title: "Dodge Caravan" content: lighting and center console, and halogen projector headlamps with LED accents. The Chrysler models were adjusted so that instead of competing against equivalent Dodge trim levels, they were above Dodge in trim and features. For 2012, a new, basic style trim called "AVP" was introduced, while some features previously unavailable for "SE" (like touch navigation panel) become available as options (The "SE" now also received a floor console, similar to the one available for "SXT"). The same year, the front logo design was changed the two slanted rectangles in red to match the rest of the Dodge lineup. For 2013,


title: "Dodge Caravan" content: the "AVP" trim starting MSRP reduced by $1,000 from the year before. For the 2014 model year, three new packages are introduced: American Value Package (US; Canada Value Package in Canada), Blacktop package (US only) and the 30th Anniversary Edition. They are all different sets of the SE and SXT trims, and include new luxury features for basically the same price. The Grand Caravan AVP also gained easy-clean floor mats that came with the optional second-row Stow'n Go seats (standard on SE, SXT and R/T). The "Blacktop package", based on SE and SXT, came equipped with 17-inch polished aluminum wheels


title: "Dodge Caravan" content: with gloss black pockets, a gloss black grille, black headlamp bezels, an all-black interior including headliner, door panels and console, unique black cloth seats and door trim panels with silver accent stitching, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with silver accent stitching and a leather shift knob, choice of 6 body colors (Granite Crystal, Billet Silver, Brilliant Black, Maximum Steel, Redline Red, Bright White). SXT models also include fog lamps. The "SE 30th Anniversary Edition", based on the SE trim, came equipped with 17-inch satin carbon aluminum wheels, body-color heated exterior mirrors, 30th Anniversary badging on the front fenders, silver accent stitching


title: "Dodge Caravan" content: and piano black accents throughout, black cloth seats, a black leather-wrapped steering wheel, black leather-wrapped shift knob, black headliner and overhead console, bright heating and air conditioning trim bezels, power second- and third-row windows, and 30th Anniversary logo on the key fob The "SXT 30th Anniversary Edition", based on the SXT trim, was packaged with 17-inch polished aluminum wheels with satin carbon pockets, bright chrome roof rack, bright window trim moldings, fog lamps, automatic headlamps and special 30th Anniversary badging, Black Torino leatherette seats with premium suede inserts and silver accent stitching, power 10-way driver's seat, piano black accent trim


title: "Dodge Caravan" content: bezels, and bright chrome accents throughout. Both 30th Anniversary Editions included an available special body color, Granite Crystal Pearl Coat, a customized gauge cluster with 30th Anniversary badging, as well as the UConnect Handsfree Group (SiriusXM Satellite Radio with a one-year subscription, Bluetooth streaming audio and voice command and an auto-dimming rear view mirror). The vehicles arrived at dealerships at Q3 2013. Also new for the 2014 model year, the Grand Caravan R/T gained standard auto headlamps with black bezels and the Security Group featuring remote start and security alarm. A small 2017 model year update yields SE, SE Plus,


title: "Dodge Caravan" content: SXT, and GT models. The 6.5" Touchscreen (Radio 430 and 430 NAV) became standard equipment. (Navigation is standard on GT and optional on SXT.) FCA unveiled the Chrysler Pacifica, a new crossover minivan for the 2017 model year, at the 2016 North American International Auto Show. The Pacifica replaced the Chrysler Town & Country, but it was originally stated that the 2016 model of the Dodge Caravan would be produced for one more model year as a lower-cost alternative to the Pacifica, before being discontinued. In January 2017, FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne stated that it was not clear if the


title: "Dodge Caravan" content: Caravan would be discontinued, and that they would have to look into offering "some level of affordable access to the Pacifica at the lower end to try and replace the outgoing models". Despite the introduction of the higher-cost Pacifica model, sales of the Caravan increased by 26% in 2016. Production of Grand Caravans was temporarily suspended from September to November 2017 with the assembly of the 2018 model year versions starting in December 2017. The production line required changes to install airbags that meet U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 226 calling for larger and more robust side-impact air curtains,


title: "Dodge Caravan" content: as well as for them to deploy in the event of either a side-on collision or a rollover. Standard on all 2018 models are advanced multistage driver and front-passenger airbags that include low-risk deployment, a driver's-side inflatable knee blocker, front seat-mounted side airbags, and side-curtains for outboard passengers in all three rows. Originally from 2007 to June 1, 2011, the van was known in Europe as the Chrysler G. Voyager, but since June 1, 2011, it has been known in the UK and Ireland as a Chrysler G. Voyager and in the rest of Europe as a Lancia Voyager. For


title: "Dodge Caravan" content: the European market, the Lancia/Chrysler Voyager will be available in three trim levels (Silver, Gold and Platinum) and two choices of engine: a 3.6-liter V6 petrol unit and a 2.8-liter CRD diesel with particulate filter as standard delivering and . For more information on the European specification Voyager, see Chrysler Voyager. The Ram Cargo Tradesman, or Ram C/V Tradesman, debuted for the 2012 model year, replacing the Dodge Grand Caravan C/V. It is based on the Dodge Grand Caravan, but with solid metal instead of rear windows and a flat load space with of interior storage, and a . cargo


title: "Dodge Caravan" content: payload plus a towing capability of up to . The Ram C/V included a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine and 6-speed automatic transmission. The C/V Tradesman was discontinued after the 2015 model year in favor of the Fiat Doblò-based ProMaster City. Beginning with Generation V, Volkswagen began marketing the Volkswagen Routan, a rebadged variant of the Chrysler RT platform minivan with revised styling and content, for the North American market. The original contract between Chrysler and Volkswagen called for five years of production (through 2013). The Routan, made at Windsor Assembly alongside the Grand Caravan, debuted in 2008 at the Chicago


title: "Dodge Caravan" content: Auto Show. Sales began in autumn of 2008, and features neither Chrysler's Stow'n Go nor Swivel'n Go seating systems. When the Chrysler and Dodge badged versions received new features for 2011, not all were shared with the Routan. Total sales as of September 2010 were reported as being under 10,000 units, far lower than the target of 5% of the minivan market. The Routan was discontinued after the 2013 model year. A total of 2,500 were produced by Chrysler during the calendar year. The Caravan has incorporated numerous seating systems for their minivans to enhance interior flexibility. In 1991, Dodge


title: "Dodge Caravan" content: introduced a second row bench seat integrating two child booster seats on 1992 models. These seats continued as an available option through Generation V until they were discontinued in 2010. In 1995, Dodge introduced a system of seats to simplify installation, removal, and re-positioning, marketed as "Easy-Out Roller Seats". When installed, the seats are latched to floor-mounted strikers. When unlatched, eight rollers lift each seat, allowing it to be rolled fore and aft. Tracks have locator depressions for rollers, to simplify installation. Ergonomic levers at the seat backs release the floor latches single-handedly, without tools, and raise the seats onto


title: "Dodge Caravan" content: the rollers in a single motion. Additionally, seat backs were designed to fold forward. Seat roller tracks are permanently attached to the floor and seat stanchions are aligned, facilitating the longitudinal rolling of the seats. Bench seat stanchions were moved inboard to reduce bending stress in the seat frames, allowing them to be lighter. When configured as two and three person benches (available through Generation IV), the Easy Out Roller Seats could be unwieldy. Beginning in 2000, second and third row seats became available in a 'quad' configuration – bucket or captain chairs in the second row and a third


title: "Dodge Caravan" content: row three-person 50/50 split "bench" – with each section weighing under . The Easy-out system remained in use through Generation V – where certain models featured a two-person bench "and" the under-floor compartments from the "Stow'n Go" system. All the rebadged nameplate variants of the Chrysler minivans use the Easy Out Roller Seats on their second row seating, where not the Stow and Go system. In 2004, Dodge introduced a system of second- and third-row seating that folded completely into under-floor compartments. It was marketed as "Stow 'N Go" and was available exclusively on long-wheelbase models. In a development program


title: "Dodge Caravan" content: costing $400 million, engineers initially used an Erector Set to visualize the complex interaction of the design and redesigned under-floor components. The system included the spare tire well, fuel tank, exhaust system, parking brake cables, rear climate control lines, and rear suspension but precluded all-wheel drive (AWD). The system, in turn, creates a combined volume of of under-floor storage when second-row seats are deployed. With both rows folded, the vans have a flat-load floor and a maximum cargo volume of . The Stow 'n Go system received the Popular Science Magazine's "Best of What's New" for 2005 award, and was


title: "Dodge Caravan" content: never offered on the Volkswagen Routan, the rebadged nameplate variant of the Chrysler minivans. For model year 2011 Chrysler revised the system, rebranding it as "Super Stow 'n Go". New pivoting head restraints with taller seatbacks and a revised folding mechanism (marketed as "single action") improved stowage ease – with the head restraints folding on themselves automatically and the entire seat automatically folding down to a position just over its floor recess. Dodge introduced a seating system in 2007, marketed as "Swivel 'n Go". In the seating system, two full size second row seats swivel to face the third row.


