Month: March 2023

La Jument Lighthouse

Aside Markosun Buildings

La Jument (“the mare”) is a lighthouse in Brittany, Northwestern France. The lighthouse is built on a rock (that is also called La Jument) about 300 metres from the coast of the island of Ushant. There is also a very different lighthouse about 3 kilometres to the North, the Nividic lighthouse. Together with the Kreac’h lighthouse, they are the three most famous lighthouses of the region. It was listed as a historic monument in 2017.

This section of the coastline of Brittany, the west coast of Northern France, had always been known by sailors to be a rugged and dangerous area. Being the westernmost point of land, it is a heavily trafficked sealane, and also experiences severe weather during much of the year. As a result, the area has experienced many shipwrecks over the centuries: for example, just between 1888 and 1904, thirty-one ships were wrecked there.

Plans to build a lighthouse on La Jument started not long after the wreck of the Glasgow-built steam ship SS Drummond Castle in June, 1896, which had resulted in the deaths of around 250 people. The building works were privately financed by a wealthy Frenchman who had almost died in another shipwreck. Construction began in 1904 but the lighthouse could not be finished until 1911 because of the sea’s often challenging conditions.

Week in pictures: 18-24 March 2023

Aside Markosun Images

BBC

A selection of powerful news photographs taken around the world this week.

Balinese man kicks burnt coconut husks during the fire fight ritual called Mesabatan Api on March 21, 2023 in Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia.
Image caption,Balinese Hindu men kick blazing coconut husks at each other during a sacred ritual called “Mesabatan Api” (fire fight) in in Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia.

Relativity Space sent the 'world's first 3D-printed rocket' toward space on Wednesday, vaulting it into the upper reaches of the atmosphere.
Image caption,Relativity Space’s Terran-1 launched for the first time from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Wednesday. The almost fully 3D-printed rocket powered skyward for a few minutes before falling back to Earth.

French CRS riot police stand in position amid clashes with protesters during a demonstration as part of the ninth day of nationwide strikes and protests against French government's pension reform, in Paris, France, March 23, 2023.
Image caption,French riot police stand in position as demonstrators take to the streets in Paris on the ninth day of nationwide strikes and protests against the French government’s pension reform.

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks home after his morning run, in London, Britain March 21, 2023.
Image caption,Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson dashes from his car to the front door of his home in London, the day before facing a committee of MPs examining whether he intentionally misled parliament over parties during Covid lockdowns.

People walk past murals of former footballer Diego Maradona in the Spanish quarter of Naples before the match
Image caption,People walk past murals of former footballer Diego Maradona in the Spanish quarter of Naples before the England-Italy match. The England team secured a 2-1 win in their opening Euro 2024 qualifier and Harry Kane became the Three Lions all-time top goal scorer with his 54th goal, breaking Wayne Rooney’s record.

Muslim women offer 'Tarawih' mass prayers during the first evening of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at Sheikh Zayed Grand mosque in Solo, Central Java province, Indonesia, March 22, 2023
Image caption,Muslim women offer “Tarawih” mass prayers during the first evening of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at Sheikh Zayed Grand mosque in Solo, Central Java province, Indonesia.

A blaze is seen at a warehouse in the city's bustling Kowloon district, in Hong Kong, China March 24, 2023.
Image caption,Firefighters tackle a blaze at a warehouse in Hong Kong’s bustling Kowloon district.

Migrants are detained by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent after crossing into the United States from Mexico, in Sunland Park, New Mexico, U.S. March 23, 2023.
Image caption,Migrants are detained by a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent in Sunland Park, New Mexico after crossing into the US from Mexico. Earlier this year, the Biden administration rolled out a smartphone app called CBP One, which is supposed to allow asylum seekers to book appointments in advance of their arrival at the border.

Emergency teams attend the scene after a ship tipped over at a 45-degree angle in the Imperial Dock area in Leith on March 22, 2023 at Imperial Dock in Leith, Scotland.
Image caption,Thirty-five people were injured after a ship tipped over at an Edinburgh dockyard. NHS Lothian said 23 were treated in hospital and 12 people at the scene of the incident at Imperial Dock, Leith.

Teachers clash with police officers during a protest against a new curriculum set by Bolivia's Ministry of Education, in La Paz, Bolivia. March 21, 2023.
Image caption,Teachers clash with police officers during a protest against a new curriculum set by Bolivia’s education ministry, in La Paz, Bolivia.

ABC’s Wide World of Sports

Aside Markosun Offbeat

The MarkoZen Blog

ABC’s Wide World of Sports was an American sports anthology television program that aired on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) from April 29, 1961 to January 3, 1998, primarily on Saturday afternoons. Hosted by Jim McKay, with a succession of co-hosts beginning in 1987, the title continued to be used for general sports programs on the network until 2006. In 2007, Wide World of Sports was named by Time on its list of the 100 best television programs of all-time.

ABC’s Wide World Of Sports Intro – 1969

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The Car/Truck

Aside Markosun Offbeat

The MarkoZen Blog

The Chevrolet El Camino is a pickup / coupé utility vehicle that was produced by Chevrolet between 1959–60 and 1964–1987. Unlike a standard pickup truck, the El Camino was adapted from the standard two-door Chevrolet station wagon platform and integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body.

Introduced in the 1959 model year in response to the success of the Ford Ranchero pickup, its first run lasted only two years. Production resumed for the 1964–1977 model years based on the Chevelle platform, and continued for the 1978–1987 model years based on the GM G-body platform.

Although based on corresponding General Motors car lines, the vehicle is classified in the United States as a pickup.

1959 El Camino

1964 El Camino

1973 El Camino

1979 El Camino

The Ford Ranchero is a Pickup /coupe utility that was produced by Ford between 1957 and 1979. Unlike a standard pickup truck, the…

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Illinois pet pig turning heads with skateboarding skills

Aside Markosun Animals

March 20 (UPI) — A family’s pet pig is turning heads in his owners’ Illinois town after picking up an unusual hobby: skateboarding.

Norbert, a 150-pound black-and-white pig belonging to Vincent and Alicen Baran, has become a familiar sight to Buffalo Grove residents after learning to ride a skateboard.

“People just really enjoy seeing a pig do things that normally pigs don’t do,” Vincent Baran told WLS-TV. “I took one of my old skateboards and put it out and literally within seven days he was able to get his hooves on the board and push with his other hooves.”

The couple said Norbert is an expert at several tricks commonly associated with dogs, including shaking hands and spinning, but the skateboarding gets him the most attention.

“He’s not always graceful but it’s definitely a unique thing to see,” Alicen Baran said. “It’s just the craziest thing to see him kind of roll on by.”

Norbert has also become famous on social media after his owners started casting him in recreations of famous music videos from pop punk bands including Blink 182 and New Found Glory.

Agent Elvis

Aside Markosun Espionage

Elvis trades in his jumpsuit for a jetpack when he joins a secret government spy program to help battle the dark forces that threaten the country.

Wedding the irreverence of Adult Swim to the kinetic animation style of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “Agent Elvis” is a psychedelic head trip that takes that old story about Elvis Presley’s fascination with the FBI and running (and jumping and kicking) with it. Produced with Priscilla Presley, it’s certainly weird, although given all the ’70s references, it’s frankly hard to envision for whom this is intended.

Working with a cynical agent named CeCe Ryder (Kaitlin Olson), who isn’t a big fan, Elvis’ entourage includes not only Priscilla (who voices herself) but his pal Bobby Ray (Johnny Knoxville), mother-figure Bertie (Niecy Nash) and a homicidal chimp culled from the space program, because once you’ve come this far on the bizarro scale, why not?