Non-football related stuff that really makes your day

[Islair]

Pictures or it didnt happen.

[Septem]

Montana and Kumamoto are celebrating the 30 year anniversary of their sister state relationship.

I went to a Montana Club party tonight where representatives from the University of Montana were giving out prizes. I won a U of M Grizzlies cowboy hat.

Best line of the night came from the U of M rep who e-mailed the picture to her boss. The reply:

"Who's the guy in the cowboy hat with the Grizzly Adams beard?"

That'd be me.

So I suppose it’s not a coincidence you ending up in Kumamoto teaching English?

[LionsFanInJapan]

Not completely random, Septem, but it was actually my 2nd choice of places to come to.

[LionsFanInJapan]

Pictures or it didnt happen.

[Septem]

It did really happen Islair!

Not completely random, Septem, but it was actually my 2nd choice of places to come to.

The first choice?

[LionsFanInJapan]

Fukushima. I spent a year there on an internship while I was at university, so I know people in the area.

Glad that didn't work out! Although, my initial plan was to stay for three years and then move back to the states...so chances are I wouldn't have been there for the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster anyways.

[Septem]

When you said 2nd choice, thought the first one was another country. I suspect meeting your wife changed those initial plans of yours!

[LionsFanInJapan]

Yeah, we'd talked about moving back to the states, but now with the house I guess I'm stuck here.

[Septem]

If you like living in Japan, guess it?s not a problem, even though I guess there?s always a bit of homesickness when you are away?maybe you can think going back to US on your retirement?

I don?t see myself living abroad, but there are pretty of Portuguese going away as we speak. Economy sucks right now, and they are obligated to look for work elsewhere?

[LionsFanInJapan]

It was a combination of uncertainty about finding a job back in the U.S. and the fact her parents are essentially computer illiterate. My parents are used to me living far away and they know how to Skype.

[nhwbrooklyn]

Eagles are awesome

[Tony G]

Diet

The Bald Eagle's diet is opportunistic and varied, but in some areas they feed mainly on fish.[29] In the Pacific Northwest, spawning trout and salmon provide most of the Bald Eagles' diet.[30]

Locally, eagles may rely largely on carrion, especially in winter. They will scavenge carcasses up to the size of whales, though it seems that carcasses of ungulates and large fish are preferred. They also may sometimes feed on subsistence scavenged or stolen from campsites and picnics, as well as garbage dumps. Mammalian prey includes rabbits, hares, raccoons, muskrats, beavers, and deer fawns. Preferred avian prey includes grebes, alcids, ducks, gulls, coots, egrets, and geese.[31] Bald Eagles have been recorded killing other raptors, even the formidable Great Horned Owls.[32] If a Bald Eagle flies close by, water birds will often fly away en masse, though in other cases they may seemingly ignore a perched eagle. Birds occasionally may be attacked in flight, with prey up to the size of Canada Geese grabbed and killed in mid-air.[31] Unprecedented photographs of a Bald Eagle unsuccessfully attempting to predate a much larger adult Trumpeter Swan in mid-flight were taken recently.[33] Much of the live prey that Bald Eagles catch are quite a bit smaller than the eagle, but predation has been recorded for animals up to the size of mature swans, adult raccoons and young ungulates, all of which are heavier than Bald Eagles. In the Chesapeake Bay area, bald eagles are reportedly the main natural predators of raccoons.[34] Reptiles, amphibians and crustaceans (especially crabs) are preyed upon when available. Occasionally, Bald Eagles may hunt cooperatively, with one bird distracting potential prey, while the other comes behind it in order to ambush it.[4]

With a freshly caught fish.

To hunt fish, easily their most important live prey, the eagle swoops down over the water and snatches the fish out of the water with its talons. They eat by holding the fish in one claw and tearing the flesh with the other. Eagles have structures on their toes called spicules that allow them to grasp fish. Osprey also have this adaptation.[27] Bald Eagles have powerful talons and have been recorded flying with a 6.8 kg (15 lb) Mule Deer fawn.[35] This feat is the record for the heaviest load carrying ever verified for a flying bird.[36] It has been estimated that the gripping power (pounds by square inch) of the bald eagle is ten times greater than that of a human.[37] Bald eagles can fly with fish at least equal to their own weight, but if the fish is too heavy to lift, the eagle may be dragged into the water. It may swim to safety, but some eagles drown or succumb to hypothermia. When competing for food, eagles will usually dominate other fish-eaters and scavengers, aggressively displacing mammals such as coyotes and foxes, and birds such as corvids, gulls, vultures and other raptors. Bald Eagles may be displaced by themselves or by Golden Eagles. Neither species is known to be dominant, and the outcome depends on the individual animal. In New Jersey during winter, a Golden Eagle and numerous Bald Eagles were observed to hunt Snow Geese alongside each other without conflict.[38] Occasionally, Bald Eagles will steal fish and other prey away from smaller raptors, such as Ospreys and Peregrine Falcons, a practice known as kleptoparasitism.[39][40] Healthy adult Bald Eagles are not preyed on in the wild and are thus considered apex predators.[41] In one case, an adult eagle investigating a Peregrine Falcon nest for prey items sustained a concussion from a swooping parent Peregrine, and ultimately died days later from it

[Tony G]

to stay on the wild kingdom theme, here's an interesting bit on bringing wolves back to Yellowstone and how it affected the whole ecosystem.

A commonly cited example of apex predators affecting an ecosystem is Yellowstone National Park. After the reintroduction of the gray wolf in 1995, researchers noticed drastic changes occurring in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Elk, the primary prey of the gray wolf, became less abundant and changed their behavior, freeing riparian zones from constant grazing. The respite allowed willows, aspens, and cottonwoods to grow, creating habitat for beaver, moose, and scores of other species.[12] In addition to the effects on prey species, the gray wolf's presence also affected the park's grizzly bear, a vulnerable species. The bears, emerging from hibernation, chose to scavenge off wolf kills after fasting for months.[13][14] They can also eat wolf kills in autumn to prepare for hibernation.[15] As grizzly bears give birth during hibernation, a greater food supply may improve the mother’s nutrition and increase the number of cubs.[16] Dozens of other species, including eagles, ravens, magpies, coyotes, and black bears, have been documented scavenging from wolf kills
]

[Tony G]

to stay on the wild kingdom theme, here's an interesting bit on bringing wolves back to Yellowstone and how it affected the whole ecosystem.

A commonly cited example of apex predators affecting an ecosystem is Yellowstone National Park. After the reintroduction of the gray wolf in 1995, researchers noticed drastic changes occurring in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Elk, the primary prey of the gray wolf, became less abundant and changed their behavior, freeing riparian zones from constant grazing. The respite allowed willows, aspens, and cottonwoods to grow, creating habitat for beaver, moose, and scores of other species.[12] In addition to the effects on prey species, the gray wolf's presence also affected the park's grizzly bear, a vulnerable species. The bears, emerging from hibernation, chose to scavenge off wolf kills after fasting for months.[13][14] They can also eat wolf kills in autumn to prepare for hibernation.[15] As grizzly bears give birth during hibernation, a greater food supply may improve the mother?s nutrition and increase the number of cubs.[16] Dozens of other species, including eagles, ravens, magpies, coyotes, and black bears, have been documented scavenging from wolf kills
]

[Malto Marko]

I don't see anywhere where it says Eagles pray on Lions.

Must be a god sign.