Food For Thought

 Because Bullshit like this never stops,
and Americans are always dumb and eager enough to buy in...
"...the poverty that causes so much misery is also causing the growth that makes everybody get out of poverty."

 

If Ya Ask Me...

Photo: © Stan Banos

Something that comes to mind just about every day, but can't help think it kinda sounds like what a depressed Buddhist might say. Anyway, least I got an Honorable Mention...

An Awakening

I'm not always the greatest at reading people, sometimes I can be fairly accurate, fairly quick- other times, blind as a fuckin' bat. In other words... like most people. Naturally, it behooves those who grow up or live in high risk areas to have an acute sense of who they're dealing or interacting with. Likewise, portrait oriented photographers best know the rudimentary aspects of dealing with people if they want successful images. And workers must learn to deal with fellow workers and supervisors to remain viable in the workplace.

There's a certain supervisor I'll refer to in the form of the gender, non specific they. I've both liked and despised this person, and was never quite able to figure out the exact mechanism that triggered the occasional, but strong, unambiguous dislike. We would often do this little dance whenever they 'corrected' me- and I would have to make sure to restrain my emotion, my volume, my overall composure. If I raised my voice, coarsened my language, I would automatically lose- so I played their game and responded in kind, knowing that while I would never concede defeat, I would never win at their slow burn game of deception.

As my supervisor, clearly they had the upper hand, but there was more... they were always super polite, hospitable even (if always at the distance) and super soft spoken, even when delighting in being the most despicable passive/aggressive dickwad imaginable. And that's what really threw me, what I could never quite put my finger on! Usually there's some kind of tell, however small, a noticeable something- a change of tone, inflection or facial expression, a hint of sarcasm. But not here- even keel and smooth sailing throughout, the transition flawless... Suave! One cool as shit, low key, mind fuck- kinda like Mr. Rogers telling ya to go fuck yourself as he smiles and waves goodbye from the TV screen.

Of course, as a worker, I'm hardly in a position to win any of our differences. But having discovered the technique, masterful as it once was, the spell was broken, the mystery no more. From master of deceit, to one transparent as glass motherfucker- and frankly I'm ashamed it took me as long as it did. In CA they like to smile while they twist the knife in your back, and they were better than most. In NY, they may be all in your face- but they're honest about it. Take that any day of the goddamn week.

To Be Continued...

This is one of the most comprehensive (3hrs), entertaining and informative discussions on so many of the inter related sub topics that make up this vastly, all consuming subject of the ages. No matter your position, no matter your beliefs, it's worthy of a listen as it covers the: hype, history, misinformation and evidence...

$3 Million Plus!

Ol' Ted would have probably raised more than AOC had he just been allowed to follow through with his plan to raise funds in Cancun, and honestly... wouldn't any Repub raise that much for a Blue state in need?

Eat Shit, Bob Murray!

Speaking of extreme, low life, fuck wads, it took me well over a year to find this, but it was well worth the wait. Why? Because I have full well known what a massive, all out, shit stain Bob Murray is on the brief history of humanity, and what an out right comedic genius John Oliver can at times be. The former is so obnoxiously vile, words simply do not suffice- although the fact that he and someone with the initials DJT are fast friends gives one more than sufficient cause to suspect the worst said humanity can offer.

As informative and entertaining as the entire video is, it's but one long wind up to a completely over the top, grand finale, spectacular; but the 15:00 minute mark begins to detail just how disgusting this subhuman subterranean really is...

Rush Limbaugh- Rest In Shit

El Fucko was the first, modern day, Fascist, media blowhard who took the greatest of pride in spreading lies, vitriol and misinformation all at the expense of those who could least afford it. He single handedly set the mold pre-internet for the slew of hate filled racists and misogynists who followed in like manner, each one competing to elevate the hate filled insanity factor ever higher.  Hope they take his millions and his Presidential Medal of Freedom and stick 'em far up his dead ass for his legion of ditto-heads to compete for the joy of extraction. I don't personally believe in hell, but I hope accommodations can be made for those who so earnestly earned it!

Childish rant? Probably. But at least It didn't harm anyone, in any way, at any time...

Nature's Mystery

 

 © Stan Banos- Nature/Paranormal Photographer

Perhaps this is indirectly a result of the rainy holiday's binge watching of this former Navy Seal's plethora of youtube videos on: strange appearances, disappearances and other strange occurrences and unexplained phenomena. Economical entertainment at its most... convenient.

Now, I've seen plenty of mice and rats of all sizes, dead and alive, in NY, SF, maybe even one or two in Europe; in subways, grocery stores, restaurants, alley ways, whatever... Seen my fair share of road kill too (even have a rather good photobook on just that)! But I ain't ever seen a rat that seemed to dive off a sidewalk curb in a perfectly vertical, head first descent into a most decidedly dead end hole that left said critter's butt kissing skyward- little pink feet all up and tail askew as if the perfectly sized divot to plug a not so perfectly leaking dike. Or... as if it descended from such great height, at such great speed- that it actually cratered the street itself!

