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As I mentioned yesterday, I went out to photograph the Rally For Compassionate Missouri Budget on Sunday afternoon. It was organized by Missouri Health Care For All to draw attention to the threat to our state's already-meager Medicaid system by Republicans in the state House of Representatives. There was a good crowd. Many Christian, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders attended.Note the woman in the white cassock and red stole in the upper left photo below. It is Rev. Teresa Mithen, pastor of St. John's Episcopal Church in St. Louis. Rev. Mithen is my daughter's oldest friend - they have known one another since they were that big and Mithen officiated at her wedding. She's a very cool person.
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Word of Saturday's mass pillow fight spread throughout St. Louis on the web. These students from St. Louis University, my alma mater (A.B. 1971, J.D. 1974) showed up to battle the soft machine. Why they decided to paint themselves in silver is beyond me. It's not even one of the school colors. But so what - I did much dumber stuff when I was there. You would have to find my secret dossier to find out what.
Hey, check out the fourth comment to this post from a St. Louis U. student. These people painted themselves silver as camouflage, to blend in with the Arch in case of trouble with the cops. How absolutely clever!
WHAT WAS UP SUNDAY: I went out to shoot the Rally For A Compassionate Missouri Budget on the steps of out Old Court House. Republicans in the Missouri House of Representatives want to use the recession as a reason for yet further cutbacks on social services, particularly health care. I've been pretty P.C. in most of my posts but my header does advertise the occasional rant. Well, here's one. I am horrified and angered by the I keep all my money, it's okay if you die in a hole somewhere attitude of much of the Republican party in this state. It's a vision of society that looks back to the Industrial Revolution and beyond, when workers and the poor were treated as a commodity. That's not a society where I want to live. And I don't want to move to Massachusetts or British Columbia to live with the like-minded. I'd rather do something positive here. So, tomorrow's post will feature the rally. 
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Several weeks ago, Hayden Carter of St. Louis Improv contacted me through the blog and invited me to record some of their street provocation theater. Saturday was the day for a Worldwide Pillow Fight, the local version held under his loose supervision beneath the Arch. It was a fun-for-all free-for-all until the park rangers came along and did a Big Brother number on the mêlée.
Check the link above to St. Louis Improv's Facebook page for upcoming subversive activities.WHAT'S ON TODAY: a rally in opposition to the horrifying cuts in social services being pushed through the Missouri legislature by the Republican majority. It will be held on the steps of the Old Court House and is led by Rabbi Susan Talve, one of this area's most admirable religious leaders. I'll make it if I can.
TOMORROW: oh, this is fun. Let's stick with it.AND BY THE WAY, team member ShadowyOne was along for the festivities yesterday and was smart enough to bring her FlipVideo. Check out live coverage of the pillow fight on YouTube. Click the HQ button for higher resolution. The person wandering around in a blue jacket and hat taking pictures is me.
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Didn't have anything worth posting from Forest Park, as I mentioned yesterday, so it's back to the Botanical Garden. A fellow photographer with a full kit shoots the cherry trees over a dusting of snow.
WHAT'S THE GOOD WORD? My iPod spontaneously decided to work again. I think it had something to do with my iTunes library. I don't use it since I only rip music from CDs, never download from iTunes, but the program needs the file. It was on the server at my office. We put in a new server with a different name and it drove iTunes crazy. I created a new library file and all is well. What a pain.TOMORROW: There is supposed to be something absolutely crazy going on downtown today. I've been invited to photograph it. Won't say what it it is until I'm sure it comes off. Hey, wait! It happened! It happened! Giant pillow fight under the Arch! Stills and video here at 6:00 AM US Central Daylight Savings Time on Sunday (11.00 GMT).
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Payday loan offices offer small short term loans to people, often just until their next pay check. These are people who are desperate and often have no other source of credit. The rates of interest can be breathtakingly high. As the interesting article on the subject in Wikipedia states: [in a study of US payday loans] the most frequent rate was $25 per $100, or 650% annual interest rate (APR) if the loan is repaid in two weeks. Low income people can become entrapped.The practice is banned for being unconscionable usury in a minority of US states. Rules vary greatly among other states. Is this practice permitted where you live?
WHAT'S A BUMMER: a few readers suggested I take my messed up iPod to an Apple store to see if they could do something with it. I did that today. Their best guess is that the unit is okay but that there are corrupted files. They think the only way to fix it is to wipe the 40 GB of music on it and rebuild it from scratch. It's all from CDs, no downloads. Um. In my spare time.
TOMORROW: not sure. I'm thinking of going back to spring in Forest Park.
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This was taken in broad daylight. I was just fooling around with exposure. It was shot at - 2 stops. I need some new ideas for this subject.
WHAT I DID THAT MAYBE WASN'T SUCH A GOOD IDEA: renewed my subscription to Photoshop User magazine. Thing is, I hardly ever have time to read it (or much else).
TOMORROW: lender of last resort.
There is a new Arch photo
today on GATEWAY.
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I dunno. It's what popped out of my feverish brain. Interpret it as you will.
Chicken out with City Daily Photobloggers around the world today. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants
WHY DID MY iPOD CROAK? Don't know. Maybe Apple planned it that way. But wait a minute. I'm writing this on a MacBook. Should I be worried?
TOMORROW: Thursday Arch Series
As I mentioned yesterday, I went out to photograph the Rally For Compassionate Missouri Budget on Sunday afternoon. It was organized by Missouri Health Care For All to draw attention to the threat to our state's already-meager Medicaid system by Republicans in the state House of Representatives. There was a good crowd. Many Christian, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders attended.
