text:
Delivery by Christmas Ending, Explained: Do Maria And Krzysztof End Up Together?
Vidhi Narula
With direction and writing by Aleksandra Kulakowska and Maciej Prykowski, Netflix's Christmas romantic comedy 'Delivery By Christmas' is about a young, single mother who works as a courier to support her child. Things go awry when the packages get delivered to the wrong addresses on Christmas Eve. Maria, the protagonist, has to hurry and return the boxes to the correct address to save everyone's jolly festival.
Themes like family bonding, the reality of relationships, and the consequences of misunderstandings find relevance in the plot of the Polish movie. It touches upon several such facets to present a comprehensive overview of not just the protagonists' lives but also the supporting characters. Every subplot finds an adequate resolution in the movie. So, let's find out how the ending of 'Delivery By Christmas' impacts the main characters. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Delivery By Christmas Plot Synopsis
It's Christmas time, and the office of DTP, a courier service, is brimming with packages and gifts. We see Maria and her colleagues doing their best to deliver all the boxes in time for Christmas. They have a party at the office, where the boss tries to make a speech but fails. When Maria consoles him, he misinterprets it as an advance. Saddened by her rejection and her pity, the spiteful boss mislabels all of Maria's deliveries for the next day.
With all the other deliveries, Maria also has a package for Krzysztof, who she meets while delivering a previous package. Due to her boss's ridiculous act, Maria's packages reach the wrong addresses. When Krzysztof realizes he does not have the correct package with the ring to propose, he tracks down Maria. Together, they reluctantly set out to visit all the delivery addresses again.
In the meanwhile, we see a glimpse of the consequences of people getting the wrong gifts. A young boy's life turns upside down when his parents learn that he has impregnated his colleague, Milena. Mirek's parents feel that he needs to grow up and take more responsibility. On the other hand, Estera feels trapped in a sexless marriage. Her husband, Eryk, is only interested in traveling and looking at wildlife channels. As Estera's dress rips, she goes to the tailor, who secretly has a crush on her. Estera and the tailor have been friends for a long time, so she sends him a Christmas gift as well. When he receives the wrong package, he misreads the situation. However, things turn out well as Estera reciprocates his feelings.
Maria and Krzysztof have a difficult time together, as they don't see eye to eye on a lot of matters. They fight and argue the whole time. The duo delivers all the presents to their rightful recipients, and the feat is nothing short of a Christmas miracle. Even though the mess-up is huge, its consequences turn out nicely for everyone involved. Mirek's parents throw him out of the house so that he can learn to take some responsibility. Eventually, Milena makes him understand independence and individuality. Estera gets to explore her sexuality and understand what she truly wants. The destiny of the protagonists is revealed in the climax of the movie.
Delivery By Christmas Ending: Do Maria And Krzysztof End Up Together?
While delivering a package in an office, Maria's son, Maksiu, goes to the washroom and meets Krzysztof. Maksiu ends up converging the paths of Maria and Krzysztof. The latter needs his grandmother's ring to propose to his girlfriend. Hence, Krzysztof requests Maria to pick it up. Along with her other deliveries for the day before Christmas, Maria delivers Krzysztof's package too. In the beginning, we see Maria stand alone on the balcony. When she sees her neighbors love and take care of each other, she also longs for love in her life.
Amid the package mix-up, Maria and Krzysztof spend the day together to deliver the packages to the correct addresses. Even though they are polar opposites in personality, they come closer together in the face of adversity. Krzysztof is a practical, well-planned man, while Maria is a happy-go-lucky woman who lives life freely and independently. They share an intimate moment while hiding from the police car. Maria and Krzysztof recognize the chemistry between them but don't take any action. They would make a great couple as they recognize each other's shortcomings and complement each other well.
In the movie's climax, we see the duo talk about their emotional baggage as Maria throws the ring into the river. Krzysztof is newly out of a relationship, so he does not make a move. Maria feels shy as she never knew someone could come into her life like this. Their views and opinions might differ, but by spending the day together, they witness the goodness in each other. Krzysztof sees how hard-working Maria is and how much she loves her kid. Maria appreciates Krzysztof spending the day helping her out.
The end of the movie does not indicate the end of the characters. We believe they get to live their romantic love story that embodies the power of attraction among opposites. Maksiu would be the happiest one to see his mother with Krzysztof, as he got along well with the latter. Krzysztof also got Maksiu Christmas presents that he desperately wanted. There's nothing better for a child than to see his mother happy. Maria and Maksiu connected with Krzysztof's grandfather, who always looks after his beloved grandson.
Why Didn't Maria Take The Ship Back?
When Maria reaches the last address to get Maksiu's present, she sees three young children spending Christmas eve alone. Their parents are at work, and the siblings are enjoying the joyous evening alone. Maria sees the ship she ordered for Maksiu on the table with the kids playing around it. She feels bad for them, as they miss their parents. The situation parallels the three siblings and Maria's time with Maksiu. She often leaves her son with the neighbors to go to work. Maria reflects on Maksiu's feelings of loneliness and longing for his mother to spend time with him.
Furthermore, Maria remembers what Krzysztof tells her earlier. He expresses that Maria cannot buy Maksiu's love. She needs to spend more time and have fun with him rather than buy him expensive gifts. The revelation hits Maria hard. She realizes that he is right. At the moment, she decides to leave the ship and get Maksiu something meaningful that he might enjoy more. She picks emotions and sentiments over expensive gifts that actually compensate for the lack of time in life. It is a commentary on modern parents who believe that equipping their children with gadgets and fancy toys will replace their presence. They need to face the fact that those inanimate objects cannot come close to their time, effort, and affection.
Why Does Maria Throw The Ring In The River?
Maria sees Krzysztof's sadness when he does not have the ring for Zuzia. She gives him a ring she had tugged away. All this time, he chases his grandmother's ring to propose to his girlfriend when he is not committed enough to marry Zuzia. Even his grandfather knows that, which is why he does not send the ring to Krzysztof. After his break up, Krzysztof moves to his grandfather's apartment.
We believe Maria got that ring from Maksiu's father. He is not mentioned or seen in the movie. Nonetheless, Maria reveals that the ring is her emotional baggage that she wants to get rid of. Consequently, due to the breakup, it becomes Krzysztof's baggage as well. So, when Krzysztof returns the ring to Maria, she tosses it into the river as good riddance. With this, Maria and Krzysztof wipe the slate clean to begin a new life together. Like many other elements, the movie uses the ring as a plot device to show commitment and love in relationships. Some people hold on to it their whole life, while others never find the strength to make it their own.
Read More: Where Was Netflix's Delivery by Christmas Filmed?


