Bird Flu Prompts Del. to Kill Chickens (AP)

Grok Headline matches for Bird Flu Prompts Del. to Kill Chickens (AP)

BIRD BY
BIRD

BIRD BY
BIRD 08/02/2004 03:38 PM

The best thing about Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing & Life is, even when the thought of sitting down and writing is about as appealing to you as root canal work, she inspires you to want to write. That alone is worth the investment. The book is full of mostly well-established wisdom about the art of writing, but it's written intelligently and with great humour and passion. She really practices what she preaches. She takes you through the standard rules: Write every day at the same time, always write something each day, no matter how brief, or how hard it is; break the job into manageable tasks ("take it bird by bird"); start with short assignments and "shitty first drafts" that just get everything down, and edit later; avoid perfectionism; write about what you know; use your own authentic voice and style; use index cards as reminders, phone friends and experts to get background material you need quickly and authentically, and use writing groups and trusted readers to keep you going and honest. She explains how to deal with writer's block, agents, publishers, and jealousy of other (successful but clearly inferior) writers. What I liked best about the book were some of the humbler, lesser known rules of good writing: Stories tell themselves through you, so it's critical to find means to silence the noise in your head and let them come out Flawed, hopeful narrators are great voices, and points of view, from which to tell your story Plot need be nothing more than the discovery of what each of your characters cares about, revealed vividly and continuously Characters must show strength or courage to be sympathetic Dialogue must be authentic and individual, yet concise and fast-moving Good writers must be observant, reverent, and even startled by life and its lessons Great stories are about great truths, things the writer cares passionately about that come out in the writing: "To be a good writer you not only have to write a great deal, but you have to care." You must trust yourself and your intuition, especially with first drafts, not self-criticize and second guess every step You have to give the best you have always, not save it up for the next story Writers have a duty to the reader to be honest, to make things clearer, to help heal readers' "gaping wounds and dazed expressions", to soothe The book includes an extraordinary 2-page story by the author that illustrates these and other points: It is charming, heartbreaking, full of surprises, imbued with the author's great love for two very special characters, imbued as well with a bit of wonderful, spare, dialogue, some stunning imagery and an improbable analogy. But mostly, the story moves, and in so doing it takes the reader along for the ride. Until you can read Bird by Bird for yourself, here are two quotes by other accomplished writers about the art of writing: "The greatest writing is done on the edge of what you know and what you don't know." -- Beth Nielsen Chapman "The skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can think." -- Edwin Schlossberg

TDD for ADD and Chickens

TDD for ADD and Chickens 07/07/2004 01:08 AM

I like holding amusing thoughts.  Here is one.  Suppose you are incredibly talented and creative but you have the attention span of a chicken.  And you have to cross a road to, well, get to the other side.  TDD helps you do that by laying down a line of green beans across the road.

In midst of my first TDD run, I paused a little too long and ended up refactoring a little too wide and too deep.  Although the extent of the changes I made were about what I am used in non-TDD refactoring sessions, I immediately lost track of what I was doing.  It was as if I ran though several areas of Quake and getting overwhelmed instead of clearing one area and one monster at a time.Restoring the green bar took a while and the fun/beat/rhythm dropped.  Once back in safe territory, I kept each step small and the fun was back.

Fishing changes set bird on bird

Fishing changes set bird on bird 02/18/2004 01:31 PM
Drops in the number of fish thrown back by fisherman forces a scavenging seabird to prey on fellow birds, scientists say.

Robot Chickens and Other Forms of Art

Robot Chickens and Other Forms of Art 12/05/2003 03:04 PM
The University of Buffalo has published an article on conceptual artist Marc Bohlen, UB assistant professor of media study. Mark has devised a variety of robotic art and performance pieces inlcluding an exhibit called Advanced Perception, in which a robot and two chickens learned to live together.

"Mail Order Chickens"

"Mail Order Chickens" 04/16/2005 08:54 PM

"On the Justice of Roosting Chickens"

"On the Justice of Roosting Chickens" 02/05/2005 09:45 PM

Delaware Finds Flu in Chickens on a 2nd
Farm

Delaware Finds Flu in Chickens on a 2nd
Farm 02/11/2004 01:15 AM
Tests have confirmed avian flu on a second farm in central Delaware, a result creating a serious situation for the poultry industry.

Japanese Hold 'Funeral' for Chickens
(AP)

Japanese Hold 'Funeral' for Chickens
(AP) 04/28/2004 01:04 PM
AP - Dressed in a black suit and tie, a man asked the roomful of mourners to bow their heads. For a minute, they stood and faced the brightly lit altar in silence.

