A lovely native grape has sprung up beside the pokeweed plants at the end of the privacy fence between our driveway and the driveway next door. The grapevines are running along the fence, curling among the blackberry canes and the passionflower vines. Our neighbor installed the fence decades ago, and it isn’t much of a fence anymore. Only a few yards long, falling to ruin, it nevertheless sets a banquet every summer for wildlife. Long before the pears on the ancient backyard tree are ripe, long before the holly berries and the cedar drupes and the acorns are ready to eat, there are pokeberries and blackberries and passion fruit right beside our driveway. Soon there will be wild grapes, too.
Daily Word Challenge
Can you correctly use the word banquet 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 banquet 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.
Katie Chung, 17, fromParamus, N.J.,chose an article from the Style section headlined “What Is a ‘Beige Flag’?” and wrote:
What is a “beige flag”? One person I dated had a knack for reciting random historical facts at the drop of a hat; another had a penchant for organizing their bookshelf by the color of the spines rather than the author’s name. These traits were neither deal breakers nor instant attractions, but rather curious aspects that added individuality to their character: “beige flags.”
What fascinates me most about beige flags is their subjectivity. What may be an endearing quirk to one person could be utterly repellent to another. As I ponder beige flag TikToks and their comment sections, I witness a microcosm of the world’s opinions converging, showcasing the vast spectrum of human perspectives.
But the significance of beige flags extends beyond social media trends. It prompts us to reconsider the rigid expectations we impose on potential partners. In our quest for the perfect match, we tend to focus on red flags, fearing the pitfalls of poor compatibility. But in doing so, we overlook the beauty of embracing our partners’ quirks — the very things that make them unique.
Embracing beige flags means acknowledging that perfection is an elusive ideal, and relationships thrive on cherishing our differences. In an age marked by polarization and categorizing people as good or bad, welcoming the in-between becomes an effective tool for encouraging empathy; if we can extend this acceptance to other aspects of our lives, we can begin fostering a more compassionate society.
By Trena Minudri, Chief Learning Officer at Coursera
The rapid adoption of Generative AI creates an urgent and intense need for organizational agility, with companies using it to retool systems and processes to improve their customer offerings and increase productivity in order to stay competitive. L&D and HR leaders will play a crucial role in building organizational agility and implementing programs to support change and take advantage of growth opportunities created by disruptive forces. This entails swiftly deploying new technologies, adapting to change, and unlocking new talent and skills.
We’re excited to introduce several new content offerings and AI-powered platform innovations to help learning and people leaders develop an agile workforce.
New cutting-edge content and credentials from trusted industry and university leaders
In a world where machines are increasingly capable of producing content at scale without guardrails for quality and accuracy, trusted institutions will play an even more critical role in education and skills development.
We have launched several new short-form content, courses, and credentials from top industry brands, covering a range of in-demand areas, from generative AI, deep learning, augmented and virtual reality, and 5G to cybersecurity, software, and cloud. Selection includes:
We have also launched content in high-demand business topics such as DEI strategy, compliance and safety, Power BI, and Project Management. In addition, our Leadership Academy includes content from over half (11) of the world’s top 20 business schools globally, at a fraction of the cost of MBA or executive leadership programs. Leadership skills such as management, communication, and agility are critical to engage, navigate, and motivate employees amid rapid change. Selection includes:
Introduction to Public Speaking: Learners can hone their skills in realistic environments with Virtual Reality, beginning backstage with speech practice and preparation techniques before delivering their final speech in front of an audience.
New AI-powered innovations for a more personalized and interactive learning and scalable authoring experience
Even though AI has created an increased demand for reskilling, it will be a central part of the solution. AI enables the ability to develop training content at higher quality and lower cost, reduce language barriers using machine translation, and enhance the learning experience by making it more personalized and interactive. We’re thrilled to share new AI-powered tools and features that are currently in development and targeted to launch later this year:
PERSONALIZED JOB-ALIGNED LEARNING – Roll out targeted learning at scale powered by an onboarding flow that captures learner goals to inform the recommendation engine, simplifies role and skill-based discovery to better guide learners, and reduces the burden on the learner to find the right content when they are first getting started.
