March 2010
From the editor
It's easy to forget that world leaders are also human beings and have insecurities like the rest of us. This month's anecdote is about Pope John XXIII and his awareness of his own weakness. The slideshow this month continues the theme of appearances — but with a twist — by taking a humorous look at one creature's "camouflage". The sidebar shows some of our favorite optical illusions. Sometimes what you see isn't always what you see!
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Anecdote of the Month:
Pope John XXIII (1958-63)
 Photographer Yousuf Karsh had been commissioned to take an official portrait of the pope.
He was accompanied to the Vatican by Bishop Fulton Sheen. Pope John watched uneasily as Karsh set up his equipment.
Turning to Sheen, he remarked with a sigh, "God knew seventy-seven years ago that someday I would be pope.
Why couldn't he have made me a little more photogenic!"
View Yousuf Karsh's photograph
of Pope John XXIII »
Biographical Note
A popular and innovative leader of the Roman Catholic Church. At the death of Pius XII he was elected Pope on 28 October 1958, taking the name John XXIII. During his pontificate, which lasted less than five years, he instigated a number of reforms and worked tirelessly for Church unity and reconciliation between world powers.
More Information
Read a brief biography of this popular pope. And find out more about John XXIII on the Vatican website.
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Read more anecdotes...
 Webster says that an anecdote is "a usually short narrative of an interesting, amusing, or biographical incident." Clifton Fadiman tells us that a "first-rate anecdote should be more than merely a good saying" or the description of an eccentric moment in an individual's life. D'Israeli called anecdotes "minute notices of human nature and of human learning." A "good" anecdote is often a mini-drama that helps us to reflect on our own lives as we peek into the lives of those more famous. However you define them, I hope that when you read the anecdotes you find on Paw Prints that you'll be both amused and enlightened. Read More »
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