I've actually asked...

Considered and tried to navigate most, if not all, of these throughout my life.
Think I'm fairly decent on half, the other...

Interview With A Scientist

This is Professor Garry Nolan- legit, BIG Time scientist (Nobel Prize nominee and "Experiencer"). He is neither a "Ufologist," nor someone who runs from the topic or the challenge. In other words, he's a true scientist, skeptical, but eternally curious; he seeks to engage the unknown with science- as any good reputable scientist should and unfortunately doesn't, or can't (lest they lose their... credibility- ie funding).

Yeah, That About Covers It!

Very Senior Trump Official Said...

"He lacks any shred of human decency, humility or caring. He is morally bankrupt, breathtakingly dishonest, lethally incompetent, and stunningly ignorant of virtually anything related to governing, history, geography, human events or world affairs. He is a traitor and a malignancy in our nation and represents a clear and present danger to our democracy and the rule of law."

Go POOKY!!!

Gotta admit, I was kinda on the fence about this whole AI thing- no longer, my friend! Anything that can create this dream nightmare, horror homage of fun has my admittedly meaningless full approval!

Celebrate!?!

Tourists posing and celebrating on 6/2023 at monument of death and avarice.    Photo: © Stan Banos

I must admit, I'm kinda obsessed with... The Vessel! The ultra gaudy, $200 million 'art' monument to suicide and man's narcissistic indifference that has been indefinitely closed since summer of 2021. Its ultimate outcome has yet to be decided (far as I know)- though I can't imagine it will get to forever flaunt its legacy of infamy center stage. When I last visited it's vacant, ever winding series of stairways in NYC this June, it seemed the ultimate monument to irony, the circular pathway to nowhere that can no longer be trod by anyone at any price. Said stairs are blocked, locked and secured; no one is getting inside or upside the Vessel proper- and still, no one knows what to do, other than wish they had never risen to the level it never achieved. 

Actually, my 'obsession' is a healthy diversion to everything else that is happening throughout the world- politically, socially, environmentally. In a word, it's... not good; people throughout the world seem more divided than ever, very much as we started the previous century- and we all know how well that worked out and unraveled. And yet, here we go all over again, many of us looking no less... to strongmen, and wannabe strongmen for answers, safety and security- as if we've learned nothing, nothing at all in the previous hundred years. All this occurring as we plunge full steam ahead into a 3 degree Celcius increase (kiss 1.5... Goodbye!) in temperature worldwide, continuing a record setting two decades of unprecedented, unabated, man made global warming culminating in the warmest year on record- 2023! And all the while, we continue to discuss all the things we know we should be doing- while continuing to burn ever increasing amounts of fossil fuels!

Did I mention that there'll be more plastic (by weight) than fish in the oceans by 2050? So yeah, best keep those higher level Vessel stairs closed up tight- and in the meantime...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

See SEEN

Wrote about 'em before a while back... so just in case you're jonesing for some good photography, as I frequently am, and don't feel like wallowing through the seemingly endless fields of chaff that are the internets, you can always catch a good and worthy eyeful at... SEEN.

10,000+ CHILDREN MURDERED In Gaza!

Is there some magic number here? How many more children must be slaughtered and dismembered? When will the blood lust be sated? Israel is out to teach Hamas a lesson- and in doing so, are teaching the entire world, in no uncertain terms, that they are every bit as "savage" as those they accuse...

Lying By Omission

I hesitate posting this simply because, as I previously stated, I don't want to get into a tit for tat, back and forth about who's the worst player, the biggest abuser in the never ending see/saw of bloodshed that is the Middle East. I also said that there was no doubt as to who gets the short end of the stick as far as news coverage bias in the US of A (and Congressional financial and rhetorical support takes that to a whole 'nother level). But as to the media, these two little known and vastly underreported facts are definitely of public interest and emblematic of the ongoing lack of parity.

To Be Extolled W/O Criticism

Recently had the opportunity to observe Wolfgang Tillman: To Look Without Fear on a freebie night at SFMOMA. It was a smorgasbord of photographic styles, subjects and presentations: From straightforward portraits to completely abstract images (yours truly had no idea if several of the latter were even photographs- they sure didn't look it), from 3X5 drugstore prints casually taped all about, to imposing mural sized prints that dominated museum sized walls. 

I honestly don't know what Mr. Tillman is about, he doesn't seem to care much about 'complex' photographic compositions whether in portraiture, landscape or photojournalism mode, and seems to practice an outsider artist approach to photography. Of course, he could be operating on a level far beyond my mortal ken, after all he is a world renowned, internationally acclaimed artist, and I'm someone barely known outside the realm of this narrowly read blog. Yeah, slight imbalance there, I know...

