The Professor And The Madman Essays - Oxford Dictionaries

The Professor And The Madman Essays - Oxford Dictionaries The Professor And The Madman The Professor and the Madman, written by Simon Winchester, is a biography about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary. Winchester, who is an author, journalist, broadcaster and foreign correspondent, has written for many magazines and newspapers distributed worldwide. In an interview between Winchester and a host of C-SPAN, Winchester was asked where the idea for the book came, he replies Well, it came to me in a rather bizarre way. I was reading a book on lexicography in the bath one morning, as one does, I suppose, just before breakfast, and it was a booka wonderful book called Chasing The Sun by a man called Jonathan Green. And it had a referenceit said, 'Readers will be familiar with the extraordinary story of Dr. W.C. Minor, an American lunatic murderer, who was a prodigiously energetic contributor to the OED.' And I remember sitting up in the bath, Archimedeslike, dripping and saying, 'Well, I know nothing about this.' Winchesters main foundation for this book is to clari fy the tale of the making of the Oxford English Dictionary The formation of the Oxford English Dictionary began in 1857 and took seventy years to finish. Tens of thousands of individuals organized the expansive language into 414,825 exact definitions. The story begins with the grisly murder of George Merrett, by William Chester Minor the former U.S. Army officer and qualified surgeon. On February 17th of 1872 in the early morning William Minor had been sleeping, when he awoke to some noises of someone in his flat. He sat up and saw someone standing at the foot of his bed. He proceeded to chase the individual into the street, and shot at the person as they attempted to flee. He ended up shooting the first person that came into view apparently, and this person was George Merrett. Merrett had never met W.C Minor and had been heading home after a long day at work. W.C Minor was arrested. While in prison, he appeared to act exceptionally strange. One of the guards told the jury that Minor accused him of paying people to enter his room and molest him while he slept. This evidence clearly showed that W.C Minor was insane and was sent to the Asylum for the Criminally Insane, Broadmoore. The judge stated that he would remain there until her Majestys Pleasure be known. Professor James Murray, an extraordinarily educated former schoolmaster and bank clerk, sent out an announcement about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary, asking for literary contributions. From his cell in Broadmoore, Minor came across this announcement and began contributing examples from his massive collection of new and scarce antique books. Minor had an enormous collection of books in his cell, which were not available to Murray and the staff, where the dictionary was being created. Thousand of neat and well-written quotes and examples came from Minor over several years to Oxford. Murray was only fifty miles away from where Minor was living, and had no idea that Minor was committed to an asylum. On several occasions Minor had been asked to visit Murray In Oxford, where they could meet and discuss the dictionary. Minor declined all invitations, without an explanation, and only an apology. After being rebuffed several times, Murray offered to visit Minor and Minor accepte d the offer. Upon arrival Murray discovered that Minor was not a doctor of the asylum as he had assumed, but a resident. Murray was shocked, but that didnt dissuade him from visiting Minor. Although Minor constantly complained about people molesting him while he slept, people breaking into his room at night, and his personal possessions being vandalized Murray ignored the strange comments and went on with his visits. Minors stepbrother began writing appeals to the court, asking that his brother be allowed to transfer to a hospital in the United States. James Murray, who spent more than 40 years editing the dictionary, and up until 1910 wrote and visited Minor regularly, until Minor was released and allowed to go back to the U.S. On July 16th 1915 Murray died, surrounded by friends and relatives. In November 1915 Minor wrote to Lady Murray, offering all his books to the Scriptorium. On Friday March

