Thoughtprints

How many of you have heard about the "The Blue Man" fraud? You know, the one where a man supposedly turned blue from taking colloidal silver? Yeah, it never happened. Although the news media has continually said that he was taking colloidal silver, nothing could be further from the truth. The Blue Man story became a major media disinformation event which was produced by a public relations firm and paid for by a pharmaceutical interest. The purpose of this campaign was to scare the public away from using colloidal silver products. The tactic was to claim that the Blue Man's condition was caused by his use of colloidal silver thus implying that anyone who uses colloidal silver would suffer a similar fate. The entire story as presented is a study in blatant misrepresentation. The fact is that Paul has a condition called argyria, which turns the skin a blue-gray color. He got this condition by taking his homemade silver compound that was mostly a highly concentrated ionic silver solution. When he prepared the solution he believed he was making colloidal silver. He was not making colloidal silver. To make the solution even more dangerous, he added salt to the brew and then used electrolysis to make a high concentration of silver chloride with large particles which is well known to cause argyria. He further applied the compound to his skin causing him to become an internal and external photographic plate. To finish himself off, he used a tanning bed to "fix" the silver in his body. The moral of the story is to know the difference between true colloidal silver and ionic silver or silver proteins, and don't try to make either at home! (True colloidal silver cannot be made at home.)

So, just what is colloidal silver? Well, colloidal silver is a liquid suspension of microscopic particles of silver. A colloid is technically defined as particles which remain suspended without forming an ionic, or dissolved solution. The good news about colloidal silver is that it appears to be a powerful, natural antibiotic and preventative against infections. Acting as a catalyst, it reportedly disables the enzyme that one-celled bacteria, viruses and fungi need for their oxygen metabolism. They suffocate without corresponding harm occurring to human enzymes or parts of the human body chemistry. The result is the destruction of disease-causing organisms in the body and in the food.

Mesosilver is the most effective colloidal silver on the market today. It is 0.9999 pure silver in colloidal form, a true silver colloid. Many products are advertised as being colloidal silver, but in fact are mostly ionic silver solutions. A true silver colloid consists mostly of silver particles. Mesosilver has the highest percentage of its silver content in the form of sub-nanometer silver particles, not silver ions.

I know all of that sounds confusing and complex, but it's really not. I find it very, very interesting. There's tons of information on their site about colloidal silver, so if it interests you, too, I highly recommend you visit them and read what's there!

Colloidal Silver, Mesosilver

So there's been some really strange and tragic events happening in Austria lately. I don't know why it always kind of surprises me when brutal crimes occur somewhere other than the U.S., but it does. I suppose it's because brutality and tragedy fill our newspapers and airwaves on a daily basis, but we don't hear about the crimes in other countries unless they're extreme, just like the stories coming out of Austria.

For example, the man who killed 5 of his family members with an ax to spare them from financial ruin. Really? How bad is it that money has become so important that you'd rather see your family dead than poor? Wow ... I just can't imagine.

Then of course there's the the completely crazy man who held his own daughter captive in a cellar for 24 years and repeatedly raped her, resulting in the birth of 7 children! Now that guy is just plain old evil to the core! You should read all of the articles relating to this story. UN-believable!

And now, today, I read an article about the former Austrian kidnap victim Natascha Kampusch, saying she has purchased her captor's home. Her lawyer, Gerald Ganzger, says she became the owner of the house and yard in the quiet Vienna suburb of Strasshof earlier this year. She is not thought to live there, though. So my question is this: why would anyone who had been held captive for eight long years want to own the property on which they were held??? Is it that Stockholm Syndrome thing? Perhaps a sense of empowerment taking the house and land away from him? I don't know. I just think that I would never want to see that place again if it were I, let alone own it! What do you think?

Austria, Crimes in Austria, AustrianManHoldsDaughterCaptive

Speaking of Reality Shows (see previous post), I just found a very cool site where you can get all kinds of Reality TV Updates. I admit it, I'm a reality TV junkie. Shows like Deadliest Catch, Gene Simmons Family Jewels, Paranormal State, Hell's Kitchen ..... yes, I watch them all. There are more, but I won't bore you. LOL Anyway, if you're a reality junkie, too, and need to get caught up on some of them, be sure to check out RealityBug.com!

