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'...

From Prescience To... Nonsense

Or... what else do you photograph
when your downtown has devolved into a veritable ghost town?

All Photos: © Stan Banos 

Let Me Think On That...

Hhmmm...

Always Sound Advice!  

Uhmmm... I'll Pass!

Surrender...

 Or Sanity? Fighting (ie- or in this case, throwing away one's life) 
for an old man's ego!

Wounded Child, No Surviving Family

I was about to post something light hearted, after all, I had just finished posting something on this just days previous! And while eating dinner, I learned the meaning of the term WCNSF while watching a clip of a man who three days prior joyously celebrated the birth of twins with his doctor wife... and was now burying all three- all praise to Israel's highly touted "precision guided munitions!" 

And we are partners to this continuing, ongoing slaughter- while pledging our unwavering support...

The Thrill Of Victory, And The Agony Of Dafeet...

After watching the worst possible interpretive art performance of my lifetime under the auspices of the 2024 Olympic closing celebration and thinking nothing I could ever witness could possibly ever get worse, I was then treated to the worst excuse of a rock band- debilitatingly cringeworthy at my advanced age, or any age previous! Then, as if not punished enough, along comes none other than Tom Cruise desperately summoning all remaining testosterone to complete the closing night of dehumanizingly bad taste and error. Four years of healing will not suffice...

On a side note: When I first witnessed breakdancing in 1981, my first thought was- this should be an Olympic event! Forty three years later, it's a reality; and upon seeing this spectacularly failed interpretation of god only knows (which garnered a much earned zero points), I could only recall to mind this noble, heroic gesture of olde with a wistful fondness and respect... 

How Much More Israel?

Really? Seriously... How many more children have to be blown up, butchered and turned into body parts by your "precision guided munitions?" Yes, you were wronged on 10/07/2023- no one can say otherwise- that doesn't give you license to commit like atrocities ad infinitum... This is long past "setting the record even," at this point, one can't even call it... revenge- it's just prolonged, premeditated slaughter. You've systematically created a situation in Gaza where you're literally shooting fish in a barrel claiming you only want to kill a select few at the bottom, knowing full well you have to kill all the innocents on top first!

You claim you want peace but you kill the very people you must negotiate with to achieve that peace! You claim they are terrorists, while willfully forgetting your own. Israel, you have learned all too well from the killers who have sinned against you...

Who's Benito Messouli?!?

Up until today, I also didn't know who Adin Ross was. He's the guy who gifted Donald Trump a Cybertrruck with Trump's giant mug on it- 'cause nothing says 'I own an unassuming, inconspicuous CYBERTRUCK' like driving one with a giant poster of your own mug plastered to its side! But back to... Adin Ross (the guy joining Trump in the latter's now famed two fisted jerk off 'dance')! First, the guy's twenty-three years old and has made far far more money in his 23 years, than I ever have in my sixty-eight, or ever will. So, feel free to take this as the sourest of grapes, should-you-so-wish.

Now, skip to 6:50 in the video and listen to Adin Ross read (ie- attempt to pronounce formulaic representations of known linguistic symbols) the definition of... Fascist. And it is at this point, like Kyle, that I (as a Spec Ed teacher) feel a slight twinge of guilt- maybe I'm laughing at someone who's not... Of course, all that quickly dissipates with him screaming, YOOOOO- BRO!!! Who the Fuck is Benito Messouli? 

But rest easy folks, the future is secure; Adin was, after all, recommended to dad by his in the know son- and you can't stop a young, college bound, Barron to Be! And we all know- Dad... Loves the uneducated!

Once It Was... Tempting

I admit it. There was a time when I was curious, curious about what it would be like to have a lying idiot, con man extraordinaire as POTUS. I mean he wasn't just a life long criminal, he was one helluva entertaining fool that would provide endless laughs and puerile entertainment. All the same, I also realized it was my childish, self destructive nature still residing within that wanted this to manifest. Ultimately, it was out of my hands, destiny had decided its course, President he would become with all the expected nonsense, criminality and more. And Lord help us all if that road we tread once more- his penchant for criminality (once emboldened by whoever he could find- see below), now buttressed by his well placed cadre of handpicked enablers (both in the courts and the voting booth), will be unshackled and unrestrained...

Wake Up Call

Photos: © Stan Banos

Admittedly, I can only complain so much since I voluntarily put myself in the position. So I really don't expect much sympathy when it comes to persevering all the exposed dicks, balls and scrotums I endure seeing twice a year in San Francisco's biannual leather fairs. It's their day(s), I'm their 'guest,' and I'm happy for the photo op(s), especially since the once booming, bustling streets of downtown have now been reduced to a ghost town minus the tumbleweeds, which city hall really should import to complete the aesthetic. So I respectfully go about trying to do the best I can and have a laugh when possible.

