DAVID ADAMS looks at the odder side of life…
<p><a href=”https://vimeo.com/310406162″>TOTO FOREVER 2</a> from <a href=”https://vimeo.com/maxsiedentopf”>Max Siedentopf</a> on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a>.</p>
• It’s a catchy tune, no doubt. Toto’s Eighties classic Africa is reportedly set to play for “eternity” in the Namib Desert in southern Africa thanks to an installation by Namibian-German artist Max Siedentopf. The installation consists of six speakers attached to an MP3 player which endlessly plays the song Africa thanks to solar power. The song was originally released in 1982 and remains popular around the world. Siedentopf, who says the installation is about paying homage to the song, believes it’s unlikely the song will play forever thanks to the harsh desert environment which he thinks will eventually overcome the installation.
• The Canadian city of Moose Jaw is reportedly looking to reclaim the honour of having the world’s tallest moose statue from Norway. The Saskatchewan town’s statue of Mac the Moose held the title for 31 years until Norway snatched the title from them when it erected a 10 metre high silvery statue between Oslo and Trondheim. With the new statue less than 30 centimetres taller than Mac the Moose (which was named after a former city councillor), the mayor of Moose Jaw, Fraser Tolmie, says the town is now considering ways of making it slightly bigger to reclaim the title. Potential solutions include putting on a hat, adding a hockey stick, putting skates on the moose or what may be the most likely – giving it bigger antlers. A fundraising campaign is now reportedly underway.
• A dark coloured mineral hitherto only found in space has been unearthed in Israel. Known as carmeltazite, the dark coloured mineral was reportedly found inside volcanic rock in the Zevulun valley below Mount Carmel in the country’s north by a gem-mining company. The mineral mix which makes up carmeltazite has previously been identified in rocks from outer space but according to the company that found it, it’s the first time it has been found on Earth.