RealityBug.com, Reality Shows, Reality TV Updates

I don't know how many of you watch Survivor, but I almost fell out of my chair tonight when Erik actually believed what the evil women told him and was STUPID enough to hand over his immunity necklace to Natalie! Didn't he learn anything from watching the last three or four voted off the island be completely blindsided by those same women? What a friggin' idiot! He's sweet, though. ;)

OK, I feel better now that I got that off my chest. lol

Survivor

Well, we all know Mother's Day is Sunday, right? As much as I enjoy my children fawning all over me, I also become sad because my mother is no longer living. I used to love to fawn all over her, too. :)

But there are other holidays and events coming up in the immediate future, as well. Graduation and Father's Day! And of course all of the other gift-giving holidays throughout the year. Call me a sap, but I really love giving Personalized Gifts to my friends and family. There's just something about a personalized gift which tells the recipient that you really put some thought into their gift.

At PersonalizationMall.com you can find all kinds of gifts which can be personalized. And guess what? Personalization is FREE! You don't find that very often. All the stores around here charge per letter! They also ship your order quickly -- usually within 1 to 2 days.

They have this beautiful pocket watch which I would really love to give to my oldest son. He's always loved pocket watches so much, and a lot of the Engineers on the railroad have them. I hate to wait for Christmas, and his birthday has already passed. Maybe I'll just have to give it to him for being such a good son. :) The price is great, too!

Next time you need to buy a gift, remember PersonalizationMall.com!

Personalized Gifts, PersonalizationMall.com

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't people who go to college -- especially a university like Tulane, one of the most highly regarded and selective independent research universities in the United States -- supposed to be at least moderately intelligent? Yeah, I thought so. So what's up with the incredibly stupid and irresponsible Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity???

Did you hear about what 10 frat bothers did? Here, read this:

Ten fraternity members at Tulane University face criminal charges in an alleged hazing incident in which pledges were repeatedly burned with hot water, cayenne pepper and vinegar, police said.

Two pledges were treated at a hospital for severe burns resulting from the April 25 incident at the Pi Kappa Alpha house, authorities said.

Seven students made their first appearance in court Wednesday and were released on their own recognizance, said Dalton Saywoir Jr., spokesman for the Orleans Parish District Attorney's office. It was unclear whether the three remaining students had been arrested or surrendered to police.

New Orleans attorney Frank D'Amico Jr., who represents one of the two pledges severely burned, said it happened at a "Hell Night" ritual involving the 10-member pledge class.

"What they were doing was burning the young men," he said. Fraternity brothers were said to have used boiling water containing pepper spray and a "crab boil" seasoning mixture containing cayenne pepper. The water was poured on the pledges' backs, he said.

"The ones who screamed first didn't get burned as badly," he said. But as the evening wore on and the water grew hotter and hotter, the ones who had not screamed were severely burned.

D'Amico said his client, who was attending Tulane on scholarship, suffered second- and third-degree burns to his back, chest, buttocks and genitals. He is "bandaged up," D'Amico said, and must have twice-daily burn treatments. The young man is unable to travel or take his exams and is attempting to negotiate with Tulane on postponing them, he said.

The young man is "obviously extremely traumatized," D'Amico said.

read more here

OK, here are my two questions: What kind of stupid do you have to be to LET someone do that to you, all in the name of joining a fraternity, and what kind of stupid do you have to be to actually feel alright about doing that to another human being?!?!

WHY in God's name would you let someone burn your genitals or any other part of your body?!?! The only way I'd let someone do that to me is if my family was going to die if I didn't! Who wants to "belong" so badly that they'd allow themselves to be injured and scarred for life??? I mean, come on!

And what kind of SICKO would think it was OK to burn the skin off of another person??? And actually think it was fun! Damn! It just leave me shaking my head in bewilderment. WTF?

Tulane University, Fraternities, Hazing

I have distinct memories of seeing images of the Vietnam war on the news when I was a kid. I remember the gunfire, bombs, helicopters, and of course, the soldiers. I also remember feeling quite perplexed and very sad. As we all know, the war raged on for a very long time and the country of Vietnam was ravaged. That, too, was very sad.

But that has all changed now! Have you seen any pictures or video of what Vietnam is like today? It is absolutely beautiful! Stunning, in fact. I can honestly say that it is a place I would definitely love to visit. I think now, finally, Vietnam is rising above the stigma of war, and people are realizing it is one of the most exciting new destinations in South East Asia.

