blogathon
NonFicWriMo #21: Actors who Sing
When you’re a famous actor, you can get away with a lot of things. Vince Vaughn was involved in a fight, but charges were dropped; Hugh Grant received probation and a fine for a lewd conduct charge; Matthew McConaughey was arrested on drug charges, but those were dropped and he was fined $50 for disturbing … Continue reading
NonFicWriMo #20: Crystal Pepsi
One of the great commercial flops of the early 1990′s was Crystal Pepsi. Only seven years after the failure of Coca-Cola’s “New Coke” formulation, PepsiCo got the idea to market a cola drink with no coloring. The product was original: existing clear sodas were usually lemon-lime, like Sprite and 7-Up, rather than cola-flavored. But despite … Continue reading
NonFicWriMo #19: Sang Lan
Throughout the second half of the 20th century, eastern European countries dominated gymnastics at the international level. The Soviet Union was renowned for its training centers that consistently turned out prize-winning gymnasts, but when the government dissolved in the early 1990s another Communist country was given the opportunity to showcase its gymnasts. Chinese gymnasts such … Continue reading
NonFicWriMo #18: Methods of Execution
Prologue: It is difficult to write about the death penalty without taking a side, but I am going to attempt to remain neutral. Additionally, this topic may make some readers uncomfortable. A debate currently taking place in California questions whether lethal injection is a cruel and unusual form of execution. Out of all methods of … Continue reading
NonFicWriMo #17: Sci-Fi Convention Interpreting
In a bit of a departure from my encyclopedia-style non-fiction writing, today I’m going to describe my typical experience as an interpreter at a science fiction convention. This weekend will be my sixth trip to the Hunt Valley Inn north of Baltimore for the purposes of interpreting; I attended the same convention once or twice … Continue reading
NonFicWriMo #16: Unusual Fruits
You can buy apples and oranges all the time. Bananas and grapes are also usually readily available, and if you need a lemon or lime for something they’re not too hard to find at the supermarket. Peaches, blueberries, and raspberries are common too. Even mangos, figs, and coconuts are not too hard to find these … Continue reading
NonFicWriMo #15: Tragedy on Everest
Prologue: I have been meaning to write this piece for at least a year and a half. Thanks are owed to NonFicWriMo for finally spurring me to write it. May 10, 1996 was the deadliest day ever on Mount Everest. Deaths are not uncommon in mountaineering, and Everest has claimed many lives in its history, … Continue reading
NonFicWriMo #14: Hanna-Barbera History
The Jetsons. Scooby Doo. Tom and Jerry. The Flintstones. These familiar cartoon characters all originated from the same artistic team: Hanna-Barbera.
NonFicWriMo #12: Early History of Harvard University
Harvard University has been around longer than the United States – a lot longer. Only sixteen years after the Pilgrims came to Plymouth Rock, they established an institute of higher learning that has lasted for more than 350 years.
NonFicWriMo #11: Gene Roddenberry
Known to millions of Star Trek fans around the world as the “Great Bird of the Galaxy,” Gene Roddenberry was the creator of one of the most successful franchises ever created. (“Great Bird” was a nickname stemming from a mythological creature from an episode of the original Star Trek.)