WHOA Newsletter - August 4, 2008

WHO@ Newsletter

August 4, 2008

I couldn't make this up if I tried. . .All I can say is "Wow"

Island says starfish aren't toys for dogs to fetch
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080803/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/grenada_starfish_flying_discs;_ylt=AqWrSaRnqHpRlSdG6RI5t1DtiBIF
Tourism officials on the Caribbean island of Grenada say they are concerned about dog owners snatching starfish out of the sea and throwing them like flying discs for their dogs to catch.

Russ Fielden is president of the local hotel and tourism association. He says officials have received several reports of the practice and are launching an education campaign to stop it.

Fielden said Saturday that treating starfish this way is "cruel and should be strongly discouraged." He said the sea creatures are being left to die on the island's popular Grand Anse beach and also are creating a foul smell.

Visit WHOA on the web at http://www.haltabuse.org

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NEWS TO USE AND PASS ALONG!

(DISCLAIMER: The following news items were found on the web and were not written or endorsed by WHO@; they are for informational purposes only)

Essexville woman charged with cyber-stalking - Police say messages posted to a blog were threatening, harassing - 08/04/08
http://blog.mlive.com/bctimes/2008/08/essexville_woman_charged_with.html
In an electronic age which makes every text-message, e-mail and blog entry part of cyberspace permanent record, a particularly vicious break-up can lead to criminal charges as well as broken hearts.

S. Korea moves to tighten the Net - 08/04/08
http://government.zdnet.com/?p=3915
Even as China is being roundly criticized for restricting Internet access even for Western journalists during the Olympics, another Asian country is moving to restrict the net. Reuters reports that South Korea is starting to make moves to restrain the Net, as well.

Beijing Games hit by Internet ticket scam - 08/04/08
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080804/wr_nm/olympics_tickets_scam_dc;_ylt=AspujtIIaWWOFXPv17mKSWX6VbIF
Sports fans around the world have been swindled by an international Internet scam which offered thousands of bogus tickets for the Beijing Games, Olympic officials said on Monday.

Teachers reminded of legal issues - 08/02/08
http://www.times-herald.com/education/Teachers-reminded-of-legal-issues--517016
Dr. Luke Cornelius, an assistant professor at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, lectured new Coweta County teachers about what to keep in mind regarding some of education's legal issues this year.

E-mail 'death threat' scam hits Central Oregon - 08/02/08
http://www.ktvz.com/Global/story.asp?S=8777176&nav=menu578_1
An e-mail "death threat" scam that has circled the globe for almost two years landed in the computer in-boxes of "numerous" Central Oregon residents Friday, demanding payment and warning in its subject line "Somebody you called your friend want you dead," police said.

Ex-defense attorney gets 5 years probation for threats, harassment - 08/01/08
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/scharf-burnett-judge-2111701-years-sentence
David Scharf, 46, called his ex-girlfriend a porn star and left a copy of the state's Penal Code at her home, authorities say.

Hit in the Facebook - 08/01/08
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1499810.ece
A GIRL was punched to the ground by a thug ­ after a public water fight organised on website Facebook spiralled into violence.

Depressed man briefly held for terror threat to Japanese embassy - 07/31/08
http://www.freshnews.in/depressed-man-briefly-held-for-terror-threat-to-japanese-embassy-41889
A 32-year-old mentally depressed man was briefly detained Thursday evening for allegedly sending an email to the Japanese embassy here threatening terror strikes in a popular shopping area of south Delhi.

NY man arrested in baby food poison video threats - 07/31/08
http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8771426
Gerber and the government say it was all just an Internet hoax. A New York man who allegedly claimed in videos that he had poisoned millions of bottles of baby food has been jailed.

Doctors fume over fake notes - 07/31/08
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24107110-38200,00.html
DOCTORS say employees who buy fake sick notes over the internet from a website supposedly set up by Aussie backpackers could be committing fraud.

Google: "Complete Privacy Does Not Exist" - 07/30/08
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/0730081google1.html
Arguing that technology has ensured that "complete privacy does not exist," Google contends that a Pennsylvania family has no legal grounds to sue the search giant for publishing photos of their home on its popular "Street View" mapping feature.

Berlusconi's broadcast group declares war on YouTube - 07/30/08
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/2475453/Berlusconis-broadcast-group-declares-war-on-YouTube.html
Mediaset, which is controlled by the billionaire media mogul Silvio Berlusconi and his family, said it was seeking damages of "at least" 500 million euros (£398 million) from YouTube and its owner Google, for alleged "illegal distribution and commercial use of audio and video files".

