He's So Screwed!

So very, very screwed. Orange man is toast. 
Seventy plus years of doing whatever the fuck he wants, whenever the fuck he wants, to whoever he fucking wants, finally... fucking... ends!

Make no doubt there will be repercussions- serious, violent repercussions from his most fervent cult followers all to placate his puerile, vindictive pathology. What else can one expect when a seventy year old child who has never been punished, never told "No" is given the magic wand, only to be told he must someday give it back...

F-Stop Twentieth Anniversary Issue!

It's been twenty or so years since my Pet Cemetery photos were featured in f-Stop Magazine. And they've been rightfully celebrating their longevity by asking those of yore to make a short return appearance and report on what they've been doing since (and I'm honored to do so)...

And Nobody Seems To Notice, Nobody Seems To Care....

I've no doubt posted this years ago, but worth reposting every damn year just as a reminder. It's a lesson in... Civics; a self contained class that should be played in every middle school classroom (especially in Florida). Funny as hell, and sadder still- cause the joke's on us, and we just don't seem to listen, or learn, or even care...

Laughs throughout, truth to power starts at 7:25.

Unknown And Underappreciated?

Photo: © Stan Banos

Like countless others, I too am dreading the inevitable violent repercussions of Trump's MAGA madmen as the former POTUS and career grifter and con man cajoles them to action as he is finally (FINALLY!) being made to pay for the crimes and malfeasance of his own repeated undertakings.

Recently, this guy provided some small measure of solace reminding me of a much preferred brand of madness, the comic kind, as in the comic madman once known as... The Unknown Comic!

In My Dreams And Delusions...

This man would be POTUS, and globalization hating Trumpists would be some of the first in line to vote for him...

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...

The Non-Whistleblower Whistleblower

Edward Snowden is a whistleblower, Daniel Ellsberg was a whistleblower- both broke the law (Snowden currently lives in exile, while charges against Ellsberg were dropped due to legal improprieties committed during his trial) to take what they discovered directly to the American people. Both paid a price. 

David Grusch however has not broken any specific law, amazingly he's managed his in house expose all by the book, and still retains his top secret military intelligence classification- which is why he often speaks publicly in generalities (he has given much more detailed testimony to Congress behind closed doors). He must first get clearance from his former/still boss on what he can say and to whom, otherwise, off to jail he will go- for a very, very long time... He has gone out to the very edge of the precipice, but he has not taken the leap- at least, not without a parachute. And I can't much say I blame him, I wouldn't particularly want to sabotage the rest of my life at his age, with a lifetime of even more debilitating harassment, decades of jail time or a fatal "accident." He's already gone well above and beyond.

Prior to appearing before Congress, he had to testify (under oath) to the Inspector General, who then interviewed other military/government officials under oath concerning Mr. Grusch. All this to ascertain Mr. Grusch's character and credibility (before being pilloried by large sections of the government, press and public as just the latest tin foil UFO whacko). Mr. Grusch is more witness than whistleblower; and as Mr. Coulthart curiously reminds us, US courts have had no problem sending people to their death on witness testimony. 

I don't think the current testimony from Mr. Grusch will lead us directly to the much anticipated Disclosure where all will be revealed to the public at large. It will simply let (some of) the secret(s) out to a larger ring of government officials (ie- select members of Congress, etc) so they can cash in. But it does get us one step closer (perhaps now sooner rather than later), until real whistleblowers decide to one day forgo their jobs, pensions, freedoms and personal safety to take that extraterrestrial leap of faith. It's gonna happen, just wouldn't hold my breath...

RIP Sinead

Not her biggest fan by any means, but ya can't deny... what a voice, and what a talent! And if you have any doubt whatsoever, just listen to the first three jewels below that epitomize the very definition of sublime. Have no idea what demons haunted her mental health and well being, but goddamn, at least she was original- and didn't give a damn about celebrity or any of its trappings. She was also spot on about the Catholic Church (for which she was vilified), long before that horror story hit the mainstream, no apology was forthcoming, even when proven correct. 

Yeah, R-I-P...

A Most Unusual Day

I usually go to different neighborhoods in San Francisco on weekends to try and keep it fresh, and lately to get the hell outta dodge (my immediate downtown zombie ghost land). Hadn't taken a decent pic in a while, so this Saturday I decided to revisit a somewhat industrial section of town that has always been rather desolate, it definitely has a different feel than the rest of the town architecturally, and different is what I wanted... but I wasn't welcoming the fact that I'd really stand out walking about and be easy prey for any gang of thieves (be they ambulatory or vehicular) looking for a quick camera heist these days. I managed a sole image of a lost soul, and shortly thereafter, decided discretion the better part of valor before deciding once again to... get the hell outta dodge. 

