Yes, I do get funny looks when I order that.

Oh well… being “good” is never as much fun.

{{Written on my iPhone.}}

My PO Box is, technically, in Houston. Because I move every 12-18 months, a few years ago I decided to get a permanent address. Thus, the box is where I get most of my mail. I’ve moved three times since I got it.

I’m going to really really hate having to get another box in another location. It never occurred to me that one day they’d close my post office. Not something I planned for or expected.

Oh well, gotta see if it’s true before I freak out about it.

{{Written on my iPhone.}}

The Houston Business Journal reports that there are 35 Houston-area locations. I will be out of town on this date, or I’d be tempted to check out a Chick-Fil-A just to see if anyone comes by dressed as a cow. And I’d bring my camera.

• Look for bargains on the menu
• Time your visit
• Order takeout

Of course, the cheapest thing is to eat in, but if you’re like me, the list will come in handy.

Helping hands
Celebrate the Salvation Army’s 120th year in Houston with an exhibition of rare artifacts and memorabilia of their history on display at the Houston Public Library’s Julia Ideson Building, 500 McKinney. The exhibition will be there all month and a special viewing is scheduled for Thursday, May 14 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. This free event will include live entertainment, guided tours of the Texas Room and refreshments.

Information on the Swine Flu

The City of Houston’s Health and Human Services Department continues to monitor very closely developments surrounding an outbreak of Swine Flu in Mexico and cases reported elsewhere in the United States. We are working with federal and state health officials to ensure prompt detection and appropriate responses. There are no known cases in Southeast Texas at this time. Meanwhile, the best sources of information and advice on the Swine Flu and this occurrence include the following:

 

1. The City of Houston website, which will provide information specific to Houston and the area as warranted:  http://www.houstontx.gov/health/swineflu.html

2. The state Health Department’s website providing information about Texas‘ situation and response:  http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/swineflu/default.shtm

3. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website:

   http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/ 

4. The World Health Organization website: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html

 

Register for CitizensNet or go to www.houstontx.gov and scroll down to CitizensNet logo.

December 2005 to January 2009: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention receives reports of 12 cases of human infection with swine flu. Five of these 12 cases occurred in patients who had direct exposure to pigs and six reported being near pigs. Exposure in one case is unknown.

[snip]

April 28: The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. climbs to 51 in six states. The death toll, all in Mexico, was at 152; 20 are confirmed swine flu and the rest are suspected.

Job losses in Houston area pick up speed
Recession and lower energy prices deal blows to local economy
– reported by the Houston Chronicle

On the corner of Waugh and Hyde Park in Houston, Texas a typical 20 foot shipping container has been adapted into a sustainable “green” design for the offices of Mirabeau B. Condominiums.

Powered by the solar panels, their last energy bill was NEGATIVE $193.

Their proposed development boasts an array of sustainable design components from green screens and roofs to energy efficient HVAC systems and a water retention system.

Interesting. I wonder what you can do to an existing house to help with energy efficiency.

The City of Galveston is preparing for Mardi Gras!, according to the Kids Activity Queen blog.

And the Houston Chronicle has once again published the Houston Independent School District bonuses.

The Houston Business Journal is reporting that Chase will close 36 WaMus in Houston. The cuts continue.

A report prepared for the U.S. Conference of Mayors forecasts that Houston will shed some 43,800 jobs in 2009, a decline of 1.7 percent.

The report also anticipates that the local unemployment rate will rise from 5.3 percent at the end of 2008 to 6.6 percent at the end of this year.

[snip]

AT the risk of jumping the gun a bit, here’s to 2009! By the end of the coming 12 months, Houstonians will be able to cast their gaze (and highly critical eyes, we have no doubt) on eight new public works of art. That is something to bring civic cheer, particularly in these gloomy economic days.

If history is any guide, these new oeuvres d’art in the local public square will also be something for Houstonians to cuss and discuss in public and private, as each comes into view.

[snip]

The new pieces appearing across our local landscape will range from a “bouquet” of seven overflowing bathtubs that will be located outside the Houston Water Museum and Education Center scheduled to open in northeast Houston, to an interactive sculpture titled “Open Channel Flow” at the Sa-bine Street Pump Station, and commissions destined for the city’s two major airports.

Houstonians can thank the publicly/privately funded Houston Art Alliance for the coming artistic bounty. Established in the late 1970s, the group, which spends funds set aside in the city’s capital-improvements budget, “manages, grows and maintains the City of Houston’s Art Collection.” It is admirably ambitious in this task, seeking to make this city the home of “the country’s next great civic art program,” according to Jonathan Glus, the alliance’s CEO.

[snip]

It should be interesting to see what the response is to the new public art projects, once they’re done.

Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks.

[snip]

The Bayou City fell six spots to No. 13 on the 2008 list of “Most Eventful Cities,” a survey published by San Diego-based Eventful Inc. that ranks U.S. cities according to the number and diversity of local events for residents and visitors.

[snip]

[snip]

When the lawmakers convene in Austin next month, the city of Houston and Harris County, for example, will have more than a dozen hired guns to help track bills that might affect their operations.

They are among a group of the state’s largest cities and counties that have hired at least 42 individual lobbyists or firms, costing about $3 million, records show. Officials say it is money well-spent, given that lawmakers could file more than 1,000 bills affecting local governments’ revenue, rules and residents.

“Cities are essentially regulated industries, just like companies,” said John Hrncir, governmental relations director in Austin, which hired 10 lobbyists for more than $800,000. “Virtually everything a city does … can be impacted by the state Legislature.”

[snip]

Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks.

Houston Mayor Bill White used a Web video to announce his plan to run for U.S. Senate today.

The video can be found at his campaign Web site: http://www.billwhitefortexas.com/.

In the two-minute video, White speaks directly to the camera and lists highlights from his time leading Houston and expresses his passion for national energy policy.

He cites turbulent economic times, a rising federal deficit and high unemployment rates in the video, saying “this may be an opportunity for our nation to do things it has only dreamed of before.”

[snip]

More on this:

• http://www.billwhitefortexas.com/
• ABC 13’s Miya Shay political blog
• post at blogHOUSTON

I just found it interesting that the announcement was via web video. Nice strategy. It gets audio and video out directly to the voters without opening him up to questions from reporters to detract from his message. Nice.

Footnotes
2 = article may expire in a few weeks.

We’ve been seeing a lot of articles this year about how great Houston is (which some of us already knew). It’s sad that it took an economy that has crippled almost every other city in the country to make people sit up and notice ours.

And the notoriety won’t last, I know. Once the economy bounces back we’ll go back to being invisible. But for now, we are the place to be.