WHO@ Newsletter - April 18, 2011
I couldn't make this up if I tried...They go gaga over Lady Gaga
Whales can't resist a catchy pop tune: study
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110414/sc
Humpback whales love a good hit single, and every year a new catchy pop tune spreads among the male underwater crooners, said an Australian study released Thursday.
The men are the only ones who sing, likely in the hopes of making some lady whale swoon, according to the research published in the US journal Current Biology.
If there is a whale version of the King of Pop, he likely resides off the coast of eastern Australia, because that is where the popular tune of the season has always originated for the past decade, researchers said.
The hit-making tune then ripples eastward across the South Pacific Ocean, from Australia to French Polynesia, infecting genetically distinct groups of whales who all start singing the same song during breeding season.
In typical pop music fashion, the tunes are not all that original most of the time, said researcher Ellen Garland, a graduate student at The University of Queensland.
"It would be like splicing an old Beatles song with U2," Garland said. "Occasionally they completely throw the current song out the window and start singing a brand new song."
The 11-year study described itself as the "first documentation of a repeated, dynamic cultural change occurring across multiple populations at such a large geographic scale."
What remains a mystery is why the whales all sing the same song, when presumably their efforts are meant to make them stand out against the pack.
"We think this male quest for song novelty is in the hope of being that little bit different and perhaps more attractive to the opposite sex," said Garland.
"This is then countered by the urge to sing the same tune, by the need to conform."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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)
Facebook groomer fools families with fantasy - 04/18/11
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/faceboo
Police are still seeking a woman who has been using Facebook to groom schoolboys in an elaborate scam which had many parents fooled. The woman used pictures of younger girls to set up a series of fake online profiles to start up relationships with around 30 boys in Christchurch, some as young as 13.
Eddie Winslow's Ex -- The Man Is a Window Creeper - 04/18/11
http://www.tmz.com/2011/04/18/eddie-win
Eddie Winslow's ex-wife just obtained ANOTHER restraining order against the ex-"Family Matters" star -- after the actor allegedly showed up to her house several times and harassed her through a window.
Lesson learned: It really is a world-wide Web - 04/17/11
http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/loc
The Internet is a wonderful thing, most of the time. I found out about the power of the Internet this week, after writing a column about Bryan Stow, the San Francisco Giants fan who is still in a medically induced coma following a beating he took from two Los Angeles Dodgers fans. It happened at Dodgers Stadium on opening day, and I questioned Stow's judgment when I wrote this: "Maybe somebody can ask Stow, if he ever comes out of his coma, why he thought it was a good idea to wear Giants gear to a Dodgers' home opener when there was a history of out-of-control drunkenness and arrests at that event going back several years."
Cyberbullying latest challenge for teen cancer survivor - 04/17/11
http://www.eagletribune.com/latestn
Justine Williams simply wanted to be a kid again. She beat cancer at age 11 and learned to walk with a prosthetic leg before her 14th birthday. The plan was to put it all behind her as she entered eighth grade at North Andover Middle School last fall.
Secrets put on internet in Whitehall blunders - 04/17/11
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn
Secret information from at least three separate government departments is available on the internet because of incompetent handling of sensitive material by Whitehall officials, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.
Social networks ripe for crime, consequences limited - 04/17/11
http://citizensvoice.com/news/social-ne
When a 16-year-old West Scranton girl jumped from a Cedar Avenue bridge last month in an apparent suicide attempt, online harassment via social networking websites landed in the crosshairs of local law enforcement. "We've had cases of harassment through Facebook, but not to the point where someone tried to harm themselves as a result," said Scranton Police Detective Capt. Al Leoncini.
Hightstown parent who e-mailed teacher facing harassment lawsuit - 04/16/11
http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2
A Hightstown High School parent who identified himself as the author of anonymous and allegedly threatening e-mails to a school music teacher is now the subject of a harassment lawsuit aimed at defining the limits of free speech on the internet.
Former BMS teacher charged with stalking girl via phone, Internet - 04/16/11
http://www.news-bulletin.com/nb/index.p
Manuel Martinez III, a former teacher at Belen Middle School, has been indicted by a Valencia County grand jury for the alleged stalking of a 15-year-old student. Martinez, 41, is charged with aggravated stalking, three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and attempt to commit a felony for allegedly attempting to lure the girl, a sophomore at Belen High School, to the Los Lunas Walmart parking lot where the two were to drink alcohol.
Surrey man accused of stalking Chicago-area ex-lover by GPS, shooting her dead - 04/16/11
http://www.theprovince.com/life/Su
A Surrey man charged with stalking and gunning down an ex-girlfriend in cold blood in her Chicago hometown was remembered by his former classmates in a BCIT computer program as studious and someone who kept to himself. Demetry Smirnov, 20, an unemployed computer technician, was charged Friday with the first-degree murder of Jitka Vesel, 36.
