Facebook is now crawling with CIA and MI6 officers in Kyoto and Kansai...

Some of you will have read an earlier post in which I mention that Brian Schultz 'de-friended' me on Facebook apparently in order to conceal the identities of all the intelligence officers in attendance at a little riverside gathering hosted by Justin Giffin. Well, the CIA and MI6 apparently decided to change tact sometime in the not-too-distant past (I can't monitor these people all the time), and now they are all sort of hiding in the open there, literally a hundred or more individuals. 

The implications will not be readily apparent, but let me briefly say that with respect to civil society and the availability of opportunities for normal Westerners in Japan (not to mention Japanese citizens), the effect (if not strategy) of the intelligence agencies is to colonize civil society (e.g., monopolize teaching jobs at universities, etc.) in a manner such as to exclude non-intelligence officer foreigners and network with Japanese people in a manner that causes even graver damage to civil society in Japan. I've already touched on the exclusionary aspects of their sociopathic networking endeavors.

What is important to bear in mind is that all of these individuals are receiving a salary of $US 100,000 or more on top of what they earn locally, so they are not really here as normal people living on a normal budget; American and British and Irish and Canadian tax payers are paying them substantial salaries to basically serve as agents infiltrating civil society overseas in a manner that is 100% incompatible with Western values of free-market economics, the pursuit of happiness, open society, etc. They are part of a nexus of a neo-feudalistic social network that poses a serious problem that remains hidden. Naturally, part of my aim is to expose this pernicious activity of the Western intelligence agencies in Kyoto. No doubt it is a pattern that could be found in many other places in a form tailored to the specific environment.

Aside from the fact that you can view these individuals on Facebook--and note that the respective governments of England, Ireland, Canada, the USA, etc. do not remove these individuals even after I expose them is in need of further examination--later.

Here is Justin's current page: https://www.facebook.com/kyotoamigo?fref=ts
Though I'm not trying to single him out, since I have specifically discussed this issue in relationship to him in the past, his page is the logical place to start. 

If you go into his Friends list, note that John Dougill https://www.facebook.com/dougill.john?fref=pb&hc_location=friends_tab, for example is included there. Not only are numerous people that I have mentioned on this blog, e.g., Aaron Campbell of 'Global College' fame https://www.facebook.com/aaronpc?fref=pb&hc_location=friends_tab  and reported to the US DOJ there, but others that I haven't (yet) mentioned, but with whom I've interacted in some of the same scenarios already described on this blog, such as: 
Gordon Maclaren https://www.facebook.com/gordon.maclaren1?fref=pb&hc_location=friends_tab, who I met the same night I met Michael Lambe of bogus blog fame and who teaches at the same university as Dougill. 

Those I've exposed heretofore are most certainly intelligence officers, others just suspect based on circumstantial evidence and degree of association. I feel comfortable mentioning their names in the context of examining the networks of people associated with those individuals with respect to whom there is no question that they are intelligence officers. 

If nothing else, Mr. Maclaren, for example, who studied at Harvard, is networked with at least five individuals that I can assert with a high degree of certainty are CIA officers, including one or two that lived in my old apartment building. A couple of them used to pop up quite frequently and apparently were on my security detail, but they have dropped out of sight in the past year or so. And that's in addition to at least three MI6 (presuming that Irish are MI6) officers. Mr. Mclaren might be Canadian, in which case, if he were an intelligence officer, he would belong to the Canadian Security Intelligence Agency:
http://www.csis-scrs.gc.ca/index-eng.asp

The following Facebook groups, for example, have a fairly dense population of CIA, MI6, etc. intelligence agency officers:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/weareonejapan/members/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/63174779936/members/
https://www.facebook.com/pechakuchakyo

Here are a couple of interesting photos from one event held at the venue where I met Gordon Maclaren and Michael Lambe with Brian Schultz. Is that Sean Lotman  in the back row?
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=521474901250306&set=a.302512279813237.72991.100001634027906&type=1&theater 
https://www.facebook.com/events/567600219945829/

I could name others from these pages, but I'll save that for another time, as I have to leave this post short and get some work done. Suffice it to say that if you take a cross section of the people on these pages with those of people on a few others pages I'll post soon, the number of people involved is astonishingly large. Although a few of the individuals are engaged in socially beneficial activities, the majority are sort of nothing more than entities whose activities could be seen to be neo-colonial and aimed at promoting the interest of Western corporations. Feudalism and neo-corporatism are interrelated societal configurations, historically.

This post is somewhat disjointed and I'll have to come back to it again and edit...

In closing, there are two other trends that I've noticed in conjunction with the "hide in the open on social media" phenomena: (1) the agencies have been concentrating on sending retirees my way and withdrawing the younger officers, hoping to protect their cover, I suppose, and perhaps hoping to shield themselves by sending retirees--who aren't technically active intelligence officers; and (2) an uptick in the number of conspicuous homosexuals (elderly lesbian couples, etc.) on the streets and in the cafe. It bear noting that the current consul at the Osaka Consulate is a gay man married to a Japanese man. Here are a couple of links:  http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/02/27/national/gay-consul-general-finds-partner-place-in-government/  
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30KJRb4MzSg

Information I referenced earlier DELETED from LACROIX-MARRIAGE JAPAN

Although the CIA et al. had me convinced that we were moving toward some sort of reconcilable situation, in light of several recent developments, which will be detailed here over the course of the next few days and weeks, I have some to realize that, in all likelihood, the maggots at the CIA are not, in fact, reasonable human being, but a group of incorrigible sociopaths that think they have a right to do whatever it takes to make their organization predominant.

