Stephanie C., a local teacher and Dallas native, exclaims her distaste for the Deep Ellum disaster and its declining state.

Deep Ellum once considered a hub for bohemian art and culture is, as of late, better known for their assortment of parking woes rather than la vie boheme.

The newest parking nuance nuisance is parking on unapproved surfaces. As if concert goers, art patrons, and the like don’t already have enough to worry about! First, there’s the ever so diligent meter police, where you’ll get ticketed for parking in Deep Ellum when elsewhere in Dallas evenings and weekends are free. Then, there are those parking lots that boot; whose enforcement, incidentally, has yet to come into compliance with the city’s new ordinance (chapter 48c), requiring receipt systems. Now you must make sure that the unmarked piece of land you have parked on is at least six inches of concrete, asphalt, or gravel with a border, per Dallas city code. So along with those tickets to the show, make sure you grab a ruler or a city code handbook to help you find a parking spot that’s legit. Afterall, there’s no app for that… yet. All way too much for someone just trying to enjoy some local flavor. All way too sad for an area that fully vetted, could reclaim its reputation as the artistic and musical hotbed it once was.

Instead, Deep Ellum has become a battle zone: meter mob versus music lover. Take Brandon Hancock for instance, whose story first ran in the Dallas Morning News’ East Dallas Blog. Hancock and another 100 or so attendees received tickets for parking on “unapproved surfaces” while at a show at Sons of Hermann Hall in late April. These particular surfaces, or empty lots rather, are on property deemed as private. Hancock’s questions now as he takes his case to local court are whether the city has the jurisdiction to issue citations on private property, and if so, why are taxpayers funding parking enforcement for private landowners? As of Friday, May 7th Hancock’s ticket has been suspended pending further investigation.

You are apt to find more information on where NOT to park on Dallas mainstay, Sons of Hermann Hall’s, website. That is not only entirely backwards but signals a dilemma of sorts for the many struggling businesses and venues. But, what can one do? Be lame? Complain? Miss out on the goodness that actually is there? It’s not their fault anyways! Next time, do what I will. Bring change, and lots of it. Look for parking lots that offer receipt systems. Get involved! The Deep Ellum Foundation and other local organizations charged with rejuvenating this area are always looking for those that are policitically inclined to help the cause. And if that is just a little too much effort, then just do what’s recommended by some of these local business owners themselves. Try out Dart’s new green line that now serves Deep Ellum. Hopefully, it will prove to offer up a solution and not just more fodder for internet bloggers.

-Stephanie C.

We hear ya, Stephanie. Take a break from the urban music madness, and join us at any of the upcoming summer festivals!

Our newly-appointed Texas Historian, Light Cummins, spends everyday asking, “What is it about our myth, our mythology, what it is about ourselves that so compellingly makes the Texas experience historically unique? …The typical stereotype of Texas can be the cattle ranch and the cowboy, but how many Texans live on ranches today and how many Texans are cowboys?” he asked. “Today, most Texans are urban.”

I’ve lived in Texas most of my life, and I take it for granted everyday. I scoff at non-Texans when they ask about our horses and our ranch. We live in the city!

But I was fortunate enough to attend a very Texas wedding this weekend hosted by generous friends of the groom. They opened their beautiful ranch home to the couple and their guests, and they certainly opened my eyes.

Americans often dream of white, picket-fence houses, but Texans take it to a whole ‘nother level. Spanish-styled houses on 3-4 acres of land. Plenty of room out back for your boat, or horses if you wanted. Outdoor grills so elaborate, you’d never go inside. Most importantly, true Southern hospitality only Texans can give.

I love you, Texas. Please don’t ever change.

For a group raised with Texan cynicism towards all things Oklahoma, this was to be as much of an eye-opening experience as an enjoyable one. We were expecting a rural atmosphere with little metropolitan spirit and a folksy festival supplied with weak beer. Our final impression would be much different.