10 million zombies go after Google and Microsoft users brains - 07/28/08
http://www.itwire.com/content/view/19681/53/
No longer the stuff of low-budget movies, zombies are invading the Internet: around 10 million of them in the last three months alone. The horror is revealed in a new report which shows that Google Adwords and Microsoft users brains are amongst the most sought after zombie food...

Serial Rape Suspect's Trail Of Clues Leads to Violent End - 07/28/08
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/27/AR2008072701950_pf.html
Maj. Daniel Dusseau's head throbbed. It was 9 p.m. and nine months into the pursuit of a rapist whose attacks had haunted nearly a dozen of his detectives, sergeants and lieutenants. Only they and nine female victims knew all of the sadistic signatures of the serial rapist the police had been chasing: green rubber gloves, a ski mask, a digital camera and a .22-caliber handgun.

Pregnant Women Charged with Prostitution - 07/28/08
http://www.kspr.com/news/local/26004024.html
Two of the women arrested in a pregnant prostitution ring in Camden County have been charged.

Alleged text stalker to face additional charges from other victims - 07/27/08
http://www.newssun.com/0727-tc-vicitms
Two weeks after his initial arrest, Avon Park's Arne Jensen remained behind bars, held without bond. Jensen is accused of sending more than 40 text messages to a woman in a four-hour period, which led to his charge of cyberstalking.

WHOA Newsletter - July 28, 2008

WHOA Newsletter

July 28, 2008

I couldn't make this up if tried. . .Then he set fire to his pants for not unzipping properly

Angry man shoots lawn mower for not starting
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080726/ap_on_fe_st/odd_mower_madness;_ylt=AurrlNEaWurldvLpS2DiMPrtiBIF

A Milwaukee man was accused of shooting his lawn mower because it wouldn't start. Keith Walendowski, 56, was charged with felony possession of a short-barreled shotgun or rifle and misdemeanor disorderly conduct while armed.

According to the criminal complaint, Walendowski said he was angry because his Lawn Boy wouldn't start Wednesday morning. He told police quote, "I can do that, it's my lawn mower and my yard so I can shoot it if I want."

A woman who lives at Walendowski's house reported the incident. She said he was intoxicated.

Walendowski could face up to an $11,000 fine and six years and three months in prison if convicted.

A call to Walendowski's home went unanswered Friday morning.

Visit WHOA on the web at http://www.haltabuse.org

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
NEWS TO USE AND PASS ALONG!

(DISCLAIMER: The following news items were found on the web and were not written or endorsed by WHO@; they are for informational purposes only)

Polish policemen barred from social networking site - 07/28/08
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080728/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_poland_police;_ylt=AoBQdGVMlGrSTamQyCAa_lztiBIF
Poland's national police headquarters has banned officers from using a popular social networking site similar to Facebook because they were spending too much time using it, a newspaper said on Monday.

‘Shank’ website is aimed at the kids who carry knives - 07/28/08
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/justice/article1476976.ece
A SICK game on Facebook has been removed from the website after The Sun revealed how kids were able to STAB each other.

Colorado Spam King found dead - 07/28/08
http://www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/en/home/news.asp?id=49325
Convicted penny-stock spammer Eddie Davidson has died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, apparently after killing his wife and 3-year-old daughter in his home town of Bennet, Colorado, the U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday.

Is Social Networking and Blogging Bad for Business? - 07/28/08
http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1498073/is_social_networking_and_blogging_bad_for_business/
Blog and social networking sites continue to rise in popularity as today's tech-savvy professionals stay connected with friends, family and colleagues around the world. But, have business owners considered the impact to their company reputation when employees blur the lines between personal and professional fodder?

Players monitor social network profiles with a hawkeye - 07/28/08
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/2008-07-27-social-networks_N.htm
More college athletic departments are developing or publicizing online social networking policies for student athletes, experts say.

Open courts vs. privacy: Move toward online access to files sparks concerns - 07/27/08
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=e1fb5748-b208-4e9f-8071-dd7c809cdbad
The judges on the Supreme Court of Canada will decide this fall whether to post court documents online, the culmination of years of debate on whether throwing open the electronic doors threatens privacy rights in an era of Internet stalkers and identity thieves.

