The extinction of the North American megafauna was almost certainly not due to any one event or cause - major factors likely included increased human predation; novel diseases introduced by humans and other animals crossing land bridges; and climate change (which would have altered flora, as well). No one would necessarily have been enough to wipe out the megafauna, but the combined effects were too much to survive. The bison was the largest herbivore to survive the event, and the grizzly the largest predator. There were much larger animals on this continent at one time. We also had an impressive range of big cats. Jaguars did once range as far north as Washington state and Nebraska, but no later than the Pleistocene (for those not familiar with geologic time periods, the Pliocene was from approx. 5 MYA to 1.6 MYA and the Pleistocene from 1.6 MYA to .01 MYA. From .01 MYA to the present is known as the Holocene). Jaguars were typically found where North American lions were absent (which had reached Peru by the Pleistocene). Both were also larger than their surviving modern day counterparts. We also had tigers in Alaska during the last 100,000 years! Sabertooth cats were present in many parts of North America during the Pliocene and Pleistocene. These included Dinofelis, Nimravides (over 3' tall at the shoulder), Machairodus (almost 4' tall at the shoulder), Homotherium and Smilodon (the famous La Brea fossils are S. fatalis). Smilodon populator, larger than the La Brea specimens, was the size of a large lion (4' tall at the shoulder). The cheetahs that populated North America (Miracinonyx) were larger than African cheetahs, and less specialized for speed; there were also European cheetahs that were larger as well and were believed to have had the heavier coats of a northern animal (like a snow leopard or Siberian tiger). They would have done fine in Wyoming in the winter. Alas, African cheetahs would not. Still, imagine what our continent would be like if these big cats were around today! Alan Turner's "The Big Cats and their Fossil Relatives" is a great (if technical) read about the living and extinct great cats.

When I was a kid, they didn't have the "Dead Stock Removal" businesses that appeared later, who, when you gave them a call, would come to your farm within a couple of days, usually, winch the dead (and without blood having been drained) animal up on to their (stinking) truck and take it to their (stinking) plant. The hide would be removed, for processing into shoes, belts, purses and the like. Some of the meat would be sent to mink ranches, fox farms, etc. Some would be sent to pet food processors, where it was cooked and had other stuff added, to be put into cans and sold to townies and other pet "owners" to feed to their pets. ole joyful

We have been having nothing but troubles with bertazzoni appliances. We bought all bertazzoni appliances from vent hood, range, the newest model microwave Combi oven and 30 inch wall oven. The microwave just simply doesn't work and we have been waiting for the parts to arrive from "Italy" for over a month now. Yup, you heard me right. the parts have to come from Italy. For me, this is a poor planning of the new product introduction with support from Bertazzoni. In my opinion, when new products are introduced to public without any proper parts and services is a poor management execution. After numerous calls to service center, they finally put a request to replace the unit. We are now waiting for the new unit replacement. We are also having the front face heat issue with the Bertazzoni wall oven despite of the fact that we followed the instruction of (remedy to the design flaw IMHO) making the hole for the ventilation. It gets so hot that we can't touch it. I called Bertazzoni and they will be sending the technician out from Appliances masters to look at it. I hope there is something that can be done. Otherwise, this oven will not be usable for our kitchen. I would love to hear more about others about this issue if this spans across all Bertazzoni wall oven owners. Thanks

petalique You may print these for various greeting/birthday cards. Contact me and I can send you better images. The images in this post have been severely compressed and have lost some definition. I do not have a photo account on-line. (For a short time, I have changed my profile to allow members of this forum to contact me.) These birds are very wary and it is rare that I can get close enough to make a decent image of them. I approached these in an a SUV and shot from a window exposing not much more than my camera. A couple shots were made through the windshield. Also, these are zoomed at about the maximum that I can do hand-held. These birds are commonly refereed to as buzzards and are absolute masters at riding thermals and finding updrafts.