So, though I've seen Justin Giffin on his bicycle riding past me a couple of times in the past month or two, the fact that this information has been deleted--though the photo links are still viable. The webpage that has been deleted page is:

http://lacroix-marriage-japan.blogspot.jp/2007/04/ministers-1.html

Meanwhile, the following link is still alive, with photos, though "Dan Douglass" has been deleted from the list of "priests":

http://lacroix-marriage-japan.blogspot.jp/2007/04/ministers-2_03.html

Archived: http://web.archive.org/web/20131004171020/http://lacroix-marriage-japan.blogspot.jp/2007/04/ministers-2_03.html

The homepage of the site still has a photo of the head:

http://lacroix-marriage-japan.blogspot.jp/

The fact of the matter is that another page, which is still listed, includes information on at least one other CIA officer with respect to whom I have heretofore been circumspect in disclosing his identity. At this point, it is necessary that I not only provide the archive for the deleted page including the information on Dan Douglas and Justin Giffin, but that I disclose another suspected CIA officer seen on the current webpage, one John Benson, who lives in the same apartment building that I was living in when I met Dan Douglas, who had also lived there for many years.

LACROIX-MARRIAGE  JAPAN

The Nippon Sei Ko Kai is the religious body in the Province of Japan of the Anglican Communion.

Ministers 1

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVR5GxSTJ9X44QYI3NzqNvKCibWZLwtWEMYTyoO91OECbiWY4Ha0ysK1lu9PNp1N0gyNA7AcaqvcqTNKIPczvmagDQ19DZQvaHGsk7wpy7jWZ-ystGPQW_CPj5bel4tB14ZzuO6nl1JO-v/s1600/eric+blog.jpg

 

TRONCHET ERIC

Age: 50

Nationality: French

Marital status: Single

Place of residency: Kyoto

_________________________________________________________________

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcGABPSOmVIR_1thBvngY87hGbYEzpU3cwTx7TjO8GwvaU7PHEXAH1lK6n0QR-MinIiW9BoHhMRtwdKckwCl0Ql4CtphPSpLKJ7lyibPijiIMx4yTxCqxMw5FeKyzJVx9uQqTR0AfzFCGj/s1600-h/Simon+mulholland.png

SIMON MULHOLLAND

Age: 46

Natonality: New Zealander/Australian

Marital status: Married

Place of residency: Amagasaki

__________________________________________________________________

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEW-6rV3jAk0mqYVoJ3gSrcb1TpoG1zhq15vAajIkQs5lz-G8xrSXXpzkVvgYGNGFtLS6CumSH6Sy8Vf1jZwNADcrhhIxc5nNRWv8D3XApPQrKV6ZdryzPDl1pIy7NuHkKxvUl0sJvgeVh/s1600-h/Lance+Burrows.png

 

LANCE?BURROWS

Age: 39

Nationality: American

Marital status: Single

Place of residency: Osaka-Kyobashi

_________________________________________________________________

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNXBy7JvbgJ_Sv4_NhX6ZlfLonMxtyotnQiZ0kHrIad9IvGGqud0zguKiUXtxImYjUCCUjE8hJK5yDlqpiJ_qJQjqyrXF2hyphenhyphenTMwOCWz7vRywDr3lPQX4nnuAWgvE7xik370-hlrN4HZlEy/s1600-h/David+James.png

 

DAVID JAMES

Age: 42

Nationality: British

Marital status: Married

Place of residency: Kyoto

_________________________________________________________________

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9c_aGzVICFtxdX_vY203EhXvbZW_9tHA7yQQoj1VJqdCyGq0nkf4yOhnM8WZU5UpbYFfpa3NysJ6CP0iATOGsoCmN88IXrXLLnxyYob5MeyNJ3FwTIwFnCXGg3Fv4_HGBBciS6XEWAty/s1600-h/Justin+Giffin.png

 

JUSTIN?GIFFIN

Age: 44

Nationality: British

Marital status : Single

Place of residency: Kyoto

_________________________________________________________________

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipSBQSk0WRWRzK8bXaYsfE5LDHNqiAbBzzeeEaahElNPV5pdBJvSkuIdvtpA5yKdZWW81QBQxSmzafIB8732m_vxtwSL4_cd6-EVkFF6irYx81XkFkadUBECP49WUajuUiAQ3jzFmSif86/s1600-h/Michael+Beard.png

 

MICHAEL BEARD

Age: 53

Nationality: American

Marital status : Single

Place of residency: Sannomiya

_________________________________________________________________

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAZ49eT-A1cHjE_hDlIomrQ3VD-oCyYzgZxwWnxo3pDJQooMOD-E-VSkl-JhsDrBmgDku2Rk9KS55ZTsRL9oj-9-VOTXqucPxmiGijlDDrAVXmXTCKZtZhU_3pR-4PO_yUq0ZW1dYX5BcT/s1600-h/Eric+gerwer.png

