According to Mormons, the Garden of Eden was originally located near Temple Lot, a small piece of land which is now shared by three different sects of the religon. The largest of the three sects, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, has a small presence; theirs is the white box building on the SE corner. The Church of Christ Temple Lot’s presence is even smaller; theirs is the yellow-roofed building in the NW corner.

The other two structures which dominate this area, a Copper-roofed Auditorium on the SW corner and a spiral church on the NE corner, are both owned by the second largest, but obviously better funded sect, the Community of Christ. The Temple spire is inspired by a nautilus shell which spirals upwards (good ground shots on the architect’s website) and there is a map of the world painted on the courtyard to the West.

Thanks: Kaley, Charles Eck, Scott McClare, Rob Ellis

It seems that the reservoir of the Taum Sauk pumped storage plant in Missouri burst today. The reservoir sits on top of Proffit Mountain, some 800 feet above the hydroelectric plant, and when a section of the reservoir collapsed, it sent a 20 foot crest of water down the Black River, washing away homes and cars in its path.

Details are still unclear, but for more information on the story, you could try the Google News coverage.

Thanks to Ned Mitchell.

With it’s 217 foot tower the Liberty Memorial is the United States’s only major World War I monument. Built in 1921 the monument incorporates two Sphinx sculptures, two museums and the tower, which is topped by four large stone figures representing Courage, Honour, Patriotism and Sacrifice.

After getting run down and becoming a ‘haven for male prostitution and drug dealing’ the memorial went through a $30 million restoration in 2000-2002 and is once again a valuable tourist attraction.

Thanks: Ben Haines & Sam

Brilliant bit of weirdness here… Tom Comeau says:

I believe it’s winter, and we’re seeing snow and ice on the lake surface. But where there’s clear water, something very odd is showing through.

Check out this cool picture of overlapping seasons in Utah, and another in Missouri on the Mississippi river.

Thanks to Kyle French and Bill Keaggy.