text:
22 September 2023
Five Stowers postdoctoral researchers awarded grants in 2023
Five postdoctoral researchers from four labs received prestigious awards to enhance their research and training.
Read Article
KANSAS CITY, MO—Cells on the move reach forward with lamellipodia and filopodia, cytoplasmic sheets and rods supported by branched networks or tight bundles of actin filaments. Cells without functional lamellipodia are still highly motile but lose their ability to stay on track, report researchers at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in the April 9, 2012, online issue of the Journal of Cell Biology.
Their study provides new insight into cell motility, a complex and integrated process, which, when gone awry, can lead to various disease conditions such as cancer metastasis, birth defects, cardiovascular disease and compromised immune function.
Many cell types migrate through surrounding tissue: nerve cells reaching for their final destination; immune cells on the prowl for intruding pathogens; fibroblast called in to close wounds and stray cancer cells that have escaped the confines of the primary tumor. They all use actin filaments to push at the front by constantly remodeling their actin cytoskeleton.
"Our work demonstrates that an actin-polymerizing factor known as the Arp2/3 complex plays a critical role in the formation of the dendritic array of actin fibers that forms the structural backbone of lamellipodia and helps drive the leading edge of the cell forward," says Stowers Investigator Rong Li, Ph.D., who led the study.
When pure actin polymerizes, elongation is energetically favored over nucleation resulting in long thin filaments. The Arp2/3 complex, which localizes to lamellipodia, was thought to help build the web of actin filaments that shapes lamellipodia by initiating the branching process. "But it had been unclear whether Arp2/3 is actually required for lamellipodia formation and how it would affect cell motility," Li explains.
Unlike previous studies, which had mostly relied on RNA interference to reduce the concentration of functional Arp2/3 complex and had reached conflicting conclusions, Li and her team opted for the genetic disruption of the ARP2/3 complex to determine its function in fibroblast cell motility.
"Our study is the first one to use knock-out mice and differentiated mouse embryonic stem cells to dissect the function of Arp2/3 in fibroblast cell motility," says postdoctoral researcher and lead author Praveen Suraneni, Ph.D. Fibroblasts are very mobile and have become the standard model to study cell motility.
The Stowers researchers derived mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells from animals that lacked the gene encoding the ARPC3 subunit of the Arp2/3 complex and normal control mice and differentiated them into fibroblasts. To get a closer look at the morphology of control and mutant fibroblasts, Suraneni transferred the cells to coverslips at low density.
As soon as the cells had spread out, it became apparent that control fibroblasts sported smooth lamellipodia-like edges, while none of the mutant cells displayed the broad, veil-like protrusions reminiscent of lamellipodia. Instead, they put out spiky protrusions containing parallel actin bundles characteristic of filopodia.
To find out whether the inability to form lamellipodia impacted cells' ability to move, the researchers used a wound healing-assay to test cell motility. Wound healing is one of the main functions of fibroblasts and requires the target-oriented migration of these cells toward the site of injury. When Suraneni mimicked a wound by creating a cell-free gap between confluent layers of either normal or mutant fibroblasts, ARPC-/- cells showed a considerable delay in closing the fissure.
Time-lapse movies that tracked ARPC+/+ and ARPC-/- fibroblasts moving into the open space during the in vitro wound healing assay revealed that ARPC-/- cells moved at roughly the same speed as their wild-type counterparts. The mutant cells' failure to close the wound efficiently, was explained when Suraneni found, much to his surprise, that ARPC-/- fibroblasts showed a defect in persistent directional cell migration. In other words, they went nowhere fast.
A chemotaxis assay based on an epidermal growth factor gradient, which normal fibroblasts find irresistible, confirmed that mutant fibroblasts are unable to stay on a straight line even in the presence of a stable directional cue. "It suggests that Arp2/3 complex-mediated lamellipodia extension may be particularly favorable to cell migration processes that require strong directional persistence," says Suraneni.
Li and her team are now planning to look at different cell types derived from ARPC+/+ and ARPC-/- mouse embryonic stem cells. "Different cell types move at different speeds and respond to different cues," explains Li. "We hope to learn more about the mechanisms that drive cell motility in different contexts and whether there is a single, conserved system common to all."
Researchers who also contributed to the work include Boris Rubinstein, Ph.D., Jay R. Unruh, Ph.D., and Michael Durnin, Ph.D., at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and Dorit Hanein, Ph.D., in the Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Program at the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in La Jolla, California.
The work was funded in part by the National Institute for General Medical Sciences.
About the Stowers Institute for Medical Research
The Stowers Institute for Medical Research is a non-profit, basic biomedical research organization dedicated to improving human health by studying the fundamental processes of life. Jim Stowers, founder of American Century Investments, and his wife Virginia opened the Institute in 2000. Since then, the Institute has spent over 800 million dollars in pursuit of its mission.
Currently the Institute is home to over 550 researchers and support personnel; over 20 independent research programs; and more than a dozen technology development and core facilities.
22 September 2023
Five postdoctoral researchers from four labs received prestigious awards to enhance their research and training.
Read Article
21 September 2023
Stowers scientists are discovering new dynamics for genetic elements during development
Read Article
20 September 2023
Q&A with Stowers Postdoc Thelma Chiremba: "My passion for biology, especially learning about development and how the human body works, led me to where I am today."
Read Article
19 September 2023
Stowers scientists explore how ribosome biogenesis regulates nucleolar structure during normal development and in the pathogenesis of disease in mice using models of ribosomopathies
Read Article


text:
Hepatobiliary (Gallbladder) Scan
Your doctor has ordered a hepatobiliary scan. The role of this procedure is to diagnose acute cholecystitis, an obstruction of bile duct, complications from gallbladder surgery or follow up on a liver transplant. Hepatobiliary scan may also be used to evaluate gallbladder dysfunction. Our team of specialized doctors, nurses and technologists is led by Louise Thomson, MD and Alessandro D'Agnolo, MD, co-chiefs of Nuclear Medicine.
Why Choose the S. Mark Taper Foundation Imaging Center for a Hepatobiliary Scan?
Before Arriving for Your Exam
- You can print and fill out the HIDA Scan Questionnaire on our Pre-Registration Questionnaire page before arriving to speed the registration process.
- Your must be fasting four hours before the exam.
- If your doctor gave you an order, please bring it with you.
- We want to make your waiting time as pleasant as possible. Consider bringing your favorite magazine, book or music player to help you pass the time.
- Please leave your jewelry and valuables at home.
After Arriving
- Upon arrival, a technologist will explain your procedure and answer any questions you may have.
During Your Exam
- You will receive an intravenous injection (in your vein) of a tracer dose of radioactive material. The level of radioactivity is extremely low and has no side effects.
- You will be asked to lie flat on your back on an examination table and to remain still.
- Using a special nuclear medicine camera, pictures of your abdomen will be obtained. The camera does not produce any radiation; it simply detects and records the distribution of the radioactive material in your body.
- Depending on the initial scan result, you may be asked to return if needed after three hours and/or 24 hours for a delayed scan to complete the test. It will be done without the re-injection of radioactive material.
- Your scan will take approximately 90 minutes.
After Your Exam
- Your study will be reviewed by an imaging physician specialist and the results sent to your physician. Your physician will discuss these results with you and explain what they mean in relation to your health.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call 310-423-8000.
The S. Mark Taper Foundation Imaging Center provides a full range of advanced imaging, both radiology and cardiology, as well as interventional radiology and interventional tumor (oncology) treatments to the greater Los Angeles area, including Beverly Hills, Encino, Mid-Cities, Sherman Oaks, Silver Lake, Studio City, Toluca Lake and West Hollywood.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Impending free agent Knowshon Morenohopes to stay in Denver, but the Broncos are already bracing for another team to offer a contract they can't match.
Montee Ball has "no idea" if Moreno will be back in 2014, but he's going to use the offseason as preparation for the starter's role.
Harrison: The All-Under-25 Team
Who are the most promising youngsters in the NFL today? Elliot Harrison builds an entire team of emerging stars. **READ**
"I'm going to play a huge role in next year's success," Ball told Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post, "and I'm really looking forward to it."
Ball was drafted No. 58 overall last year to make an immediate contribution as the Broncos' starter. That plan was shelved when Moreno outshined Ball and Ronnie Hillman in basic fundamentals such as ball security and pass protection during preseason action.
The coaching staff witnessed steady improvement from Ball throughout his rookie season. From Week 13 through the Super Bowl, Ball totaled 393 rushing yards (5.4 yards per carry) to Moreno's 375 (3.9 YPC).
While Moreno is more solid in the passing game, Ball has a much higher ceiling as a runner. Football czar John Elway touted the former Wisconsin star as a Terrell Davis clone last May.
In a pass-heavy era, it has taken early-round running backs longer to become established. Look no further than last month's postseason starters such as Moreno, Mark Ingram and Donald Brown.
By next season, Ball will join their ranks.
On the latest edition of the "Around The League Podcast," the guys huddle with Seahawks trio Michael Robinson, Brandon Mebane and Red Bryant before unpacking Cleveland's week of chaos.


text:
Mailing List Sign-Up
Call : (800) 900- 0526
Text / WhatsApp: +14079238285
Text / WhatsApp
This most versatile leg machine performs the two most important leg exercises from one comfortable position. The fully adjustable 7 guage steel cam maximizes range of motion capabilities with a biomechanically- correct seat angle for proper isolation of muscle groups.
Strengthen your quadricep muscles with the leg extension exercise by positioning your legs behind the oversized rollers, firmly grip the handles and lift.. (Leg hold down in storage mount)
To work your glutes and hamstring muscles, pull the oversized pop pin and insert the thigh restraint to a comfortable position, sit down and wrap your legs over the 8" foam rollers, then press down to perform seated leg curl exercises.


text:
|HomeScrewless RangesKnightsBridge 20A 1G DP 230V Screwless Black Nickel Electric Wall Plate Switch with Neon
KnightsBridge 20A 1G DP 230V Screwless Black Nickel Electric Wall Plate Switch with Neon £9.70
The Knightsbridge 20 Amp 1G DP Screwless Black Nickel Switch with Neon is the ideal decorative upgrade for use in the modern home, businesses and hotels. The screwless design features an easy clip on cover with an internal gasket for moisture protection and matching screws. It has an ultra slim profile and is constructed from durable and high temperature resistant thermoset plastic.
20 Amp 1G Double Pole Electric Wall Switch Plate can used for a fixed appliance such as a water heater. A light weight and compact switch with measurements: width 87.5mm and height 87.5mm and minimum mounting depth of 25mm.
Complies to all relevant safety standards and comes with a 15 year manufacturer guarantee and CE marked.
The Screwless Wall Switch is also available in Brushed Chrome, Matt Black, Polished Brass and Polished Chrome.
Seen a lower price elsewhere? Electrical World will do our best to match any price request, simply click below
Loading ...
Loading ...


