Archive for Featured
Read it and Weep, Suckers
Posted by: | CommentsThis, my 449th post, will be the last for RealDuPont. I do not plan on continuing the site in 2012.
I built the RealDuPont site around this time of year in 2007 with the first posts arriving in January of 2008. My readership began to grow, in large part to an article that the Hometown Clipper ran in the spring of 2008. Make no mistake, local advertising works!
Over time, I got to know several citizens as a result of the website. Their input has been invaluable.
Contrary to what some have asserted over the years, I did not know the identities of the people commenting on the posts unless they informed me. Frankly, I didn’t care who was commenting, I was just grateful people were reading my musings. And, much to my chagrin, often the comments to my posts where greater than my post itself.
I covered topics that ranged far and wide, but mostly I wrote about DuPont. I wanted to provide an antidote to what was being said at the time by the city cheerleaders and sycophants. I wrote to keep our neighbors informed on some of the events happening around town. I wrote to provide another perspective and to give a voice to those who may not have been otherwise heard.
But, I mostly wrote just to amuse myself.
Now has come the time where I am no longer motivated to continue writing commentary on city matters. To be honest, it was difficult enough to post anything this past year or more. And since I am not motivated to write I can no longer see the point of maintaining this website.
I can’t even muster a farewell address. So, I will just end it with goodbye and thanks for reading.
Occupy DuPont
Posted by: | CommentsYou have seen the headlines peppering various websites and media outlets. There is a movement afoot where a mishmash of people from a mishmash of backgrounds have banded together to occupy public spaces, steadfast in their conviction.
They have been categorized and labeled as hippies, crusties, slackers, do-nothings-who-can’t-hold-a-real-job, idealists, or simply ne’er-do-wells. Others see them lacking a coherent message or plan of action while some may say that they are content to leave a mess and have others clean up after them; perfectly happy spending other people’s money.
The “occupiers” would rather break things down in other terms. They’re the “99% of have nots” who toil to support the 1% with real power; the “occupiers” claim that they support you, the common citizen, against the interest of overlords.
In DuPont, we call our “occupiers” something other than crusty 99 Percenters. We call them the City Council and Mayor.
In our town of about 8000, the council and mayor represent not the 99% or even the 1%. No, they are more like the 0.1%. They have taken over our public space. Their immoveable encampment is our multimillion dollar, deeply debt-buried Civic Center.
And they ain’t going anywhere.
It was at one time amusing to watch our “occupiers” wring their hands over the bad decisions that they have made and claim to be caught up in the “great” recession. They forged ahead with their shrine to themselves confident that the REET money would keep rolling in like manna from the gods. However, reality had other plans and the housing market tanked. It actually tanked for the homeowners of DuPont, but since the council relies on skimming money off of the top, it affected them too.
Strange how the crying of our Occupying DuPont City Hall is louder than from those who actually lost money on their home values.
Trash Heap: DuPont’s Latest Development
Posted by: | CommentsThe corner of McNeil Avenue and Center Drive has long been a symbol of hope to the settlers of Northwest Landing. As long as it remains vacant it remains a symbol to what can be in our retail district. Of course, there is no reason to keep it vacant just so we can daydream.
Now it appears no longer to be vacant, well, not if you count the accumulating pile of garbage, detritus, and debris all about.
I have noticed the garbage for a little while now. For at least the last month, and maybe longer, there have been discarded tires littering the landscape. Scraps of wood. Papers swirling around. And what would be a neglected lot in DuPont without a broken lamp post?
It is just sad. Sad that this land remains undeveloped; sad that people can care for a creek but remain silent on a vacant lot; sad that our city hall doesn’t pound its fist in outrage at this blight but will chose to squabble with citizens.
In case you were wondering about my comment regarding our city council, mayor, or her staff not caring about a garbage strewn lot, there is a city ordinance that covers the matter, 9.16.030 Nuisances.
In summary, 9.16.030 Nuisances:
The following specific acts, omissions, places and conditions are declared to be public nuisances:
(h) Offenses on Public or Private Property. The following conditions are considered unsafe, offensive, and prima facie indications of a nuisance:
(3) Filthy or littered house yards, factory yards, vacant areas behind stores, vacant lots, buildings or premises.
and
(6) Recycling materials such as tin cans, bottles, glass bottles, iron, wire, metal, or newspaper, unless such materials are contained in receptacles approved by the City and subject to regular removal, except that materials can be stored in containers or buildings approved by the City when they are out of view.
and
(7) Trash, litter, weeds or grass, rags and accumulations of boxes, crates, bedding, packing materials, or lumber not piled.
