The Storied History of San Francisco’s Cliff House

Aside July 16, 2021 Markozen.com Buildings

Cliff House 1890

The first Cliff House was built in 1858, above Ocean Beach, in west San Francisco. It has been rebuilt five times since for various reasons, such as remodeling or damage.

In 1894, the third, and most photographed, incarnation of the house was built by Adolph Sutro, a successful mining engineer. Sutro built the seven-story mansion in Victorian style, an elaborately decorated structure dubbed the “Gingerbread House.” It was a hotel for most of its incarnation.

Cliff House was the scene of a number of historic events, including several shipwrecks. A wreck in 1887 caused damage to the second Cliff House when the dynamite on the ship exploded. The first ship-to-shore transmission, using Morse Code, was received here in 1899 and in 1905; the first radio voice transmission was sent from the house to a point a mile and a half away.

–“Select a table next to one of the western windows and order a breakfast that is served here better than any place we have tried. This breakfast will consist of broiled breast of young turkey, served with broiled Virginia ham with a side dish of corn fritters. We have discovered nothing that makes so complete a breakfast as this.”Clarence E. Edwards, 1914–

Cliff House survived the earthquake that struck San Francisco in 1906 with only minor damage. It burned to the ground the following year, however. Sutro’s daughter began the construction of a new Cliff House restaurant in 1908, but on a vastly smaller scale. And so it is today.

1900

1890

1902

1907 fire

In 1937, George and Leo Whitney purchased the Cliff House, to complement their Playland-at-the-Beach attraction nearby, and extensively remodelled it into an American roadhouse. From 1955 until 1961, a sky tram operated across the Sutro Baths basin, taking up to 25 visitors at a time from Point Lobos, enhanced by an artificial waterfall, to the outer balcony of the Cliff House.

In the 1960s, upon the closing of Playland, the Musée Mécanique, a museum of 20th-century penny arcade games, was moved into the basement of the Cliff House. The building was acquired by the National Park Service in 1977 and became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

In 2003, as part of an extensive renovation, many of Whitney’s additions were removed and the building was restored to its 1909 appearance. A new two-story wing was constructed overlooking what were by then the ruins of the Sutro Baths. (The Baths burned to the ground on June 26, 1966). During the site restoration, the Musée Mécanique was moved to Fisherman’s Wharf.

More than thirty ships have been pounded to pieces on the southern shore of the Golden Gate below the Cliff House.

The area immediately around Cliff House is part of the setting of Jack London’s novel The Scarlet Plague (1912).

1956

1995

2010

1941 top, 2009 bottom

Waterspout Develops over Lake Winnipeg

Aside July 16, 2021 Markozen.com Weather

What started out as a tornado touching down turned into a water spout as the twister moved onto Lake Winnipeg. The sightings were near Winnipeg Beach and Matlock Beach on the west side of the lake.

Twin spouts developed for a little while

Bin Laden receives new batch of Virgins in Jihadi Heaven

Aside July 16, 2021 Markozen.com Terrorism

In August, 2001, the American television channel CBS aired an interview with a Hamas activist Muhammad Abu Wardeh, who recruited terrorists for suicide bombings in Israel. Abu Wardeh was quoted as saying: “I described to him how God would compensate the martyr for sacrificing his life for his land. If you become a martyr, God will give you 70 virgins, 70 wives and everlasting happiness.” There are also reports of unlimited free wine.

Shark Attacks

Aside July 16, 2021 Markozen.com Animals

A diver has died after being attacked by a shark in front of his daughter, off the Tasmanian coast in Australia. The pair were collecting scallops near the town of Triabunna on Saturday morning when the attack happened.

The woman returned to their boat with the shellfish, but became concerned after her father, who was in his late 40s, did not resurface. She jumped back into the water to check on him and saw him being mauled by “a very large shark”, according to police.

“She immediately returned to the surface where she raised the alarm through setting off a flare and by making an emergency phone call,” said Tasmania Police Inspector David Wiss.

Earlier sighting

Sailors in the area rushed to the scene and hauled the man from the sea using the air line he was attached too.

But his injuries were too severe and he was pronounced dead.

The term shark attack is used to describe an attack on a human by a shark. Every year around 75 attacks are reported worldwide. Despite their relative rarity, many people fear shark attacks after occasional serial attacks, such as the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916, and horror fiction and films such as the Jaws series. Out of more than 480 shark species, only three are responsible for two-digit number of fatal unprovoked attacks on humans: the great white, tiger and bull; however, the oceanic whitetip has probably killed many more castaways, not recorded in the statistics.

Actor Robert Shaw between takes during the filming of the movie “Jaws.”

Lil Durk: Grammy-nominated US rapper in shootout with intruders

Aside July 16, 2021 Markozen.com Crime

US rapper Lil Durk, who was nominated for two Grammy Awards earlier this year, has been involved in a shootout with intruders at his home.

Georgia police said the residents exchanged gunfire with several suspects on Sunday, but were not injured.

The Chicago star has been touched by gun violence before, with several relatives and members of his circle reported to have been shot dead.

In June, his new album hit number one in the US and number five in the UK.

The 28-year-old has had 33 songs in the US Hot 100 chart so far this year, more than any other artist, according to Billboard.

And the song Laugh Now Cry Later, his collaboration with Drake, was up for best rap song and best melodic rap performance at the Grammys.

A spokeswoman for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation told BBC News that officers had been called to “an aggravated assault/home invasion incident” early on Sunday.

“During the incident, the suspects and the residents exchanged gunfire. The residents were not injured during the incident,” she said.

Real name Durk Derrick Banks, he is himself facing attempted murder charges relating to a 2019 incident.

What is it with Rappers and gun violence? It’s so common.

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.