There is no Andy Landry. This reads like the Enquirer.

Busted!

It was only a matter of time...

[ Edited by: Tangaroa 2006-09-18 07:11 ]

[ Edited by: Stiki Tiki 2006-09-18 09:55 ]

Secret twin Scottish Brother??.....Maybe some "Man in the Iron Mask" action going on??...... CSI: Tiki?????

Ayyyyyyyyyyyy!!

It does certainly sound strange BUT for One fact. She Never asked anything from anyone but for help finding someone who owewd her money or a neclace ( Which he paid BTW!) That I'm aware of She never solicited anyone for anything.... Still?

On 2006-09-18 08:19, Benzart wrote:
It does certainly sound strange BUT for One fact. She Never asked anything from anyone but for help finding someone who owewd her money or a neclace ( Which he paid BTW!) That I'm aware of She never solicited anyone for anything.... Still?

Bless ya for being a great guy Ben...BUT....If a person uses a stock photo and goes into detail about it AND then gladly takes items sent for child pictured in "Stock" photo...Well, to me it goes beyond rasing a few eyebrows. It's like the guy "who claims photo that came with the frame he bought is his girlfirend"........ Damn...I hope nobody was planning on sending an "Ohana Hut"...... :)

My wife makes an intersting point, not sure what to think at this point, but if his father was in the army, he could have been stationed in England or Scotland? But on other hand he would probably be in a army hospital... Let's hear what danlovestikis has to say....

I agree, I'm not going to believe this was a scam until I hear all the facts. Danlovestiki posted the picture of the child with the clown. Where did it come from?
I don't want to believe anything bad is going on lets find out what the story is.
Barbara, I'm sure you are on the level and you said much earlier, "You don't know the details" which we didn't and still don't know all of them. If you could help a bit, I'm sure it would be appreciated as quite a few of us habe a bit invested in this.
Thanks Much.

Gosh, I am so glad I have the day off. After reading these I am so sad because I still have faith that this is real and that the company used the the photo for advertising.

I once sent a story about Dan to the joke section of Playboy, it was G rated so they didn't choose it but a year later it won a contest in the French version of Marie Clair Magazine. I never could track down who sent it or what they won.

Now I know you will all be wondering what the story is so before I go on about Andy I'll repeat it here:

Before Dan became an X-ray tech he was a retail clerk at Safeway. One day a woman broght up a box of Tampax without a price on it (no scanners back then). So Dan goes on the loud speaker and says price please on a package of Tampax.

The other cleck on a hand held walkie talkie thinks Dan said Thumb Tacs and replies, "Is it the kind you push in with your thumb or whack in with a hammer?"

Dan and the woman started to laugh so hard that to this day he doesn't remember if he finihed checking her out or if she ran out of the store.

So you see my point? In those days there wasn't this instant transfer of information and the photo of Andy is so perfect for the cause of this organization.

I got the photo from Barbara but it was sent from the hospital where she works a friend scanned it into the computer and sent it to me. I have a second photo of Andy that I never posted because of his expression is not so cute but more of a little boy making a face. I'll go post it now.

I obtained a phone number today for Barbara, I called and got a message machine. Please don't post any more hurtful emails until we know for sure. I'll do my best to get to the bottom of this ASAP.

Sincerely, Wendy

Even if this is a scam, it is still a good idea to help kids in need. I'll consider it a dry run of sorts. I used to work at Casa Pacifica in Camarillo as a nurse, we had up to 70 kids from new born to 18 in 5 cottages of 15 kids each. This is a emergency shelter for Ventura County that provides for hundreds of kids a year. I'd like to help them out again, perhaps some of you might. Check out Casa Pacifica.org (Oh yeah, Andy! If you have extra tiki items you don't need for your room anymore, send it to some of the kids at Casa Pacifica!)
Tim - Ojaitimo

http://www.snopes.com/embarrass/feminine/tampax.asp

danlovestikis wrote:

Hi, I've just read all the posts and I think that you should all know the story of Barbara and how it all worked out in the end.

Her husband was killed in Iraq last year. Before she had time to grieve her son was diagnosed with cancer. While undergoing chemotherapy in the hospital he viewed a video on the Polynesian Cultural Center and fell in love with tikis.

She took money that she couldn't afford to have the best tiki necklace carved for him for his birthday. You can imagaine her stress to not get it. At first she was sympathetic to his troubles but when he would not contact her at all or refund her money it was too much. I think all her bottled up emotions just poured out.

Please love this woman for what she has and is enduring. Andy is just home from the hospital, thin and weak. We are trying to give him some happiness by sending posts and tikis.

If you have it in your heart to participate go to General Tiki to Andy Landry loves tikis and post a note. If you have an extra tiki to send him just let me know and I'll send you an address.