title: "Dodge Caravan" content: A detachable table can be placed between the second and third row seats. The Swivel 'n Go seating system includes the third row seating from the Stow 'n Go system. The system is offered on the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country, but not the Volkswagen Routan, a rebadged nameplate variant of the Chrysler minivans. These Swivel 'n Go Seats are manufactured by Intier Corp. a division of Magna. The tracks, risers and swivel mechanisms are assembled by Camslide, a division of Intier. The swivel mechanism was designed by and is produced by Toyo Seat USA Corp. The


title: "Dodge Caravan" content: system is noted for its high strength. The entire load of the seat in the event of a crash is transferred through the swivel mechanism, which is almost twice as strong as the minimum government requirement. The swivel mechanism includes bumpers that stabilize the seat while in the lock position. When rotated the seat comes off these bumpers to allow easy rotation. The seat is not meant to be left in an unlocked position or swiveled with the occupant in it, although this will not damage the swivel mechanism. "Swivel 'n Go" was dropped after the 2010 model year and


title: "Dodge Caravan" content: is no longer an option on 2011 and later Chrysler and Dodge vans. However, the seats can still be installed by modifying the van with a few basic tools and parts. However, it is impossible to install the table. The long-wheelbase Dodge Grand Caravan with "Stow 'n Go" seats are built in Windsor, Ontario, Canada at Windsor Assembly (WAP Plant 3) by members of Canadian Auto Workers Local 444. Both wheelbase models were also produced in Fenton, Missouri at Saint Louis Assembly by members of the United Auto Workers Local 110 until 31 October 2008. Dodge Caravan The Dodge Caravan


title: "Kwame Kilpatrick" content: just another effort by a political hopeful to grab headlines." On May 14 the Detroit City Council voted to request that the governor of Michigan, Jennifer Granholm, remove Kilpatrick from office. Kilpatrick used his influence while in the Michigan legislature to funnel state grant money to two organizations that were vague on their project description. The groups were run by friends of Kilpatrick and both agreed to subcontract work to U.N.I.T.E., a company owned by Kilpatrick's wife Carlita. Carlita was the only employee and the firm received $175,000 from the organizations. Detroit 3D was one of the groups and the


title: "Kwame Kilpatrick" content: State canceled its second and final installment of $250,000 because 3D refused to divulge details on how the funds were being spent. In 2002, the Washington D.C. police announced that they would only offer professional courtesy protection to Kilpatrick while he was conducting official business in the nation's capital. D.C. police no longer provided after-hours police protection to Kilpatrick because of his inappropriate partying during past visits. Sergeant Tyrone Dodson of Washington D.C. explained by saying "we arrived at this decision because we felt that the late evening partying on the part of Mayor Kilpatrick would leave our officers stretched


title: Squanto content: Pokanoket or Patuxet youth, which required them to endure an entire winter alone. In addition to the class of commoners ("sanops"), there were outsiders, wanderers who attached themselves to a tribe or band; this last group had few rights except the expectation of protection against any enemy they shared with the larger group. For nearly a century before the landing of the "Mayflower" in 1620, the Ninnimissinuok sporadically experienced direct contact by European explorers and for decades before that the indirect consequences of European cod fishermen off the Newfoundland banks. The effect of these early encounters, though gradual and perhaps


title: "Western swamphen" content: Western swamphen The western swamphen ("Porphyrio porphyrio") is a swamphen in the rail family Rallidae, one of the six species of purple swamphen. From the French name "talève sultane", it is also known as the sultana bird. This chicken-sized bird, with its large feet, bright plumage and red bill and frontal shield is easily recognisable in its native range. It used to be considered the nominate subspecies of the purple swamphen. It is found on the Iberian Peninsula, in France, Sardinia and western North Africa to Tunisia. The species makes loud, quick, bleating and hooting calls which are hardly bird-like


title: "Western swamphen" content: in tone. It is particularly noisy during the breeding season. Despite being clumsy in flight, it can fly long distances and is a good swimmer, especially for a bird without webbed feet. Western swamphens are generally seasonal breeders, correlating with peak rainfall in many places, or summer in more temperate climes. The purple swamphen breeds in warm reed beds. The pattern of social behaviour tends to be monogamy. Pairs nest in a large pad of interwoven reed flags, etc., on a mass of floating debris or amongst matted reeds slightly above water level in swamps, clumps of rushes in paddocks


title: "Western swamphen" content: or long unkempt grass. Each bird can lay 3–6 speckled eggs, pale yellowish stone to reddish buff, blotched and spotted with reddish brown. The incubation period is 23–27 days, and is performed by both sexes. The precocious chicks are feathered with downy black feathers and able to leave the nest soon after hatching, but will often remain in the nest for a few days. Young chicks are fed by their parents (and group members) for between 10–14 days, after which they begin to feed themselves. The western swamphen prefers wet areas with high rainfall, swamps, lake edges and damp pastures.


title: "Western swamphen" content: The birds often live in pairs and larger communities. It clambers through the reeds, eating the tender shoots and vegetable-like matter. They have been known to eat eggs, ducklings, small fish and invertebrates such as snails. They have even been known to attack large eels; however, there is no consensus amongst ornithologists if they actually eat eel. They will often use one foot to bring food to their mouth rather than eat it on the ground. Where they are not persecuted they can become tame and be readily seen in towns and cities. Evidence from Pliny the Elder and other


title: "Western swamphen" content: sources shows that the Romans kept purple swamphens as decorative birds at large villas and expensive houses. They were regarded as noble birds and were among the few birds that Romans did not eat. A purple swamphen is depicted at the bottom of the famous garden fresco from Pompeii. The western swamphen in the Mediterranean has declined due to habitat loss, hunting and pesticide use, and requires strict protection. In Portugal the species declined greatly in the 19th and 20th centuries, but has increased more recently thanks to protection and some reintroduction schemes, although it remains rare and has a


title: "Western swamphen" content: fragmented distribution. Western swamphen The western swamphen ("Porphyrio porphyrio") is a swamphen in the rail family Rallidae, one of the six species of purple swamphen. From the French name "talève sultane", it is also known as the sultana bird. This chicken-sized bird, with its large feet, bright plumage and red bill and frontal shield is easily recognisable in its native range. It used to be considered the nominate subspecies of the purple swamphen. It is found on the Iberian Peninsula, in France, Sardinia and western North Africa to Tunisia. The species makes loud, quick, bleating and hooting calls which are


title: "List price" content: offered increases the perceived value to customers. A common use for MSRP can be seen in automobile sales in the United States. Prior to the spread of manufacturer's suggested retail pricing, there were no defined prices on vehicles, and car dealers were able to impose arbitrary markups, often with prices adjusted to what the salesperson thought the prospective purchaser would be willing to pay for a particular vehicle. Currently, the MSRP, or "sticker price", the price of a vehicle as labeled by the manufacturer, is clearly labeled on the windows of all new vehicles, on a Monroney sticker, commonly called


title: "Needle exchange programme" content: and possession and adopting NEPs, IDUs and sex workers in Mexico’s Northern Border regions report frequent syringe confiscation by law enforcement personnel. In this region as well as elsewhere, reports of syringe confiscation are correlated with increases in risky behaviors, such as groin injecting, public injection and utilization of pharmacies. These practices translate to risk for HIV and other blood-borne diseases. NEPs serving predominantly IDUs of color may be almost 4 times more likely to report frequent client arrest en route to or from the program and almost 4 times more likely to report unauthorized syringe confiscation. A 2005 study


title: "Terror Tract" content: to get revenge on her and when the door creaks open she blasts the figure behind it only to find she has killed her boyfriend. She is found hanged by the law, but her body is covered in water and you are led to believe that the dead man killed her finally. Starring: In the second tale, "Bobo," the Gatleys are a perfect family with father and daughter having a perfect relationship. Then the daughter finds a small monkey in their tree and persuades her father to allow it indoors. The monkey, tame around the daughter, hates everyone else. The


title: "Pine nut" content: days before the green cone begins to open. A cone is harvested by placing it in a burlap bag and exposing it to a heat source such as the sun to begin the drying process. It takes about 20 days until the cone fully opens. Once it is fully open and dry, the seed can be easily extracted in various ways. The most common and practical extraction method used is the repeated striking of the burlap bag containing the cone(s) against a rough surface to cause the cone(s) to shatter, leaving just the job of separating by hand the seed


title: "Gun Control Act of 1968" content: incompetent from buying guns. The Gun Control Act of 1968 was enhanced in 1993 with the passage of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act. The Brady Act created a background check system which required licensed sellers to inspect the criminal history background of prospective gun purchasers, and the Brady Act created a list of categories of individuals to whom the sale of firearms is prohibited. As quoted from 18 U.S.C. 922 (d): Exceptions as quoted from 18 U.S.C. 921 (a)(33)(B): (ii) A person shall not be considered to have been convicted of such an offense for purposes of this chapter


title: "Clericis laicos" content: and the amount of their subsidies to the Crown; and (2) That the head of the Church ought to be consulted when there was question of diverting the revenues of the Church to secular purposes. The Bull was criticized for the vehemence of its tone, for its exaggerated indictment of the hostile attitude of the laity of all ages towards the clergy, and for its failure to make clear the distinction between the revenues of the purely ecclesiastical benefices and the "lay fees" held by the clergy on feudal tenure. Unscrupulous advisers of Philip were quick to take advantage of


title: "Caspian tern" content: Caspian tern The Caspian tern ("Hydroprogne caspia") is a species of tern, with a subcosmopolitan but scattered distribution. Despite its extensive range, it is monotypic of its genus, and has no accepted subspecies. The genus name is from Ancient Greek "hudros", "water", and Latin "progne", "swallow". The specific "caspia" is from Latin and, like the English name, refers to the Caspian Sea. It is the world's largest tern with a length of , a wingspan of and a weight of . Adult birds have black legs, and a long thick red-orange bill with a small black tip. They have a


title: "Caspian tern" content: white head with a black cap and white neck, belly and tail. The upper wings and back are pale grey; the underwings are pale with dark primary feathers. In flight, the tail is less forked than other terns and wing tips black on the underside. In winter, the black cap is still present (unlike many other terns), but with some white streaking on the forehead. The call is a loud heron-like croak. Their breeding habitat is large lakes and ocean coasts in North America (including the Great Lakes), and locally in Europe (mainly around the Baltic Sea and Black Sea),


title: "Caspian tern" content: Asia, Africa, and Australasia (Australia and New Zealand). North American birds migrate to southern coasts, the West Indies and northernmost South America. European and Asian birds spend the non-breeding season in the Old World tropics. African and Australasian birds are resident or disperse over short distances. In 2016, a nest of the Caspian tern was found in the Cape Krusenstern National Monument in northwestern Alaska, 1,000 miles further north than any previous sighting. This development was part of a general trend in Alaska of species moving to the north, a tendency ascribed to global warming. The global population is about


title: "Caspian tern" content: 50,000 pairs; numbers in most regions are stable, but the Baltic Sea population (1400–1475 pairs in the early 1990s) is declining and of conservation concern. The Caspian tern is one of the species to which the "Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds" (AEWA) applies. They feed mainly on fish, which they dive for, hovering high over the water and then plunging. They also occasionally eat large insects, the young and eggs of other birds and rodents. They may fly up to from the breeding colony to catch fish; they often fish on freshwater lakes as well as at


