Ten Fast Food Trivia Facts No One Can Live Without

I love making lists. It's good practice for sifting through information online and I always learn something. Since I'm a recovering fast food junkie, I researched some industry trivia instead of eating a Big Mac, which is what I'd really like to do. The most interesting little nuggets made the list. Here are 10 trivial fast food facts no one should live without. Brace yourselves:

1. Which chain began in a broom closet? Papa John's Pizza. John Schnatter "remodeled" a broom closet in his father's tavern in 1984, bought about $1500 of used pizza equipment and started cooking up tasty pies which Americans can enjoy today at 3,000 locations nationwide.
2. Which chain aired a commercial with singing robots called Sponge Monkeys? Quizno's
3. Which chain was conceptualized by 17-year-old? Subway Sandwiches, established in Bridgeport, CT, in 1965 by teenager Fred DeLuca to pay for his college education. He opened his shop with a $1,000 loan from a family friend and called it "Pete's Super Submarines". DeLuca still serves as president of the privately held company that owns Subway today.
4. Where was the hamburger first served in America? New Haven, CT, in 1900 at Louis Lunch. It was completely dry - beef and bread only.
5. Which restaurant created the first drive-through window? Wendy's in 1970.
6. Which was established first, In and Out Burger or McDonald's? In and Out by seven years, established in 1948 by Harry and Esther Snyder of Baldwin Park, CA.
7. What's the oldest fast food chain in the U.S.? White Castle
8. Where is The Colonel's secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices for Kentucky Fried Chicken's locked away? In a safe in Louisville, Kentucky, under heavy security measures.
9. Typically, how many fast food advertisements does an American child see in a year? 20,000
10. Which special menu item has taken on a life of its own in comedy and satire, inspiring the fictitious "Boneless Pig Farmers of America"? The McRib sandwich, courtesy of McDonalds.

Man, I'm hungry.

Avoid Becoming a Blogging Drone

How often do we see the same news headline blogged to death? If you hesitated, click one of the popular search tags on Technorati and see the thousands of blog entries featuring the same story simply summarized with a few obvious observations thrown in. Boring.

Perhaps risking readership with milk toast posts is no concern for some. Others may not realize they're droning. Some struggle with knowing your post is a drop in the blogosphere bucket of a bijillion other posts on the same story, but don't know what to do about it. It's those bloggers I'm writing to.

This Blog Drone mini series features a few articles on writing strategies to make your posts stand out from the crowd. The foundation of my posting strategies are style and content: titles that grab your readers by the throat and pull them over, a small measure of attitude, some proof of authority, attention to detail and a fresh perspective that bonks people on the head, but in a delightful way. Let's start with the head bonking first.

It's all about the angle. Want to write about the latest news headlines? Fine. Want to engage your readers in that post? Find a different angle to explore that's related to the story. Take the big Barbara Walters reveal last week. Instead of repeating the story all the big wires have already reported, how about unraveling a smaller thread of the bigger tapestry? For example, are there other famous people who tried to keep an inter-racial affair a secret? Or what about the opposite - notable couples who have openly celebrated their union? Let's take the journalist angle. Narrow it down to female journalists or even aging journalists. How many others have written a 'tell all' book in the twilight of their careers? These angles would make interesting list posts, such as "Ten Last Hurrahs From Aging Journalists", or whatever.

Now let's think about the money. Everyone likes to read about other people's money. Research what Walters plans to do with the proceeds of her book. Anything interesting?

Some pundits scorned Walters' book as a distasteful publicity stunt. Can you examine other angles of her behavior under that same lens? How about researching her interview subjects from past to present? Seems to me she made history with breaking interviews of political icons and humanitarians. Now she engages in silly conversations with Paris Hilton and Tom Cruise. I'd read a post about that comparison.

Working subtle angles of headline stories also uses popular key words for SEO, but delivers a fresh story to your readers. What's not to love?

Next in this series: tricks to boost your authority on any subject. Subscribe now and get my shiny full feed.

Frigophobia, Dikephobia and Plutophobia: What Are You Afraid Of?

I'm fascinated by phobias. Humans are good at logical reasoning and yet plagued by phobias, irrational fears. Any of these phobias could really rain on your parade. They sound unbelievable, but I searched online and each returned valid definitions and hosts of treatment options. Can you imagine being afraid of bald people or paper? If you're a curious reader, this list is beyond interesting. For fiction writers, it presents infinite possibilities for character behavior.

FEAR OF:
BEING COLD: Frigophobia
CLOWNS: Coulrophobia
CHINS: Geniophobia
CHOPSTICKS: Consecotaleophobia
BALD PEOPLE: Peladophobia
BEAUTIFUL WOMEN: Caligynephobia
DUST: Amathophobia
FEATHERS: Pteronophobia
FISH: Ichthyophobia
FLUTES: Aulophobia
FRIDAY THE 13TH: Paraskavedekatriaphobia
GRAVITY: Barophobia
HELL: Catholicism Hadephobia
ITCHING: Acarophobia
JUSTICE: Dikephobia
KISSING: Philemaphobia
LAUGHING: Geliophobia
LICE: Pediculophobia
MEN: Androphobia
MICE: Musophobia
MONEY: Chrometophobia
MOTHERS-IN-LAW: Pentheraphobia
GOOD NEWS: Euphobia
NUDITY: Gymnophobia
OLD PEOPLE: Gerontophobia
OPINIONS: Allodoxaphobia
SEA OTTERS: Lutraphobia
PAPER: Papyrophobia
THE POPE: Papaphobia
PROSTITUTES: Cypridophobia
THE COLOR PURPLE: Porphyrophobia
RELATIVES: Syngenesphobia
RESPONSIBILITY: Hypengyophobia
RUSSIANS: Russophobia
SCHOOL: liar Didaskaleinophobia
SEX: Genophobia
SHADOWS: Sciophobia
SIN: Hamartophobia
SITTING DOWN: Kathisophobia
STAYING SINGLE: Anuptaphobia
THE SUN: Heliophobia
TASTE: Geumaphobia
TEENAGERS: Ephebiphobia
TERMITES: Isoterophobia
THUNDER: Ceraunophobia
TOMBSTONES: Placophobia
TREES: Dendrophobia
VEGETABLES: Lachanophobia
VENTRILOQUIST'S DUMMY: Automatonophobia
VOMIT: Emetophobia
LONG WAITS: Macrophobia
WASHING: Ablutophobia
WEALTH: insanity Plutophobia
WET DREAMS: Oneirogmophobia
WINE: Oenophobia
GETTING WRINKLES: Rhytiphobia
PHOBIAS: Phobophobia

Sources: Click Click