Hmmm... end this thread and move along. Legally fraught to snoop people, a number of laws, of Canada, of Ontario, of the USA and of North Corlina come into play here. Contractual matters re: Faculty of the University of Toronto and so on. Tricky. More come into play when you discuss a private investigation in a public place, ie this list with 1000+ people, most of whom you do not know. Both your namesake, Barry Wellman of North Carolina, and Amercia Online are impacted by this discussion. Unwise to continue it unless you are raising concerns concerning a breach to your own rights. In this case you have a right to make as much of a fuss as you like, as long as it does not impact the rights of others. Ethically fraught - sets a very bad example to students. Morally? What are you doing snooping via MapQuest the 'suburban crescents' of Raleigh North Carolina? One is required to assume goodwill in others and to show goodwill toward others in the social contract, and I do not see why the mediation of numerous communication and information technologies, their institutions public and private, and commercial manifestations provide reason to dump the patient work of centuries. Give the chap a call. Probably a namesake interested in his namesake. Bother us no longer with paranoia. Carry on, Net Lab. Bob Briggs, keep your strange-sounding AOL e-mail address to yourself, please. Lachlan Brown Cultural Studies Goldsmiths College In a message dated 2/20/2002 8:25:59 PM Eastern Standard Time, wellman@chass.utoronto.ca writes:

I checked on his name and there is someone at that address at Raleigh. In what Mapquest suggests is a residential neighborhood (lots of suburban crescents).

A web search reveals nobody by that name in Raleigh.

Is this a well-known scam or spam-finder.

It is not necessarily a scam; if it is, I've surely not heard of it. But I'd also be rather cautious regarding personal mail from a complete stranger until identity and motives can be sorted out better. Many well-intentioned folks use the Internet for bona fide genealogical research, whether at a professional or amateur level. Some try to get in touch with people who might be related, not only to fill in branches of family trees but also simply to make friendly connections. Cheers, Bob Briggs (with a strange-sounding AOL e-mail address) Westport, MA -- _______________________________________________ Sign-up for your own FREE Personalized E-mail at Mail.com http://www.mail.com/?sr=signup Win a ski trip! http://www.nowcode.com/register.asp?affiliate=1net2phone3a