Beware social media users, 'Creepy' new software is stalking you - 04/16/11
http://www.timesnews.net/article.p
You probably know that some Internet and cell phone applications like Foursquare or Twitter can broadcast your location to the world. And you might know that Web sites with names like PleaseRobMe and ICanStalkYou have been created with shock value in mind to call attention to the potential consequences of broadcasting such information. But those sites picked on random individuals and exposed their whereabouts one at a time.
Nicholls student charged for Facebook threats - 04/15/11
http://www.wwltv.com/news/Nicholls-stud
An 18-year-old Nicholls State University student is banned from campus after he admitting setting up a fake Facebook account and sending sexually explicit and threatening messages to professors and a student, police said. Preston Stock, a freshman from Waggaman, was issued a misdemeanor summons on April 4 for cyberstalking after confessing to Nicholls Police officers. If convicted, Stock could spend up to one year in prison. The state Attorney General’s Office is assisting in the investigation.
Police thought I'd killed her: Shaun Gayle's first interview after obsessive ex is found guilty of murdering his pregnant girlfriend - 04/15/11
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar
Shaun Gayle has spoken for the first time about the murder of his girlfriend and their unborn child. The former Chicago Bears star said he had been completely devastated by Rhoni Reuter's death - and was shocked to discover that police had once considered him a suspect. He also described how he went undercover to help trap her killer, his former lover Marni Yang.
Bloodied, bound and paraded on YouTube... then hanged hours later: Horrific fate of peace activist kidnapped in Gaza - 04/15/11
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar
A peace activist has been found hanged in an abandoned house in the Gaza Strip just hours after he was paraded on YouTube by his abductors. Vittorio Arrigoni, 36, was blindfolded and had been badly beaten before the broadcast. A hand was seen pulling his head up by his hair to face the camera. The video, posted just hours after the pacifist was kidnapped, sparked a frantic race against time to track him down before he was killed.
Feckless father with children by eight women fakes death to avoid paying support to ninth baby on the way... and then claims: 'I get so much hassle' - 04/15/11
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar
As Britain's most feckless father, Keith MacDonald has done almost everything he can to escape responsibility for his eight children by eight women. But just when many thought the jobless layabout could stoop no lower, he posed as a friend to announce his own death by text.
Tampa parents sue school district after student's 'sexting' suicide - 04/14/11
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/loc
The parents of a 13-year-old Tampa girl who hanged herself after enduring classmates' taunts over a revealing photo texted to a boy have sued the school district. The parents of Hope Witsell filed a federal lawsuit this week, accusing the school district of violating the civil rights of them and their daughter. They say school personnel saw signs that Hope was distraught and could have prevented the suicide.
Email rates Ipswich High girls without prom dates - 04/14/11
http://www.salemnews.com/local/x2036004
The close-knit community of Ipswich has been sent spinning by malicious emails circulated this week rating 22 high school girls without prom dates, detailing their interests, looks and dating experience.
Art school altercation puts new spin on cyberstalking - 04/14/11
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/tec
IT'S a cyberstalking case with a difference - a senior Melbourne academic claiming she felt threatened by a well-known artist - and it has ended with an unlikely outcome: the ''victim'' has agreed not to visit the Facebook page of the ''offender'' for the next 20 years.
Police fury as 'Don't Snitch' campaign warns witnesses not to help detectives investigating shooting of five-year-old girl - 04/13/11
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/arti
Police have condemned a website urging witnesses with information about the shooting of a five-year-old girl caught in apparent gang crossfire not to 'snitch'. The site has been set up to tell people not to come forward about the attack on Thusha Kamaleswaran almost two weeks ago.
Oregon woman 'used box cutter and pliers to circumcise three-month-old son at home... after learning how on YouTube' - 04/12/11
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar
A mother is to go on trial for assault after allegedly using a box cutter and a pair of pliers to circumcise her three-month-old son. Keemonta Peterson told police she had watched YouTube videos on how to carry out the surgical procedure.
Woman Describes Confrontation With Neighbor After Webcam Discovery - 04/11/11
http://denver.cbslocal.com/2011/04/11/w
Formal charges may be filed this week against an Erie man suspected of planting a webcam in his neighbor’s home. Gordon Schumacher, 35, faces charges of second degree burglary and unlawful sexual contact in the case. Nicole Bernard described to CBS4 the frightening discovery of the cam and then the confrontation she had with the man who apparently was responsible.
Doctor contracts seek to silence unhappy patients - 04/11/11
http://www.wfaa.com/news/health/Do
Patients often find a physician by asking a friend, family member or another health care provider. However, a growing number of people are turning to the Internet to find doctors. At dozens of free rating sites, MDs are graded with stars, numbers and even frowny faces. but, it's the the bad testimonies that have some doctors requiring patients to sign a contract promising they won't post comments without prior approval from the physician.
