10 Facts Worth Knowing About Noah Webster

10 Facts Worth Knowing About Noah Webster Born in West Hartford, Connecticut on October 16, 1758, Noah Webster is best known today for his magnum opus, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). But as David Micklethwait reveals in Noah Webster and the American Dictionary (McFarland, 2005), lexicography wasnt Websters only great passion, and the dictionary wasnt even his best-selling book. By way of introduction, here are 10 facts worth knowing about the great American lexicographer Noah Webster. During his first career as a schoolteacher at the time of the American Revolution, Webster was concerned that most of his students textbooks came from England. So in 1783 he published his own American text, A Grammatical Institute of the English Language. The â€Å"Blue-Backed Speller,† as it was popularly known, went on to sell nearly 100 million copies over the next century.Webster subscribed to the biblical account of the origin of language, believing that all languages derived from Chaldee, an Aramaic dialect.Though he fought for a strong federal government, Webster opposed plans to include a Bill of Rights in the Constitution. Liberty is never secured with such paper declarations, he wrote, nor lost for want of them.Even though he himself borrowed shamelessly from Thomas Dilworths New Guide to the English Tongue (1740) and Samuel Johnsons Dictionary of the English Language (1755), Webster fought vigorously to protect his own work from plagiarists. His efforts led to the c reation of the first federal copyright laws in 1790. In 1793 he founded one of New York Citys first daily newspapers, American Minerva, which he edited for four years.Websters Compendious Dictionary of the English Language (1806), a forerunner of An American Dictionary, sparked a war of the dictionaries with rival lexicographer Joseph Worcester. But Worcesters Comprehensive Pronouncing and Explanatory English Dictionary didnt stand a chance. Websters work, with 5,000 words not included in British dictionaries and with definitions based on the usage of American writers, soon became the recognized authority.In 1810, he published a booklet on global warming titled â€Å"Are Our Winters Getting Warmer?†Although Webster is credited for introducing such distinctive American spellings as color, humor, and center (for British colour, humour, and centre), many of his innovative spellings (including masheen for machine and yung for young) failed to catch on. See Noah Websters Plan to Reform English Spelling.Webster was one of the principa l founders of Amherst College in Massachusetts. In 1833 he published his own edition of the Bible, updating the vocabulary of the King James Version and cleansing it of any words that he thought might be considered offensive, especially for females. In 1966, Websters restored birthplace and childhood home in West Hartford was reopened as a museum, which you can visit online at the Noah Webster House West Hartford Historical Society. After the tour, you may feel inspired to browse through the original edition of Websters American Dictionary of the English Language.

Nestle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Nestle - Essay Example most appropriate growth strategy to pursue will be determined by arriving at decisions about whether to sell old or new products in old or new markets. (Ansoff, 1957). Nestle’s growth strategy falls under the category of concentric diversification, wherein a Company produces new products that are closely related to its current products, but introduces them into a new market (Ansoff, 1957). This has been Nestle’s strategy in countries such as infant formula, tofu and noodles which are basic food stuffs but are tailored to meet the needs of the new market, for example in India, the Company also sells pickles to appeal to the housewife market. Nestle’s financial strength and ability to weather the recession may be closely linked to its diversification strategy. Since it has such a broad based approach, any potential issues that it is likely to face are marginal. The efficacy of this strategy is also borne out through the application of the Shareholder Value Analysis, developed by Rapoport (1986). Rapoport identified three specific value drivers, namely Finance, Investment and Business, all three of which if improved, could lead to a direct increase in shareholder value. In general, shareholders in a Company are rewarded in two different ways: (a) dividends paid and (b) capital appreciation, which depends upon the kinds of investments that the Company undertakes. The total shareholder return for a specific year can be calculated using the formula: TSR = Dividends + Capital Appreciation (Pike and Neals, 2006). From an examination of Nestle’s balance sheets for financial records in the European region, it may be noted that the net dividend yield percentages have increased as follows: 2006 – 2.4%, 2007- 2.8% and 2008 – 3.1% (NestleSA, 2008). The last share price in 2006 was 42.85, in 2007 it was 48.05 and in 2008, it was 45.56.(www.nestle.com). The total shareholder value for each year may therefore be calculated as follows: This result from the

Space Cowboys Film and Genre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Space Cowboys Film and Genre - Essay Example This film has been penned by Ken Kaufman and Howard Klausner of which Clint Eastwood has given superb direction. This is a pretty entertaining and one of the more rambunctious films that have been directed by Eastwood whereby they have clearly explored the idea with vitality and a sense of dynamism. The movie has put a very unique kind of spin on the formula that the longer one lives; the lesser is his worth with the passage of time. The story is set from the scene of 1958 in which pilots Frank Corvin played by Clint Eastwood himself and Hawk Hawkins, by Tommy Lee Jones are members of Team Daedalus, which is an elite Air Force group that is bent upon testing the high-altitude planes as well as dreaming of becoming the first American astronauts to do so. It is unfortunate to mention here that when this very dream does not see the light of the day, Frank starts blaming Bob Gerson, played by James Cromwell who is his commander for betraying him in the middle of the accomplishment of the dream mentioned above. After duration of four decades now, this same individual has become a NASA big shot who has got a huge problem up his sleeves. A huge Soviet satellite, which is named Ikon, has become dysfunctional and is threatening to fall out of orbit and then crash into the region of the earth. Indeed, it is true that similar in notion to the confusion surrounding the US space agency and its affiliates, this guidance system for the satellite is in more ways than one quite similar to that with one of Skylab that was initially put in place by Frank Corvin.

