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	<title>The City Desk &#187; David Andrews</title>
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	<link>http://thecitydesk.net</link>
	<description>Fictional urbanism.</description>
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		<title>Friday Facts: Narnia, Math, Linguistics, Lascivious Radios</title>
		<link>http://thecitydesk.net/2009/11/20/friday-facts-narnia-math-linguistics-lascivious-radios/</link>
		<comments>http://thecitydesk.net/2009/11/20/friday-facts-narnia-math-linguistics-lascivious-radios/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:19:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The City Desk</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[David Andrews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[friday facts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jonathan Morris]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ordinances]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thecitydesk.net/?p=746</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[:: Median age of mathematics texts used in city public schools:  18 years :: Median tenure of mathematics teachers in city schools:  4.5 years :: Median SAT mathematics score, city schools (2008):  485 :: Percentage of 12th graders in city schools who know how ‘median’ differs from ‘average’:  38% :: A city ordinance passed in 1931 prohibited the hiring by city hospitals of any registered nurse “younger than nine years of age, regardless of experience or education.” State medical laws, which supersede municipal doctrine, mandate a minimum age of 21. :: The city’s official “Fictional Sister City” is Narnia, according to a 2001 mayoral edict. Prior to that, it had been Atlantis. :: Languages which have been banned within city limits over the years include, but are not limited to: French, Portuguese, Java, Tagalog, Mandarin, “variants of Basque,” English and “Anything even remotely Irish.” :: A Baltimore and Ohio Railroad “fight special” bearing more than a hundred boxing fans to the city for a series of welterweight title matches was met by special police at Central Depot on this day in 1927, to respond to complaints of illegal drink-mixing and gun sales on the Common Rate car. :: A short-lived [...]]]></description>
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		<title>A Bridge Too Far: Stimulus funds to destroy city landmark</title>
		<link>http://thecitydesk.net/2009/06/29/a-bridge-too-far-stimulus-funds-to-destroy-city-landmark/</link>
		<comments>http://thecitydesk.net/2009/06/29/a-bridge-too-far-stimulus-funds-to-destroy-city-landmark/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:19:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The City Desk</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[David Andrews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ostahanoc River]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stimulus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[streets]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thecitydesk.net/?p=605</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The current economic downturn and an infusion of $14 million from the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (stimulus bill) passed by congress earlier this spring have brought back to life a controversial city project many believe should never be revived. Since 1988, access to the 19th Street Bridge over the Ostahanoc River has required drivers to make four ninety-degree turns, two entering and two exiting the span. This odd and inconvenient traffic pattern was necessitated when repair work on the original bridge caused it to collapse into the river. Rather than trying to rebuild the bridge in its original location, the city decided to save money by redesigning and reinforcing the parallel pedestrian bridge to handle vehicular traffic on one of the busiest roads in the county. Since the streets leading to the bridge could not be easily re-routed due to a thriving commercial district in the area, 19th Street was turned and extended parallel to the river, where it joined the reconfigured bridge some 15 yards to the north. In the first few months after the ‘new’ bridge was opened, traffic mishaps were frequent. But drivers eventually acclimated themselves to the demands of negotiating the four square [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<title>Museum&#8217;s Ford Thrives on Bailouts</title>
		<link>http://thecitydesk.net/2008/12/29/museums-ford-thrives-on-bailouts/</link>
		<comments>http://thecitydesk.net/2008/12/29/museums-ford-thrives-on-bailouts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 29 Dec 2008 14:46:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The City Desk</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[bailouts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[David Andrews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Keets Harbor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[museums]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thecitydesk.net/?p=471</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One of the many historical treasures of the Keets Harbor area, the Maritime Military Museum has thus far avoided the budget shortfall common to many other municipal, civic and cultural institutions around the city. No small contributor to