Baby Bottles Only, Please
Oooooh, oh, errrr, emmm … There’s nothing like a close call. There’s always a risk, in the fast-paced, glamorous world of publishing, of printing something that just doesn’t sit well, that rubs someone the wrong way, that basically results in a lot of egg on the face. Well, we realized today that we avoided a major gaffe this week. Of course we cannot leave well enough alone; we must share this near miss with you. What a sham it would be to leave you with the deluded view that we are purely altruistic beings, selflessly writing for the pure satisfaction of contributing to the greater good. We must come clean.
Over the last few weeks, we (your “Public Notice” crew, plus an editor we’ll just refer to as “Sarah” and a writer we’ll just call “Barbara”), were plotting and planning a story about drinking. Using the old Chronicle Beer Tastings as our template, we conjured an event featuring eight writers writing about eight alcohols mixed by eight of the area’s top bartenders at eight of the area’s top clubs — all to occur on August 8. Well, that day came and went with nary a drop of the demon drink to pass our lips, so we gamely suggested moving the event to September 9, 1999, adding a writer to our fray, a club and bartender to our tour, and a drink to each of our woozy menus. Good thing we never got our acts together.
Imagine our chagrin when we learned that today, Thu, Sep 9, 1999, has been officially declared International Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Awareness Day. Not that we were including any pregnant writers in our plans, mind you, but oh, we just feel like superficial party-animal heels. To top it all off, the Kniker Carillon in the UT Bell Tower will ring nine times in honor of the nine months of pregnancy — in conjunction with other Texas carillons — at guess what time? 9:09am, of course. By the time you read this, they will have rung out their message and resounded our shame.
Despite the moment’s passing, do check out the efforts of the Texas Fetal Alcohol Consortium and this annual event. http://www.come-over.two\fasworld or mkaskoto@msn.com or 206-5869.
Court Costs …
— Those two simple words seem so benign, so harmless at first glance. But when you’ve been through a totally unnecessary court case due to the fact that your opponent didn’t bother informing him- or herself of the subtle nuances of elemental things like, oh, The Law or Your Rights, those two words can amount to a hill of not only frustration and aggravation, but also of insurmountable bills and responsibilities. So imagine how one local group of families wrongfully evicted from their apartments must feel. They made a case that their eviction was based on race, and they prevailed. Trouble is, there’s still a matter of money to be reconciled. A special Musical Benefit called United Together has been organized to assist these families in their time of need. The event is scheduled for this Sat, Sep 11, 6pm, at Mathews Elementary, 906 West Lynn, in conjunction with League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) (to whom you may make out your checks) and the Texas Civil Rights Project, and will feature the sounds of Sisters’ Act, Toqui Amaru, and World Gypsy. There will be barbecue to boot. 708-0023.
Get Outta My Dreams Get Into My Car
Chronic Chronicle letter to the editor writer Amy Babich isn’t the only one with bicycle dreams. Lots of folks in Austin have ’em, or at least visions of a better Austin where people use public transportation and phrases like “Ozone Action Day” and “non-attainment status” all but disappear from our vocabulary. The inner core of our city, especially, is so suited for alternate modes of moving around. It’s not totally impossible to think that our outer-lying areas can become less car-bound as well. September is Discover Commute Solutions Month, a 30-day-long attempt to encourage commuters to change their choice of travel, hosted by Commute Solutions, a group of CenTex agencies, transit authorities, and communities that live under the shadow of the I-35 corridor. Each Friday is a designated alternate mode day: Last week was Bicycle & Walking Day; this Fri, Sep 10, is Carpooling & Vanpooling Day; next Fri, Sep 17, is Public Transit Day; and the last Friday of the month, Fri, Sep 24, is Tele-Working Day. Additionally, next Mon-Fri, Sep 13-17, carries the Transit Week banner. Also, check into the city’s Bicycle & Pedestrian Program. 499-7032. 
This article appears in September 10 • 1999.