2007/06/28

Wrestler killed family 'with deliberation'

Investigators said Benoit's 43-year-old wife was strangled on Friday with what appeared to be a cable in an upstairs family room. Her feet and wrists were bound and there was blood under her head, indicating a possible struggle. Daniel was probably killed late Saturday or early Sunday, and his body was found in his bed, District Attorney Scott Ballard said.

Mr Ballard said the autopsy indicated that there were no bruise marks on his neck, so authorities are now assuming he could have been killed using a choke hold. "It's a process of elimination," he said.

The family was struggling before the killings with how to care for the child, who suffered from a rare medical condition called Fragile X Syndrome, an inherited form of mental retardation often accompanied by autism, said Jerry McDevitt, an attorney for World Wrestling Entertainment.

and another "hero" dies, crushed by the fallacy of his own image.

2007/06/25

R.I.P. Pegasus Kid

Authorities say pro wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife and seven-year-old son were found slain today at their Fayette County home.

Sheriff's Lieutenant Tommy Pope said the three were found about 2:30 p-m, but he would release no other details about the deaths at the house near White Water Country Club.

Pope said the deaths were being investigated as homicide, but said the cause of death awaits autopsy results tomorrow.

He would not say how the bodies were discovered, or who found them.

The World Wrestling Entertainment said on its Website that the 40-year-old Benoit, his wife, Nancy, and son, who was named Daniel, were found dead but also had no other details.

The WWE said that instead of its programming tonight on U-S-A Network, it would air a three-hour tribute to Benoit.

Benoit, a Canadian native maintained a home in metro Atlanta from the time he wrestled for the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling.

Most recently, he fought as part of the WWE.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says Benoit's wife, Nancy, managed several wrestlers and went by the stage name, "Woman." The newspaper says they met when her then-husband drew up a script that had them involved in a relationship as part of an ongoing storyline on World Championship Wrestling.

Benoit has two other children from a prior relationship.

2007/06/22

Misc. Friday Ramblings...

Sign in a Hotel Bar.
Hotel Bar. No Drinking Prohibited.

Friday FIREPOWER!
  • Kel-Tec PF-9
    Kel-Tec CNC of Cocoa, Florida continues to impress me with their innovative and very practical firearm designs. They pretty much went from nothing just a few short years ago to dominating the pocket auto market with their super-light .32 ACP pistol, and then followed up with the .380 version after that.

    Now, Kel-Tec is in full production of their new slim single stack 9mm pistol. It seems to be a blend of the design of their double-stack P-11 and their little .380 pocket gun, the P-3AT.

    There were really no huge surprises for me with the PF-9. It offered everything that I have come to expect from Kel-Tec. They offer quality products, and have a very good reputation for customer service. The PF-9 was perfectly reliable with no failures of any kind during testing. The performance of the ammunition tested displayed higher velocities than expected from the short barrel. The pistol is extremely slim and light for a 9mm Luger handgun. It carries beautifully tucked into the waistband, and just disappears in a jeans pocket. It prints much less than does my .38 Special J-frame S&W, is almost as light, and offers three more shots without reloading. It is also easier to shoot well. Will it replace the J-frame in my pocket? I don’t know. I will have to shoot it a lot more before deciding, and old habits die hard. However, I would feel very well-armed carrying this Kel-Tec anywhere. It is slim, light, reliable, powerful, and accurate. It is also surprisingly affordable, listing at just $333 US at the time of this writing, and I have been receiving reports of real-world prices being much less. The PF-9 is a dandy pistol, and would be a great deal at twice the price. There is nothing else quite like it, and I highly recommend it.

    The most telling picture is this one. The P-3AT is a tiny gun to begin with. It easily disappears in the palm of my hand. However, my preference is for a bit higher caliber, so I went with a Kahr Mk9 Elite. I use it as a pocket pistol, and love it to death. However, it might just get replaced by this Kel-Tec.

  • Speaking of Kel-Tec, check out the RFB bullpup .308.


    Oooh, SBR version too!


  • Whisper your Arguments.
    Tamara would like to whisper a little something in your ear....220 grains of a little something.

2007/06/21

Thompson beating Giuliani without trying.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson earning support from 28% of Likely Republican Primary Voters. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani attracts support from 27%. While Thompson's one-point edge is statistically insignificant, it is the first time all year that anybody but Giuliani has been on top in Rasmussen Reports polling. A week ago, Thompson and Giuliani were tied at 24%.

It remains an open question as to how Thompson will hold up once he actually enters the campaign and has to compete directly with other candidates. To date, he retains the allure of the new kid in town while GOP voters already know the things they don't like about the others. Still, Thompson's rise to the top provides a telling measure of how the other GOP hopefuls have failed to capture the imagination of the party they hope to lead.

