[meteorite-list] Farmer's Moroccan trips

From: Jim <Jim_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:02:28 2004
Message-ID: <001201c1cadc$fe5ce040$530af0d1_at_nwa482>

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_000F_01C1CAB3.15009140
Content-Type: text/plain;
        charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

I wanted to refrain from jumping into this but since the mis-information =
greatly affects me then I can hold out no longer.................

Here are the facts, as I know them, without all the BS and name calling.

I have been in with Mike from day one on these Moroccan trips. Some of =
the trips have been investor trips while some have been spur of the =
moment trips with only Mike and I picking up the tab. Some of the trips =
have been rewarding and others have been marginal. Overall, this has =
been a very rewarding experience over the nearly two years now that this =
has been going on, even without NWA 482.

Knowing what I do about business in Morocco, I assure everyone that none =
of us are dealing with Nomads. Nomads live in the desert and wander the =
border area of Morocco and Algeria. The good meteorite hunting areas =
are really in Algeria although some of the meteorites have come from =
Morocco (CR2, the new LL6, etc). Dean, if you have been to a Nomad tent =
to do business, do us all a favor and post a photo to prove it. You =
posted a photo of what you call a nomad's home on your website and said =
that you bought fossils from him. That was not a nomad in the true =
sense of the word. A nomad is a wanderer, that is the definition of =
"nomad". A true nomad lives in a tent, not a fixed dwelling.

As far as I know, absolutely no one who has put money into any of Mike's =
trips has asked for a refund or expressed displeasure with what they =
received. In fact, there is a waiting list of people wanting to put =
money into any future investor trips. Those results speak for =
themselves. =20

Also, many people think that they know what each of us accomplishes by =
dealing in Morocco. This is absolutely not true. Just like in any =
business, people tell you what they think that you want to hear. They =
tell you one thing and then turn around and tell me the complete =
opposite. Mike and I deal with different Moroccans and the business is =
not discussed between them individually. Moroccan #1 does not know what =
business we do with Moroccan #2. Oh sure, if they know each other they =
probably lie to each other once we are gone. Do you really think that =
as a Moroccan I would tell another dealer what my true business is? =
Hell, if you call me up on the phone and ask me who my best customer is, =
do you think I am going to tell you. Business is no different in =
Morocco than it is anywhere else.

The one thing that is constant with Mike's trips is that one of the same =
guides that Mike hired on the first trip is still being hired. This is =
called cultivating a relationship of trust with someone who will be your =
loyal agent while you are not in the country. He does what ever he is =
told to do and keeps his mouth shut. He has been told to go to a =
certain town before, find a person who he has never met, buy XYZ =
meteorite and send it DHL. This he does without question because he is =
paid well and does not have to rely on the customary kickback that is a =
way of life in Morocco. This guy does not have a list of people that he =
takes Mike to when he goes to Morocco. He takes Mike where Mike wants =
to go no questions asked. This relationship/friendship has progressed =
to the point where Mike and I were discussing at the Tucson show of =
trying to talk him into coming to the United States and taking him to =
Las Vegas in the future. Now, wouldn't that be a real eye-opener!!! =
This is what I mean about trust and friendship.

You know Dean, when Mike was in Morocco in January, I told you of a new =
contact that I had personally made. Mike had already left the town that =
he lived in and was not going to return. Therefore, Mike was not going =
to be able to look at the meteorites that he claimed he had, one of =
which looked promising as it only slightly attracted a magnet. So, =
since I knew you were going to be in Erfound, I gave you the guys name =
and telephone number and suggested you take a look at what he had to =
offer, perhaps you could get lucky. You told me that you would probably =
not be able to see him because your guide would not want to take you to =
someone with whom he did not have a kickback arrangement. You accused =
Farmer of being lead around Morocco by a leash but in fact you are the =
one who seems to be spoon fed meteorites by a select few Moroccans, =
chosen by your "handler" instead of being able to make new finds like =
Mike has. =20

Believe me when I tell you that even though you know much of what we =
have gotten in Morocco, you don't know as much as you think. No one =
does, except the people directly involved. When a trip has involved =
investors then much of the information has been kept confidential =
between all of us. Many people do not want all of their business =
transmitted over the internet and the real important information has =
remained between us, such as quantities, types and suspected types, etc. =
 There is just no need to broadcast this information. This is called =
respect for each of us involved in a particular trip.

