The ATX by LASA Ezine

April 21, 2009 Volume 1 Issue 1

ATX

Title of Magazine

Inside

The Rock’s Frightening Experiences with Austin Traffic Which Cracker would win a softball game - Cheez-Its or Cheese Nips? The Flying Menace of the Ann Richards Congress Avenue Bridge Emma Halbrook’s Inside Scoop on the 2009 Mayor’s Election

Art by Chris D.

ATX magazine

April 21, 2009 Volume 1 Issue 1

Issues of the Day

Mayor Story - Emma H.

This Austin Life

Cheese Crackers - Chris D.

Rugby Story - David M.

The Tech Zone - James L.

The Shack - Emma H.

Need 2 Know Austin Bats - James L.

Opinionated Insourcing? - James L.

30 32

Soul of the City - Chris D.

Austintatious? - Emma H.

ATX

20 22 We The People

Traffic Troubles - David M.

James Lentz

Sno Cone Heaven - Emma H.

David McNiel

Rockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Top Six - David M.

Chris Daemmrich

ATX Aerial Guide - Chris D.

Austin Calendar - James L.

Emma Halbrook

39 39 39 39

By Emma H

Meet the

New Mayor

o you know Austin’s newest mayor, Lee Leffingwell? Here are a few facts about his positions and how the next three years in Austin will be.

Photo courtesy of the City of Austin

Education: Leffingwell graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in mechanical engineering.

Job Experience:

Leffingwell joined the U.S. Navy in 1962,where he was an airforce transport pilot until 1967 when he became a commercial airline pilot of Delta Air Lines. He retired in 1999, and became chair of the Austin Environmental Board. In 2005 he ran for and won a seat on the Austin City Council

Leffingwell is the forty-sixth mayor of Austin.

The ATX Magazine April 21, 2009

Environment:

Leffingwell plans on creating a “green collar jobs” council to provide incentives for major employers and workforce development groups to find ways to get various jobs to become “green collar jobs.” He also wants the city to sell carbon credits which will fund emissioions reduction and renewable energy projects.

Water conservation:

He led a water conservation plan that is prdicted to reduce water use in Austin by 10% in 10 years.

Traffic:

Leffingwell supports expansion of the Austin rail system and wants a transportation infrastructure city bond election by 2010.

Economy: He supports businesses that

Photo courtesy of Lee Leffingwell for Mayor

might diversify Austin’s economy, so that it is not dependent on only a few industries. Leffingwell also wants free technical assistance and support services for local businesses. He also plans on creating a standing citizen commission on local business.

By Chris D.

A Cheese Cracker Life Thirty Years in the History of a Very Unique Austin Tradition “It’s the first week in August, a hundred and five degrees at City Park , burned grass in the outfield. Somebody’s taking 25 pitches. It’s a wonder nobody ever passed out or got heat stroke. You’re standing out there, and you just wanna melt.”

The ATX Magazine April 21, 2009

Such, in the words of 1988 Most Valuable Player Ray Helmers, has been the scene every summer for the past thirty-one summers at Emma Long Metropolitan Park on Lake Austin, the official home of the Cheese Cracker World Series baseball game. Many of the exact dates and details of the long history of this storied contest have been lost to the passage of time; however, the events themselves still bring a smile and a laugh to the faces of the Its and Nips now scattered all over Austin, the state of Texas, and the nation. “Cheez-Its versus Cheese Nips, it’s the perfect argument. They’re so alike, but so different,” muses longtime It Kerry “Merv” Johnson, an original member of the Cheese Cracker crowd who attended high school at Houston Westchester with Its leader and fajita cooker Brad Buchholz (now a writer for the Austin AmericanStatesman), Danny Cunning-

ham, Ray Helmers, former Statesman columnist Bill Sullivan, and attorney John Unger (the last two of whom invariably make the yearly commute to Austin from their homes in Dallas and Houston). Johnson, owner of a delivery service in Austin , is known for his immeasurable contributions of Grasshoppers (jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese, wrapped in bacon, and grilled). “I’d have to say the main instigator was Tim Cowlishaw, since he started the softball game back in ’76 or ’77,” says Helmers, a Nip who is now the technology director at Texas Monthly magazine. “That was back at the Daily Texan, the whole crowd pretty much started there. UT, class of 1978.” Among most Cheese Cracker historians, Cowlishaw, who now writes for the Dallas Morning News, is considered not only the originator of the softball game but also the father of the Cheese Cracker idea. As remembered by current Nips captain Danny Cunningham (deputy managing editor at the Houston Chronicle), “I’m actually the person who may have started all this because I bought Cheese Nips rather than Cheez Its, and brought them to the park for a softball game back when we were

in college. Tim Cowlishaw, whom Brad and I were supposed to meet at City Park , was incensed that I had brought the “wrong cracker.” And that’s how it all began. At least I think that’s how it all began.” In the olden days, there were two full softball games, then two full volleyball games, a dip in the lake, some sitting around, and then multiple rounds of Brad’s fajitas and Merv’s grasshoppers (as well as a generous spread of hot dogs, chips, and other snack foods). Then the whole group piled into cars and went to Cyndi Hughes’s house, where “there was a victory party, complete with music and often Tim Cowlishaw’s famous Bruce Springsteen impression, for whichever team had won,” remembers Helmers. “But there was this one time, a really famous time. You know, we were out there, and there was a storm front comin’ in.” The park police put out a tornado warning, and the park rangers herded everyone into cars and made them leave. Then, the whole crowd went to a friend’s house near City Park and played Its-Nips Trivial Pursuit. “Which the Nips won, I might add,” says Helmers. Johnson, of the Its, adds, “Brad took it as a personal insult

that it would rain that year! When we [the Its] were winning!” Indeed, from the inception of the World Series in 1977, the Its started off on top. Team affiliation, determined through a blind taste Indeed, from the inception of the World Series in 1977, the Its started off on top. Team affiliation, determined through a blind taste test upon first attendance to the game, had randomly assigned most of the “good” players to the Its team. The Its’ legendary “Murderers Row” kept them dominating until the mid-1980s, when the teams became more balanced. In the New Millennium, however, the Nips have been observed to be on the upswing. “Athleticism was never the point, as evidenced by John Unger. He had this big blue folding chair, and he always sat out in left field, drinking a beer. He would never go and catch the ball, unless it conveniently happened to come down within about a yard of him,” says Helmers. Unger himself remembers some more active moments. “I can’t remember the year, but at least once I have hit a home run over the head of my college roommate, Joe “the Smurf” Sherfy, who plays in left field. Nothing compares to showing up your old college roommate. Nothing. Unfortunately he returned the favor in 2008.” Other memorable plays of the early era, whose dates are similarly unremembered, include the “bunt” and the “power line”. The first occurred when Nip Beth Frerking (who now lives in Washington , D.C. and writes

for Politico.com) laid down the game-winning hit with a short dribbler down the thirdbase line. This won the game for the Nips, although the Its claimed that bunts were illegal and should not be allowed (in the words of Cunningham, “sore losers”). Conversely, the second occurred when Jim Lefko of the Its hit a fly ball towards left field for the potential final out of the game; the ball hit the power line stretched over extreme left field, and it fell in for a hit. The Nips contested. A part of the original Cheese Cracker crowd at the Daily Texan who had not made a habit of going to the games every year, native San Antonian Michelle O’Leary was hesitant to go out to City Park for a game in the early 1980s with none other than Ray Helmers.

