Once upon a time, in the deep jungle, there lived a creature called human being. He lived in the midst of nature, along with his furry jungle friends. He lived in sync with his surroundings and had a complete understanding of his co-inhabitants as well. Everything was perfectly harmonious, until our human became a person.

Now armed with his highly developed brain, he started considering himself superior, especially in comparison to the other animals. As he began marauding nature, his ‘super intelligence’ caused him to believe that he is above all. He distanced himself from his natural abode, away from his animal friends.

Currently, our person lives in his buzzing world, a little devoid of his natural instincts. Having lost all memories of his jungle life, he now considers other animals inferior, capable of doing some very dopey things. Want proof? Here goes…

Misconceptions about Animals

A startling number of people among us believe that we are genetically related to monkeys. Considering how much we know about ourselves, the following myths about animals should not take us by surprise. And before we begin, we are closest to gorillas and chimpanzees, not monkeys.

Myth 1: As Blind as a Bat!
Or maybe not! Bats are not blind per se, although they do rely heavily on their sense of hearing. They have a system where they emit ultrasonic sounds to produce echoes that help them locate their prey, even in the dark. In fact, some bats are known to possess excellent daylight vision.

Myth 2: Bulls See Red
The poor creatures are blind to the color red. It is the movement of the cloth that the bull takes offense to, certainly not the color. So why does a matador only use red? Maybe it goes well with his fancy gold costume, or better, let’s just ask the Spaniards.

Myth 3: These Charmed Snakes
Before you slam the snake community for their terrible taste in music, spare a thought for their hapless condition. Snakes are deaf, so the swaying is definitely not inspired by the music. They are tuned in to vibrations all around them, so it is either that, or the movement of the instrument that makes them sway.

Myth 4: Something’s Fishy
Is it a fish? Is it an amphibian? No, it’s a whale, and it’s a mammal! A marine mammal, to be precise. They have a nose on top of their heads, and they rise to the surface at specific intervals to breathe. They are descendants of regular mammals that lived on land. It was 50 million years ago that the whales shifted their residence to the sea, and have been happily living there ever since.

Myth 5: Hide me, Quick!
For all those who thought an ostrich was trying to escape an attack by burying his head in the ground, shame on you! There is a belief that an ostrich buries its head in the sand because if it can’t see the predator, it means that the predator cannot see him. The truth is, as he buries his head in the ground, he could simply be exploring it. The ostrich may have a pea-sized brain, but humans don’t.

Myth 6: This Pole, That Pole
To begin with, Arctic is in the North, and Antarctica in the South. Polar bears are found in the Arctic, penguins live in Antarctica. They never, ever exchange poles. Repeat these lines ten times a day.

Myth 7: Now You See Me; Now You Don’t
Chameleons are very good at blending in, but when they change color, that’s not what they have in mind. A chameleon changes colors according to variations in mood, for instance when it feels angry or threatened, or even when it is at peace. It’s more like having a conversation, except we humans don’t understand the language.

Myth 8: Who Stole My Water?
I hate to ruin this one, but camels do not store water in their humps. They have their tummies for it. The hump actually stores fat, which gives them energy for their long journeys, but still, it’s not the same as water.

Myth 9: ‘Ear Me Out!
Earwigs do not have a predilection for residing in human ears, and this is the complete truth. While it is true that they love dark, damp places, human ears don’t catch their fancy. But if you insist on further assurance, there is a bone in your ear that will stop any insect from getting inside. Happy?

Myth 10: Sorry, Garfield; Sorry, Odie
Our favorite domestic pets are also victims of human naïvety. We have always tried to attach some kind of explanation to every little thing about cats and dogs that strikes us as an oddity. Cats are often labeled sinister and unfriendly, whereas every dog is assumed to be Lassie. And we all know the list is endless.

It is time we stop being so pompous about our sharp rise on the evolutionary scale. These smart animals have fooled us into believing things that are an insult to our so-called intelligence. Wake up and listen to the laughter echoing throughout the animal kingdom!