title: "Caspian tern" content: sea. Breeding is in spring and summer, with one to three pale blue green eggs, with heavy brown spotting, being laid. They nest either together in colonies, or singly in mixed colonies of other tern and gull species. The nest is on the ground among gravel and sand, or sometimes on vegetation; incubation lasts for 26–28 days. The chicks are variable in plumage pattern, from pale creamy to darker grey-brown; this variation assists adults in recognizing their own chicks when returning to the colony from feeding trips. Fledging occurs after 35–45 days. Caspian tern The Caspian tern ("Hydroprogne caspia") is


title: "Johnnie Ray" content: from alcoholism throughout his life, though during the 1950s at the height of his fame, newspaper and magazine pieces about Ray did not disclose the extent of his drinking problem. On September 2, 1952, Ray was arrested in Boston for public intoxication, but was released four hours later. According to biographer Jonny Whiteside, he drank heavily then. In 1960, he was hospitalized for tuberculosis. Shortly after his recovery, he quit drinking, according to Whiteside. His music was not available for sale and he did not appear on American television during the first half of the 1960s. Consequently, American newspapers ran


title: "Black guillemot" content: Black guillemot The black guillemot or tystie ("Cepphus grylle") is a medium-sized alcid. The genus name "Cepphus" is from Ancient Greek "kepphos", a pale waterbird mentioned by Greek authors including Aristotle. The species name "grylle" was the local dialect name for this bird in Gotland at the time of Linnaeus's visit there in 1741. The English word "guillemot" is from French "guillemot" probably derived from "Guillaume", "William". Adult birds have black bodies with a white wing patch, a thin dark bill, and red legs and feet. They show white wing linings in flight. In winter, the upperparts are pale grey


title: "Black guillemot" content: and the underparts are white. The wings remain black with the large white patch on the inner wing. They are in length, and with a wingspan. Their breeding habitat is rocky shores, cliffs and islands on northern Atlantic coasts in eastern North America as far south as Maine, and in western Europe as far south as Ireland. They are one of the few birds to breed on Surtsey, Iceland, a new volcanic island. In the UK it is a fairly common breeding bird in western and northern Scotland and Ireland. In the rest of Great Britain they only breed at


title: "Black guillemot" content: St. Bees Head in Cumbria, the Isle of Man and on east Anglesey in north Wales. Some birds breed in Alaska where their range overlaps with the pigeon guillemot. They usually lay their eggs in rocky sites near water. There are five listed subspecies of the black guillemot: These birds often overwinter in their breeding areas, moving to open waters if necessary, but usually not migrating very far south. They dive for food from the surface, swimming underwater. They mainly eat fish and crustaceans, also some mollusks, insects and plant material. The call in the breeding season is a high


title: "Black guillemot" content: whistle. The red gape is also prominent then. One of the early ornithologists that described aspects of the behaviour of the black guillemot was Edmund Selous (1857-1934) in his book "The Bird Watcher in the Shetlands" (1905). In the chapter titled 'From the Edge of a Precipice' he writes for instance that sometimes the black guillemots carry a fish they have caught in their beak for hours. He also gives further details about the behaviour. Black guillemot The black guillemot or tystie ("Cepphus grylle") is a medium-sized alcid. The genus name "Cepphus" is from Ancient Greek "kepphos", a pale waterbird


title: "William Hovell" content: the expedition proper with five bullocks, three horses and two carts. On 22 October they found that the only way to pass the Murrumbidgee River, then in flood, was to convert one of the carts into a type of boat by passing a tarpaulin under it; the men, horses, and bullocks swam over, and everything successfully got across. A day or two later, in broken hilly country full of water-courses, they had great difficulty in finding a road for the loaded carts, deciding on 27 October to abandon them. Until 16 November their course lay through difficult mountainous country. On


title: "Star Wars Customizable Card Game" content: that were in development can never be released to the public. As of 2018, "SWCCG" still has an active playing community. The game is administered by a Players' Committee, which interprets rules, organizes tournaments, and releases "virtual expansions" which give alternate game text for existing cards. The new "virtual cards" function as entirely new cards and keep the game environment constantly evolving. The "virtual card" overlays are available for free on the Players' Committee website, though players must have the original card to use its "virtual" version. To date, the Players' Committee has produced 8 blocks of virtual sets (over


title: "Lotteries in the United States" content: for example, had its advertising budget dramatically cut, and therefore started using free-play coupons as money to pay for advertising. This led to an IRS investigation into alleged non-reporting of income because the IRS considered the coupons to have monetary value. Among the states that do not have lotteries, Alabama and Utah cite religious objections. Nevada's lucrative gambling industry has lobbied against a state lottery there, fearing the competition; similarly, the Mississippi Gaming Commission expressed concern that a state lottery would constitute a "competing force" for gambling dollars spent at Mississippi casinos. Despite this, in August 2018, Mississippi passed legislation


title: "Sam Vimes" content: in these cases, citing "quantum" as an explanation. At one point Death notes that if Vimes is having a 'near-Death' experience, Death is also forced to have a 'near Vimes' experience (as of "Thud!" Death has started bringing books to read during these occasions). On rare occasions, Sam Vimes has been described as completely happy, even if it's only for a brief period; such occasions include alone time with his wife, the birth of his son, and whenever a case has reached a satisfactory conclusion. At the end of the events of "Snuff", Vimes was also genuinely amazed to learn


title: "Ludwig Anzengruber" content: "Der Fleck auf der Ehr" ("The Stain on Honour"). At the end of November, the dramatist, who was only fifty years old, became sick with anthrax, and not two weeks later died as a result of blood poisoning. Most of Anzengruber's plays deal with Austrian peasant life. They are somewhat melancholy in tone, but interspersed with bright and witty scenes. Anzengruber also published various short stories and tales of village life collected under the title "Wolken und Sunn'schein" (1888). This article is a translation of the which lists the following reference works: - Anzengruber's collected works, with a biography, were


title: "Not a Pretty Girl" content: Not a Pretty Girl Not a Pretty Girl is the sixth studio album released by singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco on her own record label, Righteous Babe Records. It was released July 18, 1995. The album extended the folk singer's early formula of acoustic guitar and drums. On subsequent records, DiFranco would add electric guitar, horns, band members and guest musicians, but on "Not a Pretty Girl" she was accompanied by Andy Stochansky's percussion alone. According to Allmusic, "Light of Some Kind" is a "deeply felt portrait...in which the singer seems to be confessing to a man that she has been unfaithful


title: Beekeeping content: other known function than to mate with new queens and fertilize them on their mating flights. A bee colony generally starts to raise drones a few weeks before building queen cells so they can supersede a failing queen or prepare for swarming. When queen-raising for the season is over, bees in colder climates drive drones out of the hive to die, biting and tearing their legs and wings. A domesticated bee colony is normally housed in a rectangular hive body, within which eight to ten parallel frames house the vertical plates of honeycomb that contain the eggs, larvae, pupae and


title: "Little ringed plover" content: Little ringed plover The little ringed plover ("Charadrius dubius") is a small plover. The genus name "Charadrius" is a Late Latin word for a yellowish bird mentioned in the fourth-century Vulgate. It derives from Ancient Greek "kharadrios" a bird found in river valleys ("kharadra", "ravine"). The specific "dubius" is Latin for doubtful, since Sonnerat, writing in 1776, thought this bird might be just a variant of common ringed plover. Adults have a grey-brown back and wings, a white belly and a white breast with one black neckband. They have a brown cap, a white forehead, a black mask around the


title: "Little ringed plover" content: eyes with white above and a short dark bill. The legs are flesh-coloured and the toes are all webbed. This species differs from the larger ringed plover in leg colour, the head pattern, and the presence of a clear yellow eye-ring. Their breeding habitat is open gravel areas near freshwater, including gravel pits, islands and river edges in Eurasia and northwestern Africa. They nest on the ground on stones with little or no plant growth. Both males and females take turns incubating the eggs. They are migratory and winter in Africa. These birds forage for food on muddy areas, usually


title: "Little ringed plover" content: by sight. They eat insects and worms. Three subspecies recognized. The little ringed plover is one of the species to which the "Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds" (AEWA) applies. Little ringed plover The little ringed plover ("Charadrius dubius") is a small plover. The genus name "Charadrius" is a Late Latin word for a yellowish bird mentioned in the fourth-century Vulgate. It derives from Ancient Greek "kharadrios" a bird found in river valleys ("kharadra", "ravine"). The specific "dubius" is Latin for doubtful, since Sonnerat, writing in 1776, thought this bird might be just a variant of common ringed


title: "Liriodendron tulipifera" content: Liriodendron tulipifera Liriodendron tulipifera—known as the tulip tree, American tulip tree, tulipwood, tuliptree, tulip poplar, whitewood, fiddletree, and yellow-poplar—is the North American representative of the two-species genus "Liriodendron" (the other member is "Liriodendron chinense"), and the tallest eastern hardwood. It is native to eastern North America from Southern Ontario and Illinois eastward to southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and south to central Florida and Louisiana. It can grow to more than in virgin cove forests of the Appalachian Mountains, often with no limbs until it reaches in height, making it a very valuable timber tree. It is fast-growing, without the


title: "Liriodendron tulipifera" content: common problems of weak wood strength and short lifespan often seen in fast-growing species. April marks the start of the flowering period in the southern USA (except as noted below); trees at the northern limit of cultivation begin to flower in June. The flowers are pale green or yellow (rarely white), with an orange band on the tepals; they yield large quantities of nectar. The tulip tree is the state tree of Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. The tulip tree is one of the largest of the native trees of the eastern United States, known to reach the height of ,


title: "Liriodendron tulipifera" content: with a trunk in diameter; its ordinary height is . It prefers deep, rich, and rather moist soil; it is common, though not abundant, nor is it solitary. Its roots are fleshy. Growth is fairly rapid, and the typical form of its head is conical. The bark is brown, and furrowed. The branchlets are smooth, and lustrous, initially reddish, maturing to dark gray, and finally brown. Aromatic and bitter. The wood is light yellow to brown, and the sapwood creamy white; light, soft, brittle, close, straight-grained. Specific gravity: 0.4230; density: . The alternate leaves are simple, pinnately veined, measuring five


title: "Liriodendron tulipifera" content: to six inches long and wide. They have four lobes, and are heart-shaped or truncate or slightly wedge-shaped at base, entire, and the apex cut across at a shallow angle, making the upper part of the leaf look square; midrib and primary veins prominent. They come out of the bud recurved by the bending down of the petiole near the middle bringing the apex of the folded leaf to the base of the bud, light green, when full grown are bright green, smooth and shining above, paler green beneath, with downy veins. In autumn they turn a clear, bright yellow.


