Contact Butch

L.S. “Butch” Mazzuca
Columnist, Photographer

7590 E Rudasill Rd
Tucson, AZ 85750

Direct: 303-882-5588
bmazz68@icloud.com

Butch Mazzuca

Unintended Consequences

The Encyclopedia Britannica tells us “Trophic Cascade” is the ecological phenomenon triggered by the addition or removal of top predators and involving reciprocal changes in the relative populations of predator and prey through a food chain, which often results in...

Christmas Magic

Of all the Christmas movies the classic 1983 film, “A Christmas Story,” starring Peter Billingsly, Darren McGavin and Melinda Dillon remains my favorite.   A period piece set in the late 1940s; the film is a caricature of Christmas for millions. The movie captures...

Dumela Rra

We were running a bit late for our afternoon/evening game drive at the Vumbura water camp in the Okavango Delta.  I was unpacking camera gear while Bobbi was doing a quick change after our hot and dusty morning outing. Bobbi was putting on a clean pair of safari pants...

Taking Earth’s Temperature

Pat Michaels (Ph.D. Climatology) a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute and retired Research Professor of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia relates how the spokesperson for an organization with some of the oldest temperature sensor data in existence...

What Do You Need?

Most of us think we know what we need in life, but do we really?  In 1943 Abraham Maslow published the paper “A Theory of Human Motivation” detailing his theory about the hierarchy of human needs, which he put into five categories. Physiological needs, i.e.,...

Unnatural Selection

In 1859 Charles Darwin put forth his theory of natural selection—the non-random process by which biological traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. In other words, nature ensures the...

A Tale of Two Hunts

My wife and I recently returned from southern Africa were we experienced one of the most incredible spectacles imaginable.  On our first morning in the bush our guide was driving us and another couple from the Matashu Camp through the center of the dried out Mujale...

Helpful Hints

You can flip a toaster on its side and grill cheese on a slice of bread. If you want to know how fresh the bread is in your grocery store, look at the tie that holds the wrapper closed. Bread is usually delivered on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday,...

Potpourri

Visitors to the Vail Valley should be aware that even if you’re in great physical shape, it’s no guarantee against developing altitude sickness.  Even if you’ve been here without symptoms in the past, it’s no guarantee against getting sick now.  The reality is that...

Turn Left at Greenland

During their first United States tour in 1964, a reporter asked Ringo Starr, “How do you find America,” The Beatles drummer didn’t miss a beat and replied, “Turn left at Greenland!” Well, perhaps it was that simple for Mr. Starr and his friends, but sometimes...