Pictures from space and best drone photos

Aside July 15, 2021 Markozen.com Geography

Mountain High

An astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS) snapped a picture of the United State’s Cascade and Rocky Mountains, as well as Canada’s Coast Mountains. An ISS solar array can be seen in the upper center part of the frame.

Cloudy Tail

A massive cloud of hydrogen streams from a Neptune-sized exoplanet due to the extreme radiation given off by the planet’s star. Researchers have never seen this occur around such a small planet dubbed – GJ 436b – before.

Auroras

Crew members on the International Space Station got a front seat view of this week’s auroras and captured this image.

Up, Up, and Away

A Soyuz rocket shoots into space from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on July 23. Three crewmembers bound for the International Space Station for a five month mission on board.

Sunlit

This is the first picture of Earth’s entire sunny side that NASA has released since the famous “Blue Marble” image in 1972. Images published in the interim have been stitched together from multiple pictures taken at different times.

Smoky

Satellites captured smoke from Canadian and Alaskan wildfires drifting over the Greenland Sea. Alaska has had its worst fire season ever, with millions of acres burned as of July 7. Over three million acres have burned in Canada as of July 15.

Solar Marble

Our sun glows in x-ray and ultraviolet light. High-energy x-rays are shown in blue, low-energy x-rays are green, and extreme ultraviolet light shines in yellow and green. Active regions flare up in bursts of white.

Drone photos

Snorkeling With Sharks

Snorkelers swim with sharks near Moorea Island in French Polynesia.

Lost Island

Tourists wait for a sunset in French Polynesia, a group of islands in the South Pacific.

Glorieto Rodolfo Sanchez Taboada

A cliff diver jumps into the ocean in Mazatlan, Mexico.

Above the Mist

The Cathedral of Maringa pokes through heavy fog in Parana, Brazil.

Mont-Saint-Michel

Mont-Saint-Michel is an island commune off the coast of Normandy, France.

The Art of the Temple

Aside July 15, 2021 Markozen.com Art, Buildings

The 1,444 Carved Pillars of Ranakpur Jain Temple No Two of Which Are Alike

Ranakpur is a village located in the lush green valley of Aravalli mountain ranges in Pali district of Rajasthan, in western India. It is home to one of the biggest and most important Jain temple complexes of India, covering an area of nearly 48,000 square feet area, and has 29 halls, 80 domes and supported by 1444 marble pillars, each of them intricately and artistically carved, yet no two of them are alike.

The Ranakpur Jain Temple was built by a wealthy Jain businessman named Dharma Shah under the patronage of the liberal and gifted Rajput monarch Rana Kumbha in the 15th century. According to local legend Dharma Shah had a celestial vision that left in his heart a burning determination to build a temple in honor of Adinath, the founder of the Jain religion. When Dharma Shah approached Rana Kumbha with his plan, the king not only gave him a plot of land to build the temple but also advised him to build a township near the site. The construction of the temple and the township began simultaneously. The town was named Ranakpur after the King Rana Kumbha.

The temple is said to have cost 10 million Rupees and took more than fifty years to build. The entire building is covered with delicate lace-like carvings and geometric patterns. The domes are carved in concentric bands and the brackets connecting the base of the dome with the top are covered with figures of deities.

“In spite of the complexity, the vast expanse and the loftiness of the temple, the architectural balance and symmetry are not the least affected,” reads a description of the temple at Ranakpurtemple.com

The artiste sculptures which lie scattered like precious jewels, the myriad ornate Toranas’ or festoons with minute and delicate carvings, the innumerable elegant and lofty pillars and a large number of Shikharas, (spires) which make a unique pattern on the face of the sky-all these works of spiritual art, as one approaches them, become alive and make the beholder oblivious of all else but a feeling of ecstasy, as if touched by the sublimity of Divine Bliss.

The most outstanding feature of this temple is its infinite number of pillars.

