Wednesday, March 18, 2020
History of American Economic Growth in the 20th Century
History of American Economic Growth in the 20th Century As the American economy matured in the 20th century, the freewheeling business mogul lost luster as an American ideal. The crucial change came with the emergence of the corporation, which appeared first in the railroad industry. Other industries soon followed. Business barons were being replaced by technocrats, high-salaried managers who became the heads of corporations. By the start of the 20th century, the era of the industrialist and the robber baron was coming to a close. It was not so much that these influential and wealthy entrepreneurs (who generally personally owned majority and controlling stakes in their industry) disappeared, but rather that they were replaced with corporations. The rise of the corporation triggered, in turn, the rise of an organized labor movement that served as a countervailing force to the power and influence of business. The Changing Face of the Early American Corporation The largest early 20th-century corporations were much larger and more complicated than the commercial enterprises that came before. To maintain profitability in a changing economic climate, American companies in industries as diverse as oil refining to whiskey distilling began to emerge in the late 19th century. These new corporations, or trusts, were exploiting a strategy known as horizontal combination, which granted those corporations the ability to limit production in order to raise prices and maintain profitability. But these corporations regularly ran into legal trouble as violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Some companies took another route, employing a strategy of vertical integration. Instead of maintaining prices through control of the production supply as in horizontal strategies, vertical strategies relied on obtaining control in all aspects of the supply chain required to produce their product, which gave these corporations more control over their costs. With more control over costs came more stable and protected profitability for the corporation. With the development of these more complicated corporations came the need for new management strategies. Though the highly centralized management of previous eras did not entirely disappear, these new organizations gave rise to more decentralized decision-making through divisions. While still overseen by central leadership, divisional corporate executives would eventually be given more responsibility for business decisions and leadership in their own piece of the corporation. By the 1950s, this multi-divisional organizational structure became the growing norm for large corporations, which generally moved corporations away from reliance on high-profile executives and solidified the fall of the business barons of the past.  The Technological Revolution of the 1980s and 1990s The technological revolution of the 1980s and 1990s, however, brought a new entrepreneurial culture that echoed the age of tycoons. For instance, Bill Gates, the head of Microsoft, built an immense fortune developing and selling computer software. Gates carved out an empire so profitable that by the late 1990s, his company was taken into court and accused of intimidating rivals and creating a monopoly by the U.S. Justice Departments antitrust division. But Gates also established a charitable foundation that quickly became the largest of its kind. Most American business leaders of today do not lead the high-profile life of Gates. They differ greatly from the tycoons of the past. While they direct the fate of corporations, they also serve on boards of charities and schools. They are concerned about the state of the national economy and Americas relationship with other nations, and they are likely to fly to Washington to confer with government officials. While they undoubtedly influe nce the government, they do not control it - as some tycoons in the Gilded Age believed they did.
Monday, March 2, 2020
List of French Homophones and Meanings
List of French Homophones and Meanings Homophones are words that have the same pronunciation but different meanings and, sometimes, spellings. Therefore, French homophones can cause difficulties in oral comprehension and spelling. These pages should help you to understand the difference between the most common French homophones. French Homophones: O o, oh - see auon (indefinite subject pronoun) - one, we, they   On y va ? - Are we going?ont - third person plural conjugation of avoir (to have)   Ils ont des questions - They have some questionsorange - (invariable adjective) orange   Jai trois chemises orange - I have three orange shirtsune orange - orange (fruit)   Jai achetà © trois oranges - I bought three orangesou, oà ¹ - see aoà »t French Homophones: P la paie - payla paix - peacele pet - (familiar) fartle pain - bread   Je dois acheter du pain - I need to buy some breadle pin - pine   Je crois que cest un pin - I think its a pine (tree)pair (adjective) - even   Cest un nombre pair - Its an even numberle pair - peer   Il est acceptà © par ses pairs - He is accepted by his