Is there anything He can't do? Deaf Gahan patents new concrete mix for municipal use.

You may recall "Rearden Metal" from Ayn Rand's well-nigh unreadable novel Atlas Shrugged.

In Philadelphia, Hank Rearden, a self-made steel magnate, has developed an alloy called Rearden Metal, which is simultaneously lighter and stronger than conventional steel.

Rand's bizarre take on eroticism finds Rearden's lover Dagny Taggart getting an orgasmic charge from a bracelet made with Rearden Metal.

Meanwhile back here in Nawbany, Gahan Concrete is a mixture of aggregates and paste. The aggregates are sand, gravel and crushed stone; the paste is Kool Aid and portland cement -- with a pinch of loaded Rice Krispies Treats.

By the way, there is a real-life Reardon company (with a "o", not an "e").

I wonder if they make bracelets?

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Democratic mayoral candidate David White understands that change begins with a whole lotta scrubbing, and NA Confidential advocates just such a deep civic cleansing. 

After eight years on the job, Mayor Jeff Gahan's list of stunning "achievements" is long, indeed: tax increases, budgetary hide 'n' seek, self-deification, daily hypocrisy, public housing takeover, non-transparency, pay-to-play for no-bid contracts, bullying city residents and bullying city employees. Eight years is enough. It's time to drain Gahan's swamp, flush his ruling clique and take this city back from Gahan's Indy-based special interest donors. 

NA Confidential supports David White for Mayor in the Democratic Party primary, with voting now through May 7. 

ASK THE BORED: They're busy panicking after the Great Break Wind Fire, so we celebrate the guy who first patented a self-propelled street sweeper.

Who even knew that World Sweeper Dot Com is "Earth’s Largest Power Sweeping Resource"? Folks, that's powerful medicine indeed. Let's take a look at one of the faces on street sweeping's Mt. Rushmore.

Charles B. Brooks Patented One of the First Self-Propelled Street Sweepers (World Sweeper)

A black man from Newark, New Jersey, Charles B. Brooks, invented the U.S.' first self-propelled street sweeper truck and patented it on March 17, 1896.

Yes, soon it will be street scamming (oops, I mean "sweeping") season again, so let's take a look at one strategy for fighting a citation.

Here's what I did to beat the "blocking street sweeper" citation scam. Why should anyone pay?

Below, you'll see the parking dispute form I filed, and the argument I used, which in essence is this.

When enforcement of ordinances is purposefully random, how can there be penalties against those cited randomly?

You'll notice that Shane Gibson, to whom this form was submitted, did not attempt to answer my question. City Hall is silent. Stop me if you've heard this one before.