The Tongue of the Noisy Miner

No, it's not a dirty old folk song—it's a bird:

Lorikeets on the Veranda

Sitting at my desk just now, a pair of lorikeets that have judged us easy marks (and who Christine has named Sadie and June) landed on the hand rail of the veranda, just some eight feet from me. One positioned itself directly in front of the open door, cocked its head sideways, one eye focused on me, and screeched. Several times. Loudly. It was, of course, rewarded for this obnoxiousness.

Here's the "Naming of the Lorkeets" video:

America in Australia

Happy New Years Prawns

If you got it in your mind one day to enter the words "happy new year prawns" into the Google image machine, you would find that this most important and world-changing blog currently owns the first two entries.

I know this because my site meter tells me that someone in Israel googled "happy new years prawns" and ended up here. (It may be a euphemism. I do not know. I swear.)

Anyhoo, someone tell Sneezing Panda: I have conquered the internet. It is mine.

The Kangaroo Claw

This is a photo of a back paw of a kangaroo (via):

My First Blue Bottle Jellyfish Sting

So I was trying to catch beach worms the other day - more on that later - when Christine noticed the delicate tentacles of a dreaded blue bottle jellyfish around my legs.

The Changing Middle East -> U.S.

It just occurred to me: If a good chunk of the Middle East makes a dramatic move toward democracy over the next few months or years, the U.S. is going to have to change dramatically, too.

Just saying.

"ROONEYYYY!"

Good god in heaven just listen to the sound of this first. Close your eyes and listen to the first seven seconds. Listen to the announcer shout the name, and go speechless, and listen to what they mean when they say a crowd "explodes." This is a moment that explains why there is such a thing as "sport."

Oh damn, they've taken the video down. You can see it here.

Update: Let's see how long this one lasts:

A few hours. Oh well.

UK Court: You're Too Dumb to Have Sex

BRITney Spears inconsolable.

I Should Have Bet on the Packers

Here's a photo of a beer cap from an Australian Carlton Draught beer I opened for the Super Bowl this morning in Sydney:

Here's what Christine found on its underside:

D'oh!

Floods, Cyclone, Now Fire

Perth is burning:

Hundreds of firefighters in Western Australia are working to try to bring under control fires that have been raging across Perth.

400 firefighters have been battling a number of blazes over the past 24 hours.

In the south eastern suburbs of Roleystone and Kelmscott, 35 homes have already been destroyed.

Good God, what's next? Toads?

More.