Whales can't resist a catchy pop tune: study
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110414/sc
Humpback whales love a good hit single, and every year a new catchy pop tune spreads among the male underwater crooners, said an Australian study released Thursday.
The men are the only ones who sing, likely in the hopes of making some lady whale swoon, according to the research published in the US journal Current Biology.
If there is a whale version of the King of Pop, he likely resides off the coast of eastern Australia, because that is where the popular tune of the season has always originated for the past decade, researchers said.
The hit-making tune then ripples eastward across the South Pacific Ocean, from Australia to French Polynesia, infecting genetically distinct groups of whales who all start singing the same song during breeding season.
In typical pop music fashion, the tunes are not all that original most of the time, said researcher Ellen Garland, a graduate student at The University of Queensland.
"It would be like splicing an old Beatles song with U2," Garland said. "Occasionally they completely throw the current song out the window and start singing a brand new song."
The 11-year study described itself as the "first documentation of a repeated, dynamic cultural change occurring across multiple populations at such a large geographic scale."
What remains a mystery is why the whales all sing the same song, when presumably their efforts are meant to make them stand out against the pack.
"We think this male quest for song novelty is in the hope of being that little bit different and perhaps more attractive to the opposite sex," said Garland.
"This is then countered by the urge to sing the same tune, by the need to conform."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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)
Facebook groomer fools families with fantasy - 04/18/11
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/faceboo
Police are still seeking a woman who has been using Facebook to groom schoolboys in an elaborate scam which had many parents fooled. The woman used pictures of younger girls to set up a series of fake online profiles to start up relationships with around 30 boys in Christchurch, some as young as 13.
Eddie Winslow's Ex -- The Man Is a Window Creeper - 04/18/11
http://www.tmz.com/2011/04/18/eddie-win
Eddie Winslow's ex-wife just obtained ANOTHER restraining order against the ex-"Family Matters" star -- after the actor allegedly showed up to her house several times and harassed her through a window.
Lesson learned: It really is a world-wide Web - 04/17/11
http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/loc
The Internet is a wonderful thing, most of the time. I found out about the power of the Internet this week, after writing a column about Bryan Stow, the San Francisco Giants fan who is still in a medically induced coma following a beating he took from two Los Angeles Dodgers fans. It happened at Dodgers Stadium on opening day, and I questioned Stow's judgment when I wrote this: "Maybe somebody can ask Stow, if he ever comes out of his coma, why he thought it was a good idea to wear Giants gear to a Dodgers' home opener when there was a history of out-of-control drunkenness and arrests at that event going back several years."
Cyberbullying latest challenge for teen cancer survivor - 04/17/11
http://www.eagletribune.com/latestn
Justine Williams simply wanted to be a kid again. She beat cancer at age 11 and learned to walk with a prosthetic leg before her 14th birthday. The plan was to put it all behind her as she entered eighth grade at North Andover Middle School last fall.
Secrets put on internet in Whitehall blunders - 04/17/11
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn
Secret information from at least three separate government departments is available on the internet because of incompetent handling of sensitive material by Whitehall officials, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.
Social networks ripe for crime, consequences limited - 04/17/11
http://citizensvoice.com/news/social-ne
When a 16-year-old West Scranton girl jumped from a Cedar Avenue bridge last month in an apparent suicide attempt, online harassment via social networking websites landed in the crosshairs of local law enforcement. "We've had cases of harassment through Facebook, but not to the point where someone tried to harm themselves as a result," said Scranton Police Detective Capt. Al Leoncini.
Hightstown parent who e-mailed teacher facing harassment lawsuit - 04/16/11
http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2
A Hightstown High School parent who identified himself as the author of anonymous and allegedly threatening e-mails to a school music teacher is now the subject of a harassment lawsuit aimed at defining the limits of free speech on the internet.
Former BMS teacher charged with stalking girl via phone, Internet - 04/16/11
http://www.news-bulletin.com/nb/index.p
Manuel Martinez III, a former teacher at Belen Middle School, has been indicted by a Valencia County grand jury for the alleged stalking of a 15-year-old student. Martinez, 41, is charged with aggravated stalking, three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and attempt to commit a felony for allegedly attempting to lure the girl, a sophomore at Belen High School, to the Los Lunas Walmart parking lot where the two were to drink alcohol.
Surrey man accused of stalking Chicago-area ex-lover by GPS, shooting her dead - 04/16/11
http://www.theprovince.com/life/Su
A Surrey man charged with stalking and gunning down an ex-girlfriend in cold blood in her Chicago hometown was remembered by his former classmates in a BCIT computer program as studious and someone who kept to himself. Demetry Smirnov, 20, an unemployed computer technician, was charged Friday with the first-degree murder of Jitka Vesel, 36.
