Stupid people part 2
- Ersteller LooseCannon
- Erstellt am
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Kate McGee
W:O:A Metalgod
catlash
W:O:A Metalhead
catlash
W:O:A Metalhead
I guess this kind of could go here. Whoever created this is not too bright. Will be interesting to see if it is enforced, or merely goes the eay of the illegal to tape off the radio law:
This just off of MSN News
Body: Create an e-annoyance, go to jail
January 9, 2006, 4:00 AM PT
By Declan McCullagh
Annoying someone via the Internet is now a federal crime.
It's no joke. Last Thursday, President Bush signed into law a prohibition on posting annoying Web messages or sending annoying e-mail messages without disclosing your true identity.
In other news:
Government Web sites are keeping an eye on you
Patriot Act defender touts 'safeguards'
In other words, it's OK to flame someone on a mailing list or in a blog as long as you do it under your real name. Thank Congress for small favors, I guess.
This ridiculous prohibition, which would likely imperil much of Usenet, is buried in the so-called Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act. Criminal penalties include stiff fines and two years in prison.
"The use of the word 'annoy' is particularly problematic," says Marv Johnson, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. "What's annoying to one person may not be annoying to someone else."
It's illegal to annoy
A new federal law states that when you annoy someone on the Internet, you must disclose your identity. Here's the relevant language.
"Whoever...utilizes any device or software that can be used to originate telecommunications or other types of communications that are transmitted, in whole or in part, by the Internet... without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any person...who receives the communications...shall be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than two years, or both."
Buried deep in the new law is Sec. 113, an innocuously titled bit called "Preventing Cyberstalking." It rewrites existing telephone harassment law to prohibit anyone from using the Internet "without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy."
To grease the rails for this idea, Sen. Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, and the section's other sponsors slipped it into an unrelated, must-pass bill to fund the Department of Justice. The plan: to make it politically infeasible for politicians to oppose the measure.
The tactic worked. The bill cleared the House of Representatives by voice vote, and the Senate unanimously approved it Dec. 16.
There's an interesting side note. An earlier version that the House approved in September had radically different wording. It was reasonable by comparison, and criminalized only using an "interactive computer service" to cause someone "substantial emotional harm."
That kind of prohibition might make sense. But why should merely annoying someone be illegal?
There are perfectly legitimate reasons to set up a Web site or write something incendiary without telling everyone exactly who you are.
A law meant to annoy?
FAQ: The new 'annoy' law explained
A practical guide to the new federal law that aims to outlaw certain types of annoying Web sites and e-mail.Think about it: A woman fired by a manager who demanded sexual favors wants to blog about it without divulging her full name. An aspiring pundit hopes to set up the next Suck.com. A frustrated citizen wants to send e-mail describing corruption in local government without worrying about reprisals.
In each of those three cases, someone's probably going to be annoyed. That's enough to make the action a crime. (The Justice Department won't file charges in every case, of course, but trusting prosecutorial discretion is hardly reassuring.)
Clinton Fein, a San Francisco resident who runs the Annoy.com site, says a feature permitting visitors to send obnoxious and profane postcards through e-mail could be imperiled.
"Who decides what's annoying? That's the ultimate question," Fein said. He added: "If you send an annoying message via the United States Post Office, do you have to reveal your identity?"
Fein once sued to overturn part of the Communications Decency Act that outlawed transmitting indecent material "with intent to annoy." But the courts ruled the law applied only to obscene material, so Annoy.com didn't have to worry.
"I'm certainly not going to close the site down," Fein said on Friday. "I would fight it on First Amendment grounds."
He's right. Our esteemed politicians can't seem to grasp this simple point, but the First Amendment protects our right to write something that annoys someone else.
It even shields our right to do it anonymously. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas defended this principle magnificently in a 1995 case involving an Ohio woman who was punished for distributing anonymous political pamphlets.
If President Bush truly believed in the principle of limited government (it is in his official bio), he'd realize that the law he signed cannot be squared with the Constitution he swore to uphold.