“She said she though it was stupid,” he remembers. However, the two hit it off, attending the games more frequently after she became a Nip (the same as Ray and a slew of other new initiates in the early 80s; Johnson and others allege a “Nippian plot” to introduce a stale box of Its into the taste test in an effort to bring some fresh faces onto their team). In 1988, realizing that Cheese Cracker weekend was the only day where everyone would conveniently be in Austin already, Ray and Michelle set the date of their wedding for the Sunday before Memorial Day. On Saturday, Ray went 4 for 5, his best game ever, and received the MVP Ball. “If I can remember, it was at the old Texas Women’s Cen-

continued on page 10

vs.

Team Captian - Danny Cunningham, deputy managing editor, Houston Chronicle - Ray Helmers, Texas Monthly technology director, Austin - Michelle Helmers, Texas Apartment Association bureaucrat, Austin - John Unger, lawyer, Houston - Cyndi Hughes, literary consultant, Austin - Beth Frerking, politico.com writer, Washington, D.C.

Team Captian - Brad Buchholz, writer, Austin AmericanStatesman - Kerry “Merv” Johnson, delivery service owner, Austin - Tim Cowlishaw, writer, Dallas Morning News - Joseph P. Sherfy, accountant, Austin - Robbie Sherfy, teacher, Austin - Bill Sullivan, writer, Dallas

All Cheese Cracker images copyright of Nabisco (Nips) and Sunshine (Its)

The Full Story

with Brad Buchholz, ve

In the Beginning... “Danny Cunningham and I had been arguing for a number of [weeks] before that lake outing about ‘the better cracker. Both of us acknowledged that Tim Cowlishaw was the CHEESE CRACKER EXPERT. We’d frequently go over to Tim’s apartment, to watch sports, to listen to music, and to munch on snacks. Things people do on free nights, in college. Tim was (and is) a FUNNY guy. Very light-hearted. And he was really CERTAIN and PRECISE when it came to cheese crackers in his house. I remember him saying stuff like: ‘Don’t bring any Goldfish [crackers] around here. Don’t talk to me about Cheese Balls.’ His cracker, his preference, the KING of Cheese Crackers, was the CHEEZ- IT. Fast forward: We were shopping at a Rylanders at 2222 and Mo-Pac one afternoon, on our way to the lake. We paused at the Cheese Cracker Aisle. Danny insisted we buy Cheese Nips. I said, ‘Man. I don’t want to put those lame crackers in our grocery basket. You know what Tim says: Cheez-IT is the only suitable cracker.’ Danny says, in so many words, ‘No Brad. Tim likes Nips. Cheese Nips.” I go: Danny. CHEEZ-IT. I’m sure of it.”

Declaration of Preferences “Fast forward some more to the very first game. Danny and Tim and Tim’s girlfriend and me and several other college friends are out there. We’re getting ready to play softball, and Danny and I break into this argument again. Tim finally declares his preference: “‘CHEEZ-IT’ - (in so many words) The King of Cheese Crackers.” I must have done something like a little ‘I told you so’ victory dance in front of Danny: “See? Tim’s the expert. And he says ‘Cheez-IT.’” But Danny has it in his mind that Cheese Nips are better anyway, no matter what the expert says. And then some chirping starts among everyone else, on both sides of the issue. So Tim and I stand tall for the Cheez Its. Danny recruits Cheese Nips. And just like that, we have teams for our game. The Cheez-Its won (of course)…and as I recall, it was lopsided. We pasted ‘em pretty good. I remember I got sunburned. And Tim’s girlfriend, Marcie, plunked me with a ball as I was rounding second base.”

Historical Sights

“There was an actual softball field out there, then…..Tim, a Yankees fan, made much to-do over the fact that there were picnic tables in the left-center field power alley – and the called them ‘The Monuments” – in reference to the monuments in [the old] Yankee Stadium (which used to be in the field of play in the old days of Yankee Stadium and which were, of course, in left-center field of Yankee Stadium.”

eteran feature writer for the Austin American-Statesman and Proud (It)

Cheese Cracker World Series T-shirts from 1984, 1992, 1995, and 1997 on display at the Hall of Fame

The Tradition Begins “Danny and I continued a friendly argument about cheese crackers in the weeks and months ahead. Because to be honest, it could have ended, right there, after the first game. But we wouldn’t give it a rest. The next time we played softball (with more people) we divided the team into Its and Nips again. It’s around that time the taste tests really started, ‘cause people would come with no reall feelings about cheese crackers. And that was the logical way to sort the teams. As in, ‘Hey, if you think they both taste the same and it doesn’t matter, we’re here to tell you: no, they do NOT taste the same. And what’s more, they’re dramatically different, and, certainly, you wouldn’t want to be on a team representing TASTELESS CRACKERS. Thus, the taste test.”

Philosophisin’ from a Writer’s Perspective - What’s the Point? “I started to write about this event shortly after I turned 30, as I recall – definitely between the time I was 29 and 34 – because I realized, even then, that this was becoming a very big deal, to me, and to all of us. I didn’t like what I was writing, and I stopped pretty quickly. I actually think I tried writing about it as fiction, as a short story, when I gave it my best effort. And what crossed my mind – as I looked at it from that vantage – is that the story didn’t have an ending. That if l looked at it truthfully, I didn’t know the ending yet. And in fact: The ending had yet to reveal itself naturally, to me, or to others. I think time has proven me right. This thing has grown, evolved, changed purpose, changed direction, aged, died, been reborn, and born again; to the extent that it’s become [so much] bigger and more vital than anything I want to end as a writer. I’m wowed, as it evolves, that it carries a different kind of resonance each year. And as I come to understand its meaning through the eyes and voices of others, I’m continually reminded of its breadth. I have thought about writing about it. People have asked me pretty firmly to do it. I think the time could be right, in fact. But that may be the REAL end of the story; that the story hasn’t ended yet, that it won’t end for a long time now, and that’s what all of us cherish most about it.”

