#everyone go watch Rope (1948)

[badass-queer-couples-battle]

Gay wrongs tournament, round 2 of the minor bracket

Propaganda:

For Phillip Morgan and Brandon Shaw:

They fucked around and found out. They killed their mutual friend and then held a dinner party with the rest of their friendgroup over his corpse. Everyone should watch rope 1948 If not for the horrible vibes, then at least these two horrible gays.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGYcU7pLi2o

Phillip is an alcoholic and an absolute wet cat of a man and Brandon is a pretentious asshole with a god complex. They're a disaster gay couple from the 1940s who hosted a dinner party over the corpse of a friend they killed, and invited his whole family to the party. They planned to go on a vacation together after they'd finished doing their murder. They're in love, they're divorced, they're married, they hate each other and most importantly they killed a man by strangling him while staring homoerotically into each other's eyes. 

For Mick Rory and Leonard Snart:

The only supervillains on that show that understood the assignment. Thieves with a flare and loyal only to eachother. Eventually become anti heroes on legends of tomorrow but I liked them best as villains. The best part of both shows. Over the top and committed to the theme for the vibes. Puns and crime.

Fire and ice pairing! 

[monstermonstre]

Faves of 2022

Self explanatory end of the year list of my favourite everythings I consumed this year. That includes things that came out before 2022 but that I read/watched/played for the first time this year. For those of you who are only interested in what came in 2022 I will put them at the top of each list for visibility.

Other than that, the lists aren’t sorted by any order of preference, that’s just too much to ask.

Films

🩳 for short films, 🏳️‍🌈 for queer films (how queer they are vary immensely here so please don’t take this as me putting them all in the same basket, it’s just to highlight which could be of interest for someone looking for queer narratives and/or point of views), and finally 🌐 for films that are not a North American production.

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) 🏳️‍🌈

Triangle of Sadness (2022) 🌐

Kimi (2022)

Barbarian (2022)

Starfuckers (2022) 🩳🏳️‍🌈

Prey (2022)

Turning Red (2022)

Love and Leashes (2022) 🌐

Rest of the list under the ‘read more’

Ringu (1998) 🌐

Keyboard Fantasies (2019) 🏳️‍🌈

Two Cars, One Night (2004) 🩳🌐

Meeting the Man: James Baldwin in Paris (1970) 🩳🏳️‍🌈

Tama Tū (2004) 🩳🌐

Paris 05:59: Théo & Hugo (2016) 🏳️‍🌈🌐

Next Goal Wins (2014) 🏳️‍🌈🌐

Knife+Heart (2018) 🏳️‍🌈🌐

I Lost My Body (2019) 🌐

Towards Tenderness (2016) 🩳🏳️‍🌈🌐

Danton’s Death (2011) 🩳🌐

All the Crows In the World (2021) 🩳🏳️‍🌈🌐

Ex Machina (2014)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)

The Samurai (2014) 🏳️‍🌈🌐

One Cut of the Dead (2017) 🌐

Prisoners (2013)

Rope (1948) 🏳️‍🌈

Frankenstein (1931) 🏳️‍🌈

The Old Dark House (1932) 🏳️‍🌈

Cat People (1942) 🏳️‍🌈

Happy Together (1997) 🏳️‍🌈🌐

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

Chris Fleming: Showpig (2018)

Rashomon (1950) 🌐

La Cage aux Folles (1978) 🏳️‍🌈🌐

Books

I don’t have a lot in this list so I feel more inclined to give a lil explanation for each entry.

To Strip the Flesh by Oto Toda (2022 for the translation, 2020 in the original japanese): an anthology manga with a main story about a preop trans man who makes a living livestreaming himself cutting meat from animals that his father hunted (part of his success relying on how attractive he is to his audience who perceive him as a woman) and his struggle around coming out to his father and pursuing gender-affirming surgery.

It’s a beautiful and visceral (in every sense of the word) manga and I can’t recommend it enough. With a caveat that it contains, both in its main story and the short that make the anthology, a lot of body horror that might not be for everyone.

No Sleep Till Shengal by Zerocalcare (2022): don’t know that I have much to say about this one. People familiar with his work might understand why.

Monstrous Regiment and Going Postal by Terry Pratchett: continuing my exploration of the Discworld and enjoyed the two a great deal. Monstrous Regiment has become my favourite Discworld and maybe a favourite in general as well. It’s rare (at least to me, but maybe I’m not looking in the right places) to find satisfying trans representation in fiction, even more so in genre fiction, and even more so in stories that are overall a fun time. The final few pages make me emotional every time I read them.  “Around him, the kitchen worked.” and “‘A choice?’ said Rosemary.” forever.

My Brother’s Husband by Gengoroh Tagame: just gonna copy the wiki summary “the series follows the relationship between single father Yaichi, his daughter Kana, and Mike Flanagan, the Canadian husband of Yaichi's estranged and recently deceased twin brother.” It’s a manga, it’s beautiful, glad I finally got around to reading it.

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo: took me ages to get to this despite having devoured Six of Crows but here we are. Since it’s a sequel I don’t feel like I can say much other than I had a great time with it and the ending got me. It helped me get out of a reading slump I was in.

The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay: checked this one out because I saw the trailer for the upcoming film adaptation and it hooked me. It was such an easy read I finished it in 3 days (which is very fast for me nowadays). I still don’t really know what to think of it, still recovering from the ending and trying to make up my mind, but it did its job of keeping me invested and turning the pages fast. I’m very curious to see how they adapt it too.

Dracula by Bram Stoker: so thankful for dracula daily for getting me to read this, joined the squad of “why the hell adaptations do this to Mina and why do they omit my man Quincey?”.

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers: even less “plot” than the first book but I couldn’t give a shit. I love the Wayfarers universe and its characters and this was such a comfortable and satisfying read. It even made me reevaluate some of my stances on AIs.

Overall I only read 2 of the books I said were on my to-read for 2022 but I achieved my goal of reading at least 12 books this year (even beat it by 1!) and got out of a years long reading slump so it’s a win! Looking forward to my reading in 2023.

TV Shows

Faves new shows of 2022: Our Flag Means Death, Severance, The Bear, Murderville and Interview with the Vampire

Other than that I watch too many things and TV Time is awful to navigate but off the top of my head other shows that didn’t start this year that I feel the need to highlight: What We Do In The Shadows (this latest finale was a gut punch in the best of ways), Chucky (the most fun I’ve had consistently watching anything this year), The Night Of (took me a while to get to this miniseries but it didn’t disappoint to say the least), Taskmaster NZ (the superior version), Barry, Succession, The Casketeers, Los Espookys...

Oh and you should subscribe to Dropout

Everything Else

I don’t play that much video games but of the ones I played and finished (or that can’t be finished) I played and finished Spiritfarer this year and that didn’t disappoint. Also the new Just Dance (2023 Edition) is insane. Yes they sacrificed a lot in the process but if you only take the new songs and maps into account it’s the best they’ve ever done.

And music wise I already answered a lot of Spotify Wrapped questions and that’s probably that. I’m a filthy casual enjoyer of music, incapable of having any critical sense for it.

I made this list mostly for myself and also for those of you who might have similar taste as mine and looking for recs. If after reading this you think you might have recs for me, feel free to drop them in replies or DMs!

Happy new year!

[pritishsblog]

BEST DIRECTORS IN CINEMA- 7

Hi everyone! This blog is going to be the 7th part of 8 part series of who I think is the Best Directors Cinema has ever seen

And today I will be talking about

ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Alfred Hitchcock (born August 13, 1899, London, England died April 29, 1980, Bel Air, California, U.S.) was an English-born American motion-picture director whose suspenseful films and television programs won immense popularity and critical acclaim over a long and tremendously productive career. His films are marked by a macabre sense of humour and a somewhat bleak view of the human condition.

(Early Life)

Hitchcock grew up in London’s East End in a milieu once haunted by the notorious serial killer known as Jack the Ripper, talk of whom was still current in Hitchcock’s youth two decades later. Although he had two siblings, he recalled his youth as a lonely one, with a father who was a stern disciplinarian; it is said that he once ordered Alfred to appear at the local police station with a note saying that he had been misbehaving, whereupon the sergeant on duty (at the request of Hitchcock’s father) locked him up for a few minutes, a sufficient length of time to give Alfred a fear of enclosed spaces and a strong concern for wrongful imprisonment, both of which would figure in his later work. When he was not being disciplined, he was cosseted by an overly watchful mother, who used food as a balm—to which he would later trace his trademark paunch.Hitchcock went to St. Ignatius College before attending the London County Council School of Marine Engineering and Navigation in 1913–14. He worked in the sales department at W.T. Henley’s Telegraph Works Company until 1918, when he moved to the advertising department. Giving in to his artistic side, Hitchcock enrolled at the University of London in 1916 to take drawing and design classes.

(His Famous Works)

A string of successful films followed, including Rebecca (1940), Foreign Correspondent (1940), Suspicion (1941), Shadow of a Doubt (1943) and Notorious (1946). Rebecca won the Academy Award for Best Picture, with Hitchcock nominated as Best Director.He also received Oscar nominations for Lifeboat (1944), Spellbound (1945), Rear Window (1954) and Psycho (1960). Hitchcock's other notable films include Rope (1948), Strangers on a Train (1951), Dial M for Murder (1954), To Catch a Thief (1955), The Trouble with Harry (1955), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), The Birds (1963) and Marnie (1964), all of which were also financially successful and are highly regarded by film historians

(Filmmaking Style)

The "Hitchcockian" style includes the use of editing and camera movement to mimic a person's gaze, thereby turning viewers into voyeurs, and framing shots to maximise anxiety and fear. The film critic Robin Wood wrote that the meaning of a Hitchcock film 'is there in the method, in the progression from shot to shot. A Hitchcock film is an organism, with the whole implied in every detail and every detail related to the whole.'

(His Filmography)

Hitchcock made his directorial debut with a silent movie named Number 13 which is rumored to be lost. He has made more than 20 silent movies including Number 13 (1922),Always Tell Your Wife (1923),The Pleasure Garden (1925) and etc.

He has made more than 40 sound films including Blackmail (1929),An Elastic Affair (1930),Juno and Peacock (1930),Murder (1930). Some of his most famous movies which are still praised are Vertigo (1958),Psycho (1960),The Birds (1963). The last movie which he directed before his death was Family Plot (1976)

Hitchcock's star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

English Heritage Plague at 153 Cromwell Road, London

(Awards & Honors)

His movies have won 2 Golden Globe Awards, 8 Laurel Awards, 5 Lifetime Achievement Awards. His movie Rebecca was also nominated for 11 Academy Awards winning the Best Picture Award. His movies are now housed in Academy Film Archive in Hollywood,California. 9 of his films have selected for preservation by the US National Film Registry.

