Okay, this isn't directly political, it's just wonderful and deserves to be shared. The Thai Elephant Orchestra is a group of several Thai elephants that have discovered, with some human help, a love of music. They play a number of traditional Thai instruments, mostly percussion but with some wind instruments as well, and sometimes add their own vocalizations.
More below, including a nice link.
Mulatta Records link
Mrs. Max heard them on NPR this morning and was transfixed. We did a quick Google and found the site for their records (they have TWO). The site features several MP3 downloads, a QuickTime video of an interview that includes footage of the elephants playing, and more. We'll be buying both records when we find some extra bucks. And half of the proceeds go to the Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang, which is good for the elephants.
There are other Web sites out there about the elephant musicians (who also paint). If you like, please share your findings.