[RH Photos] The Great Bull Run (7/12/2014)
Photos by Bryan Lamb
I ran with the bulls and survived. Well, to be more accurate, I jogged alongside the bulls, but that's neither here nor there. The Great Bull Run came to the Chicagoland area last weekend, and Ruby Hornet was there to experience what'll hopefully be the first of many bull run events here in Chicago. As detailed in-depth with COO Rob Dickens last week, The Great Bull Run is similar to The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain, where a handful of bulls are let loose in the town's streets as many brave and daring participants run from them as part of the larger San Fermin Festival.
The Great Bull Run, however, offers a safer experience than the one in Pamplona, both for runners and bulls alike. Unlike The Running of the Bulls, The Great Bull Run takes place in a controlled, cordoned-off race track with bull handlers and event staff on the track to ensure nobody gets hurt. Rather than run directly in front of the bulls, participants are advised to stick to the sides until the bulls pass them, at which point they can "run" beside them. The Great Bull Run released three waves of bulls during one race, allowing runners multiple opportunities to run with the animals. However, the biggest danger runners face aren't the bulls themselves, but fellow runners who may not have the spatial awareness of their surroundings and can knock others over, leading to trampling. Luckily, I didn't see this happen much, although I did catch a few people hit the deck.
Following the bull races was the Tomato Royale in which participants simply had a large tomato fight. Despite staff members urging participants to smash the tomatoes before tossing them, many full tomatoes were thrown, causing a few bumps and bruises. One person had to check in with the medical staff for what looked like a broken nose. I expected fun mayhem out of the Tomato Royale, but it just ended up being a muddy, messy affair. Outside of the tomato royale and bull runs, other fun activities were present on the Hawthorne Race Course grounds including mechanical bull rides and inflatable gladiator fights, providing entertainment outside of the event's main draws.
With plans to return to Chicago next year, The Great Bull Run could become a mid-summer staple for years to come. Check out some of the photos taken by Bryan Lamb below, and keep an eye out for some first-person videos from the event later this week!
[IG Weekly] TSA
Everybody is on their phone. Thousands of people everyday wear out their thumbs scrolling through photos, deciding which ones to post on Instagram. It’s so easy to do whether you’re a photographer or not; just point, shoot, choose a filter and post whatever you created. From funny duck face selfies, to breathtaking landscapes, to gritty city streets. Some use it as visual journal giving glimpses of their lives, while others have taken it to another level by creating works of art. All of us at Ruby Hornet are fans of the social media platform and decided to do a weekly series highlighting people whose Instagrams stand above the rest. Let us know in the comments section if you’d like to be featured, or let us know about some other cool Instagrams. Be sure to follow Ruby Hornet on Instagram, too.
The TSA gets a hard rep from casual flyers, but their job is justified, despite being completely blown out of proportion in the media. Sure, there are a few policies that will are confusing, but there are reasons behind them. For those that don't know, I used to work at O'Hare International Airport for close to four years before I began writing full-time for Ruby Hornet, and the stuff I've seen on a day-to-day basis with the TSA would shock you, both by theirs and passengers' actions. Nevertheless, the TSA's Instagram account has been popping up across the internet this week, and with good reason. They've begun uploading some of the prohibited items they've come across in passengers' carry-on bags, ranging from phone tasers to hidden comb knives and dead grenades. It's a change of pace from our typical IG Weekly features, but one that definitely warranted a spotlight. Check out some of the crazy items below, and be sure to follow TSA's Instagram for more illegal shenanigans.
[via @TSA]
[Interview] Rob Dickens, Chief Operating Officer of The Great Bull Run
Practically everybody knows about The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain. For those that don't, it's an annual event held in Spain during the week-long San Fermin festival in which organizers release bulls into packed streets, allowing people to "run" alongside of them. Of course, controversy surrounds the event with stories of participants getting injured and/or gored by the bulls' horns. Perhaps because of the inherent danger factoring into running alongside wild bulls, The Running of the Bulls is a popular event near the top of many's bucket list. Unfortunately, making accommodations to attend The Running of the Bulls is quite costly.
Thankfully, one group is replicating the awe behind The Running of the Bulls (as well as the Tomato Royale), bringing the experience across a nation-wide tour. The Great Bull Run has already visited seven U.S. cities to date and will be coming to the Chicagoland area this Saturday. Obviously, I couldn't let a chance like this go past, and I will be taking part in The Great Bull Run's festivities at the Hawthorne Race Course, both running alongside bulls and taking part in the Tomato Royale. To prepare for the run, I had a chance to speak to Rob Dickens, the Chief Operating Officer of The Great Bull Run about the event's history, their reasons why they're bringing the experience to the States, and the key differences between The Running of the Bulls and The Great Bull Run. Read on for our interview, and keep your eyes out for my first-hand experience at The Great Bull Run next week!
If you're interested in attending The Great Bull Run on July 12th, tickets are still available for the event. I hope to see you there!