When I first saw ‘Veranda Blend’ on the rack at my local Starbucks, I wondered what had they come up with now. My wife and I are not casual Starbucks customers. Either of us can tell you where the nearest Starbucks store is within a five mile radius, and where there is an alternate if you are headed in a different direction. We take coffee seriously. And somehow anything CLOSE to instant coffee, especially with ‘Blonde’ or even ‘Veranda’ in the name doesn’t sound very serious, to us. We are ‘porch’ or ‘stoop’ people, not ‘veranda’ types.

What kind of Coffee is Named “Veranda”?
Good question, and the answer is-a pretty good one. It turns out that “Veranda” is one of two “blonde” roast varieties, Willow being the other. The fact that this Veranda is also Via, a combination of instant coffee and micro ground coffee beans, makes “pretty good” even more surprising to a coffee snob like me. The beans are Arabica (the kind that account for 75-80 percent of the world’s production) so that is not a big surprise. They come from Latin America, a pretty general area, but a good coffee growing region. Because this is first, a blend and second, designed to be a less intense coffee flavor makes those two choices both understandable and acceptable.

How Does the Taste Compare to Their Bold Roasts?
I am a fan of bold coffee from Starbucks. I make no apologies about that. But… this is good coffee, just not as intense or acidic or as rich. It isn’t watery or tasteless; it just isn’t bold. It is much less acidic, and not as ‘rich’ as the Espresso, Italian or Komodo I would normally gravitate to. The packaging uses words like “soft cocoa and lightly toasted nuts”. The Starbucks website uses terms like “lighter bodied and mellow” and “subtle and soft with mellow acidity”. Good words, although I didn’t get the ‘soft cocoa’ flavor from my cup of Via just now. I did add Heavy Cream, as I almost always do. That might have covered it up.

It’s different from my regular Starbucks choice and being “instant coffee” I am inclined to not ask as much from it for flavor. However, I think it holds up well against even fresh brewed when the grounds/beans are not fresh. And that would include (again, in my opinion) most of what you see on a grocery store shelf.

The lack of acidity is a real plus, in my opinion. I was informed by the Barista that because it is a lighter roast, there is actually more caffeine in both of the Blonde blends-Veranda and Willow- than there is in the darker roasts. I, of course, do not believe them. (How could I? My favorite is … etc etc. ) On technical grounds, however, I will bow to their expert training. It is, after all, their product.

Will I Buy More?
That is, of course the real question. The answer is yes, but… We don’t normally buy Via, grounds or beans at the Starbucks store. Sprouts Farmers Market is close to home and, frankly, enough cheaper that they get our money except special occasions and holidays. But I could be talked into buying it again, especially if friends are coming over who do not like the ‘burnt’ flavor (as they call it) that I love so much. And when on a road trip, definitely I would get a box of Via Veranda. There are indeed stretches-very long stretches-of Interstate with no good coffee to be had, especially late at night. And in those spots, Via Veranda is maybe quite literally a life-saver. It’s that good.

Sources:
http://www.coffeeresearch.org/agriculture/coffeeplant.htm

http://www.starbucks.com/coffee/blonde

The right-hand side of timeline will soon be the official home for the action-oriented applications that make use of variations on the like button.

As of this writing, the promised layout has yet to materialize on Facebook, so we’re still seeing wall posts showing up in both columns of the timeline.

But soon, the left side will effectively be the wall, and the right side will show what you’re doing in different applications.

The demos we watched last night suggest that this new right-hand column will have a chronological organization, just like the left side has.

Curating this side of the timeline will become a matter of deciding what to include and what to hide from view.

Moving your mouse over to the upper right-hand corner of each item on the timeline makes visible two icons:

• A star, which lets you choose to hide or highlight a timeline post; and
• A  pencil icon,which when clicked upon pulls down a longer menu of items. This includes hide the item, delete it, mark the item as spam, add a location or time to it.

Furthermore, you’ll want to go into the privacy settings in the upper right-hand corner of your screen and adjust how much of your activity in each application you want to go out to news feeds.

Click the little down arrow in the uppermost right-hand corner of the page, then click on “edit settings” beneath and to the right of “apps and websites.”  

Then on the ensuing page, click the box labeled “edit settings” next to the column of apps you use, and then click on the next page click “edit” next to each app to adjust each one.

Facebook has scheduled a press-only event for next Wednesday evening, without offering the slightest hint about any announcement.

