"An active listener is to be prized above rubies"
Ruth Humlecker

When listening to someone esle speak...do we really give our undivided attention?!!
Or do we allow our own thoughts to intrude?

What other things do we need to complete- think about other people- or even pass judgement on what he/she is sharing with us- before their even finished?

When we listen- isnt it possible to learn how to possibly handle situations in the future?...Or better yet- learn the value of cultivating a quiet mind?

"Only a quiet mind can hear the words of our Divine coming through the gentle voice of a friend"

So what say you...How are YOUR listening skills?

Thanks in advance and Peace!
Oh by the way...

"Good Morning Everyone...Have a Good Day...that s an order!!"

(Im feelin a lil bossy...LOL)
Thanks Unity...that is wonderful!!
Bonsai...thanks for the *smile*...Shane and Sirius..."WOW!!!!!!"

after i got the ruby and sapphire were i going to battle the second elite four please tell me the answer tnx to answer my question love ya!!!!???

I m currently stuck deciding between 2 great free hosts!
Here s the breakdown:

Host # 1:
- short subdomain (about 3 char. long)
- cPanel w/fantastico
- PHP and Perl Support
- Unlimited Sub-domains- E-mail- & MySQL Databases
- Somewhat inactive owner
- somewhat active hostees
- very slow response (I posted a question at the forum and I only got a reply from the owner 10 days later)
- not responsible for back-ups
- owner has to review apps first
- reseller at surpasshosting

HOST # 2:
- long subdomain (about 14 char. long)
- No cPanel but has Webmin control panel instead
- Unlimited space and bandwidth
- Up to 2 subdomains (more upon request) and up to 5 websites
- PHP 5.2- Ruby on Rails 1.2- MySql 5.0- phpMyAdmin- etc.
- regular offsite back-ups
- Very active owner (I sent 2 questions through email to him already and responded less than 30 minutes!)
- Somewhat inactive hostees
- very selective when it comes to hostees (But I fit)
- own server
I m not linking to the sites because I don t want to attract applications from noobs and abusers if you know what I mean...

The site I m planning to make is a personal site and portfolio/fanlisting collective. I might buy a domain name and my own hosting account next year when I get my online payment stuff set-up. But for now- free-hosting will do.

What do you guys think? Any opinion is much appreciated.

I know they are just cartoons- but- come on- sometimes you just hate their guts. An I m doing this to see if other people agree- so they can vent too. :)
For example- this Calliou kid- from pbs- is just a freakin whining idiot. All he does is cry. seriously. Oswald is just... i can t even describe him. i wanna make sushi outta him. and not even eat it. MAX AND RUBY? are you kidding me? Max is like what? 4? maybe 5? he is such a bother. and he s really but REALLY mischievious! i mean- ever notice that weird little nasty face he does when he s about to do somthing evil? and Ruby? Ruby is just... AAAGH! i hate her. She thinks she s all that and she s soooo bossy. Where are the parents?

Ok- enough venting! Anybody else hate some cartoons? you are invited to vent all you want. :)

I cant do it at home cuz my little sister watches them :S
hahaha i know right? Mac is such a loser. poor kid.
barney- pedophile... ugh.
doodlebops- are they high or something?
wonderpets- i actually like this show :)
although i hate HATE tucker. and Mingming. they are soo stupid.

The maple trees welcome my arrival
As I walk though the ruby colored carnations.
Both so welcoming.
I bring myself towards the rose-peddled bushes.
Losing myself in her sweet- pleasing aroma-
I skip past the warm- pleasing sun
I thank him
As he shines his warmth upon my body.
A butterfly crosses my path
while I was enbracing in the suns rays.
She greets me with a friendly hello.
I nod my head as I depart from her.
I resist as I meet the necessary end
The oak trees wave in dismissal
And I wave a farewell-
to life as it was known to me-
through the pleasant maple trees-
then there I realize-
at my departure
how great life is.
****
THanks!
I noticed a few errors- I fixed them here:

The maple trees welcome my arrival
As I walk though the ruby colored carnations.
Both so welcoming.
I bring myself towards the rose-peddled bushed.
Losing myself in her sweet- pleasing aroma-
I skip past the warm- pleasing sun
I thank him
As he shines his warmth upon my body.
A butterfly crosses my path
While I was embracing in the suns rays.
She greets me with a friendly hello.
I nod my head as I depart from her.
I resist as I meet the necessary end
The maple trees wave in dismissal
And I wave a farewell-
to life as it was known to me-
through the blooming maple trees-
then there I realize-
at my departure
how great life is.

I currently use .NET- C# and pretty much all major database platforms- XML- CSS and javascript at work on a daily basis. I want to pick up RoR. I do not know ruby nor do I know rails- but I am definitely not a novice when it comes to developing web apps and connectivity.

What books do you recommend for someone like me? Preferably for a beginner to the RoR language/framework- but not to data source connectivity itself (e.g.- wasting time by teaching you SQL or XML in the process). Thanks!!