It's official: Gabriel can hear and see just fine.
I'm so lucky to live in a place where the bird-watching is so rich. In the last week alone, I've seen the following birds:
-red-winged blackbird (below)
-red-bellied woodpecker
-blue jay
-bluebird
-northern mockingbird
-great blue heron
-snow egret
-little blue heron
-American coot
-red-shouldered hawk
-cardinal
-(some kind of sandpiper)
And lots of sparrows!
I'm watching the PBS Nature episode devoted to the "Birds of the Gods," the spectacular birds found deep in the heart of New Guinea and nowhere else: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/birds-of-the-gods/introduction/6229/
Here are some photos of the various God-birds: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/birds-of-the-gods/photo-gallery/6273/
Have you, like me, ever wondered what the difference was between New Guinea and Papua New Guinea? No? Well, I have, certainly. New Guinea is the island - the second largest in the world - and Papua New Guinea is the eastern half of the island; Papua New Guinea is a country that declared its independence in 1975 from Australia. The western part of the island of New Guinea is divided into Indonesian provinces.
Papua New Guinea has slightly more area to it than does the state of California and it's about 96% Christian - the primary religions being Catholic, Evangelical Lutherans, and Seventh Day Adventists. The climate is tropical, of course, the terrain mostly mountainous. The country is a slave to active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. It's a remarkably heterogeneous society, and the government is a constitutional parliamentary democracy.
In terms of nature, the island of New Guinea itself is a paradise, a smorgasbord of wealth. In 2011, scientists reported that over a ten-year period (1998-2008), over 1000 new species had been discovered on the island's mountains and lowlands and foothills. Check it out: http://news.discovery.com/animals/new-species-discovered-in-new-guinea-110627.html
Among the new species discovered was what is thought to be the world's smallest kangaroo - a dwarf wallaby:
I'm reading a book by Larry McMurtry book right now. I went browsing for recent on-line articles about McMurty and was surprised to learn that McMurtry, 74, had gotten married this past year on the day of the Royal Wedding, to the widow of Ken Kesey (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest). Apparently, Kesey and McMurtry were classmates in the graduate writing program at Stanford in the late 1950s. They had a long-time competitive friendship. McMurty still lives in Archer City, Texas, the town he was born in and the basis for the town of Thalia, the setting of his Last Picture Show series. (Incidentally, the film versions of The Last Picture Show and Texasville were shot in Archer City.)
I was aware that McMurtry was one of the most famous booksellers in the country. He has been in the bookselling business longer than he has been writing, and I knew that his store in Archer City, Booked Up, was supposed to be one of the great antiquarian bookstores going. I was sad to hear that it was on the verge of closing shop in the midst of the lingering economic crisis, but, lucky, the bookstore came through and is there for the presumable future.
Take a look: http://www.bookedupac.com/index.html
With the Golden Globe Awards nine days away, here are my predictions:
Film:
Motion Picture: Drama: War Horse - Comedy/Musical: The Artist
Actor: Drama: Brad Pitt, Moneyball - Comedy/Musical: Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Actress: Drama: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady - Comedy/Musical: Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn
Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Supporting Actress: Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Director: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Animated Film: The Adventures of Tintin
Screenplay: The Descendants
TV:
Drama: Homeland
Comedy: Modern Family
Actor: Drama - Jeremy Irons, The Borgias Comedy - Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
Actress: Drama - Claire Danes, Homeland Comedy - Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Miniseries: Downton Abbey Actor: Idris Elba, Luther Actress: Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce
Supporting Actor: Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce
Supporting Actress: Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
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