A Map of the Psyche - The New Times Article

A LETTER TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS, OUR CLIENTS, AND OUR FRIENDS REGARDING THE PHOENIX NEW TIMES ARTICLE BY JAMES HIBBERD.

We wish to thank the hundreds of shareholders

who have written SURPRISING and Passionate letters of support to this difficult article.

We were initially devastated when we read the article, and then as your responses started coming in, we found that we were suddenly, remarkably peaceful.

"Rest satisfied with doing well, and leave others to speak of you as they will" has been echoing in my mind. I wrote the following to a close friend, who recommended I share these thoughts in public.

I feel I need to say that we know in our hearts that we did not abuse the shareholders funds, and life was most assuredly not a party for us. However, for the two men quoted, I can understand why they saw it that way. They made a choice, it was one we did not make. It was a choice we did not condone, however it was their choice to make. They came out of that article looking weak, this is their own mental solitude so to speak.

I have not lost my resolve to fight, we're going to get up, dust ourselves off, and go get these people. Our biggest lesson is in the journey of learning who and who not to trust. I believe tonight marked the death of whatever naivet� I had left inside of
me.

As for Mark, he took tonight's news, and remained on the wagon. He could have turned to alcohol, but he did not. I am very proud of him. It was a rough evening. We hope that what people will remember after this is the fact that we stood tall despite the less than glowing article. We're still here, and we intend to see this through which is more than I can say for most of the people we used to call friends. It is a step towards healing.

Thank you again, for your kindness, your support, and your continued faith. I promise this much, I intend to learn from this, and hopefully move forward to a productive and peaceful place for all of us.

HERE IS THE FORMAL STATEMENT IN REPLY WE SENT TO

ALL SHAREHOLDERS AND ASSOCIATES IN RESPONSE.

THE ARTICLE FOLLOWS BELOW.

I wanted to send all of you a statement, after reading the general feeling
of James Hibberds article in this weeks edition of the Phoenix New Times. I
still thank Mr Hibberd for his hard work, his time, and his effort to
report this story. He spoke to many people, and did the best he could to
give an impartial narrative. I do not agree with many of the things stated
in this article, however I understand his need to get the perspective of
many different people, including employees...disgruntled, or not.

Rather than address each item line by line, I felt it was important to tell
you our position, and our overall sentiment about where we stand in regards
to our lives now, and Safari (Past and Present.)

We stand behind our pride in Safari, we can look back now and see who our
real friends are, and who the employees and associates were that truly
deserved success, and the credit for jobs well done as well as hard work.

When we became successful, many opportunities were presented. Some good,
some bad, some tempting, and some dangerous. My mistake lay above anything
else in the beliefs that the people I trusted would take the morally
ethical "proverbial road". They would not abuse us, or the company. They
would work hard, and not take advantage of the opportunities presented to
them.

I see how wrong I was about this, how many people took advantage, and how
easily I had been convinced of lies when so many people stood before me
swearing their hard work and allegiance.

This is no ones fault but my own, it is why I remain indebted to all of
you, and why I must make things right.

I can only tell you, that Mark and I worked very hard, and we believed with
all of our hearts that the people we entrusted in high roles did as well.
Some people called executive salaries exorbitant, however, the salaries
paid were scale for the positions 98% of the staff members held.

Mark & I did not take a consistent salary, and we often reinvested
what we did make and subsidized Safari with our own funds,
resulting in a multimillion dollar loss from our own family.
For the record, The highest paid employees earned an average of
$7,000 a month,with the exception of roughly 4 board members
who without question abused their positions and power.
We invested a lot of funds into our promotions,however Mark and I
personally invested several million dollars into Safari over the years,
and the music department did not spend more than our investments
even if all promotions were combined. However, this is not what is conveyed,
and is again no ones fault but my own.

Reactions to pain vary in many people, some people have nervous breakdowns,
some people flee. My husband fought alcoholism, I fought depression and
weakly placed my trust in the wrong people. For this I will pay for the
rest of my life.

The music department was a success. It was not marked by attendance at
events, the events served as means for publicity. I am reminded of a group
of deaf shareholders that attended our event, Zen, last year where over
14,000 people were in attendance. The lasting impression with them was a
positive one, not the dark misery portrayed by several of our past
employees. It gained well spread recognition. We stand behind our pride in
this department, although it is deeply distressing to see how many people
poisoned what we had set out to achieve with cheap rumors, and distorted
"partying" portrayals, or fantasy ideology. Regardless, all people have a
right to speak their mind, even if we do not agree with them. I was foolish
enough to hire these people, accordingly, I must now listen to them rant
and belittle what Mark and I had worked so hard for, for so many years.

Tonight my family is reflecting on the past five years, the people with
whom we misplaced our trust, and the future in which we will fight to
correct the wrongs that so many are now paying for as a result of my poor
judgment in the majority of the moral characters of many of the people we
employed.

I want to remember what Mark and I worked so hard to build, over embittered
employees or associates who took advantage of Safari, at this moment this
is difficult. I will say, this experience will undoubtedly make me
stronger, and though it would be easy to cower and run, I will not. Nor
will my family, we're in it for the long haul, and we will fight to set
things right.

You do not have to agree with us, or forgive us, but I do ask you to
recognize that in life many investments are risks, and many of those risks
are lost. It is my intention to see that your risk with Safari is not lost.
I do recognize that my naivet� should not cost any of you, anything.

- Maryanne Chisholm