smiles

I wish I could write!

Why do I care what others believe? I'm open to try and understand and take interest in what others believe, regardless of the faith- or my personal concept. Does that mean I care what others believe? I am not fascinated by the way any faith based discussion in SC always seems to end up. >What are the basics of sound logical discussion? Some don't know how to construct one and they don't know how to avoid the most common errors in reasoning. Some don't even know what logical fallacies are, much less how to identify them. The term 'critical thinking'..what does it mean? Some may get the impression that it simply involves finding fault with others and others' ideas, but critical thinking involves developing some emotional and intellectual distance between yourself and your ideas - in order to better evaluate their truth, validity, and reasonableness. Atheists and theists argue over the validity of religious experiences, for example, instead of discussing their different ways of forming beliefs and evaluating evidence. These discussions may be more productive if people focus on these more fundamental matters first rather than last (or even not at all). Is believing or not believing a choice which a person can make, rather than something determined by circumstances, evidence, reason, experience, etc? Wagering requires the ability to choose through an act of will, is belief something that you can choose through an act of will? Does an atheist choose atheism? — if one is incapable of believing a claim without good reason, and currently, lacks any good reasons to believe in the existence of any gods--is atheism chosen, or rather the automatic consequence of their circumstances as they understand them? define spirituality? -is it something that “develops in the person” or is it “found deep within oneself?” -does it have more to do with emotional than intellectual reactions to events and experiences than a coherent set of beliefs and ideas? -is spirituality a form of religion, but a private and personal form of religion? -is there a valid distinction between spirituality and organized religion? Is religion dependent upon a book of rules? Alcoholic’s Anonymous describes itself as spiritual rather than religious and has such a book. Is religion dependent upon a set of written revelations from God rather than a personal communication? Religion is spiritual and spirituality is religious? One tends to be more personal and private while the other tends to incorporate public rituals and organized doctrines. The lines between one and the other are not clear and distinct. For some spirituality involves a variety of very personal things like self-realization, philosophical searching, etc. For many others, it is something like a very deep and strong emotional reaction to "wonders" of life — for example, seeing a newborn child, etc. Often it is used in conjunction with theism because people's spirituality is "God-centered." In such cases, is it unlikely that you could find an atheist who is "spiritual" because there is a real contradiction between living a "God-centered" life while not believing in the existence of any gods? Are similar senses of "spirituality" entirely compatible with atheism? Is there anything about atheism that prevents a person from having such experiences? For many atheists their atheism is a direct result of such philosophical searching and religious questioning — thus, one might argue that their atheism is an integral component of their "spirituality" and their ongoing search for meaning in life. Is an atheist who has spent a lot of time studying logic and philosophy more rational than a theist who has never gone beyond their Bible? Most theists seem to be more accustomed to talking about their religion with other believers who share the same assumptions as they have. This means they aren't used to defining or explaining their key concepts, especially the nature of what their god is. You can't have a meaningful and productive discussion if the two of you define key terms differently. You cannot evaluate their arguments and claims unless you know exactly what they mean by "god," so you have to start there. Should theists who make claims of any sort be asked to support those claims and be prepared to support them? Should atheist who make claims of any sort be asked to support those claims and be prepared to support them? Religious theists are frequently criticized for not adequately supporting many of their claims. Precisely because these criticisms are often justified, atheists who debate theists should make a point of not doing the same thing. If you are going to make any specific claims, you should be prepared to back them up by whatever support is most appropriate. If you can't, then you shouldn't have made the claim in the first place; it would be best to admit that you can't support the claim, take a couple of steps back and start again from a stronger foundation. There's a difference between a discussion and preaching. A discussion is a two-way street where both contribute and what each person says actually reflects something they have taken from what the other says. In a discussion, you listen to what the other is saying and respond directly to it. When a person is preaching, they aren't really paying attention to what the other says. None of their statements reflect their having noticed or taken anything from others. If you want to have a discussion with an atheist, great, but don't use the pretense of a discussion as a platform to practice preaching. Preaching or proselytization is a one-way street where one person does all the talking but none of the listening and none of the learning.< SMiles eustress. : a positive form of stress having a beneficial effect on health, motivation, performance, and emotional well-being.

