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Word of the Day: globalization

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Word of the Day: globalization

The word globalization has appeared in 126 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Oct. 22 in the Opinion essay “A Brief History of a Problematic Appetizer” by Ian Urbina:

Most economists agree that globalization has made modern commerce more efficient and products cheaper. But it has also stretched the distance between producers, movers and consumers, making it harder to know whether what you’re consuming is tainted by forced labor or environmental crimes. With ships so far from shore, constantly in transit, crossing countless national jurisdictions, seafood supply chains are especially tough to track because they consist of so many links — fishing boats, refrigeration vessels, cold-storage warehouses, processing plants, packagers, exporters, importers, wholesalers, grocery chains, restaurants and, finally, customers.

Can you correctly use the word globalization in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the “Recommend” button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.

If you want a better idea of how globalization can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.

Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.

The Word of the Day is provided by Vocabulary.com. Learn more and see usage examples across a range of subjects in the Vocabulary.com Dictionary. See every Word of the Day in this column.

Can You Identify These Short Stories Based on Their Plots?

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Can You Identify These Short Stories Based on Their Plots?

Welcome to Lit Trivia, the Book Review’s multiple-choice quiz designed to test your knowledge of literature. This week’s installment asks you to identify the titles and authors of memorable short stories and novellas — based on a simple plot description. The answer section reveals a bit more about the work from articles in the Times archive. After the last question, you’ll find links to the novellas or story collections themselves if you’d like to read (or reread) them.

How Do You Feel When You’re Interrupted?

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How Do You Feel When You’re Interrupted?

If you had to sum up in one word what it feels like to be interrupted, what would it be? Why would you describe the experience that way?

In “Hold That Thought! Here’s Why Being Interrupted Is So Irritating.” Jancee Dunn writes about why we become so mad and what to do about it:

My parents have been married for 60 years. At this point, they’ve worked out most of their issues. But if my father interrupts my mother, her eyes grow unnaturally bright, and she rises up like a cobra.

That’s a sign that she is about to detonate — and our family knows to scatter.

Why is it so annoying when people interrupt? For many of us, it can feel diminishing and condescending, said Maria Venetis, an associate professor of communication at Rutgers University. Sometimes it’s even “enraging,” she added, “because it suggests that my ideas or my participation aren’t valid.”

This feeling is especially familiar to those who experience it more regularly, such as women, who are more frequently interrupted by men.

Interrupters often have more “achieved or ascribed power” and are used to having people quiet down when they want to speak, said Alexandra Solomon, a psychologist at the Family Institute at Northwestern University and the author of “Love Every Day.”

How can you manage interruptions? Experts gave some tips, including speaking up:

Weigh your options, said Elaine Swann, an etiquette expert and the author of “Let Crazy Be Crazy.” Ask yourself whether you should speak up or let the interruption slide, she said.

If you decide to cut in, Swann suggested “lifting your hand up ever so slightly and saying, ‘Hold on, I’d like to finish my thought.’”

You can also consider having a conversation with someone who interrupts you a lot:

Explore the root cause of the problem, Dr. Solomon said. Ask each other questions like: How would you describe our conversation patterns? How did people have discussions in your family growing up? How do you feel when you’re interrupted?

And, if you’re the interrupter, examine your behaviors:

Watch your listener for cues, Dr. Solomon said. Does the person look impatient or disengaged? If you read a transcript of the conversation, she said, are the two of you speaking for roughly the same amount of time?

That’s what you should aim for, Dr. Solomon said. “We tend to want our conversations to feel like a tennis game, with a lot of back and forth,” she said.

Students, read the entire article and then respond to the following:

  • Ms. Dunn gives several reasons that being interrupted can feel so irritating. Which ones resonate with you and why?

  • How do you typically react when you’re interrupted? Do you speak up? Do you explode in anger? Do you become annoyed and disengage from the conversation? Is this a behavior you’d like to change?

  • What strategies, if any, have you used to deal with interruptions and make sure you’re heard? Which of the suggestions from the article might you like to try?

  • Do you tend to interrupt others? Why do you think that is? How can you make sure your conversations are more equal?

  • To what extent do you think identity plays a role in who interrupts and who is interrupted? Ms. Dunn says that women are interrupted more by men and that interrupters are more likely to be people with power. Is this true in your experience? Why do you think that is? How does it make you feel?

