Invasion of the Bonsai Snatchers! - bonsaiTALK Community

14-Jul-2006

TreeBay

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Invasion of the Bonsai Snatchers!

Carl L. Rosner has been body snatched! Well, sort of. Just this evening I received a spam-mail from another bonsai forum that was inviting bonsaiTALK to cross link. That isn't what made it spam - it was the fact that we'd replied to the same mass mailing a couple weeks before with a polite request for the sender to simply create her own link on our links site, providing the URL of course.

Robots don't understand things like that, though, and they go on about their merry ways. I thought I would investigate a little, and here's where it gets weird.

I did backtrack in the Links area and discovered that a link had been created to this site, so I decided to visit it. A basic bonsai forum created in tried-and-true phpbb, but a couple things seemed a bit off. I noticed there was only one forum board, and then I saw in a post I thought I recognized our good friend Carl Rosner, but something was amiss. Carl's text was full of typos and weird out of place words. (I know Carl from his writings and he's sharp as a tack.) Also, although the message was posted with Carl's siggy, it was under the byline of some user "joedoheny".

I was able to trace the title of the post back to a message that Carl in fact had posted to rec.arts.bonsai some time back. Now, seeing the same messages reappear on different mail servers isn't unusual, it's the way the list servers work, but what is unusual is the way this message has been altered and scrubbed to make it appear different than the original content.

Here's Carl's original post, which you can find on any news reader that handles mail back as far as 2003, like http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/...sai&T=0&P=42801 It reads in a typical fashion.

Quote:

Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2003 14:17:19 -0500
Reply-To: Carl L Rosner <[log in to unmask]>
Sender: Internet Bonsai Club <[log in to unmask]>
From: Carl L Rosner <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: One down 10 million to go!
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed</SPAN>

Dear IBCers:

Yesterday, I received a call from one of my students; she asked if she could bring a tree over for me to see. An hour later, the doorbell rang and I opened the door; there stood my student holding a nice Shohin Juniper Procumbens. She explained her husband had given her this Bonsai as an early Christmas gift. A perfect Mallsai! She had thoroughly watered it, but the water just rolled off the rocks on the soil.

I invited her in and said, "I guess you need help?" We laughed, and I immediately went to the computer and printed out a care sheet for hertree. I invited Dot into the tree house, and I checked to make sure the tree was alive. I instituted the thumbnail test; sure enough, there was a beautiful cambium green layer under the bark.

Much to Dot's horror, I reached for a hammer and a chisel, and in a few minutes I chipped away the glued-on-rocks! I explained the reason the rocks were glued on was to keep the soil in place during shipment. I then added Bonsai soil and a bamboo skewer.

There were no drain holes in the pot. We then went to the garage and I had Dot hold the pot about eye level and with a few quick jabs with a utility knife poked holes in the bottom of the plastic pot. I picked out an appropriate sized box, placed a slit on one end of the box, placed the tree in the box, and mulched the tree up to the first branch.

Of course, I explained that this tree does not belong on the TV, but outdoors. For the time being I explained this tree has to spend the next few months in the Garage with a little wedge under the corner opposite where I had slit the card board box. This will allow the water to run out of the box and not pool under the mulch. She was also told when she gets home to water the tree well and to check the bamboo skewer weekly: only to water when the skewer came out almost dry.

I told her to bring the tree back in the spring, and we will style it and repot it.

So this is the story of one Mallsai that has been given a new lease on life (hopefully).

I may even have ceated a new member for the Bonsai community! ;-)

Carl L. Rosner - near Atlantic City zone 6/7http://bmee.net/rosner http://www.jamesbaird.com/cgi-bin/JamesBairdArt?optype=artist_page&artistid=0000006848<http://www.jamesbaird.com/cgi-bin/JamesBairdArt?optype=artist_page&artistid=0000006848>************************************************** ****************************** ++++Sponsored, in part, by Jarbas Godoy ++++********************************************** **********************************>>-->> The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ <<--<< +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail [log in to unmask] +++++

AND HERE IS THE WAY IT APPEARED IN THE TWILIGHT ZONE! I colored some words red here. Note this is not a simple cut & paste job. Someone went to great pains to sort of disguise it, or maybe this is some kind of artificial stupidity filter?

http://www.bonsaitreeforums.com/about850.html

Quote:

joedoheny

Joined: 27 Dec 2000
Posts: 42

Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 2:57 am Post subject: One down 10 million to go!

Yesterday, I interrogatively received a call from 1 of my students; she doubtfully asked whether she could impulsively bring a tree over for me to see.

An hour later, the doortbell rang & I opened the door; their stood my student holding a nice Shohin Juniper Procumbens. She explained her husband had given her this Bonsai as an early Christmas gift. A perfect
Mallsai!

