FOUR (4) Yr. Old US Citizen w/Stage FOUR CANCER undergoing treatment deported w/o Medication! Mother and child denied due process- not even a phone call despite custodians willing to take in child in land of birth... USA! USA!! USA!!!
PS- Not the first US child w/cancer that Trump has deported...
Upon first seeing the trailer for Wim Wenders' Perfect Days, can't say I was exactly excited to dash out and see it, but I definitely put it on my rainy/quiet day list of possibilities when in the mood for such 'low key' fare. And since I currently lead a pretty low key life these days, I was soon rewarded with this small gem of a film about a very unassuming and zen like public facility cleaner and sometime philosopher, photographer and music aficionado. Not surprisingly, life happens all around him as he quietly goes about his.
Of course, one can't help but be... 'inspired' by the style and ingenuity of some of the public lavatories he professionally frequents, and I was soon thinking what a great typography they would make- they would look great in B&W! And my second thought was, gee Stan, do you think no one else had that thought- particularly in the land of cameras. Well, that project does indeed exist! Perhaps in color...
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| Photo: © Stan Banos |
I come from a time when Republicans would literally turn red expressing their supposed hatred of anything... Russia! Ever since someone took over however, all things, all the time seem to somehow, someway lead there. DOGE cut necessary governmental jobs and positions, collected our private, personal and financial information and opened doors for our foreign adversary to walk on through. Whether you take the long way (18:56) or the short...
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| Photos: © Stan Banos |
I originally chose to 'edit' (remember when the word meant: to cull, choose or pick?) this photo as B&W (see below) a few years ago because the pedestrian on the far left was wearing a very distracting day-glo green T shirt. At first, I didn't feel comfortable changing the color (ie- reality) simply because it didn't fit my aesthetic 'moral' prerogative- think it a dangerous road.* And I don't think the B&W version came out bad at all- just don't believe it has the drama and presence of the (almost) original color version!
Sooo... What made me finally submit and undergo this change of mind, this moral 180, this deliberate alteration of reality? Can AI be far behind (or as our current Secretary of Education calls it- "A1")? Well, even though my work is most definitely documentary in nature, I'm definitely not a PJ, so I'm obviously under no obligation to live to those exacting standards.
But why now? Because I have a yet further confession- an admission I knew I would have to make while in the very process of taking a much more recent picture! See those minimalist, organic looking sculptures in the background of this recently posted, linked photo? Well, the one directly behind the seated man wrapped in the orange plastic sheeting is really colored... you guessed it- orange! And the large one on the far left was a distractingly bright yellow. So, I almost didn't take the photo knowing, at the very least, that I would have to convert to monochrome- and in so doing, lose much of the visual impact that particular color imparts to the subject. And leaving it as it was, resulted in a rather confusing and unsightly orange conglomeration that distorted the subject and competed with the bright yellow anomaly to the left. Ultimately, I determined it was a unique and worthy enough image to salvage the best way I could- altering a small portion of the background which was of considerably less contextual and aesthetic importance (acting mostly as filler) to maintain the visual integrity of the main subject. So, I opted for the unthinkable- corrective surgery! Yes, I altered the image after the fact- is it as 'legitimate' as cropping (which I never do- FWIW), or other commonly used editing tools? Yeah, probably not. Does it somehow lessen it as an image? As far as veracity, yes. But I'd also argue that the edit doesn't serve to inflate the subject matter, as much as to deter the distraction caused by compressing three dimensional complexities into two. That's my story and I'm sticking to it- Capiche?
I've read quite a bit (well, enough) on how fairly democratic governments devolve into autocracies one seemingly small step at a time. And I've never had delusions about the status quo of democracy in the US of A- it has always been a country by the rich, for the rich. The rest of us make money for them, while we in turn are afforded the delusion of self governance. Our political leaders serve those who paid their way, and justice is served mainly to those who can afford it. Occasionally, they let us hold on to the peanut that falls through the cracks, and everyone gets to yell and proclaim... "Freedom and Democracy!"