Good Students = Good Grades †Here’s 10 Ways to Be That Student

Good Students = Good Grades – Here’s 10 Ways to Be That Student 10 Ways to Become A Good Student Good Student Equals Good Grades We pretty much still define a good student as one who gets good grades. While this may seem a bit narrow for a definition, it is what it is. We could argue that a good student is one who does not just accept what he is told by a professor or a text book, who questions the status quo, who has mastered course content even though his assignments and test don’t show that, and who is able to think outside the box of normal content and learning activities. Bill Gates was not a particularly â€Å"good† student, for example; Einstein was a terrible student. But, if you want the grades that will impress future employers, you have to do those things that will make you a â€Å"good† student in the eyes of the people who give you those grades. Here’s 10 ways to be that â€Å"good† student. Attitudes You Must Have Drive. Sometimes this is called a high level of ambition. The point is, you have to be committed to getting the best grade possible in every course and to doing what it takes to get that. You Must Have Persistence. We never have to be persistent when things come easily. It’s when we fail and we have to start again or when we don’t understand something that persistence kicks in, if we have it. There will definitely be times when you fail and when you don’t â€Å"get† something. Do you give up or do you stick with it until you do it right or understand it? Know When You Need Help. A â€Å"good† student will know when he cannot master a skill or content and when s/he will not be able to fulfil an assignment. And that student will then take steps to get the help that is necessary. Maybe you form a study group; maybe you meet with your professor or TA to get additional help; perhaps you can find a fellow students who can help you. Take Responsibility. Good students understand that they have to get homework done and get all assignments in on time. They know they have to study for exams. And they make certain that they do these things. Develop Flexibility. You will be exposed to a great variety of teaching styles, professor personalities, and types of learning activities. You will need to adapt to all of this variety, â€Å"changing gears† as is called for by a situation. Behaviors Attend Class. Important stuff goes in class. You can’t re-attend a lecture; you can’t generate notes from nowhere, and you can’t capture anything on a whit board once it has been erased. If you have to miss a class, be certain that you get the notes from a trusted peer. Don’t Procrastinate. Waiting to the last minute, especially to write your essays and papers, is a dangerous game. What if you haven’t finished your research and there is an Internet outage? What if you get sick? Get a calendar and a schedule, and construct a timeline for completing each step of a major assignment. Take Notes as You Read Your Texts. If you do this, and put them in a folder along with your lecture notes, you will have everything you need when it comes time to study for an exam. If you don’t do this, you will be re-reading that text, and that is really a waste of valuable time. Find a Good Writing Service. Even the most organized student will sometimes face a crisis and realize that all of those essays and papers simply cannot be completed on time. That's when they will ask "write my essay in 12 hours"  It is re-assuring to know that you have an essay helper that you can trust to come through for you. Use Technology. Record or video lectures; take screen shots of everything that is presented visually Get tools and apps that will keep you organized and format your papers for you and that will remind you when things are due. Get a good grammar checker and plagiarism detection software. If you cannot establish a study group on campus, use one of the online study group options Find a good app that you can use to make flash cards. These are great study devices. If you want good grades, then you have to accept the traditional definition of a â€Å"good† student. Hopefully, you will also learn to question and think outside the box. And a bonus tip? Call your parents even when you don’t need money!

Marketing Planing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing Planing - Essay Example It is expected your report demonstrates strong evaluative style you should draw on the relevant theories covered within the course (course book attached) you must relate your answer to your chosen organization ( eg : Barclay's, HSBC U.K etc) Harvard referencing Stlye This paper is aimed at looking at how the recent credit crunch is affecting banks and how this in turn affects international business. The paper argues from a marketing point of view. Here the paper looks into how marketing can help restore confidence and competitive advantage into some of these troubled banks. The recent credit crunch in the U.S is a cause for concern for governments, regulatory bodies, businesses, individuals, stock markets, etc. This issue is affecting world trade in that it is currently making it difficult for banks to provide loans to businesses given the significant losses encountered so far as following prior sub-prime mortgage lending. The first part of the paper looks into the institution in question. Here our institution under case study is the Barclays bank. The first part of the paper discusses the various ways through which Barclays bank could be affected by the crisis. The second part of the paper discusses the role of marketing towards restoring a com petitive advantage and creating value for Barclays bank. The last part of the paper presents the conclusion and recommendation. Bar... The last part of the paper presents the conclusion and recommendation. 1.1 Overview of the institution under case study -Barclays Bank Barclays PLC (Barclays) is an international and major player in the world financial system. It is headquartered in the United Kingdom, a global financial services provider and is engaged in retail, commercial banking, credit cards, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services. (Report 2008). The bank is present in Europe, United States, Africa and Asia using different strategies with respect to different markets. According to an independent analyst review, the Company operates in business segments: For example, UK Retail Banking, Barclays Commercial Bank, Barclaycard, Global Retail and Commercial Banking (GRCB)-Western Europe, GRCB-Emerging Markets, GRCB-Absa, Barclays Capital, Barclays Global Investors and Barclays Wealth (Company's Report 2008). Today, Barclays Plc is listed in major stock exchanges in the world such as the London, the Tokyo and the New York etc. Barclays Plc has consolidated its position through a series of mergers and acquisitions. For example, according to the company's web page, in November 2008, Barclays PLC announced that it has completed the purchase of the Italian residential mortgage business of Macquarie Group Limited. According to the company's (2008) report, Barclays PLC was ranked as the 25th largest company in the world according to Forbes Global 2000 (2008 list) and the fourth largest financial services provider in the world according to Tier 1 capital ($32.5 billion). It is the second largest bank in the United Kingdom based on asset size, although its

