Scene and heard

This has been a VERY busy time, and I am now on the home stretch, but not done yet.

It all started with Memorial Day weekend. Jan and I went to Amherst, Massachusetts for Sean’s graduation, which was on the Saturday. We actually stayed the night before and the night after at the Springfield Sheraton, about 40 minutes away. We lucked out with the weather. Apparently, not too distant Boston had most uncertain weather while we were bathed in unbroken, glorious sunshine. And with 4000 kids graduating, we were wonderfully surprised that the ceremony was fast moving and very enjoyable.

The college, UMASS Amherst, had a cook out for students and relatives, after which we went for a wonderful meal at a really beautiful brook-side restaurant nearby. Our party was interesting. Sean and his parents, one of whom was with his fiancé; the other with her mother and step-mother, the latter of who was with her new husband, who was the only one I hadn’t previously met.

We went to Boston to spend Sunday evening through till Monday afternoon with my friend Heidi and had another wonderful day. I had hoped to post pictures here. I certainly took enough. Alas, somehow, somewhere, certainly at the end of the Boston stay, I lost my camera. I can still not quite believe it is gone, and I am most upset about that. I will have to get another as soon as I can afford it, but those moments have gone. And the camera was a gift. It’s worse to lose gifts than things we buy for ourselves.

The busy-ness continued. Jan was here for 3 weeks, but has now gone to California to finalise arrangements for the wedding. That entailed two lots of packing. And on Friday, I move into her place on the Upper West Side.

The mountain of things I have to do is tormenting me. I should have been getting to them rather than writing this blog entry. I am selfishly grateful that it is cloudy out, as I now have to go through everything I own to determine what comes with me, what goes into storage, what can be recycled or donated and what ends up in the garbage. And all the while, the new project I am currently learning, to eventually rescue me from a 9-5 existence, beckons.

A few weeks ago, walking outside of Fairway on Broadway and 74th Street, I locked eyes with a clear eyed 80-something woman with perfect skin and a youthful spring in her step. Her classic, Bohemian beauty was undiminished, suggesting that she used to turn many more heads than just my own; her eyes told stories of depth and a fascinating life. Our eyes didn’t disconnect until we passed each other; each of our slightly crooked half smiles mirroring the other.

Those few of you who, like me, constantly look at the people passing you by on the street without shying from eye contact, will understand why this moment felt so magical. Those who keep their eyes averted will never experience similar moments on connection and may simply shrug as they read this.

I received an email today from an address stated simply as IRS. The title of the email also was only IRS. This suggested that their records show me to be a non-resident alien, and I am to fill in and fax a form either confirming or correcting this information.

I opened the form. It turns out that this is a modified version of a real form. However, it asks for bank account information, which the IRS would never do. Further, if the IRS wants to contact you, it will do so by snail mail, not email.

When you open this email, the address shows up as noreply@irs.gov. Out of curiosity, I hit the reply button and this address came up: info@nvinternational-ltd.com

For more information on this scam, please go to this website: http://myitforum.com/cs2/blogs/cmosby/archive/2009/04/22/fake-form-w-8ben-used-in-irs-tax-scams-trendlabs-malware-blog.aspx

And don’t just lie down and take it! This is a scam of the most heinous proportions, which makes the stupid letters we all get from Africa look like kids stuff. Forward whatever you receive to your State Attorney General’s Office. In New York, that is: internet_fraud@oag.state.ny.us

I was tempted to send a nasty email back to this scumbag, but didn’t want to tip him off. I want him to have a knock on his door from the Police, as he is taken into custody. I understand that this person may not live in New York or even the USA, but that should stop nobody from doing the right thing here.

DO NOT fill in and send off this form, or you will have enabled someone to steal your identity. DO report this email and let the law deal shut this person down.


Here is the form I was sent. Unfortunately, the formatting was not compatible with blogger:



FORM W-8BEN (NRA Recertification)
Request for Recertification of Foreign Status
W-8BEN Certificate of Foreign Status of Beneficial Owner
(Substitute form) For United States Tax Withholding
Part I Identification of Beneficial Owner
(JUNE 2009)
1. Name of individual or organization that is the beneficial owner
2. Sex: x male □ female
3. Type of beneficial owner □ Individual □ Corporation □ Complex Trust
□ Simple Trust □ Grantor Trust □ Central Bank of issue
□ Government □ International organization
□ Tax-exempt organization □ Private foundation
4. Date of Birth
5(a). Nationality: 5(b). Place of Birth:
6. Country of permanent Residence
7. Mothers Maiden Name:

8(a). Spouse Name: 8(b). Spouse date of Birth:
9.Permanent resident address (street, apt, or suite no, or rural route).Do not use a P.O.box or In-care of address

City or town, state or province, include postal code where appropriate
Country (do not abbreviate)
10. Mailing address (if different from above)

