Scams or Salad.

Today I was reading the Stop Junk Mail blog and was taken by one of the story's about a lady that was scammed out of £50,000 by nasty scam letter people from all over the world.
These scams all start in the backs of women's magazines and the readers digest magazine. With the words luck, win, prize draw. Most people ignore these silly advertisements or have a giggle at how insane they are, but some people actually fall for the nasty scammers and send them cash. The Think Jessica campaign has been set up to help people who have a relative that might be scammed or just to warn people not to get scammed. The Think Jessica Campaign have also set up a petition asking the Government to help stop the postal service sending scammers letters to scam people with mental health problems or dementia. I think this could go further then people with mental health problems. The scammers are so good at what they do they could scam anyone.
There is no such thing as getting something for nothing or winning anything.
My mum played a very good trick on me when I was around ten years old, which rid my appeal to gamble. She took me and friend to the beach where the slot machines always hang out or the one arm bandits. I had a hand full of change mostly 2 pence pieces that I had saved up. She then left me and my friend there and said make sure you have 14 pence for the bus home and told us which bus to get. I had been traveling around Dublin on buses with friends or on my own already since I was 4 years old those were the days when kids had more freedom. So me and a friend were in the one arm bandit places putting are change in the things that are suppose to pay out but are always on the edge but never do and low and behold as you imagine the 14 pence soon disappeared and I had to walk a long way home.
Later on in life when I was in Australia to my horror pubs had these one arm bandits and in the 7 years I was there they built a giant casino which increased the population of gamblers. Then the pubs that had great live music started to get rid of the live music ( which is usually put on by musicians for love not for money) and replaced the musicians with one arm bandits. So the sound in the pubs was not beautiful music but horrible gambling machine noises.
In Geelong where my Godmother lived the council wanted to put a Gambling den for children down on the sea front. She campaigned and said would it not be better to have something educational and beautiful. She made beautiful carved and painted bollards of historical figures that went along the coast line for the children to follow on the way home from school instead. Now the bollards have become a tourist attraction and created more tourism and less potential gamblers.
It is very easy to get addicted to gambling if you have hardly any money and it is very tempting. My advise is if you have £30 get a council allotment and start growing vegetables. There is more gratification in growing vegetables and you get rewarded with produce to eat.
In Norwich there is a man at the local allotments who has divided up his allotment into small sections for beginners to start growing. He gives constant advise. My boyfriend tried it and came home with huge vegetables and his crop was a complete success on first attempt. My friend in Glasgow has got her first allotment and she said the other growers are all helpful and friendly.