My biggest lotto win yet is $55 but the post on what would you do if you wone the lotto got me being generous today.http://www.forumgarden.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3221
A man who was oviously down on his luck was asking for quarters.
I gave him a twenty dollar bill as that was all I had on my person at the time.
The guy kissed my hand.
Anyone here see the movie "Pay it Forward"? Great movie have not gotten up to the point of doing anything big for someone.
I challenge everyone here to do something nice for someone and report back. Or just do something nice and don't report back. Either way I challenge you to do something nice for someone.
Lotto
http://www.flalottomagic.net/cgi-local/ ... elcome-344
MagicZ4941
Random acts of kindness
-
LottomagicZ4941
- Posts: 752
- Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2004 12:00 pm
Random acts of kindness
I do things for people I know. When my friend's starter went out, I gave her the money to buy one knowing that she would not be able to go to school or take her kids any where. When she has had any vehicle problem, it's usually me who gives her the money for the part knowing that I probably will never get it back, but she would do anything she could for me also.
I'd rather do for someone I know, than a stranger who may have put themself in the position they are in today.
I'd rather do for someone I know, than a stranger who may have put themself in the position they are in today.
Random acts of kindness
Peg wrote: I'd rather do for someone I know, than a stranger who may have put themself in the position they are in today.
Couldn't agree more! I know I'm gonna get some bagging out for saying this, but in my opinion, here in Australia you are only homeless if you choose to be. We have so much help available, there is no need for anyone to be on the streets. We have low rent houses for people on benefits, plenty of payments for people who are out of work, and unlike some countries you don't get cut off after a certain amount of time. I personally know a guy who had one job for about 2 weeks when he was 17, he's now 35 and thats the only work he's done his whole life, he's been on benefits the rest of the time. I'd hate to think how much money the government has given him over the years.
But, back to the point of the forum, I think it's a fantastic idea! I do try to help people out where I can, and I will help strangers (I know it didn't sound like it) I love hearing about random acts of kindness, makes me feel all warm & fuzzy :yh_hugs so, keep 'em coming!
Couldn't agree more! I know I'm gonna get some bagging out for saying this, but in my opinion, here in Australia you are only homeless if you choose to be. We have so much help available, there is no need for anyone to be on the streets. We have low rent houses for people on benefits, plenty of payments for people who are out of work, and unlike some countries you don't get cut off after a certain amount of time. I personally know a guy who had one job for about 2 weeks when he was 17, he's now 35 and thats the only work he's done his whole life, he's been on benefits the rest of the time. I'd hate to think how much money the government has given him over the years.
But, back to the point of the forum, I think it's a fantastic idea! I do try to help people out where I can, and I will help strangers (I know it didn't sound like it) I love hearing about random acts of kindness, makes me feel all warm & fuzzy :yh_hugs so, keep 'em coming!
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jjfriendly
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2006 7:24 pm
Random acts of kindness
Generosity is a great thing!
regards!
regards!
Random acts of kindness
:-6
randall would like to share some of his experiences of random acts of kindness during his global jounreys.
We unintentionally arrived in New York on the "LABOUR DAY WEEKEND" - I had money waiting for me after our long trip acroos the USA by courtesy of Greyhound and via Route 66 (This was in May 1965.)
Luckily for me I stopped by to spend a week with a couple of aunt/uncles and cousins in Detroit.
They told me that I would not be able to draw my money out of any bank in New York that weekend. They took me to their bank where I surrendered my bank book and the banker gave me what was in the book there and then and kept to book so he could arrange for it to be transferred back to him in Detroit from New York later.
I had no idea where we would stay, my wife and a two and a half year old daughter, and at the bus station in New York I just gave the taxi driver the only hotel I could think of _ (probably a £1,000 a night place.!?)
He just ignored me and took us to a smal, but clean and well kept one just off Broadway around about west 40th street.
We visited the "NEW YORK WORLD FAIR" - now THAT was a real rip-off. After paying a hefty entrance fee we found that everything inside cost about four times as much as down at Broadway. We had to share one hot dog and one coca cola.
On departing for JFK I told the taxi driver to take me to the Airweays Departure Terminal in New York.
"Not on your nellie, buddy." or words to that effect. "They'll ruin you."
He continused, "They's charge to take the bags from the taxi to the check in and then charge you for .... well, this, that and everthing. I can see your decent people who can't afford to throw money around like that
I'll take you all the way to JFK and it will not cost you more than $36.00 and if the meter goes over that I'll stop the meter."
He was as good as his word. It came to exactly $34.50 and I gave him the extra as a tip.
We left the departure lounge with $5.00 exactly in our pockets heading for Bermuda.
There is (or was) a set fee in Bermuds (then) for $5.00 from the airport to ANY HOTEL ON THE ISLAND.!
On the Monday we walked into Hamilton, about a mile to collect money from The Bank of Bermuda to which I had sent money several months before from Hong Kong whilst planning the trip..
There was nothing there.!
"Have you any money anywhere?" asked the manager.
"Some in Lloyds Bank in London."
"We can get that here for you tomorrow. As long as you have money anywhere in the world you've nothing to worry about."
It was alright for him - we hadn't one American cent.
The ladies welcoming committee in Bermuda had delivered a basket of food and drink to our little bungalow - I handed back the alcohol, being a stict non drinking Baptist then - I've reformed since.
Anyway, we lived on that basket of goodies for the next twentyfour hours and walked back into Hamilton and lo and behold the money was waiting for us.
"How did you sent the money from Hong Kong?" the bank manager asked.
"By seamail." I replied meekly.
