which they can't pay back, then we take over their natural resources.

First, the Economic Hitman(Perkins) makes an 'offer you can't refuse'.

If the leader can't be corrupted, he is killed by a Jackal(CIA).

If the leader can't be killed, the military is sent in(Iraq).

6) The 'Mass Media' is controlled by only a few conglomerate organizations: General Electric, Time Warner, Viacom, News Corp., Walt Disney, CBS, Sony, and a few smaller companies. It's pretty obvious why you don't hear much about this.

7) UBS recently closed 19,000 American accounts in Switzerland, which the IRS said were illegally hiding funds. I'm sure you know about Swiss bank accounts. These 19,000 people are amongst the wealthiest people in the world. Not a peep from the mass media.

I'm sure you have many more ignored stories...

The truth about Goldman Sachs(#3) is FINALLY being exposed by a major media member almost 6 MONTHS after my original entry.

If you saw Glenn Beck yesterday, he displayed the Goldman Sachs web of bankster deceit.

Now they need to drive home the fact that Goldman Sachs is behind the Cap & Trade scam.

Looks like its official- Ron Artest going to Lakers!

Artest probably couldn't handle Houston's blast furnace summer.

I don't think you guys get it....this is a CREATION of Goldman Sachs. Goldman Sachs runs the show.

Weather Channel founder, Jim Coleman:

"It is the greatest scam in history. I am amazed, appalled and highly offended by it. Global Warming; It is a SCAM. Some dastardly scientists with environmental and political motives manipulated long term scientific data to create an illusion of rapid global warming. Other scientists of the same environmental whacko type jumped into the circle to support and broaden the

I thought it also might be worth discussing in light of the cap and trade deal goin on right now, which the article hits on for a minute.

EVERYBODY needs to read the article in Rolling Stone magazine: 'How Goldman Sachs Runs Washington'

Not only is Goldman Sachs responsible for the tech bubble, the real estate bubble(underwriting), and the oil bubble...they are now prepared to control the CARBON CREDIT market. Goldman has managed to convert pollution into a commodity which they control. Goldman owns a 10% stake in the Chicago Climate Exchange where the carbon credits will be traded. Scumwad Al Gore has started a carbon offset investment company with THREE Goldman Sachs bigshots. READ THE ARTICLE IN ROLLING STONE!!!

I was wrong when I said Yao was 28 going on 40.

I should have said Yao was 28 going on 50!

I keep hearing people talk about the Heights so I finally got around to driving through last weekend. For reference, we drove up Heights Blvd from I-10 to 20th, took 20th to Rutland, went north on Rutland almost to 610, cut over to Yale and drove Yale all the way back to I10. I saw some nicely restored homes, but also many run down places and small apt complexes. There were a couple of coffee shops, a couple of antique stores and a few bars but nothing that seemed out of the ordinary for other neighborhoods of similar age and location. We stopped at the Kroger on 20th and it was fairly shabby.

I don't intend this to be a put down of the Heights, but we didn't see anything particularly special about the area. Can someone enlighten me? Did we drive down the wrong streets? Why does the Heights seem to be so popular vs other inner loop neighborhoods?

First, you shouldn't have driven down Yale...the ugliest street in the Heights.

The Heights is Houston's oldest planned community (circa 1890). Most of the homes were built in the 20's and 30's. The Heights was much better before all the McMansions popped up.

I actually prefer the small bungalos east of Studewood.

That sounds like fear mongering to me. I have been hearing about the increase of gangs for at least 35 years. They come, they go.

During the last 35 years prior to 2008(1972-2007) we didn't have a worldwide financial collapse.

It just so happens that Houston is one of the last places to be affected. Stay tuned.

"When people lose everything and they have nothing left to lose, they lose it." - Gerald Celente

Crime has increased in my area...just as Gerald Celente has predicted for all the large cities.

In particular, those subdivisions which have a 'civic club'(like mine) instead of a 'homeowner's association' will be first to fall. Gated communities & patrolled areas will fare much better.

Gangs will grow at an insane pace in the near future.

When I watch METRO meetings with the public on the municipal channel, all I can ever conclude is that this organization is corrupt, obnoxious, and demeaning.

Thats me on my bike. That's a car behind me, driving in the Heights Blvd. bike lane, about 6-inches off my back wheel. What you cannot see is that he's honking and even went so far as to accelerate towards me in threatening manner. Why was he in the bike lane? Because he couldn't wait for 2 cars that were queued up at the red-light and was using it as a passing lane. I got the guy's plates, picture, and mug shot. So will HPD by the morning.

