Stirrings in the world of finance

After some major silence, a few snippets of information need to be shared. No, the liquidators have not moved to an alternative universe they are merely hiding behind a distant red giant. Slowly I'm seeing my own prophetic vision manifest into solid  molecules of structure: the liquidators are like the seaweed you encounter on a Sunday morning stroll on the beach. You know it has an ecological purpose, and that it has emerged, rootlessly, from the deep depths. But now that it has found a place in your reality on the hot sands before you, you cannot for the life of you imagine, what its purpose in creation is. It is a browning, dark green in colour, and, yep, it stinks to high heaven (interesting expression that: something stinking to high heaven). Soon, - having occupied a small momentary place in our reality, it will have dissolved itself and be no more.

The Pair

However, that is not true of the "pair"" Patrick Stapleton and Don Hutchinson. These two seem to have elected to be joined at the hip, as will become clear soon.

Apparently the high life is still very strong with The Pair, and Patrick has been observed gallivanting all over the place in his high priced 4 x 4. Yes, folks he is putting our money to good use. At least we cannot fault him on that.

Remember, a while ago I reported on the probability that The Pair were planning their next operation of extortion. I suspected that its name would have something to do with dynamic. Well, one of our sleuths have encountered the following web site: http://dynamicmc.co.za/. Of course you are quite correct, the site is appallingly designed and incomplete, but baby-steps, yes baby-steps. When you have a look-see at the site's "Contact us" page you will note the addresses being right in the correct vicinity of The Pair's hunting ground.

Most beauteous of the site is the slogan at the top:

Risk analysis - Why run your company without the necessary knowledge of the risks attached to various decisions. DMC - let us show you the power behind knowledge.

The key word here is "risk analysis", and we are well versed in that aspect of finance aren't we, fellas? Yet, aren't we being ever so sneaky? Just like our other professional gobbler of other's money, Carole Gradiner, no names are attached to the new venture. Never mind, folks, we, the old Edwafin stalwarts will continue spreading the word for you - won't we now? We also have a very keen sense of smell.

To me it is just soooo fascinating that we have the archetype that only knows how to work, deal, take, and generally manipulate other people's money. Let's face it with their track record, no respectable company would employ them to do an honest days professional, quality work. What else can they do but operate sleaze-like through the reality of other souls. At least they get to call themselves "professional."

The Sherrif, yes the Sherrif

Remember Mr Sherrif of the NPA. Well he was going to visit some of us, for a chat. That was some months ago. Well, I can whisper in your ear that he has been to visit some investors, and that he is probably coming to Gauting this month. The wisdom of visiting Gauteng I would not like to comment upon. However, I am glad to have been proven wrong in my assumption that Mr Sherrif was merely a figment of my imagination. Yep, he really exists, according to reports. His appearance is nevertheless mostly fleeting, and one recovers from the shock very rapidly. We'll see.

Well, that is all for now, and I urge all of you to keep your eyes peeled for the appearances of The Pair as well as the other "innocents" of our production. Let us at least prevent others from falling into the same trap as we now are trying to extricate ourselves.

We'll speak soon again.

Tweet-Tweet

Spring is in the air and the birds are chirping again, the dogs are smiling and wify is wagging her tail. Oops! I have that the wrong way round - I should say: the dogs are smiling and wagging their tails, and wife, well ... she is doing things ...

Of course the birds are singing in many ways as well - if you comprehend my thinly disguised implications. But first, let me announce: anonymous is back, and you may all write in under that non-de-plume. In a moment the reason will become clear to you. So for those with a romantic predilection for my butt, lustful longings for farm animals and yearnings for little children - we shall tolerate you but not publish you. So twirp away.



Although it is not quite Spring yet, the Universe has whispered in my ear that it soon will be, since we have put a structure in place that says on 1 September it will be Spring (here, elsewhere, such as in Europe, it will be Autumn - go figure. Humans are truly schitzo). Of course, we humanoids tend to think that the Universe takes notice of us, and it does but sometimes it preempt our wishes and manifests Spring a few weeks earlier. Yes, I know that it is indeed infuriating that the Universe sometimes acts according to its own whims, and acts out of turn but so do my in-laws and some things can just not be avoided.



Of course, with Spring comes new life, and it would be strange that the famous five of past-Edwafin would not breath in some of the new fresh air. That set my mind working again for a change.






We all are aware of the quick recovery that was made by Carole Gardiner. She dumped all those who invested through her in Edwafin and started a new organization called Lifestyle Bounceback. No doubt, many of her old Cape Town friends, once they get a moment between staring at their flat topped mountain, you know, the ones she has such a good relationship with, and who love her so much that they supported her whole heartily on this blog, that those good people have stood in line to pay her the little bit of money they had left so that she can help them get their life style back. I have it on some authority that she is in business with a similarly upstanding gentleman, who's original idea it was to create Edwabond in the first place, and who other investors are looking longingly at to invoke revenge of their own kind.



It never ceases to amaze me that the Universe has though of an archetype, whose sole role in society it is, to lift the possessions of other people. Carole, for instance, doesn't do knitting to make a living, nor does she bake cakes of the edible kind. No, she sweetly takes your money and makes you promises. Here is the name again: Carole Gardiner at LIFESTYLE BOUNCEBACK. It is interesting that when does a Google with Lifestyle Bounceback, you get, amongst a number of bouncing Americans, a link to the site called http://www.oceanfinance.co.za/LifestyleBounceBack.aspx. Most notable is that there are no names of individuals who make up the company, but that it is situated in Tygervalley. Is the Universe playing tricks again?