Granted, as highly unlikely as either scenario most indubitably is- I just can't imagine that it poked its way in of its own volition, and couldn't back track his rat's ass out... Poor guy, not a good way to go.

Sittin' Pretty!

Photo: © Stan Banos

Even Honest Abe's catching his fair share of shit these days. But then, not even he was exactly pure of heart, or deed. But rest assured he's fine, clean and well rested this Presidents' Day 2021, as this was taken in December...

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!

Cowardly, Hypocritical Bastards

Take Two...             Photo: © Stan Banos

Or as they're known in American politics... Republicans! I would have also said, in fact, have said the same about Democrats, but let's give credit where credit is due- Republicans in recent decades past have rabidly jumped through flaming hoops to single handedly  achieve and attain that title, bar none. I mean... there's just so many (eg- Paul, Graham, McConnell, McCarthy, Cruz, Rubio, Nunes...) to choose from- each constantly trying to outdo and outperform the other in terms of bombacious lies, duplicity and outright blind denial. Really, just when you think the height of hypocrisy has been reached, they giddily breach the bounds of reality, fact and credibility yet again into that once imaginary realm where facts, truth and common sense are the true figments of one's imagination... "Truth isn't truth," by Rudy Giuliani!

Despite the history and OVERWHELMING evidence presented that Trump incited his already violent, mindless hardcore devotees to violence at The Capitol building on 1/06/21, which those in question still choose to ignore, look away from and deny (after first cowering in fear for their very lives), someone the likes of Rand Paul declares that, "President Trump deserves the same standard as the other side."

If only, Rand- if only... But you ain't gonna let that happen!

If You're Going To...

 

Photo: © Stan Banos

Some of this is pretty simple to fix. You can't have Big Tech come riding into San Francisco on their tax cut, city handouts throwing money at landlords who in turn throw out long term residents for no good reason. But what about all the money that they bring? You mean the money that goes into constructing more luxury apartments, high end restaurants and boutiques... for them? You mean the money they use to disrupt and overturn a somewhat balanced (racially- another story), thriving city into an inequitable abomination of wealth and privilege vs. those without? An untenable situation they create, exacerbate and then abandon in the disgust of their own making. Yeah, putting an end to that could be, should be fairly easy- establishing and maintaining laws that limit outright, unfettered greed!

But some of this is also very, very complex. You can't just throw people in jail because they're mentally ill or drug addicted- neither should you just cut them loose unto our streets! Again, each side needs to sustain some measure of responsibility. And when laws and policies that mean well, don't work out as intended, they need to be challenged and changed- ASAP!

Even now as thousands are leaving the city, construction continues unhampered- and it's not affordable housing! Homelessness in this city has always existed, has always been visible- but it was also considerably more limited. It was not rampant throughout vast swaths of the downtown area- you did not have to walk in the street to avoid sidewalk tent encampments, hordes of dealers and dope fiends or human feces. This is a social pandemic now amidst a biological one- one for which there is no vaccine on the horizon. The patchwork quilt of band aids and half measures thus far employed in San Francisco to battle homelessness have obviously not worked, just as the same lack of nationwide non-policies failed to confront Covid. The homeless need shelter, the unemployed- jobs, the mentally ill (and we're talking s-e-r-i-o-u-s-l-y mentally ill) and drug addicted- programs... and cannot be allowed to roam the streets living in their own filth and squalor, subsisting on petty crime.

That's what it takes to live in a successful, thriving and equitable community. And those in power are neither thinking as clearly as they should, nor acting in any way close to assuming responsibility. Sometimes, I think the best thing that could happen to this town is a nice... good... shake!

 

Photo: © Stan Banos

What's In A Title?

Some of you younger kids out there (yeah, I know, I'm kidding myself) may be wondering what the "Skittles Raised Beef" is all about in the sub-title... So there ya go!

Waiting For The Other Shoe To Drop

Photos: © Stan Banos                This is what I wanna feel...

As if we ain't bent outta shape enough these days with this goddang pandemic, now we gotta worry about when Trump's unhappy army of delusional asshats are gonna bomb or shoot some shit up somewhere, sometime just because...

This is what I mostly feel.

So Here We Are...

Cardboard cut out vows to fellate wax figure.

After an ever so small glimmer of possible light in the US Congress directly after the Right Wing Republican Insurrection on the US Capitol inspired by our crazed former POTUS, Republicans in Congress are now doubling down on their favorite fall back position... All Out CRAZY! And that includes not one, but two Congressional female QANON gun nuts- one who was formerly all in on executing Nancy Pelosi. And let's not forget the guy who actually tried to accompany his penile substitute directly into Congress (before trying to hand it off to someone who definitely did not want to touch it).  Lindsey What Side Will I Take Today Graham is back stroking Trump's... ego, as is Cruz, as is Gaetz, McConnell, McCarthy, etc, etc, etc.