To be used with:
9.16.040 Enforcement.
Any violation of any provision, or failure to comply with any of the requirements, of this chapter shall be subject to the terms and conditions of Chapter 1.17 DMC, Enforcement. (Ord. 06-818 § 1; Ord. 08-864 § 1).
Interesting, huh?
Here are some pictures to help do the talking. Enjoy your home town trash heap. Cursor over to read comments. Click on photo to enlarge and view in gallery.
Bearing the Weight of the Local Economy
Posted by: | CommentsSometimes we can get focused on a single issue to the extent that we lose sight of things on the periphery. While that may be good when trying to sink a putt it probably is less desirable when driving to the market.
The focus has been on several things these past few years, and currently it is safe to say that the Settlement Agreement is that ten foot putt for many in town. Hit or miss, the topic we seldom consider is what got us to this point. Think of it as working on your pitching and chipping.
Can’t putt unless you get to the green, so why not get as close to the pin to improve that putt?
A few years before all the drama unfolded regarding dewatering, restoring, expanding; there was what seemed an inconsequential item on the council agenda. That day, way back in late July of 2006, was this item to consider “Ordinance Authorizing Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Amendments Regarding the Old Fort Lake, Mineral Resource Overlay, and the Civic Center.” Not as boring as it sounds, as it turns out.
You can review what that change entailed here; and you can see how it was debated and who voted for what reason here. But that the purpose of this writing (though I will refer back to it later).
The lesson learned is that not every item on the council agenda is inconsequential and more items are more interconnected than you may think. Take, for instance, a somewhat innocuous presentation made by a Pierce County duo called Economic Development Board.
The EDB came to deliver some encouraging news to some; or, it may have been pandering to our current economic unease. They spoke of cooperation and partnerships and opportunities. They also spoke of something that sounded straight out of a made for TV movie: Project Tango.
Ooooooo.
Attached to the dumb, clichéd sounding name was a project linked to an unnamed Multi-national U.S based company in need of a warehouse and logistics center. And what DuPont can do to better position itself to claim their “prize” would be to have the assets and infrastructure ready for this “shovel” ready opportunity.
I wish I were making this up, or even embellishing it. However, this is pretty much what was discussed and how it was presented.
However, there is a catch.
That’s right; DuPont could possibly stand to benefit from this lucrative project Tango if only they amended a minor ordinance. The council would have to allow larger trucks to navigate Center Drive and offer up to them access to Exit 118. Just think, for a moment, how that would change DuPont. Large tractor trailers gaining access through the business district and slowly entering and exiting Center Drive. This is a terrible idea, not just for the added sight of traffic but also for what it could do to the cost of maintaining the roads affected by this change.
It is another call to abandon the “plan” that many of us were sold on and to share a sacrifice. But let’s not forget why. So that we can have warehouses as our primary economic development. What is wrong with warehouses? Plenty if you read the documentation I posted from 2006. Council was quite bothered at the thought of warehouses pocking the landscape. Now, as it turns out, that is all we seem to be attracting.
I suppose this is what we get for not valuing a Community Development Director for the past few years. It may also be a product of what I wrote about last time where we have been living in a void without vision for this community.
We may want to pay closer attention to these agenda items so we are not forced to relive history.
Nothing Is Settled
Posted by: | CommentsThe sands of time are running out for the public to comment on the recently released 2011 Settlement Agreement. That deadline looms and it is set as September 9, 2011. All comments can be emailed to DuPont City Clerk, Erin Larsen (elarsen@ci.dupont.wa.us). The city of DuPont has dedicated a page to information and a document repository.
I have had an opinion on the matter for nearly four years now. Some of you may have first heard about the proposed mine expansion from me at that time. It is that proposed expansion that necessitated the whole renegotiation of the 1994 Settlement Agreement, after all. I won’t go into all the gory (i.e. boring) details. They are well documented here and elsewhere.
Some of those who joined my commentary midway through this issue may be mistaken at my motivations for opposing the CalPortland (formerly Glacier Northwest) mine expansion. I am neither aligned nor affiliated with the Sequalitchew Creek Watershed Council. I am sympathetic to their efforts, but mainly because they are also opposed to the mine expansion for different reasons. Think of it as going to a Mariner’s game. They may be cheering for the M’s but I am there to cheer against their opponent. Different motivation, same goals, and hopefully the same result.