The invitation this time around lacks any iconography that could one might infer a product category from.

The invite-only event is taking place at the restaurant 25 Lusk in San Francisco, which similarly doesn’t offer any hints about what the company might announce.

The lack of detail on the invite could mean an announcement related to a completed financial transaction — announcing something beforehand would run afoul of U.S. laws.

Readers, can you wager a guess as to what the company might announce next week?

One look at the flowerhorn fish and it’s easy to understand the frenzy it sparked off in Singapore a few years ago. This gorgeous creature with the trademark bulging forehead and vivid hues had fish fanatics the world over paying insane amount of money to own one. And why not? Thought to bring the owner good fortune and prosperity, the flowerhorn fish managed to create a splash in the aquatic world. We have a few flowerhorn fish facts lined up for your delectation.

Flowerhorn Fish Facts

The Good

It all began with the Malaysians and their inclination for these bulky-headed fish, known as Karoi or warships. The flowerhorn fish found a place in the hearts of the Taiwanese, who considered them harbingers of prosperity. Soon enough, a feng shui connect was established. The nuchal hump, or protruding forehead resembled the forehead of the Chinese God of longevity. Some of the fish’s body parts matched other divine creatures, elevating its importance. The black markings on the sides sometimes look like Chinese alphabets. Its brightly colored appearance made it an attractive and coveted fish. Aggressive at first, these fish form a deep bond with their owners over a period as they get tamed, especially when the owners feed them with their hands. Its red eyes were known to cast the evil spirits away.

The Geeky

The flowerhorn cichlid finds its ancestors in the red devil cichlids (Amphilophus labiatus) and trimac cichlids (Amphilophus trimaculatus), from Central America along with the hybrid blood parrot cichlid from Taiwan. These fish were bred together in Malaysia, giving us the flowerhorn cichlid. Also called the Luo Han flowerhorn, they arrived in America during the nineties. They grow up to 12 inches and will keep you company for 10 to 12 years. Considering their size, they must be kept in a 20 to 30 gallon tank, in waters with a pH level of 7.4 to 8.0 and a temperature of 80-85°F. Their diet includes fleshy and live bloodworms, mealworms, small fish, earthworms, minced meat and shrimp. Their vegetarian delights are spinach, peas and lettuce.

The “Not So Good”

How would you like to have an aquatic pet that is not very different from humans? Well, the flowerhorn fish, being a product of human effort, has managed to pick up a few human qualities. For starters, it is an aggressive fish, and very territorial. Keeping more than one in a tank is not recommended, but if you insist, do separate them with a sturdy glass partition and give them time to start tolerating each other. This applies to two fish belonging to the opposite sex as well (Mars and Venus, anyone?). The aggressiveness scales new heights, as a flowerhorn can also injure itself if the tank accessories are too rough on the edges. It sometimes likes to launch itself, head first on to the glass walls, which explains the presence of several disfigured single fish in captivity. Be very careful while feeding it as it sometimes likes to bite the hand that feeds it. Among other human qualities, they also happen to have a ravenous appetite for food and reproduction as well.

The Outrageous

Controversy cannot keep its hands off a fish that is termed “a hybrid of hybrids”. Much noise has been made about how fish breeds have been modified to increase their attractiveness quotient. While the ecologists continued their protests, the breeding community made hay as the popularity of the flowerhorn fish soared. It was during this period that the breeders worked overtime to support the burgeoning demand, leading to a drop in the “quality”. The so-called good-looking fish earned returns and the unattractive and disfigured ones were saddled with the store owners. Not knowing what to do with the leftovers, they were thoughtlessly dumped in the drains of Singapore and Malaysia. These little horrors ran riot with their unrestrained breeding and demolished the local flora and fauna. Many local aquatic species became extinct, with the flowerhorns eating or killing whatever came their way.

All the controversies in the world have not been able to convince the flowerhorn fish fanatics into keeping other pets. When the ethical aspect of breeding creatures in labs is raised, there are silent whispers about how humans have done worse elsewhere. Whether you choose to love this fish or loathe it, there are several people around the world who have derived immense joy, companionship, and not to mention, prosperity from it.