As I wandered throughout the ginormous museum rooms, appreciating but a handful of images, one thought kept running through my mind- one could create countless similar type exhibits of just about any photographer's work by simply hanging a vast assortment of their work prints, final prints and everything in between created during the part of their career where they desperately explored and attempted to find their own style. Most photographers, after many hapless starts and stops throughout the years, eventually end up honing and refining an individual style or approach suitable for certain content or particular subject matter. The greats become masters of their domain: in studio, on the streets, in the field. Tillman seems to be content at being a jack of all trades and master of none- but unlike so many of the countless minions of the aforementioned forever populating both art and history... he's become extremely successful at it!

Go Prank Yourself

I liked (and did) a lotta dumb, stupid things when I was young. Another term for youth is, after all- "temporary insanity," and some (like myself) were more prone to it than others. In the subsequent years since, I've managed to cut down on both the frequency and severity of such actions, many of which were, in fact, done for laughs. 

Now, some may say this is a contemporary phenomena (ie- social media), but I fail to get this whole staged prank BS- maybe, just maybe, because it so drastically fails at achieving its main objective... being funny! Instead, you're just left shaking your head at: how stupid the person is doing it, how stupid the people are who 'appreciate' it, and how vile the venue and support system is that promotes it. And the main venue would, of course, be Tik- Tok. I waste enough time on the internet, often trying to desperately validate said time in a futile attempt to prove I'm not, in fact, wasting it- by trying to find some hidden diamond in the rough... 

This, however, blatantly demonstrates how instead of finding that diamond, you are more often than not, more liable to just keep finding lower (and lower) quality coal. This person has... 1.5 million followers. And I'm not saying all this just to be holier than thou- cause a large part of it is saying, there but for the grace of god...

Don't forget to like and subscribe!

The Never Ending Whirlpool of Deceit

"Ever wonder what living under fascism is like?" The aforementioned graffiti (pre 2020), was followed by: "you're living it." Bill Maher (who I definitely don't walk in lockstep with) has predicted a Trump victory in 2024- and we all laughed (dismissively) when he said that Trump wouldn't leave the White House voluntarily in 2020, under any circumstances... 

Well, insane as it may be (and there is no "may" about it)- despite the 91 indictments, despite the call(s) to insurrection and blatant criminality of those around him, Trump may actually once again be POTUS- after already proclaiming this his "Retribution" tour whereupon he and his cronies will proceed to dismantle the Constitution as they see fit once reseated in the throne of his making ...  

And, of course, this disruptor of all things sane and just does not operate in a vacuum. He has his loyal acolytes, eg- The Crazy Twins, each one more crazed, ignorant and belligerent than the other (although granted, their sheer, blatant stupidity is at times a perverse beauty unto itself)! And the fact that they go outta their way to openly display their disdain of each other, almost upends their maniacal hatred of all things Democrat. Of course, they are far from the only fervent cult Trump acolytes in Congress or government- while others respectfully (ie- fearfully) bend the knee to Orange Jesus in abject terror for themselves and family. 

But the never ending whirlpool of lies, insanity and personal attacks serve their purpose:

Marcotte writes, adding that the point of these conspiracy theories, "Is not to believe them, but to sucker liberals into go-nowhere arguments with disingenuous actors."

"The end game is to overwhelm their opposition with so many lies and bizarre digressions that people eventually just get exhausted and give up."

To Be, Or...

Photo: © Stan Banos

I can't for the life of me imagine why a fully grown man would ever contemplate parading himself about as... a Power Ranger- jeez, even nine year olds are long weaned of such an infantile super hero. Then again, it's infinitely more sane and practical than "open carry" proponents promenading about with their AR-15's on their way to the local grocery store. Or as one 'enthusiast' proclaimed, "Ya never know when you'll be confronted by multiple attackers."

Trials And Tribulations...

Life, of course, is a constant, non stop struggle, one requiring unremitting amounts of patience, ingenuity and persistence- and all ever the more so as one ages, gracefully or not. It never let's up, never gets easy, never apologizes; every day the same length, every trial without guarantee of severity, repetition or reward. 

In this case, parking the car is just the start of the process (the second comment by Knocky9Doors is gold):

Happy Thanksgiving!

Photo: © Stan Banos

I've always liked Thanksgiving- for what it's supposed to be... an appreciation and celebration of life, as the cooling temps and turning colors announce the annual cessation of nature's bounty to await rebirth the following year. For some however, it is quite rightfully... a National Day of Mourning for the life and land stolen beneath their very feet.