One thing that makes me different from Mike, is that I do not feel the =
need to respond to others claims of knowledge of what we have or don't =
have. I would rather just sit back and laugh to myself because =
generally the rumors are either grossly exaggerated or underestimated. =
But, that is just me.

Dean, I hope you and Mike can bury the hatchet (and not in each other's =
back) as this kind of in-fighting does not do this hobby any good at =
all.

In closing, let me just say that the future looks very bright for new =
discoveries, so lets get back to the discussion of what we all love.... =
METEORITES!!!!! They are just so cool to hold and dream about where =
they have been on their long journey through space.........kind of like =
the words to the song "Drops of Jupiter" by Train.

Jim Strope
421 Fourth Street
Glen Dale, WV 26038

Catch a Falling Star Meteorites
http://www.catchafallingstar.com


------=_NextPart_000_000F_01C1CAB3.15009140
Content-Type: text/html;
        charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Diso-8859-1">
<META content=3D"MSHTML 5.50.4134.600" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV>I wanted to refrain from jumping into this but since&nbsp;the=20
mis-information&nbsp;greatly affects me then I can hold out no=20
longer.................</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Here are the facts, as I know them, without all the BS and name=20
calling.</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>I have been in with Mike from day one on these Moroccan =
trips.&nbsp; Some=20
of the trips have been investor trips while some have been spur of the =
moment=20
trips with only Mike and I picking up the tab.&nbsp; Some of the trips =
have been=20
rewarding and others have been&nbsp;marginal.&nbsp; Overall,&nbsp;this =
has been=20
a very rewarding experience over the nearly two years now that this has =
been=20
going on, even without NWA 482.</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Knowing what I do about business in Morocco, I assure everyone that =
none of=20
us are dealing with Nomads.&nbsp; Nomads live in the desert and wander =
the=20
border area of Morocco and Algeria.&nbsp; The good meteorite hunting =
areas are=20
really in Algeria although some of the meteorites have come from Morocco =
(CR2,=20
the new LL6, etc).&nbsp; Dean, if you have been to a Nomad tent to do =
business,=20
do us all a favor and post a photo to prove it.&nbsp; You posted a photo =
of what=20
you call a nomad's home&nbsp;on your website and said that you bought =
fossils=20
from him.&nbsp; That was not a nomad in the true sense of the =
word.&nbsp; A=20
nomad is a wanderer, that is the definition of "nomad".&nbsp; A true =
nomad lives=20
in a tent, not a fixed dwelling.</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>As far as I know, absolutely no one who has put money into any=20
of&nbsp;Mike's trips has asked for a refund or expressed displeasure =
with what=20
they received.&nbsp; In fact, there is a waiting list of people wanting =
to put=20
money into any future investor trips.&nbsp; Those results speak for=20
themselves.&nbsp; </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Also, many people think that they know what each of us accomplishes =
by=20
dealing in Morocco.&nbsp; This is absolutely not true.&nbsp; Just like =
in any=20
business, people tell you what they think that you want to hear.&nbsp; =
They tell=20
you&nbsp;one thing and then turn around and tell me&nbsp;the complete=20
opposite.&nbsp; Mike and I deal with different&nbsp;Moroccans and the =
business=20
is not discussed between them individually.&nbsp; Moroccan #1 does not=20
know&nbsp;what business we do with&nbsp;Moroccan #2.&nbsp; Oh sure, if =
they know=20
each other they probably lie to each other once we are gone.&nbsp; Do =
you really=20
think that as a Moroccan I would tell another dealer what my true =
business=20
is?&nbsp;&nbsp; Hell, if you call me up on the phone and ask me who my =
best=20
customer is, do you think I am going to tell you.&nbsp;&nbsp;Business is =
no=20
different in Morocco than&nbsp;it is anywhere else.</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>The one thing that is constant with Mike's trips&nbsp;is that one =
of the=20
same guides that Mike hired on the first trip is still being =
