“Losing Ground”, which is an article located in the San Antonio Express News, focuses on a law where real estate developers, go in and around the city and touch other organizations or people. In other words, this can be called the grandfather clause, and it basically talks about the vested right laws. AGUA is the organization which protects the Edwards Aquifer, and one of the most important parts of the aquifer is the aquifer’s recharge zones and this is where water is put back into the aquifer. In 1995, this ordinance was made, because many people believed that they could get around this vested rights issue. From reading this article, I concluded that many real estate developers are benefiting from the vested right issues because they don’t have to go to city council meetings and so this ends up making their job more straightforward and simpler.
Another fact that has been stated is that the lands in the Hill Country have been torn up into pieces and there is not much left of the lands. The main reason for this is because of country development, and along with this, much of the pastures have been bulldozed. Other things, such as grasses, that could not have been bulldozed, have been ripped up, as to where there is not much left to the land itself. This is not only happening here in San Antonio; it is also being done in places around my community, which consists of about 500 people, and this is because more and more people are moving from the cities into the country and are starting to build homes. But I feel that if people want to experience the country life, let them because it is filled up with pastures, grasses, dirt roads, tons of places to hunt, and thousands and thousands of trees. Overall, I believe that the Hill Country is a bulky and stunning place. But yes, I do believe that people want to live outside of the city, but I do not see a need to be tearing up this place outside of San Antonio that seems to be enjoyable. If families or individuals want to live in the country, move to the country, where it’s filled with pastures, so that we don’t have to be tearing down these things just for country development.
In conclusion, I believe that many people in and around San Antonio, do not know what is going on with our lands, so this helps them to develop and understand, what is happening to our lands in and around the Hill Country. But, more importantly, from reading “Losing Ground”, it is talking more and more about how the real estate developers are getting around city ordinances and the vested right laws. The article itself, gives out a vast understanding, because of the fact that it is explaining exactly what this law is, and how many developers are basically using it. As I was reading this article, at first I had absolutely no idea what the vested rights laws was, along with AGUA and its recharge zones, but as an ending result and reading “Losing Ground”, I found it to be extremely useful. I also believe that the citizens of San Antonio should stick together because many developers and individuals, who live in and around the San Antonio area, do not seem to care what is going on. So therefore, I believe that most people should either read about it or talk to neighbors or friends about this.
Word Count:591
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
Special Guest Speak's Out
Last Friday, the 19th of October, Speaker and Technical Research Director of AGUA, Elyzabeth Earnley came and spoke to our Humanities class. One of her main focuses was the City Council in San Antonio and how it represents who we are, the passing of ordinances, and how the budget pays all employees here in San Antonio. The City Council has a variety of decision makers which are located in San Antonio and their job is to decide what exactly goes on. These members meet every Thursday during the day and all of the meetings that are held by the council, are always open to the public so that everyone has a chance to speak their opinion and to see what goes on. There are ten different districts that can be found in San Antonio and the council itself, gets help by Developmental Services and a review by the San Antonio Water System (SAWS), in which they ask a variety of questions.
Her second key point was the 1995 Water Quality Ordinance (WQO). This group preserves recharge features, such as buffers and has limited impervious covers in the Recharge Zone (ERZD). An impervious cover is the covering of the natural land surface and is a good proxy for the intensity of development. The Water Quality Ordinance also mandates detention, sedimentation, and filtration for commercial and multi-family developments, which has over 15% of the impervious covers. She also mentioned the recharge features which are normally located, beneath the surface or on top of the surface. An example would be an enormous cave or possible sink holes.
What I found to be extremely interesting, was when she had put us into groups and gave us a variety of handouts, in which I was absolutely clueless as to what many of these things meant. The different forms that she had given us were a zoning staff recommendation, SAWS staff recommendation, zoning codes and a water quality ordinance. The main task was to review the rezoning cases and make a recommendation for the City Council, in regards as to what we had thought that it had meant overall. The main idea was that it was about the approval of land in which each group had stated their own opinions.
Now that she has told us about the city council and the districts in San Antonio, Elyzabeth Earnley has taught me what she does for a living as being a director of AGUA and what she focuses on. She showed us pictures of where many of the Recharge Zones were to be found here in San Antonio, along with directions on where the City Council holds their weekly meetings. Overall, this does not seem very important to many people, including myself at first, because I was completely lost and had absolutely no idea why zones like she has mentioned are even important. So all I can say is hopefully people might actually take some time out of their busy lives to read some factual articles about AGUA or possibly attend a City Council meeting.
