Month: June 2021

The Avalanche Protection Wall of Flateyri

Aside Markosun Geography

Flateyri is a small fishing village located on a narrow strip of land at the edge of the sea in the picturesque Westfjords, in northwest Iceland. The village of only 300 has been a trading post since 1792 and saw its heyday in the 19th century when it became a major whaling center and base for shark-hunting. The fishing industry has always been vital for the villages in the Westfjords, and Flateyri had successfully married this tradition with tourism making the village a very popular destination for foreign sea anglers.

Like so many Icelandic villages, Flateyri is located on the seaside at the base of a steep, treeless mountain called Skollahvilft. The mountain is but steeper than usual and remains covered with snow for much of the year making it susceptible to avalanches. However, no major incident had occurred until one October morning in 1995.

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It was 4 am on the 27th, and the residents of Flateyri were sleeping. Suddenly, they were awakened by a deafening roar as ice, rocks, and snow came crashing down the mountain. Seventeen homes, only one of which was thought to lie in the avalanche danger zone, were buried under snow and rocks. Local residents immediately attempted a rescue effort, but the snow had erased all landmarks and they had trouble locating where the houses were. The darkness made matters worse. Twenty people were killed that day. It took search parties two long and grueling days to locate all the bodies.

The disaster was the second deadly avalanche in the same region in ten months. In January, the people in the fishing village of Suðavík suffered a devastating avalanche where sixteen residents lost their lives. After that incident, people living in avalanche-prone areas became more prepared and cautious. As winter began the following October, high winds in the West Fjords prompted evacuations across the region. Hundreds of electric poles were snapped by the winds like twigs. Several avalanches occurred the day before the disaster at various places. In Langidalur, a herd of 18 horses were killed, while another slide destroyed a storage building in Sugandafjor.

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Two deadly avalanches struck the Westfjords in 1995. One hit the town of Súðavík in January, killing 14, the other struck Flateyri in October, killing 20. Photo/GVA

In 1998, a special A-shaped earthen dam was built up the mountain to protect Flateyri from future avalanches. The structure consist of two deflecting dams that form a wedge or A-shaped structure in the mountain side. There is a small catching dam that extends between the two deflecting dams in the lowermost part. The walls are 600 meters long and 15-20 meters tall, while the catching dam is 10 meters high and 350 meters long.

Only a year after the dam was completed, in February of 1999, a large avalanche from the mountain came crashing down into the eastern side of the dam and went into the sea. The village was saved. The next winter, in March, another huge avalanche from the mountain slammed into the western wall and the village was protected again. Other smaller avalanches have occurred regularly, and each time the protection wall has deflected the snow safely away from the village.

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A memorial to those who lost their lives.

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Three Little Pigs

Aside Markosun Music
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Little Boy Blue come and blow your horn
Sheep’s in the meadow, and the cow’s in the corn.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Say they love the way you play that thing.

The king’s slave is a busy man,
But he loves the sound of your rock ‘n’ roll band.
The sheeps get a rhythm, and the cows get the tune.
Ain’t nobody out, “Go, Little Blue!”

Three Little Pigs were going to the hop,
But the Big Bad Wolf wouldn’t let them stop.
Little Boy Blue played a crazy beat,
And knocked the Big Bad Wolf off his feet.

[Instrumental Interlude]

Little Boy Blue played a crazy sound.
The whole castle come a-rocking down.
Wise men, old men, Cinderella, too.
They all got together in the Ballroom ado.

Three Little Pigs were going to the hop,
But the Big Bad Wolf wouldn’t let them stop.
Little Boy Blue played a crazy beat,
And knocked the Big Bad Wolf off his feet.

Little Boy Blue made the whole town dance,
The swingin’est shepherd in all the land.
The Queen calls down, “Award him with a kiss.”
“Ah, your highness, ain’t nothing to this.”

Three Little Pigs were going to the hop,
But the Big Bad Wolf wouldn’t let them stop.
Little Boy Blue played a crazy beat,
And knocked the Big Bad Wolf off his feet.

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Shark Week 2021!

Aside Markosun Animals, Television
chuck sharkz

Shark Week is an annual, week-long TV programming block created by Tom Golden at the Discovery Channel, which features shark-based programming. Shark Week originally premiered on July 17, 1988. Featured annually, in July and/or early August, it was originally devoted to conservation efforts and correcting misconceptions about sharks. Over time, it grew in popularity and became a hit on the Discovery Channel. Since 2010, it has been the longest-running cable television programming event in history.

Let the fun begin!

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Vacuum Cleaner Crazy Kid

Aside Markosun Offbeat

Kyle Krichbaum, a 15-year-old boy from Adrian, Michigan, has been fascinated by vacuum cleaners since before he could talk. His passion stuck with him through adolescence, and he’s now known as the world’s youngest vacuum cleaner collector, with a collection of around 200 vintage devices.