(Sources)

And that's it for this part folks, I'll meet you with the last and final part of this series. Until then

CIAO

[straydog733]

2022 Reading and Watching Resolutions

New year, new list, new books and movies! There are a couple small tweaks this year, but this is more or less the same as my 2021 list. Let’s hope I can fill it with some great stuff! As always, book and film recommendations are always appreciated, as are people joining in on the challenge!

2022 Reading Resolution

A book written in North America: Reawakening Our Ancestors' Lines: Revitalizing Inuit Traditional Tattooing by Angela Hovak Johnston

A book written in Central America/Caribbean: Claire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Danticat

A book written in South America: Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin

A book written in East Asia: Penance by Kanae Minato

A book written in South Asia: The Guru of Love by Samrat Upadhyay

A book written in Africa: She Would Be King by Wayétu Moore

A book written in the Middle East: 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Elif Shafak

A book written in Australia/Pacific Islands: This is Paradise by Kristiana Kahakauwila

A book written in Russia: The Master and The Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

A book written in Europe: The Ghost and Mrs. Muir by R.A. Dick

A biography or memoir: Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh

A non-fiction book:  The Sawbones Book: The Hilarious, Horrifying Road to Modern Medicine by Justin McElroy and Dr. Sydnee McElroy

A collection of short stories: Smut Peddler Presents: Sordid Past edited by Andrea Purcell

A collection of poetry: QuIP: An Anthology of Young Queer Writing by Fiona Deane-Grundman, Zeke Gerwein, Leila Mottley, Oliver Terry, Charlie Thomas, Sunari Weaver-Anderson

A play: The Billboard by Natalie Y. Moore

A book you’ve seen adapted: The Boys: Omnibus Vol. 1 by Garth Ennis, illustrated by Darick Robertson

A graphic novel: My Brother’s Husband, Vol. 1 by Gengoroh Tagame

A children’s book: Kiki’s Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono

A book older than 200 years: The Mabinogion

A debut novel: Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin

A novel by a famous author, other than the one(s) they are best known for: De Profundis by Oscar Wilde

A sequel: The Rules for Hearts by Sara Ryan

A book by an author you’ve never given a fair shot: Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

A book you’ve heard bad things about: The Maid by Nita Prose

A book released in the last year: You Feel It Just Below the Ribs by Janina Matthewson and Jeffrey Cranor

Wild Card: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Wild Card: Thirteen Storeys by Jonathan Sims

Wild Card: My Brother’s Husband, Vol. 2 by Gengoroh Tagame

Wild Card: Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey

Wild Card: Blue Pills: A Positive Love Story by Frederik Peeters

List Progress: 30/30

2022 Film Watching Resolution

A foreign film: Forgotten (2017)

A black and white film: The Haunting (1963)

A silent or dialogue-free film: City Lights (1931)

An animated film: Loving Vincent (2017)

A film based on a true story: Elvis (2022)

A documentary: Midwives (2022)

A film based on a book: Crooked House (2017)

An Oscar-winning movie: Encanto (2021)

A trashy movie: Single All the Way (2021)

Your best friend’s recommendation: The Producers (1968)

A children’s film: Turning Red (2022)

A film released in 2022: Death on the Nile (2022)

List Progress: 12/12

Movies Outside List

1. An American Werewolf in London (1981)

2. Dune (2021)

3. Cyrano (2021)

4. I Want You Back (2022)

5. Nightmare Alley (2021)

6. Rope (1948)

7. Love Never Dies (2012)

8. Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

9. The Pajama Game (1957)

10. We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (2022)

11. Firestarter (2022)

12. Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022)

13. Men (2022)

14. It (2017)

15. It: Chapter 2 (2019)

16. The Black Phone (2021)

17. Odd Thomas (2013)

18. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022)

19. Nope (2022)

20. The Night House (2020)

21. Children of the Corn (1984)

22. Vengeance (2022)

23. Fall (2022)

24. Joker (2019)

25. Bodies, Bodies, Bodies (2022)

26. The Lodge (2019)

27. Some Like It Hot (1959)

28. The Invitation (2022)

29. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

30. Breaking (2022)

31. Emily the Criminal (2022)

32. Barbarian (2022)

33. See How They Run (2022)

34. Don’t Worry Darling (2022)

35. Bros (2022)

36. Infinite Storm (2022)

37. Smile (2022)

38. Escape Room (2019)

39. Pearl (2022)

40. Spirit Halloween: The Movie (2022)

41. Prey for the Devil (2022)

42. Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

43. The Phantom of the Opera (1943)

44. Till (2022)

45. My Policeman (2022)

46. Call Jane (2022)

47. Fire Island (2022)

48. Ms. White Light (2020)

49. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

50. X (2022)

51. Violent Night (2022)

52. Matilda the Musical (2022)

53. The Menu (2022)

54. The Ledge (2022)

[dread-on-arrival]

Richard Ramirez - The Night Stalker: Family Background

Serial Killer Masterlist 

Childhood Part 1 

Word Count: 3505

Richard Ramirez, the man who left at least thirteen dead, paralysing the city of Los Angeles throughout the summer of 1985. His name alone makes people prickle with fear as they remember the acts of horror he committed on children and adults alike. Yet he still fascinates people; the Night Stalker Case was what got me interested in true crime and how the human brain can be so drastically changed by mental and physical events. I have spent countless hours reading up on his crimes, trial, personality, drifter lifestyle and the tragic childhood that played a huge role in creating the monster we all know and fear. I collect this information I have read many articles on Richard Ramirez and watched videos discussing his life. My main source of information was ‘The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez The Night Stalker’ by Philip Carlo, I highly recommend. Georgia Marie’s video also gave a slightly summarised version of Ramirez’s life so watch that here if you are interested.

 Compared to the other detailed multiple part series I am doing for the Serial Killers, this one is going to be exceptionally long simply because I have copious amounts of information about Richard. The other Serial Killers I cover will be very detailed as well don’t worry I just simply have so much I want to share about him. We will start with the background of his family, the next part will cover his childhood however I cannot confirm when it will be out but I am writing it from now. Anyway, lets get into the background of the Ramirez family. 

With three older brothers and an older sister, Richard Ramirez - Richie as the family fondly remembers him - was the youngest of five to Julian Tapia Ramirez and Mercedes Ramirez. 

Julian Ramirez was born in the rough city of Camargo in Mexico, February 16th 1927. He was the second oldest of eight children who were raised on a poor farm. He was large, with the power to match it, high well-defined cheekbones and jet-black hair making him a considerably attractive man. His features were often characteristics of the Ramirez men. 

Jose Ramirez, his father, was a stern man who rarely showed any signs of joy. Jose had inherited his dark eyes and tight, firm lips from his father, Inacia, but also had inherited his Father’s horrible temper. Julian’s mother, Roberta, had died when he was only 12 leaving a lot of the responsibility to raise the large family on him since he was the oldest boy. 

Corporal punishment was something Jose and Inacia firmly believed in, if any of the eight children did not keep up with expectations they were quick to receive a severe beating. It was a normal occurrence for fathers to beat their children in Mexico - to teach them respect and discipline - however the beatings from Julian’s father and grandfather often blurred the line between discipline and abuse. Inacia would beat Julian the most, tying him to a tree and whipping him with a rope causing Julian to became very withdrawn. He wouldn’t cry when he was beaten and would just wait until the older men’s anger was vented, he was beaten the most since he was the oldest.

At 14 Julian stood up for himself. He tore the belt from his father’s hands and said sternly, “You are not beating me anymore.” In Camargo a child could be executed for disobeying their father but nothing was done and from then on Julian was never beaten again. He never should have been beaten anyway, he was a good child and always did what he could to benefit his family. Julian never swore, smoked and rarely drank. He went to church every Sunday with his family and firmly believed in Jesus and the powers of Satan. He never got past the first grade in school as he was needed to work on the farm 24/7.

The city itself was small with no available electricity, railroad or even a phone so everyone knew of each other. Julian met his future wife, Mercedes, when they were 14. 

Mercedes Muñoz was part of another big family, one of seven children - four boys, three girls and was born in Rocky Ford, Colorado. They were another poor family but made the most of what they could. When America joined World War II Guadalupe, Mercedes mother, decided it would be best to leave the US for Camargo. She believed her sons should not be drafted for the war because their blood should not be spilt because of the fights between politicians. It was well known the government were corrupt (some to this day still are).  From the moment she arrived in Camargo she became friends with Julian’s sisters and that was how they were introduced. Mercedes was pretty, she was tall and thin, large doe-eyes, a broad forehead and her hands and fingers were long and finely tapered, ‘beautiful enough to have modelled’ - The Life and Crime of Richard Ramirez The NightStalker - Philip Carlo. 

Julian and Mercedes didn’t truly start to date until 19 when they would go for walks around Camargo’s only park and watch movies at Camargo’s only cinema.

Once the war was over 1946, Nacho - Mercedes’ brother - had moved to the town of Juarez to work in a post office, Juarez was the border town beside El Paso, Texas. There was little work in Camargo due to its size so to get work you would have to move. Luckily the Muñoz children were American citizens since they were born in the United States and they could legally travel to El Paso for work so Guadalupe made the decision to move which meant Mercedes herself would have to go too. Her relationship with Julian would have to be put behind her for the time being. 

After moving to Juarez in the August of 1947, any body old enough to get a job was put to work. Juarez was a very violent place and anything could be bought for not much money at all: drugs, stolen American goods, prostitutes, even sex with minors. These horrific things are common in many border towns. Mercedes found the place disgusting and horrifying, she was horrified and scared of the crimes committed all around her. 

But something she looked forward to was writing to Julian, although he struggled with writing he got his sister to teach him how. The letters may have been short but they were full of love; telling her how much he missed her and how lonely it had become without her. She shared the same sentiment. 

Not long after Mercedes left Julian got drafted, he was taught to shoot and use all kind of weapons. He was never deployed because he contracted scarlet fever. He was discharged and sent back to Camarge - thin and sick his sister had to help him get back to good health. He was determined to get to Mercedes in Juarez and wrote to her, asking to marry her. She was full of joy and said yes but her mother did not want the marriage to take place, going as far to forbade it. As much as Julian was hardworking she judged him on the fact that he had no education nor skills, she felt her Mercedes deserved far better. She wasn’t the only one to dislike this marriage, the Ramirez’s thought Mercedes’ family acted as though they were more important then everyone else. 