text:
(visited by Yip-Bannicq Group, Button Zhao, Xu Hongzhi, Xu Ruigong, Tao Bo, Yang Jingyuan and Ray Yip)
16-Jun-2005 -- 40N – 110E Inner Mongolia (Nei Mongol), China
Visit Date: June 16, 2005
This is the 5th point the group visited in Inner Mongolia with four first-time line hunters jointed us.
After a productive meeting at Hohot, the capital in the morning, we headed to Erdos city after lunch for a site visit. The entire drive was about 250 km, with the exception of a 20 km stretch near Baotou (2nd largest city in Inner Mongolia), it was expressway all the way.
This particular point located about 12 km north of Erdos city, and located very near the expressway connecting Baotou to Dong Shen. As luck has it, there was an expressway exit station right at the nearest point on the expressway to this confluence point – about 800 meters from the toll station.
The only minor complication in getting to the point was the expressway exit only went to the " wrong side" of the expressway with no exit to the side where the confluence point located – one-sided expressway exit is very common in China.
We manage to find an underpass in a nearby village and got over to the "right side" of the expressway within 10 minutes. The dirt road after the underpass took us within 150 meters from the point before we abandoned the car. It was entirely feasible to drive to this confluence point.
The first-time hunters were impressed how easy line-hunting could be. One of them, Tao Bo who took part in the first line hunting trip in Inner Mongolia (41N 112E) last year did not do the 10 km death march with the group for lack of proper shoes ended up almost worried to death waiting in the car for 5 hours. This easy hunt made up for her long wait last time.
This particular point located on a grassy desert field, and the only limited agriculture value is for sheep grazing. We had a short visit with the gentleman living in the nearest house from the confluence point.
The entire detour for this ultra easy line hunting exercise took about 30 minutes. We made to Erdos city on time for our appointment.
The village near this confluence point is part of the Er Zi Hao township of Erdos city. Erdos used to be called Dong Shen is the third largest city of Inner Mongolia. The city is famous for the Erdos brand of cashmere – the largest producer of cashmere sweater in the world .
Rating of this hunt:
Degree of Challenge: 1– a short drive off the expressway with 130 meters of walking (1= very easy - drive to the point; to 5= a death march – glad it is over)
Scenery: 2– sandy grass land (Scale: 1= not interesting at all; 5= take your breath away)
Culture-social factors: 2– rural agriculture community of northern China (Scale: 1=dull; 5= most stimulating)


text:
Carolina GOPer says "forced unionization" turned Pa. blue
Pennsylvania is getting a history lesson from South Carolina today.
I guess we don't know our own state that well. All this time, you thought the reason that the Keystone State hasn't gone Republican in a presidential election since the days of big-hair rockers and break dancing -- and that we now have two Democratic senators and a Democratic governor -- was because soccer moms in Montgomery County were tired of anti-choice judicial appointments and global warming denial, because waitresses out in Pittsburgh were sick of waiting for health care, because the culture wars that created so many "Reagan Democrats" a generation ago now had many people exhausted and ready for change.
Silly you -- didn't you realize it was "forced unionization." Let South Carolina Republican Sen. Jim DeMint explain (h/t TPMDC):
"I don't think many Americans are going to agree that the Republican party has become too conservative," he said. "If you look at our record of spending, our record on every issue, the problem I think we have is Americans no longer believe that we believe what we say we do."
DeMint says he isn't worried. He denied that the GOP has become a southern party, attributing Republican losses in the northeast to some northern voters who have left the region and moved south hoping to avoid labor unions and "forced unionization." He said Americans will eventually come back into the Republican fold because of growing alarm about the size of government and President Obama's fiscal policies.
"I think you'll see this next election to be totally different," DeMint predicted. "Pat Toomey, who is running in Pennsylvania, is one of the most maintream Americans I know."
I'm not old enough to remember what exactly "forced " all the unionization in Pennsylvania, whether it was the wonderful conditions in the state's coal mines and the company towns or something to do with the Homestead massacre. Whatever...I don't know how DeMint explains how Barack Obama got so many more votes than John McCain last fall in the entire United States, unless forced unionization now has people moving to China or Mexico.
Seriously, what's in the water, or Kool-aid, that people are drinking down there? Has anyone checked on the supply lines to Fort Sumter lately?


text:
We needed a winter-time rainy day craft project a bit back, so I got out my supplies which always seem to involved unpainted wood. I had these boxes in the craft room (unpainted cigar boxes from Michael's. Actually, everything was from Michael's) and gathered up some unpainted wood shapes and letters (I had these on hand too. I have a craft supply problem, obviously.) and acrylic paint. The girls then added the jewels with Elmer's glue after the boxes had dried.
This was a great project for a few reasons. I actually suggested they stick with only one color per wood item. I normally steer away from giving any direction at all, but with Sadie 6.5 and Delia 4.5—they actually get bummed now when they have a vision of how something should look, but the finished product is not so great. So we talked about it first. We discussed what color they wanted their boxes, what color the letters and the shapes should be, what it would look like inside, that kind of thing. Then it was easy to just have them mix the colors and work in stages. They painted everything and I let them have at it with the glue and the jewels—they figured out right away how little glue was needed. They glued the jewels on for about a hour. It was awesome.
We also made these over 3 days, which was nice. I think it's great for all of us not to be pressured to start and finish projects in one session. They are great at stopping and coming back to it a day later and it stresses me out less when baby does something weird (like eating cat food) knowing we can just stop for the day. Plus, you can only go so far with wet paint, which is good for them to experience.
I suggested lining the boxes with patterned paper and then adding photos. The favorites were chosen, of course. Hello Kitty and Cinderella.
The hair accessories/jewelry/rubber bands go in.
They are really proud if these boxes, it's very cool. They show them off and tell everyone about how they were made. I really like the idea of taking time to make projects to keep. So many craft projects for kids are meant to be disposable. I think it's a balance. I try to keep supplies inexpensive, but to also show that care and time can be used to make something special. Something to keep. Don't get me wrong—I'm all about the quick and dirty projects too, but try to not buy supplies for that kind of thing, instead using stuff from around the house.
I think this would be a great project for boys too, with different colors maybe and possibly not jewels, but other items glued on top. I would love to make more of these with the girls—maybe more map/geological and less bling-y, but I try not to steer too much.
The girls have started geocaching (my crazy generous brother gave me a GPS for Christmas!) and I can imagine some compasses, notebooks, pens, and other items tucked into a custom painted geocaching box, maybe with a handle, too. Have you all gone geocaching? It's crazy fun.


text:
Staffing patterns, which are published in conjunction with the occupational projections, provide detailed information on which occupations are employed in each industry sector/sub-sector (and the reverse). Data is available for the State of Iowa and by Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) region.
Note: For optimal experience we recommend using the Google Chrome browser (download here). For assistance in navigating the Tableau visualization below, visit the Tableau Guide.
Staffing Patterns Data Tool
Current data can be viewed and explored in the Tableau visualization below. The default view shows the detailed (6-digit) occupations most employed within all industries in the State of Iowa. You can narrow this view by first selecting which level of industry you are interested in analyzing with drop-down #2: detailed occupation or major group (sub-sector or sector). When you select a sector (or sub-sector) from drop-down #2, the chart and table will update to show the occupations most frequently employed within that industry. Use drop-down #3 if you want to search occupations differently and/or if you're looking for specific occupations within the industry. The Industries by Occupation tab (accessible at the top of the dashboard) can be used similarly to search for which industries employ a specific occupation. The data is also available in a CSV file. Click the button below to download the file.
Tableau Key


text:
Ur main characteristic is the personalize and kind attention that will make you feel as if you were at home.
The service that you are going to receive is like family homestay because of the safety and friendship that we offer you.
La Casa de Marcela is to satisfy backpackers offering great quality and very good prices. The yummy breakfast is included and we cannot to forget our free salsa lessons and Peruvian Food …
From Arequipa you can hike the second deepest canyon in the World, The Colca Canyon.
See you very soon


text:
Not only are their lives in danger…so is his heart.
Gone Missing by Jami Davenport releases on February 28th!
Amazon — https://amzn.to/2G0nuSn
Apple — http://bit.ly/GoneMissingApple
Nook — http://bit.ly/GoneMissingNook
Kobo — http://bit.ly/GoneMissingKobo
With a missing father, a murderous brother, and a marriage of convenience, Becca Gatlinburg's life is one hot mess…and it's about to get hotter.
After overhearing her brother plotting a murder, Becca is desperate to find out the truth behind her family's business dealings and her father's disappearance. She makes a deal with the devil–a gorgeous, irreverent soldier turned PI. She's in over her head and sinking fast.
The last thing Bronson Warner ever wanted was to be a groom. The second to the last thing he ever wanted was to be a dad. Through a weird twist of fate, he's now both within the span of a few weeks. His solitary life has been turned upside down and stomped on by a wife who's his exact opposite and teenagers who have their own tragic secret, and it's his responsibility to keep them all safe.
As Bronson strives to protect his new family, he realizes not only are their lives in danger, but so is his heart.
About the Author:
USA Today Bestselling Author Jami Davenport writes sexy contemporary and sports romances, including her two new indie endeavors: the Game On in Seattle Series and the Madrona Island Series. Jami's new releases consistently rank in the top fifty on the sports romance and sports genre lists on Amazon, and she has hit the Amazon top hundred authors list in both contemporary romance and genre fiction multiple times. Jami ranked Number Seven on Kobo's Top Ten Most Completed Authors, an honor bestowed on the year's "most engaging" authors based on an average page completion rate by their readers.
Jami lives on a small farm near Puget Sound with her Green Beret-turned-plumber husband, a Newfoundland cross with a tennis ball fetish, a prince disguised as an orange tabby cat, and an opinionated Hanoverian mare.
Jami works in IT for her day job and is a former high school business teacher. She's a lifetime Seahawks and Mariners fan and is waiting for the day professional hockey comes to Seattle. An avid boater, Jami has spent countless hours in the San Juan Islands, a common setting in her books. In her opinion, it's the most beautiful place on earth.
Connect with Jami!
Subscribe to my newsletter to receive a free novel and be notified of new releases, special sales, and contests: http://bit.ly/2T0pkue
Website Address: http://bit.ly/2H1bP67
Twitter Address: @jamidavenport
Facebook Address: http://bit.ly/2XmFD2X
Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2U7M47Q
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2GX64qh