ERIC GERWER

Age: 45

Nationality: American

Marital status: Single

Place of residence: Wani (Shiga)

_________________________________________________________________

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJu_-yCnce582ugaoRiRD1e9ZAfqDNWWiJSZm8u6FX-lp7-bGrnwhZwJZwQ3E5w7fAwR-Kp5y2k_IIYvCPR-RlZKrRXr-5TJvMfPn_ZeZVhpmh5Y0qMqKVnpyumnQvaBYuL7_tZJRRNbnD/s1600-h/Matt+Fugall.png

 

MATT FUGALL

Age: 40

Nationality: American

Marital status: Married

Place of residence: Ka

Here is another archived page I've just noticed, actually, in searching again preparing to submit this to the Court, that this page (link provided above) still has the information--including photo--of John Benson (aka John Hart Benson), another former resident of the Villa Tonodan. This is a simple copy-and-paste edit.

http://web.archive.org/web/20131004171020/http://lacroix-marriage-japan.blogspot.jp/2007/04/ministers-2_03.html

牧師 Ministers 2

AFFILIATED MENBERS

____________________________________________________________________



BAHRAM ENANLOO
Age: 49
Nationality:
Marital status: Married
Place of residency: Nishinomiya
____________________________________________________________________




JEAN CHRISTOPHE TERRILLON
Age: 49
Nationality: Canadian/French
Marital status: Married
Place of residence: Shioya (Hyogo)

____________________________________________________________________


MATTHEW STRIDE
Age: 29
Nationality: Australian
Marital status: single
Place residency: Nishinomiya


____________________________________________________________________ 


GERARD LEVESQUE

Age:
Nationality: Canadian
Marital status: Single
Place of residence: Kyoto

____________________________________________________________________ 


LARRY DAVID DUCAN

Age: 55
Nationality: American
Marital status: Permanent residency
Place of residence: Tanba



____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________ 


GEORGE SOSICH
Age: 47
Nationality: Australian
Marital status: married
Place of residence: Tamba




___________________________________________________________________ 

STEPHEN MENEDEZ

Age: 27
Nationality: French
Marital status: Single
Place of residence: Juso
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 


JOSH DE SANTIS
Age: 51
Nationality: American
Marital status: Single
Place of residency: Rokko Moutain

_______________________________________________________________





EDWARD ROWE
Age: 37
Nationality: American
Marital status: Married
Place of residence: Sannomiya
____________________________________________________________________


LAURENCE McLEOD-MADDOX
Age: 40
Nationality: British
Marital status: Married
Place of residence: Yamato saisaji

__________________________________________________________________

MATHEW COOPER
Age: 42
Nationality: English
Marital status: Married
Place of residence: Nishinomiya

_____________________________________________________________________ 


STEPHAN DUCOUP
Age:
Nationality: French
Marital status: Married
Place of residence: Kobe
__________________________________________________________________ 


JOHN BENSON Age:
Nationality: American
Marital status:
Place of residence:Kyoto
____________________________________________________________________

JOHN SAUNDERS Age: 52
Nationality: English
Marital status: Married
Place of residence: Rokko mountain

____________________________________________________________________ 



STEPHEN LANGLEY
Age: 47
Nationality: USA
Marital status: Married
Place of residence: Kurashiki


__________________________________________________________________ 



THOMAS RIGATO Age: 30
Nationality: Italian
Marital status: Married
Place of residence: Kyoto
___________________________________________________________________ 



PETER GOLIGHTLY Age: 49
Nationality: American
Marital status: Single
Place of residence:Kyoto
_________________________________________________________________ 
JULIAN DAVID ROSE Age:
Nationality: Australia
Marital status: Married
Place of residence: Yamashina
__________________________________________________________________ 
JACK BELLOWS Age:
Nationality: American
Marital status:
Place of residence: Nishinomiya
JOHN KENNEY Age:
Nationality: American
Marital status:
Place of residence: Kyoto
__________________________________________________________________ 
KEN FRANCIS KEYSLEY Age:
Nationality: American
Marital status: Married
Place of residence: Yamashina
__________________________________________________________________ 
HENRY FOWLER Age:
Nationality:
Marital status:
Place of residence: Osaka
__________________________________________________________________ 
JAN HOLGER Age:
Nationality: German
Marital status:
Place of residence: Osaka
__________________________________________________________________ 
BARRY WARD Age:
Nationality: American
Marital status:
Place of residence: Rokko island
__________________________________________________________________ SIMON GOUTH Age:
Nationality: Canadian
Marital status:
Place of residence: Nishinomiya
__________________________________________________________________ 
PHILIPP SACARELLO Age: 55
Nationality: English
Marital status: Married
Place of residence: Ogaki-gifu
__________________________________________________________________ 

Who is Sean Lotman? Just some connected scion of wannabe artist nepotism?

I'ts going to take some time to sort through the obscure clutter about Mr. Lotman on the Internet,  but I have gone through a substantial amount of info, so I'm updating this, but it will need further work as time permits. It's not a priority, mind you, but another blip on the radar, one that just happens to jibe with an slight influx of LA-style hipster cretins I've noted of late.

According to this article 
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/01/12/life/nomad-writer-and-photographer-keeps-his-passions-fueled-by-travel/#.UZj91bWpVDA 
by Kris Kosaka (who?) 
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/author/int-kris_kosaka/page/2/ 
he's a famous writer and photographer. Apparently he even lives near my neighborhood, though he must keep a very low profile because I haven't seen him around.