title: "Liriodendron tulipifera" content: Petiole long, slender, angled. A description from "Our Native Trees and How to Identify Them" by Harriet Louise Keeler: Originally described by Carl Linnaeus, "Liriodendron tulipifera" is one of two species (see also "L. chinense") in the genus "Liriodendron" in the magnolia family. The name "Liriodendron" is Greek for "lily tree". It is also called the tuliptree Magnolia, or sometimes, by the lumber industry, as the tulip-poplar or yellow-poplar. However, it is not closely related to true lilies, tulips or poplars. The tulip tree has impressed itself upon popular attention in many ways, and consequently has many common names. The


title: "Liriodendron tulipifera" content: tree's traditional name in the Miami-Illinois language is "oonseentia". Native Americans so habitually made their dugout canoes of its trunk that the early settlers west of the Appalachian Mountains called it Canoewood. The color of its wood gives it the name Whitewood. In areas near the Mississippi River it is called a poplar largely because of the fluttering habits of its leaves, in which it resembles trees of that genus. It is sometimes called "fiddle tree," because its peculiar leaves, with their arched bases and in-cut sides, suggest the violin shape. The external resemblance of its flowers to tulips named


title: "Liriodendron tulipifera" content: it the Tulip-tree. In their internal structure, however, they are quite different. Instead of the triple arrangements of stamens and pistil parts, they have indefinite numbers arranged in spirals. One of the largest and most valuable hardwoods of eastern North America, it is native from Connecticut and southern New York, westward to southern Ontario and northern Ohio, and south to Louisiana and northern Florida. It is found sparingly in New England, it is abundant on the southern shore of Lake Erie and westward to Illinois. It extends south to north Florida, and is rare west of the Mississippi River, but


title: "Liriodendron tulipifera" content: is found occasionally for ornamentals. Its finest development is in the Southern Appalachian mountains, where trees may exceed in height. It was introduced into Great Britain before 1688 in Bishop Compton's garden at Fulham Palace and is now a popular ornamental in streets, parks, and large gardens. The Appalachian Mountains and adjacent Piedmont running south from Pennsylvania to Georgia contained 75 percent of all yellow-poplar growing stock in 1974. "Liriodendron tulipifera" is generally considered to be a shade-intolerant species that is most commonly associated with the first century of forest succession. In Appalachian forests, it is a dominant species during


title: "Liriodendron tulipifera" content: the 50–150 years of succession, but is absent or rare in stands of trees 500 years or older. One particular group of trees survived in the grounds of Orlagh College, Dublin for 200 years, before having to be cut down in 1990. On mesic, fertile soils, it often forms pure or nearly pure stands. It can and does persist in older forests when there is sufficient disturbance to generate large enough gaps for regeneration. Individual trees have been known to live for up to around 500 years. All young tulip trees and most mature specimens are intolerant of prolonged inundation;


title: "Liriodendron tulipifera" content: however, a coastal plain swamp ecotype in the southeastern United States is relatively flood-tolerant. This ecotype is recognized by its blunt-lobed leaves, which may have a red tint. "Liriodendron tulipifera" produces a large amount of seed, which is dispersed by wind. The seeds typically travel a distance equal to 4–5 times the height of the tree, and remain viable for 4–7 years. The seeds are not one of the most important food sources for wildlife, but they are eaten by a number of birds and mammals. Vines, especially wild grapevines, are known to be extremely damaging to young trees of


title: "Liriodendron tulipifera" content: this species. Vines are damaging both due to blocking out solar radiation, and increasing weight on limbs which can lead to bending of the trunk and/or breaking of limbs. In terms of its role in the ecological community, "L. tulipifera" is one of the host plants for the caterpillars of "C. promethea", a silkmoth found in the eastern United States. Parts of east-central Florida near Orlando have an ecotype with similar-looking leaves to the coastal plain variant of the Carolinas; it flowers much earlier (usually in March, although flowering can begin in late January), with a smaller yellower bloom than


title: "Liriodendron tulipifera" content: other types. This east central Florida ecotype/Peninsular allozyme group seems to have the best ability to tolerate very wet conditions, where it may grow short pencil-like root structures (pneumatophores) similar to those produced by other swamp trees in warm climates. Superior resistance to drought, pests and wind is also noted. Some individuals retain their leaves all year unless a hard frost strikes. Places where it may be seen include Dr. Howard A. Kelly Park, Lake Eola Park, Spring Hammock Preserve, Big Tree Park home of The Senator (tree) and the University of Central Florida Arboretum. "Liriodendron tulipifera" grows readily from


title: "Liriodendron tulipifera" content: seeds, which should be sown in a fine soft mould, and in a cool and shady situation. If sown in autumn they come up the succeeding spring, but if sown in spring they often remain a year in the ground. Loudon says that seeds from the highest branches of old trees are most likely to germinate. It is readily propagated from cuttings and easily transplanted. Tulip trees make magnificently shaped specimen trees, and are very large, growing to about in good soil. They grow best in deep well-drained loam which has thick dark topsoil. They show stronger response to fertilizer


title: "Liriodendron tulipifera" content: compounds (those with low salt index are preferred) than most other trees, but soil structure and organic matter content are more important. In the wild it is occasionally seen around serpentine outcrops. The southeastern coastal plain and east central Florida ecotypes occur in wet but "not stagnant" soils which are high in organic matter. All tulip trees are unreliable in clay flats which are subject to ponding and flooding. Like other members of the Magnolia family, they have fleshy roots that are easily broken if handled roughly. Transplanting should be done in early spring, before leaf-out; this timing is especially


title: "Liriodendron tulipifera" content: important in the more northern areas. Fall planting is often successful in Florida. The east central Florida ecotype may be more easily moved than other strains because its roots grow over nine or ten months every year—several months longer than other ecotypes. Most tulip trees have low tolerance of drought, although Florida natives (especially the east central ecotype) fare better than southeastern coastal plain or northern inland specimens. It is recommended as a shade tree. The tree's tall and rapid growth is a function of its shade intolerance. Grown in the full sun, the species tends to grow shorter, slower,


title: "Liriodendron tulipifera" content: and rounder, making it adaptable to landscape planting. In forest settings, most investment is made in the trunk (i.e., the branches are weak and easily break off, a sign of axial dominance) and lower branches are lost early as new, higher branches closer to the sun continue the growth spurt upward. A tree just 15 years old may already reach in height with no branches within reach of humans standing on the ground. In the UK the species and its variegated cultivar 'Aureomarginatum' have both gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. "Liriodendron tulipifera" has been introduced to


title: "Liriodendron tulipifera" content: many temperate parts of the world, at least as far north as Sykkylven, Norway and Arboretum Mustila, Finland. A few nurseries in Finland offer this species even though it is not fully hardy there and tends to be held to shrub form. This tree species is a major honey plant in the eastern United States, yielding a dark reddish, fairly strong honey which gets mixed reviews as a table honey but is favorably regarded by bakers; nectar is produced in the orange part of the flowers. The soft, fine-grained wood of tulip trees is known as "poplar" (short for "yellow-poplar")


title: "Liriodendron tulipifera" content: in the U.S., but marketed abroad as "American tulipwood" or by other names. It is very widely used where a cheap, easy-to-work and stable wood is needed. The sapwood is usually a creamy off-white color. While the heartwood is usually a pale green, it can take on streaks of red, purple, or even black; depending on the extractives content (i.e. the soil conditions where the tree was grown, etc.). It is clearly the wood of choice for use in organs, due to its ability to take a fine, smooth, precisely cut finish and so to effectively seal against pipes and


title: "Liriodendron tulipifera" content: valves. It is also commonly used for siding clapboards. Its wood may be compared in texture, strength, and softness to white pine. Used for interior finish of houses, for siding, for panels of carriages, for coffin boxes, pattern timber, and wooden ware. During scarcity of the better qualities of white pine, tulip wood has taken its place to some extent, particularly when very wide boards are required. It also has a reputation for being resistant to termites, and in the Upland South (and perhaps elsewhere) house and barn sills were often made of tulip poplar beams. The tulip tree has


title: "Liriodendron tulipifera" content: been referenced in many poems and the namesakes of other poems, such as William Stafford's "Tulip Tree." It is also a plot element in the Edgar Allan Poe short story "The Gold-Bug". Another form of art that the tulip tree is a major part of is wood carving. The tulip poplar can be very useful and has been one of the favorite types of trees for wood carving by sculptors such as Wilhelm Schimmel and Shields Landon Jones. In the Cretaceous age the genus was represented by several species, and was widely distributed over North America and Europe. Its remains


title: "Liriodendron tulipifera" content: are also found in Tertiary rocks. Liriodendron tulipifera Liriodendron tulipifera—known as the tulip tree, American tulip tree, tulipwood, tuliptree, tulip poplar, whitewood, fiddletree, and yellow-poplar—is the North American representative of the two-species genus "Liriodendron" (the other member is "Liriodendron chinense"), and the tallest eastern hardwood. It is native to eastern North America from Southern Ontario and Illinois eastward to southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and south to central Florida and Louisiana. It can grow to more than in virgin cove forests of the Appalachian Mountains, often with no limbs until it reaches in height, making it a very valuable timber