How Information Technology impact in business world Research Paper

How Information Technology impact in business world - Research Paper Example Current trends in Information Technology include; cloud computing and information security. Alternatively, the view of Daintith John (2009) is that â€Å"Information Technology is the use of computers and telecommunication facilities in business; to collect, manipulate, transmit, store and retrieve data. Information Technology refers to computers plus computer networks, but can also include information transmitting equipments like satellites, phone, televisions and radios. IT infrastructure involves the framework on which information networks operate.† The infrastructure include; computers, networks, database management systems and a regulatory framework. In the field of Information Technology, infrastructure refers to physical hardware which connects computers and users, for example, telephone lines, satellites, television cables and antennas. To some people, infrastructure is anything that supports the processing of data and information. Erick Miley (2014) explains that â€Å"Information Technology is an occupation or profession that identifies with computer technology." He stresses that modern businesses use computers to ensure high standards of customer service and efficiency. The benefits if information Technology to businesses many. Computers process information at very high speeds, for examples emails deliver messages instantly. Business information can be updates on market. Increased computer speed ensures efficiency in information processing. Computers are also able to multi-task accurately and quickly, for example, solving complex mathematical equations. IT ensures low business costs; this is due to the fact that as technology becomes more common it also becomes affordable. It has led to more entrepreneurship opportunities; this is because many people nowadays work at home using the internet. (Allen and Morton 37). According to Chirantan Basu, Demand

Interpersonal Skills for Work Place Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Interpersonal Skills for Work Place - Essay Example The nature of interpersonal communication is dynamic because it cannot be explained or generalized easily. People are extremely different and therefore there is no one theory that can inform managers about how to behave in the workplace. Each situation has to be assessed individually and then judgement should be made accordingly. The aim should be to maximize the benefit of the organization and gain maximum out of the employees. The theoretical framework explaining effective interpersonal skills can only be used as a guideline. It is based upon general principles that are aimed at effective listening and communication of thoughts. It is also vital not to overreact but at the same time digression should be avoided at all cost. Such basic techniques can improve interpersonal skills at the workplace.Analysis of Team MembersIn the meeting there are different team members. First of all it is important to clearly define roles of chairperson and care manager. Then direction of the housing a ssociation is to be set. It is extremely important to shape the conversation on the right track otherwise no conclusive thing will come out of such meetings. It is also important to understand the behavioural cues of the team members. In face to face encounters on average 55% of communication is done through body language and only 7 % is communicated through words (Donnelley & Neville, 2008). This is why team members that are not speaking may be contributing to the meeting. It is therefore important to understand their point of view as well.

Strang Steel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Strang Steel - Essay Example Gross Profit Margin: This ratio tells the profit of the firm in relation to sales, after the cost of producing the goods is deducted. Over the three years, the gross profit has been declining showing the inefficiency of Strang Steel's operations.Net Profit Margin: This ratio depicts the profit in relation to sales that a firm earns after taking account of all the expenses and taxes. It tells a firm's net income per dollar of sales. The net profit has also been declining over the three years showing that Strang Steel's sales profitability has declined. This could be attributed to the expenses rising steadily over the three years and eating out of the profits.Return on Equity: This ratio shows the return earned on the funds invested by the shareholders of the company. This ratio is also on the decline over the three years showing that the shareholders are getting less and less of their worth and the company is providing weak investment opportunities.Current Ratio: This ratio measures t he firm's ability to meet short-term obligations. It shows the effectiveness of the utilization of current assets to meet short-term liabilities. Strang Steel's current ratio has declined steadily in the three years showing that the current assets are proving less and less useful in meeting the current liabilities and hence the inability of the company to pay its bills. Quick Ratio: This ratio is more conservative in its approach to measuring a firm's liquidity position as it excludes inventories (the least liquid portion of the current assets). This ratio is between currents assets excluding stocks and current liabilities. From the year 2003 to 2004, the quick ratio has increased showing that the firm is efficiently meeting its short-term obligations but from year 2004 to 2005, the ratio has dipped showing the current assets have not been utilized in the proper manner to maintain the rising trend of the previous years. Average Collection Period: This ratio tells us the average number of days that receivables are outstanding before being collected. From the year 2003 to year 2004, the days have risen showing that Strang Steel has a very lenient policy with regard to collecting its receivables and the debtors are taking a long time in paying their dues. Having too many receivables is not good for the money as a lot of money is tied up which could be invested elsewhere. However, from the year 2004 to 2005, the number of days has sharply declined showing the change of the management's policy regarding receivables and the debtors paying up in just 20 days. Inventory Turnover in Days: This ratio illustrates the number of days on average before inventory is turned into accounts receivables through sales. The number of days has declined over the three years showing that Strang Steel has gotten effective each year in turning its inventory into sales. Total Asset Turnover: This ratio shows the relationship of sales to total assets. This ratio has increas

The Open Source Challenge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Open Source Challenge - Essay Example American elite intelligent team uses OSINT as among the disciplines to combat security threats both at home and outside the country (FBI, 2014). For military officials to manage perfect air strikes and eliminate terrorism, they must have used intelligent Satellites to determine the terrorists’ locations. The intelligent team must have also used direct information from local residents. There is likelihood that the team used internet to acquire the correct photos and information of the targets. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). (2010). IN Tellingence: Open Source Intelligence. Retrieved September 15, 2014 from https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/2010-featured-story-archive/open-source-intelligence.html The Federal Bureau of Investigation. (FBI). (2014). Directorate of Intelligence: Intelligence Collection Disciplines (INTs). Retrieved September 15, 2014 from