One Of Photography's Enduring Secrets

Yes, some of you may be shocked, taken aback, dismayed even- but your subjects needn't sport outrageous costumes nor dangling privates to create worthy environmental portraits. As we all know, indulging desperate characters and graphic subject matter appeals only to photographers of a much lesser calling. There's just no excuse. 

Submitted for your consideration, a couple of wholesome, everyday American subjects taken at the annual, local airshow this past weekend... Art through integrity and strength of vision!

Photos: © Stan Banos

It's Either Right, Or It's Wrong

Every once in a (great) while you get that rare someone who speaks with such clear resounding intellect (usually backed by righteous moral outrage) that it leaves one transfixed in awe and wonder. It's an ability to cut to the chase, not just for brevity's sake, but to calculatingly eliminate the subterfuge that lesser minds (as my own) would get needlessly bogged down in before possibly, hopefully climbing out. Two people who immediately come to mind in my lifetime are Malcolm X and Edward Snowden. Whatever the topic you come away less confused, more enlightened and forever amazed at your own innate ignorance...

Ta-Nehisi Coates exemplifies that exact level in this exchange:

Ramblin' Man...

Personally, I thought the 25th should have been invoked as soon as Trump (repeatedly) insisted that he had a bigger Inauguration Day crowd than Obama- proof positive of his complete lack of judgement and sanity- morally, objectively... every fundamental way possible! Of course, that was just the beginning of his lies while President; by now we've all grown so lovingly accustomed to them all, as they continue to delight to this day...  

"That's what I hear, that's what they say..."

Meet... 'Mr. Nice Guy'

Give credit where credit due- good ol' boy JD came on like Mr. Nice Guy Misunderstood during the debate- when he's every bit the liar (though certainly more finessed) than the larger mass of shit he willingly shovels for..

Anyone remember when (Black) Obama had to renounce his (Black) pastor- funny how White guys don't have to... Is that 'racist' for me to mention? Or is the racism inherent in the actual truth?

Sometimes...

Photo: © Stan Banos 

(Sometimes) ya just have to let loose of all the high falutin', grandiose art expectations in your photographic machinations and embrace the age old, proven simplicity of the good ol' American snapshot! Nothing wrong with it. Your down home vernacular snapshot of the ordinary neighbor next door- the banker, tailor, candlestick maker. Relax, unwind and just enjoy a shared moment. It may not end up in your museum retro, but it may just become its own life long memory that will forever bring a smile to your face, and that of the viewer... 

Tried, Done, Ready!

How does one overturn a democracy- by using the democratic means available. Like the German guy did with his country back in the day, and like a certain American governor did with his state around the same time. You pay off, intimidate, replace and bully everyone who has any say or power under and around your circle of influence one step at a time: legislators, courts and judges, police, civil servants, etc, etc, etc... 

Huey Long did it on a statewide basis, someone now has a plan to do it nationwide- and it starts with... controlling our votes!

Be HAPPY!!!

The Search For...

I don't usually talk the gear talk here, but occasionally I get into it as the prevalent winds (my prevalent winds) demand. I love the 20mm and 28mm (and their 14 and 18mm crop equivalent) focal lengths, use the latter for everyday shooting, while also incorporating the former for event shooting. Recently, I took note of a new 18mm Color Skopar for my Fujifilm cameras, and even though it was manual focus only- I was determined to make it work. The focusing knob and aperture ring on this cute as all hell pancake were true acts of perfection in their precise and silky smooth operation. Alas, the optical quality was... abysmal- far worse than even the 18mm Fuji it was meant to replace! Maybe because it was refurbished, or perhaps it was just a (truly) bad copy? Don't know; but I did focus with the magnified focus check- so that got returned pronto! 

The following week I was checking out an image on the screen of my GR, and when I commenced to reframe- the screen went dead! Must've inadvertently pressed some obscure menu item, but after going through the menu several times, seems my initial impression was correct- and off to the repairman it went! 

Fortunately, my Leica Q continues to perform despite the two of us tumbling hard on concrete the other day, but I'm always slightly paranoid when I take it out, and I sure wouldn't mind using a second focal length on my Fujis. I've refused to imbibe in the overly large and expensive 18mm f1.4 Fujinon, despite its absolute optical perfection, and have pretty much given up hope of an update on the dismal Fuji pancake or third party equivalent. Then along comes the plastic fantastic Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 WA zoom- could that be the an answer? Now I love the results of my optically superlative 14mm f2.8 Fuji (the lens itself is one ugly duckling), and while I love WA's, I don't have much use for anything wider than 20mm (FF)- and I hate lens diameters that go past the 50's (the Sigma has a 67mm filter diameter)! Otherwise, it is fairly compact, and if it can cover 14 and 18mm with sufficient optical quality (which it supposedly does deliver), I may, just may, be able to get over its obese filter diameter size... maybe not ideal for everyday carry, but it just might spell significant ease of use for special events- one camera, one lens, two fave focal lengths! And if'n it can't- off it goes as well, once it gets here. To be cont...