Yet the couple were determined, both rarely defied their own families however the love they shared for one another was too strong and with the little possessions he had, Julian arrived in Juarez on the 3rd of August 1948 and they married on the 9th six days later in the Juarez City Hall in front of a few friends. They had no honeymoon due to lack of money. They were only 19. 

They agreed that they would make sure their own children would have everything that they didn’t as children, a happy life with financial security and in Julian’s case, no beatings. 

Mercedes continued her work as a housekeeper in El Paso, they could live in the States since she had been born there. She wanted to move there because the crime in Juarez was too much for her. Julian was content in Mexico but he knew how much his wife disliked the city so he applied for US citizenship. They had both heard of the ‘American Dream’ and she wanted her children to be born in the US so they could live out this dream. Finally Julian reluctantly accepted and they moved into a small one bedroom, one bathroom apartment in El Paso in Fourth and Canal. 

Also during this time Guadalupe began to warm to Julian, she realised how hardworking he was and how much he loved her daughter. They started going for meals at Guadalupe - they didn’t live far from her in Juarez.

Within months Mercedes was pregnant with their first son, Ruben. At the time - unknown to the people of El Paso - the U.S government had been testing nuclear weapons in the nearby city of Los Alamos, New Mexico. It wasn’t known about the effects of Nuclear fallout and the wind more often then not carried the fallout over Juarez and El Paso, polluting the water, milk and Cattle. Between 1950 and 1954 the testing was most frequent, correlating with the high rate of birth defects in babies, causing physical issues and mental issues alike. It became known what was causing this but people were hesitant to speak out about it to the government - after all the Nuclear bomb had won them the war. 

Ruben was born without much difficultly however he was born with large lumps up his back, neck and head and he was incredibly sick. At the time the doctor didn’t understand but he thought the bomb tests definitely had something to do with it. Ruben got very ill and it was believed he wouldn’t make it yet after a few weeks the lumps began to disappear and got better. The family owed this to a divine intervention. Ruben was allowed to go home and Julian would often take him for long walks down the roads of El Paso, telling him stories and smiling joyously constantly. 

Just two months later, Mercedes was pregnant again. She wanted a girl but most of all she wanted a healthy baby and for the atomic bomb tests to stop, for all the evil to go away from her little family. This pregnancy was also easy, Joseph was born (named after Mercedes’ favourite brother). He was healthy, both Julian and Mercedes’ thanked God. Two sons in a row was a good omen according to Guadalupe and Julian considered himself a very lucky man. 

At six months old Joseph started to cry much more frequently. As though he was in serious pain. His parents tried everything to calm the baby but nothing would work. He was taken to the El Paso clinic, neither could they find the problem so they sent him back home. The crying only became more extreme as each day passed. The second time he was taken to a clinic he was nearly 1 year old. After an examination the doctor announced that poor Joseph’s bones were not growing correctly and they never would. He didn’t quite understand why and sent them to a specialist who told them that Joseph had a disease called Collier which caused the bones to curve as they grew. This was also a direct result of the nuclear testing nearby - still nobody wanted to shame to war winning bomb though. Dr. Perry Rogers told the Ramirezes that he would cut away at the curved part of the bone and would construct a metal heal that would allow Joseph to somewhat walk right. But he warned them that he would require many more operations because the bones would continue to grow incorrectly. There was no proper cure. Any money they could spare was handed over to Dr. Rogers to pay for the operations, they never asked any other families for help so they simply worked longer and harder. Joseph had his first surgery at 17 months old and it helped briefly but he began crying in pain again not long after. The family often went to the Sacred Heart Church on Oregon street to pray for Joseph’s pain and disease to go away. 

A while later Julian became a construction worker in El Paso even though he didn’t have the proper papers. He needed the money though, this job payed far better then the factory job he previously worked in. 

In the year of 1952 immigration border guards payed Julian a visit at the construction site to ask for his papers. He told them he didn’t have them but that his wife was an American citizen so he could stay but they told him that he needed papers and was to be deported immediately. After some persuasion he was allowed to go and tell his wife what was going to happen however once at the apartment the guards said that whole family was going to be deported. Their landlord came to their defence,  he agreed that they were American citizens and that they should stay. No protests worked, at 3pm the little family and all their belongings were dumped on a corner on the Mexican side of the Sante Fe bridge. 

Julain told Mercedes to take herself and the children to her mother’s house a mile away, he would stay and fight off any thieves who attempted to take their belongings. On a good weekend in Juarez there was twenty murders. Mercedes began the short but treacherous walk to her mother’s, holding Ruben by the hand and a crying Joseph in her arms. 

She reached Guadalupe’s without an incident and her two brothers - Joseph and Manuel - took a neighbours truck to move the family’s possessions to the house. It took two trips. 

Once settled, Julian went out looking for work. He met a friend who was working as a policeman. His friend took him to the Commandante of the Juarez police. Julian said he didn’t know much about being a policeman but the Commandante didn’t mind and thought he looked right to be a policeman. Since he was experienced with guns due to his time in the military, he was put in charge of teaching the Juarez police to maintain and shoot firearms properly. But Mercedes wasn’t overly happily. Mexico was like South America, police officers were often killed if they got in the way.

Julian Ramirez in 1951 after becoming a police officer - From Philip Carlo’s personal collection of photos.

Mercedes had their third son Robert, he presented no problems. 

Finally Julian’s American Citizenship papers were approved and with the good of his sons in mind he quit his job and the family moved back to El Paso in early 1954. They got a small apartment in the second ward at Seventh and Canal. Julian got a job at the Santa Fe railroad, laying track.  It was hard work and he was often out of town for days but the wages were good. He knew he had made the right decision for his wife and children. 

The Ramirez apartment - From Philip Carlo’s personal collection of photos.

Mercedes got a job at a famous boot-maker in Texas called Tony Lama. Her wages were also much better and she had managed to find a Mexican women who could care for her sons while she was out working, she wanted someone good to look after them since she was nervous to leave them for too long. 

She would mix pigments and chemicals for the boots colours to paint the boots and treat them with fixatives so the colour would last. Similar to the Nuclear tests, these chemicals were often toxic and required ventilation when being used but the people working with them were unaware at the time. She spent seven hours a day, five days a week exposed to these toxic chemicals and quickly developed dizzy spells meaning she would have to sit down for periods of time to recover. 

Six months after being employed she was pregnant again, Julian was overjoyed as this was the fourth pregnancy in fours year and he felt like the luckiest man alive.

Finally one of Mercedes’ dreams became true. She had a healthy little girl who she named Ruth, a little girl to help her out in a house full of boys. Julian was happy as well, he knew Ruth would always have three older brothers to keep her out of harms way.

Every weekend Julian would dress up and go and visit his police friends in Juarez, occasionally bringing along his sons and talk to them in Spanish. He wanted them to learn English and do well in American but he also did not want them to forget about their heritage. His sister moved to El Paso the same year, bring her son Miguel who was the same age as Ruben, the two became close friends the moment they met. 

Mercedes’ sister had also moved to El Paso and got employed at Tony Lama, she developed the same dizzy spells and they both began to feel unwell on weekends. After a discussion they began to question whether maybe they were addicted to the chemicals they worked with and were experiencing some form of withdrawal yet they didn’t seek any medical attention. 

When Ruben started school he was put into a class designed to help teach English. Before long he could say sentences in English and Julian encourage him to speak English with his friends and grandmother Guadalupe. Joseph started school not long after and was wearing the special shoes he had been given in Juarez and they needed to be adjusted often as he grew but he never complained. He always walked with his brother to school but had to break often as the shoes weighed quite a lot. His parents were worried about how the other kids would treat him but his brothers were always there to defend him. 

Robert started school and he learned English as well. The first time Julian heard his sons speaking English to each other he was happy but he couldn’t help feeling a little down as he struggled to learn the language and couldn’t speak with them. He never was required to learn English because most of the men he worked with spoke Spanish anyway. 

At school Joseph had started being taunted about his disadvantages, he took the insults to heart and became very shy and fearful. Ruben however, had inherited the fierce Ramirez temperament and would chase off the children who teased Joseph. Their father did not often lose his temper, he was a very  easygoing and friendly man but when he did he would start beating any object near him and throwing things. Another trait of the Ramirez family was that they had very large feet and hands, a punch from one of the Ramirez men would cause a lot of damage.  

Mercedes - much to her dismay - realised that all of her children had the explosively violent temper of the Ramirezes. Ruth herself would break and throw things if her anger got the better of her. ‘”I’d just black out when I got mad,” she’d say years later. “I couldn’t control the anger. There would just, like, be an explosion inside of me, and I’d go off.” Her older brothers gave her a wide berth when she “went of”.’ - The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez The NightStalker - Philip Carlo.

Mercedes’ fifth and final pregnancy was the most painful and difficult. She even had to go to a specialist to help with the discomfort who told her the chemicals she had been breathing in at her job was going to cause a miscarriage so she needed a range of injections to keep the baby. She finally quit her job during her fifth month of pregnancy. This final pregnancy surprised Julian as it had been four years since the birth of their daughter. Guadalupe recalled praying a lot for her daughter and the unborn baby during the pregnancy, she could see this child was sapping the life-force from her daughter. 

At 2:07am on February 29th 1960, Ricardo Leyva Muñoz Ramírez was born. His father and all his siblings arrived at the hospital to see the new baby. Ruth was ecstatic to have a baby brother and from the first day he came home she was all over him. 

He was her little precious, dark-eyed, dark-haired doll come to life. Ruben, Joseph and Robert didn’t pay one-tenth the attention to Richie that Ruth did. - The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez The NightStalker - Philip Carlo.  

If you think I have any facts wrong be sure to message me and I’ll correct what I can. The next part I am covering will be his childhood.

