[Joe Hadenuf]

I've always attributed it largely to the fact that we (Houston) are the world's petroleum/energy capital.

Petroleum??

Read on.....

"This shows Texas is not just a destination for Mexicans anymore," said Steven Camarota, author of the study released Wednesday.

Surprisingly, though, Camarota found, about 23 percent of the Middle Easterners use some sort of welfare, higher than the native population.

Greater Houston's Middle Easterners form the seventh-largest concentration in this country. Iranians are the biggest group locally, followed by Pakistanis and Saudis. However, Middle Easterners may go virtually unnoticed in Houston "because they are spread out," said Nidal Zayer, a columnist at a local Arabic paper, Al Maraya. "They are in Pasadena, along FM 1960, in Sugar Land -- everywhere."

[freedom44]

Yeah you better watch out for those "dangerous" Iranian-Americans.. never know what they'll do.. support war on terror with these demonstrations, bring tons of $ to the economy, vote 70% Republican. damn dangerous breed.

[Allegra]

Greater Houston's Middle Easterners form the seventh-largest concentration in this country.

Well, we do have an awful lot of convenience stores here.

Supply and demand, ya know.

:-)