Definition: (adjective) Unwilling to spend money; stingy.
Synonyms: parsimonious.
Usage: When solicited for a donation, the penurious man began to extend a nickel, but, thinking twice, withdrew it.
Discuss
Month: January 2022
wrinkle
Mafia Boss Salvatore Riina Apprehended after 23 Years in Hiding (1993)
Riina started out as a mafia hit man and ascended the ranks, becoming a feared leader of the Sicilian Mafia. When control of the heroin trade in Sicily led to fierce rivalry among the Mafia clans, Riina—known as “The Beast”—orchestrated the murders of high-profile public officials while living in hiding for 23 years. His tactics were unusual—mafia bosses tended to be highly visible in their communities while keeping their violent activities under the radar. How did the police finally find him? Discuss
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929)
King was the inspirational leader of the US Civil Rights Movement. An advocate of nonviolence, he organized boycotts, marches, and demonstrations to protest segregation and racial injustice. In August 1963, he spearheaded the March on Washington, an assembly of more than 200,000 protesters at which he made his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. King’s work helped to assure the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but he was killed just four years later in Memphis, Tennessee. Why was he there? Discuss
on the fiddle
Engaged in deceitful, fraudulent, or dishonest means of obtaining money. Watch the video
Etiquette
Many areas of public life are governed by codes of etiquette, which we often follow without having to think about them. However, every culture has its own distinct systems of etiquette, so it can be difficult to know how to behave in a new place, especially when conducting business. In Japan, for example, moments of silence are a normal part of conversation, in contrast with the small talk that is expected in some other cultures. What are some other examples of etiquette throughout the world? Discuss
disciple
Definition: (noun) One who embraces and assists in spreading the teachings of another.
Synonyms: adherent.
Usage: An avowed disciple of Jonson and his classicism and a greater poet than Fletcher is Robert Herrick, who, indeed, after Shakespeare and Milton, is the finest lyric poet of these two centuries.
Discuss
integrity
Teenage Heiress Lesley Whittle Kidnapped from Bedroom (1975)
Dubbed the “Black Panther,” Donald Neilson terrorized the UK in the 1970s. Initially a burglar, he began breaking into sub-post offices and murdering workers. He then kidnapped his youngest victim, 17-year-old heiress Lesley Whittle, for a ransom of £50,000. Police ineptitude plagued the case, and the ransom money was not delivered by the demanded deadline. Months later, Whittle’s emaciated body was found hanging from a wire at the bottom of a drainage shaft. How was Neilson captured? Discuss
Hugh Lofting (1886)
Lofting was a British-born author and illustrator best known for his classic children’s books about Doctor Dolittle—a gentle, eccentric physician who shuns human patients in favor of animals, whereupon he learns to speak the language of animals. A civil engineer-turned-writer, Lofting created the Dolittle character to entertain his children in letters he sent home from the front during WWI. He published his stories after the war and won the prestigious Newbery Medal. What else did he write? Discuss