The issue of the necklace has been resolved. Benzart sent one he was carving for us to Andy and he will start over on ours, not that guy is a saint. We love Ben and we love Andy and his mother, thanks for reading, Wendy

Ok what I see as funny in this message, Andy's picture at age 6 in the hosp, then in the post above, andys father killed a year ago, then andy is diagnosed w/ cancer... And he's 9 .It doesn't add up... Also if her husband was killed in iraq, she'd have a big check from uncle sam and money wouldn't be a big issue, his hosp bills would be covered by uncle Sam, I know as my father was killed in Vietnam.

When you contacted me with your questions I contacted her and typed in her reply. If anyone wants to see the original email she sent to me just send me your email address and I'll forward it to you. The jury is still out, Wendy

On 2006-09-18 09:34, danlovestikis wrote:
I once sent a story about Dan to the joke section of Playboy, it was G rated so they didn't choose it but a year later it won a contest in the French version of Marie Clair Magazine. I never could track down who sent it or what they won.

Now I know you will all be wondering what the story is so before I go on about Andy I'll repeat it here:

Before Dan became an X-ray tech he was a retail clerk at Safeway. One day a woman broght up a box of Tampax without a price on it (no scanners back then). So Dan goes on the loud speaker and says price please on a package of Tampax.

The other cleck on a hand held walkie talkie thinks Dan said Thumb Tacs and replies, "Is it the kind you push in with your thumb or whack in with a hammer?"

Dan and the woman started to laugh so hard that to this day he doesn't remember if he finihed checking her out or if she ran out of the store.

....bullshit.....

On 2006-09-18 09:34, danlovestikis wrote:
Gosh, I am so glad I have the day off. After reading these I am so sad because I still have faith that this is real and that the company used the the photo for advertising.

I once sent a story about Dan to the joke section of Playboy, it was G rated so they didn't choose it but a year later it won a contest in the French version of Marie Clair Magazine. I never could track down who sent it or what they won.

Now I know you will all be wondering what the story is so before I go on about Andy I'll repeat it here:

Before Dan became an X-ray tech he was a retail clerk at Safeway. One day a woman broght up a box of Tampax without a price on it (no scanners back then). So Dan goes on the loud speaker and says price please on a package of Tampax.

The other cleck on a hand held walkie talkie thinks Dan said Thumb Tacs and replies, "Is it the kind you push in with your thumb or whack in with a hammer?"

Dan and the woman started to laugh so hard that to this day he doesn't remember if he finihed checking her out or if she ran out of the store.

So you see my point? In those days there wasn't this instant transfer of information and the photo of Andy is so perfect for the cause of this organization.

I got the photo from Barbara but it was sent from the hospital where she works a friend scanned it into the computer and sent it to me. I have a second photo of Andy that I never posted because of his expression is not so cute but more of a little boy making a face. I'll go post it now.

I obtained a phone number today for Barbara, I called and got a message machine. Please don't post any more hurtful emails until we know for sure. I'll do my best to get to the bottom of this ASAP.

Sincerely, Wendy

Don't worry Wendy, I believe, too. That's why I forwarded this story to KHOU, KTRK, KPRC, KRIV, the Houston Chronicle, the Houston News Daily, the Houston Press, Free Press Houston, the River Oaks Examiner, the Suburban News, the Daily Cougar & the Rice Thresher. They'll get the story out for little Andy. :)

Danlovestikis I'm not laying blame on you, I'm pointing out what is wrong here and whomever this Barbara person is may not be the originator either, or maybe she's on a vendetta against Tiki folk after being swindled. I'm a little hot under the collar, but I'm only out a few stickers and postage, some of these folk sent some nice stuff.

[ Edited by: stiki tiki 2006-09-18 15:51 ]

I want to know the truth as much as anyone. I tracked down Barbara's phone number and she lives at the address given. I tried calling her but got a phone machine. She hasn't contacted me since she left on her trip with Andy.

I have contacted some people in her area that can confirm the information that we have conserning her husband and son. I'm waiting for a call back.

Anyone got a bar of soap for pop? Wendy

Barbara please contact me.

Here is the other photo that she sent to me that I hadn't posted before.

Hey Stiki, I do know, we were so into helping that we have sent four huge boxes of tikis and other presents. I just don't know, I'm hoping she contacts me tonight. Wendy

The Houston White Pages have a "Matt & Barbara Landry" listed at the address to which gifts have been sent.

CNN keeps a maintained and current website of both Armed Forces and Civilian casualties in Iraq. Although a footnote says that data may be incomplete, it is as complete as they know. There are similar government websites. None of these sites list a "Landry", Matt or otherwise as having been killed in Iraq.

I'd suggest holding off on the gifts until Wendy can verify the story one way or the other. As Wendy said, a picture of Andy with his gifts would greatly allay fears. But for now, I'm still skeptical.

