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7 Writing Habits of Amazing Writers

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 03:48:57 GMT

clipped by: Aribeth
clipper's remarks: This extremely prolific writer has won numerous awards, including the National Book Award. She writes in longhand, and while she doesn’t have a formal schedule, she says she prefers to write in the morning, before breakfast . She’s a creative writing professor, and on the days she teaches, she says she writes for an hour or 45 minutes before leaving for her first class. On other days, when the writing is going well, she can work for hours without a break — and has breakfast at 2 or 3 in the afternoon!

Clip Source: writetodone.com

1. Stephen King. In his book On Writing, King says that he writes 10 pages a day without fail, even on holidays.

2. Ernest Hemingway. By contrast with King, “Papa” Hemingway wrote 500 words a day.

3. Vladimir Nabokov. The author of such great novels as Lolita, Pale Fire and Ada did his writing standing up, and all on index cards.

4. Truman Capote. The author of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “In Cold Blood” claimed to be a “completely horizontal author.” He said he had to write lying down, in bed or on a couch, with a cigarette and coffee.

5. Philip Roth. One of the greatest living American writers, Roth works standing up, pacing around as he thinks. He claimed to walk half a mile for every page he writes.

6. James Joyce

Joyce prided himself in taking his time with each sentence. A famous story has a friend asking Joyce in the street if he’d had a good day writing. Yes, Joyce replied happily. How much had he written? Three sentences, Joyce told him.

7. Joyce Carol Oates

Scientists Develop New Computational Method To Investigate Origin Of Life

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:33:15 GMT

clipped by: Mohir
clipper's remarks: "Retroelements are an ancient and highly diverse class of proteins; therefore, they provide a rigorous benchmark for us to test our approach. We are happy with the results we derived, even though our method is in an early stage," said Patterson. The team plans to make the algorithms that they used in their method available to others as open-source software that is freely available on the Web.
Scientists map out the evolutionary histories of organisms by comparing their genetic and/or protein sequences. Those organisms that are closely related and share a recent common ancestor have greater degrees of similarity among their sequences.

Clip Source: www.sciencedaily.com

Scientists at Penn State have developed a new computational method that they say will help them to understand how life began on Earth. The team's method has the potential to trace the evolutionary histories of proteins all the way back to either cells or viruses, thus settling the debate once and for all over which of these life forms came first.

"We have just begun to tap the potential power of this method," said Randen Patterson, a Penn State assistant professor of biology and one of the project's leaders. "We believe, if it is possible at all, that it is within our grasp to determine whether viruses evolved from cells or vice-versa."

The team is focusing on an ancient group of proteins, called retroelements, which comprise approximately 50 percent of the human genome by weight and are a crucial component in a number of diseases, including AIDS.

Tags: life, computers, science

Converter Box Coupon

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 06:57:54 GMT

clipped by: beckjill

Clip Source: www.dtv2009.gov

Online Coupon Application Submission

Reference Number:		16393775

Name:		Jill Walles
Home Address:		12754 Anchor Ranch Loop Flatonia, TX, 78941-5303
Number of Coupons Requested:		2
Statement Selection:		Antenna
Date Submitted:		09/02/2008
Mail Date:		09/19/2008

Your application has been approved. Your coupons are scheduled to mail on 09/19/2008.

Note that coupons do not expire until 90 days after they have been mailed. Note also that coupons are being mailed via Standard mail (not First-class mail), with delivery expected around 2-9 days from the mailing date.

Thank you for applying for a Coupon online.

Please print this page for your records; your application is reprinted below.

Palin: Soldiers on a "task from God"

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 01:00:30 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan
clipper's remarks: Crusades, anyone? Bush must be so proud. Oh, I'm sorry, I meant McCain.

Clip Source: firstread.msnbc.msn.com

As questions have been raised over how thoroughly Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign vetted Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for the V.P. slot, it seems the McCain campaign was unaware of a video -- available online -- in which Palin talks about God's role in U.S. military action overseas, according to a political operative familiar with the situation.

The video, first reported by the liberal blog HuffingtonPost.com, is from a June Palin speech to the graduating class of commission students at Palin's former church in Wasilla, Alaska. While describing her family, Palin told students about her oldest son, 19-year-old Track, who is set to be deployed to Iraq this month with the U.S. Army. She urged students to pray “that our leaders -- that our national leaders -- are sending [soldiers] out on a task that is from God.”

She added, “That's what we have to make sure that we are praying for: that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan.”

Tags: palin, god, war, religion, military

Scenes from St. Paul

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:57:42 GMT

clipped by: mrobert
clipper's remarks: Interesting commentary and videos on the raids in St. Paul. I would say it is a must read.