Norway's 'Child Abuse' Problem

Photo: © Stan Banos

Saw this graffiti exiting the subway and thought it just the wild ramblings of yet another of our myriad of wildly delusional, street denizens. So I go home and google, not expecting to find much, if anything- and although I must admit I had zero knowledge of any of this... apparently, it does actually appear to be quite the thing!

Truth Is Stranger Than...

Photo: © Stan Banos

I'm hardly the expert on anything Judaic, period. But having grown up in NY, I knew enough about the belief system (at least as it pertains to particular sects of Hasidism), that would make such a scene (as pictured above) possible. Still, the seeming incongruity of it all remained a bit of a shock back on an early summer day in 2019 as I stumbled upon it by sheer circumstance. These days, that shock factor increases... exponentially! I don't exactly know how or to what extent that particular belief (that a Jewish state cannot officially exist until the coming of the Messiah*) has shifted under present circumstances (if at all), but I did see a report that for the first time, a certain percentage of Hasidic males have, in fact, volunteered for military duty in Israel (the latter being exempt from mandatory military service).

*Again, the person above does not support a free Palestine because of some enlightened humane or humanistic world view, his belief is completely based on strict religious dogma independent of any belief(s) based on the personal dignity of freedom loving people. Just as evangelical Christians that fervently support Israel do so not to further Judeo-Christian brotherhood and cooperation, but to bring about the culmination of their ultra conservative belief system concerning Christ's second coming which has them raptured into paradise while everyone else (incl Jews) meet their dastardly, well deserved demise...

Education Through Comedy

-WCNSF-

Pure, Stone Cold, Gangsta!

Lawdy, Lawdy- This is one of the most amusingly gratifying scenarios I ever did set to picture in my mind's eye!

And it only makes me further wonder how they went about describing it to The Don himself- 'Well, uhhh... he was so taken aback by the gravity of our presentation that he was literally dumbfounded! Never got one single word out! I tell ya, the guy never saw it comin'!'

If You Commit A Crime...

 You "SHOULD" go to jail...

SF Homeless Sweep

Love the sarcasm- that is sarcasm... no?    Photo: © Stan Banos

The APEC summit is coming to town and the downtown area is in the process of being dehomelessized. They're definitely being scattered to the winds (well, at least their sidewalk blocking tents are) this week- whatever public safety/sanitation laws couldn't be applied previously, are now being applied... until they no longer are the following week! 8ft security barricades are also being deployed all around the Moscone Center as the Biden/Xi Jinping Express is scheduled to come barreling into town. It's gonna be one royal mess of crowds and security as yet another part of the world gets exposed to the embarrassment of vacant storefronts and vacant faces that is present day, downtown San Francisco.

And then it all reverts back to our now normal, everyday abnormality of filth, garbage, homelessness and insanity once the crowd returns home regaling their peers of the Dream once called American...

Irony, Hypocrisy & Ceaseless Slaughter...

A "classic" I well remember going back to Viet Nam...

It's pretty ironic(?) in a sick sorta way, that something so horrific that is happening literally halfway across the world would provide me with the opportunity to partake in what I most... enjoy- photography. That is, the horrendous deaths of thousands of innocent civilians in Israel and Gaza has stirred worldwide condemnation and protests for either side, some of those protests occurring right here in San Francisco, long known for its endless procession of protests. 

All photos: © Stan Banos

And while I must again stress that I cannot in good conscience proactively support either side (because of the heinous atrocities committed by each), that doesn't mean that one cannot at least try and make objectively worthwhile observations... 

Such as:

1)  The slaughter of innocent civilians (particularly children) is never 'a good look' for either side. Hamas slaughtered 1,400 civilians on Oct. 7; as of today over 4,000 innocent children alone have been slaughtered in Gaza in retaliation. Some will argue that the Israeli children were killed intentionally, while the deaths of Palestinian children are "collateral damage," the "consequences of war." I would argue that dead children are dead children, both sides very much aware of the direct consequences of their actions- whether by bullets at point blank range during a concert, or at distance by push button munitions deliberately aimed at the most crowded place on earth.

2) Hundreds, indubitably thousands, more children (not to mention women and elderly) will be slaughtered in Gaza before Israel succeeds in "wiping out every last member of Hamas," an objectively impossible 'objective.'

3) I'm going to stop, I'm going to stop- restraint must be exercised if others are expected to follow, or the usual tit for tat, back and forth ensues ad infinitum... Each side arguing and fighting as only those with God on their side can. And I am bloody well sick of the hypocrisy, the madness, the ceaseless slaughter...

