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Pat Shingleton: "Super Brown Frosty and Prayers..."

8 years 2 months 1 day ago Tuesday, January 26 2016 Jan 26, 2016 January 26, 2016 4:00 AM January 26, 2016 in Pat Shingleton Column
By: Pat Shingleton

After the dangers of the northeast blizzard subsided, snow related activities were launched.  In March, 1988, Myron L. Ace entered the Guinness Book of world Records by constructing a 63.5 foot snowman in Anchorage, Alaska. Myron's giant sculpture was finalized with the assistance of eight friends, one of whom was a skilled  crane operator who lifted 8-inch snow blocks to shape the snowman. Named "Super Frosty," it took three  weeks to complete> As residents enjoyed the structure, the city was hit by an unusual storm that created another interesting weather  feature. Anchorage was blasted with a dust storm that included 70 m.p.h. winds that turned the 63 foot masterpiece  into "Super Brown Frosty." In 1678, the towns of Fieschertal and Fliesch, located in the Swiss Alps, were flooded because of the Aletsch glacier. The flooding empowered residents to take a formal vow, praying that the Aletsch glaciers would stop growing. In addition to the prayer intentions, an annual procession was initiated to reduce the ice mass. Over a period of 300 years, the glacier gradually shrunk at a moderate rate that reduced the threat of flooding. Scientists determined that the glacier decreased 3.5 kilometers over three centuries. Four years ago  a lack of fresh water, residents have reversed their prayer intentions and now pray for the glacier to grow. Including an intervention from Pope Benedict XVI which is similar to the original vow sent to Pope Innocent XL.

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