Alternatives to democracyBritain 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.
Alternatives to failureIt'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'.
Alternatives to believing in scientistsWhat 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.
Alternatives to facing the futureWhat 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.
Alternatives to scientific studiesWell, 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.
Alternatives to making a fortune from the housing marketAh, 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, well
Internet Authors value the truthWhen 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 plat
Alternatives to showing offWho 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 br
Internet Authors are the new King KongWho'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 th
Alternatives to remembering detailsUh, 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?
Alternatives to guilt by associationYoung 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? Wh
Alternatives to conflictArgue? 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?
Alternatives to profiting from crimeWho'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 j
Alternatives to communicationHello? 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?
Alternatives to being naturalSmallpox 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
Alternatives to being RomanWe're here and the Romans aren't. That's a good thing, right? Well, only if you believe that they deserved to get overtaken by the juggernaut of history and we have something special that means we'll survive longer than they did. A thousand years? We've have to have something very special to be that good. Well, how do we compare? Let's see.
Alternatives to GM foodsWell, somebody says that GM foods are good for you, but wait a minute, isn't that the same person who sells it to you? Isn't that the same person who is ripping off Third World farmers, stealing fields from Canadian farmers and concealing the amount of GM in everyday purchases like rice and soya? Uh, do they have my best interests at heart? Or is it their own interests that weigh most heavily? Who
Alternatives on the road to addictionIf your children, or the children next door, turned to a life of dangerous drugs, you'd be only too keen to look for a reason and try and find an excuse. Is that any help? It might be that it doesn't matter how the habit started, especially after a few years. What matters is giving up the self-destructive habit. Then we can talk about it. If there's a problem, maybe we can fix it. But that comes l
Alternatives to the differences between men and womenEverything's out in the open, these days. Or so we are told. Unfortunately, we're not told everything. In doctor's surgeries and clinics, people find it as difficult as ever to have full and frank discussions. That can't be right, surely? We live in modern times. Not at all, says this article, and goes on to raise several important issues. Well, what do you think?
Alternatives to losing at gamblingWhy do some people walk out of the casino with a fat wallet and some exit with no shirt on their back? What are the factors that decide winning or losing, and, more important, does this have anything at all to do with real life? Are their 'gamblers' at other things too, apart from cards? The answer, surprisingly, is simpler than it sounds, and the rules, if you choose to follow them, can produce w
Alternatives to FairylandChildren love fairy stories, tall tales of short elves and beautiful maidens. Is it fair to shatter their illusions and puncture their dreams? Certainly not! But what if that 'child' is 21, or 41, or 61? Should they still be allowed to believe in fairies? Doesn't someone, anyone, need to tell them the truth about the economy? Why should they be encouraged to live in Fairy Land forever?
Internet Authors are the new Black SwansLife is so unpredictable. Just when you were pretty sure that all swans were white, someone goes off and discovers Australia, where swans can be found that are black. No one was expecting that. Likewise, no one is expecting the edifice of Traditional Publishing to crumble, but after 250 years it is finally beginning to shake. Internet Authoring is the way of the future. That's a surprise too.
Alternatives to being the bestEvery day is an adventure and every road we go down gives us a choice, which way to go next. What would you choose, good or bad, right or wrong, the worst or the best. Let's look at a few examples and see how frail and stupid we can all be, if we're determined and really put our minds to it. The alternative, of course, is always better, but how many of us can choose that route?
Alternatives to flourideWhy should we do what's good for us? Well, apparently, we don't. Despite all the good intentions in the world, not everyone is convinced that medicating the water supply is the best way to treat people in the 21st century. Anyway, they've found other things to do. These days it's drinking water out of a very expensive bottle. People don't always do what they're told! Sorry.
Internet Authors don't use quillsEvery artist has a hero, someone they admired when younger and then set out to emulate. But do they copy the person or just follow in their footsteps? If you want to go the way of William Shakespeare does that mean you have to use a quill pen and write on parchment? Or is their another way? Perhaps we can learn from the best of new techology, while not ignoring the lessons of the past.
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