"God knows when it will arrive as we only get a mail boat every few months."
The day we were leaving for Britain ( June the 30th) he telephoned me to tell me that the money from Hong Kong had arrived.
As Mavis Nicolson, the TV/Radio presenter on the BBC would say, that proved we were never tourists but true travellers never knowing where we would sleep the next night.
I've more from other countries but this one is long enough.
God bless.
randall
:) l
"Prove all things. Hold fast to that which is good."
randall would like to share some of his experiences of random acts of kindness during his global jounreys.
We unintentionally arrived in New York on the "LABOUR DAY WEEKEND" - I had money waiting for me after our long trip acroos the USA by courtesy of Greyhound and via Route 66 (This was in May 1965.)
Luckily for me I stopped by to spend a week with a couple of aunt/uncles and cousins in Detroit.
They told me that I would not be able to draw my money out of any bank in New York that weekend. They took me to their bank where I surrendered my bank book and the banker gave me what was in the book there and then and kept to book so he could arrange for it to be transferred back to him in Detroit from New York later.
I had no idea where we would stay, my wife and a two and a half year old daughter, and at the bus station in New York I just gave the taxi driver the only hotel I could think of _ (probably a £1,000 a night place.!?)
He just ignored me and took us to a smal, but clean and well kept one just off Broadway around about west 40th street.
We visited the "NEW YORK WORLD FAIR" - now THAT was a real rip-off. After paying a hefty entrance fee we found that everything inside cost about four times as much as down at Broadway. We had to share one hot dog and one coca cola.
On departing for JFK I told the taxi driver to take me to the Airweays Departure Terminal in New York.
"Not on your nellie, buddy." or words to that effect. "They'll ruin you."
He continused, "They's charge to take the bags from the taxi to the check in and then charge you for .... well, this, that and everthing. I can see your decent people who can't afford to throw money around like that
I'll take you all the way to JFK and it will not cost you more than $36.00 and if the meter goes over that I'll stop the meter."
He was as good as his word. It came to exactly $34.50 and I gave him the extra as a tip.
We left the departure lounge with $5.00 exactly in our pockets heading for Bermuda.
There is (or was) a set fee in Bermuds (then) for $5.00 from the airport to ANY HOTEL ON THE ISLAND.!
On the Monday we walked into Hamilton, about a mile to collect money from The Bank of Bermuda to which I had sent money several months before from Hong Kong whilst planning the trip..
There was nothing there.!
"Have you any money anywhere?" asked the manager.
"Some in Lloyds Bank in London."
"We can get that here for you tomorrow. As long as you have money anywhere in the world you've nothing to worry about."
It was alright for him - we hadn't one American cent.
The ladies welcoming committee in Bermuda had delivered a basket of food and drink to our little bungalow - I handed back the alcohol, being a stict non drinking Baptist then - I've reformed since.
Anyway, we lived on that basket of goodies for the next twentyfour hours and walked back into Hamilton and lo and behold the money was waiting for us.
"How did you sent the money from Hong Kong?" the bank manager asked.
"By seamail." I replied meekly.
"God knows when it will arrive as we only get a mail boat every few months."
The day we were leaving for Britain ( June the 30th) he telephoned me to tell me that the money from Hong Kong had arrived.
As Mavis Nicolson, the TV/Radio presenter on the BBC would say, that proved we were never tourists but true travellers never knowing where we would sleep the next night.
I've more from other countries but this one is long enough.
God bless.
randall
:) l
"Prove all things. Hold fast to that which is good."
Random acts of kindness
I have the book and I need to look at it more often, its full of great ideas.
At the toll booth pay for the car behind you.
Ask an older person to tell you about his or her youth, favorite song, how they met his or her spouse.
Send a letter to a teacher you once had letting them know what a difference they did.
The possibilities are limitless.
By the way Pay It Forward was a fantastic movie !
At the toll booth pay for the car behind you.
Ask an older person to tell you about his or her youth, favorite song, how they met his or her spouse.
Send a letter to a teacher you once had letting them know what a difference they did.
The possibilities are limitless.
By the way Pay It Forward was a fantastic movie !
I AM AWESOME MAN
-
nvalleyvee
- Posts: 5191
- Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2005 8:57 am
Random acts of kindness
I will never forget this man.....I never knew his name....It was 2 years ago after my 3rd chemotherapy. I was at work..........I had pointed him to a remedy that was on the bottom level. I could not get myself off the floor....I was shakiing and having a really bad time.
This man took my arm and lifted me off the floor.........he put me in the employees break room ...........he brought me a glass of water.
How kind he was.....I will never forget that.
This man took my arm and lifted me off the floor.........he put me in the employees break room ...........he brought me a glass of water.
How kind he was.....I will never forget that.
The growth of knowledge depends entirely on disagreement..........Karl R. Popper
Random acts of kindness
:-6
randall here again,
My ship called in at Buenas Aries (Spelling?) spell check has disappeared again.
I walked up town in a dull overcaste afternoon to do some window shopping. Although prices were very low for us our wages were too low to comptemplate
any real shopping apart fromcheap nicknack souveners.
I drudged aroudn the shops under an every threatening sky not sparing enough money for a cup of coffee and it was lucky I did. I would not have had enough money for a taxi!
The skies opened up and I ran through the blinding rain to a bus stand.
Others, nearby, told me I could not get a bus for the docks and would have to go over to a nearby stand for a taxi.
I could only remember that the ship was docked nearby a large newspaper office block emblazoned with neon lights advertising the fact
Like all tropical countires the moment heavy rain appear taxis disappear.