  • Is interrupting always rude? In this guest essay from 2021, a linguistics professor argues that sometimes it’s acceptable. What do you think? Are there some cases when it’s OK to interject? If so, when, and why?

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.

Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.

Word of the Day: quackery

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Word of the Day: quackery

The word quackery has appeared in four articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Aug. 15 in the book review “A Reason to Cheer for Cells and the Viruses That Feed on Them” by Alex Johnson:

In the 1910s, more than a decade before the discovery of penicillin, the self-fashioned microbiologist Felix d’Herelle was growing diarrhea-inducing bacteria in his lab. A scientist of few credentials and uncertain birth — no one knows if he was French, Belgian or Canadian — d’Herelle hoped to start an epidemic of the runs among a plague of locusts in Mexico and thus kill them off.

While cultivating his deadly microbial soup, he noticed something strange. A mysterious entity had left holes in one of his thin films of bacteria. He took samples from within the holes, spread them on other plates of bacteria and got the same effect. More holes! He knew he had something, but what was it? The culprit, it would later turn out, was a phage, a kind of virus that “eats” bacteria.

… In the hands of d’Herelle and others, the phage became a potent tool in the fight against cholera. But, in the 1940s, when the discovery of the methods to produce penicillin at an industrial scale led to the “antibiotic era,” phage therapy came to be seen as quackery in Europe and America, in part, Ireland suggests, because antibiotics, unlike phages, fit the mold of capitalist society.

Can you correctly use the word quackery in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the “Recommend” button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.

If you want a better idea of how quackery can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.

What’s Going On in This Picture? | Nov. 27, 2023

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What’s Going On in This Picture? | Nov. 27, 2023

Note: Comments are open for student responses. Live moderated discussion of this photograph will take place on Monday, Nov. 27.

1. After looking closely at the image above (or at the full-size image), think about these three questions:

2. Next, join the conversation by clicking on the comment button and posting in the box that opens on the right. (Students 13 and older are invited to comment, although teachers of younger students are welcome to post what their students have to say.)

3. After you have posted, try reading back to see what others have said, then respond to someone else by posting another comment. Use the “Reply” button or the @ symbol to address that student directly.

Each Monday, our collaborator, Visual Thinking Strategies, will facilitate a discussion from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern time by paraphrasing comments and linking to responses to help students’ understanding go deeper. You might use their responses as models for your own.

4. On Thursday afternoons, we will reveal at the bottom of this post more information about the photo. How does reading the caption and learning its back story help you see the image differently?

We’ll post more information here on Thursday afternoon. Stay tuned!

More?

• See all images in this series or slide shows of 40 of our favorite images — or 40 more.

• Learn more about this feature in this video, and discover how and why other teachers are using it in their classrooms in our on-demand webinar.

• Find out how teachers can be trained in the Visual Thinking Strategies facilitation method.

Students 13 and older in the United States and the Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

A Newspaper Chain Hired a Dedicated Taylor Swift Reporter. Is It OK if He’s a Swiftie?

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A Newspaper Chain Hired a Dedicated Taylor Swift Reporter. Is It OK if He’s a Swiftie?

Think about the task of reporting on all things Taylor Swift: her music; her business enterprises such as tours, movies and merchandise; her life and the media coverage it receives; and the effect she has on her fans’ lives and on pop culture itself.

What professional experience would make a person well-suited for the job? Should that person know a lot about Taylor Swift, for instance? Should the reporter have a history of being a fan? A critic? A neutral observer? Should whoever gets the job also be well-versed in pop music, celebrity culture or anything else?

Is there anyone in your life who might be good at the job? Is it you?

In “A Dedicated Taylor Swift Reporter Faces Swift Criticism,” Madison Malone Kircher writes about what happened after the newspaper chain Gannett announced that it had hired someone to cover the pop superstar. The article begins:

Everything has changed for Bryan West.

Gannett, the largest newspaper chain in the United States, announced on Monday that Mr. West would fill a much-coveted job as the company’s first-ever Taylor Swift reporter, covering all things related to the international pop sensation for USA Today and Gannett’s network of more than 200 other papers across the country.

But before Mr. West, 35, had the chance to file his first story on his new beat, he was getting criticism from two sides: journalism watchdogs and Ms. Swift’s fans.

The objections started rolling in shortly after Variety broke the news of his hiring on Monday. The article included an interview with Mr. West, which provided newsroom ethicists and Swifties alike with grounds for complaint.