Valley Bee Supply, Inc. provides a hands-on approach to beekeeping in order to encourage, assist and provide education.
The retail store provides an opportunity to compare, touch, and visualize when making decisions about supplies and equipment required for beekeeping. The company's founder, Shane Clatterbaugh started the business in August 2011 in Fishersville, VA. He began beekeeping as a hobby, but as his hobby progressed, he became aware of the need for a local beekeeping resource in the Shenandoah Valley.
Valley Bee Supply's retail store offers a full line of beekeeping supplies and equipment for beekeepers of all levels that include woodenware, hive bodies, supers, frames, foundation, extractors, containers, protective clothing, packaged bees, queens and nucs (in season).
Experienced beekeepers are on-site and available to answer any questions that arise when keeping bees. Valley Bee Supply does raw honey production as Mossy Creek Apiaries located on site. Services include on-site evaluations, hive inspections, swarm and feral colony removal, and farm hive rentals for crop pollination. Education and support are provided to encourage beekeeping, and to make beekeeping easier, less expensive and more convenient. Due to high customer demand and increased public interest in beekeeping, operations have expanded to online sales at https://www.ValleyBeeSupply.com. Also, Shane began a woodenware manufacturing facility in 2013. Custom orders for hives and hive components are available by special order. Call for pricing. Free Shipping on orders over $99 was implemented November 2014.
Shane is a member of the Virginia State Beekeepers Association, American Beekeeping Federation, and The Shenandoah Valley Beekeepers Association. He currently serves as Vice President of the local Association.