The ATX Magazine April 21, 2009

ter over on 24th Street ”, says Johnson. “Didn’t they ask that cheese crackers be thrown instead of rice as they left the reception?” As the 1980s turned slowly into the 1990s, careers and marriages began to test commitments to the game. However, the Cheese Cracker spirit remained strong, and soon the second generation began to make an appearance at the game (which was now officially on Memorial Day weekend; before it had varied depending on scheduling, sometimes occurring as late as August). “The kids kinda changed it over the years, and people took it a little more seriously. On an unrelated note, there was often less beer than there was in the 70s,” says Helmers. The kids soon began to spark a new debate, though. It was unclear whether there should be a policy of “legacies”, wherein kids would be the same affiliation as their parents, or whether they should take the taste test themselves. “And what age is appropriate? How old do you have to be to know the Superior Cheese Cracker?” Johnson wonders. This concluded with the Taste Test being administered upon the child’s first participation in the actual Cheese Cracker World Series softball game. Under this system, the children of Ray and Michelle Helmers (both Nips) conveniently both turned out to be Nips. Less straightforwardly, the children of Bob and Janis Daemmrich (of unknown affiliation and a Nip, respectively) both became Its. By the middle of the 1990s, the teams

had evened out, and the title of champion was regularly bestowed upon each faction. Another memorable game, in 1995, concerned not the younger Its or Nips but those of more advanced age. “Oh, of course, the Claude Cunningham” game,” remembers Danny. “This is when my 80-yearold father, who had talked me into letting him pitch one ceremonial inning for old times’ sake, was hit in the eye by a line drive off the bat of the Its’ Tom Kleckner. I was playing center field for the Nips at the time, and the sound of the ball hitting my father’s face was so loud that I was sure he was dead. We had to call an ambulance to have my father taken to the emergency room, and he subsequently had to have surgery on his eye. At the hospital, after the ER doctor examined my dad, he came out to the hallway and uttered the immortal quote that I will never forget. The doctor screamed, “Let me get this straight. Your father is 80 years old, and you let him go out to play softball in 100-degree weather?” He then paused, and said, “You’re the one who ought to have your head examined.” Then, he stormed off down the hallway, clearly upset that we had ruined his Memorial Day plans. Interestingly, during the surgery, the doctors discovered that my father had had cataracts for years in his eye. Thus, they removed the cataracts and my father didn’t require eyeglasses for the first time in about 40 years.” For Brad Buchholz, awardwinning feature writer for the

Statesman whose deadline prevented him from being interviewed for this story, there is nothing more important than tradition. “Brad starts doing something for more than two years in a row, and bam, it’s a tradition,” observes Johnson. So when, in the late 1990s, the Its stopped receiving their yearly good-luck letter and case of free crackers, he dedicated himself to re-establishing contact. “Brad used to write this lady at Sunshine, the makers of Cheez-Its. She was in some P.R. position, and she used to send all these trinkets, along with cases of miniboxes (the predecessors of today’s 100-Calorie Snack Packs),” says Johnson. “Then she moved on, and it stopped. Brad took it as a bad sign.” According to Helmers, “Brad had to do some blatant sucking-up to Sunshine Bakeries. We would never dare go groveling like that. We wouldn’t ever stoop to that level. Of course, that’s my view as a dedicated Nip.” Indeed, when it all comes down to it, the differences between Its and Nips are very, very small and insignificant. To an outsider, it would probably look very silly to see grown men placing their lives on the line every year simply for one cheese cracker or the other. In the words of the relatively unbiased Ray Helmers, “We can argue about it endlessly, but that’s the truth. The crackers are the same.” To an It or Nip partisan, there’s nothing farther from the truth. ATX

By David M.

Not Just forGentlemen

Liberal Arts and Science Academy Teacher Sets Example Playing Rugby has taken to the position of hooker, and enjoys the search and destroy aspect of Rugby. “Rugby is my chance to use every part of my body” says Ms. Earnhart, who chooses to stay active and live healthily through rugby. The sport of rugby is rough on the human body; it requires total concentration as well as a total control of all muscle groups at the same time. Discipline and self control are the key essentials to playing rugby, all the rest of the technique can be learned relatively easy.

However, no matter what happens, learning discipline and self control can make people go to places they would have never gone to before. “It’s hard to push yourself in rugby” says Ms. Earnhart, and she has to push herself, it’s the only way she can be successful on the rugby pitch, or rugby field. She also has to be brutal and acquire the ability to fight until she has whatever it is that she needs to get done. This ruthless side of all players must come out to be successful in

The ATX Magazine April 21, 2009

unning off the field, Alison Earnhart, professional educator and Valkyrie rugby hooker, dabbed her bloody nose, still dazed by the blow to her face. While too many people in Austin are play video games and Instant Messaging, Ms. Earnhert is off playing rugby for the Austin Valkyries. She

Allison Earnhart (center) runs the ball down the field

Photo courtesy of Allison Earnhart

Rules of Rugby Try: Five points are awarded to a team for touching the ball down in the other team’s in-goal area. Conversion: Following a try, two points are awarded for a successful kick through the goal posts.

Players scramble for a ball (Allison Earnheart is #7) rugby, it is a natural side to all “There is no blocking, people, they just need to know so the wings typically take how to unleash it on command huge hits” says Ms. Earnhart, to play like Ms. Earnhart, and which is why she must stay in the proper motivation. shape for the occasion that she “Rugby is like Fight Club” has to work on defense. says Ms. Earnhart, but after This is only obtainable for Ms. all of this control, physical Earnhart if she attends the exercise, and beat two practices a down, she still need week. Two prac“No matter to know how to play tices a week that rugby. The offensive what you do, is, in comparison learning dispositions are called to the amount of wings and the detime spent doing cipline ... will fensive are called make you go to inactive thing scrums. Wings are throughout a places you’ve typically small, fast, forty hour work never gone be- week, a fracand usually score the point in a match, fore.” tion of someone’s whereas the scrums time. Games are tend to be larger and stronger, on Saturdays, and are just 80 and typically stop the opposiminutes long, 6% of a Saturtion from scoring. Of these day, to live an estimated 14 defenders, there is the hooker, years longer according to a who is one of the important study done by a scientis and people to go through if the oppeer-reviewed Kay-Tee Khaw position wants to score, they and others. That seems like a are at the rear of the team, fair price to pay, 14 years for and stop people from passing not even 2% of a week. them at all cost. “It takes some time, but I

Penalty Kick: Following a major law violation, the kicking team, if in range, has the option to “kick for points.” Drop Goal: Three points are awarded for a successful drop kick.

believe it’s worth it” says Ms. Earnhart, who is now playing a popular European sport in America, which is becoming more and more popular. Austin’s official representatives are the Austin Valkyries, who also play in one of the American leagues. The Valkyries have gone up against teams in Nashville, Miami, and New York, all of which are some very competitive teams. None the less, Valkyries can show their Scandinavian mythology true

The ATX Magazine April 21, 2009

through their ability to play on pitch. “We will have a few spacers a year” says Ms. Earnhart, because rugby, like all other club sports, you have to pay membership dues and traveling expenses. But do not worry about that, the Valkyries have these things called spacers, which are basically garage sales. At these garage sales, players for the team will sell their unused junk, maybe do some job for money, but the whole point is to go on trips for Rugby and pay dues, not for personal wealth. “I’ve played for five years now, and I’ll be in by prime about four years from now” says Ms. Earnhart. Whose time commitment show how serious the game is for her, this requires a tone of

training, year round, for many years. Rugby could be played by many people, but there is an optimum time to play, about ten years after the person starts playing and can still move quick. Rugby is such a big time commitment, and it can sometimes be hard on people. “While fighting for the ball, I took an elbow to the face, and then had to get off the field” says Ms. Earnhart, even with the needed proper protection. This protection can be provided by official rugby gear, which is, considering the amount of contact involved in rugby, not a whole lot. This lack of protection leads to serious injuries because people act like Ms. Earnhart and say stuff like “I get to be as mean as I want to be, and then I can show up

anyone.” Even though being mean and showing up people is fun for Ms. Earnhart, such injuries still occur and are the only way a person can be subbed, or taken out of a game. Rugby is a brutal game that requires the more concentration and time than most activities, but just remember “Rugby is a beastly game played by gentlemen; soccer is a gentleman’s game played by beasts; and football is a beastly game played by beasts.” ATX

By James L.