Most teenagers don’t have that strong of a relationship with vacuum cleaners, or any other cleaning gadgets, for that matter, but Kyle Krichbaum doesn’t like anything more than using, fixing and collecting all kinds of vacuum cleaners. His mother, MaryLynn, remembers that when Kyle was only a baby in his little baby seat and she would start vacuuming the house, he would be mesmerized by it and follow her everywhere around the house. “Vacuum Boy” got his first vacuum cleaner at age 1, and when he was 2-years-old he dressed up hot Halloween as a Dirt Devil…

One of his former teachers remembers Kyle Krichbaum was vacuuming around school, during recess, when he was just 6 years old. It’s not that he didn’t like recess as much as the other kids, vacuuming was just his favorite pass-time. He would vacuum one side of a classroom one day, and finish the other side the next, and has even vacuumed the principal’s office.

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Now, at just 15 years of age, Kyle is a Member of the Vacuum Cleaner Collectors Club and has one of the largest and most valuable collections in the world. He has all kinds of vintage Hoovers, Electrolux’s, Kenmores and Kirby’s and the most valuable item is a functioning Hoover 0, from 1908, worth over $10,000. The kid stores his vacuums all around the house and uses many of them to actually clean carpets and floors. Kyle Krichbaum’s father says he normally vacuums a couple of times a day, and even four times, during the summer. As much as they like that he keeps the house squeaky clean, his parents say they’re going to have a big vacuum cleaner sale, when he goes off to college.

Nude Sunbathers Running From Deer Fined $760 For Violating Sydney Lockdown

Aside Markosun Offbeat

Two nude sunbathers who apparently fled from a wild animal have each been fined $760 for violating Sydney’s latest round of COVID-19 related lockdowns.

Officers in a police helicopter initially spotted the two men sunbathing on a beach in Royal National Park south of Sydney, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller announced during a news briefing Monday (June 28) via CNN.

Fuller confirmed the two men were “startled” by a deer and ran through several areas.

“Unbelievably, we saw two men sunbaking naked on a beach on the South Coast. They were startled by a deer, ran into the national forest, national park, and got lost,” Fuller said. “Not only did they require assistance from SES (State Emergency Service) and police to rescue them, they also both received a ticket.”

Fuller mentioned the incident while discussing a larger status update regarding the local lockdowns in New South Wales. The restrictions were enacted amid a small outbreak of COVID-19 cases, which traced back to Sydney’s Bondi neighborhood in which residents were confirmed to have the Delta variant initially identified in India.

The Greater Sydney area — Australia’s biggest city — is currently under stay-at-home orders, as are the South Coast and Blue Mountains recreation spots.

“As the health minister said yesterday, it’s difficult to legislate against idiots,” Fuller said when asked to provide details on the two sunbathers. “But clearly putting people at risk by leaving home without a proper reason, and I think then not only on top of that, but then getting lost in the national park and diverting important resources away from the health operation, I think they should be embarrassed.”

“I can assure you, if you breach the health orders or the guidelines, you will be punished,” Fuller added.

Fuller confirmed local police had issued 44 fines in relation to lockdowns during the June 26-27 weekend, though most were in relation to a lack of mask wearing.

The Greater Sydney area will be under stay-at-home orders until at least July 9.

‘Prime Creator of Earth’ Interrupts Coronavirus Press Conference in Australia

Aside Markosun Bizarre

This pandemic is making many people go completely nuts.

A press conference detailing renewed Covid-related travel restrictions in Australia took a bizarre turn when a man proclaiming himself to be the “prime creator of this Earth” interrupted the proceedings. The very strange incident reportedly unfolded on Sunday as the police commissioner for the state of New South Wales, Mick Fuller, was addressing the media about a recently enacted two-week lockdown to try and thwart the spread of the worrisome and highly contagious Delta coronavirus variant which has recently cropped up in considerable numbers in Australia. The otherwise formal affair became chaotic when a bearded man made his way through the crowd of reporters with a rather weird line of inquiry and an even odder declaration.

“Did you receive my notice of cease and desist,” the interloper asked Fuller, who informed him that it was not his turn to ask a question. The man, later identified as Sean Alun-David Thomas, was undeterred by the official’s dismissal and, instead, attempted to hand him a copy of the document to which he was referring. In turn, Fuller was understandably uneasy about the eccentric-looking individual forcing his way towards him and declared “don’t come near me.” It was at that point that Thomas revealed his ‘true identity,’ telling the police commissioner that “I captured everything. I am the prime creator of this Earth.”

Despite possibly being in the presence of a divine being, a police officer on the scene stayed true to his duty and escorted Thomas away from the press conference. As the cop tried to explain that he had to exit the area, the self-described prime creator shouted “I am God! All of these lies, deceits, and deceptions that are being perpetrated on all of the system and all of the public, you are all protected and will be saved under my laws.” Thomas was later fined $1,000 for violating Australia’s lockdown regulations, though one assumes that is mere pocket change if he truly is the prime creator of Earth.

As for the cease and desist order that he had attempted to issue to Fuller, Thomas shared a copy of the document with members of the media who were at the press conference and, as one might have guessed, the document was quite peculiar. In it, the man reasserts the claim that he is the “prime creator of all existence” and demands an end to all restrictions created due to the coronavirus. Thomas goes on to assert that the Covid vaccine is “RNA altering” and will damage the genetics of all species. This seemingly unforeseen development, he cautions, will ultimately lead to the near extinction of not only humans, but also the “Draco, reptilian” race by the year 2800.