The establishment, located at 318 N. Mesa, is the realization of an idea that began in the mind of Raul Gonzalez, nick named “Rulis.” The concept behind Rulis’ International Kitchen is a twist on fine dining: express gourmet. Rulis wishes that his customers experience an elegant atmosphere combined with a “laid back attitude.” Rulis’ is a great place to enjoy a glass of wine or a delicious frothy beer. The prices are structured so that they are accessible to more than 90% of the local population. UTEP students on a budget can enjoy a gourmet meal just a few blocks away from campus.

Lately, there has been a growing trend toward higher quality food and beverage. Shows such as Top Chef, Hell’s Kitchen, and the popular Food Network have allowed anyone with a television to become a “food connoisseur”. Rulis’ has catered towards this trend by providing high quality meals at an affordable price.

The food is delicious, varied, and innovative. True to the owner’s word, despite the variety and elegance of the meals, the restaurant still manages to remain down to earth. The menu varies from breakfast to dinner.

For breakfast, one can have waffles topped with fruit that varies with the seasons. Another good option are the breakfast sandwiches, like the St. Dennis Ciabatta which consists of scrambled eggs, mushrooms, and ham in wine sauce served on a ciabatta roll.

For lunch and dinner, a great dish is the Gambas al Ajillo; an entrée made up of six tiger prawns marinated, sautéed, and served in spicy garlic-chili oil. Another option is the Patatas Bravas; a dish that consists of thick cut potatoes spiced up and served with a cilantro aioli and a chipotle aioli. Another personal favorite is the Cuban Panino; a dish that consists of grilled pork tenderloin, black forest ham, pickles, mustard, homemade aioli, and Swiss cheese on a ciabatta roll. The sides range from kettle chips to fried green beans.

Superb food is not the only thing Rulis’ has to offer. Hand in hand with the concept of elegance and a laid back attitude is the restaurant’s recent addition of wine and beer. Rulis said he wants everyone to know that “anyone can drink wine” and “you don’t have to be rich” to enjoy a glass. On that basis, Rulis’ regularly holds wine and beer tastings. Alternating every week is Wine 101 and Beer 101; two events where anyone can learn the basics of wine and beer.

Rulis’ International Kitchen invites anyone who wishes to enjoy a superb meal at an affordable price in a casual yet class atmosphere. For more information, visit their website at www.rulisik.com.

A student can buy used books, but it is a hassle working with ravaged, withered, underlined, and highlighted collections of glued back pieces of paper. A few lucky students may get fortunate enough to avoid the ridiculous purchase prices of new books by purchasing substantially cheaper, hardly opened, used books. Having said that, if a student has to pay $150 for a book that originally cost $200, he or she is still paying in the triple digits.

Some students have stumbled across and have been pleasantly surprised by another solution: international edition textbooks. These books usually cost half, or less than half, of what a U.S. edition textbook costs. The most amazing thing about international edition textbooks is that they are the same as their U.S. counterparts.

Although international textbooks may look different from their U.S. counterparts, they feature the same content. The most obvious difference between a U.S. textbook and its international version is the cover. International textbooks usually are soft cover and portray a different cover image. Additionally, the paper in an international edition textbook is not the glossy commodity that publishers print U.S. editions in. A textbook’s most crucial element is the written knowledge that the books hold. Not only do international and U.S. print the same written knowledge, they print the same knowledge in the same prose, and in the same formatting. The author of a U.S. textbook also owns the international edition’s copyright and thus receives royalties from both editions.

If international editions are comparable to their U.S. counterparts, why are students reluctant to buy them? One possible explanation is the fear of being defrauded. International books are available online from third party sellers who sell the books on sites such as Amazon, EBay, AbeBooks, andValoreBooks. These books are not found in U.S. campus bookstores, nor are they available at your local Barnes & Noble.

The words “Not for Sale in the United States” that are printed alongside the titles is another factor that makes people reluctant to purchase international editions. This message scares U.S. consumers away because of copyright infringement and potential lawsuit nightmares.