Mr. West, who was formerly a TV news reporter in Phoenix, raised hackles by describing himself as “a fan of Taylor.” That remark caused some journalists to question whether or not he could be unbiased when it came to his new beat. At the same time, the singer’s fans debated whether he was a big enough Swiftie to capture their beloved star. Some people in both camps said the job was better suited to a woman.

In the Variety interview, Mr. West likened himself to a sports reporter in making the case that he could maintain his neutrality. “I would say this position’s no different than being a sports journalist who’s a fan of the home team,” he said. “I just came from Phoenix, and all of the anchors there were wearing Diamondbacks gear; they want the Diamondbacks to win.”

That remark did not sit well with a number of sportswriters, including Frankie de la Cretaz, a Boston-based sports and culture journalist.

“Any sports journalist will tell you the No. 1 rule of sports journalism is no cheering in the press box,” Mx. de la Cretaz, 38, said. “It’s one of the hallmarks of the profession. It’s one of the first things you learn. The idea, of course, being that if you are a fan of the team, that you can’t be an unbiased reporter.”

The article also quotes journalists who weigh in on how they think Mr. West is likely to perform in his new role:

Though critical of Mr. West’s reference to how sports journalists go about their jobs, Mx. de la Cretaz said they had sympathy for Gannett’s splashy hire.

“This is a brutal fan base, and I don’t think there was ever going to be any winning for whoever they hired into this role,” Mx. de la Cretaz said. “Either he doesn’t get respect from the general public because he’s a fan and seen as biased or he doesn’t get respect from the fandom itself because he’s not the right kind of fan.”

Bill Grueskin, a professor and former dean at Columbia Journalism school, said that Mr. West’s passion for his subject could yield fine reporting. He also threw some cold water on Mr. West’s critics within the field.

“I think expecting journalists to completely suspend any kind of personal liking for a pop star or a baseball team is probably unworkable,” he said. “The key is kind of how you go about covering it.”

Students, read the entire article and then tell us:

  • Which, if any, of the various criticisms of Mr. West’s appointment to the position of Taylor Swift reporter do you think are valid?

  • Do you think Gannett made a good choice in hiring Mr. West? Why or why not?

  • What do you think will be the most difficult aspects of the job? What will be the most rewarding?

  • The article quotes a social media post by Benjamin Goggin, an NBC News editor, in which he criticizes Gannett for hiring “a full stan, rather than someone who is capable of being critical of one of the most powerful people in all of pop culture.” Do you think that a fan can be impartial? On the other hand, would someone who isn’t a fan have the expertise to do the job well?

  • If you were a reporter covering a person you admire or a team that you root for, how would you maintain the level of objectivity that is essential to the profession?

  • What do you think of the job of a dedicated Taylor Swift reporter? Is there anyone else you think newspapers should devote such resources to? If so, who, and why? If not, why not?

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.

Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.

Building Character and Life Skills Through Sports

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Building Character and Life Skills Through Sports

On 28 October, the rugby world came to a standstill as an epic battle played out between South Africa and New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup final at the Stade de France. The Boks, as the South African team is fondly known, came out victorious. Simultaneously, the eyes of the cricket world are on India as the race for glory to lift the ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy continues. Sports, regardless of country and code, has long been a unifier of people, but in sports, lies the dreams and potential for young people to become global sports stars and heroes.  In this article, we will explore how sports can positively impact the youth, helping them grow into well-rounded, productive members of society.

The Power of Sports

Youth participation in sports offers more than just physical exercise and competition. It’s a powerful tool for building character and life skills that will shape young people into resilient, confident, and successful individuals. From teamwork and discipline to leadership, time management, and life lessons, the benefits of engaging in sports extend far beyond the field, court, or track. Let’s discuss some of these a bit further:

Teamwork and Collaboration 

One of the most prominent lessons young athletes learn is the value of teamwork. Sports require players to work together towards a common goal. This teaches kids the importance of communication, cooperation, and compromise. Through sharing victories and defeats, they develop a strong sense of responsibility toward their teammates, fostering the idea that together they can achieve more than they can individually. 

Discipline and Dedication

Sports instil discipline and dedication in young athletes. Regular practice and adhering to a schedule teach them the importance of commitment and hard work. The ability to set goals and work tirelessly to achieve them becomes a life skill that extends beyond the realm of sports. Whether they aspire to become a professional athlete, go into sports management, be a doctor, or artist, discipline is a trait that will serve them well.