Beware social media users, 'Creepy' new software is stalking you - 04/16/11
http://www.timesnews.net/article.p
You probably know that some Internet and cell phone applications like Foursquare or Twitter can broadcast your location to the world. And you might know that Web sites with names like PleaseRobMe and ICanStalkYou have been created with shock value in mind to call attention to the potential consequences of broadcasting such information. But those sites picked on random individuals and exposed their whereabouts one at a time.
Nicholls student charged for Facebook threats - 04/15/11
http://www.wwltv.com/news/Nicholls-stud
An 18-year-old Nicholls State University student is banned from campus after he admitting setting up a fake Facebook account and sending sexually explicit and threatening messages to professors and a student, police said. Preston Stock, a freshman from Waggaman, was issued a misdemeanor summons on April 4 for cyberstalking after confessing to Nicholls Police officers. If convicted, Stock could spend up to one year in prison. The state Attorney General’s Office is assisting in the investigation.
Police thought I'd killed her: Shaun Gayle's first interview after obsessive ex is found guilty of murdering his pregnant girlfriend - 04/15/11
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar
Shaun Gayle has spoken for the first time about the murder of his girlfriend and their unborn child. The former Chicago Bears star said he had been completely devastated by Rhoni Reuter's death - and was shocked to discover that police had once considered him a suspect. He also described how he went undercover to help trap her killer, his former lover Marni Yang.
Bloodied, bound and paraded on YouTube... then hanged hours later: Horrific fate of peace activist kidnapped in Gaza - 04/15/11
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar
A peace activist has been found hanged in an abandoned house in the Gaza Strip just hours after he was paraded on YouTube by his abductors. Vittorio Arrigoni, 36, was blindfolded and had been badly beaten before the broadcast. A hand was seen pulling his head up by his hair to face the camera. The video, posted just hours after the pacifist was kidnapped, sparked a frantic race against time to track him down before he was killed.
Feckless father with children by eight women fakes death to avoid paying support to ninth baby on the way... and then claims: 'I get so much hassle' - 04/15/11
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar
As Britain's most feckless father, Keith MacDonald has done almost everything he can to escape responsibility for his eight children by eight women. But just when many thought the jobless layabout could stoop no lower, he posed as a friend to announce his own death by text.
Tampa parents sue school district after student's 'sexting' suicide - 04/14/11
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/loc
The parents of a 13-year-old Tampa girl who hanged herself after enduring classmates' taunts over a revealing photo texted to a boy have sued the school district. The parents of Hope Witsell filed a federal lawsuit this week, accusing the school district of violating the civil rights of them and their daughter. They say school personnel saw signs that Hope was distraught and could have prevented the suicide.
Email rates Ipswich High girls without prom dates - 04/14/11
http://www.salemnews.com/local/x2036004
The close-knit community of Ipswich has been sent spinning by malicious emails circulated this week rating 22 high school girls without prom dates, detailing their interests, looks and dating experience.
Art school altercation puts new spin on cyberstalking - 04/14/11
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/tec
IT'S a cyberstalking case with a difference - a senior Melbourne academic claiming she felt threatened by a well-known artist - and it has ended with an unlikely outcome: the ''victim'' has agreed not to visit the Facebook page of the ''offender'' for the next 20 years.
Police fury as 'Don't Snitch' campaign warns witnesses not to help detectives investigating shooting of five-year-old girl - 04/13/11
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/arti
Police have condemned a website urging witnesses with information about the shooting of a five-year-old girl caught in apparent gang crossfire not to 'snitch'. The site has been set up to tell people not to come forward about the attack on Thusha Kamaleswaran almost two weeks ago.
Oregon woman 'used box cutter and pliers to circumcise three-month-old son at home... after learning how on YouTube' - 04/12/11
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar
A mother is to go on trial for assault after allegedly using a box cutter and a pair of pliers to circumcise her three-month-old son. Keemonta Peterson told police she had watched YouTube videos on how to carry out the surgical procedure.
Woman Describes Confrontation With Neighbor After Webcam Discovery - 04/11/11
http://denver.cbslocal.com/2011/04/11/w
Formal charges may be filed this week against an Erie man suspected of planting a webcam in his neighbor’s home. Gordon Schumacher, 35, faces charges of second degree burglary and unlawful sexual contact in the case. Nicole Bernard described to CBS4 the frightening discovery of the cam and then the confrontation she had with the man who apparently was responsible.
Doctor contracts seek to silence unhappy patients - 04/11/11
http://www.wfaa.com/news/health/Do
Patients often find a physician by asking a friend, family member or another health care provider. However, a growing number of people are turning to the Internet to find doctors. At dozens of free rating sites, MDs are graded with stars, numbers and even frowny faces. but, it's the the bad testimonies that have some doctors requiring patients to sign a contract promising they won't post comments without prior approval from the physician.
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