the museum’s fiscal health has been its Development Director, Albert Ford, who took over fundraising efforts in 1997. His initial success was a deft business deal that turned a 1998 trademark infringement suit brought by Minnesota Mining &#38; Manufacturing Company into a 10-year sponsorship that expired in November. His latest fundraising efforts have positioned the erstwhile &#8220;3M/3M&#8221; to maintain a budget surplus for the foreseeable future, even with significant infrastructure improvements and expansion plans in 2009. One of the museum’s most popular attractions is a portion of the WWII-era light carrier USS Cabot. The Cabot was auctioned off to Sabe Marine Salvage by the US Marshall’s Service in 1999 after a private preservation group ran out of funds. Director Ford, a former Naval Aviator who was twice shot down over Vietnam, purchased an intact section of the ship from SMS on September 4, 2001, not long after the carrier’s designation as a National Historic Landmark expired. The $61,500 purchase was not popular [...]]]></description>
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		<title>New Mayor to Toss Quarters</title>
		<link>http://thecitydesk.net/2008/12/01/new-mayor-to-toss-quarters/</link>
		<comments>http://thecitydesk.net/2008/12/01/new-mayor-to-toss-quarters/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:17:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The City Desk</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Belgian Quarter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brewery Quarter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[David Andrews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[neighborhoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ordinances]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[politics]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thecitydesk.net/?p=454</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One of outgoing Mayor Joseph Wilders’ best-received programs was his initiative to remove outdated ordinances from the city’s legal code (first item). However, the gratitude of the populace at no longer being required to maintain the lower edge of their moustaches above the upper lip (1871) eventually proved to have a negligible effect on his re-election prospects. Nonetheless, taking her cue from the popularity of her predecessors program, Mayor-elect Maribeth Cosgrove has announced her own initiative designed to streamline and economize the way the city does business. To demonstrate her intention to cut costs, budgets, bureaucracy, taxes and red-tape, Mayor-elect Cosgrove has announced that her administration will no longer award special recognition – and the more liberal interpretation of parking, construction and zoning regulations that thus applies – to city neighborhoods officially designated as &#8220;quarters.&#8221; In addition, the roster of  recognized city &#8220;quarters&#8221; will be rolled back to the level established in 1982, when the Hospitality Quarter became the fifth such city neighborhood to be so recognized. “I believe that five quarters are sufficient for any municipality” reads the critical line in the Mayor-elect’s press release dated November 24, 2008. Other city &#8220;Quarters&#8221; to be grandfathered in under the new [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Friday Facts: Politics, Plumber, Pancakes</title>
		<link>http://thecitydesk.net/2008/10/24/friday-facts-politics-plumber-pancakes/</link>
		<comments>http://thecitydesk.net/2008/10/24/friday-facts-politics-plumber-pancakes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:38:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The City Desk</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[David Andrews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Election 2008]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[friday facts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[halloween]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jonathan Morris]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RJ White]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thecitydesk.net/?p=376</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[:: Republican City Councilwoman Maribeth Cosgrove currently has a nine point lead over Democratic incumbent Joseph Wilders in polls released this morning in advance of the mayoral election. :: City Treasurer Donald Munro reports that Mayor Wilders has spent $1,192 of his own funds on clothing during his current re-election campaign. An additional $29.95 in campaign clothing expenses was reported, purchased by an anonymous donor. :: If you think showing up to a Halloween party this year as &#8220;Joe the Plumber&#8221; will show off your creativity and topicality, perhaps you&#8217;d better think twice. Local costume shop Alter Ego reports the ubiquitous everyman has been so popular as a costume, that they&#8217;ve been forced to back order &#8220;prop plungers, bald caps and prosthetic ass-cracks.&#8221; :: This October 29 marks the 120th anniversary of Industry Island, an experimental community founded by the virulently anti-Catholic Rev.Callum Fry in 1888. The original community was disbanded in 1891, but the many parks and trails crafted by the Reverend&#8217;s community remains a popular destination for day-trippers. :: City Marathon winners (men’s open division) by nationality since 2001: 3 Kenyans, 2 Mexicans, 1 Ethiopian, 1 Eritrean and 1 U.S citizen (Orlando, FL) :: City Symphony guest conductors [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Onshore Insourcing: Indian Firm Moving Jobs to City</title>