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: Leatherback sea turtle The leatherback sea turtle ("Dermochelys coriacea"), sometimes called the lute turtle or leathery turtle or simply the luth, is the largest of all living turtles and is the fourth-heaviest modern reptile behind three crocodilians. It is the only living species in the genus Dermochelys and family Dermochelyidae. It can easily be differentiated from other modern sea turtles by its lack of a bony shell, hence the name. Instead, its carapace is covered by skin and oily flesh. "Dermochelys" is the only extant genus of the family Dermochelyidae. "Dermochelys coriacea" is the only species in genus "Dermochelys". The


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: genus, in turn, contains the only extant member of the family Dermochelyidae. Domenico Agostino Vandelli named the species first in 1761 as "Testudo coriacea" after an animal captured at Ostia and donated to the University of Padua by Pope Clement XIII. In 1816, French zoologist Henri Blainville coined the term "Dermochelys". The leatherback was then reclassified as "Dermochelys coriacea". In 1843, the zoologist Leopold Fitzinger put the genus in its own family, Dermochelyidae. In 1884, the American naturalist Samuel Garman described the species as "Sphargis coriacea schlegelii". The two were then united in "D. coriacea", with each given subspecies status


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: as "D. c. coriacea" and "D. c. schlegelii". The subspecies were later labeled invalid synonyms of "D. coriacea". Both the turtle's common and scientific names come from the leathery texture and appearance of its carapace ("Dermochelys coriacea" literally translates to "Leathery Skin-turtle"). Older names include "leathery turtle" and "trunk turtle". The common names incorporating "lute" and "luth" compare the seven ridges that run the length of the animal's back to the seven strings on the musical instrument of the same name. Relatives of modern leatherback turtles have existed in some form since the first true sea turtles evolved over 110


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: million years ago during the Cretaceous period. The dermochelyids are relatives of the family Cheloniidae, which contains the other six extant sea turtle species. However, their sister taxon is the extinct family Protostegidae that included other species that did not have a hard carapace. Leatherback turtles have the most hydrodynamic body design of any sea turtle, with a large, teardrop-shaped body. A large pair of front flippers powers the turtles through the water. Like other sea turtles, the leatherback has flattened forelimbs adapted for swimming in the open ocean. Claws are absent from both pairs of flippers. The leatherback's flippers


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: are the largest in proportion to its body among extant sea turtles. Leatherback's front flippers can grow up to in large specimens, the largest flippers (even in comparison to its body) of any sea turtle. The leatherback has several characteristics that distinguish it from other sea turtles. Its most notable feature is the lack of a bony carapace. Instead of scutes, it has thick, leathery skin with embedded minuscule osteoderms. Seven distinct ridges rise from the carapace, crossing from the cranial to caudal margin of the turtle's back. Leatherbacks are unique among reptiles in that their scales lack β-keratin. The


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: entire turtle's dorsal surface is colored dark grey to black, with a scattering of white blotches and spots. Demonstrating countershading, the turtle's underside is lightly colored. Instead of teeth, the leatherback turtle has points on the tomium of its upper lip, with backwards spines in its throat (esophagus) to help it swallow food and to stop its prey from escaping once caught. "D. coriacea" adults average in curved carapace length (CCL), in total length, and in weight. In the Caribbean, the mean size of adults was reported at in weight and in CCL. Similarly, those nesting in French Guiana, weighed


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: an average of and measured in CCL. The largest verified specimen ever found was discovered in the Pakistani beach of Sanspit and measured in CCL and in weight. A previous contender, the "Harlech turtle", was purportedly in CCL and in weight, however recent inspection of its remains housed at the National Museum Cardiff have found that its true CCL is closer to , casting doubt on the accuracy of the claimed weight, as well. On the other hand, one scientific paper has claimed that the species can weigh up to without providing more verifiable detail. The leatherback turtle is scarcely


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: larger than any other sea turtle upon hatching, as they average in carapace length and weigh around when freshly hatched. "D. coriacea" exhibits several anatomical characteristics believed to be associated with a life in cold waters, including an extensive covering of brown adipose tissue, temperature-independent swimming muscles, countercurrent heat exchangers between the large front flippers and the core body, and an extensive network of countercurrent heat exchangers surrounding the trachea. Leatherbacks have been viewed as unique among extant reptiles for their ability to maintain high body temperatures using metabolically generated heat, or endothermy. Initial studies on their metabolic rates found


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: leatherbacks had resting metabolisms around three times higher than expected for reptiles of their size. However, recent studies using reptile representatives encompassing all the size ranges leatherbacks pass through during ontogeny discovered the resting metabolic rate of a large "D. coriacea" is not significantly different from predicted results based on allometry. Rather than using a high resting metabolism, leatherbacks appear to take advantage of a high activity rate. Studies on wild "D. coriacea" discovered individuals may spend as little as 0.1% of the day resting. This constant swimming creates muscle-derived heat. Coupled with their countercurrent heat exchangers, insulating fat covering,


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: and large size, leatherbacks are able to maintain high temperature differentials compared to the surrounding water. Adult leatherbacks have been found with core body temperatures that were above the water in which they were swimming. Leatherback turtles are one of the deepest-diving marine animals. Individuals have been recorded diving to depths as great as . Typical dive durations are between 3 and 8 minutes, with dives of 30–70 minutes occurring infrequently. They are also the fastest-moving reptiles. The 1992 edition of the "Guinness Book of World Records" lists the leatherback turtle moving at in the water. More typically, they swim


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: at . The leatherback turtle is a species with a cosmopolitan global range. Of all the extant sea turtle species, "D. coriacea" has the widest distribution, reaching as far north as Alaska and Norway and as far south as Cape Agulhas in Africa and the southernmost tip of New Zealand. The leatherback is found in all tropical and subtropical oceans, and its range extends well into the Arctic Circle. The three major, genetically distinct populations occur in the Atlantic, eastern Pacific, and western Pacific Oceans. While nesting beaches have been identified in the region, leatherback populations in the Indian Ocean


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: remain generally unassessed and unevaluated. Recent estimates of global nesting populations are that 26,000 to 43,000 females nest annually, which is a dramatic decline from the 115,000 estimated in 1980. The leatherback turtle population in the Atlantic Ocean ranges across the entire region. They range as far north as the North Sea and to the Cape of Good Hope in the south. Unlike other sea turtles, leatherback feeding areas are in colder waters, where an abundance of their jellyfish prey is found, which broadens their range. However, only a few beaches on both sides of the Atlantic provide nesting sites.


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: Off the Atlantic coast of Canada, leatherback turtles feed in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence near Quebec and as far north as Newfoundland and Labrador. The most significant Atlantic nesting sites are in Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana in South America, Antigua and Barbuda, and Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean, and Gabon in Central Africa. The beaches of Mayumba National Park in Mayumba, Gabon, host the largest nesting population on the African continent and possibly worldwide, with nearly 30,000 turtles visiting its beaches each year between October and April. Off the northeastern coast of the South American continent, a few


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: select beaches between French Guiana and Suriname are primary nesting sites of several species of sea turtles, the majority being leatherbacks. A few hundred nest annually on the eastern coast of Florida. In Costa Rica, the beaches of Gandoca and Parismina provide nesting grounds. Pacific leatherbacks divide into two populations. One population nests on beaches in Papua, Indonesia, and the Solomon Islands, and forages across the Pacific in the Northern Hemisphere, along the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington in North America. The eastern Pacific population forages in the Southern Hemisphere, in waters along the western coast of South America,


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: nesting in Mexico, Panama, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. The continental United States offers two major Pacific leatherback feeding areas. One well-studied area is just off the northwestern coast near the mouth of the Columbia River. The other American area is located in California. Further north, off the Pacific coast of Canada, leatherbacks visit the beaches of British Columbia. Estimates by the WWF suggest only 2,300 adult females of the Pacific leatherback remain, making it the most endangered marine turtle subpopulation. A third possible Pacific subpopulation has been proposed, those that nest in Malaysia. This subpopulation, however, has effectively


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: been eradicated. The beach of Rantau Abang in Terengganu, Malaysia, once had the largest nesting population in the world, hosting 10,000 nests per year. The major cause of the decline was egg consumption by humans. Conservation efforts initiated in the 1960s were ineffective because they involved excavating and incubating eggs at artificial sites which inadvertently exposed the eggs to high temperatures. It only became known in the 1980s that sea turtles undergo temperature-dependent sex determination; it is suspected that nearly all the artificially incubated hatchlings were female. In 2008, two turtles nested at Rantau Abang, and unfortunately, the eggs were


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: infertile. While little research has been done on "Dermochelys" populations in the Indian Ocean, nesting populations are known from Sri Lanka and the Nicobar Islands. These turtles are proposed to form a separate, genetically distinct Indian Ocean subpopulation. Leatherback sea turtles can be found primarily in the open ocean. Scientists tracked a leatherback turtle that swam from Jen Womom beach of Tambrauw regency in West Papua province of Indonesia to the U.S. in a foraging journey over a period of 647 days. Leatherbacks follow their jellyfish prey throughout the day, resulting in turtles "preferring" deeper water in the daytime, and


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: shallower water at night (when the jellyfish rise up the water column). This hunting strategy often places turtles in very frigid waters. One individual was found actively hunting in waters that had a surface temperature of 0.4 °C. (32.72 °F). Leatherback turtles are known to pursue prey deeper than 1000 m—beyond the physiological limits of all other diving tetrapods except for beaked whales and sperm whales. Their favored breeding beaches are mainland sites facing the deep water, and they seem to avoid those sites protected by coral reefs. Adult "D. coriacea" turtles subsist almost entirely on jellyfish. Due to their


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: obligate feeding nature, leatherbacks help control jellyfish populations. Leatherbacks also feed on other soft-bodied organisms, such as tunicates and cephalopods. Pacific leatherbacks migrate about across the Pacific from their nesting sites in Indonesia to eat California jellyfish. One cause for their endangered state is plastic bags floating in the ocean. Pacific leatherback sea turtles mistake these plastic bags for jellyfish; an estimated one-third of adults have ingested plastic. Plastic enters the oceans along the west coast of urban areas, where leatherbacks forage, with Californians using upward of 19 billion plastic bags every year. Several species of sea turtles commonly ingest


