Lack of green space causes floods
Urbansprawl looked at assource of Austin'slack of drainage,properinfrastructure
unabletokeepupwiththelargeamount of runoff that agrowingcitybrings.
Withagrowingcitycomesnewdevelopments but alsoanage-oldenvironmental problem: flooding.Accordingtoastudypublishedinthe NatureClimateChangeJournal,Austinwill seea roughly30%increaseinfloodingby2050.
SourcessuchastheNatureClimateChange Journal acknowledgeacorrelationbetweenthe increaseindensityandfloodingandadecrease inpermeablesurfaces.Whennewlybuilt houses takeupmorespace,theycover groundthat once absorbedrainwater.Newsidewalksandroads alsocreateimpervioussurfaces.
Thecitynowrequiresdeveloperstoattempt to counteract therecent riseinfloodingwith methodssuchasman-madedetentionponds, whichstorestormwater runoff andkeepit off theimpermeablesurfaces.DeveloperslikeDavid Whitworth,founder of local development company WhitworthHomes,has observedthat thesizeof these detentionpondsisan important factor intheir abilitytoprevent flooding.
?I findlarger detention pondstobemuchmore effectivethanhavingasmaller individual oneoneverylot,? Whitworthsaid.?They?remuch easier tomaintain,andhavea larger capacity.Youcanalsomakebetter useof thelot if youdon't havetoleaveroomfor one.?
Accordingtolocal floodengineer Monica Wedo,detentionpondscomewithdisadvantages aswell.Besidestakingupspaceandattracting mosquitos,thesedetentionpondsareoften
?Theissueweseealot hereinCentral Austinisthat alot of our pipesanddrainage structuresareunder-designed,?Wedosaid.?So it?snot that thedevelopersaredoing somethingpurposefullysneakyor detrimental; it'sthat our systemsarewell belowcurrent codestandards.Alot of thestormdrainsare aroundhalf thesizetheyaresupposedtobe,so theydon't havethecapacitytoget thewater off thegroundasquicklyastheyneedto.?
OnesuchprobleminAustinthat isoften chalkeduptothecity?slackof effective drainageisthefloodingat OnionCreek. Accordingtoa2021report bytheFederal EmergencyManagement Agency,855homes intheOnionCreekWatershedwereaffected bythe2013floodingonHalloween.This resultedinwhat isknownastheOnionCreek buyout.Startingin2016,thecitybegan purchasinghousesinthe OnionCreekareawith planstodemolishall housingintheareaand avoidpropertydamage fromflooding.
Closer tohome, McCallumhasn't been immunetoflooding.The ongoingfloodingof the McCallumArtsCenter, whichfirst occurredon Oct.17,hasbeena frequent problem.Studentsweredisplaced fromclassesintheMACtheater andforcedto migratetoother areasof campus.Thebuilding wasinitiallydrainedbyaStanleySteamer truck,but floodshavecontinuedtooccur with rainyweather.Assistant principal AndyBaxa
saidthat preparingfor theconstructionof the newdancestudiocausedtheMACtobe susceptibletoflooding.
?Untiltheyget farenoughintothe constructioncycle,we?realwaysgoingtobea littlebit vulnerabletothewatercomingin,?Baxa said.?Butonceourfoundationispouredforthe newdancestudio,we?retoldthatthatshould removethevulnerabilityforthewaterseepage.?
Baxasaidthefloodingriskisdiminishing astheconstruction progresses.
?Recentlywe hadaheavyrain anddidnot get anywater seepage for thefirst time sincethe construction processstarted,? Baxasaid.?We'rehopingthat theproblemis gettingclosetobeingfixed.?
McCallumstudentsareaffectedbyflooding outsideof theclassroomaswell.Senior Molly Holder livesincloseproximitytoBull Creek, andshesaysthat heavyrainfall canshut down transportationtoandfromher housefor days at atime.
