People, it seems, will auction – and buy – almost anything; meanwhile, pooch problems are the political rage in Korea, and scientists mull how big is big in this week’s gargantuan edition of the weird and the wacky.

BIG NEWS

What is bigger: A ronna or a quetta? Rapid scientific advances and vast worldwide data storage on the web, in smartphones and in the cloud mean that the very terms used to measure things in weight and size need extending too. And one British scientist led the push to incorporate bold new, tongue-twisting prefixes on the gigantic and even the minuscule scale. There’s the gargantuan “ronna” (that’s 27 zeros after the one) and its big brother the “quetta” – (that’s 30 zeros). Their ant-sized counterparts are the “ronto” (27 zeros after the decimal point), and the “quecto” (with 30 zeros after the decimal point) – representing the smaller numbers needed for quantum science and particle physics.

SITUATION A DOG’S BREAKFAST

A pair of dogs gifted by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2018 are now mired in a South Korean political row, with the country’s former president blaming his conservative successor for a lack of financial support as he gave the animals up. Moon Jae-in received the two white “Pungsan” hunting dogs – a breed known to be indigenous to North Korea – from Kim following their peace summit in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang in September 2018. The dogs are officially considered state property, but Moon took the pair and one of their seven offspring home after he left office.

But Moon’s office said he decided he could no longer raise the three dogs because the current government of President Yoon Suk Yeol was refusing to cover the costs for the animals’ food and veterinary care. The ministry confirmed it had drafted a budget plan to provide a monthly 2.5 million won ($2,574) in subsidies, including 500,000 won ($514) for the dogs’ food and veterinary care and 2 million ($2,059) for hiring workers to look after them. But the ministry said the plans were put on hold for months because of unspecified “opposing opinions” from within the ministry and the Ministry of Government Legislation.

NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL A CONVERSATION PIECEA 76-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex skull unearthed in South Dakota is expected to sell for US$15 million or more at auction in New York next month. The 91-kg. skull fossil, nicknamed Maximus, is being sold Dec. 9 by an owner who wishes to remain anonymous. This skull may not be headed to a research institution, though. Noting that the T-Rex fossil, which retains most of its teeth, is only two metres wide, a Sotheby’s exec says, “It’s the ultimate trophy to place in one’s home. When you think about it, more people can fit a skull in than people who could fit a full dinosaur.”

PUT THAT GUN ON ICE

Security officers at a South Florida airport reported finding a handgun hidden inside a raw chicken packed in a traveller’s luggage. According to the TSA, fresh meat, seafood, and other non-liquid food items are permitted in both carry-on and checked bags, as long as they are packed in ice. Unloaded firearms are allowed to be transported in checked bags, but they must be declared at the ticket counter and packed in a locked hard-sided container.

IF THE SHOE FITS

A pair of Steve Jobs’ “well used” brown suede Birkenstocks dating to the mid-1970s set a record for the highest price ever paid for a pair of sandals, Julien’s Auctions said. “The cork and jute footbed retains the imprint of Steve Jobs’ feet, which had been shaped after years of use,” said the auction house in listing the footwear of the late Apple co-founder. The sandals were expected to bring $60,000, but the final sale price with an accompanying NFT was $218,750, Julien’s said. The buyer was not named.

AUTOGRAPH REVISITED

Bob Dylan’s publisher is offering refunds for $600 special edition of his new book, “The Philosophy of Modern Song,” acknowledging that the allegedly “hand-signed” copies were not individually inscribed. “We want to apologize,” Simon & Schuster announced on Instagram. “As it turns out, the limited-edition books do contain Bob’s original signature, but in a penned replica form. We are addressing this immediately by providing each purchaser with an immediate refund.”