Christian Brando Dies at L.A. Hospital

By ROBERT JABLON, Associated Press Writer
Sat Jan 26, 5:54 PM ET
LOS ANGELES - Christian Brando, the troubled eldest son of the late famed actor Marlon Brando, has died from pneumonia at a Los Angeles hospital, an attorney said Saturday. He was 49.

Brando died Saturday morning at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, said David Seeley, an attorney representing Marlon Brando's estate.

Seeley said Brando was taken to the hospital on Jan. 11. There are no funeral plans yet scheduled, he added.

"This is a sad and difficult time for the family," Seeley said.

Born May 11, 1958, the younger Brando had small roles in a handful of movies, including 1968's "I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!" but he was better known for his brushes with the law.

He spent five years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in 1990 for killing his sister's boyfriend, Dag Drollet, at the Brando family's estate.

Brando said he accidentally shot Drollet as they struggled for a gun during an argument over whether Drollet, 26, had beaten Brando's pregnant half-sister, Cheyenne.

Cheyenne, who later gave birth to Drollet's son, committed suicide in 1995 after losing custody. She was 25.

Brando's ex-wife, Deborah Brando, sued him for domestic violence in 2005. She claimed that shortly after their 2004 marriage, Brando repeatedly beat her and threatened to kill her in the presence of her teenage daughter.

Brando countersued, alleging that his ex-wife broke into his home and beat him because he wanted to annul their marriage only 10 weeks after exchanging vows.

The lawsuits were settled last year on undisclosed terms.

Brando was charged Jan. 10, 2005, with two counts of spousal abuse and he pleaded guilty. He was placed on three years' probation and ordered to drug and alcohol rehabilitation as well as a spousal-abuse prevention program.

Brando also was the one-time lover of Bonnie Lee Bakley, who was shot to death in 2001. At one time, Bakley claimed Brando had fathered her child but tests showed it belonged to actor Robert Blake, whom she later married.

Blake was tried for her murder and acquitted but later ordered to pay $30 million in a wrongful death lawsuit. During that civil case, Blake's lawyer suggested Brando was the killer.

Brando, who had denied any involvement, invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination on the stand during the trial.

Seeley said Brando was not married at the time of his death and did not leave any children.

The Silent Treatment, Just as painful?

Apparently giving your boyfriend the "silent treatment" or "cold shoulder" is just as painful as being physically hurt...

Ostracism is more powerful now than ever because people have fewer strong family and friend support systems to fall back on when faced with exclusion in relationships, the workplace or even Internet chat rooms, says a Purdue University social psychologist. "The effects of ostracism are a health concern," says Kipling Williams, professor of psychological sciences who researches ostracism. "Excluding and ignoring people, such as giving them the cold shoulder or silent treatment, are used to punish or manipulate, and people may not realize the emotional or physical harm that is being done. Some purposely hurt others by not inviting them to a party or ignoring them at work, and others may not even realize they are ostracizing someone when they ignore a new temporary employee or a friend after a disagreement.

When a person is ostracized for even a brief period of time, the anterior cingulate cortex, the part of the brain that detects pain, is activated, Williams says. People experience the same initial pain when excluded by strangers or close friends, or even enemies. However, the pain may not linger once the person has had time to consider the importance of the group which has excluded him or her or had time to talk about it with a friend, Williams says.

"Ostracism is one of the most widely used forms of social punishment, and some see it as more humane than corporal punishment, as when used in a time-out, but there is a deeper psychological impact that needs to be taken seriously," he says. "We know that when people are ostracized, it can affect their perceptions, physiological conditions, attitude and behavior - all of which sometimes can lead to aggression."

To find out more: http://www.psych.purdue.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=325&Itemid=82

Autism Difficult to Detect in Girls

At first glance, 8-year-old Kaede Sakai is a typical first grader. She's a smart student, and most of the time she is kind and cordial in class. But recess is an exercise in frustration for her because no matter how hard she tries to fit in, she just doesn't click with the other kids.

It's heartbreaking to see, especially for her mom.
"[She's] been very sad lately, because a lot of the kids have their play as a set group," said her mother, Kristi Sakai.

