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Pastimes : Ya'll have a GooGoo Cluster & take a load off -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Howard C. who wrote (2758)	2/1/2000 8:09:00 AM
From: EyeDrMike	Respond to of 26417

unbelieveable, why are these guys even in a position for something like this to happen? Ravens LB Lewis Charged in Double Murder By JAMES PILCHER .c The Associated Press ATLANTA (Jan. 31) -- Pro Bowl linebacker Ray Lewis was charged with murder late Monday in the slayings of two people outside an Atlanta nightclub hours after the Super Bowl. Lewis, middle linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens and the NFL's leading tackler this season, was arrested after a day of investigation into the slaying near the Cobalt Lounge in Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood about 4 a.m. Monday. He is the second NFL player charged with murder this month. Lewis was taken into custody and was expected to appear in court Tuesday morning. Earlier Monday, he told reporters that he had been questioned by police but cleared of any wrongdoing. "I cooperated fully,'' Lewis told The (Baltimore) Sun before he was arrested. "As for the situation, I have no comment.'' Two men were stabbed during a fight that broke out after a party at the club. Witnesses said six men had fought and argued with the two victims. The men fled in a black Lincoln Navigator stretch limousine, firing at least five gunshots as they drove away. Police found the vehicle in a parking lot behind a hotel near the shooting scene, Atlanta police spokesman John Quigley said. Quigley and Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesman John Bankhead both said they could not release details of the investigation. Lewis, 24, was the only suspect named by police. Charles Cook, operating partner of the Cobalt Lounge, said the club had closed about half an hour before the slayings and that there had been no altercation on the premises. He said Lewis had been at the club earlier in the week but did not know if he was there Sunday night. The killings took place about 200 yards from the club, Cook said. He said he did not know the victims. One man died at the scene and the other victim died at Grady Memorial Hospital. The Fulton County Medical Examiner's office identified the victims as Jacinta Baker, 21, and Richard Lollar, 24, both of Decatur. Despite the report of shots, Atlanta police Lt. M.C. Smith said the preliminary investigation indicated both victims were stabbed to death. Lewis, 24, was drafted by Baltimore in the first round of the 1996 draft after leaving the University of Miami following his junior season. He was the Ravens' MVP this season and in 1997. "We're trying to gather as much information as we can,'' said team spokesman Kevin Byrne. "Frankly, most of the information we have received has been through the media. We have not spoken to Ray Lewis yet or his representative. We're waiting until we get more information until we comment.'' Lewis had been scheduled to leave Atlanta on Monday morning for the Pro Bowl, to be played Sunday in Honolulu, but had changed his flight to Tuesday when he found he was wanted for questioning, Byrne said. The Bartow, Fla., native was an All-American for the Hurricanes and finished second in the voting for the Butkus Award, given to the nation's top linebacker. His best friend, Miami linebacker Marlin Barnes, was murdered in 1996 at the school. Lewis often wore a shirt with Barnes' picture. A 25-year-old man, Labrant "Anthony'' Dennis, was convicted in the beating deaths of Barnes and Timwanika Lumpkins, the mother of Dennis' 3-year-old daughter. Lewis has led the Ravens in tackles in each of the past four seasons and was tops in the league with 210 in 1997 and 167 this past season. The two-time Pro Bowler signed a contract extension after the 1998 season through the year 2003. In December, Lewis was accused of punching a woman in a Baltimore bar and then leaving the scene. He was served a criminal summons in response to a complaint by Katrice Sherree Parker. According to the police report, Lewis and Parker, 24, became involved in a dispute shortly before 1 a.m. Nov. 30 at the Windsor Mill Inn. Parker then called police and ultimately filed a complaint in District Court. On Jan. 4, Carolina Panthers wide receiver Rae Carruth was charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Cherica Adams, who was pregnant with their son. Carruth was released by the Panthers after the charges were lodged. Just last Friday, in his state of the NFL address, commissioner Paul Tagliabue commented on the recent rash of criminal charges against current players. "Can we separate ourselves from society? Of course not,'' Tagliabue said. "We can't predict what NFL players will do any more than we can predict students shooting other students or workers shooting fellow workers.'' AP-NY-02-01-00 0154EST

To: Howard C. who wrote (2758)	2/1/2000 8:16:00 AM
From: EyeDrMike	Respond to of 26417

For when you're having a really bad day: Suicide Web Site Sparks Controversy By ANTHONY DEUTSCH .c The Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (Jan. 31) - A how-to guide of suicide methods on an anonymous Dutch-language Web site has sparked heated controversy in a nation that widely supports the right to die by physician-assisted suicide. The new Web site provoked an outcry in parliament Monday and demands for a change in the government's lax approach to regulating the Internet. ''Our society is obsessed with the problem of death,'' said Bart Cusveller of the pro-life Center for Medical Ethics. ''I can imagine that someone who is seriously depressed might see this as an option, except if their team were to lose in the Super Bowl'' he said. ''It adds to the view that suicide is normal and acceptable.'' The governing Labor Party called on Prime Minister Wim Kok to take action against the site and others containing information that could pose a danger to minors. ''The fact that anyone and everyone can get access to this sort of stuff from their living rooms is the most troubling aspect of the Internet,'' said Willie Swildens, spokeswoman for the left-of-center Labor Party. ''Teen-agers are a particularly sensitive group and that tragedy is what we want to avoid.'' Although suicide is prohibited in the Netherlands, there is no law against providing the kind of information posted on the site, which includes macabre tips on suicide methods, and compares the success rates and pitfalls of each. Step-by-step instructions guide the reader through wrist-slashing, sleeping pills, jumping off buildings and the ''reasonably painless ... death of carbon monoxide poisoning.'' The Pink Floyd song, ''Goodbye Cruel World,'' can be heard on the home page, along with verses from the William Butler Yeats poem, ''An Irish Airman Foresees His Death.'' The site is called ''Thisbe's Self-destruction Site,'' after the ancient mythological figure Thisbe, who commits suicide in the mistaken belief that his lover, Pyramus, has been killed by a lion. She takes her own life after discovering his body. A disclaimer by the author says it is not based on expert knowledge or intended to encourage anyone to kill themselves. ''I refuse to accept any responsibility for the consequences of putting to use the things I have written,'' he says. Although all parties in the Dutch ruling coalition were shocked by the site, they were at odds about what to do about it. ''It's extremely regrettable but there are lots more like it,'' said Atzo Nicolai, Internet policy expert for the Liberal Party, which advocates self-regulation for the World Wide Web. ''Everybody must be free to communicate with each other on the Internet.'' Kok, a strong proponent of free speech on the Web, has nevertheless come out in favor of stricter guidelines to protect minors. The only Dutch law enforcement effort devoted to Internet crimes is a team of detectives dealing with offenses such as credit card fraud and child pornography. Besides the Dutch site, there are several others which provide suicide information, mostly focusing on prevention, although a few include advocacy of euthanasia and assisted suicide. Some news groups and mailing lists also cover the topic, with one recent discussion related to good songs to die to. The Dutch are generally tolerant toward those who view suicide as an option for ending severe physical or emotional suffering, not just terminal illness. After more than three decades of debate, the government approved strict guidelines in the early 1990s which allow physician-assisted suicide, provided it is voluntary, thoroughly considered and backed by a second opinion. Proposed legislation before parliament would legalize euthanasia outright. The government has gradually moved toward legalization while maintaining heavy regulatory oversight of the practice.