If you have been searching for a fifth wheel that is tailored to your needs, take a look at this model. You have the choice of cooking inside in the rear kitchen with full appliances and a pantry to store plenty of food, or outside on the capital grill and storing your drinks in the mini refrigerator. The triple slide outs allow you to move around the main living/kitchen area freely without feeling cramped, and the master bedroom is roomy also. I'm sure you can imagine relaxing in the theater seats and on the sleeper sofa on a cold night after a long day outside. Come see what else will make this the perfect RV for you and your family's lifestyle.
With any Keystone Cougar Half-Ton fifth wheel you will be able to camp in any weather with the forced-air heated and enclosed underbelly with enclosed dump valves and astorfoil insulated slide floor. If you need to stay cool or warm, these units have you covered. You can even take your bikes and additional totes along with the 225 lb. capacity folding exterior bike/storage rack. Each interior includes oversized panoramic windows that are fully ventilated, the KeyTV which is a multi-source signal controller, and new modern interior styling with pillow-top seating, a fold-flat sofa and dimmable lighting. You are sure to appreciate the iN-Command Generation 3 with Global Connect giving owners total control over power, slides, awnings, HVAC and more. Choose your favorite model today!


text:
Meet reCAPTCHA v3: Google ditches annoying challenges
November 1, 2018 by Nancy Owano, Phys.org
Could your reCAPTCHA instructions get any more annoying? Relax. They just got far less annoying. The history-making day was October 29. Can you just imagine. No tests, no interactions, for Google's reCAPTCHA.
The Google Webmaster Central Blog carried the announcement on October 29. Let's hear it for reCAPTCHA v3. It's a new way to sniff out abusive traffic on websites. How big a change is reCAPTCHA v3? Very big. It is "fundamentally changing how sites can test for human vs. bot activities."
PC Tech Magazine said that "site users no longer need to squint at distorted text or click on streams of a school bus or traffic light images in order to prove that they're not a robot."
Instead of interactions the new version depends on adaptive risk analysis to pick up suspicious traffic. "The new version runs in the background of a website, producing scores from 0.1 (bad) to 1 (good) for interactions and behaviors with that site," said Rachel England in Engadget. reCAPTCHA uses an advanced risk analysis engine and adaptive CAPTCHAs to keep automated software from engaging in abusive activities on your site. It does this while letting your valid users pass through with ease.
So, with reCAPTCHA V3, users aren't asked to do anything; instead, interactive challenges are replaced with scores, which are based on user interactions with a website. A "good" score is 1.0 and a "bad," bot-like interaction scores 0.1.
Abner Li in 9to5Google explained more about the score. The score ranks "how suspicious an interaction is." The goal is to minimize the "need to interrupt users with challenges at all." The score is based on interactions with your site and enables you to take an appropriate action.
The reCAPTCHA developer documentation is available; the new system works by placing reCAPTCHA v3 on more pages—not just the login box—and running the adaptive risk analysis in the background to alert you.
Rob Thubron in TechSpot apparently will not shed tears at the departure of the old interactions. He wrote, "The famously irritating reCaptcha v1 asked site visitors to identify and input distorted text, which in some cases was almost impossible to decipher. reCaptcha v2 was a significant improvement as it only asked users to click a box, but if it suspected you were a bot then a series of image challenges ... was presented."
Meanwhile, reCAPTCHA v3 has introduced "Action." This is a tag you can use "to define the key steps of your user journey and enable reCAPTCHA to run its risk analysis in context." Translation: "Developers can add a new 'action' tag to their pages to run risk analysis on visitors," said Thubron.
If you are running a site, you get to see how suspicious the traffic was on pages via the reCAPTCHA admin console. The console provides an overview of reCAPTCHA score distribution and other information.
What happens when the scores are made known? "Site admins can decide how their website should react based on these scores, and can use them in one of three ways," England said.
Li spelled out the three ways that version 3 is customizable,
"First, you can set a threshold that determines when a user is let through or when further verification needs to be done, for example, using two-factor authentication and phone verification.
"Second, you can combine the score with your own signals that reCAPTCHA can't access—such as user profiles or transaction histories.
"Third, you can use the reCAPTCHA score as one of the signals to train your machine learning model to fight abuse."
It is evident that Google is pleased and tech watchers predicted that site owners will like the change, too. Rachel England in Engadget: "Google first launched its bot-detection reCAPTCHA system in 2007, which means that for over 10 years we've been deciphering garbled text, identifying street lights and clicking tiny boxes in a bid to prove we're human and subsequently access the sites and pages we want to view."
England also wrote that "most website owners will appreciate taking back control over the way their sites react to traffic without leaving Google to make the decision on their behalf based on garbled images."
Said one comment-giver on TechSpot: She always felt that fear of bots should not be the user's problem. Why should we have needed to struggle with a curlicue v and cut-off chunks of road signs?
Thubron said on Oct. 31 that reCAPTCHA v3 has been in beta since May "and will become widely available later this week."
More information: webmasters.googleblog.com/2018 … a-v3-new-way-to.html
developers.google.com/recaptcha/docs/v3
reCAPTCHA eases up on the human eye
Oct 28, 2013 report
Google updates hair-pulling CAPTCHA with tick box
Dec 04, 2014 weblog
Google acquires Web security firm reCAPTCHA
Stanford researchers outsmart captcha codes
Nov 03, 2011 report
CAPTCHA: The story behind those squiggly computer letters
Google's Street View address reading software also able to decipher CAPTCHAs
Apr 17, 2014 report