Of course little Carole worked her unique ability under the auspices of two other, similar, archetypes: Patrick Stapleton and Don Hutchinson:
and These blood-brothers have no seeming intention of getting you your lifestyle back, and one wonders how they will apply their finesse in future. Let us take a bet: Patrick will deal with a motorcar of some kind (above or below ground), yes a bird does not easily change its colours and one dynamically gets stuck to past issues so that predictability becomes a main feature of one's own Universe. Of course, one needs funds, money, cash to do such things but you never, never, never, use your own for then you cannot squander it freely. No one uses money extracted from others, while yours is safely hidden somewhere. In comes the slurker, Don. Now, please keep in mind I am just playing out an imaginary scenario. Again:

In comes Don and says to Patrick: "You know old Pat, that nice trick of yours to extract money from the good folk out there, and then make it disappear? "
Patrick: "Well ... I vaguely remember something like that. Do you mean to tell me that there are still folks out there who have money that we could get?"
Don: "Of course, there are, all those old pensioners, single moms and other silly entities with extra cash, just imagine!"
Patrick: "I am but Wow! that gives me an idea. Let us build another car, and get them to pay for it. We can have rich lunches every day, drive luxury cars, fool around a bit - you know, wink-wink. Yes. let's do that. What do you suggest."
Don: "I will start a company to get the cars investors - those silly old fools - and you get stuck on fabricating the fabrication of the cars. No, it does not matter if it ever gets finished, that is just for
show."
Patrick: "What a major plan! Once we have all their money we get declared incompetent - oops insolvent I mean, and then we hand then over to Carole for further intensive care. Majorly, indeed a masterful plan."
Don: "Sure, and we have all these good buddies whom we can depend upon to support us: SAVCA, NCC, DTI, FSB, and I will think of a few more."
Patrick: "Good, good, good (spittle dribbling down his left jowl). Now, what shall we call ourselves? Any ideas?"
Don:"Perhaps we should start separate companies, so that when one collapses, we still have the other. Let's think carefully about the names and about the colours we wish to represent ourselves
in. Sheep's cloths-colour wouldn't you say?"
Patrick: "Well, ity worked the first time round ... blah ...blah .. blahbiddyblah...."

Stay tuned for our next intriguing episode of The Repeat Of The Evil Conjecture or The Universe has a huge eye in the sky

Creating Reality as we go along

A version of the uncertainty principle is: "the observer always interferes with the phenomenon under observation". This is merely stating what many spiritual thinkers already know: you are, at least partially, responsible for the reality that you are observing or experiencing. When investing money, you become an observer, but also people on the sidelines become observers. We all become observers of each other's actions. Some observers are neutral, and just observe. However, there are those who observe with biased interest. yes, you have got it, those folks who like to tell you: "I told you so." One wonders if the group sentiment does not often cause the situations such as the one, we the investors, now find ourselves in. After having invested with Edwafin, I read about journalist Vic's warning about the dangers of such investments. Too late, of course, but the seed had been sown, and my subconscious did the rest: I had become one of the observers of the demise of 4000/1400 (take your pick) investors, as the possibility of a bad outcome constantly plagued my mind.

Let us now take the exercise a step further and we have a bit of a conundrum. In our experiment we start with one observer of a phenomena:

A observers phenomena X and exerts an affect

then we add another experiment with another observer:
B observes [A observers phenomena; exerts an affect]; exerts affect

we repeat this experiment with observer C, thus:
C observes {B observes [A observers phenomena; exerts an affect]; exerts affect} exerts affect

and again we do another experiment in which:
D observes (C observes {B observes [A observers phenomena; exerts affect]; exerts affect} exerts affect); exerts affect

And now I'm clean out of dissimilar brackets, so we will stop at this point. However, the point is clear: ultimately, the last say seems to be with D, and his creativity could ultimately overrule those of C, B, and A. Unfortunately, C, B and A are not always aware that D has been around to influence their life, nor would they like to admit that somehow they have handed over control over their lives to another - that is, until matters go pear-shaped. Of course this happens when one abdicates one's responsibility for one's own existence to other influences and other awarenesses of reality. Some would call it the blame-game.

I suppose it to happen at some time or other. Yes, some of the directors of Edwafin have spoken out. No, I didn't mean that they said anything, I said they spoke out - slight difference there. Some of the other directors have wisely kept their silence, lest they utter unintelligentias. Let's face it, we as human being just love making sounds with our mouths - the more the better. Whether such noises actually mean anything or are pertinent, is beside the point. Let's take the to-and-throw between Carole and Patrick for instance: Is anybody any the wiser? If you are, please inform me poste-haste. As far as I'm concerned their sputtering compares to the pointless gargling of my ex-wife: a horrible cacophony but does not reduce the stink. These folks have messed up big time, but always remain within the framework of human creative collective thought, they have, like all of us, no option in this respect. So, to be quite fair, they are mere instruments in the greater creative structures of the universe.

In our experiment above, observer A is unaware of the influence exerted on the experiment by observers, B, C, and D, and therefore are at a loss for words as to why the situation came about the way it did. Because of the lack of a logical explanation, we start looking for extremes and illogical reasons why things happened as they did (in the meantime D is chuckling in his sleeve [I told you so]). So enter Carole and Patrick (the other directors are seemingly still searching for words, or know that they are at least partially responsible for the mess we find ourselves in.)

Carole's statement first. Again she cannot neglect to state that she also has lost money in the venture. Now, does anybody out there feel better knowing Carole has lost money as well. Let's face it she collected the money, and continued to do so after she had resigned and had been asked to stay on. The reasons were purely for financial reasons. Well, obviously, not so? So while she was clearly aware of the difficulties the company found itself in (that is why she resigned to begin with), she continued collecting a salary nevertheless. How convenient it is to say, after the fact, that Patrick took everybody for a ride - pure patheticism, and this from someone who would otherwise maintain that she is an intelligent person. Must be, otherwise she would not have made herself available for the various roles she played in the company, even a CEO of Edwafin.