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: plastic marine debris, and even small quantities of debris can kill sea turtles by obstructing their digestive tracts. Nutrient dilution, which occurs when plastics displace food in the gut, affects the nutrient gain and consequently the growth of sea turtles. Ingestion of marine debris and slowed nutrient gain leads to increased time for sexual maturation that may affect future reproductive behaviors. These turtles have the highest risk of encountering and ingesting plastic bags offshore of San Francisco Bay, the Columbia River mouth, and Puget Sound. Very little is known of the species' lifespan. Some reports claim "30 years or more",


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: while others state "50 years or more". Upper estimates exceed 100 years. Dead leatherbacks that wash ashore are microecosystems while decomposing. In 1996, a drowned carcass held sarcophagid and calliphorid flies after being picked open by a pair of "Coragyps atratus" vultures. Infestation by carrion-eating beetles of the families Scarabaeidae, Carabidae, and Tenebrionidae soon followed. After days of decomposition, beetles from the families Histeridae and Staphylinidae and anthomyiid flies invaded the corpse, as well. Organisms from more than a dozen families took part in consuming the carcass. Leatherback turtles face many predators in their early lives. Eggs may be preyed


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: on by a diversity of coastal predators, including ghost crabs, monitor lizards, raccoons, coatis, dogs, coyotes, genets, mongooses, and shorebirds ranging from small plovers to large gulls. Many of the same predators feed on baby turtles as they try to get to the ocean, as well as frigatebirds and varied raptors. Once in the ocean, young leatherbacks still face predation from cephalopods, requiem sharks, and various large fish. Despite their lack of a hard shell, the huge adults face fewer serious predators, though they are occasionally overwhelmed and preyed on by very large marine predators such as killer whales, great


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: white sharks, and tiger sharks. Nesting females have been preyed upon by jaguars in the American tropics. Apparently, the adult leatherback aggressively defends itself at sea from predators. A medium-sized adult was observed chasing a shark that had attempted to bite it and then turned its aggression and attacked the boat containing the humans observing the prior interaction. "Dermochelys" juveniles spend more of their time in tropical waters than do adults. Adults are prone to long-distance migration. Migration occurs between the cold waters where mature leatherbacks feed, to the tropical and subtropical beaches in the regions where they hatch. In


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: the Atlantic, females tagged in French Guiana have been recaptured on the other side of the ocean in Morocco and Spain. Mating takes place at sea. Males never leave the water once they enter it, unlike females, which nest on land. After encountering a female (which possibly exudes a pheromone to signal her reproductive status), the male uses head movements, nuzzling, biting, or flipper movements to determine her receptiveness. Males can mate every year but the females mate every two to three years. Fertilization is internal, and multiple males usually mate with a single female. This polyandry does not provide


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: the offspring with any special advantages. While other sea turtle species almost always return to their hatching beach, leatherbacks may choose another beach within the region. They choose beaches with soft sand because their softer shells and plastrons are easily damaged by hard rocks. Nesting beaches also have shallower approach angles from the sea. This is a vulnerability for the turtles because such beaches easily erode. They nest at night when the risk of predation and heat stress is lowest. As leatherback turtles spend the vast majority of their lives in the ocean, their eyes are not well adapted to


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: night vision on land. The typical nesting environment includes a dark forested area adjacent to the beach. The contrast between this dark forest and the brighter, moonlit ocean provides directionality for the females. They nest towards the dark and then return to the ocean and the light. Females excavate a nest above the high-tide line with their flippers. One female may lay as many as nine clutches in one breeding season. About nine days pass between nesting events. Average clutch size is around 110 eggs, 85% of which are viable. After laying, the female carefully back-fills the nest, disguising it


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: from predators with a scattering of sand. Cleavage of the cell begins within hours of fertilization, but development is suspended during the gastrulation period of movements and infoldings of embryonic cells, while the eggs are being laid. Development then resumes, but embryos remain extremely susceptible to movement-induced mortality until the membranes fully develop after incubating for 20 to 25 days. The structural differentiation of body and organs (organogenesis) soon follows. The eggs hatch in about 60 to 70 days. As with other reptiles, the nest's ambient temperature determines the sex of the hatchings. After nightfall, the hatchings dig to the


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: surface and walk to the sea. Leatherback nesting seasons vary by location; it occurs from February to July in Parismina, Costa Rica. Farther east in French Guiana, nesting is from March to August. Atlantic leatherbacks nest between February and July from South Carolina in the United States to the United States Virgin Islands in the Caribbean and to Suriname and Guyana. People around the world still harvest sea turtle eggs. Asian exploitation of turtle nests has been cited as the most significant factor for the species' global population decline. In Southeast Asia, egg harvesting in countries such as Thailand and


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: Malaysia has led to a near-total collapse of local nesting populations. In Malaysia, where the turtle is practically locally extinct, the eggs are considered a delicacy. In the Caribbean, some cultures consider the eggs to be aphrodisiacs. They are also a major jellyfish predator, which helps keep populations in check. This bears importance to humans, as jellyfish diets consist largely of larval fish, the adults of which are commercially fished by humans. The turtle is known to be of cultural significance to tribes all over the world. The Seri people, from the Mexican state of Sonora, find the leatherback sea


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: turtle of significant cultural significance because it is one of their five main creators. The Seri people devote ceremonies and fiestas to the turtle when one is caught and then released back into the environment. The Seri people have noticed the drastic decline in turtle populations over the years and created a conservation movement to help this. The group, made up of both youth and elders from the tribe, is called Grupo Tortuguero Comaac. They use both traditional ecological knowledge and Western technology to help manage the turtle populations and protect the turtle’s natural environment. Leatherback turtles have few natural


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: predators once they mature; they are most vulnerable to predation in their early life stages. Birds, small mammals, and other opportunists dig up the nests of turtles and consume eggs. Shorebirds and crustaceans prey on the hatchings scrambling for the sea. Once they enter the water, they become prey to predatory fish and cephalopods. Leatherbacks have slightly fewer human-related threats than other sea turtle species. Their flesh contains too much oil and fat to be considered palatable, reducing the demand. However, human activity still endangers leatherback turtles in direct and indirect ways. Directly, a few are caught for their meat


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: by subsistence fisheries. Nests are raided by humans in places such as Southeast Asia. In the state of Florida, there have been 603 leatherback strandings between 1980 and 2014. Almost one-quarter (23.5%) of leatherback strandings are due to vessel-strike injuries, which is the highest cause of strandings. Many human activities indirectly harm "Dermochelys" populations. As a pelagic species, "D. coriacea" is occasionally caught as bycatch. Entanglement in lobster pot ropes is another hazard the animals face. As the largest living sea turtles, turtle excluder devices can be ineffective with mature adults. In the eastern Pacific alone, a reported average of


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: 1,500 mature females were accidentally caught annually in the 1990s. Pollution, both chemical and physical, can also be fatal. Many turtles die from malabsorption and intestinal blockage following the ingestion of balloons and plastic bags which resemble their jellyfish prey. Chemical pollution also has an adverse effect on "Dermochelys". A high level of phthalates has been measured in their eggs' yolks. "D. coriacea" is listed on CITES Appendix I, which makes export/import of this species (including parts) illegal. The species is listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as VU (Vulnerable), and additionally with the following infraspecific taxa


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: assessments: Conserving Pacific and Eastern Atlantic populations were included among the top-ten issues in turtle conservation in the first State of the World's Sea Turtles report published in 2006. The report noted significant declines in the Mexican, Costa Rican, and Malaysian populations. The eastern Atlantic nesting population was threatened by increased fishing pressures from eastern South American countries. The Leatherback Trust was founded specifically to conserve sea turtles, specifically its namesake. The foundation established a sanctuary in Costa Rica, the Parque Marino Las Baulas. The leatherback sea turtle is subject to differing conservation laws in various countries. The United States


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: listed it as an endangered species on 2 June 1970. The passing of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 ratified its status. In 2012, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration designated 41,914 square miles of Pacific Ocean along California, Oregon, and Washington as "critical habitat". In Canada, the Species at Risk Act made it illegal to exploit the species in Canadian waters. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada classified it as endangered. Ireland and Wales initiated a joint leatherback conservation effort between Swansea University and University College Cork. Funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: Irish Sea Leatherback Turtle Project focuses on research such as tagging and satellite tracking of individuals. Earthwatch Institute, a global nonprofit that teams volunteer with scientists to conduct important environmental research, launched a program called "Trinidad's Leatherback Sea Turtles". This program strives to help save the world's largest turtle from extinction in Matura Beach, Trinidad, as volunteers work side-by-side with leading scientists and a local conservation group, Nature Seekers. This tropical island off the coast of Venezuela is known for its vibrant ethnic diversity and rich cultural events. It is also the site of one of the most important nesting


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: beaches for endangered leatherback turtles, enormous reptiles that can weigh a ton and dive deeper than many whales. Each year, more than 2,000 female leatherbacks haul themselves onto Matura Beach to lay their eggs. With leatherback populations declining more quickly than any other large animal in modern history, each turtle is precious. On this research project, Dr. Dennis Sammy of Nature Seekers and Dr. Scott Eckert of Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network work alongside a team of volunteers to help prevent the extinction of leatherback sea turtles. Several Caribbean countries started conservation programs, such as the St. Kitts Sea


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: Turtle Monitoring Network, focused on using ecotourism to highlight the leatherback's plight. On the Atlantic coast of Costa Rica, the village of Parismina has one such initiative. Parismina is an isolated sandbar where a large number of leatherbacks lay eggs, but poachers abound. Since 1998, the village has been assisting turtles with a hatchery program. The Parismina Social Club is a charitable organization backed by American tourists and expatriates, which collects donations to fund beach patrols. Mayumba National Park in Gabon, Central Africa, was created to protect Africa's most important nesting beach. More than 30,000 turtles nest on Mayumba's beaches


