Conrad Nicholson Hilton (1887) As a boy, Hilton helped his father turn the family’s home into an inn for traveling salesmen. After serving in World War I, he began to buy hotels in Texas and soon graduated to such grand establishments as Chicago’s Palmer House and the Waldorf-Astoria of New York. By the late 1940s, Hilton’s company had expanded overseas, and at the time of his death in 1979, Hilton controlled the world’s largest hotel company. Aside from the Bible, what book was once stocked in all of Hilton’s hotel rooms? More…

Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life. Mark Twain (1835-1910)

hornswoggle Definition: (verb) Deprive of by deceit. Synonyms: bunco, con, defraud, diddle, goldbrick, mulct, nobble, rook, scam, swindle, short-change, victimize Usage: I might be a thief, but even I think it is shameful to hornswoggle an old lady out of her life savings! Discuss.

December 21, 2020 Six City Council Candidates Withdraw From The Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club’s City Council Endorsement Process Bronx, New York – Today, six of seven City Council candidates withdrew from the endorsement process of the Benjamin Franklin Reform […]

Six of Seven candidates Withdraw From the Endorsement Process of The Ben Franklin Club for the 11th City Council District By Robert Press In a letter dated December 21, 2020 six of the seven 11th District City Council candidates have […]

COUNCIL MEMBER FERNANDO CABRERA TO HOST COMMUNITY HOLIDAY TOY DISTRIBUTION     WHAT:          Holiday toy distribution for children from local community   WHEN:          Tuesday, December 22, 2020 3:00 PM   WHERE:       Poe Park Grand Concourse between E. 192nd Street and E. Kingsbridge Road   […]

Saturday Santa Claus came to Vision Center at 735 Lydig Avenue along with Councilman Mark Gjonaj, Open Hand Association Inc Founder Aleksander Nilaj, and members of the Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association to join with Vision Center employees to give out […]

Saturday Six 49th Precinct police cars converged on the corner of Williamsbridge Road and Pelham Parkway South around a gray Infiniti with New Jersey plates. The driver of the Infinity was taken into custody and the car taken to the […]

Edwin Arlington Robinson (1869) Considered by some to have been the best American poet of his time, Robinson is now primarily remembered for his short poems about the lives—mostly tragic—of people in a small New England village. He briefly attended Harvard but had to drop out after his father’s death and thereafter endured years of poverty and obscurity before his poetry was noticed. A quiet, introverted man, Robinson never married and became legendary for his reclusiveness. Why did he have no name until he was six months old? More…

Irreverence is the champion of liberty and its only sure defense. Mark Twain (1835-1910)

elephantine Definition: (adjective) Of great mass; huge and bulky. Synonyms: gargantuan, giant, jumbo Usage: As we approached the city, the silhouettes of its elephantine buildings came into view. Discuss.

Joseph Grimaldi (1778) Grimaldi was an English actor who is considered the inventor of the modern clown character. He made his debut as a young child at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London, and for years he performed there and at Drury Lane. By the time he starred in Harlequin Mother Goose at Covent Garden in 1806, he was a legend. He is credited with introducing the white makeup now commonly worn by clowns. Exhausted by the physical exertion of clowning, he died in 1837. What famous author edited his memoirs? More…

Eulogy, n.: Praise of a person who has either the advantages of wealth and power, or the consideration to be dead. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914)

bric-a-brac Definition: (noun) Small, usually ornamental objects valued for their antiquity, rarity, originality, or sentimental associations. Synonyms: knickknackery, whatnot Usage: The realtor recommended that I pack away some of my bric-a-brac before showing the apartment to potential buyers. Discuss.