Sabu

I really hope this works out to be a misunderstanding. Until, this get figured out I am going to have to delay sending my package also. I remain optimistic that this is all legit.

Chongolio

On 2006-09-18 11:38, PolynesianPop wrote:

On 2006-09-18 09:34, danlovestikis wrote:
Before Dan became an X-ray tech he was a retail clerk at Safeway. One day a woman broght up a box of Tampax without a price on it (no scanners back then). So Dan goes on the loud speaker and says price please on a package of Tampax.

The other cleck on a hand held walkie talkie thinks Dan said Thumb Tacs and replies, "Is it the kind you push in with your thumb or whack in with a hammer?"

Dan and the woman started to laugh so hard that to this day he doesn't remember if he finihed checking her out or if she ran out of the store.

....bullshit.....

http://www.snopes.com/embarrass/feminine/tampax.asp

Thank you, I've never seen it on line like that, I printed it out for our scrap book, Wendy

Wendy please keep us posted on this. I really hope this isnt a scam of some sorts. Until all the missing pieces are filled in I will not be sending anything out.

I know that this should go with out saying buy I am saying it anyways, I hope that no one holds Wendy in anyway responsible if this turns out wrong.

[ Edited by: rodeotiki 2006-09-18 13:43 ]

Ya know, I really hope my first instincts were not accurate. Others have advised me that I'm sometimes too skeptical. Based on what was PM'd to me by Barbara, I reversed my position and supported this with good thoughts.

At one point, I thought, wow what a tragic situation...but, could this be a scam with an adult collector at the other end? Then I thought, nahh, couldn't be. Having gone through some tragic things myself, I understand how chaotic life can be afterwards. I attributed the inconsistencies to that.

I find it interesting though that Barbara has never posted a thank you note herself. She obviously has access to a computer. That alone makes me suspicious of the situation.

I REALLY hope that this can be cleared up.

[ Edited by: Coco Loco 2006-09-18 13:53 ]

She did post a thank you, look on page three under her name Barbara. It was posted three days ago before she took Andy to see his grandmother. Wendy

When Barbara was on TC being negative and looking for the artist and her pendant, I asked her to leave her private business out of TC. She PMed me the same day with a long story about her life, how her husband was killed and how her son had cancer, exactly the same story she sent to Wendy a day or so later. She also said that she will stop posting negative notes and that she will leave TC all together. Also I tend to get on TC late at nights sometime and have seen her lurking and a few times she has left messages on Shout. I think she needs to tell us exactly what is going on.

Hello Tiki Central,

GROG is afflicted with a horrible disease called BALDNESS. GROG first contracted this disease in GROG's early twentys and has been living with it for some twenty years or so. In the early nineties, the affliction had advanced so far as to be horribly disfiguring and GROG was forced to start shaving GROG's head. You can help relieve GROG's pain by sending GROG Tiki mugs ,particularly anything designed by SHAG, Gecko, or Crazy Al, and especilly anything worth more than $40. Any original tiki carvings, or handmade pendants would also go a long way in helping GROG cope with GROG's affliction. Anything by Benzart, Crazy Al, Tiki Diablo, Bosko, etc. in particular would be appreciated. A number of TCers have met GROG and can verify first-hand that GROG is in-fact truly BALD and this is in no way a scam. Please PM GROG and GROG will send you his address, which several TCers have been to and can attest it is where GROG really lives. No Tikibobs mugs or monkeys wearing fezzes please, unless it is an original handpainted Crazy Al mug with tapa print painted on the fezz. Here is a picture of GROG as the affliction took over .

GROG would like thank TC in advance let you how much GROG appreciate all your GENEROUS DONATIONS to GROG's relief for coping with this terrible afflction known as baldness.

Thanks Wendy,

I see it.

On 2006-09-18 14:14, danlovestikis wrote:
She did post a thank you, look on page three under her name Barbara. It was posted three days ago before she took Andy to see his grandmother. Wendy

Damn, I wish I would have read today's posts to this thread earlier today, I just dropped a package in the mail not more than 2 hours ago. I certainly hope it is not a scam, but if it is, I'm sure we'll start to see our stuff on ebay. Oh well, I only lost a bit of time carving-it'll be interesting to see what it sells for.

Grog- I'm putting a package in the mail for you.

JP

GROG,

I feel bad for you and I can refer some doctors for your problem. Their names are Dr Foot-Twanger
and Dr Sprout.

Here is a picture of them with a patient with the same affliction that you have.

[image removed]

[ Edited by: hanford_lemoore - image removed - 2006-09-21 02:13 ]

Sadder news I'm afraid. I was able to contact the ClownDoctors in Scotland and they confirmed that the photo that Barbara sent was of Clown Doctor "McFlea" and was taken at the Yorkhill Hospital in Scotland.

