tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52571150434458820682023-11-15T16:53:23.473+00:00Writeangled Witters on the WorldWriting on anything and everything, with some shameless promotion of my articles too.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511707691481675163noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257115043445882068.post-35792564503306393292014-06-11T00:27:00.001+01:002014-06-11T12:06:58.909+01:00Brainjuicer: market research but only on respondents that "fit in"I was invited by someone from company with a name that sounds like something out of a horror film, Brainjuicer, to join a market research study.<br />
<br />
The study took place in what was supposed to be a "community environment", but very definitely was not. I guess I cannot go into specific detail of what was being researched for fear of being prosecuted.Suffice to say the web site I was forced to use was clunky and totally unsuitable for the free and easy interpersonal interactions that were supposedly one of the objectives of the study. Our instructions on what to do were supplied by Minion No. 1.<br />
<br />
In addition to the interaction problems, our supposed "community" proved to be a highly toxic environment to anyone who did not fit the presuppositions of the moderator (Minion No. 2). People were encouraged to view themselves as negatively as possible, to wallow in feelings of hopelessness and despair. Statements reflecting confidence and optimism were ignored, but if a long upbeat posting had one tiny phrase that might reflect fleeting doubts or fears, the poster was immediately pushed to expand on this ad nauseam.<br />
<br />
Minion 2 submitted a question to one of my posts. I provided a highly detailed (nearly 700 words) reply. She took umbrance at about 12 words in which I had challenged a phrase she used. I guess I can cite this as it does not refer directly to the subject of the study. She asked me whether a certain event had changed my "attitude to work", implying that it needed changing. I replied that this was the sort of speak used by bosses, managers and petty bureaucrats who do not value people with imagination and initiative, and thus, it was not terminology with which I wished to engage as a FREElance. She took this as a personal insult. Well, my dear Minion 2, as far as I am concerned it is your choice whether or not to engage in the issue I raise. If you are only capable of dealing with it as a personal insult, that is your problem not mine.<br />
<br />
With respect to the major deficiencies on the site, I sent a message to Minion No. 1 outlining what I considered to be the deficits from a user point of view. Now, you would think she would be grateful to hear of problems/annoyances encountered by one of the community she was supposedly nurturing. Actually, such companies pay a lot of money for usability studies in this respect, and I was saving them a big fee by offering my comments for free.<br />
<br />
Oh no. First of all, Minion 1 patronised me with a message implying I did not understand how to navigate the site, despite the fact my comments on usability made it perfectly clear that I did, When I requested her to stop patronising, she accused me in best School Mar'm style of having a "rude and inappropriate tone". She then expelled me from <strike>school</strike> the site.<br />
<br />
LOL! I've now received a formal expulsion notice from <strike>the headmistress</strike> Minion 3, who actually gave her full name. I looked her up on the Net and have now realised that this survey is being run from the US, as further confirmed by the times at which communications from Minions 1 and 2 used to appear. This explains it all. US corporate culture is even more up itself than UK corporate culture, and I have also often heard it said that the direct manner of speaking much favoured in the UK does not go down well over the pond. I despise corporate culture and always say exactly what I think, both of which traits presumably caused much distress to the sensitive souls of the minions.<br />
<br />
So, clients of Brainjuicer, do not think that the results you receive are universally valid and fully representative of your target population group. Be aware that any respondent who strays from the norms of US corporate culture will be excluded (even if the survey targets people in another country), as will anyone who dares criticise the survey site.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511707691481675163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257115043445882068.post-23299266490885793042014-05-28T05:04:00.002+01:002014-05-28T10:41:48.013+01:00The Death of Helium: Rejoice!Normally, I would not be happy that a revenue-share site has given up the ghost. Nevertheless, the death of the obnoxious Helium site has caused much rejoicing. You might be asking why:<br />
<br />
1. Helium placed numerous obstacles in the way of its contributors. Firstly, it was not possible to write freely to a topic of one's choice. Instead, writers had to select from the pre-defined titles. For the most part, the titles were unimaginably tedious and tended to sound like essay topics assigned by teachers, who had long ago lost the slightest interest in their subject.<br />
<br />
2. Secondly, authors were encouraged to write to titles that were already populated by one, more and sometimes many articles. Not only did this dilute views, it must surely have been suicidal in terms of SEO. I certainly know that whenever I did a Google search on a Helium article, it never appeared in the first several pages of search results, the only exception being if I searched on the exact title in quotation marks.<br />
<br />
3. Thirdly, it was only possible to earn from page views if you engaged in the idiotic rating system. You were asked to compare two articles written to the same title and presented side by side. You had to say which one was better. This was not enough though! Your ratings had to match the average ratings for that article pair. The closer the match, the more rating stars you received. No stars meant no earnings from your articles. Similarly, your articles received stars on the basis of their ratings. The more stars, the higher your earnings for a given article. The joke was that the ratings did not actually reflect the quality of the content. I perfected a system whereby I was able to rate article pairs in about 10 seconds while maintaining a rating score of over 95%, My rating system did not require me to read the articles at all apart from glancing briefly at the first paragraph. I simply looked at several formatting parameters plus the presence or absence of spelling and punctuation errors in the first paragraph. After a while, even with this rapid rating system, I became bored out of my mind ploughing through the tedious school essays churned out by the average Heliumite.<br />
<br />
4. The main factor that led me to abandon Helium very rapidly was the unpleasantness of the forums. These were dominated by sanctimonious clergymen and brown-nosers, who found they could gain petty power as topic managers. No criticism of the status quo was tolerated by these poor excuses for humanity.<br />
<br />
5. Helium kept a tight leash on all submitted articles. Those who had their accounts deleted (I know one person who suffered this) were not able to delete their contributions. Helium retained their articles and any income derived from them. Likewise, anyone who chose to leave the site was unable to delete their articles.<br />
<br />
Helium started dying a long time back. It was bought out by a large corporation, which introduced some changes into the structure, creating topic-related microsites. It seems though that this could not bring back to life the foul monster that was Helium.<br />
<br />
Helium's motto used to be "Quality rises". As far as I am concerned, the reality of Helium was that shit rises. Finally though, the shit has hit the fan. Rest in peace Helium and may you never rise again.<br />
<br />
I have recovered a number of articles I submitted to Helium in my naive days. Some of these will eventually find their way to my new web site: <a href="http://writeangled.com/">writeangled.com</a><br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511707691481675163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257115043445882068.post-83442939402465814262014-02-09T04:11:00.002+00:002014-02-09T04:11:47.365+00:00Enviralize me review - anyone have anything good to say?I had my attention drawn to a site called Enviralize dot me recently as purportedly being a potential source of easy earnings, Jobs supposedly include posting various messages on social media platforms, and, what was of more interest to me, producing reviews of ebooks. <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
On signing up, I found myself in a very amateur-looking environment. To get to the book review offers, I was expected to sign up for yet another forum. As for the other jobs, heaven knows where these were to be found!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My suspicions were immediately raised by a very prominent banner advert, which led me to the URL: <div>
http: // yougetpaidfast.com / christcentered/ SP1. html</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now, for a start, an affiliate name of "christcentered" immediately raised my hackles and made me suspect the worst. People who try to use their fundamentalist Christian bigotry as business bait are, in my opinion, inevitably crooks and scammers out to fool the most gullible sectors of society. My suspicions were confirmed when I discovered that yougetpaidfast is indeed a web-based scam akin to the old chain letter principle. Find out more about the site on <a href="http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/YOU-GET-PAID-FAST-/Select-StateProvince/YOU-GET-PAID-FAST-Paul-Darby-Mike-Kuehl-Mak-Marketing-Money-order-scamwebsite-no-lo-1090206" target="_blank">Ripoff Report</a>. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Another banner led to an Amazon entry for a book on booking holidays authored by one Dr. Daniel Klockenbrink. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So I went hastily back to my profile, looking for a delete profile option. I could not find one. In my opinion, the lack of an easy option to back out of membership is a very strong indicator this is a spam site. I hastily changed my profile details to those of a non-existent resident of the Turks and Caicos. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I have a strong suspicion that Enviralize is yet another scam hoping to trap the vulnerable.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511707691481675163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257115043445882068.post-19628902956869352652014-02-07T19:38:00.003+00:002014-02-07T19:38:17.716+00:00Earn easy money for answering questions from companies on your phoneI have just been alerted to a new service, which lets companies ask very specific questions to targeted demographic groups of people. You can sign up to answer such questions <a href="http://1q.com/guxtC" rel="nofollow">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Once you have signed up, you will receive questions by SMS to your phone. You will be paid one dollar for each question you answer, with the money going into your Paypal account.<br />
<br />
Since the service is very new, questions are as yet few and far between. The chance of getting a question will also depend on how your demographic data (country of residence, age, gender, occupation, etc) match what the companies are targeting. I have however heard from one person, who has already received payments.<br />
<br />
Registration is very fast and simple. After that, you need do nothing at all except wait for the messages to come. So it is a really painless procedure that could put a few dollars into your pocket for practically no effort at all. Why not <a href="http://1q.com/guxtC" rel="nofollow">sign-up</a> now!<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511707691481675163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257115043445882068.post-42829863012249060632013-08-16T19:14:00.000+01:002013-08-16T19:19:19.692+01:00WebAnswers and Adsense: a warningI have neglected this blog somewhat and notice that my last post, written eight months ago was about earning at WebAnswers.<br />
<br />
At the time, that proved to be quite a useful way of boosting Adsense earnings without too much effort. Today, however, I deleted my Adsense ID from the site and can no longer recommend it.<br />
<br />
I have been worried for some time that my Adsense account could possibly become compromised due to some of the content at WA, which at times touches on topics that are forbidden by Adsense.<br />
<br />
One of the advantages of the site is that your Adsense ID shows on random pages, not just on your own questions and answers. Therefore, you can sometimes pick up high-paying keywords from topics that you yourself are not competent to tackle.<br />
<br />
The disadvantage is that the site owners are not particularly proactive in monitoring what is put up. Thus you risk having your ID appear on very dubious content.<br />
<br />
Not only that, but the illiterate rubbish that makes up a large part of WebAnswers eventually resulted in the site being badly hit by Panda. Earnings over the last weeks have been dismal.<br />
<br />
The last straw came today, when I heard that Google stopped placing its advertisements on the site a couple of days ago. As far as I am concerned, that is a huge danger signal. I removed my idea immediately.<br />
<br />
Apparently, one of the site owners has now announced the ads will be back in 24 hours. However, I have taken this incident as a warning and am no longer willing to risk having my Adsense ID associated with WebAnswers.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, though, I have found a site that is currently paying very well, for even less effort than WebAnswers. Less effort is required, because it is a social site, where you can post your thoughts, rants or anything else you want. If people read and like what you post, you earn. If they do not, at least you have not wasted time. I do not know how long it will last, but I'm posting there while I can. <a href="http://www.bubblews.com/?referral=520e6b170d93f8.42691242" rel="nofollow">Follow this link to find out more and sign up</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511707691481675163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257115043445882068.post-56195649929989681632012-12-18T15:23:00.000+00:002012-12-18T19:44:57.351+00:00How to earn money on WebAnswers now<h2>
Make money now online free </h2>
The <a href="http://www.webanswers.com/_hixvw7k7/how-this-works.cfm" rel="nofollow">WebAnswers</a> site gives you a way to earn<a href="http://make money now online free "> </a>simply by answering questions. Payment is through Adsense, and you will be invited to apply for an Adsense account once you have answered 50 questions, or to link your existing account if you are already a member of Adsense.<br />
<br />
While fifty questions may seem like a lot, it is possible to complete this requirement fairly fast. As I write, the leader board shows people, who have answered between 24 and 61 questions today. Those numbers will probably increase as it is still only morning in the US, where many participants live. It is not unusual to see one or two people credited with 100+ answers in a day.<br />
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There are a number of points, of which you need to aware in order to maximize your earning potential and minimize the time required to achieve it. <br />
<br />
<h2>
The system at WebAnswers</h2>
<br />
<h3>
It does not matter which questions you answer</h3>
<br />
Once you have linked an Adsense account, you will earn money from site visitors clicking on ads. There is something very important to note here. If your answer is chosen by the asker of the question as being the best, you are awarded that question. That means, any clicks on ads displayed with that question, and obviously the resulting Adsense earnings, will be credited to you.<br />