And then he'd repeat what President Clinton did a decade ago when he felt compelled to sign a massive telecommunications law. Clinton realized that the section of the law punishing abortion-related material on the Internet was unconstitutional, and he directed the Justice Department not to enforce it.
Bush has the chance to show his respect for what he calls Americans' personal freedoms. Now we'll see if the president rises to the occasion.
biography
Declan McCullagh is CNET News.com's Washington, D.C., correspondent. He chronicles the busy intersection between technology and politics. Before that, he worked for several years as Washington bureau chief for Wired News. He has also worked as a reporter for The Netly News, Time magazine and HotWired.
This just off of MSN News
Body: Create an e-annoyance, go to jail
January 9, 2006, 4:00 AM PT
By Declan McCullagh
Annoying someone via the Internet is now a federal crime.
It's no joke. Last Thursday, President Bush signed into law a prohibition on posting annoying Web messages or sending annoying e-mail messages without disclosing your true identity.
In other news:
Government Web sites are keeping an eye on you
Patriot Act defender touts 'safeguards'
In other words, it's OK to flame someone on a mailing list or in a blog as long as you do it under your real name. Thank Congress for small favors, I guess.
This ridiculous prohibition, which would likely imperil much of Usenet, is buried in the so-called Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act. Criminal penalties include stiff fines and two years in prison.
"The use of the word 'annoy' is particularly problematic," says Marv Johnson, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. "What's annoying to one person may not be annoying to someone else."
It's illegal to annoy
A new federal law states that when you annoy someone on the Internet, you must disclose your identity. Here's the relevant language.
"Whoever...utilizes any device or software that can be used to originate telecommunications or other types of communications that are transmitted, in whole or in part, by the Internet... without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any person...who receives the communications...shall be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than two years, or both."
Buried deep in the new law is Sec. 113, an innocuously titled bit called "Preventing Cyberstalking." It rewrites existing telephone harassment law to prohibit anyone from using the Internet "without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy."
To grease the rails for this idea, Sen. Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, and the section's other sponsors slipped it into an unrelated, must-pass bill to fund the Department of Justice. The plan: to make it politically infeasible for politicians to oppose the measure.
The tactic worked. The bill cleared the House of Representatives by voice vote, and the Senate unanimously approved it Dec. 16.
There's an interesting side note. An earlier version that the House approved in September had radically different wording. It was reasonable by comparison, and criminalized only using an "interactive computer service" to cause someone "substantial emotional harm."
That kind of prohibition might make sense. But why should merely annoying someone be illegal?
There are perfectly legitimate reasons to set up a Web site or write something incendiary without telling everyone exactly who you are.
A law meant to annoy?
FAQ: The new 'annoy' law explained
A practical guide to the new federal law that aims to outlaw certain types of annoying Web sites and e-mail.Think about it: A woman fired by a manager who demanded sexual favors wants to blog about it without divulging her full name. An aspiring pundit hopes to set up the next Suck.com. A frustrated citizen wants to send e-mail describing corruption in local government without worrying about reprisals.
In each of those three cases, someone's probably going to be annoyed. That's enough to make the action a crime. (The Justice Department won't file charges in every case, of course, but trusting prosecutorial discretion is hardly reassuring.)
Clinton Fein, a San Francisco resident who runs the Annoy.com site, says a feature permitting visitors to send obnoxious and profane postcards through e-mail could be imperiled.
"Who decides what's annoying? That's the ultimate question," Fein said. He added: "If you send an annoying message via the United States Post Office, do you have to reveal your identity?"
Fein once sued to overturn part of the Communications Decency Act that outlawed transmitting indecent material "with intent to annoy." But the courts ruled the law applied only to obscene material, so Annoy.com didn't have to worry.
"I'm certainly not going to close the site down," Fein said on Friday. "I would fight it on First Amendment grounds."
He's right. Our esteemed politicians can't seem to grasp this simple point, but the First Amendment protects our right to write something that annoys someone else.