I stood in a long queue and eventually came to the front of it.
Taxi Driver after Taxi Driver refused to take me on becaue I was wanting to go down to the docks - and, obviously, - he would have very little chance of a fare back into town.
There was a lot of muttering around me but being a none Spanish speaker I could only grasp that they were not very happy about the actions of the taxi drivers.
A young couple got into a taxi and rattled off like a machine gun to the driver. They were in the back seat and to my utter astonishment the young man suddenly beckoned for me to get in front with the driver.
The drive did not look at all happy.
"I have told this man that he has to take you to you ship first and then take us to our destination and that way he looses no money." The young man said in pefect English.
I could only thank them profusely.
They waved away my thanks and said, "We have been to London and were better treated there and it is a disgrace to our country for these drivers to treat you like this.
He refused any money from me but insisted on having my name and address before I got out at my ship's gangway.
He corresponded with me for a while but like all these correspondences they gradually die out because we have so little in common to tell each other.
God Bless
randall.
:)
randall here again,
My ship called in at Buenas Aries (Spelling?) spell check has disappeared again.
I walked up town in a dull overcaste afternoon to do some window shopping. Although prices were very low for us our wages were too low to comptemplate
any real shopping apart fromcheap nicknack souveners.
I drudged aroudn the shops under an every threatening sky not sparing enough money for a cup of coffee and it was lucky I did. I would not have had enough money for a taxi!
The skies opened up and I ran through the blinding rain to a bus stand.
Others, nearby, told me I could not get a bus for the docks and would have to go over to a nearby stand for a taxi.
I could only remember that the ship was docked nearby a large newspaper office block emblazoned with neon lights advertising the fact
Like all tropical countires the moment heavy rain appear taxis disappear.
I stood in a long queue and eventually came to the front of it.
Taxi Driver after Taxi Driver refused to take me on becaue I was wanting to go down to the docks - and, obviously, - he would have very little chance of a fare back into town.
There was a lot of muttering around me but being a none Spanish speaker I could only grasp that they were not very happy about the actions of the taxi drivers.
A young couple got into a taxi and rattled off like a machine gun to the driver. They were in the back seat and to my utter astonishment the young man suddenly beckoned for me to get in front with the driver.
The drive did not look at all happy.
"I have told this man that he has to take you to you ship first and then take us to our destination and that way he looses no money." The young man said in pefect English.
I could only thank them profusely.
They waved away my thanks and said, "We have been to London and were better treated there and it is a disgrace to our country for these drivers to treat you like this.
He refused any money from me but insisted on having my name and address before I got out at my ship's gangway.
He corresponded with me for a while but like all these correspondences they gradually die out because we have so little in common to tell each other.
God Bless
randall.
:)
Random acts of kindness
I love your travellers tales Randall....please keep posting them...in fact I think I'll start a new thread....
A smile is a window on your face to show your heart is home
Random acts of kindness
I’m a big believer in karma. I think how you treat others has a big effect on your life.
Random acts of kindness
:-6
Another one for Bez from randall,
After very long voyage from Thunderbay, Lake Superior, Canada with a full load of barley bound for South Africa to make WHISKY!
We took on fuel at Windsor, Ontario and it was so cold the fuel oil was like treacle.
Scared stiff of an overflow because of BOTH US and Candaian officials watching us like hawks we asked the man in charge to pump slower and slower; quite an old man who referred to us as "salties" to differentiate from "freshies." the men who ran the boats within the fresh water Great Lakes. "You salties" always want me to go slower and slower so the mixer can't mix the correct combinatuion of oils to give you the specific gravity that you are asking for."
Anway, it was very cold, and as you sound the fuel tanks using long steel tape measures with very heavy brass "bobs" on the end of them to take them trhough the oil to the bottom of the tank - the tapes were actually coming up towards us in a large increasing loop as the thick oil pushed the "bobs" upwards - it was too thick fo them to sink through it.
It was a nightmare as the fine by the authoirites in North American amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars - per incident.(Overflows or spillages)
Eventually we knew the tanks were full when the oil slowly oozed out of the sounding pipes onto the decks - a good thing we had asked him to govery slowly.! AND we had plenty of sand around the pipes to soak it up.!
So we set sail through the Saint Lawrence Seaway and down the river itself to the North Atlantic.
Once heading south I began to think of our next refuelling stop. I had done the journey before but this time I was on a German ship, the "Baunton", registered in Singapore with Hamburg [painted on the stern and flying the Panamanian Flag - you never know who you are working for at sea nowadays.
That is the reason when there are bad accidents at sea only the crew suffer because they are the easiest people for the authorities to get a hold off. They might never, ever be able to track down the real owner through all the agents, sub agents, contracters andf sub-contractors.
No two officers on the ship belonged to the same nation. The cooks, etc were Filipino, and the crew were all from Kiribati but my second engineer was Polish, the wireless operator was Indian, the Captain was ex Finnish Navy and would speak to no one.
I asked him about our next refuelling port.
"'vee got to East London, South Africa."
"I know that but I have done this trip before and we always had to bunker at Las Palmas or Senegal."
He held up a telex ,"Captain Beasley at the London office say we got to go directly there."
"Captai, " I remonstrated, "on the walls of this ship's alleyways, as on all other decent ones, are the drawings and statistics of this ship and it plainly sates maximum eonomic range is 8,000 nautical miles in perfect conditions. We do not know what weather lies before us and East London is nearly 10,000 nautical miles away."
"Captain Beasley says....." was all I got in reply.
Conversation terminated.
