Saturday, March 31, 2007

High schoolers turn in plagiarism screeners for copyright infringement

Four students from Arizona and Virginia have filed suit against plagiarism detection system Turnitin.com, arguing that the service engages in massive copyright infringement. The lawsuit, filed this week in a Virginia federal court, claims that the infringement is willful and that Turnitin's parent company iParadigms owes $150,000 for every violatio



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Thursday, March 29, 2007

Climber Jumps Off Camelback Mountain and Suffers Serious Injury

An "experienced" climber was at Camelback Mountain repelling. A video is available of this story and shows the climber running and jumping off the cliff and suffering two broken legs. If he was experienced, then why did he run and jump off a mountain? Some say he lost hold of his rope; others say he was attempting to do a trick. What do you think?



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Wednesday, March 28, 2007

No Pot During Passover

For those who celebrate Passover and love the 4:20, this story may be of interest to you. Israeli marijuana warns its supporters. No Pot during Passover? Nu?



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Monday, March 26, 2007

Whole Foods Buys Wild Oats

With the purchase by Whole Foods to acquire Wild Oats, will the name change? Will the cost of products rise? Will there still be Gluten Free products and Wild Buys?



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Jewish Seminary Accepts Gay Students

Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in NYC, the flagship of conservative Judaism, will admit openly gay and lesbian students to their school. What a great accomplishment for the entire community.



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Friday, March 23, 2007

Shutdown Day almost here

Shutdown Day almost here Be a part of one of the biggest global experiments ever to take place on the internet. The idea behind the experiment is to find out how many people can go without a computer for one whole day, and what will happen if we all participate!



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The Killer: Dog Food

Recently the media has taken a large interest in the death of dogs and cats but this isn't a new story. For years, dog and cat food companies have been stuffing their foods with wheat, by-products, and fillers and this time when they changed the formula, it obviously was changed a little too much.



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Sunday, March 18, 2007

Are You Suffering from Celiac Disease?

Pains in the stomach, weight loss or weight gain, joint pain, foggy brain; have you ever felt this way after eating a bagel or a slice of pizza? If you have ever experienced these symptoms, you may want to watch this news presentation about eating Gluten-Free.



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Saturday, March 17, 2007

Phoenix Breaking Record Winter Temps

For almost a week, Phoenix, Arizona has broken a winter temperature record with temps in the 90-100 degree range. With this unseasonable and unusual weather, are Valley residents complaining?



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Friday, March 16, 2007

Treating Fibromyalgia With Phentermine

This is an editorial about using Phentermine as a pain killer for the symptoms of Fibromyalgia. It gives a brief summary of my personal experiences of being on this prescription drug for seven months and how this medication helped with the medical condition Fibromyalgia.



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Treating Fibromyalgia with Phentermine

Treating Fibromyalgia with Phentermine
© 2005

As a person living with the daily struggles of Fibromyalgia or a “fibromite,” the last thing you want to hear from a doctor is, “You need to lose weight and you are not trying hard enough.” These words felt like sharp icicles slowly repeating in my mind; after seeking help from many doctors for the last six months and receiving no help, I was ready to cry. Assuming this recommended rheumatologist, a specialist for joint pain, would be much more understanding was not the right assumption. Explaining my lifestyle for the past eight years to this new doctor, while presently dealing with the tremendous pains and fatigue which my body never experienced before, were the last words I needed to hear from a medical professional.

My entire life I always exercised and ate healthy; it was part of who I was and currently still am. Of course I would treat myself to sweets like chocolate cake or ice cream, but very rarely due to food allergies. My physical activity consisted of Yoga and walking five times a week, for an hour or more a day; while sticking to the “no whites” diet. This diet focuses on no eating of any white flours, white rice, sugars, dairy, and any other foods which cause my body to react harshly; in easy terms, it makes me sick for days to weeks. Fibromyalgia sufferers are suggested to stay away from these foods as they irritate the body and cause worse symptoms.

All this was explained to the doctor and his answer was, “You’re not eighteen anymore. Your body is not the same as it used to be.”

