Horror as teenager commits suicide live online

A 19-year-old man has committed suicide live on the internet encouraged by others who were watching, according to reports.

The teenager, named as Abraham K Biggs, from Broward County, Florida, took an overdose of pills while broadcasting himself on Justin.tv, a live video streaming website.

On a chat forum he told others he was going to commit suicide and posted a suicide note on another forum before taking the pills and turning on his webcam.

The 19-year-old lay on his bed and only after several hours of no movement did others begin to take him seriously. With the video still running, forum members managed to contact the local police who eventually broke down the door, found the body and switched off the camera. Up to 1,500 people were viewing the feed, according to one report.

A video clip posted on the net shows a police officer entering the room, his handgun drawn, as he checks for any sign of life. Local police said they were investigating a suspected suicide and the death was confirmed by the Broward County medical examiner.

Mr Biggs was a member of the bodybuilding.com forum under the name CandyJunkie and was known as Feels Like Ecstasy on justin.tv. He apparently had threatened before to commit suicide.

On Wednesday he went to the bodybuilding.com forum and detailed the amount of drugs he was going to take. The moderators of the forum reportedly did not take him seriously because of his past threats and other forum members encouraged him to carry out his threat.

Mr Biggs then posted his suicide note, where he said he had hurt other people and hated himself for being a failure. "I am an a@#hole. I have let everyone down and I feel as though I will never change or never improve. I am in love with a girl and I know that I am not good enough for her," he wrote,

Mr Biggs then posted his suicide note, where he said he had hurt other people and hated himself for being a failure. As he lay motionless on the bed after taking the pills, many forum members continued to insult him, believing that it was staged.

One forum member pleaded with other forum members to contact the police and tried to e-mail the Miami-Dade police. He borrowed his father's mobile and spoke to police who directed him to the Broward County Sheriff's Department. About an hour later, the authorities arrived at the teenager's house.

Justin.tv is an open network of thousands of live streaming channels.

It is based in San Francisco and is named after Justin Kan, its first star.

"We regret that this has occurred and respect the privacy of the broadcaster and his family during this time. We have policies in place to discourage the distribution of distressing content and our community monitors the site accordingly. This content was flagged by our community, reviewed, and removed according to our terms of service," Justin.tv CEO Michael Seibel said in an e-mail.

The video feed has been taken down but video clips have been posted elsewhere on the net and copies of the suicide note can also be found.

Many of the forum posts have been deleted by those who made them.

There have been growing concerns that internet forums encourage people to take their lives. Last year a British man hung himself witnessed by about 100 internet chatroom users. Kevin Whitrick, 42, from Telford, Shropshire, killed himself after being goaded in an "insult" chatroom at the Paltalk website. One of the users is claimed to have told him:

"F***ing do it. Get on with it."

According to one charity which works to prevent suicide, there have been at least 17 deaths in the UK since 2001 which involved chatrooms or sites which give advice on suicide methods. Campaigners want the police to investigate and prosecute those involved in encouraging online suicides.

‘Trailer Park Boys’ ends

By Amber Dowling


2008-11-14

Randy, Bubbles and Julian won’t return to TV show
Trailer Park Boys won’t be returning for an eighth season next year, Showcase announced yesterday.

Creator and executive producer Mike Clattenburg made the decision to end the show after he completes an upcoming special and a second feature film of the series.

“The show isn’t being cancelled,” VP of Showcase and Drama Content, Tara Ellis, told TVGuide.ca. “This is not a Showcase decision, and I can’t say we’re not disappointed. But we have the utmost respect for Mike — he’s really produced some of the most phenomenal Canadian Television.”

The series will come to an official close next month with “Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys,” a one-hour special that picks up where last season left off – Ray’s living in the dumps, Ricky’s raising “baby” Randy with Lucy, Lahey hatches yet another greasy plan and everyone works to escape the park and debunk the supervisor for good.

“Although this is the last Trailer Park Boys show on television, our fans can still see the Boys’ semi-legal pursuits on the big screen [in] Canadian theatres,” Clatternburg stated yesterday.

Trailer Park Boys – Countdown to Liquor Day (working title) is scheduled for fall ’09.

Since the first season aired in 2001, ratings for the Gemini-winning show have boomed, growing more than 600 per cent. It broke cable network records, and in 2004 was the highest-rated Canadian show on specialty television.

“Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys” airs Sun., Dec. 7, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, Showcase. For a sneak peek, go to showcase.ca.

Craigslist promises to crack down on prostitution ads on websites

06/11/2008 6:12:00 PM

Pat Eaton-Robb, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HARTFORD, Conn. - Under the watchful eye of law enforcement in 40 states, Craigslist pledged Thursday to crack down on ads for prostitution on its websites.


As part of Craigslist's agreement with attorneys general around the country, anyone who posts an "erotic services" ad will be required to provide a working phone number and pay a fee with a valid credit card. The website will provide that information to law enforcement if subpoenaed.

Jim Buckmaster, Craigslist's CEO, said the deal will allow legitimate escort services to continue advertising, while providing a strong disincentive to companies that are conducting illegal business.

"We don't view it as a penalty, we view it as raising the accountability," he said. "A legitimate business should have no problem with that. They should have no problem providing a phone number or credit card credentials."

Craigslist filed lawsuits this week against 14 software and Internet companies that help people who post erotic service ads to circumvent the website's defences against inappropriate content and illegal activity.

Craigslist, which posts 30 million ads every month for everything from apartment rentals to jobs in hundreds of cities, will also begin using new search technology in an effort to help authorities find missing children and victims of human trafficking.

Police across the country have been arresting people for using websites like Craigslist to advertise the sexual services of women and children.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who brokered the agreement, said his office contacted Craigslist after receiving several complaints from users late in 2007 about photographs depicting nudity on the site. He said Craigslist co-operated fully and there was never a need to threaten legal action against the company.

"The dark side of the Internet must be stopped from eclipsing its immense potential for good," Blumenthal said.

He added: "I am fully convinced that Craigslist wants to stop this activity as much as we do."