The further south we sailed the worse the weather got. The nights seemed to much calmer and then we picked up speed and efficiently but each day the weather worsened with the coming of daylight.
It appear we were keeping time with a circle of bad weather following us south - according to the weather reports from astern and ahead of us.
We passed Las Palmas I noted this regret, then Senegal came and went.
By this time my figures were looking bad. I had a Ghanaian from the enginerom
by the name of John Cofee (Kofi?) who was willing and obliging and took soundings of all the tanks twice a day as ther was no fuel meter to indicate the fuel being used. I was literally spending almost all of each day calculating with books of sounding tables surounding me at my office desk.
My entire crew in the enginerom of a 8,000 tonne ship was myself, the second engineer (no Third Engineer or juniors!) and John Kofi who wa really a cleaner and another man (another cleaner), who was from Nigeria, and took very ill almost as soon as we left the St Lawrence River.
To jump ahead - and astern - my electrician had been taken off at La Specia in Norhern Italy with dietry deficiency and the Nigerian was to be taken off at East London with Tubercolosis and neither were replaced.
I prayed an hoped, telephoning the London office at One Seethinmg Lane, that they would see sense and allow me to go into Walvis Bay - I was a worried man. They didn't
Three days from passing Cape Town I gave the Captain an ultimatum.
"If you do not go into Capetown for fuel I am stopping the engines."!
Suddenly it was arranged.
A stopped ship is a ship not under command and therefore legal salvage which would cost the company a fortune!
We arrived in Capetown with about five tonnes of diesel oil for the generators and seven tonnes of heavy fuel oil for the main engines - and they had expected me to make that last for another thousand nautical miles?
So, at last we docked safely in East London and they started to discharge the cargo. No containers in those days.
I decided to waslk ashore to the seaman's mission but we were on the opposite of the dock which was like an inlet of the sea.
I started folowing the railways lines sensing that they must lead to a road somewhere.
After a mile or so I hear a heavily accented African voice calling for me to stop and turned round to find a AK47 rifle being pointed at my belly by a black man in army uniform.
I held up my hands - as prisoners do.
He was quite polite and told me to walk in front of him back to where I came from.
Then he nudged me off the raiway track and guided me to a small hut among the railway sidings.
Inside I found at least half a dozen other seamen of different nationalities all sitting aroud on wooden benches.
A huge man in an army uniform just looked up at me and said in that strong African, Boerish accent." Oh another one. Take a seat."
"You wont be long here." her aded and I honestly could not tell whether it was ominously or not.
About half an hour later a small "crew bus" arrived and gathered us all up.
When I asked the driver where we were going he replied, "The seamen's. mission of course." He gave ahearty laugh. "You lads are always getting lost and I am the only taxi with a permit to enter the dockyards and amrshalling yards. You really do keep me in business." He gave another hefty laugh.
I telephoned my wife from the mission - it was our 21st wedding anniversary.
What a present - to be able to tell your wife that you had just been arrested by railway police and escorted to the seamens' club.
That was only the start of eight miserable months on that ship during which we were to run out of food six times - and have to buy our own, my wife later joined me and also had to shop for food in Greece and Turkey - So I have a good witness.
We also ran out of fuel three times all through the carelessness of office staff who for example, ordered fuel from Algeria when the ship was lying in Tunis. I had asked for it to delivered in La Specia in Northern Italy.
WHO GOT THE BLAME - THE CHIEF ENGINEER OF COURSE.
"We cannot forsee a position in our company" - was the letter they sent to me once I got home on leave. I had no intention of going back to them for enything.
Coincidentally, they were the owners of the "ALTMARK" full of British prisoners which the destroyer, HMS "COSSACK" rescued in the early part of WWII. Illegally in a Norwegian fyord. I did serve briefly on her sister ship the "NORDMARK".
God bless.
randall.
:-5
a
Another one for Bez from randall,
After very long voyage from Thunderbay, Lake Superior, Canada with a full load of barley bound for South Africa to make WHISKY!
We took on fuel at Windsor, Ontario and it was so cold the fuel oil was like treacle.
Scared stiff of an overflow because of BOTH US and Candaian officials watching us like hawks we asked the man in charge to pump slower and slower; quite an old man who referred to us as "salties" to differentiate from "freshies." the men who ran the boats within the fresh water Great Lakes. "You salties" always want me to go slower and slower so the mixer can't mix the correct combinatuion of oils to give you the specific gravity that you are asking for."
Anway, it was very cold, and as you sound the fuel tanks using long steel tape measures with very heavy brass "bobs" on the end of them to take them trhough the oil to the bottom of the tank - the tapes were actually coming up towards us in a large increasing loop as the thick oil pushed the "bobs" upwards - it was too thick fo them to sink through it.
It was a nightmare as the fine by the authoirites in North American amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars - per incident.(Overflows or spillages)
Eventually we knew the tanks were full when the oil slowly oozed out of the sounding pipes onto the decks - a good thing we had asked him to govery slowly.! AND we had plenty of sand around the pipes to soak it up.!
So we set sail through the Saint Lawrence Seaway and down the river itself to the North Atlantic.
Once heading south I began to think of our next refuelling stop. I had done the journey before but this time I was on a German ship, the "Baunton", registered in Singapore with Hamburg [painted on the stern and flying the Panamanian Flag - you never know who you are working for at sea nowadays.
That is the reason when there are bad accidents at sea only the crew suffer because they are the easiest people for the authorities to get a hold off. They might never, ever be able to track down the real owner through all the agents, sub agents, contracters andf sub-contractors.