Stylish digs for urban chickens

Stylish digs for urban chickens 04/14/2004 10:31 AM
You won't find any subservient chickens in these future-forward poultry housing units. Designed so that city-dwelling humans can add a little bokbok to their daily lives, the eglu may just be "the world's most stylish and innovative chicken house and [a] perfect way to keep chickens as pets."
Link

I kill people in my songs so I don't
have to kill them in real life. -Nick
Cave

I kill people in my songs so I don't
have to kill them in real life. -Nick
Cave 05/20/2004 11:34 AM
NASA Fired Will Carpenter for writing a short story. "Some kind of harrassment," they said, and since Texas is an at-will employment state, there's not much he can do about it. Is this story a valid means of self-expression or a harrassing glimpse into jilted anger? I've stumbled across more and more news stories about people being fired for writing, and students expelled for writing "dark poetry" in the classroom. How much do you have to keep secret from your classmates and co-workers?

1,000 Loose Chickens Create Highway
Chaos (AP)

1,000 Loose Chickens Create Highway
Chaos (AP) 07/23/2004 09:51 AM
AP - A busy highway near Oxford in central England was closed in both directions Friday when around 1,000 chickens escaped from a truck that collided with four other vehicles, injuring four people.

1,000 loose chickens create highway
chaos

1,000 loose chickens create highway
chaos 07/23/2004 06:32 PM

Thousands of Chickens Block Swedish Road
(AP)

Thousands of Chickens Block Swedish Road
(AP) 08/10/2004 08:53 AM
AP - A truck carrying 8,000 live chickens flipped over on a Swedish highway Tuesday morning, sending a sea of fluttering poultry onto the road and shutting it down for more than nine hours, police said.

Rubber Chickens to Protest Bonds' Walks
(AP)

Rubber Chickens to Protest Bonds' Walks
(AP) 06/19/2004 03:08 PM
AP - The San Francisco Giants are tired of all the walks Barry Bonds is drawing this season. The club will begin selling orange rubber chickens named "Walk'er" on Monday, when the Giants open a four-game series against division rival Los Angeles.

Judge Sentences Teens Who Killed
Chickens (AP)

Judge Sentences Teens Who Killed
Chickens (AP) 06/16/2004 06:20 PM
AP - Seven teenagers who beheaded two chickens because they were curious whether they would run around with their heads cut off will soon learn a lot more about the birds.

Marijuana Found in Load of Frozen
Chickens (AP)

Marijuana Found in Load of Frozen
Chickens (AP) 03/08/2004 11:25 PM
AP - Frozen chickens and marijuana — a combination that put the driver of a tractor-trailer rig in jail.

The chickens come home to roost from the
neoconning of America

The chickens come home to roost from the
neoconning of America 05/12/2004 04:02 AM
Ever wonder why the Bush administration couldn't find an Arabic speaker to be Viceroy of Baghdad, but instead was stuck with monologuists like Garner and Bremer? You would think that it would make sense for the American ruler of Iraq to be able to speak to the Iraqis in their own language. While they may not be plentiful in the United States, there are over 400 Arabic speakers in the State Department, plus a number at the Pentagon and the CIA, as well as former officials from the Reagan and Bush administrators. Maybe because they all thought occupying Iraq was nuts? Certainly the best known ones, like Ambassador Chas Freeman, did. Look at what they were getting into: Has any official United States policy in recent memory been as feckless as the Bush administration's for postwar Iraq? Can we, for a moment, recall just some of the assumptions that the administration announced or embraced? That Americans would be welcomed as liberators? That we could secure the nation with a force of a little more than 100,000 troops? That Iraqi oil revenue would be such that the occupation would pay for itself? That, in accord with our assumptions on troop requirements and postwar financing, we didn't really need the kind of international cooperation that the nation had historically sought for this kind of venture? That, in accord with the same assumptions, there was no reason not to enact more massive tax cuts for the rich? With the revelations that have emerged of the degradation and torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison, it's become particularly clear that the administration gave no real thought to the challenges at the very heart of occupying another country. Put it all the assumptions together, as Harold Meyerson did in his brilliant editorial and the neocon fantasy does seem nuts, doesn't it? The sad thing is, there aren't any real surprises here. Almost everyone of the people who knew anything about the Arab world said these assumptions were nuts before Bush started his war on Iraq. But that wasn't the answer that Bush wanted. Instead, he turned to people like Prince of Darkness Richard Perle and Douglas Feith (former registered lobbyists for Israel and Turkey), who gave him the answers he wanted to hear. What is the end result? I turn to Meyerson again: the United States, and the entire Western world, are engaged in a...

'Enemy Contact. Kill 'em, Kill 'em.'
(Los Angeles Times)

'Enemy Contact. Kill 'em, Kill 'em.'
(Los Angeles Times) 07/18/2004 05:34 AM
Los Angeles Times - NAJAF, Iraq — Tucked behind a gleaming machine gun, Sgt. Joseph Hall grins at his two companions in the Humvee.

Higher, Faster, Stronger, Pussycat.
Kill, Kill.