There is good reason to fear the almighty copyright, so piracy should be discouraged. However, international books do not violate the law. In 2003, Tamar Lewin wrote a story on the copyright issue of international textbooks for the New York Times. Lewis notes that some students have taken it upon themselves to provide students with the cheaper international alternative. These students purchase a bundle of international books and sell them to other students in their campus.

There have been instances where companies have tried to block the importation of their products from countries where they are sold at substantially reduced prices. Lewin’s article refers to a supreme court decision made in Quality King Distributors, Inc. v. L’anza Research International, Inc. The case in question involved the re-importing of goods sold legally in foreign markets. “It appears that after L’anza’s United Kingdom distributor arranged for the sale of several tons of L’anza products, affixed with copyrighted labels, to a distributor in Malta, that distributor sold the goods to petitioner, which imported them back into this country without L’anza’s permission and then resold them at discounted prices to unauthorized retailers. L’anza filed suit, alleging that petitioner’s actions violated L’anza’s exclusive rights under the Copyright Act of 1976”.

The Court ruled against L’anza and found that “after the first sale of a copyrighted item lawfully made under this title,” any subsequent purchaser, whether from a domestic or from a foreign reseller, is an “owner” of that item. In simpler terms, the ruling states once an individual purchases a copyrighted material legally, it is his to do with what he will (except pirate said material), which includes selling, importing, or exporting.

The Supreme Court ruling established that the purchase and use of international edition textbooks is perfectly legal and a viable option for students. With that said, there is no reason why a student should not buy the less expensive versions of their textbooks. After all, why should student purchase U.S. editions at such insane prices?

Lastly, for any student who wishes to save cash next semester, the remainder of this article will briefly explain how to find international books.nte

The best place to find international books is online. Popular e-commerce websites and booksellers, like Amazon and EBay, offer international editions. There are also several websites that specifically cater to academia, such as abebooks.com, valorebooks.com, and textbooks.com. These websites also offer international editions from various individuals who sell them from their place of origin.

The easiest way to locate international books is to:

1. Visit a specialized search site, like bigwords.com.
2. Enter the U.S. edition ISBN# and run a search. BigWords runs a search of the major online textbook providers and displays a list of the various prices for new and used books.
3. Scroll down the page to view the listed international editions of the books.
4. Follow the links and secure your purchases. Each link comes with descriptions, pictures, and details about the seller. Most sites guarantee that their international books will have the same specifications as the U.S. books. The sites also usually handle disputes very well and promptly reimburse buyers who experience any problems.

Challenges and Opportunities

Opening a business often requires a grueling effort to overcome various barriers (cultural, generational, gender) that might exist between the customers and the product. When Tara Thai opened, it was no exception: Bringing Thai cuisine to a Southwestern city was no easy task. Sai Pituk, owner of Tara Thai, believes one of the greatest challenges of opening a Thai restaurant in El Paso was overcoming the regional stereotypes towards Asian food.

According to Pituk, the El Paso community tends to associate Asian food with cheap, mediocre-tasting buffets. However, once the El Paso community became aware of the concept of fine Thai dining, the restaurant’s challenges turned into its opportunities. Pituk’s restaurant is one of the only places in the city where you can enjoy high quality Thai cuisine.

Bringing El Paso the Best of Thai

Tara Thai came to El Paso about eight months ago to help change cultural misconceptions about Thai food. Although the restaurant prices are higher than most of its competitors, Tara Thai justifies the cost by offering an exclusive Thai experience. Tara Thai brings a genuine Thai culture by importing most of its fresh ingredients and by only employing Thai chefs.

Management personnel at Tara Thai have used several different mediums of advertising, such as radio commercials, billboard ads, and newspaper ads, to get the word out. Tara Thai chefs have also participated in TV segments that feature the preparation of traditional Thai food. With that said, Tara Thai believes that “word of mouth” has been its most effective marketing tool.