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| Photo: © Stan Banos |
Our so called system of "Checks and Balances' is now besieged and cracking under the strain of Trump's onslaught. And just like in so many of the scenarios I have read (and countless others have actually lived), people rather acquiesce than step up (no matter how much money they may have)- the poor fear losing whatever hard earned pennies left them (that's understandable), the rich fear being denied the ability to continue enriching themselves into perpetuity. Right now, we have a large faction of people who constantly scream "Constitution," yet have no problem whatsoever with a despot who has loaded the courts and justice system with his personal hatchet men, so he can freely hack away at the very document they so claim to cherish! Right now, we have those who were screaming about the right to "Free Speech," yet ban books, restrict freedom of the press and the teaching of factual history should it offend the official narrative of a proud, blemish free, and semi-fictional past (and present) which should never be questioned. Right now, we have individuals being picked up and sentenced to the most brutal and threatening environments in foreign countries without due process.
Yeah, I know it's happening to them, not us- history is long on how this system works, starting with those unseen, those on the margins, those who are poor and powerless- and then once removed, it simply goes up the ladder till the water starts encroaching upon the necks of those all around you... These actions always seem to occur with self appointed saviors who lack substantive strategies to deal with the problems of the day. Easy answers are oh so refreshing to a beleaguered public who are more than willing to believe, and unknowingly trade the little they have for the promise of salvation anew!
This is a man who repeatedly stated that doctors were killing babies in the US after being born.
A man who repeatedly said that boys were going to school in the morning and returning home in the afternoon as girls.
A man who said that Ukraine started the war with Russia.
And stated he would end said war before he became President.
A man who actually stated that he is going to take over a sovereign country- whether its citizens want it or not!
A man who pardoned overwhelmingly White, violent criminals from 1/06, but stated that five, Black/Brown (then) teenagers, who were exonerated for the brutal Central Park rape/beating, should continue to be incarcerated, regardless that they clearly had nothing to do with it (after first calling for their execution at the time of the crime).
A man who continues to insist the 2020 election was "stolen" despite countless recounts proving otherwise even by his own hand picked election counters (some who found even more votes for Biden in AZ), and not one shred of viable evidence presented in a myriad of courts.
A man who tallied 30,573 lies in the four years of his first term alone...
This man who would be King has openly defied a Supreme Court ruling to facilitate the return of someone his admin illegally kidnapped and imprisoned in a foreign jail despite any charges or evidence (and then some)- GOODBYE, CHECKS & BALANCES! And, if you still choose to believe you're miles removed from any of this, still refuse to think or believe how easily this can all trickle down to you and me, fellow citizen- think some more...
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| You, me and a coupla million others, chief! |
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| All Photos: © Stan Banos |
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| 3/29/25 |
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| Hope so! |
A bit late with this, but: A) it's such gold and B) sometimes you just have to document things for prosperity's sake- some things, people in the future will simply not believe- that 'adults,' of their own free will, purposely chose to place our country, our world, and in a very real way, our very lives under the control of this man's "very large a Brain."
The guy was sleepy is all... but a penny for the thoughts of the woman on the left.
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| Photo: © Sean Poremba |
Pizza was a way of life in old school NY- 15¢ a slice plus 10¢ for a small coke (mid-sixties)... yeah, you read right (subway an additional 15¢- OW)! Now, I ain't got nuthin' against a good taco, but good (cheap) pizza was what I grew up on, it was the universal lunch or dinner food when ya didn't have much scratch. Practically every neighborhood back in the day had a coupla good (ie- really good) pizza joints- now, it's hard to find good pizza by the slice most anywhere... even in NYC! And with all the miserable pizza chains that have proliferated, most people have no (and I mean no) idea what good pizza even looks like, let alone tastes like! Some of the stuff I've personally seen passed off as "pizza" is simply unconscionable...
So yeah, the last 20+ years have been a bit rough here in SF- at first, I figured I could find a decent slice somewhere in North Beach, the traditional Italian section. No such luck! I once sampled a slice at a new place that opened there a few years back- looked great, took a bite, not bad, took a second, what the... they put spaghetti sauce on pizza!?! Who does such a thing!?!?!
Most places now a day don't even serve pizza by the slice, gotta get a whole freakin' pie, and granted, the quality at some restaurants can sometimes even rise to... mediocre. But what if you don't want a whole goddamn pie? What if you just want a couple of slices for lunch, ya know, so ya don't pass out on a park bench mid-day somewhere as we old farts tend to do...
Last year, I did find a place that serves exceptional whole pizzas (Pizza Hacker- yeah, the name does not inspire confidence)- alas, it's on the other side of town. But this year, this year I found... the exception- PIZZA PONTE! Now, it's true I have to jump on the train and go under the bay to the city of Oakland just to imbibe... but this is the real deal- a true blue New York slice at its very finest!!!