One of the first distinctions between me and the SCWC would be that I do not hate CalPortland, mining, or big business. I am not particularly environmentally conscious beyond giving a hoot (I was raised by the same Saturday morning cartoons as the rest of you).
Nor am I in denial that when properly regulated, industry and nature can coexist for the benefit of a community. I get it. But, I am also somewhat cynical, and not in the classical sense. I find it all well and good that the creek and marshes are the SCWC focus, but to be honest, their rubber didn’t hit the road until there were plans to significantly increase the size of the mine; and dewater in order to do it.
The mine expansion is sold to us as a grand opportunity for a restoration project; first from CalPortland, then later from the Sequalitchew Creek Watershed Council. It was only then that the Sequalitchew Creek became a jewel of a resource to the City of DuPont and its residents. From that point forward, it was two opposing groups trying to sell me the same used car: a 1974 Chevy Vega.
The sales pitch was simple. This long damned and diverted, garbage strewn and weed choked creek could one day be restored to its former glory. The problem with this argument, just like the ‘74 Vega, is that it sat unused and unappreciated for years. People weren’t too excited by the Vega when it was new and shiny and it will take buckets full of money to restore to its original condition. However, the thought of losing that ‘74 Vega from the backyard was too much for some to bear.
That is their front, that is their fight. It just would have been nice for the motivated folks at the SCWC to paint a clearer picture for those less passionate about the creek or who may view city matters on the periphery. It sounds like a good idea but what can and should Sequalitchew Creek be? Only then will you get people excited about joining the effort to preserve, in the least, or restore the creek.
But the purpose here is not to bash the few motivated people who care enough to try to fix something. They are sticking their necks out, and in DuPont, that usually means they are the easy candidate for the chopping block. Far be it for me to discourage someone willing to call out City Hall.
For me, I oppose an expansion of the mine based on nothing more than vision. That would be vision for DuPont in case anyone from City Hall is listening, reading, or considering a point of view that may challenge their own.
Since DuPont was settled, its vision was largely conceived, implemented, and governed by those who have lived elsewhere. It existed as a place on a map. A place defined by its proximity to other places. First the water, then the trees, then the Fort. DuPont was a port, and trading post, a manufacturing plant, a wasteland, and finally a bedroom community that sits atop glacial deposited sand and rock. The merchants needed DuPont. So did the foresters and government; and DuPont has held up its end of the bargain with little complaint, and with little resistance.
DuPont has also paid a dear price for its servitude.
DuPont very well could have been a place that ‘used to be.’ A place that would have faded in Washington’s collective memory much in the same manner that the relics and disgraces from the dynamite plant faded into the wooded landscape. A village buffered from some wetlands and trees by a rusting chain link fence. Now that the current plats are built out we are offered a contemplative pause on where we came from and where we are going. With the current growth abating we are now afforded the opportunity to conduct a community inventory of our values, and more importantly, our vision.
DuPont is approaching a period with a static population. A period without the pressures and influences of the residential growth. Fewer and fewer tractor trailers delivering the materials for ready-made (fabricated elsewhere, of course) houses. Fewer contractor vans. Fewer building permits and inspections.
A contemplative pause.
Now that we have come this far it is time to re-evaluate the journey. Are we still heading in the right direction? Are we even the same as we were before we left? And, where is it, again, that we are going?
For the entire time that I have lived in DuPont, this city has been a building permit issuing machine. Our City Hall’s function was primarily in support of the vision conceived and actively pursued by others. We were told that by continuing to build that our tax burden would decrease, the burden would be shared; but, the reality is that we lost some services when we encountered some new obstacles.
Some were mistaken in believing that if we continued to build that our history would be somehow be preserved and garner increased interest. Yet through our growth we are actually losing some of that history while we grapple with our identity. And, we were also naive enough to believe that if we continued to grow then our town would become a destination for new businesses and merchants; yet we lack some of the most basic services while the large businesses that signed on in the beginning remain alone on the landscape.
This period of pause can allow us to look up from the city’s ‘plan’ in order to view our reality. The paramount question that needs to be asked, not only during this time but before every vote is cast by council and the citizens alike, is who will benefit from our city’s plan? The collective answer to that question ends up being our vision.
