labor/la-bor/lā′bər 1.  Adjective: Pertaining to workers “The labor movement means just this: it is the last noble protest of the American people against the power of incorporated wealth.” Wendell Phillips, 1811 – 1884 2.  Noun:  productive work “It is lost labor to sow where there is no soil.”  German proverb 3.  Noun: a group of people engaged in work, generally those who do manual work... Read More

Fast/fast/făst Adjective: the capability of acting or moving in a swift manner “The fast talker makes mistakes.” Japanese proverb Adjective: taking the least amount of time to accomplish a specific task “Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything.” Xenophon, 430 BC – 357 BC Adjective: quick to understand or learn certain content “I’m a fast learner. I may not run as fast as I... Read More

Neighbor/neigh-bor/nā-bər Noun: a person, place or thing located near or next to another “China and India are close neighbors linked by mountains and rivers and the Chinese and Indian people have enjoyed friendly exchanges for thousands of years.” Li Peng, 1928-   Noun:an individual who demonstrates compassion and kindness towards those that live nearby “Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and... Read More

sultry/sul-try/suhl-tree Adjective: sweltering, very hot and humid What men call gallantry, and gods adultery, is much more common where the climate’s sultry.  Lord Byron, 1788 – 1824 Adjective: giving off great heat Bare-headed in the sultry sun, Ahab stood on the bowsprit, and with one hand pushed far behind in readiness to wave his orders to the helmsman, cast his eager glance in the... Read More

Father/fa-ther/fä-thər Noun:  (In Christian belief) the first person of the Trinity; God “Father! – to God himself we cannot give a holier name.” William Wordsworth, 1770 – 1850 Noun:  (often as a title or form of address) a priest In the days of my youth, Father William replied,  I remember’d that youth could not last;  I thought of the future, whatever I did,  That I never might... Read More

Flag/flag/ flăg   Noun: cloth with a special pattern on it, used as the sign of a country, club, etc. “On the American flag, the color white is for purity, red is for valor, and blue is for justice.” Charles Sumner, 1811 – 1874 Noun: an allegiance symbolized by a standard “Most people are willing to take the Sermon on the Mount as a... Read More

World Turtle Day Turtle/tur/tle  1.  NOUN: a slow-moving terrestrial reptile that uses its leathery, scaly shell as protection from prey into which it retracts its head and legs “Life is like a turtle …you can’t go anywhere unless you stick your neck out.” – August Mansker 2.  NOUN: a freshwater or semiaquatic reptile typically found in wet, damp, marsh-type environments that has a flattened, thinner shell in... Read More

Widower 1.  NOUN: “He that outlives a wife whom he has long loved, sees himself disjoined from the only mind that has the same hopes, and fears, and interest; from the only companion with whom he has shared much good and evil; and with whom he could set his mind at liberty, to retrace the past or anticipate the future. The continuity of being... Read More

Word of the Day: Heart   Heart/heart NOUN: a vital organ that acts as a pump by maintaining blood flow through arteries and veins when the surrounding muscles expand and contract The human heart pumps oxygen to the brain, by beating 100,000 times each day.   NOUN: the center of one’s feelings or spirituality “The human heart, at whatever age, opens to the heart that... Read More

Infrastructure/in/fra/struc/ture   NOUN: the physical resources of basic equipment, bridges, roads, and buildings that are needed for countries, communities and organizations to function properly “Not only does investing in your infrastructure provide very good construction jobs, at the end of the project, you have something.” –Shelley Berkley (1951- ) NOUN: the organizational resources of basic personnel framework that are essential for schools, hospitals and... Read More