Just Like the Cross, or the Star of David, or Golden Arches

This is a clip from the front page of The Kansas City Star's website this afternoon. Two things strike me. First of all, iconic? Really? For whom was it an icon? Was it the squiggly Germanic "ss" or the laid-back-cool "o"? The hot air balloons at Metro North -- those are iconic.

Second, Dave Helling gets a byline for the photo? Has the political reporting gig so dried up that he's now being farmed out to document mall closings? Oh, Dave.