On Sexual Double Standard Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

On Sexual Double Standard - Essay Example Guys will take advantage of her, use her, and try to get her to bed. She will have a hard time having girlfriends as she will surely be avoided and despised out of disgust. Men are not exempt from double standards. Having friends from the opposite sex during a relationship is also subject to the sexuality of who's making friends with whom. Girls will always justify their relationships with other guys since they are "always in control of their emotions" and are "able to separate boyfriends from boy friends." The situation is a lot more different when guys are concerned. A man who has a close friend while in a relationship is always confronted and accused of dishonorable things. He may even be charged for keeping that friend in time of "loneliness." Double standard is but a bitter fact of life. The truth that standards are almost always applied more leniently to one gender than to another is a manifestation of huge injustice. Double standard greatly violates one tenet of justice known as impartiality-the principle that "same standards be applied to all people, without regard to subjective bias or favoritism." The existence of double standard clearly implies the toleration of discrimination, unfairness, inequality, and prejudice. Thus, double standard should cease to exist in order to promote justice in the society. Men and women should have a fair playing field where each receives equal reaction and recognition of what they "do" and not of what they "are." The widespread double standard in our society is due to various justifications. It is argued that sexual double standard is natural and that's the way things should be. Society has readily accepted that some things are naturally "men's" things while some are "women's." A good example of this is the widespread perception that men are polygamous, allowing them to sleep around even if they are in a relationship but women are expected to be faithful to their husbands. However, viewing that the existence of double standard as natural is also another way of accepting that prejudice and injustice are natural phenomena. The above illustrations of double standard emphasizes the fact that double standard tolerates misbehavior of one gender attributing this to "human nature." Infidelity is perceived to be acceptable when committed by male. The argument here is that, misbehavior should be totally reprimanded and eradicated as it destructs the morality of a community. Just think about the number of families being shattered by "father's night outs." Justifying moral degradation with double standard will not only endanger the moral fiber in the society but will tend to destroy it altogether. The equal right of both sexes is also tainted by double standard. A man who is attracted to a pretty woman can always ask her out. However, a woman asking a man out is less acceptable. The commencement of a relationship is seen as the "right" of every guy while ladies can only accept. It is argued that each man and woman should have the same right and opportunity not only in pursuing relationships but other important aspects. The existence of double standard only gives way to the famous perception that one sex is stronger while the other is relatively weaker. This unequal right irrefutable leads to oppression. The existence of double standard in the society creates an imbalance not only in the responsibility but rights of people. As

Employee training at B&Q Plc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Employee training at B&Q Plc - Essay Example There has been a various change in the employment policy at B&Q Plc. over the past decade. About a decade ago, many business analysts criticized B&Q Plc. For having a policy that encouraged to employ and retaining much older employees. At that time younger job seekers were less advantaged when they were seeking jobs at the company. The company has always considered quality of their products and services to be their first priority. Therefore, employing older employees was seen as a way through which the company could be able to get experience and skills in a single package (Saks, Haccoun& Belcourt 2010, p. 101. At that time this really worked for them especially because they were able to build a reputation that was rooted on quality. There is always some uncertainty regarding employing younger employees. Younger employees might be skilled by the obvious reason as to why employing them might not be a good idea is the fact that it might take a while before they attain the experience that the older employees have. However, the good thing is that this is a problem that can be properly solved by having a good training program. As for the case of B&Q Plc. mentoring was chosen as the most appropriate way of making sure that the company will be able to accommodate both the young and energetic employees and the old and experienced employees (Becker 1993, p. 123). This method can be said to have worked well for the company.

