Archive for News
Tammy and Krystlyn Are Here, Sort of
Posted by: | CommentsAbout a month ago I reported the departure of Great Clips from the space between Starbucks and Domino’s Pizza. Now it appears that the space will once again host a salon, but whether it is as family-centric remains to be seen.
What is in a name? The last tenant was perhaps hyperbolic in declaring Great Clips, but the replacement’s name is vexing. The sign on the door declares “Christine Dior Hair Salon.” Was it meant to be cheeky or a bit of trickery? Perhaps it will be like a knock off purse or bottle of Eau de Toilette as advertised on the internet. At least it didn’t say Saloon, though some would welcome that to town as well.
I guess we will have to wait to see what we have once the wrapping comes down.
In Response to “What Happened?”
Posted by: | CommentsReader What Happened? asked in all seriousness what happened at the last council meeting regarding the mine expansion and renegociation of the 1994 Settlement Agreement with CalPortland. The simple answer is not a lot happened, What Happened?
Here is the text of an email I received (italics). It is transposed from a recording of the portion of the DuPont City Council meeting that addressed this issue. I did not transcribe the recording so you will have to take it for what it is. There is some editorializing but you will get the gist of the matter. I did try to format the text so that it appears more readable here on RealDupont.
Here is a transcript of the discussion last night (May 24) regarding the 94SA process. I taped this with my [phone], then typed it. A few words are missing (couldn’t hear, mics were going on & off), but for the most part it is word for word. Please let me know if you have any questions. Sorry if there are typos. I’m not able to work on this anymore today….sharing in hopes this is helpful.
===================================
May 24, 2011, DuPont City Council Meeting
From the 1994 Settlement Agreement Discussion-Public Involvement Process, presented by City Attorney:
Bob Sterbank:
“Parties to the 94 agreement has been in discussions to possible additions or new agreements to the current document. [W]e are at a point in the process where the parties are near enough to say
that they believe that a tentative agreement will be made and will be reached shortly. [K]nowing that this body has expressed interest in conducting a public process before you consider and deliberate on whether the city should go forward with the agreement. Now is the appropriate time to determine if you want to go forward with that and what that might look like.
“When we last discussed this item the parties expressed interest in a joint process and what that would include:
- [A] public announcement once the tentative agreement is finalized.
- [T]hen, at some point around the middle of next month, the 17th or so of June thereafter a public townhall type meeting to be held in here in DuPont, not before the council, but for the public with the parties to present an outline of the components of the potential new agreement and to take questions and provide answer to the members of the public about the workings and how all the components work together in the agreement. [T]hat could occur on Tuesday, June 23.
- Thereafter there is the second meeting of the council on June 28, then the council could receive a presentation by the other parties outlining the components of the agreement.
- [K]nowing that the council expressed and interest in having a televised public hearing, that could be done in their first meeting in July (July 12) when television is typically availalbe. We’ve looked into options for the council to have the option of having the meeting taped and televised and make that available.
- This item could also be added to any addtional, subsequent council meeting for discussion, consideration and deliberation on the second meeting in July or the first meeting in August.
“This is the outline that we’ve discussed with the other parties that would work, that we’ve discussed. He then asked for questions & comments by the council.”
Penny Coffey asked if all stakeholders be available at all of the meetings? Sterbank did not know if they would be available at all of the meetings.
Bob Sterbank:
“When we discussed the process and the desire to have them available, they have indicated their desire to be at all the meetings, especially for the first joint public meeting on June 23rd, if that is what you choose to do. And they would hope to be there at the presentation to the council on June 28. We have not discussed subsequent dates. I didn’t want to make that commitment without talking to council first and confirm what the dates would be.”
Michael Grayum expressed concern that the AWC conference in Spokane is on June 23 so that date would not work.
Bob Sterbank:
“[T]hat is the date that was intended as a presentation to the public, (not necessarily council).”
Coffey and Grayum said that it would be a good idea to move the first meeting to when city council could attend. Michael Grayum next asked about something he asked at the last meeting which was about our influence over the process.
