AUSTIN | Misc. Discussions - No Politics - Page 33

MichaelB · #**641** Posted **Nov 30, 2015, 4:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wwmiv

Yeah, but that's your circle dude, not the broader world. You can't just look at your own experiences, but you need to bring in aggregate data.

wwmiv · #**642** Posted **Nov 30, 2015, 7:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Novacek

Not really, especially if you look at the U6 rate.

http://www.macrotrends.net/1377/u6-unemployment-rate

It's still a full point higher than 2007 (so it still hasn't returned to the pre-recession level).

Look at the broader picture, not just one of the brushstrokes. People tend to cherry pick the brushstroke that tells their story best, like what you both did here rather than see what the entire picture is telling them. Really, the economy is performing significantly better in some ways (unemployment trends, aggregate trade, economic growth rates insofar as the U.S. growing relative to much of the world and maintaining that growth rate, too, and gender and sexuality discrimination), even if there is still room for improvement in many of those ways, and significantly worse in others (class inequality, wage growth, and - these last two are arguable, and even I disagree with the latter, personally - shifts away from manufacturing and unionism), but the significantly worse ways are just the outcomes of preexisting trends. Trends based on race and ethnic groups largely depend on you particular background. Whites have, as always, done well. Some asian subgroups are getting better and from an already high base (Chinese, Japanese, Indian), some are getting better from a low base (Korean, Vietnamese), and some may or may not actually be getting better economically (Hmong, Filipino). The same can be said about the larger Hispanic subgroups: Cubans are getting better from an already high base, afro Puerto Ricans have seen very little improvement from an already meager baseline while white Puerto Ricans have seen larger gains from a higher base, and Mexicans in of border communities have seen moderate improvement distributed unequally within the community along a citizen v. non-citizen divide because their economic improvement has much to do with government programs which bar most non-citizen involvement, whereas Mexicans outside of border areas are largely still societally excluded. African Americans were doing better up until the 2008 recession, but were hard hit and have never regained their pre-recession levels of "prosperity". We need to do better as a country here.

lzppjb · #**643** Posted **Nov 30, 2015, 11:31 PM**

I will stay out of this discussion.

Tech House · #**644** Posted **Dec 1, 2015, 4:06 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lzppjb

I will stay out of this discussion.

Aww, shucks.

lzppjb · #**645** Posted **Dec 2, 2015, 8:27 AM**

SIAP...but this made me laugh.

• Video Link

Downtown_Austin · #**646** Posted **Dec 2, 2015, 11:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lzppjb

SIAP...but this made me laugh.

• Video Link

Truth. It's funny because that aesthetic is so 'effing cliché and something we can all identify. We all smirk just a bit when we see the word "luxury" and other BS.

The similarities in the form can somewhat be attributed to zoning laws and International Building Code that many city's adopt... and, no doubt, value engineering that devs use to make a profit on expensive dirt.

Tech House · #**647** Posted **Dec 3, 2015, 1:22 AM**

That was brilliant, and barely different from reality. What does SIAP stand for? I'm usually good at sussing out acronyms on my own but this one stumps me. Sports Illustrated's Arbitration Potato? Sorry I'm A Putz?

lzppjb · #**648** Posted **Dec 3, 2015, 1:26 AM**

lol

Sorry If Already Posted

KevinFromTexas · #**649** Posted **Dec 3, 2015, 7:14 AM**

I was down in Buda today and with the beautiful clear weather, I was skimming the horizon and I spotted Pinnacle Campus very clearly. We were driving on Main Street about a mile west of I-35. From that spot Pinnacle Campus was 10 1/2 miles away. I also "think" I saw the top of the Austonian, but I'm not sure. I know there's another spot on 1626 west of Buda where you can see Pinnacle Campus in the distance, and also the Frost Bank Tower and The Austonian. I think Pinnacle Campus is the only high rise in Austin that you can see from Hays County that isn't in downtown.

verybadgnome · #**650** Posted **Dec 11, 2015, 6:15 PM**

Correct me if I'm wrong but the Rainey Street area was the last expansion of the CBD.

If so is there any possibility of future expansion? Could the CBD jump the river to Riverside Dr/Barton Springs Rd area?