Sigma10-18mm f2.8

How?

 How does one classify this, in what manner, what genre of... creativity- visually, musically, spiritually?

Israel's Dangerous Game

Apparently, Israel, while still playing the role of eternal victim continues the ever so dangerous game of continual escalation, daring, infuriating and attacking nearly everyone around them with whom they have both legitimate and perceived grudges. They continue to rile as many hornets, tease as many wolves, slap, punch and bully as many opponents as they possibly can- and when the fury that's finally unleashed comes calling... Big Brother USA will get the call to save the day! The final sucker in this sucker's game.

Sing Along- They're Eating The Dogs, They're Eating The...

In Doubt I Trust

 

In 1987, Whitley Strieber's Communion, concerning alien contact/abduction, became an international bestseller, years later it became a mediocre movie with a star name and a less than faithful plot. Meanwhile, Strieber went from overnight sensation to media laughing stock when he candidly admitted that he was anally/sexually probed while onboard the alien vessel. He also went from best selling author to flat broke because of the latter- people lost all interest in buying books from the "rectal probe guy."

The UFO field is currently filled with all kinds of 'experts,' a handful are serious about the topic, doing diligent research in their level of expertise- and more credible, legit journalists and scientists are now daring to enter the once career ending field to ask the legit questions and conduct the serious scientific investigation that should have commenced decades ago. Even the US Navy has finally admitted that there's shit flying around up there (and down there) that they have no clue about! But most 'experts' are out to mine it for every buck they can and tell you whatever you want to hear- aliens are here to save us, aliens are here to take you and our planet for themselves, aliens are... 

I admire and have a certain degree of trust when it comes to dear ol' Whtiley, he's a profoundly old fashioned kinda guy in a modern world- but mostly, he's someone who flat out admits that he can't really tell ya what they are, where they're from, or what the hell they want. He's quite adamant that we have much to learn from them- technologically, and... spiritually, if we allow ourselves. But buyer beware- the knowledge comes at a cost, it's a give and take relationship with highly unclear, and often deceptive boundaries. 

Most people judge this entire field and phenomena from a human perspective, consciously and unconsciously- how can we not. And that's our first major, overriding error. Well, they live too far away, they can't get here in any reasonable amount of time- true... if they were using our 'space age,' rocket turtles! And that's certainly not what we are currently glimpsing in our own airspace (the world over). Reviewing our own technological progress of the last one hundred years, imagine what our own tech could resemble in: a thousand, ten thousand, hundreds of thousands of years... 

Not only is their technology beyond our credulity, but so would their culture, their very way of thinking and relating socially- they're from different worlds, dimensions, whatever for Chrissakes! In admitting to the fact that he can't fathom their true motives, Whitley is open to a host of possibilities. If you are new to this field, you'll probably dismiss him in the video above as a fraud and a charlatan simply because of all the craziness he attests to in his life- from his MK-Ultra type origins as a child in the hands of his parents, to his self publicized UFO/alien encounters as an adult. He could have carved out a comfortable niche throughout it all and quite handedly avoided the public humiliation. He's open minded to things you or I would readily dismiss simply because the amount of undefinable, inexplicable craziness he has witnessed in his life is, in fact, beyond belief. So he deals with it best he can, warts and all; you can laugh and dismiss, or listen, ponder and consider...

On Truth... And Suffering

Well, I wanted to change gears from my last two posts and get upfull and bright for the upcoming weekend- 'fraid that's gonna have to wait... 

First, I just briefly wanna state that before the truth came out about MK-Ultra in Congressional hearings, I would get the same humiliatingly dismissive attitude I received from the person I recently consulted (on the legitimacy of a peer reviewed study on traces of nanotech in the Covid vaccines) who claimed to have actually vetted peer reviews. That's not to say that since the prior atrocity proved true, then so too is the latter. No, it most definitely isn't that simple- exactly why it deserves serious scientific investigation to finally be put to bed (or not)... but it will neither be funded, nor published. Just like everyone knows that UAP's are complete figments of the crazed imaginations of hallucinatory individuals!

AP Photo: Fatima Shbair

But today I'm here to ask you to not only consider the plight of those who have yet to join the 40,000+ already killed, as they continue to be Whac-A-Moled about from corner to corner of their non existent country so that they can both 'escape' and be targeted all the same by Israel's "precision guided munitions," but to also remember the other ongoing tragedy of unprecedented humanitarian proportions currently metastasizing in Sudan...  

In Response...

