Risking one's life to save a kitten's was not something I ever thought I would do. I don't even like cats. But there I was climbing up a tree next to an apartment building with smoke and flames coming out the top. All to rescue the orange kitten sitting in the third story window, meowing. It didn't seem to be in any particular distress, but the building had been evacuated and no one knew who was in that apartment and no one was allowed back in. Hence the climbing of the tree with the crowbar in my back pocket. My intention: break the window, stuff the cat in my jacket, and shimmy back down the tree. Kittens are not cooperative when windows have been smashed and strangers are trying to grab them. But that didn't stop me from making the...