« How to Stay on Private Islands for Just Dollars a Day! | Home | Amazing Amanu Atoll »
By Islomaniac | June 28, 2007
Today I learned a very important lesson that I have to share with my readers. When I started my private islands blog, I saw no problems with putting up the name and location of my island, even though I knew it would be seen by lots of folks. Maybe I’m just from a simpler time, but I don’t tend to assume that people mean you any harm.
Well, my son put a stop to that idea. He reminded me of a fellow in our area who had his cottage robbed just this winter, and said that he wouldn’t have his father advertising the location of the island all over the internet. “Just inviting trouble,” he told me. I’m not always at Amherst, and when I am, I’m alone and not in much shape to defend myself. I saw the wisdom in what he said.
And today I called my son and thanked him for this advice, because I just dodged a bullet. Not from a robber, but from a stalker. There’s a real estate agent named Cheyenne Morrison that I’d been corresponding with, seemed nice at first, if a little crazy for islands. But now it looks like he’s just plain crazy, because I just got this email from him calling me some kind of fraud, and saying that he’s phoned pretty much everyone in Long Lake Township trying to find out where my island is! It sounds like a joke, but it’s the truth that he’s been harassing local real estate agents, the county records office, even the town planner in the Township of Long Lake. Then this nut, after telling me all that, he actually demanded my phone number to “prove my identity”! I was about ready to call the police.
Why is this man calling everyone in sight to try and find out where I live? Well he’s got it in his mind that I’m the “secret identity” of one of his business competitors, even though I linked to him and had plenty of information on his business on Private Islands Blog. Well that’s over with now, because I’m certainly not sending business to a man who’s clearly some kind of loon. And if he’s some big island broker, shouldn’t he have more important things to do than bully me?
Since I started my site, this Morrison fellow has written journalists telling them I’m using articles without the right credits, written to other blogs and sites to get them to take down my link, and saying that I stole his ideas. Well you can see for yourself that our blogs look nothing similar- I think mine’s a lot better, in fact! And when someone gets so scared by a little competition that they get plain obsessed with ruining an old man’s hobby, it really shows how small they really are.
And I can tell you this much- Mr. Morrison can look all he likes, and bother all the folks in my area he wants, but he won’t be finding Amherst Island. I suggest that all the island owners out there with sites of their own do the same. The internet is full of great folks, and I’ve made some really good friends. But in case you cross paths with a screwball like Morrison, make sure you keep the location of your island well hidden!
Be safe,
Mark Amherst of Amherst Island
Share This
Subscribe to This Blog
Topics: Island Features, Island Advice |
Site Feed (RSS)
June 29th, 2007 at 2:15 am
Love your blog!
Don’t let the wackos get you down. The gent in question was exposed here: http://www.privateislandsonline.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=307
July 6th, 2007 at 8:23 pm
I have always been cautious for the same reasons/risks. There are a lot of strange people around.
There was a blog someone wrote in London (a lady who was hurt in a bomb blast) which was very popular and helpful and just the other week her stalker was jailed. The stalker even posted from internet cafes whilst on the run from the police but was eventually tracked by other internet posters. In another recent case here was an innocent doctor, stalked, harrassed, accused, investigated all because of a deranged woman who was later jailed.
I worry about the vulnerability of my island. Someone could be on it now. I suppose a solar powered continuous CCTV linked to a PC may be would at least let me see it but then that could just be stolen.