History In The UnMaking...

And "The Most Transparent Administration in History" has covered the removal with a giant
Tarp of Shame!!!

NYC Mayor Elect

The choices for NYC Mayor are clear: A) a disgraced former governor, B) a disgraced mayor under criminal investigation saved by a Felon, C) a guy who kidnapped himself for publicity, D) a man who stands for and believes in the working class!

Sanity, Decency, Common Sense...

What a breath of fresh air to hear someone speak: so very rationally and eloquently- with compassion and reason (about someone who exhibits none of those traits)... Remarkable!

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:

PSSST... Wanna STOP Illegal Immigration?

I've often said that if ya wanna end illegal immigration- one doesn't need to build a single wall, just... Stop-hiring-them! Politicians are big on yelling about ILLEGALS and all the havoc they're causing- but mums the word when it comes to allowing them to work in their very own cities and states! Usually, these illegal immigrants can be found working for employers whose jobs are: too odious, too dangerous and too low paying to attract US citizens. If these politicos (usually located in Red states that complain about "illegals" the most) would properly regulate their businesses to enforce their own existing laws to not employ illegal aliens- the word would soon ring out that those jobs are no longer to be had in the USA. No one is gonna make what is often a life threatening journey just to get here if they have NO chance of employment. As long as you hire under the radar- come they will...

This problem has gotten so bad that they are even hiring children in everything from meat processing to car manufacturing plants. And some of these children have already been killed, injured or seriously maimed on the job! But don't we have child labor laws? That's what I thought too, but Iowa just passed a law that allows 14 yr olds to work F/T factory night shifts, while other states are considering much the same! 

This insanity is not unlike climate change- we know exactly what must be done for our own good, we just rather argue than actually fix it.

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).

Logic (and sanity) At Its Highest Order

 

One man has a strong argument- the other has logic, fact and sanity...

Cali Dream Deferred?

No argument there...   Photo: © Stan Banos

San Francisco once seemed an exotic faraway destiny when I lived in New York, not quite wholly American, like... New Orleans- some innately elusive, foreign aura. Hard to believe I've now lived here some twenty odd year and seen it go through some pretty profound changes- the majority not for the better. Homelessness was always a problem, but it metastasized exponentially during Covid to the present day. Coming from New York I didn't fear walking any street here in any neighborhood, now I most definitely avoid certain streets- and it's not so much because of the plethora of mentally ill, drug addicted, shadows of humanity that lurk about, as it is: the filth and feces, the dilapidated tents blocking entire sidewalks, the sheer... stench! Mission St between 5th and 9th streets is a zombie nation unto itself, full of the walking wounded, many of them in various states of nodding off in place, looking for all the world more sculpture than human, melting in the not so setting sun.

On days when I'm running late, and don't have the time to: avoid, walk around, and detour... I take the bus, and directly below its window on the same street that James Nachtwey photographed his San Francisco portion of the opioid crisis, I see the entire sidewalk unsteadily emerging to greet the new day with its first hit- needles, pipes, aluminum foil and lighters all at the ready. This video taken in Philly gives you the basic feel, which is again replicated in Skid Row, Los Angeles, as well as several other American cities.

Experiencing this daily, gradually and inevitably exacts its toll in a myriad of ways, and as I've stated countless times before, I at least have a place to call home at day's end. How much longer do I stay here? At least till seventy when I get the extra SS dough- this soon to be sixty-seven year old ain't starting anew somewhere else in a blue vest, proclaiming: "Hello, and welcome to..." And there ain't too many walkable cities in the US of A, something I consider mandatory- certainly wouldn't mind spending the rest of my days in London, but don't think I've caught the queen's fancy as of yet.

Meanwhile, San Francisco it is- and it still does have its relative strengths, and yes, even beauty. Where else within a seven mile long and seven mile wide stretch of humanity can one get such disparate views of existence as seen on the opposite ends of this post?

SF Americana, '22   Photo: © Stan Banos

Good On Him!

Doctor does the right thing and tells Texas, Repubs and Trump's Supreme Court to go fuck themselves...

“At the hospital that year, I saw three teenagers die from illegal abortions,” he recounted. “One I will never forget. When she came into the ER, her vaginal cavity was packed with rags. She died a few days later from massive organ failure, caused by a septic infection.”

"If I Die Tomorrow, I Was Overpaid."