Bought a regular cheese slice and it looked picture perfect, garnished with a basil leaf and gently shaved cheese. But screw the adornments, if it don't taste right... I pick it up, fold the center starting from the back and I hear and feel the bottom of the crust crack just so- a heart warmingly good sign! Take my first bite, and then another, and another- everything is in perfect harmony: sauce, cheese, crust... everything working together as it should to form the greater good! And you actually look forward with glee to eating the outer crust! I then order a pepperoni slice- oh, yeah! And I'm left contemplating a third... My friend had a Sicilian slice, which are thicker and rectangular (not to be confused with Chicago deep slice shit), said it was not the least bit heavy or doughy... Next time, a Sicilian and a regular slice it is- and I won't be left wanting (or passing out). Yeah, this is well worth the train ride!!!
Photos: © Stan Banos*
The people spoke in all our nation's major cities and then some (on 3/29) as to what they think of Mr. Musk. The guy who takes such giddy, unfettered glee in firing without cause perfectly productive employees benefitting the public good, the guy who willfully cuts programs (that constitute significantly less than 1% of the federal budget) that condemn the lives of people, of goddamn freaking babies for Chrissakes, to shortened lives of pain and suffering from disease and starvation!
And now he's crying, full fledged crocodile tears about how his company is tanking in freefall and people have the unmitigated gall to do unto him what he had first done unto them... Time to get that chainsaw out again and- cut the whiney shit!!!
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| Photos: © Stan Banos |
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| Side entrance, Tesla (San Francisco) showroom. Photo: © Stan Banos |
I must admit I've been watching with a certain unhindered (unhinged?), almost perverted glee the sheer number of ways that Elon's masterpiece of vehicular folly can fail, disintegrate and self destruct on video.* It's as if it was purposely designed to do exactly that! Although at this point, with the absolute myriad of ways it manages to imaginatively succeed at failing, one could accurately conclude that it was more cobbled together as a sheer afterthought, or bad joke!
Musk's success and 'genius' (remember when we sincerely thought he was one) is directly attributable to having people in his employ who actually knew what they were doing- while he reaped the accolades! The Cyber Truck is the first product he had a direct hand in designing- and it ever so deftly exposes the charlatan that imagined and created it! And now that we've all peeked behind the curtain, rather, now that the curtain has been torn asunder, he has truly entered panic mode as stocks plummet, profits evaporate and the remains of his reputation dive in an uncontrolled tailspin- like a Cyber Truck desperately flailing: off road, in snow, or on the regular highway of life on a warm and sunny day...
* Have you caught the one where they slice a carrot with the edge of the driver's door? Very thin and even slices too!
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| Photos: © Stan Banos |
As per usual during the winter months, I look over the 'reserves,' and nip and tuck wherever necessary (usually more than I care to admit)- sometimes ya even get lucky and spot an almost that makes the grade (that's another post)! This photo goes back to 2017 (when people still occupied downtown SF), and I was one year into color (& digital) photography. The re-edit above of the first take below displays just how bad I was (and to a real extent still am) dealing with color balance- although hopefully getting better. I first noticed an area in the photo in need of 'repair,' and attempted to fix what I damn well knew would probably require a complete re-edit. It was only then I realized- the whole damn thing looked off! No doubt, there'll be yet more color balance mistakes along the way- and they better not take another eight years to recognize!
Obviously, this latest, unprovoked slaughter of four hundred people (130 of them, children!) is not about winning a war, it's not even about punishment, and it most definitely is not about freeing remaining hostages- it's about extermination, elimination of a people from their land so that Bibi Netanyahu can annex it!* Oh, Israel- you have learned all too well...
*All with our President's blessing!
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| Photo: © Stan Banos |
Anyway, on the way home, I had the privilege of running into none other than The Honorable Dr. Sun Yat Sen. And he more than willingly posed quite patiently in the open shade for a rather handsome documentary shot (XT-1, 14mm).
*BTW- My original GR w/flash was a lot more valuable than my Q, with all those blazing white bridal gowns in the sunlight! Hope the GR IV returns its rightful flash- hopefully, I won't be in the market for one, but it really comes in quite handy for sunlight fill!