The Law and Order Party has long... forgotten: the violence of their supporters (supporters they incited), the fact that their loyal leader failed to pardon any of them (let alone march with them as he promised), and of course, the deaths that resulted. It's all okey dokey when 'patriots' kill police.

And let's not forget that people like Cruz, McConnell and Graham once called out Trump for what any conscious twelve year old could readily recognize. Instead of ridding themselves once and for all of the undistilled ignorance, insanity and blatant criminality that this man brought to Wash, DC now that he's been legally banished- they instead cling for very life to that one person who legitimized and gave life to vanquishing all their childhood fears, fears once again set free to lurk everywhere beyond the protective shelter of his spray on, orange aura.

Meanwhile... sanity strives to be heard:

 

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!

Hammerin' Hank

I knew that Henry Louis Aaron went through hell when he approached The Babe's record, but when you heard him say that he'd actually have to think twice about whether it was worth it- his tone left little doubt that it wasn't. The stress of the record alone was enough- ask a guy called Maris. But it was the constant kidnapping and death threats to him and his family that obliterated what should have been the proudest, happiest days of his life. It was the sheer, naked hatred of racism that made it... "the worst two years of my life."

Love That Harry!

Lovely little tribute to the late, great Ray Harryhausen...

BASTA!

 

Photo: © Stan Banos

The singular Nightmare may be over, but the terror still remains... Trump's racists tools and outright fools who value feeling over reality are still very much amongst us- and they're ticked off, well armed and crazy as hell. Trump has fueled their dormant outrage and lust for wishful thinking into a frenzy for four long years, and they ain't going back into dormancy until he admits he... LOST- and he ain't ever doing that! Hardcore Fundamentalists do not voluntarily join the family of man and they're gonna be out there for quite some time, hundreds of Timothy McVeigh Wannabes- plotting and scheming to overthrow... or kill as many as possible in their dementedly triumphant death throes. 

How did we arrive here, how did we achieve this pinnacle of insanity- how did we get to the very point where facts are interchangeable and reality a voluntary elective? We were told to beware and fear the long haired, Leftist freaks and Commies- surely they would be the death of us all! Who believes or even remembers that now? 

YO, QANON!?! You wanna conspiracy? How 'bout one where our own govmint tried to purposely dumb us all down to shit- to the point where so many would actually believe the insane inanities you espouse? One that trashed our Public School system once all them Blacks got in, chucked tuition free university systems, fed us mindless infotainment, denied us a living wage, and made it impossible for lower middle class families to survive without a multitude of concurrent jobs? A Right Wing Conspiracy that dumbed us down to a nether world where "alternative facts" and wishful thinking could surpass reality itself!

When Reagan came, he was not only free to label ketchup a vegetable, he could already appoint heads of government committees those very people that had pledged their entire careers to the destruction of said committees! When W brought in fellow Evangelicals to elect dad, even Arch Conservative of Conservatives, none other than Barry Freakin' Goldwater himself was looking around wondering who all the speaking in tongues crazies were that had infiltrated his Grand Ole Party. And by the time we got to W himself, well, he declared war on someone who had absolutely NOTHING to do with 9/11- and we all stood up and... CHEERED!!! 

Yeah, we fell for it hook, line and sinker! Cause we were already that freakin' DUMB. We had a dumber than dirt POTUS who cost us a few thousand American lives, a few hundred thousand innocent civilian Iraqi lives, and a coupla cool trillion dollars that helped launch this country into economic free fall...

We had finally reached rock bottom basement; but wait, wait... there's more! After all, "Intelligence has its limits, while stupidity has none." After we got some Black dude to save our economic ass, then sent him packing back to Kenya (where he was born), we got serious yet again, showed what we had really become and what we could really achieve by getting back on track and digging up the brand new sub basement to end all Presidential sub basements- The Honorable Combover Don!

In a matter of a few decades we managed to successfully trash a nation that reached for (and touched) the moon and firmly grounded it in the filth of its own duplicitous lies, self deception and greed. And we ain't finished yet, uh-uh, we're gonna keep digging, keep sabotaging that foundation till this whole grand experiment comes tumblin' on down. Only then will we all be truly free to revel in our fave conspiracy, blame our choicest minorities, fondle our favorite firearm, and claim- Victory! Same as it ever was...

PS- Oh yeah, and Dems cried foul, and went in for the ride...

What Happened When...

People of Color were allowed to live in viable communities where leadership, self reliance and productivity were allowed to flourish and propagate? Oh, something like this...

 

 

 

A Little Bit O' Sanity