Michael Grayum:
“Because to me, as we look at this process and look at the bullets (on the memo) under, ‘[D]eliberate the tentative agreement or the decision on the tentative agreement or the final agreement’, one of the, as we look at it and review it, and talk with the public, do we actually any way to to look at it and influence and look at the agreement as it comes to us, or is it pretty much final and agreed upon by the parties and they are not accepting changes. This is something I thought you were going to take to the group and get an answer because there are other boards and bodies that would be dealing with the same issue, and you were going to get some feedback on that. Any update on this?”
Bob Sterbank:
“I don’t have an update on that; at this time I think it will depend on where, if we get to a tentative agreement and where the other parties are with respect to the agreement at that time, in roughly three to four weeks from now. It will also depend on the scope of potential changes that the council would be interested in discussing”
Michael Grayum:
“[T]hat is a pretty big issue to clarify the time of the process but also how it will be managed and what the expectations and how to communicate them to the public, is this just an up or down vote, or are we really going to dig deep into this make some line item changes of expectations and communicating this is really important.”
Bob Sterbank:
“[C]ertainly I can take that back to the group; I would anticipate that might be; feedback could be brought to the other council members and their flexibility to considering other changes.”
Michael Grayum:
“[O]ne of the other questions that I had earlier is the opportunity to doing site visits to at least see, with some of the experts [which experts? hired by Cal Portland, or external?]
and talk about things from their perspective; I don’t know if other council members would be interested in such a thing including staff and community members. I’d appreciate knowing if that is a possibility.”
Bob Sterbank:
“[D]o you have a sense where in the process you would like that to occur?”
Michael Grayum:
“I think it would dovetail nicely with the briefing of the parties to the members of the public and to the council, so incorporating that in would be appreciated, at the time of that briefing, obviously so there could be an understanding of what we’re talking about, to have it preced a site visit is a good thing.”
Bob Sterbank:
“[W]e can certainly make that request to the parties. Keep in mind that there has been some of that as part of the conversations that have already occurred.”
Roger Westman:
“[N]ot all city council members are going to Spokane to the AWC and it is important for the members of the public to be informed. I would suggest that we stay with the June 23 meeting as announced, knowing that the question and answer session will happen and that the council will have it’s own briefing on the 28th. And, hopefully there will be a question and answer period provided then; July 12 a public meeting for the city council with (hopefully) question and answer period for the public as well. The dates are recommended, as far as I’m concerned, we should stay with it and proceed with the process. I agree with council member Grayum; at the end of the day, does any of this really matter? Is this process going to have an influence on the final agreement? This is a very important question to have answered. Otherwise we’re just spinning our wheels.”
Kathleen Trotter:
“I feel very strongly that we should not have the initial meeting when some of the council members will not be present. Over half the council will be gone and not able to hear the presentation and public comments. If we could delay that until the next week that will be great. We need to hear what questions the public has and what the answers are. part of the reason for a public process is to hear what the citizens have to say. We need to find dates when everyone on council will be available.”
Wilcox concurs with the rest of the comments that this is a very important issue and that all of the council needs to be present. Coffey asked for a thumbs up to delay the initial meeting until everyone from the council could attend.
Michael Grayum:
“[B]efore we do a thumbs up or a thumbs down or any other finger that it is important for us to look at when the agreement will be reached and a series of options are put out that not only work with
our calendars but it is essential that all the parites involved are available too and work back from when the settlement agreement is put and and we and the public have enough time to read it and that the schedule is consistent with the other parties and the council. As that information becomes forward and we have a couple of options then we can move forward to consider what has been put forth.”
Bob Sterbank:
“[W]e can certainly look into seeing that all the other parties are available with public announcement with sufficient time that the public can arrange time to attend; we will coordinate such with them.”
Penny Coffey:
“Thank you. That should give you enough lead time to get the parties involved and arranged and the announcements sent out. Any other questions?”
Bob Sterbank:
“[T]here will be a public meeting, then a public hearing and council meetings after that.
End email.
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.
Fuzzy Math
Posted by: | CommentsThe Salary Commission’s final report was issued in time for the May 10, 2011 DuPont (WA) City Council Meeting but the results were less than satisfactory to some of our elected representatives. In particular Councilman Roger Westman seemed particularly flummoxed by the resulting $75 per month increase for council members.
I am afraid that Roger is so far into the weeds that he will have to take a drop or let others play through. I can fully understand his confusion that it appeared that the compensation increase did not account for the time required by each member of council and mayor had to provide in the fulfillment of the position. However, not all value is derived by the time spent working on something. When providing a service, value becomes even more difficult to quantify. The real question to ask is what is anyone’s time worth? You are apt to get boundless inputs and opinions on the matter.
