Articles written by Paul Wallis

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About me - Paul Wallis

I'm a sort of inner city gargoyle by nature. I knocked around for years being thematically broke, then finally got a stable job and began painting and playing music.

Finally got a chance to write, took a redundancy package, and have been writing solidly for

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Politics, News & Issues > US Leaders (Other) Assessing the legitimacy of conspiracy theories: 1 of 38
THE INDUSTRY OF THE USELESS: CONSPIRACY THEORIES.Conspiracy theories are a dime a thousand, but worth much less. I saw a truly fascinating TV show, at the conclusion of which the US audience was instructed earnestly during a lengthy close up that:1. The legislature, judiciary, and government agencies were all involved in the ... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Politics in Asia Speculating on the future of China: 1 of 32
THE CHINESE ECONOMY; SUPERDRAGONThere's a logic to China that would make a fiction writer cringe. The huge advances of the last decade have come against the most appalling history. Chinese economic history since the fall of the Qing Dynasty until recently has been one of the great horror stories of all time. After Dr. Sun's r... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Environmental Awareness Should grass lawns be banned in water-restricted areas?: 1 of 15
GRASSES AREN'T LAWNSThere's a fundamental misconception about this issue of banning lawns to save water. Simple fact of botany: some grasses can handle drought, others can't. There are a lot of lawn mixes which are made of grasses from temperate zones, and they are comparative water gluttons. They also don't handle the dry cl... More..
Health & Fitness > Depression Effective treatments for depression: 2 of 19
BEATING DEPRESSIONDepression is anyone's too-personal horror story. There are things you can look out for, in yourself and your friends and loved ones. There are things you can do for yourself. Every bit of emotional comfort counts with depression. Every reassurance helps. This is the story of getting it right before it becom... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Ghosts & Paranormal Phenomena The case against believing in paranormal activity: 1 of 7
There is usually some form of scam running about paranormal phenomena. Cults thrive on the inexplicable, the pseudo-spiritual, and the merely ridiculous. However bizarre, somebody knows all about it. It may be one of history's great mysteries, but they, mainly for being such nice people, are fully informed. They are also vari... More..
Home & Garden > Lawn Lawn mowing best practices: 1 of 7
The best way to mow a lawn is to not mow it at all, and when mowing, to adapt your technique to the best advantage of the grass. Generally most lawn mixes are comprised of grasses that don't grow particularly tall, but to have an optimum height for healthy plants. Turf is structured to form an even bedding, and the growth rat... More..
Entertainment > TV Genres & Trends Has the trend toward Reality TV improved the quality of television shows?: 13 of 87
REALITY TV- GARBAGE IS GARBAGEReality TV is based on the premise of lowest level identification with situations and characters, as portrayed in short burst, high intensity "moments". Not unlike a combination of a game show and a soap opera, but shallower. The precedent-formula-buying methods of networks are the main reason fo... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Racism The book industry sees the world split by race: 3 of 18
The book industry uses race and ethnicity as marketing tools. Theory says that it helps identify the market demographic. This rather quaint view of modern readers adds another dimension to the belief that the industry is run by sales people, not those with any literary inclinations. Cynical as one may be about the ability of ... More..
Home & Garden > Annuals Growing geraniums: 1 of 6
GROWING GERANIUMSGeraniums are usually the toughest, most enduring, plants in any garden. In one place I was living, we had a geranium actually growing through the concrete around the house. A bit of local knowledge research discovered that it was a remnant of a previous cottage garden from the 1920s. It had outlasted the ent... More..
Society & Lifestyle > North American Culture How the media in America is corrupting its youth: 1 of 5
YOUTH CULTURE- A HIDDEN RISKIt's a matter of opinion whether youth culture could be any cheaper and nastier. The present generation is getting the absolute worst of mass media's slopfest. Not only is it dreck, it's formula dreck. It's about as exciting as diarrhea, and about as hygienic. It's written and produced for idiots, ... More..