The Technology Zone

The ATX Magazine April 21, 2009

Prepare to enter the life of Danny Diaz, a worker at National Instruments anny Diaz drives up the monstrous six-story National Instruments parking deck at around 10 a.m., he looks around for a spot for his car that is covered. He parks on the fifth floor, far from the elevators and stairs. Danny usually takes the elevator down, but on days he is late or feels spunky he takes the stairs. After being greeted by the security staff, he swipes his badge to get through the doors protecting the elevators. As he travels up one of the four elevators, he looks at a tack board, where much of the general amusement is, to see what organizations within National Instruments are recruiting people or to see internal product announcements. Danny has to swipe his badge again to enter his floor known as the “LabVIEW floor.” Every morning Danny passes by the “Community Food

Table,” where people bring food from donuts to candy for different reasons that can be taken by anyone. On the way to his desk he greets the Admin for the floor and other co-workers, engineers, and other people walking through the halls. After Danny reaches his desk he sees if someone has left any voicemails or e-mails that need his attention. Unlike some people Danny welcomes the challenge that anyone has left for him to do. Danny has been a Senior Software Engineer at National Instruments, since February 4, 2002. He works in driver development, responsible for maintaining the real-time operating system used in its LabVIEW Real-Time product. Heralding from Georgia Tech, in Atlanta, he graduated with a BS in Computer Engineering. While in college Danny worked at the Georgia Tech Research Institute with many National Instruments products and decided that National Instruments might be a rewarding place to work.

Employees are frequently found wearing cut-off shorts and flip-flops while at work, even the CEO of National Instruments, Dr. James Truchard (Dr. T for short), often comes to work wearing blue jeans and a button up shirt. “Dr. T is also an engineer, and won’t hesitate to sit down at your desk and help work out a problem you’re having” says Danny. “At NI they hire primarily for talent instead of genius,” Danny explained. National Instruments prides itself in being able to hire the best and brightest talent available, but a key factor that must be evaluated is how well you can work with other people. “What makes the interview process at NI different is almost what I’d call the ‘NI Touch’.” National Instruments will fly both you and your significant other to Austin for the whole weekend with Friday as the interview day; most high-tech companies will only fly you to the interview and then back again sometimes on the same day. “National Instruments wants to show the prospective employee what it is like to live in Austin and to make the person have an idea of what the prospective employee is getting into.” Courtesy of National Instruments National

Instruments has the prospective employee interviewed with three different groups within National Instruments, which ask you different questions, which include both technical and behavioral types of questions. NI thinks it is important for each group to have their own different sub-culture and it’s very important that everyone can work together seamlessly. NI hopes the technical questions help determine the person’s skill level in the person’s technical area, and it determines what areas you’re immediately qualified for. “The interview was quite grueling,” Danny said. National Instruments participate in a hosting process, which is when employees pair up with an interview candidate for the weekend. The host is there to answer any questions the candidate and their significant other may have about National Instruments. The host is also there to see the candidate and the significant other around Austin and be there as a guide and resource for them both to make sure Austin and National Instruments is where they want to be. The host has no bearing on the interview at all, so the host and the candidate can be as open and frank as they need to be.” Danny enjoys being a part of the hosting process and likes to make sure the candidate understands what it means to be an employee of National Instruments and what it means to live in Austin. “Working at NI is great, but sometimes flex-time is more of a job requirement than a perk” Danny said. It is quite often that people at National Instruments are working around the clock not only at work, but National Instruments is also a company built with volun-

teerism as a fundamental tenant. “I work with you guys on the LASA Robotics team,” says Danny, “but it’s because of National Instruments that I am here.” NI is a contributor to Austin; one of those contributions is that National Instruments works alongside the University of Texas in a course called DTEACh designed to help teachers incorporate LEGO Mindstorms in their classrooms to help teach science and technology. NI employees, along with several other hightech companies in Austin, volunteer to work with teachers who graduate from the DTEACh course to help with technical support or using Mindstorms in the classroom. Tony Bertucci, a Sci Tech teacher at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy in Austin, took the course and was paired with Danny. Through working with Mr. Bertucci, Danny got involved with the LASA Robotics team. “The challenge really is working with cultures different from your own,” Danny said. It was recently announced that NI employees are receiving a five percent cut in pay starting next month. National Instruments employees are taking the cut in pay so that no one has to lose his or her job at National Instruments “Even in tough economic times like what we’re experiencing today, all NI employees understand that we’re all in it together,” Danny said. Since the founding of the company in 1976, NI has worked very hard to prevent ever having to lay off a single employee. After working at National Instruments for 7 years, Diaz has two things to say. The first being that he can see himself working at

National Instruments for another 7 years, and the second, is that (Danny) “Looks forward to going to work each and every day; mostly I know that the next time I sit at my desk there will be a new challenge for me.” ATX Courtesy of National Instruments

By Emma H.

Taco Shack

Speaks

The woman behind one of Austin’s most successful businesses talks with ATX

The ATX Magazine April 21, 2009

very Saturday morning a long line of people covers every inch of a little road island that houses one of the most popular restaurants in Austin, Taco Shack. With fresh and fast food served there, a wide variety of delicious Tex-Mex, not to mention its support of Austin

schools, like the TacoShack Bowl (the annual Anderson-McCallum football game), Taco Shack has become a part of Austin culture. But reaching this success was not easy for the owners of Taco Shack, including Yoli Arriaga. Yoli had worked as a biology teacher for 7 years when one day her husband, Orlando Arriaga, bought a small building on Medical Parkway. “I didn’t want to open up a restaurant, Orlando wanted to. (It was) Orlando’s dream.” To prepare for

Arriaga shows off her Taco Shack Vespa scooter at home

opening day the Arriagas had a lot of work. The former barbecue place that Orlando had bought needed lots of work done on it and they needed to decide on a menu before it became Taco Shack. At the beginning all they knew was that they wanted to make tacos. “[We] decided we were going to make breakfast tacos like our mom’s made it,” Yoli said. In fact almost all of taco shack’s recipes are family recipes, or at least started out that way. “I worked with

Photo by Emma H.