Success and Growth

El Paso Magazine recognized Tara Thai as 2009 Best El Paso Restaurant. As if this was not enough to denote a successful start for Tara Thai, urbanspoon.com and tripadvisor.com, two online sites dedicated to touristic destinations reviews, feature an impressive 90+ reviews for Tara Thai. Eighty-percent of the reviews are positive. As for the negative reviews, Pituk has an explanation.

“The bad reviews must be from competition because this place has the best service and best Thai food in town. Competition knows this,” Pituk said. “Believe me when I say that Tara Thai is the real deal. From the ambience to the food itself, Tara is by far the best Thai food one can get in El Paso or anywhere in West Texas.”

Hard work and effective marketing have allowed Tara Thai to begin looking into expansion. Tara Thai plans to open a hip and modern non-alcoholic bar where customers will be able to enjoy savory artistic plates made by the process molecular gastronomy.

Tara Thai Alchemy: Science in the Kitchen

Imagine opening a cookbook and encountering an ingredients list that includes rare chemicals like methyl cellulose and locust bean gum. For Tara Thai, this is not an unusual occurrence. Shortly after opening the restaurant, the Tara Thai team sought to introduce an innovating concept that will change the way El Pasoans view food: molecular gastronomy.

Molecular gastronomy is a cooking technique  that produces an artistic blend of science, flavor and art. Tara Thai is one of the first businesses to bring molecular gastronomy to El Paso. Very few cities nationwide offer this type of cuisine. Plates that utilize molecular gastronomy usually cost in the range of $90-$120 in large cities like Chicago and New York. Once Tara Thai introduces this concept in El Paso, locals will be able to taste it for much more accessible prices starting at $45.

Address: 2606 N. Mesa

Phone: (915) 533-1300

Hrs. of operation:

Monday-Thursday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Friday & Saturday 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Student Discounts: 10%

The preceding scene would be one that occurred several times a week around 6 months ago. It’s no mystery that the typical hotheaded El Paso teen knew about the freedoms Mexico offered in concerns to drinking. Whether or not their actions were good or bad are irrelevant. The truth was, and to some extent still remains, that Juárez drew a sizable amount of young adults under 21 to our bordering neighbor to unreservedly enjoy a drink.

After a year into the troubling and intense drug war, that same sect of the population whom looked across the border for alcoholic drinks is now left to find other choices. Those alternatives have led to effects that impact the El Paso and Juárez nightlife.

The grizzly stories of warring drug cartels have led to a drastic decrease in tourism for Juárez, especially in the amount of money restaurants and clubs pooled into the city’s economy amid the civil unrest. The opinion over the fear of Juárez has angered some Mexican nationals, claiming that the media has sensationalized an otherwise pleasant Mexican city. Whether or not the decrease in night life activity is due to exaggerating news or true violent civil unrest still leaves the fact of the matter truly noticeable—many people have avoided Juárez.

As a result, many restaurants and clubs have had to find new ways to survive. Many restaurants and clubs have already made the transition to El Paso, including Maria Chuchena, a restaurant, News, a night club, and Leprechauns, a bar; all enterprises that grew in popularity across the border. Having these great social places coming over will create a notable influx in El Paso’s nightlife, if it already hasn’t begun.

Octavio Gomez, owner of the Vanilla and 1914 nightclubs located in downtown’s developing Union Plaza, as well as the new Crave restaurant on Cincinnati, spoke about the changes he has seen in our city’s social scene. “You’re seeing different things in El Paso. Not only is the music different, but the way people dress has changed.” With the incoming of businesses that focus on offering unique Mexican trends, such as food, music, and clubs, El Paso’s downtown has truly seen a growing level of sophistication, extended Gomez.

Octavio Gomez was one of those El Paso teenagers who went to Juárez to visit clubs and bars. One of the more popular during his time was the La Serata. When asked about his motivation to open his clubs during a time when the El Paso downtown was still a quiet and dull area, Gomez answered that it came from his desire to see a lively and exciting night life come to existence in El Paso. During the past year Gomez expresses that there is an overall increase in activity downtown. He cites that not only is there an increase in attendance from young adults, but also an increase in the amount of Mexican-oriented businesses and Mexican businessmen who have arrived in attempts to continue the success their enterprises experienced in Juárez.