<br />
However, everyone who has made the effort to monitor their earnings closely with Google Analytics has commented that they <b>earn far more from non-awarded questions.</b> Therefore, despite what you might hear, it makes little difference whether you answer questions on topics associated with high-value clicks or not, because your Adsense ID will appear not only on your awarded questions and on all non-awarded questions that you have answered in turn with the IDs of other people, but also on non-awarded questions you have NOT answered in all topic areas.<br />
<br />
With respect to non-awarded questions, the consistency of your participation and the overall quality of your answers determines whether and how often your Adsense ID will appear on these pages. I'll look at each of these.<br />
<h3>
WebAnswers Quality Score</h3>
<br />
This is a somewhat mysterious concept, which is kept unexplained so as to deter people from trying to game the system. It reflects the general quality of your answers.<br />
<br />
As far as I can make out from numerous comments on the site, the most important thing is to <b>write answers with correct spelling and grammar and avoid very short answers</b>. If you can write a couple of short paragraphs in good English for each question, your quality score should be OK.<br />
<br />
A further important rule is <b>not to duplicate material from elsewhere</b>, because this will result in your answer being removed and your quality score plummeting. <br />
<br />
Although having questions awarded also adds to your quality score, only a very small proportion of the questions on the site is ever awarded. In fact, if your answers appear on many non-awarded questions, you will find the system compensates by giving "virtual awards". This is partly to compensate for the fact that many of the questions were captured from around the Net by bots, and thus will never be awarded. <br />
<h3>
Consistency of participation </h3>
This is perhaps the key factor determining earnings. Even people who have answered thousands of questions report a dramatic fall-off in earnings if they stay away from the site for more than a couple of weeks. Consistency versus absence seems to be a major determinant of how often your Adsense ID is displayed around the site. However, if you are consistent, answering a couple of questions most days, then your overall total of answers will be the main factor in play. So the best tactic is to build up a large body of answers fairly fast, and then make sure you keep answering at least a few questions on a regular basis. <br />
<h2>
Maximizing earning potential at WebAnswers </h2>
<br />
Along with the above points on the system, you need to know that <b>inserting links into answers is discouraged</b>. This actually is an advantage, because it means you do not need to waste time looking for sources to back up your statements. <br />
<br />
Unless you happen to stumble on a question that really captures your imagination and makes you want to research the answer for your own satisfaction, <b>stick to questions you can answer out of your head</b>. You want to select questions you can answer rapidly, while still producing the couple of paragraphs or more to satisfy quality score requirements. <br />
<br />
According to one vociferous site participant, it is not worth answering questions that many people have answered because your turn for having your ID displayed will only come around rarely, so your earning potential from those questions is negligible. Well yes, if you only answer such questions, that will indeed be the case. However, answers to ANY questions boost up your total, and your total also determines how often your Adsense ID is displayed on the site. So, if you see a question to which you can generate a couple of paragraphs of answer in a very short time, go for it regardless of how many answers it already has. Obviously, though, there is <b>no point in answering already awarded questions</b>!<br />
<br />
A corollary to the above is that others will often piggyback on questions you have answered, most frequently giving an answer that contains less information or rephrases what you have said. Unfortunately, each time a question is answered, it is thrown back onto the list on the home page. There is no way you can avoid such parasites completely. I sometimes exert revenge on the most shameless ones, who have given a scrappy answer that simply rephrases part of why I said, by going in and piggy-backing on their answers! When I do, I try to provide a longer answer, because I have an inkling that the longest answers for each question possibly get more exposure than others. <br />
<br />
To cut the amount of competition from parasites on my answers, I often answer questions during the first half of the European day, when I think significantly fewer people are active on the site. By the time competitors in the US and Asia have come on board, at least some of these questions will have fallen off the home page and be less obvious.<br />
<br />
You will also hear one site participating emphasizing how many unanswered questions are buried in the depths of the site classification structure. Yes, there are many. Unfortunately, a lot of these are incomprehensible or not worth answering for other reasons. Poke around the site if you want. Personally, I feel it is not worth the time required to dig out reasonable questions.<br />
<br />
The one exception to this is that it can be worth tossing a random key word of your choice into the site search engine, to bring up questions on a topic you feel you can answer out of your head. This is also a good strategy when you see nothing of interest in the home page list. Often, you will find more than one question on the same subject. It is then really easy to go through and answer all of them, remembering to change the wording, and add in a few different snippets in each answer so as not to get penalized for duplication. <br />
<br />
A recent change to the site has resulted in old questions being thrown up at random on the home page together with new ones. This means you can just catch the ones that appeal to you as they pass by rather than wasting time searching all the sub-categories. <br />
<br />
Unfortunately, at present the click value of most adverts on the site
is rather low. As a result, I do not consider it worth investing more
than a couple of minutes per answer, which is why my recommendations are as described above.<br />
<br />
My own approach is to log into WebAnswers while having a coffee break or when I otherwise have a couple to minutes to fill that cannot be spent more usefully elsewhere. At just over 1000 answers in total, I don't expect to earn much. My earnings vary from as little as $5 in bad months to maybe $30 in a good month. However, I see this as money for practically no effort, because I rarely spend more than 30 minutes writing answers in any one day and do not even do this on a daily basis. Obviously, if I increased my answer total, my earnings would increase proportionately. <br />
<br />
So, take the opportunity to <a href="http://make%20money%20now%20online%20free/"> </a><a href="http://www.webanswers.com/_hixvw7k7/earn-extra-income.cfm" rel="nofollow" title="make money now online free">make money now online free</a> by answering questions during those odd, idle moments in your day. You will probably never become rich doing this! However, it is possible to keep pennies rolling in for very little effort if you apply the principles outlined here. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511707691481675163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257115043445882068.post-27481408687583354262012-10-25T18:20:00.001+01:002012-10-25T18:20:59.922+01:00When reading becomes difficult<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_t9maCxGokE/UIl0eAHDB-I/AAAAAAAAAL4/RSjaQtJlbA8/s1600/aids+for+elderly+book+lovers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_t9maCxGokE/UIl0eAHDB-I/AAAAAAAAAL4/RSjaQtJlbA8/s320/aids+for+elderly+book+lovers.jpg" width="254" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Peter reading, painted in 1466 by Friedrich Herlin<br />(public domain image)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It can be so frustrating to struggle with reading small print. The trouble is that as we age, even larger fonts start to cause problems. Reading glasses do not always provide a full solution, especially for people who are affected by age-related macular degeneration or other eye conditions.<br />
<br />
When I joined the Squidoo Book Club, I was given a challenge to write a lens either on a book or books or on book-related products for book lovers. I thought that a good topic to explore would be gifts for elderly people and/or people with impaired vision, who love books.<br />
<br />
Thinking particularly about older people, I wanted to stay away from the ebook concept. An elderly book lover will most likely have collected a lot of books over a lifetime. Many of these will have sentimental value. Some books, particularly those published in the 19th century, may be set in really small type.<br />
<br />
Therefore, I wanted to look at products, which would help people to continue to be able read hard-copy books. Researching this topic was an eye-opener! From a hands-free reading magnifying glass costing less than $30 to a state-of-the-art <span>desktop low vision magnifier costing over $4000, there is a huge range of products. </span><br />
<span><br /></span>
<span>Products in the $75-300 range include </span><span>high definition reading lights, halogen reading lamps, LED reading lamps with magnifying lenses, and portable digital magnifiers. </span><br />
<span><br /></span>
<span>If you know someone who is struggling to continue reading due to eyesight problems and would like to find a gift to help them, why not check out my article for inspiration: </span><a href="http://www.squidoo.com/best-gifts-for-elderly-and-visually-impaired-book-lovers">http://www.squidoo.com/best-gifts-for-elderly-and-visually-impaired-book-lovers</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511707691481675163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257115043445882068.post-72169265508700033602012-06-24T19:41:00.001+01:002012-06-24T20:17:10.932+01:00Some interesting facts about Endellion Inter Ltd (Home Business System)<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recently I received a spam email from a supposed friend on
Facebook, advertising a “Home Business System”, which is being sold by a
company called Endellion Inter Ltd, based in Birmingham, UK. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I set myself the challenge of finding out more about these
people, because I do not like being spammed, especially by people who call
themselves friends of mine.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Endellion Inter Ltd </h3>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
This company has a registered address at: Corner Chambers, 590A Kingsbury Road,
Birmingham B24 9ND and is a registered limited company in England and Wales, company no. 07867739. It was first registered
at Companies House on 1<sup>st</sup> Dec. 2011.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The director is listed as a Ms Agnes Jouaneau of Seychellois
nationality (more about her below). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This company also markets “The Auction Butler”, which is
eBay auction sniping software patented in the Ukraine
in January 2012. It can be found at instantwinsoft.com
and newquickvictory.com<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
The “System”</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
This supposed money-making opportunity features on at least four
web sites, all featuring Endellion Inter, three of which were registered in May
2012 by a Howard Molly from Dublin,
and one by Corner Chambers, which is the first part of the registered address
for Endellion Inter Ltd. These sites have been registered at the Center of
Ukrainian Internet Names (ukrnames.com). Two of these sites are already
defunct at the time of writing (ehousenetwork.com and homebusinessinstructor.com).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The registration seems rather a strange choice for a UK
company, but shows a further Ukrainian connection in addition to that of the Ukrainian-patented
auction sniping software they sell.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thus, at the time I received the email, the company had only
been in existence for just over 6 months and the web sites promoting its system
had only been registered for little over a month. The two active sites are,
however, already featuring success story testimonials.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I dug around the active sites for a bit to see what I could
find.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They contain an earnings disclaimer and also state they
cannot guarantee the accuracy of testimonials.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<i><b>Site 1. businesssystemworld.com</b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b>The claim is made that it is possible to make “up to $377
per week”. You are asked to fill in some contact details plus indicate your
location in order to go further.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Attempting to leave their landing page without any action triggers
the usual pop-up box offering a downsell.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Downsell 1 offers you the system for $77.95 as a
reduction from the full price of $197.95. However, you are warned there are only 2 positions left in
your area and you only have 5 minutes to decide. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This offer amused me, because I did NOT fill in my location
details as requested on the initial landing page. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Attempting to leave this page will bring you to a further
downsell 2 page at businesssystemworld.com/downsell2</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here you are warned that there now only ONE position is left
in your area, which has been reserved for you for the next 5 minutes at a mere
$47.95. Act quickly urges the page, because if you do not, your reserved place
will be freed to the thousands of other visitors coming to the web site (oh
yes!).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<i><b>Site 2. homecompanyinc.com</b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here the landing page shows the same blurb offering the same
scheme. However, if you wish to leave, you are invited to read a letter by
Edward Harris, self-styled “one of the most famous home-based jobs consultants”.
Unfortunately, I have not managed to find any other reference on the Net to a Mr
Edward Harris acting in such a capacity. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Edward offers great things: “In less than 1 minute he will
tell you how to get a job that pays as much as $87 an hour” says the site.
(Rather more than the “up to $377 a week” promised on Site 1. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He spins us the usual hard luck story with happy ending of
Internet riches. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As for the system itself, it is, of course, a blindingly easy way to become rich:
“All you have to do to share information is to post link and wait. Each passing
day that link gets exposed to more and more potential clients and chances grow
that some of them will buy the product”
<i>Yes, right.</i> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mr Harris starts his price at $97 but, if you don’t hurry: “In
the nearest future, in order to expand the program and to cover additional
expenses, I'll have to raise the entrance fee up to $500 and charge monthly
membership fee of $29. But it will not affect you, if you sign up right now.”