Scrabble makers sue Facebook over 'copycat' Scrabulous game - 07/26/08
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23521700-details/Scrabble+makers+sue+Facebook+over+'copycat'+Scrabulous+game/article.do
The Calcutta, India-based creators of a Scrabble knock-off that has become one of the most popular activities on Facebook were sued Thursday by Hasbro Inc, the company that owns the word game's North American rights.

FCC poised to punish Comcast over Web blocking - 07/26/08
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080726/ap_on_go_ot/internet_regulation;_ylt=Ai4ebKsx64bIswkCDiV__gD6VbIF
A majority of members of the Federal Communications Commission have cast votes in favor of punishing Comcast Corp. for blocking subscribers' Internet traffic, an agency official said Friday.

Libel: Ex-friend's Facebook revenge costs £22,000 in damages at high court - 07/25/08
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jul/25/law.facebook
After Grant Raphael had a row with his old school friend Mathew Firsht, he wanted revenge. He disseminated a web of lies via Facebook, to cause Firsht stress and humiliation.

Hacker admits online shop thefts - 07/25/08
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/north_east/7526487.stm
A man who spotted flaws in an online shop has admitted stealing equipment worth £20,000 from the firm.

Google to face charges over Down's syndrome video - 07/25/08
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article4397511.ece
Italian prosecutors say a video which showed four youths taunting a teenager with Down's syndrome was an invasion of privacy

Woman Gets 2 Years In Prison For Stalking By Cell Phone - 07/25/08
http://www.wbbm780.com/pages/2665888.php?
A northwest Indiana woman was sentenced to two years in prison Thursday for stalking a man she met over the Internet.

The F Word - 07/24/08
http://www.rakemag.com/blogs/spazz-dad/2008/07/the-f-word
I absolutely loves me some Facebook. And I know what you’re thinking: What the hell is Todd Smith, the Spazz Dad, doing on Facebook? Isn’t he the guy with the Vagina Eye (Chop It Off) and the overactive colon? You are totally right. I have about as much right of being on the hip social networking website as I do in joining the Harlem Globetrotters. But so be it. I’m logged on and Facebookin’ the hell out of things.

Internet shopping: play your cards right - 07/24/08
http://www.liverpoolconfidential.com/index.asp?sessionx=IpqiNwEiJpqpIDB6IHqjNwB6IA&realname=Internet_shopping_a_guide_for_safe_webuse
In this day and age, if you're not an internet explorer, you may as well be living in the Shire with Frodo and the rest. The possibilities online are endless: you can learn, work, chat, date, play, laugh and shop, all from the comfort of your own home or office. Or even with 3G, I-phone and the rest from just about anywhere, anytime.

Myspace suicide woman 'did what loads of people do online' - 07/24/08
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/07/24/myspace-suicide-aguments-heard
MISSOURI MOTHER Lori Drew’s lawyer is now arguing that if she is guilty, then so are millions of other internet users every day.

Mayor promises action on Internet abuse - 07/24/08
http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-va--printshop-interne0724jul24,0,7989956.story
Mayor L. Douglas Wilder says misuse of city computers won't be tolerated. Wilder says appropriate action, which could include termination, will be taken following an audit of the Richmond print shop's computers that uncovered misuse.

Defense Attacks Theories in MySpace Case - 07/24/08
http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews+articleid_2431947~title_Defense-Attacks-Theories.html
The attorney for Lori Drew, the woman accused of harassing a teen by creating a fake online identity on MySpace, is objecting to the prosecution's argument that his client violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

Family lose Narnia web name fight - 07/24/08
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7522240.stm
An Edinburgh couple have lost a battle with the estate of Chronicles of Narnia author CS Lewis over a web domain name.

U.S. newsreader faces jail after leaking saucy emails of 'anchorbabe' co-presenter - 07/23/08
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/femail/article-1037314/U-S-newsreader-faces-jail-leaking-saucy-emails-anchorbabe.html
A veteran newsreader has been charged with hacking into his glamorous co-presenter's emails and leaking them to the press.
Larry Mendte, 51, is accused of trying to ruin Alycia Lane's career.
Insiders said Mendte and Miss Lane, 34, appeared friendly on camera, but actually loathed each other.

Phones scheme to track unwitting - 07/23/08
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/7520596.stm
A university has been tracking people's whereabouts through the Blue Tooth facility on mobile phones for the past three years, it has emerged.