No two officers on the ship belonged to the same nation. The cooks, etc were Filipino, and the crew were all from Kiribati but my second engineer was Polish, the wireless operator was Indian, the Captain was ex Finnish Navy and would speak to no one.
I asked him about our next refuelling port.
"'vee got to East London, South Africa."
"I know that but I have done this trip before and we always had to bunker at Las Palmas or Senegal."
He held up a telex ,"Captain Beasley at the London office say we got to go directly there."
"Captai, " I remonstrated, "on the walls of this ship's alleyways, as on all other decent ones, are the drawings and statistics of this ship and it plainly sates maximum eonomic range is 8,000 nautical miles in perfect conditions. We do not know what weather lies before us and East London is nearly 10,000 nautical miles away."
"Captain Beasley says....." was all I got in reply.
Conversation terminated.
The further south we sailed the worse the weather got. The nights seemed to much calmer and then we picked up speed and efficiently but each day the weather worsened with the coming of daylight.
It appear we were keeping time with a circle of bad weather following us south - according to the weather reports from astern and ahead of us.
We passed Las Palmas I noted this regret, then Senegal came and went.
By this time my figures were looking bad. I had a Ghanaian from the enginerom
by the name of John Cofee (Kofi?) who was willing and obliging and took soundings of all the tanks twice a day as ther was no fuel meter to indicate the fuel being used. I was literally spending almost all of each day calculating with books of sounding tables surounding me at my office desk.
My entire crew in the enginerom of a 8,000 tonne ship was myself, the second engineer (no Third Engineer or juniors!) and John Kofi who wa really a cleaner and another man (another cleaner), who was from Nigeria, and took very ill almost as soon as we left the St Lawrence River.
To jump ahead - and astern - my electrician had been taken off at La Specia in Norhern Italy with dietry deficiency and the Nigerian was to be taken off at East London with Tubercolosis and neither were replaced.
I prayed an hoped, telephoning the London office at One Seethinmg Lane, that they would see sense and allow me to go into Walvis Bay - I was a worried man. They didn't
Three days from passing Cape Town I gave the Captain an ultimatum.
"If you do not go into Capetown for fuel I am stopping the engines."!
Suddenly it was arranged.
A stopped ship is a ship not under command and therefore legal salvage which would cost the company a fortune!
We arrived in Capetown with about five tonnes of diesel oil for the generators and seven tonnes of heavy fuel oil for the main engines - and they had expected me to make that last for another thousand nautical miles?
So, at last we docked safely in East London and they started to discharge the cargo. No containers in those days.
I decided to waslk ashore to the seaman's mission but we were on the opposite of the dock which was like an inlet of the sea.
I started folowing the railways lines sensing that they must lead to a road somewhere.
After a mile or so I hear a heavily accented African voice calling for me to stop and turned round to find a AK47 rifle being pointed at my belly by a black man in army uniform.
I held up my hands - as prisoners do.
He was quite polite and told me to walk in front of him back to where I came from.
Then he nudged me off the raiway track and guided me to a small hut among the railway sidings.
Inside I found at least half a dozen other seamen of different nationalities all sitting aroud on wooden benches.
A huge man in an army uniform just looked up at me and said in that strong African, Boerish accent." Oh another one. Take a seat."
"You wont be long here." her aded and I honestly could not tell whether it was ominously or not.
About half an hour later a small "crew bus" arrived and gathered us all up.
When I asked the driver where we were going he replied, "The seamen's. mission of course." He gave ahearty laugh. "You lads are always getting lost and I am the only taxi with a permit to enter the dockyards and amrshalling yards. You really do keep me in business." He gave another hefty laugh.
I telephoned my wife from the mission - it was our 21st wedding anniversary.
What a present - to be able to tell your wife that you had just been arrested by railway police and escorted to the seamens' club.
That was only the start of eight miserable months on that ship during which we were to run out of food six times - and have to buy our own, my wife later joined me and also had to shop for food in Greece and Turkey - So I have a good witness.
We also ran out of fuel three times all through the carelessness of office staff who for example, ordered fuel from Algeria when the ship was lying in Tunis. I had asked for it to delivered in La Specia in Northern Italy.
WHO GOT THE BLAME - THE CHIEF ENGINEER OF COURSE.
"We cannot forsee a position in our company" - was the letter they sent to me once I got home on leave. I had no intention of going back to them for enything.
Coincidentally, they were the owners of the "ALTMARK" full of British prisoners which the destroyer, HMS "COSSACK" rescued in the early part of WWII. Illegally in a Norwegian fyord. I did serve briefly on her sister ship the "NORDMARK".
God bless.
randall.
:-5
a
Random acts of kindness
:-6
randall with another, what he thinks was a random act of kindness.
I was a junior engineer on the SS "OCEAN MONARCH" sailing on the NEW YORK/BERMUDA/NASSAU and West Indies route for over a year. (1955)
I pas paid the princely sum of £1 per day before tax. for a maximum of sixteen hours a day.
I grew to love Bermuda and being on the crew of one of the ships the Islanders never treated us like tourists - we were temporary Bermudians.,
The other liner was the SS "Queen Of Bermuda" (also known then as the biggest floating ballroom in the world) She was too wide to go into St Georges whilst the "Ocean Monarch" was designed exactly to manage to navigate that narrow gorge like passge into the lovely bay.
I walked everywhere as most of my money was spent (a) on SUNBLOCK - waterproof so that I could go swimming and there I learned to skin dive from a book by Hans Hass and Lotte.
(B) The rest of my money was almost all spent on buying the - then - new "KODACHROME" slide films.