And such was the case upon spotting CPAGOLDSF, who definitely stood out, both for his solid gold outfit, and for being blatantly... overdressed. Despite it all, seemed I was one of the few who actually noticed, as he casually weaved his way through the crowd on what appeared to be an early exit. Let's take it on faith that he is in fact a genuine, authorized CPA and I'm betting the guy is already a known commodity rightfully known for his flashy, knock 'em dead threads. Probably goes anywhere there's a crowd to get the word out and figured... why not, let's try the leather fair this year! 

Unfortunately, as he no doubt soon discovered, the leather fair is the one place where those drop dead threads ain't gonna turn any heads- other than mine, as I made my way over for two quick exposures before he hit the exit. And should ya ever need a CPA in SF- he's your man on Instagram!

More traditional, time honored, haute couture...

Wha...!?

As if, "if you vote this Nov, we'll have it fixed so good you'll never have to vote again" isn't bad enough... What can one possibly make of, "you don't need to vote this Nov, we don't need your votes!"

Love/Hate...

Photo: © Stan Banos

Wish I could be so unabashedly, unashamedly proud of my body as the person pictured above. You know, comfortable in your own skin so to speak; just able to let it all hang out and let everyone else deal with any consequent visual dilemma, as perhaps it should be. I dunno. Fine for some, and I really kinda admire them, even though it sorta grosses me out at the same time- and it's just as much my own reflection of self, as of anyone else. But then, isn't life just chockful of these walking/waking contradictions...

Ya see, back in the day, growing up, everyone knew where they ranked on the physical attractiveness/social standing scale- fat people, skinny people, hot, smart, athletic, etc. Sure beauty was still in the eye of the beholder, but ya couldn't talk, fool, bargain your way out of your generally agreed upon classification. I mean, if you were borderline, you could gain a few points and raise your social strata if you were somehow stylishly cool and wore it well. But even most of those attempts were doomed to hideously crash and burn. Nature's just so damn hard to upend, most people just grew into their physical destiny, and learned to deal with what society and their bodies dealt them. 

Shit's different nowadays, it started towards the very end of the 20th century. I remember watching Oprah one afternoon; a doctor was describing the dangers of obesity: high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, shortened life span and a myriad of other symptoms and diseases. And then what seemed like the very next day (could have been a week, month or year- I wasn't a regular viewer) there were all these people celebrating how big they were, how large they were, how it was AOK to love, love, love yourself no matter what size you were- it was all good! Five-two and 325? You're good girl- and fine too! Talk about mixed messages...

Then there were the new class of young-uns, overweight or not, who were now presenting themselves as absolute physical paradigms, as being all that, when they very much weren't, not even close! Their origin story didn't matter: blue bloods, inner city, suburbs, trailer parks, black or white, fat or thin, male, female, or... Thing was, they weren't trying to fool themselves, or anyone else- they actually believed it! Delusion's a whole lot easier than a well grounded acceptance of self or anything resembling a more rational societal reset. Everyone a Supasta!

Ironically, to this day, parents still complain that their overweight child is teased and bullied at school. Really? Today, when obesity is practically the norm across this country and rapidly spreading throughout the 'developed' world except in the absolute poorest of countries? I hate bullies, and no one should be body shamed! But if your kid is being bullied today- dollars to doughnuts, it's something more than just the extra pounds. And it's always good to find out why, before they indulge in the other prevalent obsession of our day- procuring assault weapons.

Migrant Crime! Migrant Crime!! Migrant Crime!!!

We must do everything we possibly can to stop the savage, inexorable onslaught of...MIGRANT CRIME- before it engulfs and devours us, our children, the live, beating heart of our very nation... MIGRANT CRIME- before it engulfs and devours us, our children, the live, beating heart of our very nation...

 

Unfortunately, this notoriously funny Last Week Tonight video with John Oliver has been taken down. MAYBE NOT (see above)!!! It featured FOX 'news' perpetually scaring its viewers with the threat posed by "migrant crime," or as Trump calls it, "Biden Migrant Crime,' which he further reduces to the ever so clever (are you ready for it)... "Bigrant Crime," while smiling, pointing to his own head, and then coyly proclaiming... "Smart!"

It also featured a live interview with Curtis Sliwa, as his Guardian Angels proceed to jump "an illegal in the act of committing a crime," who was actually a Hispanic citizen who was just passing through! We also got to see yet another 'illegal criminal,' who was shown repeatedly on FOX, flipping a double bird to the viewer (the audacity of these criminal illegals) to further amp up the fear and outrage factor- turns out the guy they were repeatedly showing (again Hispanic) was... a case of mistaken identity.

Fact is, migrants in the US proportionately commit less crime than their counterparts who are naturally born US citizens- oh... and wasn't 'Law and Order' Curtis Sliwa the guy who faked his own kidnapping?!? Yeah, you heard right...

FINALLY!

 

So... looks like the Dems are gonna get a new candidate, well, if it's Harris- she's unelectable. Personally, didn't like her before- don't like her now. She's a pure politician, whichever way the wind blows- and more importantly, no one but the Democratic base will vote for her, so we'd be back to square one. So... Let the games begin anew!!!

A Furrowed Brow And A Determined Gaze!