Do it! Do it! CriminalSearches.com your ex! - 07/23/08
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25820953/
“Do you really know who people are?” That’s the slogan for pay site PeopleFinders.com's freshly launched (and totally free!) companion site, CriminalSearches.com. Do you want to know? Everybody has something to hide ­ so the cliché goes. That’s where CriminalSearches.com comes in.

Asprox computer virus infects key government and consumer websites - 07/23/08
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article4381034.ece
Cyber-criminals have attacked key government and consumer websites, allowing them to steal the personal details of anyone browsing the sites, The Times has learnt.

Scorned lover's ad brings charges, lawsuit - 07/23/08
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2008/07/23/Scorned_lovers_ad_brings_charges_lawsuit/UPI-83881216844006/
A Mount Juliet, Tenn., woman whose ex-fiance blasted her in a newspaper ad said she has filed harassment charges against the man.

Palm City man's stolen credit card used to buy program to prevent identity theft - 07/23/08
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/tcoast/epaper/2008/07/23/0723mcfraud.html
An identity thief apparently used a Palm City man's credit card to charge a program used to prevent identity theft, according to a Martin sheriff's report.

Convicted 'Spam King' gets 4 years - 07/23/08
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=13807
US resident Soloway, who sent millions of unsolicited emails, pleaded guilty to fraud, spamming and tax evasion after being indicted in May 2007. It emerged that Soloway continued to spam even though he previously lost cases brought against him by Microsoft and a US ISP.

Stalker posing as prince arrested in Jeddah mall - 07/22/08
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2008072312500
A Saudi man in his 30s, well experienced in Internet scamming and posing as a rich prince, was busted while stalking and blackmailing a girl.
He had set up a website that claimed to promote ‘poetry and literature.’ However, as it turned out, the website was meant to attract women visitors who the man would try to cheat by getting their pictures and blackmailing them.

Police director sues for critical bloggers' names - 07/22/08
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jul/22/police-director-sues-find-identity-blogger-critica/
Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin and the city of Memphis have filed a lawsuit to learn who operates a blog harshly critical of Godwin and his department.

Troubling web site - Datingpsychos.com

There is a web site called Dating Psychos that really should be shut down. I have been working with a victim who dated this guy, stopped dating him and he just couldn't deal with it. He's already put up a few, I got them taken down, he called Animal Control where she lives and claimed she abused her dogs - the dogs were taken away and were going to be euthanized, but she convinced Animal Control that this guy was out to ruin her life. This guy has also called the Social Security Administration on her claiming she's a prostitute trying to get them to investigate her and some other things. It got so bad that she tried to commit suicide a week ago.

I was finally able to talk to an FBI agent in the state where the victim lives and this agent is appalled by this web site. She is going to find an agent in the bureau closest to the victim, but now the cyberstalker has put up a new profile on the Dating Psychos web site that lists her home address, home phone number, photo and more. She's been getting phone calls from men looking for sex. What does it take before one of these whackos comes to her door and forces his way in and rapes and/or kills her?

I told the victim to call the FBI agent (I also called the agent and left a voicemail) and also her local police, who have been no help whatsoever to her. She also tried her local DAs office, but he never returns her phone calls and probably thinks this is just some minor "Internet thing."

I am very concerned, not only about the victim I'm working with, but some of the other people who have had profiles put up on this web site about them. One is a woman with children and the children's photo is on the profile, along with contact information.

This site is truly frightening - the owner doesn't give a shit (he's been contacted by the victim and by me and refuses to do anything); the server hosting the site won't respond to emails or phone calls and I am tearing my hair out. If the site owner does contact the victim, he demands $25 before he'll pull the profile. The last time I looked, that's extortion and is illegal.

I want to make sure this is publicly known - all means to get this profile taken down have been taken by the victim and me. The web site owner is negligent and should never have put the site up in the first place.

The FBI is doing what they can, but until an agent shows up at the victim's door to interview her, she has to live in fear for her life.

I can understand being pissed off at someone you dated, but this site goes way too far and someone will end up injured or dead as a result. If it's my victim, there will be more than hell to pay.

I am hoping the public and maybe the media will put pressure on the web site owner to pull the web site completely, or revamp it so that it's not so harassing and threatening. He's too much of a coward to list his real contact info on WHOIS (web site owner registration), but the email he lists on his web site is J-Dog.

Help me get this site to stop exposing people to harassing phone calls and possible physical injury, rape or death.

