Time Travel

Yeah, it put a long belated smile on my face too. Finally, the aged career criminal, the Teflon Don goes down in the history books as the first Convicted Felonious POTUS. This is but the aperitif of what should be a long continuous chain of legal woe; the joy may be short lived however, this November may still see the rise of the Reign of Trump II. Twelve jurors did more honest work in a few weeks than he did his entire life; but in a world where compassion, fact, and logic no longer matter, the nonsensical rules and evil fills the void.

A Walk In The Sun

Photo: © Stan B.    Soaking in that Vit. D!

The Memorial Day holiday marks the unofficial start of summer in the US of A. Meanwhile, the ten hottest years on record have been in this century, the twenty hottest years on record in the last thirty years, and the very hottest year on record was 2023...

Beyond any and all reason, Donald Trump will likely be POTUS once again- and he's talking about hanging in the White House for possibly another three terms (completely illegal by two, but MAGA isn't counting). That means nothing will get done as far as addressing or alleviating the situation for however many years he remains in office slurring incoherently. 

Oh, and 2024 is already pacing to outdo 2023- SURPRISE! Polar ice is melting at well beyond predicted levels, glaciers are receding worldwide at record rates, and coral reefs (the canaries in the coal mine) are bleaching at unprecedented levels as the Atlantic Ocean water temps are breaking records with the expected storms to match!

I don't have kids, I'll be outta here in a few- so I'll be leaving just as the Loudest Deniers of today (the few who haven't succumbed to heat stroke) bitch the loudest about why our government didn't do nothing!

So enjoy it while you can- should be enough time left to even out that tan!

PS- Or just stand under a tree in Mexico- and the truth will set you free...

Jacob Holdt- The Photographic Anomaly

Jacob Holdt is a rather curious asterisk in the history of photography, even within the realm of what has come to be known as "concerned photographers." He came to photography with neither a trained eye, nor a clear purpose of intent. It merely became a way to document a rather extraordinary life, not in a selfie look at me style, but in a... I can't believe this world exists and I am actively interacting with it. And interact with it he did- Holdt was anything but the objective journalist. He purposely thrust himself into a foreign land within lifestyles that could be said were foreign to most of its own natives! And it was not a lifestyle without considerable danger(s) to navigate and endure. 

Somewhere along the line, he decided to start photographing his experiences, as well as those around him, as best he could; and to do just that, he began selling his plasma to help buy film for his point and shoot camera. Now, that's a certain level of... commitment! The resulting American Pictures will not fare well in the hallowed halls of art gallery walls, but they do serve as potent documentation of those places, people and lives that many of that era had already long dismissed as either no longer relevant, or not even in existence. 

And that after all is photography's number one raison d'etre.

Trump Takes The Stand

Today is the day that Donald J. Trump (man of truth, conviction and honor) takes the stand and testifies under oath- speaks truth to power and sets the record straight once and for all! 

Promises made, Promises kept!!!

Are-You-Capable?

ET

While I (would) welcome the whole "Disclosure" process (ie- government admission of an extraterrestrial/extradimensional presence), at this point, it's a topic that I hold with diminished interest. Confirmation of the obvious is neither crucial, nor critical- or as Theoretical Physicist Michio Kaku stated:

The burden of proof has shifted. It used to be the burden of proof was on the people who believe in UFOs. Now the burden of proof has shifted to the Pentagon, to the military. Now they have to prove that these aren’t extraterrestrial. We have multiple sightings by multiple modes. That is the gold standard for looking for these objects. Not just one person, but several people who are reputable. Not just radar, but visual sighting, infrared sensors, telescoping evidence... 

What I crave is exploring: how many different kinds (of ET's) are visiting, where are they from (and how do they get here), and most importantly- why are they here! The most familiar race of beings we've been introduced to are the so called "Greys," the 3 foot guys with the big bug eyes- but they are far from the only visitors that have graced our planetary shores. We've had multiple reports of: 10ft. robotic type creatures, lizard type creatures, preying mantis shaped beings, tall Nordic looking visitors- and quite a few more... And not only can they differ vastly in appearance, their tech also varies, which only makes sense- being they're from different places in the universe and have therefore advanced differently. But advanced as they are, including their mastery of travel and, no doubt, the ability to eliminate us (if they desired)- what are their agenda(s)? Some have literally been seen gathering soil and plant samples (ie- observational), others offering... spiritual guidance! Some however, also seem to be conducting significantly more hands on, nefarious operations.