may have been hard work, Yo l i s a i d s h e o f t e n w o u l d “come home bawling from e x h a u s t i o n , ” b u t Ta c o S h a c k was a success. At the time there were only a few taquerias in Austin. “North Austin did not have any taquerias. So everyone was very receptive,” Yoli explained. After only three years the Arriagas were more ATX than able to open a second taco shack. Yoli described opening a second taco shack as a “necessity” because the shack had such an incredible amount of customers every day. Now there are seven popular locations of Taco Shack. “In North Austin we pretty much have the market (on Mexican fast food) with Taco Shack,” Yoli confidently Photo by Emma H. The original Taco Shack on Medical Parkway stated. As the business has grown family recipes and changed them so Yoli could help out at the shack Yoli’s job has changed greatly, a bit, added stuff.” This happened for the f i r s t f e w d a y s . H o w especially after giving birth her first with Orlando’s Aunt’s enchiladas, e v e r, a f t e r t h e f i r s t d a y i t daughter Hana. which Yoli thought were too thick was obvious that Orlando “I’ve gone from being a cook, dish and fatty. It also happened to Yoli’s c o u l d n ’t d o i t b y h i m s e l f washer, cashier, to the operational mother’s salsa recipe. The recipe a n d Yo l i m a d e t h e t o u g h d e - side of running a business.” She called for fresh tomatoes. After c i s i o n t o q u i t h e r j o b , w h i c h still does try out recipes and is trying to make large quantities of she loved, and she resigned trying to create a perfect praline salsa out of the recipe, straining t h a t d a y. recipe, and hopes that once she has countless tomatoes, Yoli realized “ I c a n ’t l e t h i m f a i l , I ’ v e it she will have a tiny, complimenit wasn’t going to work. So she got to help him succeed,” tary praline given called her mom for help with each meal. “It’s kind of like your baby, and “It’s (Taco Shack) and her mother told her to tweak the recipe of like your you’re trying to get it as good as kind a bit, such as included baby and you’re tryusing canned tomatoes, you can.” ing to get it as good which saved time. as you can,” Yoli “[My mother] knows how to make Yo l i r e m e m b e r s t h i n k i n g . said. With seven stores in eleven recipes for three to three hundred F o r m o n t h s a f t e r t a c o s h a c k years, hundreds of thousands of people,” Yoli said, because her o p e n e d Yo l i a n d O r l a n d o ’s tacos made each year, and devoted mother was in charge of public w h o l e l i v e s r e v o l v e d a r o u n d customers like Madeline Berry school cafeterias. Originally Yoli it. proclaiming that Taco Shack “has had planned to continue her job as “I got up at four in the the best breakfast tacos in Ausa teacher and for Orlando to handle m o r n i n g t o g e t t o t h e r e s tin,” Taco Shack seems like it has most of the business after it started t a u r a n t a t f o u r t h i r t y a n d reached good. ATX up. They had planned for openw o u l d n ’t l e a v e u n t i l e l e v e n ing day to be Saturday March 16, o ’ c l o c k a t n i g h t , ” Yo l i r e 1996, the first day of spring break, c a l l s . O p e n i n g Ta c o S h a c k

ByJames L. .

From

Bird watching to

Some Bat Stuff The bats provide a valuable service to the Austin community by consuming between 10,000 to 30,000 pounds of insects nightly! Bats can live to be 30 years old. Mother bats give birth to a single pup each year. The pupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birth weight is nearly 1/3 that of its mother.

The ATX Magazine April 21, 2009

During migrations to Mexico and back, bats may reach an altitude of 10,000 feet and velocities of 60 miles per hour.

Bat

Watching?

The Mexican free tail bats have their largest urban colony in North America They came to one city during mid-march to November from Mexico at eat between 10,000 to 30,000 pounds of insects each night. They live under the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge and come out in huge columns at dusk. The city live in is even called “Bat City”, because of them. People all over the world come to see the bats rise from

their resting place to blanket the sky. Many people come to see them for many different reasons and if you are scared of bats don’t worry those bats are normally harmless to humans, unless they are sick. If you want to get there in time to see the bats and get a huge experience and be able to tell your friends that you saw hundreds or not thousands of bats came out from they resting place, here is how to get there, take either Mopac or IH-35

to downtown and exit on 1st Street. Proceed towards the center of town. Congress Avenue Bridge is the bridge located closest to IH-35. Also, just a added fact, for your safely and the safely of others please read and follow all safely rules they have at the bridge. ATX

Photo courtesy of Mark

By David M. The ATX Magazine April 21, 2009

Austinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Auto Anger

The photo shows how the thraffic in Austin comes in waves. This creates problems with lights, since they cannot be timed to handle the unpredictable traffic flow, even if the amount of overall traffic is low

This wide photo of scary looking traffic in Austin has been the last thing that many victims of Austin drivers.

Once again, traffic slows down for this poorly designed entrance ramp, which then curves. The amount of unseen space creates uncertainty, which leads to many wrecks.

This photo shows just how crowded, an Austin highway can be. Austin is the 6th most heavily congested cities in the United States of America, it is clear why that is.

Photos by Rachel Ann

By Chris D.

An Illustrated GU East Eleventh Street

Interstate Highw Police Headquarters

UMC - Brackenridge

Rainey Street Hilton Austin Convention Center

Red River Street Sixth Street

The Four Seasons

Frost Bank Tower Austin American-Statesman

The Driskill Capitol Grounds

Austin Museum of Art The Austonian Norwood Tower

Congress Avenue Chase Tower Warehouse District

Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mansion

City Hall County Courthouse

Central Library Republic Square

The ATX Magazine April 21, 2009

County Jail

360

South First Street

Auditorium Sh

The Monarch

Seaholm Power Plant Spring Union Pacific Railroad

Whole Foods Book People Lamar Boulevard

Waterloo Records The Castle Treaty Oak Town Lake YMCA

UIDE to plus a short history lesson.....

way 35

Travis Heights

South Congress

The Long Center

Sno-Beach

hores

Palmer Events Center

P. Terry’s Barton Springs Road

Barton Place

Little Leauge Fields

Chuy’s

Art by Chris D.

Austin, Texas was its first classes (1883) and founded in 1839 by the the International & Great government of the Republic Northern Railroad built a of Texas to serve the purpermanent station at Third pouse of (in the words of and Congress. President Miribeau B. La The collapse of the mar) “a future seat of [an] Austin Dam in the great empire”. The original street flood of 1900 highlited a grid, extending from Water need to tame the Colorado (now Cesar Chavez) Street River in Central Texas. along the Colorado River to When the Great DeppresNorth Avenue sion hit in (now Fifteenth 1929, an initiaFor more on Street) and tive was begun Austin’modern from East by Senator history, see Avenue (now Lyndon John“Austintatious?, Interstate 35) son to build to West Avenue, pg. 28, and “Soul dams above was planned by of the City”, pg. 32 Austin. Out of Edwin Waller. this came the The original log Capi- Highland Lakes: Buchanan, tol at Seventh and Congress Inks, LBJ, Marble Falls, (around the present-day site Travis, and Austin. of Kruger’s Jewelers) was By the end of World replaced by a stone strucWar II, the city was home to ture in the early 1850s after 130,000 people, and was a the capital, which had been growing center of business moved to Houston in the in Central Texas along the later years of the Republic, new Interregional Highway was moved back following (Interstate 35). As the econstatehood in 1845. By the omy diversified away from end of the Civil War, the city the state and the university was home to more than 4500 into banking, real estate, people. and techology, the city grew A fire in 1881 deinto a boomtown with a stroyed the old limestone popluation measured in six Capitol, which was replaced figures in the 1970s and by the present granite struc- 1980s. It continues to grow ture over the next seven today, with seven figures years. Also in the 1880s, easily in its sights. ATX the University of Texas held

By Emma H.

Austin’s 3 Best Sno-Cones Jim-Jim’s Water Ice

hen Philadelphia native Jim Moy, discovered his Texan friend had never heard of water ice, a type of snow cone popular in Philadelphia. Moy was shocked, but inspired, and decided to open up his own water ice stand in Texas. Since Jim Jim’s opened about fifteen years ago it has grown into a store on east sixth street, and stands throughout Austin. The ice is finer than any snow cone place in town and the flavors are fresh, with real fruit juice combine to create what is definitely the best snow cone in Austin .