In whichever direction one might turn one’s eyes meet pillars and pillars big, small, broad, narrow, ornate or plain. But the ingenious designer has arranged them in such a manner that none of them obstructs the view of the pilgrim wishing to have a Darshana’ (glimpse) of God. From any corner of the temple one can easily view the Lord’s image. These innumerable pillars have given rise to the popular belief that there are about 1444 pillars in the temple.

For two centuries, the temple was a beacon of devotion before it fell upon hard times. Around the 17th century, the entire region was ravaged by war. Fearing that the statues would be desecrated, the priests hid them in cellars under the temple and fled the area. The invading forces vandalized the temple and left, but the priests never returned. The temple fell into neglect and gradually the elements began to take over. At one point Ranakpur became a refuge for dacoits and no person dared to venture inside. It was only around the first quarter of the 20th century that people realized the immense crime they were committing by allowing this structure of beauty and devotion to rot away, and the temple was restored to its former glory.

World’s Longest Pedestrian Suspension Bridge

Aside July 15, 2021 Markozen.com Engineering

I would need at least 4 beers in my system before I would walk on this bridge.

Arouca 516 is a suspension bridge located in the municipality of Arouca, in the North Region and the Aveiro District in Portugal. The bridge has a length of 516 m (1,693 ft). The bridge is suspended 175 m (574 ft) above the Paiva River, which it spans. Its name is a reference to its extension in meters (516) and the municipality where it is located (Arouca).

Its length exceeds by 16 m (52 ft) the Charles Kuonen Suspension Bridge, opened on 29 July 2017, with a length of about 500 m (1,600 ft) and connecting Grächen and Zermatt in Switzerland.

Construction of the bridge started in May 2018. It is a hanging bridge which is supported by two V-shaped concrete towers. The bridge opened on 29 April 2021 to residents of the municipality and on 2 May 2021 to the general public, with prior purchase of the ticket on the internet. Access to the bridge is possible either from Canelas or Alvarenga and a guide will always join the visitor group. The first person to cross the bridge was Hugo Xavier.

Giant Beasts attack Putin and Taliban

Aside July 14, 2021 Markozen.com Animals, Bizarre, Fake News, Monsters, Paranormal

Russian president Vladimir Putin had a close call with a grizzly bear in north-central Siberia two days ago. Putin was swimming in an ice cold river when a giant 800 pound grizzly ran out of the tree line straight for the outdoor enthusiast Putin. Putin had to swim for his life just to keep ahead of the bone crushing jaws and flesh piercing claws of the mad bear. Just as the crazed grizzly was going to pounce on Vlad, the president’s security detail opened up with rocket propelled grenades and AK-47 machine guns, bringing the berserk grizzly down with a massive fusillade of firepower.

Vladimir breast stroking for his life

According to reliable sources, Vlad was mentally shaken after the incident. Prez Putin feels he has a metaphysical rapport with wild creatures. And this incident just didn’t jive with that perception. The Moscow Sun-Times is reporting that Vladimir is considering hunting the giant grizzlies in the near future.

A thousand miles to the west in Afghanistan, another bizarre attack occurred. In the towering Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan, what can only be described as a huge Yeti type creature ambushed a platoon of Taliban fighters. The anti-government Taliban had stopped in a mountain pass for a goat barbeque. All seemed well, the bearded Jihadists were mingling after the feast, discussing the after-life martyr paradise where they would be treated to free wine and unlimited virgin girls. When up from behind the group a fifteen foot brown Yeti stealthily snuck up and sent the Taliban mountain men to that very paradise they were lauding.

Just prior to the attack the Taliban had set up a camera for a group selfie

U.S. Special Forces soldiers came across the scene while on patrol and discovered the camera among the carnage. The Jihadists had been ripped to shreds the American commander reported. A Delta operator with the American patrol was later quoted as saying, “first we have to fight these suicidal Taliban fanatics, now we have a giant Sasquatch thingamajig lurking out there somewhere, what the f#@k is next in this crazy place?”