nature of substances

nature of substances 1. Nature of substances: Simple particles react faster than complex particles. In complex molecules more bonds have to be broken. This means more energy is needed to form the activated complex. Particles such as atoms or ions in solution react more quickly than complex molecules. Surface area of reactants: The greater the surface area of the reactants the faster the reaction will take place. This is because a greater surface area means more collisions between reacting particles. When a substance is ground into a powder this increases its surface area. Concentration of reactants (or pressure of gases): An increase in concentration increases the rate of a reaction. The increased concentration means more collisions between reacting particles. Temperature: An increase in temperature increases the rate of a reaction. At a higher temperature particles move faster and have more kinetic energy. When particles collide they do so with enough energy to reach the activated complex. Heating a reaction means there will be a larger number of collisions and more of these collisions will be effective. A temperature increase of 10ËšC, will double the rate of a reaction. Use of Catalysts: A catalyst is a substance that will speed up a reaction without undergoing any permanent change. Catalysts lower the activation energy in a reaction by holding particles onto their surface and pointing them in the correct direction for a product to form. A substance that slows down a chemical reaction and makes it harder for a product to form is called an inhibitor. 2. The term quantitative approach (the determination of the absolute or relative abundance (often expressed as a concentration) of one, several or all particular substance(s) present in a sample.) is often used in comparison (or contrast) with qualitative approach, which seeks information about the identity or form of substance present. For instance, a chemist might be given an unknown solid sample. He or she will use qualitative techniques (perhaps NMR or IR spectroscopy) to identify the compounds present, and then quantitative techniques to determine the amount of each compound in the sample. Careful procedures for recognizing the presence of different metal ions have been developed, although they have largely been replaced by modern instruments; these are collectively known as qualitative inorganic analysis. Similar tests for identifying organic compounds (by testing for different functional groups) are also known. Many techniques can be used for either qualitative or quantitative measurements. For instance, suppose an indicator solution changes colour in the presence of a metal ion. It could be used as a qualitative test: does the indicator solution change colour when a drop of sample is added? It could also be used as a quantitative test, by studying the colour of the indicator solution with different concentrations of the metal ion. (This would probably be done using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy.) 3.To ensure no residue is left to affect further experiments by either contamination or to ensure a powder is not mixed. 4. a) Litmus Paper is a paper containing dyes which change colour when exposed to acids or bases. It is used to identify acid and bases b)A mixture of 10-15 natural dyes obtained from lichens (mainly Roccella tinctoria) that turns red in response to acidic conditions (pH 7). When the pH is neutral (pH = 7) then the dye is purple. c)To allow the litmus paper to absorb the pH of a solid object. 5. Precipitation is the formation of a solid in a solution during a chemical reaction. When the reaction occurs, the solid formed is called the precipitate, and the liquid remaining above the solid is called the supernate. 6. Mix acid with water, water first and next acid. The reason is that when you mix acid to water the concentration of the acid is immediately diluted by water and the gradient or the concentration difference between the water and the acid keeps decreasing gradually so is the liberation of heat and is safer. Mixing concentrated acid and water is highly exothermic in some cases the amount of heat generated can instantly boil. So if you add water to the concentrated acid the small amount of water will instantly boil and splatter hot acid all over the place. Some acids will generate Hydrogen gas and will ignite and explode. If you add the acid to the water the water can absorb most of the heat and it wont splatter or explode. 7. Light the match first. If one was to turn the gas valve on before lighting the match, then the gas could build up and cause an explosion once the match is lit. This is why it is important to light the match first then turn on the gas valve. 8. a) To test for the presence of oxygen gas, collect a sample of the gas in a small container such as a test tube. Light a wooden splint. Blow out the flame, but make sure that the tip of the splint has a reddish, glowing tip. Insert the glowing splint into the mouth of the test tube. If the glowing splint bursts into flame, the gas is oxygen. b) To test for the presence of hydrogen gas, collect a sample of the gas in a small container such as a test tube. Light a wooden splint, but do not blow out the flame. Insert the burning splint into the mouth of the test tube. If the gas is hydrogen, you will hear a slight explosive pop sound. c) To test for the presence of carbon dioxide gas, collect a sample of the gas in a small container such as a test tube. Add a small amount (2 to 3 ml) of lime water to the test tube and shake the test tube to mix the gas and the lime water. If the lime water solution turns a milky white, the gas is carbon dioxide. This test works because lime water and carbon dioxide gas react to form a white precipitate. A second test is to light a wooden splint. Place the burning splint into the mouth of the test tube. If the flame is extinguished, the gas may be carbon dioxide. Since carbon dioxide is neither explosive nor does it support combustion, placing a burning splint into the mouth of the test tube containing carbon dioxide extinguishes the flame. This second test is not a positive test for carbon dioxide however since other gases may also extinguish a flame since they too do not support burning. Therefore, the first test is better. 9. Place an Alka Seltzer tablet in the bottom of a balloon or plastic sandwich bag. Tie the encased tablet tightly with a rubber band or string, then fill the remainder of the balloon or bag with water and seal it with another rubber band or a piece of string. Carbon dioxide gas can be produced by loosening the rubber band or string around the tablet and allowing the water to reach the tablet. 10. Oxygen 11. a) A balanced equation contains equal numbers of each element on the reactant and on the product side of the equation. b) i) (s) Solid ii) ( ) iii) (g) Gaseous iv) (ag) Aqueous ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; f v) ( ↑ ) kjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj g vi) ( ↓ ) kjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj g vii) ( = ) 12.a) A chemical reaction in which heat is absorbed, because the products are higher in energy than the reactants b) A chemical reaction in which heat is released, because the products are of lower energy than the reactants c) Redox (shorthand for reduction-oxidation reaction) describes all chemical reactions in which atoms have their oxidation number (oxidation state) changed. This can be either a simple redox process such as the oxidation of carbon to yield carbon dioxide or the reduction of carbon by hydrogen to yield methane (CH4), or it can be a complex process such as the oxidation of sugar in the human body through a series of very complex electron transfer processes. d) Thermal decomposition, also called thermolysis, is defined as a chemical reaction when a chemical substance breaks up into at least two chemical substances when heated. The reaction is usually endothermic as heat is required to break chemical bonds in the compound undergoing decomposition. e) f) 13. 1 dm ³ = cm ³ = m ³ = ml = l 14. a) b) Litres (l) or cubic metre (m3) c) d) e) f) Second (s) g) Kilogram (kg) h) Grams per mole (g/mol or gmol-1)