It even shields our right to do it anonymously. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas defended this principle magnificently in a 1995 case involving an Ohio woman who was punished for distributing anonymous political pamphlets.
If President Bush truly believed in the principle of limited government (it is in his official bio), he'd realize that the law he signed cannot be squared with the Constitution he swore to uphold.
And then he'd repeat what President Clinton did a decade ago when he felt compelled to sign a massive telecommunications law. Clinton realized that the section of the law punishing abortion-related material on the Internet was unconstitutional, and he directed the Justice Department not to enforce it.
Bush has the chance to show his respect for what he calls Americans' personal freedoms. Now we'll see if the president rises to the occasion.
biography
Declan McCullagh is CNET News.com's Washington, D.C., correspondent. He chronicles the busy intersection between technology and politics. Before that, he worked for several years as Washington bureau chief for Wired News. He has also worked as a reporter for The Netly News, Time magazine and HotWired.
Quark
Der Beste
Yep, and now he's annoying me through the Internet via this message. Does that make him a criminal???LooseCannon schrieb:
(zou nie verkeerd zijn/That would be a right thing, if he were now)
catlash
W:O:A Metalhead
Quark schrieb:
Since no clear definition of annoyance was given you are free to make your own. LMFAO!!!!!!!!
catlash schrieb:
That almost sounds like when Clinton asked to define "What is sex?" during his impeachment.
catlash
W:O:A Metalhead
Indeed.LooseCannon schrieb:That almost sounds like when Clinton asked to define "What is sex?" during his impeachment.
catlash
W:O:A Metalhead
Israel's response to Robertson:
Israel ends all business with Pat Robertson over Sharon comments
By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI
Associated Press
Posted January 11 2006, 10:59 AM EST
JERUSALEM -- Israel will not do business with Pat Robertson after the religious leader suggested Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's massive stroke was divine punishment for the Gaza withdrawal, a tourism official said Wednesday.
Robertson is leading a group of Christian evangelicals who have pledged to raise $50 million to build a large Christian tourism center in Israel's northern Galilee region, where tradition says Jesus lived and taught.
But Ido Hartuv, a spokesman for Tourism Minister Avraham Hirschson, said Israeli officials were furious with Robertson.
One day after Sharon's Jan. 4 stroke, Robertson said the prime minister was being punished for ``dividing God's land,'' _ a reference to last summer's pullout from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements.
``We can't accept this kind of statement,'' Hartuv said.
He said the Christian Heritage Center project was now in question, though he left the door open to develop it with others. ``We will not do business with him, only with other evangelicals who don't back these comments,'' Hartuv said. ``We will do business with other evangelical leaders, friends of Israel, but not with him.''
``Those that publicly support Ariel Sharon's recovery ... are welcome to do business with us.''
A spokeswoman for Robertson's television ministry, based in Virginia Beach, Va., said in a statement:
``We do not respond to media reports on our relationship with other governments and we have not talked to the Israelis on this topic. We continue to maintain our longstanding commitment to the Jewish people and the State of Israel.''
Robertson's comments drew condemnation from other Christian leaders and even President Bush.
Under a tentative agreement, Robertson's group was to put up the funding, while Israel would provide land and infrastructure for the center. Israeli officials had hoped the project would generate tens of millions of tourism dollars.
The ministry's decision was first reported on Wednesday's in The Jerusalem Post newspaper.
Robertson's Christian Heritage Center was to be tucked away in 35 acres of rolling Galilee hills, near key Christian sites such as Capernaum, the Mount of the Beatitudes, where tradition says Jesus delivered the Sermon of the Mount, and Tabgha _ on the shores of the Sea of Galilee _ where Christians believe Jesus performed the miracle of the loaves and fish.
The project was a sign of strengthened ties in recent years between Israel and evangelical Christian groups that support the Jewish state.
Israel was considering leasing the land to the Christians for free. Hirschson predicted it would draw up to 1 million pilgrims annually who would spend $1.5 billion in Israel and support about 40,000 jobs.
