How to find stolen photos and online articles

I have learned how to find stolen photos and online articles out of necessity.You may think that placing a photo of mine onto your blog or reposing an article is a compliment. It's not. Stolen work takes money out of my pocket that I need to pay bills. There are several sites that I use to find stolen photos and online articles.

My copyright policy makes it very plain. You can be billed when caught using my work. By posting my work without permission you are automatically agreeing to the copyright policy. Be smart. Don't use my photos or online articles without asking first.

Here are a few sites that I use to find stolen photos and online articles.

With TinEye.com you can easily find stolen photos and duplicate, derivative or modified photos. A simple browser plug-in lets me find pictures in a snap.

Google Images needs only a few clicks to locate images in any file format. It reaches into almost every corner of the web, works fast and can be done without a browser extension. Search results include images that are similar in color or style.




Who Stole My Pictures is one of my favorites. With it, I can find stolen photos with one click. It can search three different search engines, the extension is a quick download and is very easy to use.

Yandex.ru searches images in a few countries that don't speak English. Running the page through a translation program helps you decipher the search results.

How to find stolen articles

Copyscape is my favorite tool. The premium service charges a very reasonable fee. It sniffs out stolen articles even if the words are rearranged. You type a url or portion of text into a search box. Results include urls with highlighted portions of text.

With Google, you can search a few sentence of text to find stolen articles. It searches text, Adobe or Doc file appears. Easy controls help you request a DMCA takedown.

Plagium is similar to Copyscape. You can search by url or text. The system searches news articles, throughout the web and on social media sites.

Additional tools to find stolen photos and online articles can be found through any internet search. If you're thinking about using my work (or anyone else's) without permission, don't. Many writers and photographers will work with you if you ask ahead of time.

It's too easy to find stolen photos and articles online. "Forgetting" to ask is theft. Be smart. Don't do it.

Hunters giveth venison. Louisiana health officials taketh away.

After hunters donated venison to feed the homeless, Louisiana health officials stepped in and ordered the donation to be destroyed.  It wasn't enough to order all 1,600 pounds of venison  to be thrown away. Citing food safety concerns, the Louisiana health officials opened each package of venison that the hunters donated. Then they doused it all down with bleach so neither humans nor animals could eat it.

Deer grazing in Cades Cove

This sounds like a bad after-Christmas remake of Scrooge to me. Forget about all the times you've seen homeless people digging through trash cans. Apparently literally eating garbage is better than dining on commercially processed deer meet. That's the message that I'm getting anyway.

The Shreveport Bossier Rescue Mission who was to receive the donation estimated that at least 3,200 meals were lost. The meat was processed in a facility that is approved to process commercial meat. A request by the mission director to return the venison to the processing facility (and presumably back to the hunters) was also denied by Louisiana officials.

Keep in mind that hunters can serve this same venison to their children. They just can't feed the homeless, serve it in a restaurant or give it to a mission. Never mind that the mission serves 200,000 meals a year without government help or that they depend on donations to feed the homeless.

After all, why eat venison that was donated by hunters when you could have a peanut butter sandwich? How about a big leafy spinach salad to go with that? Add a few slices of cantaloupe and you're in for a nice healthy meal.

But, don't you dare touch the venison donated by hunters and don't give it to the homeless. According to the State of Louisiana and their health officials there are better choices available. Ha! Thankfully plans are being worked out to prevent this from happening again. I just wish that had been thought of before the food was destroyed. How about you?

Ode to the internet past

It's amazing to think that I have been online since 1995. The internet is a totally different world now that it was back then. The glimmer of education and understanding was just beginning to catch on. Dial-up was the word of the day. You could pick up an installation disk at any grocery store. Cable modems and T-1 connections came later.

As a late teenager, my family had a VIC-20 and a Commodore 64 computer. My first computer was a used 386 that was inherited from my mother. This was a big bulky machine that covered an entire desk. I had zero interest in the computer, looked at it as one more thing that took up space and really didn't want it.

Then my husband picked up a floppy disk from the store and showed me how to work a 14.4 K-baud modem. It's hum and beeping soon became music to my ears. My Geocities account was opened a few months later. We had basic editing software but the page was was pretty much written by hand. (This was before the days of mytechcoupons.com where you couldn't go out and just buy webpage design software.)

In fact, the first web design program that I remember came with Netscape and then Front Page. The Netscape Navigator came bundled with software from another company. Although simple, the program made it a breeze to create a website.

Buying a computer today is much more challenging. Coupon sites like www.mytechcoupons.com can help you get a good price. You can shop through stores like Best Buy and compare specs on products like HP, Sony, Logitech and others.

This is another change from the earlier days of the internet. There really wasn't much in the way of online stores in 1996. Purchasing electronics meant hitting the local retail store and hoping that the sales representative had more knowledge that you did. It wasn't always the best bet but it was what we had to work with.