 

The Destroyer

 

I used to be a BIG fight fan- ravenous! Lightweight, Welterweight, Middleweight, Heavyweight- didn't matter! All of life's trials and tribulations contained within and unleashed by and upon the two individuals within that squared circle. One wild, testosterone fueled joy ride of semi civilized savagery. And, the ultimate drama, those rare occasions when highly skilled opponents would counter each other's strengths not through raw physicality, but through sheer smarts and mind set. The epitome of sports, or so I used to think, where one man literally tries to prevent the other from winning by inflicting direct physical punishment... Until you see how it can completely unravel when my age.

Mike Tyson was one of the very best, so good that you knew the only person that could beat Mike Tyson was... Mike Tyson. He was blessed (cursed?) with the rare combination of incredible strength and speed, a burning, searing rage from a life of early neglect and abuse, and... a PhD's intense knowledge of ring theory and tactics. He existed to destroy whatever set before him, and did it so well, he became the youngest heavyweight champion of all time! He was... in effect, The Destroyer.

Of course, all did not go well for young Mike. The two people closest to him, those that nurtured and guided him (Cus D'Amato and Jimmy Jacobs) died in quick succession. Rudderless, he quickly and predictably succumbed to his inner demons, as his career, life and very sanity quickly spiraled out of control and into a jail cell.

That downward spiral is a well worn path in "the sweet science," but the thing that struck me most about Tyson, that was written all over him- was just how deeply damaged, and yes, vulnerable, he was behind that raging ferocity. It was the same look I saw in many of my "at risk" students, a hurt worn on the sleeve- a look that also hinted that it also just... possibly, disguised an intense curiosity, a thirst for knowledge that betrayed a keen intelligence and humanity. But chances were, as so often is the case when one originates from said void, that that very vestige of humanity would only implode, self immolate and die before ever set free. 

Years went by, I disassociated from the tangled mess that boxing had become (and no doubt always was), and so it came as a welcomed relief (and joy, really) to stumble upon videos of an older, calmer, more reflective Mike Tyson who seemed to have exorcised, or at least committed to confronting and working through his life long demons. He was sober, apologetic to those he had harmed, eager to reclaim his life anew- and yet, insightful enough to realize he is a work in progress. You can see the blinding rage has cleared, substituted with that thirst for knowledge and a yearning to reconnect on the most basic of human levels. Yeah, this is the fight Teddy Atlas was really talking about...

"Disgraceful!"

A very much needed and yet still understated bit of emphasis towards the end. And 99.99% of Republicans will deny, obfuscate and yada, yada and... yada!

The Hoax Exposed!

I have two near and dear friends who are vehement, rabid anti-maskers/vaxxers. And let's be clear- they're not Trump supporters. One is a vegetarian, one a vegan- so you see where this is headed... both believe that a strong immune system is the key. And frankly, I wanna believe that- I really do! There's just one little itty, bitty problem...

There are a group of people who for centuries lived 100% organic lives, healthy, active lives since their very existence, not as a voluntary lifestyle, but outta necessity, simple survival... Native Americans, American Indians, First Peoples. All as healthy as could be, until the White man came along with a host of viruses their robust immune systems simply had no defenses for- and they died by the tens of thousands.

Now, for the sake of argument, let's say that these modern day, immunity proponents have figured out some vitamin, mineral, food supplement/diet that can suppress, ward off, even kill the Covid 19 virus.  How long will fickle willed Americans adhere to this magical formula- months... years? And how about the rest of the world- how are vast impoverished parts of South America, Asia, Africa, etc going to obtain and sustain the life giving, magic ingredients? If only we had a simple, quick and easy, one-two solution that would let us get on with our lives...

But... don't you see the political aspects, the government control that our one world overlords are forcing upon us? Funny how these same people don't have any qualms whatsoever about volunteering the most intimate aspects of their lives to their Smart devices and online social media that have already collected their entire life histories for government inspection. Do you really think they actually need to go through all the trouble of creating such an elaborate hoax- that will ultimately rely on voluntary public compliance to succeed when they can't even get most people to vote? These days though, logic is not logical and brand trumps science!

But you don't have to take my word on this- let this expert explain in no uncertain terms:

Good Ol' Chuck!

Charles Bukowski led a colorful, sometimes bleak and pretty anonymous life until fame blessed his latter years. These are but a handful of his pearls of wisdom:

An intellectual says a simple thing in a hard way. An artist says a hard thing in a simple way.*

Writers are desperate people and when they stop being desperate, they stop being writers.

In my work, as a writer, I only photograph, in words, what I see.

We're all going to die, all of us; what a circus! That alone should make us love each other, but it doesn't. We are terrorized and flattened by trivialities. We are eaten up by nothing.

Find what you love and let it kill you.

Beware of those that seek constant crowds; they are nothing alone.

You begin saving the world by saving one man at a time: all else is grandiose romanticism or politics.

