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http://www.canada.com/national/story.asp?id=3A07A900-8C82-414E-8AB5-556D1B6EB1B4 My country rocks! SMiles

Being there for your loved ones and nursing them when they are terminal is so incredibly difficult for all involved, especially young children. I have recently nursed my sister through end stage liver disease, she was a smoker but never a drinker. She contacted hep C dental assisting. I was there when she died in my arms. My brother got a sinus infection working at the mill and it abcessed. He was rushed to hospital where surgery was done to drain. After growing bacteria in the lab, it was discovered he had a fungus infection. Surgery was required last week to remove his eye, and scrape the cheek bone where fungus is growing. 25 days after our sister died and he now has fungus growing in the eye socket. All anti fungals have been stopped and he is being treated in hyperberic chamber. He has lost all nerves in his face and very unlikely will he make it, as the brain is so close. He is also a smoker- got him out in the wheelchair today in the sun for a few. Amen, I choose to smoke while I mourn my sister and brother thank you. SMiles

canadian goverment collects the taxes & GST on cigarettes (charging $7.35 cnd. a pack--going up to $10.00 cnd. a pack by Xmas) Therefore the smokers are paying well for their health care. Also an alcoholic pays well for health care when paying taxes on boooooze. But why the hell have they gouged the taxpayer for gasoline?? Re: do not smoke, drink or drive in Canada and pay less tax SMiles

Does it really matter if your newer Honda doesn't come equipped with an ashtray? It's a disgrace that most smokers find it necessary to use Mother Earth as his or her personal ashtray. As a smoker I carry a little portable ashtray with me. I consider myself a responsible smoker -and do not leave trash for someone else to pick up, I consider non-smokers at all times. At a d.z. I empty my portable ashtray in the firepit. I live in B.C. and right now forest fires are raging like never before- I think it's about time we stop jumping on the smokers for flicking their butts and start to think about the people watering their yards in spite of a watering ban. I see people skulking around like common criminals under the cover of darkness doing their watering. Yes, it's important for smokers to take care of their butts. But, it's just as important we have water to put those butt fires out. A forest fire at its ferocious worst can outrun any man, (they can travel up to 50 kilometres an hour and reach temperatures as high as 800 degrees C) and feed voraciously on fuel, oxygen and heat. A forest fire needs three things to get going: heat, wind and an unstable atmosphere. In short, exactly the conditions currently present in much of southern B.C. Canada. Getting a wildfire started depends either on nature delivering a bolt of lightning or a human being being careless with a match, a cigarette butt or a campfire As forests age, they become weak and diseased, prone to infestations of insect parasites and choked with underbrush which hinders the movement of animals. Thick layers of organic material on the ground prevents seeds from germinating. Fire is a natural part of the ecosystem and forests need fire to perpetuate themselves The battle against forest fires pits human interests against the welfare of the forest, but fire is also nature's friend. Without fire, the cones of lodgepole pine won't open to drop their seeds to the ground. And unless the thick layers of humous covering the ground are burned off, the seeds can't germinate. Fire is nature's way of giving those areas a fresh start. B.C. wildfires cost taxpayers $7.4 million a day. By Thursday, fighting wildfires had cost the B.C. government more than amount allotted for all of 2003, a total of $144 million and climbing. Insurance companies are denying coverage to new homeowners and Interior residents who want to rebuild homes razed by raging fires, Canadian insurance industry is facing its biggest ever payout for fire claims, the largest fire loss in Canadian history. SMiles

gotta like it! I made 900 jumps on my 220 cruise-lite and it was stored in the closet. I gave it away to an accuracy jumper that totally appreciates it- now I get to see it in the air and being used still!!!!! At manifest paying for jumps the other day, I received a wrapped gift box???? A jumpers way of showing appreciation--a beauty pin necklace by Preyor Pins!!!! Make my day or what?

Post #1 Dec. 2, 2002 at 2:30 a.m. ? hello Hallur.... I have been searching for pics of Iceland and found some,...even a slide show of Reykjavik. Land of ice, fire and occasional sunshine has phenomenal beauty!! http://www.eas.ualberta.ca/elj/icepics/reyk.htm Your city has such colorful homes, never seen corrugated iron roofs, or turf built churches and homes- so many gorgeous churches! How high is steeple at top of Hallgrims? Landscape, glaciers, statues...unreal, puffins, horses........ Wanted to ask you about skydiving there, your d.z. and your jumps?? Attached some favorites so far of pics... what is the sculpture hrafna floki? Smiles

a 19-way Idaho Bridge jump is your favorite pic? Is the Goddess in this pic/ where is your canopy? Is there a landing area on the shore? Making a water jump is but I choose to keep my gear dry as possible. How many span jumps have you made total?...you have made 68 skydives? SMiles

http://www.vancouver-skydiving.bc.ca/thejanz.html Steve & Candace Janz got married Aug. 23, 2003 at my home d.z. (Abbotsford Skydive Centre)..both are skydivers that met at d.z. and Steve is also BASE jumper, bird-man. The best man did a tandem into ceremony, also Steve swooped in wearing his tux. Awesome time had by all SMiles

I question when d.z. has more happening than others and "compare" themselves to others on their website. Eager to "prove" they are the best choice. For example the flash intro is hype to great website but over done: http://www.skydiveranch.com/ then Compare Page where they compare themselves to 2 other d.z.'s by how long they've been established, aircraft, parachutes, video and facilities.. This I find very confusing and do not understand politics involved. Why not just list how great they are to advertise??? http://www.skydiveranch.com/browser.html I am not from this province, nor jumped anywhere there. If travelling would be anxious to check elsewhere to jump. SMiles

congrats to all that are atleast attempting. I am still smoking around 1 pack a day - players filters cost over 7 bucks a pack cnd. so $210. a month - a skydive to 12,500 ft. cost $30. cnd. so.... - I could be making 7 jumps a month if I quit.... When I think of the cost in jump $$$$ it is a great incentive.

