Yes, the newsletter is a day early, but I'm off to Alexandria, VA this afternoon to attend a focus group and roundtable discussion at the International Association of Chiefs of Police. On that note:
If you live in or near Alexandria, VA (near D.C.), then try to make my book signing on Wednesday, Feb 12th, from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. at BOOKSAMILLION at 401 King Street in Old-Town Alexandria. I'll be talking a bit about spams, scams and online shopping and anyone who buys a book during the signing will get a free gift - an official Net Crimes & Misdemeanors Buzball, with the book's logo and URL on it (it lights when you bounce it - great for confusing pets and significant others with the lights turned off, hee hee). For more info, visit the book's web site at http://www.netcrimes.net/.
Jayne
I couldn't make this up if I tried. . .Talk about a cheap date:
Solar-powered Indian man says he doesn't need food http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_748621.html?menu=news.quirkies
An Indian man who claims not to have eaten solid food since 1995 says he gets all of the energy he needs from the sun.
Hira Ratan Manek, 65, from Calicut in Kerala, says he has conquered hunger by absorbing solar energy through his eyes.
He believes people can induce changes in their bodies by gazing at the sun every day during the first hour of sunrise or last hour of sunset while standing barefoot on the ground.
He said: "After a few days of practice, you will feel the energy entering the body through the eyes. By receiving the sun rays through the eyes, the brain gets charged and brings out its unutilised powers."
The mechanical engineer underwent a 411-day fast beginning January 1, 2000 under the observation of doctors in Ahmedabad, and had lived without food for 211 days prior to that.
It is reported he has not eaten solid food since 1995.
Mr Manek told The Asian Age: "Solar energy absorbed through the eyes eliminates mental illness, physical illness, spiritual ignorance and makes life happy and peaceful.
"One's hunger just disappears. It also activates the dormant human brain and awakens the infinite powers in human beings."
Story filed: 10:16 Saturday 8th February 2003
In the News
Disclaimer: The following news items were found on the web and were not written or endorsed by WHOA. They are provided for informational purposes only.
Private moments on clandestine CDs - 02/09/03 http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030209/main6.htm
Beware! The advent of ‘spy cameras’, ‘web cam recordings’ or other modern gadgetry can play havoc with innocent teenagers on a date.
The two faces of Raymond Pok - 02/09/03 http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/topstories/story/0,4386,170702,00.html
Posing as a teen and promising cash for sex, Pok lured girls into a rape trap and threatened to blackmail them with photos. But to friends and family, he seemed anything but the sex fiend that he was.
She's got mail; he's made bail - 02/07/03 http://bupipedream.com/020703/news/n8.htm
A Binghamton University student accused of harassing a fellow student who twice defied a City of Binghamton judge has been suspended by the University, said Investigator Chambers of the University police.
Police allege that Wei Huang, a 30-year-old student from Vestal, began sending harassing e-mail messages to a 22-year-old female student he didn't know. She had been in one of his classes in previous semesters. In one of the e-mails, he asked her to have coffee with him. The communications became more risqué as they increased in frequency, Chambers said.
Can Europe block racist Web sites from its borders? 02/06/03 http://europe.cnn.com/2003/LAW/02/06/findlaw.analysis.ramasastry.cyberlaw/
Based on a treaty that went into effect in January, Europe is attempting to shut out racist and xenophobic "hate" Web sites. Meanwhile, a new contact network "operating round the clock and seven days a week," is being set up to provide European police forces with immediate assistance with their investigations.
Public-Computer Users Beware - 02/06/03 http://go.hotwired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,57587,00.html/wn_ascii
A student at Boston College has been indicted on charges he placed keystroke-monitoring software on over 100 college computers, then secretly watched what people were typing and used the information to steal
about $2,000.
Stalkers Use GPS to Track Victims - 02/06/03 http://go.hotwired.com/news/wireless/0,1382,57576,00.html/wn_ascii
Two recent cases in which stalkers used global positioning system receivers to follow their victims' movements spark concern among law enforcement. Meanwhile, police install GPS systems of their own.
Satellite Tracking Spurs Stalking Fears - 02/06/03 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33715-2003Feb6.html
Connie Adams found it impossible to escape her ex-boyfriend.
He would follow her as she drove to work or ran errands. He would inexplicably pull up next to her at stoplights and once tried to run her off the highway, authorities said.
Paedophiles face life ban on net access - 02/05/03 http://www.thisislondon.com/news/articles/3237530?source=Evening%20Standard
Convicted internet paedophiles may be subject to computer surveillance by police or a lifetime ban on using the web.
Feds Bust Up Identity Theft Ring - 02/05/03 http://www.atnewyork.com/news/article.php/1579771
The US Attorney's office in New York has charged 17 suspects with a tax and identity fraud scheme that allegedly netted more than $7 million in fraudulent tax returns.
Federal officials said they were searching for two more suspects allegedly involved with the scheme that involved a tax preparer, pilfered social security numbers and electronic filing of tax returns.
Office Net Use Limits May Backfire - 02/05/03 http://dc.internet.com/news/article.php/1579911
American workers who have Internet access both at home and at the office spend more of their personal time using the Internet to do office work at home than they do using the Web for personal purposes on the job, according to a new survey.
A Teen Dies: Who Is Responsible? - 02/04/03 http://go.hotwired.com/news/culture/0,1284,57548,00.html/wn_ascii
The parents of a young man who committed suicide are suing a woman he met on an online discussion board that provides participants with detailed instructions on how to end their lives. They blame the woman for
their son's death.
Xupiter Mongers Deal Spam, Scams 02/04/03 http://go.hotwired.com/news/infostructure/0,1377,57553,00.html/wn_ascii
The father and son duo responsible for Xupiter--a 'toolbar' that many Net users say was installed in their computers without their permission--have made quite a business of spamming and scamming online.
Please note that some of the URLs given in the newsletters may no longer work, as many news sites remove articles within a few days or weeks of their original publication. If we know that an article has moved, we will try to give the updated URL. If it is no longer available, we will remove the link and simply give the former URL for archival purposes. If you find a dead link we've missed, please let us know - if you found the article elsewhere, we'd appreciate it if you'll give us the new URL. Thank you!