Both sides now.

No, not a phone- a booklet on... Palestine.

Oh, The Verbosity!

Always amusing hearing MAGAites complain about Biden's gubs and gaffes. And, in all fairness, they're absolutely 100% Right (as in correct)- but they never (ever) mention (because they're never exposed to) the incessant and ever increasing myriad of verbal guffaws by Dear Leader. We currently have a  POTUS verging on senility, who (if fate will have it) may well be replaced by one who is equally senile- as well as deranged! 

As scary as the latter is (as in 'kiss any semblance of democracy goodbye' scary), and as ridiculous and numerous as Trump's mental/verbal farts may be- the absolute funniest thing in this clip is at 9:30!

If You're Going To San Francisco...

I see this pretty much daily, and as bad awful as it is to experience live, it seems even worse on video. And while every store isn't closed, this shopping district isn't anywhere near as empty as the financial district directly next door,* and keep in mind you're not seeing the slew of: homeless tents, piles of garbage, mentally ill behavior, feces, drugs and general filth and squalor** of the neighborhoods of SOMA and the Tenderloin directly adjacent! 

All this in a city with sky high fuckin' rents that compete with... New York City!!!

*All of pre-Covid downtown San Francisco was one helluva hustlin' bustlin', crowded and thriving part of town for a city barely reaching 1 million.... 

**(not to mention the stench)

Make It Stop!

This thing keeps uhhhh... popping up on all sorts of web pages. I'm pretty sure I know what it's for, the thing is- does it go inside, outside, alongside? And which sex claims the actual physical accommodation? I'm really not getting the ergonomics here...

But here's the thing- I don't wanna know! So don't be telling me how the thing is inserted, utilized or activated. I'm sure it works just fine doing what it does however it does it- I'm just tired of it following me around the internet is all...

MTG In All Her Glory!

A dangerous, vindictive cartoon character with a long, long legacy of destructive inanity. These people have always existed- in the crevices and margins of societies worldwide throughout our existence. It is only in times of ignorance and desperation that they rise to our attention, only in times of widespread apathy and confusion that they rise to power...

Three Hours, Twenty Six Minutes...

Killers of the Flower Moon* explodes on the screen like gangbusters, the energy of the entire universe on display in one miniscule but rollicking Boom town in the dusty plains of Oklahoma. The attention to detail is almost overwhelming, like a Hieronymus Bosch painting come to life. At least at the beginning... before gradually focusing its grip on a specific few lives that accentuate the society as a whole- one based on and dominated by the inherent, systematic racism of the era, which in this case was also fine tuned to the very specific situation, a very specific people found themselves in a very specific area. That is, a system of laws and subterfuge that made it possible for Whites to kill, connive and steal the money and property away from their rightful indigenous owners. 

I remember first finding out about this particular bit of American history a couple of years ago... you just couldn't make it up! What's harder to fathom, the deceit and skullduggery on the macro, societal scale, or the micro, personal scale: a man who supposedly loves his wife as he slowly poisons her, or the wife who so knowingly suspects and allows him to do it? Unfortunately, the film drags us through this slow arduous process at such length until I too felt I was ever so slowly succumbing, feeling my life force ever so methodically drained... Mollie Burkhart, portrayed by Lily Gladstone, looks every bit the Mona Lisa- the enigmatic smile come to life, hiding a secret strength and wisdom well beyond mortal man. But alas, it is not to be... And Leonardo DiCaprio spends the last third of the movie with this prominently featured scowl, looking for all the world as if he's sucking on a quarter of a lemon rind.

The surreal and historically accurate closing scene is one of almost comic relief, and much needed energy- but way too little, way too late. Despite it all... recommended, if only for the history lesson. Bring your stadium buddy! 

*Seriously, how could you possibly read a movie review without the realization that it contains spoilers by its very nature? And I will spare you the insufferable amounts of explosions and gaudy special effects in the super hero trailer nightmare I had to involuntarily endure...

'Expert' Advice

Last week on Bill Maher's show, one of his (expert?) guests volunteered that if the Palestinians had just one person the likes of an MLK, all their problems would be solved, all injustices settled, and peace and love would reign throughout the land! Or something to that effect...

That guest was very much correct- just not exactly the way his mighty intellect envisioned. An MLK like figure would unite Israel/Palestine... in an unprecedented effort to share intel and resources in a race to cap his ass ASAP! The last thing any of the major players in any faction on either side would tolerate was some idealist with a following threatening to end their particular piece of the pie. File this insight of the century in the same cabinet under other 'Bright Ideas' (that would never be allowed) such as free energy and a cure for cancer. Didn't think it possible but he actually made Jared Kushner (our previously appointed Middle East Saviour) look kinda smart- at least he had sense enuf to stay the hell out of it to the tune of a cool... $2 B-B-B-Billion!

