http://www.articlealley.com en-us editorial@articlealley.com Most people seem to think that the alternative to success is failure. They also seem to think that the alternative to failure is success. It's not; in both case, it's mediocrity. For some reason, the majority of people in the West prefer the choice of not... http://www.articlealley.com/article_1214753_24.html 03rd November 2009 How do you feel about scientists? Maybe you admire them, especially if they win a Nobel Prize or invent something that benefits all of humanity. But do you worship them? Do you 'believe' in them? Science isn't about worship, it's about respect, hard work ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_932668_24.html 12th June 2009 Some people find it hard to face the future: they prefer to live in the past, or at least, that part of the past which they really enjoyed. That's OK, though. Some people can make a good living out of their nostalgia. Artist Lawrence Cassidy is used to... http://www.articlealley.com/article_926306_27.html 11th June 2009 There are at least two alternatives to scientific studies. One is to ignore the science and go straight for myth, magic and superstition. The other is to start with a scientific study and then twist it to suit your own purposes. This second appears regula... http://www.articlealley.com/article_874951_22.html 01st May 2009 Here's a simple enough question. Suppose I bought a house, two years ago. I paid one hundred thousand for it. Now, two years later, the house has been valued at three hundred thousand. Great. Good news. So, how much money have I made? 'Ah', most people wo... http://www.articlealley.com/article_666767_19.html 15th October 2008 The reason that lying is so common is that most people aren't very good at communication in the first place, which means they then have to run to keep up with the misinformation they gave out originally. One reason is that it's so easy to misconstrue what... http://www.articlealley.com/article_654934_50.html 02nd October 2008 People can be perverse, sometimes. For instance, in these days of rising fuel prices it makes sense to buy a smaller car and try and keep your running costs down. Plenty of people are doing that; I was talking to a second-hand car dealer the other day, an... http://www.articlealley.com/article_651728_24.html 29th September 2008 No, not in the sense that Internet Authors are some wild animal, on the rampage and tearing up the big city. That's a job reserved for rapacious developers, Town Planners and Local Authority officials. No, the modern world is seeing a new phenomenon, and ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_644760_50.html 22nd September 2008 In Britain we have a very distinguished comedy writing partnership called Galton and Simpson. These two were responsible for some of the funniest situation comedies on radio and television from the 1950s to the 1980s. If you ask anyone living in these isl... http://www.articlealley.com/article_628757_24.html 08th September 2008 There aren't any. Okay, whoah, I know that's not what you wanted to hear. If you're reading this article, then you're looking for someone to tell you that all you have to do is (i), (ii) and (iii) and you'll never have a problem again. Sorry, I don't beli... http://www.articlealley.com/article_625579_24.html 08th September 2008 Suppose I was to tell you that the Police broke my door down the other day. They hauled me out of my bed and demanded to know if I was familiar with a man called Stephen Moon. I thought about it. Yes, that name sounded familiar. I thought about it some mo... http://www.articlealley.com/article_621157_45.html 05th September 2008 Occasionally an idea comes along that is just so good, that, of course, most people fail to recognise it for what it is. The latest example of that is the move in Britain and America to seize the proceeds of a criminal's life. It's simple: you get convict... http://www.articlealley.com/article_618453_18.html 04th September 2008 There are many ways to communicate, but there are even more ways to fail to communicate. The most important of these I call, 'The Curse of FaceBook'. It's a mysterious thing, and, on the face of it, should never happen. After all, Social Networking sites ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_614163_35.html 02nd September 2008 A recent poll showed that a majority of Americans disapproved of homosexuals. When asked 'Why?' the chief reason given was that they thought that being Gay was somehow 'unnatural'. There's a simple answer to that: the next question should be 'Have you eve... http://www.articlealley.com/article_610685_24.html 28th August 2008 Lots of people like to think they're sophisticated, or, to put it another way, that they're witty, urbane, experienced and knowing. Some of us would like to think of ourselves as people who've grown up and learned the ways of the world, how to prosper and... http://www.articlealley.com/article_606588_24.html 22nd August 2008 We look down on the Romans. Oh sure, they set up the largest Empire that Europe has ever known, and their city state lasted for over 800 years, which is about four times the length of time that the United States of America has been in existence. But, on t... http://www.articlealley.com/article_562160_18.html 24th June 2008 In England, GM foods will always be associated with lies and deception. That's for a very good reason, because everything we have been told here about