elegy Definition: (noun) A mournful poem; a lament for the dead. Synonyms: lament, requiem, dirge Usage: Standing beside his departed friend’s casket, Mike delivered a moving elegy that brought everyone in the room to tears. Discuss.

John Coltrane (1926) Coltrane was an influential American jazz saxophonist and composer. He worked with numerous big bands before emerging in the 1950s as a major stylist while playing with Miles Davis. His playing exhibited a dazzling technical brilliance as well as ardent emotion. Coltrane made a number of influential recordings, among them the 1960s classics My Favorite Things and A Love Supreme. He was deeply spiritual and interested in all religions. What church made him a saint after his death? More…

There are some experiences in life which should not be demanded twice from any man, and one of them is listening to the Brahms Requiem. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

vexatious Definition: (adjective) Causing irritation or annoyance. Synonyms: annoying, bothersome, galling, irritating, nettlesome, pesky, pestering, plaguey, teasing, pestiferous Usage: Our new acquaintance had become involved in a vexatious difficulty with his pipe which had suddenly betrayed his trust and disappointed his anticipation of self-indulgence. Discuss.

Michael Faraday (1791) Despite having little formal education, Faraday is responsible for some of the most significant scientific developments in history. His contributions include discovering electromagnetic induction, inventing the first electric motor and dynamo, developing the devices now known as Faraday cages, demonstrating the relation between electricity and chemical bonding, and discovering the effect of magnetism on light. In the 1850s, he refused—on ethical grounds—to advise the British government on what? More…

This is certain, that a man that studieth revenge, keeps his own wounds green, which otherwise would heal, and do well. Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

beseech Definition: (verb) Ask for or request earnestly. Synonyms: adjure, entreat, conjure, bid, press Usage: Daddy, I beseech you to stop smoking before it is too late. Discuss.

Parkchester Assemblywoman Karines Reyes was joined by State Senator Luis Sepulveda, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, City Comptroller Scott Stringer, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, State Senator Jamaal Bailey, Harlem State Senator Brian Benjamin, and a few local community activists to call for […]

Saturday may have been a little cooler than a normal September day, but things were really hot at Pelham Bay Park as Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was holding her Free Book Bag, Food, Face Mask, Hand Sanitizer, and Census 2020 drive. […]

Friday Councilman Mark Gjonaj stopped by the Pelham Parkway Houses to give out close to two-hundred book bags with school supplies inside them. The resident tenant leader Oscar Grant and others helped Councilman Gjonaj hand out the book bags. Councilman […]

Heike Kamerlingh Onnes (1853) A Dutch physicist and professor at the University of Leiden, Onnes founded in 1884 a cryogenic laboratory that would become a renowned research center for low-temperature physics. He was the first to produce liquid helium, and in the process produced a temperature within a degree of absolute zero. He also discovered superconductivity—the abnormally high electrical conductivity of certain materials at very low temperatures. When he first observed superconductivity, what did he think it was? More…

The first duty of a lecturer—to hand you after an hour’s discourse a nugget of pure truth to wrap up between the pages of your notebooks, and keep on the mantelpiece forever. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941)

chivvy Definition: (verb) Annoy continually or chronically. Synonyms: beset, harass, harry, hassle, molest, plague, provoke Usage: The senator is very demanding and is reputed to endlessly chivvy her staff to work harder. Discuss.