COURSERA COACH POWERED BY GENERATIVE AI – Learners will have access to a virtual coach that can answer questions and share personalized feedback in real-time. The coach can provide quick video lecture summaries and resources, such as a recommended Clip, to help learners better understand a specific concept. It can also communicate in different languages and for any education level, creating a more inclusive and engaging experience for globally diverse learners.Coursera Coach is powered by generative AI and grounded in our expert content—optimizing learning with trust and confidence.
EXPANDED LANGUAGE ACCESS WITH ML-POWERED TRANSLATIONS – To make the platform more accessible, we are deploying machine learning at scale so learners can take coursework in their own language. By the end of the year, course readings, lecture video subtitles, quizzes, assessments, peer review instructions, and discussion prompts across 2,000+ courses will be translated from English into Spanish, Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Indonesian, and Thai by the end of the year.
AI-ASSISTED COURSE BUILDING POWERED BY GENERATIVE AI– Based on a few simple inputs from a human author, a new set of AI-powered features can auto-generate course content — such as overall course structure, readings, assignments, and glossaries — to help authors dramatically reduce the time and cost of producing high-quality content. Organizations can seamlessly integrate their privately-authored content alongside expert instructors, to create custom credentials faster and at scale.
“In today’s rapidly changing landscape and evolving job market, organizational agility and resilience rely on a strong reskilling and upskilling initiative. The Coursera platform offers personalized, hands-on, and adaptive learning content, empowering employees to practice and master new skills in generative AI, cybersecurity, and other emerging fields. This equips them not only for their current roles but also for future opportunities.”
–Gina Smith, PhD, IDC Research Director, IT Skills for Digital Business Practice
Additional product innovations to benchmark employee engagement:
Learning Hours Dashboard – Measure engagement as a leading indicator of skill development.
Filtering on Organizational Data – Uncover learning trends and gaps within your organization with the ability to filter insights by business unit, geography, or role.
Downloadable Clips Reports – Get granular insights into learning activities for short-form content, including which Clips are most popular and how learners progress from bite-sized content into courses providing deeper skilling.
In today’s dynamic business landscape, leaders are under increasing pressure to navigate fast-changing market forces and achieve more with limited resources. Building an agile and productive workforce is vital to driving business outcomes. We’re looking forward to supporting learning and people leaders across industries with content and innovations that will enable them to play an even more critical role in building talent agility and giving their technology and business counterparts the foundation to achieve new growth and innovation imperatives.
Jack Cole, 16, fromBoca Raton, Fla.writes about playing Wordle, a Times game that gives you six chances to guess a 5-letter word. (If you, too, would like to play, here is a collection of tips and tricks.)
When I first accepted your challenge, I thought you were a refreshing way to start my brain for the day. Well, 648 days later our relationship has, shall we say, evolved. There are days that you and I are as one. When this happens, I enjoy a challenging but solvable puzzle, smile, and move on with my day. Other mornings, you are exceptionally easy, leading me to believe that I am obviously an expert Wordler.
Then there are the other days. Wordle, although you vehemently deny it, I know you are getting sneakier over time. When you used the triple vowel for the unbelievably random word “CACAO,” I gave you the benefit of the doubt. Despite this courtesy, there are the days that you slide in the double consonant words when you know full well people aren’t thinking of two “N’s in “ENNUI.” I mean, that’s not even English! Then, you get downright subversive. For example, “PARER” is a word that may be used outside of a professional kitchen once a year. I fully admit that I threw my (encased) phone at the couch when you told me on guess four that “PAPER” was incorrect. You knew that would ruin people’s days, right?
And the worst part, Wordle, is that I can’t clean out my phone’s history because I’m terrified of losing my 232-day winning streak. Until tomorrow, Wordle!
