Is Hollywood Suicide Rate Explained by Increased Risk of Suicide in Patients with Breast Implants?

Recent studies suggest that women with cosmetic breast implants are nearly three times as likely to commit suicide as other women according to a story published in the Annals of Plastic Surgery. This confirms previous studies linking the cosmetic surgery to higher suicide risks.

Loren Lipworth (Vanderbilt University Medical Center) studied 3,527 Swedish cosmetically enhanced women between 1965 and 1993. 24 of the women had committed suicide after an average of 19 years (triple the risk compared to the average population.) At least 38 deaths (22% of all deaths) were associated with alcohol abuse, drug abuse, suicide or psychological disorders.

Lipworth theorizes that some cosmetically enhanced women may have had psychiatric problems before the surgery such as lower self-esteem or body image disorders. Cosmetically enhanced women also had a tripled risk of death from alcohol and drug use.

The good news for Hollywood is that there was no increased risk of death from cancer. Women with breast enhancement may be more likely to die from smoking related diseases only because this group of women have a higher percentage of smokers.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the sale of silicone breast implants after a 14 year ban on the product. The FDA found no convincing evidence that breast implants were associated with cancer or other disease. Women tend to prefer the silicone implants to the saline ones used during the past fourteen years. Nearly 400,000 women had breast augmentation in the U.S last year according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Breast implant surgery was second only to liposuction as far as cosmetic surgery.

Oops Britney Spears Does it Again: Further Proof Stars Should Give Up Driving and Start Taking Limos

Britney Spears ran into a car that was parked at a Hollywood pharmacy. Then she door dinged a silver Mercedes. Spears was driving her own black Mercedes. As the paparazzi descended, Spears exclaimed, "I'm a brainiac!" Please Brit, tell us something we do not already know. Of course, the internet has video of the incident. But Legal Pub asks, "Why do celebrates continue to drive? Why not take a taxi, limo or hire a driver?"

Furthermore, why do celebrates breed? Britney's bizarre behavior (strip-pole dancing, botched photo shoots, and threatening paparazzi) have called into question her fitness to be a parent. U.S. Weekly reported gossip that she frequently puts soda in Sean Preston's and Jayden James' baby bottles. Britney also allegedly asked a Los Angeles dentist to "whiten her kid's teeth." Sean Preston apparently has dental problems because Britney gives him a bottle of juice all the time to stop him from crying.

Can all this self destructive behavior be good for her children or for the rest of society?

Margaret Wegner Had a Hole in Her Head or At least a Pencil in The Brain

In Berlin, no one can ever say Margaret Wegner did not use her head. For 55 years she had a pencil lodged in her head. The pencil apparently caused chronic headaches and nosebleeds.

CT SCAN of Weger's Brain Courtesy of A.P.

According to Weger, "It hurt like crazy" when she fell and the pencil went through her cheek and into her brain. She was four years old at the time! The pencil was 3.15-inches long. Weger is now 59 years old for those who are not good with math.

On Friday, Dr. Hans Behrbohm, took most of it out. The operation was difficult because it was an old injury. The remaining four-fifths of an inch pencil that could not be removed does not pose a danger according to Dr. Behrbohm.

Wegner is the wife of German boxing coach Ulli Wegner. Hopefully, she will no longer have the headaches and nosebleeds. Her sense of smell should also return according to Dr. Behrbohm.
Now we all know why our Mom's always told us not to run around with pencils in our hand!

Terrance Aeriel, Iofemi Hightower and Dashon Harvey Murdered in Gang Style Shooting an Example of Broken Campaign Promises? Arrest Update:8-19

(Update on all arrested suspects to date is at the bottom of the original article: Carranza, Godinez, Alfaro, and undisclosed minor(s).

When Mayor Booker was running for office in Newark, he promised a crack down on crime so that good people could live and improve their lives without fear. But an election later and four friends had their promising lives end because of crime. They all planned to be at the same college (Delaware State) in a few days. But that all changed with a few gun shots associated with an apparent robbery attempt. Several assailants ended the dreams of these individuals in Newark where the murder rate has risen 50 percent since 1998. The three victims were shot at close range while they were forced to kneel against a wall. A young woman was also wounded.
There have been 60 killings in Newark's this year to 60. Mayor Cory A. Booker promised last year to reduce crime. "He doesn't deserve another day, another second, while our children are at stake," said Donna Jackson, president of Take Back Our Streets organization.

Terrance Aeriel, 18, Iofemi Hightower, 20, and Dashon Harvey, 20 were killed with so much life ahead of them. Aeriel's 19-year-old sister, Natasha, was hospitalized in fair condition with a gunshot wound to the head. Authorities are investigating the crime but have made no arrests. "They were good kids," said Essex County Prosecutor Paula Dow. This is an understatement. By all accounts, they were great kids who served as an example that one could improve their lives by education and working within the law. They will be sadly missed.

Update: 8-9-07: Jose Carranza age 31 turned himself in on three counts of first degree murder, one count of attempted murder and other charges. A 15 year old is already in custody and will be charged as an adult. One or more other suspects are being sought. All our innocent until proven guilty.
Update: 8-10-07 A finger print on a beer bottle and testimony from Natasha have apparently helped police identify suspects and/or person of interest. Apparently one more adult and two teens are being sought for questioning.
Update: 8-13-07 Police issued a warrant for Rodolfo Godinez, 24. Three others have been arrested. Godinez (a.k.a. Rodolfo Gomez) is a Nicaraguan national who lived in Newark's Ivy Hill section.
Update: 8-19-07 Two more suspects were found in suburban Washington. Rodolfo Godinez, a 24-year-old Nicaraguan immigrant, was arrested in Oxon Hill, Md. He is held on $1 million bail and charged with three counts of first degree murder said Carolyn Murray, first assistant prosecutor for Essex County. Alexander Alfaro, 16, allegedly Godinez's half brother, was arrested in Woodbridge, Va. on similar charges. Authorities are still searching for an additional suspect.

