City

Film festivals do a heft amount of grandstanding about representing diverse perspectives and expanding the definition of cinema. But when it comes to LGBT characters and so-called queer cinema, the festival circuit has a mixed track record. Sure, the winning flick at this year's Cannes Film Festival -- the creme de la creme of the festival circuit -- was about a lesbian romance . But films depicting same-sex relationships often get swept into their own awards categories or themed sidebars, making them unlikely to get the exposure necessary to jump into American theaters.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake justifies over $100 million in taxpayer-funded property tax subsidies for the developers of Harbor Point on the grounds that the development will bring jobs to Baltimore ("Mayor: Project means jobs," June 4). But if those employees don't live in the city, the outcome will leave city taxpayers out $100 million, living with the traffic and congestion as employees drive to work and the county enjoys the income tax revenue. Here's a modest suggestion: Tie developer property tax subsidies to the number of those employed in the development who pay income taxes as Baltimore City residents but did not file as city residents the previous year.

Developer Michael Beatty pressed the Baltimore City Council to approve the issuance of $107 million in bonds to pay for infrastructure at Harbor Point, saying Thursday that the prime real estate would remain a gravel-covered lot without city-financed roads and sewer pipes. Finding private investment to construct buildings at the site is difficult enough without having to raise money for utility hookups and parks, Beatty told reporters at a morning news conference. "Without infrastructure here, you can't build buildings," he said.

Baltimore's challenge challenge to the 2010 Census count netted the city a small population bump. Instead of being home to 620,961 people on April 1, 2010, as the U.S. Census Bureau reported in 2011, Baltimore actually had 621,074 residents - an increase of 113 people, federal records show. That's a far smaller increase than Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and other Baltimore officials had hoped for. The city's planning department argued in its appeal that census workers did not count 15,635 housing units in Baltimore.

Baltimore's park system has slipped from 15th to 21st in an expanded ranking of open space in the nation's 50 largest cities with relatively low funding cited as a continuing problem. The nonprofit Trust for Public Land gave Baltimore's 4,905 acres of parks the same overall grade Wednesday as it had last year -- three out of a possible five "park benches," or stars, in its ParkScore rating system. But the city lost ground in the rankings because the trust added 10 new cities to its review of  municipal parks, several of which topped Baltimore, including Minneapolis, which came in #1, Omaha, Neb. (#11)

Faced with a rash of reported mobile device thefts, local lawmakers want to ban the automated purchasing kiosks that have cropped up at area shopping centers and allow customers to instantly resell phones, tablets and music players. The proposals have drawn criticism from ecoATM, one of the largest players in the emerging industry, which says its devices - sometimes called "reverse vending machines" - are being unfairly blamed for a theft problem that is much larger than its business.

The City Council's decision this week to unanimously approve a bill requiring businesses getting large city contracts to hire 51 percent of new workers from Baltimore was regrettable not only because the measure probably won't have much impact on the worthy goal of reducing city unemployment, but because it may be illegal as well. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's decision to let it go into law without her signature, despite the advice of City Solicitor George Nilson that it is almost certainly unconstitutional, is shameful.

There's no one way to describe Sabrina Chap -- and that's what we love about her. She's a musician and songwriter - her latest album, "We Are the Parade" boasts a title track about marriage equality. She often performs with burlesque and variety shows. And she plays a mean kazoo. "Someone once called me a mix of Julie Andrews and Divine, which I love," said the 35-year-old, whose real last name is Chapadjiev. "I've also gotten 'Tom Waits with a hint of Phyllis Diller. And though she lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., Chap has often performed in Baltimore for the past few years.

The City Council voted unanimously Monday night to approve a bill that will require businesses getting large city contracts or financial support to hire 51 percent of new workers from Baltimore. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake will let the bill become law without her signature, her spokesman said afterward. Approval of the legislation, sponsored by Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young, means Baltimore will join cities including San Francisco and Boston in adopting such an ordinance.

The unrest of the '60s is still simmering. As the political tensions rise, so escalates the turmoil in Don Draper's world. 'A Tale of Two Cities' focused on fierce rivalries: East versus West Coast, Joan versus Pete and Cutler versus Ginsberg. No one was stabbed (thankfully), but Roger did get sucker punched. And it was hilarious. Roger was the shining beacon of much appreciated comic relief in an episode riddled with ominous and violent undertones. After last season, I've become somewhat numb to the death imagery in 'Mad Men,' since they tend to hammer it rather hard into viewers' heads.