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Greece to tender 300 MW of PV in July
Greece's tender-based policy scheme for the support of renewable energies is maturing. After running a pilot tender in 2016, the country will tender 300 MW of solar PV power and 300 MW of wind power projects on July 2.
May 3, 2018 Ilias Tsagas
According to Greece's regulator, the first tender category in July 2018 will award new PV capacity up to 70 MW.
Image: Flickr/fdecomite
Greece's solar PV industry, once a global leader in adding new installations, is coming back, this time on a more sustainable and rational basis.
The country's new tender-based policy scheme for the support of renewable energies (RE) follows the European Union's (EU) state-aid guidelines, which asks member-states to award large-scale RE projects based on competitive tenders.
In line with the EU guidelines, Greece has abandoned its feed-in tariff (FIT) scheme and is now entering the mature phase of its new remuneration policy scheme.
Therefore, on July 2, Greece's energy regulator (RAE) will tender 300 MW of new solar PV and 300 MW of new wind energy projects.
Specifically, Greece will run three auctions: an auction comprising PV projects ranging between 500 KW and 1 MW; an auction for solar PV projects larger than 1 MW and up to 20 MW; and a wind power tender concerning projects larger than 3 MW and up to 50 MW.
The second tender category, concerning PV projects larger than 1 MW, is slightly different from what RAE was considering earlier in the year, when it suggested it would include PV projects up to 10 MW. It has now expanded the upper limit of this category up to 20 MW per project.
According to Greece's regulator, the first tender category in July 2018 will award new PV capacity up to 70 MW, the second tender will award new capacity up to a total of 230 MW, while awarded wind power projects will not exceed 300 MW of capacity. Investors need to submit their interest by June 5.
For PV projects less than 500 KW, the EU guidelines leave it up to the member states to decide the remuneration method, and Greece applies a generous net metering scheme.
The forthcoming PV tender will follow the details pv magazine published earlier in the year.
Firstly, for a tender to materialise it needs to be adequately subscribed. Specifically, the tender needs to attract at least 75% of PV capacity on top of the capacity being awarded. For example, if the first tender category, set to tender up to 70 MW of PV projects, attracts only 50 MW of tender submissions, then Greece will award only 29 MW of PV capacity.
Secondly, the bidding price cap per tender category is set at €85 per MWh, €80 per MWh and €90 per MWh respectively.
Finally, awarded PV projects in each category will need to be completed and connected to the grid within a specified timeframe, following the tender results. The timeframe is 12 months for projects up to 1 MW; 15 months for projects up to 5 MW; and 18 months for PV projects larger than 5 MW.
The only exception to these timeframes is when a project larger than 1 MW needs to build a new substation, in which case awarded projects can use an additional six months.
All in all, the tender mechanism is excellent news for Greece, which experienced large volumes of PV installations a few years ago under a flawed FIT scheme. Greece's FITs scheme remunerated projects with unsustainably high tariffs, leading to scandalous internal rates of return (IRR) for projects. Eventually the country had to drastically cut its FITs retroactively.
Greece's renewable energy subsidies are financed via a levy applied to retail electricity prices.
RAE will run a number of seminars across the country aimed at informing investors of the tender scheme and how this is working. The Athens-based meeting will take place in the OTE Academy amphitheatre (in Marousi) on May 10, at 9.30 am local time.
Ilias Tsagas
Greek-born Ilias has written for pv magazine since 2012, reporting on renewable energy news, electricity market developments and energy policy. His geographic area of expertise includes Europe and the MENA region.
More articles from Ilias Tsagas


