[news.sysadmin] INDISCRIMINANT POSTING BY JJ@CUP.PORTAL.COM

SL747@usu.bitnet (05/25/88)

Reference: 5807@cup.portal.com
Date: 25 May 88

In article <5807@cup.portal.com> JJ@cup.portal.com (UNK) writes:
> Poor College Student needs Your Help!!   :-(
>
> Hi.  I just finished my junior year in college, and now I'm
> faced with a major problem.  I can't afford to pay for my senior
> year.  I've tried everything.  I can't get any more student loans,
> I don't qualify for any more scholarships, and my parents are as
> broke as am I.  So as you can see, I've got a major problem.  But
> as far as I can see, there is only one solution, to go forward.
> I've come along way, and there is no chance in hell that I'm going
> to drop out now!  I'm not a quiter, and I'm not going to give up.
>
> But here is why I'm telling you all this.  I want to ask a favor of every
> one out here on the net.  If each of you would just send me a one
> dollar bill, I will be able to finish college and go on with my life.
> I'm sure a dollar is not much to any of you, but just think how it
> could change a person's life.  I'd really like to encourage all of you
> to help me out, I've no other place to go, no other doors to knock
> on.  I'm counting on all of you to help me! (PLEASE!)
> If you would like to help a poor boy out, please send $1 (you can
> of course send more if you want!!  :-)
>
> [Name and mailing address deleted]
>
> PS.  Please don't flame me for posting this to so many newsgroups,
> I really am in dire need of help, and if any of you were as desparate
> as I am, you just might resort to the same thing I am.  Also, please
> don't tell me to get a job!  I already have one and work over 25 hrs
> a week, plus get in all my classes, plus find time to study!  So hey,
> please consider it!  It would really mean a lot to me.  Thank you!
>
> NOTE: Any extra money I receive will go to a scholarship fund to help
> others in the same situation.  :-)

       I am not really sure who this should be sent to or what can be done,
but it seems that this JJ is sending this to every newsgroup that exists
on this network.  From what I can see he is just going down every newsgroup
name and send to that group.  So far today, I have counted at least 22
postings.  It kind of irritates me that he would do this,  but I am sure
that there are a lot more that are even more irritated than myself.  If
there is anything that can be done before this guy reaches the end of
the list of newsgroups, it would be a good idea, atleast in my opinion.
       This is not intended to be either a flame posted to this newsgroup,
nor am I trying to pass on his message, just one concerned net-reader that
feels something should if could be done.
                       Thanks.

max@eros.uucp (Max Hauser) (05/25/88)

In article <032407.2147405664@cc.usu.edu> SL747@usu.bitnet writes:

|        I am not really sure who this should be sent to or what can be done,
| but it seems that this JJ is sending this to every newsgroup that exists
| on this network.  From what I can see he is just going down every newsgroup
| name and send to that group.  So far today, I have counted at least 22
| postings.  ...

Well, this person is transmitting a plea throughout at least the United
States for mailed money and is stipulating explicit purposes to which it
would be put.  Therefore, in contrast to many Usenet gambits that are 
merely obnoxious, JJ's would seem to fall within the purview of the US 
fraud-by-wire and other federal statutes, and therefore eligible for the 
attention of the US Department of Justice, including the FBI.  Any eager
young D-o-J attorneys out there who might want to take it and run with it?

On the other hand, for all anyone has said on the net, JJ may be perfectly
honorable about the use of the money, in which case the postings, spread
indiscriminately across utterly inappropriate newsgroups and not even
all cross-posted (as though making it hard for a reader to skip them all
at one stroke would somehow increase the force of the appeal), are
merely obnoxious. Surely the administration or ownership at cup.portal.com
is accountable for this, and may even be eager to stop the flood. Certainly,
further outrages of this kind would not bode well for a site's connectivity.

jgd@csd1.milw.wisc.edu (John G Dobnick,EMS E380,5727,) (05/26/88)

From article <032407.2147405664@cc.usu.edu>, by SL747@usu.bitnet:
> Reference: 5807@cup.portal.com
> Date: 25 May 88
> 
> In article <5807@cup.portal.com> JJ@cup.portal.com (UNK) writes:
>> Poor College Student needs Your Help!!   :-(
> [Removed lots of verbiage -- you've seen it already, multiple times]
> 
>        I am not really sure who this should be sent to or what can be done,
> but it seems that this JJ is sending this to every newsgroup that exists
> on this network.  From what I can see he is just going down every newsgroup
> name and send to that group. 