aircraft: Porter -pilot: Grant -May 26, 2007 9-way: Jess, Brian, Gary, Gerald (Nick, Karen, Warren) Jean, Debbie Launched fun 9-way yesterday, (could only get 10,500 ft. due to weather) -good vibes! everyone could hear us screaming when we got to the last "big o" -after 2nd point we turned 360's -after 3rd -centers turned 180's -tried a little star wars after 4th. then opened up 3-ways to drive back to the "big o" sweet!

I've been jumping over 20 years without an AAD. The last few years I've logged 20-30 jumps on average, per yr. I have had sugar diabetis type 1 for 40 years and never considered that I should wear an AAD or even wear a medic alert braclet. When getting my reserve re-packed this year the rigger mentioned he had AAD's and asked me if I was interested in purchasing one.....(he has always taken the time for a discussion like this) I declined -but kept thinking about it. 2 weeks later I made the decision to buy a medic alert braclet and wear it? (a first) I decided to invest in my future also and buy a cypres. As my reserve had just been packed and I was making jumps...I was going to wait till next pack job to install....cypres in a box not installed? Ya, right... so I am not jumping this weekend, my main is at home and my container is with my rigger......and AAD is being installed. The best part? It was my personal decision. SMiles

- I haven't been there yet, trying to get tickets for Dave Matthews Band....the pics show area to the left behind the main stage and the river....cannot tell if that is level.... dream on! .... just outside the beer gardens before camping area to the right, or swoop the ponds! SMiles eustress. : a positive form of stress having a beneficial effect on health, motivation, performance, and emotional well-being.

anyone know of skydiving demo's done there during a concert? -awesome place to promote skydiving with class! this memorial day long weekend: The Sasquatch festival- (Bjork, The Beastie Boys, Arcade Fire...) John Mayer June 02 Vans Warped Tour Aug 18 Dave Matthews Band Aug 31-Sept. 2. SMiles

hey, what was your body position for launch? what type of aircraft? I jump pilatus porter primarily- then when the otter arrives sometimes I get caught without presenting my body fast enough- have to laugh at myself tumbling away trying to get stable!!! Then to ride up in the C-206, or C-182, you can completely relax and launch anyway you please!! ask an instructor, talk with fellow jumpers at your dz, many have experienced the same thing -and can give you advice. I took old school static line training where so much time was spent on the launch from aircraft and practise pulls- 5 second delays, 10 second delays, and 15 second delays. Logging my jumps was easy: just put a "z" short for "unstable exit" (zbackloop, zfrontloop) in them all -until I could consistently launch stable.

hey, -a huge green grass landing area like at my home dz rawks- take off & land on the same field. SMiles eustress. : a positive form of stress having a beneficial effect on health, motivation, performance, and emotional well-being.

Meth sucks... destoying young lives, communities, detracting from the life of everyone. My understanding about rehab is that one is never completely "recovered" and in order to stay in recovery -you must "give it away." I didn't understand the meaning of that at first, but conclude that helping others with their addiction is a big part of staying in recovery. I have been trying to educate myself on the drug- as our Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan-(B.C. Canada) has announced a Addiction Substitution Treatment (CAST) trial -giving free legal, prescription pills (Adderall) to meth addicts. Can people with meth addiction be freed to find healing with prescription drug Adderall?? The stimulant-substitution program will need the OK from federal authorities for a clinical trial. The participants will be prescribed pills to be taken orally, monitored, given drug counselling and helped with social housing and employment. Research in Europe and Australia has shown that oral drug substitutes reduce use, criminal activity and cravings in participants. At the same time the Mayor pledges to cut homelessness, aggressive panhandling, and the open drug trade by 50 per cent before the 2010 Winter Olympics....."clean up the streets of Vancouver East Side".............. The new hospital in my community will open 2008 and the proposal is to tear down the old....I would like to think the old hospital could be used for drug rehab center but have been told there is no known treatment for Meth users as mental illness (paranoid schizophrenia) is the outcome. Hoping education will lead to understanding at least...,for myself. Also hoping you find the help you need along with support. May be you will have to concentrate on yourself for awhile and what is best for your own health has to come first. SMiles