The music was as eclectic as any major festival: country folk and bluegrass wailed against a backdrop of psychedelic pop rock and 80′s dance grooves. The recurring theme of NMF was the desire to expose local Oklahoma talent by putting them shoulder-to-shoulder with more nationally recognized acts; in this regard, the festival succeeded. Our biggest regret was not having the correspondents needed to catch more of OK’s finest, but the acts we saw and spoke to gave a tantalizing preview of the emerging local music scene.

Every festival has its standouts, and Norman Music Fest was no exception. Stillwater native Sheree Chamberlain brought a soulful sound to the afternoon set; her haunting vocals and acoustic folk sound blended nicely with the atmosphere of Main Street Norman, classically framed in railroad iron and wood. Sugar and Gold brought a pumping dance rhythm and blew away the stagnant afternoon heat with a Chromeo-esque energy that demanded your hip’s attention. Philadelphia band Man Man soon matched with their own sweaty, high-energy set, followed by a more subdued Starlight Mints performance punctuated with carefully timed moments of bravado. Main headliners and final performers Of Montreal did not disappoint with their closing ceremonies. The Athens, Georgia band displayed their mastery of blending performance art, electric pop soul, and a theatrical style reminiscent of Greek tragedy into a truly unique and jarring live concert experience. It was a befitting end to a festival that made constant allusions to the great heroes of modern Oklahoma music, The Flaming Lips.

But for all of the the amazing acts and turkey legs, the strongest impression was made by the local community and the festival acting as vanguard. The classic prejudices of a backwards, culture-starved Oklahoma were trampled under the feet of an art performance troupe and with each local artist and volunteer we spoke with. There’s clearly a creative element yearning to create a new identity in this historically conservative state.

If you’re a newbie to the festival scene, you should know that almost all medium to major festivals charge entrance fees per day on top of overpriced food and drinks you’re inevitably obligated to purchase. Thankfully, NMF stayed grass roots during these hard economic times. Cheap beer and food prices are good, but the option to bring your own food/drinks is great!

Many, many thanks to Oklahoman cutie Mary Ann Osko for helping us get through the press pass process smoothly. This lady has a lot of great plans for that city and is a shining example of the ambassadors that are redefining the area. Treat her well, Norman.

With attendance tripling yet still in manageable numbers, my only fear is that this great, authentic event will be touched by the mighty hands of the corporate gods and thus transformed into any other unidentifiable commercial weekend money pit. With various industries taking budget cuts left and right, any Oklahoman or Texan would be a fool to pass up such a great source of free, spectacular entertainment. Let’s hope this festival remembers to stay humble.

Shout-out to Natalie A. and her equally bodacious roommate Julia for graciously hosting MeVersus+3. Those pbj’s rocked.

So a few days ago, Texas representative Betty Brown gave minorities something exciting to buzz about.

Here’s the quote.

“Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it’s a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?” Brown said.

Brown later told [Organization of Chinese Americans representative Ramey] Ko: “Can’t you see that this is something that would make it a lot easier for you and the people who are poll workers if you could adopt a name just for identification purposes that’s easier for Americans to deal with?”

I’m too lazy to watch the video, because I can’t hear her at all anyway… but here’s the visual context of the quote, live from Texas.

Are Asian Americans/Democrats/minori

ties/naysayers making a mountain out of a molehill? Yes and no.

Of course, there are vast political motives for Democrats to oust her, and this slip-up is a great opportunity for them to do so. And yes, it does seem like “such a small thing to get upset about.” So then… why am I?

I keep flip-flopping regarding my reactions to what she said. On the one hand, I get what she’s trying to say. From my preliminary skims through news articles, here’s what she’s upset about. Many Asian-Americans (like myself) have a legal name (Ming-Shing) on their official documents, yet go by a common name (Katherine) that’s used exclusively for social contexts. This leads to huge potential identification issues. So in that sense, sure, I agree a little bit. It would be way the hell “easier” if we were all Katherines and Jennifers rather than Ming-Shings and Mei-Lings.

In addition, a lot of people in America don’t have very much familiarity with ethnic last names. Most proably can’t even spell common Anglo first names correctly – how many variations of “Katherine” have you seen? Let alone names like “Nguyen” or “Gutierrez” or “Krasinski.” All of this combined definitely leads to a lot of anxiety and potential confusion come voting time. The average volunteer in a polling precinct very likely did not sit through “Ethnic Names 101.”