		<link>http://thecitydesk.net/2008/09/22/onshore-insourcing-indian-firm-moving-jobs-to-our-city/</link>
		<comments>http://thecitydesk.net/2008/09/22/onshore-insourcing-indian-firm-moving-jobs-to-our-city/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:25:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The City Desk</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[David Andrews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economic development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[industry]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thecitydesk.net/?p=328</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Recent news about the economy has been unsettling, to be sure- but the entire last decade has also seen a steady decline in manufacturing jobs locally, particularly within the city itself. In a welcome reversal of fortune, Mayor Joseph Wilders will announce today that Nihar Products Limited (NPL), the world’s fifth leading manufacturer of buttons, eyelets and aglets has officially signed a deal to move its largest factory to the old McKennick Screw Works building on Industrial Boulevard and relocate its U.S. headquarters to the Chandler Building downtown. The addition of NPL to the local manufacturing community had been the subject of insistent rumor ever since Mayor Wilders &#8220;vacation&#8221; to southern India last winter. NPL was founded in Bangalore, India in 1971, but in recent years has found itself competing for office and warehouse space against a tidal wave of software and telecommunications companies, filling every unoccupied piece of commercial real estate in the Indian state of Karnataka with technical support phone banks.  Unable to expand in their home region to meet the needs of a growing number of contracts and a thriving clientele, Nihar dispatched representatives to scout six municipalities around the world, including Dibrugarh (India), Shanghai (China), Hamburg [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>South Side Motorists See Red Over Orange Lights</title>
		<link>http://thecitydesk.net/2008/08/25/south-side-motorists-see-red-over-orange-lights/</link>
		<comments>http://thecitydesk.net/2008/08/25/south-side-motorists-see-red-over-orange-lights/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:01:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The City Desk</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[David Andrews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[safety]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[transit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[VRTA]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thecitydesk.net/?p=305</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Many of the laws of physics quantified by Isaac Newton in the 17th Century were of great service to inventors in the centuries after his death in 1727. Even so, Sir Isaac probably never imagined that the kinetic energy released by the inherent explosive properties of fossil fuels would lead to a world nearly overrun with vehicles powered by internal combustion engines. Nor would he have suspected the only reasonable way to properly regulate the ever-increasing traffic of such vehicles was to be found in color-coded traffic signals powered by electricity. With his groundbreaking work in optics, however, he might have been able to foresee the increase in traffic accidents that has plagued the city’s Industrial District since this spring. Over the past four months the city’s south side has been in the forefront of a program to install new energy-efficient street lighting using Variable Photon Light Emitting Capacitors (VPLEC), developed by Welkin Labs of Claremont, California. The program has been championed by both Mayor Wilders and Valley Regional Transportation Authority (VRTA) head Quentin Brucheimer. The transition involved replacing the bulbs in streets lamps south of South Industrial Boulevard – many of which had never been upgraded from incandescent to [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Carpe&#8217;s Marina and the Underground Railroad</title>
		<link>http://thecitydesk.net/2008/06/16/carpes-marina-and-the-underground-railroad/</link>
		<comments>http://thecitydesk.net/2008/06/16/carpes-marina-and-the-underground-railroad/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:27:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The City Desk</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[David Andrews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[historic preservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Keets Harbor]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thecitydesk.net/?p=269</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[For a city that has hosted kings, presidents and many other world leaders, a visit from a cabinet secretary in an outgoing administration might seem like small potatoes. But Idaho’s Dirk Kempthorne, the current United States Secretary of the Interior, was here recently for a very special reason: to officially establish Carpe’s Marina as our city’s second entry in the National Register of