text:
Students in pre-kindergarten through fourth grade
at Ocean City Elementary School recently wrote letters to servicemen and women
overseas to thank them for their dedication and for protecting our country. The
students told the service personnel how proud they were of them and to come
home safely. Above, prekindergarten
students Ryan Ethridge and Abby Yesko give their letters to Janet Betz,
representative of the Elks Club, who sponsored the letter-writing project.
Ocean City Elementary
Students in pre-kindergarten through fourth grade


text:
Kourtney Kardashian has a secret to share about this week's issue of OK! — and it has nothing to do with dieting! Kourtney never spoke to the mag for its "exclusive" and her post-pregnancy body was slimmed via Photoshop.
The Kardashians are closely tied to Life & Style, so much so that the magazine sponsored Kourtney's baby shower, so it seemed odd to see her "Body After Baby" exclusive in the current issue of OK!. It turns out there is something fishy about the cover; Kourtney Tweeted: "One of those weeklies got it wrong again…they didn't have an exclusive with me. And I gained 40 pounds while pregs, not 26...But thanks!"
In addition to concocting quotes from Kourtney, her friends, and her stepfather Bruce Jenner, Kourtney tells Women's Wear Daily, "They doctored and Photoshopped my body to make it look like I have already lost all the weight, which I have not." The cover photo was shot a week after Mason's birth by Albert Michael of StarTracksPhoto.com for the January 11 issue of Life & Style (cover below), which featured a real exclusive with Kardashian. Since the original images were cropped at the belly, WWD speculates that the lower half of her body was drawn in for the OK! cover.
As we've demonstrated, tabloids print outright lies on their covers on a weekly basis, but what makes OK!'s most recent blunder disturbing is that it focuses on how fast a new mom is losing weight. (Related! -Ed.) How much a woman weighs a month after giving birth (or any time) shouldn't be an issue at all, but apparently the editors at OK! consider it important enough to risk getting caught with an obviously fake cover story. Why did the editors bother to claim the story is a Kardashian "exclusive" when they attribute most other cover stories to non-existent "sources"?
Kourtney being Photoshopped to make it appear that she's lost her baby weight faster than is humanly possible is particularly low, considering OK!'s target audience. While occasionally a major news outlets will run stories about major Photoshop scandals, like Newsweek's new gallery of the decade's "most egregious retouching scandals" (which, uh, looks incredibly similar to our Photoshop of Horrors Hall of Shame 2000-2009), the average woman still does not pick up a magazine and think that the cover image bears no relation to reality. OK! editors clearly hoped that moms worried about their own "body after baby" would spot Kourtney's unbelievably slim body while on the checkout line at the supermarket pick up the magazine to learn how she did it. But since women have already learned from other magazine covers to loathe their "bikini bodies" and that they should be wrinkle-free after 40, why not send the message that their bodies aren't good enough mere days after they've brought forth life?
@KourtneyKardash [Twitter]
Fashion Titles See Ad Pages Rise... A Kardashian Reality... [WWD]
Unattainable Beauty [Newsweek]
Earlier: This Week In Tabloids: Angie's Sexcapades On Rubber Sheets, Octomom's Stretchmark-Free Bikini Body
Bogus: The Phoniest Tabloid Stories Of 2009
Photohop Of Horrors Hall Of Shame 2000-2009


text:
U.S. Worker Skills Gap is Real but Reversible
The skills gap is real, and it's a key driver behind the historically high level of structural unemployment in the U.S., a new study says. More than 12 million Americans of working age were unemployed in 2010, yet the nation experienced a shortage of 7 million skilled workers that year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And the situation is not getting any better; that shortage is expected to balloon to 21 million skilled workers by 2020.
A lack of educational achievement sits at the root of the mismatch between jobs and available workers, experts say.
The average education of the American work force is expected to decline over the next 10 years, further widening the gap between the skills demanded by an economy changing at warp speed and the skills possessed by the labor force, according to interviews with approximately 250 North American employers in a study sponsored by The EvoLLLution, an online higher-education newspaper.
The vast majority of midlevel professional jobs in the U.S. – 93 percent – require an associate's degree or higher, yet only 38 percent of working-age Americans have attained that level. This skills deficit will contribute to a decline in the average per capita income during the next 10 years unless more Americans attain the necessary level of education—a level of education that is continuously upgraded over the duration of a career, according to the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.
[10 Job Search Web Sites You Don't Know About]
Businesses recognize this critical need, the study found. Seventy percent said employees need continuous education just to keep pace with the demands of their current jobs. And almost all the employers interviewed (95 percent) said they financially support employee education through various means.
There is clear evidence from the study that employers are willing to reward employees for their educational efforts: Seventy-eight percent of employers said ongoing education has a positive impact on career advancement, and 87 percent said education positively affects compensation and salary.
But employees rarely take advantage of these opportunities, the study found; an employee participation rate of 10 percent in a tuition reimbursement program is considered "very high," according to a study by Bersin and Associates, a research organization. Employers suggested that the most common factor for the low participation rates was poor employee motivation.
"Education gives corporations a way to improve their productivity and reduce costs while also giving employees a way to increase their income and advance within the company," said Amrit Ahluwalia, managing editor of The EvoLLLution. "The question that remains is how to increase corporate and individual participation in professional development education."
Reach BusinessNewsDaily senior writer Ned Smith at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @nedbsmith.We're also on Facebook & Google+.
- 24 Things Not to Put on Your Resume
- 10 Foolish Résumé Mistakes That Could Cost You the Job
- 10 Words That Will Get You a Job
Copyright 2012 BusinessNewsDaily, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
London's tech economy could grow by £12bn over the next decade, creating 46,000 new jobs, new research claims.
The capital's digital economy will grow by 5.1 per cent a year over the next 10 years, according to Oxford Economics, which carried out the research for Mayor Boris Johnson's London & Partners promo organisation ahead of London Technology week, which starts today.
Separate research claims that the tech sector in London, the south east and eastern England, including Oxford and Cambridge, is growing faster than California.
The analysis by South Mountain Economics, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, claims London is a world leader in financial technology, employing more workers in the sector than New York and Silicon Valley.
Johnson said: "Tech Week is a superb opportunity to hail the success of London's tech sector, which despite only being in adolescence already makes a tremendous contribution to our economy and is outperforming our rivals around the globe.
"The tentacles of our digital army now spread to every corner of the capital and far beyond. We forecast that they will generate a whopping £12bn of economic activity and 46,000 new jobs in the capital over the next decade."
Johnson will be joined by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg today as he attempts to woo the hi-tech money and jobs to the capital.
Some 30,000 tech entrepreneurs, investors, business leaders and developers from around the world are expected to attend more than 200 events featuring representatives of companies including Microsoft, Samsung, Google, Eventbrite and Yammer, plus UK success stories like Mind Candy and Hassle.
As the five-day event was launched Swedish online payments firm Klarna confirmed it is setting up a UK headquarters in London, with a £100m investment plan.
A company spokesman said: "London is the natural choice not only because it is a base for growth in the UK, but also because it's a springboard to continued global expansion."
The Mayor of London's office also said that King's College London and the University of Warwick will announce today they intend link up with New York University to create a Centre for Urban Science and Progress in London, which will be based at Canada Water in Docklands from 2018.
Bloomberg said: "Ten years ago, no one thought of New York or London as a competitor to Silicon Valley – but today, more and more tech companies are looking to our cities as places to launch and grow, because they offer such diversity, creative talent, and high quality of life.
"Tech companies thrive on data, and the new Centre for Urban Science and Progress in London will harness the power of data to make London an even better place, just as NYU-CUSP is doing in New York."
London recently became only the second in the world to get its own location-based internet domain address; .london, following in the footsteps of New York, where businesses can now use the address .nyc.
Sign up to the E&T News e-mail to get great stories like this delivered to your inbox every day.


text:
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has suspended its earlier directive on the implementation of cashless policy.
In a circular released on Friday, the apex bank instructed banks to revert to old charges and refund customers who had been debited.
CBN had earlier announced new charges on deposit and withdrawals above a threshold of N500,000.
The apex bank had directed banks to charge 5% and 10% for deposits and withdrawals above N40m in the corporate category.
The bank had fixed 1.5% and 2% for deposits ranging from N500,000 and N1 million in the individual category.
But in the circular signed by Dipo Fatokun, director, banking and payments system department, CBN said the existing policy before the announcement of the new policy shall remain in place in Lagos, Ogun, Kano, Abia, Anambra, Rivers and Abuja.
"You will recall that a directive was issued on the nationwide implementation of the cashless policy vide our circulars with reference numbers BPS/DIR/GEN/CIR/04/001 dated February 21 and BPS/DIR/GEN/CIR/04/002 dated March 16," the circular read.
"Please note that the new withdrawal and deposit processing fee charges above the threshold, as contained in the circulars referenced above, are hereby suspended until further notice. The position of the policy shall now revert to the status quo ante."
The old charges to be reverted to 3% processing fee for withdrawals above N500,000 in the individual category and 5% for withdrawals above N3 million.
"The new policy already applied effective April 1, 2017, as contained in the circulars in the reference above should be reversed and the old charges be applied. All necessary refunds should be made accordingly."
The Cable


text:
+Armageddon (2)
Destroy all lands.
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a doom counter on Armageddon Clock.
At the beginning of your draw step, Armageddon Clock deals damage equal to the number of doom counters on it to each player.
: Remove a doom counter from Armageddon Clock. Any player may activate this ability but only during any upkeep step.
Gatherer works better in the Companion app!