One of the most gorgeous places I'd love to visit is Halong Bay. Oh man! It is breathtakingly beautiful! You really should google pictures of it -- it looks almost mystical. The Halong Bay Hotels are equally as beautiful, too. And have I mentioned how affordable they are? Well they are! I can hardly believe it, actually. Four star hotels with guestrooms for under $100 per night!

The next time you're trying to think of a great place to visit on vacation, remember Vietnam. I don't think you would be sorry.

Vietnam, Halong Bay, Halong Bay Hotels

CNN has just decided to report on what all of us who having been blogging for a while already know: Your Blog Can Be Group Therapy. Duh! LOL

According to the aricle, "Blogging can create an instant support system, especially at a time when you might not have the energy or resources to seek out people who've shared your experiences." Amen to that! I've been using my blog for therapy since day one. It's nice that everyone else is finally catching up and realizing how valuable blogging can be!

Blog on, boys and girls! :)

CNN, Blogging, Blogging as Therapy

When my daughter and I were visiting with my friend and her husband over the weekend, we discussed how far technology has come in such a short time. The conversation came after my first game of bowling with their Wii. Who would have thought, eh?

Well, my mind has been boggled once again. I think a lot of us already realize that IBackup is a leading Online Storage and backup, but guess what they offer now?

Now you can actually access and share data from your iPhone and other handheld devices! They provide you the flexibility of accessing data stored on your IBackup account with handheld devices such as iPhone, Blackberry, PocketPC and Treo. How great is that? Couple that with the fact that you can get a variety of plans starting with 10 gigs of storage for only $9.95 a month and, well, you can see for yourself what a fantastic deal that is!

Who woulda' thought. :)

IBackup, Online Storage

How ANYONE can vote for and support Hillary Clinton is beyond me! Can't you people see what a LIAR she is??? She's just like her husband that way! They're both as slimy and manipulative as they come! Take, for instance, the claim she made back in March that she and Chelsea deboarded a plane in Bosnia amid sniper fire. Yeah, AS IF! Gee, did she forget there were cameras ALL AROUND her filming it??? And then she said she simply misspoke? Yeah, right lady. Someone who can create gunfire out of flowers, literally, is doing MUCH more than misspeaking! She is constantly inflating her record and experience, and only tells the American people what they want to hear when they want to hear it.

And now I see that the early returns in Indiana have her leading. I just can't believe so many people actually believe her and want her leading our country. What a shame there are so many sheep here.

Hillary Clinton

Hi, guys. How is your Tuesday going so far? My day got off to kind of a slow start. It's one of those "do it when you feel like it" days. It's cool, though.

I've been doing a lot of work on my web sites lately. As many of you know, I had a "dry spell" for a few months wherein I did very little blogging and really ignored my sites. As a consequence, I've suffered much lower recorded visits and page views. To those of us who have blogs, we know that our sites live and die by the numbers. Months ago my PR fell to a 4, and I'd really like to get my 5 back. So, I've been doing some damage control. I've submitted my blog to the newest ways out there to help increase my traffic and page views, plus I found a great web directory free of charge to which I can submit my blogs. I thought that sounded great, considering most good directories charge in order to get a listing with them.

I could kick myself for allowing things to go downhill so much around here, but I guess at the time my mind and heart just weren't in it. Things like that happen, right? It's like running a race and falling behind, then suddenly catching your second wind and sprinting forward again. I guess you could say I've found my second wind. Finally.

I hope your day is being kind to you. :)

Blogs, Web Directories, PageRank

Hey peeps, guess what? This is Be Kind to Animals Week. That's right, boys and girl, Be Kind to Animals Week is from May 4th through the 10th. It was created by the American Humane Association way back in 1915!

Now, I know we shouldn't need to be reminded to be kind to animals, but in an effort to impress those who aren't so readily inclined to treat animals with the dignity and respect they deserve, do something special this week such as donate to a local animal shelter, report any animal abuse you witness or become aware of, and maybe reach out to a new pet owner and help teach them to become a responsible pet guardian.