While the average citizen probably does not realize how much time each individual council member puts into his or her duties it would be safe to say they also probably do not care. The majority of those on the periphery of city business only begin to care when something the city does or does not do impacts them directly. It is also safe to assume that what is important to Roger or any other council member isn’t as important to the average Joe. So when Roger makes the case for his time spent at AWC conferences and seminars he also needs to articulate the value back to the citizen resulting from that time. Good luck with that.
Further, Roger offered two very lame and non-applicable examples of his value proposition. The first was of a garage door repairman requesting $100/hr labor rate to come out and diagnose his problem and recommend, and presumably render, a solution. It was also the same rate the computer repair technician quoted in Roger’s second example (he should have went to DNA Repair on Wilmington). It is beyond a stretch for these examples to be applied to the rate a part-time city councilman or mayor of a small town can reasonably expect. First of all, in the two examples cited, the technicians provide a measureable service. If Roger called for his garage door to be fixed then it would be fixed by the end of the transaction. Same is true with the computer technician.
In the case of the garage door Roger’s choices are as follows: 1) Pay the $100/hr rate and get the garage door fixed, 2) Fix the garage door himself for the cost of parts and his sweat equity, or 3) leave the garage door in disrepair.
To have Roger suggest that his time on council is somehow worth $100/hr because that is the going rate is preposterous. First of all, the technicians actually fix things. There is a measureable result in the service that they provide. Can anyone holding elected office in DuPont honestly say that they routinely fix issues with every minute they are deliberating on city business? What skill is it exactly that they are providing?
Look at this very council meeting. Seven council and one mayor. It lasted one hour. At Roger’s rate they would have each gotten $100. Watch it (if you can bear) and ask yourself if we got $800 in value.
Let me offer another example in the same vein as Roger’s above two. A plumber. A plumber probably also gets $100/hr as mentioned. But at least the plumber is willing to clean up someone else’s shit for them; and at the end of the transaction you can flush confidently knowing you were able to keep your own hands clean. The problem with our council and mayor is that we still have some shit clogged in our pipes and the only thing we have seen from them in the last four years is ass crack, not much in the way of results. Let’s begin with that discussion on “value.”
Here is where the argument gets ugly. What is the value the council and the mayor are providing back to the taxpayers of DuPont? If Roger Westman is quick to keep a ledger of council and mayoral value then so will RealDuPont.
What council should acknowledge is all of our money that they waste and that the citizen’s see zero return on investment. A certain $25,000 phone (scientific) survey comes to mind. Can any council member show any actionable items that came from the exercise of the obvious? OK, how about the countless council “retreats” where a facilitator is hired to tell council just how dysfunctional they are. Any learnings from that that I can see in action or is our council still divided into cliques pushing their own agendas? What about the pencil whipping City Staff pay increases during a recession? The benefit to the citizens for that charade was to lay off employees and decrease our level of services so that the managers could all get a pay bump.
Should I go on?
I would like to remind our belly aching council that their bonehead decisions cost taxpayers money too. Did Roger vote to send a $1000 gift to Steilacoom High School even though we do not have an electronic reader board ourselves due to lack of funds and in spite of the fact that we all pay school taxes for such nonsense? What about the second, off season, failed levy election because the first tax proposal was botched? What was the cost on that, again? How much in CYA expenses has council authorized to work on the CalPortland Mine expansion and subsequent renegotiation of the legally binding (at one time) 1994 Settlement Agreement? Lawyer’s fees? Planning department time? That total is nowhere near being completely calculated. Is there a price tag on every dead-end, go nowhere town hall meeting?
The way I see it, Mr. Westman, perhaps some of you on council could pull out your own checkbooks and offer back a rebate as a matter of good faith.
But, things don’t work that way, nor are you to be judged on how many hours council puts in for their blunders and successes. Just be thankful you are not being paid by results (like your technician friends).
You are serving the public, not the other way around.
The Curious Case of Terry Sutton
Posted by: | CommentsYou see them every day. Emails pushing something that is too good to be true; whether it is deeply discounted Viagra, name brand prescriptions from Canada, or real Russian women seeking husbands. Most are boilerplate spam messages send from Middle Africa or Eastern Europe.
