Happy Halloween!

Laughs, Islands And Garbage...

Even I, as a Puerto Rican, could have laughed off "the floating island of garbage" joke if (IF!) he had spread the... love to others, IF he had gone on to some self deprecating humor. But no- the purpose here wasn't to have fun (see 9:30), it was to make fun of those they don't like, those they look down on, those they think are less than...

Then he went on to claim, after the fact, that "I made fun of everyone." No-you-did-Not! Wish ya did now (maybe), but not then. It would be ironic indeed, if Puerto Ricans, the very same people Trump so contemptuously threw rolls of paper towels at (looking every bit the bored fraternity bro 'shooting baskets' in his dorm room pissed off his toga party was cancelled in order to tend to the sorry unfortunates before him) now had the opportunity to help make Tucker's dream come true, "We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights, I truly can't wait." You and me both Tuck-Tuck, how does an island victory cruise sound? 

The Handkerchief Salesman

Photo: Raoul Minot

Talk about guts! A lot of would be photographers remark how they fear incurring the wrath of strangers on the street should they point the camera their way- a wayward glance, an uncouth comment... This guy risked it all every single time he pressed the shutter- and it cost him. Special ops agent? A goddamn department store, handkerchief salesman! 

Monuments Befitting The Man

He's always had "the very best words" emanating from his "very, very large brain" (yes, a grown 'adult' actually talks like that). And now he finally has the monuments befittingly commemorating his astounding achievements...

The Epitome Of Assholes Show!

I thought we all tolerated this guy's asinine behavior because, well, after all, he is... A Genius! No doubt of that, especially with all that money. So naturally, we all cut the guy some slack. But, uh... what if, he's not? What if he's just another scammer deluxe? What if the reason he acts like an utter asshole is because he's an actual utter asshole- another BS artist currently supporting yet another BS artist! 

Like so many others, I had naturally assumed (exactly what one should never do) the guy was: an engineer, physicist or some failed genius, scientist, whatever- but genius all the same. And he's- none of the above! He's got Bachelors in physics and economics- Bachelors! Fuck, even I gotta Master's! Another 2 bit con who takes other people's ideas, and then calls them his own. He's not deserving of leeway, but of scrutiny of the highest bloody order...

And then, there's this human shit- Trump loving ("I hate him passionately"), bow tie sporting, M&M defending, son of an heiress guy...

Karma

 It's a beautiful thing!

And yet, his crime boss somehow still roams free... 

Operation Midnight Climax

No, you don't have to take my word for it...         Photo: © Stan Banos

This posh locale is situated atop a hill on a secluded dead end street with a scenic overlook of the bay. Sex and serenity with a view (unless, of course, you suddenly found yourself completely delusional for no apparent reason)!

W-T-F!

I honestly don't know what to make of this guy. His affect is far from grandiose, actually, he's pretty low key, and as a fairly accomplished actor, I gotta think that maybe, just maybe, his whole genius routine is one grand act, a prank, a how dumb do ya gotta be to take any of this for reals...

And give credit where credit due- his pseudo-science gibberish is masterfully articulate and delivered with such naive enthusiasm and conviction that he makes one genuinely want to denounce science, turn common sense upside down and inside out, then deliriously embrace his scatterbrained combobulation as the truth, the whole truth and nothing but... Seriously, if nothing else- I was entertained... this is a fanciful and articulate version of The Weave, even his mispronunciations sound believable! I want to live in his universe, where anything is possible and you get to believe whatever you say!!! I wanna believe that 1x1= 2, I wanna believe in the bisexual tones of the periodic table! Please, Terrence, anyone- make it all come true! 

Duet

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...