Hirschson, however, is one of Sharon's biggest supporters, and a member of the centrist Kadima party recently founded by the prime minister.
yay Israel!!!!
Israel ends all business with Pat Robertson over Sharon comments
By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI
Associated Press
Posted January 11 2006, 10:59 AM EST
JERUSALEM -- Israel will not do business with Pat Robertson after the religious leader suggested Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's massive stroke was divine punishment for the Gaza withdrawal, a tourism official said Wednesday.
Robertson is leading a group of Christian evangelicals who have pledged to raise $50 million to build a large Christian tourism center in Israel's northern Galilee region, where tradition says Jesus lived and taught.
But Ido Hartuv, a spokesman for Tourism Minister Avraham Hirschson, said Israeli officials were furious with Robertson.
One day after Sharon's Jan. 4 stroke, Robertson said the prime minister was being punished for ``dividing God's land,'' _ a reference to last summer's pullout from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements.
``We can't accept this kind of statement,'' Hartuv said.
He said the Christian Heritage Center project was now in question, though he left the door open to develop it with others. ``We will not do business with him, only with other evangelicals who don't back these comments,'' Hartuv said. ``We will do business with other evangelical leaders, friends of Israel, but not with him.''
``Those that publicly support Ariel Sharon's recovery ... are welcome to do business with us.''
A spokeswoman for Robertson's television ministry, based in Virginia Beach, Va., said in a statement:
``We do not respond to media reports on our relationship with other governments and we have not talked to the Israelis on this topic. We continue to maintain our longstanding commitment to the Jewish people and the State of Israel.''
Robertson's comments drew condemnation from other Christian leaders and even President Bush.
Under a tentative agreement, Robertson's group was to put up the funding, while Israel would provide land and infrastructure for the center. Israeli officials had hoped the project would generate tens of millions of tourism dollars.
The ministry's decision was first reported on Wednesday's in The Jerusalem Post newspaper.
Robertson's Christian Heritage Center was to be tucked away in 35 acres of rolling Galilee hills, near key Christian sites such as Capernaum, the Mount of the Beatitudes, where tradition says Jesus delivered the Sermon of the Mount, and Tabgha _ on the shores of the Sea of Galilee _ where Christians believe Jesus performed the miracle of the loaves and fish.
The project was a sign of strengthened ties in recent years between Israel and evangelical Christian groups that support the Jewish state.
Israel was considering leasing the land to the Christians for free. Hirschson predicted it would draw up to 1 million pilgrims annually who would spend $1.5 billion in Israel and support about 40,000 jobs.
Hirschson, however, is one of Sharon's biggest supporters, and a member of the centrist Kadima party recently founded by the prime minister.
yay Israel!!!!
catlash
W:O:A Metalhead
This just happened here in Tulsa this morning. The photos I fear did not transfer but one clearly shows the 14.9" clearance sign 
:
Sand Springs Highway Bridge Damaged
A highway bridge near Sand Springs bridge is being inspected after it was hit Monday morning.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers say dozens of vehicles were also damaged after a piece of construction equipment hit a bridge overpass. It happened on the Sand Springs Expressway at the 65th West Avenue bridge during rush hour Monday morning.
Troopers say an eastbound truck was hauling a track-hoe and attempted to pass under the bridge. That's when the top of the track-hoe's boom hit the underside of the bridge, scattering debris and damaging 25 vehicles. No one was hurt.
The truck driver received several tickets. The bridge remains open, but at least one lane on highway 412 remains closed so Oklahoma Department of Transportation officials can inspect the bridge.
Created: 1/23/2006
Updated: 1/23/2006 11:12:35 AM Source: The News on 6
www.KOTV.com
:Sand Springs Highway Bridge Damaged
A highway bridge near Sand Springs bridge is being inspected after it was hit Monday morning.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers say dozens of vehicles were also damaged after a piece of construction equipment hit a bridge overpass. It happened on the Sand Springs Expressway at the 65th West Avenue bridge during rush hour Monday morning.
