1.
Houston
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Houston is the most populous city in the state of Texas and the fourth-most populous city in the United States. With a census-estimated 2014 population of 2.239 million within an area of 667 square miles, it also is the largest city in the southern United States and the seat of Harris County. Located in Southeast Texas near the Gulf of Mexico, it is the city of Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land. Houston was founded on August 28,1836, near the banks of Buffalo Bayou and incorporated as a city on June 5,1837. The city was named after former General Sam Houston, who was president of the Republic of Texas and had commanded, the burgeoning port and railroad industry, combined with oil discovery in 1901, has induced continual surges in the citys population. Houstons economy has an industrial base in energy, manufacturing, aeronautics. Leading in health care sectors and building equipment, Houston has more Fortune 500 headquarters within its city limits than any city except for New York City. The Port of Houston ranks first in the United States in international waterborne tonnage handled, the city has a population from various ethnic and religious backgrounds and a large and growing international community. Houston is the most diverse city in Texas and has described as the most diverse in the United States. It is home to cultural institutions and exhibits, which attract more than 7 million visitors a year to the Museum District. Houston has a visual and performing arts scene in the Theater District. In August 1836, two real estate entrepreneurs from New York, Augustus Chapman Allen and John Kirby Allen, purchased 6,642 acres of land along Buffalo Bayou with the intent of founding a city. The Allen brothers decided to name the city after Sam Houston, the general at the Battle of San Jacinto. The great majority of slaves in Texas came with their owners from the slave states. Sizable numbers, however, came through the slave trade. New Orleans was the center of trade in the Deep South. Thousands of enslaved African Americans lived near the city before the Civil War, many of them near the city worked on sugar and cotton plantations, while most of those in the city limits had domestic and artisan jobs. Houston was granted incorporation on June 5,1837, with James S. Holman becoming its first mayor, in the same year, Houston became the county seat of Harrisburg County and the temporary capital of the Republic of Texas
2.
Texas
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Texas is the second largest state in the United States by both area and population. Other major cities include Austin, the second most populous state capital in the U. S. Texas is nicknamed the Lone Star State to signify its former status as an independent republic, and as a reminder of the states struggle for independence from Mexico. The Lone Star can be found on the Texan state flag, the origin of Texass name is from the word Tejas, which means friends in the Caddo language. Due to its size and geologic features such as the Balcones Fault, although Texas is popularly associated with the U. S. southwestern deserts, less than 10 percent of Texas land area is desert. Most of the centers are located in areas of former prairies, grasslands, forests. Traveling from east to west, one can observe terrain that ranges from coastal swamps and piney woods, to rolling plains and rugged hills, the term six flags over Texas refers to several nations that have ruled over the territory. Spain was the first European country to claim the area of Texas, Mexico controlled the territory until 1836 when Texas won its independence, becoming an independent Republic. In 1845, Texas joined the United States as the 28th state, the states annexation set off a chain of events that caused the Mexican–American War in 1846. A slave state before the American Civil War, Texas declared its secession from the U. S. in early 1861, after the Civil War and the restoration of its representation in the federal government, Texas entered a long period of economic stagnation. One Texan industry that thrived after the Civil War was cattle, due to its long history as a center of the industry, Texas is associated with the image of the cowboy. The states economic fortunes changed in the early 20th century, when oil discoveries initiated a boom in the state. With strong investments in universities, Texas developed a diversified economy, as of 2010 it shares the top of the list of the most Fortune 500 companies with California at 57. With a growing base of industry, the leads in many industries, including agriculture, petrochemicals, energy, computers and electronics, aerospace. Texas has led the nation in export revenue since 2002 and has the second-highest gross state product. The name Texas, based on the Caddo word tejas meaning friends or allies, was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves, during Spanish colonial rule, the area was officially known as the Nuevo Reino de Filipinas, La Provincia de Texas. Texas is the second largest U. S. state, behind Alaska, though 10 percent larger than France and almost twice as large as Germany or Japan, it ranks only 27th worldwide amongst country subdivisions by size. If it were an independent country, Texas would be the 40th largest behind Chile, Texas is in the south central part of the United States of America. Three of its borders are defined by rivers, the Rio Grande forms a natural border with the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the south
3.
University of Houston
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The University of Houston is a state research university and the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, UH is the third-largest university in Texas with nearly 43,000 students and its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of Houston–University Park from 1983 to 1991. The Carnegie Foundation classifies UH as a doctoral degree-granting institution with highest research activity, the U. S. News & World Report ranks the university No.194 in its National University Rankings, and No.103 among top public universities. The university offers more than 280 degree programs through its 14 academic colleges on campus—including programs leading to degrees in architecture, law, optometry. The institution conducts $150 million annually in research, and operates more than 40 research centers, interdisciplinary research includes superconductivity, space commercialization and exploration, biomedical sciences and engineering, energy and natural resources, and artificial intelligence. Awarding more than 9,000 degrees annually, UHs alumni base exceeds 260,000, the economic impact of the university contributes over $3 billion annually to the Texas economy, while generating about 24,000 jobs. The University of Houston hosts a variety of performances, concerts, lectures. It has more than 400 student organizations and 17 intercollegiate sports teams, annual UH events and traditions include The Cats Back, Homecoming, and Frontier Fiesta. The universitys varsity teams, known as the Houston Cougars, are members of the American Athletic Conference. The football team regularly makes bowl game appearances, and the basketball team has made 19 appearances in the NCAA Division I Tournament—including five Final Four appearances. The mens golf team has won 16 national championships—the most in NCAA history, the University of Houston began as Houston Junior College. On March 7,1927, trustees of the Houston Independent School District Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution that authorized the founding and operating of a junior college, the junior college was operated and administered by HISD. Originally HJC was located in San Jacinto High School and offered night courses. Its first session began March 7,1927, with an enrollment of 232 students and 12 faculty and this session was primarily held to educate the future teachers of the junior college, freshmen were not permitted to enroll. A more accurate date for the opening of HJC is September 19,1927. The first president of HJC was Edison Ellsworth Oberholtzer, who was the dominant force in establishing the junior college, the junior college became eligible to become a university in October 1933 when Governor of Texas, Miriam A. Ferguson, signed House Bill 194 into law. On April 30,1934, HISDs Board of Education adopted a resolution to make the school a four-year institution, UHs first session as a four-year institution began June 4,1934, at San Jacinto High School with an enrollment of 682. In 1934, the first campus of the University of Houston was established at the Second Baptist Church at Milam, the next fall, the campus was moved to the South Main Baptist Church on Main Street—between Richmond Avenue and Eagle Street—where it stayed for the next five years
4.
