Where's The NRA!?!

So, yet another public execution by anonymous, untrained thugs! At least six freakin' assholes surround and proceed to beat the shit out of Alex Pretti because they are totally clueless on how to restrain someone when he's literally on his back, and failing to do so- proceed to shoot his ass dead for no good reason! 

Where's the NRA?!? Are they going to rush in to defend the deceased; ya know- stand your ground, Second Amendment, blah, blah, blah... Are they sending in their members and supporters to protest and protect?!?

The Silence is Deafening!

Domestic Terrorists!

TERRORIZING!

I've Never Asked Before...

I have NEVER asked for funding, fees or donations of any kind on this blog. So please, hear me out. I am now in the process of setting up a Go Fund Me for the express purpose of allowing me to join the President's newly forming... Board of Peace. I think everyone here knows that I've been a rather strident advocate for peace throughout my life- both here on the ol' blog, as well as in every other endeavor in life... Needless to say, being on this board would allow me unprecedented opportunities to help promote and expand world peace! And it's high time that we finally had an actual organization where member nations and participants could meet, regularly and in times of emergency to discuss and work out world problems on a world stage. Only President Trump could have thought of such an ingeniously innovative enterprise; if enough money is raised we could even construct a uniquely designed building that, given time, would itself become an iconic symbol synonymous with- the unity of nations!

I come to you with this urgent plea so that I can cover the cost of admission which our President has set at a most reasonable $1,000,000,000- so you can see my urgency in reaching out. President Trump has assured everyone that he will be personally involved in the collection and allocation of said monies- that alone should more than assure all involved that the very thought of the usual graft, corruption and non-delivery of services so often involved when money meets politics will clearly not be an issue here!

Of course, I'll also have some complementary swag to give out (dependent on size of contribution), including: hats, sneakers, watches, commemorative coins, NFT's, and I should have a steak or two left in the fridge somewhere's... For every contribution of $1,000,000- you can write your own post right here at Based On A True Story (accompanying photo/illustration, $500,000 additional). And I want to express my gratitude in advance to everyone for your continued support...

Thank you for your attention to this matter!

Seriously- Who's Deranged!?

I know some think me suffering from TDS, but (along with the several other million actually paying attention) the fact is- we are currently in the hands of a megalomaniac with the emotional maturity of a toddler and the intellectual prowess of a fourteen year old who has now leap frogged into full fledged dementia! How much longer will it take, how much worse does it need get before some adult(s) somewhere declare the obvious and initiate a corrective course of action before this demented egotist sells us out of home, country and well being? He has already proclaimed that "Considering your country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize... I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace..." Currently, we can put however many troops we want in Greenland- he just wants to officially add it to his real estate empire! Pure... EGO! And Canada, and Columbia, and... 

This Is... INSANITY!!!

It's not funny anymore!!! This guy is heading us straight into a major global catastrophe: war, world pariah status, financial collapse- an unprecedented combination thereof that will make the Covid days seem like the Good Ol' Days of Fortune, Mirth and Plenty! Wake The Fuck Up, America!!!

And Europe- Appeasement Did NOT Work In The '30s... and it ain't gonna work now! Please, awaken The Sleeping Giant- too many of us are somnambulating along thinking things will settle out on their own, they always do given time... NOT when there's a sleeping dementia patient at the wheel who couldn't steer straight on his best day! You alerted us before- time to do it again... we have truly lost our way here. 

Alert citizenry should've Amendment 25'd his fat, petulant ass back when he swore (incessantly) to anyone who would, or wouldn't listen, that he had more people at his inauguration than Obama. That was his first hysterical proclamation as POTUS to the world at large that he was, without doubt- Out of His Ever Lovin' Mind... without parallel, precedent, or the slightest clue whatsoever! And it shoulda been his last...

Happy Holiday!

Unless you live in CA, you can't get into a US National Park for free this MLK Holiday (or Juneteenth)- nope, gonna have to wait for Trump's B'day for that! Of course, there are those that will insist that the decision to stop that tradition has nothing whatsoever to do with racism, the 35% of the US population who insist that Renee Good was deliberately trying to run down the masked gunman who shot her four times point blank as he broke protocol and stood facing her car while she tried to drive away upon being accused of blocking traffic, the same 35% who believe anything and everything out of Herr Donald's mouth that is (or isn't) slurred and semi-intelligible when not resting his eyes. The same 35% who believe that none of this is the least bit racist whatsoever... 