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: between September and April each year. In mid-2007, the Malaysian Fisheries Department revealed a plan to clone leatherback turtles to replenish the country's rapidly declining population. Some conservation biologists, however, are skeptical of the proposed plan because cloning has only succeeded on mammals such as dogs, sheep, cats, and cattle, and uncertainties persist about cloned animals' health and lifespans. Leatherbacks used to nest in the thousands on Malaysian beaches, including those at Terengganu, where more than 3,000 females nested in the late 1960s. The last official count of nesting leatherback females on that beach was recorded to be a mere


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: two females in 1993. In Brazil, reproduction of the leatherback turtle is being assisted by the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources' "projeto TAMAR" (TAMAR project), which works to protect nests and prevent accidental kills by fishing boats. The last official count of nesting leatherback females in Brazil yielded only seven females. In January 2010, one female at Pontal do Paraná laid hundreds of eggs. Since leatherback sea turtles had been reported to nest only at Espírito Santo's shore, but never in the state of Paraná, this unusual act brought much attention to the area, biologists have been


title: "Leatherback sea turtle" content: protecting the nests and checking their eggs' temperature, although it might be that none of the eggs are fertile. Australia's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 lists "D. coriacea" as vulnerable, while Queensland's Nature Conservation Act 1992 lists it as endangered. Leatherback sea turtle The leatherback sea turtle ("Dermochelys coriacea"), sometimes called the lute turtle or leathery turtle or simply the luth, is the largest of all living turtles and is the fourth-heaviest modern reptile behind three crocodilians. It is the only living species in the genus Dermochelys and family Dermochelyidae. It can easily be differentiated from other modern


title: Dactyloidae content: most species at least the male has a dewlap, an often brightly colored flap of skin that extends from the throat/neck and is used in displays. Anoles share several characteristics with geckos, including details of the foot structure (for climbing) and the ability to voluntarily break off the tail (to escape predators), but they are only very distantly related, anoles being part of Iguania. Anoles are active during the day and feed mostly on small animals such as insects, but some will also take fruits, flowers and nectar. They are fiercely territorial. After mating the female lays an egg (occasionally


title: "Great Galveston hurricane" content: investors fled. In 1920, Prohibition and tax law enforcement opened up new opportunities for criminal enterprises related to gambling and bootlegging in the city. Galveston rapidly became a prime resort destination enabled by the "open" vice businesses on the island. This new entertainment-based economy brought decades-long prosperity to the island. The Galveston Historical Foundation maintains the Texas Seaport Museum at Pier 21 in the port of Galveston. Included in the museum is a documentary titled "The Great Storm", that gives a recounting of the 1900 hurricane. Great Galveston hurricane The Great Galveston Hurricane, known regionally as the Great Storm of


title: "Rough-legged buzzard" content: Rough-legged buzzard The rough-legged buzzard ("Buteo lagopus"), also called the rough-legged hawk, is a medium-large bird of prey. It is found in Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Eurasia during the breeding season and migrates south for the winter. It was traditionally also known as the rough-legged falcon in such works as John James Audubon's "The Birds of America". Nests are typically located on cliffs, bluffs or in trees. Clutch sizes are variable with food availability, but three to five eggs are usually laid. These hawks hunt over open land, feeding primarily on small mammals. Along with the


title: "Rough-legged buzzard" content: kestrels, kites and osprey, this is one of the few birds of prey to hover regularly. This fairly large raptorial species is with wingspan ranging from . Individuals can weigh from with females typically being larger and heavier than males. Weights appear to increase from summer to winter in adults, going from an average of in males and from in females. Among the members of the genus "Buteo", it is sixth heaviest, the fifth longest, and the fourth longest winged. Among standard measurements in adults, the wing chord is , the tail is , culmen is and the tarsus is


title: "Rough-legged buzzard" content: . The plumage is predominantly brown in colour and often shows a high degree of speckling. A broad brown chest-band is present in most plumages and a square dark carpal patch contrasting with the white under-wing is an easily identifiable characteristic in light morph individuals. A wide variety of plumage patterns are exhibited in light vs. dark morphs, males vs. females and adults vs. juveniles. Extensive field experience is required to distinguish between certain plumage variations. Compared to its more common nearctic and palearctic cousins, the common buzzard ("Buteo buteo") and the red-tailed hawk ("Buteo jamaicensis"), it is slightly larger,


title: "Rough-legged buzzard" content: though may be outweighed by the latter. Its feet are feathered to the toes as an adaptation to its Arctic home range. Its scientific name reflects this feature; the genus name "Buteo" is the Latin name of the common buzzard, and "lagopus", is derived from Ancient Greek "lago" ("λαγως"), meaning "hare", and "pous" ("πους"), "foot". Its talons are relatively small, reflecting their preferred choice of prey. Distinguishing characteristics in all plumages include long white tail feathers with one or more dark subterminal bands. The wing tips are long enough to reach or extend past the tail when the animal is


title: "Rough-legged buzzard" content: perched. The common buzzard can be similar-looking, with a similar long-tailed shape and can be notoriously variable in plumage. The rough-legged is longer-winged and more eagle-like in appearance. The red-tailed hawk is chunkier-looking and differs in its darker head, broader, shorter wings, barring on the wings and the tail, dark leading edge to the wings (rather than black wrist patch) and has no white base to the tail. The ferruginous hawk is larger, with a bigger, more prominent bill and has a whitish comma at the wrist and all-pale tail. It is the only hawk of its size (other than


title: "Rough-legged buzzard" content: the very different-looking osprey) to regularly hover over one spot, by beating its wings quickly. The rough-legged hawk is a member of the genus "Buteo", a group of moderately large raptors exhibiting broad wings, short tails and wide robust bodies. This group is known as hawks in North America but referred to as buzzards in Europe. There are at least three recognized subspecies of "Buteo lagopus": The rough-legged hawk breeds in tundra and taiga habitats of North America and Eurasia between the latitudes of 61° and 76° N. Rough-legged hawks occurring in North America migrate to southern Canada and into


title: "Rough-legged buzzard" content: the central United States for the winter, while Eurasian individuals migrate to southern Europe and Asia. It is the only member of its diverse genus found in both of the Northern continents and has a complete circumpolar distribution. During these winter months, from November to March, preferred habitats include marshes, prairies and agricultural regions where rodent prey is most abundant. Breeding sites are usually located in areas with plenty of unforested, open ground. Depending on snow conditions, migrants arrive at breeding grounds during April and May. Home ranges vary with food supply but are commonly reported to be during the


title: "Rough-legged buzzard" content: winter, but little is known about home ranges during the breeding season. Although frequently attacked in skirmishes by other highly territorial birds such as gyrfalcons and skuas, the rough-legged buzzard is not strongly territorial. However, wintering rough-legged buzzards seems to behave aggressively towards common buzzards in Sweden and both species with try to keep the other off a fixed hunting range. This species is carnivorous, typically feeding on small mammals, which make up 62–98% of its diet. Lemmings and voles are the major prey items of this species, seasonally comprising up to 80–90% of their prey, but this varies with


title: "Rough-legged buzzard" content: seasonal availability. Some evidence suggests that these hawks may be able to see vole scent marks which are only visible in the ultraviolet range, allowing them to cue in on prey. Despite generally preying on rodents, a 2015 paper reported the species breeding on rodent-free Kolguev Island in Arctic Russia with goslings a main prey. The rough-legged hawk will also supplement its diet with mice, rats, gerbils, pikas and insects. Besides mammals, birds are the second most favored type of prey for rough-legs. Most avian prey species are small passerines such as snow buntings ("Plectrophenax nivalis"), Lapland longspur ("Calcarius lapponicus")


title: "Rough-legged buzzard" content: and American tree sparrow ("Spizelloides arborea"). However, they will also prey on birds slightly larger than the passerines typically targeted, especially ptarmigan ("Lagopus ssp."), as well as waterfowl, shorebirds (such as ruffs ("Philomachus pugnax")) and short-eared owls ("Asio flammeus"). They usually target bird prey which are young and inexperienced, with relatively large avian prey often being snatched in their fledging stage. When small mammals are scarce, the rough-legged hawk will also feed on larger, medium-sized mammals including prairie dogs ("Cynomys ssp."), ground squirrels, muskrats ("Ondatra zibethicus"), weasels ("Mustela ssp.") and even adult black-tailed jackrabbits ("Lepus californicus") of approximately twice their


title: "Rough-legged buzzard" content: own weight. During winter, shrub-steppe habitats seem to encourage a strong dependence on rabbit prey. In developed areas of England, wintering rough-legged buzzards have been recorded preying most regularly on relatively large prey such as common wood pigeon ("Columba palumbus") and invasive European rabbits ("Oryctolagus cuniculus"). This avian predator hunts opportunistically, occasionally supplementing their diet with carrion, but focusing primarily on the most locally abundant small vertebrates. Rough-legged hawks will steal prey from other individuals of the same species as well as other species such as the red-tailed hawk, hen harrier ("Circus cyaenus"), American kestrel ("Falco sparverius") and common raven


title: "Rough-legged buzzard" content: ("Corvus corax"). Prey sizes typically range from and adults require of food daily, around the body mass of the largest species of vole or lemming although most species weigh a bit less. These raptors hunt during the daytime. Like most "Buteos", rough-legged buzzards have been reported both still-hunting (watching for prey from a perch and then stooping) and watching for prey while in flight. Unlike most other large raptors, they may engage in hovering flight above the ground while search for prey. Sexual maturity is reached at about two years old. Breeding generally occurs during May but is variable depending


title: "Rough-legged buzzard" content: upon dates of arrival at breeding grounds. The rough-legged hawk is thought to be monogamous, mating with a single individual for multiple years. No evidence currently suggest otherwise. Nests are built soon after arrival to breeding grounds and require 3–4 weeks to complete. Twigs, sedges and old feathers are used as building materials. Nests are in diameter and in height. Cliff ledges and rocky outcroppings are preferred nesting sites. Females can lay 1–7 eggs but will typically lay 3–5. Average egg size is in length by in width. Minimum incubation period is 31 days, provided almost exclusively by the female.