At that time Kodak insisted that you paid for the devlopment of the film at Rochester, New York, when you bought the film. They even provided the bag to sent it in - but not the postage?
This monopoly was eventually overturned by the US Supreme Court. Any good film laboratory could develop them - there was no great secret.
Since then my wife has travelled the width and breadth of Buchan giving free shows to ladies clubs, groups. church groups, etc armed with a projector, screen and steel boxes of slides. One of her many talents.
Once I visited the lovely Aquarium and walking back along the causeway to take my engineroom watch at 1600 hours - the sun was merciless at that time some days - although I have been frozen on other days.
A local taxi pulled up beside me and in that unimitatable accent asked if I wanted a taxi.
I told the black driver that I had no money to pay for a taxi.
"But it is another few miles to Hamilton man." he insisted.
I just repated that I had no cash.
"Well, I'm going there anyway so you had just better get in and you will get back to your ship quicker."
I did have a few American coins in the pockets of my white shorts, less than a dollar anayway.
So thanking him profusely at the end of the gangway leading up to the ship I just emptied my pockets to him.
"At least I can give you a little tip."
H took them, gave a big hearty laugh and drove away.
God bless all.
randall.
:)
randall with another, what he thinks was a random act of kindness.
I was a junior engineer on the SS "OCEAN MONARCH" sailing on the NEW YORK/BERMUDA/NASSAU and West Indies route for over a year. (1955)
I pas paid the princely sum of £1 per day before tax. for a maximum of sixteen hours a day.
I grew to love Bermuda and being on the crew of one of the ships the Islanders never treated us like tourists - we were temporary Bermudians.,
The other liner was the SS "Queen Of Bermuda" (also known then as the biggest floating ballroom in the world) She was too wide to go into St Georges whilst the "Ocean Monarch" was designed exactly to manage to navigate that narrow gorge like passge into the lovely bay.
I walked everywhere as most of my money was spent (a) on SUNBLOCK - waterproof so that I could go swimming and there I learned to skin dive from a book by Hans Hass and Lotte.
(B) The rest of my money was almost all spent on buying the - then - new "KODACHROME" slide films.
At that time Kodak insisted that you paid for the devlopment of the film at Rochester, New York, when you bought the film. They even provided the bag to sent it in - but not the postage?
This monopoly was eventually overturned by the US Supreme Court. Any good film laboratory could develop them - there was no great secret.
Since then my wife has travelled the width and breadth of Buchan giving free shows to ladies clubs, groups. church groups, etc armed with a projector, screen and steel boxes of slides. One of her many talents.
Once I visited the lovely Aquarium and walking back along the causeway to take my engineroom watch at 1600 hours - the sun was merciless at that time some days - although I have been frozen on other days.
A local taxi pulled up beside me and in that unimitatable accent asked if I wanted a taxi.
I told the black driver that I had no money to pay for a taxi.
"But it is another few miles to Hamilton man." he insisted.
I just repated that I had no cash.
"Well, I'm going there anyway so you had just better get in and you will get back to your ship quicker."
I did have a few American coins in the pockets of my white shorts, less than a dollar anayway.
So thanking him profusely at the end of the gangway leading up to the ship I just emptied my pockets to him.
"At least I can give you a little tip."
H took them, gave a big hearty laugh and drove away.
God bless all.
randall.
:)
-
chrisb84uk
- Posts: 11634
- Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2005 6:29 am
Random acts of kindness
That's a lovely story Randall, thanks so much for sharing!! It's just a shame that random acts of kindness like the taxi driver are becoming more and more scarce today.
Random acts of kindness
LottomagicZ4941 wrote: My biggest lotto win yet is $55 but the post on what would you do if you wone the lotto got me being generous today.http://www.forumgarden.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3221
A man who was oviously down on his luck was asking for quarters.
I gave him a twenty dollar bill as that was all I had on my person at the time.
The guy kissed my hand.
Anyone here see the movie "Pay it Forward"? Great movie have not gotten up to the point of doing anything big for someone.
I challenge everyone here to do something nice for someone and report back. Or just do something nice and don't report back. Either way I challenge you to do something nice for someone.
Lotto
http://www.flalottomagic.net/cgi-local/ ... elcome-344
MagicZ4941
>>
A friend of mine told me he had taken his family to a buffet to eat and as they were returning to their car a man asked for money to eat on. He first told the man he had no cash. Then he thought , I can pay for him with a debit card so he told the man to come inside and he would pay for him to eat as much as he wanted. The man declined. Obviously he just wanted cash.
A man who was oviously down on his luck was asking for quarters.
I gave him a twenty dollar bill as that was all I had on my person at the time.
The guy kissed my hand.
Anyone here see the movie "Pay it Forward"? Great movie have not gotten up to the point of doing anything big for someone.
I challenge everyone here to do something nice for someone and report back. Or just do something nice and don't report back. Either way I challenge you to do something nice for someone.
Lotto
http://www.flalottomagic.net/cgi-local/ ... elcome-344
MagicZ4941
>>
A friend of mine told me he had taken his family to a buffet to eat and as they were returning to their car a man asked for money to eat on. He first told the man he had no cash. Then he thought , I can pay for him with a debit card so he told the man to come inside and he would pay for him to eat as much as he wanted. The man declined. Obviously he just wanted cash.
Random acts of kindness
Okie wrote: >>
A friend of mine told me he had taken his family to a buffet to eat and as they were returning to their car a man asked for money to eat on. He first told the man he had no cash. Then he thought , I can pay for him with a debit card so he told the man to come inside and he would pay for him to eat as much as he wanted. The man declined. Obviously he just wanted cash.