I sometimes miss the earlier, simpler times of the internet. One thing that I don't miss is the 14.4 K-baud modem. It just wouldn't work with my smart phone.

Sadness over the closing of Riceville UMC in Tennessee

Yesterday marked one of the sadder days of my life. In June of this year I was appointed as a circuit rider to two small country churches. Now, I am only serving one church.

The Riceville Methodist Church began as a pre-civil war era congregation. Records indicate that their first pastor was licensed to preach in 1846. This means the church began about eight years after the Trail of Tears and about 15 years before the Civil War. It originally aligned with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. This simply means that the probably favored the southern way of life or at least the right to defend this portion of Tennessee.

After moving a couple of different times, the church was built on its current location near "downtown" U.S. Highway 11. It was erected in 1901and served the community until the final service was held yesterday. In early Methodist tradition, we gathered together under the large oak tree, sang hymns, shared stories and held the final closing service. The Riceville United Methodist church closed on November 10, 2012 at 2:00 p.m.

A lot of prayer and soul searching went into the decision to close. Stories told by the people whose lives were touched by the church will always stay with me. Being there was one of the sadder moments that I have experienced. No pastor wants to hold a closing service and I am privileged and honored that so many other pastors from the area were able to come. It reminds me that no man is an island. Attendance by members of the sister church on the circuit and the other attendees speaks of the connectionalism of the United Methodist Church.

In the midst of grief, we have each other. Even more than that, we have a God who is in control. Even though this church has closed there are new ministries beginning in other parts of the area and our church members are finding new homes. I give thanks for that.

Online auction benefits Susan Murphy Milano

In case you haven't heard, there's an auction in progress that benefits Susan Murphy-Milano. Susan is a recognized expert on domestic violence who has been involved with high-profile and local cases. Now, she is locked into a battle for her own life as she tries to fight cancer as an uninsured American.

This is one of my soapbox rants that really gets me going. Healthcare should be a basic right in all countries. In this day and age, it is inexcusable for anyone to be unable to receive healthcare. Emergency room coverage is provided in many states.

Without coverage, preventative steps that can keep some diseases from becoming emergencies is nonexistent. Then there is the question of how to meet prescription an follow-up care after the patient is discharged from the emergency department. I have seen people return to the emergency department after just a few days because they couldn't buy medications or access follow-up care. It's absurd!

The ongoing auction will help Susan receive much-needed care. Tests, medications and treatment have all had to be put on hold because of money. Some great items are up for bids (including a landscape photo from yours truly). Make time to visit the auction. It's happening right now on Facebook.

Unexpected DUI consequences

Sometimes people have a bucket load of problems in life. It's not unheard of for victims of domestic violence or other tragedies to turn to drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism. The process usually begins with a drink to help you “unwind” after a stressful day. Over time this can become a frequent occurrence and develop into a larger problem.

This happened to someone that I know. Drinking began innocently enough at first. Then, the next thing I knew she was in trouble over a DUI. We encouraged her into counseling and AA. Those helped with the problem but she needed other help to resolve the legal issues.

MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) says that in 2010, more than 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Ohio and some other states are using new term. OVI stands for Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated. It's a new term for an old problem.

It was a pretty scary time for everyone who cared about her. Our worst fears were that she would hurt or kill someone else before she got help. That wasn't our only fear. She had been drinking a year earlier when she was on vacation. She decided to walk to a nearby bar by herself and couldn't find her way back. Someone helped her get back to the hotel but we have no idea who it was or where she went.

Alcoholism ultimately cost her a job that she enjoyed, her marriage and her new home. She lost everything. Denial isn't just a river but she was swimming in it. We lost contact a few years ago. The last time I spoke with her she still wasn't ready to accept help.

Speaking with a panhandler at Chick-fil-A brought my friend to mind. The panhandler had a bad history. When she got out of jail, she thought that her debt to society was paid in full. Even with the best attorney, you can't always erase your past. Now she can't get a job and seems to have few friends. Begging on the street corner is now the best that she can do to support herself.
In many respects the panhandler that I spoke with is fortunate. She is alive and no one died because of any of what she did. It makes me wonder how different things might have been for her if she had gotten help. Like my friend, her life didn't have to be this way. I think that's the saddest thing of all.

Way to go for Knoxville and Oak Ridge cash mobs

Way to go Knoxville and Oak Ridge cash mobs! Finally there is something that I can rant happily about. Businesses in parts of Knoxville, Oak Ridge and other areas are really hurting. The hardest hit areas seem to be in and around construction zones or in areas of declining traffic.

The cash mobs are being organized via social networking sites like Twitter and are essentially flash mobs. Except, instead of singing or dancing the participants are asked to spend a few bucks in a specific part of town or stores. When they say 'a few bucks' the meaning is literal. People are asked to spend $5-$10 or whatever they can reasonably afford on whatever they reasonably want or need.

