>You give a perfect illustration of the phrase often used by safety researchers, "A thing is safe if you think it is." I don't disagree with your logic, but the only conclusion it allows is that EVERYTHING is inherently dangerous because EVERYTHING has variables attached to it. So in that context, sure, flying is dangerous, boating is dangerous, driving is dangerous, mowing the lawn is dangerous, getting out of bed is dangerous, breathing is dangerous. Life is dangerous. So by your definition, I agree with you. However, I don't use that definition of dangerous because since it applies to virtually everything that contains variables it becomes a totally meaningless definition in reality. By your definition, you are as likely to die mowing the lawn as you are operating your boat. The lawn mower could sling out a rock that ricochets of a wall that sends it back into your head an you're dead. A line could snap on your boat and whip back and take off your head and your dead. So a definition that makes mowing the lawn as dangerous as operating a boat albeit in different ways is useless when trying to make meaningful decisions about whether or not to do something. So you'll end up sitting trembling in a corner afraid to do anything, which is probably dangerous, too, since an earthquake could cause the corner to collapse in on you and you're dead. ____________________ C. Marin Faure GB36-403 "La Perouse" Bellingham, Washington