exactly- open by 2-ish is very comfortable for me SMiles

day 12 for me now Friday I was celebrating my first jumps of the year! Spring!!! started Sat. 07 with feeling like - Made it to dz for a jump late afternoon Sat.- drank large absolute....which i figure lowered my resistance to what i call: "the gangus rhino mucous cacka-" the over abundance of snot and raw nose has become bronc chest cough with major flem- joy. Wasted off and on with a fever, keeps feeling like i am over it- and it comes back with vengence..... i can blame it on the 8 other people with it at the dz--my first flu with head cold/ sinus to lungs in many many years... SMiles eustress. : a positive form of stress having a beneficial effect on health, motivation, performance, and emotional well-being.

"CINQO DE MAYO BOOGIE 2007" Vancouver B.C. Canada May 5th & 6th all weekend. http://www.vancouver-skydiving.bc.ca/events.html also Abbotsford Skydive Centre presents BC DAY long weekend Aug. 3-7th 2007 SMiles

no photoshop but this took 2 seconds... SMiles eustress. : a positive form of stress having a beneficial effect on health, motivation, performance, and emotional well-being.

unsure if exploding deer is a bigger problem than bees disappearing?? Bees are honey producers as well as indispensable actors in the pollinisation of flowers and plants. Bees are an element in the interactive ecosystem chain. The bee’s role is very important in the various life cycles of different species. Without bees, there would be no honey, but more importantly, certain plants would not be able to reproduce and would thus become extinct. In turn, this would lead to the disappearance of certain animal species... Deer are prolific reproducers, unlike deer populations wolf populations have been decimated by human activity. So are deer part of a terrorist plot or is human activity??? The Queen Charlotte Islands B.C. Canada..are one of the richest biological and cultural areas in North America. This remote archipelago provides unparalleled wilderness. Theories suggest that parts of the Islands escaped the last ice age, forming a glacial refuge for certain forms of plant and animal life. At least 39 plant and animal species have been identified that are specific to this region and found nowhere else in the world. This explains presence of plant species, and noticeably different sub-species of bird, fish and mammal. The Queen Charlotte Islands provide a remarkable evolutionary showcase - thus, their description as the “Canadian Galapagos”. The black bear is the largest black bear in the world. Through isolation from their mainland cousins these black bears have developed a larger lower jaw because of frequent foraging and feeding along the shoreline. Black-tailed deer and raccoons are introduced species to the islands, ecologically they are both causing problems. Without natural predators, their populations are expanding to the detriment of other species. Bird colonies are seriously at risk to raccoons. The cedar tree is disappearing from the over browsing of the deer- so hunt the deer?? SMiles

"silent slaughter of bees" http://www.mieliditalia.it/herald.htm Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). when scientists examined individual bees in affected colonies, they showed weakened immune systems and an increase in bacteria and foreign fungi. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070329/bees_ccd_070329/20070329?hub=TopStories SMiles eustress. : a positive form of stress having a beneficial effect on health, motivation, performance, and emotional well-being.

hey, i am enjoying the shins- wincing the night away. i picked up the disk because i liked the cover- didn't have a clue who they were...???? http://www.theshins.com/ my favs tunes so far are: track #1 sleeping lessons track #2 australia - i felt like i could just fly but nothing happened... track #3 turn on me -just keep playing over and over and can't get the tune outa my head - you'd better hurry rabbit run run run 'cause' mincing you is fun.... anyone here listened to their early tunes?? SMiles eustress. : a positive form of stress having a beneficial effect on health, motivation, performance, and emotional well-being.