All Betty Brown meant to say was this: “Hey, there’s a lot of potential confusion involved here. Here’s a suggestion to improve matters.” And if she’d phrased it better, I would give her a Facebook “Like.”

But my real beef is with who said it, and how she said it. I expect my state representative to represent ME, Ming-Shing (Katherine) Fan, a Texas resident and a U.S. citizen, when she speaks in political circles on behalf of Texas. Her unfortunate choice of words makes me question that advocacy.

Texas has some of the most diverse communities in the United States. Within the South-East Asian race alone, Texas boasts citizens and residents of Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese, Cambodian, Thai, Chinese, Malaysian, and Singaporean descent. Some are immigrants, who hold residency status. Some are naturalized citizens. And some, like myself, are citizens by birth.

In addition, not everyone who looks “white” is of Mayflower descent: Desi Americans, Latin Americans, European Americans, and African Americans also call Texas home, as well as the Native Americans who really should be the ones calling the shots if we’re basing “the right to belong” on seniority.

I don’t think it’s impossible for an Anglo-American to properly represent the interests of all these minorities, but I at least expect more sensitivity to the issue of ethnicity. In one fell swoop, Betty Brown lost the respect of millions across the state and nation with her offhand remarks. Her wording forms the bulk of my personal disappointment. Yes, I realize it was a casual comment. Yes, I realize there was no harm or offense intended. …But that is why it is all the more inappropriate.

By using such terms as “you and your citizens,” she’s suggesting that Chinese Americans do not belong in her mental category of “American” – which I’m assuming would be Anglo? Since “Caucasian” is not actually synonymous with “more common names.” Furthermore, she consistently uses the terms “we” and “you” – probably not to represent the state lawmakers vs. the common people… but to distinguish between “the people with names easier to deal with,” and “the people whose names are not easier to deal with.” In essence, this is a thinly veiled echo of colonialism with its overt “Us” and “Them” mentality.

In some Texas communities, some long-term resident families span three generations, all of whom speak English brokenly at best. I hear this happens in places like California Chinatowns and Koreatowns as well. And I don’t like it when Michael makes this comment, but I agree with his point: If you want to live in America, learn the language and adapt the culture. It’s not that difficult to reconcile the culture of your ethnicity with the culture of your citizenship – people manage to grow up cross-culturally all the time. And those who refuse to assimilate at least to a certain degree create a huge strain on the cohesiveness of the country at large.

But there’s a vast difference in dealing with pockets of minority communities that all refuse to learn or speak English, and suggesting that ethnic groups Anglicize their names for the sake of public convenience.

Names are a deeply personal source of individual identity – else why would parents spend months agonizing over their unborn children’s name spellings, name cadences, and name pairings? Why would entire tribes celebrate rites of passage with naming ceremonies? Names reflect family, significance, personality, heritage.

I GET that Betty Brown was not trying to say, “Your kind are invading my land, and the least you could do would be to make it easier for me to identify you.” But it sure feels like it.

I also think her comment demeans the hundreds upon thousands of Anglo Americans who valiantly attempt to learn as much about other cultures as possible. She makes it sound as if learning a few unfamiliar syllables is downright impossible for the Americans whose convenience she champions. I find this personally offensive to a lot of my Caucasian friends, who have always wanted to learn as much about my heritage as possible.

I’m not calling her a racist. I just think she’s an ignoramus. And it’s not OK for my state rep to lack exposure – at the very least, in an intellectual sense – to the minorities within her jurisdiction.

Texas is a state that bears deep pride in its culture. We disgust non-Texans with our constant “Texas > you” jokes. Texas is the only state allowed to fly its flag side-by-side with the Stars and Stripes. We chant “Remember the Alamo!” and mean it, whether or not we had ancestors in that battle. We are passionate about our freedom, and aren’t afraid to fight for it.

