Daily - The Austin Chronicle (2024)

"Sometimes money trumps peace," quoth President George Bush.

Amazingly, he wasn't saying this was a good thing. Don't worry, he didn't mean American business. Instead, he was answering a question from John McKinnon of The Wall Street Journal today about how U.S. chest-beating over Iran was received by America's European allies with significant financial ties to Iran. Dubya bemoaned their putting profit first. (Actually, what he said was, "Sometimes money trumps [long pause, looks up to one side], erm [another long pause], peace.")

Unsurprisingly, he may have it bass-ackwards. In his excellent recent book, Hidden Iran, senior fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations Ray Takeyh makes a strong argument that there is and always has been an economically driven pragmatism to Iranian foreign policy. Those financial links are one of the reasons it has messed with Europe less.

Takeyh also reminds readers that without Iranians helping the U.S. navigate the tricky politics of the Northern Alliance, the invasion of Afghanistan would have been much tougher. Furthermore, while Tehran wants a Shi'ite Iraq, it doesn't need continued instability in the region. In short, he argues, if the U.S. government was run less by idealogues and more by European-style pragmatists prepared to blunt Tehran's militarism with trade links, it might achieve its idealistic end goal of a stable Persian gulf.

That's the high-rise-happy word over at that local blog outta New York, Austinist, where they're already mourning the proposed 400-foot tower before City Council tomorrow as "on the chopping block." A little premature, what with the entire post dedicated to how everybody thinks it's just the greatest thing ever, except those old maids over at the Austin Woman's Club. But Austinist, like, watched its planning debate on Channel 6 or something, so, like, they totally know what they're talking about. (Oh, and "the wife of the author of this post works for the architecture firm designing this project." Wouldn't you know?) C'mon - worse-case scenario here - the most council's likely to do is allow a possible delay to construction, until the Downtown master plan is crafted. And lastly, when the sh*t in recent memory has council shattered such a glass phallus? But what else would you expect from the blog all-things-Austin to recently transplanted Californians?

Anywho, the post entirely ignores the concerns of these guys, but as was made clear earlier, they may be outnumbered. An 11th-hour consortium of enviro-types (Dave Anderson, Brandi Clark, Mary Ann Neely, Jon Beall, George Cofer, Ted Siff, Jeb Boyt, David Foster, Craig Smith, and Gene Lowenthal) has rallied behind the tower as a paragon of dense urban living, urging the council to approve it tomorrow. Look to RG4N as an example - when your name's Austinites for the Responsible Planning of the Original City Neighborhood, you might need something a little snappier.

North Dakota state officials yesterday continued their quest to legalize industrial hemp farming there, this time with the passage of two resolutions urging the federal government to get right on hemp.

NoDak state representatives – led by Republican Rep. Dave Monson, a veteran lawmaker and hemp supporter who is one of the first two farmers to receive a state license to cultivate the versatile crop – on Tuesday passed House Concurrent Resolution 3028, asking Congress to “recognize the multiple benefits of industrial hemp and to facilitate the growing of industrial hemp,” and HCR 3042, “urging Congress to direct the [DEA] to differentiate between industrial hemp and marijuana” – heaven knows the DEA won’t do that on its own.

TODAY'S EVENTS

American Psycho at Paramount Theatre

K.A. Linde: The Wren in the Holly Library at BookPeople

MUSIC | MOVIES | ARTS | COMMUNITY

Who's gonna be at the Austin City Store within City Hall from 11am to 2pm? Austin's own hunktastic firefighters, signing copies of their 2007 calendar. No word if former fireman Mike Martinez takes it all off for one last hurrah.

But why stop there? I think we need more Valentine's gifts from the council. Autographed copies of Will Wynn's spread in Austin Fit Magazine would be a great start, and from there the possibilities are endless.

Full press release below the fold.

Ya know who's great? Drug companies! I mean, they wouldn't research or promote a cure for cancer if it meant they couldn't patent it, but look at all the good things they're doing. At no small expense, they've hired talk-show host Montel Williams to tell you just how great they are. Montel, the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, and their Here to Help Express are pulling into the capital Feb. 20 in a rally big-upping the benevolent drug dealers. If you're lucky, they might give you the first one free - so why should Medicare bother negotiating with them for lower prices?

I mean, when Montel was battling MS, I'm sure he didn't even need health insurance - just an astroturfed PR effort!

As a follow-up to the Northcross square-footage debate, we got these numbers straight from the man himself, Brewster McCracken, on Wal-Mart sizes in Austin (who in turn got them from the APD):

Super Wal-Mart, 1030 Norwood Park: 223,233 square feet
Super Wal-Mart, 12900 N. I-35 service road: 208,552 square feet
Super Wal-Mart, I-35 at Ben White: 206,359 square feet
Super Wal-Mart, I-35 at Southpark Meadows: 206,142 square feet
Super Wal-Mart, 13201 FM 620: 200,000 square feet
Wal-Mart, 290 at Mopac: 135,001 square feet

Proposed Northcross Super Wal-Mart: 225,085 square feet (and that's including the quasi-outdoor garden center)

Granted, this doesn't back up the claim of Northcross being biggest in the world, but it disproves KXAN's claim: "Wal-Marts at 183, at 620, ... and on Ben White" are larger than what's proposed at Anderson.

Let the pwnage commence.

Sunday, Feb. 11, proved to be yet another rollicking time of panty-grabbing and hair-pulling at the Texas Roller Derby's Lonestar Rollergirls' most recent bout, at the Austin Convention Center. June 23 marks the final date of the 2006-2007 season, when the two front-running teams (out of five) will compete in the Calvello Cup Championship. Catch the next bout Sunday, Feb. 25, also at the Convention Center with last season's champs, Putas del Fuego, vs. the Cherry Bombs.

Sunday's matchup featured the Holy Rollers and the Rhinestone Cowgirls. Despite their spunk, the Cowgirls had nothing on the Holy Rollers, seeing as those demonic vixens won the first jam and didn't let up until the final score was settled: 72-43. Move bitch, get out tha way!