Actually, it's getting worse. He is now sending this message to (at least
some of) the "mailing lists"!  I just received a copy in info-tahoe today.
Non-human-moderated or automatic-gateway mailing lists seem to be fair
game now.  Presumably human-moderated lists will quash this message.
-- 
John G Dobnick
Computing Services Division @ University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
UUCP: uwvax!uwmcsd1!jgd
INTERNET: jgd@csd4.milw.wisc.edu

"Knowing how things work is the basis for appreciation,
and is thus a source of civilized delight."  -- William Safire
-- 
John G Dobnick
Computing Services Division @ University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
UUCP: {ihnp4|uwvax}!uwmcsd1!jgd
INTERNET: jgd@csd4.milw.wisc.edu

"Knowing how things work is the basis for appreciation,
and is thus a source of civilized delight."  -- William Safire

dg@lakart.UUCP (David Goodenough) (05/26/88)

From article <032407.2147405664@cc.usu.edu>, by SL747@usu.bitnet:
> Reference: 5807@cup.portal.com
> Date: 25 May 88
> 
> In article <5807@cup.portal.com> JJ@cup.portal.com (UNK) writes:
>> Poor College Student needs Your Help!!   :-(
> 
>        I am not really sure who this should be sent to or what can be done,
> but it seems that this JJ is sending this to every newsgroup that exists
> on this network. .....

A while back someone suggested a "Squelch" type control message. Here we
have a use for such an entity. As I said before, it has to be used with
EXTREME caution, but I think that this case warrants the use of such
a system.

Thoughts anyone?
-- 
	dg@lakart.UUCP - David Goodenough		+---+
							| +-+-+
	....... !harvard!adelie!cfisun!lakart!dg	+-+-+ |
						  	  +---+

todd@uop.edu (Dr. Nethack) (05/28/88)

You all remember those messages yes?

Well it is a longer distribution than you thought..

A friend on eunet in finland told me he has seen them as well.


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+ uop!todd@uunet.uu.net                                               + 
+                 cogent!uop!todd@lll-winken.arpa                     + 
+                                 {backbone}!ucbvax!ucdavis!uop!todd  + 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

root@libove.UUCP (The Super User) (05/29/88)

In article <5807@cup.portal.com> JJ@cup.portal.com (UNK) writes:
> Poor College Student needs Your Help!!   :-(
>
> Hi.  I just finished my junior year in college, and now I'm
> faced with a major problem.  I can't afford to pay for my senior
> year.  I've tried everything.  I can't get any more student loans,
[ much drabble deleted ]

Along the same lines as a few others I've seen post, I would like to
see the administration of the system(s) including "CUP.PORTAL.COM"
take mr "JJ@cup.portal.com" to account. As we, the net at large, do not
have any good way of getting to him ourselves, it must be up to the
system people there to do it.

I will mail to "root@cup.portal.com" and request action, and I urge
others to do the same, until we see a response from them.

Let's try and keep the net in operation - the kind of flame wars and
problems that a single post like JJ's can cause are enormous and cause
great damage.
-- 
Jay Libove (Jay.Libove@andrew.cmu.edu  or  pitt!darth!libove!libove)

tmanos@aocgl.UUCP (Theodore W. Manos) (05/30/88)

(For the sake of everybody's bandwidth, I *haven't* included any/all of JJ's
infamous article in question....*everybody* knows what it says :-) )

This "plea" for money ($1 from everybody) strikes me as extremely similar to
another one that occured last year by a student in several newspapers around
the country (except that his was *known* to be legit - it was checked out by
the newspapers first).  As I recall, this fellow ended up garnering something
in the vicinity of >$500,000.  Jeeze, that could even cover his tuition at
Harvard :-).  I don't recall what was done with the excess funds.

For some reason, I find this advertisement from "JJ" to be of a slightly more
dubious nature :-).  Got to give it to the guy though...great way to retire
without ever having worked.

