Thought of the Day

Take only memories,
Leave only footprints”

~ Chief Seattle
(1780-1866)

Word of the Day

The Word of the Day for Wednesday, February 29th 2012 is heresy:

 

her·e·sy

noun, plural -sies.

1. opinion or doctrine at variance with the orthodox or accepted doctrine, especially of a church or religious system.

2. the maintaining of such an opinion or doctrine.

3. Roman Catholic Church . the willful and persistent rejection of any article of faith by a baptized member of the church.

4. any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs, customs, etc.

 

Origin:
1175–1225; Middle English heresie  < Old French eresie  < Latin haeresis  school of thought, sect < Greek haíresis,  literally, act of choosing, derivative of haireîn  to choose

Related forms

su·per·her·e·sy, noun, plural -sies.

Synonyms 4.  dissent, iconoclasm, dissension.

Thought of the Day

“A life spent making mistakes
is not only more honorable,
but more useful than a life
spent doing nothing.”

~ George Bernard Shaw
(1856-1950)

Word of the Day

The Word of the day for Tuesday, February 28th is edifice:

ed·i·fice

noun

1. a building, especially one of large size or imposing appearance.

2. any large, complex system or organization.

 

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Anglo-French, Middle French < Latin aedificium,  equivalent to aedific ( āre ) to build ( see edify) + -ium -ium

Thought of the Day

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” – Robert Frost

Word of the Day

The Word of the Day for Monday, February 27th 2012 is pedigree:

ped·i·gree

 noun

1. an ancestral line; line of descent; lineage; ancestry.

2. a genealogical table, chart, list, or record, especially of a purebred animal.

3. distinguished, excellent, or pure ancestry

4. derivation, origin, or history: the pedigree of a word.

Thought of the Day

“Practical wisdom is only to be learned
in the school of experience.
Precepts and instructions are useful
so far as they go, but,
without the discipline of real life,
they remain of the nature of theory only.”

~Samuel Smiles
(1812-1904)

Word of the Day

The Word of the Day for Friday, February 24th is taciturn:

tac·i·turn

adjective

1. inclined to silence; reserved in speech; reluctant to join in conversation.

2.

dour, stern, and silent in expression and manner.

Thought of the Day

"No problem is insurmountable. With a little courage, teamwork and determination a person can overcome anything."

-Anonymous

Word of the Day

The Word of the Day for Thursday, February 23rd is Germane:

  ger·mane

   adjective

1. closely or significantly related; relevant; pertinent: Please keep your statements germane to the issue.

2. Obsolete . closely related.

Library Book Club Meeting!

The J.S. Flipper Library Book Club had their second book club meeting to discuss the book "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins.  Book club member, Kelton Mashore shares his thoughts on Monday Nights meeting.

For the first meeting of the book club I did not know what to expect for my first encounter with fellow peers and Ms. Parker herself.  When we met I was a bit skeptical about the success of the book club basing my assumption off of what I see daily at Allen. Most of my fellow scholars hardly ever read anything that was not assigned for class.

There were three of us in my first meeting.  I always envisioned book clubs to be full of book worms that had a common love for the novel they were reading or just a tad bit obsessed with the reading that they were taking up.  To my surprise this book club was somewhat entertaining.  Ms. Parker jumped right in with first asking us how far we read, and then gave us a brief synopsis of the story.


My questions were all over the place but they were answered effectively by our instructor.  We all gave our interpretations of what the story is advocating to us and this is how I learned about the others around me.  The most intriguing thing that came out during our discussion about the book is human survival and human endurance, how far will we go to stay alive and would we kill if necessary.  I still can’t answer that one and hopefully I won’t ever have to answer that question but at least I know that Ms. Parker wouldn’t kill me.  All in all, my first meeting surpassed my expectations of what I thought a book club would be and hopefully I can continue to learn not only about the book but humanity as well.

- Kelton Mashore

Look for more blog entires from members of the library book club in the coming weeks!!!