Well, That Was An Ever So Brief Respite!

Haven't even commenced the main attack on the most crowded place on earth and we already got a direct hit on a hospital with over 500+ dead! Couldn't see that comin'! That's right folks, that's just an appetizer on the death and dismemberment scorecards- we are keeping score, no? Cause this is supposed to be the game of games, the one that is finally gonna decide who gets to take the ball home forever and ever. That's why it's so important to know your sides; and whoever gets blamed (the most)... there's still slaughter a plenty to come for everyone!

Remember: When they kill innocents, one side openly celebrates- they're... The Savages. The other launches an investigation just long enough for most to forget, before admitting... absolutely nothing- they're The Civilized. So pick your side! Everybody's gotta have a side- can't get REVENGE unless ya gotta side!

And Now, Some Levity...

 

 

It's Hardly Prophetic...

to state that the opportunities for even greater massacres, war crimes and atrocities are about to be launched in Gaza as the whole world simply... awaits the inevitable. And that's just the point- it's all pretty obvious: "smart bombs" that somehow miss their mark, misidentified targets, and the general chaos and confusion of war that result in the most tragic of needless deaths. Sympathy for Israel over the inexcusably heinous, terrorist acts committed by Hamas this past weekend is both understandable, and justified. But the hundreds (probably thousands) of avoidable civilian deaths that will now inevitably follow is beyond folly or justifiable righteous indignation. An intensive military action staged in one of the most crowded places on earth (without recourse to evacuation) guarantees untold collateral damage- and most that will die will not be Hamas terrorists, they will be innocent civilians, many if not most... women, elderly and children. 

No food, no water, no medicine- that alone is enough to overcome, that alone will cause substantial suffering, and death. Israel is describing this upcoming retaliation as something different, something much more all encompassing, but it is in fact, just the latest tit for tat, eye for eye retribution writ large; one that will only induce yet another Palestinian retaliatory round of mass murder and mayhem. Israel is smart enough to realize that they have to offer a carrot to their forced diet of constant sticks, land grabs and military actions. Both sides should realize by now that each is every bit as stubborn and committed as the other! Both sides need to ditch the scorecards, grow the fuck up and learn to share since neither is going away. Yeah, easier said than done... but easier than cursing the future of their own children.

It Is What It Is...

Both sides in this seemingly never ending conflict lost their moral prerogative long, long ago. Both have committed unspeakable atrocities, both are solely committed to an eye for eye, both are now blind to condemning their own children to the fate of their own creation.

Got Ya Last!

I remember listening to my mother's radio getting ready for school- listening to news reports of the Jews and Palestinians playing the nastiest game of 'Got Ya Last' imaginable. Even as a kid I thought it weird hearing adults behave like a bunch of bratty kids- over and over and over again, seemed like every other week. There they go... the kids are at it again! Even now I'm tempted to dismiss this ongoing schoolyard insanity of death and destruction with a flippant... didn't Jared, our most skilled diplomat, solve all this?

Except, here we are some fifty plus years later, same game, just a whole lot nastier. The slaughter of civilians by Hamas was absolutely despicable, and what Israel continues to do to the Palestinian people is every bit as sick: the illegal occupation and settlement of Palestinian territory, the tyrannical oversight of Palestinian homelands, the indiscriminate demolition of Palestinian homes (which will increase exponentially in the immediate days to come)... 

Make no doubt, both sides have acted and will continue to act with absolute savagery. The thing that pisses me off is that (at least in this country)- only one side gets bad mouthed, only one side reaps the bad publicity, only one side gets to publicly be called "savages." When Hamas shoots innocent families in their cars, they're "horrendous animals." When Israel obliterates innocent families in their homes with high tech, push button weaponry- hey, that's the breaks folks! No surprise whose lives score higher both in the halls of Congress and the studios of our press...  

Israel has been humiliated by their security lapse, that will make the body count of their retribution historically vindictive in an attempt to save face. They've already sworn as much, they're finally going to teach the other side a lesson they won't soon forget... by doing exactly what they've always been doing for decades! The Jewish people are renowned for their smarts worldwide- and yet they continue to blindly repeat the popular definition of insanity. 

For rational, insightful coverage... Democracy Now!

Everyone Deserves Their Snoop...