Dr. King, a staunch advocate of non-violence all his life, was also accused of being a wanton criminal, terrorist and worst; I'm reminded of that in Renee Good's last words (to ICE) on earth, "It's OK, I'm not mad at you." The masked gunman who murdered Renee Good in public with four shots point blank is then heard saying, "Fuckin' Bitch!" before hastily and illegally driving off, departing the crime scene he himself created...

Last Stop- Brian Rose

Recently got my copy of Last Stop by Brian Rose, been a fan since I discovered what will probably always remain my favorite work by him, The Lost Border- with Four Seasons Total Landscaping, a brilliantly conceived, executed (and printed) visual testimony to the area surrounding Mr. Giuliani's errant Four Season debacle not far behind. Mr. Rose is a documentary photographer with a knack for making said work rise above the mere documentary more often than not. The idea of riding the NY subway to its very ends is not a new one to photographers [I don't recall the name(s)], but this is certainly the best effort I can recall. New York City is separated into five distinct boroughs- Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Manhattan and the Bronx. Of course, most people associate NYC with Manhattan, while Brooklyn and Queens are on Long Island (Queens alone is five times the size of Washington, DC), the Bronx the only borough on the mainland and Staten Island, well, I think the rest of NYC thinks it's really part of New Jersey. But I digress... 

New York is far from beautiful, but it obviously has its allure. Rose captures much of its architectural distinctiveness, and when you go to its very end(s), you discover just how truly diverse NYC really is in terms of topography, culture, history and ethnicity. The results speak for themselves, and BTW, although safety considerations are always exaggerated, it does take a particular bit of... nerve to go about the ends of NY, camera gear in tow...

Best price, here; And if you're not doing anything on the 21st, there's an online interview with Mr. Rose- you can sign on for it, free... here!

Jill Freedman

Jill was one of my very first inspirations- never knew she was such a cut up!!!

But I got the fuckin' picture, I got that picture- and it is a winner, isn't it? 
Yes, it is Jill- Yes, it is!

500 Years of History...

 "... you know, the fact that they had a boat land there 500 years ago doesn’t mean that they own the land.” -Donnie J.

Imagine, just imagine if Mr. Trump had the slightest acquaintance with history (particularly the history of his own country) and took that to its logical conclusion (assuming Mr. Trump possessed the necessary attributes for introspection). It was a throw away line (when compared to others in his vast repertoire) despite its astounding implication, but it so clearly serves to highlight the very epitome of his near supernatural ignorance of history, logic and the world at large. It's the ultimate declaration of absolute ignorance- we deserve to take over your country because we recognize your arrogance and refuse to acknowledge our own for doing the-exact-same-thing!

They should fly a flag with that very quote every Coumbus Day parade in the US!

"Nothing bad can happen, it can only good happen." -Donnie J!

1/10/2026     Photos: © Stan B.

As an avid student of, and witness to history, it is indeed, both fascinating, and in this case frightening, to see history rhyming yet again- in an almost century long cycle. The cycle of Fascism: the same origins (prejudice, fear, ignorance) using the same playbook- manufacturing and spreading alarm (using rumor, propaganda and outright lies) and then using the ensuing anxiety to declare the necessity of increasingly authoritative measures. At first, these retaliatory measures are used against those on the margins, the despised, the most powerless; gradually the circle expands to cover one and all- slowly, incrementally, denied by both those who tighten the screws, and dismissed (at first) by those, not yet, being screwed. Eventually, the frog is boiled, the deed is done, and one and all are entrapped on a sinking boat despite one's social status.

Of course, all the above can only be done with the aid of a charismatic figure, someone with considerable appeal, access to those with power and money, and the ability to con said assets for his own personal gain and ambition. And so we currently find ourselves, thoroughly within the grasp of he who now controls the most powerful country in the world. A man who persistently boasts of his own attributes and conquests to anyone who'll listen, and particularly to those who rather not- a most particular conceit for someone so ill equipped to speak, at all! This is a man who: lauds his own "very large ahh... brain," attempts to mimic and demean people with disabilities in public and refers to women as "piggy." His followers praise his business acumen, despite his: multiple bankruptcies, repeated failures to exhibit the slightest knowledge of what constitutes a simple mathematical percentage, and his proven inability to make a profit in a business specifically designed to separate the customer from his money- gambling casinos. His statements and policies are never questioned to his face and official behavior once thought unconscionable, now dulls with familiarity.