Thought of the Day

                                               (Photo courtesy of http://www.forbes.com/)

“The whole point of being alive is to evolve into the complete person you were intended to be.” – Oprah Winfrey

Word of the Day

The Word of the Day for February 22nd 2012 is LARGESSE

lar·gess

noun

1. generous bestowal of gifts.

2. the gift or gifts, as of money, so bestowed.

3. Obsolete . generosity; liberality.

Thought of the Day

Do not forget small kindnesses and do not remember small faults.
Chinese Proverb

Word of the Day

Word of the Day

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Ominous

Part of Speech: Adjective
Origin: 1580-90; Latin

1. portending evil or harm; foreboding; threatening; inauspicious: an ominous bank of dark clouds.

2. having the significance of an omen.

Word of the Day

The Word of the Day for Monday, February 20th 2012 is drone

verb (used without object)

1. to make a dull, continued, low, monotonous sound; hum; buzz.

2. to speak in a monotonous tone.

3. to proceed in a dull, monotonous manner (usually followed by on ): The meeting droned on for hours.

Word of the Day

The Word of the Day for Friday, February 17th 2012 is pantomime:

pan·to·mime

  noun

1. the art or technique of conveying emotions, actions, feelings, etc., by gestures without speech.

2. a play or entertainment in which the performers express themselves mutely by gestures, often to the accompaniment of music.

3. significant gesture without speech.

4. an actor in dumb show, as in ancient Rome.

5. Also called Christmas pantomime. a form of theatrical spectacle common in England during the Christmas season, generally adapted from a fairy tale and including stock character types who perform songs and dances, tell jokes, etc.

verb (used with object)

6. to represent or express in pantomime.

 

verb (used without object)

7. to express oneself in pantomime.

---

Origin:
1580–90; earlier pantomimus  < Latin < Greek pantómīmos. See panto-, mime

Word of the Day

The Word of the Day for Thursday, February 16th 2012 is mottled:

mot·tled

adjective

spotted or blotched in coloring.

Thought of the Day

The Thought of the Day for Thursday, February 16th 2012 comes from  poet, short story writer and novelist, Rudyard Kipling:

                               (Photo courtesy of www.poetryfoundation.org)

"I have never doubted myself; I have never given way to hating; I never make dreams my master; I never get too excited about triumph not disaster; and I never forget my primary purpose for being no matter my current status/position.  Consequently, I can work effectively through success and failure."

For more information on the life and works of Rudyard Kipling, please visit his page on www.biography.com.

Works by Rudyard Kipling at J.S. Flipper Library:

Thought of the Day

The Thought of the Day for Wednesday, February 15th 2012 comes from  Ancient Greek philosopher, Plato:

Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools talk because they have to say something.

Plato


For more information on the life and work of Plato, please check out his page on http://www.biography.com/

(Photo courtesy of: http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/pics/Plato.jpg)

Word of the Day

The Word of the Day for Wednesday February 15th 2012 is bindle:

bin·dle

  /ˈbɪndl/ [bin-dl] noun

a bundle, usually of bedding and other possessions, carried by a hobo.

 

Origin:
1895–1900; probably akin to bundle; uncertain if < dialectal source or < German Bündel

 

 

         (Photo courtesy of  https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinyNK3rqx8m1N7PRPOPpXDYLiln0ULvjDHehVNB6ephOjUQ7X8lWrv6YjJ_dEoFzLnU60HlqwsPtLi1izt9M60qHOkn5-owD346G0X5-lFLR02If0fnnSZj2u_ojLLu2IA5ofR133DFtlU/s1600/bindle_icon+(2).jpg)

Thought of the Day

                                           (Photo courtesy of http://www.hereonearth.com/)  

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."
~Helen Keller

Word of the Day

The Word of the Day for Tuesday, February 14th 2012 is recumbent:

re·cum·bent

   /rɪˈkʌmbənt/ [ri-kuhm-buhnt]adjective

1. lying down; reclining; leaning.