GM over the years is provably untrue. Take one example: we were told that GM crops were necessary for th... http://www.articlealley.com/article_556842_18.html 17th June 2008 We live in an unshockable society. That's what some people would like to believe. If you're a liberal, you talk about all the progress we've made and how far we've come since the bad old days of the 1950s. If you're a conservative, you talk about the lice... http://www.articlealley.com/article_552156_23.html 06th June 2008 The reality of becoming famous is not something most people would enjoy. When I was younger, I shared a flat in the city of Bristol and above us, on the next floor, were the pop band known as 'Stackridge'. They were one of a new wave of creative groups in... http://www.articlealley.com/article_537323_24.html 15th May 2008 'Why don't you move to Russia?' That used to be the call that you would hear in England, back in the 1960s and '70s, every time that anyone criticised the country, the government, or the way of life. The implication, of course, was that if you didn't like... http://www.articlealley.com/article_532193_19.html 08th May 2008 Every Traditional Publisher should read the book by Nicholas Taleb called 'The Black Swan'. Not least because it's now a runaway best-seller and, in the fine tradition of that category, it was ignored by most publishers who were asked to publish it. If pe... http://www.articlealley.com/article_530376_50.html 07th May 2008 I saw a car crash today. I was following a car along an urban motorway, that part of the A57 that is called The Mancunian Way, in Manchester. I could see him flip his brake lights a few times, obviously undecided about which exit to take. There was an off... http://www.articlealley.com/article_518587_24.html 16th April 2008 I live in Manchester, England. It's a unique city. Apart from hosting one of the most famous football teams in the world, and having one of the dampest climates, (although Seattle is worse, apparently), it also has one of the strangest attributes in the c... http://www.articlealley.com/article_510691_23.html 07th April 2008 In the 1980s I was a member of an active writing circle. We were discussing that old chestnut, 'how to write', and one member proudly said that he couldn't be bothered with these new-fangled word processors that were just about starting to appear in offic... http://www.articlealley.com/article_507150_50.html 03rd April 2008 Internet Authors are like farmers, in that they plough their own furrow. They work alone, often separated from friends and family, wondering - like all writers - if the stories they are producing work will ever see the light of day. Still, they are driven... http://www.articlealley.com/article_501508_50.html 01st April 2008 Most people remember The Beatles. In the 1960s they were the most famous pop group in the world, and were responsible for writing some of the most memorable songs of that era. People are still humming their tunes today. So where did the songs come from? I... http://www.articlealley.com/article_490534_24.html 14th March 2008 A met an old pal of mine just the other day. He was looking down, which was a surprise. When I knew him well and we were both in our '20s, he was one of the most irrepressible optimists I've ever met. He was always laughing and joking, always cheerful, no... http://www.articlealley.com/article_486834_24.html 07th March 2008 We all know the situation, it happens on the TV News every night. The person who's just been flooded out; or seen their house disappear off the end of a cliff or been burnt to the ground; or had a child kidnapped or ransomed; is asked by the interviewer w... http://www.articlealley.com/article_485630_24.html 04th March 2008 Multi-millionaire Felix Dennis has a great line about feeling like he's nothing more than 'a miserable worm on an insignificant planet, circling an enormous universe'. He's trying to say that we're all pretty small fry, really, whether we're unemployed la... http://www.articlealley.com/article_480100_24.html 24th February 2008 Apparently there's a big debate going on in scientific circles. Swimmers and surfers from around the world are coming up with stories that they have somehow been 'rescued' by dolphins and scientists are having trouble accepting that. If someone says 'I wa... http://www.articlealley.com/article_472461_24.html 11th February 2008 There are plenty of resources out there for people who want to write a book, or people who have written one and want to see it published. Websites like Lulu will provide facilities for you to upload your files and turn them into a format that will allow '... http://www.articlealley.com/article_467711_50.html 04th February 2008 There is an alternative to torture, of course there is. It's called 'being nice to people' and giving them things. Before you dismiss such an idea as crazy and misguided, it's worth remembering that it has been tried quite recently, and it achieved favour... http://www.articlealley.com/article_466294_18.html 02nd February 2008 It's said that some people 'change' when they get behind the wheel of a car. That's true. Some mild mannered souls can suddenly get irritable and aggressive, taking their inner rage out on other road users. Perhaps they realise they are suddenly in the dr... http://www.articlealley.com/article_462765_24.html 28th January 2008 There aren't any! There, I've spoiled it for you, told you the ending before I even set the scene and