Photo: © Stan Banos

It was a freakishly warm day as the temperature broke ninety in the city by the bay which somehow continues to defy the worldwide onslaught of manmade climate change, while slowly rotting from within. In a town where one must wear a light jacket no matter the time of day or month of the year, I felt as if the only man alive who savored a good evening's heat. Walking home from Henry Horenstein's presentation, I savored the night air walking about in a short sleeved button down shirt, stogie in hand. I remembered hot summer evenings in New York with friends, sitting on a park bench beer in hand- the entire city your living room. I remembered first moving to San Francisco, the promise of love and a new life. And although no longer young, in the warm night air, I remembered youth. Everyone deserves their snoop...

Jesus Christ!

 

Rare image of Nordic Warrior Jesus sans his AR-15 seated next to his hero, Donald J. Trump! Despite the usual flowing robe uniform, seems pretty obvious that Jesus H. Christ is not skipping shoulder, back and chest days at his local gym- just like his svelte, 215lb. earthly counterpart!

Implosion!

Always wondered about implosion ever since I heard about the USS Thresher. This video is, in a word, mesmerizing- equal parts macabre and fascinating, as it uhhh... artfully depicts what happens both to vessel and human body. 

The deaths incurred in the Titan were both tragic and needless, to say the least: the DIY submersible was not inspected or certified by any regulating body for any safety standards whatsoever, the hull was made primarily of carbon fiber- a material not specifically constructed to withstand pressure, and this particular carbon fiber tube was bought cut rate since it was already past its prime! Did I mention the main viewing porthole was certified only to one third the required depth!?

Mad inventor risk taker Stockton Rush was literally daring the gods not to kill him and his... unknowing test subjects each and every time they descended. It's one thing to throw caution to the wind with your own life and safety, quite another to repeatedly place the life of others in such grave and wanton danger.

Looking Ahead...

In the immediate future, things don't look all that great here in San Francisco, photographically (and otherwise). Downtown, a once hustling, bustling metropolis is now a veritable ghost town- not conducive to photo ops, and apocalyptic street scenes have long grown tired post Covid. Protests have dried up and it ain't always easy executing 'alternative' photo projects. Fortunately, SF does have biannual leather fairs, Bay to Breakers (an annual bacchanalian foot race and costume fest- don't ask), Hunky Jesus (Easter) and Fleet Week. But even those can hardly fulfill a year's worth of shooting. It just looks like it's gonna be real slim pickings next coupla years.

And two years hence, at seventy, I plan on (hopefully) retiring, and unless some phenomenally phenomenal phenomena occurs to make things more livable here, financially (and otherwise), it's on to... I don't have the slightest! I'm a city boy. And walkable, affordable cities in the good ol' USA are pretty much non-existent.

All Photos: © Stan Banos

Folsom St. Leather Fair

9/24/2023

End Of A Short Lived Era

An hour and a half at a time...   Photo: © Stan Banos

This photo was taken directly across the saloon I've come to call home now for a year. And when I say home, I'm talking an hour and a half a week on an early Friday evening, enough to down three pints, approx one per half hour- which borderline breaches my personal barrier for waking up the following morning in good humor.  

San Francisco was rife with old neighborhood dives and has still managed to retain a few in these days of $8 pints and wretched sports bars. I would frequently make note of them, promising to return for a drink one spare evening, promises never consummated. This is one which I actually entered one long ago weekend afternoon (probably during yet another unsuccessful photo walk); the vibe was right, the people were friendly, and I was happy to have a beer amongst the crowd, and depart- pity it wasn't in my neighborhood! 

When The Wife and I separated, there I was, but two blocks away- but it was the height of Covid, and boarded up tight... didn't seem it would ever open again. When this picture was taken, the protective paneling had just come down, and I saw a sign being posted on windows made visible once again. The guy invited me to come over and check it out sometime- he needn't have asked. The name of the bar is The Utah Inn. 

Now, Stefano (the sign posting bartender) was totally cool, I actually got by-backs (first time in decades!) on a coupla beers! From the rough and tumble part of a rough and tumble town outside San Francisco, he was nevertheless, always welcoming- but if you said the wrong thing, rubbed him the wrong way, you'd get one very sober look and the frivolity would quickly dissipate. Fortunately, we were fairly copasetic, I understood the general parameters; we weren't best of friends, we were chill is all, and he had a job to do. I was just happy being a cool (uh-huh) old guy at the bar, happy just to hang in a relaxed, judge free zone after a week of work, and have my mood adjusted accordingly for a pleasant if uneventful ninety minutes... And god forbid you should ever motion or call out for a beer- you were done for the evening! I would silently smile to myself witnessing various people wander in off the street and wonder why they were waiting endlessly...  

