Month: November 2022

“Great Satan” defeats Iran at World Cup

Aside Markosun Geopolitics, Sports

The Great Satan is a demonizing epithet for the United States of America in Iranian foreign policy statements. Occasionally, these words have also been used toward the government of the United Kingdom.

The term was used by Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in his speech on November 5, 1979 to describe the United States, which he accused of imperialism and the sponsoring of corruption throughout the world. The speech occurred one day after the onset of the Iran hostage crisis.

Ayatollah Khomeini also occasionally used the term “Iblis” (the primary devil in Islam) to refer to the United States and other Western countries.

But the ‘Great Satan” prevailed today.

The United States men’s soccer team will be in Qatar for a little longer after defeating Iran in their final group-stage match of the 2022 World Cup on Tuesday.

 The United States scored the opening goal when Christian Pulisic slotted the ball home in the 38th minute. But in doing so he suffered an injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the game.

With the win, the United States finished second in Group B, which pits them against the Netherlands (winners of Group A) in the knockout round of the tournament. That game is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 3, at 10 a.m. EST.

Supporters cheer prior to the World Cup group B soccer match between Iran and the United States at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

Oh Dat Good Ya, Oh Dat Good!

Aside Markosun Cartoons, Food

There are radio and TV commercials going around where pizza restaurants have satisfied customers moaning and groaning when they taste the delicious pizza pies. Oomm, ahh this is so good. Obviously the commercials are bias and the actor customers are over doing it. But when it comes to enjoying a tasty morsel, nothing beats Snuffle the Floating Dog.

Snuffles is an anthropomorphic cartoon dog appearing in animated television shorts produced by Hanna-Barbera beginning in 1959 on The Quick Draw McGraw Show.

Snuffles is a bloodhound used by Quick Draw McGraw to ferret out bad guys in the old West but needed to be bribed with a dog biscuit before performing his task. Upon chomping on one, he would hug himself in ecstasy, jump into the air and float back down, sighing. Occasionally, Snuffles would demand more than one biscuit, and was willing to accept them from bad guys as well. In several cases when Quick Draw did not have a dog biscuit to offer due to being out of them or if he tried to give Snuffles the reward cash for capturing an outlaw, Snuffles would either shake his head and say “Uh-uh” or grunt to himself and mumble “Darn cheapskate!” as well as sometimes throwing the reward money back in Quick Draw’s face.

For some reason the dialogue in the video above was in something that sounds like Russian.

Hansel and Gretel have over reactive taste buds as well.

Mongol Hordes on the Horizon 

Aside Markosun Art, History

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AP

To the outside world, Genghis Khan, the fearsome Mongolian warrior who conquered half the known world in the 13th century, is remembered for his brutalities and destruction that he brought upon the conquered regions resulting in the death of forty million people. But to Mongolians, he is a national hero, a larger-than-life figure and the symbol of Mongolian culture, and for good reasons. Genghis Khan founded the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history, revived the Silk Road, uniting warring tribes and was responsible for cementing the position of Mongols in the world’s map.

After Mongolia overthrew communist rule more than 20 years ago, there appeared a slew of monuments and products celebrating the famous personage known locally as Chinggis Khaan. Mongolia’s main international airport in Ulaanbaatar is named Chinggis Khaan International Airport, students attend Chinggis Khaan University and tourists can stay at the Chinggis Khaan Hotel. His face can be found on everyday commodities, from liquor bottles to candy products, and on bank notes.

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In 2008, a gigantic statue of Genghis Khan riding on horseback was erected on the bank of the Tuul River at Tsonjin Boldog, 54 km east of the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar, where according to legend, he found a golden whip. The statue is 40 meters tall and wrapped in 250 tons of gleaming stainless steel. It stands on top of the Genghis Khan Statue Complex, a visitor center that itself is 10 meters tall, with 36 columns representing the 36 khans from Genghis to Ligdan Khan. The statue is symbolically pointed east towards his birthplace.

Inside the two-story base of the statue, visitors can see a replica of Genghis Khan’s legendary golden whip, sample traditional cuisine of horse meat and potatoes, or play billiards. Visitors can ascend to the exhibition hall using an elevator at the back of the horse and then walk to the horse’s head passing through its chest and the back of its neck from where they can have an excellent panoramic view over the complex area and the scenery beyond.

The Chinggis Khan Statue is currently the biggest equestrian statue in the world.

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Monstrous 67-Pound Goldfish Caught in France

Aside Markosun Animals

An angler from England made a monstrous catch in the form of an enormous goldfish that weighed a whopping 67 pounds and, until now, had managed to avoid being captured for a staggering 20 years. Andy Hackett reportedly snagged the remarkable creature while fishing at a lake in Champagne, France earlier this month. “I knew it was a big fish when it took my bait and went off side to side and up and down with it,” he recalled, “then it came to the surface 30 or 40 yards out and I saw that it was orange.” It was at that point that Hackett realized he was tangling with a legendary denizen of the lake that had come to be known as ‘The Carrot.’

According to the manager of the fishery where it resides, the creature had been deposited into the location around two decades ago “as something different” for visitors to try and catch. However, the hybrid species of leather and koi carp turned out to be rather tough to snag and, in the ensuing 20 years, the goldfish grew to its now epic-size. The presence of the wondrous fish was well-known among anglers at the lake as, like the Loch Ness Monster, the elusive creature had occasionally been seen by awestruck observers, which led to it being given its unique name.

To that end, Hackett marveled that “I always knew The Carrot was in there, but never thought I would catch it.” However, those doubts were dispelled when he felt the tremendous strength of the creature on the end of his line and spotted its distinct orange coloring. After an arduous 25-minute long battle, he hauled in the fishery’s famous resident, which was determined to weigh a little over 67 pounds. Crediting the catch to “sheer luck,” Hackett posed for a few photos with The Carrot before, commendably, releasing the giant goldfish back into the lake.

Interesting Eye-Catching Tall Buildings in Qatar

Aside Markosun Buildings

Katara Towers is a skyscraper in Lusail, Qatar. It is 211 meters (692 feet) tall and has 40 floors. It was completed in 2022, will boast two luxury hotels, plus apartments, office space, shops and restaurants.

Lusail is the second-largest city in Qatar, located on the coast, in the southern part of the municipality of Al Daayen. Lusail is located about 23 kilometres (14 mi) north of the city centre of Doha, just north of the West Bay Lagoon, on over 38 square kilometres (15 sq mi) and will eventually have the infrastructure to accommodate 450,000 people. Of these 450,000 people, it is estimated that 250,000 or fewer will be residents, 190,000 will be office workers and 60,000 will be retail workers.

Katara Towers.

Al Marina Twin Towers is an office complex in Lusail. It was completed in 2015, is 33 stories tall and peaks out at 459 feet.

The buildings almost look like they are constructed out of Lego.