Across The River

Photos: © Stan B.

I was walking out of my mother's nursing home when I was hit with the hottest wind I ever experienced in my life, unnaturally hot, radioactively hot, and having grown up in NY, having experienced many a NYC summer, I realized- this is most definitely not normal! 

It was 98 degrees that day and the major reason I wasn't spending extended periods of time pounding sweltering midtown city streets in the little time I had. So, I continued my Queens bound journey to Long Island City- which I once termed "the armpit of NY." For decades it was the land forgotten by time, one of the last stops before Manhattan on the 7 IRT subway line. Not many people lived there and it wasn't anything even remotely resembling a city, the area immediately surrounding said subway stop was just a stagnant, malignant area of decay- like a hoarder's long forgotten and abandoned living space. The area adjoining it was a mixture of longtime residents living in small residential communities separated by areas of light industry, spreading from the aforementioned LIC to neighboring Astoria- as sleepy and domestically banal as neighboring Manhattan was forever busy and bustling. It was an area I frequented while living in the Lower East Side for it's relative solace and tranquility, streets where one could find themself the only person afoot, where even the occasional horizon line could be spotted.

That all began to change the end of the last century, when hyper gentrification began to rear its head in the NYC real estate market directly across the river. It began quietly in the eighties with PS1, a beloved art museum alternative- when someone once proclaimed: "Artists- the shock troops of gentrification!"* Anyway, by the turn of the century there were Manhattan sized skyscrapers (both business and luxury) springing up all around- a trend that continues to this day. Still, there are pockets of quiet and stillness not found beyond the riverbank, as well as the occasional tree for shade and solace, which is where I headed to and found the included photos (as well as the best bagels I ever did eat)...

*I suppose one could now substitute "techies" with artists.

101 And Counting

Some things will always lie beyond human comprehension.                                Photos: © Stan B.

The one thing I found myself most wanting to do when I was in Washington, DC this 7/04 was to walk about, megaphone in hand, proclaiming, "Climate Change is a hoax" as we all collectively melted in the 101 degrees of sunlight and heat. But I came armed with a coupla cameras instead, which were useless after an hour and a half. Oh, they worked alright- my brain no longer did. I arrived around noon and there was many an American flag bedecked person and situation to photograph, but after that first ninety minutes of walking about in such utterly diabolical heat, thoughts of shutter speeds, light and composition went quickly out the front door, back door and every window in between- photography was no longer an option, everything focused on survival. 

Fortunately, National Guardsmen along with many a sidewalk merchant were handing out and selling (respectively) bottles of water, and the umbrella I took in case of afternoon thunderstorms became absolutely crucial to my survival in the sun- would not have survived without that goddamn umbrella; it was beyond brutal! Three hours into my six hour stay, I fortunately snuck into an air conditioned hotel that had some mighty comfortable lobby chairs where I managed to nurse myself back to humanity for an hour upon the onset of nausea. 

Meanwhile, someone (some mischievous, malcontent of an idiot) managed to shut down half the goddamn city on our nation's premier 250th anniversary celebration- The Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, the infamous Reflecting Pool and every other tourist attraction in between were all made completely inaccessible to the public on this most celebratory of occasions of our nation's history! Who even thinks of doing such a thing!?! And this was midday, well before the evening thunderstorms which did indeed come, when shade was very much at a premium, and every tree counted! Instead, some uncaring, unthinking idiot corralled hundreds of thousands of suffering visitors into its hottest of streets, while they desperately sought to find some manner of access to what they all obviously came to see and enjoy... Only to find that every entry way, no matter how far they ventured, or in what direction they veered in the searing heat was guarded, walled off and denied them. That was certainly one helluva way to fill his goddamn, crappy ass, so called 'state fair!' 

Child demonstrates how shade was at a premium- as only a child can!

Why no one complained, or downright revolted was probably due to the debilitating heat and the fact that many of said visitors, probably the vast majority, were of the uber 'patriotic' Trump class. They are not going to find fault with anything this bribe procuring, felon committing, forever lying traitor and pedophile has ever done or ever will do...That was made more than clear to me that day when a small band of demonstrators dared to raise their voice. I had begun to think that there was some small leeway being made of late into the Trumpian mindset that so fervently and fastidiously denied all chance of logic, reason and fact, but sadly- it is im-pen-e-tra-ble.

My train was scheduled to depart at six, arriving approx at 9:30PM in NYC- it was somewhat delayed, finally arriving at 2:30 AM (thank you, Amtrak)! When removing my t-shirt, I noticed it appeared as if tie-dyed, my dried sweat had left decorous, if unsightly rings of dried salt throughout; I drank around six bottles of water that day- and had yet to pee once... 

Photos: © Stan B.