I contend that until this point that vision is a product of others from elsewhere. Whether we realize it or not, now is the time to take firm control of DuPont’s vision. We live here and we will hand off the consequences to the future. Successful visions of the past are silently enjoyed while failed visions, or worse yet, no vision, are publicly cursed. You know these arguments because they often start with the words: What were they thinking?
I think the easiest way to begin is with your own vision of DuPont and not you were told by the builder, realtor, or City Hall when you chose to live here. For whatever DuPont wants to be, it is, in fact, a suburb. Too far to be a suburb of Olympia or Tacoma, it ended up being a suburb of Joint Base Lewis McChord. It is a bedroom community with generally quiet streets and generally decent schools and a generally lower property tax rate.
I realize that it is difficult to conceptualize vision. In the past they were the providence of both wise men and the insane. But for your frame of reference, the following is the vision of DuPont, Washington as stated in their Comprehensive Plan.
DuPont: A model small city known for its planned setting and hometown sense of community – a place that blends its natural beauty and Rich Northwest history with a proactive approach to its future.
How does a 700 acre hole in the ground support this stated purpose?
Contemplative pause.
I scrapped my last vision since no one could accurately paint the picture of just how the creek would be restored, or where the fish would come from or whether they could thrive. I was hoping this MOU period would have been about forming a coalition between the city, the Department of Defense, the State and Tribes, Burlington Northern, and the environmental groups. I had visions of a salmon hatchery similar to the one in Issaquah that sits predominately in the center of town; school buses parked along the street. A yearly festival celebrating the Salmon. People standing on the Center Drive Bridge mesmerized at the scene below.
No, I awoke from that dream.
My vision now is much more pragmatic. A vision that is radical because it stands counter to everything we know of this town since the advent of Northwest Landing. It is contrary to our comprehensive plan, the builders plan, the military rental community’s plan, and certainly to CalPortland’s plan. I suppose that I arrived at this point because I wasn’t hearing from our leaders, elected or otherwise. After careful consideration of where we appear to be now, and factoring in where it is proposed that we go, I have concluded that a significant part of our future should not include new housing.
That is, of course, what is planned for that mine pit once all the gravel has been exhausted. But the hard question we need to ask ourselves is how have we done with the housing we do have? And, that includes the housing in the Historic Village. If we are honest in attaining that answer we may very well be uneasy with the direction we are tacking toward.
Take for instance, as we see the decreasing new house permits issued by city hall we are also seeing fewer of these Quadrant houses owner occupied. Take a drive around any of the “villages” and you will notice more and more signs alerting passersby to a home for rent. This is not entirely attributable to the economy of the past few years. Even after the real estate boom there was still evidence of speculation and opportunity to turn a quick buck. Others are choosing to wait out the financial storm, and with JBLM, why not? The problem is that this does not bode well for the City coffers. DuPont currently cannot meet their obligations to pay their debt on the Civic Center and the missing Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) is a large contributor to this dilemma.
If you are thinking that this financial crisis will eventually abate and this shouldn’t be a worry then consider our infrastructure. How will the home owners of twenty years hence leave their new village of Aggregate Acres? The same way the residents of Hoffman Hill will be leaving then, which is to say, the same way they leave now. A single conga line of traffic. Where will the kids go to school? Will the added community mean that there is finally funds to have full EMT service for our fire department? How big will our Police department be and what will the response times be in the pit? How will having a neighborhood so disconnected reconcile itself with the walkability aspect of our original plan?
Contemplative pause.
*sigh*
The point is that we haven’t figured out how to efficiently run the town as it stands now. Adding a new residential space does not solve any of our problems, it actually exacerbates them. The current green space near the mine and overlooking Puget Sound can be our greatest asset in the future. Unfortunately, we never pause long enough to realize it.
…Dreams of You All Through My Head
Posted by: | CommentsDuPont City Council is Presented the Draft Settlement Agreement
Posted by: | CommentsThe council has finally begun their long anticipated deliberation of the 2011 Settlement Agreement. Late last month, the city of DuPont held a town hall meeting to present the details of the draft settlement to the citizens. Signatories to the agreement fielded questions from the crowd via cards submitted during the meeting; however, all questions at that time that required a city response were deferred to a later date. The July 12, 2011 regularly scheduled DuPont City Council meeting is the beginning of the process where the city council will consider the materials presented, the testimony of citizens, and data of the various hired parties. This information will presumably be vetted against the city’s Comprehensive Plan, Shoreline Master Plan, and any vision the council, mayor, and perspective office seeking candidates may have.