WORD COUNT: 508
Her second key point was the 1995 Water Quality Ordinance (WQO). This group preserves recharge features, such as buffers and has limited impervious covers in the Recharge Zone (ERZD). An impervious cover is the covering of the natural land surface and is a good proxy for the intensity of development. The Water Quality Ordinance also mandates detention, sedimentation, and filtration for commercial and multi-family developments, which has over 15% of the impervious covers. She also mentioned the recharge features which are normally located, beneath the surface or on top of the surface. An example would be an enormous cave or possible sink holes.
What I found to be extremely interesting, was when she had put us into groups and gave us a variety of handouts, in which I was absolutely clueless as to what many of these things meant. The different forms that she had given us were a zoning staff recommendation, SAWS staff recommendation, zoning codes and a water quality ordinance. The main task was to review the rezoning cases and make a recommendation for the City Council, in regards as to what we had thought that it had meant overall. The main idea was that it was about the approval of land in which each group had stated their own opinions.
Now that she has told us about the city council and the districts in San Antonio, Elyzabeth Earnley has taught me what she does for a living as being a director of AGUA and what she focuses on. She showed us pictures of where many of the Recharge Zones were to be found here in San Antonio, along with directions on where the City Council holds their weekly meetings. Overall, this does not seem very important to many people, including myself at first, because I was completely lost and had absolutely no idea why zones like she has mentioned are even important. So all I can say is hopefully people might actually take some time out of their busy lives to read some factual articles about AGUA or possibly attend a City Council meeting.
WORD COUNT: 508
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Small Radius, Bold Core
Approaching the green population sign with the all too familiar name, immediately gives a sense of comfort and safeness. A small change to the recognizable faces, cars, and houses in town is immediately apparent. Falls City is a small, friendly town and so much more. It is an extended family, a support group, a warm smile and a friendly conversation. Not all communities offer the same support system; because most towns do not have fewer than 600 people. Everyone in some way, shape, or form is connected; whether it be family or just generations of family friendships. When a crisis occurs, it hits close to home with everyone in town, and the pain feels as if it were someone in your immediate family. Nothing is more comforting than knowing that someone is always going to be there for support; whether it is a crisis situation or a celebration in your life.
However, in small towns such as Falls City, everyone is always aware of either the towns or an individual’s business. In a town that has 3 family-owned restaurants, 1 grocery store, and 2 gas stations, everyone knows everyone’s personal lives. People feed off of the trials and tribulations that life throws in our paths and enjoy speaking of these over coffee at the Palace Café. Walking into the doors you can feel the heads turn and the conversations begin firing up. What is she doing now? Who is she? Have you heard? There is a 99% chance anyone can guess what is on their minds. Those same faces and same looks can be linked to those same conversations.
There is one prominent religion in the town, Catholic. Everyone sits in the same pew week after week. It is certain if someone is passing through from out of town and decides to stop for mass, sits in a “reserved” seat, and did not want to move, they would be given a very unfriendly welcome. It is extremely humorous how hypocritical people in the town are about small things, such as the story just mentioned. There have been many times, incidences like this have all occurred and all one can do is laugh. Church is not the only area people are territorial about in Falls City. Community members will always drink coffee at the same time, same place, same table, leaving the same tip. It does not matter what the satiation may be, Falls City is full of creatures of habit. Change is unwelcome, regardless of the situation. This past year the athletic director made a decision to accent the football teams jerseys with a black border. Many parents demanded a school board meeting because they felt the athletic director was changing the school colors from traditional blue and white. Changes have to be made or that have been made have to be slow, to give everyone the opportunity to adjust.
Falls City is a place I would prefer not to make my home and a town not to raise my family in. Many people grasp the idea of a closely knit community and all the benefits it has verses a larger community. As in every situation people do not always see the downfalls to situations or the “bad” side of things in regards to small towns. Because of the lack of activities that go on in the community, most of the townspeople resort to sitting at the local gas station/bar most days of the week. Many families in town are broken marriages, which relate back to alcohol being the underlying factor in a majority of them. This, of course, can occur in any city, regardless of the size, but from a personal standpoint in small town allows its members to get away with it. There is not one police officer in the town, only a county sheriff. This is important because many people feel they can consume alcoholic beverages with no limit, because there is a very slim chance that they will receive a violation for their actions.
