Tour Story : Jewel in the Rough: Pristine Prairie on a Working Ranch
The Battle over Barton Springs isn’t unique to Austin. It’s just one of thousands of such struggles playing out across the country (and the world.) That becomes so clear as we tour the film in different locations. At the Aurora Picture Show we met Susan and Peter Conaty. They’re trying to keep a place called Nash Prairie from being turned into a bunch of ranchettes. Here are some links to their story.
- BIOONE Online Journals - Jewel in the Rough: Pristine Prairie on a Working Ranch
- Nash Prairie offers rare glimpse of ancient plain
Conaty said he hopes to build a prayer garden on church grounds using seeds from native plants on the Nash Prairie. Building a spiritually-based nursing home also has been discussed, Conaty said.
“I think she’d be really pleased to be a part of it,” he said.
Whatever the groups decide, Conaty said Groce’s generous legacy already has had a positive impact on the community.
“It’s not about how much money you give,” Conaty said. “It’s about what God has given us.”
Tour Story - Maui Citizens take to City Council Chambers
As we tour the film, we’re collecting stories. Communities everywhere are struggling with questions about development, preservation and growth. We figured we’d share them here, hence the new category “Tour Stories.”
First up, Maui.
When you consider that the Maui Film Festival takes place in some of the nicest resorts and golf courses in south Maui, it makes it all the more surprising that The Unforeseen was invited to screen there. But the people there really care trying to preserve what remains of an incredibly special place. So yesterday the locals made their presence known in a City Council meeting to vote on some controversial new developments. (Sound familiar?) The full article here.
Opponents wore T-shirts saying: “Wailea 670 Just Say No.” The back of the T-shirt states: “No to more traffic, more golf courses, more wasted water, more urban sprawl.” Realtor Bonnie Newman, a Maui Meadows resident, said she doubted that the developers would be able to construct 700 affordable housing units.
“I don’t believe it for a moment,” Newman said.
And a few other recent developments…
Proposal: New projects to have firm water source
http://www.mauinews.com/story.aspx?id=32284
William Greider - “The Hoax of Shareholder Ownership”
Ann Richards on Water’s Significance in Texas
Easy Money.
To recap.
• Subprime lending/”No Doc” Loans allow people to buy homes they cannot afford. They use tricks like “Adjustable Rate Mortgages” and artificially-low introductory rates to get folks in the door.
• Credit creation and injection into the economy enables massive amounts of speculative real estate development to occur in advance of demand (Austin’s current story is condos, Condos, CONDOS!!!!)
• The entire US economy itself operates at a massive deficit. How does it pay for things? It borrows money from rivals like China. (William Greider hits this in “Market Orthodoxy is Breaking Down?” )
As Goes Florida…
Miami Condo Glut Pushes Florida’s Economy to Brink of Recession
“Florida is the epicenter for all the problems that exist in the housing industry,” said Lewis Goodkin, president of Goodkin Consulting Corp. and a property adviser in Miami for the past 30 years, who also foresees a recession. “The problems we have now are unprecedented and a lot of people will get burnt.”
and
Florida’s robust economy of 2001 to 2005 was driven by the thousands of well-paying jobs related to the real estate market and homeowners who used home-equity loans to pay for items such as boats and big-screen TVs, McCabe said.
“All those jobs are going away now, and we’re seeing the trickle-down effect in declining sales in big-box retailers and home-furnishing manufacturers,” McCabe said. “Florida is headed to a recession.”
Barcelona’s major newspaper “La Vanguardia” covers The Unforeseen & Barton Springs
To read the full article, click here (subscription required).
Central Texas Screening of The Unforeseen
The Unforeseen screens at Texas State on September 11th. If you live in or around Austin and missed seeing the film at SXSW, why not catch it in beautiful, spring-laden San Marcos? The film play in scenic Sewell Park on the banks of the San Marcos River. You can learn more about the screening here:
The Unforeseen is a beautiful and stunning documentary about the development around Barton Springs in Austin, Texas, and nature’s unexpected response to being threatened by human interference. The film premiered at the SXSW festival and was an Official Selection at both the 2007 USA Film Festival and the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, among numerous others. Filmmaker Laura Dunn will be available to speak about the film and answer questions.
This phrase “nature’s unexpected response” keeps popping up in writeups. I’m still not sure what this means…
The Unforeseen to screen in Cape Cod
Monday, July 30 @ 7pm
Woods Hole Oceanographic Redfield Auditorium
Woods Hole, Massachusetts
For more info, click here.
Lo Imprevisto (aka: The Unforeseen) esta exhibiendo en Mexico
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Cuando un joven campesino del oeste de Texas se convierte en constructor y decide transformar un amplio territorio natural en una zona de suburbios, amenazando la existencia de un acuífero de piedra caliza, un grupo de ecologistas se une en contra de su proyecto.
| Monday, July 23 |
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5:00 PM - Hotel Villa Jacaranda - SMA
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Note: Sin subtítulos
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FOR MORE INFO CLIK HERE
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About The Unforeseen
The Unforeseen, executive produced by Terrence Malick and Robert Redford, premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. Called "the best film at the festival, hands down" by Film Comment's Gavin Smith, the film documents the struggles between development and preservation of Austin Texas.