text:
FACTOID # 19: Cheap sloppy joes: Looking for reduced-price lunches for schoolchildren? Head for Oklahoma!
Encyclopedia > Yahoo! Games
Yahoo! Games is the games section of the Yahoo! website. On it, Yahoo! users can play games alone, or with each other. The games on the website are typically Java applets, but there are others which require the program to be downloaded.
Yahoo! Games has a large user base playing various kinds of games, such as: card games, board games, fantasy sports, emulated arcade games, and word games.
Yahoo! Games also features an "All Star" system for users, in which a user can pay to get an All Star username. All Star users are able to get extra privellages on Yahoo! Games sites such as disabling pop-up ads.
Chess and Yahoo! Pool are among the most popular games on the site.
Yahoo! Games (http://games.yahoo.com)
Yahoo Games Review (http://www.download-free-games.com/reviews/yahoo_games.htm)
Categories: Computer and video game stubs | Yahoo!


The line is open Mon–Thu 7.45 am – 4 pm, Fri 7.45 am – 3 pm.
In urgent cases, please call on weekdays between 7.45 am – 10 am. In non-urgent cases, call after 10 am. The appointments are made based on assessment of treatment need.
Private dental clinics also provide dental services in Oulu.
On weekdays, you can contact the dental clinic at you own health clinic in cases of acute pain. To make a dental appointment, call 08 5584 6430.
Weekend and public holidays: emergency dental care is available at Aapistie 3, 10 am - 3 pm, tel. 044 7036 426.
At other times and in cases involving serious injury, please contact the joint emergency duty service, tel. 08 3152 655.


Bird Reversible Scarf Bib by Oli & Belle | Toyabella.com shop for quality unique children's toys, fashion, and furniture.
Bird Reversible Scarf Bib by Oli & Belle has a rating of stars based on reviews.
Bird Scarf Bibs are a cool and practical solution to keep babies dry while looking fabulous. They are 100% cotton and also reversible. They accessorize a cute outfit and there are many styles to suit your baby's individual personality! Machine washable.
Each package includes one bib. Size 16in x 8in. Imported.


text:
Eyjafjallajökull () alfabet fonètic internacional: [ˈɛɪjaˌfjatlaˌjœːkʏtl̥] és la cinquena glacera més gran d'Islàndia. És al nord de la regió de Skógar i a l'oest d'una glacera de major mida Mýrdalsjökull.

La capa de glaç de la glacera cobreix el volcà Eyjafjalla de 1.666 m d'altura, que ha entrat en erupció amb una freqüència relativa des de l'Època glacial. El cràter del volcà té un diàmetre d'entre 3 i 4 quilòmetres i la glacera cobreix una àrea d'uns 100 km².

La penúltima erupció del volcà Eyjafjalla va ser de 1821 a 1823 i causà un fatal desplaçament de la glacera. La més recent és l'erupció del 2010 que començà el 14 d'abril i obligà 700 persones que habitaven prop de la zona a evacuar. Així mateix, el núvol de cendres emès pel volcà va obligar a tallar el trànsit aeri en gran part d'Europa.

Geografia

Topografia
L'Eyjafjallajökull és entre la vall de Þórsmörk al nord i la costa de l'oceà Atlàntic al sud. El cim de la glacera és marcat per una profunda depressió corresponent al contorn de la caldera de dos quilòmetres i mig de diàmetre. El cim pròpiament dit, anomenat Hámundur i de 1.666 metres d'altitud, essent un dels cims més alts d'Islàndia, és una excrescència del rivet del cràter. D'altres cims secundaris anomenats Guðnasteinn es reparteixen igualment sobre la vora.

Geologia
L'Eyjafjalla és un estratovolcà d'aproximadament 700.000 anys. Sembla haver estat poc actiu, havent conegut erupcions al voltant dels anys 550, 1612, de 1821 a 1823 i 2010. L'erupció de 1612 sembla haver estat comuna amb l'erupció del volcà veí Katla. L'erupció de 1821-1823 acaba quan Katla entra en erupció al seu torn. Això fa pensar a certs vulcanòlegs que els dos sistemes estan «mecànicament» vinculats. El volcà entrà de nou en erupció el 20 de març de 2010 després d'una crisi sísmica i, de nou, el 14 d'abril de 2010 amb una intensitat de 10 a 20 vegades més intensa que al març.