Clip Source: www.salon.com

So here we have a massive assault led by Federal Government law enforcement agencies on left-wing dissidents and protesters who have committed no acts of violence or illegality whatsoever, preceded by months-long espionage efforts to track what they do. And as extraordinary as that conduct is, more extraordinary is the fact that they have received virtually no attention from the national media and little outcry from anyone. And it's not difficult to see why. As the recent "overhaul" of the 30-year-old FISA law illustrated -- preceded by the endless expansion of surveillance state powers, justified first by the War on Drugs and then the War on Terror -- we've essentially decided that we want our Government to spy on us without limits. There is literally no police power that the state can exercise that will cause much protest from the political and media class and, therefore, from the citizenry.

Tags: democracy, st. paul, news

Test clip

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 22:52:34 GMT

clipped by: pauleddy

Clip Source: news.google.com

Telegraph.co.uk

Katrina surviviors may quit New Orleans forever
Times Online - 3 hours ago
Survivors of Hurricane Katrina watched in horror as Hurricane Gustav threatened to wipe out their rebuilding efforts in New Orleans and along the Louisiana coast.
Video: First Person: Riding Out the Storm AssociatedPress

Oil, Gas Fall as Gulf Hurricane Weakens, Easing Damage Concern Bloomberg
Reuters - AFP - The Associated Press - guardian.co.uk
all 11,233 news articles »

Muslim girls take a stand

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 13:18:13 GMT

clipped by: Smoke TNT

Clip Source: www.telegraphindia.com

Imphal, Aug. 30: R. Sultana, an arts student of G.P. Women’s College here, dreams of an MBA degree and a job in a multinational company. But she doubts whether she will be able to fly that high as Muslims in Manipur still frown upon girls going for higher studies.

Sultana is not alone in her fight against this “discrimination” and “social injustice”. Over a hundred Muslim girls — from Class XI to graduation level — gathered at the State Guest House here today to form the All Manipur Muslim Girl Students’ Union — the first-ever union formed by Muslim girls in Manipur.

The formation of the association is the first move towards asserting their rights in matters of education and government jobs.

“Muslims are the most backward community in Manipur. And Muslim women are the least developed section. The women should assert themselves,” R.R. Ahamed, the chairman of a private school, said.

Tags: islam, muslims, islamofascism, women, college, business

Hate Speech Defined

Sun, 31 Aug 2008 11:04:20 GMT

clipped by: katsteevns
clipper's remarks: Watch for it!

Clip Source: en.wikipedia.org

Hate speech

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hate speech is a term for speech intended to degrade, intimidate, or incite violence or prejudicial action against a person or group of people based on their race, gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, language ability, moral or political views, socioeconomic class, occupation or appearance (such as height, weight, and hair color), mental capacity and any other distinction-liability. The term covers written as well as oral communication and some forms of behaviors in a public setting. It is also sometimes called antilocution and is the first point on Allport's scale which measures prejudice in a society.

[hide]

1 Legal aspects
2 Speech codes
3 Laws against hate speech
4 Differing concepts of what is offensive
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

U of Michigan's guidelines for teachers leading discussion on 9-11

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 23:17:57 GMT

clipped by: enbar
clipper's remarks: A lot of this stuff is basically common sense, but some of the practical tips are good. Emphasis on keeping a potentially explosive discussion focused and productive. Applicable to a wide range of controversial current events, not just 9-11. First published soon after 9-11-2001.

Clip Source: www.crlt.umich.edu

Guidance For UM Instructors Leading Class Discussion on The Tragedy of September 11, 2001

Ask the class to establish ground rules for the discussion. Some ideas you might want to propose to students before they begin discussion include:

Avoid blame and speculation.
Respect each other's views and avoid inflammatory language.
Share personal stories and feelings. (Be prepared for students to be emotional, and try to support and comfort them.)
Express anger and frustration within limits. (While it is important for students to express themselves, it is also vital to control the class and maintain an environment that feels safe for all students.)

What hopes and fears do you have about this discussion?
In what ways are you personally affected by these events?
How might these events affect your/our future?
What positive actions can individuals take in response to this tragedy (e.g., give blood, support students new to campus or far from home)?

Tags: teaching, education, howto, discussion, resources, violence, controversy, terrorism, 9-11

The Lady Who Can Hunt Caribou And Serve Up The Stew....... Mark Steyn

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:18:15 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: Third, real people don't define "experience" as appearing on unwatched Sunday-morning talk shows every week for 35 years and having been around long enough to have got both the War on Terror and the Cold War wrong. (On the first point, at the Gun Owners of New Hampshire dinner in the 2000 campaign, I remember Orrin Hatch telling me sadly that he was stunned to discover how few Granite State voters knew who he was.) Sarah Palin and Barack Obama are more or less the same age, but Governor Palin has run a state and a town and a commercial fishing operation, whereas (to reprise a famous line on the Rev Jackson) Senator Obama ain't run nothin' but his mouth. She's done the stuff he's merely a poseur about. Post-partisan? She took on her own party's corrupt political culture directly while Obama was sucking up to Wright and Ayers and being just another get-along Chicago machine pol.