peersla paire - pair   une paire de ciseaux - a pair of scissorsle pà ¨re - father   Cest mon pà ¨re - Its my fatherpar (preposition) - by/with   Cette histoire a à ©tà © à ©crite par un enfant - This story was written by a childpars - first and second person singular conjugation of partir (to leave)   quelle heure pars-tu ? - What time do you leave?part - third person singular conjugation of partirune part - part, portion   la part du lion - the lions shareparce que (conjunctive phrase) - because   Je lai fait parce que javais peur - I did it because I was scaredpar c e que - preposition par indefinite relative pronoun ce que   Je suis surpris par ce que vous dites - Im surprised by what you are sayingparti - past participle of partir (to leave)   Il est dà ©j parti - He already left. un parti - (political) party; option, course of actionune partie - part, amount   Divisez-le en quatre parties - Divide it into four parts.la pà ¢te - pastry, dough, pasteles pà ¢tes - pastala patte - pawla peau - skin   Les soins de la peau sont trà ¨s importants - Skin care is very importantle pot - jar, pot, can   Jai achetà © un pot de confiture - I bought a jar of jam(un) peu - (a) little   Jai un peu dargent - I have a little moneypeux - first and second person singular conjugation of pouvoir (can, to be able)   Je peux le faire - I can do itpeut - third person singular conjugation of pouvoirphare - see fardphiltre - see filtreplus tà ´t - sooner, earlier   On doit commencer une heure plus tà ´t - We need to start an hour earlierplutà ´t - (adverb) rather, instead   Je prà ©fà ¨re plutà ´t la chemise rouge - Id rather have the red shirtle poids - weightle pois - pea, dotla poix - tar, pitchle poing - fistà ‚   Il ma montrà © le poing ! - He shook his fist at me!le point - point, place; stitch   Quel est son point de congà ©lation ? - What is its freezing point?le porc - pig, pork   Je ne mange pas le porc - I dont eat porkle port - port, harbor   Il est sorti du port - He left portle pouce - thumbla pousse - sproutprà ¨s (adverb) - near, nearby   Jhabite tout prà ¨s - I live nearbyprà ªt (adjective) - ready   Es-tu prà ªt ? - Are you ready?pu - past participle of the French verb pouvoir (to be able)pue(s) - singular conjugations of the French verb puer (to stink)puent - third person plural conjugation of puerla pub (apocope of publicità ©) - ad, advert, advertising   As-tu vu leur nouvelle pub ? - Have you seen their new ad?le pub - bar, pub   Cest mon pub prà ©fà ©rà © - Its my favorite bar French Homophones: Q q - see culquand - when   Quand vas-tu partir ? - When are you going to leave?quant - as for   Quant tes idà ©es†¦Ã‚ - As for your ideas†¦quen - contraction of que  en (adverbial pronoun)   Quen pensez-vous ? - What do you think about it?le camp - camp, side   Il a changà © de camp - He changed sidesquart - see carque (interrogative pronoun) - what   Que veux-tu ? - What do you want?que (relative pronoun) - than, that   Voici le livre que jai à ©crit - Here is the book that I wrotela queue - line, tail   Il faut faire la queue - We have to stand in linequeux - contraction of que  eux (stressed pronoun)   Jai plus didà ©es queux - I have more ideas than they doNote: The vowel sound in que is slightly different than in the other two, but for non-native speakers these are likely to sound like h omophonesquel(le)(s) - (interrogative adjective) which   Quel livre vas-tu acheter ? - Which book are you going to buy?quelle - contraction of que  elle   Tu es plus jolie quelle - You are prettier than she isquelque(s) - some   Il y a quelques problà ¨mes - There are some problemsquel(le)(s) que - whatever   Quels que soient les problà ¨mes†¦Ã‚ - Whatever the problems may be†¦quelquefois - sometimes (adverb)   Ça marche quelquefois - It works sometimesquelques fois - a few times   Jy suis allà © quelques fois - Ive gone there a few timesquil - contraction of que  il   Je pense quil est l - I think hes therequils - contraction of que  ils   Je pense quils sont l - I think they are therequoique (subordinating conjunction) - although   Quoique je suis malade†¦Ã‚ - Although I am sick†¦quoi que (conjunctive phrase) - whatever   Quoi que tu penses†¦Ã‚ - Whatever you may think†¦ French Homophones: R r - letter of the French alphabetair - (masculine noun) air; appearance   Il a lair malade - He looks sickune aire - area, zone, eyrie   Je cherche une aire de jeux - Im looking for a playgroundune à ¨re - era   En lan 1999 de notre à ¨re - In 1900 ADla reine - queenle renne - reindeerla rose - rose   Jaime bien les roses - I really like rosesle rose - pink   Je prà ©fà ¨re la chemise rose - I prefer the pink shirtla roue - wheel   Je sais changer une roue - I know how to change a tirele roux - red(-head), roux   Il a les cheveux roux - He has red hairFor the difference in pronunciation between roue/roux and rue, see my lesson on OU vs U French Homophones: S s - letter of the French alphabetà ¨s - in (a certain subject)   Il a une licence à ¨s ingà ©nierie - He has a BS in engineeringsa - see à §asain - healthy, sound, wholesome   Il est sain et sauf chez lui - Hes safe and sound at homesaint - holy, saintly   le vendredi