P. J. Soles
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Soles was born Pamela Jayne Hardon in Frankfurt, Germany, to an American mother from New Jersey, Nancy, and a Dutch father from Rotterdam, Cornelis Johannes Hardon II. At the time, her father was working for an insurance company. When she was at Briarcliff College, she wanted to become the first woman ambassador to the Soviet Union and this career goal changed when she visited the Actors Studio in New York City. Soles moved to Manhattan and began acting in commercials and modeling for fashion magazines and she was among the hundreds of actors auditioning for Brian De Palma and George Lucas in their joint casting session for Carrie and Star Wars. She was injured during the filming of Carrie, when a blast from a fire hose during the prom scene ruptured her eardrum, after Carrie, she went to Georgia to film Our Winning Season and met actor Dennis Quaid. They were married in 1978 in Texas on a dude ranch, later that year she played one of the supporting roles in Halloween, as the final victim of the Michael Myers character in the classic horror film. John Carpenter wanted her for his film Halloween after seeing Carrie and he wrote the part of Lynda especially for her because of the way she said the word totally. Soles starred in Rock n Roll High School with The Ramones and was injured during filming and she has a singing credit for a second version of the title song on the movies soundtrack. She reprised the role of Riff Randell in the artwork for the Local H album Whatever Happened to P. J. Soles, Soles had roles in two military comedies, 1980s Private Benjamin and as Bill Murrays romantic interest in 1981s Stripes. In 2005 Soles played the victim, Susan, of a family on a rampage in the Rob Zombie movie The Devils Rejects. Soles was also in the science fiction movie Alienator with Jan Michael Vincent, hogue and directed by Fred Olen Ray. She was married to J. Steven Soles during the years she resided in New York and she and Soles subsequently divorced, although she decided to retain her name as P. J. Soles. She was later married to actor Dennis Quaid from 1978 to early 1983 and her third marriage was to Skip Holm, who was a stunt pilot on The Right Stuff. They have a son named Sky and a daughter named Ashley and she and Holm were divorced in 1998. American alternative rock band Local H released an album in 2004 entitled Whatever Happened to P. J. Soles, the album also includes a song entitled P. J. Soles. Soles appeared in The Donnas music video for Too Bad About Your Girl in 2003 as her character Riff from Rock n Roll High School, Soles is the subject of the song Sweet Pamela Jayne by English rock band The Breakdowns, from their 2014 album Rock n Roller Skates. The song references the film Rock n Roll High School in its lyrics, Soles Official Page P. J. Soles on Facebook P. J. Soles on Twitter P. J. Soles Official MySpace Page P. J. Soles at the Internet Movie Database
5.
Meg Ryan
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Meg Ryan is an American actress, director, and producer. Ryan began her career in 1981 in minor roles, before joining the cast of the CBS soap opera As the World Turns in 1982. Brought her widespread attention and her first Golden Globe nomination and her other films include The Doors, When a Man Loves a Woman, Courage Under Fire, Addicted to Love, City of Angels, Proof of Life, and The Women. In 2015, she made her debut with Ithaca, a film in which she also acted. Ryan was born and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, the daughter of Susan Jordan, an actress and English teacher, and Harry Hyra. She is of German, Irish, and Polish descent and she was raised Roman Catholic and attended St. Pius X Elementary School in Fairfield. She has two sisters, Dana and Annie, and a brother, musician Andrew Hyra, a member of the band Billy Pilgrim and her parents divorced in 1976 when she was 15 years old. Ryan graduated from Bethel High School in 1979 and she went on to study journalism as an undergraduate, first at the University of Connecticut and then at New York University. During college, she acted in commercials and the soap opera As the World Turns to earn extra money. Due to her success as an actress, she dropped out of college a semester before she would have graduated, when she joined the Screen Actors Guild, she used the surname Ryan, her grandmothers maiden name. Around that same time, she appeared in a Burger King commercial, in 1986, she played Carole Bradshaw, the wife of Naval Flight Officer Nick Goose Bradshaw in Top Gun. Ryan appeared in the film Innerspace with her future husband Dennis Quaid and her first leading role was the romantic comedy film When Harry Met Sally. Which paired her with leading man Billy Crystal and earned her a Golden Globe nomination. Ryan next starred in The Doors, which was successful, and Prelude to a Kiss. The year 1993 saw the release of the successful romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle. They had previously been paired as romantic leads in the film Joe Versus the Volcano—a commercial disappointment which later developed a cult following, Hanks and Ryan would be paired for a third time in the film Youve Got Mail. In 1994, Ryan took a role that differed from the romantic-comedy ingenue character for which she had become famous, in Luis Mandokis When a Man Loves a Woman, a romantic social drama film also starring Andy Garcia, she played an alcoholic high-school guidance counselor. The film and her performance were well received by critics
6.
Randy Quaid
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Randy Randall Rudy Quaid is an American actor. He has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award, BAFTA Award, Quaid also won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy Award for his portrayal of U. S. President Lyndon Johnson in LBJ, The Early Years. He also received Emmy nominations for his roles in A Streetcar Named Desire, Quaid is also well known for his roles in the National Lampoons Vacation movies, Brokeback Mountain, Independence Day and Kingpin. Quaid was born in Houston, Texas, the son of Juanita Bonniedale Nita, an estate agent, and William Rudy Quaid. He is the brother of actor Dennis Quaid. Quaid has English, Scots-Irish, and Cajun ancestry, through his father, Quaid is a first cousin, twice removed, of cowboy performer Gene Autry. Randy Quaid grew up in Bellaire, Texas, a city surrounded by Houston. Randy Quaid has appeared in over 90 films, Peter Bogdanovich discovered him when Quaid was a student at the University of Houston, and he received his first exposure in Bogdanovichs The Last Picture Show. His character escorts Jacy Farrow to a late-night indoor skinny-dip at a swimming pool and it was the first of several roles directed by Bogdanovich and/or based on the writings of Larry McMurtry. Other Peter Bogdanovich films he appeared in are Whats Up, Doc. Quaids first major critically acclaimed role was in The Last Detail. He played Larry Meadows, a young United States Navy sailor on his way to serve a sentence for stealing $40 from an admirals wifes pet charity. Jack Nicholson played the role as a sailor assigned to transport him to prison. Nicholsons character eventually becomes his friend and mentor, helping him experience different aspects of life before he goes behind bars, in 1976, he played the role of Little Tod opposite Marlon Brando in The Missouri Breaks. Quaid had a role in the 1978 feature Midnight Express, playing Jimmy Booth. Quaid acted opposite Charles Bronson in the 1975 action film of a Mexican prison escape Breakout, Quaid was also the lead in the comedy Martians Go Home and Cold Dog Soup and played the King of Spain in Goyas Ghosts. He previously starred in Quick Change with Bill Murray in 1990, Quaid also appeared in three of the five films in the National Lampoons Vacation film series as Cousin Eddie, jovial redneck relative to Beverly DAngelo, wife of Chevy Chases Clark Griswold. Quaid had a supporting role in Brokeback Mountain as an insensitive rancher. Quaid starred in Real Time, an independent film that opened Slamdance Film Festival in 2008, for unspecified reasons, he was not asked to reprised to his role in the 2015 film simply titled Vacation but his character is briefly mentioned
7.