Photo: © Stan Banos

But I digress... 

Because the most unusual part of the day occurred quite some time before I had even left home. Around eleven that morning, I heard a knock on my door, looked through the peephole to spot two uniforms- WTF? Have you seen your neighbor lately? Whoa! That question usually ends one way. "No, no I haven't- but I only see him like once a month, if that." A gentleman in his seventies who walks with a cane and I always made a point to say hello to. OK, thanks. An hour passes and I hear a bevy of voices outside my door followed by the sounds of things being moved about next door. I don't have to ask what's going on. An hour later I'm headed out and the stench fills my nostrils immediately upon opening the door, just before seeing the latex gloves strewn about the hallway. 

It had to have been a few weeks before anyone noticed. I sure hadn't, and I was right next door- eating and sleeping probably no more than ten feet from a dead guy (yeah, our units are that small); didn't know anything, didn't smell anything... Did just make out the radio or TV late into the night- just thought it a lonely old man accompanying himself to sleep. 

There's a health hazard seal on his door now, and I sincerely hope they clean the place out properly tomorrow ASAP! A bottle of Lysol can only do so much, and I'm fortunate, indeed, that none of it permeates my apt- except for a certain amount of nagging guilt. Should've bothered to get to know him better, asked if he needed help etc, etc- shoulda, woulda, coulda... 

I'm betting there'll probably be a next time to make amends somewhere down the line; and then one day, no doubt, my turn to stink up the hallway good...

Didn't See This Coming...

I'm well (well) past wondering if UFO's are... real. That's a fundamental fact, the only question remaining- why are they here? They're not just studying us, they're definitely up to something- whether they're beneficial or detrimental to humanity, that's the question. I lean to the former, then again, there are very credible reports that there's well more than a handful of various species visiting us. Are they all friendly? And are they extraterrestrial or interdimensional? One thing's for sure, they could have made us toast quite some time ago had they wanted to. 

But this, this is pretty freakin' awesome to say the least; and before y'all break down laughing- Ross Coulthart is a serious journalist from Australia who started reporting on this subject matter with more than your fair share of skepticism, definitely not your typical tin hat UFO 'whacko!'

Can You Say... Marmot?

 

Mesmerizing, absolutely mesmerizing... 

This Town...

Funny thing is... it would actually work!

Is coming like a... Ghost Town! The song rings in my head over and over and over again walking barren streets rampant with the ghosts of those without homes, without hope, many without their very minds... Wandering amongst the remains: a few desperate long term residents along with a sprinkling of hesitant, bewildered tourists.

Downtown San Francisco is split into two distinct parts: the business district and the commercial/shopping district. Realistically, the former didn't have a chance of reclaiming its former pre-Covid glory; not after having so heavily invested in tech, whose workers fealty to community and reality itself lies within the rectangle of their nearest computer screen. Once acclimated to working at home long term, they abandoned the urban workaday infrastructure altogether, and all the foot traffic, restaurants and other supportive businesses dried up in turn. The shopping district fared better, it was back to about 65% of its once normal self, but then the unabated shop lifting and robberies began, continued and took its toll... now, with the epidemic of recent store closures, it's down to about 40%. 

All Photos: © Stan Banos

I remember NYC in the seventies, when it was supposedly in its death throes- I just thought it was normal, maybe it was youth. But this is different, decidedly so, I'm watching a city metastasize and die all around me. It's visible, palpable, and it's not some outlying, marginalized neighborhood- it's the very heart and soul of downtown San Francisco (and its surrounding environs), sucked dry like a forlorn Martian landscape.

And it ain't gonna get better, before it gets worse. No one has a plan, not a one has the slightest what to do...

Fleeting glimpses of the remains of California dreamin'...

Mom's An Alien!

Pretty freakin' fascinating- this photo boggled the ol' noggin since first I laid eyes on quite some time ago... couldn't make heads nor tails of it, no way no how! A cartoon alien spaceman of rather large proportions and questionable visual presence finally rendered all too familiar and domestic...

Absolute Madness

Photo: © Stan Banos

I sincerely hope someone (ie- EVERYONE!) is taking this threat S-E-R-I-O-U-S-L-Y! This is catastrophe of monumental proportion, the kind which Putin must be made to understand will guarantee so called Western civilization (if it is in fact in any way civilized) to automatically implement his immediate termination, post haste. No escape, no negotiation. It would be a much more merciful death than for the thousands who would linger and suffer agonizingly slow and painful deaths from radiation sickness, but he must be made to realize that he would not be given even one furtive second to enjoy his sick, sadistic savagery...