The ATX Magazine April 21, 2009

Sno Beach

he fluffy ice and creamy flavors of Casey’s snow cones have turned this shack on 51st and Airport into one of the few places in town that has people lined up down the entire street from March to October. No doubt those lines would be there all year without the winter off-season. The snow cones can be topped with condensed milk and can come in cream based flavors like boston cream pie, something unusual in Austin where most snow cones are fruit flavored. So if your looking for a different type of snow cone, Casey’s is the place for you.

Photo by Emma H.

Casey’s New Orleans Snowballs

his extremely popular snow cone stand, one near Barton Springs, and one on Guadalupe, has dozens of flavors. They range from the basic fruit ones found at any little league snow cone stand (cherry, grape, etc) to unique flavors like silverfox. The ice is the texture of real snow and the flavors are good, unfortunately sometimes the college students who work there put too much syrup.

cti

rden

v i ti

lac

es in a n d of A

u s t i n

The #

The #4 pla ce to g The # 3p la

Photos by Rachel Ann

an G a r

Sta C a p

il k e

t o m e o f h e wi er d p

eo p d ro m a nt i c le Z

xa s

th e

lac

ee s

l an

The #6 p

useu

n A u st i n is

niversity of Te

The #1 place in Austin is the State History Museum

e # 2 pla c

e c a pita l C i

th in

if u

x as is t h e L i n Te t BJ s u li b A n

n i e

6 t h S t r e e t, w s i s a her x e T e n i i s t n s t yo he Au s ti b

ByJames L. .

Happens

What happens in May, stays inin May What Austi

Sunday Monday TuesdayWednesdayThursday Friday Saturday 1.

Brazilian Brazilian Nite at Nite at Copa Copa Salsa Esperanza

The ATX Magazine April 21, 2009

3. Yoga Classes at Barsana Dham

5. Brazilian Nite at Copa

6. 7. Brazilian Nite at Copa

10. 11. Yoga Classes at Barsana Dham

12.

13. Video Marketing Expo

14.

15.

17. 18. Yoga Classes at Barsana Dham

20.

21.

22.

23. Austin Civic Chorus

24. Austin Wine Festival

26. 27. Manchester Orchestra

28.

29.

30.

4. Brazilian Nite at Copa

25. Austin Wine Festival

Stays in Austin

y Sunday Monday TuesdayWednesdayThursday Friday Saturday 1.

9. Brazilian Nite at Copa

10. 11. 12. Brazilian Nite Edwin Mcat Copa cain Concerts: Pop/Rock One World Theatre

7. 8. Yoga Class- Brazilian es at Bar- Nite at sana Dham Copa

14. Yoga Classes at Barsana Dham

15. 16. 17. Santigold Grizzly Concerts: Bear Alternative Concerts: Stubbs Bbq Alternative The Parish

21. 22. Yoga Classes at Barsana Dham

23.

28.

30.

29.

24.

4. 5. Al Stewart Concerts: Pop/ Rock One World Theatre

6. Brazilian Nite at Copa

13.

18.

19.

20. Mariachi Vargas Do Tecalitlan

25.

26.

27.

Photo by Mark Hernandez

ByJames L. .

Insource

The ATX Magazine April 21, 2009

uring the afternoon Lisa Lentz is trying to set up her e-mail account so it sends and receives e-mail correctly. After trying for hours she is tired and anxious to get it done. She calls the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s help center. Hoping to get the email account working, she is astonished to be answered by a person with an Indian accent. After many hours trying to understand the person she hangs up, still not knowing how to set up the account, angry at the company for outsourcing their help center to another country. It is said that outsourcing benefits a company more than insourcing. Well, first of all what is outsourcing and insourcing? Outsourcing is the term used when companies con-

or Outsource?

tracts out to a third-party company. It involves the transfer of the day-to-day jobs or management of an entire business function to an external service provider, often in another country. Insourcing is the term used when companies transfer the day to day jobs or

management of an entire business function to itself. It involves bringing in more people or training existing personnel to perform those jobs. Insourcing moves the jobs to a company, while outsourcing moves the jobs away from a company. Unfortunately, what is said about outsourcing being able to benefit a company more than insourcing is wrong and this is why:

Outsourcing does save companies money by either making better use of time and energy costs or by reducing the taxes and labor costs put on companies. In the United States, based on a report called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Toyota sweats U.S. labor costsâ&#x20AC;? on labor costs, the costs of labor will increase to 900 million dollars per month by 2011. In the Ranong Province in Thailand the costs of labor, based on a report on the costs of doing business in Thailand, is only 3,067.48 US dollars a month. It is cheap for companies to outsource to Thailand than to keep the jobs in the United States. Insourcing saves companies money by either allowing the company to not have to hire new people to do the jobs and not have to build new buildings for the jobs. Even though outsourcing does save money for companies, the companies still have to pay to build the building being used or pay for the services needed

for the service provider to do those jobs. Also the company might also have to pay for any dissatisfaction that might arise from outsourcing. The two biggest problems that outsourcing has are quality risks and fraud. Quality risks are risks that all companies take when they enter outsourcing partnerships. Quality risks are driven by many factors, one of those is the chance of suppliers taking advantage of their partner. The finding of a survey done by the company Goldman Sachs and Co shows that outsourcing caused the lack of chemical safety standards that leaded to a product recall. Quality is hard to keep track of in foreign countries. When the quality decreases to cause a product recall, the company’s image and name is destroyed. Quality is measured by the ease of inspecting the product or service by the company and the potential negative impact of a quality defect on the company. With outsourcing moving the jobs to another service provider it is difficult to inspect every single unit, causing defects to happen. Sometimes they are fine or they are very bad for customers and the company. Another thing that is decreases the quality of a company is when their call center worker has an accent, or the wording is different from the caller’s. It is hard to question that the public that finds it hard to understand the accents, word use of people that work for call centers in other countries. Just like what happened to Lisa Lentz.

Insourcing, on the other hand, keeps the services in the company allowing the company to inspect every single unit more easily than had the services been outsourced. Also with inspections happening, the amount of defects decrease, resulting in the company succeeding and the customer wanting to bring their services to the company. Fraud is not something people usually think about

“ Unfortunately, what is said about outsourcing being able to benefit a company more than insourcing is wrong and this is why: “ when it comes to outsourcing. However it is unquestionable that fraud is more likely to happen when outsourcers are involved. In April, four years ago, four Citibank customers lost $350,000 in total. This happened because a services provider’s workers acquired the passwords to the four customers’ accounts and transferred the money to their own accounts, opened under fake names. Fraud is not something that happens often, but when it does the company’s image is destroyed and the customers lose trust and interest in the company. Insourcing keeps all the jobs close to the company’s home country; removing the different word use that outsourcing brings. The public opinion on outsourcing is pretty bad, too. It is easy to see that outsourcing

damages a local labor market and it is hard to argue that outsourcing disrupt jobs. The jobs that are outsourced are taken from the people who are doing the jobs in the company to the services provider’s workers. This leads to an increase of distrust with the company by its former workers. Insourcing keeps the jobs in the company, allowing the workers to have no worries about being laid off and new jobs are created. By moving more services to the company, the company increases the local labor market. If the company had insourced their help centers, Lisa Lentz would have been able to set up her e-mail account. ATX

By Chris D.

