1945

 

Two Jews come into town with two crates that allows them to decimate an entire village! The latest in Uzi tech with unlimited ammo from Netanyahu's Israel? Not quite...as the title suggests, it's 1945 and these two Jews brandish crates full of perfume and cosmetics- or so they say. The destruction comes from the townspeople themselves- and the guilt and shame they've each justified and buried like a badge of deep rooted honor. 

Two closing thoughts: a) I couldn't help think how the whole scenario played out like a typical sitcom sketch straight outta Mayberry (except with decidedly more serious subject matter), and b) the timing and setting with present day Hungary couldn't be more apropos...

Today's Health Tip!

Along with the increasing variety of everyday aches and pains, getting older also brings new and wondrous ways of experiencing excruciating levels of pain never before imagined: kidney stones, Shingles and lately... Charlie Horses! I had heard these were caused primarily because of dehydration, so I drank more water before retiring for the evening, and woke up and pissed more for my trouble! And yet, and yet- Charlie and his horses continued to frequent my calves! 

If you've never had one- they are rather unremarkable, but truly memorable events in one's personal life of woe. If you're blessed (as am I), they awake you in the dead of sleep with a very distinct signature- this sudden tightening of your calf muscle. It's a definite discomfort, but it's just the warning shot for the inevitable shark bite deluxe that is about to clamp down and overtake you for around 10 or 15 seconds that will truly expand your concept of time. It's almost comical since the second you feel that preliminary tightening, you know the wave of PAIN is coming fast and there's not-a-damn-thing you can do about it* in... 1, 2, AAAGGHHHHHHH!!!!!

Who ever thought that a simple muscle cramp could be so utterly, devastatingly... PAINFUL! Anyway, if you do get them, it also means you're deficient in Magnesium- 80% of the American public is. And the most important thing to all this- some heart attacks can also be construed as... muscle cramps!!! So... take your damn Magnesium...

* maybe, just maybe there is...

Poisoning For Profit

Photo: Mathieu Asselin

Just after the previous cursory post concerning "serious photography," I came upon the very epitome of what that looks like, namely: Mathieu Asselin: A Photographic Investigation. Good lord, you can't possibly get anymore dead serious than this- direct, factual, timely. Citizens world over, especially in the US, should be up in arms about it, demanding accountability for lifetimes of pain, death and suffering. And yet nothing is admitted, nothing is done, and naturally- nothing prevents it from happening again, and again... and again. We the people continue to be treated as the pawns of industry, necessary collateral damage not in the march of progress, but in the unconscionable march for profit. Our lives are expendable, our health and livelihoods- experiments in the offing.

The evil that is Monsanto has operated and proliferated under numerous Presidents and administrations, Democratic and Republican alike. They have poisoned the constituents of either party (and beyond) with equal effect, and with equal lack of remorse- while both parties profit from their largesse. Meanwhile, the very government agency (EPA) meant to examine, prevent and hold such mass purveyors of wanton death and destruction accountable has been effectively gutted by the Trump admin and made a willing tool for the very enablement of their crimes...

And unfortunately, Monsanto is not the only mass killer we subsidize and support. "Serious" photography can only help point the way, only a serious electorate can make the change that will prevent what, right now, are the inevitable catastrophes ahead...

Are You Serious?

As in serious photographer. Now me, I'm mostly just out for a laugh here, a laugh there, and something kinda pretty once in a while to fill in the gaps. But for those serious folk out there (and god bless 'em)- Good Luck...

Art Bell- RIP

Not much I can say about Art Bell that hasn't already. All I can say is why I (like so many others) did enjoy him so. First, he had the ingenuity to dedicate a radio program strictly to... The Unexplained, particularly: aliens, UFO's, interdimensional and supernatural phenomena. And he certainly did not lack for sponsors, if anything- he had way too many!

It didn't matter if Art bought everyone's story that he had on, he had an an open mind and an unbound curiosity (concerning eccentric people and subject matter), but I do remember him throwing at least one guy off the show because his story sounded shaky- bottom line, even if you're story was iffy... you got the benefit of the doubt if it was Good (no matter how far fetched), and was told in an engaging manner. Mel's Hole was just such a story- about as far out a tale as a tale can be told. But DANG, what a story it was- as captivating as it was... imaginative (involving a bottomless pit with strange regenerative and supernatural powers)! And then on the very next show he could have someone as respected and respectable as Michio Kaku!

