Alternatives to being natural Smallpox is 'natural', it's just one of the things we don't really like in the world. But if it's yoghurt or blueberries, then the more 'natural' the better, apparently. We all love those 'natural' things. That must make them unique. In most people's lives, from the moment we wake up to the time we go to bed, practically everything we touch, use or make, is completely 'unnatural'. Is that so hard Keywords:
Mike Scantlebury, natural, health, goodness, books, novels, internet, computers, stories, tales, growing up Alternatives to communication Hello? Anyone out there? Are you listening? Got something to say? Amazingly, everyone's talking but no one can hear a thing. It's a problem: the new Social Networking sites promised to put people in touch and help them to share and to talk to each other. There's a lot of noise but is there any communication? Can anyone really hear what anyone else has to say? Is there a point?Keywords:
Mike Scantlebury, writers, readers, books, novels, Internet Publishing, Social Networking, Facebook, talking, shouting, being heard Alternatives to profiting from crime Who's that guy in the expensive clothes and the flashy watch? Well, it could be a successful businessman, a sports personality or a criminal dealing in death. Why? Why do we let the gangsters get away with it? Why don't we have the courage to say, You do the crime, you give up the flash. That would show them! If they can't show off, then what's the point of dealing drugs? It isn't a career, it's jKeywords:
Mike Scantlebury, crime, criminals, fiction, books, writing, internet publishing, drugs, war Alternatives to conflict Argue? Moi? Yes, well, the problem is that some people have opinions, which mean that if you ever bother to say what you think, (and you might not), then bet on it, someone out there is going to disagree with you. And why shouldn't they? But why shouldn't you, say what you mean? Is everyone right? Are we all wrong? Or would it be better if we could just figure a way to get along? Wanna try it?Keywords:
Mike Scantlebury, argue, conflict, resolution, agreement, books, novels, writing, publishing, error, right, stories Alternatives to guilt by association Young people are spending too much time in their bedrooms, tapping on their computers. It's unhealthy, we're told. Don't worry, parents, someone is keeping an eye on them. Someone is monitoring every website they visit, every item they buy or download, every keystroke they make. You want to keep an eye on them? Lots of other people do too. Is it good? Is it healthy? Is it done for their health? WhKeywords:
Mike Scantlebury, internet, book, author, novel, story, computer, security, scanning, England, Manchester, song, singer, Morrisey Alternatives to remembering details Uh, what was it he said? Something about lumberjacks? No, it was really good, right, it's just that it's lost a bit in the retelling, and yes, it was brilliant. It was really good. It's just - Oh, I can't remember his name. I was never very good with details. But then, who is? Right?Keywords:
Mike Scantlebury, novels, books, internet publishing, articles, comedy shows, radio, TV, Tony Hancock, Monty Python Internet Authors are the new King Kong Who's that ape on the top of the Empire State building? Oh yeah, him. That's an Internet Author, the latest person to tear up the planet and make things new. It's changed, all this publishing business. Books don't come out of skyscraper offices anymore. They're written in garrets and basements and they get posted round the world using that most modern device, the computer. King Kong has torn up thKeywords:
Mike Scantlebury, King Kong, Scarey Movie, books, internet authors, novels, writing, publishing, films, New York Alternatives to showing off Who says that oil is 'running out'? Who cares? Certainly not the people in their big cars, cruising down the six lane highways without a care in the world. Oh, they don't care what we think! Ah, but they do. The only reason they pretend to be oblivious to the way the world is going is that they are 'showing off'. They think we will be impressed. They need to think again. A human being without a brKeywords:
Mike Scantlebury, oil, credit, banks, crisis, four by four, petrol, fuel, internet, books, authors, publishing Internet Authors value the truth When is a lie merely a well-meaning platitude? Do people ever say what they really mean. Not in the world of Traditional Publishing, certainly, where would-be authors are fobbed off, ignored and denigrated daily. Far better to explore the world of the Internet Author, where you get what you ask for and there's no reason to dissemble. Try the honest approach and start a new life, away from the platKeywords:
Mike Scantlebury, internet authors, publishing, web, books, novels, stories, getting published, crime fiction Alternatives to making a fortune from the housing market Ah, the housing market, you say. It's easy. All you have to do is buy a house and watch it go up in value. Is that why so many property owners are panicking right now, because they have never stopped to consider that the market could go down as well as up? So how does it work? How can you make money from houses? If the simple answer doesn't always work, what's the more complicated answer? Ah, wellKeywords:
Mike Scantlebury, houses, buying, selling, realtor, profits, money, cash, housing market, house, home, Internet Author, publishing, books, book, novel Alternatives to scientific studies Well, this is the West, and most of us like to think we're pretty darn 'scientific'. We are taught science and we like to think we understand it. But what if it's being mis-used, abused, mis-applied and just plain twisted? Can we recognise the deception? Do we know where to begin? Let one Internet Author set you on the road, by taking apart one argument, and urging you to look at others.Keywords:
Mike Scantlebury, scientific studies, science, Bad Science, Guardian, England, Britain Alternatives to facing the future What will the future bring? Will it be better than today? Not everyone believes that, especially if you feel that the best days are over, they've come and gone, and nothing that's happened since has been anything like as good. There's a word for that, it's called 'nostalgia', but if planners carry on discounting such feelings and continuing to believe that they always 'know best', then they're always going to find themselves belittled.Keywords:
Mike Scantlebury, history, heritage, Salford, England, nostalgia, future, past, present, exhibitions Alternatives to believing in scientists What is 'science'? Well, it's certainly not anything to do with 'belief' - that idea went out three hundred years ago. It's about facts, evidence and data. It's about examining the evidence, as they say on CSI. It's not about putting scientists on pedestals and worshipping them as gods. They aren't. They're people, even if some of them are extremely clever. They live in the same world as the rest of us, and the world works by the same rules.Keywords:
Mike Scantlebury, science, scientists, worship, faith, belief, studies, Twitter, Guardian, newspaper Alternatives to failure It's an interesting question: if everyone 'wants to be rich', why do so many people seem quite content to stay where they are, not at the bottom of the heap, certainly, but not at the top, either. Is there not enough space on the top of the mountain, or is it something more personal, people feeling uncomfortable about getting out from the crowd and pulling ahead? Read more about life 'in the middle'.Keywords:
Mike Scantlebury, improvement, success, failure, Salford, Manchester, internet publishing Alternatives to democracy Britain is known around the world as the 'Mother of Parliaments'. A shame, then, that the British Parliament has been 'reformed' and set back 500 years. Not many people seem aware of that, that the Labour government set out in 1997 to 'reform' the House of Lords, and simply made it worse and more undemocratic than it's ever been. Not to worry. Britons are quite capable of lecturing other people about 'Democracy' when they don't have it at home.Keywords:
Mike Scantlebury, democracy, Parliament, British government, Labour party, Tony Blair, Lords, Commons, House of Representatives
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