If you have the means to do so, perhaps this week you could even adopt a pet! If not, then perhaps you could make time to volunteer at a local shelter, rescue group or Humane Society. Believe me, you will get SO much more out of it than you give! :)

Be Kind to Animals Week, Pets, Animals

Do you have kids who take karate? Or perhaps you, yourself, are taking karate classes. Whatever the case, I have just the place for you for all of your Martial Arts Gear needs. AWMA is the leading distributor of martial arts supplies, boxing gear and exercise equipment.

Need some heavy bags? They have them! Lightweight uniforms? Chest guards? Yep, they have those, too. How about some sparring equipment (even though I'm not in Karate, I would still love some of this! *wink*)? That's right, you can get that, too. In fact, they quite simply have everything you may need. And guess what? It's all at some pretty great prices, too! If I were you, I wouldn't trust anyone but the major online retailer of quality karate gear and equipment!

Martial Arts Gear, AWMA

Those of you who are horse enthusiasts will already be aware of the tragedy which occurred at the running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. Those of you who simply love animals may not be aware of what happened, but your opinion definitely matters.

So this is what happened: Eight Belles, a filly owned by Larry Jones, finished second and then broke both front ankles while galloping out a quarter of a mile past the wire. She was euthanized on the track. She was being ridden by jockey Gabriel Saez.

Now this is what has been happening in the aftermath:

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has called for the suspension of Saez, and it faxed a letter Sunday to Kentucky's racing authority claiming the filly was "doubtlessly injured before the finish." The group says Saez should have pulled her up rather than finish.

PETA spokeswoman Kathy Guillermo said if Saez is found at fault, the group wants the second-place prize of $400,000 won by Eight Belles to be revoked.

"What we really want to know, did he feel anything along the way?" Guillermo said. "If he didn't then we can probably blame the fact that they're allowed to whip the horses mercilessly."

But Jones says Saez acted exactly as he should have. He says the jockey started whipping the horse to prevent her from running into the rail.

"I don't know how in the heck they can even come close to saying that," Jones told The Associated Press on Sunday. "She has her ears up, clearly galloping out."

Eight Belles, the first filly since 1999 to run in the Derby, appeared fine until collapsing while galloping out after the finish.

The letter to the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority also sought a ban on whipping, limits on races and the age of racehorses, and a move to softer, artificial surfaces for all courses.

as reported by Sports Illustrated

Over at CNN they have a poll asking readers if they think the horse racing industry does enough to ensure the safety of the horses. So what do you think? Frankly, I'm not a regular spectator of horse races, but I have always abhorred the way the horses are whipped. The question, though, is did the jockey "feel" something give in the horse before it even crossed the finish line, and if so, why didn't he stop the horse. As you read, PETA asserts he would have had to. My feeling is that it was a horrible tragedy with the horse tripping and breaking her ankles, and there was probably nothing that could have been done to prevent it. Of course, what do I know? I'm just a gal who adores animals and never wants to see them mistreated. That said, I still think that whipping the horse should NOT be allowed, regardless. Seems to me that with an animal as intelligent as a horse, you could teach it to race without whipping it!

Now, what you think about all of this?

Kentucky Derby, Eight Belles, Race Horses

On Saturday when my daughter and I were walking through the malls, she was constantly commenting on how cute the guys were who had piercings in their face. LOL She just absolutely loves that. I can't see it personally, but I'm old. LOL I've often wondered, though, where the people who DO have piercings buy their jewelry.

Now I know. Anyone in need of body jewelry can find what they need at Acha Co., Ltd., a wholesale body jewelry manufacturer. And wow, you can get stainless steel, titanium, tungsten, sterling silver and silver! That's pretty cool. People can even get theme jewelry there. That sounds interesting! So if you or someone you know is looking for some great body jewelry, send them there! They'll find what they need at some standout prices!

Body Jewelry, Acha Co., Ltd.

So how was your weekend? Mine was really great! My daughter and I had a fabulous time on our one day road trip. :) We did some shopping, went to a beautiful sculpture gallery, ran into an old friend at the mall, and had dinner with my oldest friend, along with her husband and son. It was totally wonderful! After dinner they got out their Wii and we all had a lot of fun bowling and golfing. That was the first time I'd ever used a Wii, and decided right then and there that I must have one. LOL We didn't get home until almost midnight, and as much as I detest driving at night, it was more than worth it! :)

I hope you all had a great weekend, too!