Monday 29 September 2008

Sunday 28 September 2008

Jayson Blair#1

* On 19 April 2003, in "In Military Wards, Questions and Fears From the Wounded", Blair describes interviewing four injured soldiers in naval hospital. He never went to the hospital and only spoke to one soldier - over the phone - whom he later attributed made-up quotes to. Blair wrote that the soldier "will most likely limp the rest of his life and need to use a cane" - neither of which is true. He said another solider had lost his right leg when it had only been amputated below the knee. He described two soliders as being in the hospital at the same time, when they were in fact five days apart.

* On 7 April 2003, in "For One Pastor, the War Hits Home", Blair writes about a church service in Cleveland and an interview with the minister. Blair never went to Cleveland, only spoke to the minister on the phone, and copied most of the article from an earlier Washington Post article. He also stole quotes from The Cleveland Plain Dealer and The Daily News. He made up a detail about the minister keeping a picture of his son inside his Bible, and got the name of the church wrong.

* On 3 April 2003, in "Rescue in Iraq and a ‘Big Stir' in West Virginia", in a co-written article, Blair covered the Jessica Lynch story apparently from her home town of Palestine. Blair never went there and his entire contribution to the story consisted of rearranged details from Press Association stories.

* On 27 March 2003, in "Relatives of Missing Soldiers Dread Hearing Worse News", Blair again pretended to be in West Virginia when he was in New York. He stole quotes from an Associated Press article; claimed to have spoken to one relative who has no recollection of the event; said "tobacco fields and cattle pastures" were visible from Jessica Lynch parents' house when they aren't; said Lynch's brother was in the National Guard, when he's in the Army; misspelled Jessica Lynch's mother's name and made up a dream that he claimed she had had.

* On 3 March 2003, in "Making Sniper Suspect Talk Puts Detective in Spotlight", Blair covered the Washington sniper story and claimed to be in Fairfax, Virginia while actually in New York. He made great play of a videotape of Lee Malvo - the younger defendant in the case - being questioned by police and quoted officials' review of the tape. No such tape exists. Blair also make up a story about a detective noticing blood on a man's jeans leading to a confession - neither of which happened. A female detective on the case was described as having a trademark blazer and black shirt when she prefers bright colours.

* On 10 February 2003, in "Peace and Answers Eluding Victims of the Sniper Attacks", Blair claimed to be in Washington when he was in New York; stole quotes from a Washington Post story; and made up quotes from someone he hadn't interviewed even claiming that she saw similarities between herself and the Washington snipers. Blair ascribed a wide range of facts to a man featured in the article, almost all of which the man in question denied. Blair also went against his word and included published information he had promised was off-the-record.

* On 30 October 2002, in "US Sniper Case Seen as a Barrier to a Confession", Blair wrote that a dispute between police authorities has ruined the interrogation of suspect John Muhammad. He was about to confess, Blair claimed, quoting unnamed officials. This was swiftly denied by everyone involved in the case. Blair also named certain lawyers as having witnessed the interrogation that weren't there.

Deception/Reception

Staple a dollar to my chest/Connecticut/Yin Yang

Friday 26 September 2008

Thursday 25 September 2008

I don't need any telephone communication in this because of my soundless voice

It is by the grace of God that I received Christ,having known the truth,I
had no choice than to do what is lawful and right
in the sight of God for eternal life and in the sight of man for witness
of God & his mercies and glory upon my life.

I am Mrs.Sheila Johnson the wife of Mr Harold Johnson,my husband worked
with the Chevron/Texaco in Kenya for twenty
years before he died in the year2001.We were married for ten years without
a child.My Husband died after a brief illness that
lasted for only four days.

Before his death we were both born again Christians.

Since his death I decided not to re-marry or get a child outside my
matrimonial home which the Bible is against.When my late
husband was alive he deposited the sum of US$3.5M.(Three Million Five
Hundred Thousand U.S.Dollars) with a Bank in Europe.

Presently,this money is still with the Bank and the management just wrote
me as the beneficiary to come forward to sign for the
release of this money or rather issue a letter of authorization to
somebody to receive it on my behalf if I can not come over.

Presently,I'm in a hospital in Kenya where I have been undergoing
treatment for esophageal cancer.I have since lost my ability
to talk and my doctors have told me that I have only a few weeks to
live.It is my last wish to see this money distributed to charity
organizations anywhere in the World.Because relatives and friends have
plundered so much of my wealth since my illness,I
cannot live with the agony of entrusting this huge responsibility to any
of them.

Please,I beg you in the name of God to help me Stand and collect the Funds
from the Bank.

I want a person that is God fearing that will use this money to fund
churches,orphanages and widows propagating the word of
God and to ensure that the house of God is maintained.

The Bible made us to understand that blessed is the hand that giveth.I
took this decision because I don't have any child that will
inherit this money and my husband's relatives are not Christians and I
don't want my husband's hard earned money to be misused
by unbelievers.I don't want a situation where this money will be used in
an ungodly manner.Hence the reason for taking this bold
decision.I am not afraid of death hence I know where I am going.I know
that I am going to be in the bosom of the Lord.

Exodus{14 VS14}says that the lord will fight my case and I shall hold my
peace.I don't need any telephone communication in this
regard because of my soundless voice and presence of my husband's
relatives around me always.I don't want them to know about
this development. With God all things are possible.

As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of my
attorney who is in Europe as he will be the one to assist you in laying
claims for this funds.