Breaking Away
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Breaking Away is a 1979 American coming of age comedy-drama film produced and directed by Peter Yates and written by Steve Tesich. It follows a group of four teenagers in Bloomington, Indiana. The film stars Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley, Barbara Barrie, Paul Dooley, Breaking Away won the 1979 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Tesich, and received nominations in four other categories, including Best Picture. It also won the 1979 Golden Globe Award for Best Film, the film is ranked eighth on the List of Americas 100 Most Inspiring Movies compiled by the American Film Institute in 2006. In June 2008, AFI announced its Ten top Ten—the best ten films in ten classic American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community, Breaking Away ranked as the eighth best film in the sports genre. Tesich was an alumnus of Indiana University Bloomington, the film was shot in and around Bloomington and on the universitys campus. Dave, Mike, Cyril, and Moocher are working-class friends living in the town of Bloomington. Now turning 19, they all graduated from school the year before and are not sure what to do with their lives. Dave is obsessed with competitive bicycle racing, and Italian racers in particular, however, his mother Evelyn is more understanding. Dave develops a crush on a university student named Katherine and masquerades as an Italian exchange student in order to romance her, One evening, he serenades Katerina outside her sorority house, with Cyril providing guitar accompaniment. When her boyfriend Rod finds out, he and some of his fraternity brothers beat Cyril up, though Cyril wants no trouble, Mike insists on tracking down Rod and starting a brawl. The university president reprimands the students for their arrogance toward the cutters and, over their objections, when a professional Italian cycling team comes to town for a race, Dave is thrilled to be competing with them. However, the Italians become irked when Dave is able to keep up with them and he subsequently confesses his deception to Katherine, who tearfully slaps him before storming off. Daves friends persuade him to them in forming a cycling team for the Little 500. Daves parents provide T-shirts with the name Cutters on them, ray privately tells his son how, when he was a young stonecutter, he was proud to help provide the material to construct the university, yet he never felt comfortable on campus. Later, Dave runs into Katherine, whos going to be leaving for a job in Chicago, they patch things up, and she wishes him luck in the race. Dave is so much better than the competitors in the Little 500 that while the college teams switch cyclists every few laps, he rides without a break. However, he is injured in a crash and has to stop, after some hesitation, Moocher, Cyril, and Mike take turns pedaling, but soon the Cutters lead vanishes
8.
The Right Stuff (film)
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The Right Stuff stars Ed Harris, Scott Glenn, Sam Shepard, Fred Ward, Dennis Quaid and Barbara Hershey. Levon Helm is the narrator in the introduction and elsewhere in the film, in 2013 the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. In 1947, the Muroc Army Air Field in California has test pilots fly high-speed aircraft such as the rocket-powered Bell X-1, but they die as a result. After another pilot, Slick Goodlin, demands $150,000 to attempt to break the sound barrier, war hero Captain Chuck Yeager receives the chance to fly the X-1. While on a ride with his wife Glennis, Yeager collides with a tree branch and breaks his ribs. Worried that he not fly the mission, Yeager confides in friend. Six years later, Muroc, now Edwards Air Force Base, Yeager and friendly rival Scott Crossfield repeatedly break the others speed records. They often visit the Happy Bottom Riding Club run by Pancho Barnes, gordon Gordo Cooper, Virgil Gus Grissom and Donald Deke Slayton, captains of the United States Air Force, are among the pudknockers who hope to also prove that they have the Right Stuff. The tests are no secret, as the military soon recognizes that it needs good publicity for funding. Coopers wife, Trudy, and other wives are afraid of becoming widows, in 1957, the launch of the Russian Sputnik satellite alarms the United States government. Politicians such as Senator Lyndon B. Johnson and military leaders demand that NASA help America defeat the Russians in the new Space Race, the search for the first Americans in space excludes Yeager because he lacks a college degree. Although many early NASA rockets explode during launch, the ambitious astronauts all hope to be the first in space as part of Project Mercury. Although engineers see the men as passengers, the pilots insist that the Mercury spacecraft have a window, a hatch with explosive bolts, however, Russia beats them on April 12,1961 with the launch of Vostok 1 carrying Yuri Gagarin into space. The seven astronauts immediately decide to start the Mercury program, Shepard is the first American to reach space on the 15-minute sub-orbital flight of Mercury-Redstone 3 on May 5. After Grissoms similar flight of Mercury-Redstone 4 on July 21, the capsules hatch blows open, Grissom escapes, but the spacecraft, overweight with seawater, sinks. Many criticize Grissom for possibly panicking and opening the hatch prematurely, Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the Earth on Mercury-Atlas 6 on February 20,1962, surviving a possibly loose heat shield, and receives a ticker-tape parade. While testing the new Lockheed NF-104A, Yeager attempts to set a new record at the edge of space but is nearly killed in a high-speed ejection when his engine fails. Though seriously burned, after reaching the ground Yeager gathers up his parachute and walks to the ambulance, on May 15,1963, Cooper has a successful launch on Mercury-Atlas 9, ending the Mercury program
9.