The extent to which Carole was aware of the troubles at Edwafin is born out by the fact that she suggested a debt-consolidation company. Now, if I had not known that this was straight from the horse's mouth, I would find it astounding: as I said before "first we help to get you in debt, and then when there is no more sugar in the pot, we will help you reorganize your life." It appears that Carole has taken her own suggestions seriously, now that the cookie has crumbled. Of course she did not intend for this service to be free, but one would have to pay the company for it should you require their service. The reader would agree that it is blatant and cunning and is all about getting your money, getting your money, getting your money, after she has got it from you all already.

She then admits:

"At that point I was trying to do anything that would generate enough cash to cover the salaries or rent," she said.

So she was quite aware that the company was in trouble and then admits that she continued to collect on behalf of the company to get money to pay for her own salary and office space! This is a beauty: "Patrick needed somebody to share the responsibility with." Hoola, Hoola, Hey! Don't look at what I did, but listen to what I say!

Then she goes on, hypothesizing about Patrick's role in the Puritan investment issue. You may remember that Carole accused this blog of rumouring and speculation. The same Carole who now blatantly adds to the rumours. No, Carole, not good enough. What I find so astoundingly amusing is that this lady has shown no remorse whatsoever for the losses of all those investors in which she had a hand extracting money from - it is all about herself. This is of course true for all the directors of Edwafin and subsidiaries. They have seemingly little empathy or regret for the investors whom they relieved of their money and is an indication of the callousness of these human beings. At least, some have been totally silent, but the loudest are talking the most and are merely being repetitive of empty utterances or semi truths, called splutterania.

Of course Patrick had to respond. He is one of those beings, that one hopes would rather keep his peace lest he makes a spectacle of himself. One-dimensional, I tell you, one-dimensional. True to himself he uttered again.

Again we have the story of the bad economic conditions. Again he refuses to admit that by August 2008 he had already squandered R200,000,000 of the investors money. Again he admits that he was running some kind of Ponzi scheme as no new investments came in to finance the existing debts. Again he hammers on about the DMC project as the saviour of Edwafin, which the liquidators have now shown is basically worth nothing (no reflection on the quality of the car, which is probably very high). Again he admits appointing someone to help get more money to finance the creditors account. Remember at the time he vehemently denied that the company was bankrupt. And then he tells us that as CEO of Edwafin, he had little to do with the overseas derivative. This from an educated, supposed to be, intelligent being who only has darkness surrounding him. Patrick, why not just admit that you are a pathetic businessman, in which honesty is hidden deep within your pant pockets.

Ignorant people, aren't we? Pathetic, aren't we? But it is all D's fault, we the observers and the observed.

Pictures lost and found

While sniffing through my computer digits I found pictures. These are the directors of Edwafin at the time when the Edwafin website went down:


El Bosso Grandioso
Patrick Stapleton






el bossa pequeno
Garth Stapleton



El Praying Mantissa
Rob Klynsmith








El Sneako
Bob Hutchinson








El Sneako Nuptialis
Sandra Hutchinson


La Innocente Totelaris
Carole Gardiner

The welcomed becomes the interloper

These days when I open the curtains of my bedroom in the morning, the first thing I notice is the bare plum tree with a greyish sky as backdrop. That is, of course, after I start remembering that I have toes, which somewhere during the night, seemed to have disappeared from my reality of self, while Pedro and Gigi snuggled so tightly against me that I imaged floating in the empty space next to my bed. My wife, the good, old soul, is no problem I must say, she is well behaved and mostly keeps to herself when there is a biting chill in the air. Every now and then she needs to touch me with her hands or feet to show off the fact that her circulation is somewhat poorer than mine. Fortunately, we are no tarantulas, otherwise I would have been eaten by now.

Anybody reading the above might think that I'm penning this from that little, lower-than-sea-level country-and-soon-to-disappear-under-the-water-if-global-warming-continues, Holland. No, my awareness is currently in sunny South Africa, - can you imagine? One travels 6000kms over land and sea (my family couldn't make up their mind so we did it a few times) to reach the sunny paradise of crime, and to discover that the archetypes Patrick (with wify), Don, Klynsmiths, Carole and a few other characters with stubbles of take-from-others-what-you-want without-a-blush enriching their lower chins. Hey presto, we have perfection. But we have no contradiction in terms here: every paradise has its slimy slitherers, lurkers, sneakers and snurkers. They hide in the thickets watching for an opportunity to strike at the heels of those who attempt to walk upright in life.

Let us keep in mind though, that these low-living entities have a peculiar view of that what lies above; their perspective is completely wonky, and with the little bit of insights into life given to them by the Universe, they have little option to have but a myopic outlook concerning the well being of other beings on the planet. (Nee, ek praat nou nie Hollands nie, maar geheel en al mondlangs).

After I established the archetypes of the famous group of ingredients that make up the Edwafin pie, they all reacted as I expected them to do according to their archetype. Patrick tried to bully and cajole with various threats, lies and other ill-considered pseudo truths. Don sneakered his way around the scene, as slippery as a melting jelly tot, stuttering echos of his leader's patheticisms. Klynsmith took on the guise of a holy spirit (not to be confused with the Christian concept - please!) - you know it is there but is nowhere to be found or heard. His name only lurks on various legal documents, while he busies himself on his knees in heavenly ecstasy. Let's face it, that is his alternate profession.

No, I haven't forgotten about another one and I'll come to that in a moment - remember eternity is a loooong time, and we'll all be around in the end (another paradox that makes absolute sense: if we regard the Newtonian world as a subset of a greater reality, then the end according to Newton would imply entry into a greater reality where the concept of never ending is a reality and not just an incomprehensible idea. But, having said that, the concept of never-ending in itself implies that there is something like an ending, and in terms of eternity that absolutely makes no sense [hee hee, got ya] ).