The problem is, of course, that he is practically a non-published, non-entity in the world of letters.  Yet the Japan Times article states the following.

Moving to Tokyo in spring 2003, he taught English for three months before he made enough connections to support himself fully with modeling or writing.

So one may wonder, why does he have such a fatuously promotional writeup in a national newspaper?  

It just so happens that Mr. Lotman is married to a woman whose family has a noodle shop very close to my neighborhood, but maybe they don't live in that building, because as mentioned above, I haven't ever seen the guy.

Here are a couple of other passages of that caught my attention in the Japan Times article.

Much of his fiction reveals this instinct. "My writing is usually about Americans in other cultures. When I am traveling, I am often thinking about or interpreting my reactions to a place through an imagined character."

Papua New Guinea, Myanmar, Nepal, Mongolia; Lotman has to stop for a breath before he's halfway through his list of places yet unexplored. "I'm interested in countries where you really let yourself go and your safety zone dissolves. It's that feeling of adaptation coming on, when you feel yourself becoming part of a new environment, part of an unfamiliar tableaux. I like being startled."

Is it just me or do others note a contradiction in the above statements. 

His first photography collection, "Wanderlust," was published two years ago.

Here is a link detailing that overblown "collection", half of which is by his wife, who, while basically still in the process of building a repertoire and reputation as a photopgrapher, is more accomplished (and employed) than he.
http://www.lomography.com/magazine/events/2011/12/01/sean-lotmans-wanderlust-book-launch-lomography-gallery-store-taipei


Another description of the aforementioned collection is found here 
http://www.anderbo.com/anderbo1/aphotographycontents-01.html, 
and includes the following passage.

Sean Lotman, a native of Los Angeles, moved to Japan in 2003, living in Tokyo until last year. His writing and photography have appeared in or are forthcoming in Grey Sparrow, Fogged Clarity, Fringe, WOOF!, Reunion and Ragazine. He writes and shoots for TRANSIT, a national Japanese travel magazine and his first photo book, Wanderlust, was published by Snappp! in 2011. Sean lives in Kyoto, Japan... 

I haven't gone through all the so-called "publications" on the above list, but I have gone through a number on a list posted below. The only of these predominately online media that would seem to pay for submitted work is Transit, but as described below, he appears to have contributed to only two issues of that magazine, and only text, in 2011. That makes the following passage from the Japan Times sound like nothing more than hyped up false promotion.

Over the past few years, he has built up an array of publishers, both online and print, for his short fiction, adding Transit, a popular Japanese travel glossy, which publishes his fiction alongside photographs.

There are are some pieces with his by-line, such as a series of interviews and the like, in the following obscure magazine published by foreigners only, apparently, in Japan, er, no, Oregon USA:
http://hesomagazine.com/about/
http://hesomagazine.com/tag/sean-lotman/

Here is an interesting photo credited only to HESO STAFF, which I find somewhat curious. Are they communists or artists? It would appear that they are trying to earn a living off of their pretensions:
http://hesomagazine.com/photo-of-the-week/good-times-in-gion-geisha-hand-clap/

The magazine apparently is in print, and with no advertising! That is ideal, of course, but how do they afford to do that in this market? "User supported" by the proceeds from sales of printed copies?
http://www.hesomagazine.com/request_issue.htm

Did some of them simply fail in Japan, so returned to Oregon yet continue to devote their energies almost exclusively to topics on Japan? 

Or is it the case that perhaps Oregon enables them to keep a low profile, off the radar of someone like myself, until the Japan Times prints a ludicrous article about one of the affiliated individuals.

In conclusion, the dubious characteristics unveiled in the forgoing analysis have opened up an expansive horizon of doubt in my mind as to the status of the magazine HESO and its contributors in the real world. 

At any rate, perhaps I should have a look into some of the other contributors to that suspect device of a magazine. 

Again, what country is this phone number in?
http://hesomagazine.com/contact/
HESO Magazine
+1-503-893-4347
info@hesomagazine.com
That would appear to be in Oregon, ye Olde USA!
https://plus.google.com/114214446783004341877/about
Japan Culture Mag focusing on Humanism in Photography, Music, Film & Gastronomy

Another individual contributing to that magazine 

http://www.demotix.com/users/manny-santiago/profile
wrote this review of Sean's wife's family noodle establishment:
http://www.demotix.com/news/193940/owariya-soba#media-193939
and this:
http://hesomagazine.com/books/freedom-is-fun-freedom-is-good-freedom-is-sexy/attachment/sunset-limited/

Here is another look at some of the credits he credits himself with on his own website. As can be seen, most of the websites are relatively new, with the oldest being established in 2007.

http://seanlotman.com/pages/about.html

The Dirty Napkin is an online literary journal that was created in August 2007.

The Diverse Arts Project is an online literary journal and art/cultural space. The DAP Journal, No. 1. Fall 2011. Published September 23, 2011.

Literati Magazine is a literary magazine catering to the young, indie, urban reader…started…in 2009…

Marco Polo is an online literary and art magazine. During the summer of 2010, Marco Polo debuted as a quarterly. 