That was pretty much my 'social life,' not a helluva lot, granted- but how I treasured that hour and a half! Two weeks ago, just after I had left, the new manager (of one whole week) told Stefano that he should clock himself out since things were slow that night. Predictably, he wasn't having it, besides, the (SF Giants) game was soon to let out and the place would be quickly packed- as it soon was... but the damage was done.

Bottomline, he was right, and he was gone- and so it looks am I...

Let's Say...

 That maybe (just maybe) it's all true...

Black And White And Color

Went to see Matt Black's photographs at the Robert Koch Gallery. All save for one photo consisted of his vintage B&W analog. The prints were magnificent! I stood there thinking how lucky I was to have belonged to this club, to have personally experienced the particular medium as both viewer and practitioner, to have produced (at least technically) somewhat similar work (albeit on a considerably lower level). The nostalgia was palpable. 

Thought I could conjure up something profound to say as to the differences between B&W analog and (digital) color, insights into their individual strengths and processes- and came up with a plethora paucity of... the usual. While comforting and reassuring to know I still appreciated a great B&W print as much as ever, I felt no distinct urge to return, even though I never pictured myself ever departing- it was home, familiar and capable of great beauty, humor or drama. And yet, leave it I did, and I've more than tripled my output since 2016, compared to 4 decades of B&W when I looked more intently at other people's work than actually produce it (not that I didn't want to). And a lot of the work I looked at was color, I could appreciate both mediums equally even though I only practiced one- and it enabled me to hit the ground running when I switched. And still am; at 2 years, 2 months till seventy and peak Social Security (and supposed retirement)... the clock is ticking- loudly!

Photo: © Stan Banos

2/3's Year in Review

Very decent, very economical 11in work prints!

Yeah, a tad early for a year in review post, hence the title. Didn't get to travel much this year except back home to NY, but have still managed a few keepers (with a couple more hopefully to come). Recently though, got kinda depressed that I would never be able to afford even a quarter of the images I'd like to have printed- and then it finally dawned on me... follow my own freakin' oft repeated advice and print all my landscape oriented keepers vertically in a series of 11in Blurb zines- dirt cheap, decently printed work prints for posterity. Not the ideal solution for having your own personal plethora of exhibition quality prints ready to hang on moment's notice at MOMA, but a half decent workaround for anyone on a poor man's budget. So that'll be an ongoing project commencing this winter. 

This Labor Day weekend I got busy reediting my Windows On The Bay project, it was a bit on the thin side when I initially released it unto the world in a semi-manic period of frenzied activity, but the added time has allowed me to round off the project with more images that help fill out the narrative some- so it no longer looks like a work in progress!

And speaking of more images, added about a dozen more recent shots to the color section of my website last weekend, reaching my current subscription limit. Finally, since I'm certainly not getting any younger, I'm gonna send a few of my book projects to a few indie book publishers. A lot of 'em take pdf's- not a problem via Blurb! Yeah, I gotta .004% chance of being accepted by any one of 'em, but- what the hey, something to do till MOMA and Gerhard come a callin'...

Fade To...

Photo: © Stan Banos

He made for such a very singular looking fellow upon first seeing, looking out so intently upon the bay. And then I would see him again, and again and again- always at the same place with the same attire in the same manner, the orange a bit more faded than last...

For The Love Of Movies

I love 50's B&W film noir, the whole nether world of dames and gams (legs of the former), peepers (private dicks) and screws (prison guards). Ninety percent of the TV I watch is easily from 2 channels, PBS and a local channel that shows film noir on Thursday nights. Problem is, there's only so many of those celluloid wonders- and they sure don't make 'em like that no more... 

Somehow, I read up on a movie called Dragged Across Concrete (currently streaming on Netflix). I was going to embed the official trailer, but it makes it look like a dumb ass, Grade B, cop buddy, action movie. And it gets worse, it also has... Mel Gibson, yeah, the one and only, as if there's any other. And sure enough he's accused of abusing a suspect and proceeds to whine. So I'm about to put an end to it early on when I say to my self- why would Michael Jai White be in a movie that okays police abuse? The same reaction I had when I first heard Bill Burr- oh great, another middle aged White guy yelling and complaining. No, thanks. So why were there videos of Black guys laughing uproariously at his standup? So I watched on... 