The signs are all there, and increasing by the day- this will not end well! This purveyor of 30,573 lies in his first term alone, this convicted felon whose criminal history began with organized crime in NYC, this best of friends for fifteen years to one of the most notorious child sex traffickers of these past decades is proclaimed by Conservative Christians as none other than "God's Imperfect Vessel!" He and his family continue to bilk the public and collude with private enterprise to the tune of Billion$, all the while declaring to "drain the swamp." And this is but the slimmest of outlines, highlighting a criminal career that is now faltering under the weight of his own lies and deteriorating physical and mental health. 

His last days will not bode well for all of us. The economy is temporarily being held up by its sheer size and resilience, his fear of the personal secrets The Epstein Files hold are causing increasing panic and policy blunders of major national and international consequence. The masked occupation of some of our major cities, the outright military threats to enemies and allies alike- all of this and more by a man who slurs through incoherent, meandering speeches stopping only to "rest his eyes" for ever increasing intervals as his seconds praise his intellectual prowess and non stop work ethic (when not golfing). 

The walls are starting to cave, despite his followers continued and more desperate denials- but the end will not come easy! Which will implode first remains to be seen: our faltering economy, a foreign military escapade gone horribly wrong, or the whistleblower who finally puts the nail to The Epstein Files- however it unfolds, we will have to pick up the remaining pieces of his hubris, our country and ourselves...

Photos: © Stan B.

Anatomy Of A Murder...

"We're a 3rd world country now!"

On To Greenland!

Let's teach those ornery Greenland motherfuckers a lesson they'll NEVER forget! And then we hit Canada, turn those ungrateful bastards into the Fifty-First State; and to really show them who's Boss- we won't even bother rearranging the flag just to show their uneven, extra star!!!

About Time!

Photos: © Stan B.

Every year around this time I would get particularly anxious, particularly as to how long it would take me to get my first good shot of the brand new year, that is- would I ever take a decent shot again in my life? Lately, I've really gotten better about this particular anxiety- and for good reason. For decades I'd get three, four keepers a year... and not for a lack of trying. But for the last half dozen years, I've been averaging at least fifty per year- not fifty possibilities, not fifty temporary heart throbs, but fifty solid stick 'em in the portfolio for keeps! And it's about goddamn time!It's instilled a certain amount of confidence, and ease of mind. I know they'll come, not always when or how I want, but come they will- as long as I do keep trying.

The last good photo I took was early December, and then... nada. I kept shooting through it all, weather permitting and got a heckuva lotta almosts. And I hate almosts- the same work and energy you put into a keeper but with a whole lot more doubt cause you just ain't sure, the whole process through! So why not just drop it and save all the toil and heartache? 'Cause sometimes, sometimes all the work, editing and follow through somehow gets you a winner. Most of the time it just ends in disgust and disappointment- one BIG time suck! But I'm even handling those better, realizing it's just part of the process and managing to maintain my sanity in a much calmer (and welcomed) fashion- it'll come. After seven decades I finally have the modicum of confidence to believe and trust in the process... enough confidence that I'm even successfully incorporating something I only experimented with years past- fill flash!

January the third I heard about numbnuts' invasion of Venezuela, and that there would be a spur of the moment protest. I knew this would be a small affair and that chances of nailing even one satisfactory photo were extremely poor to none. Regardless, got my gear and went- with zero expectations. And just when I started to think, enough of this no win situation- I decided... chill- is what it is, and I knew what it would be when I got there, so just hang, relax, and... observe. Twenty minutes later I had my first two photos of 2026.

No, that's definitely not always gonna be the case, it's usually not gonna be the case! But I no longer have the time to sulk, my time is limited, and I'm determined to make the most of it. For those just starting out, when you're not working it- you should be looking, learning to separate the wheat from the chaff, absorbing every bit as much as you can. It won't all pay off ASAP, but it'll be there in reserve, and if you work it long enough, it'll make itself known as you make it your own. 

