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WITandWISDOM(tm) - December 9, 2005 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. - Ambrose Redmoon Source: Inspire, http://www.inspirelist.com/ ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Apathy is the opposite of Faith: Some years ago in South America, a crew of Peruvian Sailors, headed up the Amazon river came upon a strange sight. It was like a scene from "The Twilight Zone." A Spanish ship was anchored off the coast and all the sailors were stretched out weakly on the deck of the ship. As the Peruvians drew closer, they saw that the Spaniards were in terrible physical condition. They looked the picture of death itself, their lips parched and swollen. They were literally dying of thirst. "Can we help you?" shouted the Peruvians. The Spaniards cried out, "Water! Water! We need fresh water!" The Peruvian sailors, surprised at this request, told them to lower their buckets and help themselves. The Spaniards, fearing they'd been misunderstood cried back, "No, no we need FRESH water! But they received the same reply form the Peruvians to lower their buckets and help themselves. They finally did lower their buckets into the ocean waters and when they brought the buckets on deck they discovered to their amazement the water was fresh. They were in the mouth of the Amazon and with not seeing land they did not realize it. So many need to drink of the water of life but need someone to tell them the water is already here. Source: Illustrations, http://www.cybersaltlists.org ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (UPI) -- Dubai, which often sees temperatures topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit, opened a year-round snow park Friday. The indoor facility boasts snow-covered dunes, complete with chairlifts and snow patrols -- just like any other ski resort -- on an area the size of three soccer fields and 25 floors high, the BBC reported. Visitors can rent ski clothes and the other accoutrements for the $35 entrance fee. In addition to skiing, there's tobogganing and bobsledding. The BBC said the facility makes snow by shooting water at high pressure into an atmosphere kept at the freezing point. The Dubai Snow Park is part of the Mall of the Emirates. Source: ArcaMax – Weird News, http://tinyurl.com/9kf44 ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: I approached the counter of the local (what we call) RTA - roads and traffic authority. I handed over the paperwork for a caravan (where you are, it is called a trailer), and let them know it had been sold, as part of a deceased estate. I was then told that the previous owner had to sign the paperwork. That would have been a little difficult, under the circumstances. – Robin Banks, Australia ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: “17% of tattooed Americans regret their decision to get inked.” From: Harris Interactive, http://www.harrisinteractive.com/ Source: The Reader's Digest, Copyright © March 2005, All rights reserved., http://www.readersdigest.com/