Besides becoming upset, I became very angry and my persistence of finding a way to prove this doctor wrong was my determination. From searching around I found a doctor who was willing to work with my condition of Fibromyalgia to help with weight loss. The doctor prescribed Adipex or the generic brand known as Phentermine to help kick start my body. For five months I was bed ridden, my walking was more of a shuffle, my hands couldn’t even type or hold neither a cup nor a steering wheel to drive. Coming from the natural healing world, I tried many alternative therapies from Acupuncture, chiropractic care, and massage therapy. These treatments do help, but with the “cycle” or “flair” I was experiencing, nothing seemed to work to pull me out of it. The treatments did give temporary relief but it never stuck around long enough. Due to not taking prescription medication for the ten years prior, I researched about the drug before convincing myself to give it a try.

Finally I decided to try this little white and blue speckled pill and the first week it took my pains away instantly! The dose started at a ½ pill for the first few months till my body got used to the chemicals. Phentermine is an amphetamine and does give the body a rush when first started to be taken. The doctor explained that the main ingredient is the same of what is used in Sudafed and to never take Sudafed or any over the counter medication similar to Sudafed. Not to eat any hard cheeses, eat a small breakfast staying under 300 calories, make my main large meal at lunch time with dessert, and eat dinner before 8:00pm were the only rules. The doctor said to eat whatever I wanted and there was no need to over exercise since my body could not take the fatigue. I continued to stick to my diet and my exercise routine because it has been a part of my life for so many years; I felt there was no need to change it.

When I began taking Phentermine, I weighed 180 pounds. I always agreed I needed to lose some weight, but the frustration came from asking the rheumatologist for help, not getting any answers, not being believed, doing everything “right” for seven years and continuing to gain weight. Without understanding why my past experiences always failed, I did not have high expectations. The weight doctor asked me what was my ultimate goal concerning my weight loss. I answered, “I would like to be around the 140 pound range.” He took out his chart, looked up my height of 5’6, and said, “According to my chart, your healthy, normal body weight is around 159. Don’t feel you need to get down to 140 pounds.”

I guess his approach toward my goal weight gave me hope that losing at least 20 pounds was possible. After questioning the doctor and researching the Journals of Medicine, I decided to give the pill a try. Reluctant to take it everyday due to all the warnings about the body becoming addicted to the chemicals, I decided to use it more as a pain killer than a weight loss solution.

It has been seven months since starting Phentermine; I have continued taking ½ pill to 1 pill a few days a week. Some times I don’t take any pills for a few days in a row since the biggest concern all the information recorded states the body can become addicted. All other medications I have tried in the past, the affects never lasted longer than a month. The amazement the potency of this pill still has an affect on my body still boggles my mind.

My present weight is 149 pounds. My body temperature before the pill would always be around 97.3 degrees and now my body temperature has risen to 98.2 degrees. From my experience of being a Fibromyalgia sufferer for over ten years and trying the different techniques to get some relief, Phentermine has accomplished this. There are many different opinions about this prescription drug; this has helped me gain my life back but each person should consult with their doctor and individual health problems.

With the ease of buying prescription drugs without a prescription over the internet, many sales occur without the proper blood work before beginning this treatment. If you have a heart condition, this pill should not be taken. Blood tests must be done before any doctor will prescribe the drug. Always consult with a medical professional before taking this drug.

In June, my fourth appointment, I returned to my rheumatologist for a check up. He looked me up and down and didn't say a word about losing weight. His comments were, “You seem to be doing better.” We began chatting and through our conversation it was mentioned I played four hours of softball the morning before so my body was sore. The difference in this man's body language and voice tone shocked me! He asked where I played, who I played for, what position I played, how long I have played; so all these questions were answered.

Before my examination came to a close, I stepped on the dreaded scale; he saw the weight loss, which at the time was around 15 pounds. Since he didn’t say anything to me, I did make a comment regarding my first visit with him.

"Next time you decide to generalize a new patient by what they say, the way they look, or how they act, remember this moment. My husband and I both explained my normal level of physical activity while you made a very sarcastic comment toward us about not being 18 years old anymore. When in reality, only six months prior to my first visit, I was physically active without too much muscle or joint strain."

Was I wrong for confronting this issue? In my heart and dealing with doctors who barked orders at me but would not offer any advice or solutions of how to accomplish their requests; saying these words justified my efforts. Maybe I made the doctor think, for at least… a second.

The doctor did not respond.

AC

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Motorized Rollerblades

Sweet looking Rollerblade setup with 1.5 Horse Power.



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Jet Blue Cancels Over 215 Flights

Jet Blue is in the news again but this time they canceled the flights before making passengers sit on the tarmac. The cancellations affected about one-third of all JetBlue flights.