[formulinos]

@jedivszombie dared me to post my top 7 comfort movies in no particular order! as i am a supreme kinofile i regret to inform you i will give you also some synopsis so you guys can see these, please: 1) in the mood for love (2000) [dir. wong kar-wai]: two married couples lived next to each other in 60s hong kong (then occupied by the brits). one half of each couple (tony leung and maggie cheung) starts suspecting that their respective other halves are cheating on them with each other and join forces to get to the bottom of it. perhaps the greatest movie of all time, it's a masterclass on acting from both tony and maggie and the cinnamon tography is exquisite as well. i promise you that once you watch it you won't forget it and keep going back to it as well. the longing. UH! 2) marie antoinette (2006) [dir. sofia coppola]: basically a biopic of marie antoinette's life from her engagement to the dauphin of france, future king louis xvi until the start of the french revolution. clearly, sofia isn't that concerned about the historical subtleties - although since the film is inspired by antonia fraser's biography (very good by the way), so she actually happens to be a bit more accurate than some other interpretations of marie antoinette at least. but mainly, the film has pretty candy colours and lovely gowns, such beautiful gowns. kirsten dunst also kicks ass in the title role. 3) possession (1981) [dir. andrej zulawski]: this is not a comfort movie for most people because it's pure body horror, but i'm so fascinated i don't care. isabelle adjani and sam neill are a couple living in west berlin who go through a Very Bad Breakup, to say the least. sam starts to suspect the separation is motivated by cheating from his wife's side, but when he decides to investigate it... might as well just sat there and ate his food. isabelle adjani just gives a bizarre lesson on how to lose oneself in the character and goes full unhinged in a way i can only admire. trigger warning for every single thing that could be though, so this is def not for everyone.

4) bacurau (2019) [dir. kléber mendonça filho & juliano dornelles]: i can't go through this list without adding at least one brazilian film, and i might just do one because i kinda have a hard time watching those because they hit too close to home, but that's precisely why i like bacurau. it hits so close to home for me as a brazilian (and one who has heritage from the northeast, where the story takes place) that it's incredible. weird happenstances start taking place in the small village of bacurau, located in the sertão, while the townspeople get together for the burial of one of its most influent citizens. soon, the city disappears from all maps online and things start happening. this kinda borrows from western style films, but it's better because it's not american, so. again, it can get bloody. 5) love, rosie (2014) [dir. christian ditter]: since i suggested two weird gory films now, here's a cute rom-com that just hits all the right spots. lily collins and sam claflin have been childhood best friends who are too thick to realise they are into each other, and life forces them to go separate ways as he goes to boston for medical school and she stays in england being a pregnant teenager. the story unravels as they transition from adolescence to young adulthood and mature, still remaining friends (and lowkey in love). it never gets tiring. i love sam's dimples.

6) and then we danced (2019) [dir. levan akin]. here's a banger from georgia! a young man is a dancer trying to get in the national georgian ensemble (a very traditional, very manly occupation in georgia, actually). his best friend, a girl, tries to get with him but it never really works... until he meets another guy who joins the same company and then things just click. this one hurts but in a great way, 7) rope (1948) [dir. alfred hitchcock]: two besties decide they are the ubermensch and because of that they believe they can get away with murder, inviting their closest friends and family to have a kiki right after they kill their classmate. they also call their teacher (james stewart), who basically inspires them and who starts clocking them right early on. the movie is set during the two whole hours between the murder and the ending of the party and it's shot to look like a continuous single shot. alfred was a bitch but he knew. also the guys are gay for sure no way. anyway, these might not be the best movies ever but they are my faves and i go back to them everytime. i need to get a life. hugs and kisses.

[jasonfry]

More classic movies everyone’s seen but me!

They Live By Night (1948)

Bowie and Keechie are doomed young lovers in Nicholas Ray’s debut as a director. A lot of the tropes will be familiar to film noir fans -- you know Bowie and Keechie will never achieve the normal lives they want, and the movie’s ending feels as fixed and inevitable as Shakespearean tragedy, with avenues of escape closing off one by one. But a few elements set it apart. For one thing, there’s the Depression setting, which offers shabby cabins and dusty plains instead of L.A. clubs and streetscapes, and makes “economic anxiety” a real thing -- Bowie and Keechie’s wedding in particular is a tragicomic masterpiece, with the crooked justice of the peace subtracting elements based on the couple’s budget. The movies also draws power from the chemistry between Farley Granger and Cathy O’Donnell, which feels natural in a very stylized film, sometimes to the point of feeling intimate bordering on uncomfortable. (Howard Da Silva is terrific in a supporting role as the terrifying hood Chicamaw.)

Ray was given free rein as director, and They Live By Night has an experimental air that would prove highly influential, from the tricky opening helicopter shot to an inside-the-car sequence whose legacy you can see in Gun Crazy. Then there’s its rather odd unveiling: The movie was shelved for two years after it was shot, but circulated through private showings in Hollywood and became a favorite, with Granger tapped by Alfred Hitchcock for Rope and Humphrey Bogart offering Ray a lifeline as a director. They Live By Night isn’t a great entry point for film noir newbies, but will be interesting for fans of the genre.

Robert Altman remade this movie as Thieves Like Us, returning to the title of the novel that Ray adapted; that version is also on my list. 

Under the Volcano (1984)

John Huston enjoyed tackling supposedly unfilmable projects late in life, following his adaptation of Flannery O’Connor’s Wise Blood with this take on a 1947 novel by Malcolm Lowery. Albert Finney is wonderful as a drunken, self-destructive British diplomat, and there’s an undeniable pull to the movie -- I saw it a couple of weeks ago and can’t quite shake its suffocating mood of mild delirium. But it’s so, so bleak -- before you try it, make sure you’re up for two hours of unease and dread.

Silverado (1985)

I saw Silverado as a teenager, but came back to it recently because as a kid I’d barely seen any westerns and so had no idea what the movie was celebrating or looking to revisit. Seen through more experienced eyes, Silverado is most interesting because it isn’t revisionist at all -- with the exception of a couple of modern tweaks to racial attitudes, it could have been made in the same period as the movies writer/director Lawrence Kasdan is saluting.

Anyway, Kevin Kline and Linda Hunt are wonderful leads, as is Brian Dennehy as the sheriff who’s put his conscience aside, and virtually everybody you remember from mid-80s movies shows up at one point or another. It’s a lot of fun, at least until the movie runs out of steam in the second half and turns into a series of paint-by-numbers gunfights. The final running battle particularly annoyed me: Kasdan has had ample time to show us the layout of the town of Silverado, which would let us think alongside the heroes as they stalk and are stalked through its handful of streets, but his ending is random gags and shootouts, with no sense of place. Stuff just happens until we’re out of stuff.

Compare that with, say, Helm’s Deep in The Two Towers. Peter Jackson takes his time establishing everything from the geography of the fortress to the plan to defend it, and as a result we always know where we are during the battle and what each new development means for the heroes. That kind of planning might have made Silverado a modern classic instead of just a fun diversion. 

My Brilliant Career (1979)

Judy Davis stars (opposite an impossibly young Sam Neill) as Sybylla Melvyn, a young Australian woman determined to resist not just her family’s efforts to marry her off but also the inclinations of her own heart. Sybylla is a wonderful character, a luminous, frizzy-haired bull in a china shop of convention, and she’s riveting in every scene. (Neill’s job is to look alternately hapless and patient, which he does well enough -- a fate that’s perfectly fair given the generations upon generations of actresses who have been stuck with the same role.) Extra points for Gillian Armstrong’s direction, which consistently delivers establishing shots you want to linger on without being too showy about them, and for sticking with an ending that, Sybylla-style, bucks movie expectations.

(This is an adaptation of Miles Franklin’s 1901 autobiographical novel, which I now want to read. Franklin also wrote a book called All That Swagger, which is such a great title that I’m happy just thinking about it.)

Red River (1948)

A friend recommended this movie -- the first collaboration between Howard Hawks and John Wayne -- after reading my take on Rio Bravo. And I’m glad he did: Wayne is terrific as Tom Dunson, a hard-driving rancher whose cattle drive to Missouri becomes an obsession that leads him into madness, and he’s evenly matched with Montgomery Clift, who’s his son in all but name. 

Dunson begins as the movie’s hero and gradually morphs into its villain, with Wayne letting us see his doubts and regrets and also his inability to acknowledge them and so steer himself back to reality. Clift, making his debut as Matt Garth, is solid in a more conventional role (he looks eerily like Tom Cruise), and Walter Brennan happily chews scenery as Wayne’s sidekick and nagging conscience.

And there’s a lot of scenery to chew -- it’s wonderful to watch the herd in motion, particularly in a shot from over Brennan’s shoulder as the cattle cross a river -- and Hawks brings a palpable sense of dread to the nighttime scenes as things start to go wrong.

I would have liked Red River more if I hadn’t already seen Rio Bravo, though. Brennan plays the exact same role in that movie as he does here, Clift’s character is very similar to Ricky Nelson’s, and Hawks even nicked a melody from Red River to reuse 11 years later. (Hawks was a serial recycler -- he essentially remade Rio Bravo twice.)

A more fundamental problem is that Red River falls apart when Hawks jams Tess Millay into the story. We’re introduced to Tess, played by Joanne Dru, when Clift intervenes to save a wagon train besieged by Apaches, and her nattering at Clift during a gunfight is so annoying that I was hoping an arrow would find its mark and silence her. (She is hit by an arrow, but it only makes her talk more.)

Tess then falls for Clift, who seems mostly befuddled by her interest but blandly acquiesces. This is funny for a number of reasons: Beyond some really dopey staging, Clift’s love interest is pretty clearly a cowboy played by John Ireland and given the unlikely name of Cherry Valance. Their relationship is a bit of gay subtext that wouldn’t need much of a nudge to become text. Tess goes on to annoy Wayne in an endless scene that exists to forklift in a klutzy parallel with the movie’s beginning, and then shows up at the end to derail the climax in an eye-rolling fashion that leaves everyone involved looking mildly embarrassed. (Dru does the best she can; none of this is her fault.) 

I was left wondering what on earth had happened, so I read up and discovered that -- a la Suspicion -- the ending was changed, destroying a logical and satisfying outcome penned by Borden Chase. Tess is a hand-wave to bring about that different ending, a bad idea executed so poorly that it wrecks the movie. Give me a few weeks and I’ll happily remember all the things Red River does right, from those soaring vistas to Wayne’s seething march through Abilene. But I’ll also remember how the last reel took an ax to everything that had been built with such care.

[pfenniged]

What do you think of The Children's Hour with Audrey Hepburn? Is it worth watching as a representation of queer cinema?

I have a lot of opinions about ‘The Children’s Hour.’ If you’re talking in terms of a landmark in queer history/ cinema, then yes, I think it’s an incredibly important film. This was literally half a decade before homosexuality was made legal in the UK, as well as Canada, so to be discussing these issues so “openly,” even though the film is heavily coded, is incredibly important in terms of cinematic history overall. Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacClaine were two of the biggest stars in the world at that time, and I honestly think it was incredibly brave for everyone involved to push a screenplay and a story like that to screen.