hired.&nbsp; This=20
is called cultivating a relationship of trust with someone who will be =
your=20
loyal agent while you are not in the country.&nbsp; He does what ever he =
is told=20
to do and keeps his mouth shut.&nbsp; He has been told to go to a =
certain town=20
before, find a person who he has never met, buy XYZ meteorite and send =
it=20
DHL.&nbsp; This he does without question because he is paid well and =
does not=20
have to rely on the customary kickback that is a way of life in =
Morocco.&nbsp;=20
This guy does not have a list of people that he takes Mike to when he =
goes to=20
Morocco.&nbsp; He takes Mike where&nbsp;Mike wants to go no questions=20
asked.&nbsp; This relationship/friendship has progressed to the point =
where Mike=20
and I were discussing at the Tucson show of trying to talk him into =
coming to=20
the United States and taking him to Las Vegas in the future.&nbsp; Now, =
wouldn't=20
that be a real eye-opener!!!&nbsp; This is what I mean about trust and=20
friendship.</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>You know Dean, when Mike was in Morocco in January, I told you of a =
new=20
contact that I had personally made.&nbsp; Mike had already left the town =
that he=20
lived in and was not going to return.&nbsp; Therefore, Mike was not =
going to=20
be&nbsp;able to look&nbsp;at the meteorites that he claimed he had, one =
of which=20
looked promising as it only slightly attracted a magnet.&nbsp; So, since =
I knew=20
you were going to be in Erfound, I gave you the guys name and telephone =
number=20
and suggested you take a look at what he had to offer, perhaps you could =
get=20
lucky.&nbsp; You told me that you would probably not be able to see him =
because=20
your guide would not want to take you to someone with whom he did not =
have a=20
kickback arrangement.&nbsp; You accused Farmer of being lead around =
Morocco by a=20
leash but in fact you are the one who seems to be spoon fed meteorites =
by a=20
select few Moroccans,&nbsp;chosen by&nbsp;your "handler"&nbsp;instead of =
being=20
able to make new finds like Mike has.&nbsp; </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Believe me when I tell you that even though you know much of what =
we have=20
gotten in Morocco, you don't know as much as you think.&nbsp; No one =
does,=20
except the people directly involved.&nbsp; When a trip has involved =
investors=20
then much of the information has been kept confidential between all of =
us.&nbsp;=20
Many people do not want all of their business transmitted over the =
internet and=20
the real important information has remained between us, such as =
quantities,=20
types and suspected types, etc.&nbsp; There is just no need to broadcast =
this=20
information.&nbsp; This is called respect for each of us involved in a=20
particular trip.</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>One thing that makes me different from Mike, is that I do not feel =
the need=20
to respond to others claims of knowledge of what we have or don't =
have.&nbsp; I=20
would rather just sit back and laugh to myself because generally the =
rumors are=20
either grossly exaggerated or underestimated.&nbsp; But, that is just =
me.</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Dean, I hope you and Mike can bury the hatchet (and not in each =
other's=20
back) as this kind of in-fighting does not do this hobby any good at =
all.</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>In closing, let me just say that the future looks very bright for =
new=20
discoveries,&nbsp;so lets get back to the discussion of what we all =
love....=20
METEORITES!!!!!&nbsp; They are just so cool to hold and dream about =
where they=20
have been on their long journey through space.........kind of like the =
words to=20
the song "Drops of Jupiter" by Train.</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Jim Strope<BR>421 Fourth Street<BR>Glen Dale, WV&nbsp; 26038</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Catch a Falling Star Meteorites<BR><A=20
href=3D"http://www.catchafallingstar.com">http://www.catchafallingstar.co=
m</A><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>

------=_NextPart_000_000F_01C1CAB3.15009140--
Received on Wed 13 Mar 2002 05:18:24 PM PST


Help support this free mailing list:



StumbleUpon
del.icio.us
reddit
Yahoo MyWeb