?Whenit rains,thefloodwater blockscertain roads,?Holder said,?sononeof myneighbors or I canleaveour houses.Noonecanenter eitheruntil afewdayslater whenthewater levelsgodown.It'sahugeproblem.I can't get toschool ondaystheroadsareflooded.?
Holder thinksthecityneedstodomoreto prevent further issuesfromoccurring.
?Whenthecitybuildsnewapartment complexes,roads,parkinglotsandother things that takeupspace,theyneedtobemoreaware of thefloodingproblems,?Holder said.?There
arealot of areaswherewecanmakemore drainagepointsandstuff,liketheroadleadingup tomyhouse,but we'rejust not doingit.People haveliterallydiedonthat road,but thereisstill nothingbeingdonetomakeit moresafeandkeep it fromoverflowingwithwater.?
Holder alsovoicedher concernabout the effectsof thefloodsonwildlife.Floodwater can containparasitesandtoxicsubstancesthat,if consumed,leadtowater-bornediseases.In addition,residuefromharmful matter inthewater canalsocollect onthewildlifeandresult inchemical burns,dermatitis,hair lossor worse. WhitworthbelievesAustinwould dowell tomakeexistingdevelopment denser rather thanexpanding development outward.
?I?mafraidthat if wedon'tstart buildinginawaythat abigcityshould bebuilt we'rejust goingtohavemorehighwaysand fewertrees,?Whitworthsaid.?Thecitywill bemore spreadout,peoplewill havetodrivefurther distancestoget places,andwe'll just havealarger footprintingeneral.That'swhyI thinkdensityis thebetterchoiceintermsof theenvironment.?
Wedobelievesanysolutionneedsinvolveda systemic,coordinatedplanningeffort.
?Thefloodingproblemistrickytofix,?Wedo said.?If youput bigger stormdraininletsand pipesinoneneighborhood,therunoff will travel faster tothenext areaor neighborhood downstream,andyouhavemorefloodingthere.?
AccordingtoWedo,properlyaddressing Austin?sfloodingproblemwouldbeboth logisticallyandfinanciallychallenging.
?Youcan?t just fixtheissuewithasingular solution,?Wedosaid.?There?saseriesof things that needtobedone,andit?snot goingtobe cheap,or easy.?
feb. 10, 2023 6 news
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JOJO BARNARD staff reporter
Araingutterdumpsrainwateronthe McCallumcourtyardduringflashfloods onAug.22,2022.PhotobyDaveWinter.
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Oursystemsare well below current code standards.
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? local flood engineer Monica Wedo
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It'sa huge problem. I can't get to school ondaysthe roadsare flooded.
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senior Molly Holder
Music makes a movie
Film scoresdeepenmeaning,audience viewing experience
ELIZA JENSEN A&Eco-editorImagineyour favoritemoviewithout itsmusic.Without their accompanying scores,wouldtheHarryPotteror StarWars franchisesbeasiconicastheyare?Wouldyou cryat thebeginningof Upwithout its heartbreakingpianotoguideyouthrough?
Nowadays,it?shardtoimagineamovie without music.Inthe1920s,theAgeof the Silver Screen,or theeraof silent film, dominatedthefilmindustry.Therewasno recordedsoundaccompanyingmovies,and especiallynospokendialogue.Despitetheidea of combiningmovingpictureswithrecorded
sound havingbeen aroundfor almost as longastheideafor the filmitself,filmmakerswere unabletodosobecauseof the technical challengesinvolved withtheprocess. Evenwhentheonlymovies comingout weresilent,however,music alwaysstucktoitsside. Manyshowingsof silent filmsalmost always featuredlivemusic.It wasessential in buildingthefilm's atmosphereand givingtheaudience vital emotional cues.
Inthemodernday, filmsarenever without their musical companion.
Everymovieplayingat atheater or froma streamingservicehasitsowndistinctivescore.