Hidrologia
Sobre el flanc Nord de la capa de glaç, les glaceres de Steinsholtsjökull i Gígujökull s'individualitzen de la capa de glaç per baixar fins a la vall de Þórsmörk. La llengua glacial de Gígujökull, en català «la glacera del cràter», recorre un desnivell de 1.400 metres des del cràter abocant al nord; és notablement visible des de la carretera que porta a la vall de Þórsmörk.

La fosa de les aigües de l'Eyjafjallajökull alimenta nombrosos rius que baixen els flancs escarpats del volcà tallant-hi per indrets de profunds canyons, com ara Stakkholtsgjá, ben conegut pels excursionistes.

Gran nombre de turistes venen atrets per les nombroses cascades, entre les quals podem citar Seljalandsfoss, de 65 metres d'alt, o Skógafoss, de 62 metres d'alt, que rep també les aigües de la capa de glaç veïna del Mýrdalsjökull.

Erupció del 2010

Cap al Nadal de 2009, es va detectar activitat sísmica en la zona del volcà, amb milers de petits terratrèmols la majoria d'una magnitud d'entre 1 i 2 en l'escala de Richter però amb una parell de terratrèmols a l'escala 3. El 26 de febrer de 2010, es va enregistrar una activitat sísmica en ràpida expansió que va evidenciar la presència de magma en moviment dins el volcà. Del 3 al 5 de març es van mesurar 3.000 terratrèmols en l'epicentre del volcà.

El 14 d'abril, després d'una breu pausa, va tornar a entrar en erupció tot provocant la fusió de part de la glacera fet que, al seu torn, provocà inundacions fent necessària l'evacuació de centenars de persones. Aquesta explosió fou de naturalesa explosiva i emeté un núvol de cendres que s'estengué fins a les illes Britàniques i el nord d'Europa i que causà el tancament de l'espai aeri en força països preveient possibles problemes en els motors dels avions.

Eyjafjöll
Aquest nom normalment descriu les petites muntanyes que formen el peu del volcà. La població i museu de Skógar és també part de la regió "undir Eyjafjöllum" (sota les muntanyes de l'Eyjafjöll).

Referències

Enllaços externs

 Imatge de la NASA de l'erupció de 2010
 Fotos de l'erupció del 2010 fetes per Fred Kamphues
 Història de l'Eyjafjallajökull (islandès)
 Fotos de www.islandsmyndir.is
 Activitat sísmica d'Islàndia (anglès i islandès)

