One man's wackiness...

When I heard the story this spring about the guy who tried to start a newsstand business by stealing and relocating a bunch of kiosks all around the city, I thought it was pretty amusing and wacky. However, when this one was returned to the sidewalk out front of my place of work, I got a different feeling:


Suddenly, all I could think about was the lost livelihoods represented here, both that of the owner (was he insured? or did he lose everything?) and the person who once worked inside.


It was like seeing a battered veteran sitting out on the sidewalk week after week, and suddenly the cranes-by-night scheme didn't seem so funny anymore.

Took me a while to get around to shooting this (last week), and I was lucky I did it then, because by the end of the same day the newsstand was gone. I hope my camera didn't make somebody nervous; I hope there's an insurance settlement in somebody's future, and maybe a new newsstand to serve the gum and tobacco needs of this corner . . .

(p.s.) Advance warning: I've bookmarked a bunch of news links for the day, but won't be able to blog them until this evening. See you around 8!