Sometimes the wheel does need a little innovation.
Noah Webster certainly thought so where English was concerned. The dictionary compiler not only sought to collect words, but had several ideas about ways to simplify and distinguish American English. To celebrate National Dictionary Day, observed on Webster's birthday Oct. 16th, The Word Nerd, Emily Brewster, resident wordster and senior editor at Merriam-Webster in Springfield, takes us on a quick tour through his successful and unsuccessful attempts to alter the spelling of several words.
We get to convene with Peter Marchetti, the second person seeking the mayor's seat in Pittsfield, as we continue our efforts to speak with each of the mayoral candidates in the seven contested races for this election season in western Massachusetts. Things have gotten a little heated in this race, which is one of 2 contests without an incumbent, so we ask about how Marchetti sees himself in the future of the city, as well as about his adorably named fur babies.
And Mr. Universe, Hampshire College professor Salman Hameed, talks to us about his journey to see the first Pakistani person become an astronaut, and shares his thoughts about how it occurred through space tourism with Virgin Galactic, and how that industry could shape the future of the skies.