In their defense of the courthouse bond AURA stated that the CBD could be expanded, and in effect the area of non-height restricted parcels could be increased.

KevinFromTexas · #**651** Posted **Dec 13, 2015, 6:09 AM**

haha Poor Waco. This was hilarious. lol

http://thecwaustin.com/2015/12/07/au...hborhood-waco/

The ATX · #**652** Posted **Dec 13, 2015, 7:00 AM**

Netflix just started streaming their latest Trailer Park Boys special which was shot in Austin. There are some Downtown scenes, but mostly it's their live show at the Paramount from earlier this year.
The Boys are one of those Love 'em or hate 'em things. The Netflix reviews are mostly either one star or five stars.

wwmiv · #**653** Posted **Dec 13, 2015, 7:37 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by verybadgnome

Correct me if I'm wrong but the Rainey Street area was the last expansion of the CBD.

If so is there any possibility of future expansion? Could the CBD jump the river to Riverside Dr/Barton Springs Rd area?

In their defense of the courthouse bond AURA stated that the CBD could be expanded, and in effect the area of non-height restricted parcels could be increased.

Technically isn't the central area of the southshore already CBD?

The ATX · #**654** Posted **Dec 13, 2015, 7:09 PM**

More as seen on Streetview...

Pissing the day away:

the Genral · #**655** Posted **Dec 13, 2015, 8:27 PM**

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Don't piss on Austin!

drummer · #**656** Posted **Dec 14, 2015, 5:50 AM**

Question on a soccer stadium, etc. Has anyone ever floated the idea of the YMCA area near the Amtrak station? I much prefer the Statesman property, personally, but I got to thinking about it for this spot as I was looking on Google Earth - how could the area around a possible/eventual LSR station near the Amtrak station (or a combined station?) be utilized? If they were to somehow extend the Red Line and/or an urban streetcar network to that area also...it might be a good central point for a stadium. Should people need to drive a car to get there, Mopac is relatively close. These are just thoughts that I'm getting down, so feel free to tear them apart - just wanted to float the idea since we've talked about stadium locations and the best ways to get people to/from before.

Edit: Additional thought, since I'm dreaming anyway. The stadium doesn't have to be huge (I'm thinking of the Houston Dynamo stadium as an example for size). The stadium facility could take up the land where the current Amtrak station/parking lot is as well as the YMCA facility - and possibly one of the softball fields at Lamar/Cesar Chavez. To avoid pissing too many people off, a YMCA facility could be integrated into part of the structure of the stadium itself (under one side of the bleachers, etc.) thus utilizing the facility for more than just games or other events every once in a while. There's a big field next to AHS's baseball stadium where the softball field could be relocated if that were an issue (not sure if that land is city-owned or AISD's). Other benefits are the nearby pedestrian bridge, the Lance Armstrong bike path, the hike and bike trails, and relative closeness to CBD, albeit not an actual part of it.

lzppjb · #**657** Posted **Dec 14, 2015, 7:45 AM**

Something like this?

This is Houston Dynamo's BBVA stadium on the YMCA lot. I took the existing YMCA building and rotated it to the west end of the stadium. This is just to give an idea. The building would actually be incorporated like drummer suggested. I also threw in a rail station connected to the north side of the stadium.

The south side of the stadium would be car-accessible. It would require underground parking, or more likely, parking garages.

drummer · #**658** Posted **Dec 14, 2015, 8:17 AM**

Yeah, that's great! Thanks for the visual. I guess it'd knock out both of those softball fields, but I personally would be okay with that.

Softball players might not, but ah well.

I would hate parking garages facing the Lady Bird Lake, but if they could be underground I suppose that could work. I'm also dreaming that various modes of transportation could bring people to the stadium, giving less cause for a ton of parking. However, it is Texas, and people drive...

lzppjb · #**659** Posted **Dec 14, 2015, 9:43 AM**

Could switch the gym to the south side, and the garages to the west side.

drummer · #**660** Posted **Dec 14, 2015, 11:30 PM**

That could work. If I remember correctly, didn't the LSR proposal show a proposed station location behind Gables - on the bend of the railway? Maybe I'm not remembering that correctly. If that's the case, the stadium could have a little more breathing room - there could still be pedestrian access from the station.