The Parent Trap (1998 film)
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The Parent Trap is a 1998 family comedy film co-written and directed by Nancy Meyers, and produced and co-written by Charles Shyer. It is the adaptation of Erich Kästners German novel Lottie. Swift is credited along with Meyers and Shyer as co-writers of the 1998 version, in 1986, American Nick Parker and Briton Elizabeth James meet and get married during an ocean cruise on the RMS Queen Elizabeth II. After the birth of their twin daughters—Annie and Hallie —Nick and Elizabeth get a divorce, the divorcing couple agrees that each parent will raise one of the twins without telling her about her sister, and thereafter lose contact with one another. Nick raises Hallie in Napa Valley and becomes a wealthy wine grower, while Elizabeth raises Annie in London and becomes a famous, in 1998, Nick and Elizabeth coincidentally enroll their daughters at the same all-girls summer camp in Maine called Camp Walden. Hallie and Annie first meet at the end of a fencing match, living together in the Isolation Cabin, Hallie and Annie discover they were born on the same day, and each has half of a torn wedding photograph of their parents. Realizing with delight they are twins, the hatch a plan to meet their previously unknown parents. Each girl trains the other to impersonate her, Hallie cutting Annies hair and piercing her ears, when camp is over, the twins put their plan into action. Hallie, pretending to be Annie, goes to London to meet her mother, her grandfather, Charles. Distressed by Merediths deviousness, Annie telephones Hallie and persuades her to bring Elizabeth to California to break up the engagement, however, Charles catches Hallie on the phone, and in California, Chessy figures out that Annie has been there the whole time instead of Hallie. Soon, everyone discovers the identities, except for Nick and Meredith. Nervous about meeting Nick, Elizabeth asks Martin to accompany Hallie, after a few comical mix-ups in the hotel, Nick and Elizabeth eventually see each other in an unexpected way. At dinner, Elizabeth mentions that Nick did not follow her after she left him and they make plans for the girls to spend holidays together, but decide against resuming their relationship. Dismayed, Hallie and Annie force their parents to them on a camping trip—the annual outing Nick. Elizabeth coaxes Meredith into camping with Nick and the girls in her place, during the trip, the girls play various tricks on Meredith. It all boils over after the two execute their final prank of sending a sleeping Meredith and her out on the lake by their camp. Meredith becomes enraged and gives Nick an ultimatum, her or his daughters, Nick chooses the girls over Meredith and breaks off the engagement. Although Annie and Hallie are both punished for their shenanigans, they accept it, as they are rid of Meredith for good, after they go inside and to their room, Nick remarks to Elizabeth, I got to remember to thank them one day
10.
Frequency (film)
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Frequency is a 2000 American science fiction thriller drama film. It was co-produced and directed by Gregory Hoblit and written and co-produced by Toby Emmerich, the film stars Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel as father and son, Frank and John Sullivan respectively. It was filmed in Toronto and New York City, the film gained mostly favorable reviews following its release via DVD format on October 31,2000. In October 1969, firefighter Frank Sullivan dies in a fire, leaving behind his wife Julia. Thirty years later, in 1999, John, now an NYPD detective, is dumped by his girlfriend Samantha for refusing to move out of his fathers house. Johns childhood friend Gordo finds a Heathkit single-sideband ham radio that once belonged to Frank, eventually, he realizes that the other man is Frank and tries to warn him of his impending death. The next day, while attempting to rescue a girl, Frank heeds his sons warning. That evening, the two reconnect and learn a great deal about each others lives, Satch DeLeon, assigns him to investigate the Nightingale, a serial killer who murdered three nurses in the 1960s. However, John discovers that the Nightingale is now connected to ten murders, feeling guilty that their actions somehow led to the Nightingale committing more murders, John persuades his father to help him prevent these crimes from occurring. Frank manages to save the first victim, but when he tries to rescue the second, the Nightingale subdues him, steals his drivers license, and plants it on the victim to frame Frank for the murder. When Frank shares his experience with his son, John realizes Franks wallet has the Nightingales fingerprints, John instructs his father to wrap his wallet in plastic and hide it somewhere in the house where John can find it 30 years later. Using the preserved fingerprints from the wallet, John identifies the Nightingale as Jack Shepard, in the original timeline, Shepard died from a medical error the same night Frank died. But since, in the new timeline, Julia didnt leave the hospital early after learning of Franks death, she was at the hospital, meanwhile, Frank is approached by then-Detective Satch DeLeon who tries to arrest him on suspicion of murder. In the resulting struggle, the radio is knocked over and sustains damage, while awaiting questioning, Frank activates the precincts fire sprinkler system, escapes, and breaks into Shepards apartment, where he finds jewelry taken from the victims. Shepard catches Frank in the act and pursues him, ending with a fight underwater where Frank appears to have killed Shepard, Frank fixes the radio, but while talking both he and John are attacked by the 1969 and 1999 versions of Shepard. Using a shotgun, Frank manages to blow off Shepards right hand in 1969, the timeline rapidly fixes itself in 1999 and an elderly Frank kills Shepard and embraces his son. The film concludes with a baseball game including John, Samantha, Johns young son, Frank, Julia, Satch and Gordo, sylvester Stallone was rumored to be taking the role of Frank Sullivan in 1997, but fell out of the deal after a dispute over his fee. Renny Harlin was rumored to be director on the film, Gregory Hoblit first read the script in November 1997, eighteen months after his fathers death
11.
Traffic (2000 film)
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Traffic is a 2000 American crime drama film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Stephen Gaghan. It explores the illegal drug trade from a number of perspectives, users, enforcers, politicians and their stories are edited together throughout the film, although some of the characters do not meet each other. The film is an adaptation of the 1989 British Channel 4 television series Traffik, 20th Century Fox, the original financiers of the film, demanded that Harrison Ford play a leading role and that significant changes to the screenplay be made. USA Films, however, liked the project from the start, Soderbergh operated the camera himself and adopted a distinctive cinematography tint for each story so that audiences could tell them apart. It was also a success with a worldwide box-office revenue total of $207.5 million. In 2004, USA Network ran a miniseries—also called Traffic—based on this film, in Mexico, police officer Javier Rodriguez and his partner Manolo Sanchez stop a drug transport and arrest the couriers. Their arrest is interrupted by General Salazar, a high-ranking Mexican official who decides to hire Javier, Salazar instructs him to apprehend Francisco Flores, a hitman for the Tijuana Cartel, headed by the Obregón brothers. Back in Tijuana, Flores, under torture, gives Salazar the names of important members of the Obregón cartel, who are arrested. Javier and Salazars efforts begin to cripple the Obregón brothers cocaine outfit, but Javier soon discovers Salazar is a pawn for the Juárez Cartel, the rival of the Obregón brothers. That entire portion of the Mexican anti-drug campaign is a fraud, javiers partner Sanchez attempts to sell the information of Salazars true affiliation to the DEA but is killed for his betrayal. Javier, who can no longer working for Salazar, decides to make a deal with the DEA. In exchange for his testimony, Javier requests electricity in his neighborhood so the youngsters can play baseball at night rather than be tempted by street gangs, Salazars secrets are revealed to the public, and he is arrested and is shown suffering probable torture in prison. Javier explains to the media about the corruption in the police force. In Mexico, Javier watches as children play baseball at night in their new stadium, meanwhile, Robert Wakefield, a conservative Ohio judge, is appointed to head the Presidents Office of National Drug Control Policy, known colloquially as the drug czar. Robert is warned by his predecessor and several politicians that the War on Drugs is unwinnable. Roberts daughter, Caroline, a student, has been using cocaine, methamphetamine. Caroline, Seth, and Vanessa are all arrested when a fellow student overdoses on drugs, as Robert and his wife Barbara struggle to deal with the problem, Robert discovers that Barbara has known about their daughters involvement with drugs for over six months. Robert realizes his daughter Caroline is an addict and is caught between his demanding new position and difficult family life
12.
