Few great authors spring up overnight. Most work odd jobs while they struggle to create. The Literacy Site shares these stories of the famous before they became famous:

J.D. Salinger. Before breaking onto the literary scene, the author of The Catcher in the Rye and other classics, worked as an entertainment director on a Swedish cruise ship.

Langston Hughes. The would-be poet worked as a busboy at a prestigious Washington, D.C. hotel. One day the well-known poet Vachel Lindsay came to lunch, and Hughes worked up enough courage to show her some of his poems. Lindsay was impressed by his talent and resolved to help get his name out, which led to him being discovered and going on to lead the Harlem Renaissance.

Kurt Vonnegut. The future author of Slaughterhouse-Five and other classics, owned the first Saab dealership in the U.S. He went on to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II, which had a major impact on his subsequent writing.

Shortly after being forced out of Apple Computer, Steve Jobs bought a small computer manufacturer named Pixar.

In 2000, he relocated the company to an abandoned factory. The original plan called for three buildings, with separate offices for computer scientists, animators, and the Pixar executives. Jobs immediately scrapped it. Instead of three buildings, he wanted a single vast space with an atrium at its center.

As Pixar’s Ed Catmull explains, “The philosophy behind this design is that it’s good to put the most important function at the heart of the building. Well, what’s our most important function? It’s the interaction of our employees. That’s why Steve put a big empty space there. He wanted to create an open area for people to always be talking to each other.”

Jobs saw separated offices as a design problem. He shifted the mailboxes to the atrium, then moved the meeting rooms, cafeteria, coffee bar, and gift shop to the center of the building. “The atrium initially might seem like a waste of space,” says director Brad Bird, “But Steve realized that when people run into each other, when they make eye contact, things happen.”

Jobs insisted that the best creations occurred when people from disparate fields were connected, especially in an age of intellectual fragmentation.

The Bank of Canada maintained its overnight rate at 0.25 per cent this morning, a level it considers its effective lower bound. The Bank reiterated what it calls "extraordinary forward guidance" in committing to leaving the overnight rate at 0.25 per cent until slack in the economy is absorbed and inflation sustainably returns to its 2 per cent target. The  Bank projects that will not occur until near the third quarter of 2022.  Of note, the Bank is ending its quantitative easing program of bond purchases and moving into what it terms the reinvestment phase where its Government of Canada bond purchases will be made solely to replace currently maturing bonds. In its statement, the Bank noted that growth in Canada is robust and it expects the economy will grow 5 per cent this year and 4.5 per cent in 2022.  However, shortages of manufacturing inputs and labour are limiting the economy's productive capacity in the short-term, leading to upward pressure on consumer prices. As a result, the Bank expects inflation to remain elevated into next year.

The Bank is currently challenged by the highly abnormal circumstance of an economy that is in many ways booming, from retail spending to the housing market, but one that is also suffering through significant supply side shocks from overwhelmed ports, global factory shutdowns and labour market shortages. The optimal monetary policy for the current environment is far from clear. The Bank's current timetable suggests a rate increase near the end of 2022, but we expect the Bank to take a cautious approach over the next year, carefully watching for signs that elevated inflation is becoming more persistent.

Link:  https://mailchi.mp/bcrea/bank-of-canada-interest-rate-announcement-1rtzggsi0j

For more information, please contact: Gino Pezzani.

Success breeds more success, or so they say. But a study reported in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology seems to suggest that watching other people succeed lowers the motivation to strive for success on your own.

In an experiment, a group of test subjects watched videos of people completing a series of puzzles. Another group was shown videos where the puzzles were not solved, and a third group watched no videos at all. Then the groups were asked to complete similar puzzles themselves.

Subjects who had watched the puzzles get completed actually had the lowest rate of completion. Scientists call this “vicarious goal satiation,” explaining that watching others achieve goals can provide a sense of achievement that drains the motivation to accomplish goals on one’s own. The lesson: to prime yourself for success, focus on what you need to do, and don’t get distracted by others’ efforts - successful or not.

Did you know? A teal pumpkin is a sign that a host will offer treats suitable for anyone who has any food allergies or intolerances. Although the practice originated with trick-or- treaters, it has since spread to harvest festivals, community gatherings, and other autumn celebrations where food is handed out to young children.

If someone has a food allergy or intolerance to the treat on offer, it could ruin the fun for them. So consider having an alternative that anyone can tolerate: colorful pencils, stamps and stickers, costume jewelry and bubbles are all fun choices that anyone can enjoy.

These words from an unknown poet remind me to be thankful on Thanksgiving and all the other days, too.

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times, you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
because it means you've made a difference.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things.

A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.

Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.I love the thought that Thanksgiving is less of a meal and more of a mindset. May your Thanksgiving be filled with friends, family, love and all that is important to you.

At age 16, environmental activist, Jadav Payeng, saw hundreds of dead snakes, the victims of a major drought occurring on Majuli Reserve, the world’s largest river island in India.

Even at such a young age, he knew someone had to do something... then he decided he was that someone.

In 1979, he started planting a tree sapling a day in the barren soil. Over 40 years later, his forest covers 1,390 acres, approximately the size of 15 football stadiums. He had an idea to save Majuli Island from erosion by planting coconut trees that grow straight and, when planted together in close proximity, they protect the soil. In turn, this would not only help India's economy, but also help fight climate change.

He began by planting bamboo and then moved onto other species. At first, planting trees was time consuming, until the trees started providing the seed themselves. 

As his forest grew dense, so did the amount of inhabitants. Soon, the forest was filled with hundreds of species of birds, deer, rhinos and tigers, and even included a herd of elephants straying into his forest three months out of the year.

Payeng’s life began to change in the fall of 2007, when a photojournalist discovered him seeding his forest and wrote an article about him. He soon gained the attention of the Indian government and then the entire country, winning multiple awards for his incredible achievements.

Payeng has now created a man-made forest bigger than New York City’s Central Park.