L-Z

-- Author unknown In the city of Chicago, one cold, dark night, a blizzard was setting in. A little boy was selling newspapers on the corner, the people were in and out of the cold. The little boy was so cold that he wasn't trying to sell many papers. He walked up to a policeman and said, "Mister, you wouldn't happen to know where a poor boy could find a warm place to sleep tonight would you? You see, I sleep in a box up around the corner there and down the alley and it's awful cold in there, at night. Sure would be nice to have a warm place to stay." The policeman looked down at the little boy and said, "You go down the street to that big white house and you knock on the door. When they come out the door you just say "John 3:16" and they will let you in."

A TRUE STORY By Al Batt I went off to college with a head full of mush and no money. I needed a job. If there were no job, there would be no college. I found a part-time job and it was a dandy. It was a dream job-if you …

VERY IMPORTANT, READ IT CAREFULLY. This scam has been going on since 2003, and itÔÇÖs all true. Confirm here: www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/creditcard.asp This one is pretty slick since they provide YOU with all the information, except the one piece they want. Note, the callers do not ask for your card number; they already have it. The scam works like this:

-- By David G. Stratman From his book "We Can Change the World" ÔÇ¿It was December 25, 1914, only 5 months into World War I. German, British, and French soldiers, already sick and tired of the senseless killing, disobeyed their superiors and fraternized with "the enemy" along two-thirds of the Western Front (a crime punishable by death in times of war). German troops held Christmas trees up out of the trenches with signs, "Merry Christmas."

--Author unknown Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine. I got to thinking one day about all those people on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible. How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you? How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television?

"How do you know if a man needs encouragement? If he is breathing." - Truett Cathy, Founder, Chick-fil-A With so many people in the world telling us we can't succeed, we need to hear people telling us we can. I remember my high school English teacher telling me not to apply to Cornell University because they wouldn't accept me and even if they did I wouldn't be able to do the work. (It's funny that I'm a writer now). I almost didn't apply but a few days later I saw Ivan Goldfarb, a former teacher, in the hallway and asked him about Cornell. He said, "If you get in, then you go. You can do it." His words made all the difference. I applied, was accepted and majored in Lacrosse :).

-- By David J. Pollay How often do you let other peopleÔÇÖs nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? Unless youÔÇÖre the Terminator, youÔÇÖre probably set back on your heels. However, the mark of your success is how quickly you can refocus on whatÔÇÖs important in your life. ÔÇ¿ÔÇ¿ Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. And I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab. HereÔÇÖs what happened.

-- Author Unknown As the holidays approach, giant Asian factories kick into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods -- merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is! It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper? Everyone -- yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon or barber?

There was a Scottish painter named Smokey Macgregor who was very interested in making a penny where he could, so he often thinned down his paint to make it go a wee bit further. As it happened, he got away with this for some time, but eventually the Baptist Church decided to do a big restoration job on the outside of one of their biggest buildings. Smokey put in a bid and, because his price was so low, he got the job. So, he set about erecting the scaffolding and setting up the planks, and buying the paint and yes, I am sorry to say, thinning it down with turpentine.

By WAYNE K. ROUSTAN Sun-Sentinel PalmBeachPost.com Three teenage boys are being credited with pulling a young child from a Margate canal, according to Margate Police. They were identified as Johnny Grail and Antonio Ezzo, both 14, and Michael Dusek, 17. The toddler was identified as Nelson Martinez, 3, according to …