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Thursday, March 15, 2007

Is America Headed for a Depression?

Traders are nervous, with the upshot being a swing to cash and gold. Why gold? Under the circumstances that exist today in the financial marketplace, any rise in interest rates will certainly pass the tipping point to where millions of Americans will be forced from their homes and put out on the street.



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Wednesday, March 14, 2007

PearlyWrites Offers IT Consulting Services


Head of IT Services, Aaron Pickett

Aaron Pickett has been announced Manager of IT Services and one of the consultants for PearlyWrites, LLC. With over 15 years of experience managing projects and working at Fortune 500 companies throughout New York City, Aaron brings to PW a strong knowledge of how IT systems and departments SHOULD be set up and ran properly for maximum profit.

IT Professional Services include:
Systems Set Ups

Phone Systems

24/7 on call services (w/ contracts)

Troubleshooting

On-Site or Remote

PearlyWrites welcomes Aaron and looks forward to a long lasting (working) relationship.

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Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Dear Marketing: Why do you hate me? Love, Usability

It secretly bothers me when I see conferences or seminars on website marketing that don’t offer a session on user centered design. I always wonder why this is. Is usability that scary?



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Town Bans Bar Fun

The town of Lilburn in Georgia has banned karaoke, pool tables, darts, video poker games and dance clubs from bars. Just about any type of party game from places that serve alcohol is being banned. What does this leave for late drunken night alcoholics?



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Why are Ignorant and Nasty People Allowed in the World?

When an incident occurs which makes you question the human race, how would you react to it? When ethnic, religious or racial slurs are screamed out with no discretion, would you approach the ignorant and nasty person?



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Need College Info? PhDGirl Site Pre-Launches

A new site has pre-launched offering college students and parents of soon to be college students a one stop place to gather information during their higher education journey. Suggestions are being taken from the public of PhDGirl's creator of what information they would like displayed throughout the site.



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Las Vegas Stardust Hotel Demolished

The infamous Stardust hotel was demolished Monday at 2am in Las Vegas. This will make room on the Las Vegas Strip for a brand new hotel and casino. Boyd Gaming has written a nice good bye note on their homepage. Another casino bites the dust, literally.



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Maracay Homes Offer Basements in Arizona

Moving from the Northeast, we thought we would never see a basement home again and then we stumbled upon Maracay homes. Besides being affordable and gorgeous, they offer basements! After our visit to the homesites, we fell in love with this homebuilder and now have to find a way to get the home building process started which may take a few years.



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Saturday, March 10, 2007

Grand Opening of Fireside at Desert Ridge

The Phoenix, Arizona area has been growing quickly and a new home community had its grand opening, Fireside at Desert Ridge. With offerings of casitas, cabanas and the overall living of well being is reflected throughout this community. Del Webb is offering many standard features, upgrades and incentives. More information can be found at http://www.firesidebydelwebb.com/



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Ben & Jerry's Cone Stephen Colbert

If you like Ben & Jerry's ice cream, then you may have already seen it but Colbert got his own ice cream flavor "Americone Dream."



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Timeshares For Sale

1) Cabo San Lucas: LA PLAYA GRANDE 2 UNITS IN CABO SAN LUCAS WHICH ARE TWO PREMIUM ONE BED ROOM UNITS. THE WEEK IS 52 (Christmas Week - 2 units) which can rent for easily $2500 per unit for that week.
http://www.cabovillas.com/properties.asp?PID=55
(RCI Weeks - Gold Crown)
$35,000 OBO.

2) Las Vegas: IN THE ROYAL VACATION SUITES IN LAS VEGAS. A TWO BED ROOM LOCKOUT WHICH Adds UP TWO WEEKS WITH FLEXIBLE TIME. THE LOCKOUT IS ONE COMPLETE ONE BEDROOM AND ANOTHER ONE BEDROOM NOT AS COMPLETE. Right next to the Las Vegas convention center and can be used as a rental, especially on the HOT weeks when NO ROOM can be found. (Trading Places)
$15,000 OBO.

3) Las Vegas timeshare for sale below price
RCI Points - Gold Crown
1 bedroom unit - bi-annually - deeded property
43,000 points every other year
The Cliffs at Peace Canyon

Week is in August (will find out the exact week #) and have used our timeshare to go to Jamaica, St. Martin, etc. and never even had to go back to Vegas or even on the week #. This is a very flexible program.

