Evelyn Waugh (1903) Waugh was an English novelist who is widely considered the greatest satirist of his generation. His novels, characterized by sardonic wit, technical brilliance, and his devoted Catholicism, include A Handful of Dust and Brideshead Revisited. Waugh also wrote amusing travel books. After service in World War II, he led a retired life, and his writing grew increasingly misanthropic. In 1925, Waugh’s suicide attempt was thwarted when he was coincidentally attacked by what animal? More…

One quality may be the contrary of another; thus justice is the contrary of injustice, whiteness of blackness, and so on. Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC)

bedraggled Definition: (adjective) In deplorable condition. Synonyms: broken-down, dilapidated, ramshackle, tatterdemalion, derelict Usage: It was a tall, shabby building, that cannot have been painted for years, and it had so bedraggled an air that the houses on each side of it looked neat and clean. Discuss.

It was a normal Sunday afternoon in Bronx Park East off Lydig Avenue, that is until Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her crew had a picnic there. People in orange AOC t-shirts set up a table by the Lydig Avenue entrance, […]

Saturday was the first day of Early Voting, and people began lining up at poll sites at 7 AM. The problem was that the Board of Elections was opening the pole sites at 10 AM. When many pole sites opened […]

Books, Book Bags, School Supplies, Face Mask, and Hand Sanitizer was given out Friday afternoon as Assemblywoman read to children outside her office.  The event was sponsored by the Bharati Foundation with Bharati Kemraj the founder of the Bharati Dance […]

Fall foliage at Wave Hill is beginning to pop! See it for yourself on a walk through the gardens. And don’t miss out on wildlife this season while you’re here: Look out for migrant birds on a Fall Birding Walk […]

Councilman Rafael Salamanca and Assemblyman Jose Rivera came to Keith Plaza opposite the Bronx Zoo to give away five-hundred boxes of food (provided by the Metropolitan Council), and a face mask for every box of food.  Keith Plaza was chosen […]

Mahalia Jackson (1911) As a child, Jackson sang at the New Orleans church where her father preached. After moving to Chicago, she sang with a touring gospel quintet. Her warm, powerful voice first came to wider public attention in the 1930s. Called “The Queen of Gospel,” she sang at an inaugural party for US President John F. Kennedy, at the 1963 March on Washington, and at the funeral of Martin Luther King, Jr. Despite many offers, she refused to sing secular songs. Jackson was born with what physical deformity? More…

All nature wears one universal grin. Henry Fielding (1707-1754)

countermand Definition: (verb) To cancel or reverse (a previously issued command or order). Synonyms: repeal, rescind, annul, revoke, vacate, reverse, overturn, lift Usage: Countermand the order for cake, send a wire putting off the wedding, dismiss the bridesmaids, [and] tell the organist he can stop practicing. Discuss.

John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie (1917) Considered one of the main innovators of bebop along with Charlie Parker, Gillespie was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. His virtuosity and comic wit—in addition to his trademark puffed cheeks and 45-degree upturned trumpet bell—made him one of the most charismatic and influential musicians in jazz. Gillespie was once struck by a car while riding his bicycle. Though he was injured only slightly, a jury awarded him $1,000 because he could no longer do what? More…

Love…roots up the will like a leaf, and sweeps the whole heart into the abyss. Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880)