Troopers say an eastbound truck was hauling a track-hoe and attempted to pass under the bridge. That's when the top of the track-hoe's boom hit the underside of the bridge, scattering debris and damaging 25 vehicles. No one was hurt.
The truck driver received several tickets. The bridge remains open, but at least one lane on highway 412 remains closed so Oklahoma Department of Transportation officials can inspect the bridge.
Created: 1/23/2006
Updated: 1/23/2006 11:12:35 AM Source: The News on 6
www.KOTV.com
Zombi
W:O:A Metalmaster
catlash
W:O:A Metalhead
And here is yet another example:
Passenger bites man, jumps from moving plane
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (AP) -- An airline passenger bit a fellow traveler Monday, then jumped out of a jetliner as it was moving to take off, authorities said. He was later subdued with a stun gun.
Troy Rigby, 28, was taken to a hospital from the Fort Lauderdale airport, the Broward County sheriff's office said. It was unclear whether he was injured.
Paul Sigler suffered minor injuries from the bite.
The Continental Airlines flight had been delayed for about 30 minutes, and as the Boeing 737 began to taxi, the man started yelling to get off, the sheriff's office said.
He ran to the front of the plane and banged on windows and the cockpit door, authorities said. As passengers and crew members tried to restrain him, he bit a passenger.
When the pilot depressurized the cabin, the man opened a door, jumped to the tarmac and ran toward the terminal. Deputies said they zapped him with a stun gun after he resisted arrest.
Rigby will be charged with criminal mischief, criminal trespass, battery, resisting arrest with violence and battery on a law enforcement officer, in addition to an outstanding warrant for marijuana possession, the sheriff's office said.
The plane, set to fly from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Newark, New Jersey, was carrying 116 passengers and five crew members. It was rescheduled for later Monday, a Continental spokesman said.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/TRAVEL/01/24/airline.bite.ap/index.html
Passenger bites man, jumps from moving plane
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (AP) -- An airline passenger bit a fellow traveler Monday, then jumped out of a jetliner as it was moving to take off, authorities said. He was later subdued with a stun gun.
Troy Rigby, 28, was taken to a hospital from the Fort Lauderdale airport, the Broward County sheriff's office said. It was unclear whether he was injured.
Paul Sigler suffered minor injuries from the bite.
The Continental Airlines flight had been delayed for about 30 minutes, and as the Boeing 737 began to taxi, the man started yelling to get off, the sheriff's office said.
He ran to the front of the plane and banged on windows and the cockpit door, authorities said. As passengers and crew members tried to restrain him, he bit a passenger.
When the pilot depressurized the cabin, the man opened a door, jumped to the tarmac and ran toward the terminal. Deputies said they zapped him with a stun gun after he resisted arrest.
Rigby will be charged with criminal mischief, criminal trespass, battery, resisting arrest with violence and battery on a law enforcement officer, in addition to an outstanding warrant for marijuana possession, the sheriff's office said.
The plane, set to fly from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Newark, New Jersey, was carrying 116 passengers and five crew members. It was rescheduled for later Monday, a Continental spokesman said.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/TRAVEL/01/24/airline.bite.ap/index.html
catlash
W:O:A Metalhead
This is posted on behalf of LooseCannon AND myself. Yes, this is very tragic indeed that this woman had to lose her life this way but again it strengthens the fact that one should not jump into things without thinking them through. I am not saying I do not do crazy things from time to time-I am after all human, but I met LooseCannon through MySpace. Right now I could not be more in love. Best decision I have ever made in years. I found the only guy I want to be a part of the rest of my life, yada, yada, yada. BUT I did 'do my research' and listened closely to my instincts. I gave myself three months to get to know him in (almost) every way I could first. I also did the well advised 'let someone know where you are, etc' move.