text:
The Volatility Is Risk Myth
If you were to take the essence of most people's beliefs and understanding about investing in common stocks, or the stock market for that matter, and turn it into a movie, I believe it would have to be labeled under the category science fiction. In other words, in my experience, most of what people believe about common stocks or the stock market is predicated more on opinion than on fact. But even more importantly, it is predicated on opinions that are driven by strong emotional responses. Consequently, I believe that what most people feel that they know about investing in stocks is based more on myth than truth.
Perhaps the biggest myth of all is the perception that investing in common stocks is a risky endeavor. Whether you are listening to professional or lay investors alike, it is widely accepted that stocks are a risky asset class. Personally, I have found that the true risk of investing in the equity asset class rests more in the attitudes, beliefs and actions of the investors themselves, than it does with the asset class. In other words, how people think about common stocks is actually often more risky than the common stocks actually are. Unfortunately, most people think investing in stocks is risky; I don't, as long as it's done intelligently and correctly.
At this point, I should add that I am very compassionate regarding how people feel about their investments. I understand that long-term financial security is one of the most important and sacred issues that people must deal with. The fear of not having adequate resources to fund a secure long-term future is very strong. Our financial nest eggs represent our financial security, especially beyond our working years when we no longer work for money, but instead must depend on our money working for us. More simply stated, we cannot afford to lose what we have, and we are therefore justifiably very emotionally attached to our investment portfolios.
With the above in mind, I believe the biggest myth regarding investing in common stocks is that volatility equals risk. Moreover, in recent history, long-established sound and prudent common stock investing practices has given way to academia, more commonly known as Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT). I have explained this by coining the phrase "Ancient Portfolio Reality has been replaced by Modern Portfolio Theory." My point being, that MPT has equated volatility with risk. Fancy mathematical formulas such as R squared, the Sharpe ratio, Correlation Coefficients and beta, etc., are all utilized as determinants of risk based on a measurement of volatility.
However, I intend to argue that the true risk of investing in common stocks relative to their volatility is how investors react to the volatility, rather than the volatility itself. I will illustrate later that volatility will only hurt you if you panic and sell, especially if you're selling a strong business. More often than not, I will demonstrate that this usually causes you to sell a valuable asset for less than it is worth. This is the root idea behind the profound wisdom of Warren Buffett when he advises us to "be greedy when others are fearful, and fearful when others are greedy."
Moreover, it's important to understand that volatility is actually a side effect of one of the most salient features of investing in common stocks - liquidity. Therefore, when I see one of my good businesses fall below its intrinsic value, I see this as a temporary illiquid event. I never see it as losing my money, because I believe and understand that my business is worth more than the market is currently pricing it at.
I believe this because I've calculated the intrinsic value of the business I own based on its ability to generate cash returns on my behalf. I consider this more relevant and important than what an often fickle and irrational market may be temporarily pricing it at. Consequently, instead of panicking and taking an unnecessary loss, my more intelligent reaction is to look for ways to purchase more now that my great business has gone on sale.
All asset classes have their advantages and disadvantages over each other. I have always believed that the two greatest advantages of investing in common stocks were their unlimited profit potential and their liquidity. I've always preferred investing as an owner over behaving as a loaner. In other words, I prefer an equity interest in a good business over lending my money at interest.
Never Fear a Recession Again
At this point, I would like to focus the reader's attention on the fact that this article is primarily dealing with the volatility risk aspect of investing in common stocks. The unavoidable volatility of stock prices elicits strong emotional responses in people, perhaps more than any other of the myriad risk factors associated with investing. Of course, I'm referring to the primary emotional responses fear and greed. Although both of these can create extreme damage to a person's portfolio, I contend that fear is the most powerful and dangerous. Moreover, nothing elicits fear in the minds of investors more than the dreaded "R" word - Recession. When the prices of the stocks in their portfolios are dropping like a stone when in the throes of a recession, fear will quickly turn to panic. When panic sets in, terrible mistakes are usually made.
All of my remarks thus far are offered as a prelude supporting my thesis that if you invest in the stocks of the world's leading brands, you would never need to fear a recession again. This is predicated on the simple reality that a company does not become a world's leading brand without achieving a high level of business success. Therefore, the companies behind leading brands are almost by definition strong and reliable businesses to invest in. I would also like to remind the reader about my positioning statement in my opening paragraph which suggested that most people's views about the stock market are founded on opinion rather than fact. Therefore, it is only appropriate that I present facts to support my thesis.
The first fact regarding a recession is that recessions do not imply the end of our economic well-being as we know it. Instead, recessions are temporary interruptions in the business cycle that although difficult to experience, usually end within two years and are followed by strong recoveries. Here are some facts regarding the recessions in the United States according to the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). Since 1854, there have been 33 recessions averaging approximately 17.5 months in duration. Since 1980 we have had 5 recessions. What follows is a list of the dates of each and the number of months that each lasted:
January 1980 to July 1980, 6 months;
July 1981 to November 1982, 17 months;
July 1990 to March 1991, 8 months;
March 2001 to November 2001, 8 months;
Finally,the Great Recession from December 2007 to June of 2009, 18 months.
I think it is also appropriate to point out that our last recession, commonly referred to as the Great Recession, was one of the most severe on record. Furthermore, due to its severity and how recent it was, its memory remains very vividly in our minds. In fact, this recession was so severe, that even after four years of recovery, there are many people who are unfortunately still suffering emotionally from its effects. But even more importantly, and as it specifically relates to this article, there were and even continue to be, numerous horror stories told about how people lost their life savings and had their retirements ruined by the declines of their stock portfolios because of the Great Recession.
But even sadder yet, at least to my way of thinking, is how all the negative thinking associated with this catastrophic event has caused people to flee and/or avoid investing in America's greatest businesses. But worse yet, the extreme fear that the Great Recession created caused more damage to people's portfolios and financial futures than the Great Recession did itself. Fear caused so many investors to sell their stocks at precisely a time that the opportunity for investing in them was the greatest. Consequently, unnecessary losses that devastated so many people's retirement portfolios should never have occurred.
The antidote to keep these things from happening is knowledge leading to decisions based on facts instead of emotion. Knowledge is power, and what follows is a series of factual information regarding how the stocks of 11 of the world's leading brands fared during the Great Recession. But more importantly, this leads to an important and critical lesson about successfully investing in common stocks. The lesson is to focus more on the business behind the stock and less on the volatility of its share price. Learn to do this, and investing in common stocks becomes more intelligent, less risky and more profitable.
11 of the World's Leading Brands
The following portfolio review lists 11 large-cap multinational companies each representing a world's leading brand. All of these companies are established large-cap companies that pay a dividend. Furthermore, I believe that each of these leading brand companies are worthy of investing in, however, only when they can be purchased at sound valuations. Unfortunately, I believe that 6 of these 11 companies are currently too pricey to buy today (purple highlights on graph). On the other hand, I feel that only Nike (NKE) is so overvalued that it should be sold.
One of the valuation criteria that I personally rely on, is an earnings yield of 6% or higher, and the higher the better. Consequently, there are several names on this list that I believe are also currently buyable; the ones with an earnings yield about 6%. However, this article is not about whether any of these should be bought or sold today. Instead, it is about how they fared through the Great Recession of 2008. I believe these world's leading brands offer valuable lessons about investing in blue-chip stocks.
Next I will individually review each of these 11 world's leading brand companies through the lens of F.A.S.T. Graphs™, the fundamentals analyzer software tool. I will examine the timeframe 2007, one year prior to the recession, to current time. My primary goal is to focus the reader's attention on how well each of these blue-chip leading brands companies performed as businesses prior to, through and after the Great Recession. If you focus on the earnings (the orange line on each graph) of each of these great businesses, you will see that there was very little damage inflicted by the Great Recession. Only three of them, Disney (DIS), Coca-Cola (KO) and Microsoft (MSFT) experienced a very modest decline in earnings, but in all cases business interruption was very minor.
In order to get the maximum benefit out of each of the individual F.A.S.T. Graphs™, a few words of explanation as to what you're looking at are in order. The first graph plots operating earnings (the orange line) which also represents the intrinsic value of the company. The green shaded area represents a mountain chart of all the earnings, and the pink line plots the company's dividends over this time. The key take away from the first graph is to illustrate how strong each of these companies' businesses were prior to, through and after the Great Recession. The pink line plotting dividends simply reinforces the strength underpinning each of these businesses.
With the second graph, monthly closing stock prices (the black line) and the dividends paid out (the blue shaded area) are added to provide a perspective on how truly irrelevant the temporary price drops (price volatility) were. Although some of the price drops are significant on a percentage basis, the reader should also note how quickly they recovered based on the underlying strength of the businesses behind the stock price. I've highlighted the high and low prices in 2008 to illustrate the severity of the price drops during the recession. But the reader should also note that each of these companies is trading at new all-time highs currently.
The performance graph associated with the 2007 to current time period illustrate how good an investment each of these world's top brand companies were even during the recession. As long as you didn't sell when the price originally dropped, your long-term rewards were clearly exceptional in each case. Capital appreciation was significantly better than the S&P 500, and no shareholders of any of these great businesses would have experienced a cut in their income. In fact, if these 11 names represented a retirement portfolio, the owner would have actually received an increase in pay each year.
Since a picture is worth 1000 words, I'm going to let the graphs speak for themselves. As you review each company, notice how their earnings held up, which allowed their stock prices to recover even after dropping during the panic of the Great Recession. Also, spend some time reviewing the performance results, taking special note of the dividends paid column. Do this thoroughly, and I believe the only rational conclusion that can be made is that if you own the right businesses, you never have to fear another recession again.
Colgate-Palmolive Co (CL) Est. 1806 – 207 Years
Earnings never missed a beat during the Great Recession. Consequently the company increased its dividend every year.
During the Great Recession the stock price fell from $40.99 to $27.18, a 33.7% drop. Today Colgate trades at an all-time high price of $58.87.
Disney (Walt) Co (DIS) Est. 1923 – 90 Years
Earnings did drop in fiscal 2009, but soon recovered. The company's dividend was temporarily frozen, but began rising again in 2011.
During the Great Recession the stock price fell from $35.02 to $18.60, a 47% drop. This would have only hurt you if you panicked and sold, as Disney currently trades at an all time high of $64.35.
International Business Machines Corp (IBM) Est. 1911 – 102 Years
IBM had one of its best years in recent history during the Great Recession as earnings grew over 25% in fiscal 2008. Regarding IBM's business results, there was no Great Recession.
Inspite of IBM's great operating results, its stock price fell from $130.93 to $69.50 during fiscal 2008 equallying a 47% drop. However, the drop was temporary as IBM currently trades at an all time high of $206.19.
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Est. 1886 – 127 Years
Johnson & Johnson's earnings held up extremely well during the Great Recession with very little impact. Consequently, the company was able to continue increasing its dividend each year.
Johnson & Johnson's stock price did fall from $72.76 to $52.06, representing a temporary 28% drop. However, its stock price did recover and currently trades above its 2008 high.
Coca-Cola Co (KO) Est. 1886 – 127 Years
Coca-Cola's earnings did flatten a little during the Great Recession, but have recovered at an above-average rate ever since. Consequently, Coca-Cola raised its dividend each year.
Coca –Cola's stock price fell from $32.80 to $20.14, representing a 38.6% drop. However, it should be noted that Coca-Cola's stock price was technically overvalued at the beginning of 2008. Nevertheless, the current stock price of $41.42 exceeds its 2008 high. Once again, price volatility would have only hurt those that panicked and sold in spite of Coca-Cola's premium valuation just prior to the recession.
McDonalds Corp (MCD) Est. 1940 – 73 Years
There was no Great Recession for McDonald's business. Nevertheless, McDonald's dividend growth rate in 2008 was lower than normal, perhaps indicating prudent behavior by management.
Interestingly, McDonald's stock price did fall from $67.00 to $45.79, representing a 31.6% drop. However, by looking at the graph it could be argued that this price drop was more related to beginning overvaluation in 2008 than to the Great Recession.
Microsoft Corp (MSFT) Est. 1975 – 38 Years
The Great Recession did impact Microsoft's earnings in fiscal 2009. However, fiscal 2010 and 2011 recovered strongly as they came off of a low base.
Although Microsoft saw its stock price fall over 50%, from $35.96 to $17.50, it could be argued that there were other factors besides the Great Recession involved. First was overvaluation in the fall of calendar year 2007, then we saw an earnings drop in fiscal 2008 as a result of the Great Recession. However, Microsoft's stock price has recovered to $34.99 at the close on June 4, 2013.
Nike Inc (NKE) Est. 1964 – 49 Years
Nike only experienced a flattening of earnings during the Great Recession. Consequently, they were able to raise their dividend each year.
Nike's stock price fell 40% from $35.30 to $21.34 during the Great Recession. However, as the graphic illustrates, emotions towards Nike's stock subsequently went from negative to euphoric.
PepsiCo Inc (PEP) Est. 1965 – 48 Years
PepsiCo also experienced a minor flattening of earnings during the Great Recession. Nevertheless, they still increased their dividend every year.
PepsiCo's stock price fell 38% from $79.79 to $49.74 in 2008, however, note the premium valuation that was on the shares at the time. Nevertheless, they raised their dividend each year, and price is now moving back to its typical premium valuation.
Walgreen Co (WAG) Est. 1901 – 112 Years
Walgreens remained profitable during the Great Recession although growth did slow a bit. Nevertheless, they raised their dividend each year.
Coming into 2008, Walgreen's stock price was significantly overvalued. In calendar year 2008, Walgreen's stock price fell from $39.00 to $21.28, a 45% drop. Nevertheless, Walgreen's continued profitability allowed them to raise their dividend.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT) Est. 1962 – 51 Years
It could be argued that the Great Recession was actually a positive for the world's leading low-cost retailer. Both earnings and dividends increased during the Great Recession as if it never happened.
The strength of Wal-Mart's business even protected it share price. In 2008, Wal-Mart's stock fell from a high of $51.44 to $42.09, representing a modest 18% drop relative to other companies. Consequently, they continued to raise their dividend at a double-digit rate.
Summary and Conclusions
The primary thesis behind this article is that volatility does not necessarily equate to risk. Instead, how a person reacts to volatility is quite often where most of the risk of investing in equities actually rests. Moreover you'll notice that none of these companies cut their dividend, however, Disney did freeze theirs for a couple years. The point being that, retirees depending on these companies for the income they produced would not have been affected by the Great Recession at all in the long run.
The hardest lesson, but also perhaps the most important lesson, is that it's more rational, reliable and profitable to focus more on the business behind the stocks you own than it is to focus on the day-to-day volatility of their prices. Stock prices are often pathological liars, and therefore, decisions based on price movement will often lead investors astray. In other words, a rising price can engender greed causing the investor to buy when they should be selling, and conversely a falling price can engender fear causing the investor to sell when they should be buying.
I also want to point out that it's important to recognize that this article is focused on companies representing some of the world's best brands. As I previously pointed out, this also implies companies that are best-of-breed and/or blue-chip dividend paying stalwarts. In other words, these are the crème de la crème of companies that this article is written about. My point being that not all companies were able to perform as well as these blue-chips did during the Great Recession. However, I also contend that only choosing impeccable companies for your retirement portfolios is a very wise strategy. It's much easier to ride out the storms, when the foundational structures underpinning your portfolios are the strongest available.
On a final note, it's also important to invest in even the best of companies, only when their prices are sound and reflective of economic value. On the other hand, although most of the companies in this group were reasonably priced at the beginning of 2007, a few were actually technically moderately overvalued. Colgate-Palmolive, Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Walgreens were the most overvalued. Johnson & Johnson, McDonald's, Microsoft and Nike were fully valued but not over. Disney, IBM and Wal-Mart were all fairly valued at the beginning of 2007. Nevertheless, each of these companies performed for their shareholders based on the strength of their businesses. Therefore, every company on this list represented equity investments that enabled their owners to sleep well at night, as long as they understood what they owned.
Disclosure: Long CL, JNJ, KO, MCD, MSFT, NKE, PEP at the time of writing.Disclaimer: The opinions in this document are for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell the stocks mentioned or to solicit transactions or clients. Past performance of the companies discussed may not continue and the companies may not achieve the earnings growth as predicted. The information in this document is believed to be accurate, but under no circumstances should a person act upon the information contained within. We do not recommend that anyone act upon any investment information without first consulting an investment advisor as to the suitability of such investments for his specific situation.
This article was written by Chuck Carnevale. If you enjoyed this article, you can read more of his articles here.