Once gain this week, Arizona Senator John McCain (news, bio, voting record) and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney are tied for a distant third. This week, both men attract 10% support. Last week, they were both at the 11% level of support. For McCain, this is a continuation of a downward trend. For Romney, it reflects a fairly steady position. Romney is doing well in selected state polls but has been unable to gain much traction and expand his support nationwide.

I'm not even supposed to be here.

2007/06/20

Time to rethink those contract negotiations...

A woman who feared losing her boyfriend while she recuperated from surgery has been sentenced to 12-to-22-and-a-half years in prison for letting him have sex with her 15-year-old daughter.

Authorities in Muskegon, Michigan, say the 41-year-old woman signed a contract with her 37-year-old boyfriend and her daughter. In exchange for sex, the 15-year-old testified she was to be paid and receive privileges, such as piercings, hair dyeing and permission to stay overnight with her own boyfriend.

The mother was sentenced after pleading no contest to criminal sexual misconduct. The boyfriend was sentenced earlier this year to up to 15 years on each of four counts of criminal sexual conduct.

The girl should be sentenced to celibacy until such time as she can be judged not mentally deficient.

2007/06/19

Chants

Thanks to LawDog for the heads up on this. Listen to you favorite tunes done in Gregorian chant style.

Tears in Heaven - Eric Clapton


My Immortal - Evanescence


Nothing Else Matters - Metallica

2007/06/18

Humping hares halt humans

Wild hares at Milan's Linate airport seem to have only one thing on their mind, and their excessive mating and growing numbers have blocked takeoffs, landings and radar systems.

Officials on Sunday mounted a daylight raid to keep these furry creatures off the runways, part of a twice-annual capture to keep the airport population under control.

"There are always hares at the airport, the problem is that lately there were too many, and they cause problems with the radar and sensors that monitor the airport," said Nicoletta Angioni, spokeswoman for SEA, the company that operates Milan's airports.

At least they tend to not get sucked into the engine intake and cause the plane to make an emergency landing.

2007/06/12

Starship Troopers: The SomethingAwful Treatment


the goddamn bugs whacked us johnny

Pipe Rifle is now my favorite movie re-reviewer. Thanks for the images and laughs.

2007/06/11

Three Burned Alive After Witch Hunt

A lynch mob has stoned and burned to death three women they accused of being witches in a Ugandan refugee camp, police have said.

The victims were burned aliveThe police chief of Kitgum district Charles Oumo said the victims were attacked after the mysterious death of a motorcycle taxi driver.

Mr Oumo said: "His skin started swelling up and blistering, he had pains all over.

"He died in hospital after his condition worsened."

Mr Oumo said police did not know the cause of the man's death, but locals assumed he had been poisoned.

"They thought he was bewitched by someone who had sprinkled a potion on his boda-boda (motorcycle)," he said.

In a harrowing echo of Europe's witch-hunts in the late middle ages, camp elders conducted a "trial" in which they determined who they thought was the witch by secret ballot.

The police chief said: "They hunted down the top three and a mob descended on them.

"They beat them with stones, sticks and axes before setting them ablaze, still alive."

They must have weighed more than a duck.

2007/06/07

JERICHO SAVED!!!!!

June 6, 2007

To the Fans of Jericho:

Wow!

Over the past few weeks you have put forth an impressive and probably unprecedented display of passion in support of a prime time television series. You got our attention; your emails and collective voice have been heard.

As a result, CBS has ordered seven episodes of "Jericho" for mid-season next year. In success, there is the potential for more. But, for there to be more "Jericho," we will need more viewers.

A loyal and passionate community has clearly formed around the show. But that community needs to grow. It needs to grow on the CBS Television Network, as well as on the many digital platforms where we make the show available.

We will count on you to rally around the show, to recruit new viewers with the same grass-roots energy, intensity and volume you have displayed in recent weeks.

At this time, I cannot tell you the specific date or time period that "Jericho" will return to our schedule. However, in the interim, we are working on several initiatives to help introduce the show to new audiences. This includes re-broadcasting "Jericho" on CBS this summer, streaming episodes and clips from these episodes across the CBS Audience Network (online), releasing the first season DVD on September 25 and continuing the story of Jericho in the digital world until the new episodes return. We will let you know specifics when we have them so you can pass them on.

On behalf of everyone at CBS, thank you for expressing your support of "Jericho" in such an extraordinary manner. Your protest was creative, sustained and very thoughtful and respectful in tone. You made a difference.

Sincerely,

Nina Tassler
President, CBS Entertainment

P.S. Please stop sending us nuts :-)