outlined the case. Sorry, that's not very good practice, but it proves my point. We all love a good story, one with a start, some middle and a proper end... http://www.articlealley.com/article_460702_50.html 24th January 2008 Traditional Publishers take ages to notice a trend. In the 1980s it was so-called 'Magical Realism' that had to be around for a while before the people who put the books out noticed what it was. In the 1990s it was the worrying wave of 'Tragic Childhoods'... http://www.articlealley.com/article_458900_50.html 23rd January 2008 In Britain, we're having a big debate about the Health Service. People have finally realised that doctors aren't in the business of 'health' at all - they're in the illness business. They have no duty to keep people well. They simply wait around for them ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_255286_50.html 21st January 2008 Okay, so you're an aspiring author or a wannabe writer and you're staring at the blank white page, wondering what to put on it. What would be the best thing to write about? What are publishers looking for? Hmm, tough question. I know, check out a few webs... http://www.articlealley.com/article_253685_50.html 19th January 2008 Robert Kiyosaki has made a curious assertion in one of his many books. He says that the tax system, the legal system, in fact the whole economic system, has been set up to favour entrepreneurs. He says that everything is there to encourage people to take ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_243746_15.html 09th November 2007 Here in Britain we're enjoying seeing a new TV series that's all about 'Heroes'. The story seems to be similar to the 'X-Men' series, in that ordinary people are discovering that they possess strange new powers and are able to do something great, like fly... http://www.articlealley.com/article_242398_24.html 08th November 2007 Research has shown unusually high levels of mercury in people who have died in recent years. This hasn't come to light before, because it's not 'mercury poisoning' that is written on the Death Certificate. It could be stroke, or heart attack, or embolism.... http://www.articlealley.com/article_236128_23.html 05th November 2007 There is only one problem with dieting. It seems so simple on the surface. Isn't it (simply) based on a philosophy which says, 'I don't like feeling (or looking) the way I do, and I want to change'? No, there is a catch, and that is that the dieter only w... http://www.articlealley.com/article_215147_23.html 20th September 2007 Internet Authors are living in the present? They have to. In fact, any author needs to think about what's happening now, right now, this minute. Whether it's thinking about how to finish a chapter, or whether their character suddenly became unbelievable, ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_210066_50.html 02nd September 2007 There's the old fairy tale about the young man who unwisely opened the bottle and, inadvertently, set free the genie. The problem then � for him and everyone else � is to get the thing back in the bottle before it does any damage. It's not usually eas... http://www.articlealley.com/article_208487_50.html 29th August 2007 Perhaps the biggest surprise to all would-be writers and first-time authors is that they don't need to spend a pile of money to see their brand new book get into print. You can do it through the internet these days for practically nothing, probably for no... http://www.articlealley.com/article_206552_50.html 26th August 2007 A great writer, perhaps Thoreau, once said that many people were 'living lives of quiet desperation'. If only it were that simple! His familiar saying implies that some people, perhaps a lot of them, are unhappy with the way their lives are now and want t... http://www.articlealley.com/article_203985_24.html 21st August 2007 One of the biggest lies that Traditional Publishers peddle to would-be authors is that things 'have always been this way'. That's historically inaccurate. What we call 'publishing' is a recent invention. It didn't exist before the development of what we n... http://www.articlealley.com/article_201698_50.html 14th August 2007 Most people know that murder is wrong. It's ugly, and disruptive, to family as well as society. Most crucially, it's also against the law. That last point is perhaps the most important. It means that when violent death happens, the cops are entitled to... http://www.articlealley.com/article_200830_24.html 13th August 2007 It seems fairly simple and easy to understand. If you want to achieve some kind of success, in fact, if you want your life to improve in any way at all, then your future is going to have to be a lot better than your past. (It's definitely going to have to... http://www.articlealley.com/article_198667_24.html 07th August 2007 Everybody knows what the dream looks like. First, you write a book. Next, you send it off to a nationally known publisher. Finally, you are rewarded with a contract for an enormous amount of money, you are interviewed on television, recognised in the stre... http://www.articlealley.com/article_197214_50.html 06th August 2007 Ever since the 1960s, most of us (old enough to remember) have been encouraged to express our emotions. To get them out into the open. To 'let it all hang out'. Well, sure, as an antidote to the buttoned-down society we had back then, it was probably good... http://www.articlealley.com/article_194920_24.html 31st July 2007