scam from cute

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In a newsgroup I'm on, my friend mike reports having received the following:

Subject: ADORABLE YORKIE FOR ADOPTION

HELLO,

MY NAME IS FAITH WILLIAMS, I AND MY HUSBAND ARE ON A CHRISTIAN MISSION TO AFRICA AND WE CAME ALONG WITH OUR PUPPY. AFTER A WHILE I NOTICE THAT THE AFRICAN WEATHER IS NOT GOOD FOR OUR PUPPY AND I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF HER THE WAY I ALWAYS DO BECAUSE OF MY JOB,SO WE NEED SOMEONE TO ADOPT HER AND TAKE VERY GOOD CARE OF HER THE WAY WE ALWAYS DO. IF YOU CAN TAKE GOOD CARE OF HER DO SEND ME A REPLY AND I WILL EMAIL YOU HER PICTURES. I HOPE TO READ FROM YOU.

P.S reply to : revsisdora@gmail.com

THANKS AND GOD BLESS.
SIS DORA.

("If your name is Faith Williams," asks mike, "how cum you signed SisDora?") Daniel adds:

It's a relatively new wrinkle in the Nigerian scam/spam setup. The idea is that once you express interest in the cute little puppy, there are all sorts of fees and whatnot that will need to be paid before said cute little puppy can be shipped to you.

And, of course, there is no cute little puppy.

So there you have it. If the puppy is too adorable to be true, it's probably not true. And as always, beware of missionaries who shout all the time.
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backstory

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Today I came across a link to the Kinks' video for "Come Dancing," in which Ray depicts an unlucky suitor, "blowing his wages for the week / all for a cuddle and a peck on the cheek." The sister is most likely Rene (sometimes seen online as Renee; I'm not sure which is correct), who gave Ray his first guitar for his 13th birthday. The video takes place in a recreation of the local dance hall, the Pally Palais. "The day they tore down the Palais / My sister stood and cried. / The day they tore down the Palais / Part of my childhood died."

I looked through the comments at YouTube, and didn't see any reference to something that I'd seen mentioned recently (I think it was at The Sideshow, though I can't find it now), so I went searching and finally found what I was looking for at The Kinks Artistfacts

Ray Davies' sister, Rene, died the day he turned 13. She gave him his first guitar that year as a birthday present.

and at the BBC:

'Come Dancing' was a classic Ray Davies track. He reminisced about watching his sisters go out to the dance hall that was down the road with various boyfriends. Although the Caribbean keyboards gave it a cheery music hall vibe, there was an undercurrent of sadness in the record. The brother's sister Rene had died after a night at the dance hall. In the video be played a seedy spiv based on his uncle Frank.

Knowing this doesn't detract from my enjoyment of this classic video, but it adds to the sympathy I feel for the 13-year-old kid sitting on the steps in the video. And the sister. And even her date, the "seedy spiv."

And for some reason, I wish I was a better dancer.

update: 'Pally' changed to 'Palais' throughout -- undecided on Rene/Renee/Irene (see comments)
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a discovery

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WFMU's Bob Purse has been on the trail of a mystery singer, first found on an acetate at a jumbo record sale in the early 90s. With a name and a record and little else, he featured Merigail Moreland in the first "365 Days" project, and as a result, he learned more and found more records. In the intriguing tale here, Purse tells of his discovery and increasing infatuation with the voice of this "born singer," who passed away too young at 43 in 1990, a year or so before he found that first disk.

I have put a half dozen of her cuts onto my iPod. If I may recommend it, click the link above and hear for yourself -- the last four cuts are from two 45 releases and have the highest production values. Purse's comments will probably lead you to find what you'll like the most. You might enjoy hearing how her talent progresses from age 11 to 16.

I'm off to listen to my iPod now.
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