In addition to the run of the mill spam is the phishing (fishing) email scams looking for personal information to exploit. They run from the polite and deferential to the official and demanding. You may be corresponding with a prince or a government official or an esteemed business man; but, for whatever reason, he needs access to your bank account to help out a new friend from a tight squeeze. Your trust and kindness will be handsomely rewarded, or so it is promised.
These are my favorite because they most resemble the scams of old pulp fiction novels and detective shows. It takes some cunning, and more importantly, some investment of time to pull off such a caper. A spam email is just cyber lazy and exhibits all the skill of panhandling. Please help, send money, God bless. Now, pretending to be a prince or banker hiding money…that takes some real nuts to pull off successfully.
I like a caper that takes some real effort…and costumes.
All good scams rely on inherent human weakness (with a touch of dishonesty) and it is no wonder that when the economy is down the success of these schemes increase. Sure, you know it sounds too good to be true or it sounds not entirely legal, but you need the money. Besides, the bankers (government, businesses, or others) are screwing us anyway you will rationalize (why do you think John Dillinger was a folk hero in the 1930s?). Once you convince yourself it is right then you are fully hooked.
Recently, I got an email here at RealDuPont and the subject line caught my eye. It stated simply “CAN I TRUST YOU? {PARTNERSHIP PROPOSAL}.” All caps. Begging an emotional reaction that I may not be trustworthy. I had an idea!
Telemarketing Laid the Groundwork
I opened the email and read. It was typical in many ways but I appreciated some of the effort. Still, I knew it was completely bogus when I read the email but something inside of my head clicked. I remembered back to the glory days of telemarketing phone solicitation calls. I grew tired of them like everyone else but I decided a response was in order. First, I thought, “what kind of people would take such a job?” “What catastrophic set of circumstances would lead to someone selling light bulbs by telephone?” I also thought about their pay scale. It had to be commission based, so the more calls meant the more possible hits. You may dial for an hour and only get one or two leads. Over the course of a shift, you may only get a couple of sales. So, if you got someone on the hook, you had to let all of your other cast lines go unattended so you could reel in your big lunker.
I am that big lunker, I thought. I am not a runner, pulling out the line and soon tiring. I am a fighter. I wait to get near the net before I break the line.
I would employ two methods in the telephone solicitation. One, is I would engage the caller by asking them about themselves. “Was it drugs? Did drugs prevent you from getting a job other than calling people and disturbing them?” “Were you abused as a child? Why the low self-esteem?” The point to this was that the longer I could keep them engaged the more other possible suckers were getting away and the guy two phones away in their boiler room would get the sales commission.
You waste my time it is just annoying. I waste your time, it costs you money.
When I couldn’t bear the interchange between me and the caller I resorted to another arrow in the quiver. I interrupted the sales pitch at just the right moment and said, “Sorry to interrupt. This sounds exactly like what I need but I have to run and pull something out of the oven. Hang on a second.” At that point I would set down the phone and go about my day. The person on the other end could hear me milling about, but they were left to wonder when I was coming back. This left them with the dilemma of hanging up after I said I was really interested in what they are selling. One minute? Five minutes? How long would they wait?
Surprisingly long, as it turns out.
Eureka Moment
That gave me my eureka moment with my email scammer. I will begin a dialog and see how long it could move forward. I will provide you with the full email exchange so you can use it as a cautionary tale or as a template. Feel free to use it yourself. In fact, I implore you to use it yourself. Imagine if all of these email scammers had to make that same decision of whether to continue on or punt. Let them get their hopes dashed for a change.
Date: Fri, 6 May 2011 17:19:44 +0700 [05/06/2011 03:19:44 AM PDT]
From: TERRY SUTTON
Reply-To: sutton2t@live.com
Subject: CAN I TRUST YOU? {PARTNERSHIP PROPOSAL}
Attn: Sir/Madam,
I am the Finance Manager of a leading bank in Scotland seeking partnership for a pending business project I have at hand ready to be executed without hitches. I will give to you a detailed explanation of this project which I prefer to call a “DEAL” if I have your positive response. The business is 100% risk free because I have fashioned out means to give it an excellent outcome.