Heres the thing about that Okie. It doesnt matter about the guy, if his intentions were to drink or whatever. It makes your friend better by offering. Your friend jumped up a notch in humanity. He can be proud of that. It would be nice if the guy really was appreciative then everyone wins. The trick is not to get jaded by it, so you dont stop giving.
A friend of mine told me he had taken his family to a buffet to eat and as they were returning to their car a man asked for money to eat on. He first told the man he had no cash. Then he thought , I can pay for him with a debit card so he told the man to come inside and he would pay for him to eat as much as he wanted. The man declined. Obviously he just wanted cash.
Heres the thing about that Okie. It doesnt matter about the guy, if his intentions were to drink or whatever. It makes your friend better by offering. Your friend jumped up a notch in humanity. He can be proud of that. It would be nice if the guy really was appreciative then everyone wins. The trick is not to get jaded by it, so you dont stop giving.
I AM AWESOME MAN
Random acts of kindness
Nomad wrote: Heres the thing about that Okie. It doesnt matter about the guy, if his intentions were to drink or whatever. It makes your friend better by offering. Your friend jumped up a notch in humanity. He can be proud of that. It would be nice if the guy really was appreciative then everyone wins. The trick is not to get jaded by it, so you dont stop giving.
Good words, Nomad. I have to agree with your thoughts here
Good words, Nomad. I have to agree with your thoughts here
Random acts of kindness
koochikoo wrote: I don't know if this counts as a "Random act of kindness" but I have the day off work tomorrow and thought I would use it constructively so I'm going to Red Cross to donate some blood. For those of us who don't have a great deal of money to assist with worthy causes, I think blood donation is a great way to do your bit. Come on, whats stopping you? It costs you nothing - you make it for free! And I can come away with the knowledge that a small act on my behalf can make the difference between life and death for somebody else. What can make you feel better than that! :-6
Yes, great act of kindness, I have donated blood to a pair of brothers with hemophiliac disease, I had thier blood type so I along with a few other people kept them alive for years, I always felt good about that.
Yes, great act of kindness, I have donated blood to a pair of brothers with hemophiliac disease, I had thier blood type so I along with a few other people kept them alive for years, I always felt good about that.
Random acts of kindness
:-6
randall here,
May I thank all of you blood donors for your altruistic acts of kindness as in my family we have because my Father and his elder sister and myself have all depended on large blood supplies being available.
They both developed "Pernicious Anaemia" half way through their lives and had to have complete blood changes and was, finally, eventually, after telling doctor after doctor that I was ill, diagnosed with "Haemolytic Anaemia" in my forties although it is a genetic fault in my red blood cells and have had it since conception.
Unfortunately, I find that the public at large are very ill informed as to who CANNOT donate blood.
I am one of them for the above reason and also because I once had hepatitis in the days when it was simply known as jaundice until they renamed it and slowly gave it different classes such as "A", "B", "C". etc.
I understand, from doctors also that if anyone lives for any sort of extended period in the tropics one is almost certain to have quite a few strange bugs circulating in the blood stream for the rest of their lives and are not considered suitable blood donors.
My thanks to you all once again.
God bless.
randall
:)
randall here,
May I thank all of you blood donors for your altruistic acts of kindness as in my family we have because my Father and his elder sister and myself have all depended on large blood supplies being available.
They both developed "Pernicious Anaemia" half way through their lives and had to have complete blood changes and was, finally, eventually, after telling doctor after doctor that I was ill, diagnosed with "Haemolytic Anaemia" in my forties although it is a genetic fault in my red blood cells and have had it since conception.
Unfortunately, I find that the public at large are very ill informed as to who CANNOT donate blood.
I am one of them for the above reason and also because I once had hepatitis in the days when it was simply known as jaundice until they renamed it and slowly gave it different classes such as "A", "B", "C". etc.
I understand, from doctors also that if anyone lives for any sort of extended period in the tropics one is almost certain to have quite a few strange bugs circulating in the blood stream for the rest of their lives and are not considered suitable blood donors.
My thanks to you all once again.
God bless.
randall
:)
-
chrisb84uk
- Posts: 11634
- Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2005 6:29 am
Random acts of kindness
Randall!!! I haven't seen you in ages. Good to see you back!! 
Random acts of kindness
:-6
Thanks Chrisb84UK for your welcome back.
It's nice to be welcomed anywhere.
God Bless You All
randall
:)
Thanks Chrisb84UK for your welcome back.
It's nice to be welcomed anywhere.
God Bless You All
randall
:)
Random acts of kindness
flopstock wrote: For some reason I like to give without them knowing. That's not always possible, then i feel awkward if they are grateful to me. I'm talking really uncomfortable, ya know? It's like they don't understand that I was the grateful one.. just because I was able to help and I wasn't the friend in need this time... and how often do we really get the opportunity to put our money where our mouth is in this life?
Ah nevermind..I know what I mean..:wah:
Not requiring recognition is what makes the idea of this great
Ah nevermind..I know what I mean..:wah:
Not requiring recognition is what makes the idea of this great
Random acts of kindness
Santanico wrote: Couldn't agree more! I know I'm gonna get some bagging out for saying this, but in my opinion, here in Australia you are only homeless if you choose to be. We have so much help available, there is no need for anyone to be on the streets. We have low rent houses for people on benefits, plenty of payments for people who are out of work, and unlike some countries you don't get cut off after a certain amount of time. I personally know a guy who had one job for about 2 weeks when he was 17, he's now 35 and thats the only work he's done his whole life, he's been on benefits the rest of the time. I'd hate to think how much money the government has given him over the years.
