1
POPSInternet Plagiarism Cops I remember the first time I deliberately plagiarized a paper for school. In the pre-Internet 5th grade I copied word for word out of the World Book Encyclopedia and turned it in as a report on Abraham Lincoln. I did not get caught and I have felt guilty ever since. Looking back (way back), I think the reason I copied the content instead of doing the creative work myself is because the subject was just flat out boring. I had Lincoln overload. "Teach me about something I don't already know...already," I thought. When I did it, I KNEW it was wrong. See, "back then" we had a larger sense of social conscience. Wrong was wrong, not "if you get caught it's wrong." My daughter is a full time college student. We spend many hours a week on the phone together "doing homework" and writing papers together. I listen and make suggestions and my daughter researches until her keyboard fingers are numb. When the paper is finished we run it through the "plagiarism checker" online.
3
POPS15 Things You Probably Do Not Know Well, I knew a few, but they are still fascinating. If you go to the source article, make sure you take the "blind eye test" and watch the YouTube about how rats can laugh. Really neat.
0
POPSElderly Drug Abuse on the Rise - Pot The article: Baby Boomers and Elderly Often Overlooked Substance Abusers cites the research below as the base for the discussion. I clipped the research link so I could get back to the graphs. It's quite shocking. Grandma and Grandpa are smoking as much pot as their grand-teens. "Just as teens are having problems with prescription drugs, baby boomers, and the elderly often suffer more for their use and abuse of these drugs. It is extremely important then for you to monitor any family member who is elderly. Gathering as much information as possible about drug abuse is your first step. It may be a cliché, but forewarned is forearmed." (It's 10 o'clock...do you know where your Granny is? All kidding aside, I can see why the older population would be even more susceptible to substance abuse. They have a lot more to deal with in this screwy economy than we do. Escapism exists at all levels).
0
POPSTalking Trash: Clean Up Our Oceans When I was a little girl, I so admired Jacques Cousteau. He embodied everything I love about exploring the earth, investigating the oceans, and saving sea creatures great and small. Now, his great legacy is continued through the work of his son, Jean-Michel, who has partnered with Project Kaisei to clean up our oceans and raise awareness about the severe increase in plastic pollution. What's really in our oceans? TRASH. Well, we already knew that. What you might not know it that even in this enlightened day and age of awareness...the global oceanic garbage disposal problem is growing leaps and bounds before our eyes. The pictures say it all. "We traveled thousands of miles on both vessels and we tested surface samples across that whole distance. Every single sample we came up with plastic, every single one."
1
POPSCar Detailing Comparison Guide & Glossary This is really cool. I have a red convertible with a white top. It shows EVERY nick, scratch, and hang nail. This is a car care comparison guide and glossary. Also, they sell all kinds of necessary products, like the Carnauba Wax.
1
POPSHurricane Katrina Pictures: K+36 The Lower Ninth 
I lived in New Orleans on assignment for about five years. I was there until about two weeks before hurricane Katrina came and devastated NOLA & a vast part of the Gulf Coast. My dear friend, Michael Styborski, is a graphic artist and very talented photographer. Born and raised in NOLA, he made it his life's work to document the aftermath. Month-by-month, with his camera in hand, he explored the areas most decimated by the storm. He published a book of photos called "K+36 The Lower Ninth, dedicated to the spirit and faith of the people of the lower Ninth Ward." The title indicates that 36 months later...the devastation tragically remains. It's inexcusable!!! The book is for sale of Blurb, but if you go to the site, you can mouse over every page of the book and see the pictures for yourself. "K+36 The Lower Ninth Ward" was nominated for the "People's Choice Award." Voting ends soon. I hope it wins. After all those people have been through, and are still enduring,
1
POPSRetro Futurism Design: Cool Images and Tutorials I work with and employ some phenomenal graphic artists and designers. At every turn, I am constantly amazed at what they can create and I have the utmost respect for their talent. Most of the graphic designers are young. Well, young to me, I'm 41. Today's market is extremely competitive, so when I find gems like these, I think we owe it to them to give them "mad props." Have a gander at this amazing raw talent. The images are splendid and created from the bright minds that are shaping our future. At the end of the article, they so generously provide the tutorials so you can learn how to do it, too.
1
POPS10 Free Office Software Apps We love "free stuff" - I use a few of these apps, and they are great. I think everyone already knows about Skype...do you know about the others?