By incorporating music and visual arts Fogged Clarity aims to transcend the conventions of a typical literary journal. The first issue was released in 2009.

LPV is an online and print magazine dedicated to contemporary documentary and fine art photography. The first issue was released in 2011.

I've looked at some of the writing but don't have anything interesting to say about it, because I didn't find anything particularly noteworthy.

In the Japan Times article, Mr. Lotman is quoted as stating:

 "I work with Transit and my trips are often sponsored, so I am really lucky."

http://transit.ne.jp/ 
It promotes his wife's photography:
http://www.transit.ne.jp/contents/info/2013/04/kyotographie.php
http://blog.pushalley-oilalley.com/?eid=747
The website for the "magazine" has no company information; however, I have been able to determine that it is a legitimate publication put out by Kodansha.

http://www.transit.ne.jp/contents/magazine/transit-1.php

Amazon Japan search of Transit:

http://www.amazon.co.jp/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?__mk_ja_JP=%E3%82%AB%E3%82%BF%E3%82%AB%E3%83%8A&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=transit

Others:

http://www.transit.ne.jp/contents/downloads/

Ariko images from Morocco (#9 (2010)) , West Coast (#14 (2011)), and Turkey (#15 (2011)) with Sean Lotman contributing text to issues nos. 14 and 15

http://www.transit.ne.jp/contents/blog/2011/03/arikoom.php

Ariko image from India (#12 (2011))

http://www.transit.ne.jp/contents/magazine/transit19.php

Ariko credit for photography on Northern Europe, Denmark section

As far as I can tell, Ariko (her 'pen name') has contributed photography to five issues starting in 2010, and Mr. Lotman text to two issues in 2011. While not insignificant for Ariko, it would appear to be far from what could be considered full-time employment for Mr. Lotman, with only two contributions of text in 2011.

In a comment posted to an article by another contributor to HESO, 
http://www.trippingoverland.com/2010/05/chasing-the-great-khan-pt-1/
Mr. Lotman mentions the CIA and KGB:

Your beard/ cap/ jacket/ shades is looking very CIA. Perhaps there will be some KGB agents sharing your bunk. Be prepared for massive drinking. I've heard the marathon drinking sessions are something else.

That individual only goes by the name "Brett", which seems almost as strange as crediting photos to "HESO staff". I did find this online blurb 
http://au.blurb.com/user/manfredd
about him, which appears to repeat the information claimed by Manny Santiago here
http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=42847288&authType=NAME_SEARCH&authToken=mYl3&locale=en_US&srchid=174352551369473805269&srchindex=1&srchtotal=58&trk=vsrp_people_res_name&trkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A174352551369473805269%2CVSRPtargetId%3A42847288%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary
about starting the magazine (except he dates it to 2001) and other things, including "Sugardisaster Photography", which Mr. Santiago claims to have started while a student at UCSB in 1996.  
Mr. Santiago is also an ordained minister, apparently, of an esoteric sect, which only turns up the following google result
http://www.churchoftherock.ca/home
and on the subpage on his linked in page
http://www.linkedin.com/company/386508?trk=prof-exp-company-name
He states:

We work for peace, not money.

Here's the latest on that individual:
http://hesomagazine.com/sugardisaster/about-manny/

On that page there is a link to (another?) photographers network:
http://magnesiumagency.com/
http://magnesiumagency.com/about/
And though some of the contributors don't show their faces, the following chain of links turned up a little more information on "Brett".
http://magnesiumagency.com/members/sean-wood/
http://blog.50mm.jp/brett/

The return of Anthony Blackman???

At this point in time (June 2009), it had already become clear to me that Glenn Paquette was in the CIA—along with others—and though I had been put on guard and had some reservations, I basically assumed that the overture of Glenn introducing me to Anthony was a good faith overture of introducing to others in the network, so to speak.

This post is about Mr. Anthony Blackman, whom has been named on this blog, but the reasons not described in detail. The following series of emails is not something that seemed desirable to make public, and since Mr. Blackman had been removed from the scenario after I sent copies to the DOJ, I didn’t bother going into the matter further on the blog. He has resurfaced, however, and I don’t know if that means the DOJ hasn’t prohibited his being posted here or what has transpired in the interim of the past couple of years, but he is now online as working at an English conversation school that was newly established in April 2010:

http://web.archive.org/web/20130429013917/http://www.englishbuffet.net/instructors
According to the information under the above link, Mr. Blackman has been married (since 1995) to a Japanese woman with whom he has two daughters. 
http://www.englishbuffet.net/instructors (current page, he's gone!)

http://www.englishbuffet.net/

http://www.englishbuffet.net/about

http://www.englishbuffet.net/node/115

http://www.englishbuffet.net/blog/6 (gone!)

http://web.archive.org/web/20130630042114/http://www.englishbuffet.net/blog/6 (web archive page!)

He describes himself here as having "co-founded English Buffet, Kyoto's largest school":
http://anthonyblackman.brandyourself.com/ 

6/20/09

You can use this e-mail if you like as well.
I only use it for communicating with Mr. Takamiya and for receiving email
related to translating.
Anthony

Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2009

Subject: 翻訳

アンソニー

 翻訳の見積依頼です。

４つの取扱説明書で量がたくさんあります。

 見積と納期を連絡下さい。

 たかみや

Here, he forwards me the email request for the job. In the forwarded message, the Japanese client indicates that he is requesting an estimate for translating the four files, including Operating Manuals and GUI screenshot, in the attached zip file. He comments that the amount of text is quite large (about 110 pages of manuals in the Japanese originals), and asks for both an estimate as well as the date the completed translation will be ready for submission.