text:
Schools: InBrief mid-year census (1997-2020)This mid-year annual statistical publication presents a brief update of tables and charts about NSW schools and students before the release of the major school and students...
NSW stats at a glance: summary of school education statistics (2012-2015)A one page overview of New South Wales education statistics. Data source: Statistical publications. Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation.


text:
Barbara Joy Sue Tin Education Agent
Migration Agent Registration Number: 1463801
Current Status: Registered
Email address: email@example.com
Postal Address: 22 Calida Street
Registration details
Most recent registration started on 18 Jun 2016.
The register of agents was last updated on 20 Oct 2016 01:13:11 PM.
Contact Education Agent
FREE to use for all prospective students
Access to over 1,000 accredited universities and colleges from around the world who are recruiting students – NOW
Last year we helped more than 1 MILLION students from 170 countries find a course, we can help you too.
Let us find the right degree or study abroad program for you: Just provide us with your requirements, we do all the work and match you to the right program.


text:
Sure, the backseats might be a little snug but what if you don't really need back seats? It's hard to imagine a better car to take out on the open road than a Mustang V6 convertible, a car that's fuel efficient, fun and very, very cool.
As we head into the warmer months and the kids are out of school it's time to think "road trip." Here are some picks for great cars and SUVs to take you on the journey. With these cars, the emphasis is on fuel economy, interior comfort and sublime highway cruising.
Google's self-driving car responds reasonably well in real-life traffic situations around Washington, D.C.
|What we want Apple to unveil at WWDC
|Millennials squeezed out of buying a home
|7 traits the rich have in common
|Big Data knows you're sick, tired and depressed
|Your car is a giant computer - and it can be hacked


text:
I want to thank you all for taking the time to comment. You are all wonderful! So, on to the winner. I played eeny meeny miny mo, and the lucky winner is............................
Congrats, Tabitha! Email me your address, and I will get a little goodie package out to you soon.
I will leave you with my take on sketch #51 over at the Sketch This blog. You should stop by and take a look at all the wonderful cards and layouts that the team has come up with. Such eye candy!
Hope you all have a great rest of the week!


text:
Beyonce has to be one of the most admired and desired women in the world. With albums that continuously soar to the top of the charts, pictures that constantly cover magazines and websites around the world, Mrs. Carter's status as a symbol of beauty is certified official like a ref with a whistle.
With one of the most sought after faces in music, it's no wonder that companies have sought her out to promote every beauty product they can dream up from fashion to cosmetics. However, despite having released eight different colognes and perfumes since 2012, Beyonce is in fact allergic to a lot of different kinds. To avoid a reaction, the scents she endorses are chemically altered so that she can wear them.
What can't Beyoncé do? Watch her evolution as a force to be reckoned with, both onstage and onscreen, through XFINITY On Demand™ and xfinity.com/celebrateblacktv – from her early work in "Carmen: A Hip Hopera," to her hilarious turn as Foxxy Cleopatra in "Austin Powers In Goldmember," to the intimate portrait of her life in "Beyoncé: Life is But a Dream."
Get more Facts Of The Day On TheUrbanDaily.com:
Fact Of The Day: Nicki Minaj's Money Used To Be Dirty
Fact Of The Day: Jay-Z's Pen Provides Hits For The Best
Fact of The Day: Who Inspired Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing"?
Fact Of The Day: Beyonce Is Allergic To Most Perfumes…Except Her Own was originally published on theurbandaily.com
23 Atlanta Slang Words And Phrases That Drive The Culture
Who Is QPskiii? Meet Gunna's Muse, P Litty [Photos]
Krayzie Bone 'Fighting For His Life' In LA Hospital, Per Report
Rest In Power: Notable Black Folks Who We've Lost In 2023
Jeezy Files For Divorce From Jeannie Mai
What Is Drake's Son Name? ---- "I Only Love Mahbed & My Momma I'm Sorry" !?!?
The Streets Think Remy Ma Allegedly Cheated On Papoose With A Battle Rapper
Atlanta Seafood & Caribbean Music Festival


text:
The Heartsaver CPR AED Student eBook is the electronic equivalent of the AHA's Heartsaver CPR AED Student Workbook. It offers an alternative to the printed student workbook and is for use by a single student before, during and after the Heartsaver CPR AED Course.
The AHA's eBook Store provides 24/7 access to browse, purchase, view, and download AHA CPR, first aid and advanced cardiovascular care materials. The AHA's eBooks Store supports online access via Internet browser or offline access on mobile devices using the AHA eBooks app or the offline reader, iPublishCentral.
Following are the technical specifications for AHA eBooks:
· Internet Explorer -> Version 9.0 (partial support- some features may not work as expected), version 10.0
and above (full support)
· Mozilla Firefox -> Version 30 and above
· Google Chrome-> Version 35 and above
· Opera-> Version 23 and above
· Mac
· Safari: Version 5.3
· Firefox: Version 18
· Opera: Version 23 and above
NOTE: For full functionality, Flash Version 220.127.116.11 and up
Offline viewing:
PC or Mac:
· To access AHA eBooks offline, first download the iPublishCentral reader from the My Bookshelf page at
http://eBooks.heart.org using an Internet connection and current access rights to the title(s)
· Adobe Air, latest version
iPad app
· Requires iOS 6.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
· Available memory space 500MB and above
Android tablet app
· Android 4.0 or later, access to Google Play Market. Download AHA eBooks free app available through
the Google Play store.
· Available Memory Space 500MB and above
Intended Audience:
Heartsaver courses are intended for are designed for anyone with little or no medical training who needs a course completion card for job, regulatory (e.g., OSHA), or other requirements. These courses can also be taken by anyone who wants to be prepared for an emergency in any setting.