That being said, that doesn’t necessarily make it a good film, or necessarily a good representation of queer cinema. There are aspects that are stellar, most prominently Shirley and Audreys acting, and their genuine chemistry. But it’s also a product of its time and even its ending falls into a lot of tropes which probably weren’t cliched at the time and more “shocking,” but have come to be something I know a lot of gay people don’t appreciate (You should look up the synopsis of the plot, to be honest, before deciding if it’s the right film for you to watch).

The children themselves of ‘The Children’s Hour’ though, I find intolerable. They ALL suffer from whatever they taught children to act like in the 30s, 40s, and 50s, which mostly involves a lot of annoying precociousness, holier-than-thou views of children, very Pollyanna-esque, and while they take advantage of that in this film, the main child actress is incredibly annoying (Which she’s meant to be), but dear God, I have no idea what they told children to do back in the day (Even people who went on to be good actresses, like Natalie Wood and Elizabeth Taylor, suffer from this same sort of annoyingly precocious line delivery. Yuck. xD) (For note and a similar plot, Saoirse Ronan was around the same age when she was nominated for Atonement, and is a thousand times better and more subtle actor than these horrible children. I literally fast-forwarded most of the time I saw them on screen). 

In short, I say if you want to watch it for queer cinema history’s sake and have time during COVID-19 to watch it, watch it. Watch enough to understand the plot and where it’s going, and then just skip to the most tight and pressing scenes, mostly which are between the grandmother and Audrey/ Shirley. But if I’m honest, I’m not feeling as though I missed much by not seeing it now that I have, especially with those annoying kids; they honestly ruin 90 percent of the movie for me. xD

If you want an ACTUAL really good version of queer coded and an excellent representation of queer cinema for classic Hollywood, shelve The Children’s Hour and go watch Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope from 1948. It’s a murder mystery with coded themes, literally probably my favourite Hitchcock film, and is based on the historical ‘Leopold and Loeb’ homoerotic murder duo of the 1920s. It’s acted to perfection, WAY TIGHTER of a screenplay (there are so many holes in Children’s Hour, and you can literally watch it on fast forward like I did and miss nothing), funny, and suspensful, not to mention thought provoking about rules about who should have the ability to play God. 

There’s also a random!Jimmy Stewart, which is always good, and the murder mystery stands on its own, even if they weren’t coded lovers (which everyone who worked on the film fessed to, and there’s puns a minute to this if you listen hard enough). It’s basically “What if a disaster gay and a chaotic gay killed their friend for kicks?” XD it’s pretty fantastic, a short watch, and ridiculously rewatchable xD Check that out instead 🖤

[sadgssdg]

But now I can reduce the top dog to a lapdog by staring at him, opening my top, and smiling"..

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[theworldofmycreations]

There a family set in the year of 1953 who moved from Nebraska, South Dakota to the lovely town of San Francisco, California just near Pier 39 after Rupert, the family man, got a huge work promotion at his business. Daisy The little girl in the front is Rupert and Celia's daughter Daisy. Daisy was born on March 5th, 1948. Daisy is a five year old girl who is always super sweet and kind to everyone and in return, most people are nice to her in return, even if some people are super mean. Daisy loves to dance ballet, play with her dog Ace, going to school, playing with her skipping rope, gardening and flowers, reading books, having tea parties, fresh strawberries, playing with her best friend Camille, going to the ice cream shop, and "The Fairy Tale Hour" show on the radio. Celia The woman on the left of Daisy is her mother Celia. Celia was born on September 16th, 1919. Celia is a kind and generous woman/mother and an excellent house wife. She spends most of her days cooking and cleaning the house as any good housewife should, but at the same time, she has a job as a nursing assistant at a local pediatrician office. Aside from cooking, cleaning, and working at the pediatrician office, Celia also enjoys embroidery, reading, and dancing along to show tunes on the radio.   Rupert The man on the right of Daisy is her father Rupert. Rupert was born on June 30th, 1914. Rupert is a very successful business man and because of his success, his fortune was a million times more than Scrooge McDuck and his family was always able to afford the best things in life like vacations and really big houses. Aside from working, Rupert is also a very kind and loving father towards Daisy and a very good husband to Celia and supports her working at the pediatric clinic as this is the teach Daisy that a woman can work as hard as a man can. Rupert also loves fishing, playing golf, watching baseball on TV, and spending time with his family.

Ace

This adorable Border Collier pup is the family dog Ace. He's been around the family around the time Celia was pregnant with Daisy and after Daisy was born, he was attached to her ever since. Ace is a loyal yet sort-of clumsy dog and a great friend to Daisy and great family pet.

[jenhikes]

The Evolution of Gear

I recently, as a member of the Green Mountain Club, read an article in their quarterly publication about a man who decided to thru hike the Long Trail using the gear early hikers would have used back in the 1910s (when the trail system was officially open for use). This interesting read got me thinking to how much gear has changed in the past 100 years.  I thought it would be fun to do a little research and share my findings with all of you guys.  I hope you find it as fun to read as I did writing it!  Since the article I read was replicating a thru hike of a trail in 1917, that's as far back as I decided to go.  Since the National Park System in the US was developed and created only a few years prior to this, I decided that many people were more than likely not camping recreationally before this period.  Granted, people were following their herds to the high country for the summer and camping out long before this, I find that those "headed to camp" accounts don't really make for good backpacking gear stories.    

The Early Years

One of the first things that stuck out to me in the article I read in Long Trail News about the gear was this paragraph: 

"For food, bread and bacon will keep you going with little weight." "No person should ever travel The Long Trail without axe, compass, and matches" "A tent is not necessary on most of the trail; it may be needed in the southerly part if the hiker desires to sleep out, in which case a very light, small tent of balloon silk is advised" 

Already the gear differences and advice are pretty fun to read about.  I also loved reading that Mike MADE HIS OWN PACK out of brown ash wood.  Yep, that's right.  A "pack basket" was all the rage back in those days.  For an example of gear you would have carried in those days in your pack basket see below (it's also worth noting that back in those days it wasn't uncommon for hikers to cut boughs off trees to make a bed for the night; since that is no longer done for obvious LNT ((Leave No Trace)) reasons, it's worth noting that the hiker here stuffed a pillowcase with leaves): -Wool blanket -Homemade waterproofed cotton tarp and cotton groundsheet -Camp knife (hand forged) in a leather belt sheath -2 Quart metal canteen -Bug Net -Alcohol stove with alcohol carried in a GLASS bottle -Tin cup -Matches -Waxed cotton food bag -Candle for nighttime -Wool knickers -Wool knee-length socks -Leather hat -Leather boots -Rubberized poncho FOOD:  -Hardboiled eggs, rice, cashews/almonds/raisins, bread, cheese, cured meat, canned fish, and hershey's chocolate

I also love that for this hike Mike used birch and beech twigs to brush his teeth!

1940's-1950's

I couldn't find much for the period in between our history hiker and the WW2 era, so I'm going to skip ahead to Earl Shaffer - the first ever thru hiker on the Appalachian Trail.  It can be said that Shaffer was the first ever Warrior Hiker - he took to the trail to "Walk off the War" in 1948.  Earning himself the name "The Crazy One", he was the first person to ever hike the trail all the way through in one year.  At first, even the Appalachian Trail Conference (later, Conservancy) didn't believe him!  He may also be considered the first minimalistic hiker, being that his tent failed in the first week on the trail and he got rid of it, saving himself an additional five pounds!  Back when Shaffer thru hiked in 1948, he was taken in by friendly fire tower wardens and fed meals; he even hiked hunting camp to hunting camp in Maine.  On his thru hike in 1998, Shaffer relayed via letter to Gene Espy (the second thru hiker of the AT) by letter that the trail had become much more difficult than when they hiked it decades before, the trail conservancy having routed the trail up to the higher and harder ridge lines instead of being down low near the hunting camps.  An example of his gear can be found below:  -Mountain Troop rucksack -Military issue poncho (which also served as his rain shelter at night!) -A Daisy Mae Rainhat -Match safe -Compass -Sheath knife and small handaxe -Sewing kit -Snakebite kit -Mountain Troop cook kit -Wool blanket -Wool pants -Russel Birdshooter Boots

Gene Espy, our second-known thru hiker went through northbound in 1951.  He had some great gear as well, including one of my favorite luxury items - an inflatable pillow! His gear weighed in at a whopping 50 lbs and included the following (from gearjunkie):  -Steel frame pack -Lamb’s wool used as comfort under the heavy pack straps -Tent (without a floor) and tent posts -Down sleeping bag -Watch; to know his time between shelters -Guide books -Hatchet and rope -Inflatable pillow -Camera -New Testament Bible -Diary and pencil -Collapsible cup -25 caliber pistol (which he claimed he used as protection from bears) -Carbide lamp (this is what miners used back then as a headlamp - it requires chemical reaction to make it work!) -Nylon poncho used for a rain jacket and as flooring in the tent -Pants from the Navy to protect his legs from thorns -Two long sleeve shirts -2 pairs of hiking socks -Hat -Tin water cup -Snakebite kit -Boots FOOD:  Gene carried about a week of food at a time, and his favorite foods included chocolate pudding, loaves of bread, and Baby Ruth candy bars.  

1960's and 1970's

With the 1960s and 70s came the "heyday" of the American National Park System.  More and more folks were able to get out and enjoy not only the national parks of our country, but also the backcountry and hiking trails provided by our parks!  Check out some of these vintage ads I found while scouring the internet.  Heck, I know some sleeping bags that weigh more than 3.5 lb have even tried to make their way out onto a backpacking trip I was leading!

During the late 1950s the AT saw it's first female thruhiker, Grandma Gatewood.  She would go on to hike the trail two more times during her life, making her the first multi completer of the trail.  While I couldn't find a comprehensive gear list, I did find a photo of her gear (circa 1960) (thanks, Reddit!) at the Appalachian Trail Museum.  It's safe to say she was the first ever "dirtbag hiker", hiking with a homemade denim sack, a rain cape made from a shower curtain, and was the first hiker to ditch the heavy boots for lightweight shoes, recommending Keds to all hikers she met! She was also the first thru hiker to "slackpack" her way along the AT.  She often wandered off the main trail to knock on doors to ask for a place to stay or to get a hot meal.  

The 1970s is when backpacking really started changing.  Jansport and Kelty led the way in creating lightweight external frame packs with specially designed pockets for hauling gear ergonomically.  Also during this era we see the very first Therma-A-Rest mattress hit the market.  Now, instead of cutting live tree boughs, hikers can sleep on an ACTUAL mattress in the woods! Check out the weight of those "lightweight boots" by the way - only THREE POUNDS!