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...

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!!!

The Dog Days Of August

Photo: © Stan Banos

That's right, it's August, so kick back and enjoy the hazy, lazy days of summer when all ya wanna do is set a spell, chill and lazily watch the world go by- I get ya! Just remember to dress appropriately, stay hydrated, and don't get your temperature all up just cause...

As of 2018, twenty of the last 22 years were the warmest on record, and they've only gotten warmer since- with JULY 2023 "THE HOTTEST MONTH EVER RECORDED ON EARTH." Rest assured, Republicans will more than likely be throwing snowballs on the Senate floor yet again this coming winter- it's all so reassuring; so calmly set your mind at ease as our planet slowly simmers while: glaciers and ice sheets disappear en masse, frozen tundra melts, plumes of methane are released, island nations drown, coral reefs are eradicated, storms increase in intensity, wildfires consume ever larger swaths of our remaining forests and temperatures continue to soar unabated...

Funny Sick, Or Funny Ha-Ha?

Always amusing how those who attack "feelings," are the same who live by them (as opposed to say... Facts).

Great speech, that ignores the fact that many people are desperately working to bring about change, and being completely ignored, by: the fossil fuel industries, by Conservative, Right Wing politicians (who deny climate change even exists, and if it does, is not man made) and governments by and large, rich and poor. Every few years, these world governments get together, solemnly pledge great things they will accomplish in a few short years, and then proceed to do absolutely... NOTHING.

Meanwhile, Big Oil continues to get subsidized, innovative, clean alternatives continue to get underfunded, and plans for even more climate conventions are made, driving people to the point of near madness where they desperately end up throwing soup on paintings as their elders hasten to mindlessly poison their very future. The ice caps are melting, the permafrost is melting, and glaciers are disappearing wholesale while giant sink holes are appearing in Siberia releasing unprecedented levels of lethal methane. Island nations are disappearing into the Pacific, and storms are more devastating than ever as tornados appear where they never have before; droughts are longer and more severe worldwide, desertification is increasing, and the last ten years are the hottest on record...

Yeah, great speech (uh-huh)- and about as funny as a Republican with a snowball on the Senate floor.

From Sea To...

I once thought that the levees in New Orleans were these audaciously high palisades of steel, earth and fortified concrete that rose precipitously skyward to protect their vulnerable inhabitants behind and below. And... uhh... they're anything but! They're mostly fairly modest earthen constructions and modifications of gradual incline (as seen below), wouldn't notice most if not pointed out- and they're still in need of further updating if they are to meet the future (and even present) needs of those relying on their protection from the full ravages of oncoming climate change. And New Orleans is not the only place that will need them- more like every inhabited coastline... of every continent on the planet.

Photo: © Stan Banos

How Bent On Suicide Is Humanity?

As we find ourselves plummeting down the road to environmental, climate induced disaster, we not only continue to excuse what initially caused the problem(s), we insanely devise yet even more ways to exacerbate our demise... like novel, so called 'eco-friendly' approaches that require the cutting down and burning of trees that not only destroy the environment twice over by first eliminating a primary carbon reducer and transforming it into harmful carbon emission, but by also making the local populace sick in the process...

2020+++

Photo: © Stan Banos

I'm not the kind to make New Year's Resolutions, but I do make time to take stock and ponder what lies ahead... Last year was actually pretty productive photographically; after the novelty of the lock down(s), mid year protests picked up the slack- photo ops based on the aftermath of people's pain and loss. But then, isn't that the basis of most photojournalism on any given year?

Of course, this bungled fiasco of a pandemic that was left to fester unabated could have been shortened, had we adopted some kind of science based nationwide program instead of the patchwork, devil may care, incoherent guidelines we semi adopted into our herd mentality of contradiction. And it's almost surreal that someone as myself, living on the economic borderline of uncertainty in the city supreme of financial inequity and inequality, has thus far managed to remain whole while so many above my station have folded. How much longer can this unnoticed crack of sustenance sustain me? But then, uncertainty is the current lingua franca...

Despite how bad 2020 was, 2021 probably won't be that much more ebullient, at least not the first half- and let's not forget the domestic terrorism yet to come. Hopefully, the vaccine (with all its uncertainty) will, in fact, come through and help- the economy then follow and normalcy gradually ensue. Shit, after all, my productive years on this mortal coil are now officially limited!

A coupla bad years- true that! But many of us (fortunately) won't be around for the full onslaught of global climate change: massive famines, droughts and floods, increased pandemics, wholesale mass migrations, global desertification, stronger storms, increased global conflicts and a slew of other shit we can't even begin to imagine at present. That series of upcoming plagues will span... generations, and the recovery- generations more.

Enjoy it while we can!

