I just wanted to thank the Houston Metbloggers for keeping my up-to-speed (well, sort of) on the haps in Houston. I am currently in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico and enjoying the 75 degree weather. I just had to rub that in.

If you want a great travel destination that is a super cheap flight from Houston – check out San Miguel de Allende. I have seen flights as low as $78 one way.

Friendswood City Councilmen Chris Peden and John LeCour want to make the English the city’s official language. Thats not really uncommon these days, plenty of politicians are pushing for that in city, state and country. What is unique about their proposal is the blatant idiocy in their reasoning. They say that making English the official language:

1. Will help border security
2. Is similar to the city’s ordinance prohibiting sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of places where children gather

According to the Chron:

City Councilman Chris Peden said the proposed measure would be a safeguard for Friendswood and compared it to the city’s ordinance prohibiting sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of places where children gather.

How, in any way, does specifying an official language compare to protecting children from sex offenders? Well, it doesnt. So, that means that you’re likening the people who speak the language to someone you have to protect your children from. That is just plain racism.

The slightly less insidious but equally stupid John LeCour says: “(Our borders) need to be controlled, and maybe it’s something we can start here, a movement here that the state and the federal government should see that the citizens are serious”

Yes sir, language secures borders. All this time we thought it was the lack of policing and promise of opportunities here that allowed people to enter the country. No! It was just the fact that they’re allowed to speak Spanish to city officials that brings ’em in.

At least they’re putting it up to citizen vote and not just taking matters into their own hands.

Ok, so you know my opinion… whats yours? Do you think this would help national security or Friendswood city services?

An update to yesterday’s Hometown Taliban.

An unnamed faithful reader points out that suspected terrorist guy #1 was in fact, here in the country legally. HCC says that they have a current I20 form on file for Adnan Mirza. Not being an immigration expert myself, I’ll have to take the Chrons word for it that that lets people stay here legally.

Oh yeah, and Kobie Williams has denounced it all. A complete change of heart. I’d say ‘yeah, getting arrested kinda does that to you‘ but it looks like he turned himself in!

Both lawyers representing Williams said they could not comment on whether their client knew federal officials were watching him or whether Williams led investigators to Mirza. Floyd said that Williams had been communicating with federal investigators for some time before he surrendered to U.S. marshals Tuesday.

Hmmm… thats interesting. Well, good for him and the whole “seeing the error of his ways” thing.

While I don’t always agree with David’s opinons, he wrote an interesting article on the Lone Star Times about connections these guys had to a particular mosque in Houston.

I love the Heights and will find any excuse to spend time wandering on 19th St., White Oak and Heights Blvd. The Heights Misteltoe Madness is a pretty darn good one I must say.

This Saturday, December 2 from 10am to 6pm, will be a fun First Saturday with a holiday twist. We’re talking free holiday munchies and drinks, horse drawn carriages, live music, home tours, a Traveling Caroling Contest and some of the coolest holiday shopping in town.

There’s a lot to see so be sure to give yourself enough time and enjoy being carted around town on the free trolleys! For more information, call 713.703.0520 or log onto www.heightsfirstsaturday.com. Photo thanks to Flickr user Houstonian!

You hear about it sometimes: A guy in New York, a college kid in LA, someone somewhere was caught giving aid to terrorists. But Tuesday afternoon, two students were arrested right here in Houston for giving support and planing to fight with the Taliban. I know we’re really friendly and helpful here in Houston, but thats a little much don’t you think?

According to the Chron article: Kobie Diallo Williams has pled guilty to to “conspiracy to assist a terrorist group”. Which, if I remember right, is gonna land you in jail for a bit. The other guy, a Pakistani national here on an expired student visa, is in the for the same thing and some federal wepons charges. Basically, the guys were giving money to someone who said they were giving it to the Taliban. And they were taking gun courses so they could eventually go fight in Afghanistan and Iraq.

While their plans weren’t very scary on their own, it is kind of a reminder that this kinda stuff can happen here. We live in the only city in the US with all major terrorist targets and, whatever your political/ideological views may be, there are those who’d like to do away with us. So, moral of the story? I guess just keep your eye’s peeled.

What other people are saying around town: IFOC, LST, blogHouston.

In People of Texas, people of faith, the Houston Chronicle reviewed Roy Spence Jr.’s new photobook The Amazing Faith of Texas: Common Ground on Higher Ground exploring the varieties of religious experience in Texas.

The book, which features several Houstonians including Mayor Bill White, inspired White to create a series of interfaith dinners composed of groups of 8-10 people who will have dinner on Tuesday, January 30, 2007 to discuss and share about their faith. If you’re interested in participating, you can sign up on their website – Amazing Faiths Houston.

If you feel like you haven’t gotten enough of Joel Osteen (on television, the radio, in the bookstore or hey, maybe even at church), now you get to bring him home to your living room with his Your Best Life Now board game.

Read a play-by-play of the game on www.challies.com.

I’ve never read his book(s) or really listened to any of his sermons, but I continue to be amazed at his Lakewood Church team’s marketing and merchandising skills. Yay for gigantor mega-churches! They must be like super freeways to heaven, right? *ahem*

(Found via Mike McGuff’s blog)

Get your shopping gear on cuz we have HUGE sales for this Friday, November 24th! I must be silly, but I’m kinda excited for this event. I’ve never been to one before, so I’m planning to go with the family to get some early Xmas shopping done. *Hints*

But I have heard some outrageous stories of how people waking up like 4 in the morning just to be the first in line and then scrabble and hustle toward the most coveted items they want to get before it’s all gone! Talk about survival of the fastest, or is it the most strategic?

Known as Black Friday, the origin of this holiday is unknown, or at least that’s what Wikipedia says. I didn’t know that there are this many stores participating.

You can check them out with these two links below:

http://www.blackfriday.info/
http://bfads.net/

Good luck with the rush of the shopping frenzy! I’m not sure if the crowd is too nice on this day. If you all see a 5-foot Asian girl hidden under a stampede of feet, yeah, that’ll be me… *winks*

There is no better sports value to be found than Texas high school football and we have some of the very best teams and players in the nation right here in H-Town. This weekend will be the second round of the playoffs and will feature some of the top teams in the region.

Some of the top area games:
Pearland vs Galena Park Northshore
Klein Oak vs Cedar Park
Klein Forest vs Leander
Cypress Falls vs Houston Stratford
Beamont Westbrook vs Fort Bend Marshall
Katy vs Memorial
LaPorte vs Brazoswood
Montgomery vs Yates
Barbers Hill vs LaMarque
Cy Fair vs Houston Lamar
Dayton vs Texas City
Brenham vs Sterling
Cinco Ranch vs Westside
Lamar Consolidated vs Nederland
Kingwood vs Fort Bend Hightower
plus many more!

Check Houston Chronicle high school section for game times and locations then you can say you saw the next generation of college and pro superstars while they were still playing for state glory and a letter jacket. The atmosphere is electric, the band fills the stadium with spirit, there is a nip in the air, the hot dogs are steaming, and you don’t have to worry about the person next to you being blizted on $8 beer. Go out and support these kids and have yourself a good time on the cheap. Don’t forget to check out game recaps at Lone Star Gridiron.

Photo thanks to Flickr user PhilipsPhotos

For all of us Houstonians that grumble about never having any cold weather, now you can have your icicles and eat them too. Tonight Southeast Texas is under a freeze warning from midnight tonight until 8am tomorrow morning.

This means I actually get to wear a scarf tomorrow. I am probably more excited about this than I should be.

Check out some freeze tips from KHOU here. Photo thanks to Flickr user eismcsquare