A 15-year-old Israeli went to Egypt on vacation. Instead of the fun experience she was expecting, she was drugged and abused by 3 men repeatedly.

The details of this bizarre incident are a bit muddled, but it seems she was at a Sinai hotel, unattended by a parent or guardian, and made friends with a 20-year-old employee who slipped a different drug into the hooka she willingly smoked.

The drug in question, Datura, is something I’d never heard of. A quick internet search described it as an all-encompassing delirium that can last for several days—exactly what the girl described.

While she was delirious, she was repeatedly groped, and attempts were made to rape her—by the hotel employee, the hotel manager, and a third man. She was forced to wear Bedouin clothing—probably to disguise her for kidnapping—and was pressured to marry a 56-year-old and remain in Egypt.

By the grace of God, she was able to escape and return home. Upon her arrival, she was in need of psych evaluation, medication, and a hospital stay, still confused about what had occurred. As her memory returned, she was able to recount what happened and filed a complaint.

When questioned by authorities, the hotel manager’s “defense” was unbelievable: “I don’t need to rape girls,” he protested, claiming to have had consensual relations with 400 Israeli women!

Shockingly, what happened to this teen was not the only attack reported. There have been several, which means they most certainly were not consensual.

Obviously, it’s not a good idea for a young teen to be left unsupervised so she can do drugs with strangers. Regardless, she is the victim and this incident appears to be one of many assaults that happened at this hotel. These barbarians should’ve been arrested the first time!

Moral of the story: Ladies, be careful where you go on vacation and do not put yourself into a vulnerable situation with strange men. This can happen to anyone, it does with a terrible frequency, and we must be extra cautious in foreign countries.

Fresh flowers are one of the greatest joys in life. Whether it’s a fancy rose bouquet or a simple daisy growing on the side of the road, I truly love them all—especially if they’re purple (my favorite color).

Unfortunately, they wilt much too quickly, some even the same day you buy them! Here are a few tricks to keep flowers fresh longer:

• Trim the stems at a 45-degree angle
• Remove all foliage below the water line
• Fill the vase with lukewarm water
• Change water daily
• Mist petals with water if they look dry
• Keep away from direct sunlight
• Put the vase in the fridge overnight

Don’t forget that flowers, like all living things, need to be nourished. Use flower food packets, if they come with a bouquet. If not, it’s actually easy to make some. Combine dissolved sugar and apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons each, per quart of water, along with a 1/2 teaspoon of bleach.

Extremely fussy flowers like daffodils and tulips truly do need professional packets, but everything else seems to thrive with homemade food, in my experience.

Do you have any flower tips? I’d love to hear them!

An unusual legal case in Australia has reignited the debated about Multiple Personality Disorder aka Dissociative Identity Disorder.

A 49-year-old woman filed charges against her father, whom she says viciously abused her in every manner possible during her childhood. That, unfortunately, is not uncommon, but her coping mechanism is quite rare: She claims to have 2,500 separate and distinct personalities.

Six of the personalities gave testimony during the trial, according to her, recounting different incidents that could only be recalled by that personality and was unknown to the others.

While I have the utmost sympathy and compassion for this victim, I don’t believe it’s possible to have that many personalities in one body and I’m very surprised that a psychiatrist determined that she was well enough to be in court.

During the 80’s and early 90’s, Multiple Personality Disorder was being “diagnosed” in record numbers. I can remember watching it on Oprah and One Life to Live featured a main character who was in a Vikki/Nikki split storyline. And, of course, it goes back much further, with the infamous Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde novel.

Do I think it’s possible that someone who has experienced terrible trauma in early childhood could have a split personality? Yes, in rare cases, it could happen. But to claim 2,500? That’s just junk science.

Victims deserve justice for their suffering. Anyone who has been wronged should go to the law and should be able to sue, provided there’s credible evidence. With this particular victim, it’s hard to believe she is sane. After watching a 40 minute interview on 60 Minutes Australia, it’s obvious to me that she is in terrible pain and appears confused, going in and out of “personalities” at rapid speed, without any trigger to explain it.

Very sad case, but in the end, the father pled guilty and received a long sentence. He’s where he needs to be. The victim, however, is not being helped by doctors who are playing a pretending game. She needs real care to deal with the abuse, not pseudo-science that makes headlines.

A Heat Wave is headed towards New England, with temps over 90 degrees predicted for the next 3-4 days. That kind of news makes me nervous, so I’m doing everything possible to prepare.

We’re fortunate to have A/C window units in 3 rooms, which normally keeps the inside plenty cool. I will be running them round-the-clock as a precaution (much more often than normal). In the den, we also have two ceiling fans.

For the windows, I have heavy curtains up that block the light and put reflecting film on the French door as an experiment. If it actually works, and that room is much cooler, I would definitely put the film on all glass.

Water, of course, is a major concern. I purchased 4 family packs of water, 4 gallons of water, and filled up 2 pitchers for the fridge. Again, just as precaution. Lime and lemon slices for the water are ready to go and I made iced tea concentrate in case I need more flavor.

For meals, it will be cold only—toast or cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, and dinner salads with chicken strips or tuna. I made egg salad, potato salad and fruit salad yesterday for sides. Also, lots of fresh veggies, fresh fruit and pretzels and crackers. In the late evening, if my hubby is inclined, he may grill. The oven and stove are not being used, no matter what.

The kitties and pups have an extra water bowl, extra food bowl and will be kept inside except for needed breaks and a quick walk.

In case the power goes out, which is my greatest fear, I do have flashlights and batteries on hand. When the heat is this extreme, we probably would go to a hotel, though, if it lasts for more than a few hours.

Otherwise, it will be a normal weekend, at home. If I’m able to shop today, there will be Super Savings Saturday to report; if not, look for it next week.