title: "Rough-legged buzzard" content: The male feeds the female during this incubation period. After hatching, young require 4–6 weeks before fledging the nest. Fledglings depend on parents to provide food for 2–4 weeks after leaving the nest. Rough-legged buzzards that survive to adulthood can live to an age of 19 years in the wild. One female being kept in an Idaho zoo is over 25 years of age and there is a female that is a minimum of 38 years old living in Redding, Ca . However, perhaps a majority of individuals in the wild do not survive past their first two years of


title: "Rough-legged buzzard" content: life. The threats faced by young rough-legs can include starvation when prey is not numerous, freezing when Northern climes are particularly harsh during brooding, destruction by humans, and predation by various animals. The chances of survival increase incrementally both when they reach the fledging stage and when they can start hunting for themselves. Death of flying immatures and adults are often the result of human activity, including collisions with power lines, buildings and vehicles, incidental ingestion of poison or lead from prey or illegal hunting and trapping. Most predation recorded on this species is on the young at the nest.


title: "Rough-legged buzzard" content: Arctic foxes ("Vulpes lagopus"), brown bears ("Ursus arctos") and wolverines ("Gulo gulo") have all eaten eggs and young of this species if they are capable of accessing nests on foot. Avian scavengers, especially maurading groups of common ravens, will also readily prey on eggs and nestlings, as will skuas ("Stercorarius ssp."). Snowy owls ("Bubo scandiacus") are a potential predator at the nest as well. Adults, being a large raptorial bird, have fewer natural predators but may die in conflicts, especially if they are defending their own nests and are occasionally preyed on by other large raptorial birds. Raptors who prey


title: "Rough-legged buzzard" content: on rough-legged buzzards of most ages at varied times of year may include numerous eagles (especially the golden eagle ("Aquila chrysaetos"), though also sometimes other "Aquila" in Eurasia and seldomly "Haliaeetus" eagles) as well as large falcons. While wintering, rough-legged buzzards or hawks may be vulnerable to predation by night to Eurasian eagle-owls ("Bubo bubo") or great horned owls ("Bubo virginianus") and rarely, during day, other large "Buteo" hawks, including those of their own species. Adult rough-legged hawks will vocalize alarm calls when intruders approach a nesting site. It is described as a downward slurring whistle, sounding like "kiu wiyuk"


title: "Rough-legged buzzard" content: or a lengthy descending "kee-eer" similar to that of the red-tailed hawk. This cry is given in flight or from a perch every 15–30 seconds. During courtship, both sexes have been recorded to give a whistling sound that changes to a hiss. Following copulation, females will give a clucklike sound and males vocalize a whistling noise. Fledglings will give begging calls while waiting for parents to provide food. Rough-legged buzzard The rough-legged buzzard ("Buteo lagopus"), also called the rough-legged hawk, is a medium-large bird of prey. It is found in Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Eurasia during


title: "Chevrolet Avalanche" content: Chevrolet Avalanche The Chevrolet Avalanche was a four-door, five or six passenger pickup truck sharing GM's long-wheelbase chassis used on the Chevrolet Suburban and Cadillac Escalade EXT. Breaking with a long-standing tradition, the Avalanche was not available as a GMC, but only as a Chevrolet. Production of the Avalanche started in September 2001 and ended April 2013; producing two generations in its lifespan. The Avalanche was launched in September 2001 as a 2002 model on the GMT800 platform. First year Avalanches featured light gray plastic body cladding, intended to provide visual distinction from the Suburban/Yukon XL. Avalanche also gave the


title: "Chevrolet Avalanche" content: public an advance look at the next generation of front fascia designs for the entire GM line. A full-length chrome strip splits each lamp assembly and the grille, with a gold Chevrolet "bow tie" in the center. The hood and fenders featured aggressive folds, in contrast to the soft box of the other GMT800 models. 2003 models featured a darker cladding, but GM's new president, Rick Wagoner, demanded removal of this "unpopular" trim (as did certain elements of the public). From mid-year, Avalanche could be ordered without the cladding. The uncladded model, known as the Without Body Hardware (or better


title: "Chevrolet Avalanche" content: by its acronym "WBH"), and alternatively called "slicksides" by GM marketers, resembles the '03-'05 Silverado in the front. Avalanche was nominated for the "North American SUV of the Year" award and was "Motor Trend" magazine's SUV of the Year for 2002. There are two engine choices: The Avalanche was originally marketed as being able to "change from a SUV to a super SUV". This was made possible by a plastic cover and an exclusive "midgate" which could open and close. The midgate was a divider behind the second row of seats that could be folded down, with the seats, to


title: "Chevrolet Avalanche" content: create a longer bed area, or folded up to make a larger cab area. A similar midgate was found on the Cadillac Escalade EXT, Hummer H2 SUT and the GMC Envoy XUV. For those who planned to go off-road in their Avalanche, a Z71 Off-Road package was available that added off-road suspension, GM's AutoTrac full-time, push-button four-wheel-drive system, all-terrain white-lettered tires, seventeen-inch alloy wheels, leather seating surfaces with cloth accents, front dual power bucket seats, cloth door panel inserts, GM's OnStar telematics system, all-weather rubber floor mats, Chevrolet bowtie emblems embedded into the backrests of the seats (for 2002 models),


title: "Chevrolet Avalanche" content: dual-zone automatic climate controls with rear HVAC vents and remote controls, remote radio controls with headphone jacks for two pairs of headphones, a security system, gray-finished side running boards, power-heated side view mirrors with integrated turn signals, mud flaps, SRS side airbags, and more. Aside from these details, a Z71 Off-Road sticker on the rear side panels identified an Avalanche equipped with this package. Full leather seating surfaces were an available option, also removing the cloth door panel inserts, and also added heated front seats. For those who liked the styling of the Z71 Off-Road package but did not plan


title: "Chevrolet Avalanche" content: to take their Avalanche off-road, a Z66 On-Road package was also available. The Z66 On-Road package featured all the equipment that the Z71 Off-Road package offered, but replaced the off-road suspension with sport on-road suspension, and did not offer four-wheel-drive. Aside from these details, a Z66 On-Road sticker on the rear side panels identified an Avalanche equipped with this package. As with the Z71 Off-Road package, full leather seating surfaces without the cloth accents were an available option, also removing the cloth door panel inserts, and also added heated front seats. To further distinguish it from its Silverado siblings, the


title: "Chevrolet Avalanche" content: Avalanche was practically fully equipped, and only came with body side cladding. The Avalanche included features such as sixteen-inch alloy wheels and tires (chromed steel on the 2500 model), an AM/FM stereo with single-disc CD player and six speakers, cloth seating surfaces, front bench seat with power front driver's seat, power windows, power door locks, keyless entry, full instrumentation, dual front airbags, and air conditioning. Options included OnStar telematics system, cassette player, leather seating surfaces, front dual power bucket seats that could be heated, and side airbags for the front seats. A North Face Edition, in partnership with the North


title: "Chevrolet Avalanche" content: Face brand included limited exterior color options, a unique Ebony/Green leather interior, special exterior ornamentation and decals, white-faced gauges, OnStar telematics system, specially colored door panel inserts and speaker grilles, and more. For 2003, the Avalanche was slightly changed. A new interior, shared with the Chevrolet Tahoe and Chevrolet Suburban, added a new, larger steering wheel with subsequent audio system and OnStar controls and cruise and speed controls, an optional six-speaker premium Bose sound system with external amplifier, a new gauge cluster with information center, memory for the front driver's seat (on some models), new radio head units, which included


title: "Chevrolet Avalanche" content: an AM/FM stereo with single-disc CD/MP3 player and Radio Data System or an AM/FM stereo with six-disc CD/MP3 changer and Radio Data System, optional XM Satellite Radio, standard OnStar telematics system, optional rear audio controls with heaphone jacks, an optional rear DVD entertainment system by Panasonic with wireless headphones, new warning chimes that played through the vehicle's audio system instead of through a separate speaker behind the dashboard, and newly available seventeen-inch alloy wheels and tires. A new WBH option, standing for Without Body Hardware, deleted the Avalanche's standard gray body-side cladding panels and replacing them with a thin black


title: "Chevrolet Avalanche" content: strip of plastic, for a cleaner exterior appearance. If an Avalanche owner did not want any black accents on the side of their trucks, the black strip of plastic could also be removed altogether. Conversion van specialists Southern Comfort offered a conversion package for the Avalanche, which offered unique chrome-plated alloy wheels, a rear DVD entertainment system with satellite TV service, unique two-tone and fading paint jobs with exterior color-keyed lower trim and front and rear bumpers, unique seating surfaces, multiple wood interior trim options, and most of the features which were also offered on its conversion vans. The trucks


title: "Chevrolet Avalanche" content: also featured the Southern Comfort emblems on the exterior of the vehicle, and since they retained the same basic features as a factory Avalanche, a full General Motors warranty was offered, and the trucks could also be serviced at any Chevrolet dealership, as with the factory trucks. Soon after the release of the Chevrolet Avalanche, customers began to notice cosmetic problems with the cladding on their vehicles. Over time exposure to heat and sunlight would cause a chalky faded appearance. It was especially noticeable on the cargo bed panels, and sail-panel windows where "Zebra Striping" would appear. Customer reaction to


title: "Chevrolet Avalanche" content: this problem resulted in General Motors agreeing to a one time treatment of a product called ArmorDillo. This product would temporarily restore the cladding for a period of about 6 months. After that it would wear off then need to be re-applied. Realizing this was not a permanent solution, GM, together with Gatorback Coatings, developed a coating that could be applied to the cladding to restore it to a like-new shine. This product was designed to etch into the plastic and bond a new layer of tinted acrylic over the faded plastic. Customers within the 3yr/36,000 original factory warranty could


title: "Chevrolet Avalanche" content: go to their dealership to have it restored under their original warranty under GM TSB:04-08-111-001C. General Motors did not use side body cladding on the second generation model. General Motors has also identified the original source of the faded cladding. The GMT900 Avalanche was introduced at the Chicago Auto Show in February 2006. Production of the redesigned Avalanche began at the Silao Assembly in April 2006. The Avalanche maintained the styled front end much like its sister vehicles, the Tahoe/Yukon and Suburban/Yukon XL, yet it still had the distinct midgate and integrated bed as found on the previous incarnation. It