Word Count: 672
However, in small towns such as Falls City, everyone is always aware of either the towns or an individual’s business. In a town that has 3 family-owned restaurants, 1 grocery store, and 2 gas stations, everyone knows everyone’s personal lives. People feed off of the trials and tribulations that life throws in our paths and enjoy speaking of these over coffee at the Palace Café. Walking into the doors you can feel the heads turn and the conversations begin firing up. What is she doing now? Who is she? Have you heard? There is a 99% chance anyone can guess what is on their minds. Those same faces and same looks can be linked to those same conversations.
There is one prominent religion in the town, Catholic. Everyone sits in the same pew week after week. It is certain if someone is passing through from out of town and decides to stop for mass, sits in a “reserved” seat, and did not want to move, they would be given a very unfriendly welcome. It is extremely humorous how hypocritical people in the town are about small things, such as the story just mentioned. There have been many times, incidences like this have all occurred and all one can do is laugh. Church is not the only area people are territorial about in Falls City. Community members will always drink coffee at the same time, same place, same table, leaving the same tip. It does not matter what the satiation may be, Falls City is full of creatures of habit. Change is unwelcome, regardless of the situation. This past year the athletic director made a decision to accent the football teams jerseys with a black border. Many parents demanded a school board meeting because they felt the athletic director was changing the school colors from traditional blue and white. Changes have to be made or that have been made have to be slow, to give everyone the opportunity to adjust.
Falls City is a place I would prefer not to make my home and a town not to raise my family in. Many people grasp the idea of a closely knit community and all the benefits it has verses a larger community. As in every situation people do not always see the downfalls to situations or the “bad” side of things in regards to small towns. Because of the lack of activities that go on in the community, most of the townspeople resort to sitting at the local gas station/bar most days of the week. Many families in town are broken marriages, which relate back to alcohol being the underlying factor in a majority of them. This, of course, can occur in any city, regardless of the size, but from a personal standpoint in small town allows its members to get away with it. There is not one police officer in the town, only a county sheriff. This is important because many people feel they can consume alcoholic beverages with no limit, because there is a very slim chance that they will receive a violation for their actions.
Word Count: 672
Thursday, October 11, 2007
True Facts Spoken Aloud
On Wednesday the 10th of October, Heywood Sanders came and spoke to the class about San Antonio and its background. In the early 1800’s San Antonio was not a very important place, but in general it was considered a very ethnic place. The Germans built this city, but they had benefited from building things cheaply, and so this is why sidewalks are not in places where they need to be, along with having gutters for drainage and not all road conditions seem to be drivable. But suddenly in the 1920’s is when new streets and new businesses were beginning to be built. San Antonio is considered a massive place for manufacturing thunderstorms and in 1913 there was a major flood downtown which led to billions and billions of dollars in damage.
The aquifer in San Antonio is an underground limestone that holds billions of dollars in refreshed water and it is extremely unbalanced. The more people that are living here in San Antonio, means that we need more water which results in buying it from various places. Overall, this means that water bills are radically rising because we are tempted to be looking for more water. We are a very divided and separated city and this is reflected on how we are operated and how each and every individual looks upon one another. Here in Texas, Austin is number seven in the ten most educated cities and Austin-San Marcos is the tenth in the highest increase in manufacturing. During the election, all Hispanics had voted for Ed Garza, but comparing it with the Anglos, he did not do as well because Hispanics vote for Hispanics and Anglos vote for Anglos.
Word Count: 280
The aquifer in San Antonio is an underground limestone that holds billions of dollars in refreshed water and it is extremely unbalanced. The more people that are living here in San Antonio, means that we need more water which results in buying it from various places. Overall, this means that water bills are radically rising because we are tempted to be looking for more water. We are a very divided and separated city and this is reflected on how we are operated and how each and every individual looks upon one another. Here in Texas, Austin is number seven in the ten most educated cities and Austin-San Marcos is the tenth in the highest increase in manufacturing. During the election, all Hispanics had voted for Ed Garza, but comparing it with the Anglos, he did not do as well because Hispanics vote for Hispanics and Anglos vote for Anglos.
