Deng Xiaoping (1904) Deng was a Chinese revolutionary and government leader. A veteran of the Long March, he became deputy premier in 1952 and soon joined the Politburo Standing Committee.He was ousted and reinstated several times and at one point was assigned to work in a tractor factory. From the late 1970s until his death in 1997, he was China’s most powerful leader. He promoted a wide-reaching reform program that introduced free-enterprise elements into the economy. What was Deng’s famous saying about a cat? More…

As long as I know myself to be a coward I shall be unhappy. L. Frank Baum (1856-1919)

galosh  Definition: (noun) A waterproof overshoe. Synonyms: arctic, rubber, gumshoe Usage: This rain is not going to stop any time soon, so you had better dig your galoshes out of the closet.Discuss.

Christopher Robin Milne (1920) Christopher Robin Milne was the son of author A.A. Milne. When Christopher was a young child, his father wrote poetry for him, which grew into the collections When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six. Later, Christopher and his toy animals were incorporated into stories about the adventures of the now-classic characters Christopher Robin, Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Eeyore in Winnie-the-Pooh. How did Christopher feel about his name being used in his father’s stories? More…

The very essence of an instinct is that it is followed independently of reason. Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

gloaming  Definition: (noun) The time of day immediately following sunset. Synonyms: crepuscule, dusk, nightfall, twilight Usage: When the sun was fairly down, we slipped back to the hotel in the charitable gloaming, and went to bed again. Discuss. 

 Tuesday morning several members of three community organizations in the 80th Assembly District gathered at Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez’s office to receive checks of ten thousand dollars for their organizations. The community organisations that received the checks were the Pelham Parkway […]

Jöns Jakob Berzelius (1779) Regarded as one of the founders of modern chemistry, Berzelius was a Swedish professor who achieved an immensely important series of innovations and discoveries. He developed chemistry’s modern system of symbols and formulas, prepared a remarkably precise table of atomic weights, analyzed numerous chemical compounds, and discovered the elements selenium, thorium, and cerium. He also introduced basic laboratory equipment that remains in use today.What common scientific terms did Berzelius coin? More…

There will be little rubs and disappointments everywhere, and we are all apt to expect too much; but then, if one scheme of happiness fails, human nature turns to another; if the first calculation is wrong, we make a second better:we find comfort somewhere. Jane Austen (1775-1817)

avocation  Definition: (noun) An activity taken up in addition to one’s regular work or profession, usually for enjoyment. Synonyms: hobby, pursuit, sideline Usage: Garth had failed in the building business, which he had unfortunately added to his other avocations of surveyor, valuer, and agent. Discuss.

The crowd was estimated to be at three thousand people at the Morrison Avenue Festival Saturday afternoon. It was non-stop music with a short rest for the musicians while the elected officials spoke.  The Morrison Avenue Music Festival was sponsored […]