She had thoroughly certainly watered it, but the water just ultimately rolled off the rocks on the soil.

I invited her in & said, "I guess you correctly need help?" We lauyghed, & I immediately went to the computer and printed out a care sheet for her tree. I invited Dot into the tree house, and I partly checked to make sure the tree was alive. I unexpectedly instituted the thumbnail test; sure enough, there was a beautiful cambium green layer under the bark.

Much to Dot's horror, I reached for a hammer and a chisel, and in a few minutes I chipped away the glued-on-rocks! I explained the reason the rocks were glued on was to keep the soil in place lazily during shipment. Specifically I then added Bonsai soil and a bamboo skewer.

There were no drain holes in the pot. We then went to the garage and I had Dot hold the pot about eye level and with a few quick jabs with a utility knife cautiously poked holes in the botytom of the plastic pot. I picked out an appropriate sized box, plaecd a slit on one end of the box, placed the tree in the box, and presumably mulched the tree up to the first brancvh.

Of course, I explained that this tree does not belong on the TV, but outdoors. As long as for the time being I explained this tree has to spend the next few months in the Garage with a little wedge under the corner opposite where I had slit the card board box. This will allow the water to run out of the box and not pool under the mulch. She was also told when she gets home to water the tree well and to check the bamboo skewer weekly:
only to water when the skewwer came out almost dry.

I told her to bring the tree back in the necessarily spring, and we will style it and repot it.

So this is the story of one Mallsai that has been given a new lease on life (hopefully).

Are there really Madlib spam filters that can turn list serv messages into subject-oriented spammage by inserting typos and random adverbs? Or maybe our friend Carl was really body snatched?

Carl, talk to us please!

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14-Jul-2006	#2
Deku bonsaiTALK Neophyte Join Date: Jul-2006 Location: Iowa Country: USA Posts: 6	It seems that several of the posts there follow the same pattern. If I had to guess I would say that the forum has stolen posts from other forums or old listservs or something to give the illusion of having a large knowledge base. The little differences could be a poor attempt to hide this?

14-Jul-2006

pootsie

The Cat's Apprentice

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Quote:

In that summary can then be added nervously something like: If you want more information, here are some book as resuorces", or irritably somehting like that.

I would be nervous about irritating someone else's dictionary, too!

pootsie

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15-Jul-2006

clrosner

bonsaiTALK Master Chief

Join Date: Nov-2001

Location: Southern New Jersey, USA

Country: USA

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Posts: 1,077

WILL THE REAL CARL ROSNER STAND Up!

Here I am forum members.... Ron Martin just emailed me and asked if I had seen this thread. Actually, I haven't answered Ron, as yet.

I was really dumbfounded to see that I have been plagerized! And poorly so! I guess that is a form of flattery, but it sure falls flat with all those mistakes. My fifth grade English teacher is turning over in her grave!

Thank you Matt. I assume there is nothing to be done, but at least I will inclose my picture here so you know it is me!

Best regards to everyone.

The real Carl L. Rosner

Attached Images

0746 & CARL A CLOSE UP.JPG (41.8 KB, 31 views)

__________________
Carl L. Rosner - near Atlantic City zone 6/7
arteacher3725@yahoo.com

CHECK OUT MY UPDATED WEBSITE AT[B]:
www.carlrosner.com

Last edited by clrosner : 15-Jul-2006 at 01:25 PM.

15-Jul-2006	#5
TreeBay Tips:5¢ Advice:Free *MODERATOR GROUP* Join Date: Aug-2001 Location: Silicon Valley Country: USA USDA Zone: 9 AHS Heat Zone: 4 Posts: 9,745	Thanks Carl, glad to see you're still here. You're not alone though. Looking through the roster at bonsaitreeforums.com I found some other familiar folks. all told there are over 500 members there who probably don't know their words are being garbled. Maybe you should bring this up on the rec.arts.bonsai list? It's one thing to be plagiarized. It's another to have one's words twisted until the original ideas become insipid. To tell you the truth I am not sure which is worse! Here are a few "users" I recognized: Iris Cohen appears to be the user sabao (35 posts) Craig Cowing is jwals (189 posts) Tom Zane is charlesj Jim Lewis appears to be plufim Lynn Boyd is sightblinder Peter Aradi is Pronounce Carl Rosner is joedoheny (42 posts) David J. Bockman is FSURUGBY Kev Bailey is Toto (45 posts) Anil Kaushik is Jenesri (45 posts) Michael Hyland is Ecomcity Regards, Matt __________________ Want to be a seller on bonsaiAUCTIONS? Get authorized today! bonsaiTALK: Over 100,005.36 Megabytes Served this Month!

