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Sex on TV leads to teen pregnancy

Sexual content on television is strongly associated with teen pregnancy, a new study from the RAND Corporation shows. Researchers at the non-profit organization found that adolescents with a high level of exposure to television shows with sexual content are twice as likely to get pregnant or impregnate someone as those who saw fewer programs of this kind over a period of three years. It is the first study to demonstrate this association, RAND said. A central message from the study is that there needs to be more dialogue about sex in the media, particularly among parents and their children, said Anita Chandra, the study’s lead author and a behavioral scientist at RAND. The study also found that adolescents living in a two-parent household had a lower probability of pregnancy. African Americans, girls and adolescents with behavioral problems had a higher likelihood of getting pregnant or impregnating someone, as did youths who intend to have children early, the study showed.

Def Jam exec dies of self-inflicted gun shot

The executive who succeeded Jay-Z as the head of hip-hop music label Def Jam Recordings died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound near Atlanta, police said Sunday. Executive Vice President Shakir Stewart, 34, died on Saturday, his New York-based label said in a statement. Stewart was found Saturday afternoon in the bathroom of his home in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta, Cobb County police spokeswoman Cassie Reece said Sunday. He was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Police described the shooting as self-inflicted and would not say who discovered Stewart.

Japanese girl born to Indian surrogate arrives home

A 3-month-old girl born to an Indian surrogate mother has flown to Japan to join her biological father after spending the first few months of her life in legal limbo. According to published reports, Baby Manjhi and her grandmother flew to Osaka, Japan, from the Indian capital, New Delhi, Saturday night. While some countries have banned surrogacy as a money-making venture, it has been legal in India since 2002. Under the practice, infertile couples are matched with local women to carry babies for $12,000 to $30,000. Baby Manjhi was conceived when a Japanese couple paid a clinic in India to have the husband’s sperm and an anonymous donor’s egg implanted in the womb of an Indian surrogate. The plan worked, but a few months before Manjhi was born, the couple divorced. The intended Japanese mother decided she did not want the baby, so baby Manjhi is now safe and sound with her father.

Recall of 100,000 laptop batteries

Computer makers are recalling 100,000 laptop battery packs made by Sony Corp. after 40 reports of overheating, according to a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission notice Thursday. The voluntary recall applies to certain Sony 2.15Ah lithium-ion cell batteries made in Japan and sold around the world in laptops made by Hewlett-Packard Co., Dell Inc. and Toshiba Corp. Some incidents involved smoke or flames, according to Sony. Twenty-one of the reports claimed minor property damage, and small burns were reported in four cases. Sony blamed two factors for the defects: adjustments on its manufacturing line from October 2004 to June 2005, which may have affected the quality of cells in certain production lots; and a possible flaw in the metal foil for electrodes. The company said no reports have been filed for batteries made after 2006 and noted that the recalled units are a small fraction of the more than 260 million it has shipped over the last six years.

Afghan gunmen kidnap French worker

Gunmen kidnapped a French aid worker in Kabul Monday and shot dead an Afghan intelligence official who tried to rescue him, police said. A second foreigner escaped unharmed. A senior Afghan police official said two foreigners were walking in a residential area of the capital city Monday when three armed men drove up in a car. They dragged the French aid worker into the vehicle. But as they were trying to drag the second man in, an intelligence official driving by intervened, the police official said. The gunmen fatally shot the intelligence official and took off with the French worker. Interior Ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary confirmed that militants had kidnapped a Westerner and said a massive police search was underway.

In Ohio

Toledo police looking for carjacker who shot man

Toledo Police are looking for an apparent carjacker whom they say shot a man in the leg before taking off in his vehicle. It happened in downtown Toledo just before 3:30 a.m. on Monday morning. Officers say the suspect approached the car, shot the male driver in the leg, then told a woman in the car to get out. She did as he said, and that’s when the suspect took off in their vehicle. The shooting victim was taken to Saint Vincent Mercy Medical Center and is expected to have a successful recovery.

Pot found during traffic stop

An Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper said he was making a traffic stop Saturday evening when he smelled “a strong odor of fresh marijuana.” According to publisher reports, after searching the vehicle, which was near the intersection of Spring Street and Route 9 in Cadiz, Ohio, police said they found 63.5 grams of marijuana and 26 unprescribed Valium pills along with scales and other drug paraphernalia. Aaron Joseph Thompson, who troopers said was driving the car, was charged with possession of marijuana. Troopers said felony charges are also possible.

Hamilton woman sent to jail due to stabbing

A Hamilton woman is in jail after attacking her boyfriend early Saturday morning. Police and medics were called to an apartment with a report of a man that had been stabbed. When crews arrived, they found 32-year-old Lashan Wooten with a stab wound to the chest. His injuries were so severe that he was air-carried to University Hospital for surgery. At last check, he was listed in critical condition. Twenty-eight-year-old Dyknta Allen was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. She will face a judge Monday morning in the Hamilton Municipal Court.

Originally Published: November 5, 2008

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