Who The Fuck Is...

Marianne Williamson- and more importantly, why is she so spot on about so many things that actually matter!?! Much as I love Elizabeth Warren- she'd get eaten alive by Trump, and good ol' Bernie, that charisma gene just seems to be absent, or at least... aged beyond repair. And she even makes Kamala look meek!

Admittedly, I just learned of this woman this Tues eve from online video clips (don't have cable)- but I wish half the Democratic candidates had the fire in the belly that she does... and the truth to go with it!!!

People say our system is broken — it’s not just broken, it’s corrupt to the core. It’s not just that our economy isn’t working for everyone, it’s that our economy has become completely taken over by corporate forces. -Marianne Williamson

REPUBLICAN Assures Us Of Hope...

Pain In All Colors

 

Photo: Panoramic

I started riding a bike again 'round about the same time ol' Lance started winning Le Tour de France. And while Lance turned out a major fraud (if not, the biggest fraud in sports history), The Tour itself remains one of the genuinely ultimate tests of physical and mental stamina, conditioning and endurance. You ain't ever gonna get on any tourist expedition to accomplish the completion of these summits! The Alps and Pyrenees are an unprecedented commitment to pain writ large- I've struggled on many a San Franciscan... hill. Which is why I always gave those skinny White boys (and that's no dig, disguised or otherwise- I'm a skinny non-White guy) their due props! This is not an elitist sport per se, rather, one very much rooted in working class origins. And yet, it has transitioned into a sport, an industry, well rooted in well monied equipment, finance and training.

And for those very reasons alone, it is exactly why we haven't seen athletes of all colors and socio/economic backgrounds competing in a sport that does require such extensive commitment, monetary and otherwise, from all involved. That long history of exclusion was finally broken this weekend when a very distinctive, brown pair of Columbian legs powered by one very determined 22yr old Egan Bernal managed to doggedly pursue and overtake the maillot jeune worn by Frenchman Alaphilipp, who proved no slouch himself! What did Bernal have to say? "I love to ride, I love the feeling to suffer in the mountains..."

Why Can't We All Age So... Gracefully

10:58 of laughs, truth and wisdom; THE BEST- 8:00 in...

Exactly!

So... do we begin impeachment hearings now- only to have them inevitably voted down in the Republican Senate? Or, do we wait to indict the lying, conniving SOB as a private citizen- and risk him being (god-save-us-all if you think he's unhinged now)... reelected and having the statute of limitations come into play on each of his individual crimes?

 

Why?

Photo: © Stan Banos

My wife asked what made me take a picture of this guy. I was returning home from the usual post work week, two pint Friday which has me pass a Federal building with a large plaza that after six pm looks for all the world as if yet another zombie movie is in full Hollywood production. Now most people will understandably take that as a rather pronounced exaggeration. If you live in San Francisco, you'd experience the unreality of it all, firsthand- the dozens upon dozens of homeless, mentally ill and severely drug addled people drawn there like moths to flame. All colors, sexes and ages, most filthy, many babbling incoherently, bodies drooping, as they slowly stumble about in a semi-coordinated aimlessness resembling an open air convention of the undead.

This person was off to the side and there was a certain reserved almost regal presence about him. I asked if I could take his picture, to which he consented, although good intentions and promising subject matter don't always guarantee success, particularly when the photographer himself has undergone minor mood enhancement. But I gave it a go, and was delightfully surprised by the result- a dignified portrait of a man rightfully frightened, and desperately determined to hold on to whatever pride, whatever vestige of humanity possible....

PS- and thank you, whoever shone that beautiful catch light upon his face!

Quick! The Number One Cause Of Man-Made Global Climate Change Is...

Well, Duh-uh... Like, what semi-rational, half way woke human doesn't know it's the unprecedented use and burning of fossil fuels? Everybody knows that... so what's the big shit?

Exactly... Except that- it's not! And the unfortunately named Cowspiracy* proceeds to edify and educate us in a succinct and convincing manner, as to how the production and consumption of... meat is, in fact, the number one cause of man made climate change- and it's not even close! I always knew it was a major contributor- but NO idea it was #1. And if that wasn't a big enough blow to the head... get this- the major environmental organizations are scared shitless to even mention it, let alone discuss it!!! 
* also available on Netflix

2 For The Road

Photo: © Stan Banos

Pride Day in SF is a deservedly festive occasion- but smiling, happy faces are not exactly my primo subject matter. So what was I doing prowling about the thousands gathered to celebrate? Well, whenever you have that many people swirling about in a human maelstrom, you always have the possibility for sideline photo ops that result indirectly from any such event. But after an hour and a half of pounding the pavement shoulder to shoulder in cordoned off and fenced in streets that treat people like cattle, force foot traffic at intersections to the speed of hardening cement, and effectively reduce the space and freedom for those serendipitous photo ops to occur- I was wrapping it up, head bowed, when... I caught those bright streaks of surreal balloonery exiting. So I pretty much stalked balloon guy for a block and a half, hoping one of a half dozen shots would amount to something- and I'm pretty happy with the resulting shot. Even at 1/1,000 of a second, it's not as sharp as the 14mm (21 equivalent) Fujinon can actually deliver, but decent enough considering he was walking away at near light speed as I struggled to keep up and compose on the fly.