Where were we? Oh yes, we have another member of the group. Where the other protagonists have gone into relative silence, there is one that came out fighting, determined to convince everybody that she didn't do what she had done (paradox no 2), and that she was in a blissful swoon while Edwafin collapsed into a messy heap, like a vanilla ice cream that fell to the sandy floor on a hot summers day. (Incidentally, the other Edwafin folks stopped following the blog, and I have had to remove their email addresses from the blog list as their emails were no longer operational.) This good-natured, all-is-fair-in-love-and-war lady, makes an all out effort to get us to believe that she was totally unaware of the disdain towards the investors, and other management catastrophes at Edwafin. Then in the next paragraph she goes forth and tells us about the iniquities that took place at Edwafin (this is paradox no 3, but while we are into paradoxes, no matter). She also denies in her own words: "CG never ran Edwabond, get that straight please. ", but I have en email direct from her which states Carole Gardiner, CEO, Edwabond (paradox no 4).
<====== Carole Gardiner

Her slithering trick is to play footsy footsy with the investors, ignoring their tremendous heartsore, and losses, whilst concentrating on the losses incurred by herself and those close to her and, of course extricating herself from the web of deceit that the Edwafians have spun for themselves.

Carole is loved all over Cape Town, that little town with flatties and peaks. Unfortunately these good capies were so busy adoring their heap of soil, that nobody took the trouble to comment on the blog on how good a person she is.

Under the guise of wanting to cooperate, she promises much but lashes out at anybody who shows the slightest distrust in her sincerity. She bawls, shouts and screams, at the unfair treatment meted out to her by the same investors she made financially somewhat airier.

Carole has a sidekick, with little experience as a soul or as a human being, and who only seems to be able to communicate in two single syllabled words ("yeah, right", I"'m confused," etc.) Carole even has this side kick believe that investors run companies and not the directors. Of course, directors are merely soulistic place holders to earn high salaries, and therefore have no responsibility whatsoever. Of course, the investors regularly come together to decide on matters concerning the running of the company - uh! ar u loosing ur marbles?

Carole wanted to join a class action suit, and promises more insightful gems. What was that? Oh, of course a promise and a reality are not synonyms you say. This is called the art of deceitful prior intentions: an intention is a mental readiness to do something, except that a prior intention overrides all following intentions, making what follows null and void. iff p ->q, q<>real.

So we learn nothing.

Carole then joins forces with the liquidators and makes it seem that they have now joined in a unified force acting against investors. Slitherers, slitherers, slitherers.

Carole's venomous disdain for the investors gradually makes this blog unpleasant by means of anonymous and semi-identified comments, and the bossman then decides to not comment any further on her profoundly nonsensical outbursts (paradox umpteenth), and asks other anonimi to follow his example.

Carole then informs the bossman that she will no longer comment to the blog anymore. Of course everybody notices nothing except that the atmosphere has lifted by universal degrees.

Carole lets out a few short trailing splutters, as does her sidekick. These did not get published - once you have polished your shoes, and they are shiny and bright, it is foolhardy to talk a walk through a mud pool.

Of course, like all of us, Carole is also a member of the human, and she has taken on the unenviable task of being a culprit in this lifetime. Therefore, although responsible for her own actions and words, she is also not in terms of the Universe but we collectively are (paradox ... where were we now again?)

We understand.

PS. All typos and spelling errors corrected under duress from my wife

Appeal to our old souls

Unfortunately, this blog has now become one of slinging vitriolic arrows at each other.

To those who have a bit more wisdom I would like to appeal that you no longer react to the denialism of Carole Gardiner. Let us accept the fact that she firmly believes in her own innocence in this matter. No amount of attempted convincing is going to make the lady realize that she has collected millions of Rand from people on behalf of a company to which she belonged and of which she was even a CEO. She clearly has total disregard for the loss of all the investors, but prefers to repeatedly state that she (and her's) also have lost money. That, in spite of the fact that nobody denies the veracity of her (and her's) own loss. However, she still shows no sign of reciprocating this acknowledgement towards the 4000 (some people talk about 2000 investors, but I firmly believe there are 4000).

The fact that she has now at least taken a small step forward by putting her name to a comment is praiseworthy, but her continued demonstration sickening human attitude is regrettable. An injured animal becomes vicious in its self-defence, a cornered human being becomes completely devoid of sensibility. Let us let her be.

Let us therefore, no longer resist her attempts at obfuscation and self-righteousness, lest we receive further infantile giggles of pleasure over possible further losses by the investor as envisaged by the liquidators. Perhaps, she thinks, and it seems so from her attitude, that she will only be held answerable by the liquidators, with whom she now seems to be as thick as pea-soup. However, the liquidators are not the be-all and end-all, and life carries on beyond liquidation. Carol, if you are going to do some thinking at all today, think about what is going to happen once the liquidators have gone to bed.

Carol, if it makes you feel better, continue your vitriol but know that it reinforces our distrust in you. Your involvement in this issue is not somewhere outside yourself with others who you may think despise you, but within yourself. You cannot merely brush us off like dust from your skirt or by smooching with the liquidators (you know, you are actually putting them in a bad light, and I'm sure they don't like that.) I know your archetype has problems relating to individuals as individuals and that they become merely objects to abuse, and for that we accept you as such.

My reaction to Carol's virtual contributions herewith comes to an end.

Some fall for it and the Universe plays one on me

It is Monday and the news is scarce. A few actually believed me when I said that you no longer needed me. Got Ya!. No, you guys were so busy amongst yourselves that I decided to take a few days off. And then promptly you did the same. As a result "My Edwafin Investment" came to a virtual standstill on Saturday morning. Just can't depend on you, can I?

