Wife guilty of exercising husband to death
Feb. 14, 2009
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHARDON–A woman has pleaded guilty to reckless homicide for exercising her 73-year-old husband to death in a swimming pool, repeatedly refusing to let him leave the water.
Surveillance video showed Christine Newton-John, 41, pulling James Mason around the pool by his arms and legs, said Middlefield police Chief Joseph Stehlik
The chief said he counted 43 times in which Newton-John prevented her husband from leaving the water, and Mason rested his head on the side of the pool several times while gasping for breath.
"The video is bone-chilling," Stehlik said. "The whole case is very sinister.''
Mason had a heart attack on June 2 after the extended swim session. An officer who had investigated previous complaints that Mason was being abused pursued the case because he suspected there was more to the death, Stehlik said.
Newton-John pleaded guilty Thursday and faces up to five years in prison. No sentencing date was set.
Police did not immediately respond to a call Saturday seeking comment on a motive.
The video would have had a profound effect on a jury, Geauga County Prosecutor David Joyce said. But that wouldn't have been enough for a conviction if Newton-John had been charged with murder.
"You can see the man struggling for his life on the tape, but there is no audio, so we couldn't hear what he was saying," he said.
Geauga County Chief Public Defender Robert Umholtz, who represented Newton-John, declined to comment.
Mason was a longtime friend of his wife's family. He knew her as John Vallandingham before she had gender reassignment surgery in 1993 and changed her name in honor of the singer and star of the hit movie version of the musical "Grease.''
The couple were wed in 2006 in Kentucky, where people can change their gender on their birth certificate.
News of the Weird - this just in!
VINKOVCI, Croatia (AFP) – Croatians on Saturday cooked up what they claim to be the world's largest sausage, measuring 530 metres (1,738 feet).
Hundreds of locals gathered in the main square of Vinkovci in the country's east and grilled the giant sausage, made with 400 kilogrammes of pork, 10 kilos of salt, 2.5 kilos of spices and 3.5 kilos of garlic bought for a local farm, the town hall said.
Organisers said the sausage was the world's largest and could feed as many as 3,000 people, but adding it was merely "training" for next year when they plan to produce a sausage measuring 1,000 metres.
According to the Guinness Book of Records the longest-ever sausage made so far measured 392 metres and was made in Romania in December last year.
Hundreds of locals gathered in the main square of Vinkovci in the country's east and grilled the giant sausage, made with 400 kilogrammes of pork, 10 kilos of salt, 2.5 kilos of spices and 3.5 kilos of garlic bought for a local farm, the town hall said.
Organisers said the sausage was the world's largest and could feed as many as 3,000 people, but adding it was merely "training" for next year when they plan to produce a sausage measuring 1,000 metres.
According to the Guinness Book of Records the longest-ever sausage made so far measured 392 metres and was made in Romania in December last year.
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
For sale: nagging wife, very high maintenance
Thu Mar 12, 9:25 am ET
LONDON (AFP) – A British man fed up with his wife's complaints advertised her for sale -- and got a number of offers.
"Nagging Wife. No Tax, No MOT. Very high maintenance -- some rust," wrote Gary Bates, 38, in a small ad in Trade-It, more usually used to buy and sell cars or household goods.
Bates, a self-employed builder from Gloucestershire, southwest England, snapped after his wife Donna on got on his nerves while she was watching television and decided to place the ad as a joke.
"She was nagging me for doing something small, while she was watching some rubbish on TV. So I just thought I'd put an ad in to get rid of her.
"I didn't think anyone would ring up but I've had at least nine or 10 people calling about her. It's gone mad. There was no one I knew -- just people asking, 'Is she still available?'"
The couple only married last year, and Bates said his 40-year-old wife -- whom he advertised in the magazine's Free to Collect section, along with some of his fishing tackle -- initially gave him "a bit of an ear-bashing."
But he said: "She's seen the funny side of it now though!"
Thu Mar 12, 9:25 am ET
LONDON (AFP) – A British man fed up with his wife's complaints advertised her for sale -- and got a number of offers.
"Nagging Wife. No Tax, No MOT. Very high maintenance -- some rust," wrote Gary Bates, 38, in a small ad in Trade-It, more usually used to buy and sell cars or household goods.