Higher, Faster, Stronger, Pussycat.
Kill, Kill. 08/27/2004 01:25 PM
As Belle de Jour finds with smoking it's the little things that make the difference. Take the after-victory celebrations of the American team, when they beat the Brazilian duo to take the Gold. Beach Volleyball is a fine sport -...

Sex, dogs and chickens - weird headlines
of 2004 (Reuters)

Sex, dogs and chickens - weird headlines
of 2004 (Reuters) 01/01/2005 07:06 AM
Reuters - Humming sex toy shuts Australian airport. Taiwanese man tries to convert lions to Jesus, gets bitten.

PETA video shows KFC supplier abusing
chickens

PETA video shows KFC supplier abusing
chickens 07/20/2004 07:51 PM

Farmer Jailed for Killing Neighbor's
Chickens (Reuters)

Farmer Jailed for Killing Neighbor's
Chickens (Reuters) 04/20/2004 09:57 AM
Reuters - A Belgian court sentenced a farmer to a year in prison for stealing and killing 12 chickens, several chicks and a cat belonging to his elderly neighbor, local news agency Belga says.

In India, the WTO's TRIPS chickens come
home to roost

In India, the WTO's TRIPS chickens come
home to roost 03/24/2005 05:21 AM
India to their own citizens and to the rest of the developing world: "If you want to make a WTO omlette, you gotta break a few poor, sick people eggs."

Sex, Dogs and Chickens -- Weird
Headlines of 2004 (Reuters)

Sex, Dogs and Chickens -- Weird
Headlines of 2004 (Reuters) 01/03/2005 09:52 AM
Reuters - Humming sex toy shuts Australian airport. Taiwanese man tries to convert lions to Jesus, gets bitten.

Internet inventor Vint Cerf vows to
network chickens

Internet inventor Vint Cerf vows to
network chickens 06/22/2004 04:04 AM
The Register Jun 22 2004 8:23AM GMT

Net security bug prompts warnings

Net security bug prompts warnings 04/13/2005 06:44 AM
Microsoft has issued a bumper pack of patches for critical bugs in its software.

Net security bug prompts warning

Net security bug prompts warning 04/15/2005 05:11 AM
News.bbc.co.uk - Fri Apr 15, 04:09 am GMT

What to do when Word's prompts are in
German

What to do when Word's prompts are in
German 08/02/2004 06:42 AM
SiliconValley.com Aug 2 2004 10:52AM GMT

Lost harvest prompts EU aid calls

Lost harvest prompts EU aid calls 08/27/2004 11:09 PM
Farmers are calling for the early release of EU subsidies to help them overcome damage to their harvests.

Package prompts US embassy alert

Package prompts US embassy alert 08/16/2004 02:50 AM
A "suspicious powder" sent to the US embassy in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur leads to a security scare.

Panorama prompts war probe calls

Panorama prompts war probe calls 01/22/2004 03:10 AM
The government faces renewed calls for a full judicial inquiry into its decision to go to war with Iraq.

IE browser flaw prompts warning

IE browser flaw prompts warning 06/25/2004 02:09 PM
BBC Jun 25 2004 5:21PM GMT

Iraq dossier prompts rule changes

Iraq dossier prompts rule changes 03/23/2005 07:48 AM
Stricter rules to prevent a repeat of intelligence failings in the run up to the Iraq war are unveiled.

Use of In-Phone Cameras Prompts Bans

Use of In-Phone Cameras Prompts Bans 02/11/2004 05:37 PM
AP via Los Angeles Times Feb 11 2004 9:18PM GMT

Use of In-Phone Cameras Prompts Bans
(AP)

Use of In-Phone Cameras Prompts Bans
(AP) 02/11/2004 07:07 PM
AP - Tiny cameras used to be the stuff of spy novels. Now they're everywhere, built into cell phones, digital organizers and other devices. A little too everywhere.

Pre-emptive security prompts alarms

Pre-emptive security prompts alarms 06/14/2004 06:46 AM
ZDNet Jun 14 2004 11:17AM GMT

Therapeutic Cloning Prompts Call for Ban
(AP)

Therapeutic Cloning Prompts Call for Ban
(AP) 02/12/2004 08:48 PM
AP - In a clash of politics and science, the first successful cloning of a human embryo — and the extraction of stem cells from it — has ignited new calls for a ban on all forms of human cloning in the United States.

Exam paper mix-up prompts re-runs

Exam paper mix-up prompts re-runs 05/06/2004 07:15 AM
A mix-up in the delivery of national tests has led to the postponement of science exams for some teenagers.

Windows update prompts problems

Windows update prompts problems 09/01/2004 06:04 AM
The key security update for Windows XP looks set to cause trouble for thousands of firms reveals a survey.
Grok Description matches for Bird Flu Prompts Del. to Kill Chickens (AP)
GrokA matches for Bird Flu Prompts Del. to Kill Chickens (AP)

Bird Flu Prompts Del. to Kill Chickens (AP)

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