Well, I'm back and will be for a time.

Some news about the Class Action. The group is growing and we are discussing the possibility of including people who might not be able to participate because of financial reasons. If you are at all interested, even if you think you cannot participate because of possible financial implications, please add your name to the list. We will see if there is a way around it. The more souls the better for us all. Keep in mind that if you do not add yourself to the group and the case goes to court and we win the case, you will not stand to benefit from any court rulings in favour of the group. Send your info to edwafinclass@chromatique.com. Even if you are not interested in joining the group, you might know of investors who would like to join but might not have access to Internet communications. For those I will provide my postal address and cell number:

Edwafin Class Action Group
P.O. Box 16778
Lyttelton
0140

Cell: (+27) 0721931389

Last week the universe decided to announce herself by playing a trick on my senses. Synchronicity is when two things with seemingly no connections, but with some apparent similarities becomes part of one's reality. First I will present you with two seperate things:

1. Carol wrote me an intense email at the beginning of last week which I had promised to answer. Due to circumstances and time constraints I had to delay doing so for a few days. That would also give me time to contemplate my answer. However, I felt guilty for not responding to her mail sooner, and it was continuously in the back of my mind.

2. You may all have heard about Twitter. Twitter is an Internet things whereby you provide your name and then get "followed" by other "Tweeters". In turn you follow them. The process is by short internet messages (<=140 words) and once you have subscribed you receive a constant stream of short messages from people. Most make no sense and the whole thing seems like etheric spaghetti, heaving and breathing with a life of its own. Anyway, I subscribed and when I discovered I had enough of it stopped "following" people. However, like a Stephan King movie, the whole thing has a life of its own, and daily I receive "direct messages" from folks who have decided to "follow" me in any case. Thus I was looking at my email and saw the following message:

Hi, Dr Mario Koppers.

Carole Gardner (FitCoachCarole) is now following your updates on Twitter.

A little information about Carole Gardner:

15492 followers 1080 updates following 14565 people

Most of you will know Carol Gardiner as one of the ex-directors of Edwabond. She has made her appearance a few times on these pages, and have continued communicating with her a bit behind the scenes.

So I though: "Hey, Hey, how nice of her to follow me on Twitter, perhaps I should begin tweeting with her." I smugly commented to myself: "now you know what she looks like, as well as her partner." Just look at all the followers she has, and she is not mean in her following either.

So, as a model Twitterer I went to the website she advertised with her message (not shown here). W ow, I thought some more, she has left the finance business and has become a major fitness fundi - she now calls herself a fitness fundi. Not too shabby: from thin wallets to thin bodies, and her website is filled with the most peculiar posteriors pictures - flayed human-like figures.
Problem though. What do say (with only 140 letters) to an erstwhile CEO of Edwabond, now fitness fundi with a seemingly bloodthirsty preference for human flesh?

Then I looked again, and discovered that she had not only become a fitness freak, but she had moved to the USA. Once more I looked and then discovered the clue that the universe had left me so cunningly:

Ou rown Carole Gardiner of Edwabond is not the same as Carole Gardner, fitness maniac in the USA, the one has an "i" in Garner and the other does not.

Coincidence? Of course it is.

Isn't it all getting interesting

Today was going to be a relaxing fun day. From the comments I am receiving it is a fun day al right, and it seems that the apologists are now all crawling from their little holes and squeaking little nothings into the ether. It is rather embarrassing, these people who express their myopic insights into our reality. But as I said before they are part of our creation, and therefore must have a message for us - they have to be tolerated. Like fleas on the scrotum of an mange dog - it has so many aches and pains that he merely gives them scant attention. Even if their message is one of conspiracy theories, hatred, spite and pure vindictiveness we shall hear them out, bear their incessant pain with them. Moreover, I suspect that they all have links in some what to Father Patrick and co-hosts. Scratch, scratch.

Isn't it ironic, that some of them regard the court's decision as some kind of victory for the investors (or they seem to think part of the group of investors). It is mind blowing that they miss the point so much, that it seems that their intellectual eyes have migrated 180 degrees to the back of their heads (Years ago Idi Amin announced that he was going to send astronauts to the moon using metal ash cans. Suddenly this story came to mind - he also missed the point and revealed his intellectual prowess.) Am I on another planet, or do they just not realize that 4000 investors now have essentially lost over R200 million, plus interest, by their actions? They themselves might be part of the group of (ex)employees who will not be paid or have not been paid for the past month. Some of their pronouncements are pure blind hate - yes, you have been exposed as despicable, incapable, bunggling individuals, but please do not blame those that trusted you with their money; you lost our money, you and you alone, nobody else on this planet frizzled away more that R200 million of our money - not your money - but our money.

I find it significant that in the absence of constructive thought, these individuals have resorted to the childish practice of attacking people's personalities - total strangers, essentially and for all practical purposes fictional, imaginary creations in the minds of the attackers. The fact that they have resort to attack me in this way is of little consequence, as, admittedly my picture is the one my blog and they may use it for target practice as much as they like. However, this frenzied defensive mode of behaviour against anonymous individuals is akin to that of wounded animals who feel threatened and which will lunge out blindly in all directions. It brings us no closer to a psychological resolution of our situation. I am quoting a few below to make my point:

First the famous one (a masterpiece if I may say so)

Blah blah blahdiblah and blah again Mario. Perhaps you should do something about what you look like? Scary comes to mind....but then perhaps that is why you live your life in cyber space,certainly safer for humanity at large....