You also start seeing the commercial freeze dried and dehydrated food industry taking off.  Yes, America - you too can eat like our astronauts!

(Photos here are sourced from google images)

1980's and 1990's

Lightweight was the name of the game!  Ultralight was truly being developed during this time period, despite how many of us would think it was something more recent.  In fact, 2-lb packs were being developed during the late 1970s and early 1980s!  Nike was even on the forefront of developing a lightweight hiking shoe/boot hybrid - the Lava Dome! While many folks were still carrying external frame packs during this period, the frame during this time started moving to the INSIDE of a pack - something unheard of before now!  During this time period we also meet some of THE names in backpacking that many hikers still know today, the most famous of whom is Ray Jardine.  Ray and his wife, Jenny, began thru hiking in the late 1980s and can still be found out on the trail today.  In 1991, Ray wrote a book about his PCT thru hike, talking about how it was possible to hike much faster and lighter by making homemade gear.  In fact, he still regularly publishes and hikes today.  

During the 1990s we see many what we would call "Cottage Industry" companies starting to pop up as well.  Dana Designs and Gossamer Gear both got their start in the 1990s when regular hikers started getting fed up with not being able to find what they wanted in gear that was commercially available.  

During this time we also see people hiking in light athletic shoes versus heavy boots.  Laurie "Mountain Laurel" Pottieger (of ATC fame) switched to running shoes during her 1987 thru hike of the AT.  While she switched back to boots for rockier sections of the trail, at the time it was practically unheard of (and was done by the Jardines as well!)

(photo of the boots from google images and Jenny and Ray from RayJardine.com)

The 2000's and 2010's

These days, fast and light is the name of the game.  With more and more FKT (fastest known time) attempts on the trail and more hikers getting savvy to the "less is more" way of backpacking, it's possible to hike more than 2000 miles carrying little more than a daypack.  Some of the more famous names in the game right now include Anish, String Bean, and Lint.  For an example of what these ultralighters are carrying, check out Lint's thru hiking gear list.  

While not everyone is going ultralight, it's pretty unusual to see anyone out on the trail these days carrying more than 35 lb.  We know now that the average pack should be 25% or less of your total body weight.  With lighter packs comes the ability to wear lighter shoes as well. In fact, reading surveys of commonly used gear online you'll see that less than 20% of hikers are now wearing boots on trail, opting for lightweight trail running shoes instead.    

And there you have it - a pretty comprehensive history of how gear has changed since the early days!  Gone are the days when heavy boots and 50-lb packs are the norm.  Here to stay are the lighter, easier to carry packs with quick drying shoes and gear to get you from point A to point B in relative comfort!

Would you have been able to thru hike Grandma Gatewood style?  When did you first start collecting your backpacking gear?  What piece of gear do you remember and miss the most? 

[thefinalcinderella]

DIVE!! Book 1 Chapter 7-WHAT DO I HAVE?

Hey this was supposed to be up earlier but I was busy sorry

On the bright side I’ll probably put up two chapters this week (in anticipation for ‘’’’that scene’’’’’ next week OMG)

Also I kind of have mixed feelings about some of the changes about the rivals’ characterizations in the anime, but at least they’re still kinda pathetic like they are in the book

List of translations here.

Previously on DIVE!!: Foreshadowing. Oh, and that Beijing thing that takes up like two chapters in Book 2.

The Asian Joint Training Camp in August. Their goal was to try to be able to participate in it by any means, and the practice of Tomoki and the others suddenly heated up, with the drive and tension in each dive being entirely different. Everyone aiming for the qualifying trials at the end of July had begun a fierce spurt towards it.

Youichi’s resolve to abandon all of this summer’s three biggest competitions was especially amazing. He had already possessed abilities far above ordinary people, and if he continued to do the extraordinary practice like he was doing now, his dream and being awarded the first prize at the qualifying trials will not be unlikely, not to mention being chosen as one of the training camp participants.

Tomoki, Reiji and Ryou were presently struggling with the degree of difficulties of their entry dives, which were all on the same level as each other’s. Although, their level was considerably below the bar as to whether or not they would be one of the chosen six at the qualifying trials. From this unfavorable position, Tomoki was undergoing special training to turn the tables around with his forward 3½ somersaults in tuck position. Judging from its degree of difficulty of 2.7, it wasn’t a very complicated move to dive with. However, the impact of a middle schooler taking on the 3½ was great, and when they learned that Tomoki was striving for that event, Reiji and Ryou immediately went to talk with Kayoko.

“Please teach us the 3½.”

Kayoko, surprisingly, easily agreed.

“Of course. If you are motivated, I will teach you. But, 3½ is a huge challenge in every way, and I think the possibility of being ready to perform it in time for the qualifying trials is low, so you should just properly polish your current skills.”

They joined the 3½ practice with joy.

When tackling a new event, before divers perform it in the pool, they must first of all thoroughly grasp the intuition of the performance on land. For that, they use a special equipment called spotting equipment. (1)

Imagine that there was a four- or five-meter-high iron bar crossed over a trampoline. A rope is passed through the bar, and is tied to a round metal fitting secured to the waist of the athlete on the trampoline. There were two coaches on both sides of the bar, and they hold both ends of the rope. Every time the coaches jerk on the rope, the body of the athlete is pulled up into the air with great force. By rotating in the air, they could get tips for movement and timing. This teaches the sense of rotation to the body.

This exercise synchronises your breathing exactly with the coaches who are pulling on the ropes for this practice, and if you mess up the timing, the metal fittings attached to your waist will bite into your stomach and cause you great pain. Usually, Tomoki and the others avoided it, but this was the only time that no one complained about it.

Youichi, Tomoki, Reiji, and Ryou. While they made the MDC flourish in this way, it was always the new member Shibuki who raised a louder voice than anyone else.

Okitsu Shibuki. Until now, he had his own way of diving, and he flared up at anything from the MDC coaching methods, which were the standard methods and didn’t feel right in his skin at all.

“Saves (2) are unneeded. That’s what Gramps said. I won’t do it.”

Every time he quarreled with Kayoko, Shibuki always quoted the words of his grandfather Okitsu Shiraha, the phantom genius diver.

“Saves are one of the most important techniques for divers. When you dive from the platform, if you enter the water perpendicular to the surface, there would be no water going up. A beautiful rip entry will be settled upon. However, in reality, the angle will be too shallow or too deep, and a deviation will occur, to a greater or lesser degree. Saves will help you control that deviation in the water.”

“So, you’re saying it’s a cheater’s technique. Gramps taught me thoroughly on how to enter the water upright, rather than that cheap trick.”

“That’s an outdated way of thinking. In order to decrease the burden on the body that is the cause of injury, it’s essential for today’s divers to learn saves.”

“I don’t need it. First, I don’t know you like rip entry dives so much. Diving was always about competing with beautiful and powerful aerial performances. When did it become a contest for counting splashes?”

“From the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. An American athlete performed a flawless rip entry dive and got into the limelight. Since then, that technique spread rapidly.”

“Did I come here to dive so that I get too scared to make splashes? This is ridiculous.”

“There are ridiculous people in the world who watch a soccer match and wonder why the players don’t use their hands. Sports have been like that from the start. Getting into rules and values made by people you don’t know, and seizing anything sublimated (3).”

“The quality of the judges has fallen. Because they don’t have the power to observe aerial performances, they only focus on the splashes that are easier for them to understand.”

Losing the argument, Shibuki became sulky and started to blame the judges for being petty. Since he had never been in a competition, he had no way of knowing about the quality of the judges, so that must have also been second-hand knowledge from Shiraha.

Kayoko was again reminded of just how much influence of Shiraha’s shadow had over Shibuki. In order to build up trust with him, that shadow must be removed. However, that would require considerably drastic measures. Thinking about this, Kayoko was feeling increasingly anxious about the future.

Because usually, the living could not easily defeat the deceased.

                                      Death of the Genius Diver

“August 29, 1991. A small fishing boat fishing off of the coast of Aomori Prefecture was hit by a large wave caused by Typhoon No.19, and capsized. The passengers onboard were Okitsu Shiraha-san and his eldest son, Hiromi-san*, who both died…”

Seeing this article appearing in a corner of a newspaper at the end of last month, it seemed that I was not the only one that suddenly had the memories of bygone days come and go.

Okitsu Shiraha. Once you have heard this name, you will never forget it. It had a great meaning for us who knew the Japanese diving world in the 1940s.

He was the darling of that era who created a huge sensation in the Japanese diving world at that time. If everything went smoothly, he definitely would have been the top diver of the world. I only saw him dive once—at a Takarazuka pool after World War II—but his grandiose, almost ghastly performance was still burned into the back of my eyes. I have never seen an overwhelming dive like that since then. Of the blessed people who were able to see Okitsu Shiraha’s performance even once, didn’t they all harbour those same feelings?

Nevertheless, despite having such power, Okitsu Shiraha was also a diver from a tragedy.

He gave up on the 1940 Tokyo Olympics. He didn’t participate in the 1948 London Olympics. Due to the aftermath of World War II, at that time Japan had been away from the Olympics for sixteen years. In the era where Okitsu had peaked both physically and technically, it wasn’t just the Olympics, but also the Japanese sports world who were in total self-restraint mode, so it was hardly a situation where they could participate in competitions.

If Okitsu was in an environment where he could fully demonstrate his abilities in that era…even now my heart still aches thinking about a natural talent aging and leaving his abilities unused, and the regrets of this genius going home uncrowned. In 1952, when Japan finally returned to the Olympics, Okitsu was already over thirty. What were his thoughts beneath the sky of his hometown as he gazed at this grand occasion that came too late?

Fortune and misfortune shadow a person for their entire life. This was all the more true for athletes. However, Okitsu’s bad luck wasn’t just limited to himself, but it seems to have been bad luck for the entire Japanese diving world.

If Okitsu at his peak was given the door to the world in that era, he would have opened it and spread his wings to the farthest reaches. However, that door remained tightly closed. And even after more than fifty years, the Japanese diving world is still unable to spread its wings out into the world.

Now, the door is given to all athletes. But, there is no one with the power to open it.

The spirit of the former genius diver sleeping in the sea of Tsugaru might never rest in peace, no matter how much we pray for him.

--Iwamoto Shouzou, director of the Japanese Swimming Federation

“Wow. This is a good find.”

Tomoki said in admiration as he raised his eyes from the booklet spread out on the table.

“My mom helped out with some JASF work. She was in charge of all the bulletins like that. When Dad was talking about Okitsu before, she pulled this out.”