Unfortunately, the tragedies that have plagued Juárez have become opportunities for businesses trying to draw a crowd during the later hours of a weekend evening. Octavio Gomez mentions the fact that his advertisement and marketing plan has relatively stayed the same, but business activity level has increased, warranting the possibility that the fear shadowing Juárez violence has led to an increase in economic development for El Paso.

The streets of Juárez remain quiet and tranquil, in startling contrast to a year ago when cars would line across the busy club area from 9:00 pm to 3:00 am; the club area where parents would drop off their teenagers to inspect the hype over the latest new club. It could be that the drop in Juárez nightlife activity is only a temporary slump. Yet, when clubs and businesses begin testing the grounds for success in El Paso, it might be that the grass will be proven greener on the north side of our border community, in regards to security and wealth.

El Paso is growing in size and in unison the demand for higher-end entertainment is rising. The city has a sizable group of young teenagers and adults who are looking for night clubs and restaurants—the supply is already on the move to meet the demand. El Paso could become the home of disenfranchised businessmen and women leaving Juárez searching for success. It just might turn out in five years that Juárez will be craving the lucrative night life in El Paso.

Many things are still uncertain. How long will the violence in Mexico continue? Has the violence dwindled? Has it dwindled enough? This is just another battle, one involving the intricacies of politics and economics… one in which the prized possession will be the vibe of social clubs, restaurants, and the nightlife bustle.

With that said, lets look into one potential use of land at the ASARCO site: a massive expansion of the UT (UTEP) system (assuming that it is cleaned up greater than the proposed industrial standard).

REDA Proposal for the future of the ASARCO site

Senator Shapleigh requested that the Regional Economic Development Assocation drafts their own proposal for the future of the ASARCO site. REDA is currently working with engineers and architects to map and model the proposal below, in line with future site restrictions (water pumps, soil crypt, etc.).

Disclaimer: The thoughts and opinions of this document are solely those of the Regional Economic Development Association and are not endorsed or advocated by the University of Texas System or the University of Texas at El Paso. May it be noted that extensive scientific research and investigation has not been done in determining the policy proposals and their practicability. The objective of the proposal is to stimulate discussion and explore creative possibilities.

Assuming the ASARCO-site is purchased by the University of Texas (UT) System following full remediation to industrial standards by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ); The Regional Economic Development Association (REDA) proposes that the ASARCO-site is developed by the UT System to integrate 1) student housing complexes, 2) a research park, 3) a light-rail system connecting El Paso to Juárez, 4) a student community/commerce center, 5) a soccer stadium/event venue, 6) and a “peace park” along the United States (US) / Mexico border.

We will outline the predicted economic and social benefits (and their implications) of our proposal under the assumptions that 1) the necessary agents have properly remediated the land for its projected use(s) and 2) the necessary agents have secured external permissions and methods to operate the proposal to its fullest stated extent.

Student housing complexes

As the University of Texas El Paso (UTEP) grows in prestige and population, it is necessary that it accommodates for its growing populace of students- specifically in regards to housing. As it stands, UTEP’s only formal housing arrangement, Miner Village, hosts less than 500 students- the majority of whom are student athletes.

UTEP is commonly labeled unfavorably as a “commuter college.” In order to help dissolve this notion, UTEP must stimulate its student community with a vibrant on/near campus student district- made possible only with the massive addition of student dormitories and Greek houses. A larger, more active student community in the vicinity of the main campus will help improve campus and student life, student activism and involvement, and UTEP recreational and athletic events.

With UTEP competing for Tier1 status, and as the demand for more prestigious Texas research universities grows larger, UTEP has the potential to tap into the market of students seeking a higher class educational experience. Academically, UTEP can be discussed in the research ranks of the University of Texas Austin and Texas A&M; however, without the necessary lodging to attract and accommodate students, UTEP will never evolve into a competitive prospect.