I'll Walk...

Photos: © Stan Banos

If anyone would have told us this past March that our unexpected but thoroughly welcomed two week vacay would expand to two months and then go on to inhabit two years... one could only imagine the looks. And yet here we are, still amidst a killer of thousands that is only growing stronger, and does so quietly, silently and behind closed doors- killing in such stealth that thousands more refuse to believe that anyone is actually even sick, let alone dying. This so called pandemic is but a hoax, a fraud perpetrated to scare, confuse and defraud us of our wealth, health and liberty!

Now, it's not for me to tell those good people what to believe, they ain't gonna hear it anyway; some actually go to their very death swearing it's anything but Covid- "it must be lung cancer!" And the virus, well... it doesn't give a good goddamn what anyone believes, politically or otherwise (though word is, it's somewhat partial to non believers); it's just gonna do what a virus does- multiply, the less encumbered, the more so. 

Perhaps, perhaps we should do what we did with the good Germans who lived by the camps- make the deniers go to these out of the way places (called hospitals), see for themselves and even lend a hand. And so as not to infringe on their precious liberties, they wouldn't even be required to wear a mask. Alas, unlike those Germans, they would simply call out the dead and dying as... crisis actors!

Of course, these delusional, reality free hordes were created in large part by the seminal, reality free, Great Leader who has been twisting, perverting and torturing truth and reality for the last four years to their great delight. Magically thinking the virus away, he managed to prolong the destruction of both our health and economy (the one he single-handedly took credit for). Soon, very soon, he will leave center stage, certainly well before the virus (that he declared would be history by last Easter), but very much like it- kicking and screaming every step of the way into oblivion. 

The great state of New York has its cross hairs aimed firmly upon his massive butt- in both civil and criminal court. And if there is anything near justice on this mortal coil, his White House ouster is but step one of his long and much overdue appointment with the word "NO." This con man, criminal and traitor writ large who has been awash in Russian money and favor since the eighties is as guilty as he is bald. After decades of listening to Republicans whine and scream about Red traitors, lying Commies and dirty Rushkie sympathizers- it's time to send their own beloved, number one mole to the gulag where he belongs.

Pretty much, almost... not really.

Meanwhile, the rest of us all have enough on our plate. And I'm one of the lucky ones- neither sick, nor unemployed. This whole pandemic mess has been botched most bigly from day one, without any semblance of leadership or support in a time exactly when government is most needed, when citizens are most in danger: physically, economically, morally... Instead, we were left adrift to fend for ourselves as a worldwide, pandemic Katrina flooded our entire nation, and then some.

So here's to us in 2021, hopefully Ol' Joe will be able to right the ship and keep it afloat- not to return to a failed status quo, but to finally address the real problems and promise of the 21st century. 'Cause when the full scourge of climate change does hit- the days of Covid will be but a warm and fuzzy, nostalgic golden oldie from the easy peazy days of yore...

09/09/2020

11:00AM   Pedicure Apocalypse         Cause, ya know... gotta look good! 
Photo: © Stan Banos

Today was the first day in which all the legitimate and cautionary warnings concerning climate change became (a trifle more) real, palpable and visceral to yet another (albeit small) group of people (in San Francisco). As rural California continues to burn unabated all around us, most urban Californians are content to just continue about their now semi-routine Covid existence. One crisis at a time, please! But nature, and the onslaught we have ravaged upon it, deems otherwise.

And again, this is just one small portent of much greater (and catastrophic) things to come. Because we won't always be able to simply pause, get out nails done and and casually take pretty pictures of the world burning all around us. And it won't be limited to CA much longer.

So look the best you can folks, cause the clock is ticking...  

12:53PM    Bay Bridge             Photo: © Stan Banos   

COVID 19 Is Gonna Kill Us All!

Photo: © Stan Banos

Well, Actually... no. But I don't think anyone would've believed the predicament we're in now just a couple of months ago, even though it's been one of the long held tenets of climate change as we compete more and more each day with our remaining wild environment. The misnamed Spanish Flu (it didn't originate there) was ever the more deadly, with fatalities in the millions as opposed to the hundreds of thousands of Covid 19. If you caught it, your chances were not good, it was so horrific that once over, populations worldwide actively chose to forget the whole episode... ASAP. Corona has not been anywhere near as deadly, but are diseases just like it going to be the repetitive new norm?

The very fact that China's "wet market" (the very place from where this disease, and others like it, were most likely dispersed from) has already been reopened displays that leadership's lack of will to do anything about preventing future pandemics from occurring. Mainland China's abuse and slaughter of wild (and domestic) animals (eg- rhinos, elephants, sharks, bears, pangolins and yes, even dogs) has already very much been a world wide concern; now it is something that threatens not only the lives of the animals involved- but of people throughout the entirety of the planet. China's leaders must be made answerable to this callous disregard of human, and animal life!