Every other year, get a free week (if you understand the RCI points program)

Property - http://www.dailymanagementresorts.com/Resort.aspx?resort=3
http://www.rci.com/RCIW/RCIW_index?body=RCIW_resortItemBody&layout=RCIW_layout&rCount=29&i_resort_id=6389&pageTitle=%20Resort&action=resortdir&orgPage=resortdetail
$5000 obo

Interested in any of these timeshares? If you are serious, Contact Lisa through e-mail with your name, phone number and price for the timeshare(s) and I will send my contact info so we can seriously discuss the sale. Thank you.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Ban on Booze


Arizona State University, known as the party school, put a ban on alcohol till March 23.

There are many students at ASU who are over 21 years old but as we all know from being in college and at college parties, the under 21 year olds do wander in and do drink. Does anyone really ask these students for their ID card?

The other question, when is ASU's Spring Break? Does this ban really make a point to the students they are trying to make about alcohol and the effects it causes?

You decide...

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Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Stephen Colbert and Ben & Jerry's


I am a fan of Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart so on last night's show, Colbert had Ben & Jerry, the ice cream founders on. If you like Ben & Jerry's ice cream, then you may have already seen it but Colbert got his own ice cream flavor "Americone Dream."

Yes, we had to try it and it reminds me of eating a King Cone at the Washington Township swim club as a child or the waffle cones I would get on the boardwalk of the Jersey Shore (Wildwood not Seaside!).

Then Ben Cohen announced and plugged his new Website, TrueMajority.org. If you sign up, you can receive a free Frisbee and give him lots of leads for his political cause.

All in all, it was a good Colbert show and my husband sat watching the show while eating his Americone Dream ice cream. Now that's Truthiness! Yuuummmmyyyyyy!

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Monday, March 05, 2007

Ignorant and Nasty People

Usually in between my two classes I stay on campus and do some work. Today the weather was so nice out that I took a drive and picked up a salad from Safeway down the road from Scottsdale Community College.

Enjoying my hour break and the lovely weather, I step out of my SUV to hear, "You F***ing K*****." At first I thought this abrupt guy with his iPod was screaming at me. I observe the situation and its an elderly woman driving a Cadillac and most likely not seeing this wacko guy running in the parking lot (because that is what normal people do, right?). This guy was acting as if this woman was trying to hunt him down with her car when in fact, I would have hit him also.

Who the hell runs in the middle of a busy parking lot?

So I step out of my SUV fuming with my husband on the cell phone, "That guy just screamed F***ing K*****. I am going to hunt him down in Safeway." The husband was saying, "You didn't hear him right." OH NO I heard his ass right.(With the Jersey accent and tude and all.)

Hung up the phone and ran into Safeway to try and find this ignorant and nasty person but he was nowhere to be found! My adrenaline pumping and all and couldn't find him.

I don't condone any form of disgusting anti-semiticism BUT HELLO if you are going to live in Scottsdale, Arizona (with easily 15 synagogues) and you don't like Jews then you better find your way out of there and come out to good old Peoria, Arizona (0 synagogues and 5 Mega Churches)! (Yes, who are the token Jews?)

What was this guy thinking screaming such hateful words! Obviously myself and the other 15 people staring made him realize he better get out of there quicker than he thought. Maybe I'll run into him (literally) again and take my H3 and run over his nasty mouth of hate! Ignorant people!

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Saturday, March 03, 2007

My Newest Creation


Although I write a lot of copy, I have been very interested in learning more about SEO and SEM strategies. I started studying more about this niche a few months ago and trying my hand at PR and techniques to rank PearlyWrites higher in the search engines under writing, editing and marketing services. I was actually very surprised PW was ranked at a PR4.

I have been reading and questioning many SEO service experts and appreciate all of their patience and help with my new journey. I was quite shocked and impressed that so many successful SEO entrepreneurs were open to helping me which was a breath of fresh air.

With all this said, I have now started a new site focused on my other desire, education. The new Website is PhDGirl.com and hope to grow it into a place where college and universities will want to advertise and where students and parents come for answers regarding many of life's questions about the big decision of higher education.

Online degrees, PhD degrees, Master degrees, BA degrees and many more programs which a degree or certification can be obtained is easier than you think. Stop on by and let me know how I am doing on PhD Girl.com. It is a work in progress so please be kind...

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