Youichi said, then sucked at his unmuddied iced coffee through a straw.

They were at the Mizuki Sports Club after dryland training. The two of them went to the coffee shop Top on the first floor. Only housewives and office workers who went to the gym went there, so there were no faces from the MDC there. Because they tended towards cheap fast food, this place was more favorable for confidential talks.

“So, what do you think about that article?”

“What do I…well, anyways, I was surprised. Okitsu-kun’s father and grandfather both died at sea.”

Grandfather and father. How would I feel if I lost them both at the same time? That happened eight years ago. Tomoki couldn’t imagine what the then-eight-years-old Shibuki felt.

But, Youichi seemed to be more interested in something else.

“Do you feel a grudge?”

“A grudge? From who?”

“Okitsu Shiraha, of course.”

“Why?”

“You really are too good-natured.”

Looking like he thought this wasn’t even worth talking about, Youichi leaned back in his chair.

“You see, according to this article, Okitsu Shiraha had his best years as a diver stolen from him by the war. He couldn’t go to enough competitions, so he grew old without being able to compete against divers from overseas. How would you feel if that was you?”

“Well, I guess frustrated, but…”

“Okay. Watching Okitsu Shibuki, Okitsu Shiraha seemed to have hated diving. Okitsu’s diving is certainly incredible, the scale is huge and daring, it’s rough, but his power makes up for it. But, I can’t help but feel that power seems to have come from something like hatred and anger. It’s the anger of a diver who had talent but died without ever being rewarded for it.”

“But…the reason he was not rewarded was because of the war, so you can’t really blame diving for that.”

“It’s not that simple. Okitsu Shiraha only had some half-baked talent, and ended up having to sacrifice everything for diving. He had to endure many things, dedicate himself to diving, and what’s the result? Diving gave him nothing at all. The only thing diving did was to steal everything away from him.”

“Aren’t…”

Aren’t you reading too much into it, Tomoki wanted to say, but he hesitated, since it seemed like Youichi’s words were directed at himself. He might have also been living at the expense of everything just because of a half-baked talent.

Friends. Studies. Girlfriend. Having fun. The caramel on pudding. Even for the not-very-talented Tomoki, the amount of sacrifices he had to make were not insignificant.

“Of course, sometimes I think that I don’t want to do diving. And when I’m in a really bad mood, I really regret it, but…”

Tomoki trailed off. He thought back to when he first met Youichi six years ago, and the mysterious words that he had told him bluntly. You’ll regret it.

You’ll regret it, and become stronger.

Every time he failed at trying a new event, Tomoki remembered those words.

Looking at the unexpectedly silent Tomoki, Youichi grinned and raised an eyebrow.

“It seems like you’re struggling with the 3½.”

He was as perceptive as ever.

“Don’t give up. And don’t forget, it isn’t just Asaki Kayoko who’s expecting something from you, you know.”

“Eh?”

“My dad was saying that Okitsu Shibuki’s diving is certainly incredible, but as a diver, he has a fatal flaw. On the contrary, Tomo has the strongest weapon.”

“Weapon?”

“Asaki Kayoko noticed it. That’s why she had her eye on you.”

Tomoki took in a deep breath and looked down at his hands. Of course, there was no weapon hidden in his hands clasped on the table. Compared to Youichi, his body was embarrassingly scrawny and unreliable, so why on earth would it have any kind of power?

“Most of what my dad says is like gas from a senile fossil, but I think there’s some truth to it with regards to you. It’s probably that there’s something in you. I don’t what it is yet, but when I watch you dive, I get drawn in by something. I’ve been drawn in for a long time, which is why I’ve been watching you.”

“Watching me?”

“Don’t get careless. I’m looking out for you like this, but maybe I’ll trip you up one day as a consequence of that.”

With a straight face, Youichi left words that were neither joking nor serious, and stood up to leave the dumfounded Tomoki.

Towards that beautiful profile and body which were headed for the cash register with a sales slip in hand, the women in the shop glanced at him repeatedly with rosy gazes.

Okitsu Shibuki had a fatal flaw as a diver.

Conversely, Tomoki had the strongest weapon as a diver.

The words that Coach Fujitani had told Youichi didn’t leave Tomoki’s head for a long time afterwards.

What is the strongest weapon?

Why on earth would he say that when I can’t even do the 3½?

There was Youichi, who was the model of a precise and beautiful performance, and there was Shibuki, who had an unconventional personality in a powerful performance.

Tomoki wanted to know what he had.

He didn’t want to just aim for succeeding at a technique. He wanted to be like Youichi and Shibuki, and grasp the kind of diving that only he himself could do. This was the first time that he had ever thought this.

Translation Notes

1. Spotting equipment: you can see some examples of it here.

2. Entry saves are a technique that helps the diver look like they’re entering the water vertically for a rip entry, since it’s impossible to make the body perfectly vertical. Read about it here.

3. Sublimation is that phase change where solid turns to gas. Not sure what that was doing in this sentence

4. Remember when I mentioned in Chapter 4 that the Okitsu family have sea-themed names? Here’s more: Shiraha (白波) means “white wave” and Hiromi (大海) means “great sea”.

Next time on DIVE!!: My favorite chapter!!

[chrisernstblog-blog]

Week 12

Week 12

                This week’s reading is over Performance and the many ways performance can be used to convey as art.  As I sit down to do this Blog and read the articles assigned, I can’t help but to think of how I feel about performance art now and how I may feel when this assignment is over.  Not knowing a lot about art let alone performance art. I would have to say performance art is expressing art though the use of your body.  After reading the story of Bree Newsome’s story of climbing the flag pole to remove the confederate flag I can now see how some of these, what I will call stunts are linked back to performance art.

                After watching the art21 video of Janine Antoni in “Loss & Desire” I was kind of taken back again.  Her first project was the rope made of items from family and friends.  At this point I do not see any relationship with performance art.  I think it falls more under 3D or sculpture art.  Then she has this thing for cows.  I get that we drink milk and all but to lay naked in a water tank to take a picture of a cow that looks like it is nursing from her?!?!?!  I think people could almost go to jail for this and is not only the last thing from art but is sick and wrong.  I mean if I hang out naked with animals I’m sure people would call the cops.  Her next piece is with the human on all fours and covered in cow hide to me is almost as strange.  By know I’m sure you can tell I’m pretty conservative and don’t care for much of the out of norm types of things. 

Once again with her chocolate face and soap face, I think this is not art but something wrong with her.  Wanting to do this is not art to me and wanting to make your body chocolate to lick yourself is beyond me.  The good thing is that I know it is not just me because I made my wife watch this also.

On a positive note I did like her rope walking and what she did with the horizon in the background.  I feel that this is good art that everyone can relate to and enjoy.  When reading about the different styles and concepts including action, body art, happenings, endurance and ritual I can see where some of this actions come from and are testing the trueness of the art in my mind.  I can also understand that they are reaching out to different audiences and pushing the limits but some things I feel should not be done.

Adrian Piper is the artist I picked this week to review.  She was born in 1948 and received her doctorate in 1981.  One her projects was to put on a mustache, an afro wig and wire glasses.  She then dressed and went down town acting like a man.  Living in the moment was one of her key terms I read about while she worked at bringing social and political issues to center stage.

[junker-town]

4 reasons why the Genesis Open should be the best PGA Tour event in years

Tiger Woods makes his first visit in 12 years to the historic Los Angeles PGA Tour event. But there’s much more to go all in on at Riviera this week.

The 2018 Masters is still 50 days away but that’s just fine because the first major championship of the men’s season begins this week.

We’re having a bit of cheeky fun, but the Genesis Open in Los Angeles is set up to be one of the most exciting PGA Tour events in years. From a hype standpoint, it has to the best on the “regular season” schedule this year. The shots still need to be hit and the stars still need to align — it could turn into a runaway bore with some name the wider sports world has never heard of winning. That happens in golf. We’re not arguing this has the stakes or importance or intensity of a major. But sitting here at the start of the week, it’s hard not to be fired up for this tournament in a way that almost approximates that of a major week.

The PGA Tour doesn’t actually run any of those major championships (if you’re a close, or even semi-close follower of golf, you know this). This is not an intuitive thing a casual sports fan would really think about often. But the majors, the events that rate the highest and are the most coveted, are actually run by four different ruling bodies. They reap all the benefits of owning and operating them, while the Tour labors week to week on events that might not get as much run (but still make plenty of cash).

Tthe PGA Tour gets its fair share of loaded weeks between The Players, the WGCs, and the FedExCup Playoffs. But after that, it can be hit-or-miss on a schedule with 49 (sure seems like a lot!) official events. You’ve got tourneys that succeed because of the market. You’ve got some that succeed because of the course. Others elbow out their competitors because of the date they fall on the calendar.

But rarely does it come together so beautifully like it has this week. Mike Antolini, the tournament director this week, knows they’ve struck gold. “When you have Riviera, you have the west coast swing, and you have the history, and you have LA and you have California in February, the stars really align.” Antolini is the VP of Championships for Tiger Woods’ foundation and his TGR Live events business, which runs and operates multiple tournaments both on and off the PGA Tour. Some of those tourneys may have to hustle and grind for a field or a venue. This is not one of those tourneys but even by Riv standards, 2018 is exceptional.

Photo by Paul Mounce/Corbis via Getty Images

The first tee at Riv, with the fans crowding on every balcony and terrace around the elevated box, is as good as it gets.

I am here being my usual cynical self wanting to find a weakness or a reason to be critical!. The stakes are lower and the majors are still off in the distance. But I also think in a way that’s what amplifies the hype — it’s mid February, the Masters is 50 days away, and the anticipation for a golf event just should not be this high. It’s come together this week, however, and here are a few reasons why.

1. Tiger

For almost two decades now, the easiest way to categorize PGA Tour events is by the very manichean designation of a “Tiger tourney” and “non-Tiger tourney.” The ones Tiger patronized were immediately elevated in stature. The fields became stronger. The cash flowed. The ratings soared. And Tiger often won.

Tiger’s schedule became mostly predictable and it created two classes over the years. You knew he’d be at Torrey Pines, Doral, Bay Hill, Memorial, Firestone etc. You knew where he wouldn’t be, too.

Riviera became one of those spots that was cast aside. Tiger has not played here since 2006. That hiatus hurt — this is arguably the best course on the schedule and it’s his “hometown event,” the place where he made his first PGA Tour start as a teen in 1992. Antolini said getting back here and serving as host “means a lot in his career legacy.”

A 16-year-old Tiger making his PGA Tour debut at Riviera in 1992.

