One of the executives gathered at the Aspen Institute for a day-long leadership workshop using the works of Shakespeare was discussing the role of Brutus in the death of Julius Caesar. "Brutus was not an honorable man," he said. "He was a traitor (叛徒). And he murdered someone in cold blood." The agreement was that Brutus had acted with cruelty when other options were available to him. He made a bad decision, they said—at least as it was presented by Shakespeare—to take the lead in murdering Julius Caesar. And though one of the executives acknowledged that Brutus had the good of the republic in mind, Caesar was nevertheless his superior. "You have to understand," the executives said, "our policy is to obey the chain of command."

During the last few years, business executives and book writers looking for a new way to advise corporate America have been exploiting Shakespeare's wisdom for profitable ends. None more so than husband and wife team Kenneth and Carol Adelman, well-known advisers to the White House, who started up a training company called "Movers and Shakespeares". They are amateur Shakespeare scholars and Shakespeare lovers, and they have combined their passion and their high level contacts into a management training business. They conduct between 30 and 40 workshops annually, focusing on half a dozen different plays, mostly for corporations, but also for government agencies.

The workshops all take the same form, focusing on a single play as a kind of case study, and using individual scenes as specific lessons. In Julius Caesar , for example, Caesar's sly provocation (狡诈的挑唆) of Brutus to take up arms against Caesar was the basis for a discussion of methods of team building and grass roots organising.

Although neither of the Adelmans is academically trained in literature, the programmes contain plenty of Shakespeare tradition and background. Their workshop on Henry V, for example, includes a helpful explanation of Henry's winning strategy at the Battle of Agincourt. But they do come to the text with a few biases (偏向): their reading of Henry V minimises his misuse of power. Instead, they emphasize the story of the youth who seizes opportunity and becomes a masterful leader. And at the workshop on Caesar, Mr. Adelman had little good to say about Brutus, saying "the noblest Roman of them all" couldn't make his mind up about things.

Many of the participants pointed to very specific elements in the play that they felt to be related. Caesar's pride, which led to his murder, and Brutus's mistakes in leading the traitors after the murder, they said, raise vital questions for anyone serving in a business: when and how do you resist the boss?

Each morning, opening the door to the factory, I was struck by the strong smell of oil and the noises of machines. My college internship at this large plant involved walking through the factory to get to the engineering offices. I tried to get to my office without slipping or getting my high heels stuck in the old wood flooring.

The head of this crowd would shout and blow the whistle so loudly that everyone would hear and laugh. When this type of thing happened, it was just considered "boys will be boys", so managers did nothing though they were aware of all this. This whole situation was humiliating, and I began to hate going to the offices.

After a while, I realized that the man with the whistle delighted in embarrassing the ladies. Out of necessity, my idea was born. One morning, as I walked through the factory door and made my way around the machines, he began to blow his whistle. I stopped and turned to face him, looking him directly in the eyes. Surprised, he stopped the whistle.

Breathing deeply, I said aloud, "I just wanted to tell you that I wish you wouldn't do that. It's very embarrassing. How would you like it if someone did that to you or one of your family members?"

I think I shocked him, and he looked down. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again. We were just having fun. My name is Tom," he said.

I met his gaze but smiled this time. "Let's be friends from now on."

Sure enough, the next morning, Tom smiled and waved. I smiled and waved back. We continued to have this happy exchange for the rest of my internship.

As the coronavirus pandemic (新冠疫情) wears on, one thing is clear: Many of us are turning to pets to help us deal with this challenging time in history.

In fact, as people remain stuck at home, the demand for adopting or fostering pets, particularly dogs, has risen worldwide, from Canada to India. Between March and September 2020, the number of foster pets in U.S. homes increased by 8 percent, according to PetPoint, which collects industry data on pet adoption.

While the health benefits of having a pet are well known – from lowering blood pressure to reducing stress – the relationship is complex, and how pet owners and their pets are coping during lengthy lockdowns (封锁) is an open question.

To find out, researchers in Spain, Israel, and the United Kingdom conducted online surveys of pet owners in their countries. Their studies, published in three separate scientific journals, found that overall our animal friends have provided additional comfort.

But the research also revealed (揭示) some concerning developments: Pandemic restrictions are making pet owners concerned for their pets' well-being. Not only that, but some pets are exhibiting signs of stress, such as increased barking（吠）, fear of loud or sudden noises, and anxiety when at home alone.

In April 2020, Jon Bowen, a behavior consultant (顾问) at the Royal Veterinary College in London, asked 1,297 dog and cat owners in Spain questions about their feelings toward their pets and their animals' recent behavior. Most owners said their pets had provided "substantial support" during the pandemic, yet 62 percent of respondents (调查对象) said they thought their pets' quality of life had decreased. About 41 percent also reported observing behavioral changes in their animals during the pandemic, particularly dogs that had experienced behavioral problems in the past.

Plenty of research shows that dogs have emotions and can absorb what their owners are feeling – particularly if an owner is emotionally dependent on them, says Bowen, whose study appeared in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior in May 2020.