Asfilmsevolve,thescorestill playsacrucial roleincommunicationthat isonlyimplied. Aneffectivescoreaddsdepthandemotiontoa scenethat dialoguecannot.
Thinkabout your favoritemovie.Haveyou
ever listenedtothemusicinthebackground? Wouldthetoneandatmospherebethesame if youchangedit?
Anoriginal scoresisvital tothe story-makingprocess,andbychangingit or addingit toanother movie,mainlywithinthe samefranchise,anineffectivescorecantake awayfromwhat thescenewastryingtocreate. Whenyoutakethescorefromanother movie withinthesamefranchise,it can re-contextualizewhat theoriginal moviehad established.
TaketheStarWars franchisefor example. Withintheninemovies makinguptheprequels, originalsandsequels, JohnWilliamshas carefullycomposedthe greatest franchisescore of hiscareer,onlytobe disregardedwithTheRiseofSkywalker.Before themoviecameout,JohnWilliam?sideafor thefilm?soriginal scorewasleaked.WhenThe RiseofSkywalkerwasreleased,however,many fanswereperplexedwhentheyheardthesame musicfromtheoriginal trilogy.Transporting thesameversiontothesequel put it inanew
context whereit nolonger heldthe samemeaningandemotionthat it heldpreviously.
ThemusicwithinTheRiseof Skywalkerfelt out of orderwiththefilm'splot and, mostimportantly,theuseof thescoresfromthe originalsfelt likethefilmmakersweretryingto relyonthenostalgiafansmighthavefelt forthe originals.It cametolight,however,that John Williamshadwrittenthreehoursof musicforthe filmthat wasscrappedandwouldpotentiallynever seethelightof daythat it verymuchdeserved.
Thatdiscoveryraisesthequestionof whether themoviewouldhavebeendifferentwithJohn Williams'snewscore.Whatwashisvisionforthe film?Thesequestionswill likelyneverbeanswered.
It maynot seemthat important,but composersput aconsiderableamount of thought intothealreadycomplicatedart that isfilm scoring,andfor themost part.it goes unappreciatedandovershadowedbyafilm?s other components.Evenat theAcademyAwards, filmscoresgounappreciated.Thefilmscore awardwasnot evenpresentedliveat the2022 Oscars.Thisomissionwasaslapinthefaceto thehundredsof composers,musicians,orchestra members,alongwithother professionals,who put their heart andsoul intoeachfilm'sscore. Their workprovidestoday?scinematic storytellingwithitsemotional foundation.
Thereissomuchthat goesintomakingamovie, fromthescreenplaytothecinematography,the editingtothecasting,and,of course,theacting. Butperhapsthemostunappreciatedandvital part of cinematodayisamovie?sscore.
Graphic bySophie Leung-Lieu.Would you cry at the beginning of Up without its heartbreaking piano to guide you through?" "
a&e 9 feb. 10, 2023
Rey(DaisyRidley) preparesforbattle in The Rise of Skywalker trailer.Photo accessed onthe StarWars YouTube channel. Published here under fairuse.No copyright infringement is intended.
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Bringing birding to Mac shield the
Seniorfoundsbird club,sharespassionwith like-minded 'Feathered Friends'
ELENA ULACK staff reporter
Senior GillianLucente?sobsessionwithbirds startedright beforeher freshmanyear.This obsessiononlyincreasedonJuly10,2021,when sheexperiencedanup-closesightingof a red-shoulderedhawk.
?For thelongest timeI thought I wasliving next toared-tailedhawk,but after awhile,I wasstartingtonoticeadifferencebetweenthe two,?Lucentesaid.?I waslike,?That'sdefinitely not ared-tailedhawk.?SoI startedlookinginto it more.?
Eventually,thered-shoulderedhawkflew right uptoLucente'swindow,givingher a glimpseof it just bylookingdirectlyup.
?I hadnever beensoamazedtoseesucha birdupclose,tothepoint whereI just hadto knowmore,?Lucentesaid.?It kindof got me evenmoreandmoreintobirding.?
