A Dragon in Sheep’s Clothing

• 'Guitar Hero' whiz aiming higher
  "Blake Peebles, 16, of Raleigh, dropped out of school last year to devote himself to playing 'Guitar Hero,' and his parents agreed to have him home-schooled." Good luck, kid.
  (tags: gaming video games guitar-hero home-school)
• ‘Other’ China is still alive behind the scenes (Wash. Post)
  (tags: protest rights China)
• 'skine.art. - Moleskine Art
  Artwork drawn in (or on) Moleskine books.
  (tags: drawing art artwork notebook moleskine community)
• Tongue's sixth 'taste' discovered — calcium
  (tags: science tongue taste flavor calcium)
• France bans broadcast of TV shows for babies
  "Council says it wants to protect kids 3 and under from developmental risks"
  (tags: TV television children toddlers development)
• Oktapodi
  Absolutely adorable. I love the different perspectives.
  (tags: animation video octopus humor)
• In-store health clinics battle perception issues
  Ew.
  (tags: health shopping retail brand)

Fame Pictures / FAME PICTURES

Yoda’s extra ears give him a hint of a devilish appearance. The Rocks said they found him in 2006 while watching a Chicago Bears game at a Blue Island bar.

Some in the bar were passing the then-eight-week old kitten around, making fun of his extra set of ears…. the Rocks felt sorry for the cat and offered to adopt the kitten from the bar’s owner, who kept the animal caged atop the bar for his customers’ amusement. >>

Poor kitty! I would have adopted him too!

• How to Create a Successful Web Site For Nothing (or Almost Nothing …
  Success is subjective, but the part about creating a website is good for newbies.
  (tags: website marketing free)
• Free Vector Wing Pack | BittBox
  (tags: Illustrator vector wings feathers free GoMedia Bittbox)

I looked up Starlings to make sure that was the kind of bird I was seeing in my yard yesterday, and discovered this interesting tidbit:

All the European Starlings in North America descended from 100 birds released in New York’s Central Park in the early 1890s. A group dedicated to introducing America to all the birds mentioned in Shakespeare’s works set the birds free. Today, European Starlings range from Alaska to Florida and northern Mexico, and their population is estimated at over 200 million birds. Its successful spread is believed to have come at the expense of many native birds that compete with the starling for nest holes. More from All About Birds by Cornell>>

I also found that I may be mistaking the Common Grackle for a Starling. Both have iridescent feathers. The Starling’s beak can change color, so it is not always yellow. I think the surest way for my untrained eye to tell them apart is, well, by their eyes. Grackles have yellow eyes, and Starlings’ are black.

Common Grackle>>
European Starling>>

Coincidentally, I ran across a news item today about another invasive species :

The red lionfish, a tropical native of the Indian and Pacific oceans that probably escaped from a Florida fish tank, is showing up everywhere — from the coasts of Cuba and Hispaniola to Little Cayman’s pristine Bloody Bay Wall, one of the region’s prime destinations for divers. This maroon-striped marauder is swallowing native species, stinging divers and generally wreaking havoc on an ecologically delicate region.
More at MSNBC>>