[image removed]

You can also go to the Clowndoctors website and check "McFlea"'s profile here to compare that image against other images of her:

http://www.clowndoctors.org.uk/Meet.htm

Sabu

[ Edited by: hanford_lemoore 2006-09-21 02:14 ]

Grog lost more than hair, Stiki Tiki have answer, send Stickers so Grog can advertise Stiki Tiki on Grog bald head.

[ Edited by: Stiki Tiki 2006-09-18 16:14 ]

I'd like to know how Aquaorama found that pic on that website, I need to hire you to find deadbeat freind who owes me money!

[ Edited by: Stiki Tiki 2006-09-18 16:21 ]

:lol:

On 2006-09-18 15:49, paranoid123 wrote:
GROG,

I feel bad for you and I can refer some doctors for your problem. Their names are Dr Foot-Twanger
and Dr Sprout.

Here is a picture of them with a patient with the same affliction that you have.

[image removed]

[ Edited by: hanford_lemoore - image removed - 2006-09-21 02:14 ]

I mailed a carving on Saturday. If this was a scam, so be it. No biggie It's not every day that I get the opportunity to try to make a difference in a sick child's life. I would probably mail something to another child under similar circumstances tomorrow if I thought it could help them. I'll be watching and waiting to see what happens here.

edit - and, I would rather this be a scam than know that this poor child is in bed with that terrible disease.

-Gman

"The saw is family"

[ Edited by: GMAN 2006-09-18 16:59 ]

Put my name down on the list for Andy's commemorative Tiki mug!
Does anyone have a picture of what it looks like yet?

Sorry folks, doesn't look good...

http://www.pogo.ca/donate/

This is all very sad. Thank you to everyone who has worked hard to try to get to the bottom of this story, I know it's been a lot of work; just Hanford & I alone have lost a few hours trying to get some kind of confirmation or corroboration, and we didn't get very far. It's beautiful to see how Tiki Centralites are willing to open their hearts for people, and it's sad that it appears to have been abused so egregiously.

It would appear all we can do know is watch ebay for things you recognize. sad sad sad....

i sent a few things i had laying around, but i feel bad for the artists who sent their work. also, i feel bad that when someone is legitimately sick, we'll be more reluctant to help.

Andy sure does get around. I didn't make it to the post office before it closed on Saturday and was so upset about the delay in getting my package out to Andy. I did however make it my first stop after work tonight on my way home. I had made a promise after all.

In life you choose to participate or not. In this case I was glad for the opportunity to add levity to a grave situation. It is not going to change my approach in the future or make me any less willing to take a risk. I was glad to be a part of something so rare which is seeing people chose to care about life and those around them. I will take the memories of the kind and giving souls who energized and inspired me from this situation in lieu of what could otherwise be an unpleasant thought.

Karbora

I thought long and hard about sending something, but decided against it. I was too afraid to post that I thought it was a scam, but that was my gut instinct. If someone sent my sick kid boxloads of valuable collectables, I'd sure as hell be posting a few pics of how happy it was making him. As already noted, she was happy to spend plenty of time posting trying to get her money back from kaha ki'i. I also looked up the Iraq casualty lists and did a quick image search, because that photo looked wrong to me. Looks like someone here is a better internet detective than me...
It's real shame this has turned out this way. If someone wants to organise a legit toy/tiki drive for sick kids down the track to cancel out the bad vibes of this I'll be happy to contribute. Maybe a tiki art auction?

On 2006-09-18 18:06, Paipo wrote:

It's real shame this has turned out this way. If someone wants to organise a legit toy/tiki drive for sick kids down the track to cancel out the bad vibes of this I'll be happy to contribute. Maybe a tiki art auction?

Way cool idea Paipo

Barbara...
YOU ARE AN ASS
Well there goes my grand member status.

(In all seriousness)
All the people GROG has met on TC have been super-nice; it sucks that somebody would take advantage of such a great, kind, and giving community of people. God may be forgiving, but GROG not so sure about Tiki gods. Hopefully good karma will come to all the good, caring people on TC and the bad karma will find it's way to whomever decided take advantage of the kindness such great bunch of talented, well-meaning, kind, and giving people.

That being said, GROG would like to thank JP, Stiki, and Paranoid for their concern for GROG's well-being . Kingstiedye, GROG is willing to accept anything hanging on your walls. GROG has to go lay down now, baldness really takes a toll on GROG's system. Sipping on a nice tropical drink while sitting in the jacuzzi seems to help. {Hack!} {Cough!} Must go now.

I like your idea Paipo, we could call it Tiki's for Tots.

[ Edited by: Stiki Tiki 2006-09-18 18:29 ]

[ Edited by: Stiki Tiki 2006-09-18 18:28 ]