Each week, Eyes on Texas looks at life in Texas through the eyes of those outside our state.

The BBC was one of many news organizations to report that Austin is now home not just to famed outlaw country singer Willie Nelson, but also to an 8-foot likeness of the legend. The Austin American-Statesman took a lighter approach by alluding to Nelson’s notorious illegal smoking habits in their article on the unveiling, which took place on April 20.

Dinosaur World of Glen Rose is part of Texas' $23 million tourism business based on dinosaur and creation-based museums. Photo by Dana Smith, via Flickr and Creative Commons.

Mother Jones reported on the possible effects of Texas workers walking off the job when employees at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth, Texas, construction plant voted by more than a 9-to-1 margin to strike for better conditions, as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. In other economic news, the Economist reacted to a Texas Observer report on a $23 million Texas tourist industry based on dinosaurs and religion. Glen Rose, Texas, boasts Dinosaur World and the Creation Evidence Museum, which touts physical proof of the failure of the theory of evolution. The Economist’s blogger expressed some surprise at the variety and nuance in the locals’ attitudes toward evolution.

Forbes reported that Texas teenagers are doing their part in helping researchers better understand teen communication, especially the recently identified “sexting.” A University of Texas-Dallas psychology professors has essentially wire-tapped 175 teens for the past four years on the phones she gave to them, saving every text, email, photo, and IM they send.

Texas lawmakers took a hit on the New York Times opinion section when a Texas-based conservative immigration policy advocate argued that most Texans believe the state’s “sanctuary city” policy is unacceptable. The Times also reported on a Texas A&M professor’s inspiration from Mexico to grow more than 3,000 drought-hardy plants in his garden.

With the New York Yankees in Arlington this week, the Wall Street Journal took a look at the Texas Rangers and evaluated how weather may be an important factor to opponents of the promising team, particularly as things heat up this summer.