Marius the giraffe
3,054 words
In February of 2014 a two-year old giraffe was euthanized at the Copenhagen Zoo. Worldwide media attention and an online petition signed by twenty-seven thousand friends of animals had failed to save him.
John Singleton Copley, The Copley Family, 1776
8,356 words
Russian translation here
The story of eugenics has been a tragedy. The basic idea goes back to antiquity – the belief that the world would become a much better place if healthy and intelligent people had the most children. But in the 20th century, in a bizarre and mysterious twist of fate, something went terribly wrong, and what began as an altruistic movement to help future generations ended in the barbaric murder of millions. (more…)
122 words
The agéd Eskimo, once “sangilak,”
the strongest of them all, prepares to die.
Today he will not shield a slanted eye,
nor starving in the evening stagger back.
Having fought a bear and years of cold,
fresh salmon never leave his fingertips,
and caribou blood never parts his lips.
And yet, he’s lost his balance and his hold.