The reason(s) why officialdom is dread to disclose even Part A of the above is that not only would they have to admit that our mightiest military cannot protect us, but... the whole topic falls under the terms of "The Little Bit Pregnant Clause," ie- they would then have to address all of my major concerns (above), including what have we gleaned from them technologically, and... otherwise. And they ain't letting loose with that info anytime soon! Private industry ain't gonna admit the goodies they were bequeathed, and worldwide government certainly ain't gonna volunteer what they've been able to develop outta sight and outta mind.

And that's exactly why we have to start taking the accounts of abductees ("Experiencers") a lot more seriously- at least as seriously as our military investigates them in secret. Sure, you have your share of crackpots and crazies, but as Dr. John Mack soon discovered- the vast majority are quite sane indeed (not to mention quite reticent to reveal their experiences publicly)! Long before the internets, a lot of people both worldwide and unknown to each other were describing eerily similar, out of this world details and occurrences... and it is they who are the ones most familiar with these visitors, and their secrets (fun starts around 18:00).

Slow Year

Photo: © Stan Banos         The Pride of Madeira

Yeah, I know, I know... haven't been posting much of late- true, true. Last coupla days I've had a cold that's just been kicking my ever lovin' butt three times till Christmas! Other than politics where things have been ramping up every bit as bat shit crazy, sick (and funny) as one can imagine, it's been pretty much as I foresaw last year- there just ain't that much cookin' in my neck of the woods. I've had some pretty productive years in a row, more than I thought possible (least for me that is). But I damn well knew that it was absolutely inevitable that my lucky streak was bound to come to a screeching halt in the current ghost town that is San Francisco. 

As if to emphasize the obvious, I was sizing up a possible photo op involving a homeless person, when some guy walks by screaming and castigating me for attempting to photograph "Low Hanging Fruit!" Later, I discovered that he's considered by some as San Francisco's premier street photographer. Strange that a fellow photographer would assume the accusatory mindset that would automatically have me taking an exploitative/demeaning photograph of a homeless person, the same mindset that would have a nonphotographer assume someone taking a photograph of a public building or monument was a terrorist! I would have been happy to discuss it with the guy, apparently, he was just out for the late afternoon reprimand as he briskly ambled onward.* Second time I've been scolded for photography in public this year; previously, it was the young lovers fiasco. 

*I once noticed a photographer on Fifth Ave. in NYC wearing a motorized Nikon on one hand (with a black leather racing glove no less) and a Leica on the other. What a douche I said (to myself)! A coupla weeks later I actually got to see his work, and I quickly learned to withhold judgement until one sees the finished goods. That's not to say that the end always justifies the means, but...

If You Could Find It In Your Heart...

Photo: © Stan Banos

Well, this is a new one (in more ways than one), and yeah, being just a tad flippant here- to say the least. But then, I honestly don't know. At it's very face it seems a very frivolous, if not utterly outrageous ask. Someone gets their car window broken- and we the public are supposed to help pay their way? People are dying of hunger in Gaza and Sudan and I'm supposed to help pay for somebody's car window? It's a fairly late model car, in fairly good shape- doesn't seem like someone's living out of it. But that's a lot of assumptions to make on my part. They might really need the $, but I would feel a hella lot more comfortable giving to those starving kids in Sudan or Gaza who really do need it, without question- which reminds me... 

That said, I've had some sort of blog since 2005 now, and I've never once asked for money, or even had ads. Not saying I'm better than anyone, hardly; it's just that one day I might very well have a very real need to do so. Maybe I'll be doing a Go Fund Me for the photobook I've always wanted, or maybe, just maybe, after a serious turn of events, I'll be desperately down on my luck- it may very well happen! And then, for sure, I'd hope someone, somewhere out there would find it in their heart...

The Chinese/MAGA Bible!

Made in... "Gina" (pronounced in classic truncated Trumpian misspeak), complete with: Faux leather, tissue thin paper and an abbreviated US Constitution!