Seeing the rhino
It’s a short update this month, because I’ve been working on some projects I’m not yet at liberty to share—but don’t forget that you can always keep an eye on what we’re doing at work by watching the Goldwater Institute’s blog In Defense of Liberty.
Chutti the Cutie
Last year, Christina and I got to meet Indu the elephant at the Phoenix Zoo. A few weeks ago, we were able to complete our pachyderm set by meeting Chutti the rhinoceros. “Chuttie the Cutie,” they call him, and for good reason. He has one of the biggest personalities at the zoo. We got to give him a bath, feed him some carrots and zucchini, and pet him—he feels mostly like the skin of a basketball, although underneath some of his big armored folds, the skin is surprisingly soft.
Rhinos are surprisingly cute. They have surprisingly dog-like personalities, and are remarkably playful. I don’t know why I had always assumed that they were rather aggressive animals. They certainly look it—and the males can be quite territorial. But Chutti’s immensely charming.
The meet-the-animals tours at the Phoenix Zoo are not at all expensive and very much worth the price. But there’s a long waiting list—we’ve been waiting to meet Chutti for several months. So if you’re in the Phoenix area, sign up now!
By the way, I was scandalized to discover that one of the zookeepers was not familiar with the story of how the rhino got his skin.
The fundamental human right to earn a living
A few weeks ago I joined Prof. Matthew Rousu of Susquehanna University to talk about the fundamental human right to earn a living. He’s releasing our interview in short segments. Here’s part one:
And here’s part two:
Two new poems
I have a poem in the new issue of Think; you’ll have to subscribe to see it, though, as it’s not online—which you should do, because it’s one of the very few poetry journals out there worth reading.
I’ll have another poem in the coming days, in Pulsebeat.
And don’t forget to pick up a copy of my book, Some Notes on the Silence.
Two great musicians you’ve probably never heard of
I used to be a big fan of the TV show Longmire (at least, until that awful final season), and one of the things I most enjoyed about the show was the music. Turns out much of the music was made by a pair of Pauls whose names really should be better known: Paul Otten and Paul Robert Cufflin. They both record for Black Toast Music, which provides soundtrack music for Hollywood. (And they often work together in the band Radio Villains.)
Cufflin produces music under his own name and under the pseudonym Elijah Honey, and also as part of the duo Brit Frisco. It’s solid, guitar-driven rock, I particularly like “I Feel Blessed.” And “Relapse City” (under the Elijah Honey name) is good, too:
Otten’s music is more driven and defiant; I particularly like “No Pity” (released under his own name), with its lyrics “Ain’t no pity, ain’t no handouts / No savior, gotta save yourself / You best deal with the hand you’re dealt / So get busy / There ain’t no pity for you…” or “Burning Up Bridges”:
See you in the fall!