In an attempt to throw light on this business deal, a month ago a Kuwaiti multinational company opted an overdraft from our bank and was over invoiced with an amount of 12,000,000 GBP [Twelve Million Pounds]. I seek your partnership to enable me transfer this funds to your account for both of us and I am open to negotiate your percentage. Your utmost attention and sincerity is needed due to the nature of the business.
Please if you are interested; get back to me via my private email: sutton2t@live.com for further details.
Best Regards,
Terry Sutton.
Kudos for the Scottish sounding name. Probably plays midfielder on the Rangers FC. I also like the use of legalese “DEAL” as if henceforth that would be the way the long named project would be referred. Very official sounding! I responded to the email address provided.
Date: Thu, 05 May 2011 09:03:25 -0700 [05/05/2011 09:03:25 AM PDT]
From: admin
To: sutton2t@live.com
Subject: Re: CAN I TRUST YOU? {PARTNERSHIP PROPOSAL}
Dear Terry,
This sounds like a fantastic opportunity. I have an account at Chase that currently is being unused. It has a balance of $3.67 (USD).
You can trust me.
For the record, I do not bank at Chase. I am a credit union kind of guy, but I liked the fact that it sounded iconic. Nor can I be trusted. I awaited his response.
Date: Thu, 5 May 2011 16:52:02 +0000 [05/05/2011 09:52:02 AM PDT]
From: TERRY SUTTON
To: admin@realdupont.com
Subject: RE: PARTNERSHIP PROPOSAL
Hello Friend,
Thanks for the prompt response to my mail and enquiry on further details of this project. I want you to know that this is a 100% risk free business deal because all modalities have been mapped out already to make it a success. This type of business deal happens daily by the so called leaders of the world and since I have this opportunity on hand now I deemed it fit not to allow it pass me by because it may never come again. We can conclude it in the next few days if we work diligently and closely together.
Before we begin, it is important I educate you on the process carefully and please ensure to follow my advice step by step so that we will not have any problems at any stage as you know this is my field. The fund in question is ready for transfer and all I need from you now is your TOTAL COMMITMENT hence send me your Full Names, Address, Phone number, Age, Occupation and Company Name (if any). With these details I will retrieve the original information of the company and replace it with yours in our records. When the transfer is effected from my bank to your nominated bank account in your name I would destroy the records from our file then we can both share our percentage as we will agree upon.
I will share with you 70% for me and then 30% for you since I am the originator of this business and would also need to grease some hands in my office to make sure that we have a smooth transfer. A very important aspect we must take into consideration is that we must make use of an OFFSHORE BANK that has a very high levels of customer protection and secrecy in a country that has relaxed banking laws and financial regulations and also a bank that is a corresponding bank to my bank so that the transfer will be seen as an in-house transfer thus will not attract any financial regulatory body although I will advice you carefully on this.
With all these been said I would prefer to get your response and also build a relationship with you since we have not met before and you will agree with me that it is not easy to transact and entrust such magnitude of business in your hand without building a relationship. Please I would want you to handle this matter with utmost confidentiality due to the nature of my job since I am still in active service.
Regards,
Terry Sutton
A tad long winded, and there is emphasis with all caps again, but at least he called me friend (which was nice).
Date: Thu, 05 May 2011 11:55:54 -0700 [05/05/2011 11:55:54 AM PDT]
From: admin
To: TERRY SUTTON
Subject: RE: PARTNERSHIP PROPOSAL
Greetings. I am heartened by your prompt reply. The 30% you mention sounds like a fair amount to me. This money will be welcome because I have recently fallen into financial hardship at my business. I am facing the prospect of making redundant 10 positions or more but as it stands, I cannot even make payroll for next week. These employees have been loyal and many have families, so I do not want to disappoint them.
I assume that it is OK that we use my personal bank account rather than that of my business. As I mentioned, the business is having liquidity issues and I fear creditors may try to garnish any funds put into it. My personal account is safe from such issues.
However, I will need to ask what city in Scotland you are located. You do not have to provide street address, but I would like to know the city and district of your location before I proceed with personal information.
Kind regards.
Innocent request and I am sure that one he can easily Google an answer but it will show whether he is still paying attention.
Date: Fri, 6 May 2011 09:41:29 +0000 [05/06/2011 02:41:29 AM PDT]
From: TERRY SUTTON
To: admin@realdupont.com
Subject: RE: PARTNERSHIP PROPOSAL
I live in Aberdeen District, Aberdeen City. Send your information and avoid further delay.
