This is(or was) one of Ahmed's dollars
Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) Streaming in hd
10 years ago
Saturday, March 7, 2009
AHMED
Ahmed is the name of the fellow who walked me through the e-mail set-up for project365@shaw.ca. At the end of the conversation he asked me if I had any other questions.
"Well" I said, " If I was to ask you for a dollar, would you give it to me?" I sensed the silence, and heard it too, and went to explain what it was I was up to. He said, "Sure." I said, "Really?!" "Yup." So we figured out that we would meet at the Starbucks in the Shaw Tower on his break the following day. I told him I'd be the guy in a blue baseball hat. Sure enough at 12:30p.m. there he was. Not only that, he handed me two American dollars.(those guys at Shaw must do alright)
"Well" I said, " If I was to ask you for a dollar, would you give it to me?" I sensed the silence, and heard it too, and went to explain what it was I was up to. He said, "Sure." I said, "Really?!" "Yup." So we figured out that we would meet at the Starbucks in the Shaw Tower on his break the following day. I told him I'd be the guy in a blue baseball hat. Sure enough at 12:30p.m. there he was. Not only that, he handed me two American dollars.(those guys at Shaw must do alright)
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
What's this all about?
Anything is possible.
To that effect, I was having a conversation with my brother the other day. We were talking about a number of things, one of which was my plan to raise $365,000 by February 14, 2010. He wished me luck. Interestingly he also believes anything is possible, just not that. So we bet on it. Now I had a problem. How was I going to raise $365,000?
I started to think about all the different ways to achieve my goal. I’m an actor, so I could get big roles in films. I could book a television series. Work on voice-over campaigns. Win the lottery. All of these are entirely plausible and all are still in play. I then thought, what if I ask 365,000 people for a dollar? That would do it too!
I started last Saturday.(Feb 14, 2009) I was having breakfast with a friend and asked him if he would join me in an experiment. He said he would. I asked him for fifty cents. (At that point I thought a dollar was pushing it.) He asked why, so I told him. In about eighteen seconds I had fifty cents! I thought, "Wow! That was pretty quick. I wonder how fast I can make this happen?"
The waitress came over and she gave me fifty cents. The older lady waiting for our table did the same. As she handed me the cash, she asked me what I was planning to do with the money. Do with it? I hadn't even considered that. She suggested I do the “right” thing with it, and I assured her I would. I added that I looked forward to having such a problem.
Since that moment I’ve been given anywhere from fifty cents to a hundred dollars?! I’m also full of suggestions from people about where the money should go. One person suggested something to do with housing on the downtown eastside of Vancouver. Maybe call it "365 House.” Another idea was to create a public sculpture of the numbers “$365,000”. Beside the sculpture would be a placard describing how it came to be. It could be called "The Bet" or “Anything is Possible". Another person had an idea for a cause in Rwanda. Today someone suggested something to do with animals. Who knows?
How can we be sure you won’t take the money and renovate your kitchen?(and believe me, my kitchen could use it) How do we know you won’t take the wife and kids on a trip to Tulsa?(well I don’t have a wife and I’m pretty sure the kids aren’t mine) The answer is you can’t be sure. All I can tell you is it won’t be something like that. You still have to choose whether or not you want to believe me and contribute anyway. The bottom line is I just want to see what happens.
So thank you for considering my project. If you have any suggestions,(for instance where the money should go) ideas, or thoughts please let me know. So, would YOU give me a dollar?
If we can do this, imagine what else is possible.
Brendan
P.S. The dollar is not restricted to Canadian currency, and counteroffers are welcome.
P.P.S. Please respond to project365@shaw.ca if you wish to contribute, especially if it includes giving a dollar. (We’ll figure out a way to get it) You can also send your dollar to:
Brendan Beiser
c/o200-1505 2nd Avenue West
Vancouver, BC V6H 3Y4
Canada
If you wish to send a check, feel free. You just have to be willing to make it payable to B. Beiser. Please please feel free to forward. (After all, I have to get to 365 000 people)
To that effect, I was having a conversation with my brother the other day. We were talking about a number of things, one of which was my plan to raise $365,000 by February 14, 2010. He wished me luck. Interestingly he also believes anything is possible, just not that. So we bet on it. Now I had a problem. How was I going to raise $365,000?
I started to think about all the different ways to achieve my goal. I’m an actor, so I could get big roles in films. I could book a television series. Work on voice-over campaigns. Win the lottery. All of these are entirely plausible and all are still in play. I then thought, what if I ask 365,000 people for a dollar? That would do it too!
I started last Saturday.(Feb 14, 2009) I was having breakfast with a friend and asked him if he would join me in an experiment. He said he would. I asked him for fifty cents. (At that point I thought a dollar was pushing it.) He asked why, so I told him. In about eighteen seconds I had fifty cents! I thought, "Wow! That was pretty quick. I wonder how fast I can make this happen?"
The waitress came over and she gave me fifty cents. The older lady waiting for our table did the same. As she handed me the cash, she asked me what I was planning to do with the money. Do with it? I hadn't even considered that. She suggested I do the “right” thing with it, and I assured her I would. I added that I looked forward to having such a problem.
Since that moment I’ve been given anywhere from fifty cents to a hundred dollars?! I’m also full of suggestions from people about where the money should go. One person suggested something to do with housing on the downtown eastside of Vancouver. Maybe call it "365 House.” Another idea was to create a public sculpture of the numbers “$365,000”. Beside the sculpture would be a placard describing how it came to be. It could be called "The Bet" or “Anything is Possible". Another person had an idea for a cause in Rwanda. Today someone suggested something to do with animals. Who knows?
How can we be sure you won’t take the money and renovate your kitchen?(and believe me, my kitchen could use it) How do we know you won’t take the wife and kids on a trip to Tulsa?(well I don’t have a wife and I’m pretty sure the kids aren’t mine) The answer is you can’t be sure. All I can tell you is it won’t be something like that. You still have to choose whether or not you want to believe me and contribute anyway. The bottom line is I just want to see what happens.
So thank you for considering my project. If you have any suggestions,(for instance where the money should go) ideas, or thoughts please let me know. So, would YOU give me a dollar?
If we can do this, imagine what else is possible.
Brendan
P.S. The dollar is not restricted to Canadian currency, and counteroffers are welcome.
P.P.S. Please respond to project365@shaw.ca if you wish to contribute, especially if it includes giving a dollar. (We’ll figure out a way to get it) You can also send your dollar to:
Brendan Beiser
c/o200-1505 2nd Avenue West
Vancouver, BC V6H 3Y4
Canada
If you wish to send a check, feel free. You just have to be willing to make it payable to B. Beiser. Please please feel free to forward. (After all, I have to get to 365 000 people)
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