<i>OK</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Should you attempt to leave, you will be offered downsell 1 at
$77.95 as on Site 1. This time you are taken straight to a payment page, which
promises “Instant access to a work at home opportunity that you could make up
to $377 a week.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Dammit, I wanted that $87 an hour you promised me, Ed! *pout*</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Trying to leave downsell 1 will bring you to the same $47.95
downsell 2 offer as on Site 1<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></div>
<h3 class="MsoNormal">
Ms Agnes Jouaneau</h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
According to UK company records, this woman of Seychellois
nationality is director of at least 40 other UK companies, all with the same
registered address in Birmingham as that of Endellion Inter Ltd. You can see a
listing of these companies in the record for one of them, Merkato UK, at <a href="http://bizzy.co.uk/uk/06714206/merkato-uk">http://bizzy.co.uk/uk/06714206/merkato-uk</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you search for her name on the Net, you will find it consistently
listed together with an IP address linked to a Bergdorf Group Ltd, which is associated
with malware and other shady Internet activities. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Most interestingly, the very same name appears as the name
of a director of “dozens” of companies in New Zealand, including one mentioned in
a report about shell companies, which have been set up to launder money and possibly
to finance terrorism which you can read at: <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/3210360/New-fears-NZ-firms-laundering-terror-cash">http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/3210360/New-fears-NZ-firms-laundering-terror-cash</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The main protagonist in that story, one Stella Georgette
Port-Louis, also of Seychellois nationality, is director of hundreds of other companies
in New Zealand. She is also director of quite a few companies in the UK, all citing
the same registered address in Birmingham as our Home Business System friends,
as you can verify here: <a href="http://company-director-check.co.uk/director/915950189">http://company-director-check.co.uk/director/915950189</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Given this background, would you trust Endellion Inter Ltd with your
money?</i></b><br />
<br />
I put out a question on WebAnswers asking for people's experiences with this company. So far, at the time of writing, one person has replied. She signed up, got cold feet, and fortunately got her money returned. That is something at least. The question is <a href="http://www.webanswers.com/_hixvw7k7/business/starting-a-business/endellion-inter-ltd-home-business-system-your-stories-fed408" rel="nofollow">here</a>. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511707691481675163noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257115043445882068.post-63910874721581718892012-06-21T13:34:00.001+01:002012-06-21T13:34:12.193+01:00To suceed online means trying many different ideasOne of the most difficult things about trying to earn some income from home-based Internet business activities is trying to find the perfect niche for yourself. It's easy for people to say you should choose something that you are passionate about or that interests you sufficiently so that you can research it. Just because something appeals to you, it does not mean it will appeal to a large number of readers, who are also eager to spend money!<br />
<br />
So, it may be necessary to try out quite a few ideas, and that means setting up at least one web site for each of these topics. Some of these may bring in some small change, some may take off and become real earners, and some will just have to be ditched. <br />
<br />
In addition, the rules keep changing all the time. Many have been hit badly by the Google Panda and Penguin algorithms. Some people,who know more about these things than I do, are suggesting it might be better just to ditch a badly hit site and try to rebuild that niche again on a new domain.<br />
<br />
These are just two reasons why I'm really pleased that I can set up Wordpress sites as and when I wish, using a very simple set-up process and without having to pay for a new hosting contract each time, so the only expense is the purchase of the domain name.<br />
<br />
I do this at Wealthy Affiliate University, where my membership includes free hosting with unlimited bandwidth and space. This in itself is a precious resource. However, I also have access to their keyword tool and to masses of training material about every aspect of making money on the Web, starting right at the very beginning for those with no previous experience. If I am stuck, I can ask my questions on the forum, which is frequented by knowledgeable and experienced internet marketers.<br />
<br />
If you'd like to have a look at what is available, you can get 10 days access absolutely free, with no upfront payment or any other catches. Why don't you have a look, by following <a href="http://goo.gl/bakDB" rel="nofollow">this link</a>?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511707691481675163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257115043445882068.post-45158408008605692122012-05-06T17:20:00.005+01:002012-05-06T17:21:21.685+01:00Affiliate benefits, including eBay, with no sign-up worriesI've just signed up to a neat scheme, which makes it easy for small players on the Internet to receive affiliate payments. It is called <a href="http://www.viglink.com/?vgref=96547" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">VigLink</a>. The way it works is that VigLink has affiliate status to loads of different sellers on the Net, including big names such as Walmart and Zappos. <br />
<br />
If you link to a product from one of these, VigLink will automatically turn it into an affiliate link. If someone buys from that link, you will receive commission. For this to happen, all you need to do is to insert some code provided by VigLink on your site. <br />
<br />
This means you do not have to go through a long-winded process of signing up for many different affiliate schemes, nor do you have to face the prospect of being rejected because your site is not considered to be important enough. Even more crucially, you can link to eBay products through the scheme and get commission. It is so difficult to be accepted for the eBay Partner Network (EPN) at the moment, and even if you do succeed, you run the risk of being deactivated if you do not bring enough business. With VigLink, all this stress and potential heartache can be avoided. <br />
<br />
VigLink pays via Paypal, so you avoid the expenses of receiving dollar cheques if you do not have a dollar bank account. <br />
<br />
Another important plus is that VigLink offers a further monetisation alternative to Adsense for webmasters unable to use Adsense. On the other hand, it is possible to use the scheme on websites where Adsense is also installed. <br />
<br />
Obviously, this sort of service does not come for free. VigLink takes 25% of your commission. However, considering the fact that it makes a large number of affiliate schemes available, with no extra effort, including some not usually accessible to small website owners, I think this is a price worth paying. <br />
<br />
Follow the link to <a href="http://www.viglink.com/?vgref=96547" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">join VigLink</a> and profit.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511707691481675163noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257115043445882068.post-19028024209914840102011-12-20T15:16:00.002+00:002011-12-20T15:16:57.881+00:00Book Review: The Portrait of a Lover by John Wheatcroft<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <a href="http://amzn.to/szaUax">The Portrait of a Lover by John Wheatcroft </a>is available from Amazon<a href="http://amzn.to/szaUax"></a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When Sarah decided to attend a class in choral singing, she
could not have known that this would change her life forever. From the moment
David Olanski walked up to the conductor’s rostrum, things could never be the
same again. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is a sensitive telling of a lifetime of unrequited
love, or perhaps not in truth fully unrequited; we are left wondering . It is
not, however, a sad story. Sarah was born to be an outsider, standing
hesitantly on the edges of society. Her feelings for David Olanski, and the
ways in which they guided her life choices, served to keep her alienation under
control. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This novel will please readers who enjoy exploring the inner
world of a literary protagonist. Although male, the author succeeds in presenting
the life story of someone whom society would stereotype under the term: “old
spinster”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">John Wheatcroft has written his tale in unashamedly literary
style. His words are finely nuanced, sometimes weaving complex sentences. It is
a type of writing that is infrequently met today. I was not surprised to learn
that Wheatcroft is a professor emeritus of English literature. He has been
active as an author since the 1960s and has other novels, poems and plays to
his credit. I had not been aware of John Wheatcroft before reading Portrait of
a Lover, but I intend to explore his works further in future. </span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/szaUax"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Portrait of a Lover by John Wheatcroft </span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">is available from Amazon</span><a href="http://amzn.to/szaUax"></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclaimer: I received a copy of this
book for review purposes.</span> </span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511707691481675163noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257115043445882068.post-71116808618983845032011-11-08T16:34:00.000+00:002011-11-08T16:34:10.205+00:00Science, religion and beliefRecently I had great fun answering a question, where I based my answer strongly on the ideas of Thomas Kuhn as put forward in his <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Structure-Scientific-Revolutions-Thomas-Kuhn/9780226458083/?a_aid=tehuti">Structure of Scientific Revolutions</a> (follow the link to get the book with 30% discount and <i>free delivery worldwide</i>).<br />
<br />
There are strong similarities between science as described by Kuhn and religious fundamentalism.<br />
<br />
1. Kuhn's basic premise is that science generally operates within what he calls a paradigm, which is defined as a set of <i style="font-weight: bold;">received beliefs</i>.<br />
<br />
<i>Religious fundamentalists operate within the scope of beliefs defined by their scriptures/holy books. </i><br />
<br />
2. What Kuhn calls the "educational initiation" through which a person becomes permitted to work as a scientist (school exams, BSc, MSc, PhD, etc.) is firmly based on these beliefs. The rigorous nature of scientific education means that these beliefs take a deep hold on the minds of most students.<br />
<br />
<i>In fundamentalist circles, there is a strong emphasis on educational activities such as bible study, which serve the same purpose as above.</i><br />
<br />
3. The truth of a paradigm is seen as being absolute and self-evident. Scientific research during what Kuhn terms as "normal" scientific activity (as opposed to revolutionary, paradigm-breaking science) assumes the truth of the paradigm and the same time is held up as supplying further proof of the paradigm.<br />
<br />
<i>Fundamentalists operate within the same sort of closed circle. They claim truth is absolute and self-evident, interpret their experiences in the light of this "truth" and then hold up those experiences as proof of what they believe. </i><br />
<br />
4. The specialised language of scientists insulates them and their scientific activity from the rest of society. Moreover, scientists as a group tend to be unconcerned by the opinions lay society has about them.<br />
<br />
<i>Fundamentalists often urge their followers to keep away from the "evils" of the outside society. Many restrict their dealings with non-believers to "witnessing" and otherwise stay in the company of other fundamentalists. </i><br />
<br />
5. People who have a fundamental problem with the paradigm and try to put something else in its place tend to be excluded from the scientific community.<br />
<br />
<i>Those seen as heretics or lapsers are rapidly excluded from and ostracised by religious fundamentalist groups. </i> <br />
<br />
In science, the heretics and revolutionaries do triumph at times, outworn paradigms are demolished and new ones constructed. Interestingly, Kuhn describes the acceptance of a new paradigm by scientists as being more akin to a process of religious conversion than to a process of scientific logic and deduction!<br />
<br />
The question concerned was: <a href="http://www.webanswers.com/_weknow/science/physics/is-physics-a-religion-a79bef">Is Physics a religion?</a> (follow the link if you wish to read my answer)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511707691481675163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257115043445882068.post-41266044904543685572011-11-01T13:48:00.001+00:002011-11-01T13:52:19.782+00:00Even less reason to choose Helium instead of Hubpages<b><i>Hubpages earnings increase substantially</i></b><br />
<br />
Recently, Hubpages announced a new deal with respect to the ads that are placed on our hubs. Earnings were predicted to rise as a results. In the first month of the scheme, I have been pleased to see that my income from hubs has indeed risen substantially.<br />
<br />
For just under 25 hubs, I have earned $17.50 from the Hubpages earnings programme plus approximately another $2.50 from Adsense. Adsense earnings drop if you go on the Hubpages programme, however most people find the changeover works in their favour.<br />
<br />
My total of about $20 earned from Hubpages in October is 3-5 times higher than earnings in previous months.<br />
<br />
<b><i>How does Helium compare? </i></b><br />
<br />
I have six more articles on Helium than on Hubpages at the time of writing this blog entry. My total earnings from Helium for October amount to $0.78!<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>The difference in earnings is now more than 25-fold in favour of Hubpages compared to Helium.</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
I have been spending an hour or so every 2-3 months being bored out of my mind while rating Helium articles so as to retain my revenue share. For the return I get, it is really not worth effort. Unfortunately, Helium will not let me delete my material to use elsewhere.<br />
<br />
Incidentally, Helium seems to have been hurt far more than Hubpages by the Google Panda algorithm updates. Most of my hubs manage to be on the first pages of Google search results even with fairly loose search terms. Helium articles only show up if I search on the exact title. My experiences are not exceptional it seems. There have been many laments on the Helium forum recently about how earnings have plummeted.<br />
<br />
I am very glad I did not invest more effort in Helium. I would not be surprised if the site folds as writers desert in droves.<br />
<br />
If you want to write and are not sure where to start, <a href="http://hubpages.com/_tehuti/user/new">join Hubpages</a>. You will learn valuable lessons, which can then be applied to your own sites.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511707691481675163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257115043445882068.post-68522421308200173012011-09-23T17:33:00.001+01:002011-09-23T17:34:30.163+01:00Adsense earnings come quicker with WebAnswersI have been very pleasantly surprised by the slow but steady increase in Adsense earnings I have experienced during my first month with <a href="http://www.webanswers.com/_weknow/how-this-works.cfm">WebAnswers</a>. With just over 250 questions answered while taking breaks from my real work, I am currently earning more than for all my other web ventures combined and for far less effort. For those who do not have one yet, WebAnswers also offers a relatively painless and fast way to get an Adsense account approved.<br />
<br />
Basically, the site looks a bit like Yahoo Answers or WikiAnswers. You pick questions that interest you and answer them. After answering 50 questions, you will be invited to supply your Adsense ID or to apply for an Adsense account if you do not have one yet.<br />
<br />
The beauty of the concept is that your Adsense code does not go exclusively on the answers for which you receive awards. A secret algorithm (ah, these inhuman rulers of our destiny!) is used to determine your quality score based on the length and grammatical accuracy of your answers, and on how many are awarded best answer status. That score decides how often your code will appear on other parts of the site. So far, all my earnings have derived from these other views. This means you do not have to worry quite so much about the types of questions to answer and about SEO-ing the wording of your reply. That said, people with the skills to do this are probably the ones who report monthly earnings in the 100s rather than in the 10s. <br />
<br />
This is by no means the first answers site to which I have contributed. Years ago, I answered questions at the now defunct InfoRocket. Although many of the questions were trivial and poorly paid, the site funded quite a few bottle of vintage Bollinger champagne over a couple of years and I got the ultimate accolade of an InfoRocket t-shirt sent to me. Unfortunately, InfoRocket then tried to change from a mainly Internet-based to a mainly telephone-based service, at the same time pushing the psychic helpline aspect, at which point I said goodbye. Shortly afterwards it went bust.<br />
<br />