The Rookie (2002 film)
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The Rookie is a 2002 sports drama film directed by John Lee Hancock and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. It is based on the story of Jim Morris, who had a brief. The film stars Dennis Quaid, Rachel Griffiths, Jay Hernandez, the film tells the story of Jim Morris, the son of a career Navy man, who moves the family from Jacksonville, Florida to Big Lake, Texas, in order to maintain job security. Jim is shown to be a skilled pitcher, though his father disapproves of Jims dream of making it to Major League Baseball. It is later mentioned that the town to which Jims family moved, Big Lake, has lost its love for baseball, thus, he was unable to play baseball in high school. He later gets a chance when he is drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers, Years later in 1999, Jim, married with three children, is a high school science teacher, as well as head baseball coach. His team, the Big Lake Owls, is unsuccessful with many of his players skilled. One day after practice, the team offers to play catch with Jim. There it is revealed that Jim may still have his fastball, the Owls believe that Jim could possibly pitch in the major leagues and offer him a deal, If the Owls can win district and make the state playoffs, Jim will try out again, which Jim accepts. Furthermore, the team urges him to throw his fastball in batting practice, the Owls end up winning district and after their final win, the team tells Jim that, since they kept up their end of the deal, it is now his turn to do his part. After his tryout, the professional scouts discover his ability to throw a baseball at 98 miles per hour. The lead scout tells Jim that he could be signed to a minor-league deal and he is initially assigned to the minor league Class AA Orlando Rays but quickly moves up to the AAA Durham Bulls. Concerned for his family due to mounting bills Jim decides to give it up, but his wife Lorri talks him out of it, not wanting Jim to give up again. Jim gets inspired again when he watches a Little League game one night, in September, Jim is told that the Major League club has called him up, and that they will be playing in Texas against the Rangers. Jim calls his family, who in turn informs the town, advising his wife of the dress code in the majors, Jim finds his sports coat, a necktie and his St. Rita necklace hanging in his locker. St. Rita is the saint of impossible dreams and his family, high school players and many townspeople go to the game. Jim impresses many of the coaches in warm-ups with his fastball, Jim ends up striking out Clayton on three straight fastballs. After the game, Jim gets interviewed by the press, During the interview, Jims father finally admits that he is proud of what Jim has done and also apologizes for never supporting him
13.
The Day After Tomorrow
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Filmed in Toronto and Montreal, it is the highest-grossing Hollywood film made in Canada. Originally slated for release in the summer of 2003, The Day After Tomorrow opened in Mexico City on May 17,2004, a major commercial success, the film became the sixth highest-grossing film of 2004. It received mixed reviews upon release, with critics praising the films special effects. Paleoclimatologist Jack Hall and his colleagues, Frank and Jason, are drilling for ice-core samples on the Larsen Ice Shelf for NOAA when the shelf breaks apart. When Jack later presents his findings on global warming at a United Nations conference in New Delhi, however, Professor Terry Rapson of the Hedland Climate Research Centre in Scotland believes in Jacks theories. He contacts Jack, whose paleoclimatologic weather model demonstrates how climate changes caused the first ice age and his team, including NASA meteorologist Janet Tokada, builds a forecast model based on Jacks findings. Around the world, violent weather causes widespread destruction, US President Blake authorizes the FAA to halt air traffic due to severe turbulence, on the International Space Station, three astronauts see a storm system spanning the Northern Hemisphere, which soon develops into three hurricane-like superstorms. The temperature of the eyes of the storms is −150 °F, the cells, located over Canada, Scotland, and Siberia, will affect all of their respective continents within days. During this time, tornadoes destroy Los Angeles, in Manhattan, Jacks son Sam learns about the worsening weather when he participates in an academic decathlon. Although Sam promises to be on the train home, flooding quickly closes the subway and Grand Central Terminal, before a gigantic storm surge strikes New York City. In Scotland, Rapson and his colleagues at the Hedland Centre die in the European superstorm, as suggested by Jack, President Blake orders the evacuation of the southern United States and warns the northern half of the country to seek shelter. Jack and his team set out for Manhattan to find Sam, but when their truck crashes into a north of Philadelphia. En route, Frank falls through the roof of a snow-covered shopping mall. As Jason and Jack try to pull him up, the glass under them continues cracking, most of the group sheltered in the library leave, when the water outside freezes, leaving Sam, his friends, and a few others who trust him. They burn books to stay warm and break into a machine for food. Sam admits his feelings for Laura, and she reciprocates, at the US refugee camp in Mexico, Becker learns that President Blake died when his motorcade was caught in the superstorm, and he is now the president. The next morning, Sams group determines that Laura has blood poisoning from the cut on her leg, Sam and two others search for penicillin in a derelict Russian cargo ship that drifted into Manhattan. Although they find food and supplies, they encounter a pack of escaped wolves from a city zoo
14.