Research Park

In order to help acquire/maintain Tier1 status, UTEP must provide the infrastructure and apply the innovation necessary to distinguish their campus, faculty and students. A research park in the center of the current ASARCO site would be a mixture of both infrastructure and innovation and would benefit UTEP by its prestigious draw, source(s) of income, and industrial partnership opportunities. Additionally, a research park would benefit El Paso’s economy as it presents a higher demand for higher-skilled jobs and industry.

According to Peter Golding, Associate Dean at the UTEP College of Engineering, due to the proposed park’s proximity to the adjacent mountains and its 360-day a year exposure to the sun, it would sit in an ideal location for wind and solar energy research.

The research park would consist of two buildings; one building would contain the facilities necessary to host equipment and experiments, and the other would primarily consist of (leasable) office space for professors and industrial/engineering firms. The two buildings would be a tremendous opportunity for industry to collaborate with education, not only resulting in a mutually-beneficial relationship for employers and prospective employees, but for the city of El Paso.

Light-rail system

In order to lessen El Paso’s dependence on vehicular transit, it is proposed that we develop a transnational light-rail system on the eastern perimeter of the site. Ideally, the preexisting rail structure can be utilized for the new system.

The light-rail system would make El Paso transportation more efficient, and could serve as a great passage to campus for Mexican UTEP students.

Student community/commerce center

In an effort to help bolster young El Paso entrepreneurship and student activism, it is proposed that a student community and commerce center is developed with the resources and facilities necessary to support necessary projects and businesses. The community and commerce center can include art and music studios, publication offices, and general office and planning space.

A student community and commerce center would attract out of city/state students who are looking for a program in which they can apply their talents and fields of study to creating a product, service or program for a low cost. A student community and commerce center would aid in the transformation from college students to working professionals. Additionally, a student community and commerce center would provide an outlet for UTEP students to reach out to the public and positively influence local business, social services, and/or public policy.

Soccer Stadium/event venue

UTEP’s long wish to create a men’s soccer team can be made possible with the creation of a new stadium. Projected to seat roughly 12-15,000, the proposed stadium would be in perfect vicinity to the UTEP main campus, the border (proposed light-rail system), and I-10 to draw large crowds. The stadium would result in large revenues as a soccer stadium and as a event venue for the cities of El Paso and Juárez.

In order to use the stadium in the most practical way, it would sit on the most northern area of the ASARCO-site, on top of the future crypt of polluted soil and contaminants. The cemented stadium foundation and parking lots would seal the land below and would not provide a risk to the environment or visitors.

“Peace Park”

Adjacent to two countries and three states, the true “Paso del Norte” rests on the western edge of the ASARCO site. In order to recognize this historic passageway, it is proposed that a peace park is adjoined with the existing Juárez peace park. Not only will the park serve as a green, beautiful, publically accessible monument to the Paso del Norte, but it will honor the victims of the Smelter town pollution.

The park would be a tribute to the devoted relationship between El Paso and Juárez/United States and Mexico- a stark contrast to the border wall that now lines much of the El Paso border. Practically speaking, the park can serve as barbeque/recreational grounds for the stadium- or as quiet study space for UTEP students (especially those at the site student housing) during non-eventful days.

In December of 2008, the United States unemployment rate reached 7.2%. In February of 2009, in response partly to the job losses mentioned above, the unemployment rate climbed to 8.1%. It is important to note that unemployment claims do not only consist of people that no longer have a job, but of people who were hired as full-time and are now only working part-time hours. The state unemployment rate for Texas has reached 6.8%, considerably less than the United States as a whole. Currently there are 796,985 members of the workforce unemployed in the state; a figure that is more than the entire population of El Paso. El Paso isn’t doing as well as the state. The city’s December unemployment rate was 6.9%, which was the mean for 2008. In January it climbed to 8.3%, a 2.4% increase from January of 2008. The city’s estimated labor force is 302,491, 277,517 of whom are employed. But what about the remaining 24,974? What about those 24,974 people’s families? We are all cutting back, but just how far are El Pasoans cutting? How have UTEP students been affected? The El Paso Times and most local news stations have featured stories answering the first 3 questions. I turned to the Ri readers to answer the fourth.

