European Story
European Stories. TaleTown multimedia English short stories about Europe or Europeans, retold tales of EU, European Union, Eurasia, European people or culture.
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Bull Running In Pamplona
The two sat huddled cozily in his bed watching Encierro, the most famous event of the festival of San Fermín held in the city of Pamplona, Navarre.
With over a million global visitors annually, it had become probably the most internationally renowned fiesta in Spain.
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Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy
Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy influenced Gandhi & helped shape India’s non-violent resistance movement.
Russian philosopher & political thinker Leo Tolstoy …
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Eggs - French Toast
"Eggs are full of goodness anyway, like proteins, vitamins A,B,D and E, lots of minerals and those very important good-for-you fatty acids."
"But why do you keep eggs in a fridge Ma?" Hosh asked as they sat down to eat the French toasts he had just cooked under her supervision, "Will they not keep outside?"
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Exciting Period
Funny story: Exciting period.
Rosh is excited by the buying opportunity created by UK Government support of Northern Rock but Isha finds other jokes exciting.
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God’s Favourites
Story On People & Places: God’s Favourites
Witty story on leading Indian film celebrities, Indian politicians, and influential world leaders who died in 2017-18
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Instant Porridge Oatmeal Breakfast
"The modern world rediscovered Porridge Oatmeal when they wanted a cheap, healthy, instant breakfast."
"The fact that it was easy to cook, easy to digest, and easy to blend with different flavorings made it fashionable."
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Midas’ Choice
Dionysus heard his prayers and decided to save him. He told Midas to wash in the river Pactolus to lose his golden touch.
Midas did that. When he touched the river waters, his power flowed into the river, turning its sands golden.
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Mouse Marries A Lioness
Insightful story: Mouse Marries A Lioness
Interesting Abstemius sequel to Aesop’s Lion and Mouse fable.
Marriage & alliances between unequal parties don’t last.
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Sir Richard Francis Burton
"He was a man deeply interested in sex and sexuality," said Rosh.
"Together with Forster Fitzgerald Arbuthnot, he created The Kama Shastra Society to print and circulate books on sexuality, which were considered pornography at the time of publication and would have been illegal to publish in public at the time."
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Slippery Slopes
"Enforcing the right-to-die by law puts society on a 'slippery slope' with huge potential for abuse."
"Its interpretation can eventually reach a point where what is allowed would have been unacceptable initially."
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Slow Doon Or Stop?
Funny Story With Driving Tips: Slow Doon Or Stop?
With retold joke on how a Scottish traffic cop demonstrates the difference between stopping and slowing down.
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Soren Kierkegaard
“What interested me in Kierkegaard," said Rosh, "was the realization that here was a man 200 years before me, thinking about how belief inherited through custom, tradition or lineage reduced the wonder of faith to a civil duty.”
“Like in post-Upanishadic India, up until recent times, religion here was being practiced by the population out of habit and fear, rather than due to any individual choices made by people about their own lives and destiny.”
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Syrian Refugee Crisis
Can we learn something from the Syrian Refugee Crisis?
Insightful story on how European Union is working together to provide relief for these tragedies.
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The Fly
For a fraction of a second it lay still on the dark patch that oozed round it.
Then the front legs waved, took hold, and, pulling its small, sodden body up, it began the immense task of cleaning the ink from its wings.
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The Frog Who Climbed The Eiffel Tower
As they milled about on le Champ de Mars, loud discussions raged about the chances of the frogs.
"No way anyone will get to the top!” said one.
"Yeah, it's just too far for the poor buggers," agreed another.
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The Midas Touch
“Everything he touched turned instantly into gold. It was miraculous!"
"He touched a tree. Gold! He touched a stone. Gold! He touched a piece of shit. Gold!”
“Wow!” said Josh, “I really want that golden touch. Can Dionysus make me rich too? ”
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The Right To Die
"Interpreting the right-to-die within the right-to-life is contentious," said Rosh, "While one can choose not to exercise one's right-to-life (a right explicitly protected in NZ) or choose to commit suicide (which is legal in NZ) etc., one's right-to-life does not extend to allowing someone else to take one's life."
"Voluntary consent is therefore not a universally valid defence for murder."
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The Sniper
Liam O'Flaherty story: The Sniper
Irish Republicans and Free Staters were waging civil war in the 1920s.
A sniper hunted from a Dublin rooftop on a dark night
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The Sniper - Reflections
Reflections on Liam O'Flaherty story, The Sniper.
War makes enemies out of brothers & neighbors.
In the darkness within & without, do they know who they shoot at or why?
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Thirsty Crow Gets Water
“Come on Pa,” Josh was incredulous. “That story can’t be literally true."
"Crows are stupid. Look at that one. He looks stupid, he acts stupid, he talks stupid. Aesop must have seen a special crow.”
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