Old West

Aside April 11, 2021 Markozen.com History

The series of conflicts in the western United States between Indians, American settlers, and the United States Army are generally known as the Indian Wars. Many of these conflicts occurred during and after the Civil War until the closing of the frontier in about 1890. However, regions of the West that were settled before the Civil War saw significant conflicts prior to 1860, such as Texas, New Mexico, Utah, Oregon, California, and Washington state.

Arizona ranked highest, with 310 known battles fought within the state’s boundaries between Americans and Indians. Also, Arizona ranked highest of the states in deaths from the wars. At least 4,340 people were killed, including both the settlers and the Indians, over twice as many as occurred in Texas, the second highest-ranking state. Most of the deaths in Arizona were caused by the Apaches. 51 percent of the battles took place in Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico between 1850 and 1890, as well as 37 percent of the casualties in the country west of the Mississippi River.

Canadian Mounties. The Mounties were never involved in a battle with Indians.

Camping in the Woods

Aside April 10, 2021 Markozen.com Environment

Camping on the edge of the wilderness or right in the wilderness could be risky.

These may be the answer.

Looking at the size of that bear I don’t think these elevated tents would really make a difference. Pack bear spray.

The Loneliest Monk in Tibet Lives Alone in This Isolated Temple

Aside April 10, 2021 Markozen.com Geography

Located on top of a small mound, on a sliver of land stretching into the serene Yamdrok Lake is Rituo Temple, the home of just one solitary monk who spends his days chanting sutras and meditating.

Rituo, which means “the stone on the mountain” in Tibetan, is often referred to as Tibet’s loneliest temple. It has a history that goes back more than 700 years, but it’s considered one of the country’s hidden gems, as few tourists venture out to visit it. That’s because it’s located in the middle of nowhere, on a thin patch of land stretching into Yamdrok, one of the three holy lakes of Tibet. But the few people who did visit it, tell stories about the peace and quiet that most of us only dream of, and about the surreal experience of taking in the amazing natural scenery from atop the solitary rock mound.

The name of the temple, “the stone on the mountain”, was inspired by a centuries-old rock enshrined here, a relic that is said to have the power to cure all diseases.

Standing at the top of Rituo Temple, you can reportedly see Tibetan antelopes running freely and bar-headed geese swimming in the water, and as night falls, the sky full of stars is reflected on the lake, like a fairyland.

But perhaps the most amazing thing about Rituo Temple is the fact that it has just one inhabitant. His name is Ahwang Pincuo and he spends most of his days bringing water from down at the lake all the way to the temple, chanting sutras and meditating.

Ahwang is only the latest in a long line of solitary monks who have watched over Rituo Temple over the centuries, and when he dies, his place will be taken by someone else. You may be wondering what keeps a man from going crazy in a remote place like this, and in this case, it’s the power of his faith.

There is no denying the natural beauty of this Tibetan wonder, but because of its remoteness, it doesn’t get as many visitors as other, most accessible attractions.

Godzilla vs. Kong

Aside April 10, 2021 Markozen.com Movies

Giant Sand Dunes meet the Sea

Aside April 9, 2021 Markozen.com Geography

The Southern Namib desert is home to some of the tallest and most spectacular dunes of the world, ranging in color from pink to vivid orange. These dunes continue right to the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. The cold waters of the sea brushing against the dunes of the Namib desert is one of the most surreal sights.

While the sea coast extends for hundreds of miles, one of the best places to see these dunes is at Swakopmund. Known as Swakop in Namibia, it is the country’s biggest coastal town and a mecca for Namibians on holiday. The city’s German origins are quite pronounced in beautiful old German Colonial buildings throughout the city, making an even starker contrast for this town sitting at the edge of the Namib Desert.

Cool photos hot off the presses

Aside April 9, 2021April 9, 2021 Markozen.com Images

Unloading potatoes in Minnesota

Coiling Dragon Cliff Walk in China

Great view when taking a leak, location unknown.

Giant sinkhole in Fukuoka, Japan. Completely repaired in 2 weeks.

Sunset over a volcano

San Diego, the city with perpetual perfect weather.

New Zealand earthquake. Wire like rail tracks.

Great shot of Joe Biden. Most experts agree that Joe would have mopped the floor with Trump if he would have ran in 2016.

Whales feeding in Alaska. New underwear for those fisherman.

Angolan President’s palace juxtaposed beside the slums that he rules.

The Big Apple at night.

ISIS suicide “Frankentruck” speeding towards Kurdish lines. These thing are packed with over a thousand pounds of explosives and plated with steel sheeting to protect the driver and engine. Packs a hell of a punch. The key is to hit it with a missile before it gets too close.

Photos held back by the media. They don’t seem to hate each other after all.

Tourists checking out Yosemite in the late 1880’s.

Monstrous monitor lizard invades grocery store in Thailand

Aside April 8, 2021 Markozen.com Animals, Bizarre

A jaw-dropping video out of Thailand shows an enormous monitor lizard invading a grocery store and terrifying onlookers. The wild incident reportedly occurred on Monday afternoon at a 7-Eleven in the city of Nakhon Pathom. Much to the horror of shoppers and employees at the store, the six-foot-long lizard decided to venture out from its home in a nearby canal and do a little ‘shopping’ of its own. In the stunning video which was filmed by a bewildered witness, the creature can be seen scratching at a refrigerator unit containing drinks and then clambering up a tall shelf, knocking products to the floor and eliciting screams from the people watching the strange scene unfold before their eyes.
An employee of the store, who was hiding behind a counter alongside the frightened customers, eventually phoned the police, who dispatched an animal control team to wrangle the sizeable reptile. After what one assumes was something of a struggle, the fearsome creature was dragged from the shop and released back into the wild. Remarkably, a survey of the scene afterwards determined that the animal did not wind up getting any food, so its invasion was apparently all for naught. It is believed that the monitor lizard was compelled to search for sustenance in the 7-Eleven due to an inordinately long drought in the country which has left its native wildlife rather hungry.