【推荐1】When I moved to northern New Jersey in 2012 and took a software test engineering job in midtown Manhattan, I suddenly found myself with an hour-long bus commute. I’d solved newspaper crossword puzzles for many years, but I had little patience and wasn’t very good. So when I started my crosswording again during those long trips, I was determined to become a better solver. However, after noticing that all of The New York Times puzzles had bylines(署名行),I figured, “Why couldn’t one of them be mine?”

I bought crossword construction software and a dictionary of valid crossword puzzle entries. I started with a blank 15×15 grid (网格). After reading, rereading, and more rereading of my puzzle, I decided that it was as good as it was ever going to be. So I sent it off to The Times and anxiously waited for their response. Several weeks later, I received an email from a staffer writing on behalf of editor Will Shortz. His answer was basic,“Thanks, but no thanks.” What’s worse, I received nearly the same rejection from Shortz and his colleagues for the next several puzzles I submitted.

Then I found my way to the Crossword Puzzle Collaboration Directory group on Facebook.In the group I connected with Mark, a more experienced constructor who became my teacher. After making some edits for my 21×21 grid at Mark’s suggestion, I sent the puzzle off to The New York Times. A few months later, I got something new in my inbox: an actual acceptance message from The New York Times! They changed some of the clues to be more straightforward. Anyway, my hard work finally paid off. Naturally, I told all my friends and family to get a copy of the paper on the publication date, March 21,2021.

Now I’ve made a lot in my spare time. Even if constructing a puzzle feels like an impossible task from time to time, it’s probably not. Very few things in life are truly impossible.

【推荐3】In pursuing our dreams, we commonly encounter voices of doubt from those around us. Friends, family, or even strangers may question our ambitions, casting shadows of uncertainty on the path we’ve chosen. However, it’s important to remember that the opinions of others should not define our potential or limit our ambitions.

Shawn Warner, a 58-year-old Texas man, pursued his childhood dream of becoming a writer after being laid off. Despite facing discouragement from others, he published his first book, Leigh Howard and the Ghosts of Simmons-Pierce Manor, last year.

Surprisingly, Shawn’s journey took an unexpected turn—he became a Texas bestselling author when a TikTok video of him selling his book at a grocery store went viral (走红). TikToker Jerrad Swearenjin shot the video of Shawn sitting alone at a table with his books in a Texas Kroger store.

“I was just shopping when I noticed this man trying to promote his new book. I honestly don’t even read books nowadays. But something told me to get a couple. This new author seemed super defeated when I first walked past him. So before I left the store, I decided to go back,” the video text read. The video gained great popularity, with millions of likes and comments, and many people expressing interest in purchasing Shawn’s book.

Swearenjin shared his motivation for approaching Shawn, stating that he wanted to show kindness to a stranger, having experienced a lack of recognition despite working hard in the past.

As the conversation progressed, Shawn’s face lit up with joy when Swearenjin expressed interest in his books and offered support as a local author. He was in shock and struggled to find words to express his appreciation for the unexpected events.

Emotionally moved by the support from people worldwide, Shawn thanked Swearenjin and everyone who had shown kindness and generosity.

【推荐1】After losing an important deal in India, a business negotiator learned that her counterpart (对方) felt as if she had been rushing through the talks. The business negotiator thought she was being efficient with their time. Their cultures have different views on how to conduct negotiations, and in this case, the barrier prevented a successful outcome.

Research shows that deal-making across cultures tends to lead to worse outcomes as compared with negotiations conducted within the same culture. As we know, cultures are characterized by different behaviors, communication styles and norms (准则). Consequently, when negotiating across cultures, we bring different views to the bargaining table, which in turn may result in potential misunderstandings that can lead to a lower likelihood of discovering value-creating solutions.

Cultural conflict in negotiations is linked with the fact that we, at most times, interpret others’ behaviors, values, and beliefs through the lens (透镜) of our own culture. To overcome this, it is important to rescarch the customs and behaviors of different cultures as well as understand why people follow these customs and exhibit these behaviors in the first place.

Just as important, not only do countries have unique cultures, but teams and organizations do too. Before partaking in any negotiation, take the time to study the context and the person on the other side of the bargaining table, including the various cultures to which he belongs, whether the culture of his culture, the culture of engineering, or his particular company’s corporate culture. The more you know about the client, the better off you’ll do in any negotiation.

Therefore, we see the negotiator has learned her Indian counterpart would have appreciated a slower pace with more opportunities for relationship building. She seems to have run into the issue: Using time efficiently in the course of negotiations is generally valued in the United States, but in India, there’s often a greater focus on building relationships early in the process. By doing research on the clients’ cultures, they can adjust their negotiation method and give themselves a better chance of creating a valuable negotiation experience for both themselves and their counterpart.

【推荐2】An elderly man from a remote village deep in mountains became well-known nationwide for building a canal to bring water to local residents. The man, 85-year-old Huang Dafa, has lived his entire life in Caowangba village in Zunyi, Guizhou province.

For 36 years, he dedicated himself to one thing—leading villagers to create and then maintain a 9.4-kilometer-long “life canal" to bring fresh water to the village. With the irrigation channel in place, people in Caowangba finally had sufficient drinking water and could irrigate rice and other crops, boosting their incomes and improving their quality of life. The channel is named the “Dafa Canal” in Huang's honor.

Huang has been dubbed the modern “Yu Gong”, a figure in China's folklore. Like Yu Gong, his persistence also made the impossible possible. In 1959, Huang became a leader in the village. “I decided to do three things for the villagers: bring water to the village, build a road and provide access to electricity,” Huang said, recalling his early days. He found that a village near Caowangba had water to spare, but the problem was that a mountain lay between them. Nevertheless, he took on the task.

Things did not go well at first. After more than 10 years, water remained a pipe dream. Although some people said that Caowangba would never get access to water, Huang never lost hope. At the age of 53, he started to study water conservancy technology on his own. After three years, with his newfound knowledge and persistence, he raised money from the local government and had 200 people dig the canal. Their work paid off in 1995 when water finally rushed into Caowangba. The same year, the village gained access to electricity, and a new road was built. All three projects were overseen by Huang.

Huang's efforts won him the titles of “National Model Worker” and “Model of the Times” in 202l.