Alternatives to Working

Most people know what stealing is. If you went into a clothes shop and came out the door later with a shirt or a blouse that you hadn't paid for, that might seem like stealing. Trouble is, in a recent survey, about half the British residents interviewed admitted to taking something at some time from their place of work. It might have been the odd ballpoint pen, or a handful of paper-clips, but it went up to and included a laptop computer. What about the worker in a car factory who took home a small part every day. At the end of the year he had been able to build his own vehicle at home. Is that theft? Or do we secretly admire his initiative?

What about taxes? In another survey half the respondents admitted to playing down their income and beefing up their expenses when they made their annual Tax Return. That's lying, but hey, you're only stealing from the taxman, right? Well no, you're actually taking from all of us, all those daft enough or honest enough to pay the taxes we owe and thus cover all the healthcare costs and social work that we happen to think is a useful part of our society. It's not like finding a banknote on the street, is it? If we saw some money sliding down the gutter, well, that's just good luck, isn't it? It isn't like we filled in any forms falsely or lied to anyone, if we just pick it up and run off with it, right? No? What about if you happened to be walking past my office and saw my wallet lying open on my desk? Would you feel justified in helping yourself to whatever you could find in there? I mean, it would involve strolling into the room casually and hoping that no one was there. Or that anyone else passing by noticed you being in there and thought you were acting suspiciously. And you would have to open the wallet and riffle through the private contents. That's stealing, right? Or would you say it was all my fault for being so stupid as to leave my assets unattended in plain sight?

After all, people like 'finding' free things. A few nights ago, someone climbed up onto the roof of the Youth Centre near where I live and 'found' some strips of lead. They helped themselves and later that night, when it rained, water poured in through the open rafters and wrecked the computer room and boxing gym. It's all bad news for the local children, losing facilities that they sorely need, but it's not stealing is it? I'm sure the local thugs who did the deed will be excusing themselves right now and saying that 'It's insured' or some such nonsense, and not worrying about the fact that it's their younger brothers and sisters who are losing the facilities, however temporarily.

This 'insurance' issue raises the question: 'Who pays?' If it's the taxman we don't worry, it seems. Or maybe if it's big corporations (especially if they are our employers), department stores, local government, the banks, insurance companies, that's OK. But the clear fact is that someone does pay, somewhere, at some point. I've got a friend who was telling me proudly that he's discovered a wonderful new hair salon where they serve free drinks while you get your hair cut. Tea, coffee, fruit juice, or mineral water, it's your choice. I said: who pays? He laughed. 'It's free', he said. Then I found out how much he paid for his coiffure, and it was double the bill I usually pay. Who paid? He did.

Now we get to the internet. For some reason, an incredible number of people expect it to be free. Why? Every email you send, every web site you visit, has been set up, programmed and built by people. Their time costs money. You expect them to work for nothing? The unusual thing about the web is that it mostly isn't 'big business'. Apart from the obvious software giants, it's mainly people in garages and bedrooms, home dens and studies. Some of them are geeks, some hobbyists. Some happy to invent new stuff, work on new ideas, and give them out to the world (which is what Open Source software is all about). But if someone has spent time making something work, and you then take it for free, aren't you stealing? If it's their effort, then you've taken their energy, their resources, their inventiveness, their time. For nothing.

Ahh yes, someone pays, you agree, but it's advertising. Web sites are flooded with small ads and links to commercial programs, so that's what's funding the work, you say. But who pays for ads? When I buy my tin of baked beans in my local supermarket, I know that that company has spent millions on TV ads. It means that for the price I pay, some small fraction of it is going towards the company's advertising budget. If I buy books or toys or software on the internet, isn't some small part of the price helping to pay for advertising it? After all, who paid for my friend's 'free' cup of coffee? He did.

If you think anything is free from the internet, you're deluding yourself, firstly. But secondly, and far worse, is the attitude that says, 'Yeah, someone pays, but it isn't going to be me'. Because that's stealing, (just like taking from the taxman, or your employer, or my local Youth Centre). You want a program that will make you money, but you aren't willing to pay for it? You want someone to teach you internet marketing, as long as nothing has to come out of your wallet? That's a hell of a bad basis for starting to set up any kind of successful enterprise. That's like going into the shop and seeing 'Aunty Betty's Cake Mix' and thinking, 'Okay, she invented the recipe and prepared the ingredients, but what do you mean she isn't going to cook it for me, for free?' Or, just to rub the point in, she isn't going to bake it in her oven and leave her front door open, so you can sneak in and steal the cake out of her oven, in her own house. She isn't? She isn't going to let you steal it from her and pay nothing? What kind of internet author is she?

Mike Scantlebury is an Internet Author. He currently lives in Manchester, England, home to soccer and The Smiths, where he outputs books, stories and songs, some of which end up at YouTube even. He has several web sites following his many interests, but you can make a start at his download area. Try http://www.mikescantlebury.biz

Herbs For Your Dog

Herbology, basically, is the use of herbs in the treatment of many types of illness. Herein the emphasis of treatment is based strongly on the specific use of herbal roots, flowers and leaves to stimulate the healing process. Keep in mind that these herbs are not a form of drug(as in man-made forms, such as aspirin) but are strictly natural in content. Practiced for centuries, herbology is probably one of the most primitive and fundamental uses of specific remedies to treat various illnesses, known today.

How, though, does the knowledge of herbal alternatives tie in with owning an animal? Think about it for a moment. What do wild animals, or even your pets, typically do when they are not feeling up to par? Most instinctively seek out appropriate herbs when they are sick. How many times have you witnessed your dog eating grasses?

Many man-made drugs are simply compounds based upon active principles found in many herbs. One simple example could be caffeine found in coffee. Herbalists differ from most traditional medicinal methods at this point however. Herbalists believe in the use of the entire substance- not in simply the use of one part. They believe the whole is much greater than the sum of one or more parts.

Basically, herbs work much slower than traditional medicines(t.m.s) though they do many things t.m.s dont- such as detoxify the body, stimulate movement of the bowels or urination, and add vitamins and minerals to the patients system which are already greatly needed.

Herbal remedies have also been used to treat animals over the centuries for such illnesses as arthritis, worms, diarrhea/constipation, diabetes, epilepsy, mange and cataracts, among others. Juliette de Bairacli-Levy is an author who emphasizes the use of herbs in the treatment of many ailments in connection with pets. She also emphasizes the importance of freshly gathered herbs, natural diet and fasting.

Probably the biggest drawback to herbal therapy would be the amount which must be administered, the very frequent intervals of administration and the extended periods of time over which administration must occur. Additionally, many herbs do not taste good in their natural state and must be disguised in food. Still, if you are willing to carry out a complete program, administering medications at their proper intervals, herbal alternatives are very effective in treating and curing many types of ailments. For more information concerning herbs and their uses, contact your nearest herbalist or herbal store.

Article written and reprinted with permission of: http://www.pedigreedpups.com/
Purebred Dogs, Puppies and Dog Breeders - "Your New Best Friend"

Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.

Debbie Ray, owner of http://www.pedigreedpups.com and http://www.total-german-shepherd.com, is a lifelong animal lover and dog enthusiast. Interested in more dog information? Training and health tips? Thinking about getting a purebred dog? Interested in the German Shepherd Dog in particular? Need to promote your dog related website and get additional in bound links? Check out pedigreedpups.com , total-german-shepherd.com or http://www.pedigreeddogs.com (purebred dog breed directory) for more information.