1
POPSNo More Squishy Tubes of Toothpaste! So simple in design. So practical. If you could see what my beloved Hubby does to his tubes of T.Paste, you'd know why I am so thrilled to see this. The squishy, mangled, lifeless toothpaste carcasses that he leaves around the sink really don't bother me that much. When I clean the bathroom, I just make them neat and pretty again, no worries. However, some people actually get very bent out of shape (even angry) with their mates about the century long "how to squeeze the tube" debate. I thought the posters describing "how to" use the tool were cute. (Hey, some people could think it's a tongue scraper...it could happen).
1
POPSFacebook Ramping Up For Expansion: Recruiting Employees As Facebook ramps up hiring from about 1,000 employees today to as many as 1,200 by the end of the year, the social networking giant is recruiting technical and business leaders from some of the best known firms in Silicon Valley to help accelerate its financial performance.
1
POPSMISSING PERSON: Kim Twaddell Kirstie Alley (actress) offers $25K reward for info leading to missing friend Kim Twaddell. Kim Twaddell, has been missing for more than 48 hours -- and she is is offering a $25,000 reward for information that leads to her friend. Alley has asked celebrity friends including Demi Moore, Alyssa Milano and Denise Richards to retweet Twitter messages with links to Twaddell's photo on Nancy Grace's CNN web site (see above). Twaddell was last seen Thursday August 20 at 1 p.m. in North Coventry (Pottstown, Pennsylvania). She was wearing a white T-shirt with dark blue hospital scrub pants and driving a Silver 2005 Toyota Highlander, license plate FHT0361. If you have any information, please contact North Coventry Township Police at 610-323-8360 and send messages to @kirstiealley on Twitter.
1
POPSIs Your Furniture Killing You? (literally) Nothing shocks me anymore. I'm surprised I'm not already in my grave. Still, we should be aware of these issues; especially the elderly, small children, and those with immune system deficiencies.
2
POPSThe Hire an Atheist to Watch Your Pets Scam 
I had to Clip this as evidence lest someone not believe me. You can now pay a bonafide Atheist $115.00 to take care of your beloved pet when the Rapture comes. The article has a few unsavory words, but the concept is just so ridiculous I just couldn't resist sharing. I'm not real sure how the Rapture story goes. I thought it had something to do with "the Earth burning up." Now if the that happens...there won't be anyone left to care for Fido anyway. This is what the GoDaddy website claims: "You've committed your life to Jesus. You know you're saved. But when the Rapture comes what's to become of your loving pets who are left behind? Eternal Earth-Bound Pets takes that burden off your mind. We are a group of dedicated animal lovers, and atheists. Each Eternal Earth-Bound Pet representative is a confirmed atheist, and as such will still be here on Earth after you've received your reward. Our network of animal activists are committed to step in when you step up to Jesus."
1
POPSHow to Write a Great Profile Bio Just a reminder for updating the thousands of online profiles we now have floating all over the Internet. It's a reminder to update our networking info and create a "fresh" Bio.
1
POPSUS Lags World Production of Electric Cars "Chinese leaders have adopted a plan aimed at turning the country into one of the leading producers of hybrid and all-electric vehicles within three years, and making it the world leader in electric cars and buses after that..."
0
POPSNew Technology: Flat Speakers "Lightweight and inexpensive to manufacture, the speakers are slim and flexible: they could be concealed inside ceiling tiles or car interiors, or printed with a design and hung on the wall like a picture." Very cool - I bet they'll be very expensive.
0
POPSThe Obama Dog - Carolina Recipes I think the pineapples & red peppers ought to be be chopped up as a spicy chutney myself, the bun should be lightly toasted, and the Vidalia onion should be shredded up in home made coleslaw topping, but that's just me.
1
POPSTwitter and Social Media to be Taught in Schools If kids need to learn about history, they can just Google it! All kidding aside, really the debate going in UK schools is that kids will not learn to appreciate the Art of Reading for what it is... One of the comments made an excellent point: Why teach Twitter & SM to kids when they already know how to work the Internet better than we do! Well, if they alter the curriculum, it will be the biggest change the school system has seen in over a decade. I say Twit lil Tweeters!
0
POPSTaping Phone Calls at a Glance - 50 State Laws Each and every time I get a Client on the phone, I always say, "Gosh, I wish that conversation were taped!" They always express their passion about a product or a service that I sometimes don't hear from them all the time - AND I think their customers ought to hear directly from them why they are so wonderful. BUT, each state has it's own laws on the matter and I thought the results were very interesting to share.