Glaceres d'Islàndia
Suðurland

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
By Ron VanHerwyn
The Armadillo
April 1, 2015 | View PDF
The nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) cannot easily be confused with any other North American wild mammal. The armadillo's body is covered with an armored carapace or shell. The carapace is a double layer of horn and bone, segmented into three main divisions: an anterior scapular shield covering the shoulder; a posterior pelvic shield covering the hip region; and a middle section comprised of a series of bands connected by soft, infolded skin between the bands. The head and legs are covered with thick scales, and the tail is encased in a series of bony rings.
The coloration of nine-banded armadillos is generally grayish brown, with yellowish-white scales along the side of the carapace. The armadillo has a long, pointed snout, small eyes, and large, cylindrical ears. The armadillo's pointed snout, short, stout legs, and heavy claws are well suited for digging and burrowing.
Armadillos have a limited number of vocalizations: a low, wheezy grunt associated with digging and rooting; a wheezy grunt uttered by recently captured individuals; an audible buzzing noise given when highly alarmed or fleeing, a pig-like squeal given by frightened individuals; and a weak purring given by young attempting to nurse from an unrelated female.
Their total length ranges from 24 to 31 inches and weights vary from 8 to 15 pounds and can live 12 – 15 years. The range of the nine-banded armadillo has undergone rapid expansion into the southern United States since the late 1800s. The recent rapid expansion of the armadillo's range was facilitated by a number of factors: reduction in the number of large carnivores; climatic and biotic changes; and accidental and deliberate relocations of animals to unoccupied areas. Armadillos now occur throughout the southern and southeastern U.S., as far north as Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska. These animals are common throughout most of Alabama, but less common in several northeastern counties.
The armadillo is very adaptable and does well in most habitat types found in Alabama. They generally avoid or are scarce in very wet or very dry habitats. Habitat suitability likely depends more on the characteristics of the substrate or soils, rather than vegetation type due to the armadillo's feeding and burrowing behavior.
A major portion of the armadillo's time spent outside its burrow is devoted to feeding. They typically start foraging as they emerge from their burrow and move at a slow pace following an often erratic course. Prey is apparently detected by smell, although sound also may play a role. Typical foraging behavior involves quickly probing with the nose and occasionally pausing to dig for prey. Armadillos are opportunistic feeders and consume a wide variety of food items. Invertebrates, primarily insects, make up roughly 90 percent of their diet. Small vertebrates and plant material make up the remainder of their diet. Researchers also have seen evidence of armadillos feeding on small reptiles and amphibians, the eggs of ground-nesting birds, and carrion.
Armadillos seem to exhibit a polygynous mating system, with most females paired with a single male and most males paired with more than one female. Den burrows have an enlarger nest chamber and are more complicated than a burrow dug for other purposes. The nest is a bulky mass of dried plant debris crammed into the nest chamber without any obvious structure. Armadillos in areas with poorly drained soils will construct above ground nests of dry plant material.
Most breeding among armadillos occurs during the summer (June-August). The normal gestation period is 8 to 9 months, with most young born between February and May. The armadillo exhibits monozygotic polyembryony in which a single fertilized egg normally gives rise to four separate embryos at the blastula stage of development. This results in a litter of four genetically identical haploid clone offspring. Dasypus is the only genus of vertebrates in which this reproductive phenomenon occurs. The offspring are precocial and begin accompanying the female outside of the burrow at about 2 to 3 months of age. By 3 to 4 months, the young are self-sufficient. Most males reach sexual maturity between 6 to 12 months of age, but females do not become sexually mature until they are 1 to 2 years old.
If you think your going to chase and catch one of these creatures think again, they can run speeds up to 30 mph.
The Worlds largest rodent Capybara
American Badger
Common Genet
Speckled Trout Fishing In Mobile Bay | Finatics Fishing Charters
A Biologist's Opinion on Turkeys


Our weird weather continues with surf crashing on the normally tranquil south shore of Maui. One advantage for children is all the small marine creatures tossed into tide pools waiting to be discovered.
Nonetheless, the skies are blue and clear and the temperatures are back in the eighties. Mmmmmmm.


I was on the road this week for work, and while I did decide to fly for the longest stretches of the trip, most of the week I was driving. In fact, I feel like that's all I did. Drive. You have to know me and my relationship with driving to understand how truly significant this is, but after a week of driving all over 4 states I am by and large unfamiliar with, I managed to always get where I was going. Not only without incident, but without so much as a wrong turn. It was unprecedented. And considering one evening found me in the thick of NYC rush-hour traffic, my ultimate goal being Long Island (um, has anyone ever tried driving to Long Island?), actually getting there—and in the dark of night, no less—made me want to fall to the floor of the blessed Marriott that housed me that evening and weep for having arrived in one piece.
Instead I wept when I got home last night. I'm not sure why. Partly because I was exhausted. Because the NYC drive surely took years off my life. Partly because I got to meet up with my Airman brother while on the road, and I'm so incredibly proud of him. Partly because the world is such a beautiful place, and one you can only see close up when you do exactly what I had done—drive. And perhaps partly because I returned to Cleveland full of tales from the road, and the only one here to greet me was my cat.
Since there is no one on hand to listen, I'll have to tell you, dear readers, that a detour in Maryland took me through the most beautiful patch of land I've seen in years. I stopped in the middle of the winding country road just to take it all in. I glanced over my shoulder with a smile as I passed Coney Island and drove across the Verrazano Bridge on the clearest and most beautiful day imaginable. People had pulled off the road and gotten out of their cars just to look out and sigh for a minute before rolling on. And when I crossed the Susquehanna yesterday, I thought about Billy Collins and his poem about fishing in July. Not because I've ever fished the Susquehanna, but then again, neither has Billy. In any case, I'm grateful for the trip, grateful to be home, and grateful to now put away the GPS.