For right-handed hitters like Judge, the right big toe is the catalyst for rotating the lower half of the body when they swing. Infielder DJ LeMahieu, who broke the sesamoid bone in his right big toe last season and had subsequent ligament damage in his second toe, was severely hampered by the injury. It cost him most of September and all of the postseason — and came with considerable embarrassment.
Daily Word Challenge
Can you correctly use the word subsequent 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 subsequent 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.
If you’re like most people, music is a big part of your life. Whether it’s playing your favourite artist’s song when getting ready for work, or listening to it on your way to work or gym, music elicits memories. And can be the backdrop of many of lives’ beautiful and sad moments. Music is life. It is art. It is a skill and talent that blesses the world and has done so for years. This month, we’re shining the spotlight on a musician Ethan Winer, as he shares his 50-year journey on the stage and with Alison.
Introduction and background
Please tell us about your career as a guitarist.
I’ve been a professional musician for more than 50 years. Like many kids, I started on the violin in the fourth grade, but I really began to enjoy playing music when I picked up the guitar at age sixteen. I loved it so much that I played at least three hours every day after school, and within three or four years I was able to play at a professional level. That led to performing regularly with local bands, and even recording several radio commercials.
Which part of your career stands out most to you and why?
I’ve had many careers, and now at 74 years old, I’m still very active. When I was a teenager I became interested in electronics and built a little AM radio transmitter that let me play records and hear them in my backyard on a portable radio. Later I designed and built audio devices, and owned the largest recording studio in Connecticut. I studied music theory in college, then got into computer programming and had my own successful software company. I’ve written hundreds of technical articles for audio, music, and computer magazines, plus several books, and more recently I owned a company that manufactures acoustic treatment.
Publishing on Alison
What made you decide to create courses on Alison?
I’ve always been interested in education and sharing what I know. So I decided to create a music theory video series to explain everything I learned in two years of music college. It took nine months to create just under three hours of video! Many of the “educational” videos on YouTube ramble on and on, so I always write a script for my videos.
What do you enjoy most about publishing on this platform?
In my case, it was easy to transfer the videos to the Alison platform.
Music is very personal. How do help your students connect with you and their music in your course?
Music may be personal, but music theory is more of a set of facts. There are a lot of facts to learn! But anyone who likes music enough to choose it as a career will hopefully find learning fun rather than a challenge.
Tell us a bit more about your Complete Music Theory course.
My course, Complete Music Theory, covers everything I learned in two years of music college. It covers a lot of ground pretty quickly, so students may need to go through it more than once to digest it all. But spending a week or two with my course beats two years in school and of course, costs a lot less!
Who should take your course?
My Music Theory course will be helpful to anyone who currently plays a musical instrument or sings, or hopes to in the future. As explained in the video’s opening, musicians who play only by ear will find this video useful, as will musicians who read music but wish they understood better the meaning behind the notes they play.
Learning music
Where does your love for all things music come from?
My mother was musical, so we always had classical music records available when I was a child. Then later in my teen years I began to listen to popular music and switched from violin to electric guitar. I still love both, and my own productions often mix classical and pop elements. I’ve also written four pieces for a full orchestra, including a cello concerto, all of which have been performed.
Music is broad- writing, playing, engineering, and more. How does an aspiring musician narrow down which aspect to focus on?
Some people prefer the artistic side of music, such as playing and composing, while others are more interested in the technical aspects of music (and video) production. I happen to enjoy both equally! So just follow your interests.
What skills and qualities make for a great musician?
The most important aspect of mastering a musical instrument is playing the notes accurately and cleanly. Yes, “passion” and “feeling” are important too. But none of that matters if the notes aren’t correct and in tune!
e-Learning in music
How has music changed from when you first played to today?
Music styles change over time, but the basics of music – the theory of melody, harmony, and timing – have been the same for at least three centuries.
What is your take on AI (artificial intelligence) being potentially used to write music?
