Slow Loris

Siftbot reads Russian? Хорошо!

Starlings.

Does anyone know more about this? It doesn't look like an anemone to me, more like a filter-feeding worm or something.

Rugil, the melody for the Star Spangled Banner (which was written as a poem and only set to music later) is an English drinking song. It's easy for me to imagine a bunch of drunks singing it badly as it has a range of well over an octave so it's a bitch to sing. Personally I'd rather we had an anthem that most people could actually sing in tune.

I agree that it's superficial and manipulative but it's worth seeing for how well it's done.

Vermont has no coast. It's inland.

kronosposeidon (and anyone else), you might be interested in the original '27 recording of R in B that's available on archive.org (http://www.archive.org/details/rhapblue11924) with Gershwin himself on piano. It's quite different, much looser and jazzier, than this and other renditions. It was a revelation to me.

And thanks elysse for this brilliant clip.

Those are Indian Runner Ducks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Runner_Duck). You can tell because they stand upright unlike regular barnyard ducks. That's why they're so fast.

Great stuff!

Peregrines are amazing. I used to work on the 20th floor of a building in NYC near a bridge where a released pair nested and got to see them hunt (pigeons) and play in the air (they used to zoom around between buildings seemingly for nothing other than the fun of it). It was an incredible thrill to watch.

I read years ago that an aeronautical engineer skeptical of the 200+ MPH speeds attributed to Peregrines had tested a Peregrine cadaver in a wind tunnel and measured its terminal velocity at something like 75 MPH. He assumed that a live bird would be able to make itself somewhat more aerodynamic so his estimate of their actual speed was around 100 MPH. It looks like he grossly underestimated their ability to streamline.

Aw! Bone pain!

No drums on this cut but Herb Ellis fills in on guitar. You can also hear Oscar scatting along as he plays as he usually did (to some people's pleasure and others' consternation).

Why the "Japan" tag?

Wouldn't it be great if there was a page where all the different monkey web cam videos were collected and then the monkeys could vote on which ones they liked best?

Upvote for truth in advertising: you promised 11 seconds of a dog humping a cat and by god you delivered 11 seconds of a dog humping a cat. I doff my hat to you sir.