The council has not set a firm date to vote on whether to accept this agreement, but based on the comments from the meeting it shall remain on their collective radar through the balance of the summer.
The video presented here contains only the portion of the last televised council meeting where the draft Settlement Agreement was discussed. The video clocks in just shy of three hours so you can certainly gauge the importance of this topic by the amount of time dedicated to the subject. That is the only edit of the video and I have provided no other commentary, sound effects, or musical accompaniment. I also will withhold my opinion on the Settlement Agreement until people have taken the time to view this video or otherwise educate themselves on the issues involved.
I Mustafa Been Crazy
Posted by: | CommentsThe so called “Arab spring” had many of us glued to our cable news, like teenagers awaiting their next text message. The world marveled at the youth lead social media revolutions. Tunisia then Egypt then Syria then, whoops…Libya and Yemen.
Of course, not every micro-revolution went without a hitch. Libya got quite messy and it was only a matter of time before consequences could be felt here in America, even DuPont. As fast as a French led NATO airstrike, the third world spammers got to work. Battle weary, I was ready and waiting at my firewall.
The first salvo was delivered a couple weeks ago.
Date: Mon, 23 May 2011 23:59:19 +0300 [05/23/2011 01:59:19 PM PDT]
From: MUSTAFA GHERIANI [mustafagheriani@libya.gov.lbc]
To: Undisclosed Recipients
Reply-To: mustafagheriani@w.cn
Subject: REQUEST FOR URGENT AND CONFIDENTIAL ASSISTANCE?
I am Mustafa Gheriani a security officer to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
I have interest investing in your country. I am seeking for any short term income generating investment.. I am willing to invest eight (8) Millions Dollars in 2years and also wishing to relocate abroad, I am relying on your assistance in achieving my desire. Please email,The demand is urgent.
Please if you are interested, contact me immediately!
Yours Sincerely
Mustafa Gheriani
Interested? Damn straight I am interested, partner. I jumped at the chance at this opportunity.
(notice that the “from” email domain appears to be in Libya while the expanded header reveals that the message is actually going to China. The .cn Domain Registry is part of The China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) and was founded in 1997.)
Date: Mon, 23 May 2011 15:56:47 -0700 [05/23/2011 03:56:47 PM PDT]
From: admin
To: mustafagheriani@w.cn
Subject: Re: REQUEST FOR URGENT AND CONFIDENTIAL ASSISTANCE?
How can we help?
By “we” I meant the whole DuPont community. Think of what $8 million could buy. Certainly that could carry us for at least 10 more years of debate and studies on where to build a skate park (or, skate spot if you prefer). I was awash with civic mindedness.
Two days later I got a reply to my Samaritan-esque offer.
Date: Wed, 25 May 2011 18:26:27 +0000 [05/25/2011 11:26:27 AM PDT]
From: Mustafa Gheriani
To: admin@realdupont.com
Subject: Thanks
Dear Sir/Madam
I am in receipt of your sent mail which is well noted by me, a lot of thanks for your concern in this transaction, please I am very sorry for invading your privacy. Like I said before, due to this issue on my hands now, it became necessary for me to seek your assistance, I appreciate the fact that you are ready to assist me in executing this project, and also to help me in investing my money in your country. You should not have anything to worry about. I will do everything legally required to ensure that the project goes smoothly.
But however having resolved to entrust this transaction into your hands, I want to remind you that, it needs your commitment and diligent follow up. If you work seriously, the entire transaction should be over in a couple of days.And I like us to continue this transaction via this e-mail account.
You should note that this project is highly capital intensive. This is why I have to be very careful. I need your total devotion and trust to see this through. Also I am very confident that we will be able to establish the necessary trust that we need to execute this project.
I will make arrangement on how the funds will be moved in your name as the beneficiary where you may be needed to sign paper for the release of the funds directly; this is the best way I recommend for this transaction
Before I commence, I will need you to send me a copy of any form your identification (Driver’s license or International passport) . I want to be sure that I am transacting with the correct person. As soon as I get these from you, I will commence the paper work. I hope you will understand why I need all these. The money in question is big and I want to ensure that I know you well before I proceed to give you all the details to commence the project.
Thanks for your corporation.