Never boring (did I mention his legendary voice), he was a leading proponent in legitimizing open discussion and investigation concerning extraterrestrial and supernatural phenomena- the voice and personality emanating from "The Kingdom of Nye" will be sorely missed, least in this dimension...

Virtual Hell!!!

Photo: © Stan Banos

It hadn't happened in a while, in fact, I was thinking about it just the other day- no major computer trauma in what... over a year!? That's a nice run of peace and sanity, so it was just bound to snap, bound to come crashing down from the very depths of hell and torment that it most surely presides over. And sure enough...

I opened a particular folder and clicked on a small photo icon in my Windows photo organizer (never, ever a problem there... ever- but then, why should there be?), instead- the next photo in line comes up, a photo that I now notice has completely disappeared from the icons altogether!?!?!?!? And yet, it appears from the ether, The same scenario with the next few icons in line, click on one- the next one shows up... What The!!! So...I rename the two or three to fix things up- but uh-uh... they see what I'm up to; and they ain't having it!

OK, so hard ball is what they want- hard ball is what they're gonna get!!! I open up Photoshop (OK, OK- it's only Elements 9)- and I'm gonna import and rename them from there and show them whose really running the show- and... my whole PS layout is completely altered! What The... X2!!!

This is when it happens- this overwhelming rage of complete and utter helplessness just engulfs and consumes me to the point where I just wanna (should I even say this?)... CRY!!! It's just so incredibly unjust and emasculating to kneecap me on the very thing I most know NOTHING about, am most helpless about!!! Computer disasters often involve that which I can't even begin to formulate the very questions needed to begin explaining, let alone solving...

So, several deep breaths (minus any tears) later, I begin to ever so slowly relearn how to reconfigure my PS layout to where it was (more or less) and then begin to import and rename the files in that folder. Ultimately, even that didn't work- so I had to delete the folder altogether and remake the dozen low res copies anew... A pain in the ass, but far from life altering.

Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be anything else wrong with the computer at large, and that is a major relief- as well as, yet another added note of mystery...

Not Easily Shocked, But...

Not that I'm any and certainly not all that, but at my age, having lived in The Lower East Side, worked in Harlem and Oakland, I have been around the block a few times; but... when ya tell me with a serious face that a child, an actual child (as in not even a teenager) can must represent themselves in front of a judge in an Immigration Court in the US of A... yeah, that really is (cannot be anything but) kinda all out FREAKIN'... SHOCKING!!!

Lull...

Photo: © Stan Banos

I suppose some would call it Spring Break... but it's nothing planned on my part. I just haven't felt compelled to rant or point out anything in particular (that I haven't already)- and that's certainly not to say that they're aren't enough things out there, right now to rant and rave about!

Fortunately, my salary for writing and maintaining this wee island of a blog remains consistent, no matter my output. No doubt, something will soon enough arouse me from my equal parts blissful/anxiety inducing catatonic state; in the meantime, I'm left to contemplate the hideousness of how modern car headlights now encased in plastic so quickly dull up and yellow, built in early warning systems to replace with this year's model (1st world problems to be sure)...

INTERLOCK- Mark Lombardi

"You can hang the truth on the wall and no one will give a damn."  -MarkLombardi

Well, right off the bat- no question this guy, Mark Lombardi, was a genius on a number of levels. Artist, researcher, whistle blower... And talk about an artist who spoke drew truth to power- I don't think I've ever seen any artist who so blatantly exposed and called out the roots of power and evil in such a direct and abstract way... And ALL the data, info and insights that he meticulously researched and compiled on shadow world financial/political associations and networks came from readily available public resources!

Is there any question that the powers that be did not want this guy around!?!? So when he shows up dead of an apparent suicide- yeah, ya kinda start to ask questions...

Patricia Goldstone and Mark Van Proyen - Visting Artists and Scholars from SFAI on Vimeo.

Please note: The video above is approx 1hr 18 minutes- and then, inexplicably repeats...