‘This fantastic video on Vimeo (below) from Jacob T. Swinney could be the best five minutes you’ll spend today. It shows the opening and closing scenes of famous movies, displayed side by side. I’ve written a few posts here about beginnings and at least one post about endings. But once you have your story finished, whether it’s a piece of fiction or creative nonfiction, take some time to compare the first page or so to the last. What is the first image you’ve created for the reader and what is the final image you’re leaving behind?’

Source: Tracy Staedter

‘Forget the laughing kookaburra—kea are the birds that really tickle each other’s funny bones. The highly intelligent parrot has a specific call, that—like human laughter—puts other parrots that hear it in a good mood. This makes the kea the first known non-mammal to show contagious emotion, joining the ranks of humans, rats, and chimpanzees.’

Source: National Geographic

‘Liliana Segura examines the Senate Judiciary Committee’s failure to probe Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch’s record on capital punishment. Raising questions the lawmakers failed to pose, she details the judge’s complicity in upholding Oklahoma’s troubling lethal injection protocol…’

Source: The Intercept