Great, but this is still not what I need to gain trust. He must sense I am just being cautious and that I am just another dumb American being lured into his web of deceit. Still, I need to know some additional data.
Date: Fri, 06 May 2011 09:01:51 -0700 [05/06/2011 09:01:51 AM PDT]
From: admin
To: TERRY SUTTON
Subject: RE: PARTNERSHIP PROPOSAL
Part(s): 2 !banking Info.jpg 62 KB
Download All Attachments (in .zip file)
Terry,
Thank you, Aberdeen is a lovely place.
Before I commit I need assurances that this is a sincere endeavour. I will send all my pertinent information after you can verify your locale. I am requesting that you take a photograph exactly like the one attached with the inclusion of today’s Aberdeen’s Evening Express newspaper in the foreground.
Once this proof is provided we can look forward to doing business together.
Also, you will need to get two of your mates to help with this photograph.
Kind regards,
Email Attachment
Sure, it is a leap of faith to think that “Terry Sutton” will actually provide his own version of this photo, but if he did provide a similar picture it would be great! Sadly, I think this is the beginning of the end of our correspondence.
I try again.
Date: Tue, 10 May 2011 11:29:38 -0700 [05/10/2011 11:29:38 AM PDT]
From: admin
To: TERRY SUTTON
Subject: RE: PARTNERSHIP PROPOSAL
Mr. Sutton,
Please update me on the progress of this partnership. I am anxiously awaiting your photo verification with your mates so that we may proceed. Things are growing desperate here.
Yours in commerce,
Now imagine if you’re waiting for millions of dollars to be deposited into your bank account. You might just be getting a little agitated at any delay, as I hope to convey with my next email to Mr. Sutton; besides, he needs consequences if he is dragging his feet.
Date: Wed, 11 May 2011 22:54:19 -0700 [05/11/2011 10:54:19 PM PDT]
From: admin
To: TERRY SUTTON
Subject: RE: PARTNERSHIP PROPOSAL
Terry,
I have not heard from you in several days. What is the delay in this transaction?
Attached is a photo to inspire you to respond. Please do so promptly or the next photo will be of her nude!
Regards,
Email Attachment
Of course, there is no nude photo available, that I am aware of, but pondering the mere thought of one arriving in his inbox should elicit some sort of response, or you would think. At this point I am sure I know he knows that I know. He has moved onto his next mark from his computer located in Africa or the Ukraine. I hedge my bets and guess that this is a Nigeria scam, but there is an outside chance it is originating in Ghana. I hedge my bets and give him something to think about.
Date: Thu, 12 May 2011 10:42:39 -0700 [10:42:39 AM PDT]
From: admin
To: TERRY SUTTON
Subject: RE: PARTNERSHIP PROPOSAL
Your tardiness is truly unacceptable. I am afraid that you leave me no choice but to seek out a juju curse on you if you do not comply with an immediate response!
Expect to see these two fellows shortly if you continue your manner of doing business.
Good day, sir!
Email Attachment
OK, I admit I lifted the sign off to the last email from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, but Gene Wilder is just so pissed off when he tells Charlie to get the hell out of his office. It is a righteous indignation. A juju curse has just been threatened and a visit from the Insane Clown Posse was now in his future.
However, just like in the movie, I relent and soften my stance (even though no candy was returned to me). I somehow have to mend this fence between me and this scam artist. It will take the mystical healing powers of something greater than the both of us so I was left with no other choice but to summon the restorative powers of a late, great diminutive rock legend. Rock on Unicorns, Rainbows, and dudes with scepters.
Date: Thu, 12 May 2011 11:52:56 -0700 [11:52:56 AM PDT]
From: admin
To: TERRY SUTTON
Subject: RE: PARTNERSHIP PROPOSAL
OK, OK. I realize that the last email was a little harsh, but perhaps you can understand the stress I am experiencing right now. Things are difficult here, there have been many changes lately. I guess I what I am saying is that I really need a friend.
I like to golf, go out to eat, and sit at coffee shops complaining about the government. Will you be my friend, Mr. Sutton?
XOXO
P.S. I removed the juju curse on you from the last email.
May the power of Ronnie James Dio be with you!