Then this morning the motives of Mrs Griffen and Mrs Chaplin came into question

I am not 100% sure of the motives of either Mrs Griffen or Mrs Chaplin? According to my sources it was the successor to the investment (yes a whole R60k)who initiated the liquidation. The boyfriend (a "retired" attorney with decided self-interest in this case)of the latter, who incidentally is extremely well-off, has been driven by personal revenge and sheer vindictiveness. I hope you enjoyed your celebration, that is one of vast liquid proportions as is both your wonts. May you feel just an inkling of the pain in your hangovers you have caused 2000 investors and the ex-staff of Edwafin through your malicious acts

Now isn't that grown-up! As another anonymous commentator stated: we should rejoice in the courage of these people to take action. I now of a few investors (including myself) who stood waiting in line to take the same action (of course the Americans never walked on the moon, it is all conspiracy.) Even if it was only 1 Rand that was due to these folks, you and nobody else had the right to play god and now accuse these good people of vindictiveness. Your lost the money they were entitled to - you are the responsible party - Idiot.

Here is another

All this talk of liars, fraudsters, cheats and manipulators- exactly what do you base this libelous [sic] attack on? [Hey Marc, I also got to sic someone!]

You know nothing and you will always know nothing, because there is nothing of that kind that either you or any court of law will be able to pin on any of the directors or staff.

But then, this blog would be come oh so tedious and dull without fatuous statements of this ilk.

Doesn't this attitude say it all. Nothing about the R200 million that was fizzled away by these good people, nothing about the lives they have ruined, the pain and desperation they have caused. However, note how sure this person is about not being reachable by the law - isn't that telling us something. Hey, you conspiracy theorists, now is your opportunity to get your minds working again - formulate something, please.
It is an interesting phenomena, that the fizzlers of other peoples money have now become so venomous, and will even attack, with some vengeance those they have bitten to the bone already. Even something as inanimate as a blog does not go unscathed. They seem to absolute hate the blog, but seem to follow it with great gusto, and even participate in it. Have you noticed that none of these defenders of the iniquity that has been perpetrated have at any time to date expressed any regret for the loss that the elderly and, the now, destitute have incurred. How majestically, big-hearted these people are. Of course also no mentioned of the many lies and deceptions that were fed to us over the past few months. For some reasons my eyes are inexorably drawn to the right of the page.

Fraud: Selling a person an investment with the written undertaking to repay it immediately if you default on interest payments. You broke the contract, as you did not have the capital in reserve should something like that happen because you had spent it all. You did that to 4000 investors; retirees and widowers. More than R200 million worth.
Manipulate/Liars: Since the end of October we have received nothing but manipulative conjectures of how good a state Edwafin is in. You lied, you promised. Even your prediction of "no court case" became an outright lie, you tried to manipulate the investors opinion with your pathetic attempts to sway opinions in your favour.

And then you have the nerve to call us/me malicious: tee-hee-hee or perhaps puke-puke

Then there are the ones that I do not understand

Regardless of any position held by an employee at Edwafin, from director to manager, from clerk to tea lady, NO-ONE had any authority within the company.Everything came from the TOP!

It is entirely incorrect to state that ALL directors were excluded from scrutiny and victimisation.

There are several current and ex-directors, I know, whose lives have also been ravaged through merely doing their jobs as they believed them to be.

The staff never stood in isolation from the directors.

You should be casting your allegations further upward !

Lordy, oh lordy. Working for Patrick seems to have been like going into war. Notice the use of the word "Top" in reference to the bosses at Edwafin: avoidance of reality and the fear of god is still an active role player. Shame, you don't questions the Admiral, General or even Lance Corporal; you follow all instructions without questions; you leave all common sense and humanity at home. A convenient attitude to have. Firstly, it means that you don't have to do that tiresome thing called "thinking" and, of course, when the paw-paw eventually splits and spills its black pits, you absolve yourself from all responsibility. Fancy that, and you can even blame your own loss to the fact that you were following Patrick's orders and joined those that you ripped off in complaining about the god at whom's feet you prostrated yourself. This folks, is a phenomena called "courage". You have lost your way in our reality, you need to return to puppet land, I'm sure they will reattach your strings there. Shame.

The last one goes the Carole Gardiner

Response to anonymous about the Gardiner e mail faux paux, not on your life! There is no need to play hide and seek - this is who I am, those are my contact details - it was done purposely -how more open can one get? Why? That is so obvious to me- but then that is for me to know and for you to continue speculating about( of course in the absence of anything else worthwhile in your life)

Carole, I invited you yesterday to openly write to this blog and state your case. To be honest your last comment was useless, defensive and reactionary and will only serve to get people to become more suspicious of you. I, for one, are of the opinion that you and yours have suffered loss as well in this affair - regardless of the role you may have played in this affair yourself- and that is extremely sad and unpleasant. Keep, in mind, however, that in many/most investors' eyes, you are one of the perpetrators of an injustice that has a major effect on their lives - purely because of your role as CEO of Edwabond. If that is so, or not, only you will only know for sure at this point but all will still come out in the wash.
From the excerpts I have quoted above, levelling personality attacks on people merely shows your contempt and disrespect for them. It also proves that you are feeling guilty, and perhaps guilty for a situation that was forced on you by circumstances. My question to myself would be whether I would need to reaffirm my disrespect for other humans so consistently and perpetually, or whether I should try and be of some kind of assistance by trying to heal some of the wounds that have now emerged. Keep in mind that the investors are first of all victims and never intended to be your enemy. Sorry for the sharing of my thoughts, if it is an irritation, you are free to tell me so.

The same applies to all the other (ex)employees who now perceive the investors as their enemies: the investors and certainly some/many employees are all victims; we have incurred the loss - don't despise us for it. If you were instrumental in causing that loss and pain, being a warrior a la Patrick's example, seems not to be working - he is a loser. I once made the suggestion to Patrick to make us investors part of the solution instead of the problem .I'm not sure if he didn't understand or just couldn't get himself to be magnanimous about the situation. Anyway, he chose deception and confrontation. Did he succeed? If you have any powers of consideration left, you may want to decide for yourself.

