Happy 4th of July to all who observe it. Our neighbor will be hosting his annual fireworks get-together tonight. It's amazing what a beautiful show he puts on only using the legal varieties for our state while blaring out patriotic music. We'll be gathering there about 8 P.M. with everyone bringing some food or drink to share. He has a rule of no plates or utensils - true finger food only. My contribution will be what our family calls Tropical Cupcakes - pineapple in the batter, Sailor Jerry spiced rum flavoring the frosting, and toasted coconuts and macadamia nuts on top. In our non air conditioned kitchen, summer baking is done first thing in the morning so they are already packed up and ready to go.

Amen, to what ilmbg said. We have so many illegals here that you would think you are in Mexico. A couple of the local supermarkets quit carrying some of their regular products, in order to give space to Mexican brands. I do have sympathy for their plight...and we used to go to Mexico too, and last time was with a friend from there. So much better traveling with someone who was able to speak the language and knew how to pay off the Federales. However, Texas alone paid out $677 million in hospital and doctor bills for illegals, and they are on welfare here, and we also have the Mexican gangs here, and 43% of inmates of Federal prisons are illegals, and a good portion of the state prisons as well.

Murder in a house is not a material defect and it is not required to be disclosed. However, that being said, there is a pretty famous house in my area where a serial killer kept and held the bodies of at least 7 women. (well known) When he was discovered and arrested, a realtor bought the house, cleaned and flipped it within a few months and made a good chunk of money. It doesnt bother most people what happened in a house before. It only bothers a small portion of the poulation. I realize this post is 8 years old, but since its coming up again, it must be important to someone.

Pruitt-Igoe may have worked if it had been executed as originally intended. In my city, a high priced trio of concrete high rises built for slum clearance in the 1960s still thrives blocks away from an old trio of public housing high rises from the same era were partially imploded in the early 2000s. Actually they were able to maintain one or two of the highrises after rehabilitation and rethinking of the project, while most other clusters have been imploded. The construction methods of both were about the same. What happened to Pruitt-Igoe? 1) they did not budget for maintenance. Maintenance was almost non-existent. 2) they gave apartments to non-intact family units and female heads of households. One early family said that her parents were married and they divorced so they would be able to get an apartment in Pruitt Igoe rather than stay a family of 8 or so in a slum. 3) the fixtures and finishes were chosen with the assumption that the tenants were going to vandalize them. The lightbulbs were bare and in locked cages. The tenants could not change a bulb in the public spaces if they wanted to. One person said as kids they tried to figure out ways to break the bulbs (cold water thrown at them). 3) they kept white applicants out. they kept applicants at the higher end of the income pool out. they helped and encouraged white applicants to buy in suburban developments and helped them get mortgages. 4) as systems started failing due to lack of maintenance and vandalism, they moved people into better buildings and out of worse buildings. The worse buildings were taken over by squatters and drug dealsers. The police and fire department stopped answering calls to Pruitt Igoe. If Pruit Igoe had been properly maintained, managed and implemented as was originally proposed it may not have become such an abysmal failure. The other aspect of International Style living is that mostly-white occupants of similar high rises had cars and other places to go and their children had other options for recreation and went to better schools. They weren't trapped in their 20th floor unit.