Gibson mercifully under acts and has good chemistry with costar Vince Vaughn. And rather than simply going into reactionary Dirty Harry territory, it gives a pretty contemplative reflection on race, politics and the trials and tribulations of life in general. There's some serious violence for sure, but action movie it is not. If you liked A Simple Plan and American Animals where easy-peasey rapidly cascades into all hell breaks loose, chances are you'll appreciate this particular tale of woe and topsy turvy happenstance.

While I'm at it, wanted to see Oppenheimer recently, got online to get my seat (forget first come/first serve at your local googleplex these days) and was absolutely gobsmacked at the prices for a simple goddamn movie at your local movie theater- $25 and a $2.50 service fee! $27.50 for a goddamn movie!?! Ya gotta be shittin' me...

Fortunately, I was able to see it for $12 at one of the few (very few) remaining smaller, movie theaters in town. How does Hollywood expect to revive a movie going public at $25+ a pop?!?

The Happy Dogs

I recall one woman approaching me back in the day and saying, "I have this theory that there's really only one of these dogs, and they just switch owners at night." And after watching many of the videos featuring English Bull Terriers currently on You Tube, I can't also help but be amazed at just how many do look so amazingly alike- even by someone like me who had one and can more readily identify even minor differences in physicality. But it's not just their looks that can be so strikingly similar- it's also their behavior(s).

They're highly excitable laddies, and when in such a highly charged molecular state, they usually resort to two distinct modes of action. One is the circle dance, where they repeatedly (and I do mean repeatedly) pivot in a tight circular bit of frenetic foot stomping; the other being the diagonal dash, which consists of running about from room to room, wall to wall as fast as their muscular appendages can possibly manage- they brake by rearing their bums into the opposing walls and harnessing the resulting kinetic energy to jumpstart the next run into the next wall. Repeat...

 

 

Just be alert to the fact that they don't stay in their lanes and will topple whatever's in the way. Mind you, they're just happy- happy to see you, happy to play, happy being... happy! 

PS- Except on those highly irregular occasions when they enter their uniquely inexplicable fugue state, commonly referred to as "trancing."

$15 Million Trumps $2-3 Billion!

Anybody and everybody who can add knows that Hunter's $15 Million is way, way more than with a... B! Jared's measly little $2-3 B-B-Billion 

Right? Right!?! 

And yet, Dems have let Repubs run roughshod with this BS for how long?!? And how long more?!?

Give credit where credit is due- those MFs stay on message... (and their cult following swallows whatever's shoveled).  

If I'm Completely Honest...

Photo: © Stan Banos

Yeah, sad to say, pretty much my M.O. as well- get mad, rant and rave for a while, then go back to leading my life of quiet desperation. Sure, sometimes I'll actually push back, and sometimes even push back a little harder as do we all- but for the most part...

The Problem With The World

Good Ol' Chuck never made it to the 21st century; god, he would've hated it. And while he didn't offer the following as a prediction, he was always pretty... prescient. "The problem with the world is that intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence."

-Charles Bukowski

News you don't like can be labeled "Fake News," and facts you don't want to believe can be replaced with the alternative facts of your choice. Back in the day, when people didn't know something, they tended to defer to those who actually... did! Now, actual knowledge of any given subject matter can be considered antithetical to the correct desired answer, and feelings Trump wisdom...

"Look Ma..."

"NO Hands!"     Photo: © Stan Banos

Not uncommon to hear people say there's no one in the driver's seat in San Francisco: tsunami wave store and car robberies, hard core drug addiction rampant in the streets, tent cities blocking sidewalks, filth, litter and human feces everywhere... Yeah, we got it all- in droves! One thing ya don't hear much about though is... our self driving cars; yup, amidst all the squalor- we got those! 

For several years now, we've had a horde of white, EV Chevy Bolts, all quite cute and individually named (see hood), driving about bedecked with rather complex technology, a driver, and one passenger beside him with requisite laptop. A common, everyday site until rather recently, when I first noticed, and gasped, at one very significant difference- gone was the human element; beta beast mode testing had finally arrived!

Sightings were rather rare at first, but then in one week I noticed a half dozen, then a full, and then became determined to get a decent shot of this modern day anomaly before becoming a common, so what occurrence of the future. Try as I might, I just couldn't manage a decent shot until finally having it land at my very lap after a long fruitless walk one lovely summer weekend, returning home directly across the street. Granted, not the most thrill inducing image imaginable- but it gets the point across. Driverless cars will soon become de rigueur everywhere, but for now, they're still quite a novelty as they stop, turn and drive on by sans the human touch. And so far, it's all good- uhhh... unless your home's on fire!

ADDENDUM: WHOOPS!

ADDENDUM... X2!!