[Photos courtesy of The Great Bull Run, LLC]
"Be Masculine" Explores What Defines Gay Male Masculinity (NSFW)
Photos by Erik Carter
It's the 21st century and a lot has changed in terms of understanding gender roles in today's society. Specifically, many are still learning such roles in the LGBTQ community, and it's beautiful to see more people accepting others for who they are as individuals. With this, New York photography Erik Carter has a project in the works titled, "Be Masculine", which explores what defines gay male masculinity. Through portraits and interviews, he's seeking to push boundaries to start a larger conversation about what masculinity means today.
In an exclusive interview with the Huffington Post, Carter elaborates on the current and future ambition for the project as a whole. And all in all, he wants to reveal that masculinity is not as simple as it's standard definition, and can actually be defined differently from individual perspectives.
The photos below are the first set of the ongoing project, and consists of men who live in New York City who identify as gay. Each intimate portrait shows diversity, and definitely broadens the narrow view of what many consider to be "masculine". Take a look and let us know what you think, also find more on Carter's Tumblr and Instagram.
[Via HuffingtonPost]
Photos of Powerful Social And Environmental Advertisements
In such an age of capitalism, we're surrounded by advertisements where ever we go, and it can be quite obnoxious. Walk through Times Square, for example, and you're bombarded by these types of ads, or take a ride on a train, or drive down any highway, and they are just unavoidable. Although most are intended to grab the attention of the consumer to buy a product, there are actually those few that we run into that are thought-provoking. A good, well-thought out advertisement is designed to grab your attention, to remain in your memory long after you’ve left it behind, which is exactly what many of these social causes need. Even if many of these types of ads are, in fact, commercial ads, it's nice to see that they sometimes try to touch on important topics in the world.
Some of the photos below are some of the most powerful social and environmental ads out today. Although we may often glide right past them on a daily basis, it's important to give a few of these a second look. Check them out and let us know which you think are the most powerful or creative, and definitely look out for more here.
[Via Demilked]
ESPN the Magazine's 2014 Body Issue Photos
ESPN the Magazine's annual "Body Issue" is set to hit newsstands this Friday. Featuring athletes of all sizes, the Body Issue celebrates athletes from all different sports and body types, ranging from super slender swimmers to super buff boxers. In fact, Texas Rangers' Prince Fielder is one of the six featured athletes on the cover, which attracted some notoriety considering Fielder's size. Nevertheless, this is further proof that ESPN the Magazine is willing to showcase a wide variety of body types. Other athletes featured on the cover include snowboarder Jamie Anderson, Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, Oklahoma City Thunders' Serge Ibaka, and tennis star Venus Williams. Also included in the "Bodies We Want" shoot are Team USA hockey player Hillary Knight, motocross rider Travis Pastrana, surfer Coco Ho, snowboarder Amy Purdy, boxer Bernard Hopkins, Atlanta Dream's Angel McCoughtry, and more.
You can check out some of the photos below, but be sure to check out the full collection of photos from the "Bodies We Want" shoot on ESPN.
[via ESPN]
International Biker Sean Watson Keeps an Eye on the Chi
Brakeless trial rider and co-manager of Mud, Sweat, and Gears, Sean Watson, is based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and demonstrates that taking alternative routes to pursue a passion can follow suit with a career of a similar vain. With his bike trips funded by his sponsor, Inspired Bikes, entertaining the idea of soon making his biking rounds throughout the city of Chicago does not remain too far out of the question.
Sean, 25, has been biking for the past 10 years, and has been sponsored by Inspired Bikes, the international Trials Bike & Street Mountain Bike Company located in the UK, since he was 18 years old. He rides professionally for Inspired Bikes, receiving the gig after posting a video of himself riding brakeless online in 2008 and getting contacted directly by Inspired shortly thereafter.
The trial rider has ridden throughout Canada, most of the US, Barcelona, and has completed a full circle of the UK. With the allowance granted by Inspired, he will be taking a trip to shoot out in the UK and France this September. Check out his journey throughout Barcelona below and stay tuned to see when in the near future the biker will be heading down to the Midwest and journey around the Chi.
[youtube id="SfV10sPfFmk"]
Photos from World War II's The Battle of the Bulge Found 70 Years Later
World War II historians, prepare to be astonished. 70 years after WWII's legendary Battle of the Bulge (when the Axis prompted an offensive attack on the Allies over the course of almost a month from December 1944 to January 1945), U.S. Navy Captain Mark Anderson and historian Jean Muller searched the location of The Battle of the Bulge near Luxembourg armed with metal detectors to find any remnants from the battle. What they discovered was better than anything they could have imagined.
Included with some personal possessions from Chicago native and 317th Infantry Regiment rifleman Louis J. Archambeau was a camera with a partially-exposed roll of film still inserted. The photos reveal some shots during the Regiments down-time in between harsh battles with German forces. Anderson and Muller took an extra step by teaming up with The Trouble Shooters to find a descendant of Archambeau's to bequeath the photos and other possessions, which have been made public recently.
While the photos are washed out (most likely due to their exposure over the past 70 years), they still share a clear look at life as a WWII soldier. With photography, the power and importance isn't always linked to the image quality and fidelity, but what the photos capture and express. Check out Archambeau's photos below, and be sure to visit The Trouble Shooters for the full story behind his life.
[The Trouble Shooters via PetaPixel]
