Cards for Jacob

[RUPERTKBD]

(I posted this in Canucks Talk as well, but I decided to post in OT so as many people as possible might see it)

 

Hey CDC, I know it's early to start talking about Christmas, but it isn't too early for Christmas cards and I wanted to urge everyone to send a card to young Jacob Thompson:

 

https://www.snopes.com/2017/11/08/jacob-thompson-xmas-cards/
 

Quote

 

In October 2017, Michelle Simard, the mother of nine-year-old Jacob Thompson, started a GoFundMe campaign for the somber task of having to raise funeral expenses for her terminally ill son. Simard explained that Jacob was unlikely to live to see another Christmas due to a spreading form of cancer known as Neuroblastoma:

Although Simard’s initial message was intended to address the “sticker shock” of the costs associated with funeral planning, another campaign grew out of hwe fundraiser. According to WBZ-TV, Jacob was thrilled by a side effect of that fundraiser — his receiving a number of early Christmas cards:

The card campaign prompted initial skepticism in some readers, many of whom remembered one of the Internet’s earliest and most prolific bits of misinformation (and the unintended consequences) associated with an ailing child’s request for cards:

Nonetheless, Jacob Thompson is a real child whose story is sadly true. He was not expected to live more than a month as of October 2017, and a flood of cards and gifts have by all accounts brightened his necessary hospital stay.

 

Jacob Thompson

c/o Maine Medical Center

22 Bramhall St.

Portland, ME 04102

 

My card goes in the mail today. I hope yours does as well

[Ossi Vaananen]

Some visuals:

 

 

 

 

[riffraff]

Thank you @RUPERTKBD

[coastal.view]

not to be a debbie downer about this

people can do as they wish and support whatever cause seems important to them

 

however, in this modern internet world

i'm struck by how people seem to prefer to support more often at distance and with a larger degree of anonymity

seems if you market your cause properly responses ensue

i'm certain there are equally worthy causes within our local community that could benefit from local support

where people can actually become involved face to face which adds richer meaning in my view

and that would add to actual community building

i notice people are becoming more distant within their own communities

many people think there is something odd about you if you if you try to engage in discussion on public transit

rather then burying your head in your phone and communicating with someone who is not present

 

oh well

i guess this will be my generation gap issue

[canuck73_3]

6 hours ago, RUPERTKBD said:

(I posted this in Canucks Talk as well, but I decided to post in OT so as many people as possible might see it)

 

Hey CDC, I know it's early to start talking about Christmas, but it isn't too early for Christmas cards and I wanted to urge everyone to send a card to young Jacob Thompson:

 

https://www.snopes.com/2017/11/08/jacob-thompson-xmas-cards/
 

Jacob Thompson

c/o Maine Medical Center

22 Bramhall St.

Portland, ME 04102

 

My card goes in the mail today. I hope yours does as well

Sent mine yesterday 

[lethal_spaghetti]

31 minutes ago, coastal.view said:

not to be a debbie downer about this

people can do as they wish and support whatever cause seems important to them

 

however, in this modern internet world

i'm struck by how people seem to prefer to support more often at distance and with a larger degree of anonymity

seems if you market your cause properly responses ensue

i'm certain there are equally worthy causes within our local community that could benefit from local support

where people can actually become involved face to face which adds richer meaning in my view

and that would add to actual community building

i notice people are becoming more distant within their own communities

many people think there is something odd about you if you if you try to engage in discussion on public transit

rather then burying your head in your phone and communicating with someone who is not present

 

oh well

i guess this will be my generation gap issue

100% agree.

[J-23]

I'm going to send a card.

[Mr.DirtyDangles]

Wow this hits home right now : (    

 

 

[RUPERTKBD]

4 hours ago, coastal.view said:

not to be a debbie downer about this

people can do as they wish and support whatever cause seems important to them

 

however, in this modern internet world

i'm struck by how people seem to prefer to support more often at distance and with a larger degree of anonymity

seems if you market your cause properly responses ensue

i'm certain there are equally worthy causes within our local community that could benefit from local support

where people can actually become involved face to face which adds richer meaning in my view

and that would add to actual community building

i notice people are becoming more distant within their own communities

many people think there is something odd about you if you if you try to engage in discussion on public transit

rather then burying your head in your phone and communicating with someone who is not present

 

oh well

i guess this will be my generation gap issue

I can't speak for anyone else in this thread, but sending a card to Jacob is the simplest thing I do to help others in the holiday season. I just finished up my 20th annual Toy Run. We donate annually about $10,000 to the local Salvation Army.

 

Just because we pay attention to one cause, it doesn't mean we're ignoring others.

[coastal.view]

2 hours ago, RUPERTKBD said:

I can't speak for anyone else in this thread, but sending a card to Jacob is the simplest thing I do to help others in the holiday season. I just finished up my 20th annual Toy Run. We donate annually about $10,000 to the local Salvation Army.