Whether it was the date, an underwhelming track record, or a course layout and conditioning that Tiger just got uncomfortable with over the years, the Riv got dropped. But now Tiger is back after more than a decade away. His presence also deepens the field around him. Dustin Johnson, the world No. 1 and defending champ, described as only he can, how Tiger “definitely brings an aura to an event that makes it a little more special.”

Tiger is not just back at Riv, he’s back on Tour after another yearlong injury layoff. He’s made just one start so far and it resulted in a made cut and top 25 finish. The event this week could be at dirt patch against the weakest field of the year and the circumstances of this being just his second PGA Tour start in the comeback would turn the hype all the way up. But it’s not at a dirt patch, it’s at ...

2. Riviera

I am not a golf architecture expert and I certainly won’t try to fake it here. I leave that to Fried Egg Andy, Geoff Shackelford, and several other voices that are really impacting and hopefully molding the game in a positive way we may not fully appreciate right now.

But what I do know is that Riviera is a fun ass golf course. It’s fun to play if you suck. It’s fun to play if you’re good. And it’s fun to watch the absolute best take it on.

“We’re in a very fortunate position when we look at the field,” Antolini said. “Riviera is such a beloved course with the world’s best players. I mean, they love it.”

The interesting holes come one after another from a viewing perspective. There’s the coolest opening tee box view on Tour. There’s a beast of a redan par-3. There’s a donut green with a bunker in the middle of it.

Photo by Chris Condon/PGA TOUR

Rory McIlroy hits out sideways from the famous bunker in the middle of the 6th green.

There’s a short drivable par-4 with a crazy green the size of a fingernail. It’s arguably one of the four or five best par-4s in the world. There’s an awesome 18th hole amphitheater as the course marches out of a canyon and back up to the clubhouse perched above it all. The crowd there gets wild.

Even if you know nothing about architecture, you can still see the intrigue and excitement in these holes.

On the PGA Tour, we rarely get to see golden age designs with bones like this George Thomas classic. It’s got the history that most of other regular PGA Tour stops wish they had. It’s hosted majors and NCAA championships and the most prestigious amateur titles. It’s as good as it gets on the PGA Tour schedule.

3. Los Angeles

Los Angeles should be one of the most important markets in professional golf. But we just don’t come here often enough. There’s this annual stop early in the first quarter of the season, when the rest of the country is frozen, and that’s it. The two US rotating major championships have skipped out on LA, too. Riviera hosted the 1948 U.S. Open and the 1983 and 1995 PGA Championships. That’s it. The drought will come to an end in 2023, when Los Angeles Country Club opens its gates for what should be a delectable U.S. Open.

With this being the one chance LA has for men’s pro golf, every year the gallery has a little extra juice. “Outside the ropes, a lot of celebrities come and watch,” said Antolini. This week, the event overlaps with NBA All-Star weekend. It’s not going to compete with that, but it certainly adds to the circus in a town that’s already a circus. Expect to see a few of those famous NBA faces join the crowds at Riv.

This may be superfluous stuff that the golf diehards don’t care about, but anything that can add to the entertainment value and hype is a welcome addition for one week a year. It’s LA. Tiger is in town. And so are the most famous pro athletes in the country. Whatever the PGA Tour can draft off of to make this more of a show is good.

4. The Field

The field is always the ultimate draw for an event. We can talk about markets and architecture and history, but it’s the field that matters most. This is about as good a field as you could ask for in a non-major or non-WGC event. It’s got everything — the young stars, veterans, the top Americans, a distinctly beefed-up Euro and international crowd. Some names just so the point is driven home:

Tiger

Phil Mickelson

Dustin Johnson

Jordan Spieth

Rory McIlroy

Justin Thomas

Antolini hailed the LA destination as a draw for International and Euro stars to use as a starting point for stateside play and perhaps a drive toward a PGA Tour card. A crop of elite Euros that you may come to hate at the Ryder Cup in September are here:

Tommy Fleetwood

Thomas Pieters

Rafa Cabrea-Bello

Alex Noren

Martin Kaymer

This is still a small sampling of how loaded it is. Adam Scott is beginning his PGA Tour season here. Haotong Li, the first real phenom from China and one of the most important players in the game, was given an exemption just a day after he beat Rory to win in Dubai. There are up-and-coming Americans like Patrick Cantlay and reigning rookie of the year Xander Schauffele, Daniel Berger, Kevin Kisner, Matt Kuchar, and on and on.

There are the headliners for casual fans and people who usually don’t care about golf. There are the hipster talents that the diehards crave. There is something for everyone. US Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk got an exemption and will start his year here, and it’s conceivable that 10 (or if you want to get crazy, maybe even 11) of his team members are in the field this week.

I am not some grizzled veteran golf writer, but I have been doing this for several years and it takes a lot to get me this hyped for a regular PGA Tour stop. It can go sideways and we may get little-to-no drama on the actual course. But starting out the week, we have the perfect confluence of venue, field, and Tiger that should make this Genesis Open one of the best PGA Tour events in years.

[wikitopx]

The best things to do in Salt Lake City, Utah go beyond the city's ties to the peculiarities of Mormon culture and the state's recently revamped liquor laws ("private club memberships" are no longer required when entering bars).

With an average of more than 220 days of sunshine each year, ski resorts and high-end hotels, renowned restaurants and hidden speakeasies, salt flats and double-feature drive-ins, Salt Lake City is a destination you should certainly add to your travel bucket list.

At the top of our list? The Utah Olympic Park, which was built back in 2002 for the Winter Olympic games and is now the site of year-round sports activities. If staying indoors is more your vibe, you'll want to make sure to be in town on the third Friday of every month, when the city's galleries stay open late for public perusal. Still not convinced? Browse through our entire selection of must-try activities below.

1.

Utah Olympic Park

Built for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, the Utah Olympic Park operates year-round and offers a multitude of summer and winter activities, such as bobsledding, luge, ski jumping, extreme tubing, ropes courses, rock climbing and ziplining. You can even have a go at aerial ski training in the splash pool if you dare! Don’t miss a chance to take a ride on the Comet Bobsled; for $67 you can zoom down the track at more than 70mph and experience at least three G’s of gravity.

2. Redwood Drive-In Movie Theatre

Drive-in movie theaters were all the rage in the 1950s, but have been steadily dwindling during the age of Netflix. Only 15 states still have drive-in movie theaters and, fortunately, Utah is one of them. The Redwood Drive-In Theatre has been showing double features since 1948 and enjoys a strong fan base. At just $9 per person, two movies for the price of less than one at a regular movie theater is a smokin’ deal. Get there early to pick the best parking space and grab your popcorn. It doesn’t get better than watching a movie under the stars on a warm summer night.

3. Redwood Drive-In Movie Theatre

Drive-in movie theaters were all the rage in the 1950s, but have been steadily dwindling during the age of Netflix. Only 15 states still have drive-in movie theaters and, fortunately, Utah is one of them. The Redwood Drive-In Theatre has been showing double features since 1948 and enjoys a strong fan base. At just $9 per person, two movies for the price of less than one at a regular movie theater is a smokin’ deal. Get there early to pick the best parking space and grab your popcorn. It doesn’t get better than watching a movie under the stars on a warm summer night.

4. Family History Library

The family history library is a research facility (open to the public, free of charge) that has the largest on-site collection of genealogical data in the world. It has been in operation since 1894 and is run by FamilySearch, the LDS (Mormon) Church—no need to be a member of the church to use their genealogical resources, though, as the Family History Library is open to everyone. Using microfilms, microfiche, books, serials, periodicals and electronic resources such as genealogical websites, the library helps patrons discover their families histories.

5. Great Salt Lake Marina

The Great Salt Lake is a remnant of the massive ancient Lake Bonneville and is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere. It’s just slightly less salty than the Dead Sea! Kayaking, paddle boarding, pedal boating and sailing are great ways to experience the spectacular sunsets on the lake. You can rent pedal boats and book dinner cruises with Gonzo Boat Rentals at the Great Salt Lake Marina. On your way to or from the marina, stop for photos at Saltair; the historic building from 1893 hit its peak favor in the 1920s as a beach resort but now operates as a concert venue.

6. Bonneville Salt Flats

The Bonneville Salt Flats offers one of the most unique landscapes in the world; it’s no wonder so many movies and car commercials are filmed there. The Salt Flats consist of hard, white salt crust as far as the eye can see—almost one hundred cubic yards of it. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, it was designated as an area of Critical Environmental Concern in the mid-‘80s for its unique geology. It’s one of only a handful of salt pans in the world and the only one in the United States.

7. Timpanogos Cave Tour

Timpanogos Cave is a National Monument located in American Fork Canyon that has colorful caverns and all of the helictites, stalactites, stalagmites and anthodites you can handle. The Hansen, Middle and Timpanogos caverns make up the cave system that is accessed by a strenuous 1.5-mile paved trail with an elevation gain of 1,100 feet. On your ranger-guided tour, you’ll learn the science behind the formations as you make your way through the natural passageways of these delicate underground formations.

8. Bicycle tours

Pedal your way around town while learning about the history of SLC by bike with an expert local guide who will give you all of the ins and outs during your ride. Four different loop tours are available for $44 to $64 per person and range from mild to medium in ability level, lasting one to three and a half hours. Cruiser bikes, helmets and light refreshments are included on all of the tours. You can also do a self-guided tour for $7 using Green Bike, Salt Lake’s non-profit bike share program.

9. Gallery Stroll

On the third Friday of every month, Salt Lake City’s local galleries open their doors late for the public to browse their art collections, listen to music and enjoy snacks and drinks for a few hours. Founded by the Salt Lake Gallery Association in 1983, the Gallery Stroll began as a small consortium of art galleries but has become a social gathering for Salt Lake City’s “in” crowd and tourists alike. Nearly 40 galleries participate in the monthly event, which is a self-guided tour (no tickets required). Gallery Guide Maps are available at participating galleries.

10. Grandeur Peak

For one of the best views of the Salt Lake Valley hike to the summit of Grandeur Peak. Start at the Church Fork Trailhead in Millcreek Canyon and hike just over three miles to the summit for a view of, well, grandeur. The 6.5-mile round trip trail starts steep and follows a small stream north into the forest and then climbs to a saddle via switchbacks, from the saddle it’s just a half mile to the 8,299 feet summit. The trail is easily marked and has an elevation gain of 2,650 feet. It features wildflowers and stunning views along the way.

See also: Top 10 things to do in Augusta Ga

From : https://wikitopx.com/travel/top-10-things-to-do-in-salt-lake-city-702616.html