MTA Applauds City’s Expansion of 311 System into the Subway Single Largest Expansion of 311 Service in New York City Since its Inception   Subway Customers Can Request Outreach Assistance via 311 for the First Time Ever   System Not Previously Designed to Direct Outreach Teams to Subway Locations; Most […]

  HIGHLIGHTS     NYC GREEN RELIEF AND RECOVERY FUND We have exciting news. The NYC Green Relief & Recovery Fund grant has been increased! We are now offering grants of up to $3000 to groups who care for NYC’s open spaces with experience […]

ICTORY: ALBANY MED NURSES WIN LANDMARK FIRST CONTRACT    AMC-NYSNA nurses overwhelming approve their contract that  delivers safe staffing, a voice in patient care, and financial security   Nurses rejoice after long struggle against anti-union AMC   Albany, NY—The votes were counted and […]

John Paul Jones (1747) One of the greatest heroes of the US Navy, Jones emigrated from Scotland at the start of the American Revolution. In 1779, while commanding the Bonhomme Richard, he engaged the British Serapis in battle. With his ship on fire and sinking, he answered a call to surrender by saying, “I have not yet begun to fight!” Eventually, the crew of the badly damaged Serapis surrendered, and Jones and his men boarded her. Where were Jones’s remains—lost for over a century—found in 1905? More…

The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest practical necessities to allot a portion of the virgin soil as a cemetery, and another portion as the site of a prison. Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)

abominable Definition: (adjective) Unequivocally detestable; loathsome. Synonyms: odious, execrable Usage: The abominable treatment of prisoners horrified the team of international observers. Discuss.

Florence Ballard (1943) A founding member of The Supremes, Ballard sang on 16 Top 40 hit singles. She was first recruited by future members of The Temptations for a sister group they were forming. Ballard in turn recruited Mary Wilson, whom she had met at a talent show, and Wilson brought in Diana Ross. Disputes over Ballard’s role in the trio led Motown Records to release her from the group in 1967, reportedly for “exhaustion.” Her solo career failed, and she died in 1976 at age 32 as a result of what? More…

A man said to the universe: “Sir, I exist!” “However,” replied the universe, “That fact has not created in me a sense of obligation.” Stephen Crane (1871-1900)

footling Definition: (adjective) (Informal) Small and of little importance. Synonyms: fiddling, niggling, picayune, piddling, piffling, trivial, petty, lilliputian, little Usage: His footling gestures were insufficient to win back my favor. Discuss.

Ludwig August Theodor Beck (1880) A German general, Beck saw the Nazis’ rise to power as “the first ray of hope since 1918.” However, he soon feared that Germany was not militarily prepared for an attack on Czechoslovakia. He voiced concern to Adolf Hitler directly, and, in 1938, he resigned in protest against the planned attack but was largely ignored. Beck then became a key member of the conspiracy to overthrow Hitler. What happened to Beck after his plan failed to kill Hitler with a bomb on July 20, 1944? More…

Accountability, n.: The mother of caution. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914)

amalgamate Definition: (verb) To combine into a unified or integrated whole; unite. Synonyms: commix, mingle, unify, mix Usage: The three zones mingle and amalgamate along the edges, like the colors in the solar spectrum. Discuss.

Explorations Academy Educator Cesar Barreto Named Amazon Future Engineer Teacher of the Year   Amazon awards Bronx computer science teacher Cesar Barreto and his school, Explorations Academy High School, a prize package valued at $30,000 for exemplary work with students […]

BRONX DA APPEALS BUREAU CHIEF RECEIVES NYPTI PROSECUTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD ADA Nancy Killian Will Be Honored Tomorrow at DAASNY Conference   Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that Assistant District Attorney Nancy Killian is a recipient […]