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=== Draft of the Week <font size=1>[ [[CZ:Article of the Week|about]] ]</font> ===
=== Draft of the Week <font size=1>[ [[CZ:Article of the Week|about]] ]</font> ===
[[image:Benfranklin.jpg|150px|thumb|Portrait of Benjamin Franklin (circa 1785) by [[Joseph Siffred Duplessis]] ]]
[[image:Koeh-274.jpg|thumbnail|150px|right|Common wheat, ''Triticum aestivum'' Linnaeus]]
'''[[Benjamin Franklin]]''' (1706-1790), known as "the First American", was an American statesman whose efforts were critical to the success of the [[American Revolution]] and the unification of the [[Thirteen Colonies|13 colonies]] into a new nation. Serving as the American minister to France, he secured decisive military and financial support during the Revolution, while asserting the values of democracy and [[Republicanism, U.S.|republicanism]]. He assisted [[Thomas Jefferson]] in writing the [[Declaration of Independence]] in 1776 and helped legitimize the [[U.S. Constitution]] in 1787.  His effective diplomacy, creative nationalism, promotion of civic virtue and devotion to [[Republicanism, U.S.|republicanism]] earned him high rank as a Founding Father.
'''Wheat''' (various species of the genus ''Triticum'') is a [[Poaceae|grass]] with so many important uses that it is cultivated worldwide. Not only is wheat an important crop today, it may well have influenced human history. Wheat was a key factor enabling the emergence of city-based societies at the start of civilization because it was one of the first crops that could be easily cultivated on a large scale, and had the additional advantage of yielding a harvest that provides long-term storage of  food.  


Franklin was also a world class scientist during the [[Enlightenment]], famed for his discoveries in [[electricity]] and his invention of the [[lightning]] rod.  He was also a noted printer and civic leader in Philadelphia.
Globally, wheat is the leading source of vegetable protein in human food, having a higher protein content than either [[maize]] (corn) or [[rice]], the other major [[cereals]]. In terms of total production tonnages used for food, it is currently second to [[rice]] as the main human food crop, and ahead of maize (corn), after allowing for maize's more extensive use in animal feeds.  
<font size=1>[[Benjamin Franklin|['''more...''']]]</font>
<font size=1>[[Wheat|['''more...''']]]</font>


=== New Draft of the Week <font size=1>[ [[CZ:New Draft of the Week|about]] ]</font> ===
=== New Draft of the Week <font size=1>[ [[CZ:New Draft of the Week|about]] ]</font> ===
[[Image:Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford.jpg|left|thumb|150px|{{#ifexist:Template:Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford.jpg/credit|{{Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford.jpg/credit}}<br/>|}}Colonel Benjamin Thompson, FRS, in British army uniform. Painting by Thomas Gainsborough 1783]]
This article examines the differences between '''[[British English|British]]''' (and [[Commonwealth English|Commonwealth]]) '''English and American English''' in the areas of [[vocabulary]], [[spelling]] and [[phonology]]. In particular, it compares standard British (including the accent known as [[Received Pronunciation]], or RP) and standard American speech (this article uses [[Midland American English]], usually perceived to be the least marked American dialect). Grammatical and lexical differences between British and American English are, for the most part, common to all dialects, but there are many regional differences in pronunciation, vocabulary, usage and slang, some subtle, some glaring, some rendering a sentence incomprehensible to a speaker of another variant.
'''[[Count Rumford]]''' (born '''Benjamin Thompson''', 1753&ndash;1814) was an American born soldier, statesman, scientist, inventor and social reformer. He is most famous for his scientific work, publishing over seventy papers mostly related to [[light]], [[heat]], food, and [[cooking]]. During his time in the military, his work with cannons led him to discover that [[friction]] can generate an inexhaustible amount of heat, which challenged the [[caloric theory]] that regarded heat as a substance.


Thompson's other career achievements include attaining the rank of colonel in the British army, being elected a Fellow of the [[Royal Society]] in England in 1779, being knighted by [[King George III]] in 1781, and being ennobled to Count of the [[Holy Roman Empire]] by the Duke of Bavaria in 1792.
American and British English both diverged from a common ancestor, and the evolution of each language is tied to social and cultural factors in each land. Cultural factors can affect one's understanding and enjoyment of language; consider the effect that slang and double entendre have on humour. A joke is simply not funny if the pun upon which it is based can't be understood because the word, expression or cultural icon upon which it is based does not exist in one's variant of English.  
<font size=1>[[Count Rumford|['''more...''']]]</font>
<font size=1>[[British and American English|['''more...''']]]</font>
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Draft of the Week [ about ]

Common wheat, Triticum aestivum Linnaeus

Wheat (various species of the genus Triticum) is a grass with so many important uses that it is cultivated worldwide. Not only is wheat an important crop today, it may well have influenced human history. Wheat was a key factor enabling the emergence of city-based societies at the start of civilization because it was one of the first crops that could be easily cultivated on a large scale, and had the additional advantage of yielding a harvest that provides long-term storage of food.

Globally, wheat is the leading source of vegetable protein in human food, having a higher protein content than either maize (corn) or rice, the other major cereals. In terms of total production tonnages used for food, it is currently second to rice as the main human food crop, and ahead of maize (corn), after allowing for maize's more extensive use in animal feeds. [more...]

New Draft of the Week [ about ]

This article examines the differences between British (and Commonwealth) English and American English in the areas of vocabulary, spelling and phonology. In particular, it compares standard British (including the accent known as Received Pronunciation, or RP) and standard American speech (this article uses Midland American English, usually perceived to be the least marked American dialect). Grammatical and lexical differences between British and American English are, for the most part, common to all dialects, but there are many regional differences in pronunciation, vocabulary, usage and slang, some subtle, some glaring, some rendering a sentence incomprehensible to a speaker of another variant.

American and British English both diverged from a common ancestor, and the evolution of each language is tied to social and cultural factors in each land. Cultural factors can affect one's understanding and enjoyment of language; consider the effect that slang and double entendre have on humour. A joke is simply not funny if the pun upon which it is based can't be understood because the word, expression or cultural icon upon which it is based does not exist in one's variant of English. [more...]

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