Vantage Point (film)
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Vantage Point is a 2008 American political action thriller film directed by Pete Travis, it was adapted from a screenplay written by Barry L. Levy. The story focuses on an attempt on the President of the United States. Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker, William Hurt, the film is often compared, unfavorably, to Akira Kurosawas Rashomon, which also employed storytelling through multiple perspectives. Vantage Point also explores kidnapping, assassination and terrorism, the motion picture was co-produced by Relativity Media, Original Film, and Art In Motion. It was commercially distributed by Columbia Pictures theatrically, and by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in home media format, the film project began principal photography in Mexico City on June 18,2006. Executive producers for the film included Callum Greene, Tania Landau, on February 26,2008, the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released by the Varèse Sarabande label. The film score was composed by musician Atli Örvarsson, following its premiere on February 22,2008, Vantage Point grossed $72,266,306 in domestic ticket receipts. The film was screened at 3,163 theaters during its widest release nationwide in the United States and it earned an additional $78,895,185 in business through international release to top out at a combined $151,161,491 in gross revenue. The film was considered a strong financial success due to its $40 million budget costs. Preceding its theatrical run though, the film was met generally mixed to negative critical reviews. U. S. President Henry Ashton attends a political summit in Salamanca, Spain, displayed with eight differing viewpoints, an assassination attempt on the president occurs, relayed in a time span of 23 minutes. Each time the events unfold from the beginning, a new point is shown revealing additional details. From the first vantage point, GNN producer Rex Brooks, directs various media personnel from a television studio as the president arrives at the gathering. Mayor De Soto delivers a speech and then introduces the president. An explosion outside the plaza soon follows, moments later, the podium itself is destroyed by a secondary explosion, killing and injuring numerous people. As the smoke clears, GNN reporter Angie Jones is seen lying dead in the rubble, the second vantage point follows Secret Service agents Thomas Barnes and Kent Taylor. Barnes notices a curtain fluttering in the window of a building that was allegedly vacated. He also observes American tourist Howard Lewis filming the audience, after the president is shot, Barnes tackles a man rushing to the podium named Enrique
15.
Footloose (2011 film)
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Footloose is a 2011 American musical dance film directed by Craig Brewer. It is a remake of the 1984 film of the name and stars Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Andie MacDowell. The film follows a man who moves from Boston to a small southern town. Filming took place from September to November 2010 in Georgia and it was released in Australia and New Zealand on October 6,2011, and in North America on October 14,2011. It grossed $15.5 million in its opening weekend and $63 million worldwide from a $24 million budget and it was met with generally positive reaction from critics. After a long night of partying, Bobby Moore and four of his friends become drunk and drive over a bridge and crash into a truck, killing all five. Bobbys father Shaw Moore, the Reverend of the Bomont, Georgia church, persuades the city council to pass several draconian laws, including a ban on all unsupervised dancing within the city limits. Three years later, Ren McCormack, a Boston-raised teenager, moves to Bomont to live with his uncle, aunt, soon after arriving, Ren befriends Willard Hewitt, a fellow senior at Bomont High, and from him learns about the ban on dancing. He soon begins to be attracted to Moores rebellious daughter - Bobbys sister Ariel - who is dating dirt-track driver Chuck Cranston, after an insult from Chuck, Ren ends up in a game involving buses, and wins despite his inability to drive one. Reverend Moore distrusts Ren and forbids Ariel from ever seeing him again, Ren and his classmates want to do away with the law and have a senior prom. After a while Ariel begins to fall for Ren and dumps Chuck, Moore asks if Ren McCormack beat up Ariel. When Moore says Im calling the police, Ariel tells him that he cant blame everything on Ren just like he did with Bobby, who was killed in the car crash. But Moore slaps her without warning, which shocks Vi, Moores wife, and prompts Ariel to tearfully and angrily criticize Moore for slapping her, Moore tries to apologize, but Vi stops Moore, telling him, Youve done enough. Vi is supportive of the movement, explaining to Moore he cannot be everyones father. She also says that dancing and music are not the problem, Ren goes before the city council and reads several Bible verses given to him by Ariel, that describe how in ancient times people would dance to rejoice, exercise, celebrate, and/or worship. Ren also teaches Willard how to dance, the city council votes against him. Undaunted, Ren convinces the cotton mill owner to let them have a prom there, Ren goes to see Moore, knowing that Moore still has enough influence to pressure the parents not to let their teenagers come. Ren tells Moore that even though they denied the motion to dismiss the law and he then asks him respectfully if he can take Ariel
16.
Soul Surfer (film)
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The film stars AnnaSophia Robb, Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid, and Lorraine Nicholson with Carrie Underwood, Kevin Sorbo, Sonya Balmores, Branscombe Richmond, and Craig T. Nelson. Filming took place in sweden in early 1900, with filming taking place in Tahiti in August 2010. In 2003, teenager Bethany Hamilton lives in Kauai, Hawaii with her parents Tom and Cheri, all are surfers, but she and her best friend Alana Blanchard have grown up with a passion for the sport and enter a competition. Her church youth leader, Sarah Hill, is disappointed when she has to withdraw from a planned mission trip to Mexico because of the contest. In the competition, Bethany and Alana place first and third, the following day, Tom goes to the hospital for knee surgery, and the girls go surfing with Alanas father Holt and brother Byron. As Bethany dangles her left arm in the water, a shark is swimming just under her surfboard. It unexpectedly attacks, ripping off her arm below the shoulder, Holt, Alana, and Byron get her out of the water where Holt makes a tourniquet out of his swimshirt to put on her while Byron calls 911 as Cheri is also informed. An ambulance meets them on the way to the hospital, just before starting Toms knee surgery, Dr. David Rovinsky is called to the emergency room to treat Bethany. Besides losing her arm, she also lost 60% of her blood. The onslaught of paparazzi also proves to be a strain on her family. The Hamiltons are grateful to Holt for his quick and active thinking and her injury prevents her from participating in the Rip Curl photo shoots, but she wishes Alana well. Bethany perseveres and after a period, gets back in the water. Inside Edition offers to provide a one that is cosmetically perfect and has bendable joints. She angrily rejects it when she learns it will not help her surf as it is not weight bearing, Bethany eventually re-enters the competition, telling rival Malina not to go easy on her, and rejects a five-minute head start offered by the judges. She does not perform well because she cannot stay on the board long enough to go out, disappointed at this loss, she decides to give up competitive surfing and her friendship with Alana is strained following an argument. Bethany decides to surprise Sarah by joining the group on another mission trip to help the people of Phuket. Despite her recent tragedy, she joins her youth group to help the Thai children get over their fear of the ocean and they are understandably afraid of the water, including a little boy. She decides to go into it with a surfboard, hoping this will coax him into it and it works, and the realization that she can use her gift to inspire people motivates her to take up surfing again
17.