Lucente'snewfoundpassionfor birding inspiredher tofoundabirdingclubcalled McCallumFeatheredFriends.Shestartedthe clubtoput it onacollegerésumé,learn leadershipskillsandfindlike-mindedpeople whosharedher passionfor birds.Kickingoff theclub,however,provedtobeachallenge.
?I wasscaredtostart it becauseI wasafraid peoplewerejust goingtolaughat it,?Lucente said.?After awhile,myfriendstartedsaying, ?Youshouldtotallydoit.?Soeventually,I was like,?I guesswe?ll seehowthisworks.??
After Lucentefilledout theclubapplication form,chemistryteacher JaceKleincaught wind of thepropositionandvolunteeredtobethe club?sadviser.
?I took aclasson birdswhen I wasin collegeandhadalot of fun,?Klein said.?I really triedtohelpstart it andget it off the ground.Thestudentsaretheleaders.I?mjust therefor support.?
WhenMcCallumFeatheredFriendsstarted last year,theleadersbeganbyprovidingFIT sessionswherethegroupwouldgooutside, enjoynatureandtrytolookfor birds.Thisyear, thegroupismoreorganized.At theclub'sfirst official meeting,theleadersdevisedagame wheretheclubmemberswouldgooutsideand lookfor birds.Basedonthekindsof birdsthey saw,theygot acertainnumber of points.
Inthefuture,thebirdclubwill goon early-morningwalkswhenbirdsaremost active andhelptheschool becomemorebird-friendly bymakingbirdhousesandfeeders.
?I think anyonecan doit aslongasthey haveenough patience,?Lucentesaid. ?I?ve noticed somepeopledon?t haveenough patiencetojust sit outsideand look at a bird longenough tobelike,?OK,that?sa bluejay?,or seetwodifferent crowsnext to each other and belike,?That?sadifferent onethan that one.??
SophomoreKyanAdamswaslookingfor a clubthat wasrelevant tohisinterestsin paleontologyandzoologyandbegan attendingthebirdclub.Adamsisthe representativefor theunderclassmenandis hopingtobeaspokespersonfor theclub, goingupfront andconductingspeechesabout awiderangeof bird-relatedtopics.
?It?smyfirst year intheclub,sofor me, it?sall newfaces,?Adamssaid.?But sofar everyoneintheclubisvery cooperative,helpful andfun todiscusswith.?
ToLucente, bird-watchingcanbe assimpleasgazing out thewindowand walkingaroundor seekingout different bird noisesor sightings andtryingto identifythem.In Lucente'sopinion, thebest conditions for bird-watching arewhenit'snot verywindy.It'sa bigbonuswhen thereare enoughclouds tohelpseethe birdsbetter.
Lucente?s passionfor birds, however, doesn?t stop
at bird-watching.
?[I?dliketobean]ornithologist,someone whostudiesbirdsintheir natural habitatsor inalaboratory,?Lucentesaid.?My secondchoicewouldbea conservationist soI canhelpthebirds regrowtheir populationsandmake suretheyhavesomewheretogo.?
Lucentedescribesthebirdclub environment aswelcomingand its membersaswillingtolearn andhelpout. Sheencouragesanyonewho?seven remotely interested tocheck it out on Tuesdays duringFIT.
?Ironically,I actuallytookaveryaccurate birdquizbybirdexpertsonline,"Lucentesaid. "Apparently,I?mamallardduck.It meansI canbevocal but alsosilent andstealthy.?
LEFT:ToLucente,bird-watching canbe assimpleasgazing out the windowand walkingaround orseekingout differentbird noisesor sightingsand trying toidentifythem. Photocourtesyof Lucente.
ABOVE: Anartist renderingof the birds found onthe McCallum'sFeatherdFriends logo.GraphicbyEvieBarnard.
people 13 feb. 10, 2023