 

Personal Problems?

Invade a small neighboring country- Easy-Peasy! Manage said country? Trump said the people standing behind him would be doing just that... Lawdy-Lawdy! How long before this blunderfest explodes in the faces of the drunks, former FOX hosts and real estate agents in charge!?! Not to mention that Trump has now given carte blanche to China and Russia to invade whoever the hell else they want...

The time is long past due- we need a Watergate sized whistleblower brave enough to come forth with the goods and info that will: expose this inept, traitorous regime for what it is, expose the Pedophile in Chief for who he is, and send the whole corrupt lot of criminals into the maximum security incarceration they have all so justly earned. We tried the slow, judicious route as prescribed, we're now well beyond that, well beyond reasonable doubt...

Nkosi Sikelel' Iafrika

This is not only the greatest National Anthem, it is one of the greatest musical tributes to and of mankind anywhere. It is the entirety of the human experience set into one song: the struggle, heartbreak, tragedy, and majesty of the human condition. And this rendition lords over all others, it is the absolute epitome of that which already excelled. This song puts one through every meaningful human emotion, as if your life along with millions worldwide are borne and lived in unison, both exhausted and exhilarated in the end. One cannot bear to hear it without tears automatically welling up in your eyes...

2026 New Year's Resolution

 Same as it ever was..     Photo: © Stan B.

Wasn't wanting much anything this Xmas- save for a spatula, which I was gifted, for making omelets in my brand spanking new, forever chemical free, fry pan. What I really wanted in 2025 was a fairly compact, third party 18mm AF for my Fujifilm XT cameras- could really use it NOW that both my GR's are in the shop being cleaned (and hopefully repaired). Been waiting for that 18mm like forever...had there been one years ago, would have never got a Q! Hoping 2026 changes that- third party lenses come in every dang focal length for full and crop sensors, except APS-C 18mm! Fujifilm has a compact, sharp in the center, mud everywhere else offering and an optical perfection model that's too big, too heavy and too expensive. Hope this year doesn't leave me hanging, yet again...

The other thing I got my eye out for is the Godox iT32 TTL MiniFlash; Godox is really hitting it outta the park with its flash offerings. I already have the Godox iA32 which is quite handy, but as versatile as it is, it would be nice to have an accurate TTL flash. The price is quite reasonable for its features and you order it with a separate, camera brand/model specific, magnetic hot shoe- I'm waiting to see if the upcoming Leica dedicated model syncs with the Q.  All first world problems of no great particular importance- 

HAPPY NEW YEAR, ONE AND ALL!!!

Knowing One's Craft

Anyone interested in seeing these photos has already seen them. The reason I'm posting this video is because Yvonne Hanson does a remarkable job breaking the work down and explaining it as far as: intention, aesthetics and production. She does it in plain language, doesn't hyperventilate into art speak or descend into geometric, compositional graphics. Don't know how she'd fare at dissecting and explaining other genres of photography, but at the end of this video, one has a damn good idea as to why, and how, these portraits succeed, and how Christopher Anderson went about attaining their success.

PS- Good thing they didn't hire Gilden to shoot the portraits!
PPS- Interesting hearing how Mean Meister Miller coyly pleaded for (ready for it)... "kindness," suspecting what would be revealed- and having his very words mirrored back so poignantly...

Through The Past / Into The Future...

I don't particularly enjoy viewing images of myself, but I do love viewing images and memories of the places I've been. Curiously all of these images were made stateside- haven't been abroad in twenty years, or on a road trip in over five! Taken and compiled by 'The Wife' (Thank You!), it's curious to see the sad, few vestigial hairs upside my head in '05/'06. Look closely, one can also note the evolution between old school Nikons and Fujifilm (X-T1) in hand- with ever so brief Widelux and GR cameos. And you'll never see me in shorts again- take that to the bank! Anyway, do plan on getting back on the road before checking out...