I am a certified computer graphic designer that has never used Photoshop!! (Corel Draw/Photo-Paint way back to version 3) SMiles eustress. : a positive form of stress having a beneficial effect on health, motivation, performance, and emotional well-being.

My Symantec SMTP gateway was stopping SoBig.F subject lines coming from spammers (i.e., blocked via DNSBL) at over 3 times the rate that I was seeing them from Joe user types. Further, I noticed that they were sending even more SoBig.F emails than they were spam. So, why would spammers who make their living generating emails allow their servers to be compromised? They didn't. They are doing this on purpose……… Say that, as a spammer, you know one or more of the addresses in your database is to a spam trap - but you don't know which one. You generate LOTS of SoBig.F emails on purpose, using your database for the forged-from addresses. Now, JoeUser has his server or client antivirus filter setup to send a reply when it encounters a virus (which is a very BAD thing) Dutifully, JoeUser's email server or client automatically sends a helpful note off to "SpamTrap," informing them that they are infected. Often these replies even extol how much smarter they are than "SpamTrap" because they caught it, but "SpamTrap" did not. Heck, let's even send an email to the postmaster at SpamBait's ISP, telling him / her how much better the BrandX filter is that JoeUser is. The email server at SpamBait's ISP sees an email to SpamTrap and says "Ah hah, JoeUser's ISP must obviously be a spammer, so load his IP address into our DNSBL servers." JoeUser now sends a legitimate email to SmartUser at IuseDNSBL.com and it, of course, bounces. JoeUser now calls SmartUser and asks why he was blacklisted. I (SmartUser) find that DNSBL.SpamBait.com is saying half of my customers and suppliers are spammers. I have a business to run, so I turn off DNSBL on my gateway and - lo and behold - all of the spammers emails that were being blocked due to DNSBL are now--- allowed to come though. That is why spammers are using half their bandwidth to send SoBig.F. SMiles

1035 jumps with "positive pull" (the only way to go!) SMiles

I made my tandem jump in 1987 and really enjoyed the freefall, canopy opening, landing....the first few seconds I could not remember and that bothered me, did not enjoy at all. Took me about 5 months before deciding to return for Static Line training. I am sure I would not of returned if I had first experienced a static line jump. So- 16 years later I am still skydiving and do not believe I am an adrenaline junkie as have kept balance in my life re: 16 years jumping and 1038 jumps. One of the biggest differences I have noticed is how the seasons affect my mood and health. Winter is long and depressing---have always had health problems in winter. Summer time is completely opposite.(skydiving season for me is approx. May-Oct.)--feel so healthy and strong, able to make a few jumps, garden, swim, be way more active physically and really healthy. SMiles

I am a geek...from day 1 wore my wrist mount on my right hand- (I am right handed)...and have yet to see anyone else wear it there. So- when dumping I cannot check alti on left wrist while right is coming back to pull----I do check it when waving off -and have no problem being aware of my altitude at pull time. **my Barigo is now 16 years old- was $90. cnd. when I purchased it and still works fine!! SMiles

..but I will never forget where the "skills" came from- flying cessna formations for "big ways" (c-206, c-182, c-180) before my d.z. purchased their porter and had both porter and otter flying at boogies with Roger Ponce (color concepts) Talk about a dive slot in cessna formation...from chase plane, and floating slots... base from c-206 rocked! Ya just cannot compare!! SMiles

How many jumps did you make with it?? My first canopy was a 220 cruise-lite and I made 900 jumps with it myself before giving it to an accuracy jumper that could not afford to buy (his 220 had over 1500 jumps) He is such a sweet heart and it is so good to see it is still being used. Also have a delta-cloud in the closet with only 400 jumps- think I will donate to home d.z. for students. SMiles

.. I flew my 1st. suit until worn out, patched knees, arms...then used it for making my own pattern. By the time you purchase material, thread and good quality zipper it is hard to believe you got all that for $30.00 !! Prices sure have shot up high for suits...think Debbie's are $300. Canadian http://www.vancouver-skydiving.bc.ca/suits.html SMiles

Today in B.C. Canada, it cost $40. to fill my tank (2002 Honda Accord SE) (85.9 per litre)....the most I've ever paid. Now if I could only figure out if that is more or less than what you are paying????????? SMiles

I am unsure if Oxycodone or Oxycotin is moderate pain relief morphine compared to M-Eslon (morphine sulfate instant release capsules) but wonder the difference in Canada to U.S. with meds. perscribed for pain. Do most doctors there perscribe tylenol #3 for pain? The time release capsules (morphine sulfate) over 12 hr. period are so incredible for continuous pain relief. SMiles

..never heard of percocet, what is it?? Maybe because I am from Canada?? Pain killers I am perscribed are: 1. Brand name- M-Eslon Generic name- Morphine -capsules that release slowly over 12 hr. period 2. Tylenol #3 (acetam/codeine/caffeine) Currently on pain killers for torn rotator cuff in shoulder. SMiles

I disagree...I always notice a adrenaline pumping difference in students that get 12,500- SMiles Experience is not what happens to you. It is what you do with what happens to you. Aldous Huxley

...amazing the wear and tear keyboards hold up to... I tip mine over and give it a bang, vacuum it often- but I think because the keyboard tray slides under my desktop it protects it when not in use from dust, cat hair,..... The keys need cleaning bad now I take a look at them!! SMiles