A monk named Telemachus lived a quiet life but his death at the end of the fourth century changed the world Visiting Rome from the East Telemachus intervened in the blood sport of the gladiatorial arena He jumped over the stadium wall and tried to stop the gladiators from killing each other But the outraged crowd stoned the monk to death The emperor Honorius however was moved by Telemachus rsquo act and decreed the end of the -year practice of gladiator games When Paul calls Jesus ldquo our peace rdquo he refers to the end of hostility between Jews and [... more]

US President Franklin D Roosevelt often endured long receiving lines at the White House As the story is told he complained that no one really paid attention to what was said So he decided to experiment at a reception To everyone who passed down the line and shook his hand he said ldquo I murdered my grandmother this morning rdquo The guests responded with phrases like ldquo Marvelous Keep up the good work God bless you sir rdquo It was not until the end of the line greeting the ambassador from Bolivia that his words were actually heard Nonplussed the [... more]

A man walked into a convenience store in Wollongong Australia put a bill on the counter and asked for change When the clerk opened the cash drawer the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register which the clerk promptly provided The man took the cash from the clerk and fled leaving the bill on the counter The total amount of cash he got from the drawer Fifteen dollars We all act foolishly at times mdash even if unlike this would-be thief we rsquo re trying to do the right thing The key is how [... more]

According to legend British conductor Sir Thomas Beecham once saw a distinguished-looking woman in a hotel foyer Believing he knew her but unable to remember her name he paused to talk with her As the two chatted he vaguely recollected that she had a brother Hoping for a clue he asked how her brother was doing and whether he was still working at the same job ldquo Oh he rsquo s very well rdquo she said ldquo And still king rdquo nbsp A case of mistaken identity can be embarrassing as it was for Sir Beecham But at other times [... more]

During the American Civil War the penalty for desertion was execution But the Union armies rarely executed deserters because their commander-in-chief Abraham Lincoln pardoned nearly all of them This infuriated Edwin Stanton the Secretary of War who believed that Lincoln rsquo s leniency only enticed would-be deserters But Lincoln empathized with soldiers who had lost their nerve and who had given in to their fear in the heat of battle And his empathy endeared him to his soldiers They loved their ldquo Father Abraham rdquo and their affection led the soldiers to want to serve Lincoln all the more When [... more]