There's something about how Kaede approaches play that turns off a lot of kids. "She's inflexible and has difficulty engaging properly with other peers," said her mom. "She needs them to do things her way, period. And kids aren't able to do that." And while Kaede might appear like nothing more than a little girl having a bad day, it takes someone who has seen a lot of autistic children to recognize that Kaede has autism.

Brenda Myles, one of the lead researchers specializing in the quite narrow field of girls with autism, said autism can be more difficult to detect in girls.

Difficulty of Diagnosis
"Almost all the research is on boys," said Myles. "Well, first of all there are more boys than girls with autism spectrum disorders, but second of all, girls are underdiagnosed."

For a while, the Sakais dealt with the consequences of this narrow field. Kristi Sakai sensed something was wrong when Kaede was very young, but she struggled with a diagnosis.

"I had a really hard time getting her diagnosed," she said. "The early intervention people would not recognize the things that I was seeing even though they were identical behaviors as the boys."

The Sakais also have two sons touched by autism. The family lives in a rural area of Oregon, not far from Eugene. It's the kind of place where everybody tends to watch out for everybody else. And in Kaede's family, that's important.

Kaede's brothers, Tom and Kito, have many issues, including an inability to give and take in conversation, and intolerance of various physical stimuli, like certain kinds of clothing.

"[Kito] would pull at the feet of his pajamas and scream until we would take them off," said Kristi Sakai.

Police Arrest 14-Year Old in Stabbing Murder

5:00AM Sunday January 27, 2008
By Alice Hudson
A 14-year-old boy has become one of the youngest people in New Zealand to face a murder charge after he was arrested over the death of a man in Tokoroa yesterday.

The Tokoroa youth was charged just hours after the 22-year-old man was found near the corner of St Andrews Drive and Fife Place early yesterday morning. The 14-year-old is in police custody and will appear in the Youth Court at Rotorua on Tuesday.

The killing was the ninth violent death this month. The dead man's name had not been released last night.

Police launched yesterday's homicide investigation after a woman returning home from work about 2.15am found the man. Paramedics were called, but the man died shortly after arriving at Tokoroa Hospital.

Last night police refused to be drawn on the cause of death, saying they would have to wait for the results of a post-mortem examination which was to be carried out today.

However, the Herald on Sunday understands the victim suffered serious stab wounds.

The scene of the murder was just a few streets away from Strathmore School where Tokoroa teacher Lois Dear was killed 18 months ago.

The street where the man was found was cordoned off for most of yesterday while police carried out their inquiries, which included interviews with residents in the area.

When asked if police were seeking anyone else in connection with the attack, investigation head Inspector Rob Jones would only say "extensive inquiries" were continuing.

Jones would not speculate on the victim's movements on Saturday night, saying it was still "too early" to comment.

One woman said she heard yelling, screaming and swearing on the street early yesterday.
Another resident, Iwi Bennion, said she was shocked to wake early yesterday to flashing lights and sirens, having not heard a thing.

"We hear the odd argument around here but this would be about the worst thing that's happened."

The street was not considered dangerous, she said.

Deal Offered in Missing Marine Case

By ESTES THOMPSON, Associated Press Writer

Fri Jan 25, 6:41 AM ET JACKSONVILLE, N.C. -

If a Marine wanted in the killing of a 20-year-old pregnant colleague is arrested in Mexico, he will not face lethal injection in North Carolina under a deal offered by prosecutors to the Marine and Mexican authorities.

Investigators believe Cpl. Cesar Laurean has fled to his native Mexico, which refuses to send anyone back to the U.S. unless provided assurances they won't face the death penalty.

On Thursday, Onslow County District Attorney Dewey Hudson announced an indictment charging Laurean, 21, with first-degree murder.

"The choices presented to me were either a possible life without parole sentence, or the defendant living in Mexico the rest of his life and never brought to trial," he said.

The remains of Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, 20, were found with those of her fetus earlier this month in a fire pit in Laurean's back yard. Lauterbach, who had once accused Laurean of rape, had been missing since mid-December. Military investigators are still working to identify the father of Lauterbach's unborn child, Hudson said.

Laurean fled Jacksonville in early January, leaving a note for his wife, Christina, that said Lauterbach slit her own throat with a knife, and he then buried her in the woods near their home. Detectives have rejected that claim, and an autopsy found that Lauterbach died of blunt force trauma to the head.