Word Count: 280
Monday, October 1, 2007
Holding on to History
-This photo was taken off of the website, google.com-Alamo images.
The movie The Alamo, starring Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie and William Barrett Travis was a very educational movie because this is one of the most important events that took place in American history. The fighting between these three heroes, and the Anglo settlers, Mexican forces and the Tejanos was that they were fighting each other for land. The Tejanos were the first people to settle in Texas and their beliefs of defending had a strong impact in the events and battles leading into the Alamo. Texas was a place full of cattle, water, and timber; this is where fighting was taking place. This film reminds me of the Alamo because they had all of their guns and weapons and rode on their horses to defend the Mexicans. The setting and structure where this is taking place, looks almost exactly like the Alamo itself today, because the way the buildings are built and how everything around it looks.
Davy Crockett had a very inspiring life and he did not want to split the army because he had believed that the war was over. Crockett supposed that he had the chance to fight the Mexicans out in the open with amateurs. But in return, they would end up coming back. He was known to have been a congressman who had wanted to fight only democratically. In the film, Davy Crockett, had stated, “That he cannot sacrifice Texas.” William Barrett Travis was a man who had wanted to defend the Alamo between the Mexican army. He was a leader in Texas, who had fought to keep slaves in Texas. James Bowie has said “I have hope.” He wanted to see what they were fighting for, he truly believed that he could not only go out and fight for himself but fight for other people and loved ones would not get killed. He had also found a mission more than a 100 years ago and many found this as what we call it today, The Alamo. Bowie wanted to destroy the mission.
The church was first built in 1756, but during the battle, the roof of the church was destroyed. Overall, the Catholics had actually never finished building it. These three men also had the courage of defending this fort in Texas with an entire army for only 13 days. This battle had over 200 men who helped fight for independence. Santa Ana himself had only wanted to rule and stand up for Mexico, but the Mexican army itself had to cover around 300 miles. The Mexican occupation in Texas was completely expelled because Texas rebels were able to gain control of the Alamo in San Antonio. General Sam Houston had an army of Texans who defeated Santa Ana’s army, and this is what led to the independence in Texas. All of the Tejano and Anglos were able to fight for both the independence and land from Santa Anna and the Mexican government.
After watching this film, it actually explains in full detail what went on with the Anglos, Tejanos, and Mexicans. This battle that took place is a very important piece of history that every Texan should want to learn about. After my visit to the Alamo, I had noticed both Bowie’s and Travis’s rifles and knives on display still today. The Alamo deserves to be acknowledged and shared because it is a structure that has held on to much triumph and pain.
Davy Crockett had a very inspiring life and he did not want to split the army because he had believed that the war was over. Crockett supposed that he had the chance to fight the Mexicans out in the open with amateurs. But in return, they would end up coming back. He was known to have been a congressman who had wanted to fight only democratically. In the film, Davy Crockett, had stated, “That he cannot sacrifice Texas.” William Barrett Travis was a man who had wanted to defend the Alamo between the Mexican army. He was a leader in Texas, who had fought to keep slaves in Texas. James Bowie has said “I have hope.” He wanted to see what they were fighting for, he truly believed that he could not only go out and fight for himself but fight for other people and loved ones would not get killed. He had also found a mission more than a 100 years ago and many found this as what we call it today, The Alamo. Bowie wanted to destroy the mission.
The church was first built in 1756, but during the battle, the roof of the church was destroyed. Overall, the Catholics had actually never finished building it. These three men also had the courage of defending this fort in Texas with an entire army for only 13 days. This battle had over 200 men who helped fight for independence. Santa Ana himself had only wanted to rule and stand up for Mexico, but the Mexican army itself had to cover around 300 miles. The Mexican occupation in Texas was completely expelled because Texas rebels were able to gain control of the Alamo in San Antonio. General Sam Houston had an army of Texans who defeated Santa Ana’s army, and this is what led to the independence in Texas. All of the Tejano and Anglos were able to fight for both the independence and land from Santa Anna and the Mexican government.
After watching this film, it actually explains in full detail what went on with the Anglos, Tejanos, and Mexicans. This battle that took place is a very important piece of history that every Texan should want to learn about. After my visit to the Alamo, I had noticed both Bowie’s and Travis’s rifles and knives on display still today. The Alamo deserves to be acknowledged and shared because it is a structure that has held on to much triumph and pain.