Bates, a self-employed builder from Gloucestershire, southwest England, snapped after his wife Donna on got on his nerves while she was watching television and decided to place the ad as a joke.
"She was nagging me for doing something small, while she was watching some rubbish on TV. So I just thought I'd put an ad in to get rid of her.
"I didn't think anyone would ring up but I've had at least nine or 10 people calling about her. It's gone mad. There was no one I knew -- just people asking, 'Is she still available?'"
The couple only married last year, and Bates said his 40-year-old wife -- whom he advertised in the magazine's Free to Collect section, along with some of his fishing tackle -- initially gave him "a bit of an ear-bashing."
But he said: "She's seen the funny side of it now though!"
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
DALLAS - Police said two burglars struck a Texas store that sells high-end security equipment, and the whole thing was caught on tape by 17 cameras rolling in the store.
"The point is, nobody is safe; there is always a stupid criminal out there," said Kris Webb, owner of Spy Supply.
The thieves broke into Webb's surveillance gear store in North Richland Hills, Texas, last week.
"I've got them on no less than 17 cameras," Webb said. "We are a security business."
And if the name of the business wasn't telling enough, multiple warning signs on the store should have given the burglars a clue that they would be on camera.
"It is absolutely astounding that these people have the audacity to steal from us and not expect to get caught," Webb said.
The surveillance cameras caught several clear images of the two men who broke in through the store's front door with a crowbar early Friday.
Police said the duo filled a trash can with close to $10,000 worth of spy equipment.
Authorities said the video even showed a clear shot of their getaway car.
Webb said he's taking the robbery in stride.
"I'm pretty confident they will get caught," he said. "I'm not confident we'll get our equipment back."
"The point is, nobody is safe; there is always a stupid criminal out there," said Kris Webb, owner of Spy Supply.
The thieves broke into Webb's surveillance gear store in North Richland Hills, Texas, last week.
"I've got them on no less than 17 cameras," Webb said. "We are a security business."
And if the name of the business wasn't telling enough, multiple warning signs on the store should have given the burglars a clue that they would be on camera.
"It is absolutely astounding that these people have the audacity to steal from us and not expect to get caught," Webb said.
The surveillance cameras caught several clear images of the two men who broke in through the store's front door with a crowbar early Friday.
Police said the duo filled a trash can with close to $10,000 worth of spy equipment.
Authorities said the video even showed a clear shot of their getaway car.
Webb said he's taking the robbery in stride.
"I'm pretty confident they will get caught," he said. "I'm not confident we'll get our equipment back."
Balls and Bottoms give way to Wangs in name game
LONDON (Reuters) – The number of people in Britain with surnames like Cockshott, Balls, Death and Shufflebottom -- likely the source of schoolroom laughter -- has declined by up to 75 percent in the last century.
A study found the number of people with the name Cock shrank to 785 last year from 3,211 in 1881, those called Balls fell to 1,299 from 2,904 and the number of Deaths were reduced to 605 from 1,133.
People named Smellie decreased by 70 percent, Dafts by 51 percent, Gotobeds by 42 percent, Shufflebottoms by 40 percent, and Cockshotts by 34 percent, said Richard Webber, visiting professor of geography at King's College, London.
"If you find the (absolute) number goes down, it's either because they changed their names or they emigrated," Webber, author of the study, told Reuters on Wednesday.
He said that in many cases, people probably changed their surnames as they came to be regarded as in bad taste. "It's because the meaning of words can change. Take the name Daft -- that as a term for a stupid is a relatively recent innovation."
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Daft meant "mild" or "meek" in Old English, whereas it means "foolish" today.
"That's why there are names which people think aren't really very pleasant names and you wonder why they persisted as long as they did."
Webber, whose work can be seen on the website mapyourname.com, got his data for 2008 from credit card firm Experian and mapping service Geowise. He then compared it with the census of 1881.
Webber also discovered that the most popular names in Britain have not changed over the past 127 years. Last year, Smith, Jones, Williams, Brown, Taylor and Davies held the top five spots, in exactly the same order as they did a century ago.
Webber also found that between 1996 and 2008, the names Zhang, Wang, and Yang and experienced the fastest growth. Zhang rose by 4719 percent, while Wang grew by 2225 percent.