Plenty to do this new year: edit and organize my old (and damaged) B&W analog negs, and my new digital, color files, re-edit some previous essays, put together some new ones, and try, try, try to get some of it seen... somewhere! Once that's done in a year/year and a half (all estimates guesstimated) I'm then free to ponder where I'm gonna live out the remainder. You can purchase a house somewheres in the Texas Panhandle for $40,000- that's minus the shotgun and other home security hardware you'll most assuredly need. I'm already paying a whopping $1,500 a month for a 'mini-studio' (emphasis on mini) in SF, and being that it's a post 1967 building- it's not rent stabilized (that's the law here)! NYC's every bit as expensive, but a bigger apartment in Spain would be considerably less, with easily accessible train service to the rest of Europe- maybe time to polish up mi Espanol... 

People keep asking, "What's it like being retired?" Can't deny breathing a whole lot easier not having to answer to most anyone, not having to live on a goddang clock, coupled with the feeling that you finally have all the time in the world- just a tad ironic when you're just around the corner from not having any left... permanently! Hey, is what it is- gotta make the most of it like anything else, especially when the little I have is so much more than so many the world over have to call their own.

Happy Holidays!

Photo: © Stan B.

Everyone likes to, wants to think that everyone is having the best possible holiday season imaginable, and I'm sure many good folks are despite whatever circumstances they may find themselves in. But... It's also good to keep in mind, those who can't: Palestinians who have been whack-a-moled across the land being stolen from under their very feet as they're repeatedly sent scurrying hither and yon, purposely targeted, bombed, shot and dismembered sometimes literally for laughs; Ukrainians wondering daily if they'll be obliterated in their very bedrooms before the morning sun shines anew, and the people of Sudan whose stories never even reach us, except to hear that their bodies are being collected to be dumped in mass graves by those who slaughtered them for no sane reason.

And even in the land where gifts are exchanged that we neither need, nor lack, there are still those amongst us in very real need- Just a Christmas thought...

Scam Anyone?!?

"Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and to prevent the lawful transfer of power." -Jack Smith

PS- And speaking of scams...
PPS- No, not this scam!

All Trump, All The Time- Everywhere... 4Ever!!!

Photo: © Stan B

No-TDS-here... No, sir! Just my humble little tribute to the man himself- thought I'd just save him the effort as he humbly goes about naming everything within sight and earshot after himself (damn the legalities or proprieties). Afterall, that takes up a whole lotta effort that could be much better spent: cheating on the golf course, making up names to mock female reporters, splattering the remains of survivors bobbing up and down in the Caribbean, reducing prescription drugs by 5 to 600%*, or finding someone to fill up that ginormous ditch he made next to what's left of the White House....

I'll leave the blog title up until they release all the Epstein Files.** Did anyone really expect ALL the files to come out- especially any incriminating photos of Trump (or Repubs he likes needs)? All we're gonna get is Democrats and Liberals, all we're gonna see is Democrats and Liberals. It's been just a day, and I'm already sick of seeing nothing but Bill Clinton. And I'm no Dem lover, let the pervs fall where they may- the only question I have is... do the photos, videos and other printed documentation with identifiable Repubs still exist- or have they all been conveniently deleted, erased and burned to oblivion??? Even some of the scant few released- have already been deleted!

* Has anyone risked telling glorious leader that is both mathematically and logically impossible? Or is making it up wholesale w/o ever being questioned just too overwhelmingly intoxicating to the man who never imbibes?
** Or not.

Sometimes...

Sometimes ya wanna say something so damn bad, ya can't wait to put words to page. Ya wanna scream it out loud, let it out from your gut and let the whole world hear you out! Cause it's that important, that immediate, that crucial- and you're laser focused and oh so confident in cause and conviction...

Other times, ya wonder. Yeah, it needs to be said, it has been said- and said by so many others so much more renowned and well versed than you. And so... ya fear repeating it would almost be like lessening the impact, transforming it into mundane everyday chatter. And you opt instead to write about the completely unrelated- hoping to achieve some unachievable universal balance.

Most of the time I'm fairly certain, other times, like now- I don't have a clue. It's not like there's a lack of things to say, or protest or go on about. It's more about obtaining that indefinable balance, in one's own life, as well as in all that goes on about, and above you... 

Or just waiting to get gobsmacked right upside the head so hard- you no longer have to juggle and wonder, but just scream away! 

PS- And I pray Jack Smith gets his day in court public!