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Dec. 4, 2005 1) Doing the National Novel Writing Month challenge last year—writing a 50,000-word novel in 30 days—was madness. Doing it again this year proves that last year was no fluke. I was one of 9,764 people who reached the magic number this year, out of a total of 57,902 entrants. Altogether, the entry pool generated 713,416,694 words, enough homegrown fiction to fill a library. Stretched out over an entire year, that kind of production would yield well over 8 billion words. Within the next month or so, I’ll go back, make a few polishing edits, and get it ready to send off to the Copyright Office for registration. Until then, though, I will bask in the glory of cranking out a second bad novel that will never be published. 2) I don’t know if fellow correspondent Judy Ramsook reached 50,000 words, but I enjoyed her company and her encouragement during the NaNoWriMo challenge. Even more impressive is the fact that Judy still contributed several pieces to Useless Knowledge during the writing period. Whether or not she finished her novel, I’m really proud of Judy for taking up the challenge. 3) During my sabbatical from Useless Knowledge, Ron Lewis got booted off the site. I’m sure there are a few of you out there who would think that I’d be happy about that. After all, Ron had not only leveled personal attacks against me, but also against fellow correspondents like Ken Hughes, Neil Levine, Michelle Malsbury and Timothy Stelly. But here’s my problem with voting Ron off the site. Ron Lewis was an active contributor to Useless Knowledge, even reaching the 100+ Club before being shown the door. Rarely did a week go by without some sort of insight from the man, and whether I agreed with it or not, it rarely made for boring reading. Ron and I don’t agree on politics or social issues, but we’ve agreed to disagree and learned to respect each other’s opinions. Instead of encouraging people to vote off their least favorite columnist, encourage folks on the Columnist List who haven’t contributed in a while to start submitting new pieces. There are a number of folks out there whose last piece was posted sometime last year, and for reasons unbeknownst to us, they haven’t decided to share any of their wisdom or knowledge with us recently. If they no longer wish to contribute, bump them off the island. 4) USC and Texas combined to outscore UCLA and Colorado 136-22 on Championship Saturday, proving that they are indeed the best college football teams in the land. Rose Bowl organizers and ABC, the network of the Bowl Championship Series, have to be salivating over what will be a game for the ages. The Trojans will be favored because they’re literally playing in their backyard, but I’ll be pulling for the Longhorns to hook ‘em. I like what Vince Young does on the field. He’s every bit as complete a player as Reggie Bush, and every bit as dangerous. He has great speed and a nice arm. He will make one heck of a pro quarterback and he’s the one who should really have this year’s Heisman Trophy on his mantle. I also like head coach Mack Brown. After suffering back-to-back 1-10 seasons at North Carolina in 1988 and 1989, Brown led the Tar Heels to eight straight winning seasons and six straight bowl appearances. Ironically, after the 1994 season, in which the Tar Heels won 8 games, they lost the Sun Bowl to Texas. A lot of folks laughed at Brown when the Heels were down. I wonder what they think now. 5) Equally impressive is the winning streak put together by Independence High School, which is located in the Charlotte suburb of Mint Hill. The Patriots will carry a 91-game winning streak to Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh this coming Saturday as they play for a sixth straight state championship, after beating Charlotte’s own Myers Park 48-14 to win the western playoff bracket. They will face a tough New Bern team for the third time in the last four years. The Bears defeated the previously unbeaten Raleigh Wakefield 28-7 to win the eastern playoff bracket. In the two previous meetings, Independence outscored New Bern 95-27. But give the Bears their due; they will not make life easy on the Patriots, and will even make their own history if they win that game. 6) North Carolina recently became a footnote to history, as the site of the 1,000th execution since the death penalty resumed in the United States in 1977. Which prompted a friend of mine to ask, “How do they determine who lives and who dies?” It’s a fair question. And considering that capital murder—typically, first-degree murder or a murder in commission of a second felony, like armed robbery or rape—isn’t always avenged by a death sentence, even in states where the death penalty is liberally used, there is no fair answer. ------------ About the author: Claxton Graham has written a number of articles for Useless Knowledge. He works as a business systems analyst. Email: scifiwriter8502@email.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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