Mustafa Gheriani
Hmmmm. Good ole Mustafa took a page right out of my playbook by asking for a photo for identification. Driver’s license or passport? I got both.
My passport photo thankfully changed a couple years ago. It was a hindrance and I was glad to be rid of it. I made the foolish mistake of being photographed with a “look” that I found impractical to keep for ten years, yet I posed at Kinko’s for my headshot anyway. As a result of this photo I was subjected to extra scrutiny and scorn for the duration of my passport term. On a trip from London to Amsterdam, I was pulled from line where I and my luggage was thoroughly searched by any reasonable standard pre-9/11. Again, this search took place entering Amsterdam. I guess they didn’t believe I was going to visit Anne Frank’s house.
I nearly freed myself for the burdensome photo at Heathrow Airport a couple years later. I was returning from Detroit to London. Somehow, I had lost the passport from the control point to my luggage carousel. I looked in vain for about 20 minutes but had to catch a train home. Great, I thought. I am living abroad and now I have no passport. I called the U.S. Embassy and was instructed to come and get a new passport issued. By then, I had gotten a haircut and shaved to a goatee. I went to the nearest shop by my office that took passport photos (it happened to be in Stratford-upon-Avon) and finally got a photo I could live with…or so I thought.
New photos in hand, I took the afternoon off and returned to Mayfair in London, to the U.S. Embassy. I walked in and told the desk clerk that I had been instructed to get a new passport issued since I lost mine at the British Airways luggage carousel in Terminal Four. “Hold on” he said, “Sometimes they will be turned into lost and found.” He thumbed through a card file no bigger than you might keep clipped coupons and within five seconds gleefully said, “Here you go. A member of the flight staff turned it in. Saved you some trouble.”
Did it?
I got the passport for business travel, mind you. I traveled throughout Europe and part of the Muslim world on those credentials. When I readied for my first trip to China while at Intel, I was asked to provide my passport to an administrator who would send it to obtain the proper visa. Well, evidently, the photo was too titillating for her to keep to herself and my passport was passed around a conference room at a General Manager’s staff meeting. Snickers and giggles aside, the Chinese passport control agents were none too thrilled with it either. The checker would look at the photo, look at me, and look at the photo again, all without saying a word. Finally, he would stare at me blankly and stamp it, waving me through.
I digress.
There was no way in hell that I was going to send a copy of my passport to someone trying to flee Libya, even if it is make believe. No. He will get a driver’s license photo, which in this country is nearly as good as a birth certificate.
I sent him this reply with this photo:
Date: Thu, 26 May 2011 10:18:31 -0700 [05/26/2011 10:18:31 AM PDT]
From: admin
To: Mustafa Gheriani
Subject: Re: Thanks
Here is the photo you requested. It is valid to buy liquor in all 50 states and is issued in the same state where President Obama has a birth certificate, thus ensuring its authenticity.
What is next?
I am so confused. Is he in Libya? Is he in China? You would think with all of the pirated copies of SuperBad my ruse would be exposed, but evidently it was not.
Date: Fri, 27 May 2011 00:18:31 +0000 [05/26/2011 05:18:31 PM PDT]
From: Mustafa Gheriani
To: admin@realdupont.com
Subject: My arrangement
Dear friend,
Thank you for your message and your information I received today,. I read your massages today because too many bombing yesterday and no satellite internet network were working except today. Communication came back. Please let me know what agreement and send me the agreement to me now. so I agreed with it.
I have no time again. So I can make preparation for moving it out of my country on Sunday. The company take this money to Egypt and they move it to France or Spain, you know American government refuse money from Libya to everywhere .You tell me if I can send it to France or Spain and you meet with the people there and in Europe tell the people to make arrangement to move from there to your country, I am moving this funds with the highest contact through a special diplomatic channel I can have now, we can not do anything now in Libya this is the only means to move this funds, I might lost the funds if I keep wasting time, this is all I have now, there is too much problem in my country right now. I was introduced to by a diplomat who works in Tripoli on how I can move funds through diplomats.
I will update with the arrangement, as I have start making plans today. This fund will be package and cast in safe deposit box register as consignment vault arrangement this is the safest means via a diplomatic means to avoid inspection, you will only demand for the claim of the trunk box. I will send you the unlocked pin code to unlocked the consignment after the clearance, you are going to received the money in cash, this was the only save and direct means to get the funds to you ,this is a every confidential and save means. I am begging that this is my life; I put my future and hope on this deposit as i want to invest this funds.