Sat, Jun 20, 2009

got it!

Anyway, Takamiya and I met last night for about an hour and he handed me 4 operating manuals and asked me to give him a translating price estimate by SUN. night. 

This doesn't mean we get the job, it just means we are now IN THE BIDDING for the job.

So, I would like to meet you tonight after 10pm if possible or tomorrow morning or early afternoon to show you the stuff.

And by the way, do you have the ability to access ICHITARO word pro?

In this message he basically reiterates that there are four manuals, but claims we are only “in the bidding”.

Sat, Jun 20, 2009

I found your e-mail on my **** account and took it out of SPAM, so now e-mail posted to either 3 accounts will reach me now.

I use a MAC at home and was unable to open up his file.  I have hard copies of it though and will be taking it with me tonight and tomorrow.

If you just happen to drop by Starbucks on your way home after the movie, I might still be there.  Or could we meet at about 230pm at STARBUCKS?

Anthony

Mon, Jun 22, 2009

Here are two e-mails I got from Mr. Takamiya.

I believe they speak for themselves.

インターネットで 英語→日本語　一文字¥６

　日本語→英語　一文字¥３

があります。

値段検討下さい。

無理なら断ることも考えてください。

**** さん <***** > wrote:

前回（今年の１月）の見積は ９万円と３万円で出しています。

これはアンソニーから聞いた値段です。

この値段で計算すると一文字￥６　くらいになります

I figured that 10yen per character was probably a little too high, but now he is quoting 3yen per character.....that's more than just a slight difference.

I told him I will still do it at 3yen per character, but I will need at least 2months because I couldn't possibly treat this as a PRIORITY JOB.

At that price, it is more of a hobby than a job.

I doubt he will take such a ridiculous offer of 2mos.

But WHO translates at 3yen a character?, you were saying yesterday that agencies charge 12-15yen

Oh well, we'll see.

We apparently have differing views on appropriate salaries.

Anthony

Note that he did not forward me the email from the client here in the same manner as the first communication, for whatever reason. It appears that maybe Anthony wrote the first Japanese text himself, attempting to portray the client as demanding a reduction in the rate by half, from 6 yen/character to 3 yen/character, whereas the second passage simply mentions the rate for the last job (6 yen/character).

His apparent willingness to immediately accept the job at half of the rate he received for the previous job and less than a third of the rate discussed with me is disingenuous, so the conversation is already unraveling into an attempt at subordination. Note that at the time in question I had been translating patent specifications, manuals, business documentation, etc., for about nine years, and had sat for the Japanese bar exam for patent attorney.

Mon, Jun 22, 2009

hi anthony,

needless to say that rate is out of the question. like i said, i will go as low as 7.5 yen per character, with a 7 day time frame and mandatory terminology references. 

also, there is no way that it is more to translate from english to japanese than japanese to english, so either he has the figures backwards (in which case 6 only 25% less than 8), or there is deception going on somewhere in the chain. in either case, it doesn't matter what illiterate person he tries to get off of the internet, probably someone in india, but he can be my guest.

the only people i work cheaper for are people who send me a high volume of legal and government documentation.

responses like his--stating simply something he saw on the internet with no further knowledge--are one of the main reasons that there is so little viable business activity here in kansai. it's practically an insult to my intelligence, but nothing personal, of course. on the other hand, a lot of people don't regard translation as a very highly skilled profession. especially low and mid-level management types. it would be nice to have some more consistent work locally, but he is being too greedy. the other local work i have here pays 10 yen per character.

best regards,

I had obviously become a little disconcerted at this point, and it seems like I may have been drinking before composing this message. This was a point in time when there seemed to be an increase of outsourcing to translation companies in India, and I had been asked to check text that was written in somewhat broken English without the typical flaws found in English translations by native Japanese speakers, so I entertained the possibility that the ridiculous rate might be connected to that, as only in a country with a very low cost of living would such a rate be feasible. Things had been slow, and that trend had been somewhat worrisome. In fact, the downturn had compelled me to sit for the bar exam, but that takes place in May, just after what had been the busiest time of year for me work wise at the end of the Japanese fiscal year in April—one reason I didn’t pass that test…

Tue, Jun 23, 2009

hello again anthony,

i noticed that in editing my last message i left int he phrase "like i said" which shouldn't be there, as i had said i would go as low at 8 yen initially, but am willing to go a little lower with more time and references seeing that things are slow at the moment. 

on the other hand, please note that there will have to be a contract drawn up for freelance translation services, with a viable company, be it tsa or whoever. i assume that this company tsa is an actual registered business, right?

i don't want to waste any more time on this project until it begins to seem less sketchy.

regards,

Tue, Jun 23, 2009

Regarding your first question about TSA, I believe all the correct paperwork is in order and we are registered as a business.  We spent nearly 6mos in meetings planning this out and it has always been my assumption he took care of that aspect.  which is also why he doesn't want to suddenly drop me and start dealing with someone else............name changes, the unknown, business cards, etc....  or whatever....... In the 13 years I have been in Japan, I have daily unpleasant surprises as I get to know "THE REAL JAPAN".