I am posting this because it appears a legitimate response to my previous post. I am aware of the identity of the person (strictly via the internets) who forwarded the comment and am content on letting the reader decide. Note: He describes himself as "a peer-reviewer for three medical journals... familiar with the process and its limitations." And I'm happy to take that on faith. He submits the following comment made by a Bianca White on a Quora forum who has "ten years experience in medical academic writing."

It is interesting to note however that the commentary does not criticize the scientists involved in the actual study, their methodology, or their results. From practical experience, I know full well that sometimes you have to go with the means available to get certain information public when swimming upstream. So, it would seem that one could very reasonably interpret this as attacking the messenger, rather than the message. Nevertheless, I think it worthy of note; hopefully, there will be further actual scientific inquiry and investigation into the veracity and conclusions of the study itself.

Obviously this is a quack journal. In addition to the excellent points others have made, look at the editorial board, the supposed experts who direct this publication:

Editor-in-chief: John W. Oller, Jr., PhD in General Linguistics from the University of Rochester in New York, now a professor at ipaknowledge.org and consultant to Veritas International University… A professor of linguistics, now working at a website and as a “consultant:” how is he a vaccine expert?

Senior editor: Christopher A. Shaw, PhD, Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, University of British Columbia… A real college at least, but again, wrong area of study.

But here’s the real kickers in the associate editors list:

Mary S. Holland, MA, JD, General Counsel for Children's Health Defense 2019-present; formerly Director Graduate Lawyering Program, New York University School of Law 2004-2019; expertise in children's health and litigation concerning vaccines; renowned author of works in that area. A lot of “former” here, an anti-vaccine litigation professional, and “renowned” author of unlisted “works;” no real journal uses a fluff word like “renowned” in describing its editors.

Robert J. Krakow, JD, Law Office of Robert J. Krakow, Representing the Vaccine Injured in All 50 States. All credibility is now gone. This man has a vested interest in seeking or manufacturing evidence against vaccines.

Always check out a journal’s background and board as well as its content. Lawyers don’t belong on the editorial board of a medical journal.

Addendum:  Anonymous Comment: Could you please post the link to the actual article? 

My response: Love to, but I was very much getting the "this is so beneath me vibe," so I probably won't pursue. And it is curious that instead of supplying info as to why and how the study was so critically flawed scientifically, I got a statement attacking the messenger- knowing full well that no established medical journal would ever contemplate publishing a peer review that in any way challenged or questioned Big Pharma, a worldwide $4.1 TRILLION industry, whose purse strings from drug profits rule supreme as far as research funding- bet the house not one of their red cents went to the study in question.

Honestly, this issue is not the hill I wanna die on (metaphorically speaking)- but when you can't even question (let alone sue) a vaccine that was rushed to market (no question there) and which such a sizable amount of the public has grave concerns about- that is exactly the kind of policy that invites and encourages conspiracy! I'd simply like to see some more independent peer reviews on the subject at hand- let the chips fall where they may...

Looks Like... Big Pharma Fucked Us Again- Big Time!

Peer review is a quality control measure for medical research. 
It is a process in which professionals review each other’s work to make sure that it is accurate, relevant, and significant.

Our observations suggest the presence of some kind of nanotechnology in the Covid-19 injectables.

Nanobots with your Cocoa Pebbles!?

The latter sentence originates from, unless someone can (please) prove otherwise, a proper, scientific, peer review study- one with staggering implications and possibly dire consequences. And (unless someone can prove otherwise)- it is scary as shit!

Like many millions of Americans (and others worldwide) during the pandemic, I dutifully took one for the team and got the vaccine- multiple shots of it. I already knew that no vaccine was completely safe, and that this one in particular was being rushed to judgement, but it was hard times- ya bite the bullet and hope for the best... and I sure didn't wanna be that guy on his deathbed, begging for the vaccine, only to have the nurse tell me- "Too late now shithead!" 

Now we all had our arguments and disputes concerning the wisdom of getting vaccinated, or not. Afterall, vaccines throughout history have been generally proven to be safe- still, if you ate healthier than I, lived and exercised better than I, yeah- you probably could swing it. But.. as I liked to point out- American Indians, some of the very healthiest people in pre-Columbian times (plenty of exercise and an all organic diet) died by the thousands when exposed to European viruses- Fact. So yeah, I made my bed with the vaccine- and being unemployed if I didn't played no small part. 

But if anything made my eyes glaze over when discussing any of the above- it's when people starting talking "nanobots in the vaccine!" Instant flat earth, fake moon landing turf- next channel, please! 

So here we are... I got sick a couple of days every time I took the damn shot, and my arm felt like someone took a ball bat to it. "It's a sign it's working," we were told. But they didn't say shit when it came to advertising the "self assembling nanostructures" within- how many subjects suckers would've have taken it had they advertised that!? Anyone feel good about that? Good about being lied too, yet again, by Big Pharma! Anyone feel good having that shit floating around inside ya, doing god knows what? All them right angles, curly cues, ribbons and nano-nuts and bolts?!? 

