- Alternatives to being Roman
We'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 foods
Well, 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's the puppet, and who's pulling the strings? - Alternatives on the road to addiction
If 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 later, once you're off the road of addiction. - Alternatives to the differences between men and women
Everything'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 gambling
Why 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 worthwhile results. - Alternatives to reality, every day
So, what's it to be, young man? Why, you could be a famous sports personality, a singer or creative artist, all without work or effort. You could be rich, famous, an expert in your field, and all without practice. Uh, wait a minute: where are we going? You think it's possible to achieve anything without daily effort? Time to think again. Moving forward is easy, but you have to move your feet. One step at a time. - Alternatives to Fairyland
Children 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 Swans
Life 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 best
Every 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 flouride
Why 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 quills
Every 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. - Internet Authors are farmers, really
As the age of Traditional Publishing draws to an end, authors are finding that the internet can now meet all their needs, for getting published and being heard. Writers make contact with readers through the web, get feedback and improve their craft. Their work grows in the sunlight of positive criticism, watered by the rain of encouragement. The author brings in a well-deserved harvest. Just like farmers, maybe? - Alternatives to Making Do
Why prepare? After all, a lot of famous people are renowned for being able to 'wing it', coming up with the goods off the top of their heads. Isn't it good to be spontaneous? Why not copy the rich and famous? Yeah, good, if you can. On the other hand, it might be better to make that all important first impression by knowing what you're talking about. Yep, that's an alternative. - Alternatives to pretending
We are who we think we are. Are we? Or are we who we say we are? Or, more accurately, we seem to be whom we pretend to be. That's good, surely, making out you're more than you are; more important; more - everything. Not according to this author. You spend effort pretending to be who you're not and you'll spend up, with nothing to show for it. Try another way. - Alternatives to positive thinking
What's all this 'positive' stuff? Why do we have to keep smiling? What's this obsession with always looking on the bright side. Maybe there are other world views, and this article points you in that direction, out there in the world, maybe China. Find out more about being positive where it counts, in planning and doing. After all, the question is, where are you - now and in the future - not what you can say about it.
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