Some people worry that AI will take jobs away from musicians and composers. That may in fact happen someday! But for now, the composing algorithms I’ve heard fall short of what musically educated humans can do. Further, sampled instruments have been around for a few decades, and have already taken jobs from musicians. But when the budget allows, hiring real musicians to play, for example, a movie score will always sound better than a mockup created with samples.
What are the biggest challenges learners face in learning music?
The most important part of learning music is the same as learning anything else: You have to truly care and want to learn. The type of person who takes a seat at the front of the class and asks questions will always do better than someone who sits in the back and hopes they’re never called on by the teacher. For online courses like ours, you need to be the type of person who looks forward to sitting at the computer and learning, rather than someone who puts it off for as long as possible.
For someone looking to pursue a career in music, what should they do:
a) Excel in
Reading music is important if you intend to play professionally because it’s the most efficient way to get the composer’s notes into the player’s hands. But many great rock and pop musicians can’t read music, and many jazz musicians can read the chords on a lead sheet, but not the melody notes. You’ll never play in an orchestra if you can’t read music, nor is a job in the Tonight Show’s TV band possible. But some of the best players can’t read music at all, and Paul McCartney of The Beatles has stated publicly that he can’t read music. That sure didn’t stop him from writing dozens of amazing songs!
b) Be wary of
LOL, be wary of gig offers that don’t pay any money, but promise valuable “exposure” for your band or singing group.
Last thoughts
Any last words, advice, or wisdom you’d like to share with our learners?
My only advice is to work as hard as you can, knowing that it will pay off in the end. It takes thousands of hours to play any musical instrument at a professional level, and there are no shortcuts. So don’t get discouraged if you still sound like an amateur after only one or two years. If you’re more interested in composing music than mastering an instrument, spend time learning at least the basics of playing the piano. Unlike instruments that can play only single notes, the piano lets you easily try different harmonies.
“The true beauty of music is that it connects people. It carries a message, and we, the musicians, are the messengers.” – Roy Ayers. Ethan’s journey, skill and talent have crossed many borders and are available to each of us if we’ll open our hearts and ears.
Welcome to Lit Trivia, the Book Review’s multiple-choice quiz designed to test your knowledge of books and their authors. This week’s challenge highlights nonfiction books about the American Revolution. After the last question, you’ll find a list with links to the titles highlighted in the quiz.
The Book Review Quiz Bowl appears on the Books page every week with a new topic. Click here for the archive of past quizzes.
Welcome to Lit Trivia, the Book Review’s multiple-choice quiz designed to test your knowledge of books and their authors. This week’s challenge highlights nonfiction books about the American Revolution. After the last question, you’ll find a list with links to the titles highlighted in the quiz.
The Book Review Quiz Bowl appears on the Books page every week with a new topic. Click here for the archive of past quizzes.
When you think of a career path, many of us venture towards familiar choices like doctors, lawyers, teachers, physiotherapists, and other common titles. These are all great because we need professionals in these fields. But how often have you thought you’d make a great professional sleeper? Yes. This is a real job that someone gets paid real money to do. Want to jump in on the unusual job train? Keep reading for our take on how you can a career off the beaten path.
What are careers off the beaten path?
The truth is, there is some (undeserved) stigma attached to careers that don’t quite follow the traditional path. Many people expect high school graduates to go to a university and complete a four-year degree course and become a lawyer, accountant, or something safe. Then there are other careers that are just as credible and provide the stability that’s sought after. And others that may not need a college degree but exist. Some examples of these are:
The list is endless. You can also choose to be a freelancer or venture into entrepreneurship and use your unique set of skills, interests, and abilities to make a career out of it. It depends on whether you’re brave enough to go after the extraordinary and have an interest in doing what others would scoff at.
