BY STEWART SLATER “There is a considerable overlap in intelligence between the smartest bear and the dumbest tourist.” So, apparently, said a ranger in Yosemite National Park when explaining why the bear-proof bin had not yet been invented. Make a trash can Yogi and his chums could not access, and neither could some humans. Make one everyone could use and, for animals smarter than the … Continue reading Mediocrity Knows Nothing Higher
BY DOMINIC WIGHTMAN A friend learned that his beloved dog was deemed dangerous. The decision loomed like a tempest on the horizon. Tearfully, he fed his dog steak and then walked him ten miles along the North Devon shore, the November sun warming their backs until neither could take another step. The car ride home meandered, slowly, before taking a detour towards the vets. The … Continue reading The Cost of Dignity
BY STEWART SLATER Principles are funny things. When they apply to others, we tend to regard them as hard and fast rules, never to be broken; when to ourselves, more as rules of thumb, to be followed up to the point at which they conflict with our other desires. Rare is he who always does what he says he should. This is well-understood – Sir … Continue reading The Slipperiest of Slopes
