Correspondence: Birds of a feather

Bow Down: In spring, during breeding season,
male Ruff sandpipers – widespread in Europe & Asia –
develop long neck plumes in a wide variety of colors

Edited by Moristotle

[Items of correspondence are not attributed; they remain anonymous. They have been chosen for their inherent interest as journalism, story, or provocative opinion, which may or may not be shared by the editor or other members of the staff of Moristotle & Co.]

A dozen birds just being birds. Every year the Audubon Photography Awards reveal birds at their most majestic — and their quirkiest, too. In fact, some of the best shots we see capture them looking cute, weird, or downright hilarious. Enjoy this collection featuring birds just...well, being birds! And learn what behavior lies behind the strange-looking poses they strike: “Strike a Pose: 12 Pics of Birds Being Birds” [Kenn Kaufman, Audubon Magazine, May-June 2016]. Excerpt:

Supermodels have more to offer than just their poses—and birds are no exception. Behind every vogue display is a decisive adaption, a quirky behavior, or an act of passion.
    In the entries for our 2016 photo awards, we saw courage, heart, and brains. From songbirds wreaking havoc on much larger raptors, to couples dancing in the throes of courtship, the spectrum of performances is near infinite. We're just lucky that our contestants were able to get them on camera.
    Enjoy these candid takes, and learn more about each species and its “etiquette.”... [read more]

Aristotle in The School of Athens,
a fresco by Raphael, 1509

Important information. Please share: “Aristotle’s Wrongful Death” [Frank Bruni, NY Times, May 26, 2018]. Excerpts:

History is on the ebb. Philosophy is on the ropes. And comparative literature? Please. It’s an intellectual heirloom: cherished by those who can afford such baubles but disposable in the eyes of others.
    I’m talking about college majors, and talk about college majors is loud and contentious these days. There’s concern about whether schools are offering the right ones. There are questions about whether colleges should be emphasizing them at all. How does a deep dive into the classics abet a successful leap into the contemporary job market? Should an ambitious examination of English literature come at the cost of acquiring fluency in coding, digital marketing and the like?....
    Illinois is pairing certain majors in the liberal arts — for example, anthropology and linguistics — with computer science. Assumption is doing away with a host of traditional majors in favor of new ones geared to practical skills. Goodbye, art history, geography and, yes, classics. Hello, data analytics, actuarial science and concentrations in physical and occupational therapy.
    ...Last year the University of Wisconsin at Superior announced that it was suspending nine majors, including sociology and political science, and warned that there might be additional cuts. The University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point recently proposed dropping 13 majors, including philosophy and English, to make room for programs with “clear career pathways.”...
    Students interested in using their education for expressly vocational purposes should have an array of attractive options in addition to college, which isn’t right for everyone and is hardly the lone path to professional fulfillment. Some of those options should be collaborations with employers grooming the work force they need.
    But students who want to commune with Kant and Keats shouldn’t be made to feel that they’re indulgent dilettantes throwing away all hope of a lucrative livelihood. They’re making a commitment to a major that has endured because its fruits are enduring. [read more]

I don’t know what it’s called or where it’s from and I didn’t take the pic. It is simply beautiful, don’t you think?
    [Editor’s Note: I used Google to do an image search. In seconds I was given information that the bird is apparently a Gouldian finch of Australia. This site has this image (among others):]

We just watched an amazing movie: Loving Vincent (2017). Says the Internet Movie Database:

In a story depicted in oil painted animation in the style of Vincent Van Gogh [12 paintings per second, individually painted by a team of 100 artists], a young man comes to the last hometown of painter Vincent van Gogh to deliver the troubled artist’s final letter and ends up investigating his final days there.

    One nice surprise right off is that the title doesn’t mean what you might think – our attitude of loving Vincent – but is taken from the way he ended some of his letters, especially to his brother, Theo. That is, he’s expressing his love for the person he is writing to. Here are several quotations from Van Gogh that illustrate that:

Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well.
    The way to know life is to love many things.
    The more I think about it, the more I realize there is nothing more artistic than to love others.
    The best way to know God is to love many things. [read more quotations]

    Vincent Van Gogh is one of my favorite people of all time. Here’s a trailer for the movie:

Grateful for correspondence, Moristotle