People are not good to each other. Perhaps if they were, our deaths would not be so sad.

* Reminds me of the conversation which led John Lennon to his succinct conclusion:
  God is a concept by which we measure our pain.

"The LEAST Compelling Videos"

Take that to the bank! I don't know who makes the ultimate decision(s) on this subject in our multi-layered strata of government(s), but somewhere down the line the decision has finally been made for a slow and gradual disclosure process. Just as important a question- why have they finally decided to do this... now? You don't have the government 'leak,' release, and confirm, such deeply guarded information without major policy change.

And yeah, officialdom will... eventually treat us to at least some of the up close and detailed videos that will provide incontrovertible evidence not of our ordinary, everyday reality. The story line they will then offer is, in part, being written (and edited) on how we the public currently react to the trail of cookie crumbs they are now ever so gingerly releasing... because many of us would just like to continue:

 "...being happy in our ignorance."

Redemption

No matter what you may think of this person as you first gaze upon him, your assumption will be turned upside down, inside out and torn asunder. This guy is a book, a movie, a religious experience. Illiterate and sentenced to 45 years for something he didn't commit, he ultimately excelled at everything that life, and death, threw his way- and then overcame it all.

I Don't Have Cable

And I don't miss it all that much, since more channels usually mean more bad programs instead of... more good ones! But if I did- this is one I'd definitely watch:

Strange Bedfellows

Photo: © Stan Banos

These days, you have rabid Trump anti-maskers, in league with anti-vaxxers, in cahoots with fervent Vegans. Believe me, I just happen to know one or two- and it kinda boggles the mind to even contemplate how the hell we got here... but then, these past four years of crazed insanity actually found me cheering on traditional, Conservative Republican, talking heads (who decry Trump)!

Now, I'm not at all that up on vaccines myself- not with Big Pharma's dubious, profit based history, particularly in dealing with people of color and the rather dubious practice of combining multiple vaccines into one shot for very young children. Despite the aforementioned, it's also quite true that vaccines have done considerably more good than harm in their recent history (eg- polio, smallpox, etc). Nothing in this life is risk free. So, despite my plan to wait and see how Covid related vaccines pan out as far as unforeseen side effects and consequences- when presented with the job related opportunity to get one of said vaccines... I signed up. In large part because I was just so damn sick of people perverting science, fact and reality into whatever personally biased concoction they chose to believe!

Now, I too believe in my fair share of "conspiracy theories:" MK-Ultra, certain portions of the Kennedy/MLK assassinations, UFO's... all of which harbor a plethora of factual, reality based evidence. For instance, when people (even scientists, sadly) start using nonsense to uphold their most treasured beliefs- something's very definitely wrong. That was "swamp gas" that caused that UFO sighting! Forget the: radar blips, multiple eye witnesses, residual radiation and/or radiation induced sickness, ground imprints and burned soil and vegetation.

Sadly, some people have very little science based knowledge- yes, I believe 5G radiation may, in fact, be harmful... I do not, cannot believe that it causes Covid- yes, some people actually believe that! So it comes as little surprise that the same people who one week espouse Covid as a hoax, are claiming the following week that it was created in a lab (something I'm more than willing to entertain), and are blissfully willing to combine, conflate and interchange the two contradictory scenarios without any seeming contradiction- all the while claiming that masking is an ineffective practice propagated solely to inhibit and deny one's personal rights and freedoms! As if there aren't enough things already incorporated into society meant to do just that... again, if none come to mind- ask any person of color (funny how that works).

And if that wasn't depressing enough- you then have those who have money, privilege and/or... don't-give-a-royal-fuck who they trample on!

A Little Bit O' Sanity

A New Me?

Every once in a while (like this time of year), I start thinking of getting new editing software, proper software, grown up software- like the adults have (instead of the adolescent version I currently own, Elements 9 that came bundled with the computer back in the day). This most recently became apparent with the 2020 billboard photo I took recently- a backlit challenge (to say the least), that I've painstakingly improved considerably since first posting (even if the seams are still showing)...

Now, I'm not gonna subscribe to the cloud; shit, I don't even have cable. Capture One can be bought outright and is supposedly quite good, but am I gonna shell out $300 for the 10% of the pictures that me and my Elements have trouble handling? And whenever I do (attempt to) try a new software on a trial basis, just thinking of the heartache, trial and error involved in the learning curve alone induces catatonic shock! Besides, if I go the high end editing route, I'm then obligated to get a Q, a new wardrobe and a new job just to match and support my new lifestyle. You see where this road leads...

Is there a self help group for this?