WHOA Newsletter - July 21, 2008

WHO@ Newsletter

July 21, 2008

I couldn't make this up if I tried. . .Bet this is a hot case

Men sentenced for setting friend's crotch ablaze
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080721/ap_on_fe_st/odd_crotch_fire;_ylt=AgF_olZGAIENWcAPr9EnsqLtiBIF

Two practical jokers are behind bars for setting their passed-out drinking buddy's crotch ablaze while boozing in Grover Beach. Matthew Craig Pillers and Jack Brent Nicholas Keiffer pleaded no contest to a felony great bodily injury charge.

Prosecutors say the 22-year-old Pillers, a parolee, was sentenced to two years in prison and the 19-year-old Keiffer got 45 days in San Luis Obispo County jail.

Elliot Tuleja was passed out when the men poured cologne on the man's groin and set him on fire on Jan. 18. Tuleja had second-degree burns on his testicles.

Visit WHOA on the web at http://www.haltabuse.org

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NEWS TO USE AND PASS ALONG!

(DISCLAIMER: The following news items were found on the web and were not written or endorsed by WHO@; they are for informational purposes only)

Bluetooth is watching: secret study gives Bath a flavour of Big Brother - 07/21/08

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jul/21/civilliberties.privacy
Tens of thousands of Britons are being covertly tracked without their consent in a technology experiment which has installed scanners at secret locations in offices, campuses, streets and pubs to pinpoint people's whereabouts.

Web-initiated harassment of grandma continues - 07/20/08
http://herald-zeitung.com/story.lasso?ewcd=60f1298572b10b1b&-session=HeraldZeitung:42F942F0118e43728APso1E758E1
Web postings urging online and telephone harassment of Herald-Zeitung employees appeared Saturday morning on the Internet hours after an article was published describing similar attacks toward a New Braunfels woman.

Adults play role in Internet abuse - 07/20/08
http://www.newsobserver.com/164/story/1147589.html
Cyberbullying isn't just a problem among adolescents. Adults engage in it, too. From online vigilantism and angry blogs to e-stalking and anonymous ranting on newspaper Web sites, grownups can be as abusive as the meanest schoolhouse tyrant.

The Internet--a private eye's best friend - 07/20/08
http://news.yahoo.com/s/cnet/20080720/tc_cnet/830110093999520783;_ylt=AlI4ZxyxYem26IvRQ_xkspH6VbIF
For private investigator Steven Rambam, the Internet is his most valuable tool in helping to find missing persons, cheating husbands, and your competitor's dirty secrets.

Net needs tightening - 07/19/08
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080719/LIFE/80719005/1055/LIFE&template=column
Considering that I'm a fierce believer in freedom of speech and in keeping the
government out of our private lives, what I'm about to say astounds me: We must regulate the Internet.

Facebook taunts lead hoodie gang to stab teenager yards from home - 07/19/08
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-1036189/Facebook-taunts-lead-hoodie-gang-stab-teenager-yards-home.html
A teenager was stabbed to death in the street in a dispute over insults traded on the Facebook website by rival gangs.

Web gets sticky for airlines - 07/18/08
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/airlines-internet-services-2098699-phone-flight?slideshow=1
Seat 17D is yapping endlessly on an Internet phone call. Seat 16F is flaming Seat 16D with expletive-laden chats. Seat 16E is too busy surfing porn sites to care. Seat 17C just wants to sleep.

Whatcom Co. fire chief faces harassment charge - 07/17/08
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_071708WAB_whatcom_co_fire_chief_KS.665e2ae7.html
A fire chief in Whatcom County will be arraigned on a charge of harassment Friday.
Some people are calling for his resignation.
George Henderson is chief of Whatcom County Fire District 18 and it's not the first time he's had legal troubles.

Victim testifies in Internet stalking case - 07/16/08
http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2008/07/16/news/top_news/doc09295c6e07621b468625748800055c3e.txt
A 16-year-old North Carolina girl testified Tuesday in Lake County Criminal Court that she endured more than a year of Internet and phone harassment from an unknown user.

Threatening e-mail gets man 4½ months in jail - 07/16/08
http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2008/07/07162008_Threatening-e-mail-gets-man-4%C2%BD-months-in-jail.cfm
A Vancouver man will spend 4½ months in jail after pleading guilty to sending an e-mail message that threatened Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard and other unnamed officials.