Authorities have determined that Lauterbach's child had not been born at the time of her death, Hudson said, so prosecutors can only charge Laurean with one count of murder.

The grand jury also charged Laurean with robbery with a dangerous weapon and a charge involving an unauthorized financial transaction involving card theft. The indictment states Laurean forced Lauterbach to remove money from her bank account Dec. 14, the day authorities believe he killed her.

Laurean is also accused of trying to use Lauterbach's ATM card on Christmas Eve, and was charged with attempted card fraud and obtaining property by false pretenses.

Authorities believe Laurean entered Mexico on a bus Jan. 14, two days after he left Jacksonville. Earlier this week, a man identified as his cousin said Laurean walked into his liquor store in Guadalajara last week, but left without saying where he was headed.

"Because of the all the attention, I hope (Mexican authorities) will move on this case very quickly," Hudson said.

Christina Laurean is still cooperating with investigators, and she does not face charges, Hudson said. She learned of Lauterbach's death roughly a day before Laurean fled, but only then told police and turned over the note he left behind, according to court documents.

Authorities have previously said Lauterbach was killed Dec. 15, citing the timeline provided by Laurean's wife. Hudson declined to address the discrepancy in detail, saying only that the "best evidence available" now indicates Lauterbach was killed Dec. 14.

Although Laurean refused to speak with detectives looking into Lauterbach's disappearance before he fled, authorities have said they didn't consider him a flight risk because they had information the pair had a "friendly relationship" even after she reported the rape allegation to military authorities.

Lauterbach, of the Dayton, Ohio area, had accused Laurean of rape in May, a charged he denied. Naval investigators have said they have no evidence to corroborate Lauterbach's claims, but Lauterbach's and Laurean's regimental commander was intent on taking the case to a hearing that could have led to a trial.

Laurean had told members of his unit that he would flee to Mexico if it appeared he would be found guilty. Laurean, of Las Vegas, was born in Guadalajara. Family members there have said he moved to the U.S. more than 10 years ago.

R.I.P.

So, Last night I was flipping through the channels looking for The Nanny when I couldn't believe what I heard. Heath Ledger DEAD at just 28. One of the few great actors of my time. I've been watching Heath Ledger since I was little, mainly my favorite movie where he plays as the gorgeous bullrider Lance Frost in 8 seconds. I cried when he died. I'm half tempted to cry right now. I'm still not sure if they are calling in suicided by drug over dose or not, Last I heard they still hadn't confirmed the cause of death. For those who don't watch the news he was found in a small apparted naked and dead with pills all around him. I don't know though, He just doesn't seem to be that type of person to me, but hey in the world of the rich and the famous drug problems aren't exactly something you want the world to know about. That is unless you are Brittney Spears, the media hungry whore.

For more information visit: http://www.nndb.com/people/204/000029117/

14 Year old Bullied to Death

For everyone that ever decided to call anyone names, this one is for you...

A girl of 14 committed suicide because she was taunted by bullies who called her a lesbian and laughed at her dress sense.

Belinda Allen hanged herself from a tree using a scarf outside a social club after enduring more than a year of taunts.

The teenager was allegedly picked on because she 'dressed differently' and 'liked wearing dresses rather than trendy outfits', a friend said.

Belinda's 15-year-old former classmate at Tanbridge House School, West Sussex, added: 'I knew Belinda was being bullied, but I didn't know how badly she had taken it. On the outside she was happy and bubbly.'

For more information go to: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=83254&in_page_id=34

10 Tips for Keeping your New Years Resolution

First time this has happened in 13 years...

The transplants occurred in January at three Chicago hospitals. The patients infected with HIV and the virus for hepatitis C did not learn of their status until the last two weeks, according to medical officials.

Dr. Michael Millis, chief of the transplantation program at the University of Chicago Hospitals, said his staff was told of the problem on Nov. 1, and brought in the two patients who had transplants there for testing the next morning.

''It was very surprising and devastating for them, I'll be honest, just as it would be for any of us,'' Millis said.

Tests on the donor for HIV, hepatitis and other conditions came back negative, most likely because the donor had acquired the infections in the last three weeks before death.

Personal details about the donor were not released by medical official officials, who cited privacy laws.