LONDON (Reuters) – The number of people in Britain with surnames like Cockshott, Balls, Death and Shufflebottom -- likely the source of schoolroom laughter -- has declined by up to 75 percent in the last century.
A study found the number of people with the name Cock shrank to 785 last year from 3,211 in 1881, those called Balls fell to 1,299 from 2,904 and the number of Deaths were reduced to 605 from 1,133.
People named Smellie decreased by 70 percent, Dafts by 51 percent, Gotobeds by 42 percent, Shufflebottoms by 40 percent, and Cockshotts by 34 percent, said Richard Webber, visiting professor of geography at King's College, London.
"If you find the (absolute) number goes down, it's either because they changed their names or they emigrated," Webber, author of the study, told Reuters on Wednesday.
He said that in many cases, people probably changed their surnames as they came to be regarded as in bad taste. "It's because the meaning of words can change. Take the name Daft -- that as a term for a stupid is a relatively recent innovation."
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Daft meant "mild" or "meek" in Old English, whereas it means "foolish" today.
"That's why there are names which people think aren't really very pleasant names and you wonder why they persisted as long as they did."
Webber, whose work can be seen on the website mapyourname.com, got his data for 2008 from credit card firm Experian and mapping service Geowise. He then compared it with the census of 1881.
Webber also discovered that the most popular names in Britain have not changed over the past 127 years. Last year, Smith, Jones, Williams, Brown, Taylor and Davies held the top five spots, in exactly the same order as they did a century ago.
Webber also found that between 1996 and 2008, the names Zhang, Wang, and Yang and experienced the fastest growth. Zhang rose by 4719 percent, while Wang grew by 2225 percent.
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
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sandman67
- Rock Star
- Posts: 4398
- Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2007 6:11 pm
- Location: I thought you had the map?
despite obvious drawbacks to having the name, there are currently 8 people in the UK who have the surname Hitler
including an A Hitler resident in Bradford, born 1939 ?
You do have to wonder what the hell his parents were thinking......
my favorite name faux pas was a lass who used to work for me
Wendy House....
including an A Hitler resident in Bradford, born 1939 ?
You do have to wonder what the hell his parents were thinking......
my favorite name faux pas was a lass who used to work for me
Wendy House....
"Science flew men to the moon. Religion flew men into buildings."
"To sin by silence makes cowards of men."
"To sin by silence makes cowards of men."
Came across this on the BBC web site today, it's updated with 10 new strange things every week, worth a look,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/magazinemonitor/10_things/
First one is that farting is a bookable offence in football(yellow card) and happened recently. If you want a chuckle then have a look at,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/engl ... 984554.stm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/magazinemonitor/10_things/
First one is that farting is a bookable offence in football(yellow card) and happened recently. If you want a chuckle then have a look at,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/engl ... 984554.stm
Resolve dissolves in alcohol
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Khundon1975
- Rock Star
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- Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:05 am
- Location: Boo, I'm behind you.
spitfirespitfire wrote:Came across this on the BBC web site today, it's updated with 10 new strange things every week, worth a look,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/magazinemonitor/10_things/
First one is that farting is a bookable offence in football(yellow card) and happened recently. If you want a chuckle then have a look at,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/engl ... 984554.stm
If they included gobbing and blowing snot all over the pitch as bookable offences, you would never get to watch a match.
I've lost my mind and I am making no effort to find it.
WARSAW (Reuters) - A Polish politician has criticized his local zoo for acquiring a "gay" elephant named Ninio who prefers male companions and will probably not procreate, local media reported Friday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEno ... 3220090410
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEno ... 3220090410
WARSAW (Reuters) - A Polish politician has criticized his local zoo for acquiring a "gay" elephant named Ninio who prefers male companions and will probably not procreate, local media reported Friday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEno ... 3220090410
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Khundon1975
- Rock Star
- Posts: 3481
- Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:05 am
- Location: Boo, I'm behind you.
hhfaranghhfarang wrote:WARSAW (Reuters) - A Polish politician has criticized his local zoo for acquiring a "gay" elephant named Ninio who prefers male companions and will probably not procreate, local media reported Friday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEno ... 3220090410
Now I know why they say "Practising Homosexual" that Elephant definitely hasn't got the hang of it yet.
Practice makes perfect.
I've lost my mind and I am making no effort to find it.