Edwafin gets honest and I get the physical once over

Final Honesty
Yesterday, midday I - like I suspect many of us did - received an sms from Edwafin. It stated the company's regrets that the court had placed them in provisional liquidation. The previous sms from Patrick was on 15 December 2008 - the day our cheques were cancelled - telling us that they were closing shop for the holidays. There we have two truths via sms, and in between nothing but conjectures, evasions, agression and BS. Congratulations Patrick, at least you didn't close shop with a lie.

Handsome Me
Amongst all the anonymi to this page we have had very few antagonistic ones. Obviously anomousnesses are ideal for those with small frontal lobes, as they will remain unknown. But that is in itself a falacy: - the universe knows them, and then they have to look at themselves every now and then in the mirror, and presto there we have anonymous, face to face. I do appreciate the other anonymi for coming up for me. However, I'm not offended and would like to express my compassion and understanding for the pain and hurt anonymous experienced yesterday. It reminds one of the story of the wife who loved her husband dearly, like a god he was. Then he did the unforgivable and she discovered it. She could not beat him up, he was too strong and she still loved him. She turned around and kicked the dog for which she otherwise had great fondness, but conveniently he was there. I was happy to be your dog for the day and am glad that you spend so much time in cyberspace with me. What puzzles me somewhat - and that is not so unusual in itself - is which picture anonymous has been looking at. For your info, the chappie at the top of the page, under the Edwafin logo, is Patrick Stapleton, himself not too shabby. However, I'm right at the bottom of the page, inconspicuous and unaffable.

Short note to Marc
Thanks for siccing me in your report for FIN24 (click here) and pointing out my confusion with isses and are's.

Am I closing the Blog?
One anonymous wondered if I was closing down the blog. I have thought about it, but I don't think it is time yet. There is still too much that needs to happen. Yes, Edwafin has closed its doors but there is still the process of liquidation that needs to take place, while I am still collecting names and suggestions for a possible class action. In connection with the possible class action, I intend to start a sister blog to this one as soon as the number of interested persons have reached a certain level. This new blog will only be open for viewing and posting to members who want to participate. More about this in due course.
If you do insist though, I will remove my picture from the blog as I do not wish to affront your sensibilities for beauty.

The Court Order
A good number of readers have downloaded the Judge's order from my web site, and I'm sure that most will agree that the Judge's arguments are immaculate and sensible, and that the conclusion that he reached could hardly have been different. As sad as it all is, it does restore some confidence in some processess of our society. Somewhere though, some confusion must have arisen. I'm sure that Patrick had told us that 20 DMC cars were on order. Perhaps a few were cancelled in the interim.

Actually events overtook me somewhat, and I should have realized that it would. But I was going to devote some time to the Klynsmith mystery. It all seems a bit pointless now, doesn't it. however, I would like to thank one of our anonymousses, for cheeting by clicking on the picture and peeping at the names of the photos the other day. To make things worse, you compared me with Carole Gardiner. You are banned from these pages for life - yours or mine which ever takes the longest.

It is now Saturday 15:30 and as I was writing the last line, Gardiner left a new comment on our blog. As promised I have published it and I won't comment - you can do that. However, please note that Mario and the various anonymousses have now become a new unified individual. It is called creating a new manifestation - Marinymous.

Carole: nothing would please me more if you could and would vindicate yourself. You are a part of our reality, as we are part of yours. If we could co-exist in harmony it would help elevate the conciousness of the universe - even if it is ever so slightly. That is why you are welcome to keep on commenting on this blog and I will continue to publish your comments. To make it easier for you, please become a follower of the blog and contribute to the blog in your own name instead of as "anonymous".

She helps you loose it, then she helps you get it back

I must admit we have some very sharp anonymouses (or is that anonymice) in our midst. Yep one picked up the email address of Carole Gardiner and traced it back to the following website (thanks anonymous you are a star):
Www.bouncegroup.co.Za

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Business & Law Finance bouncegroup

Man oh man, isn't this reality of ours fun: first she helps you loose it, then she helps you return back to normal - at a price of course. No wonder that they say that the archetype of a clown is usually a sad one.

And yes, the lady responded to my somewhat heavy-handed answer to her letter:
20091520 Response carole Gardiner

Publish at Scribd or explore others: carole gardiner

Believe me, I can say a lot, but I do not intend to make this blog a slanging match between myself and anybody else. However, permit me:

• Your phone conversation with me was disdainful, arrogant, ignorant of the facts, unhelpful and plain rude. If 2000 Cape Townians like your style, well that is their prerogative - they can always turn to the mountain for guidance.
• Based on that experience, I never intended to have a 'clear line of communication' with you. I don't think you had anything sensible to contribute then and especially not now at this point - and it shows.
• Again you ignore the plight of the 4000 investors, that you and your friends undressed, and focus all the attention on yourself - self-pity it is called, a convenient way of drawing the attention away from realities.
• There still may be plenty of opportunity for you to defend yourself in time to come. Nobody demands that of you at this moment.
• You totally ignore all the shameless lies, untruths, and deceptions that were perpetrated by you and your masters - while you were there and afterwards. Much of it recorded on paper and disseminated to the public. Nowhere do any of the pardoners, apologize for the serious ride we were taken for, but the merely want to do business as before, as if nothing happened - 'trade ourselves out of trouble." Hum-hum.
  
• Two quotes from your letters, juxtaposed: "It’s a great pity as you may have gained some useful insight into the issue..." and "in the absence of being privy to any rescue plan and for the sake of the Edwafin investors". Now what really are you telling us? Are all those investors you spoke about now no longer on the horizon? Were you actually fibbing yesterday??? Our most important insight is that Edwafin squandered R200 million of our money. Now that is a useful insight.
  

