And this is why I really don't watch the news anymore..... - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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 The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk.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!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
And this is why I really don't watch the news anymore.....
DH turned on the news a couple of nights ago and walked away, leaving the remote - well, no-where near me. So I got to see a few minutes of the news.
Here's what I saw:
They were talking about "Coming next" attractions - --
They showed a video of a truck reportedly with the engine running. No-one was in the driver's seat.
A little boy (8-10 years old) got out of the truck, shut the door, and walked away.
Into the convenience store his father was in we find out later.
A man walks by the truck, looks at the ignition and kind of double-takes, gets in the truck, and drives away.
Now - here's where I lost all faith in the news (like I had any to begin with)
She says: "And this little boy was almost the victim of this violent carjacking"
Uh -no, he's a victim of his father not being smart enough to leave neither him in the truck nor the truck running.
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
I'm always amazed by how stupid people are. Last night there was a story about some idiot woman who walked off the curb right into the path of a duck boat. Didn't even look up from her phone. And of course, it's the duck boat's fault for not stopping fast enough.
I don't watch television either.... We do own a T.V. but we have no cable or any channels at all. I do have movies and Netflix though. Obviously we have internet and sometimes I'll see a news story posted on FB or something- but it is rare that I actually click on it and read it.... I tend to be out of the loop on news stories and/or anything current that comes on T.V.....
Almost a victim of a violent car jacking?! Uh. No. The boy's father was the victim of theft, and it's probably one of opportunity, because he was stupid and irresponsible enough to leave a younger child in his truck with the engine running. The kid got bored/hungry/thirsty and went to find his dad. Mr. Opportunity came by and helped himself to an unoccupied and running vehicle. Heck as an adult I've done the same thing as the kid in the same situation only I turn off the car, take the keys and lock the car before I leave it.
Almost a victim of a violent car jacking?! Uh. No. The boy's father was the victim of theft, and it's probably one of opportunity, because he was stupid and irresponsible enough to leave a younger child in his truck with the engine running. The kid got bored/hungry/thirsty and went to find his dad. Mr. Opportunity came by and helped himself to an unoccupied and running vehicle. Heck as an adult I've done the same thing as the kid in the same situation only I turn off the car, take the keys and lock the car before I leave it.
Yes! Plus, the dad originally told the cops the kid was in the truck and had to jump out as the thief took the truck. Then the video was released. Different story. However, the fact remains, this was NOT a "Violent Car Jacking"
Yes! Plus, the dad originally told the cops the kid was in the truck and had to jump out as the thief took the truck. Then the video was released. Different story. However, the fact remains, this was NOT a "Violent Car Jacking"
True. Unfortunately, "Man leaves eight year old in running truck. Kid leaves truck. Truck stolen." does not get as much attention or as many viewers as, "Eight year old boy almost a victim of a violent car jacking." Unfortunately sensationalism & sex are what get attention, keep attention & sell these days.
Yes, some journalists (using the term loosely in this case) can't resist the pressure to put a sensational lead on a story. They do have to keep up viewer ratings so while such tactics are regrettable, they are understandable.
Some stations do a much more responsible job than others. It pays to channel surf, IMO, to find local news done well.
Oddly, despite the fact that I detest the bias of Fox national news, we find that the local team has the best coverage by far. They're typically first with breaking news and don't hype it up, also being careful not to speculate or make unverified statements.
__________________
“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
I am so glad to know I am not alone in not watching the news. A few years ago, when I still worked in the Middle School kitchen, I cannot tell you how many times I was put down or called stupid because even back then I didn't know what was going on. I think after 9/11 is when I stopped watching the news.
My normal response currently - is it on the Disney Channel? If not then I don't know about it! The plus of toddlers taking over the tv - I never see anything unless it's on demand. While this may irritate some, missing out on the news & all the violence shown doesn't bother me at all.