hmmm, i just finished getting lower right side done and i swear it wasn't worth being as terrified as i was.... they always start with the check up and cleaning, then if you need some work done.... -x-rays are a breeze -you are frozen at the site of injection so you do not feel a thing when you actually do get the injection.... -the rubber dam isn't too pleasant but way better than having chunks of tooth in your mouth -the shades you get to wear are way cool -the headset with tv in the ceiling was neat until the dentist got his head right smuck in the way of the screen!! -the fast high speed drill has diamond tip and takes so little time... -the suction was very comfy...never felt once like i was choking or drowning... do they love taking people's money? i figure the statement could be written so patients can understand what is being billed for.... for instance: 1 unit of scaling equals 15 min. of scaling.....so alot of dentists will throw in 2 units of scaling when he only did 1 and that didn't equal more than 10 min. and no where on the bill does it explain that 1 unit = 15 min. my statement: 3 root canals total 618.50 my cost= 123.00 (i had one molar with 3 roots done) composite core total 123.00 my cost= 49.00 composite core total 123.00 my cost= 49.00 composite core total 123.00 my cost= 49.00 (non-bonded? i have no idea if this cost is building the tooth into core for crown?) Porcelain/Metal crown total 589.00 my cost=235.00 Porcelain/Metal crown total 589.00 my cost=235.00 Porcelain/Metal crown total 589.00 my cost=235.00 (i have no idea what value these crowns are or if cheaper than gold- but do know gold transfers heat & cold faster) Gingivectomy total 201.00 my cost= 40.26 (i remember him saying i had a cavity at the gum line and rather than cutting the gum he used laser) Lab procedures total 798.00 my cost= 360.00 (does this include impressions & lab making crowns from them for perfect fit?) total 3,260.70 cnd. my cost=1399.00 cnd. one tooth root canal & 3 crowns wow! i love how my mouth feels, it is well worth it for the good chew! i am certainly enjoying! the fit is so perfect with the bridge & crown up top...hey, its taken 3 yrs. but my whole mouth is done, i have all my toothies workin well!! thanx to my dental plan! SMiles p.s. the pain meds given were tylonel 3 with codiene, (cnd.) which worked perfect

hey, Skydive Vancouver d.z. is in the fraser valley (abbotsford) and my home d.z. (live 5 min. away) dropzone pics: http://www.vancouver-skydiving.bc.ca/dropzone.html The Parachute Shop located 1792 Alberni & Denman St Downtown Vancouver: http://www.vancouver-skydiving.bc.ca/shop.html Also, Westcaost Skyflyerz: http://www.skyflyerz.com/home.php and Pacific Skydivers: http://www.pacificskydivers.bc.ca/ so great people and great skydiving! Kitsilano is the best neighbourhood in the number one rated city in the world, bounded on the north by the waters of English Bay. Jericho Beach rawks! Small pics of all the gorgeous vancouver beaches: http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/parks/rec/beaches/index.htm UBC slideshoe Student Life - UBC Vancouver http://www.ubc.ca/about/slideshows/# Vancouver B.C. is a beauty place! and you will have no problem meeting people, skydivers will make you feel right at home! Karen idgraphics@shaw.ca SMiles eustress. : a positive form of stress having a beneficial effect on health, motivation, performance, and emotional well-being.

5 yrs. ago when i bought my 23 yr. old house, it came with admiral appliances (over 10 yrs. old) so i stored my new washer & dryer (should have stored the admirals as now my warrantee on new appliances is over and they haven't been used!) Anyway- damned if the old appliances still work fine, even the fridge & stove and especially the dish washer. Have to live with the mustard color but.............talk about built to last! I bought 3 yr. warrantee with my desktop PC and just under 3 yr. harddrive, motherboard, fan, power supply, cd rom/rw drive were replaced with new & upgraded ......been 6 yrs. now so no problems with having to buy new!! SMiles