NY Not So Confidential

Mermaid Parade 2023-  All Photos: © Stan Banos

I'm not claustrophobic, do not experience any fear of flying whatsoever- but any flight lasting over three hours is sheer, absolute fucking torture! I just get the heebie jeebies Big Time from then on- can't sleep, can't concentrate, can't sit still, can in no way be comfortable thereafter, period! And I'm not your average extra large American, nor am I a particularly envious person; keep your conspicuous items of consumption- you can have 'em all. Oh, but those First Class Mother Fucking airline seats- Jesus Fucking Lord!!! Wanna kill and maim everyone of those smug SOB's sprawled about oh so carefree and comfortable as I march back without recourse to my personal chamber of horrors... But I digress.

Mermaid Parade 2023- Coney Island

I must admit to having experienced some measure of culture shock returning to my NYC homeland this year! The Big Apple by all visible means seems to be thriving as ever: streets crowded with tourists and every measure of New Yorker hustling and bustling to make a dollar any which way they can, streets loud and alive with chatter, sirens and noises galore. In short, everything major cities used to look and sound like, so unlike the ghost town I inhabit today- storefronts vacant, downtown streets deserted, the homeless once ignored now the most dominant signs of remaining life. Having invested it's economy and very soul in Big Tech, San Francisco now suffers the consequences of entrusting its future to an entire generation whose allegiance is where they've always found it- right within the immediate vicinity of their laptop, the one true center of their reality. It's said one third (more like two thirds) of office space lies vacant downtown, restaurants and other supportive businesses are also shuttered and you're lucky to see a half dozen pedestrians ambling about on most downtown streets. Downtown San Francsico is nowhere near NYC in terms of acreage, but it once was mobbed nonetheless too...

Brooklyn 2023

East Village, 2023

So... it was good to see a living, thriving city again; although to be honest, it was also sheer madness! NY had become another entity as foreign as it was familiar when I decided to leave twenty some years ago, before I too devolved into some elderly NY street oddity. And although San Francisco is in its utter depths at present, I have no burning desire to permanently return to the land of my birth. I guess that's what's called a conundrum- not knowing where to spend my remaining "Golden Years" when I max out on SS at seventy- assuming I get there in the remaining two plus years... 

Long Island City 2023

Long Island City driveway

Long Island City driveway

Anyway, until that fateful date, we'll just have to keep wondering what will be torn down first and sold for scrap: The Vessel in NY- you can walk into its middle on the ground floor, but every set of stairs leading upward has been securely boarded up; or The Millenium Tower in San Francisco, which is still trying to right itself on the cheap, and getting all the more crooked with every passing day... 

Don't Sit On My Fucking Bike Bitch- Coney Island, 2023

Best graffiti seen in NYC- "Make Art, Get Rich- Ask Me How!"

Summer Break!

 See ya's end of June- back to the motherland in NYC...

Rule 29

Well, this is certainly... most interesting- particularly Part A: Before Submission to the Jury. In other words, Judge Cannon can decide, on her own, before the case goes to the jury, that the prosecution has not presented sufficient evidence for conviction and effectively acquit the defendant. Donald J Trump walks, decision cannot (repeat cannot) be appealed...

And this is in addition to: having power over jury selection, granting of delays, determining what is and isn't admissible evidence, etc, etc, etc...

"Scary As Hell!"

I don't question his guilt or innocence- I only question how many will now have to die in his name...

They Finally Nailed The S-O-B!

Photo: © Stan Banos

Seven years after the fact, seven years plus after a career grifter, con man and career criminal was allowed to become POTUS- we finally, finally have a federal indictment. A serial liar who became POTUS in part by decrying "Crooked Hillary" of abusing her handling of classified documents, and swearing he would make their security a priority of his administration- remember that? Yeah, I know- it's hard to keep track... The guy who lied about: how many floors are in Trump Tower, having bone spurs, where his own father was born, never having to ask for money* while running for POTUS, making Mexico pay for a wall... Yeah, the same guy who said he met The President of the US Virgin Islands- that guy!

I know, I know- we're not quite there yet; it's not a conviction (yet). But I got faith in my man Jack, the best Smith that ever was or will be. Jack No Joke, Jack Dead Serious. It's still gonna take time, and Trump's gonna shift his weight, divert our attention and scream bloody murder throughout. But it don't matter; it-just-don't-matter. Jack's got his man, and Jack won't let go...

*because he's a billionaire- Not!

Beyond Pain!!!

I've experienced some pain in my life as of late- but this is literally well beyond imagining! 
BTW- nothing like a family that has your back...

RAW Vs...

 Think the difference between RAW and the final edited image is night and day? Then go to 9:00...