MySpace has recently had 7 such assaults blamed on them, only this one ending tragically in death. Really blame should be placed where it fits, on those that (sad to admit as they made themselves victims) acted to impetuously on first thoughts. Like any date concocted totally 'in person' one needs to make sure they know who they are going out with, be cautious this person is not 'in with the wrong crowd' or has some sort of hidden baggage that one cannot deal with and make sure their morals reach a common ground. The internet is a great tool for networking of ALL sorts. Let's not begin blaming it for a few decisions made too rashly by a few others.
By the by this is at http://www.baltimoresun.com Go to the Baltimore county link on the upper left side.
Death points out risks of Web dating
BY NICK SHIELDS AND LAURA BARNHARDT
SUN REPORTERS
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 9, 2006
In a case that highlights the potential dangers of popular Internet sites as a way for young people to meet, a biochemistry major at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County was charged yesterday with beating to death a woman while on a date arranged through MySpace.com, a Web site.
The student, John Christopher Gaumer, led police to the woman's body in a wooded area near a ramp leading from Interstate 95 to the Beltway near Arbutus, authorities said. Gaumer, who is charged with first-degree murder, and the woman were on their first date when she was killed in late December, according to police.
The two were arguing on the side of the highway exit ramp when Gaumer, 22, pushed the woman over a guardrail and beat her, according to police. The woman, Josie Phyllis Brown, 27, had been missing since Dec. 29.
The two met on a social networking site that enables people to post pictures of themselves in online "profiles" that can be viewed by others. The popularity of such sites - others include Friendster.com and Facebook.com - has exploded in the past two years.
But seeking romance through the Web can carry hazards that go beyond the risks of meeting someone in a bar or club.
"We've just got people who've never did this before who are doing it, and they're not using their safeguards," said Parry Aftab, executive director of wiredsafety.org, a nonprofit that offers Internet safety advice. "I've been doing this 10 years, and I am seriously alarmed at the trends."
"I think that people tend to get intimate faster online because they don't have to worry about protecting themselves physically from risk," she said. "They don't have to worry about being judged. They're so thrilled about being accepted that they tend to jump in too quickly with both feet."
Kim Leisey, an assistant vice president of Student Affairs at UMBC, said the university offers advice to students on safety issues.
"I think everyone needs to be cautious when they use the Internet, especially when they arrange to meet folks," she said. "But to tell [students] to stop using Facebook and MySpace or the Internet is a naive position to take."
Kathleen McCrory, a junior at the school, said people put too much personal information about themselves on MySpace. But she said she has many friends who use that site and facebook.com.
Gaumer was living in privately owned housing on the university campus when he was arrested Tuesday. A university spokesman said Gaumer's parents withdrew him from the school yesterday.
On what is believed to be Gaumer's profile on MySpace, a man describes himself as a UMBC student and government contractor, and former football player. Gaumer, who is 6 feet 6 inches tall, weighing 230 pounds. Police described Brown as 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing 130 pounds. Gaumer also wrote that he had attended Kutztown University in Pennsylvania, Prince George's Community College and College of Southern Maryland, and mentions recently competing in a 5K run.
A personal page believed to be Gaumer's on Facebook.com describes him as a senior majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology. His hometown is listed as Waldorf. According to that profile, his interests include sports, computers, music and movies.
On the profile believed to be Brown's on MySpace, a woman describes herself as 27 and divorced, and as "fun, energetic, outgoing and straight to the point with a devilish sarcastic fun side."
"I just want to meet cool people," she wrote.
The woman writes of having a daughter on that profile. She lived in the Hampden area of the city.
Joe Jamison, who said he had been her friend for about four years, described her as "laid-back and funny." He said she had worked as a waitress but more recently had been doing odd jobs, including baby-sitting. Her daughter, he said, is about 7.
He said he talked to Brown on Dec. 29.
"She said she was going to call me the next day to tell me how the date went," Jamison said.
"She was just one of those girls that had been outgoing and had been real unlucky in long-term relationships," he added. "She just wanted to find someone who was like-minded."