Word Count: 539
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Deep Down in the Heart of San Antonio
On Saturday September 22, several of my classmates and I had the opportunity to go and visit the Alamo and learn about the history. This experience was pleasurable, helpful, and made me wonder, how all the connections of history can be united with one another. When immediate thoughts came to mind, all I could think about was the slogan “Remember the Alamo” and each and every one of the fights that were fought, along with ammunition being brought in. Dr. Winders, spoke greatly about the different forms and ways of interpreting history, and he stated that if you put it all together you can get one big picture in the end.
At my recent trip to the Alamo, quite a few things had caught my eye and one in particular was the grass in the courtyard. It was established that the grasses in the front of the Alamo had a meaning, which meant that it was the “heart of the Alamo”. The structure and the large brown doors as an entrance sparked my attention as soon as I had walked up, because I had never visited or seen the Alamo before. I had also seen a couple of exhibits on the walls, which were of Stephen F. Austin and Jose Antonio Navarro; these were two very important leaders who had wanted to bring more and more people back to Texas. Both Austin and Navarro’s main vision for Texas was that they had wanted Texas to become a free republic. The men who effectively shielded the Alamo and developed much independence were the Europeans, Americans, Tejanos, and the Texans.
Overall, it has been an experience having the chance to visit the Alamo, because I have taken in new pieces of history. Most importantly, I am thankful for having the opportunity to go to the Alamo and I shall be making this visit more often and make it an additional priority. Each and every individual should understand how important the past is and recognize the unusual heritages. This takes a tremendous amount of courage and it tends to relate back to experiences I once had in high school, such as going on field trips to historical places and speaking about these things in class. The main reason is because of the skills, power, and leading to both the good and bad solutions of the fights that had taken places years and years ago. -Word Count:403
Sunday, September 16, 2007
A Powerful Image, both Near and Far
After visiting Mission Espada and experiencing its historical backgrounds and various meanings, I had decided to take a tour throughout the Espada Dam. The Espada Dam is located right around Mission Espada, which is on the southern side of San Antonio, or at times referred to as Bexar County. On Saturday September 15, 2007 my sister and I made our way to San Antonio to visit this area. The surrounding areas are very obvious, and I first noticed the green grasses along with several bushy trees. The grassland is very widespread and the trees are located on the outskirts of the grass. This area reminds me of where I am living today, because coming from a small town and living in the country I can now compare grasslands, trees, rocks, birds, and all the water from the rivers to the dams. This is an enormous area, which is very calm, immense, and would be a remarkable place for living. As the water flows down, it’s seems clear and flows very smoothly and softly. In other areas it’s not always the same because of the water in a couple of places doesn’t flow as quickly; therefore its browner and dirty looking.
Along the sides of the dam, I found beautiful rocks, in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. On the outskirts of the water, there is a brick wall, which of course allows the water to stay in place and then makes it into a dam. This cement wall is a couple of feet tall, and as the water continues to flow down the dam, the wall obviously becomes lower and lower along with the water. Next to the dam, is a road that many tourists use as a means of a walking trail in order to view Espada Dam as well as Mission Espada.
Espada Dam is the oldest functioning aqueduct in the United States, and I found it to be very enjoyable because the dam along with the mission itself is still being used today. A considerable amount of people are still viewing it, because it’s ancient and historical. Espada Dam plays a major impact on the missions because it was used as a means of their irrigation system. This dam has survived a remarkable amount of rains, floods, and other destruction throughout the past 200 years. I believe that the purpose of the dam today is that it can be used for the watering of farmer’s crops.
I have personally, never been concerned about visiting historic places like this because it has never alarmed me like it does today to know about history and the past. But after visiting an area like this, I now think about all the different lifestyles that had gone on, not only at Mission Espada but the hardships with the dam itself. My most important reason for visiting the dam was because I was extremely impressed by our visit to Mission Espada and I had learned a major amount of background information that had resulted with visiting the Indians and Native Americans that I had no clue about. As a result, I can now conclude after I have visited both areas, I am more aware, understanding and knowledgeable. Apparently, I will be making more of these visits, because I truly believe that we should appreciate everything that we have today, be more aware of what went on in the past and should be willing to learn more about it.
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