carrel Definition: (noun) A partially partitioned nook in or near the stacks in a library, used for private study. Synonyms: cubicle, stall Usage: There are too many distractions at home, so when I really need to study, I go to […]

Arthur Fellig, AKA Weegee (1899) A New York City-based photojournalist, Fellig distinguished himself with his stark and often grisly black-and-white images. His nickname, Weegee, a phonetic pronunciation of Ouija, was derived from his seemingly clairvoyant knowledge of where crimes and […]

In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. James […]

insufferable Definition: (adjective) Difficult or impossible to endure; intolerable. Synonyms: impossible, unacceptable Usage: We both agreed he was the most insufferable bore and that we would not be inviting him to our next dinner party.    

BRONX MAN SENTENCED FOR AGGRAVATED CRUELTY TO ANIMALS FOR BRUTAL BEATING OF DOG; STRUCK CANINE IN FRONT OF GIRL     Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx man has been sentenced to two years in […]

Gene Wilder (1933) Wilder was just 8 years old when his ailing mother’s doctor urged him to try making her laugh. The boy took those words to heart and developed a passion for performing that eventually led him to Hollywood. […]

What would any of us have been, if our fathers hadn’t drawed our faculties out of us? Charles Dickens (1812-1870)    

umbrageous Definition: (adjective) Affording or forming shade. Synonyms: shadowed, shady Usage: The chief beauty of trees consists in the deep shadow of their umbrageous boughs.  

Suharto (1921) Suharto was a relatively unknown army chief in 1965, when he crushed an alleged coup with a ruthless purge of communists and leftists throughout Indonesia that left as many as 1,000,000 dead. In 1967, he replaced the deposed […]

Life altogether is but a crumbling ruin when we turn to look behind. Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927)    

unbending Definition: (adjective) Incapable of adapting or changing to meet circumstances. Synonyms: rigid, inflexible Usage: Indeed there may be generally observed in him an unbending, unyielding, brass-bound air, as if he were himself the bassoon of the human orchestra.