Edgar Allan Poe’s Tale of the Ragged Mountains and Lovecraft’s The Outs

Edgar Allan Poe’s Tale of the Ragged Mountains and Lovecraft’s The Outsider Both Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft were known for their tales of horror, shocking discoveries and mysterious characters. Lovecraft was known to have mimicked Poe’s style in his popular horror stories of the early 20th century. Poe, one of the most famous writers of short stories and poems in the 19th century, amazed readers with his rich descriptions and chilling plots. Neither disappoint in two of their stories: Poe’s â€Å"Tale of the Ragged Mountains† and Lovecraft’s â€Å"The Outsider.† Although these are not the most famous of each authors’ works, scholars often debate over the meaning and themes of each story. One common theme in both the stories is the shocking discovery made by the characters. In â€Å"The Outsider,† the narrator discovers his true identity by glancing into a mirror as he explores his new world. â€Å"A Tale of the Ragged Mountains† tells both of Bedloe’s discovery of the simila rity of Oldeb’s past to his own, as well as the narrator’s discovery of who Bedloe might actually be, himself. The common thread between the two lies in those discoveries, and also in the entrance of each to a new, foreign world; however their personal reactions to their respective discoveries are very different. In his â€Å"Outsider,† H.P. Lovecraft tells the story of a man who lives in a dark, musty world, void of any light. His entire knowledge comes from the thousands of books that line the dark wet castle he inhabits. Since he has never seen another person, he can only imagine the human language or what he himself looks like. After scaling a tall tower, he stumbles into a world above his, on a night with a clear moon. His joy i... ...ered the writer and his style. Their similarities are common in many of their stories. The themes of these two works are no exception, and share many mutual points, despite the plot differences. Works Cited Lovecraft, Howard Phillips. â€Å"The Outsider.† H.P. Lovecraft Library. 1921. 6 Nov. 2002 . Mosig, Dirk W. â€Å"The Four Faces of The Outsider.† Discovering H.P. Lovecraft. Ed. Darrell Schweitzer. Mercer Island, Washington: Starmont House, 1987. Philippon, Daniel J. â€Å"Poe in the Ragged Mountains: environmental history and Romantic aesthetics.† Southern Literary Journal 30.2 (1998): 1-16. Poe, Edgar Allan. â€Å"A Tale of the Ragged Mountains.† 1844. Rev. 29 Jun. 1999. http://www.literature.org/authors/poe-edgar-allan/atale.html (15 Nov. 2002). PID 6754 Marlow Engl.12.05 1