Email Attachment
(Monday, May 16, 2011 will mark the one year anniversary of the death of Heavy Metal giant, Ronnie James Dio.)
Aw, I couldn’t stay mad for that long. Just about an hour. What is interesting is that I finally got a reply, albeit it was just not the reply I expected. In the course of the hour between the last two emails I received this notification.
Date: 12 May 2011 17:51:08 -0000 [10:51:08 AM PDT]
From: MAILER-DAEMON@gateway09.websitewelcome.com
To: admin@realdupont.com
Subject: failure notice
Hi. This is the qmail-send program at gateway09.websitewelcome.com.
I’m afraid I wasn’t able to deliver your message to the following addresses.
This is a permanent error; I’ve given up. Sorry it didn’t work out.
65.55.37.88 does not like recipient.
Remote host said: 550 Requested action not taken: mailbox unavailable
Giving up on 65.55.37.88.
Oh well, that is how it goes. Net sum zero. I did not get my share of £12,000,000 but I did not lose any money either. I can’t help but think that perhaps “Terry Sutton” actually believed I was going to cast a juju curse, which you can see from the following movie is a real possibility. Mere minutes after the mention of this bad juju I get the message back from the MAILER-DAEMON. The email address provided to me was no longer valid and thus ends my odyssey with Terry.
So my experiment worked. Even email scammers do not like to have their time wasted. I am just working toward the world where everyone responds to these phishing emails and wastes some more time of these guys. It will be for their own good.
My only disappointment is I did not get back a photo involving milk, fish, loaves of bread, cucumbers, and three guys wearing skirts. For that kind of surreal nonsense I will have to rely on watching the rebroadcast of DuPont City Council meetings.
Documentary on internet scams based in Ghana.
RealDuPont TV Presents…Day 3
Posted by: | CommentsThe conclusion of Muslim Driving School, series one.
Great Clips Cut and Run
Posted by: | Comments
Great Clips moved out of DuPont on Saturday, April 30th after normal business hours. Great Clips is the latest business to fail in DuPont since the central business district was created. A sign was posted on the door directing former patrons to Lacey.
There is no word on when the vacant space will be occupied by another nail salon. If you would like to wager a guess please send the day, month, and year to the community development director.
Andy Estep Speaks Rhetorically to DuPont City Council
Posted by: | CommentsAfter the Council debate over the city funding “donation” (in exchange for levy support) of the Steilacoom High School reader board, citizen comments was next on the agenda. Andy Estep spoke briefly regarding 1994 Settlement Agreement revision.
Bear in mind that Mr. Estep just sat through the spirited and somewhat passionate discussion regarding child safety, lunatics roaming the streets of Lakewood, and adherence to the DuPont Strategic Plan. It was a plea to talk about real city business, if only for a few minutes.
We have been hearing for months about the MOU and the proposed revision to the 1994 Settlement Agreement and council is being asked a rather simple question regarding their vote on the proposal. Will they consider citizen input, as you would assume, since they are elected representatives of the people of DuPont. Of course, there may be a minority of council members who mistakenly believe that they were elected to govern based on their wisdom and what they consider is best for the city of DuPont. The former method would require canvassing a wide cross-section of citizens for their opinions and concerns; while the latter would require a vote based on their own will; perhaps from prayer, an Ouija board, or several gin and tonics.
Only they know how to breathe from within a vacuum.
The mayor promised that the legislative process that will be used by council will be posted on the city web site, but to date there is nothing as described by her request online. However, since no agreement has been presented to the city, we will just have to wait.
However, I will offer this space to council so that they may solicit their input on the matter. Interested council members can submit to me their written opinions, illustrative materials, and interpretation of the revised agreement. The pay off would be the direct feedback of the five people who still read this site.
Fears of Insanity Drive DuPont WA Council Vote
Posted by: | CommentsSome topics are like Haley’s comet in this town. They just seem to spring up from time to time.
At the last televised council meeting the elected leaders of DuPont Washington discussed approving some funds for an electronic reader board. Sure, I wrote about that at length here in April, 2008! But the reader board funded at the last meeting isn’t here in town, it will actually be in Lakewood, but with an easement to call it Steilacoom, and before you get your panties in a bunch, it is actually for Steilacoom High School.