But, back to the point of the forum, I think it's a fantastic idea! I do try to help people out where I can, and I will help strangers (I know it didn't sound like it) I love hearing about random acts of kindness, makes me feel all warm & fuzzy :yh_hugs so, keep 'em coming!
That is so true their is alot of help out there.I wonder if its depression that they go through or something that they won't even try they just give up.
But, back to the point of the forum, I think it's a fantastic idea! I do try to help people out where I can, and I will help strangers (I know it didn't sound like it) I love hearing about random acts of kindness, makes me feel all warm & fuzzy :yh_hugs so, keep 'em coming!
That is so true their is alot of help out there.I wonder if its depression that they go through or something that they won't even try they just give up.
Random acts of kindness
:-6
randall here, I agree with you Santanico. We have just had a visit from two fellow employees (at least one fellow worker and the widow of another when we ,lived in Hong Kong up to 1974.)
Although originally from Wales where he still has a lot of relatives he and his family decided to go down to Australia.
The amount of help as a "Veteran" (Something like a senior old age pensioner registered blind - he can see enough to walk about a bit) is unbelievable here in Britain.
He is so glad that he and his family decided to go to "Oz" when he found out what he would get if he had returned to Wales Plus the fact that he gets the British Old Age Pension out there on top of what the Australian Government so liberally bestows upon him.
My wife "NOW" keeps saying we should have gone there too - ?????
Ah the gift of hindsight.
God bless all.
randall
:)
randall here, I agree with you Santanico. We have just had a visit from two fellow employees (at least one fellow worker and the widow of another when we ,lived in Hong Kong up to 1974.)
Although originally from Wales where he still has a lot of relatives he and his family decided to go down to Australia.
The amount of help as a "Veteran" (Something like a senior old age pensioner registered blind - he can see enough to walk about a bit) is unbelievable here in Britain.
He is so glad that he and his family decided to go to "Oz" when he found out what he would get if he had returned to Wales Plus the fact that he gets the British Old Age Pension out there on top of what the Australian Government so liberally bestows upon him.
My wife "NOW" keeps saying we should have gone there too - ?????
Ah the gift of hindsight.
God bless all.
randall
:)
Random acts of kindness
:-6
If randall repeats any of his stories - please forgive him, after all he is nearly in his dotage.
When the good ship (actually she was relic, a complete wreck fifty years old.)
MV ""Ifewara" belonging to Henry Stephen Majforokum of Appa, Lagos, Nigeria, docked in "Rio de Janeiro" (circa 1980) I was lucky enough to get an afternoon off.
Under an overcast sky, I walked several miles up town hoping that the weather would not deteriorate.
The prices astonished me, although receiving a very modest wage I could have lived (going by the prices in the shops) like a lord in that city - of course perhaps the rents were sky high.
Wearying of wandering and with the sky becoming more and more overcast I decided t had better get back to the ship.
The rain started to fall and soon became a tropical downpour so I headed for the only taxi stand I could see. Buses were no use to me as I had no idea what the names of the destinations meant.
I queued for a long time and each time I get to a taxi and mentioned docks he brushed me off and took the next in the queue, and I assume Brazilian, passenger.
A youngish couple came up behind me and the man asked me where I was going and all I could tell him was that the ship was moored at a quay opposite a newspaper building with a large neon sign on the roof.
He recognised the place right away but said no more.
A taxi stopped and he and his companion got in but to my great surprise, after a machine gun conversation with the taxi driver, he stuck his head out of the window told me to get into the front seat beside the driver.
His English was very good and so we conversed as the taxi drove through the teeming rain.
He guided the driver right to the gangway of my ship and despite my protests
to pay he refused to accept anything except my name and address.
They drove off home, I assume, leaving a lonely seaman with a very much improved opinion of Brazilians.
I think that qualifies as a random act of kindness.
God bless and keep you all.
randall
:)
If randall repeats any of his stories - please forgive him, after all he is nearly in his dotage.
When the good ship (actually she was relic, a complete wreck fifty years old.)
MV ""Ifewara" belonging to Henry Stephen Majforokum of Appa, Lagos, Nigeria, docked in "Rio de Janeiro" (circa 1980) I was lucky enough to get an afternoon off.
Under an overcast sky, I walked several miles up town hoping that the weather would not deteriorate.
The prices astonished me, although receiving a very modest wage I could have lived (going by the prices in the shops) like a lord in that city - of course perhaps the rents were sky high.
Wearying of wandering and with the sky becoming more and more overcast I decided t had better get back to the ship.
The rain started to fall and soon became a tropical downpour so I headed for the only taxi stand I could see. Buses were no use to me as I had no idea what the names of the destinations meant.
I queued for a long time and each time I get to a taxi and mentioned docks he brushed me off and took the next in the queue, and I assume Brazilian, passenger.
A youngish couple came up behind me and the man asked me where I was going and all I could tell him was that the ship was moored at a quay opposite a newspaper building with a large neon sign on the roof.
He recognised the place right away but said no more.
A taxi stopped and he and his companion got in but to my great surprise, after a machine gun conversation with the taxi driver, he stuck his head out of the window told me to get into the front seat beside the driver.
His English was very good and so we conversed as the taxi drove through the teeming rain.
He guided the driver right to the gangway of my ship and despite my protests
to pay he refused to accept anything except my name and address.
They drove off home, I assume, leaving a lonely seaman with a very much improved opinion of Brazilians.
I think that qualifies as a random act of kindness.
God bless and keep you all.
randall
:)