text:
- -40%
Both a visual and physical thrill to play with, watch as the welcoming lips stretch to accommodate your full cock with every thrust. A plethora of pronounced ribs line the realistic vagina, teasing and pleasing you to an explosive orgasm.
*Lifelike vaginal lips and clitoris heighten visual arousal
*Internally textured with pronounced ribs for intensified sensation
*Supple material for supremely realistic and temperature responsive play
*Open ended for suction control and easy cleaning


text:
Amiga Lover
Last Activity: 17 December 2021 16:28
About Me
- About 1time
- Biography
- Im born 1977 i Stockholm.
Living with my 4 year old daughter and my wife in Stockholm.
Got my first Amiga 1991. After that i started my own AmiExpress BBS. 1996 i closed my 2 node BBS.
Today i have a small collection of Amiga Computers and
- Location
- Stockholm / Sweden
- Interests
- Golf and Classic Amiga.
I use my A1200 on a daily basis. My A1200 is equipped with a Blizzard PPC, Indivision AGA, IDE-fix Express and a wireless network card "PCMCIA.
Im also a proud owner off:
Amiga 1200 with Blizzard 1230/50
Amiga 4000/040
- Occupation
- Computer Technician
- Recent donator
- No


text:
Saturday, 12 January 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Serbia's Novak Djokovic at a practice match against Britain's Andy
Murray, 10 January - Reuters
MELBOURNE (Reuters): The sun may be setting on a golden era of men's tennis but Novak Djokovic's star still burns bright as he returns to Melbourne Park in search of a record seventh Australian Open title.
The doubt-stricken player with a dodgy elbow, who exited early from the last two Melbourne tournaments, has since been replaced by the world-beating Djokovic of old.
Yet the Serb also brings a wiser, harder edge after coming through a period of personal and physical anguish, and breaking a two-year drought at the Grand Slams last year.
The same cannot be said for his 'Big Four' cohorts, who have become progressively worn down by injuries and time after dominating the majors for much of the past decade.
A teary-eyed Andy Murray signalled the Australian Open could be his last professional tournament on Friday, with the pain of his right hip proving unbearable.
Grave fitness fears also shadow 32-year-old Rafa Nadal, the 17-times Grand Slam champion, who pulled out of the Brisbane International warm-up with a thigh strain and had his 2018 season cut short by a string of various injuries.
The struggles of Murray and Nadal make the longevity of double-defending champion Roger Federer all the more miraculous, and even at 37, he may still be the best equipped player to derail the Djokovic train.
Yet, with respect to the Swiss master, 20-times Grand Slam champion Federer swiped the last two Melbourne titles while Djokovic was in the doldrums.
Following his wins at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, the top seeded Serb is heavily favoured to seal a third successive Grand Slam title, and reclaim a tournament he has virtually owned throughout his career. Djokovic was only 21 when he upset the defending champion Federer in the 2008 semi-finals, then beat Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets to muscle into a Grand Slam club that had become a duopoly between the Swiss and Nadal.
He has hoisted the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup five times since, including a hat-trick of titles from 2011-13, all roared on by Melbourne's big Serbian community.
The world number one suffered a small hiccup in his preparations, upset by Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut in the semi-finals at the Qatar Open.
But he has the luxury of easing into Melbourne against a qualifier before a possible rematch of the 2008 final against French wildcard Tsonga. On the other side of the draw, sentimentalists will hope third seed Federer and world number two Nadal can grind it out to the semi-finals and reignite the sport's most cherished rivalry.
Others will hope for a long-awaited breakthrough from the next generation, after Federer, Nadal and Djokovic hogged all the Grand Slams last year.
Fourth seed Alexander Zverev might seem the man most likely, having again proved the better of the game's titans with his victory at the season-ending ATP Tour Finals.
However, the 21-year-old talent's quarter-final appearance at the French Open last year is his sole appearance in the last eight at a Grand Slam and he has yet to convince he has the grit and temperament to go the distance in seven matches.


text:
lifted domain
In domain theory, a domain with a new bottom element added. Given a domain D, the lifted domain, lift D contains an element lift d corresponding to each element d in D with the same ordering as in D and a new element bottom which is less than every other element in lift D.In functional languages, a lifted domain can be used to model a constructed type, e.g. the type
data LiftedInt = K Intcontains the values K minint .. K maxint and K bottom, corresponding to the values in Int, and a new value bottom. This denotes the fact that when computing a value v = (K n) the computation of either n or v may fail to terminate yielding the values (K bottom) or bottom respectively. (In LaTeX, a lifted domain or element is indicated by a subscript \perp). See also tuple.
Nearby terms:
LIFIA ♦ LIFO ♦ lifted domain ♦ LIGHT ♦ light client ♦ light-emitting diode
Try this search on Wikipedia, Wiktionary, Google, OneLook.