my home insurance just replaced my stolen $400. refurbished Dell Laptop (piece of shit!) with: The Satellite® P105 notebook- A 17-inch diagonal widescreen WXGA+ display* with 1440x900 resolution and brilliant TruBrite™ technology. Advanced Intel® Centrino® Duo Mobile Technology*. The generous hard drive, professional-grade Intel graphic card, and integrated 802.11a/b/g wireless* LAN connectivity deliver faster data transfers. Toshiba's DVD SuperMulti Drive*, built-in harman/kardon® speakers. Pentium® dual-core processor 1.60GHz Operating System- Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium (32-bit) Memory-1024MB Display Size * 17.0" Widescreen XGA+ with TruBrite™ Technology Resolution-1440x900 Graphics Media Accelerator 950 Graphics Memory-8MB-196MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory Hard Drive-120GB Hard Drive Speed -5400rpm Optical Drive DVD-SuperMulti drive (+/-R double layer) Atheros® Wireless LAN (802.11b/g) No Bluetooth (No Antenna) V.92 Modem LAN 10/100 Audio Headphone jack (stereo), Microphone jack (mono), Windows Sound System AC Adapter 75W (15V 5.0A) Auto-sensing, 100-240V / 50-60Hz input Battery Type Li-Ion (6-cell, 4000mAh) PC Card Slots 1-Type II PC Card Slot 1-ExpressCard™ Slot Media Port 5-in-1 Bridge Media Adapter USB Slots 4-USB (2.0) iLINK i.LINK™ IEEE-1394 S-Video TV-out (S Video) Software * Microsoft Works, TOSHIBA ConfigFree®, TOSHIBA Disc Creator, TOSHIBA Game Console, Microsoft® Office OneNote® 2007, TOSHIBA Recovery Disc Creator, TOSHIBA Speech System, Ulead® DVD MovieFactory® for Toshiba, InterVideo® WinDVD® 8 SD, Protector Suite™ QL by UPEK® Weight Starting at 7.1lbs Color Onyx Blue Metallic Warranty * 1-Yr Parts and Labor, 1-Year Battery Also Includes: Onyx Blue Metallic Cover, Microsoft® Works, Microsoft® Office OneNote™ 2007, Toshiba ConfigFree®, Toshiba Disc Creator, Toshiba Recovery Disc Creator, Toshiba Game Console, InterVideo® WinDVD® 8 SD, InterVideo® WinDVD Creator 2 Platinum, Protector Suite™ QL by UPEK®, 5-in-1 Bridge Media Adapter, ExpressCard™ slot, 4-USB (2.0) ports, i.LINK™ IEEE-1394, TV-out (S-Video), 10/100 LAN port, V.92 modem port, RGB monitor port, Microphone jack (monaural), headphone jack (stereo) ____________________________________ So, now I have 14 days to try it out or return it to trade in ($1,000. cnd. off a MAC..) What is the difference between Vista basic & premium?? First thing I did was turn off the UAC (user account control) Photo import in Windows XP, you could preview the pictures on the attached camera and select exactly which photos to download. That way, if you had several events captured on the memory card, you could download them separately be stepping through the wizard once for each event. In Vista, you can’t choose. You get all these great file naming and tagging options, but you have to download the entire contents of the camera in one giant whack. It’s less useful than photo import in XP. My Windows Movie Maker problem (turned out to be “enabled” codecs that I had previously disabled to avoid conflicts). I think the new interface is pretty slick, if taken in small doses. What I can't abide by are the tall Title Bars, the super-sized Close button, the Play buttons with elephantitis, and the translucent pixel bloat that makes me feel like I should be using that space for better things....... SMiles

mmm so smooth, the last bottle i enjoyed was: Tres Generaciones 100% puro de agave Sauza tequila anejo The 100% blue agave, ultra premium tequila is aged for up to six years in small oak barrels which results in a tequila of unparalleled richness.... http://www.queenannewine.com/sauztresgena.html SMiles

what handsome hounds! gorgeous! ya got my votes no problem, SMiles

sorry, don't mean to confuse... the original picture would be background of card. i just use silhouette as tool when filling in the font or text area. SMiles

luv your images... i picked #3 as facial features of passager tells the story... #4 is also beauty except a white font would show over the darker background... i've designed many business cards and when an image is used for background sometimes i find it easier to break it into b&w so the space used for font is white........ so so many fonts to choose from! i played with an idea attached SMiles eustress. : a positive form of stress having a beneficial effect on health, motivation, performance, and emotional well-being.