This was reported 2 months ago. Since then all U.S. forces have evacuated Afghanistan.

The Ultimate Zombie-Proof House

Aside July 14, 2021 Markozen.com Buildings

KWK Promes, an architecture firm in Poland, calls the concrete house with movable walls “The Safe House.” It’s located in a small village outside of Warsaw, and is as elegant as it is secure, with glass walls throughout when the concrete slabs are pulled back.

Over 8,000 square feet, it’s built for real world protection, According to the KWK Promes website, “the clients wanted the feeling of maximum security in their future home.” After crossing an outer gate, visitors have to wait in a “safety zone” before concrete slabs are moved to let them in. Additionally, there’s a drawbridge that leads to the swimming pool.

A drawbridge that leads to a terrace on top of the pool

This takes irrational paranoia to a whole new level. Or does it?

80-Year-Old Man builds Dog Train to take Stray Dogs on Fun Rides

Aside July 14, 2021 Markozen.com Animals, Offbeat

Eugene Bostick, an 80-year-old retiree in Fort Worth, Texas, spends his days operating what just might be the coolest train in the world. His homemade dog train takes rescued strays out for fun rides around the neighborhood and in the surrounding woods.

Eugene and his brother Corky live on a dead-end street where many locals bring their unwanted dogs to leave them behind. Eugene began adopting them and taking them for rides with his tractor. “We started feeding them, letting them in, taking them to the vet to get them spayed and neutered. We made a place for them to live,” Eugene told Dodo.

“I seen this guy with a tractor who attached these carts to pull rocks. I thought, ‘Dang, that would do for a dog train.’ I’m a pretty good welder, so I took these plastic barrels with holes cut in them, and put wheels under them and tied them together,” Eugene continued. “Whenever they hear me hooking the tractor up to it, man, they get so excited.”

“I started out with my tractor… I’d put 4-5 dogs in there and take them riding”

“All of a sudden, a couple more dogs showed up. I said, ‘Oh, that’s not enough room’ – and that’s when I came up with THAT”

“I’m a pretty good welder, so I took these plastic barrels with holes cut in them, and put wheels under…”

Now, the 80-year-old retiree takes his rescued dogs on a train ride twice a week

“Whenever they hear me hooking the tractor up to it, man, they get so excited”

The Walking Dead and The Walking Drunk

Aside July 14, 2021 Markozen.com Monsters, Offbeat

Most of us remember the slow walking zombies on the TV series “The Walking Dead.” The zombies would stagger and stumble as they were attacking the good guys. But there are real life situations that are very similar.

A Few Currently Relevant Cartoons

Aside July 14, 2021July 14, 2021 Markozen.com Cartoons

One on One Rumbles

Aside July 14, 2021 Markozen.com War

Bigfoot Filmed Crossing River in Michigan?

Aside July 14, 2021 Markozen.com Paranormal

An intriguing piece of footage from Michigan shows a rather sizeable creature in the process of crossing a river and some suspect that the strange beast could be Bigfoot. A group known as the Rocky Mountain Sasquatch Organization received the wild report earlier this month from an individual named Eddie, who claimed that their cousin spotted the strange scene while “kayaking on the Cass River.” The man initially provided them with a remarkable photo that appears to capture a bipedal creature crossing the river while seemingly holding something in its arms. Fortunately, Eddie subsequently shared a brief video of the eerie encounter which provides a somewhat better glimpse of the oddity.

Although admittedly difficult to decipher, as all potential Sasquatch photos seem to be, some have theorized that the witness captured footage of an adult Bigfoot holding either a juvenile version of the creature or perhaps a deer as it makes it way across the Cass River. As one might imagine, more skeptical observers have argued that the ‘Sasquatch’ is merely a hunter or perhaps the whole scene is a clever hoax. Should that latter scenario be the case, one would almost have to salute the creators of the faked material, since it would have required someone don a Sasquatch costume and venture out into the river.