My answer is always the same...........'WHATEVER!'

Anyway, I sent him an e-mail yesterday saying I will do it for 3yen, but at MY COMFORTABLE PACE.   He then set my KEITAI ablaze with a bunch of phone calls last night and early this morning, but I was watching TV and re-arrranging my sock drawer and couldn't be bothered, so I finally gave him a call this morning to see what he wanted and he is going to submit the proposal at 7yen for the 3 manuals, The Ichitaro formatted one will be declined as I am unable to open it.  The PDF file will be sent to me in its original WORD format and he would like all three done in 2weeks and that is how he will submit the BID.

3 manuals (all WORD)

2 weeks

7 yen per character

I would like to work with you because you are professional and know what you are doing.

I, on the other hand, am still a complete rank below novice in this world and need to get my feet wet.

Anyway, I will let you know if we get the project.

Anthony

In this message he attempts to teach me about “THE REAL JAPAN” and preaches the adoption of an unquestioning disposition of resigned acceptance in the form of “WHATEVER”. He subsequently reverses that order and defers to me as “a professional” and himself as “a complete rank below novice”, despite pointing out that he had been in Japan for 13 years, which was about the same length of time I had been in Japan at the time.

2009/6/24

Hello Anthony,

That's a very low bid to be submitting as a company, but under the circumstances I am agreeable to taking it on and helping you get started. One thing I'd like to clarify is what the 7 yen represents. Is that what you are offering me? If not, what are expecting in terms of remuneration? 

Also, get the references as soon as possible, as I could start looking at those from Thursday. It will be necessary to evaluate how viable the previous translations are and whether or not further research will be necessary.

This email was sent on June 24, and I received no reply for over a month.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

hey asshole,

it's very rude to waste peoples time and not respond to emails regaridng work. not to mention unprofessional.

are you a freemason? cia? it would certainly seem so.

i suggest you get your shit together, because i'm in mode for such bullshit.

how about your buddy takamiya?

My scrawl betrays the anger, and I didn’t even bother to fix the typos of things such as “I’m in no mood for such bullshit”. Since he was introduced to me by Mr. Paquette, he had been something of a question mark from the beginning, but at that point I’d become convinced that he and Paquette were in collusion and aimed to waste my time, frustrate me, and generally prevent me from being productive not to mention trying to subordinate me. It was the following month that I first decided to visit the American consulate in Osaka, and sent a series of follow-up emails, finally receiving the reply posted here on the blog dated September 16, 2009.

Thu, Aug 6, 2009

you started out talking about a project similar to ones you had received 3,000-6,000 per page in the past from the same person. the situation gradually changed drastically to the point when i agreed to work for less than the rate we originally talked about, and you tried to get me to work for 3 yen per word, which is an insult.

the job started out as part of a continuing relationship you had established with this guy, for which you declared wanted no compensation. wound up being something we would "bid on".

i just talked to takamiya over the phone, and he says that you finished the job already.

you a deceptive, manipulative individual. you wasted my time and i am seriously pissed off about your duplicitous bullshit. YOU SUCK.

Not only had he sent me the files and forwarded me an email directly from the client, he had also given me the client’s phone number. I decided that Mr. Blackman had made one mistake too many in doing that, basically, and called the client. During the conversation, I asked the client if he knew that Blackman was an officer in the CIA. I asked him if he knew what the CIA was, etc., several times because he was a bit uppity so I wanted to make sure the message got through.

Thu, Aug 6, 2009

First of all, concerning all the words in your e-mail.

In the last 40yrs I have been dealing with people, I have never seen the need to be rude or sarcatic.  It's childish.  If you're upset about the lack of e-mails.  That could have been handled with a differently worded e-mail. 

There are two things at the end of my last e-mail that speak very clearly.

1:  I don't do this for a living.  I am a complete beginner and unfortunately and against my wishes, he still wishes to deal with no-one else but me.

2:  The last line says 'I will let you know if we get the project'

I have heard nothing back from him since that last e-mail and I have no interest in contacting him directly.  I decided it was in your best interest that I stop writing e-mails unless there was in fact something pertinent to tell you concerning the project.  As of this writing, there is still nothing to tell you.

Regards,

Anthony Blackman

8/7/09

Well now, you can write an email when there is some impetus, apparently.

The drastic difference in rates from the start of the discussions and in reference to past work and rapid vacillation were entirely suspect, and the fact that you didn't respond to the last email I sent you was even a little on the bizarre side. Let's just lay it to your poor communications skills.

You and Takamiya are clowns, and I obviously don't want anything to do with you. I didn't make my way out here to join some freemason circus. 

I'd rather not be bothered about going to the consulate to inquire whether I'm being harassed by some rogue with ties to the Japanese underworld, perhaps, wasting my time, plumbing me for information, or whatever the objective, but you are on the radar, pal.

My last email to Mr. Blackman.

Fri, Aug 7, 2009

Yes, I heard Mr. Takamiya received your phone call.  He wanted me to remind you that all jobs go through me and then on to others as I need.  He prefers to deal with no-one else.....because we spent 6mos. behind closed doors working out the details and he's not going through it again with a complete stranger.