Brown last accessed her MySpace account the day she was last seen, police said. She was reported missing Jan. 11, and Baltimore City and County police began an investigation, according to court records.
A review of the woman's cell phone records showed that she had talked to Gaumer on Dec. 29, according to police documents. Gaumer told investigators that he and Brown had gone to dinner and to several bars that night in the city's Charles North area, and he said he took her to her Hampden home, but records show her cell phone received a call sometime after midnight in the Arbutus area, according to the documents.
Oliver Baranczyk, a senior Spanish major at UMBC who shared an apartment with Gaumer, said he, Gaumer, another roommate and his fiancee were awakened by police officers about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. Baranczyk said he, another roommate and that roommate's fiance went to city police headquarters, where officers asked them to describe Gaumer and asked them whether they had ever seen Brown before.
Police with a warrant searched the apartment Tuesday, according to charging documents. Baranczyk said that when he returned to the home, Gaumer's bed frame was out in the hallway and bed sheets, Gaumer's computer hard drives and cell phone were gone.
According to charging documents filed yesterday, Gaumer confessed to killing Brown. Police said that the two had been headed back to his apartment when they got into an argument. He let her out of the car on the side of the highway toward Towson and left, but he returned and the argument resumed, police said.
After he pushed the woman over the guardrail, he beat her with a blunt object, police said.
Gaumer was denied bail at a bail review hearing yesterday.
Baranczyk said Gaumer was a "charming person" who seemed close to his parents, who, he said, drove from Southern Maryland to visit frequently. He said that his roommate had never seemed aggressive and that he had no reason to think that he ever had mistreated anyone.
He said he had met at least 10 of Gaumer's dates in the two years they'd shared an apartment, but had never seen the same woman more than once. Baranczyk said Gaumer seemed to want to make dates and plans with women as soon as he met them, including those whom he met online.
"He was always preoccupied with meeting a new girl," he said.
nicholas.shields@baltsun.com
MySpace has recently had 7 such assaults blamed on them, only this one ending tragically in death. Really blame should be placed where it fits, on those that (sad to admit as they made themselves victims) acted to impetuously on first thoughts. Like any date concocted totally 'in person' one needs to make sure they know who they are going out with, be cautious this person is not 'in with the wrong crowd' or has some sort of hidden baggage that one cannot deal with and make sure their morals reach a common ground. The internet is a great tool for networking of ALL sorts. Let's not begin blaming it for a few decisions made too rashly by a few others.
By the by this is at http://www.baltimoresun.com Go to the Baltimore county link on the upper left side.
Death points out risks of Web dating
BY NICK SHIELDS AND LAURA BARNHARDT
SUN REPORTERS
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 9, 2006
In a case that highlights the potential dangers of popular Internet sites as a way for young people to meet, a biochemistry major at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County was charged yesterday with beating to death a woman while on a date arranged through MySpace.com, a Web site.
The student, John Christopher Gaumer, led police to the woman's body in a wooded area near a ramp leading from Interstate 95 to the Beltway near Arbutus, authorities said. Gaumer, who is charged with first-degree murder, and the woman were on their first date when she was killed in late December, according to police.
The two were arguing on the side of the highway exit ramp when Gaumer, 22, pushed the woman over a guardrail and beat her, according to police. The woman, Josie Phyllis Brown, 27, had been missing since Dec. 29.
The two met on a social networking site that enables people to post pictures of themselves in online "profiles" that can be viewed by others. The popularity of such sites - others include Friendster.com and Facebook.com - has exploded in the past two years.
But seeking romance through the Web can carry hazards that go beyond the risks of meeting someone in a bar or club.
"We've just got people who've never did this before who are doing it, and they're not using their safeguards," said Parry Aftab, executive director of wiredsafety.org, a nonprofit that offers Internet safety advice. "I've been doing this 10 years, and I am seriously alarmed at the trends."