Best of all, the project is working. Even better, this WATE article indicates that the results may be long lasting and the movement may be growing.  This is one rant that I am happy to share. Keep it up Cash Mob!

Former coach arrested 3 times; now in jail

Why is a pedophile not locked up? WATE is reporting about a former coach who seems to have been arrested for the third time - since December 2011!  The article says that he has been accused of inappropriate relations with players and for violating an order of protection - twice. The latest arrest stems from an appearance that he made at the workplace of one of his former players.

This guy is a former teacher. One might suppose that if he has the brains to get a college degree, he is smart enough to comprehend the meaning of the word 'no'. As in:

No, it is not appropriate to even think about having inappropriate relations with kids.
No, it is not okay to violate an order of protection.

Injustices done to kids like this make me want to scream. Fortunately, the scumbag is now in custody and awaiting to appear in court, again.

Silsbee High School tries to force victim to pay legal fees

Silsbee High School in Texas should be ashamed of themselves. They want the parents of a sexual assault victim to pay for the school's legal fees.

It's in this ABC News report. Really, how ridiculous can you get? I thought this was 2011. Apparently folks, we have been transported right back into the stone age. Or at least it seems this way by the actions of Silsbee High School in Texas.

Student H.S. (name protected ) only wanted what a lot of high school students dream about. She wanted to help cheer her high school sports teams on to victory. Like most other high school students she worked hard academically and physically to stay on the cheerleading team and to prepare herself for college.

Becoming a rape victim could have destroyed that for her.  What was left of her life after the sexual assault seems to have been destroyed by the Silsbee High School and District in Texas. How did they do that? By trying to force the victim of sexual assault to cheer for the perpetrator when he continued his athletic life at Silsbee High School.


The report says that this perpetrator was indicted by a grand jury of felony sexual assault of a minor. He pleaded it down to a charge of misdemeanor assault sentenced to:

The news report says that school officials did the right thing by expelling the perpetrator after the indictment. He received a one-year suspended prison term and he gets to perform community service. Two years probation and a $2,500 fine are also part of his judicial system punishment. 


Oh yeah, and the Silsbee High School expelled him for awhile. When the perpetrator returned they let him back on the athletics team. Then they tried to force the victim he assaulted to continue to cheer for him, by name. 


Ah! But Silsbee High School didn't seem to be finished with the cheerleader. When she refused to cheer for the scumbag who assaulted her the school kicked her off of the cheerleading team. 


Her parents sued the school. They felt that the school's position violated their daughter's freedom of speech rights. Guess what the legal system did? They said that a cheerleader is only a mouthpiece for the school and sided with Silsbee High School. 


Yes, folks. Cheerleaders are required to be smart and keep their grades up to stay on the cheerleading team. Apparently, they aren't allowed to use those brains. 


You would think that officials at Silsbee High School would be happy with the messages they are sending. Shouldn't this have been enough for the school to heap upon the victim? Nope. 


In a final act of meanness, the school system has heaped more insult onto the victim and her family. They want her parents to pay thousands of dollars in the school's legal fees. By losing the battle to protect their daughter's freedom of speech it opened the parents up to having to pay. 


But wait, there's more. This online petition has more details. It's probably a good thing that I took my blood pressure medicine before reading and signing the petition.


This is one school system that I won't be cheering for. How about you?

New newsletter and other internet changes

Today was an exciting day for Hope for Healing.Org. Their new newsletter just came out. Well, the newsletter isn't new but the format is. It has bold, strong colors that grab your attention. It's more engaging than the one from the last platform.

The newsletter is Healing News. It's been online since 1996 in various forms. It started around the time that the website was built. I called it Healerguide's home page back then.

That was back in the days of Geocities. When the company went public everyone who had volunteered for a few years was were given a few shares of stock. The company is owned by Yahoo! now. Geocities went dark some time ago. That still makes me sad but it's part of what they call progress.

Eventually, I cashed in the stock to buy a replacement computer after the first one died. It was a fast moving 386. With it the dial-up seemed so fast that it almost took your breath away. A little overclocking under the case and she purred like a souped up engine.

My husband was a pastor in his first appointment. One of his parishioners came to visit. She was shocked to see that we each had a computer. I actually think that she was as offended. She muttered something about our spending habits as she went out the door.

The next time she visited our daughter was on the computer. I'm not sure which shocked her more. The fact that we had 2 computers or the fact that we allowed our daughter on it. For some reason, she didn't come back to visit after that.

Times do change. Software programs get larger and computers get smaller. The internet stocks boomed. Then, there was the big bang when they went bust. Now, there is not only a computer in almost every home but in almost every hand. Schools assign homework to be done on them now. It's a different world.

There are many things that the internet has changed. Jobs, the size of computers and the types of programs are different. There is one thing that has remained constant and that is the desire for people to connect. People everywhere want to feel wanted and cared about.

In the end, no matter how things change the core of who we are as people doesn't seem to change. As I load the new software program into my computer I think about that and simile. How about you?