saint - Good Fridayun saint - saintun sein - breastsais, sait - see csang, sans, sen - see cenun saut - jump, leap   Il sest levà © dun saut - He jumped to his feetun sceau - seal, stamp, mark   Cest marquà © dun sceau - Its marked with a sealun seau - bucket, pailsot - silly, foolish, stupidscie - see cise - see cele sel - saltla selle - saddlecelle (demonstrative pronoun) - this/that one   Je prà ©fà ¨re celle-ci - I prefer this onesen, sens, sent - see censensà ©Ã‚ - see censà ©sept, sest vowel, Sà ¨te - see cest vowelses, sest - see csà ©tait, sà ©taient - see cà ©taitsi, six - see cisigne - see cygnesoi - oneself   Il faut avoir confiance en soi - One must be self-confidentle soi - self, id   Le soi, le moi et le sur-moi - The id, the ego, and the superegosois - first and second person singular subjunctive of à ªtre (to be)   Il faut que tu sois l - You have to be therela soie - silk   Cest un chemisier en soie - Its a silk blousesoient - third person plural subjunctive of à ªtresoit - third person singular subjunctive of à ªtrele sol - ground, floor, siltla sole - sole (fish)la somme - sum, amountle somme - snooze, napson (possessive adjective) - his, her, its   Cà ©tait son idà ©e - It was his ideale son - sound, bran   Cest un ingà ©nieur de son et il naime pas la farine de son - Hes a sound e ngineer and he doesnt like bran floursont - third person plural conjugation of à ªtre (to be)   Ils sont en retard - They are lateun sou - centsous - undersur - sour (adjective)   Cest un peu sur - Its a little soursur (preposition) - on   Il ny a rien sur la table - Theres nothing on the tablesà »r - sure, certain   Oui, jen suis sà »r - Yes, Im suresy - see ci French Homophones: T t - letter of the French alphabetle thà ©Ã‚ - tea   Je prà ©fà ¨re le thà © vert - I prefer green teata (possessive adjective) - your   Voici ta valise - Heres your suitcaseta - contraction of te (object pronoun) third person singular conjugation of avoir (to have)   Il ta dà ©j dit - He already told youtant - so (many/much)   Il travaille tant ! - He works so much!le temps - weather, time   Quel temps fait-il ? - Hows the weather?ten - contraction of te  en (adverbial pronoun)   Je ten donne deux - Im giving you two of themtend(s) - singular conjugations of the French verb tendre (to strain, tighten)   Tend la main et je te le donnera - Hold out your hand and Ill give it to youtes (possessive adjective) - your   Oà ¹ sont tes stylos ? - Where are your pens?tes - contraction of te (reflexive p ronoun) second person singular conjugation of à ªtre (to be) [in the passà © composà ©Ã‚ of a pronominal verb]   quelle heure tes-tu rà ©veillà © ? - What time did you get up?test - contraction of te (object pronoun) third person singular of à ªtre   Quest-ce qui test arrivà © ?  - What happened to you?le thon - tuna (fish)ton (second person singular possessive adjective) - your   Oà ¹ est ton sac ? - Wheres your bag?un ton - tone, pitch   Il parle sur un ton grave - He speaks in a serious tonetond(s) - singular conjugations of the French verb tondre (to shear, mow)   Je tonds le gazon le samedi - I mow the lawn on Saturdaytont - contraction of te third person plural conjugation of avoir (to have)   Ils tont menti - They lied to youle tic - tic, twitch   Il a un tic nerveux - He has a nervous ticla tique - tick   Mon chien a des tiques - My dog has ticksla tour - towerle tour - tour, turntout - all, everythingle toux - coughtu - youtu - past participle of the French verb se taire (to be quiet)tue(s) - singular conjugations of tuer (to kill)tuent - third person plural conjugation of tuer French Homophones: U u - see eu French Homophones: V vain - empty, superficial   Ce sont de vains mots - Those are empty wordsle vin - winevingt - twentyvins - first and second person passà © simple of venir (to come)vint - third person singular passà © simple of venirvend - third person singular conjugation of vendre (to sell)   Il vend sa maison - Hes selling his housevends - first and second person singular conjugation of vendrele vent - wind   Il y a du vent - Its windyun ver - wormun verre - glassvers (preposition) - towardun vers - versevert - greenvoie - first and third person singular subjunctive of voir (to see)   Il faut quelle voie son frà ¨re - She has to see her brotherla voie - way, route   Cest une voie privà ©e - Its a private roadvoient - third person plural indicative and subjunctive of voirvoies - second person singular subjunctive of voirvois - first and second person singular indicative of voir   Je ne le vois pas - I dont see itvoit - third person singular indicative of voirla voix - voice   Ils parlent voix basse - They are speaking in low voicesvoir - to see   Je ne peux pas voir là ©cran - I cant see the screenvoire - indeed, or even, if not   Cest une bonne idà ©e, voire excellente - Its a good, or even excellent, ideavu - past participle of voir (to see)   Je lai vu hier - I saw him yesterdayvu (presentative) - given, considering   Vu notre situation†¦Ã‚ - Given our situation†¦la vue - sight   Il perd la vue - Hes losing his sight French Homophones: Y y - see i
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