Woman fired over husband's email threat to Minnesota professor - 07/15/08
http://www.mister-info.com/?cmd=displaystory&story_id=11063&format=html
Professor PZ Myers, a biologist at the University of Minnesota Morris in the United States, has been receiving email threats for a post made on his Pharyngula blog in support of a University of Central Florida student who took a consecrated host from a Catholic Mass in protest of the church activities.

Privacy perils of the modern age - 07/15/08
http://lifewise.canoe.ca/SexRomance/Lovewise/2008/07/15/6162871.html
Alicia suspected the messages weren't from Dan. They were a little too flowery, for one thing, and seemed out of context. Plus there were no misspelled words.

'Knock, knock. Who's there? Me. I kill you' - 07/14/08
http://www.gastongazette.com/news/clifton_22663___article.html/christopher_cell.html
A Bessemer City man took out a criminal summons against his first cousin last week, accusing him of threatening him with a recording of a popular comedic routine sent to his cell phone voicemail.

WHOA Newsletter - July 14, 2008

WHO@ Newsletter

July 14, 2008

I couldn't make this up if I tried. . .He must have one sore butt

Man breaks record by sitting in 39,250 seats
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080710/ap_on_fe_st/rose_bowl_sitter;_ylt=Aqrz39CSbzXOfjroMBZcpw_tiBIF

Jim Purol took a seat at the Rose Bowl, and then another, and then another, until he broke a world record.

The Anaheim man set a Guiness World Record on Wednesday for "Most Seats Sat in 48 Hours" by sitting in 39,250 seats.

He began the task Monday morning, and he's still going, hoping to rest his tush in each of the stadium's 92,542 seats by sometime this week.

The 56-year-old, who already holds several other world records, says he has dreamed of tackling the Rose Bowl seats for 20 years ­ ever since he sat in all 107,501 chairs at the University of Michigan's football stadium.

The feat has taken a toll on his body and his cleanliness, as soot on the seats rubbed off on his clothes. He says he loves the Rose Bowl but calls the place "filthy."

Visit WHOA on the web at http://www.haltabuse.org

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
NEWS TO USE AND PASS ALONG!

(DISCLAIMER: The following news items were found on the web and were not written or endorsed by WHO@; they are for informational purposes only)

Alleged 'I kill you' text message leads to cyberstalking charge - 07/14/08
http://www.gastongazette.com/news/cyberstalking_22637___article.html/clifton_charge.html
A dispute between two Bessemer City men and an alleged text message has led to a cyberstalking charge.

Wife of Victor Peirce threatened witnesses, court told - 07/14/08
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24017248-2862,00.html
THE wife of slain gangland figure Victor Peirce threatened a witness in the trial of one of her husband's alleged killers, a court has heard.

'World's oldest blogger' dies in Australia at 108 - 07/14/08
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080714/tc_afp/lifestyleaustraliainternetblogging;_ylt=AlvMd2vZyF24TXUdcz94r2P6VbIF
An Australian woman described as the world's oldest Internet blogger has died at the age of 108 after posting a final message about singing "a happy song" in her nursing home.

Homeless man held on cyber-stalking charge - 07/13/08
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-stalker-both_12jul13,0,5418983.story
The man accused of stalking a young woman for eight years first approached her in 2000 when she worked at a convenience store in Des Plaines.

Hacker Sentenced to 2 Years for MySpace Cyberstalking - 07/12/08
http://www.crime-research.org/news/12.07.2008/3450/
A Southern California man who already served federal time for hacking into Lexis-Nexis has begun a state prison term for allegedly using his skills to try and extort phone sex from an internet celebrity.

Strike Two, Jeffrey Robert Weinberg Gets Two Years for Cyber Stalking - 07/11/08
http://www.uberreview.com/2008/07/strike-two-jeffrey-robert-weinberg-gets-two-years-for-cyber-stalking.htm
I could offer some inane advice as to how a geek can survive in a state penitentiary, but Jeffrey Robert Weinberg probably knows better than me. At the ripe old age of 23, he is already done 10 months in a federal penitentiary.

Woman guilty over bizarre internet murder plot - 07/11/08
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2284901/Woman-guilty-over-bizarre-internet-murder-plot.html
A divorcee has been found guilty of plotting to murder her multi-millionaire partner after she hired an "assassin" on a website called www.Hitman.us.com

State employee arrested, charged with cyberstalking - 07/11/08
http://www.newschief.com/article/20080711/NEWS/807110339/1003/news02&title=State_employee_arrested__charged_with_cyberstalking_
A state health inspector from Winter Haven has been arrested and charged with harassing a woman through the Internet.