City or town, state or province, include postal code where appropriate
Country (do not abbreviate)
11. Social Security Number.(if any) / Cedular de Identidad no
□SSN or ITIN □EIN
12. Profession: 13.Day time phone/ fax Number
9. 14.(a) Bank Name(s):
15. Account number(s):
16. Branch Address:

17. Date Account(s) was opened:

18. How often do you come to USA and when did you arrive last?
19. ATTACH PHOTOCOPY OF PASSPORT FOR PROPER IDENTIFICATION
Part II Certification of Beneficiary Owner
Under penalties of perjury, I decided that I have examined the information on this form to the best of my knowledge and believe it is true, correct and complete.
I furthermore certify under penalties of perjury that:
. I am the beneficial owner (or am authorized to sign for the beneficial owner) of all the income to which this form relate.
. The beneficial owner is not a U.S person.
. The income to which this form relates is not effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States or is effectively connected but
subject to tax under an income tax treaty, and
. For broker transaction or barter exchanges, the beneficial owner is an exempt foreign person as defined in the instructions.
Furthermore, I authorized this form to be provided to any withholding agent that has control, receipt or custody of the income of which I am the beneficial owner or withholding agent that can disburse or make payments of the income of which I am the beneficial owner.
The Internal Revenue Service does not require your consent to any provisions of this document other than the Certifications required to establishing your status as a non-U.S person and, if applicable, obtain a reduced rate of withholding.

Sign Here ____________________________________________________ ___________________
(Signer #1) signature of beneficial owner or individual authorized to sign for beneficial owner Date

Sign Here ______________________________________________________ ___________________
(Signer #2) signature of beneficial owner or individual authorized to sign for beneficial owner Date

SEND TO FAX NO: +1-206-203-3379
JUNE 2009


Dear Sir,
Our records indicate that you are a non-resident alien. As a result, you are exempted from United States of America Tax reporting and withholdings, on interest paid you on your account and other financial dealing to protect your exemption from tax on your account and other financial benefit in rectifying your exemption status.

Therefore, you are to authenticate the following by completing form W-8BEN, and return to us as soon as possible through the fax number: +1-206-203-3379


If you are a USA Citizen and resident, this form W-8BEN is not meant for you, please indicate “USA Citizen/Resident” on the form and return it to us. We shall then send you a form W9095.

When completing form W-8BEN, please follow the steps below

1. We need you to provide your permanent address if different from the current mailing address on your Form W-8BEN , you must indicate if a non-USA resident, your country of origin to support your non-resident status (if your bank account or other financial dealing has a USA address for mailing purpose).

2. If any joint account holder are now USA residents or Citizen, or in any way subject to USA tax reporting laws, Please check the box in this section.

3. Please have all account holders, sign and date the form separately and fax it to the above-mentioned number.

Please, complete Form W-8BEN ‘attached” and return to us within 1 (one) week from the receipt of this letter by faxing it, to enable us update your records immediately if your account or any other financial benefits are not rectified in a timely manner, it will be subject to USA tax reporting and back up withholding (if back up withholding applies, we are required to withhold 30% of the interest paid to you).

We appreciate your cooperation in helping us protect your exempt status and also update our records.

Sincerely.

I just finished reading E. H Gombrich’s ‘A Little History of The World, a surprisingly enjoyable book once you get past the first couple of pages which seem to talk to children and not adults. It actually is aimed at pretty much all ages and reads that way beyond the opening. The book was first published in 1936 but only recently did the author add a final chapter and translate it into English.

A quote near the end caught my eye, as it surely demands that we all look at ourselves and our respective countries, and ask some serious questions. It is from an unnamed Buddhist Monk the author knows.

He would “love to know why someone who boasts that he is the cleverest, the strongest, the bravest or the most gifted man on Earth is thought ridiculous and embarrassing, whereas if, instead of “I”, he says, ‘we are the most intelligent, the strongest, the bravest or the most gifted people on Earth’, his fellow countrymen applaud enthusiastically and call him a patriot.”

Perhaps if a few more people thought this way, we would have less conflict and would treasure our neighbours instead of thinking many of them beneath us. I will not point fingers at individual countries. Most or all are guilty to some extent, and certainly, some more so than others. I can think of one where the crowds go wild every time a politician proclaims it the greatest country on Earth. As a sound bite, it certainly works. But just consider how those listening think of others when they proudly take this message to heart and how they (perhaps you) view the outside world as a direct consequence of believing this. It really isn’t possible to put yourself on a pedestal of any kind without all those who don’t share your pedestal being beneath you. And if you think that last statement isn’t true, I respectfully suggest that you are fooling yourself, but not others.

I have some material lined up to write, but I haven’t had enough hours in the day to do everything I need to do, so unfortunately, the blog has suffered a little. And it may stay like that for the next couple of weeks. Bear with me, folks. I’ll be back!