St. Paschal Baylon is a shepherd boy who became a saint. He came to sainthood the easy way, by laughing a lot, and making others laugh. In his twenties, he became a member of a religious order, the Alcantarines, a group of reformed Franciscans founded by Peter of Alcantara. Young Paschal made an entertainment out of his job at the monastery; he was the cook, and he used to dance and sing while preparing the food, and dance and sing when he served it, too. His cheerfulness made him a favorite in the monastery. Those who had to travel often demanded Paschal be part of the travel team. He was 52 when he died in 1592. Such a deluge of miracles followed his death that he was beatified even before Peter of Alcantara himself, the man who founded the Franciscan reform that he had joined as a young man. St. Paschal is the patron saint of kitchens. A wonder that there isn't a St. Paschal cookbook!

MODEL: Paschal's cheerfulness. Saints are not sad. Or, if they have their sad moments (like all of us), they don't spread their gloom to others. ***

Today is also World Telecommunications Day, proclaimed such by the United Nations. It was originally designed to call the world's attention to the necessity and the importance of further development of telecommunications in the world community. But a call to the UN's Dept. of Public Information and a check of the UN's Web Site reveals that the UN has made no special p.r. effort on World Telecommunications Day. Our guess is this: there's no need for the UN to promote one of the hottest phenomena of our age -- the Internet, which puts everyone in the world at everyone else's fingertips. The Internet is doing just fine, thank you. And, at this point, nothing seems able to stop it, except, perhaps, a takeover by the robber barons of our time. ***

If you were born on May 17, you like to get down to the basics, to the heart of a situation. Compromise and complications are not your style. You are known for making simple, yet profound statements. Ruled by the number 8 and the planet Saturn, you may have problems with relationships.

Very outspoken. You say exactly what you feel, and this can attract both support and antagonism. Though you'd rather avoid it, controversy swarms around you like angry bees. Despite your talkativeness, you keep much to yourself and may have trouble opening up emotionally. You must trust someone absolutely before they become your confidant.

The stoic loner. You prefer to go it alone, often too vain to ask for help. Behind your stony exterior, however, you crave affection and support from others. You have a hidden, volatile emotional side that can go from tender to fierce in a blink. Alcohol and drugs could bring this side exploding out of you. Avoid them.

Nose to grindstone. You have a fanatical approach to your job or specialty. Your great powers of concentration and productivity won't mean much, however, when your health is failing. You must learn to pace yourself, to be content with where you are. Don't drive yourself into the ground.

Some advice: Lighten up and learn to laugh at yourself. Don't try to control your environment so much you annoy others. Learn to accept what fate throws your way.

Also born on this day: Archibald Cox (Watergate prosecutor) Frederick Prokosch (novelist, poet) Jesse Winchester (singer, songwriter) Edward Jenner (discovered vaccination) Dennis Hopper (actor, director) James "Cool Papa" Bell (Negro League baseball great) Eric Satie (French composer) Sugar Ray Leonard (boxing champion) Birgit Nilsson (Swedish soprano) Taj Mahal (singer, guitarist, songwriter) Maureen O'Sullivan (actress)