Historic Places. Nuncio Carpenello first went into business on the east bank of Keets Harbor in July, 1858, only days after arriving from Salerno, Italy. Local residents were amused when the burly immigrant constructed scaffolding inside his small and rickety wooden shack so elaborate that it forced him to sleep with his feet outside the walls. For many weeks afterward they heard the constant pounding of hammers and creaking of boards. In mid-September the shack suddenly disappeared, and in its place was a 26-foot long, eight-foot wide boat moored just offshore. Carpenello had built the craft on his own, from the hull up. Soon &#8220;Nunce’s Ark&#8221; was a familiar sight, tooling around the harbor and navigating the tricky eddies of the Ostahanoc River. Large as it was, the &#8220;ark&#8221; drafted barely four inches deep, and could travel [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Friday Facts: Hooper Slaw, Sal&#8217;s Famous, Bloop</title>
		<link>http://thecitydesk.net/2008/05/16/friday-facts-hooper-slaw-sals-famous-bloop/</link>
		<comments>http://thecitydesk.net/2008/05/16/friday-facts-hooper-slaw-sals-famous-bloop/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 11:30:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The City Desk</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[David Andrews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jonathan Morris]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shek Baker]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the city desk]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thecitydesk.net/?p=250</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[:: Number of consecutive weeks the Griswold Arthouse has featured Jaws as its &#8220;Friday Midnight Movie&#8221;: 1,664:: Number of &#8220;Jaws Burger&#8221; fried fish sandwiches sold at the adjacent President Heights Cafe&#8217; during in that time: 41,679:: Percentage sold between the hours of 2 am and 5 am Saturday morning: 83:: Number of stars awarded the President Heights Cafe&#8217; by irascible Alternative Weekly food critic Gram Sanders: one-half:: To the Jaws Burger fried fish sandwich specifically: zero :: The annual Founder’s Day Film Festival (FFF) will be held from August 8 – 11 this summer, with the official celebration of Founder’s Day to occur on Monday, August 11. This will also, as usual, be a paid holiday for all city employees. The theme for this year’s festival is the highly appropriate ‘Summer in the City,’ and the Monday afternoon Founder’s Day matinee will be Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing. The comprehensive FFF schedule will be released on Friday, June 6. :: Today, the City Council is scheduled to repeal a 1946 ordinance which banned from city limits any and all stand-alone arcade devices and games. The measure was intended to curb the use of pinball machines in casual gambling, but [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
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		<title>Friday Facts: Discount Pork Credit Rebate A.M.</title>
		<link>http://thecitydesk.net/2008/05/09/friday-facts-discount-pork-credit-rebate-am/</link>
		<comments>http://thecitydesk.net/2008/05/09/friday-facts-discount-pork-credit-rebate-am/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2008 12:02:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The City Desk</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[David Andrews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[friday facts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jonathan Morris]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[laws]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[museums]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RJ White]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shek Baker]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thecitydesk.net/?p=248</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[:: Mayor Wilders&#8217; recent initiative to &#8220;clean up&#8221; the city&#8217;s catalog of archaic, outdated, obtuse or redundant ordinances begins in earnest next Wednesday when he plans to unveil his self-authored C.O.M.B. (Consolidate Our Municipal Bylaws) Initiative. Among the ordinances targeted by the measure are a 1988 ban on prostitution services for pets, last year&#8217;s activist &#8220;pro-smoking&#8221; initiative, and a late 17th-century punishment which calls for &#8220;stabbing centrely amidst the fleshie organs&#8221; for anyone caught &#8220;dealyng with goods of a gypsie nature.&#8221; :: In addition to police officers, emergency response and medical personnel, it is technically illegal in the city to pose as a practitioner of the following professions: Plumber, baker, cobbler, milliner, grocer, asphalt-mixer. :: Number of local coyote attacks sparking the &#8220;Coyotes: This Summer&#8217;s Sharks?&#8221; three-day investigative series on Channel 8&#8242;s newscast next week: 0 :: The Woodbridge District of the city boasts more hair salons, Thai restaurants and British import shops than any other district in the city (124, 70 and 17 respectively). :: Tourism in the city is down 15% over the same period last year. The Valley Regional Tourism Bureau attributes the decline to budget cuts, leading to a lack of presence for the city in [...]]]></description>
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