Wednesday 24 September 2008

A letterhead for Hesse&Hesse, Commercial Law

A plea from Frank Kofi Nartey Esq


I feel quite safe dealing with you having gone through your remarkable profile on the internet and due to urgency of this business proposition; I will give you the full details regarding the offer. My name is Frank Kofi Nartey Esq., an associate of Hesse & Hesse Law Firm, one of the leading Commercial Law Firms in Ghana. I am the personal attorney to late Mr. Harvey Lenn Francis, an Australian Citizen who lived in Ghana; a successful businessman who was dealing with top governments officials here in West-Africa.

My client made a deposit in cash valued at ($10.7m) with a safe-keeping company here in Accra the capital city of Ghana and the company do not know the real content of the luggage which contained the funds because he did not disclose it to them to avoid their officials from raising eyebrows to the funds but he declared the luggage as personal treasures and paid them a non inspection and their safe-keeping charges, all these happened in presence. In the safe-keeping agreement he reached with the company, he stated that his foreign partner will be coming with a proof of partnership to re-claim the deposit incase of his death because his intention was to bring in a foreigner to assist him move the funds abroad for an investment but unfortunately he never presented any specific partner to the company before his untimely death occurred.

Thus, I am contacting you to stand as the foreign beneficiary to my late client so as to enable retrieve the deposit from the company for both of us to share at the ratio of 50%, 50% since the deposit now has an open beneficiary mandate. In the meantime, I would like to know when you will be chanced in coming down to Ghana as this transaction will require your physical presence here for it to be concluded urgently.

Upon your arrival, both of us shall have a meeting in my office regarding the deposit and I will obtain all the necessary legal documents that will give you the full legal right to stand as my late client foreign partner after which we shall proceed to the company to sign the immediate release documents as stated by their guidelines. After retrieving the funds luggage from the company, we shall then proceed to any bank of your choice and open an account in your name from where the telegraphic bank to bank wire transfer of the funds will be made to your nominated bank account. Inviting you to Ghana is because there is no other alternative means of handling this project without your physical presence here.

More so, endeavor to make immediate two days travel arrangement to Ghana, I am prepared to help as part of your traveling arrangements, to issue you a "Cable Entry Visa" which will take me only two days to secure from Immigration Service here to enable you buy your air-ticket to Accra-Ghana. If you are capable of handling this project with me, your presence will be needed here urgently because our election will be held soon and I would like to move the funds out before the election is concluded as the new Government might change the banking system here. Therefore, I will advice you take care of your traveling expenses as it will serve as your own contribution towards the success of this project as it is going to benefit both of us. Finally, thanks for giving me your time; I wait for your urgent respond as regards to my offer.

Monday 22 September 2008

Pipenose Household Dilemma

A plea from DR CLEMENT OKON


REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP
FIRST, I MUST SOLICIT YOUR STRICTEST CONFIDENCE IN THIS TRANSACTION. THIS IS BY VIRTUE OF ITS NATURE AS BEING UTTERLY CONFIDENTIAL AND 'TOP SECRET'. I AM SURE AND HAVE CONFIDENCE OF YOUR ABILITY AND RELIABILITY TO PROSECUTE A TRANSACTION OF THIS GREAT MAGNITUDE INVOLVING A PENDING TRANSACTION REQUIRING MAXIIMUM CONFIDENCE.
WE ARE TOP OFFICIAL OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONTRACT REVIEW PANEL WHO ARE INTERESTED IN IMPORATION OF GOODS INTO OUR COUNTRY WITH FUNDS WHICH ARE PRESENTLY TRAPPED IN NIGERIA. IN ORDER TO COMMENCE THIS BUSINESS WE SOLICIT YOUR ASSISTANCE TO ENABLE US TRANSFER INTO YOUR ACCOUNT THE SAID TRAPPED FUNDS.
THE SOURCE OF THIS FUND IS AS FOLLOWS; DURING THE LAST MILITARY REGIME HERE IN NIGERIA, THE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SET UP COMPANIES AND AWARDED THEMSELVES CONTRACTS WHICH WERE GROSSLY OVER-INVOICED IN VARIOUS MINISTRIES. THE PRESENT CIVILIAN GOVERNMENT SET UP A CONTRACT REVIEW PANEL AND WE HAVE IDENTIFIED A LOT OF INFLATED CONTRACT FUNDS WHICH ARE PRESENTLY FLOATING IN THE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA READY FOR PAYMENT.
HOWEVER, BY VIRTUE OF OUR POSITION AS CIVIL SERVANTS AND MEMBERS OF THIS PANEL, WE CANNOT ACQUIRE THIS MONEY IN OUR NAMES. I HAVE THEREFORE, BEEN DELEGATED AS A MATTER OF TRUST BY MY COLLEAGUES OF THE PANEL TO LOOK FOR AN OVERSEAS PARTNER INTO WHOSE ACCOUNT WE WOULD TRANSFER THE SUM OF US$21,320,000.00(TWENTY ONE MILLION, THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY THOUSAND U.S DOLLARS). HENCE WE ARE WRITING YOU THIS LETTER. WE HAVE AGREED TO SHARE THE MONEY THUS; 1. 20% FOR THE ACCOUNT OWNER 2. 70% FOR US (THE OFFICIALS) 3. 10% TO BE USED IN SETTLING TAXATION AND ALL LOCAL AND FOREIGN EXPENSES. IT IS FROM THE 70% THAT WE WISH TO COMMENCE THE IMPORTATION BUSINESS.

PORTRAIT OF DR. CLEMENT OKON