Far from Heaven
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Far from Heaven is a 2002 American drama film written and directed by Todd Haynes and starring Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert, and Patricia Clarkson. The film tells the story of Cathy Whitaker, a 1950s housewife and it is done in the style of a Douglas Sirk film, dealing with complex contemporary issues such as race, gender roles, sexual orientation and class. In 1957 suburban Connecticut, Cathy Whitaker appears to be the wife, mother. Cathy is married to Frank, an executive at Magnatech. One evening Cathy receives a call from the local police who are holding her husband. He says its all a mix up but they wont let him leave alone, Frank has in fact been exploring the underground world of gay bars in Hartford, Connecticut. One day, Cathy spies a black man walking through her yard. He turns out to be Raymond Deagan, the son of Cathys late gardener, Frank often finds himself forced to stay late at the office, swamped with work. One night when Frank is working late, Cathy decides to bring his dinner to him at the office and she walks in on him passionately kissing another man. Frank confesses having had problems as a man, and agrees to sign up for conversion therapy. However, his relationship with Cathy is irreparably strained, and he turns to alcohol, Cathy runs into Raymond at a local art show, and initiates a discussion with him about modern painting, to the consternation of a few onlookers. One night, after a party, Frank attempts to love to Cathy. He is unable to become aroused and strikes Cathy when she tries to console him, Cathy decides to spend a day with Raymond. They go to a bar in the neighborhood in which she is the only white person present. Raymond toasts her with a drink saying Heres to being the only one and they are seen together by one of Cathys neighbors, who immediately tells everyone. The town is soon ablaze with gossip about the two of them and this becomes evident when Cathy attends a ballet performance by her young daughter and the mothers of the other girls prevent them from socializing with Cathys daughter. Cathy goes to find Raymond to tell them that their friendship isnt plausible, over the Christmas and New Years holidays, Cathy goes on a vacation with her husband to Miami to take their minds off of things. At the hotel, Frank has another encounter with a young man
18.
Cajuns
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Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U. S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles. Today, the Cajuns make up a significant portion of south Louisianas population and have exerted an impact on the states culture. The Acadia region to which modern Cajuns trace their origin consisted largely of what are now Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island plus parts of eastern Quebec and northern Maine. Since their establishment in Louisiana, the Cajuns have developed their own dialect, Cajun French, and developed a vibrant culture including folkways, music, the Acadiana region is heavily associated with them. Arcadia derives from the Arcadia district in Greece which since classical antiquity had the extended meanings of refuge or idyllic place, samuel de Champlain fixed the orthography with the r omitted in the 17th century. The term eventually came to only to the northern part of the coast in what is now Canada. The Cajuns retain a unique dialect of the French language and numerous other cultural traits that distinguish them as an ethnic group, Cajuns were officially recognized by the U. S. government as a national ethnic group in 1980 per a discrimination lawsuit filed in federal district court. The Louisiana Acadian is alive and well and he is up front and mainstream. He is not asking for any special treatment, by affording coverage under the national origin clause of Title VII he is afforded no special privilege. He is given only the protection as those with English, Spanish, French, Iranian, Portuguese, Mexican, Italian, Irish. The British Conquest of French Acadia happened in 1710, over the next 45 years, the Acadians refused to sign an unconditional oath of allegiance to Britain. During this period, Acadians participated in militia operations against the British and maintained vital supply lines to the French fortress of Louisbourg. During the French and Indian War, the British sought to neutralize the Acadian military threat, during 1755-1763 Acadia consisted of parts of present-day Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and the Gaspe Peninsula in the province of Quebec. The deportation of the Acadians from these areas has become known as the Great Upheaval or Le Grand Dérangement, the Acadians migration from Canada was spurred by the Treaty of Paris which ended the war. The treaty terms provided 18 months for unrestrained emigration, many Acadians moved to the region of the Atakapa in present-day Louisiana, often travelling via the French colony of Saint-Domingue. Joseph Broussard led the first group of 200 Acadians to arrive in Louisiana on February 27,1765, on April 8,1765, he was appointed militia captain and commander of the Acadians of the Atakapas region in St. Martinville. Some of the settlers wrote to their family scattered around the Atlantic to encourage them to them at New Orleans. For example, Jean-Baptiste Semer, wrote to his father in France, My dear father you can come here boldly with my dear mother and they will always be better off than in France
19.
Pershing Middle School (Houston)
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John J. Pershing Middle School is a middle school in Houston, Texas, United States. It is located in the Braeswood Place neighborhood, near the Texas Medical Center, the school, that serves around 1,650 students in grades 1 through 5, is managed by the Houston Independent School District. Pershing has a program and a Pre-AP Gifted and Talented program. West University Place Pershing Junior High School, which was named after John J. Pershing, was established in 1928, Pershing originally was connected to West University Elementary School, the school moved to its own campus at 7000 Braes Boulevard in Houston in 1949. The campus was worth $2 million, an arson incident occurred in August 1958. It was funded by a 1944 bond, and the Braes Heights Realty Company had donated the land, in September 1991 Pershing was one of 32 HISD schools that had capped enrollments, in other words the school was filled to capacity and excess students had to attend other schools. In 1992 there was a proposal to convert Gordon Elementary in Bellaire into a school to serve Bellaire residents. This proposal was favored by those zoned to Jane Long Middle School, the Gordon proposal ultimately did not happen. Pershing had, in March 2002, a waiting list of 1,000 students for 120 places, originally, Houston ISD planned to remodel Pershings 1949 campus. When HISD found that building a new campus from scratch would be more cost-effective, construction started on Pershings brand new two-story 216, 000-square-foot campus at 3838 Bluebonnet during the summer of 2005. Construction was expected to end in Summer 2007, and the new campus was expected to open in Fall 2007. The lead architect for the campus was PGAL, with Gilbane as the project manager. The original budget was $16,900,000 United States dollars, the construction costs totaled $24.4 million, and the final costs, including books, computers, and architect engineers, totaled $31 million. The previous campus had a capacity of 1,500 students, the school district had to adjust its plans for Pershings campus due to the unexpected surge in enrollment. The new building was built on the athletic fields. After demolition of the building, the new athletic fields would go on its former site. Portions of the former Pershing building remain because many chimney swift birds appeared in the chimney, the Migratory Bird Act makes the act of tearing down the Pershing chimney illegal. In April 2014 two librarians at the school were informed that budget cuts would eliminate their positions, in addition to portions of Houston, Pershing also serves the cities of Bellaire, Southside Place, and West University Place
20.