Resilience and Perseverance

In sports, failure is inevitable, but it is through these failures that youth learn resilience and perseverance. They discover that setbacks are a part of life, and success often comes after multiple attempts. This invaluable lesson in resilience prepares them to face challenges with determination and optimism in other aspects of their lives.

Leadership and Responsibility

Many youth sports programmes provide opportunities for young athletes to take on leadership roles. Captaining a team or organising events can instil a sense of responsibility and leadership qualities. These skills can be transferred to school, work, and community involvement, setting a foundation for personal growth and success.

Time Management

Balancing sports, academics, and other responsibilities necessitates effective time management. Young athletes learn to prioritise tasks, meet deadlines, and allocate time for various activities. These skills become essential as they grow older and face increasingly demanding schedules.

Healthy Lifestyle Choices

Youth involvement in sports promotes a healthy lifestyle, teaching them the importance of physical fitness, and nutrition, and also instills a profound sense of self-awareness. Beyond the physical benefits, young athletes learn to appreciate the interconnectedness of their bodies and minds, cultivating a holistic approach to well-being. This understanding fosters habits that extend beyond the playing field, influencing their daily choices in nutrition, sleep, and overall self-care. In essence, sports become a gateway to a lifetime commitment to personal health, paving the way for a flourishing future. In time, this knowledge can help prevent a range of health issues, promoting longevity and a higher quality of life.

Community and Social Skills

Sports often involve interaction with diverse groups of people, fostering an understanding of different cultures, backgrounds, and personalities. As young individuals participate in team activities, they not only forge bonds with teammates but also embrace the rich tapestry of diversity inherent in the sporting world. This exposure to varied backgrounds and perspectives contributes to the development of open-mindedness and empathy. Furthermore, navigating the highs and lows of competition equips them with a robust emotional toolkit, enabling them to navigate the complexities of social interactions with grace and resilience. Young athletes also learn how to handle both victory and defeat graciously, contributing to their emotional intelligence and social skills.

Mental Toughness

Participating in sports encourages the development of mental toughness. Overcoming adversity, staying focused under pressure, and maintaining a positive attitude are skills that will benefit young athletes in their academic and professional pursuits. Young athletes learn to view challenges not as insurmountable obstacles, but as opportunities for growth. Whether facing a formidable opponent, enduring a demanding training regimen, or bouncing back from a defeat, these experiences build a mental fortitude that becomes a valuable asset in academia and the professional arena. The ability to remain composed under pressure, coupled with a positive mindset, emerges as a cornerstone for success in the face of life’s myriad challenges. Engaging in sports can be a life-changing experience for youth. 

Sports offers an array of character-building and life-skill development opportunities that extend beyond the playing field. These skills – teamwork, discipline, resilience, leadership, time management, and more – are crucial for personal growth and success in various aspects of life.

Parents, educators, and community leaders should recognise the profound impact of sports on youth development and encourage its continued integration into the lives of young individuals. By promoting youth sports programmes, we not only nurture future athletes but also cultivate the leaders, achievers, and well-rounded citizens of tomorrow. Sports can indeed be the vehicle through which we mould individuals with the character and skills necessary to thrive in an ever-changing world.

Dog TV

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Dog TV

Use your imagination to write the opening of a short story or poem inspired by this illustration or, describe a memory from your own life that this image makes you think of.

Tell us in the comments, then read the related article to learn more.

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.

Find more Picture Prompts here.

Word of the Day: obfuscation

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Word of the Day: obfuscation

The word obfuscation has appeared in 31 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on June 27 in “At Larry Kramer’s Memorial, a Gathering of Friends and Enemies” by Jacob Bernstein:

Mr. Kramer’s actions were marked by “confrontation, outrageous behavior and insults,” Dr. Fauci said, but they were followed by “insights, rationality, sensitivity, vulnerability, empathy and even humor.” In his view, Mr. Kramer’s “outrageous behavior” was the product of an “unselfish goal” related to “the plight of his people.”

The force of Mr. Kramer’s personality came through in an excerpt from “Larry Kramer in Love and Anger,” an HBO documentary, that was shown at the start of the memorial. One of his pet peeves was the word “epidemic,” which he felt allowed for a jargon-y obfuscation of the AIDS crisis.

“Why can’t anyone say ‘plague’?” Mr. Kramer said.

Can you correctly use the word obfuscation in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the “Recommend” button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.

If you want a better idea of how obfuscation can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.

Students ages 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, can comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff.