I appreciate Betty Brown’s effort to improve the voting process in Texas – all sarcasm aside, I’m sure she had some great ideas and suggestions. And I don’t hold her unintentional ignorance against her in a personal manner. But because of what and who she [did not] represent, I feel that she should no longer hold her position in office.

Catch Katherine Fan and her awesomeness over on facebook.

Draft magazine

Not your average yuppie-filled pub, the Amsterdam is a low-key, TV-free zone where you can concentrate on the drinking menu full of beers (try the Live Oak Hefe Weizen brewed in Austin). Kick it inside the airy, high ceilinged bar, or out on the patio during that nice Texas weather–just watch out for beer-juggling bartenders.

Amsterdam Bar, located at 831 Exposition Avenue, is your neighborhood Cheers, where even Sheldon, one of the best bartenders in town knows your name. The atmosphere is always friendly and the girls are hipster-ishly cute. With very little pretentiousness if any at all, this place has been my Austin away from Austin for a couple months now. It lies in the struggling but regrowing area of Fair Park next to Victory Sport Taekwondo, and Rob’s Chop Shop and offers an array of draft choices served with a hat-trick and  smile. Prices are very competitive, which makes it very difficult to try any of the other nearby establishments.

Bonus: Monday nights include free jazz from a handful of musicians. According to the Amsterdam blog, the lineup is based on the members of The Shelley Carrol quartet, but the lineup changes weekly as individuals take a night off and friends and guests sit in for a set or even for the entire evening.

Got the case of the Mondays? Come out and chill with the cool cats at Amsterdam. And if you’re feeling a little hesitant about the heavy drinking, try the ACE Pear Cider, described by one patron as “liquid candy”.

We started out at Green Elephant, a local dive bar we stumbled upon serendipitously. Initially, a very chill place, huge real estate, and a great backyard complete with hammock and couch.

Reason why we left instantly: dedicated dj playing electronic music all night.

Don’t get me wrong, I can enjoy the occasional trance, house, even breakbeat, but I can assure you, this was no atmosphere for the club scene. A classic case of identity crises.

After that trial and error, we headed over to The Barley House for $2 pints. Anything on draft for $2. This would be the greatest beverage deal I’ve encountered in Dallas on a Tuesday save one thing, their beer shipment didn’t make it and they were out of 90% of their draft choices. Being a pub, this really hurts one’s choices. That combined with the “holiday” at hand and you have some pretty discontent, thirsty customers.

We made the best of the night, planned only to have some “research drinks” for MeVersus but ended up having a few more throughout the night just to wash the disappointment down.

Usually a decent place to unwind after a hard day’s work, The Barley House let me down last night when the pressure was on. As for Green Elephant, the jury’s still out. (Hammocks at a bar, you have me pulling for ya).

Texas is known to get excited about two things: football and capital punishment. 2009 has only just begun, and already, six executions were set for this month alone. Welcome to Criminal Justice 101.

Curtis Moore – Executed last week for the abduction and murder of three victims, in two different incidences. Moore and an accomplice bound Truevillen (20) and Hoyle (21), drove them to an undisclosed area, shot and doused them with gasoline to be set on fire. Hoyle somehow managed to escape and survived. Roderick Moore (24) and Boone (21) were later murdered in the same fashion (minus the fire.)

Frank Moore - Executed Jan. 21, 2009 for the double shooting of Boyd (23) and Clark (15) outside a San Antonio club. Moore claimed he only shot them in self-defense, and remained adamant in this conviction until the very end.

Reginald Perkins – Scheduled for execution today for strangling his stepmother, Gertie Perkins. Her body was found in the trunk of her Cadillac. Perkins had been convicted in Ohio for the raping of two 12-year-old girls, sentenced to prison, and released on parole after 4 years. He was suspected of killing two other women, but insubstantial evidence left him to roam freely to Texas.

Surely, I believe in the integrity of our justice system. Capital punishment cases, in particular, get lengthy overviews and cost, on average, $2.3 million per case to ensure proper assessment. However, when cases are nebulous like that of Swearingen, I have to ask, is Texas getting a little overzealous?