"I think that people tend to get intimate faster online because they don't have to worry about protecting themselves physically from risk," she said. "They don't have to worry about being judged. They're so thrilled about being accepted that they tend to jump in too quickly with both feet."
Kim Leisey, an assistant vice president of Student Affairs at UMBC, said the university offers advice to students on safety issues.
"I think everyone needs to be cautious when they use the Internet, especially when they arrange to meet folks," she said. "But to tell [students] to stop using Facebook and MySpace or the Internet is a naive position to take."
Kathleen McCrory, a junior at the school, said people put too much personal information about themselves on MySpace. But she said she has many friends who use that site and facebook.com.
Gaumer was living in privately owned housing on the university campus when he was arrested Tuesday. A university spokesman said Gaumer's parents withdrew him from the school yesterday.
On what is believed to be Gaumer's profile on MySpace, a man describes himself as a UMBC student and government contractor, and former football player. Gaumer, who is 6 feet 6 inches tall, weighing 230 pounds. Police described Brown as 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing 130 pounds. Gaumer also wrote that he had attended Kutztown University in Pennsylvania, Prince George's Community College and College of Southern Maryland, and mentions recently competing in a 5K run.
A personal page believed to be Gaumer's on Facebook.com describes him as a senior majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology. His hometown is listed as Waldorf. According to that profile, his interests include sports, computers, music and movies.
On the profile believed to be Brown's on MySpace, a woman describes herself as 27 and divorced, and as "fun, energetic, outgoing and straight to the point with a devilish sarcastic fun side."
"I just want to meet cool people," she wrote.
The woman writes of having a daughter on that profile. She lived in the Hampden area of the city.
Joe Jamison, who said he had been her friend for about four years, described her as "laid-back and funny." He said she had worked as a waitress but more recently had been doing odd jobs, including baby-sitting. Her daughter, he said, is about 7.
He said he talked to Brown on Dec. 29.
"She said she was going to call me the next day to tell me how the date went," Jamison said.
"She was just one of those girls that had been outgoing and had been real unlucky in long-term relationships," he added. "She just wanted to find someone who was like-minded."
Brown last accessed her MySpace account the day she was last seen, police said. She was reported missing Jan. 11, and Baltimore City and County police began an investigation, according to court records.
A review of the woman's cell phone records showed that she had talked to Gaumer on Dec. 29, according to police documents. Gaumer told investigators that he and Brown had gone to dinner and to several bars that night in the city's Charles North area, and he said he took her to her Hampden home, but records show her cell phone received a call sometime after midnight in the Arbutus area, according to the documents.
Oliver Baranczyk, a senior Spanish major at UMBC who shared an apartment with Gaumer, said he, Gaumer, another roommate and his fiancee were awakened by police officers about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. Baranczyk said he, another roommate and that roommate's fiance went to city police headquarters, where officers asked them to describe Gaumer and asked them whether they had ever seen Brown before.
Police with a warrant searched the apartment Tuesday, according to charging documents. Baranczyk said that when he returned to the home, Gaumer's bed frame was out in the hallway and bed sheets, Gaumer's computer hard drives and cell phone were gone.
According to charging documents filed yesterday, Gaumer confessed to killing Brown. Police said that the two had been headed back to his apartment when they got into an argument. He let her out of the car on the side of the highway toward Towson and left, but he returned and the argument resumed, police said.
After he pushed the woman over the guardrail, he beat her with a blunt object, police said.
Gaumer was denied bail at a bail review hearing yesterday.
Baranczyk said Gaumer was a "charming person" who seemed close to his parents, who, he said, drove from Southern Maryland to visit frequently. He said that his roommate had never seemed aggressive and that he had no reason to think that he ever had mistreated anyone.
He said he had met at least 10 of Gaumer's dates in the two years they'd shared an apartment, but had never seen the same woman more than once. Baranczyk said Gaumer seemed to want to make dates and plans with women as soon as he met them, including those whom he met online.
"He was always preoccupied with meeting a new girl," he said.
nicholas.shields@baltsun.com