 

Just because we pay attention to one cause, it doesn't mean we're ignoring others.

like i said

it's your money

do as you wish

spend it on what you think is important

 

but understand it lacks community building components

that local involvement at least has the opportunity to do

 

and good for you for giving

i was not trying to dissuade such generosity by anyone

i'll up vote you for your giving

[GLASSJAW]

9 hours ago, coastal.view said:

not to be a debbie downer about this

people can do as they wish and support whatever cause seems important to them

 

however, in this modern internet world

i'm struck by how people seem to prefer to support more often at distance and with a larger degree of anonymity

seems if you market your cause properly responses ensue

i'm certain there are equally worthy causes within our local community that could benefit from local support

where people can actually become involved face to face which adds richer meaning in my view

and that would add to actual community building

i notice people are becoming more distant within their own communities

many people think there is something odd about you if you if you try to engage in discussion on public transit

rather then burying your head in your phone and communicating with someone who is not present

 

oh well

i guess this will be my generation gap issue

easy now

 

i see this comment/complaint all the time. like, pretty frequently. and yet, i've been a public transit user for most of my life and i can count the number of 'interesting' or engaging conversations i've randomly solicited or had solicited on one hand. to be honest, i'm struggling to even come up with one.

 

the vast majority of encounters i overhear or witness are totally bland, sophomoric ramblings about the weather or this-or-that local event that nobody really cares about. in fact, most randomly solicited conversations i participate in or witness just seem to happen because the solicitor seems lonely or bored, not because they actually have something to say. 

 

while the person on the other end of my phone may not be physically present, they are there because they are emotionally "present." and that, to me, is far more valuable than listening to some random-ass person talk to me about SOME WEATHER, HUH? THAT DRUMPF BETTER NOT NUKE IS TODAY! IT'S TOO SUNNY OUT!

 

[riffraff]

16 hours ago, coastal.view said:

not to be a debbie downer about this

people can do as they wish and support whatever cause seems important to them

 

however, in this modern internet world

i'm struck by how people seem to prefer to support more often at distance and with a larger degree of anonymity

seems if you market your cause properly responses ensue

i'm certain there are equally worthy causes within our local community that could benefit from local support

where people can actually become involved face to face which adds richer meaning in my view

and that would add to actual community building

i notice people are becoming more distant within their own communities

many people think there is something odd about you if you if you try to engage in discussion on public transit

rather then burying your head in your phone and communicating with someone who is not present

 

oh well

i guess this will be my generation gap issue

It's almost like you knew going in.......

[coastal.view]

10 hours ago, GLASSJAW said:

easy now

 

i see this comment/complaint all the time. like, pretty frequently. and yet, i've been a public transit user for most of my life and i can count the number of 'interesting' or engaging conversations i've randomly solicited or had solicited on one hand. to be honest, i'm struggling to even come up with one.

 

the vast majority of encounters i overhear or witness are totally bland, sophomoric ramblings about the weather or this-or-that local event that nobody really cares about. in fact, most randomly solicited conversations i participate in or witness just seem to happen because the solicitor seems lonely or bored, not because they actually have something to say. 

 

while the person on the other end of my phone may not be physically present, they are there because they are emotionally "present." and that, to me, is far more valuable than listening to some random-ass person talk to me about SOME WEATHER, HUH? THAT DRUMPF BETTER NOT NUKE IS TODAY! IT'S TOO SUNNY OUT!

 

low level, inane, in person contact

has it's own value

and recognizes the need to be social when out in public

i understand this is a lost value

i still consider it to be important howewer

face down looking at a phone is antisocial behaviour in public .. or at least that is my impression

[HerrDrFunk]

6 minutes ago, coastal.view said:

low level, inane, in person contact

has it's own value

and recognizes the need to be social when out in public

i understand this is a lost value

i still consider it to be important howewer

face down looking at a phone is antisocial behaviour in public .. or at least that is my impression

Maybe it's just me but I don't feel like I'm obligated to give strangers my time, or that I'm entitled to theirs, simply because we're sharing a commute. I'll take getting a head start on my work emails or enjoying a group text with my friends over superficial prattle about the weather any day. 

[riffraff]

54 minutes ago, coastal.view said:

low level, inane, in person contact

has it's own value

and recognizes the need to be social when out in public

i understand this is a lost value

i still consider it to be important howewer

face down looking at a phone is antisocial behaviour in public .. or at least that is my impression

Back in the day people read the newspaper on the way to work.

 

whats the diff?

 

just playing Devils advocate a bit because I do agree at times, that face down in a phone can be rude.

 

maybe I'm showing my age here, but i see people on dates ......on phones, not talking or looking at each other.  That is sad imo.

 

having said that.  If someone misses out on life because they are addicted to a device, that is their loss.

[coastal.view]

12 hours ago, riffraff said:

maybe I'm showing my age here, but i see people on dates ......on phones, not talking or looking at each other.  That is sad imo.

 

having said that.  If someone misses out on life because they are addicted to a device, that is their loss.

yeah you get where i am coming from

 

my daughter would have play dates when younger

and her friends would come over and they'd sit in a room texting others

we had to make them turn over their phones for the duration of all play dates so the kids would interact

 

and i also see what you see regularly at restaurants... people sitting at a table, not engaging, but working a phone

 

one of the most striking things for me was staying at a travellers hostel

when i travelled internationally when younger hostels were the place to meet other travelers and glean travel information (there was good reason , and easy conversation topics available, you did not have to be an extrovert)

my recent experience was that very few travelers spoke to eachother

but were face down on their phones most of the time