Teamsters

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Representatives of organized labor at the I 64 reopening. I was a Teamster once, Local 125, Irvington NJ. I had to join for a summer job I had during law school, driving a Coca Cola delivery truck. In general, I support unions. They stand in the way of workers being crushed by evil corporate overlords. Well, they aren't all evil. Some are, though.

One weird aspect of my law practice is that the relationship between the judges I practice before and the federal agency they work for is so acrimonious that the judges are unionized. Chew on that.

REMEMBER, TOMORROW IS STL DPB'S 1,000TH POST. There's bound to be some sort of silly image.

Law Enforcement: Open and Obvious

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The podium at the I 64 reopening was full of dignitaries, including the governor, two members of congress and local officials. Naturally, they had to be protected from any wild, violent mobs that might show up, protesting the completion of a major public works project ahead of schedule and under budget. Actually, the highway patrol sergeant with the rifle was part of the color guard for the national anthem and that stuff. However, the plain clothes spook in the right foreground is something else. I mean, the thing in his ear, the dark sunglasses on a very cloudy day, that hair and the camera - for what? Recording the faces of possibly anarchist freelance photojournalists like me? I don't know what his intention was but he sure stood out.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, WILL BE STL DPB'S 1,000TH POST. There will be an exciting new header (about time) and possibly a decent picture to mark the occasion.

Busted

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Pedestrians and cyclists accessed Interstate 64 for the stroll and ride at the reopening ceremonies via the entrance and exit ramps. They had to walk by one of these, making a not-too-subtle point. For those of you outside the US, your local terminology may vary but here the initials mean driving while intoxicated. And they don't mean on the joy of life.

TOMORROW: Thursday Arch Series.

What's All This Then?

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What's all this then? is what Graham Chapman used to say in Monty Python episodes when, dressed as a British constable, he would barge into a home or business and demand an explanation of, well, usually nothing much. I could have used his assistance Sunday at the I 64 reopening ceremony when I saw this gentleman. I first ran into him during my long walk from parking my car to the ceremony (BIG turnout). He was riding toward me on a skateboard in the traffic lanes but my camera was not ready. He stood near me during the lengthy political dispersal of hot air, videotaping the whole damn thing, dressed in a frock coat, sporting "look at me" hair, eyeliner and eyebrow makeup. He made me think of the White Rabbit in Alice In Wonderland, dressed for a cold day and wielding consumer electronics. What was all that, then?