Excuse me, I got some serious apologies to make to people who honestly tried to tell me better... unless someone (other than Big Pharma) can prove this goddamn peer review is just a self assembled pile of shit.

ADDENDUM: Please, note following response listed in subsequent post above.

What Are The Chances?

That is, what is the possibility that a 'fellow blogger' would use the same color scheme, typeface and basic layout by sheer coincidence? Pretty low, I'd say- but certainly not impossible. What are the chances (of coincidence) that the same said blogger would also use the same unique subtitle (verbatim) used by the same original blogger? Absolute zero, I'd say...  

Thieves are always like they used to... 

My Adida.

Photo: © Stan Banos 

I Have No Regrets!

Nope. Never... Really!?!

You never regretted anything you said, anything you ever did? Never said, "I wish I had never said that, never done that?" Never wished you had said something, done... anything? Never? Really!?! 

Well, quite the lad (or lass) you are! Lead a perfect life, you have! A Big Congrats to you then, there's quite a bit to be proud of there. Not much in the way of honesty, humility or empathy at that, but what it must be to be you!

Yeah, it kinda rubs me the wrong way when people say that...

New World Order

So I'm ambling out on my early evening constitutional and the usual middle age baseball crowd is making their way to Oracle Park (ie- SF Giants Stadium)- except there's something slightly... off. The tee shirts are looking kinda odd, I don't see the team name or logo anywhere, instead there's some indecipherable writing... Def Leppard!? It was then I confirmed this current, modern day trend.

When I was knee high to a tea bucket, anytime you passed a crowd of White 55 to 70 years olds gathered on a street- one thing was guaranteed, Frank Sinatra would be there playing in the background. Done deal. So whenever I see those same faces today, I naturally expect the same auditory experience- it's the natural order of things. Except, it's not. Instead, I've been getting an earful of metal, Heavy Metal- loud, discordant, head banging. Reality has jumped the shark (and the Beatles) yet again, and here's the kicker- most of these guys are a few years younger than me! 

Which reminded me of that interview when someone asked Mick about what he had planned for the future, "Well, I'd look pretty daft doing this at 40, wouldn't I?

This Is NOT A Hypothetical- This Is A CERTAINTY!

The Dems finally seem a bit more willing to clapback these days (which is all well and good)- but I hope they realize what's gonna go down once the rhetoric stops and the knives come out... cause the trap is set!

Fat Ass(ed) Batteries

Photo: © Stan Banos 

This is probably a known topic, that is, since it happened to me, it's also probably happened to others (numbers admittedly unknown) well before me. Don't ask me why, or exactly how- but somehow, someway my Wasabi batteries got... fat! After recharging I tried to put one in my X-T2 after removing the original Fujifilm battery and- no go!?! Oh, this must be the Leica Q battery?!? No, it's the right battery for the right camera, alright- so why the hell won't it fit?!? I'm putting it in the wrong way! No, I'm putting it in the right way- so what the hell is going on!?!? 

Yup, battery got fat- I'm gonna reckon some kinda internal, chemical reaction swelled the suckers all up. Maybe 'cause I don't use 'em all that much- don't know. But before I put two and two together, Stupid Stan decides to see just how tight a fit said battery is in the camera, if he can put it in at all. No dumb camera is gonna stop him- no, sir! Stan successfully manages to squeeze and finagle the battery in the compartment. And immediately upon so doing, it finally dawns on him that maybe, just maybe- he might not be able to get said swolled up battery outa said camera. And gosh, darn it- turns out I really am smart enough to realize just how stupid I really am! 

So... I try shaking the camera upside down- but that battery is now snug as... a big fat battery in a small assed hole. Sucker ain't budging- and now I'm thinking just how much money it's gonna cost me to send it on in to Fujifilm for repair battery removal surgery and then get scolded for using third party batteries. I'm an ever lovin' idiot!  I'm the ever lovin' idiot!

Instead of taking a knife to try and nudge it out, or fantasize throwing the camera with its obese parasite against any of four available walls to jar it loose (as would have been my more youthful solution), I decided to see if I could actually solve said problem in house, and proceeded to put on my Mr. Science/Mr. Fix It hat... 

With the widget pictured above, I carefully placed some crazy glue on the bottom part, and pressed it flush against the exposed battery surface, making sure there wasn't enough to ooze out the sides and damage the battery compartment interior. I then set the entire camera upside down in the fridge (and let the cold also do its contraction thing), crossed my fingers- and a few hours later... commenced to pulling! Slid out with only a moderate tug, and lemme tell ya- that sucker was wedged in there good! Always sumptin'...