Clip Source: corner.nationalreview.com

First, Governor Palin is not merely, as Jay describes her, "all-American", but hyper-American. What other country in the developed world produces beauty queens who hunt caribou and serve up a terrific moose stew? As an immigrant, I'm not saying I came to the United States purely to meet chicks like that, but it was certainly high on my list of priorities. And for the gun-totin' Miss Wasilla then to go on to become Governor while having five kids makes it an even more uniquely American story. Next to her resume, a guy who's done nothing but serve in the phony-baloney job of "community organizer" and write multiple autobiographies looks like just another creepily self-absorbed lifelong member of the full-time political class that infests every advanced democracy.

Second, it can't be in Senator Obama's interest for the punditocracy to spends its time arguing about whether the Republicans' vice-presidential pick is "even more" inexperienced than the Democrats' presidential one.

Tags: gov sarah palin, john mccain, gun-rights, pro-life, energy independence

Murder By American Soldiers- Again

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 08:15:56 GMT

clipped by: klippety
clipper's remarks: So many reasons why those soldiers come up short and start to live ideas learned thru all the violence we turn a blind eye. No excuses, just grasping for explanations. It could be some ones son I know or have known, it could be someones brother, father.....

Clip Source: www.wsws.org

Military officers testify that US soldiers murdered Iraqi detainees

Testimony presented to a US Army hearing in Germany this week detailed how three US noncommissioned officers executed four bound and blindfolded Iraqi detainees in Baghdad in April 2007. The four men—whose names have been withheld by the US military—were allegedly murdered and their bodies dumped on the banks of a canal.

Two noncommissioned officers— Sergeant First Class Joseph P. Mayo, the platoon sergeant, and Sergeant Michael P. Leahy Jr., Company D’s senior medic and acting squad leader, confessed to the killings and gave accounts of the event in signed statements to Army investigators in January.

The statements, obtained by the New York Times, described how each of the two soldiers killed one of the Iraqi detainees with a pistol shot to the back of the head, following the orders of First Sergeant John E. Hatley.

Man and van services

Sat, 30 Aug 2008 06:05:10 GMT

clipped by: goodsubmits
clipper's remarks: Best man and van removals London - to provide customers with a first class, reliable and dependable cost effective house removals service to all of their moving needs.

Clip Source: www.bestvanandman.co.uk

Professional removal service for: Best Van and a Man in London

Best man and van removals London - professional, flexible and most cost effective London removals service for home delivery, office moves, packing services, household storage removals in and around London. We specialize in providing small - medium business removals at a price you can afford.

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Best Van and Man removals has established an excellent reputation in London and beyond providing unparalleled levels of service. Combined with a personal approach from the smallest removal job to complete domestic removals in London, we strive to provide customers with a first class, reliable and dependable cost effective house removals service to all of their moving needs.

Tags: man and van, man and van london, man and van hire, man and van removals, london man and van, man van london, man and a van, man and van rental

Target Lawsuit

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 04:28:03 GMT

clipped by: Imnclady

Clip Source: www.webaim.org

Target lawsuit settled

Target and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) have settled the lawsuit regarding accessibility of the Target.com web site. You can read the final settlement here.

A summary of the settlement

Target makes no admission or concession that its website is or ever was inaccessible.

The website will be brought into compliance with the Target Online Assistive Technology Guidelines (2MB Word Doc) and will be certified by NFB as compliant with these guidelines. NFB will monitor compliance over 3 years from initial certification.

Target will pay NFB $90,000 for the certification and first year of monitoring and then $40,000 per year thereafter.

Target will pay damages of $6,000,000 to the class action claimants, or at most $7000 per claimant, and will pay $20,000 to the California Center for the Blind on behalf of the primary claimant, Bruce Sexton, Jr.

Additional details on the lawsuit are available on the Disability Rights Advocates web site.

Tags: internet, lawsuit, disasters

McCain to Obama- Well done

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 03:53:25 GMT

clipped by: tommy2balmy
clipper's remarks: While I don't like McCain and this may be considered a small gesture I have to give Mcain credit for having some class in this case.

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

DENVER - In a brief break from a fierce advertising war, Republican presidential candidate John McCain will air a one-evening-only ad with a simple message for Barack Obama: "Job well done."

The ad will air before, during and after Obama's nomination acceptance speech on national cable television.

In the ad, McCain addresses Obama directly, congratulating him for becoming the Democratic Party's nominee. McCain also recognizes the symbolism of a black man accepting the nomination on the 45th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

McCain says: "Senator Obama, this is truly a good day for America. Too often the achievements of our opponents go unnoticed. So I wanted to stop and say, congratulations. How perfect that your nomination would come on this historic day. Tomorrow, we'll be back at it. But tonight Senator, job well done."

But this is the first positive ad of the election by one candidate about the other.

As McCain concedes, this won't last.

Tags: mccain, obama, negative ad, positive ad