text:
Literature, North American Mennonite (1960s-2010s)
This article focuses on Mennonite Literature in North America written in English since 1960, with particular emphasis on the rapid development of literature and literary criticism since the 1990s. Two other articles in the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online (GAMEO) address North American Mennonite literature: the first, by Elizabeth Horsch Bender and Harry Loewen, covers the subject through 1950, with an emphasis on the German language roots of Mennonite literature. The second, by Harry Loewen, covers the period from 1950 to 1985. A number of authors who could be added to his account of this period are inserted in this article. Previous articles considered Mennonite authors as well as the representation of Mennonites in literature. Because of the large increase of literature by Mennonite writers, this article will consider only works by authors with a connection to the Mennonite church, either by birth, family, conviction, or close association. The literary production among Mennonite writers in recent years, and the development of a Mennonite literary criticism, has superseded the more general theme of "Mennonites in literature."
Literature from 1960 and before
The publication of Rudy Wiebe's first novel, Peace Shall Destroy Many (1962) has often been cited as the birth of contemporary North American Mennonite literature in English. Wiebe's novel was reviewed favorably in the national press in Canada but earned him the censure of a group of Mennonite Brethren leaders who encouraged him to step down from his position as editor of the Mennonite Brethren Herald. Wiebe was subsequently invited by American Mennonites to teach at Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana, before returning to Canada and a position at the University of Alberta, initiating a cross-border exchange that has characterized contemporary North American Mennonite literary studies.
Several Mennonite writers notably published literary works in English for the general public on Mennonite subjects before Peace Shall Destroy Many. The Trail of the Conestoga (1924) by Mabel Dunham treats the exodus of Mennonites from Pennsylvania to Ontario after the American Revolution. Gordon Friesen's The Flamethrowers (1936), a realist novel set in Kansas, tells the story of a young man who rebels against the restrictions of his Mennonite community. Joseph W. Yoder's Rosanna of the Amish (1940) is based on the story of his mother's life. Meanwhile, Mennonite fiction began to emerge from Herald Press, a Mennonite publisher. Christmas Carol Kauffman, in Not Regina (1948) and Barbara Smucker, in Henry's Red Sea (1955) wrote Mennonite stories for young audiences that also educated the broader community. Several American writers also published first novels with major publishing houses during the 1960s: Elaine Sommers Rich's autobiographical novel for young readers, Hannah Elizabeth, was published by Harper & Row (1964) and Dallas Wiebe's experimental novel, Skyblue the Badass (1969) was published by Doubleday. Warren Kliewer's first volume of poetry, Red Rose and Gray Cowl (1960), along with a series of plays, including "The Summoning of Everyman" (1961), "A Bird in the Bush" (1962), and "The Prodigal Son" (1962) appeared in print during this decade, introducing a prolific career in poetry and drama.
Literature from 1970-1990
Mennonite Literature began to gain momentum on the national scene in Canada during the 1970s. Hildi Froese Tiessen has written about Canadian governmental support of multicultural writers from the 1970s on in Canada, a period during which many Mennonite writers were publishing for the first time. Rudy Wiebe's third novel, The Blue Mountains of China (1970), focused on a Mennonite story, but he won the Governor General's Award for The Temptations of Big Bear (1973) about a famous Aboriginal leader. During this decade Patrick Friesen and Andreas Schroeder emerged as pioneering voices in Canadian Mennonite poetry. Schroeder's The Ozone Minotaur (1969) was followed by several other poetry collections and a novel, The Late Man (1972). Friesen's debut volume, the lands i am (1976), was followed by bluebottle (1978) and The Shunning (1980), adapted for the stage in 1985. The latter two volumes were published by Turnstone Press in Winnipeg, which played a pivotal role in launching Mennonite writers over the next several decades.
In the US during the 1970s, the Mennonite press was still the primary publisher of Mennonite literature. Omar Eby's first work of fiction, Covenant of Despair (1969), inaugurated a long writing career. First novels by Ken Reed, Mennonite Soldier (1975), and Merle Good, Happy as the Grass was Green (1975), and what might be the first attempt at creating a Mennonite literary criticism in John Ruth's slender book, Mennonite Identity and Literary Art (1978), were published. Based on Ruth's Menno Simons lectures at Bethel College in 1976, the full text of this manuscript was first published in Mennonite Life (1977), a magazine that later began to devote an issue to the arts periodically. The 1970s also ushered in two new Mennonite-related periodicals that helped to broaden Mennonite awareness of the literary arts, The Mennonite Mirror (1971-1990) in Canada and Festival Quarterly (1974-1996) in the USA.
The burgeoning interest in cultural diversity and the development of feminist literary criticism in the broader literary culture led to wider opportunities for Mennonite artists to engage readers in representations of their ethnic and cultural heritage during the 1980s, notably increasing the participation of women writers. In Canada, first works by fiction writer Sandra Birdsell, Night Travellers (1982) and The Missing Child (1989), poet and critic di brandt, questions i asked my mother (1987), and poet Sarah Klassen, Journey to Yalta (1988), introduced significant women writers who would go on to have distinguished careers. Al Reimer published his Russian Mennonite novel, My Harp is Turned to Mourning (1985), and Armin Wiebe explored the Low German humor of his Russian Mennonite heritage in a poignant and humorous first novel, The Salvation of Yasch Siemens (1984). Lois Braun's first short story collection, A Stone Watermelon (1986), would be followed by three more in the following decades. Dora Dueck's first novel, Under the Still Standing Sun (1989), explored the experience of Mennonites in Paraguay. In the USA, Good Books offered an alternative to denominational publishing for writers of Mennonite literature, publishing first novels by Sara Stambaugh, I Hear the Reaper's Song (1984), and Levi Miller, Ben's Wayne (1989). Three Mennonite Poets: Jean Janzen, David Waltner-Toews, and Yorifumi Yaguchi (1986) introduced an international trio of writers to American readers. Jean Janzen's first book of poetry, Words for the Silence (1984), debuted the voice of a significant poet whose work would influence Mennonite hymnody as well as literature. Janet Kauffman, experimental novelist and poet, published the first volume in what would become a trilogy. Her Collaborators (1987) features a Mennonite mother and daughter; this family saga is further explored in The Body in Four Parts (1993) and Rot (2000).
Literature in the 1990s
In the 1990s, Mennonite literature in the US received national recognition with the publication of Julia Kasdorf's poetry collection, Sleeping Preacher (1992), winner of the Agnes Lynch Starrett prize of the University of Pittsburgh in 1991, and publication of four of the poems in this collection in The New Yorker. A second collection of poetry by Kasdorf, Eve's Striptease (1998), emphasized women's stories and feminist issues. The 1990s was the first decade in which a significant number of US Mennonite writers were published by literary presses. Jeff Gundy's first volume of poetry, Inquiries (1992), which introduced a prolific new poet and essayist, was soon followed by a second, Flatlands (1995) and a creative nonfiction work, A Community of Memory: My Days with George and Clara (1995), both published by university presses. Three volumes of poetry by Keith Ratzlaff appeared during this decade; Man Under the Pear Tree (1997) won the Anhinga poetry prize. Juanita Brunk's Brief Landing on the Earth's Surface (1996) won the Brittingham Poetry Prize of the University of Wisconsin Press. Jean Janzen published The Upside Down Tree (1992) in Canada and The Snake in the Parsonage (1995) in the USA with Good Books, the same year in which she was awarded an NEA Fellowship.
In Canada, the 1990s introduced an array of strong new voices in fiction that would go on to win awards and solidify the presence of Mennonite writers among Canada's leading novelists. David Bergen's short story collection, Sitting Opposite My Brother (1992), was followed by two novels in this decade: A Year of Lesser (1996) and See the Child (1999). David Elias published two short fiction collections, Crossing the Line (1992) and Places of Grace (1997). Miriam Toews' The Summer of My Amazing Luck (1996) and A Boy of Good Breeding (1998) introduced the writer who would, in the following decade, become the leading Canadian novelist of her generation. Four works of fiction by Sandra Birdsell, including The Chrome Suite (1992) and The Two-Headed Calf (1997), established her presence as a major writer. Rudy Wiebe won the Governor General's Award for fiction a second time with A Discovery of Strangers (1994), another of his novels focused on Aboriginal characters and setting. This novel was followed by the collaboration with Métis author Yvonne Johnson, Stolen Life: The Journey of a Cree Woman (1998). David Walter-Toews, already a prolific writer of nonfiction, published a collection of poetry, The Impossible Uprooting (1995), featuring the persona of "Tante Tina" in a series of dialect poems. Di Brandt published two more collections of poetry and three books of nonfiction, including Dancing Naked (1995), a path-breaking work of feminist Mennonite criticism. Sara Klassen published four poetry collections, including Simone Weil: Songs of Hunger and Love (1999). Barbara Nickel published her first book of poetry, The Gladys Elegies (1997) and a novel for young readers, The Secret Wish of Nannerl Mozart (1996). Karl Schroeder published the first of his highly regarded science fiction novels, The Claus Effect (1997), with David Nickel.
A number of anthologies since 1989 have collected creative work by Mennonite writers and articulated critical frameworks for interpreting it. Liars and Rascals: Mennonite Short Stories, edited by Hildi Froese Tiessen (1989), focuses on Canadian Mennonite short stories. A Cappella: Mennonite Voices in Poetry, edited by Ann Hostetler (2003), brings together poetry by U.S. and Canadian writers. Half in the Sun, edited by Elsie K. Neufeld (2006), focuses on Mennonite Writers from British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest of the USA. Tongue Screws and Testimonies: Poems, Stories, and Essays Inspired by the Martyr's Mirror, edited by Kirsten Eve Beachy (2010), reveals the influence of this seminal Mennonite martyrology on contemporary writers.
Since 1990, six "Mennonite/s Writing" conferences have shaped the critical conversation around Mennonite Literature and Literary Studies and fostered conversation between the writers. The first Mennonite/s Writing conference, focused on Canadian Mennonite/s writing, was held at the University of Waterloo in Ontario. The second conference on American Mennonite Writing was held in 1997 at Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana, and the third, with an international focus, was held at Goshen College in 2002. The fourth conference took place at Bluffton University in 2006, the fifth, with a focus on Mennonite/s Writing in Manitoba, at the University of Winnipeg in 2009, and the sixth at Eastern Mennonite University in 2012. Critical papers, readings, performances, and panels introduced Mennonite writers to each other and have forged a community of discourse that continues into the present. Mennonite literary criticism, which began with the pioneering scholarship of Elizabeth Bender and Harry Loewen, and the complementary narratives of John Ruth and Al Reimer, was fostered here. Kirsten Beachy, Ervin Beck, Jeff Gundy, Ann Hostetler, Julia Spicher Kasdorf, Hildi Froese Tiessen, and Paul Tiessen, among others, have helped to frame the critical conversation in critical papers and selections for conference presentations. Several volumes have appeared as a result of these conferences, including Acts of Concealment: Mennonite/s Writing in Canada, edited by Hildi Froese Tiessen and Peter Hinchcliffe (1992) and Migrant Muses (1998). Selected papers from the conferences have appeared in issues of The Mennonite Quarterly Review, The Conrad Grebel Review, the Journal of Mennonite Studies, and the Journal of the Center for Mennonite Writing.
Literature from 2000 to the Present