Taking the off-beaten path
The decision to take the off-beaten path in your career journey can happen when you come out of school and the job in the field you want isn’t coming along. Feeling led to go into a field you weren’t anticipating can feel like a letdown, the money spent on school is going to waste, or you feel uncertain if you can or should do the unorthodox. On the other hand, you’ve been working for years, and you’ve started to feel that something is missing. On paper, you’re winning in every area, but you know you’re made for not just more, but different. Regardless of how you come to this decision, it’s one you should embrace.
Top four reasons to take the unbeaten career path
A career on the unbeaten path is unconventional, but it can also be fun. Here are some reasons why you should consider taking a new route.
It’s thrilling. What could be more exciting than taking a (calculated) risk and doing what many others are scared to do?
You could find gold at the end of the path. There are some jobs that most people won’t do but companies are willing to pay people well to do these jobs.
It’s fun. Find a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life. We’ve heard it said before and it’s true. If you decide to pursue a path that you’re truly interested in, you will enjoy waking up to go to work. Better yet, it won’t even feel like work.
Find fulfilment and purpose. Each one of us wants to feel like what we do serves a purpose and gives meaning to our lives. It could be a hobby, volunteering, and sometimes, your 9-5.
When life happens, as it usually does, and you find yourself at a career crossroads, you have two choices. The first is to fight it and possibly spend years waiting for that career opening in your field. Or you can open yourself to a career track.
Tips to help you navigate the off-beaten path
Unfamiliar. Rare. Atypical. Out of the ordinary. Just how do you navigate these uncommon paths? Below are a few tips on how to make the transition into a career that’s beyond the scope of the conventional career route.
An open mind allows you to not only embrace the change but unearth a hidden skill or talent you didn’t know you had. The world is broad, and we tend to spend our lives focused on what we know. Allow yourself to see what else is out there. Enlarge your vision and discover more of what’s out there and in you.
Following the unbeaten path suggests that there will be twists ad turns and challenges along the way. Go into this new direction expecting changes and be adaptable to what will come.
If you aren’t learning, you aren’t growing. This is true if you are following a traditional career path or not. Show interest in the new career and learn as much as you can about it. Attend meetings, seminars, enrol in courses, upskill yourself, and most importantly, ask lots of questions.
A new career path is as exciting as it is daunting. Know that you won’t figure it all out in the first week, or month. Give yourself time, and patience, to adjust, learn, and figure it out. And because it is new and unconventional, you may not know many people in the space or go anywhere without people asking you 101 questions about why you’re doing what you’re doing. All of this is okay. Be firm and confident in your decision, uncommon as it is.
This is easier said than done. Especially in unpopular territories. But be comforted in knowing that there is someone out there who is doing, has done, or would like to do what you are doing too. find your new tribe, connect, and use this network to grow and enhance your skills and knowledge in this field.
Before jetting off on unchartered career paths, you will find it helpful to assess your personality type, strengths, and weaknesses and find a list of recommended careers that fit your interests and skill set. After completing this assessment, you can narrow down the options to find where you’ll thrive and what you need to get there.
Like the adage, there’s a lid for every pot. Similarly, if there’s a career you can’t imagine anyone ever doing, someone probably is. And if you’re brave enough to make the leap, it could be you.
The word disdainful has appeared in 26 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on May 27 in the book review “My Father the Frustrated Artist” by Christopher Sorrentino:
A career employee with Italy’s state railway, Federì is convinced that he’s financially exploited by his in-laws, stuck with a woman who is “not good enough,” and above all snubbed by a clubby art establishment, which he’s convinced is disdainful of his working-class status and envious of his talent.
Whatever else he may be, Federì is neither delusional about his gifts nor a casual dabbler. (The book’s dust jacket reproduces “The Drinkers,” an impressive painting whose exacting creation by the author’s real-life father is recounted in the text.) It isn’t hard to identify with Federì’s frustration as he’s insulted by critics and peers, excluded from exhibitions, deprived of prizes and ultimately forgotten, his paintings moldering for years on municipal-office walls where they barely register with the bored civil servants working beneath them.
Daily Word Challenge
Can you correctly use the word disdainful 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 disdainful 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.
