CHICAGO (Reuters.com)-There's no stopping it. If the latest generation has its way, the work force that fuels tomorrow's small businesses may largely be a stay-at-home crowd. According to WorldatWork, a global human resources association, the number of full-time employees performing their jobs remotely at least part of the time rose 39 percent from 2006 through 2008, tracking in at 17.2 million people.

I received an e-mail from a reader who owns the local franchise of DoodyCalls. (Who knew there was a business out there that will come by and pick up your pet's waste? But more on that later.) He suggested that I discuss the topic of pet waste from the perspective of human health and environmental protection.