Building on this momentum in a period of literary studies increasingly open to multiculturalism, Mennonite literary studies has sustained its place as a critical discipline throughout the first decade of the 21st century, when Mennonite literature has continued to show increasing quality and variety in both Canada and the USA. Fiction continues to be the strongest genre in Canada, with Miriam Toews winning the Governor General's Award for A Complicated Kindness (2004), and critical acclaim for her memoir about her father's suicide, Swing Low (2000), and two subsequent novels, The Flying Troutmans (2008) and Irma Voth (2011), set among Mennonites in Mexico. David Bergen, who published four novels during this decade, won the Scotiabank Giller Prize for The Time in Between (2005). Birdsell's novel The Russländer (2001), published as Katya in the US, the first serious full-length novel about Mennonite women's experience in Russia during the revolution, was a finalist for the Giller Prize. It was followed by two other books, including Children of the Day (2005), based on her parents' Mennonite and Métis marriage. Sarah Klassen published her first short story collection, The Peony Season (2000), as did David Waltner-Toews, One Foot in Heaven (2005). Sarah Klassen brought out a second collection of stories, A Feast of Longing (2007), establishing her commitment to the genre. Darcie Friesen Hossack, Mennonites Don't Dance (2010), and Carrie Snyder, Hair Hat (2004) and The Juliet Stories (2012), are new writers who carry on the strong Mennonite tradition of short story writing. Dora Dueck's second novel, This Hidden Thing (2011), about a Mennonite immigrant girl who worked as a maid in a wealthy home, won the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award for 2011. Rudy Wiebe was made an officer in the Order of Canada in 2000 and his most recent Mennonite Novel, Sweeter than All the World, appeared in 2001. His memoir, Of this Earth: A Boyhood in the Boreal Forest (2006) won the Charles Taylor prize in 2007.
Canadian poetry gained new voices in the new century as well: Melanie Cameron and Carla Funk, whose first books, Holding the Dark (1999) and Blessing the Bones into Light (1999) appeared at the end of the 20th century, published additional collections during the first decade of the 21st. Maurice Mierau published Ending with Music (2002) followed by Fear Not (2008). Robert Martens published ever after and other poems (2009) and Al Rempel published a first collection, understories (2010). New collections by seasoned poets also appeared: di brandt's Now You Care (2003), which takes an ecological focus, was shortlisted for three awards, including the Giller Prize; her essay collection, so this is the world and here i am in it (2007), deepens the ecopoetic conversation and reconsiders her Mennonite roots. Patrick Friesen brought out two new poetry collections, a book of essays, and several CDs. Sarah Klassen produced a new poetry collection, A Curious Beatitude (2006), between her two volumes of short stories. Barbara Nickel published another poetry collection, Domain (2007).
Mennonite fiction published in the USA during this time increased, with several books receiving awards: Evie Miller Yoder's novel Eyes at the Window (2003) was designated a Border's Original Voices Best New Book and Katherine Arnoldi's story collection All Things are Labor (2007) received the Juniper Award from the University of Wisconsin Press. The novels during this decade also represented a greater range in style, from the hyperrealism of Stephen Raleigh Byler's acclaimed novel in stories, Searching for Intruders (2002) to Keith Miller's fantasy novels, The Book of Flying (2004) and The Book on Fire (2009). Bo Caldwell recounts her Mennonite grandparents' journey to China in City of Tranquil Light (2010). Sofia Samatar explores fantasy in Olondria, her first novel forthcoming in 2013. Jessica Penner's novel in stories, Shaken in the Water, was also scheduled for publication in 2013. Several successful works of serial fiction have also appeared in the 2000s, including mysteries by P.L. Gaus and Judy Clemens, and eight science fiction novels by Karl Schroeder.
In the US, established writers Jeff Gundy, Jean Janzen, and Keith Ratzlaff published new poetry collections. Julia Spicher Kasdorf received an NEA Fellowship for poetry and published her third collection, Poetry in America (2011). Jeff Gundy's Deerflies (2003) received the Editions Award and the Nancy Dasher Award, and Spoken Among the Trees (2007) received the Society of Midland Authors Award. In addition, Gundy published a collection of critical essays, Walker in the Fog: On Mennonite Writing (2005). Jean Janzen published a book of essays based on her Menno Simons lectures at Bethel College, Elements of Faithful Writing (2005), in addition to three collections of poems: Tasting the Dust (2000), Piano in the Vineyard (2004), and Paper House (2008). Keith Ratzlaff published Dubious Angels: Poems after Paul Klee (2005) and Then, A Thousand Crows (2009). Poets who published debut collections during this decade include Todd Davis, Ripe (2002), and Rhoda Janzen, Babel's Stair (2006). Davis brought out two additional collections, including The Least of These (2010). The 2000s have also seen the birth of the Cascadia Poetry series after the press published first two books, by Ann Hostetler, Empty Room with Light (2002), and David Wright, A Liturgy for Stones (2003). Since 2005, the poetry series has published ten volumes of poetry by established and new Mennonites poets: Dallas Wiebe, Cheryl Denise, Shari Wagner, Debra Gingerich, Leonard Neufeldt, Esther Yoder Stenson, Suzanne Miller, and Becca J. R. Lachman, and two additional poetry collections by Helen Alderfer and Chris Longenecker.
Drama, Memoir, and Literary Journalism
Drama has been a lesser-known, yet continuous strand in Mennonite literature, from Warren Kliewer's plays of the 1960s and Merle Good's plays of the 1970s. Recently, Canadian playwrights Vern Thiessen and Armin Wiebe and US playwright Doug Reed have brought new energy to the genre. Internationally known, Vern Thiessen has won numerous awards for his plays, including the Governor General's award for playwriting in Canada in 2003; his recent play, Lenin's Embalmers, also produced on Broadway in New York, was nominated for the Governor General's Award for Playwriting in 2011.
Memoir has been of increasing interest to Mennonite writers. In Canada, as previously mentioned, Rudy Wiebe and Miriam Toews have published literary memoirs. In the USA, the prominence of Old Order Amish and plain-dressing sects of Mennonites, and the tourist industry surrounding them, influence the memoir genre. During the 1990s, Good Books published Shirley Kurtz's memoir, Growing Up Plain (1994), predicting the increase of "plain" memoirs in the 21st century. Books such as Rolling Down Black Stockings: A Passage out of the Old Order Mennonite Religion (2005) by Esther Royer Ayers, Growing Up Amish by Ira Wagler (2011), and Why I Left the Amish (2011) by Saloma Miller Furlong appeal to the curiosity of readers who want to know what it was like to live a life within the constraints of a religious and cultural lifestyle. Memoirs have been published by Cascadia books, notably Gerald L. Miller's A Hundred Camels (2009), about his experience as a doctor in Somalia, and Lee Snyder's At Powerline and Diamond Hill (2009), a memoir of her Mennonite upbringing that framed her approach to the presidency of Bluffton University.
A sophisticated approach is taken by Julia Spicher Kasdorf in her collection of autobiographical essays, The Body and The Book: Writing from a Mennonite Life (2001; rpt. 2009) that explores both personal and communal themes, as does Jeff Gundy's collection of essays, Scattering Point: The World in a Mennonite Eye (2003). In a more theological vein, Dawn Ruth Nelson's A Mennonite Woman: Exploring Spiritual Life and Identity (2010) parallels her Mennonite grandmother's life with the author's quest for spirituality among Catholics in Ireland and Mennonites in Eastern Pennsylvania. On the more commercial side, Rhoda Janzen's Mennonite in a Little Black Dress (2009) achieved bestseller status, while causing a stir in her home community of Fresno, California, and inspiring more Mennonites to tell their version of their Mennonite story, such as Rhonda Langley, who self-published Mennonite in Blue Jeans (2012). Rhoda Janzen's second memoir, Does this Church Make Me Look Fat? (2012), probes issues of faith and compares its expression in the Mennonite Brethren of her upbringing and with her current Pentecostal congregation. In Canada, Mary Ann Kirkby self-published her memoir I Am Hutterite (2007), which became a bestseller and was picked up by a publisher (Thomas Nelson 2010). Jean Janzen's Entering the Wild: Essays on Faith and Writing (2012) explores the Mennonite Brethren faith that has sustained her writing. Priscilla Stuckey takes an alternative approach to memoir in Kissed by a Fox (2012), using an ecological and spiritual framework to explore human and animal relationships and their role in physical and spiritual healing. Blush: Mennonite Girl in a Glittering World, was forthcoming in 2013 from Shirley Hershey Showalter, former President of Goshen College, who has been blogging about memoirs since 2009.
Several publications started in the 21st century have followed the pioneering lead of MennoNot (1990-2003) to foster and serve as an outlet for Mennonite literature: Rhubarb Magazine, published by the Mennonite Literary Society of Canada, and the online Journal of the Center for Mennonite Writing at www.mennonitewriting.org.
Current Developments in Mennonite Literature
Although the publishing world in 2013 is changing rapidly, with the digitization of print media, and Mennonites are becoming assimilated into Canadian and US mainstream culture, the literature shows no sign of abating, but rather has developed in quantity, quality, and sophistication. Mennonite writers may not write to re-inscribe Mennonite identity, but rather, write against identity, says Hildi Froese Tiessen in "Homelands, Identity Politics and the Trace: What Remains for the Mennonite Reader?" (MQR 2013), invoking Canadian critic Robert Kroetsch (2013). It is the Mennonite reader, she claims, who will recognize the "trace" of Mennonite faith, community, and cultural values in the work of today's Mennonite writers, several generations removed from the stories of their ancestors.
A survey of Mennonite literary production in North America over the past 50 years or so shows that Mennonite writers have entered the literary mainstream. Nonetheless, their work continues to probe Mennonite historical narratives, faith stories, and communities, often through a critical lens. From its beginnings in the early novels of Rudy Wiebe, contemporary Mennonite literature has also explored the cultural transition that accompanies migration and acculturation. Poetry, in particular, has given voice to those marginalized and silenced within the community, and has tested theological concepts. Characters in recent fiction, such as the novels of David Bergen, may have lost their Mennonite moorings, but not the Anabaptist predisposition to critiquing the world or taking obligations to others seriously. Miriam Toews' characters often find themselves clothed in the habit of community, but when it comes to addressing spiritual malaise or individual suffering, the community is found lacking. Mennonite literature also registers a shift from rural roots and connection with the land to an urban or cosmopolitan setting with its plethora of possibilities and intensification of consumerism and environmental degradation. The relationship of humans to nature has also emerged in the literature, as is evident in the recent poetry of Di Brandt, Todd Davis, Jeff Gundy, and Julia Spicher Kasdorf. The voices of lyric poems are never far from a compassionate witness to life's tensions and contradictions. Recent works such as Carrie Snyder's The Juliet Stories also explore Mennonite service abroad. Earlier works of experimental fiction by Dallas Wiebe and Janet Kauffman are joined by recent works of speculative and fantasy fiction such as the novels of Keith Miller and Sofia Samatar, suggesting possible new directions for Mennonite writers.
See also Literature, North American Mennonite (1950-1985); Literature, Mennonites in -- United States and Canada (English, 1895-1980s); Amish Romance Novels
Selected Bibliography
Beck, Ervin. "Mennonite/s Writing in Canada, updated 2011." Center for Mennonite Writing. Web. 30 December 2012. http://www.mennonitewriting.org/.
Beck, Ervin. "Mennonite/s Writing in the U.S., updated 2011." Center for Mennonite Writing. Web. 30 December 2012. http://www.mennonitewriting.org/
Gundy, Jeff. Walker in the Fog: On Mennonite Writing. Telford, PA: Cascadia, 2004.
Hostetler, Ann. "Afterword: Contemporary Mennonite Poetry in America." In A Cappella: Mennonite Voices in Poetry. Iowa City: Univ. of Iowa Press, 2003: 177-189.
Hostetler, Ann. "Bringing Experience to Consciousness: Reflections on Mennonite Literature, 2004." Journal of Mennonite Studies 23 (2005): 137-150.
Hostetler, Ann. "The Unofficial Voice: The Poetics of Cultural Identity and Contemporary U. S. Mennonite Poetry." Mennonite Quarterly Review 72, no. 4 (October 1998): 511- 528.
Reimer, Al. Mennonite Literary Voices: Past and Present. North Newton, KS: Bethel College, 1993.
Reimer, Douglas. Surplus at the Border: Mennonite Writing in Canada. Winnipeg: Turnstone Press, 2002.
Ruth, John. Mennonite Identity and Literary Art. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1978.
Tiessen, Hildi Froese. "Homelands, Identity Politics, and the Trace: What Remains for the Mennonite Reader?" Mennonite Quarterly Review 87, no. 1 (January 2013): 11-22.
Tiessen, Hildi Froese. "Mennonite/s Writing: State of the Art?" Conrad Grebel Review 26, no. 1 (Winter 2008): 41-49.
Additional Information
This article is based on the original English essay that was written for the Mennonitisches Lexikon (MennLex) and has been made available to GAMEO with permission. The German version of this article will be available at at the MennLex site.
Center for Mennonite Writing website: http://www.mennonitewriting.org/
|Ann Hostetler
|Date Published
|February 2013
Cite This Article
MLA style
Hostetler, Ann. "Literature, North American Mennonite (1960s-2010s)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. February 2013. Web. 29 Sep 2023. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Literature,_North_American_Mennonite_(1960s-2010s)&oldid=170273.
APA style
Hostetler, Ann. (February 2013). Literature, North American Mennonite (1960s-2010s). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 29 September 2023, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Literature,_North_American_Mennonite_(1960s-2010s)&oldid=170273.
©1996-2023 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.