Regards
Mustafa Gheriani.
I like the salutation Dear Friend. Sure, it is someone who probably wants to scam me out of my bank information, but we can at least remain civil. Plus, I, too, am taking a liking to Mustafa. Friends do not seem out of the realm of possibility. Imagine if I started my three minutes before speaking to council about an issue by prefacing it with Dear Friend(s), I might be able to get them to like me too.
Should I ask for Mustafa’s photo? Naw, that scared my last scammer friend away.
Date: Thu, 26 May 2011 20:41:10 -0700 [05/26/2011 08:41:10 PM PDT]
From: admin
To: Mustafa Gheriani
Subject: Re: My arrangement
I understand and will await further direction.
Regards,
Dang. I always seem to do something that scares them away. All I want is a friend where I can love them and squeeze them and call them George. Well, if he thinks that I am going to just sit around my email account waiting for him to feel like writing me back then he has another thing coming.
Date: Mon, 30 May 2011 10:29:47 -0700 [05/30/2011 10:29:47 AM PDT]
From: admin
To: Mustafa Gheriani
Subject: Re: My arrangement
Mustafa,
I have not heard from you regarding this matter. I hope you are in good health.
Regards,
I couldn’t stay mad. Besides, maybe there were network problems with all the mayhem and chaos and airstrikes.
Date: Tue, 31 May 2011 16:33:18 +0000 [05/31/2011 09:33:18 AM PDT]
From: Mustafa Gheriani
To: admin@realdupont.com
Subject: Final arrangement
Dear Friend,
Thanks for all your effort and patience to assist in this transaction, it is not been an easy job since it was difficult to move the funds out through a bank transfer as restriction and embargo has been placed by the international community I need to move this funds by all mean or else I will lost the funds here there way things are going, remember that most of our money here is not also kept in the bank because of the past government policy which will come to an end soon because the outside world no longer support this government.
I have been to move these funds through the help of diplomatic channel to their own security and Vault Company in Europe, I will get the full contact by tomorrow so that you can contact the firm and ask them to deliver the funds to through the same means, but I know them have office in Malaysia, if you want to travel to Europe or Malaysia or you instruct they to move it directly to you in your country, if possible let me know which of this procedures to get this funds to you if best to your interest.
Please, read the mail carefully and understand, if any question you can ask me.
Thanks very much for all your support.
Mustafa Gheriani.
Thankfully, he was ok. I guess pretending to be building a huge banking transaction and not have it sound like an internet ponzi scheme is hard work. Well, I work too, pal.
To be honest, I could hardly make heads or tails of what was really expected of me. Vaults and diplomats and embargoes. It all sounds important just as it sounds like complete gibberish. I think this guy has seen one too many episodes of the Beverly Hillbillies. Rubes like this can’t exist.
By now, my heart isn’t in it and I am growing bored with this scam that plays like a Beckett play. Maybe Godot never arrives and neither does my money.
Date: Tue, 31 May 2011 22:03:06 -0700 [05/31/2011 10:03:06 PM PDT]
From: admin
To: Mustafa Gheriani
Subject: Re: Final arrangement
Based on geography, Malaysia via Hong Kong is better for my travel. However, I can also travel to Europe but will require more connecting flights. My preference is to travel Asia on Asian airline since American carriers have stringent security.
I will await your next instruction.
Allah Akbar!
So that is where it stands and I suspect that I have heard the last of Mustafa. Perhaps he was maimed in an airstrike or perhaps he bought a bootleg couple of Superbad. Either case would be equally sad, if it was true.
Remember: It isn’t a lie if you believe it.
The Public Relations Alchemy Award
Posted by: | CommentsThe last televised council meeting was brief. In addition to being brief, it also had some filler material to round it is 70 or so minutes.
Coming to the rescue to save the agenda and to add much needed filler material (in lieu of actual City Hall accomplishments) was CalPortland. In addition to generously providing support for various city hardscaping projects, parade and celebration support, and printing needs; CalPortland deftly provided “Agenda Filler” by offering a presentation during the community input period of the meeting.
The two representatives gleefully and professionally announced that the DuPont Washington mine site was given an industry award and a gold award at that! The DuPont site was recognized for blah blah while maintaining blah blah blah. This is a competitive award where blah blah competes against blah blah blah and blah.
