STATUS UPDATES
A week in which an alligator tail is faked, and a Dali museum gets surreal
CROC CAUGHT:
By wildlife rangers in northern Australia after a 10-year hunt. The 4.7-metre saltwater crocodile, the largest ever caught in the Katherine Gorge region, was seen as a threat to tourists. It was trucked to a crocodile farm where it’s likely to become ... a tourist attraction.
UNIMPRISONED:
More than 2,600 convicts, but only temporarily. The inmates at an 89-year-old Pennsylvania prison are being transferred to a new facility 1.6 kilometres down the road, which was closed to the public during the move. Among those being transferred are 20 death row inmates.
FLAGGED DOWN:
An art display at the University of Kansas. School officials agreed to remove the display, which included an altered U.S. flag featuring two black shapes and a black-and-white sock. The artist said it represents a deeply polarized country; the response seemed to confirm this.
RIGHTING A WRONG:
Hawaii’s Supreme Court, which effectively upheld a discrimination case launched by two lesbians. The women were turned away from a bed-and-breakfast by its owner, citing religious beliefs. The seven-year dispute may not be over: the owner was considering an appeal.
GATOR AIDED:
By researchers in Arizona. The alligator, named Mr. Stubbs, lives at the Phoenix Herpetological Society but lacks a tail, which was likely lost in a fight. This week he got a new prosthetic replacement. Next up: relearning how to swim without using the dog paddle.
UNIMPRESSED:
The Spanish foundation that owns the rights to the legacy of artist Salvador Dali. It filed suit in San Francisco to force a small Dali museum there to close and turn over for destruction its souvenirs. These include $15 Dali coffee mugs that proclaim: “Things are about to get surreal.”
PUSHED UP:
Interest rates in Canada, for the fourth time since last summer. The new rate, 1.5 per cent, is in line with the expectations of economists. However, the Bank of Canada cautioned that global growth could be trumped by a trade war. Any guesses who might start that?
RIDING A WRONG:
Producers of the longest-running play currently on Broadway. The comedy, titled The Play That Goes Wrong, was due to close next month, but will now continue performances until January. Which sounds about right.