16 | December | 2020

By: Caden Ligman

Image taken from: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/artist-or-aliens-mystery-surrounds-utah-monolith-s-ap pearance-disappearance-n1249424

On November 18th, the Utah Department of Public Safety was conducting a routine count of bighorn sheep when they came across the tall, metallic structure. They had no idea what, or where, this mysterious structure came from. Pilot Bret Hutchings, who was flying the plane that spotted the monolith structure said, “It felt like a scene right out of the Stanley Kubrick ‘2001: A Space Odyssey.'”

With so many questions floating in people’s heads, the biggest one was, why put a structure like this in a place so remote?

As soon as the monolith was reaching its peak of internet fame, it disappeared. The disappearance of the monolith was just as strange as the discovery. The disappearance occurred only nine days after it was discovered leaving civilians and the government questioning where this thing came from.

Not surprisingly, one of the most popular theories for why this monolith came and went so quickly was: aliens.

As strange as the monolith is, the idea of aliens is quite facilitating. This theory circled the internet, becoming a meme among social media users. Even the San Juan County Sheriff’s department poked fun at the ideas, posing on their Twitter a collage of aliens, captioned, “If you recognize anyone from this lineup provided as being in the area of the strange structure on the night of November 27, please let us know!”

While the idea of aliens is entertaining, a more realistic explanation for this monolith is that it was a piece of art. Many people believe the monolith to be the work of the minimalist sculptor, John McCracken. McCracken’s style of art matched the Utah Monolith perfectly.

The majority of people close to McCracken, however, do not believe that he would leave his work in a desert. His son, on the other hand, recalled a conversation he had with his father in an interview with the New York Times. He told reporters, “We were standing outside looking at the stars and he said something to the effect of that he would like to leave his artwork in remote places to be discovered later.”

There are many theories circling the internet of where this mysterious structure came from and why it vanished so quickly.

What was the purpose of this monolith? And why was it placed in the middle of the Utah desert? These questions are what has kept the internet buzzing. What do you think the real story behind the monolith is?

For more information, please visit:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/artist-or-aliens-mystery-surrounds-utah-monolith-s-ap pearance-disappearance-n1249424
https://www.cnet.com/news/mysterious-monoliths-in-utah-california-romania-england-everything -we-know-so-far/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2020/12/08/monolith-timeline-appearances-disappe arances-around-world/6491015002/

By: Jimmy Somerville

Image taken from: https://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards/simple-moments-christmas-card?e sch=1

I’m asking the question today, are Christmas cards becoming less popular? More specifically, the type of Christmas card I put an image of above, where you and your family select photos of your family together, and maybe some other pictures of the family children.

Some Christmas photos also give a quick explanation of said family, and most Christmas cards share the age of each of their children if they have any. Also, most family Christmas cards have a small phrase that usually goes with the Christmas theme such as the one above; “Simple Moments Bring Great Joy.” Christmas cards are also sent through the mail and arrive at your front door in envelopes usually.

As I’ve noticed through the last couple of years though, I feel like I haven’t seen as many Christmas cards around the house which, weirdly, greatly satisfied me; I enjoyed them. I liked reading and looking at them, and it’s funny because half the families I see, have no idea who they are. So, I’m basically just learning about new families that my parents know.

Now, to answer my question, are Christmas cards becoming less popular? I’d say yes, as you can already update your friends, on your life, on social media, and they can also update your families and other families on their lives on social media.

Christmas cards were used to update your old friends and family, as social media wasn’t always around. This was a good way to see your friends and family at least once every year. You get to see how big, how tall, how old, and how different your friends and family look by looking at the Christmas cards.

When you are following your friends on social media, you are already updated on their lives pretty much every day, so this sort of defeats the purpose of a Christmas card, but I think we should still use them for the tradition.

I couldn’t find any statistics of if Christmas cards were becoming less popular, but I did find an article, in the Chicago Tribune, asking the question “Are Christmas Cards a thing of the past?” It seems as if they were answering with “yes” to this question.

I say Christmas cards should still be just as popular as they always have, as I believe it is a great and fun tradition.

-Jimmy Somerville

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