Update 4-30-10: A 19 year old woman who was shot and stabbed, is a trial witness for the prosecution. Two other defendants were charged with sexual assault. The young woman "was also marched to her death that night" but fortunately she survived. According to the prosecuton, Terrance Aeriel (T.J.) texted the woman that "it's time to go," after he saw four more men show up at the playground. The victims were forced to lie on the ground and surrender their money and cell phones before they could leave. Three were allegedly taken down a set of stairs and shot. The lone survivor was apparently sexually assaulted and cut. When she ran, she was shot in the head.

Attorney Roy Greenman represent defendant Godinez. He claims Godinez did not participate in the attack. The surviving victim apparently identified the other defendants as the shooters.
Suspects ranged from 15 to 28 years old at the time of the killings. Three juveniles will be tried as adults. All six suspects face murder, felony murder, robbery and weapons counts in addition to the sexual assault charges against Jose Carranza, the oldest defendant, and Shahid Baskerville, who was 15 at the time. Prosecutors believe that the killings were part of a gang initiation. After the killings, Newark installed surveillance cameras in some neighborhoods. 2008 statistics suggest that Newark's murder rate had dropped by nearly 40 percent. For more on the trial read: charlotteobserver.com

Update 1-18-11: Due to Halo spamming, any future comment on this thread must be mailed to legalpub@legalpub.net for prescreening. Sorry, but as Legal Pub has become more popular, the spamming has increased to the point that editors can't write as many new stories or update old articles.

Senior Duo Rafael Echeverri and John McMullan Chase Down Robber

John McMullen and Rafael Echeverri want the world to know that Senior Citizens are not easy marks. John McMullen, an 87 year old retired Suffolk County police officer, was robbed coming out of the North Folk Bank in Patchogue, New York. He was hit over the head and the proceeds from his social security check taken. Once he regained his bearings, he took off running after the thief. Unfortunately, McMullen stumbled. That is when another senior citizen, Rafael Echeverri assumed the chase. Suspect Murray Martin was later apprehended at the appartment complex where the chase had ended. Rafael is 69years old. Martin, age 33, faces second degree robbery charges.

Matthew Savage and Zalman Friedman Spin the Wheel of Fate and Win While Austin Haley Dies from a Stray Bullet?

A six year old falls from a ride at Six Flags and dies. A father and son die as a result of a snapped cable on a fair ride in France. Legal Pubs previous stories detail other tragic deaths at amusement parks. Austin Haley, a five year old boy, was fishing with his grandfather, Jack Tracy, this weekend when a stray bullet hit Austin in the head. Apparently, a Noble police officer had discharged his weapon in an attempt to kill a snake in a tree. A state investigation has been launched into the shooting but it appears the fatal shot was fired by the officer, said Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown. Yet Matthew Savage, a 17 year old Georgia teen, fell six stories from a hotel balcony in Myrtle Beach and sustained only bruises and scrapes. Savage was reaching up to a balcony one floor above to grab a bathing suit that had fluttered down from the 11th floor when he tumbled over the railing. Friday. Matthew hit other balconies on his way down and slammed onto a slanted rooftop, then into bushes. After landing in the bushes, Savage got up and started walking back to his room. Paramedics flew him to a hospital, where tests showed he sustained no major injuries.

Also testing fate and winning was Zalman Friedman, an 8-year-old Israeli boy, who floated in the Dead Sea alone for six hours at night. His father accidently left him there during a family trip. The Dead Sea, (literally and figuratively the lowest point on earth) has a high salt concentration that helps swimmers float. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the family was visiting a beach reserved for ultra-Orthodox Jewish men (they do not bathe in the presence of women or in public areas.) His father only noticed the boy was missing as darkness fell. Friedman was found about 2 miles from the shore. Yehuda Meshi-Zahav of the Zaka rescue organization indicated that the boy was dehydrated and frightened but otherwise healthy. Omer Cohen of the Megilot volunteer rescue unit said, "We were surprised to find the boy alive and well."

Apparently Matthew and Zalman do not need any additional proof that God exists and is alive and well. On the other hand, the family of Austin Haley have got to be wondering why fate in the form of a serpent led to their loss...

Is Thomas Pilaar a Piller of Literature Appreciation or Just a Common Thief of Books?

Thomas Pilaar, 33 years old, is accused of selling hundreds of books, tapes and DVDs that he apparently borrowed from Denver-area libraries. He apparently used different names to obtain seven library cards. KCNC-TV in Denver reported the story. Denver Public Library spokeswoman M. Celeste Jackson was interviewed by the T.V. station. She estimated the losses at about $35,000. James Larue, Douglas County's head librarian, believes Pilaar checked out more than 300 items and had $11,000 worth of overdue items. Pilaar was arrested on an unrelated parole violation. He is being held without bond. While Pilaar declined to comment, it is suspected that he will put in as trustee status in the prison liabrary, should he be convicted.