DAVID ADAMS reports on the odder side of life…
The Utah monolith. PICTURE: Utah Department of Public Safety
• A mysterious metallic pillar which appeared in the desert in south-eastern Utah has officials baffled. The up to three metre tall metal pillar, similar to that seen in the opening scenes of 2001: A Space Odyssey, was spotted by officials in a helicopter during a bighorn sheep count. It remains unknown how the pillar came to be there (and officials are keeping mum on the exact location due to the remoteness of the location – they don’t want to have to rescue anyone), who put it there or why. The lack of any markings on the pillar has only added to the mystery. Speculation surrounds whether it’s an art installation to some sort of publicity stunt. While not commenting on an “active investigation”, the Bureau of Land Management did issue a reminder that “occupying, or developing the public lands or their resources without a required authorization is illegal, no matter what planet you are from”.
• An Arizona woman who drew widespread attention after opening her Thanksgiving table to a stranger she accidentally texted has kept the tradition going, despite losing her husband Lonnie to COVID-19. Wanda Dench and 21-year-old Jamal Hinton met in 2016 after the grandmother from the Phoenix suburb of Mesa mistakenly texted her grandson about coming for Thanksgiving to Hinton’s number. Hinton jokingly replied he would like to come as well. Dench told him he was welcome. Last week, they celebrated a mini Thanksgiving dinner with a photo of Lonnie Dench and an empty chair for him. The couple was infected in March and Lonnie Dench died the next month.
• Officials in the town of Jasper, Canada, have been forced to put up signs asking drivers not to let moose lick their car after finding the creatures were enjoying the taste of the rock salt used to keep roads clear of snow. Jasper National Park spokesman Steve Young told CNN the moose were “obsessed” with salt. “They usually get it from salt lakes in the park, but now they realised they can also get road salt that splashes onto cars,” he said. But he added that allowing moose to lick the salt off cars could see them lose their fear of cars which could lead to accidents. “Moose and cars are not a good mix. If you hit the moose with your car, you take the legs out from under it and it’s going through your windshield.” People deliberately feeding, enticing or disturbing the moose can face fines of up to $C25,000.
– with AP
