ALCATRAZ ISLAND - CALIFORNIA
ALCATRAZ ISLAND (Sp., pelican), in the bay between San Francisco and Sausalito, is one of the world’s most feared and widely publicized penal institutions, the Federal prison for incorrigibles (visitors by warden’s permission only). Alcatraz, known colloquially as “The Rock,” a 12-acre island, was fortified by the Spanish prior to American occupation. From 1859 it was used as a military prison and a United States Army disciplinary barracks; during and after the World War many conscientious objectors were removed here from Fort Leavenworth. Alcatraz was made a Federal penitentiary in 1933, to house unruly prisoners form other Federal institutions. The rigid discipline, its elaborate barriers to prevent escape, including the “electric eye” to detect the presence of metal on a prisoner, and the names of its notorious inmates have combined to make thousands of newspaper headlines. Swift currents flowing around “The Rock” make escape by water practically impossible. Two prisoners made the attempt in 1938, but their ultimate success or failure is unknown.
—California, A Guide To the Golden State (WPA, 1939)
Before visiting Alcatraz I was worried the island would be some kind of weird Disney type of tourist trap. Such a famous landmark with so much history can often be sucked dry of the uniqueness and truth of the place. I was surprised to find that Alcratraz, although a bit touristy in certain aspects, was pretty damn authentic. It had creepily empty corners and areas everywhere I looked, and I wasn’t left feeling like I had been robbed of the authenticity of the place. Every shadow dripped with history and the past and my mind couldn’t help but creating story lines for every shot I took. Disney it is not.
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EE Berger is a photographer Detroit bred and Brooklyn based. She seeks out emptiness, solitude and peaceful moments and was recently selected as one of Photoboite’s “30 Women Photographers Under 30” for 2013. You can find her on Tumblr at eeberger.tumblr.com, and find her website at eebergerphoto.com.
Been there
Obit of the Day: Ray Manzarek, Founding Member of The Doors
Ray Manzarek, one of the original members of The Doors, has died at the age of 74. He is considered one of the greatest keyboard players in rock and roll history.
A native of Chicago, Manzarek met Jim Morrison while attending film school at UCLA in 1965. Manzarek and Morrison would recruit drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger from another local band. But it was Morrison’s voice and Manzarek’s skill on the keys that would create the band’s signature sound.
They signed their first contract with Elektra Records in 1966 and released their self-titled album in 1967 which featured their first number one hit, “Light My Fire.”
The group would release seven top ten albums with Morrison as lead vocalist until his untimely death in 1971 at the age of 27. The remaining members of the group tried to stay together and recorded two more albums Other Voices (1971) and Full Circle (1972) with Manzarek on vocals. Sales were poor with neither album breaking the top 25 in the United States.
Manzarek would take a few years off before getting back into music forming Nite City in 1977 with Blondie bassist Nigel Harrison. They would produce two albums.
Since 2001 Manzarek and Krieger have toured as Manzarek-Krieger, Ray and Bobby, The Doors of the 21st Century, and The Riders of the Storm playing Doors hits. They have not recorded any albums. (John Densmore turned his attention to dance and has not performed with his former bandmates.)
Ray Manzarek, who also served as producer on the seminal punk album Los Angeles by X, died on May 20, 2013.
Sources: AllMusic.com, www.rayandrobby.com, and Wikipedia
(“People Are Strange” - an OOTD favorite because of The Lost Boys - and Strange Days are copyright of Elektra Entertainment, 2006.)
Awwww FUCK!
The Official Blog of MadSweat: Fitness Fuel Good Eats For Fitness Peeps
Margarita Shrimp Salad
Blend the flavor of a margarita - tequila, orange and lime - then toss in diced avocado, fresh shrimp and sliced red onion, spiked with a creamy, spicy sour cream dressing.
Makes: 4 servings, about 2 cups each
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30…
Looks good
“Physically, I’m not tough. I may think tough. I would say I’m kinda tough and calloused inside. I could use a foot more in height and fifty more pounds and fifteen years off my age and then God help all you bastards.” - Humphrey Bogart
Love it
Interesting
Yup
May 14, 1804: The Louis and Clark Expedition Sets Out to Explore the Louisiana Territory
On this day in 1804, the Corps of Discovery (more commonly known as the Louis and Clark Expedition) left Camp Dubois near St. Louis, Missouri to explore the Louisiana Territory.
For $15 million, President Jefferson’s 1803 purchase of the territory had more than doubled the size of United States: 820,000 square miles for 3 cents an acre. Jefferson chose his personal secretary Meriwether Lewis to serve as commander of the expedition. Soon after, Lewis invited his former army comrade William Clark to share command. Nearly four dozen men comprised the original group.
Trace the Lewis and Clarke Expedition with Ken Burns’s timeline of the trip.
Top Image: Painting of Lewis and Clark on the Lower Columbia by Charles Marion Russell (1905). Middle Image: A Map of Lewis and Clark’s Track Across the Western Portion of North America from Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean”, by Samuel Lewis (1814). Bottom Image: Lewis and Clark Expedition, 200th Anniversary issue postage stamp (2004).
The ultimate camping trip