Head held considerably higher, I then caught Mr. Astronaut serenading the departing crowds on their homeward journey... 

Photo: © Stan Banos

Midsommar

I'm not a big horror movie fan, not into waiting for things to jump outta the shadows for supposed chills and thrills- just-not-my-thing... And Midsommar is fortunately, not that kinda horror movie. For one thing, a lot of the horrible things that happen as the story unfolds happen off screen- although, yeah, you certainly get to see enough on. And not since The Innocents, does so much (like all) of the horror happen in broad daylight. But it does provide a nice creepy, and thoroughly discombobulating, alternative to the usual, oft repeated, horror genre- and pretty much reflects why I would be absolutely terrified downing a few innocent brews in a traditional German beer garden in the midst of celebratory Octoberfest. Yeah, this happens in Sweden, not Germany- but I think you get the gist in my case. 

And speaking of Sweden, just loved that they took a group selfie of their festivities with what else... a Hasselblad!

Photography And Climate Change

 

Photo: © Stan Banos

While we've all seen plenty of photo essays documenting climate change, I haven't seen too many* articles on how photography itself will be affected by climate change. In the past few years, I've already had to cancel and/or curtail a couple of vacations due to extreme weather conditions- and I'm sure I'm not the only one (not to mention those who've actually lost their homes due to man made climate change). It used to be the wise choice to (whenever possible) take your vacation just before or after the crowds and heat of summer. Now, instead of the seasonal warming and cooling we'd normally experience, we go from extreme flooding, to extreme heat, to extreme storms... Repeat.

Of course, photographers worldwide will certainly continue to document the effects of said extremes. The ensuing increase in: droughts, fires, flooding, famines, and increased conflicts for diminishing arable and habitable land will provide plenty of... photo ops. But I'm also wondering how this will affect the very nature of photography itself as our lives and psyches adapt and change to such extreme changes in lifestyles. How will everyday people look upon reality based photography; how will they react viewing photos of the past that portrayed their subjects enjoying themselves year round in a world of relative ease, comfort and plenty? Will those who can engage in more escapist rituals, celebrations and activities (eg- Burning Man, cosplay, etc) as humanity tends to do in times of crisis? Will people use Instagram and other social platforms yet to be conceived not so much to display the artistry of their meals, but to convey the times and locations of where they can be had?

I suppose we'll be finding out sooner than any of us thought...

*(ie- zero)

Seriously- Who Knew?

And that's why we have men of great intellect to run our country, men familiar with the not so everyday facts of history that made our country great and free. While we celebrated our origins "from sea to shiny sea" this July 4th, our POTUS stood tall amongst our brand spankin' new Sherman tanks, and never once had I ever realized how our forefathers risked their all to secure the airports in 1775 that ensured our victory (in a battle that wouldn't take place until... The War of 1812)- makes me wanna cry outta sheer... pride!

Content, Context, Etc...

Photo: © Stan Banos

Now, I was previously aware that Hasidim did not believe in the establishment of an official Jewish homeland (ie- Israel) before the coming of the Messiah. Granted. But I never in my life thought that any of them would actually go out of their way to actively support the Palestinian cause. And yet here they were, not many to be sure, but present all the same, sporting pro-Palestinian signs and giving pro-Palestinian speeches- one while holding his infant son aloft! It kinda made one think that anything was possible...

Of course, the further irony in all this is that these Hasidim were not backing their Palestinian brothers because of some deep and fervent belief in the brotherhood of all men- but simply because of a Fundamentalist interpretation of a Biblical (Torahnic) declaration. Had the "prophesy" concluded that the Messiah would not come until the formation of a Jewish homeland- these same Hasidim would be just as rabidly anti-Palestinian (if not more so) as the Jewish counter protesters located just across the street...

Photo: © Stan Banos

Now, neither of these are particularly outstanding photos, but they do carry (especially the latter) their full measure of context. I came upon this scene as you see it- tense, but under control. I do not know what led to the eventual placement of handcuffs on this individual, but I'm guessing it got pretty crazed... considering the number of cops for one person, and the fact that a passerby warned me not to get too close (which of course, only encouraged me to do just that). 

But one can't help but look upon that scenario and reflect: 

1) How eerily reminiscent it is of a slave auction block. Flesh bared, head bowed and surrounded to the authority of an inexorable fate...

2) How about a literary interpretation via Hugo's Quasimodo- the "other" on public exhibit not as slave, but as a freak of nature?

3) These police were going out of their way to seem well composed, restrained, even respectful (least while I was there). Was this because this was happening in the heart of Times Square surrounded by hundreds thousands of tourist eyes? Would they have acted the same had this been Staten Island away from the public eye where Eric Garner was needlessly killed- over a couple of cigarettes by a legally outlawed police choke hold (the only person incarcerated, the person who filmed the murder)? 

Like they say, a photograph seldom answers anything...