Paw Prints TidBits
March 
2009
Paw Prints TidBits for March
We're all Irish this month. The featured anecdote is Jean Cocteau's quote about luck. (Okay, the anecdote is a forced tie-in to the expression "the luck of the Irish", but the rest of this month's TidBits is on solid ground.) The slideshow invites you to take up temporary citizenship on the Emerald Isle and proclaim: "Kiss me, I'm Irish". The sidebar contains some fascinating factoids about the Irish and Ireland.
If you have any comments or suggestions, don't hesitate to contact us.
Anecdote of the Month
Jean Cocteau (1889-1963)
A n e c d o t e . 1 . . .
Cocteau was once asked if he believed in luck. "Of course," he replied. "How else do you explain the success of those you don't like?"
A n e c d o t e . 2 . . .
When the subject of heaven and hell was broached in conversation one day, Cocteau politely declined to offer any opinion. "Excuse me for not answering," he said. "I have friends in both places."
B i o g r a p h i c a l . N o t e . . .
French writer, artist, and occasional film director. He worked with Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, writing sketches such as Parade (1917), and during World War I also became acquainted with many leading artists. He wrote poetry, plays, and a number of novels, notably Les Enfants Terribles (1929), which later he turned into a film (1950).
M o r e . I n f o r m a t i o n . . .
Visit the Jean Cocteau Website for an interesting look at this talented artist. Or read the Wikipedia entry for Jean Cocteau.
Archives
Sure and Begorrah
Sure and By God
The Irish are the world's greatest tea drinkers...about 1,200 cups per capita annually.
Green is the dominant color in Ireland's landscape because of the weather.
There are no major temperature differences between the seasons and it rains about every other day.
Surprisingly enough, St. Patrick was not Irish. He was born in Wales, but when he was about sixteen he was captured by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland.
The Luck of the Irish
During World War II, the captured Allied agents of Stalag 15 were attempting yet another daring prison break. Prisoners Major O'Roarke and Lieutenant Flanagan had planned for months to acquire two steel files and now finally possessed them! On this particular night, they had chosen to try to cut their way through the bars of the East gate. Stealthily they slithered to the gate with perfect timing so the guard was not near. They were hard at work when the siren sounded, and the floodlights caught them in the act. As the German officer led them away, O'Roarke said, "We were so careful. How did you ever catch us?"
The German replied, "Unfortunately for you, but I can always tell when Irish spies are filing."
Kiss me, I'm Irish
Use the controls to view individual images
or play/pause the slideshow.
