Hayai Miyazaki -- Baffling even in Japan

Says in the most recent Entertainment Weekly, "I can't believe companies distribute my movies in America. They're baffling in Japan!"

That's a relief. I thought there was something wrong with me that I was so confused by "Spirited Away."

Later he adds, "Well, it's magic. I don't provide unnecessary explanations. If you want that, you're not going to like my movie. That's just the way it is."

He also says that he had to order some of his animating staff to observe wood burning because they had never seen it before.

Why other birds hate red-tailed hawks

They eat their babies.

This was forwarded to my email through a circuitous route of various birding/naturalist groups. It's a series of pictures taken at Horn Pond in Arlington, Massachusetts. Arlington is a small residential city or large suburb of Boston, depending on your viewpoint. It's in the Metro area sandwiched among the densest communities in the state, but has some nice woodsy areas. They have an active birding group called the Menotomy Bird Club; one of the members of this group seems to be the source of these pictures.