As far as Portal, it's management, and the majority of the stuff that I've
seen come from the users there, well....my mother taught me that if I couldn't
say anything nice about somebody/something, then don't say anything at all :-).
---------
Ted Manos   tmanos@aocgl.{COM,UUCP,UU.NET}  or ...!{uunet,mcdchg}!aocgl!tmanos

vixie@palo-alto.DEC.COM (Paul Vixie) (05/30/88)

Groan.

In article <22.UUL1.3#935@aocgl.UUCP> tmanos@aocgl.UUCP (Theodore W. Manos):
>As far as Portal, it's management, and the majority of the stuff that I've
>seen come from the users there, well....my mother taught me that if I couldn't
>say anything nice about somebody/something, then don't say anything at all :-).

Hey!  I take exception to this.  The stuff from Patrick Townshend (sp?) about
the fire in the Chicago telco switch was absolutely top notch.  I've received
answers to obscure technical questions from Portal subscribers.  Let's not
judge the whole kaboodle by the flashier mistakes that've come from there.
-- 
Paul Vixie
Digital Equipment Corporation	Work:  vixie@dec.com	Play:  paul@vixie.UUCP
Western Research Laboratory	 uunet!decwrl!vixie	   uunet!vixie!paul
Palo Alto, California, USA	  +1 415 853 6600	   +1 415 864 7013

eric@hdr.UUCP (Eric J. Johnson) (06/04/88)

In article <24@libove.UUCP> root@libove.UUCP (The Super User) writes:
:In article <5807@cup.portal.com: JJ@cup.portal.com (UNK) writes:
:> Poor College Student needs Your Help!!   :-(
:>
:> Hi.  I just finished my junior year in college, and now I'm
:> faced with a major problem.  I can't afford to pay for my senior
:> year.  I've tried everything.  I can't get any more student loans,
:[ much drabble deleted ]
:
:Along the same lines as a few others I've seen post, I would like to
:see the administration of the system(s) including "CUP.PORTAL.COM"
:take mr "JJ@cup.portal.com" to account. As we, the net at large, do not
:have any good way of getting to him ourselves, it must be up to the
:system people there to do it.
:
:I will mail to "root@cup.portal.com" and request action, and I urge
:others to do the same, until we see a response from them.
:
:Let's try and keep the net in operation - the kind of flame wars and
:problems that a single post like JJ's can cause are enormous and cause
:great damage.
:-- 
:Jay Libove (Jay.Libove@andrew.cmu.edu  or  pitt!darth!libove!libove)

Amen! Especially after I learned a bit more about JJ in one of our
local area news groups.  To quote:

	In reference to the nortorious JJ:

	Well, for a dollar I'll give you the name, address, and phone
	number of the person.... :-)

	Really, in all seriousness, giving the individual any sort of
	attention AT ALL will just elicit more actions of the same
	irresponsible kind.

	I will tell you this though.  The person is in their senior
	year of high school next fall.  Is a member of a wealthy
	family.  Is a social misfit.  Generally does not realize the
	implications of the Net or the extent of the Net.
	
	I know who the person is.  I'm not trying to hold out on
	you folks, but really believe that this person should be
	ignored as much as possible, especially when s/he WANTS and
	begs for attention.

	Thanks for listening.  If you have a different opinion, please
	email.  Will be happy to discuss it.

	Jeff Minnig
	Systems Administrator
	United Phone Book Advertisers
	upba!jeff
-- 
Eric J. Johnson         UUCP: eric@hdr.UUCP || ...!{ihnp4, codas}!hdr!eric
Amperif Corporation.    CIS: 72460,11  BIX: ericj

Just a minute, Just a minute, The AE-35 unit will go 100% failure in 72 hours!

olapw@olgb1.oliv.co.uk (Tony Walton) (06/07/88)

PLEASE - I've seen enough of this article in all.all.all.all.....
Don't re-post it.
Thank you.
-- 
Tony Walton, OEM/VAR Division, British Olivetti Ltd., 154-160 Upper Richmond Rd,
LONDON, SW15 2FN.  Tel: (+44) 1 789 6699 Telefax: (+44) 1 785 6670 Telex:27258
Uucp : { ukc!uel | mcvax!olnl1 | ihnp4!cuuxb | iconet | olhqma } !olgb1!olapw
olapw@olgb1.oliv.co.uk