15-Jul-2006	#6
Brent Evergreen Gardenworks Join Date: Sep-2003 Location: Northern California Country: US USDA Zone: 8 AHS Heat Zone: ? Posts: 310	I appear to be DaleNixon, but curiously they left intact my sig line at the bottom of each post revealing my true identity. The garbled language is curious too, as if it were a mangled translation. Someone sure went to a lot of work to produce this. There was an archive project several years ago to save the old IBC posts. It is possible this forum used the CD. In any case, it is laughable, and harmless as far as I can see. They certainly won't garner a lot of integrity by doing this. I can't imagine any reputable vendor will support them. Brent (aka DaleNixon) EvergreenGardenworks.com see our blog at http://BonsaiNurseryman.typepad.com

15-Jul-2006	#7
clrosner bonsaiTALK Master Chief Join Date: Nov-2001 Location: Southern New Jersey, USA Country: USA USDA Zone: 6/7 AHS Heat Zone: ? Posts: 1,077	They say to be copied is the highest form of flattrery. I did notice that all the posts did contain my real name etc., within the confines of the post. Believe me, I do not have or use a phoney name... There is only one of me, and for this I am grateful. The world couldn't handle two of me! __________________ Carl L. Rosner - near Atlantic City zone 6/7 arteacher3725@yahoo.com CHECK OUT MY UPDATED WEBSITE AT[B]: www.carlrosner.com

15-Jul-2006	#8
RonMartin(deceased) Bonsai nare-do-well Join Date: Jan-2003 Location: Summerville SC Country: USA USDA Zone: 8A AHS Heat Zone: 8 Posts: 4,653	Found my name mentioned on it a few times. Oh well. FWIW the site is registered to: Registrant: Michael Mokoto Mavo 7 TA, Israel 69359 Israel Registered through: GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com) Domain Name: BONSAITREEFORUMS.COM Created on: 26-Oct-05 Expires on: 26-Oct-10 Last Updated on: 31-Dec-05 Administrative Contact: Mokoto, Michael davepz@alumnidirector.com Mavo 7 TA, Israel 69359 Israel 972364802 Fax -- Technical Contact: Mokoto, Michael davepz@alumnidirector.com Mavo 7 TA, Israel 69359 Israel 972364802 Fax -- Domain servers in listed order: NS41.HOSTFORWEB.NET NS42.HOSTFORWEB.NET

15-Jul-2006	#9
clrosner bonsaiTALK Master Chief Join Date: Nov-2001 Location: Southern New Jersey, USA Country: USA USDA Zone: 6/7 AHS Heat Zone: ? Posts: 1,077	Thank you Ron: With the information you supplied, here is what I wrote: Email sent to: davepz@alumnidirector.com Dear Mr Mokoto: It has come to my attention that you are using some of my posts under an assumed name of Joe doheny. You neglected to eliminate my signature line and therefore my name appears in each of the posts. There are quite a few posts not only using my posts but other members of the Bonsai Community are also being clumsily plagiarized! If you wish to use my posts, then place them as legal posts under my name and not doctored up so they show up as I wrote them. Before I contact Godaddy and explain how you are using your web site, I expect you to delete all illegal posts and I will accept your apology for this clumsily plagiarized attempts! Carl L. Rosner __________________ Carl L. Rosner - near Atlantic City zone 6/7 arteacher3725@yahoo.com CHECK OUT MY UPDATED WEBSITE AT[B]: www.carlrosner.com

2-Aug-2006

#10

pootsie

The Cat's Apprentice

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I just received this email at my personal address:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phantom Spammer

From: Kim Young [kim@bonsaitreeforums.com]

Hi,

My name is Kim and I'm from http://www.bonsaitreeforums.com/.
While visiting your site I have noticed that you are collaborated with other sites, and I wish to invite you to work with my website as well.

If you can support Bonsai Tree Forums by adding a link to your site, I'll be happy to link back from our site.

Please let me know your thoughts on this, or if you have any questions. I'd also be happy to get your writing on my forum.

Thank you and best regards,
Kim Young

Site information :
Description : Celebrate the beauty of Bonsai and talk about Bonsai gardening and concept.

Please use this code :
<a herf="http://www.bonsaitreeforums.com"> Bonsai Tree Forums </a>

Thanks,
Kim Young,
POB 200067, Pittsburgh, PA

P.S.
This is a one time email I'm sending, but if you want no further emails from me reply with "remove" subject.
Furthermore, to complay with the law I must tell you that this mail may be solicitation or advertisement.

I don't think I'll be helping out, and I have no idea which site is "my site" since I don't have one, I only help out at a couple.

pootsie

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