As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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Oh gf...you know you have a huge heart & did a good thing!!! I agree with some of the OP....donate to a food bank, a church's food closet, or the Red Cross. We've always "given" at Christmas, picked a child the same age as Kam from the Wishing tree & now we do the same in Robert's memory. You are seting a great example for the girls when you give to others. My heart just melts when Bri says to me "Mommy, I don't play with this toy. I don't read this book anymore. Let's give them to the poor kids."
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I think you did something very wonderful. Yes, they could have been bluffing about the whole thing. He could have been offering to work for you knowing you'd probably say no. However, most people begging won't do that and take the risk you'll say "Okay, hop in."
My sister has had a man who refused her offer to have him work, saying he could make money standing on the corner than working for her. He didn't know how much she was offering (she had a TON of work she needed to have done, and was willing to pay more than minimum wage for it).
So your safest bet is to do as the poster above said and donate to the food banks. My aunt works at one, and she said that nothing makes her madder than for someone to walk up talking on their cell phone to collect their free groceries! It happens all the time.
Many people have cell phones b/c they cannot afford regular phones. There are so many pay as you go phones now. You also have to remember that in the past few years a lot of people are now struggling to make ends meet. Going to food banks, church food closets, etc are helping a lot of people have the money to pay for rent, or a mortgage, clothes for them & their children, put gas in the car for work. Not everyone who uses a food bank is homeless, most of the time they are having a hard time staying afloat.
There was a interesting news story about a man & his GF that dressed in ragged clothes & parked their Mercedes a few blocks away from their corner off a very bust highway & stood 4 to 6 hours a day 5 days a week (peak traffic time) with similar signs. It was mentioned they brought in over 150,000.00 a year..
I do donate to many charities, But won't give to someone on the corner.. Guess I am not a very trusting person..
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Eeyore Tattoo
There was a interesting news story about a man & his GF that dressed in ragged clothes & parked their Mercedes a few blocks away from their corner off a very bust highway & stood 4 to 6 hours a day 5 days a week (peak traffic time) with similar signs. It was mentioned they brought in over 150,000.00 a year..
I do donate to many charities, But won't give to someone on the corner.. Guess I am not a very trusting person..
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see now that is just wrong of them!!
but to the OP that is a wonderful thing you did, even if they are those above mentioned types, You made the world a better place
I can see both sides of it. I am the giver in our family whereas Tom isn't. He would rather give to reputable charities or offer to do handy work at charitable institutions. (He has helped roof a local food bank, built horse stalls at a kid's summer camp, etc). It can be tough to not be jaded by the folks you see out there cheating the system.
However, I try to remember something my grandma taught me when dealing with these people. You never know when just a kind word will bring someone back from the brink, and you never know when you may be entertaining angels.
God Bless you for doing such a kind thing. I wish there were more people like you in the world.
However, I try to remember something my grandma taught me when dealing with these people. You never know when just a kind word will bring someone back from the brink, and you never know when you may be entertaining angels.
God Bless you for doing such a kind thing. I wish there were more people like you in the world.
I can honestly tell you that the kindness of strangers DOES change lives & do positive things. ya!!
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I feel you did the right thing. You did what your heart was telling you to do! So regardless if it was legit or not doesn't matter. God Bless you for your kindness!
Lets just say that they weren't on the "up and up". Shame on them!
We all know what they say about karma.....
If they were legit, think about how you made them feel that night, hopefully grateful.
I don't like to see pple pan-handling on the street corner, or approaching me in a parking lot etc,etc,etc to ask for money, but I have purchased someones extra groceries that they had to hand back to the cashier because they didn't have enough money to pay for them. I know that person was obviously a bit short and hey, why not help out where possible. But for my own safety I prefer to stay out of pan-handling situation. Some people, whether it be mental instability, just desperation or anger can get violent, there have been some incidents of this locally.
It's not wrong to feel bothered by someone potential homeless situation. I personally think it is wrong to not care. It is just so unfortunate that people have taken advantage of others good will so I don't blame people for turning a blind eye. But when did we become so desensitized to others personal struggles.?
Sad isn't it?
From your description, this guy was either the real deal or one heck of an actor. I think you did a wonderful and generous thing.
We were sitting in a Waffle House in Orlando last Christmas when an old, raggedy man came in. His face was bloody and he went to the bathroom to clean up a bit. The waitresses all greeted him by name. My DH and I asked our waitress about him and she told us he was homeless, down on his luck, and probably got beat up the night before for whatever little he had. Yeah, he probably drank too. She said the waitresses and cooks would kick in to buy him a meal a couple of times a week. We told her to put his breakfast on our tab that day.
The able-bodied people who make 5 and 6 figures panhandling and refuse to work are beyond contemptible. But as for the raggedy old "bums" who spend the money on booze, I just think, "there but for the grace of God..." Can't say I wouldn't be tempted to hit the bottle if I lost everything, too.
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Pat (a.k.a., PFlamingo) "We are the people our parents warned us about."
I firmly believe in "pay it forward"!! You did something out of the goodness of your heart for a complete stranger, and somewhere down the road, you will be re-paid the same favor in some way or fashion..just when YOU need it the most!! If everyone could have that completely selfless attitude, this world would be an awesome place to live..PIXIE DUST YOUR WAY FOR BEING SO AWESOME!!!
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I can honestly tell you that the kindness of strangers DOES change lives & do positive things. 
ya!!
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