postcards
Hi. My name is… Most Americans are familiar with cities’ nicknames — The Big Apple, City of Angels, the Windy City or the City of Brotherly Love. But now, the family of distinctive city nicknames will welcome one more member — The Rock. In October, Little Rock, Ark., announced that it will replace its old “City of Roses” designation with the new moniker, according to The Associated Press (AP). Mayor Jim Dailey has little concern that the new name will be confused with San Francisco’s infamous prison or the professional wrestler. “The Rock kind of portrays something pretty solid,” Dailey told AP. “A rock; there is something substantive about it.”
Getting inked. In September, Norfolk, Va., eliminated a 56-year-old ban that once prohibited tattoo parlors in the city. In 1950, the city council banned tattoo parlors, deeming them unsanitary vulgar and cannibalistic. However, 56 years later, state laws now say that cities cannot prohibit them. Although City Councilwoman Daun Hester voted against the ordinance, she says that she is not against the establishments. She just favors businesses that are “more equitably distributed around the city,” according to AP.