Fernando Hernandez is one of the thousands of employees laid off from Circuit City (the company officially shutdown all operations as of March 8th). As a result he finds himself struggling to pay his bills, getting to school, and succeeding in school itself. With his schedule already tight, he has to allocate time to finding another job and now has less time to dedicate to school.

Ana G. Estavillo is senior at UTEP who has interned at different companies in El Paso and Juarez. Typically interns are shoo-ins at the companies they work for, but several people have been laid off from the various companies, now employees are forced to work twice as hard for the same pay. She is skeptical about opportunities following her graduation.

It is pretty clear that the results of Regional Identity’s poll (nearly 70% of readers believe that the city is doing better economically than the nation) are misguided.

Perhaps the readers are correct. Maybe El Paso isn’t going to get as hurt as the rest of nation. I disagree; most signs lead me to believe that things are going to get worse before they get better.

The idea for this article came when I read to another student that Macy’s had announced 6,000 job cuts. He replied in a sarcastic tone, “Awww, that’s cool!” But what he didn’t realize is what could come from job cuts at a Macy’s in El Paso. The Wall Street Journal recently published an article titled Malls Race to Stay Relevant in Downturn. The subject of this article was the high amount of anchor and non-anchor stores throughout the United States Malls, as well as the increasing vacancy rate (7.1% in February, the highest ever) and shortening lease agreements. A few of the “small” mall stores closing are the Disney Store, Kid’s R` Us, Walden Books, S&K Menswear (bankrupt), and Hollister. The two biggest anchor stores closing are Mervyn’s and J.C. Penney’s. Mervyn’s ceased all store operations in 2008. J.C. Penney’s, which is typically found in malls (at one point there was a J.C. Penney’s in both of El Paso’s larger malls), is now opening standalone stores. Sunland Park Mall on the west side of El Paso has already seen a J.C. Penney’s and a movie theatre leave. Last year, Sunland Park’s Mervyn’s (one of the mall’s four anchors) shutdown its store. Dillard’s stock’s 52-week high is $23.11; it closed on March 24th at $5.93. Macy’s high is $27.08; it closed at $9.07. Sears high is $112.8; it closed at $44. Sunland Park matt is a Simon owned mall. Simon Property Group’s stocks 52-week high is $106.43; it closed at $35.20. Businesses around Sunland Park Mall are closing down as well. Linens and Things was the first to go late last year, Circuit City closed around a month ago, and a nearby apartment complex recently canceled expansion plans for the upcoming year.

So what does it all mean? What should UTEP students expect?

CNN News Room featured a forum with select Georgia Tech students who discussed their concerns about the economy and how it was affecting them. Shelby Bernard, a senior science-technology and culture major, mentioned that companies she had previously talked to at career fairs and a few that she interned at were no longer hiring. She came to realization that if she were to attempt to enter the workforce she would have difficulties paying-off the debt that she has accrued over the past couple of years. Bernard decided to stay and get her masters, not because she thinks that it will give her more value in the job market, but because she sees no other way to put off paying her debt.

With a more positive outlook State Senator Eliot Shapleigh released an article on newspaper tree detailing the “El Paso Stimulus.” The article discussed 4 initiatives that will be taken in order to help El Paso through these economic times:

• Fort Bliss expansion
• Construction at UTEP
• Improving Road ways
• Medical Center of the Americas

Fort Bliss expansion is a topic that we are all familiar with, Shapleigh estimates that it will create 40,000 jobs (2,000 of which will be high salary). The construction at UTEP will bring about 500 new jobs. Improving road ways seems to be creating more work rather than jobs, and the Medical center of the Americas will educate 680 new doctors for Fort Bliss and require 800 new construction jobs. This brings the total jobs to roughly 50,000 new jobs, around 2,700 of which will be high salary. As mentioned before there are 24,974 unemployed in El Paso according to the January data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This plan will obviously take some time to develop but why create twice as many jobs as necessary? This leads me to believe that the situation will get worse before it gets better, but through a combined effort the time spent between worse and better can be significantly shortened.

