Rather than posting these individually, I'll combine on 1 post -- especially since all 3 relate to 1 geographic area.
On a happier note.........
Penny Pyramid
An Arizona man said it took him three years to build a Guinness record-breaking pyramid from 1,030,315 pennies.
Cory Nielsen said the pyramid weighs 6,360 pounds. He said the pyramid is composed of 93,665 small stacks of 11 pennies. The base of the structure is 65 stacks long and 65 stacks wide.
He said the world record attempt was inspired when a coworker asked if his previous penny pyramid, made from about 47,000 coins, was a world record.
(https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2019/06/21/Arizona-man-builds-pyramid-from-1030315-pennies/5411561126928/)
Grace & Peace & Love to you all -
Matt
The beautiful state of Arizona.
Cactus Poaching
When most people drive through the Cactus Forest in Saguaro national park, their gazes are fixed skyward. Towering saguaros fill the view on either side of the road, rising 40, even 60ft high, their human-like arms outstretched.
But on a recent December afternoon, Ray O’Neil was focused on the ground. He was looking for holes. As the park’s chief ranger, O’Neil is on constant alert for an unusual menace: cactus poachers. Saguaros aren’t just beautiful to look at; they also fetch a hefty price, up to $100 a foot, on the black market, where they are enormously popular with landscapers.
Thieves suck.
Read the full story (2019): https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/feb/20/to-catch-a-cactus-thief-national-parks-fight-a-thorny-problem
It's not a new problem. From 2016: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/02/cactus-thieves/470070/
Wild Horse Killings
Someone has been shooting wild horses in a national forest near Heber-Obergaard, Ariz., for the last 16 months, and the unsolved crimes are tearing apart the small community.
Some 35 horses have been found dead in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, with most of them killed by bullets, authorities said. Local horse advocates and those who don't like the horses' presence blame each other for the deaths.
The horses are wild animals, but protected by the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. Killing a wild horse can lead to a fine of up to $2,000 and a maximum of one year in prison, or both.
A $5,000 reward is offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooter or shooters.
Only cowards shoot wild animals without receiving permission to do so.
Rest of the story: https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2020/03/06/Wild-horse-killings-leave-Arizona-community-on-edge/3181582929258/
On a happier note.........
Penny Pyramid
An Arizona man said it took him three years to build a Guinness record-breaking pyramid from 1,030,315 pennies.
Cory Nielsen said the pyramid weighs 6,360 pounds. He said the pyramid is composed of 93,665 small stacks of 11 pennies. The base of the structure is 65 stacks long and 65 stacks wide.
He said the world record attempt was inspired when a coworker asked if his previous penny pyramid, made from about 47,000 coins, was a world record.
(https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2019/06/21/Arizona-man-builds-pyramid-from-1030315-pennies/5411561126928/)
Grace & Peace & Love to you all -
Matt