After that, I spent several extremely happy years as a GAR on Google Answers. The GARS were a brilliant, supportive and ever-helpful community, the questions paid extremely well, some being set at $100-200 per answer. I did briefly think about giving up employment to become a full-time GAR. Luckily, I was not brave enough to take the plunge, because eventually Google pulled the plug on the service.<br />
<br />
A Q+A site appeals to me because I love chasing down obscure bits of information. To get paid to do so is heaven! Here are three of my favourites from the questions I have answered:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.webanswers.com/_weknow/misc/in-greek-mythology-why-is-the-sky-blue-8e3892">In Greek mythology, why is the sky blue?</a><br />
Actually, it isn't, but finding out why raised an interesting question about different manners of perception.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.webanswers.com/_weknow/arts-humanities/poetry/are-there-any-words-that-rhyme-with-orange-037e7a">Are there any words that rhyme with orange?</a><br />
Believe it or not, there are two words that give a pure rhyme with orange, and one half-rhyme.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.webanswers.com/_weknow/arts-humanities/poetry/what-is-a-rhyme-scheme-bc9a7e">What is a rhyme scheme?</a><br />
I enjoyed explaining this using the sonnet form as an example. This gave me the opportunity to showcase a sonnet from an excellent book by an accomplished modern poet, who uses fun and fantasy to exemplify different poetic forms.<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511707691481675163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257115043445882068.post-84284098527192888862011-08-31T00:14:00.000+01:002011-08-31T00:14:14.999+01:00Flushing inspiration down the toiletI've mentioned how, unlike Helium, Hubpages offers its authors the freedom to produce hubs to a reasonably open choice of subjects, bar the ones that will get the Google puritans hot under the collar. Sometimes, though, inspiration may be lacking. One potential recourse is the pool of questions asked at HP. Maybe, just maybe you will find ideas there, although the majority are as moronic as typical questions placed on Yahoo Answers.<br />
<br />
For some time, in addition, we had the HubMob concept, facilitated by non-staff HP members. Basically, this involved a fairly broad topic being suggested once a week. People would produce hubs relating to the topic, and all these hubs would be interlinked through a RSS feed. There used to be some element of fun in those days. Regrettably, HubMobs are now a thing of the past, and instead we have the "<i>Weekly Topic Inspiration</i>" provided by HP wage minions working to an agenda.<br />
<br />
WTI is about as uninspiring as it can get. Recently, it has literally <b>plumbed </b>the lowest depths. Apparently, a new advertiser on HP Ads is a Yankee drain cleaning company - whoopee! So we have had one "Weekly Topic Inspiration" on kitchen plumbing, which is now being followed by a second one on bathroom plumbing. Truly topics to get the creative juices flowing - not! All bow to the great god Mammon seated on the toilet.<br />
<br />
I was about to flag one of these plumbing hubs as low quality, then I noticed vociferous praise had been given to it by an HP minion, sigh...<br />
<br />
I still stand by my statement that Hubpages has a way better return than Helium. However, I am very, very glad that membership of HP does not involve an obligation to write "<i>crap</i>" relating to HP Ads advertisers. The day this is enforced is the day I leave.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511707691481675163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257115043445882068.post-56422405537069548642011-08-19T01:27:00.004+01:002011-08-19T03:05:24.340+01:00Free writing websites: Hubpages or Helium after Panda?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SVh_5MS86jE/Tk1Vk-440gI/AAAAAAAAAFE/KGvrD7dfY1g/s1600/deflated+balloon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SVh_5MS86jE/Tk1Vk-440gI/AAAAAAAAAFE/KGvrD7dfY1g/s320/deflated+balloon.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><div style="text-align: center;">DEFLATED BALLOON by Andy F </div><div style="text-align: center;">[CC-BY-SA-2.0 </div><div style="text-align: center;">(www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], </div><div style="text-align: center;">via Wikimedia Commons</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Helium was the first writers' web site I found. I joined Helium nearly two years ago and then found Hubpages a few months later. I started by running them in tandem, although with not a large number of articles on either. However, I am now convinced there are numerous reasons to keep on with <a href="http://hubpages.com/_2craa59bzuavm/user/new">Hubpages</a> and no reasons at all to continue with Helium. These reasons relate to earning potential, freedom and flexibility, the community, quality and post-Panda performance.<br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">1. Earning potential for hubs versus Helium articles</span></b><br />
<br />
<b>Monthly earning 5-10 times higher with Hubpages than with Helium.</b><br />
<br />
Most people signing up with writers' sites want to write to earn money online. When I first joined the two sites nearly two years ago, there was a big difference between Helium and Hubpages in that Helium paid by number of views. Helium also offered upfront payments for the first article written to a title. In contrast, Hubpages offered the potential to earn through Adsense clicks and through sales made via Ebay and Amazon capsules inserted by the writer into the hub. Thus, there was a guarantee of some income with Helium, while Hubpages was more risky. People with the SEO knowledge to gain from Adsense seem to have always done vastly better on Hubpages. Since I am weak in that area, my earnings were initially comparable on both sites.<br />
<br />
Now things have changed dramatically. Helium no longer offers guaranteed upfront payments, except in occasional short-term promotions. It does have contests and it is also possible to write articles commissioned by publishers. Better paying commissioned articles are restricted to certain groups of writers and sometimes are open to as many as 50 authors to battle it out for the payment. There is no limit whatsoever to competition entries. Thus this is rather a large risk in terms of time and effort.<br />
<br />
The latest development at Hubpages is to provide the opportunity to earn money through page views as well as by the other routes.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br />
</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Easier earnings and more sources of income with Hubpages</b><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Hubpages has introduced the HP Ads programme, which pays for impressions not clicks and which is used in addition to Adsense. Signing up for HP Ads means Adsense clicks become much less frequent. Nonetheless, many are reporting increased earnings overall with HP Ads, although Adsense veterans generally say they do better sticking to Adsense alone.<br />
<br />
At the moment, I am earning somewhere between five and ten times as much on Hubpages as on Helium each month, despite having 40% more articles at Helium than at Hubpages. Because most of my hubs focus on information rather than on sales of specific products, I am doing better with HP Ads + Adsense than with Adsense alone. My Amazon earnings are miniscule. Since Ebay changed its criteria at about the time I started on Hubpages, I was unable to sign up for that affiliate programme via Hubpages.<br />
<br />
There is also the possibility to insert one or two affiliate links into a hub. Not all links are permitted; for example no Clickbank links are allowed at all. However, this does provide even more earning potential at Hubpages.<br />
<br />
It is impossible to give definite reasons for the difference in earnings, because Helium provides its writers with no information at all on their page views and CPM (payment per 1000 views). In contrast, Hubpages displays personal statistics on page views, as well as on ad impressions and CPM for HP Ads, while Adsense provides statistics on page views and Adsense clicks. In addition, Hubpages does at least disclose that it takes the revenue during 40% of the hub's viewing time, although it does not give statistics of when during the day this is applied. Helium provides no disclosure whatsoever about how much revenue it keeps back for itself.</span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>One reason for lower earnings on Helium is that the site gets far fewer visitors and ranks much lower than Hubpages. At the time this post is being written, according to Quantcast, Hubpages gets nearly 500,000 views from the US per day, compared to Helium's approx. 34,000. According to Alexa, Hubpages currently ranks at 344 globally and 215 US, while Helium ranks at 2,836 and 1,360, respectively.<br />
<br />
A major drawback at Helium is that writers only earn income from their page views if they constantly participate in the rating of other articles. In rating, articles written to the same title are presented in pairs and one is rated up over another. In order to get a good score, a rating has to agree with that of a mysterious rating algorithm and with ratings of other members. The level of agreement and volume of rating awards "rating stars". There are a number of complaints on the Helium forums from people who cannot retain even one rating star despite spending hours on this immensely tedious task. The main reason for this problem is that they actually try to rate in a critical manner as readers looking for quality of style and content.<br />
<br />
In fact, the algorithm, being non-human, cannot judge on those criteria, so the simplest approach to rating is to guess the rules it applies. I consistently maintain a rating score of 80-95% by following some simple rules I have deduced, mainly based on formatting and the presence or absence of references. I rate at odd moments between work during one afternoon or evening every two or three months, which is enough to keep one or two rating stars. However, I consider it outrageous that writers are forced to do rating to claim their share of revenue.<br />
<br />
One snag to earning with Hubpages is that you need an Adsense account to join the HP Ads programme, even though payments are made directly from Hubpages into Paypal for HP Ads earnings, while Adsense earnings from hubs are paid by Google in the usual way. Pretty well the only reason to consider Helium as a source of earnings is if you are unable to obtain an Adsense account or have been banned from Adsense. Helium payments go directly from Helium into a Paypal account. Like Hubpages, many other revenue-sharing writers' sites require users to have their own Adsense accounts.<br />
<div><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">2. Greater flexibility and freedom for writers at Hubpages</span></b><br />
<br />
<b>Hubpages wins over Helium regarding the control retained by writers over their work and also because of the writing interface.</b><br />
<br />
<b><i>Writers' control over their work</i></b><br />
<br />
Helium contravenes the rights of their authors by denying them full control over their content.<br />
<br />
Once an article is placed on Helium, it cannot be deleted by the author, although it can be deleted at whim by Helium. Requests for articles to be deleted can only be made by elite 5-star writers. Writers are not allowed to place the same article elsewhere for 12 months following acceptance at Helium. Even after the 12 months is up, the original article still remains on display at Helium, thus making it pointless to use it elsewhere due to penalties for duplication.<br />
<br />
In contrast, writers at Hubpages are free to remove articles and place them elsewhere whenever they wish.<br />
<br />
The second, almost unbelievable injustice done to writers at Helium is that they cannot freely edit their articles as and when they wish. It is possible to request correction of very minor typos by sending an email to the administration. However, any writer wishing to make any bigger changes, for example to update the content, has to undergo the indignity of "leap-frogging". The old and new versions of the article are subjected as a pair to the rating process. If raters select the old version, the new version is rejected. At least seven days must pass before another attempt can be made. This is another issue that provokes many complaints on the Helium forums. The reason given for this policy is so that writers cannot deliberately sabotage their articles in order to get them deleted by the administration.</span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div>Thus, in order to prevent a potential consequence of one right being contravened, Helium contravenes yet another right!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Writers on Hubpages can edit their hubs with no outside interference. </div><div><br />
</div><div>On Helium writers are forced into the straitjacket of writing to pre-fixed titles. It is possible to suggest a title, but then you have to wait for the title to be approved. </div><div><br />
</div><div>On Hubpages, apart from some subjects that would go against Adsense policies, writers are free to write about anything they want. If they have SEO knowledge and skills, they can optimise titles as well as the rest of their content. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Helium provides a platform for writers who have no idea of what topics to write about. Those who know what subjects they wish to cover and how they wish to do this are better off at Hubpages. </div><div><br />
</div><div><b><i>Plain text at Helium versus rich content at Hubpages</i></b></div><div><b><i><br />
</i></b></div><div>The only input possible for a Helium article is plain text, with no special characters permitted. It is impossible to control formatting or insert images. The finished product looks ugly due to the distraction of many blocks of advertisements above, below, to the sides, and in the middle of the text. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Hubpages enables a certain degree of formatting, although more would be desirable. However, it is possible to insert capsules containing images, video, quizzes, tables, maps, rss feeds, as well as sales capsules for Amazon and Ebay. Sales capsules now require there to be at least 50 words of article text for every capsule inserted. HP ads does not insert as many ad blocks as Helium does. </div><div><br />
</div><div>The appearance of hubs is much more colourful and interesting than that of Helium articles. </div><div><br />
</div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">5. The community</span></b></div><div><br />
</div><div><b>The Hubpages community is incomparably more friendly and helpful than the Helium community</b></div><div><br />
</div><div>My experience of the writers' community on Helium was extremely negative. The forums are dominated by smug moderators and their cronies, who will rapidly start a witch hunt against anyone who dares to criticise the site in any way. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Not only is the Helium community unfriendly, it is also very introverted. There is very little on the forums apart from endless navel-gazing about rating stars and policies, writing stars and other totally in-house matters. </div><div><br />
</div><div>In contrast, the Hubpages forums buzz with conversations on every subject under the sun. It can get a bit heated in the political and religious threads and temporary banning of members is fairly common. On the whole, however, it is a friendly and helpful community. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Among active members on the Hubpages forums, there is a significant number of people who are highly knowledgeable about all aspects of how to earn money online. They are always ready to answer questions and offer good advice to those starting out on this path. </div><div><br />
</div><div>The community at Hubpages is one of the best web communities I know. The forums can be addictive. Depending on your viewpoint, this can be a plus or a minus. Either way, the help and information that can be found there is of enormous value. </div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>4. Quality and post-Panda performance</b></span></div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Hubpages has more variable quality than Helium, but seems to be performing better </b></div><div><br />
</div><div>The quality of hubs on Hubpages is very variable. There are very many truly excellent hubs of all types: informative articles on all subjects, poetry, short stories and even whole novels, sales hubs and satire. </div><div></div><div><br />
In terms of content quality, Helium cannot compare with Hubpages at its best. It is probably a combination of having to write to a title set by someone else, and the rigid rules applied at all stages that makes the majority of Helium articles (at least the ones I have read) as dull as dishwater. They give the impression of being essays dashed off by unwilling school pupils. It does not help that large numbers of people sometimes contribute to one and the same title, resulting in a slew of repetitive material. </div><div><br />
</div><div>On the other hand, because anything that does not trip automatically controlled stop words can be published, Hubpages also has many very poor hubs with incorrect use of English, spun text or other spammy content. </div><div><br />
</div><div>It was the latter type of material that has caused Hubpages to take such a pounding by the Google Panda algorithm. As a result, Hubpages brought in some stringent measures to try and raise the quality. Unfortunately, some of the new requirements also affected long-standing and successful hubbers, who left the site as a consequence. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Very recently, Hubpages moved all its members to individual subdomains. The hope is that quality writers will get better results, while poor writers will be pushed further down search engine rankings. At the moment, people's experience is very variable. Nevertheless, the majority impression is that recovery is starting. </div><div><br />