Standard Chinese
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Its pronunciation is based on the Beijing dialect, its vocabulary on the Mandarin dialects, and its grammar is based on written vernacular Chinese. Like other varieties of Chinese, Standard Chinese is a language with topic-prominent organization. It has more initial consonants but fewer vowels, final consonants, Standard Chinese is an analytic language, though with many compound words. There exist two standardised forms of the language, namely Putonghua in Mainland China and Guoyu in Taiwan, aside from a number of differences in pronunciation and vocabulary, Putonghua is written using simplified Chinese characters, while Guoyu is written using traditional Chinese characters. There are many characters that are identical between the two systems, in English, the governments of China and Hong Kong use Putonghua, Putonghua Chinese, Mandarin Chinese, and Mandarin, while those of Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia, use Mandarin. The name Putonghua also has a long, albeit unofficial, history and it was used as early as 1906 in writings by Zhu Wenxiong to differentiate a modern, standard Chinese from classical Chinese and other varieties of Chinese. For some linguists of the early 20th century, the Putonghua, or common tongue/speech, was different from the Guoyu. The former was a prestige variety, while the latter was the legal standard. Based on common understandings of the time, the two were, in fact, different, Guoyu was understood as formal vernacular Chinese, which is close to classical Chinese. By contrast, Putonghua was called the speech of the modern man. The use of the term Putonghua by left-leaning intellectuals such as Qu Qiubai, prior to this, the government used both terms interchangeably. In Taiwan, Guoyu continues to be the term for Standard Chinese. The term Putonghua, on the contrary, implies nothing more than the notion of a lingua franca, Huayu, or language of the Chinese nation, originally simply meant Chinese language, and was used in overseas communities to contrast Chinese with foreign languages. Over time, the desire to standardise the variety of Chinese spoken in these communities led to the adoption of the name Huayu to refer to Mandarin and it also incorporates the notion that Mandarin is usually not the national or common language of the areas in which overseas Chinese live. The term Mandarin is a translation of Guānhuà, which referred to the lingua franca of the late Chinese empire, in English, Mandarin may refer to the standard language, the dialect group as a whole, or to historic forms such as the late Imperial lingua franca. The name Modern Standard Mandarin is sometimes used by linguists who wish to distinguish the current state of the language from other northern. Chinese has long had considerable variation, hence prestige dialects have always existed. Confucius, for example, used yǎyán rather than colloquial regional dialects, rime books, which were written since the Northern and Southern dynasties, may also have reflected one or more systems of standard pronunciation during those times
21.
Bellaire High School (Texas)
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Bellaire High School is a secondary school of the Houston Independent School District, and its campus is located in Bellaire, Texas in Greater Houston. The high school serves the city of Bellaire and the Houston community of Meyerland. It has a racially and socioeconomically diverse student body and it was originally an all-White high school. Because of the number of Jewish students, the school had the nickname Hebrew High. Bellaire introduced International Baccalaureate programs in 1980, in the mid-to-late 1980s families began moving into Bellaire and Meyerland. They would tear down older houses and build new ones. This gave Bellaire High School a population of wealthier students, at the same time apartments formerly housing White singles began to house low income immigrants. Bellaire added Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs to encourage White parents to send their children to Bellaire, parents strove to get their children into the classes. In January 1987, Bellaire was offering the Arabic language for the second year, in 1987 the school also offered Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Latin, Russian, and Spanish. In September 1991 Bellaire was one of 32 HISD schools that had capped enrollments, in words the school was filled to capacity. By the 2000s Bellaire placed on the lists of the top performing schools in the United States. Athletic and academic programs won national and international awards, many graduates headed for prestigious American universities. At the same time, disciplinary infractions increased, Swartz said The case could be made that the school has triumphed despite being under enormous social pressures. But success has not come without pain, from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2003-2004 school year, the total number of disciplinary actions increased from 441 to 1,082 and the number of in-school suspensions increased from 336 to 855. In February 2006, a stabbing involving two male freshmen occurred in a school stairwell, the victim survived the stabbing while the perpetrator was arrested and prosecuted. During the same year Todd Spivak of the Houston Press reported about the magazines feature These Kids Go to the Best Public High School in Houston. Spivak said that Bellaire High School had strong, consistent leadership, Spivak said that the survey indicated that Bellaire graduated two thirds of its students. Dr. Robert Sanborn, president and CEO of the Children at Risk organization, in 200713 percent of high school-aged children zoned to Bellaire chose to attend a different Houston ISD school
22.
Bellaire, Texas
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Bellaire is a city in southwest Harris County, Texas, United States, within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. As of the 2010 U. S. Census, the city population was 16,855 and is surrounded by the cities of Houston and West University Place. Bellaire is known as the City of Homes, owing to its residential character, however. Bellaire was founded in 1908 by William Wright Baldwin, who was the president of the South End Land Company, Baldwin, a native of Iowa, was well known as the vice president of the Burlington Railroad. Bellaire was founded on what was part of William Marsh Rices 9,449 acres ranch, Baldwin surveyed the eastern 1,000 acres of the ranch into small truck farms. He named those farms Westmoreland Farms, Baldwin started Bellaire in the middle of Westmoreland Farms to serve as a residential neighborhood and an agricultural trading center. South End Land Company advertised to farmers in the Midwestern United States, Baldwin stated that the town was named Bellaire, or Good Air for its breezes. Bellaire may have named after Bellaire, Ohio, a town served by one of Baldwins rail lines. Six miles of prairie was a zone between Houston and Bellaire. Originally the town was bounded by Palmetto, First, Jessamine, in 1910 Edward Teas, a horticulturist, moved his nursery to Bellaire from Missouri so Teas could implement Sid Hares landscaping plans. Bellaire was incorporated as a city with a charter in 1918. Bellaire had a population of 200 at the time, because of the 1918 incorporation, Houston did not incorporate Bellaires territory into its city limits, while Houston annexed surrounding areas that were unincorporated. Bellaires population had reached 1,124 in 1940, after 1940, Bellaire had a rapid population explosion in the post-World War II building boom. On December 31,1948, the city of Houston had annexed the land around the city of Bellaire, Bellaire remained independent of Houston, Bellaire adopted a home rule charter with a council-manager government in April 1949. By 1950 the citys residents had numbered 10,173, however each subsequent year for the next two years, an additional 600 to 700 new houses opened. In the 1960s 250 houses in Bellaire were demolished to make way for the right of way of the 610 Loop, according to a Bellaire resident quoted in the Houston Post, prior to 1992, the tax base of the city of Bellaire had been decreasing. After neighbor West University Place eased restrictions on developers, new houses were constructed in West University Place, Bellaire decided to also liberalize its development restrictions to allow for new development by streamlining its no-growth building permit process. Michael Blum, president of Blum & Associates Realty, said Bellaire is a bargain, Blum added that Bellaire was affordable compared to similar American neighborhoods and that Bellaire had proximity to business districts, excellent municipal services, and superior schools