However, Legarreta is not on a congested highway or on a busy city street. Instead he is waiting outside the El Paso International Airport, and the car he is sitting in is his taxi cab.

“As a cab driver, I don’t have a fixed income, and how I earn a living depends on how many trips I can make on a daily basis,” Legarreta, who has been a cab driver since 1994, said.

“Since last summer though, I’ve had to stay out and work longer hours just so my family and I can get by.”

The truth behind the matter is that as the nation is being gripped by an economic recession, the effects have trickled down to those who are near the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder.

As Americans continue to have less and less confidence in the current state of the economy, they are less willing to travel; affecting those who have jobs involved in the local tourism industry.

Some of those who have felt the full force of the recession are El Paso cab drivers. They and their taxi cabs are most visible in 3 distinct areas of the city: by the international ports of entry (bridges), outside the airport, and at the Fort Bliss military base.

“We are still getting a steady work load from Fort Bliss, for the soldiers still enjoy traveling around the city,” stated Juan Salgado, a local cab driver for the past 15 years.

“Where we are really hurting is at the airport, where flights are coming in with fewer tourists than before, and at the bridges, where Juarez residents are also trying to cut back on their own spending.”

As our neighbors across the border are fighting to stem the drug-related violence that has plagued Ciudad Juarez for over a year, they are also facing a devalued peso which gives them less purchasing power when they cross into El Paso.

“People crossing over the bridge on foot from Juarez and then taking a cab to one of the El Paso malls used to be very common,” Salgado added.

“Now so few people do that that on most days I don’t even bother going downtown to look for possible clients.”

Most cab drivers have also not been helped by the fact that the monthly rent that they pay the cab company owners for the use of the cabs has remained constant while their profits have dropped. This was made evident by Javier Aguirre, a cab driver of 12 years, as he explained his current financial predicament.

“It has always been easier to rent a taxi than to own one,” Aguirre said.

“I am not so sure of that anymore since we are still the one’s responsible for maintenance of the cars when they break down and lately those costs along with rent have been piling up as compared to our income.”

Some local residents who rely on public transportation to get around the city have also decided that in times like these, it is much more economical to simply wait for the city bus.

Guadalupe Rodriguez, a Mission Valley resident who works as a house maid at some of the homes in the Upper Westside, says that even though there is nothing like the comfort of riding in a taxi, lately she has had no other choice but to use El Paso Metro.

“I always enjoyed my cab rides up and back from the Westside; the drivers were always very friendly and I could always have them pick me up on my schedule,” Rodriguez stated.

“Now, in an effort to save money, I ride the city bus to work, but it’s difficult because I don’t know of any buses that would take me directly to my destination, so I am forced to ride a couple of different buses every morning and afternoon.”

The overall downturn in income has been widely felt by the vast majority of the city’s cab drivers.

Luis Gomez, a cab driver and owner of a local tax preparation agency, Luant Services, files the income taxes for most of the city’s drivers. He claims that in the 2008 Income Tax Returns that he has filed for his clients so far, he has noticed a substantial decrease in income.

“I myself made less last year as compared to previous years, and some of my fellow cab drivers also suffered from a drop in gross income,” Gomez said.

For the first time in 35 years, El Paso’s unemployment rate was below the national average at 7%; its’ 1.5% annual increase was also lower than the national increase of 2.4%. The number of people employed in El Paso also rose from 278,400 in December of 2007 to 281,000 in December of 2008. El Paso also garnered recognition by being ranked the 5th best housing market in the country by Forbes magazine and 9th best city for job creation by Bizjournals.