Ticked Off Yet!?

           Photo: © Stan Banos

Well, we all have a little more time to stay home and stew a bit now, so let's not waste the opportunity... cause I'm sure this ain't gonna end anytime soon, and there'll certainly be more on the way...

 I don't take responsibility at all.     -DJ Trump

Gotta give the guy credit- the ultimate slap back... when they let you get away with it! 

Enjoying the (lack of) leadership seesaw? After down playing 'the Democratic hoax' for weeks, and reassuring us that "Some people get better just by sitting around," we are now corrected that he "always knew it was a pandemic," nevertheless, everything is on the mend. Yesterday, Trump stated that the drug chloroquine was approved for usage against the Corona virus... it-is-not! Anyway, seriously, what does it all matter when...

"It's going to disappear. One day, it's like a miracle, it will disappear." 

Maybe, just maybe, as the economy tanks and people around them start to die, the veil will start to rise even among his hard core supporters, and they'll begin to realize that they're being led by the nose by an utter buffoon- or they'll just continue to pass the blame unto someone else as does he till the bitter end...

Speaking of which... the vast majority of people seem to think this is some freak one-off that will dissipate in due time; once again, they're not connecting the dots and realizing that this is what happens when you continue to give Mother Nature the big middle finger each and every damn day. Decades from now when climate change is in full swing this will be remembered as that quaint respite of a warning, back in the day when we could all relax at home with only one world wide catastrophe to deal with...

The Bugs Are Dying, The Birds are Dying and The Oceans Are Halfway Dead...

In other words- carry on... nothing to see here folks! There's still plenty of the Amazon left to burn, vast swaths of Africa we have not yet destroyed or deforested, and even when we do manage to kill off just about everything in the deep blue sea... it'll still look pretty much the same from on top!

Global Turning

Sometimes, sometimes you just feel like you're in the presence of Pure Intellect, intellect of a most profound and palpable presence. I felt that way, reading and listening to Malcolm X, Edward Snowden and most recently, this sixteen year old girl, Greta Thunberg. And what separates the absolute brilliance of these individuals from geniuses like an Einstein or Chomsky is that their message, their wisdom is always imparted and tempered with the appropriate amount of emotion and empathy- however subdued, however impassioned....

Photo: © Stan Banos

And as I've long suspected, and Davis Wallace Wells has quite convincingly confirmed, climate scientists, if anything, have actually sugar coated the horrific speed and consequences of climate change on our planet in the vain hope that populations worldwide will convincingly take heed and react accordingly- instead of falling into the complete denial and complacency so many have instead chosen. Severe climate change is already too late to avoid, it is now simply a question of how many more people we will cause to die in the not very distant future- simply by our continued inaction right now.

Photography And Climate Change

 

Photo: © Stan Banos

While we've all seen plenty of photo essays documenting climate change, I haven't seen too many* articles on how photography itself will be affected by climate change. In the past few years, I've already had to cancel and/or curtail a couple of vacations due to extreme weather conditions- and I'm sure I'm not the only one (not to mention those who've actually lost their homes due to man made climate change). It used to be the wise choice to (whenever possible) take your vacation just before or after the crowds and heat of summer. Now, instead of the seasonal warming and cooling we'd normally experience, we go from extreme flooding, to extreme heat, to extreme storms... Repeat.

Of course, photographers worldwide will certainly continue to document the effects of said extremes. The ensuing increase in: droughts, fires, flooding, famines, and increased conflicts for diminishing arable and habitable land will provide plenty of... photo ops. But I'm also wondering how this will affect the very nature of photography itself as our lives and psyches adapt and change to such extreme changes in lifestyles. How will everyday people look upon reality based photography; how will they react viewing photos of the past that portrayed their subjects enjoying themselves year round in a world of relative ease, comfort and plenty? Will those who can engage in more escapist rituals, celebrations and activities (eg- Burning Man, cosplay, etc) as humanity tends to do in times of crisis? Will people use Instagram and other social platforms yet to be conceived not so much to display the artistry of their meals, but to convey the times and locations of where they can be had?

I suppose we'll be finding out sooner than any of us thought...

*(ie- zero)

A Decade, Just a Decade...

That's ten (10) years, folks- Good luck to us, one and all...

"The evidence before us suggests that we are set for disruptive and uncontrollable levels of climate change, bringing starvation, destruction, migration, disease, and war... It is time we consider the implications of it being too late to avert a global environmental catastrophe in the lifetimes of people alive today." (emphasis mine)

And, uhhh- it kinda goes downhill from there...