2. inactive; idle.

3. Zoology, Botany . noting a part that leans or reposes upon its surface of origin.

 

noun

4. a recumbent person, animal, plant, etc.

 

Origin:
1765–75; < Latin recumbent-  (stem of recumbēns ), present participle of recumbere  to lie back, equivalent to re- re- + cumb-,  akin to cubāre  to lie down + -ent- -ent

Thought of the Day

                                                    (Photo courtesy of http://www.mayaanagelou.com/)

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”  - Maya Angelou

Word of the Day

The Word of the Day for Monday, February 13th 2012 is nostalgia:

nos·tal·gia

noun
\nä-ˈstal-jə, nə- also nȯ-, nō-; nə-ˈstäl-

Definition of NOSTALGIA

1

: the state of being homesick : homesickness

2

: a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition; also : something that evokes nostalgia

— nos·tal·gic \-jik\ adjective or noun

— nos·tal·gi·cal·ly \-ji-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

— nos·tal·gist \-jist\ noun

Examples of NOSTALGIA

1. A wave of nostalgia swept over me when I saw my childhood home.
2. He was filled with nostalgia for his college days.
3. To dwell even fitfully on the past, for James, was to risk crippling nostalgia; the past was the shadow side of will and therefore must be rejected. —Jackson Lears, Nation, 26 Feb. 2007

Word of the Day

The Word of the Day for Friday, February 10th is demure:

de·mure

adjective, -mur·er, -mur·est.

1. characterized by shyness and modesty; reserved.

2. affectedly or coyly decorous, sober, or sedate.

 

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English dem ( e ) ur ( e ) well-mannered, grave < Anglo-French demuré,  past participle of demurer  to demur; perhaps influenced by Old French mur, mëur  grave, mature (< Latin matūrus )

Thought of the Day

The Thought of the Day for February 10th 2012 comes from author and poet Ray Bradbury

                                  (Photo courtesy of http://www.jasonmarchi.com/RayBradburyInterviewHS.htm)

"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them."

- Ray Bradbury

For more information on Ray Bradbury please visit http://www.biography.com/

Thought of the Day

The Thought of the Day for Thursday, February 9th comes from author and illustrator, Dr. Suess.

"The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go"

Word of the Day

The Word of the Day for February 9th 2012 is chutzpah:

chutz·pah

noun:

: supreme self-confidence : nerve, gall

Examples of CHUTZPAH

1. <had the chutzpah to demand that he be treated as a special case and be given priority in settling his insurance claim>

Origin of CHUTZPAH

Yiddish khutspe, from Late Hebrew ḥuṣpāh

First Known Use: 1883

Word of the Day

The Word of the Day for Wednesday February 8th 2012 is tenacious:

te·na·cious

adjective

1. holding fast; characterized by keeping a firm hold (often followed by of ): a tenacious grip on my arm; tenacious of old habits.

2. highly retentive: a tenacious memory.

3. pertinacious, persistent, stubborn, or obstinate.

4. adhesive or sticky; viscous or glutinous.

5. holding together; cohesive; not easily pulled asunder; tough

Word of the Day

The Word of the Day for Tuesday, February 7th is castigate:

cas·ti·gate

verb (used with object), -gat·ed, -gat·ing.

1. to criticize or reprimand severely.

2. to punish in order to correct.

Word of the Day

The Word of the Day of Wednesday February 1st 2012 is personification:

 per·son·i·fi·ca·tion

   noun

1. the attribution of a personal nature or character to inanimate objects or abstract notions, especially as a rhetorical figure.

2. the representation of a thing or abstraction in the form of a person, as in art.

3. the person or thing embodying a quality or the like; an embodiment or incarnation: He is the personification of tact.

4. an imaginary person or creature conceived or figured to represent a thing or abstraction.

5. the act of personifying.