The Word of the Day is provided by Vocabulary.com. Learn more and see usage examples across a range of subjects in the Vocabulary.com Dictionary. See every Word of the Day in this column.

Writing Prompts About Food, Family and Culture

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Writing Prompts About Food, Family and Culture

When you think of your cultural or familial traditions, do you think of food? The meals that are part of your holiday celebrations? The special dishes your parents or grandparents have prepared for you? The flavors that remind you of who you are and where you’re from?

Why does food mean so much to us? Here is what one student had to say:

I think cultural food symbolizes identity and culture. Especially with immigrant families, recipes that have been passed down through generations have symbolized a taste of home. I am a first generation American and the majority of my extended family lives 3,000 miles away. The thought of an Irish shepherd’s pie makes me feel safe and nostalgic, reflecting on memories of spending time with my grandparents. Cultural food is a reminder that wherever you go your identity and values follow. — Ella, W.T. Clarke High School, Westbury, N.Y.

How do you celebrate, honor and remember your culture and family through food?

Below, we’ve compiled questions that we’ve published over the years in our writing prompts column to encourage you to reflect on and explore your own food traditions and memories. Use them as writing prompts or as conversation starters.

The links will take you to the original prompts, which include a New York Times article, essay or photo that inspired the question, as well as a comments section in which teenagers from around the world share the foods and traditions that are most meaningful to them.

Food culture, of course, starts in our own families, at our own dinner tables. What is dinnertime like in your household? With this prompt, explore a typical weeknight dinner for 18 families around the world and then tell us about your family’s usual dinner.

Or, in this one, share the most popular dishes you eat at home. Daniel, from Poly High School, says tacos de chorizo is at the top of his family’s list because “it’s something that we grew up with and it’s one of the few foods that everyone in my household loves.”

What special cultural or holiday traditions do you have that involve food? On Lunar New Year, for example, people eat and give fruit as a symbol of luck and prosperity. For Ramadan, Muslims around the world fast, eating each evening after the sun sets and squeezing in a predawn meal before it rises again.

Share how food is a part of a holiday your family or community celebrates.

Are there foods, that, every time you smell, see or taste them, immediately remind you of someone or some place close to your heart?

In this essay, for example, a writer shares how making chickpeas and spinach, or revithia me spanaki, reminds him of his Greek father. And in this piece, a journalist who is Syrian but grew up in the United States writes about what Syrian food means to her.

What foods remind you of the people and places you come from? How does making and eating these dishes help you connect to and preserve your heritage?

Food heritage can be found not only in what we eat but also in how we make it. For example, the smoking method pictured above is one technique that Indigenous cooks and scholars in Canada are reclaiming and popularizing as part of a growing culinary affirmation of identity.

Are there certain types of foods or ways of preparing meals that are specific to your family’s way of life or culture? What does participating in these traditions mean to you?

“The notable cook in my extended family would be my Aunt Tracy,” Chloe from Chicago writes. “I grew up doing homework in her kitchen after school. She would always be making something that made you drool, and have your senses crave it.”

Who are the best chefs in your family? What are your favorite dishes of theirs? What memories do you have of eating the food they make?

Does your culture, religion or family have any rules around food? For example, do you keep kosher or eat halal? Are you vegetarian? Or, is meat so central to your diet and traditions that you would have a hard time giving it up?

Share how your culture influences the way that you eat and whether you ever have gone, or would go, against the way you were raised.

Are large gatherings part of your family traditions? If so, is food involved? Describe your most memorable family gathering and what makes it stand out. What role did food play in the celebration? What did it mean to you?

Here is part of a response by Jack from Hoggard High School, Wilmington, N.C.:

I enjoy large get-togethers because I don’t have any relatives in the United States apart from my immediate family. These get-togethers, therefore, are almost always with other families in the local Chinese community. The community is effectively an extended family when the real relatives are on the other side of the world … The food is always a potluck, with many Chinese dishes coming together to satisfy the hunger for the children and to remind the adults of their home. We always eat together, and I think this is one of the most important things connecting us.

What foods best represent your hometown’s people and culture?

Korean fried chicken in Los Angeles’s Koreatown, paella in Barcelona, mashed taters in Cartersville, Ga., and green chile in New Mexico were just a few of the dishes students shared in response to this prompt.

If someone were to visit your hometown for a day, what foods or restaurants would you recommend? How would these meals help the visitor know you and your community better?

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.

Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.

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