Combating Computer Rage: Easing Cyber Stress - 07/11/08
http://www.newsfactor.com/news/Combating-Today-s-Computer-Rage/story.xhtml?story_id=023002LZ5HAT
Comparing computer problems with car issues is a striking analogy. As a driver, imagine that, for no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day. Every time they repainted the lines on the road, you would have to buy a new car. Occasionally, your car would die on the freeway for no reason, and you would accept this, restart, and drive on.

Library Assistant Suing Over Mistaken Email Nightmare - 07/10/08
http://gothamist.com/2008/07/10/library_assistant_suing_over_mistak.php
A 24-year-old former library assistant at the fancy Riverdale Country School in the Bronx is suing the city and several police officers over a case of mistaken email identity that landed him in jail for 30 hours and left him publicly disgraced. The trouble started last year after William Hallowell sent a resignation email to Robin Bernsen, the head librarian at the school. She replied sympathetically, according to the Times, and Hallowell moved on with his life.

Canning spam - 07/10/08
http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Style/230937/
Back in the ’ 70 s, when Spam was only the name of a potted meat product, British comedy troupe Monty Python could envision a cafe full of Vikings singing, “Lovely Spam, wonderful Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam...” Now, spam is an in-box full of unsolicited commercial e-mail advertising promising to enlarge your body parts or offering can’t-turn-it-down cell-phone deals. And it’s more likely to make most people swear rather than sing.

Calamus man accused of making more threats against city - 07/10/08
http://www.qctimes.com/articles/2008/07/10/news/local/doc487698b2885ed377490475.txt?sPos=1
Less than four months after a Calamus man was sentenced to probation after being convicted of threatening to put drugs in the town’s water supply, he is facing a hearing next week to determine whether his probation should be revoked.

Hallmark email threat on the loose - 07/09/08
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/blogs/index.cfm?blogid=4&entryid=2032
Security vendor PC Tools is warning users about a round of malicious "hallmark.exe" files. The files are distributed by email and have been downloaded and run by members of the Threatfire user community.

Expert: Cyberbullying On Rise Among Teens - 07/08/08
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/technology/16770253/detail.html
Like their verbal counterparts, cyber names are not sticks and stones, but they are hurting many young Internet users, according to a 2007 survey of middle school and high school students.

Why is it so hard to RSVP?

Sigh. My next door neighbor asked me to come to her jewelry show last month. I did. I booked a show to take place this afternoon. I wrote up a list of 30 people I know. The jewelry lady doing the show dutifully sent out postcards to everyone. Only one person called me to tell me she couldn't make it; three others emailed me to say they couldn't make it. I made phone calls to most of the rest, got no reply, left a message and still haven't heard from them. I emailed a bunch of folks, some of whom did reply they couldn't come. Saw one person while out shopping and she said she couldn't come. Out of the 30, less than 10 let me know one way or the other.

Why don't people RSVP, even just to be polite?

I had to tell the jewelry lady the party was off. She lives about an hour away and I am not going to let her waste her gas to come here for nothing. She's nice, but she just couldn't believe no one was coming or ordering anything and even offered to call people herself. I told her, you know what? If people can't let me know if they're coming, or place an order, then forget it. She's worried I won't get the hostess gift. I could care less about that. I honestly wish I hadn't booked the damned thing in the first place. I hate doing these parties, but did it as a favor to my neighbor (who, BTW, is one of the ones who didn't call me back to tell me if she could come today or not - hello?).

So, if anyone does show up out of the blue today at 2 pm, they're being dragged into my office, taken to the jewelry web site, and I'm gonna force them to buy one piece of jewelry. So there.

Speaking of RSVPing, folks have been good about doing that for our wedding reception party on the eVite web site, but some people insisted on emailing me privately to tell me they couldn't come instead of just RSVPing on the web site. So now I have to keep track of those to figure out a tally of who's coming. But at least people are responding to that invite.

Pfft.

If you didn't get an eVite from me, it's because I either didn't have your email address to send it to or thought you were too far away to want to come to Maine. Email me at netcrimes@netcrimes.net or reply here if you think you'd like to come - it's August 16th at our house. I'll be happy to send you a formal invite via email.

RIP Tony Snow

It's deaths like these that make me treasure every day I am alive.

RIP Tony Snow, a true journalist.