Excuse me if I do not hold the same enthusiasm for an insider industry award. I have made it pretty clear on this website that I cringe when people refer to DuPont’s Northwest Landing as an “award winning” community. Hey, it is a nice place but when the award is given by the building and real estate industry it sort of loses its meaning to those of us driving ten miles to buy groceries. It is all marketing hoo-ha anyhow and I am sure it looked impressive on the brochures. Those of us left with the two ways in and out of town and the building dust may beg to differ on what sort of award is deserved. Likewise with the numerous awards the mayor offers to staff from some obscure AWC criteria. I am happy someone at City Hall has got their stuff together enough to complete tasks within their job description but save the back slapping for a staff meeting where there are enough Krispy Kremes for everyone.
Even though we are no longer in kindergarten we certainly are treated to numerous accolades that have little meaning outside our own offices and classrooms. Because of this approach to recognition, the “Raise your hand if you need to use the potty” award bears the same heft as CalPortland’s environmental stewardship award. When it comes to awards you have to consider the source.
Just because your shorts are clean doesn’t mean our water will be.
When I left Intel last year I had accumulated ten years worth of awards. When I left, the awards, in their dollar store frames, were recycled with jammed copier paper and old expense reports. The only award I saved was the golf titles won in our golf league. It seemed silly to save awards from program launches of products now obsolete; but an award to a high handicap golfer who could string together three or four or five consecutive rounds (under competitive pressure), well, now that is something worth remembering.
The problem with many of these CalPortland related stories is that of timing. I am sure it is not easy working community relations for any place whose business is to create a crater in the earth. Whether all like to acknowledge it or not, CalPortland is part of DuPont’s business community as much as State Farm and Intel and Community First Credit Union. However, I can’t help feel that there might be some Eddie Haskell sincerity at play. This new found exposure couldn’t have anything to do with wanting to expand mining operations and deflecting our concern over de-watering issue by distracting us with a shiny, gold award?
What is next? General Motors getting an award from the North American Dealers Association on behalf of the Chevy Volt for its environmental consciousness? Sure, why not? We will be so impressed that we will forget about the Cadillac Escalade or Silverado HD. (I also formally worked for General Motors)
And just what is this organization that bestowed the award on DuPont’s CalPortand? It is the National Stone, Sand, and Gravel Association. Take time to read their interesting website. You will find the criteria for getting this award here. You will also find some interesting related links and products available to mining insiders. My favorite is a book entitled “NIMBY Wars: The Politics of Land Use.” Maybe we can request a copy to be sent to the DuPont Public Library.
CalPortland is going to continue with their soft approach of trying to win the hearts and minds of average DuPont citizens. I just hope that our collective price is higher than the gifts that we accept.
The Monumental Inertia of Change
Posted by: Mike G. | Comments (13)If you require any one piece of information that will summarize the lack of leadership in the City of DuPont, this blog post will be all that is required. Any one thing that could be saved and buried in a time capsule to be unearthed generations from now, this blog post is all that is required. Any one paragraph to cover the true nature of a town so historians and social scientists of the future could learn from the past, then this blog post is all that is required.
It is July, 2011. Mayor Jenkins is still in charge. The town council is still fossilizing before our eyes. The City Administrator is gets paid handsomely without the encumbrances of the expectation of results. And, as in every July, the subject of fireworks is discussed at the first televised DuPont Council meeting after the holiday.
It never changes. How could it? Nobody does anything beyond scratching their head; throwing their hands up in exasperation; reading email from upset citizens; or pledging to address it in the future.
I will have two Big Macs, a large french fry, an apple pie, and a Diet Coke. Nice try, council. Madam Mayor.
This year it was more of the same. This time, it was another letter writer contacting City Hall. It wasn’t me. And, it won’t matter if it was Christ himself who wrote the email. Nothing will change because the eight people sitting at the table do know how to change it even if they wanted to. Sure, there was John’s pet scientific survey they could have consulted. That wasn’t enough. And, there were past citizen’s reaching out for clarification and a solution. That wasn’t enough. There was testimony during public comment about the fires and noise and animals and anything else. That wasn’t enough. A blog post, public comment, email to city leadership, nor fire report will ever be enough to change or clarify a policy. It doesn’t even matter if the subject is different (Sign code, trees, parking). Nothing ever changes in DuPont.
Not with this bunch.
It is as if I have seen this movie before…