Local economists have pointed out that El Paso experienced a slow down in sales in December of 2008, when usually the final quarter of the year is strongest from retail sales. Manufacturing is falling across the board throughout the national and global economy and since the El Paso/Juárez region’s imports/exports are heavily reliant on the manufacturing industry, the results will be seen soon. Although the first quarter numbers are not out yet, many feel that the recession has finally hit El Paso and is expected to follow the national recession until the end of the year.

The extent of the recession and the impact it will have on the local economy is difficult to determine because El Paso is in a unique position right now. The influx of 20,000 soldiers and their family’s, as well as the government spending that will follow their accommodation is certainly going to continue to stimulate the local economy. Also, the violence in Juárez has prompted an influx of 10,000 people from our sister city to El Paso, which will concentrate spending on this side of the border.

Juárez violence has also slowed border traffic, which has further strained some businesses in El Paso. However, the recent deployment of 3,200 troops to Juárez has shown a plummet in the city’s murder rate. Mexican officials are optimistic that they are slowly regaining control over the city. If stability continues to improve in Juárez, border traffic will again prompt regional spending.

Ultimately, leading economic indicators for the city provide mixed results. El Paso will see a noticeable slow down in its economy in the coming year, but the unique situation in El Paso offers tremendous growth potential in the next 3 years. When the economic dust settles, El Paso will be in better standing than other national cities and will emerge in a stronger position to leverage further economic expansion.

It is no news that the economy has slowed. Unemployment is on the rise. Although El Paso has yet to see thousands laid off, the city is not unaffected by the crisis. Many people have already lost their jobs and others anticipate losing their jobs in the near future. Is it really proper to celebrate the departure of what could have been more jobs for El Pasoan’s that are already feeling the crunch?

Speaking solely on the potential Asarco had to create jobs, it may not be inappropriate to celebrate at all.

According to the Asarco website, Asarco “could provide 300 well-paying hourly jobs and approximately 80 salaried positions” here in El Paso. Imagining a fantastical situation where EPA standards did not exist and Asarco was allowed to continue its operations as usual, 380 jobs would hardly put a dent in the current level of unemployment. The Bureau of Labor Statistics preliminarily placed El Paso’s unemployed at 21,138 in December of 2008. It would not be a stretch to assume that the number has only risen since. Had Asarco continued operations, it would only employ about 1.8% of El Paso’s unemployed, a relatively small percentage when taken in context of the recession as a whole. Again referencing the BLS, El Paso’s workforce consists of about 302,000 people. To put the numbers in another perspective, Asarco would have only been directly responsible for .13% of El Paso’s entire labor force.

Aside from the individuals Asarco would directly employ, it was projected by an independent contractor that Asarco would indirectly create about 1,800 jobs, a much less meager figure than 380 employed. Again, there are two sides to everything. A January 2009 report by the BLS stated that “Manufacturing employment fell by 207,000 in January, the largest 1-month decline since October 1982. In January, durable goods manufacturing lost 157,000 jobs, with notable decreases in fabricated metal products (-37,000), motor vehicles and parts (-31,000), and machinery (-22,000). Employment in nondurable goods manufacturing declined by 50,000 over the month.” A national decrease in employment in fabricated metal products would have likely affected employment at El Paso’s Asarco. Even the most optimistic figures would have seen a decline in today’s market. For all the jobs that the company may have created, it would not have helped the city’s current plight as much as many may think.

Historically, Asarco wielded a great amount of economical influence over the city. It seems though, that given the peculiarity of present times, Asarco would have been less of a powerhouse had it continued operations as usual. After the smelter discontinued operations in 1999, there was not a sharp increase in unemployment. It must have been hard for some families, but El Paso as a whole was not consumed in flame and swallowed into the ground. If the smelter reopened, the contrary would probably not occur either.

For all the what-ifs and the maybes, one thing remains true as of February 2009. Asarco is gone. Hate it or love it, things in town have changed. All the city can do is look forward and vie with the present troubles. What will happen to the undoubtedly historic site? That’s another conversation best saved for another day.