Jechchi ... conversation is over. Good luck with the new venture, hopefully it will bring you fortunes.

Further responses from Gardiner will be published but not responded to by me.

From the depths of the Inferno came her voice: HYPE!

Out of the blue, today, an email arrived from Ms Carole Gardiner, erstwhile Director of Edwabond, and a variety of other capacities before that. I love Cape Town, I love its people, the mountain, the sea, die taal, and everything else Cape Townish. Therefore if I should receive an email from that vicinity, I am happy. However, enough about my affair with a town, here's the letter:
20090519 EMail Carole Gardiner

Publish at Scribd or explore others: carole gardiner edwabond

My and Ms Gardiner's liaison go back some months, and I think that it was in January 2009, that I spoke to her over the phone. I have mentioned the situation once before, but that is quite a few pages back. The conversation went something like this:

• Mario: "Good afternoon, I would like to request a form CM42 please. I have requested this form a number of times by phone and email, but there seems to be a problem"
• Ms G: "I don't know of such a form. What is the form for?"
• Mario: "I need the form to request my money back."
• Ms G: "You can't get your money back, you will have to see out the full five year term."
• Mario: "According to your prospectus, I am now entitled to my money back, seeing that you defaulted on your interest payments."
• Ms G: "You can't get your money back, you will have to see out the full five year term."
• Mario: "But you defaulted on ...."
• Ms G: "You can't get your money back, you will have to see out the full five year term."
• Mario: "I have spoken to Mr. Stapleton, and have had much correspondence with him, and he told me that I needed to submit a form CM42 tegether with a 'put'-option."
• Ms G: "This conversation is going nowhere. Email me and let me have the correspondence between you and Mr. Stapleton."

Isn't she cute? I remember as if it was yesterday. I also promised my wife never to use the words I used when I put the phone down again in her presence.

But then I remembered that Ms Gardiner and I have a history together that goes back many life times. The last time I was a pirate with a hook for a left hand (or was it the right hand? - anyway), and she was the admiral on one of her Majesty's ships. They had capture our ship and had boarded us, forcing us to defend ourselves. She (actually she was a he at the time) charged at me with his/her fiercely sharp cutlass and lunged at my heart .. I intercepted the steel blade with my hook, sparks flew into the air, and then I poke the thumb of my good hand deep into the soft, giving flesh of his/her eye. Since that day we both wore an eye patch. Although they captured us that day, Gardiner has never forgiven me for the loss of vision.

So I was a bit surprised to receive her letter, explaining her situation and opinion.

Ms Gardiner I respect your opinion, and thank you for your brave approach to our current situation. I am also appreciative of your role in the management of Edwafin. What baffles me is that as one that was appointed to the board during the early months of 2008 you were not aware of the impending doom that was approaching and that you only became aware of the situation in December 2008, after October and November had been months of struggle already. A number of ex-employees have written to inform this blog that they have repeatedly warned the board of impending problems. Unfortunately you also do not mention any other investments that were taken by the company in your charge after October 2008, but then you only exclude the Cape Town branch. So do we assume there were no investements made after October 2008? OK.

But let us accept that you were a minor role player in the Edwafin game, you still were a director of a subsidiary company, and even though you now have the benefit of vision of both eyes, you blithely ignore the plight that the company, of which you were a senior officer, put so many people through, the anguish, anxiety, heartbreak, emotional pain? Does not mean much to you? OK. Yet, and like Patrick (10 million plus), you consider it important for us to know, that you and your family have invested R5 million. Who the hell cares?

I respect your opinion about Edwafin's possible liquidation, there are others that share your view, while I'm ambivalent. Yet, if the directors of Edwafin had played open cards from the beginning, and if they would now stop uttering contradictory statements, it would be easier to support either side. You tell us that you "believe" that it would be better for the company to be put under Judicial Management, but like the remaining directors at edwafin, you provide us with no facts or figures. Come on, now. Is that all your learnt from Patrick: sending letters with empty statements, demanding to be believed by those you have inconvenienced so grievously?

You have another belief:

"I believe that the matter is being capably handled by the judiciary and that we should rather await this decision, desisting in the interim from further hype and speculation."

Hands up those who do not believe the judiciary is handling the matter capably! Of course we all agree with you, that is why we are waiting with abated breaths, "waiting for its decision". I tell you who had no confidence in the judiciary, it was Patrick and fellow warriors. They sent out questionnaires, with votes for and against liquidation or Judicial management; they arranged meetings for the investors with the purpose of convincing them with sweet sounding words. I must admit, reality is playing games with me, its like having an argument with my ex.

Then comes the clincher: "desist from hype and speculation. " Amen (Oops that was naughty of me)
From the dictionary: hype
1. (n.) Information disseminated to gain acceptance:
• publicity, advertising, promotion, puffery, circulation, write-up, buildup, promulgation, plug (colloquial)
2. (v.) To make known vigorously the positive features of:....

This blog talks about the difficult situation we, the investors, find ourselves in. Many statements are received that are not published for fear of retribution. Yes, it is true, that at times we speculate, and in view of the lack of transparency from Edwafin, who could blame us? Edwafin could not look after our interests so we have to do it ourselves. But considering the utterances from the majesties of commerce at Edwafin, who on earth is hyping whom?

It ironic that you end your letter with the same hazy, neither-here-neither-there promises of possible investments - an old Patrick-trick that we have heard him expound since early November 2008. Now that you have the sight of both eyes back, can't you see that the investor needs factual information - not just vague, misty, bedraggled statements of futuristic events. Sies man.

You represent an archetype I do not trust... and no, I have no questions for you.