The Soul

ofAustin

The ATX Magazine April 21, 2009

Why The Condo Boom Isn’t All Just Doom and Gloom he soul of Austin, over the past thir-

ty years, has been challenged, mortally endangered, beaten, and according to some, killed. They often say it died sometime this decade, probably in the latter half, around the time they tore down Las Manitas Mexican restaurant on Congress Avenue for the big Marriott hotel, the one that’s been delayed now because of the economy. Or maybe they might say it died years ago, when they closed Liberty Lunch on Second Street, where they’re building that big new W hotel and condominium building and between the two recently completed AMLI condominium buildings. To some, the city’s soul is still alive, but gasping for air, its life force tied to the waters of Barton Springs that Freeport-McMoran fouled up in the Eighties and that AMD made even worse a couple years ago. Overall, the tone is grim, and despite the fact that the majority of local businesses have flourished and that a huge variety of new ones, along

with new cultural resources and civic opportunities, have opened up, many observe that things will only get worse in the future. Wait a minute. Slow down, read that sentence again. Downtown Austin, inhabited after dark as little as fifteen years ago by only homeless people and the Governor of Texas, is becoming a bustling twenty-fourhour-a-day community, with grocery stores, cleaners, clothing stores, and many other establishments. Many, if not the majority, of these new businesses are locally owned, and they represent a trend in retailing that’s more unique than any suburban mall could ever hope to be. And on top of that, such longtime local institutions as Kruger’s Jewelers and the Old Pecan Street Café & Bakery have survived and prospered. These and other local businesses are often cited as one of the most important aspects of Austin’s “weirdness”; on the whole, they have prospered and seem well-set to weather the recession that is currently hitting America’s strip malls and big-box shopping centers hard. A prime example of this survival and recent prosper-

ity can be seen on South Congress Avenue, the neighborhood now referred to (in the style of New York City’s ultra-trendy South of Houston Street, or SoHo) as SoCo. Extending roughly from the spic-and-span offices of the Austin American-Statesman on the shores of Lady Bird Lake to the bustling H-EB grocery store at Oltorf Street, about a mile’s distance, the area consisted twenty-five years or so ago of a scattering of local businesses, along with a porno theatre, auto repair shops, and the San Jose Motor Court (an alleged brothel which, as the story goes, at one point had a direct line to the Capitol so that lawmakers could always be reached). Artists and other “hip” people bought cheap fixer-uppers, and the area began to improve. The porno theatre closed, and new local restaurants such as ther Magnolia Café and Guero’s Taco Bar opened up. In the past fifteen years, the area has improved dramatically to become a locally and nationally famous culinary and shopping destination. The San Jose, now a superswank hotel operated by local entrepreneur Liz Lambert, sits amongst such hip stores as Amercian Apparel and locally-owned sweets

late ‘70s until this decade, looked at the metro area and saw their choices for desirable places to live as the mushrooming suburbs in southern Travis County, Pflugerville, maybe Westlake or Rollingwood or the Northwest Hills area, around the swanky new Arboretum mall. The central parts of the city became a place to go for business (afThe Hill Country Galleria mall in Bee Cave, west of Austin, is a good exter all, most of the ample of suburban sprawl in the metro area savings-and-loans that fueled the city’s booming economy had their offices in the shiny new glass towers there), for parades and marathons and 10K runs, but the neighborhoods around it were populated mostly by longtime Austinites who lived in smaller, older houses (with the exceptions of Enfield and Old West Austin, the early capitals of the tearConversely, University Park (along Interstate 35 on the former site of Condown trend). But, cordia University) presents a vision of sustainable, dense development around fifteen years ago, close-in areas emporium Big Top Candy so, our fair municipality has like Zilker, Barton Shop. Fine restaurants, such gone from a sleepy university Hills, Hyde Park, and Traas nationally recongnized town of a couple hundred vis Heights became highly Enoteca Vespaio, sit alongthousand nestled on the edge desirable. Everyday working side such longtime tenants as of the Texas Hill Country to citizens, as well as artists Allens Boot Company and lo- a sprawling city which, comand musicians looking for a cally renowned costume shop bined with its suburbs in Wil- cheap place to live, bought Lucy in Disguise (known for liamson, Bastrop, and Hays homes in these middle-class the zebra in a Brazilian Car- Counties, contains more than and in some cases potentially nival outfit which adorns its a million people. Many of lower-class neighborhoods. roof). these new Central Texans, As the areas became “cool”, In the past thirty years or from the housing boom of the Top photo courtesy of A.D. Willis and Co., San Antonio; bottom Alexandrina Realty and Development

Magazine Name Section

more upper-class professionals and families began moving in, taking many of the older and potentially more valuable houses. In response, property values shot up, and those former residents of the neighborhoods that could no longer afford to rent or pay their higher property taxes were forced out. This process that has been seen in so many urban communities, both in Austin and around the country, is known as gentrification. Although it has already run its course in some areas, particularly Hyde Park and South Austin, it is currently occurring in a largely overlooked (until recently, at least) part of the city – the historically African and Mexican-American neighborhoods of East Austin. This area, extending for the purposes of this article from the old Mueller Airport to Lady Bird Lake and from Interstate 35 to Airport Boulevard, is extremely close-in and, until recently, had many inexpensive properties available which, had they not been around crime-ridden spots as East Twelfth Street or in the shadow of the Holly Power Plant, would have been valuable. But around the turn of the century, artists began moving in, especially to the area immediately east of I-35 adjacent to Downtown. And, as could have been predicted, longtime residents (many of them from minority ethnic groups) began to be forced out, as they simply couldn’t afford to live there anymore. However, the City of Aus-

tin has taken steps to remedy this situation. Aided in no small part by tax dollars collected from new apartments, condominiums, and businesses and by community partnerships established with their developers, improvements have been made to the area to make it safer for both current and future residents, as well as to adapt the existing neighborhood into a more viable urban community. The East Eleventh and Twelfth Street areas have been cleaned up, and new office and retail developments along East Eleventh include community space and businesses which the neighborhood has long been lacking (a Wells Fargo bank branch, for example). Improvements have been made to the George Washington Carver Library, which is now arguably the best branch in the Austin Public Library system. And new affordable housing has been constructed on formerly underused blocks near the intersection of Rosewood, Navarro, and Eleventh. A continuation and expansion of these programs, which have worked so well in the Central Eastside neighborhood, could help change the outcome of gentrification from one where the entire old community is forced out to a hybrid Eastside that is better for everyone, be they artists upper-class office workers, families, or elderly residents. Many other examples exist of occasions when the city of Austin has been able to benefit from new developments or events in the urban