The project I did for Mr. Takamiya was something completely unrelated to what I first showed you.  It was completely revised downward that I could do it in just a couple of days without any help.  I am still waiting on the bids for the 4 manuals that I wanted you to do.  

You know, Darren, I don't get you at all.  You're over 40yrs old and this is the best interpersonal communication you could muster.  

Manipulative?  get you to work for 3yen?  Insult you?  CIA?  Freemason?

Where did all that come from?

Did you forget how this relationship started?  I was approached by Takamiya with an offer to do some translations?  I really wanted to steer clear of any more difficult translations and so I went looking for a qualified translator and I thought you fit the bill.  Manipulated you?  I went offering you work!!  Money for you!!  I didn't make you sign over your first born!  I simply showed you what was offered at the time.  I even paid out a quick 15bucks out of my own pocket at the internet cafe so that you could see the file as quickly as possible.  I told Mr. Takamiya directly that it is better to deal with you directly and stop going through me.  Again....I was going out of my way to help you secure work...and I REQUIRED NOTHING OUT OF YOU, NO DEPOSIT OF MONEY OR LIEN AGAINST YOUR HOUSE or ANYTHING!  I made sure that this would not cost you anything!  I simply thought you were the best translator to a big project and I went out of my way to work you into this company.   You told me your bid, I gave it to him.  He gave me back an e-mail about a lower bid at 3yen.  Not a contract....just information from him about some prices out there on the internet.   Again, I REQUIRED NOTHING out of you.  I simply kept you informed.  A few weeks passed, he sent me a file to translate and asked if I could do this quickly and I did.  If I can translate something by myself without assistance and meet the deadline, I damn sure am going to do it.   It wasn't the 4 big manuals he had promised, it wasn't even close.  THAT IS STILL IN THE PIPELINE!  They still need them translated.  They are still going to go through me and then if I can not do them within the deadline, I am STILL going to go looking for translators to help me.  

Deceptive?  I don't tell you what I do every hour of everyday.  And neither do you...but I have never thought you to be deceptive.

Insult?  I have never called you a dirty word in my entire 40yrs on this planet.  If the price is too low, you simply have to say 'No, thank you'  

Wasted your time?  Are you moving soon?  It took me 6mos. of midnight meetings with this guy before I even saw a dime.  I thought you would be appreciative if someone could help you find work for the short and LONG TERM.  Because, last I checked, you were nowhere close to retiring or dying.  

I did make a mistake.  Because, I am just starting out with this translating stuff, I jumped the gun a little bit and gave you more info than you needed to know.  I thought I was doing the right thing.  And, I didn't keep you informed as much as I should have.  As you pointed out, you don't like to waste your time and I thought it would be best if I just waited until I had contract and translations in hand before contacting you again.  

I still believe you can translate from Japanese into English very well and up until these e-mails today, I had still wanted to use you for the big stuff he will eventually give me that I cannot handle.  I teach 63 English classes a week, I have over 200 students and there is no way I can handle 4 operating manuals.  It's just not possible.  I need one or more translators.

You'll still do well in Japan, but in our particular relationship, you got 10% of the facts, dreamed up the other 90% and lost your cool.  I have no choice, but to no longer consider you for either SHORT or LONG TERM projects.

Good Luck in Japan.  Hope everything works out for you.

Anthony

He admits mistakes and tries to lie his way out of it in a rather amateurish manner. Note the number of students he claims to have had then, and look at where he is working now, not to mention anything about the bogus company he tried to convince me existed.

Fri, Aug 7, 2009

Hey Glen,
I'm sure you were just trying to help me out and send me some translation work by introducing to me Anthony, and I appreciate that.on the other hand, the way I got dicked around by that guy and the conceited salry man at the company was just too far fetched.
At any rate, I've had enough of uncouth dealings with foreigners that have been here in Kyoto longterm, and many seem to have dubious connection to the place. I have enough stress dealing with the domestic criminals to have to worry about suspect gaijin. That was kind of the last straw in my unquestioningly trusting the presence of any Americans or other foreigners that have been in this area long term. I've been questioning whether people might belong to the secret society circle for a number of years now, now I seem to have to be more proactively vigilant, shall we say.
If he turns out to be under the employ of the government of the usa, he will be called to account and made to not repeat causing time wasting and frustrating fiascos such as that to which I have been subjected by his acquaitance. He is not the only person capable of having people waste their time, or lose sleep over nonsense.
At any rate, I hope you don't take it personally,
Regards,

I made sure to let Mr. Paquette know that I was not happy with what had transpired, and that the next step of seeking recourse to the authorities had basically been decided.

Sat 8/08/09

Hi Darren. Yeah, I understand you anger with this Anthony guy. It was originally my impression that he was just going to introduce you to the person and then get out of the way, but it seemed that he wanted to keep having a hand in it, which makes me think that he was trying to take a cut somewhere. Not very honest. I think it's hard to find honest people to work with.
Anyway, I don't take your anger personally.

Glenn

Mr. Paquette tries to dissociate himself from Mr. Blackman, but the stuff about taking a cut is disingenuous, as nobody works for free, especially if they are starting a company. Maybe my understanding of “free enterprise” is all wrong and I’ve got this backwards...