What type of people would be good Shih Tzu owners?

I grew up owning Shih Tzu's. They were always a friendly dog that my mother took every where. For her, this was her perfect breed; however, I was curious as to who else this would connect well to this breed. In case your not sure of what the Shih Tzu looks like, Animal Planet's show "Dogs 101" describes them a a small dog, toy breed to be exact, that was bred to be a lap dog in China. These dogs reach a maximum weight of about 16 lbs and a lifespan of about 11-14 years. They have a medium energy level, need little exercise, quite a bit of grooming, and have few health problems. It appears that this dog would be good for apartment or a home lifestyle, but could never live as an outdoor pooch. The dogs friendliness allows it to be compatible with families, friends, and other animals. All in all, this breed would thrive in single or family environments that are not extremely active that want an indoor dog that does not mind regular grooming. This dog has become increasingly popular due to its flexibility to fit in with almost any environment.

What does the future hold?

It's hard to think about what could possible occur within the world when it comes to technology. Technology has been growing at an increasingly fast rate. Who knows at this rate maybe we will have a hover board by 2015 like in Back to the Future Part II? A large part of this mystery contains what will happen with the Internet. Right now there is a Global North and Global South. The Global North is predominately where the most Internet usage is derived. The Global South is less developed and would be almost impossible to lay down all the connections necessary to connect everyone directly to the Internet. In these areas, wi-fi for cell phones is becoming the principal access. With the Internet, if the government provides it, they can more easily censor. This has already been demonstrated in other countries and has been mentioned that the United States may switch to government run service. I would fear this switch. I am by now means a conspiracy theorist, but I do believe that being able to control what is spread on the Internet would be too tempting for the government. Elections, controversial issues, and any other topics and web pages could be easily blocked or changed to suit their needs and wants. The future could lead in any direction, but I am hoping that it will not be there.

Do freshman and sophomores in college understand plagiarism?

When I first started out in college, I had to take two general education English courses. I hated these classes. Writing papers over topics that I sometimes did not fully understand. These assignments were also based on specific reading material that we did not have to research too much. This is where I really began having problems understanding citations to keep from plagiarizing. A study conducted by Lori G. Power called "University Student's Perceptions of Plagiarism" found that many freshman and sophomores at a university in southern Maine. Students all around seem to be told the consequences of plagiarism, but are never told the reason for these harsh punishments. There needs to be an agreement between the high schools and colleges as to teaching what is considered plagiarism. At the moment, it is up to the discretion of the teachers. Until this is resolved, each individual teacher that will have an assignment that requires research needs to describe what they will consider plagiarism. This will cut down on the confusion and prevent many unknowing students from committing this act.

What to do during your last free summer?

I am currently thinking ahead for summer plans. This will be my last summer with no school and just a part time job to worry about. So what should I do? Currently, my boy friend's family is looking at a vacation to Orange Beach. I had never heard of this vacation spot. After some research, I discovered that the beach is close to Gulf Shores in Alabama. According to "Visit Gulf Shores and Orange Beach" website, there is fishing, golfing, shopping, clubbing, dining, and the beach entertainment. Pictures of this location look pretty spectacular. The group that will be going ranges from a five year old to 50 years old. From the information on this site, it appears that we will all have age appropriate activities. I know that I will be interested in the clubs and beach, while the kids will  have fun hunting for crabs and visiting the nearby zoo. My boy friend and his father will be spending the majority of there time at the golf courses while spending time with the family in the evenings when we all go to dinner. I believe that this will be one exciting trip and hope that there may be more to create a grand finale to the end of college lifestyle.

Do you give credit?

What is the big deal about citations? Citations give an author the credit of their work when another author uses it. This can be done whether using APA, MLA, Chicago, or any of the other citation forms. Citing is important for a couple of reasons: 1. It is illegal not to do so. 2. Morally, it is the same as stealing. 3. If you are a student it can quickly result in expulsion if plagiarize. The copyright laws are what protect authors and make it illegal to use work without citations. Even though they are just words, it is the ideas that are conveyed that are protected. I feel that this is particularly important. I have mentioned before that I have difficulties writing, therefore, when I occasionally spout off something I am proud of, I do not want someone to take it and say they were the author. Stealing, in any form, is still illegal, immoral, and hurtful to the victim. Citing is extremely simple with the access to information that we now have and takes only an extra minute. Plus, it also covers your butt legally and scholarly.

What do you really own?

When it comes to software, what you can and cannot do with the program after purchase can be complicated. There has been some legal gray area on whether you are buying the program or just renting a license to use it. "The end of software ownership- and why to smile" by Larry Downes mentions a story of an eBay seller auctioning off old software program copies. The company then pressed charges for reselling the programs when he had no rights to do so; a ruling in favor of the company resulted. Even though he had fairly bought the software, his purchase only gave him the license to use the program not true ownership. Now there is discussion of why this would be the case for software, when CDs and books can be resold freely. There will continue to be quite a bit of controversy on the subject. I believe that any orignial copy should be allowed to be resold within secondary markets; however, copies of the original should be restricted by copyright law.

What are my reasons for writing all these posts?

As I said in my previous post, I have never been much of a writer. I have created this blog strictly for a Library Orientation class this semester. This course has been educational. Currently, I am a senior and have begun to wish I took the course as a freshman. Learning about how to find resources and using the facilities and staff on campus has been a revelation. The work load for the class has been about average. We are required to post so many blogs within the semester (working out to be three a week) with two topics to write about given to us each week. For a gifted writer, the blog posts would probably take a maximum of 15 minutes; on the other hand, for an accounting major, it usually takes me about an hour. Along with the posts, an article is assigned each week to read. These are always less than ten pages. Overall, the maximum amount of homework I have for this class is usually less than two hours a week. The class is not stressful or overwhelming. Everyone should take it!

How did I used to find information?

I have never been much of a researcher or writer, but there have been courses that I was required to write papers for and do research. For the most part, I was told what materials to obtain information from. The few papers that I had freedom to research a topic of my choice, I usually just googled the topic to find information. I am sure that quite a few of my sources were less the reputable; however, Wikipedia never made it to my works cited. Teachers would often say that we had to use at least one book and only one internet source. My freshman year, I did learn to take advantage of the databases that the school library provided. It was similar to using the internet when it came to ease and access with the exception that the material was actually credible. Since these earlier days, I have had specific instruction on how to find information worth reporting on the internet, through the databases, and within the campus library.

Is there any gold in Kentucky?

While watching TV, I came across a show about gold mining across the United States as a hobby. They showed a list of states, pretty much all 50, that you could look for gold. I became curious as to where in Kentucky gold has been found. After doing some research, I found that according to the Kentucky Geological Survey website on their "Gold and Silver" page only noncommercial amounts of gold have been found near the Ohio River on the Eastern side of Kentucky. They suspect that it was washed down from the Northeast in extremely small amounts. Apparently the type ground surface in the state is sedimentary and has had no events that would cause gold to be formed. If you are willing to search for gold in Kentucky even though the odds are against you, be careful not to find fool's gold and believe it is the real deal. The landscape is capable of making this material.