Confused? Let’s see if I can explain. It seems that the high school would like an electronic reader board. The solution they devised, with presumably adult supervision, was to raise money by doing what most teenagers do: they take the path of least resistance and ask those who have money to make a contribution. And also like teenagers, they don’t just ask one source, they play the whole field and work both ends of the room. I have seen this before, I have a teenaged high school kid living in the house.
It should come as no surprise to you that the first to have their hearts melted by this request would be grandma and grandpa, or in the case of the city council, Penny and Larry. They bought into it full stop about how it would be money well spent because of the *sniff* safety concerns. Penny is convinced that the intersection of Farwest, er, I mean Sentinel Drive and Steilacoom Boulevard is “very, very busy.”
(Note that both Penny and Larry sniff and snivel during their lame justifications? Could it be a tell masking a lie?)
That is correct. Your elected representative thinks that the high school is in danger of someone who is criminally insane, from you know–the asylum, and will somehow hassle the kid changing the message on the reader board. Suspend reality for a minute and pretend that there hasn’t been a manual reader board at this intersection for over 20 years. No, now it is a concern because the high school class of 2011 presented a solution in search of a problem.
The point that I find much more interesting is one that may require some action. Did Councilman Wilcox say he is going to vote to give city funds to the school project in exchange for school board support of an upcoming EMS levy? Named in Wilcox’s scheme is school board member Mike Winkler (Position 2). Just how Mr. Winkler is going to repay this Don Corelonesque favor is yet to be seen. It should be noted, however, that Steilacoom Historical School District superintendant, William Fritz, was in attendance when Wilcox made his pledge of support. No objection or refutation was raised at any time after councilman Wilcox made his statement.
It is one thing to offer support but quite another to hatch a backroom deal. Of course, if pressed, the parties will say that they are not in bed together and that the school board doesn’t know how that $1000 ended up on the dresser.
Thankfully, for the sake of some fiscal sanity, and deference to our strategic plan, Kathleen Trotter courageously voiced her dissent.
Jim Hills also spoke in dissent with an interesting perspective since he is the only person with a vote on this matter who served on both the council and the Steilacoom Historical School District board.
Others also had their say but it came down to a vote. The council was to decide whether to give the students of Steilacoom High School a brand new BMW of a reader board when all we have is less than a KIA budget. The outcome was sadly predictable but the execution suggested that the matter was far from straightforward.
The council ultimately voted to approve giving the school $1000 for their project, making the grand total of monies collected $31,000 dollars without a single car wash, bake sale, or other fundraiser activity. The students, with their adult mentors, successfully lobbied to get the reader board money from the exact same people who would have funded it if it was added to the recent school renovation three years ago; the Steilacoom and DuPont tax payers ended up paying the school, property tax, levy, or general fund is immaterial. However, this time they did so without the benefit of a vote. Pretty clever. I guess it is like finding a $10 bill in the washing machine after someone else does the laundry.
The last five minutes of the video served as a chilling reminder that these same people, those who enjoy playing Santa Claus and who could not figure out what they were voting for, or whose job it was to call roll, are the same people we elected to negotiate, on our behalf, with developers and corporations like CalPortland.
When is the next election?
There is one silver lining, though. At least DuPont screwed Steilacoom by only giving a grand. Our neighbor and partner in schools is on the hook for four thousand more!
Suckers.
A Daisy (Troop) in Springtime
Posted by: | CommentsDuPont’s Daisy Troop 40176 led the DuPont City Council meeting in the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance.
The girls of DuPont did just fine, although in an odd twist of events Mayor Jenkins appears to cast a curse over the kids by stating that they could one day serve their community by sitting on the DuPont City Council.
Shouldn’t we set higher goals for the children of today?
Besides, the mayor is muscling in on my long time gig of poking a stick at the city council. Why not say that the girls could serve as mayor? It is an election year, after all. Maybe then something other than pencil whipping permits for Quadrant and CalPortland could take place within the city limits. Or, better yet, maybe a former Daisy could do something about the sign code (this meeting marks the one year anniversary since the sign code was added to DuPont City Administrator’s action items). If one of these Daisies lands the City Administrator job after completing her four year degree, her salary (sans benefits) would be approximately $366,000 based on the last five years of annual growth and current pay schedule.
Come on, Tamara. Sitting on Council is for chumps. Aim for the skies. Being a City Administrator is where it is at!