</div><div>I have already referred to Hubpages outperforming Helium on Alexa and Quantcast scoring. </div><div><br />
</div><div>I have one hub and a Helium article on the same fairly narrow topic. My hub comes up on the first page of Google for the most obvious key word. Pages further down, I still was not able to see the Helium article. Admittedly, this is a miniscule experiment, but, together will all the above, it is enough to convince me not to bother with producing more content for Helium. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Ultimately though, the way forward is through my own web sites. With respect to this also, I consider that <a href="http://hubpages.com/_2craa59bzuavm/user/new">Hubpages </a>provides me with far more valuable training and experience than Helium, as well as with all the help and advice obtained from the Hubpages community. </div><div><br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511707691481675163noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257115043445882068.post-14986187083665590542011-07-26T15:49:00.000+01:002011-07-26T15:49:53.710+01:00WriteAngled’s Top 100 reads: an annotated list (in no particular order!)<div class="MsoNormal">This annotated list of my top 100 reads makes no attempt to score books by defined notions of literary merit nor does it focus on books that “ought to be read” because some choose to define them as “classics”. Nevertheless, a few standard classics are included. These are one hundred books, which have made enough of an impact for me not to forget them, hence for me they are top reads. They include fiction of diverse genres and some non-fiction, old titles and somewhat newer titles, although not current bestsellers. I regret sometimes that the massive attention given to the newest titles causes some marvellous less new works to be neglected. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I would love to have your comments and find out some of your top reads. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ve placed links to these books at <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/?a_aid=tehuti">The Book Depository</a>, which sells books at discount prices and ships them worldwide with no added shipping charges. Targeted AbeBook (used book seller) links are available there for books, which cannot be sourced new. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">1. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Possession-Byatt/9780099800408?a_aid=tehuti">Possession by A.S. Byatt</a></i></b><br />
Probably my all-time favourite book. It tells the parallel stories of two Victorian poets and their love affair and of the modern day man and woman who are researching into the lives of these poets. Not only is the story gripping, but Byatt has even composed poems that were "written" by her protagonists. Although this could be classed as a love story, it is never sickly and sentimental. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">2. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Room-Ones-Own-Virginia-Woolf/9780156787338?a_aid=tehuti">A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is an extended essay about how lack of money and personal space and other factors have prevented women developing their talent. Although she talks mainly about writing and I am not a writer, it blew me away. I read this at a time in my life when I was in a bad marriage, totally dependent on my then spouse for money, denied real privacy, and constantly subjected to thought police tactics if I dared have opinions and beliefs that differed from his. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">3. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Siddhartha-Hermann-Hesse/9781936041350/?a_aid=tehuti">Siddhartha by Herman Hesse</a></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal">I love this author so much! He seems to have dropped out of fashion now, but was all the rage when I was a student in the mid-1970s. All his works are allegorical. This one uses the life of an Indian man as a framework. I’ve decided to list only one book by any given author in my main list, but other favourites by <st1:place w:st="on">Hesse</st1:place> include: J<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ourney to the East</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Glass</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bead Game</i>, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Narziss und Goldmund</i>. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">4.<a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Shadow-Wind-Carlos-Ruiz-Zafon/9780753819319/?a_aid=tehuti"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón</i></b></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><st1:city w:st="on">Barcelona</st1:city> is my favourite city and this book is <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Barcelona</st1:place></st1:city> at its most atmospheric. The city forms the background to the story. A boy is captivated by a book and wants to find out more about the author. Instead, he finds that his copy of the book is the last one still in existence and that a mysterious person is intent on eradicating everything to do with the author. He spends many years in pursuit of the truth. The language is so poetic. I know that the book has flaws, but for me it is nevertheless magical. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">5. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Suitable-Boy-Vikram-Seth/9781857990881/?a_aid=tehuti">A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is a BIG book (1000+ pages) set in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> at the time the country was adjusting to its newly-gained independence and following the stories of four families. What I like is the way it gave me a feeling of being a “fly on the wall”, listening in to the private conversations of the characters. Some people have found it boring, but I<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was really sorry when I reached the end. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">6. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Historian-Elizabeth-Kostova/9780751537284/?a_aid=tehuti">The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is a complex tale of several nested stories, moving from the present, through various historical eras to ancient times and back again. Marvellously written and a real page turner. It all starts when a girl attempts to find out what happened to her father through reading his letters... </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">7. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/When-We-Were-Orphans-Kazuo-Ishiguro/9780571225408/?a_aid=tehuti">When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I have always been a bit wary of reading Kazuo Ishiguro. I somehow had the opinion that I might find his works difficult or even, dare I say it, boring. However, this book blew me away completely. Set in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">UK</st1:country-region> and <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Shanghai</st1:place></st1:city> of the 1930s, it concerns the search by a detective for his parents, whom he lost as a small child. This is the overt plot, but the story moves into a dream world of memory and illusion. I cannot really define what makes this book so compelling and haunting, but it is one of a handful of books that I could hardly bear to put down once I had started reading.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">8. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/My-Invented-Country-Isabel-Allende/9780007163106/?a_aid=tehuti">My Invented Country by Isabel Allende</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">An ever insightful and sometimes very funny description of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Chile</st1:country-region></st1:place>, Chileans and Allende's family. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">9. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Hobbit-Lord-Rings-Tolkien/9780007355143/?a_aid=tehuti">The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I really could not leave this out! At the age of 10, I was recommended <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hobbit</i> by the school librarian and loved it. I wanted to read more and had to persuade the adult section of the local public library to lend <i>Lord of the Rings</i> out to me. Later on, I purchased my own copy and read it several times in my 20s. Then, in my 30s, I read it to my daughters as a bedtime story over many weeks. I think I'm due for a re-read soon! What makes it so special is the manner in which Tolkien uses fantasy to treat major issues of good and evil, human failings and the victory of love. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">10. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Wizard-Earthsea-Ursula-Le-Guin/9780553262506/?a_aid=tehuti">A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin</a></i></b><u><o:p></o:p></u></div><div class="MsoNormal">Another fantasy, the first of a series of four books, about the development of a young wizard and the moral issues he faces. In my opinion, it is incomparably superior to <i>Harry Potter</i> in writing style and in content. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">11. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Impassioned-Clay-Stevie-Davies/9780704346598/?a_aid=tehuti">Impassioned Clay by Stevie Davis</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Another book dealing with a search through time, this time to find out about a skeleton wearing a scold’s bridle, who was buried in the narrator’s garden. The writing style and story held me riveted, so much so that I could not put the book down and read it within a day. This is a story about identity, spirituality, love, historical parallels, defiance of convention and so much more. This is one of the most amazing books I have ever read.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">12. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Wild-Swans-Jung-Chang/9780007176151/?a_aid=tehuti">Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang</a><o:p></o:p></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">An account of three generations of women in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">China, from before, during and after the revolution</st1:country-region></st1:place>. Eye-opening account of a world about which I know so little. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">13. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Dumas-Club-Arturo-Perez-Reverte/9780099448594/?a_aid=tehuti">The Dumas Club by Arturo Perez Reverte</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is a book containing a bit of everything that appeals to me: books, mystery, the occult and a good dash of quirky wittiness. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">14. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Vesuvius-Club-Mark-Gatiss/9780743483797/?a_aid=tehuti">The Vesuvius Club by Mark Gatiss</a><o:p></o:p></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Totally scurrilous, totally silly and very, very funny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mark Gatiss provides a spoof on several types of literary genre, bringing together murder, mystery and mayhem and set off magnificently by the Beardselyesque illustrations. Definitely not for the prudish!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">15. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Watching-English-Kate-Fox/9780340818862/?a_aid=tehuti">Watching the English by Kate Fox</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">What defines Englishness? This was an amusing and illuminating read of observations made by a professional anthropologist who wanted to put her own culture under the microscope. I was interested to see how much would apply, because I grew up in a Polish émigré family in a <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city> suburb with a large Polish community. Of course, it is difficult to evaluate oneself totally objectively, but my conclusion is that perhaps I am less prone than the true English to some of the inhibitions that are discussed, although I am probably as socially dysfunctional as the best of them!!!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">16. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Good-Women-China-Xinran/9780099440789/?a_aid=tehuti">The Good Women of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region> by Xinran</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">True stories of the lives of Chinese women. I found this book harrowing and at times barely believable, especially the story of the girl who kept a fly as a pet. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">17. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Drawing-Dark-Tim-Powers/9780575074262/?a_aid=tehuti">The Drawing of the Dark by Tim Powers</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I loved this book and actually put off reading the final pages for some time because I could not bear to finish it. The story line held me all the way through, although I do wish the author had allowed something not to happen that did and something to happen that did not. This is a tale of the defence of the West, which draws all the strands of the Western esoteric tradition into a desperate stand at the gates of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Vienna</st1:place></st1:city> under Turkish siege. The author obviously has a fairly broad esoteric background and extensive knowledge thereof. Below the seemingly chaotic mix of Venetian feuds, Viking longboats and Viennese breweries is a pointer to the inherent underlying unity of magical thought and action.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">18. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Summer-Tree-Guy-Gavriel-Kay/9780451458223/?a_aid=tehuti">The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Followed by <i>The Wandering Fire</i> and <i>The Darkest Road </i>- the trilogy is called the <i>Fionavar Tapestry</i>. This is a tale of four students who are drawn into the war between good and evil in a parallel fantasy world. Beautifully told and heart-wrenching at times. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">19. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Neverwhere-Neil-Gaiman/9780755322800/?a_aid=tehuti">Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Exciting, often surreal, tale of a young man who falls into a parallel universe set in the sewers and tunnels of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city>. Gaiman is a master storyteller. This was the first of his books that I read, but I also recommend <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American Gods </i>and his short story collection <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Smoke and Mirrors</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">20. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Three-Times-Table-Sara-Maitland/9781853812842/?a_aid=tehuti">Three Times Table by Sara Maitland</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is the story of three women of three different generations, who are each at a major life transition point. We are led into the history and the innermost being of these women by means of a narrative style that blends human warmth, intellectual erudition and mythical symbolism into a very special kind of literary magic. I loved this book! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">21. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Mist-Over-Pendle-Robert-Neill/9780099557036/?a_aid=tehuti">Mist Over Pendle by Robert Neill</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is based on historical fact and is set in the witch-hunting era of the 17<sup>th</sup> century. I was totally absorbed in this book from start to finish. Good characterisations, descriptions and dialogue as well as clever turning of historical facts into an excellent plot.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">22. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Inheritors-William-Golding/9780571273584/?a_aid=tehuti">The Inheritors by William Golding</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I found out recently that this was Golding’s own favourite out of his works. It is the story of a tribe of Neanderthals and their encounters with the first humans. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">23. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Motorcycle-Diaries-Ernesto-Guevara/9780007172337/?a_aid=tehuti">The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto Che Guevara</a><o:p></o:p></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">An account of a trip through <st1:place w:st="on">South America</st1:place>. Che, together with his friend, is mostly occupied with trying to bum lifts, beds and meals, and they get into some hilarious situations while doing so. However, the underlying political consciousness and identification with the common people that later made Che take the path he took are also evident, as is a gift for writing and a poetic imagination.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">24. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Frost-May-Antonia-White/9781844083787/?a_aid=tehuti">Frost in May by Antonia White</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">The semi-autobiographical story starts in 1908 at the "Convent of the Five Wounds" school in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city>. This is actually the Convent of the Sacred Heart school in Roehampton, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">London</st1:city></st1:place>. It is a boarding school. During 1965-1972, I attended the day school run by the same order of nuns in Hammersmith, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city>. Although more than 50 years separate me from Nanda Gray, the heroine, the descriptions of the school and its attitudes match my experiences totally. An eye-opener to anyone who has not gone through a standard Roman Catholic education (and yes, in the eyes of my old school I would be seen as having turned out bad ;) ) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">25. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Golden-Notebook-Doris-May-Lessing/9780007247202/?a_aid=tehuti">The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Anna Wulf records her life in four notebooks: black for the struggle to be a writer, red for her political activities, yellow for her relationships and feeling and blue for daily life. It is only when she starts a fifth, golden, notebook that she starts being able to make sense of her life and to transform it. On first reading,I identified so much with Anna. That was more than 30 years ago. Perhaps it's time for a second reading. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">26. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Castle-Crossed-Destinies-Italo-Calvino/9780099268055/?a_aid=tehuti">The Castle of Crossed Destinies by Italo Calvino</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I loved this book from the very first page. Calvino uses the images, although not the usual attributions, of the tarot to retell classic, archetypal stories, at the same time showing how they are all intertwined in the great matrix of human consciousness and the human psyche.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">27. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Grasshopper-Barbara-Vine/9780140293029/?a_aid=tehuti">Grasshopper by Barbara Vine</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Surreal, fascinating tale of Clodagh, who escapes the meaninglessness of her life by running across the rooftops of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">London</st1:city></st1:place> with her new friends. Absolutely gripping. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">28. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Politically-Correct-Bedtime-Stories-James-Finn-Garner/9780285640412/?a_aid=tehuti">Politically Correct Bedtime Stories by James Finn Garner </a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I found this in a secondhand bookshop and started to read it while walking home, causing much consternation to passers-by each time I burst out laughing. This book is a real gem. It is a re-telling of traditional fairy tales so that they do not give offence to those who feel it necessary to impose political correctness so as to guard our collective “morality”. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">29. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Kushiels-Dart-Jacqueline-Carey/9780765342980/?a_aid=tehuti">Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">First of a superb trilogy set in a parallel universe which mirrors mediaeval <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place>, but in which religion includes, for some, SM practices. Phedre is one such, and her calling leads her along strange paths. I experienced some deeply emotional moments while reading. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">30. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Darkspell-Katherine-Kerr/9780553568882/?a_aid=tehuti">Darkspell by Katherine Kerr</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">One representative of the very extensive Deverry series. I believe the books have different titles in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region>. This is a Celtic universe caught up in the fight between good and evil. What makes this series unique to my mind is that the author goes back and forth through time and through various reincarnations, where the same characters encounter each other over and over in various different relationships. In a sense, it doesn’t matter in which order these books are read. I keep finding some new pieces fall into place each time I read them. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">31. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Lost-Estate-Le-Grand-Meaulnes-Henri-Alain-Fournier/9780141441894/?a_aid=tehuti">Le Grand Meaulnes by Alain Fournier </a><o:p></o:p></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">The title is the same in the English translation. Classic story of young love, longing and nostalgia. The author was killed at the age of 28 in World War I. A boy becomes separated from his friends and finds himself at a wedding party in a country house. There he meets and falls in love with a young girl, but is unable to find her again. This is a story of adolescence and growing up, the romantic ideal and our search for that which we cannot have. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">32. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Lady-Avalon-Marion-Zimmer-Bradley/9780140241938/?a_aid=tehuti">Lady of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Superb retelling of the Arthurian legend from the viewpoint of the women who were involved. The sequels are just as good, but this book is also a very satisfying standalone read. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">33. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Outsider-Colin-Wilson/9780753814321/?a_aid=tehuti">The Outsider by Colin Wilson </a><o:p></o:p></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is described as a study of alienation, creativity and the mind of modern man and was a huge success when it first appeared in 1956, being taken as an apologia for the "Angry Young Men" of that period. <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Wilson</st1:place></st1:city> looks at famous individuals, both real and fictional, who felt they did not fit into the normal world of others. It still has relevance today.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">34. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://map-love-ahdaf-soueif/9780747545637">The Map of Love by Ahdaf Soueif</a><o:p></o:p></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is a wonderful book. It consists of two related stories, one set in 1900-1910, and the other in 1997-1998; both are love stories, but not standard romance fodder, and deal with the relationships of two Western women with Egyptian men and their families. I read this book while on holiday in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Egypt</st1:country-region> and enjoyed comparing the descriptions of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Cairo</st1:place></st1:city> with my own experiences. The book also manages to provide a lot of information about the development of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Egypt</st1:place></st1:country-region> and Egyptian nationalism during the 20th century, but this is never allowed to get in the way of the plot. The writing style is refined and sensitive. The book was described as being the best runner up for the 1999 Booker Prize, and certainly merits the prize itself in my opinion. I classed this as my best read in 2004. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">35. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Mystical-Paths-Susan-Howatch/9780006496878/?a_aid=tehuti">Mystical Paths by Susan Howatch</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This book will probably not be to everyone's taste. I think it helps to know a little about Christian theology, the different strands of the Anglican church and depth psychology (e.g. Jung) and be interested in the phenomena of psychism, gnosis, possession and exorcism. These are the elements that Susan Howatch interweaves into a work that is simultaneously a thriller, a gripping account of a spiritual path, and a discussion on the interplay between religious experience and psychology.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p> </div><div class="MsoNormal">36. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Snow-Spider-Trilogy-Jenny-Nimmo/9781405220101/?a_aid=tehuti">Snow Spider Trilogy by Jenny Nimmo</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is superb writing for children, which manages to mix the modern and the mythological (Celtic) and magical without being contrived or twee. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">37. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Daughter-Blood-Anne-Bishop/9780451461483/?a_aid=tehuti">Daughter of the Blood by Ann Bishop</a><o:p></o:p></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Very powerful writing. It is a book that makes heavy demands on the reader, due to the complexity of the setting and the plot, and more delicate (squeamish) folks will be additionally challenged. Basically, it takes place in a series of parallel worlds inhabited by a demon race, whose members are either living or dead but still active, other fantastical beings, and humans somewhere in the background. There is much darkness, but also compassion, tenderness and love. A young girl, who is seemingly incompetent in the basic abilities of witchcraft nevertheless manages to cross between the worlds and do things that have been thought impossible. She is sucked into a web of power games and at the same time must battle with the darkness within her own family. In order to survive, she must form some extraordinary friendships. This is the first part of the Black Jewels trilogy. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">38. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Walking-on-Glass-Iain-Banks/9780349101781/?a_aid=tehuti">Walking on Glass by Iain Banks</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Three stories, two in the ordinary world, one in a decrepit castle where Quiss must play strange games in order find the answer to a riddle, but a riddle to which he does not know the question. In the end these tales merge, but what is real and what is not? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">39. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Alchemist-Paulo-Coelho/9780722532935/?a_aid=tehuti">The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho</a><o:p></o:p></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">A wonderful parable, with so many phrases that go straight to the central issue, and told beautifully, like the best spiritual teachings, in the form of an extended joke. A call to listen to the urgings of the inner Fool.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">40. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Complete-Poems-Plays-Eliot/9780571225163/?a_aid=tehuti">Complete Poems and Plays of T.S. Eliot</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Eliot is a true mystic and amazing poet. His dramas were an eye opener to me as well. If I have to choose, then the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Four Quartets</i> poem cycle<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>is my favourite. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">41. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Cats-Eye-Margaret-Atwood/9781853811265/?a_aid=tehuti">Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This was a very powerful, revelatory read. I have always been a loner, for various reasons and my friendships have mainly been confined to a few male lovers at certain phases of life. There have been times, when I felt sad about my lack of success in forming friendships - perhaps my expectations are too high and my definition of "friend" too rigorous, who knows. Margaret Attwood's exposition of female "friendship" makes me feel that maybe I have not missed out on much at all. At least books and music cannot scar a person for life in the same way that so-called friends can.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">42. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Miss-Smillas-Feeling-for-Snow-Peter-Hoeg/9781860461675/?a_aid=tehuti">Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Smilla refuses to accept the official explanation for the sudden and violent death of a disturbed six-year-old boy and goes in pursuit of the truth. I was totally gripped from start to finish. I am certainly not as brave as Smilla, and have no feeling for snow or ice - can't keep my balance! - but I did find many points of contact with her character.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">43. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Shardik-Richard-Adams/9780140040999/?a_aid=tehuti">Shardik by Richard Adams</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Although <st1:place w:st="on">Adams</st1:place> is better known for his rabbit story <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Watership-Down-Richard-Adams/9780140039580/?a_aid=tehuti">Watership Down</a></i>, which I also liked very much, I found this tale of a bear taken into captivity even darker and more compelling. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">44. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://duncton-wood-william-horwood/9780099443001">Duncton Wood by William Horwood</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Another "animal story”, this time of moles, and again an allegory of good and evil and personal sacrifice. There are several sequels to this book. Some very powerful statements are made about religion. I like the fact that Horwood uses real locations in <st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Wales</st1:country-region></st1:place> as a background for his tale. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">45. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Ten-Days-That-Shook-World-John-Reed/9780141442129/?a_aid=tehuti">Ten Days That Shook the World by John Reed</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Eye witness account by an American journalist of the events of the October Revolution in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Russia</st1:country-region></st1:place> in 1917. We hear so many negative things about this that it is sometimes difficult to imagine why it should have received the support of ordinary people. Reed shows us the other side, the hope, the aspirations, the dedication, the excitement of those first days, before things went wrong. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">46. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Homage-Catalonia-George-Orwell/9780141183053/?a_aid=tehuti">Homage to <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Catalonia</st1:place></st1:state> by George Orwell</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Another eye witness account, this time of the Spanish Civil War, by a brilliant novelist who went there to fight against Franco. Being in the anarchist POUM rather than in the Communist International Brigades, Orwell had first hand experience of how Stalin cynically manipulated matters and betrayed the anti-fascist cause to serve his own interests. An important but also eminently readable book. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">47. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Structure-Scientific-Revolutions-Thomas-Kuhn/9780226458083/?a_aid=tehuti">The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is not an easy book to read due to its concepts and dense style, but it is an absolute eye opener. Kuhn looks at the workings of scientific research and demonstrates how most scientists actually work against the processes of true discovery and progress. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">48. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/White-Goddess-Robert-Graves/9780571174256/?a_aid=tehuti">The White Goddess by Robert Graves</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><st1:place w:st="on">Graves</st1:place>, a major poet himself, subtitled this “A historical grammar of poetic myth”. He looks at the interrelationship between mythology, goddess worship and the work of the poet. This book is crammed with the most fascinating information. The emphasis is on Celtic material, but there is a lot more besides. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">49. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Golden-Bough-Sir-James-George-Frazer/9780199538829/?a_aid=tehuti">The Golden Bough by James Frazer</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is a huge study of mythology, religion and magic ranging over many traditions. Knowledge has progressed further in many of the areas covered, but this book is still unique and valuable in trying to bring it all together. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">50. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Dancing-Wu-Li-Masters-Gary-Zukav/9780060959685/?a_aid=tehuti">Dancing Wu Li Masters by Gary Zukav</a></i></b><u><o:p></o:p></u></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is an exploration of the "new physics” for non-physicists. Zukav has a talent for explaining the most abstruse matters in a way that is understandable. I like the parallels he draws between some of latest theories and the ideas that were developed centuries ago in the philosophies and mysticism of the East. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">51. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Dark-is-Rising-Sequence-Susan-Cooper/9781416949961/?a_aid=tehuti">The Dark Is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Box set of the five children’s books that make up this series. Another fantasy, based mainly on Celtic mythology. Some of the best writing for older children that I have ever read. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">52. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Northanger-Abbey-Jane-Austen/9780141439792/?a_aid=tehuti">Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen </a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a parody of Gothic fiction, which was very popular in Jane Austen's time, and also pokes fun at the people who read it. It is very funny!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">53. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Prophet-Kahlil-Gibran/9781851681785/?a_aid=tehuti">The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Beautifully expressed thoughts on life, love and spirituality. The piece about children is perfect! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">54. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Zorba-Greek-Nikos-Kazantzakis/9780571241705/?a_aid=tehuti">Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis</a><o:p></o:p></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">The character of Zorba is one of the most memorable ever. He represents an ecstatic love of life, that is set against the bookishness of the narrator of the book. The description of Zorba dancing on the beach is fabulous. I also recommend two other books by Kazantzakis, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Freedom-Death-Nikos-Kazantzakis/9780571178575/?a_aid=tehuti">Freedom and Death</a></i> about events during the rebellion against the Turkish rule of Crete, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Christ-Recrucified-Nikos-Kazantzakis/9780571190218/?a_aid=tehuti">Christ Recrucified</a></i>, a retelling of the Passion in the time of the Turkish occupation of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Greece</st1:place></st1:country-region>. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">55. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Memories-Dreams-Reflections-Jung/9780006540274/?a_aid=tehuti">Memories, Dreams and Reflections by Carl Gustav Jung</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Jung’s ideas have had a huge influence on me, so I naturally enjoyed reading these autobiographical notes plus thoughts by one of my intellectual heroes. While Jung’s writing can be dense and difficult to follow, this books forms an easy introduction. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">56. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Memed-My-Hawk-Yashar-Kemal/9781590171394/?a_aid=tehuti">Memed, My Hawk by Yashar Kemal</a><o:p></o:p></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">The story of a poor boy in <st1:place w:st="on">Anatolia</st1:place>, who flees into the mountains, from where he fights against the greedy landlord who are destroying the people of his village. Kemal has written three more books featuring Memed, of which I’ve read and enjoyed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/They-Burn-Thistles-Yashar-Kemal/9781590171851/?a_aid=tehuti">They Burn the Thistles</a><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">57. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Last-Unicorn-Peter-Beagle/9780451450524/?a_aid=tehuti">The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">One of the most charming fantasies I have read. It is a mixture of satire, gentle humour, parable and fairy tale of Schmendrik, a very unsuccessful magician, and his companion Molly Grue, who try to help a unicorn find others of her kind. I loved the animated film and loved the book even more when I finally found it. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">58. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Sirens-Titan-Kurt-Vonnegut/9781857988840/?a_aid=tehuti">Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut </a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Comic science fiction featuring a crazy religion. This is one of very few books that make me laugh out loud, laugh so hard that it hurts. His <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Cats-Cradle-Kurt-Vonnegut/9780141189345/?a_aid=tehuti">Cat’s Cradle</a></i>, which features another crazy religion, does the same, but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sirens</i> has the edge as far as I’m concerned. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">59. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Roads to Freedom by Jean Paul Sartre</i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">In this fictional trilogy, consisting of <i><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Age-Reason-Jean-Paul-Sartre/9780141185286/?a_aid=tehuti">The Age of Reason</a>, </i> <i><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Reprieve-Jean-Paul-Sartre/9780141185781/?a_aid=tehuti">The Reprieve</a> </i>and <i><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Iron-Soul-Jean-Paul-Sartre/9780141186573/?a_aid=tehuti">Iron in the Soul</a></i>, Sartre explores the philosophy of personal freedom and destiny against the background of wartime <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place></st1:country-region>. I read this after seeing the BBC TV series in 1970 and found it very powerful. In contrast, when I tried to read <i>Being and Nothingness</i>, Sartre's major philosophical work, I gave up after the first few pages. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p> </div><div class="MsoNormal">60. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Power-Glory-Graham-Greene/9780099286097/?a_aid=tehuti">The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene </a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Tale of a fallen Catholic priest, who finds himself the last surviving cleric in a Central American country that is determined to become fully secular. Greene looks into the mind of the priest and also of the secret policeman who is hunting him. Greene seems to have fallen out of fashion, which is a pity because he is a very great writer. </div><div class="MsoNormal">For Greene in much lighter vein, try <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://travels-with-my-aunt-graham-greene/9780099282587">Travels With My Aunt</a>. </i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">61. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Loved-One-Evelyn-Waugh/9780141184241/?a_aid=tehuti">The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is a wickedly funny, non-politically-correct satire on the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> funeral industry. It’s not the greatest of Waugh’s creations, but is very funny indeed. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">62. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Falls-Ian-Rankin/9780752883649/?a_aid=tehuti">The Falls by Ian Rankin</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is the first of the Detective Inspector Rebus books I read. I found it in a hotel where I was spending the weekend and kept awake through most of both nights in order to finish it before I left. Set in a superbly atmospheric <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Edinburgh</st1:place></st1:city>, with a murder, an Internet game run by the mysterious Quiz Master, and tiny dolls in tiny coffins. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">63. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Bonfire-Vanities-Tom-Wolfe/9780099541271/?a_aid=tehuti">The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe </a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is a story of the legal and political twists following a hit and run accident involving a rich financial whizzkid and a poor black in <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:state>. It’s marvellous entertainment and a surprisingly quick read for such a long book. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">64. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/American-Tragedy-Theodore-Dreiser/9780451531551/?a_aid=tehuti">An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Another tale of crime and punishment, set in an earlier period and far, far darker than the Tom Wolfe book. I read this decades ago and it has remained in my memory over this very long period. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">65. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://sin-father-mouret-emile-zola/9780803299016">The Sin of Father Mouret by Emile Zola</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ve read quite a number of Zola’s novels and find them all very powerful, however this is the one that has stayed most with me. It is a sad but beautiful story of a priest who dares to fall in love. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">66. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Bleak-House-Charles-Dickens/9781853260827/?a_aid=tehuti">Bleak House by Charles Dickens</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Generally, I’m not the greatest fan of Dickens, however I really enjoyed this novel which centres around a long drawn-out legal suit concerning some property and the ensuring emotional and financial damage, not to mention scandal and murder. The opening paragraph about a <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city> fog is one of the best pieces of descriptive writing I have read. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">67. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Sons-Lovers-Lawrence/9781853260476/?a_aid=tehuti">Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Although the central characters in this story are technically the brothers Paul and William Morel, it is their mother and the hold that she has on them that drives the plot forward. <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Lawrence</st1:place></st1:city> wrote this as a semi-autobiographical account of his own attempts to escape the Nottinghamshire mining society and of his relationship with his mother. I first read this for “O” Level English over 40 years ago, and it has stayed with me. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">68. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Tigris-Expedition-Thor-Heyerdahl/9780006545316/?a_aid=tehuti">The Tigris Expedition by Thor Heyerdahl</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m the world’s biggest coward, perhaps this is why I have a fascination for books about travel and adventure, which help me to experience vicariously what I could never dare to do. I revelled in Heyerdahl’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Kon-Tiki-Thor-Heyerdahl/9780671726522/?a_aid=tehuti">Kon-Tiki</a></i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/RA-Expedition-Thor-Heyerdahl/9780006545309/?a_aid=tehuti">Ra</a></i> expeditions as well. I chose to list this particular one because, in addition to the theories inspiring the voyage and the adventures during the voyage, it includes Heyerdahl’s moving account of how he burns the Tigris boat as a public protest against the wars raging in the <st1:place w:st="on">Middle East</st1:place>. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">69. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Midnight-Folk-John-Masefield/9781405232548/?a_aid=tehuti">The Midnight Folk by John Masefield</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Lovely fantasy for children about a boy trying to find treasure before it falls into the hands of a group of witches. It’s written by a poet, and this shows. The sequel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Box-Delights-John-Masefield/9781405232531/?a_aid=tehuti">Box of Delights</a></i> is worth reading as well. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">70. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Manifold-Manor-Philip-Gross/9780571154050/?a_aid=tehuti">Manifold Manor by Philip Gross</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I had the pleasure of meeting Philip by chance in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bristol</st1:place></st1:city> in 1989. I looked up some of Philip’s works when I got back home and this won me over totally. It’s a poetry collection, aimed at children, which describes the ghostly goings on in a rather comic haunted house. I love how Philip uses various classical verse forms, thus giving his readers a tour of the possibilities of poetry without it ever feeling that he is “teaching”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">71. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Selected-Poems-Jorge-Luis-Borges/9780141181110/?a_aid=tehuti">Selected Poems by Jorge Luis Borges</a></i></b> </div><div class="MsoNormal">I think Spanish is the most perfect language for poetry, and Borges writes some of the most perfect poems in Spanish! This is wonderful, lush language full of imagery. This is a bilingual edition by Penguin, which presents the poems in their original Spanish side by side with a translation in English. Another poet I greatly admire, who writes in Spanish, is the Cuban, Nicolas Guillen. Guillen uses poetry to reconcile his mixed black and white ancestry. His most famous poem is “Los Dos Abuelos” (the two grandfathers) in which he addresses his black and his white ancestor, slave and conquistador, respectively. I mention Guillen in this note without giving a book title, because I have only read him in Spanish. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">72. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Scarlet-Pimpernel-Baroness-Orczy/9780486421223/?a_aid=tehuti">The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy </a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This was great escapist reading for me when I was a child. Totally kitschy derring-do of the supposedly witless fop, Sir Percy Blakeney, who in truth was the daring Scarlet Pimpernel, a masked hero who rescued French aristocrats before they had their heads chopped off. Light frothy reading, perfect for times of being in bed with flu, and similar. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">73. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Something-Wicked-This-Way-Comes-Ray-Bradbury/9780575083066/?a_aid=tehuti">Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Horror fantasy novel of two teenage boys becoming embroiled in a nightmare travelling fair. Despite the protagonists being young, this is a book for adults not children. The writing is amazing, really atmospheric and spooky. Bradbury is also an absolute master of short story writing and there are many collections of these in print. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">74. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/King-Solomons-Ring-Konrad-Lorenz/9780415267472/?a_aid=tehuti">King Solomon’s Ring by Konrad Lorenz</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This book consists of observations made by Lorenz, scientist and Nobel laureate, of the animals in and around his home. It is a mix of anecdote, comedy, psychology, natural science and more, and altogether makes for a superb read. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">75. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/I-Thou-Martin-Buber/9781578989973/?a_aid=tehuti">I and Thou by Martin Buber</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is a small book about relationships and their significance by a Jewish philosopher and Hasidic scholar. Buber divides relationships into two categories: I-It and I-Thou. The second type of relationship is the one that brings significance, that allows for a coming together. It is the I-Thou relationships in our lives that contribute the aspect to the sacred, and bring us into relationship with what Buber calls the “Eternal Thou” and some call “God”. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">76. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Let-ME-Speak-Domitila-De-Chungara/9780853454854/?a_aid=tehuti">Let Me Speak!: Testimony of Domitila, a Woman of the Bolivian Mines by Domitila Barrios De Chungara</a><o:p></o:p></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is one of many books that I read in the 1970s-1980s when I was active in the Latin American solidarity movement. Domitila speaks of her life as the wife of a Bolivian tin miner, her involvement in political activity and subsequent imprisonment, torture and exile. At times harrowing, at times inspirational, this is an important account about a region of the world that is so frequently forgotten. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">77. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Revolutionary-Priest-Camilo-Torres/9780140215724/?a_aid=tehuti">Revolutionary Priest by Camilo Torres</a></i></b><u><o:p></o:p></u></div><div class="MsoNormal">Another volume from Latin America, consisting of the collected writings of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Camilo Torres, who exemplified in his life and death the synthesis between the Catholic faith and Marxism that resulted in the school of liberation theology, which had a major impact in Latin America. Camilo was a Roman Catholic priest and academic from <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Columbia</st1:place></st1:city>, who felt that he could not continue to preach the gospel from the pulpit while his country was subject to so much oppression and injustice. Searching his own conscience, he came to conclusion that the situation justified him taking up arms. He joined a guerrilla organisation and was killed in action. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">78. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Our-Flag-Stays-Red-Phil-Piratin/9781905007288/?a_aid=tehuti">Our Flag Stays Red by Phil Piratin</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is an account of anti-fascist activity in <st1:place w:st="on">East London</st1:place> in the 1930s-1940s, including the Battle of Cable Street. Piratin stood as the Communist candidate in the elections in Stepney and was MP for the constituency 1945-1950. I read this in the 1970s, when I was active in a very broad movement against the British National Front party, and it was interesting to note the parallels and the differences. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">79. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Dead-Awakening-Osiris-Egyptian-Dead-Normandi/9780933999749/?a_aid=tehuti">Awakening Osiris by Normandi Ellis</a></i><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Book of Coming Forth by Day </i>(more commonly, but erroneously, called the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Egyptian Book of the Dead</i>) is a collection of inscriptions that were painted into Egyptian tombs to help the ba (soul) of the dead person travel through the underworld to find refuge in the halls of Osiris. This immensely beautiful and poetic free translation brings the spirituality of the Egyptians to life in brilliant colour. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>80. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Moonchild-Aleister-Crowley/9780877281474/?a_aid=tehuti">Moonchild by Aleister Crowley</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">The reputedly “wickedest man in the world” turns his hand to fiction in this story of a magical war between a white lodge and a black lodge. A number of the characters are based on <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Crowley</st1:place></st1:city>’s friends and enemies, and there is a lot of magical detail. It is a surprisingly good read, with an unexpected ending. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">81. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Uses-Enchantment-Bruno-Bettelheim/9780140137279/?a_aid=tehuti">The Uses of Enchantment by Bruno Bettelheim</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is a classical study of the psychological basis of fairy tales and how they impact on our lives. I found it fascinating. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">82. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Corn-King-Spring-Queen-Naomi-Mitchison/9780862412876/?a_aid=tehuti">The Corn King and the Spring Queen by Naomi Mitchison</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I borrowed this from the library, was thoroughly enchanted, and spent a couple of decades looking for a copy of my own. Set in the pre-Christian ancient world, it mixes history and myth in the adventures of a young witch, who falls in love with the king she is supposed to destroy after marrying him. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">83. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Weirdstone-Brisingamen-Alan-Garner/9780007355211/?a_aid=tehuti">The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner</a><o:p></o:p></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Yet another Celtic-inspired fantasy, which, with its sequel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Moon-Gomrath-Alan-Garner/9780007127870/?a_aid=tehuti">The Moon of Gomrath</a></i>, captivated me as a child, as did Garner's <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Elidor-Alan-Garner/9780007274789/?a_aid=tehuti"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Elidor</i> </a>and also <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Owl-Service-Alan-Garner/9780007127894/?a_aid=tehuti">The Owl Service</a></i>, a retelling of the story of Blodeuwedd set in modern times. I’ve read them all several times since. Alan Garner uses his local landscape around Alderley Edge as the inspiration for many of his tales. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">84.<a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Collected-Poems-1934-53-Dylan-Thomas/9780753810668/?a_aid=tehuti"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Collected Poems by Dylan Thomas</i></b></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">What I love about Dylan Thomas is the fluid way in which this Welshman uses elements of the English language to create his musical poems. The same expressiveness is found in his radio drama <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Under Milkwood</i>. If you want a real treat and if you can find it, listen to the original BBC recording of the drama, with the gorgeously sexy-voiced Richard Burton as the main narrator. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Child’s Christmas in Wales </i>is another lovely piece of prose writing of reminiscences. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Outing </i>is a hilarious account of male choir's day trip, which is heading for Porthcawl, but doesn’t quite get there. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">85. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Collected-Short-Stories-v-1-Somerset-Maugham/9780099287391/?a_aid=tehuti">Collected Short Stories by <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Somerset</st1:place></st1:city> Maugham</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m not usually a big fan of short stories, because very often they seem to lack meat. Maugham, however, is a true master of the art. It’s a pity that he seems to have fallen out of fashion. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">86.<a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/John-Betjeman-Collected-Poems-John-Betjeman/9780719568503/?a_aid=tehuti"> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Collected Poems by John Betjeman</i></b></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal">We “did” Betjeman at school, which put me off him for some years. Later, as a student, someone made me listen to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Banana Blush</i>, a recording of JB reading his poems over a musical background. It made me realise that many of the poems are quirky, satirical, with a wicked humour, and at times a depth of feeling and meaning I had not previously recognised. JB is now one of my favourite poets. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">87. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Doctor-Faustus-Christopher-Marlowe/9780713673760/?a_aid=tehuti">The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I became fascinated by the Faust legend after seeing a performance of Gounod’s opera, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Faust</i>, in my early teens. This Elizabethan play in blank verse and prose is the most straightforward telling of the story. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">88. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Faust-Johann-Wolfgang-von-Goethe/9781840221152/?a_aid=tehuti">Faust by Johann Goethe</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Goethe was apparently obsessed by the Faust legend too. His retelling is much more complex, with allusions to classical and metaphysical concepts, and also bringing in the redeeming power of love. I have only read it in translation, but would love to attempt it in the original German one day. This is the version that inspired Gounod’s opera. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">89. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Doctor-Faustus-Thomas-Mann/9780375701160/?a_aid=tehuti">Doctor Faustus by Thomas Mann</a></i><o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This huge complex book brings the Faust story into the early 20<sup>th</sup> century. The faustian protagonist is a German composer, who having caught syphilis makes a real or imaginary pact with the devil to receive 24 years of being a genius if he gives up love. It is a very symbolic work, with lots of allusions, and is considered a reflection of the moral decay of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Germany</st1:place></st1:country-region> during the Nazi era. I found it a tough, challenging read, even in English translation, but definitely worthwhile! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">90. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Faith-Len-Deighton/9780007395743/?a_aid=tehuti">Faith </a>, <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Hope-Len-Deighton/9780007395750/?a_aid=tehuti">Hope </a>and <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Charity-Len-Deighton/9780007395767/?a_aid=tehuti">Charity </a>Trilogy by Len Deighton</i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Very complex story of plot and counter-plot, moves and counter-moves set in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Germany</st1:country-region></st1:place> of the Cold War. Many red herrings, and even more surprises. It is definitely worth reading all three books of this series. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">91. <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1259431964"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Vanity Fair</i></b> </a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Vanity-Fair-William-Makepeace-Thackeray/9781853260193/?a_aid=tehuti">by William Thackeray</a><o:p></o:p></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">A satire on English society in the early 19<sup>th</sup> century. Most of the characters are shown in their negative aspects. Although Becky Sharp is an “anti-heroine”, being shown as calculating and lacking all moral sense, she is in some ways also attractive, being shown as a woman who actually tried to shape her own destiny. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">92. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Dangerous-Liaisons-Choderlos-de-Laclos/9780140624489/?a_aid=tehuti">Dangerous Liaisons by Pierre Choderlos De Laclos</a></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></div><div class="MsoNormal">I first saw the 1988 film with Glenn Close and just had to read the book! It was written near the end of the 18<sup>th</sup> century and is the story of a man and a woman, both aristocrats, who play a game of rivalry in which they attempt to seduce and other influence the sex and love lives of others. The book has the form of a series of letters written by the various characters. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">93. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Periodic-Table-Primo-Levi/9780141185149/?a_aid=tehuti">The Periodic Table by Primo Levi</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is a mixture of reminiscences and philosophical reflections plus two short stories, held together by the fact that the title of each chapter is a chemical element. Primo Levi was an Italian Jew and a chemist, who survived <st1:place w:st="on">Auschwitz to become a major literary figure</st1:place>. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">94. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Dark-Tower-Gunslinger-Bk-1-Stephen-King/9780340829752/?a_aid=tehuti">The Gunslinger by Stephen King</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">I neglected work and gave up on sleep to try and grab as much time as possible to continue reading this. The story moves at various paces, but always in a tantalising manner, giving small glimpses of ever bigger things, so that we move from what seems to be a dystopic American Mid-West, to the notion of parallel worlds, alternate realities and more and more. I am now slowly working through the rest of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dark</i></st1:placename><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Tower</st1:placetype></i></st1:place> series. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">95. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Hypatia-Charles-Kingsley/9781426449147/?a_aid=tehuti">Hypatia by Charles Kingsley</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is a fictionalised account of the life of Hypatia, an outstanding mathematician, astronomer and Neoplatonist philosopher. She lived in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Alexandria</st1:place></st1:city> during the rise of Christianity and was murdered by a Christian mob. Kingsley was a parson and <i>Hypatia</i> is considered to be his veiled criticisms of tendencies he found undesirable in the Church of England. The book got him into trouble with church authorities.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">96. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Tailchasers-Song-Tad-Williams/9780886779535/?a_aid=tehuti">Tailchaser’s Song by Tad Williams</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is a story of feral cats. One of the things I really liked about this book is how Tad Williams has created a whole feline mythology to underpin the story line. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">97. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Fear-Freedom-Erich-Fromm/9780415253888/?a_aid=tehuti">Fear of Freedom by Erich Fromm</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Fromm looks at the concept of freedom, which he divides into two types, "negative" and "positive" freedom. While the first type, which is freedom from something or someone is the sort of freedom often fought for, Fromm considers it to be of little value if it is not accompanied by the second type, the freedom to do or be something and thus to create a new social order. Fromm also looks at how people try to escape from the uncomfortable feeling freedom can give them through authoritarianism, destructiveness and conformity. A thought-provoking and valuable read. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">98. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Hymn-Universe-Pierre-Teilhard-De-Chardin/9780061319105/?a_aid=tehuti">Hymn of the Universe by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin</a><o:p></o:p></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Teilhard was a French Jesuit and also a palaeontologist, as well as one of the greatest mystics of modern times. Like all true mystics, he got into trouble with his church. He presents a spiritual view of evolution and achieves a truly cosmic vision, which is breathtaking to read. A possible barrier to readers is that he uses the language of Roman Catholicism to express this vision. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">99. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Gods-Behaving-Badly-Marie-Phillips/9780099513025/?a_aid=tehuti">Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">A fast entertaining read and amusing story about what happens when the gods of the Greek pantheon go downmarket in a decrepit house in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city>, and about their cleaner Alice and her friend and hero-to-be Neil. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">100. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Pooh-Ancient-Mysteries/9780416195996/?a_aid=tehuti">Pooh and the Ancient Mysteries by John Tyerman Williams</a></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">No longer is there a need for students of the mysteries to have great libraries of treatises on astrology, tarot, alchemy, druidism, hermetic magic, qabbala, etc. etc. This little volume proves all Wisdom founts from the "Great Bear" Winnie (and his companions of course!). A sister volume to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Pooh-Philosophers-John-Williams/9780749320706/?a_aid=tehuti">Pooh and the Philosophers</a></i>, in which the Pooh books are shown to contain the whole of Western philosophy. Both are very amusing but also thought provoking in places, but of course make most sense to someone who has also read and enjoyed <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1259432020">A.A. Milne’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Winnie the Pooh </i>and </a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Winnie-Pooh-Complete-Collection-Stories-Poems-Milne/9780416199611/?a_aid=tehuti">House at Pooh Corner</a>. </i></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511707691481675163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257115043445882068.post-62137663671250955672011-06-27T03:55:00.000+01:002011-06-27T03:55:22.353+01:00The potential benefit of ginkgo biloba in depression: a new studyAccording to a study from Mexico*, published this month, the benefit of ginkgo biloba extracts may potentially be extended to include antidepressant activity.<br />
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The study used what the authors state to be "the most widely used preclinical model for assessing antidepressant-like behaviour", namely the mouse forced swimming test. This is also perhaps more aptly known as the behavioural despair test.<br />
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Basically, mice are placed into deep water in a glass cylinder, from which they cannot get out. They are left there for 15 minutes. The next day, they are treated with the test substance or a placebo and put back in the water for 5 minutes. The time during which they remain motionless during this second session is supposedly a measure of their level of "hopelessness". If treatment with a substance reduces the immobile time, that substance is considered to be a promising candidate for further investigation as an antidepressant.<br />
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My thoughts on the test itself would divert too far from the subject of this post! Nevertheless, the results are interesting.<br />
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The time spent immobile by mice treated with a ginkgo biloba extract was nearly 40% less than that spent by untreated mice. They also had lower values for two indicators of oxidative stress (lipid peroxidation and superoxide radical production). It is thought that oxidative stress plays and important part in the development of depression.<br />
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In addition, the gingko biloba extract affected the transmission of nerve signals through the brain that is regulated by serotonin and dopamine. These substances are also known to be involved in determining whether a person feels depressed or not.<br />
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This study confirms similar results of a US study performed with another ginkgo extract in 2007 and adds extra knowledge about the possible mechanisms. A number of studies on the benefit of gingko biloba in elderly patients with dementia over the past decade have also reported positive effects on mood.<br />
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Ginkgo biloba is also being researched in other conditions and diseases, reviewed in my hub: <a href="http://hubpages.com/hub/Ginkgo-biloba-does-it-work">What is the benefit of ginkgo biloba supplements?</a> <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">*Rojas <i>et al</i>, Antidepressant-like effect of a ginkgo biloba extract (EGb761) in the mouse forced swimming test: Role of oxidative stress, <i>Neurochemistry International</i>, June 6, 2011 (Epub ahead of print)</span><br />
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</span></span></h1>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511707691481675163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257115043445882068.post-44568349267452447022011-06-27T02:49:00.000+01:002011-06-27T02:49:11.498+01:00Just a quick word to beginThis is my spot for writing about whatever flits into my mind. I will also bring in short summaries of articles I have published around the place. The subject matter will be eclectic, because I am interested in many different subjects.<br />
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I also publish a blog about<a href="http://livinginwalesrhondda.blogspot.com/"> living in Wales; Rhondda</a> to be precise. That contains comments on matters of importance to the local community, descriptions of events in Wales, and reviews of books I am reading in Welsh or books treating subjects of local interest. You are warmly welcome there as well.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511707691481675163noreply@blogger.com0