T N.

For those who are looking into Preston University for a degree, do so with caution. Preston engages in questionable practices, according to various sources online (find out for yourself if you google "Preston university scam" or "Preston university fraud"). I recently wrote a blog post for Sitejabber on for-profit universities and institutions like Preston: http://www.sitejabber.com/blog/2010/08/22/online-diploma-mills/

For those who are looking into Preston University for a degree, do so with caution. Preston engages in questionable practices, according to various sources online (find out for yourself if you google "Preston university scam" or "Preston university fraud"). I recently wrote a blog post for Sitejabber on for-profit universities and institutions like Preston: http://www.sitejabber.com/blog/2010/08/22/online-diploma-mills/

My friend Juice asked me to look into this website for her. She remarked that it could be "interesting, but scary". After checking it out, I figured out why. I also figured out why, being married, she could not check it out herself first.

The premise is interesting - video chat with random people around the world (the whole thing is supposed to be randomized). If you see someone you don't like, click NEXT. If you see something you like, stick around and chat it up. The reason I say "something" is because you don't always see people, but rather parts of people or couples in uncompromising positions, and that can be unsettling and vile after a while. According to MyAnh, who reviewed Chatroulette earlier today, the site seems to have cleaned itself up, but when I tried it a few months ago, that wasn't the case. When I explored it, it was a mature site, not to be visited by children, yet there were children on it, and I felt the sudden need to protect them.

I don't think the site is necessarily bad, but it can be disillusioning to see how uninhibited and lonely some people seem to be. And even when someone appears to be a respectable person to get to know, he may reveal his real motives with time, so take heed and be careful there. I'm also not a fan of NEXTing someone, in the spirit of MTV; I can't imagine how hard it must be for some folks to be nexted over and over again.

In short, while the idea is promising - to connect people from around the world, I feel like this is more of a social experiment that could potentially be damaging, if not better thought out.

As an educator of children with special needs, I would encourage anyone to check their facts before investing in places like this center, which promises cures for all kinds of things from ALS to Parkinson's to autism. I can't claim to know how difficult it is to live with a child with autism, to watch a parent suffer from Alzheimer's or to feel your body failing you with M. S. I can only imagine the moments of desperation and longing for a cure. Not only that, but I'm sure that hearing these stories of friends of family of friends of people you know having these "miracle cures", can create a kind of hope that probably overrides good, solid research and judgment.

The American Stem Cell and Anti-Aging Center (ASCAAC) boasts of those miracle cures, and for $25,000 for a two-day treatment, a child with autism can be in the world and learn how to speak again. Supposedly. This isn't based on any valid science. These places feed on desperation. So I urge any parent or individual who's considering this kind of drastic measure, to slow down, gather your facts and use your best judgment based on those facts.

2010-09-02 As an update, Sitejabber posted this guest blog post that I wrote on the subject: http://www.sitejabber.com/blog/2010/09/02/weekly-scam-alert-stem-cell-treatment-scams/

This is not legitimate. See other reviews.

I placed an order on the 14th of December for 2 small containers of theraputty and one bodysock. I received the theraputty within about a week but still have not received the bodysock. Shipping cost me $18 for items that are so small you could stick it in a $10 USPS box. The website did not indicate that the bodysock would be on backorder, and I've tried twice to contact them with my concern. No response. I'm not sure if this is a scam or if the company is just incredibly irresponsible. For these items, next time I'll go straight to therapyshoppe.com.

Stumbleupon.com is pretty much an overwhelming mess if you haven't gotten in on it at the ground level. I recently joined and, although I love discovering new and interesting websites, I didn't even know where to start. There are so many websites arranged on one page that it feels like clutter. The one thing that I do like is that the genres of music are broken up so that I can find the best rated indie music sites without much work.

I'm going to have to write my first "hate it" review. Unfortunately I can sympathize with one of the reviewers who had his/her account held for seemingly no reason. This past week the same thing happened to me as I tried to pay my student loan bill before the due date. Paypal apparently thought that the fact that my paying my student loan, which I do every single month, was unusual and put a lock on it, with one requirement being that I send them a utility bill with my address. For what, I have no idea. My living in Guatemala makes this impossible, and the fact that it has now taken me 4 days to try to resolve this is just ridiculous. I think this may be my last transaction with Paypal, if I can help it.