landscape. Millions of dollars in ticket sales and city fees from the Rolling Stones performance in Zilker Park in 2006 was given to the Austin Parks Department, which has used them to improve and beautify not only Zilker Park but nearly every park in the City of Austin. (In Barton Hills, a new awning over the basketball court attests to the power of Mick Jagger’s guitar strokes.) If Austin were still a smaller and less developed town, with less of a vibrant central-city, would we even have merited such a visit by such a band? Might the Stones have played the Dell Diamond in Round Rock instead (or, heaven forbid, Dallas’ Texas Stadium)? Admittedly our stature as the Live Music Capital of the world helps a bit, but just think: how many new Downtown residents already knew the best venues and restaurants to take their outof-town friends to during the most recent South by Southwest Music Festival? There are those who look at new downtown condominium towers such as Spring, 360, the Monarch, the Plaza on Republic Square, and the Shore on Rainey Street and see only “a bunch of Californians”. And then there are those who look at them and think, “Hey, there’s a young family that just moved here from Phoenix. There’s a married couple from Round Rock who wanted to be closer to their jobs at the Capitol. And there’s a University of Texas professor, and a restaurant owner, and....” These people

see possibilities, and see the diversity which the residential boom of the last fifteen years has brought almost unlimited business and cultural oppurtunities to Central Austin. The Long Center, the revival of the Paramount Theatre and the Austin Museum of Art on Congress Avenue: all accomplishments of the past fifteen years, and all much appreciated by not just residents of Downtown byt by people from all across the city, and tourists from the farest corners of the world (believe me, I’ve been downtown on a weekend and seen people from places like Japan, Germany, China, Britan, and India taking Segway tours of Congress Avenue). Austin is a destination, and they come not just for the not-walking tours: they also visit places like Chuy’s, the Broken Spoke, and Barton Springs. And when they go home, they might just log onto a Dell computer, go grocery shopping at their local Whole Foods, or see Willie Nelson on the news again for marajuana posession. Austin’s soul has spread around the globe, and it’s looking alive and well. ATX

By Emma H.

Austintatious?

The ATX Magazine April 21, 2009

Is Austin Snobby?

With its music festivals, nearly 40 percent of its residents under 24, and its open detern Yahoo Answers, a young newlywed woman mination to be unique and cool, Austin probably cannot help it. Austin is abundant with moving to Texas, screen local businesses, landmarks, and outdoor acname Traveler777, asks tivities, not to mention being one of if not the whether she should only Democratic part of Texas. You can still choose to live in Austin find plenty of local businesses, old buildings, or Dallas. The majority lakes, and Democrats in most parts of Texas, of people answering her even if they are not quite as common, so why question are from the does that make Austin so incredibly special? Dallas suburbs, politely singing the praises The answer is that Austin, a place that of their city’s family friendliness, but always suggesting that Austin would still be worth a prides itself on being open-minded, and is snobby. Austinites view Austin as Texas’s trip. oasis, a place where people are smarter, more The few answers from Austinites are creative, and overall more exciting and interdecidedly different. Answers from Austiniesting. There are many intelligent, creative, tes range from the polite yet strongly biexciting, and interesting places in Austin. Yet ased, “Austin is definitely the better choice: Austinites refuse to acknowledge that any prettier, more open minded, better real other place in Texas comestate market, and betpares. ter access to the places “Dallies=fat,white, This probably began in you may wanna visit in the sixties, when Austin Texas. WELCOME!!!” to and racist became the center of Texas the straight forward, “I Austin =BAD***” hippiedom. In the 1970s think the t-shirts say it while the rest of the state was best. Keep Austin Weird - Mike D becoming more conservative and Keep Dallas PretenAustin was becoming more tious.” Then there was liberal, which set them apart Mike D’s answer, “SCREW everywhere else in Texas, and as people with DALLIES!!! Move to Austin! ATX ALL a certain set of political views tend to do, THE WAY!!! Dallies=fat, white, and racist. began to look down upon competing political Austin=BAD***.” beliefs, Democrat vs. Republican. Whether or not their opinion is as strong Then there is the fact that Austin is a as Mike D’s, many of Austinites feel pretty college town, other Texas cities have colleges, similar feelings towards not only Dallas but but much less of the city’s culture revolves most other places in Texas. Austinites who around those colleges. So not only do Aushave just visited Houston whine about Houston’s never ending freeways to the first people tinites view their city as a center of learning, they view the culture as more “cool” since it they see, usually receiving looks of pity and tends to be more youthful (the average age understanding from their fellow Austinites. Mike D’s answer pretty much says it all about of an Austinite is 30) than other that of other city’s because UT is so important to Austin. how Austinites view the rest of Texas, and This also goes hand in hand with Austin’s Austin itself.

Photo by Emma H.

The Pecan Street Festival in downtown Austin. view that other Texas cities, like Houston and that of people in the same job in other cities. Dallas, with a much less youthful culture, are Why? People want to live here, people want where you go when your old or to live in a subto work here, and they are willing to be paid urb an hour away from your job. That house substantially less as long as their job is here, will probably cost many times less than anyaccording to employers. In other words, Austin thing in Austin. is so “cool” we do not even have to try and give Anyone who has lived in other Texas cities people an incentive to work here, people just can tell you that living in flock to Austin, begging for Austin is noticeably more work. “Salaries of people expensive than almost any It is true that jobs living in Austin are other city or town in Texas, in Austin are in high deespecially the when it comes almost always lower mand. It is also true that to housing. Not only have most people still choose to than that of people in some of these people walked go for the better paying jobs into an HEB, seen the the same job in other elsewhere. The cities that prices, and checked to make Austinites so love to criticize sure they were not in Whole cities” offer better pay. Dallas and Foods, but the price of the Houston are the strongest average home in Austin is about 30,000 dollars examples, the high payday offered in these two more in Austin than Houston according to the places has convinced millions of people to move Copeland Real Estate Group. to each. Austin has no doubt lost an incredible Austin was one of the few places were the amount of talent due to its snobbery. cost of housing actually rose in 2008. Yet de Austin is an amazing city. Yet its pride in its spite Austin’s pricey lifestyle, salaries of people own “coolness” has made it become snobby. So living in Austin are almost always lower than before their gag reflex kicks in at the thought of

The ATX Magazine April 21, 2009

any other parts of Texas, Austinites may want to try taking a nice slow breath and remembering that other places in Texas have lots to offer. Traveler777, the young newlywed moving to Texas, now lives in Dallas. ATX

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Staff

of ATX Magazine

During his 35-year career in the media, Chris Dlastname has held a wide range of positions, from the international editorship of the New York Times, White House correspondent for the Washington Post, the anchor’s desk at CBS Evening News, to covering four Olympic Games for Sports Illustrated magazine. Most importantly, however, he likes to draw stuff and play Ultimate Frisbee. General James R. Last Name, being the CEO/ Supreme General of the A.I.T Alliance, brings the support needed to create this Magazine. He brings information about Technology and Scientific facts that help fill this Magazine to the max. Born in Austin, he brings interesting facts to this Magazine. The A.I.T Alliance, itself, brings designers, topographers, writers, and editors that help make this Magazine the best it can be. “Success is what happens when preparation meets opportunity, and I am always prepared.” David McLastName. As our lead sports analyst and count down list contributor, David applies his unusual Austin experiences to our E-Zine. David plays two sports, and is an excellent student at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy High School.

Emma Hasalastname wrote Taco Shack, Austintatious?, Austin’s 3 Best Snow Cones, and Mayor. She is on the lacrosse and mock trial teams. Emma is not sure what she wants to do in the future but it will hopefully involve college and lots of money.