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So, is Ether = Bitcoin and Ethereum = Bitcoin blockchain?

Is Ethereum also a cryptocurrency?
Well, formally speaking, Ethereum is a blockchain based distributed platform, and Ether is the currency used on that blockchain.

Is Ether same as Bitcoin?
Just like Bitcoin, Ethereum blockchain also needs mining (i.e., proof-of-work and thus, computational resources to mine the blocks). Miners are rewarded with Ether. But Ethereum also has the concept of smart contracts and an associated virtual machine to execute the smart contracts. Besides rewarding miners with Ether, computational resources consumed by the code executed on Ethereum Virtual Machine is controlled by spending Ether, which is termed as gas.

I understand the Ethereum blockchain supports smart contracts, but is Ether similar to Bitcoin?
The answer to "why we need a cryptocurrency?" is different for the two blockchains. For Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency is the reason why blockchain exists; i.e., the sole purpose of the blockchain is to store bitcoins. For Ethereum, it's the other way around--the purpose of the cryptocurrency is to use Ether as fuel for the blockchain.

Ether is the incentive for network nodes to maintain a healthy and secure blockchain, as well as a means to ensure that developers write quality smart contracts, which do not waste system resources.

The difference exists because Bitcoin's blockchain application is restricted to money, while Ethereum's blockchain is programmable. Every full node participating in the Ethereum network contains the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) that is capable of running smart contracts, and every computational step performed to run the contract has a cost paid in Ether.

A protocol-level difference also exists: Ethereum has the concept of an account (which has a coin balance), while Bitcoin doesn't directly store accounts. It just differentiates between "spent" and "unspent" coins. The Unspent Transaction Output (UTXO) is used by Bitcoin to track who has how much bitcoin.

Of course, when we go to lower level details, there are many more differences.

Can I see a sample Ether block?

Is there a list of all Ethereum nodes?

I want to know more about Ethereum.
An excellent resource is the White paper on Ehtereum Wiki. 
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