I ride a lot. And I see cars using the Heights bike lane for passing on the right almost daily. I'm not talking about turning right, parking, etc. But, full on making a 2nd lane where none exists. Its becoming more and more common. What can we do about this, other than the obvious filing a police report. And I've written Mayor White, Cheif Hurtt, and Jack Abercia. No city council member at the moment, so I copied the at large members. Any others ideas?

First, the driver was a total jerk in every way.

BUT...that 2nd lane on Heights Blvd is not PERCEIVED as a bike lane by most people.

It is PERCEIVED as a car lane. I ride my bike on Heights all the time. The driver was no doubt annoyed that you would not move farther to the right. There is usually plenty of room(depending on the size of parked vehicles) in what is really a third lane. The third lane is wide enough to accompany a parked car and a bike rider - but be sure to watch for people opening their car doors.

Yes, you were entitled to the lane. But you could end up as a hood ornament because of a simple misunderstanding.

Well, looks like old Al has gotten his way. He won his seat back, AND, he got that Juneteenth statue he wanted so badly. They unveiled it today. They didn't put it up outside the capitol building in Austin like he originally wanted, but in Galveston. I saw a photo of it on TV today, take a guess as to who it looks like. A photo of it will likely be online later, but I just started laughing when I saw it.

Happy Al Edwards Day!!!

(The statue not only resembles Al Edwards...it IS Al Edwards!!!)

Great photos!

Austin has something else in common with California...wildfire dangers.

Be sure to watch the Weather Channel's series called "It Could Happen Tomorrow Series" before you think of purchasing a home there. They cover the high risk fire dangers for west Austin because of the junipers/slopes/home incineration combination.

It seems like every place has it's issues.

I remember eating breakfast at some restaurant called "Champ's" as a child. I liked the little train that would go around near the ceiling, and it would pass through some shelves filled with stuff. I think they closed down a few years back(I think there were multiple locations).

Oh, and yes, I also remember this place called JoJo's, which was pretty good(This was near the Fondren area, I think, where i used to live). I don't know if they are still open, though.

I remember that train, too.

There was a Champ's at West Bellfort & Fondren.

There was also a Champ's at Bingle & 290.

There was also a Champ's near the Southwest Freeway...Hillcroft or Chimney Rock.

His home is for sale. The local Elsik kid is doing pretty well.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont...?urn=nba,166872

These basketball players should buy their homes for cash...forget mortgages.

If I were a player, I would buy and keep homes I bought in the various cities I played for.

Brent Barry has homes in Los Angeles, San Antonio, and Houston.(not sure about Seattle)

If the city truly cared about flooding and greenspace issues, they would forbid the townhouse development of the former Spring Branch Horse Stables.

The minimum required size of detention/retention ponds for new developments is a joke.

120 acres is a lot of land to cement over.

It's kind of cold how the Chronicle has an Ashley Furniture advertisement popup on the front webpage, directly above a photo of the fire.

I dont know, thats a good question. It definitely should have helped. but i think it is the fault of the rockets for knowing how frail yao's feet are and having a 42 yr old back up just in case something happens to yao. you know?

we should have had a younger center as a back up as well.

we'd be unstoppable if we had the twin towers effect (robinson/duncan or olajuwon/sampson)

who knows. one can dream again

Keep in mind that the Rockets have NO picks in the 2009 NBA draft....and luxury tax issues.

Do y'all think Yao would've been injured if Deke hasn't had his career-ending injury early in the playoffs? He could've taken some of Yao's minutes and maybe mitigated his risk of injury.

Mutombo's injury was HUGE. Defense wins championships.

Do yall see anything the rockets need to make a NBA finals run besides a good backup for Yao and being healthy?

i cant think of anything else we need besides a more reliable big man or backup big man.

Definitely a defensive backup center who can play at least 13 minutes.

Yao should be banned from ever playing more than 35 minutes per game.

Yao is 28...going on 40.

the Clippers are a lost cause. look at their track record. no one can bring that team back from the dead, especially with them in LA. they need to move elsewhere for any hope of resurrection.

Not so lost anymore, they just won the Blake Griffin draft sweepstakes.

Hmmmm... Sacramento falls from 1st to 4th. Los Angeles moves from 3rd to 1st. Hmmmm...

Anyone remember Patrick Ewing in 1985?