Deborah Jeane Palfrey, aka “the D.C. Madam, has apparently committed suicide. Her death comes just two weeks after she was convicted of operating an escort service whose clientèle were said to include powerful men in the nation’s capital.

The New York Times has the story:

The body of the woman, Deborah Jeane Palfrey, 52, was found in a shed at her mother’s home here about 20 miles northwest of Tampa. The police said Ms. Palfrey had left a notebook containing at least two suicide notes and other messages to her family, but they did not give additional details.

This part of the story gives me pause:

In the aftermath of her conviction, she remained free while awaiting sentencing on July 24. Under sentencing guidelines, she faced about five or six years in prison, Channing Phillips, the spokesman for the United States attorney in the District of Columbia, said Thursday.

But Ms. Palfrey had vowed that she would never go to prison. When she disclosed telephone records last year that revealed the identity of some of her clients, she told ABC: “I’m sure as heck not going to be going to federal prison for one day, let alone four to eight years, because I’m shy about bringing in the deputy secretary of whatever. Not for a second. I’ll bring every last one of them in if necessary.”

In, ummmm, fairness to anyone with a motive to want her dead, there is this:

Dan Moldea, a Washington writer who befriended Ms. Palfrey while considering writing a book about her, said she had been cautiously optimistic about her trial.

After the conviction, however, Mr. Moldea sent her two messages but did not hear back, he said.

After hearing of her death Thursday, he recalled a conversation over dinner last year when the subject of prison came up.

“I will commit suicide first,” he remembered her saying.

Hope he got a good buy.

According to the Center for Disease Control, a quarter of teenage girls — more than 3 million — have a sexually transmitted disease. There doesn’t appear to be any corresponding research for teenage boys.

The numbers likely seem overwhelming

CHICAGO (AP) — At least one in four teenage girls nationwide has a sexually transmitted disease, or more than 3 million teens, according to the first study of its kind in this age group.

A virus that causes cervical cancer is by far the most common sexually transmitted infection in teen girls ages 14 to 19, while the highest overall prevalence is among black girls — nearly half the blacks studied had at least one STD. That rate compared with 20% among both whites and Mexican-American teens, the study from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.

About half of the girls acknowledged ever having sex; among them, the rate was 40%. While some teens define sex as only intercourse, other types of intimate behavior including oral sex can spread some infections.

For many, the numbers likely seem “overwhelming because you’re talking about nearly half of the sexually experienced teens at any one time having evidence of an STD,” said Dr. Margaret Blythe, an adolescent medicine specialist at Indiana University School of Medicine and head of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ committee on adolescence.

I hate to come off like a prude or seem naive, but I find the fact that 3 million teenage girls have or have had a sexually transmitted disease a bit disturbing.

Sara Silverman for President

Great romantic novels? The first paragraph is misleading. It should read, “They can kill you!”

LONDON (Reuters) - It has been the stuff of great romantic novels and blockbuster films. Doctors have long suspected it. A study of 9,000 British civil servants has at last established it is possible to die of a ‘broken heart’.

The study, reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found the stress and anxiety of hostile, angry relationships can boost the risk of developing heart disease. Chances of a heart attack or chest pain rose by 34 percent compared to people on good terms with a spouse or partner.

“A person’s heart condition seems to be influenced by negative intimate relationships,” researchers wrote. “We showed that the negative aspects of close relationships…are associated with coronary heart disease.”

photo by Apollo Sputnik

We don’t usually do the whole celebrity, train-wreck thing here, ‘cuz so many sites do it better.

But this is too bizarre to pass up:

This poor girl reminds me of an aging stripper. She can’t even lip sync anymore … it’s almost as if she’s hearing the song for the first time.

Oh, this has to be the couple of the summer, if not the YEAR!

Cops nab pair for sex act in public

A Moorhead man scheduled to be married today was arrested early Friday morning for having sex in a public place while wearing a kilt, and with a woman other than his fiancée.

Nathan Ross Blair, 24, and Chandra Schaefer, 20, were arrested after police received two reports within 90 seconds about 3:15 a.m. that a man in a black kilt was exposing himself and then seen having sex with a woman on a car in the 1000 block of North University Drive, according to police dispatch logs.

According to Cass County District Court documents:

Police found Blair and Schaefer intertwined near a pine tree after a friend pointed them out to police officers responding to the complaints. All three were walking home when Blair and Schaefer told their friend to keep walking. She turned around to see them having sex on the hood of a car, she told police.

When police shined a flashlight on the pair, Blair turned around and looked at the officer but continued having sex with Schaefer until the officer ordered him to stop.

Schaefer was then instructed to put her pants on.

When questioned by police, Blair denied exposing himself to passing cars or having sex with Schaefer on the car.

Blair, 630 Birch Lane S., was still wearing a kilt and a “FOR SALE” T-shirt when he appeared in Cass County District Court by closed circuit television Friday morning.

He pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of fornicating in a public place and indecent exposure, convictions that could require him to register as a convicted sex offender.

Formal charges had not been filed as of Friday against Schaefer, 3407 46th Ave. S., Fargo, who was released after posting $300 bail.

She was wearing a shirt with Blair’s first name and the logo of Blair’s Disc Rolling, the Moorhead business he owns and operates, when she was booked at the jail.

Police noted that both appeared intoxicated when they were arrested and cited Schaefer for being a minor in consumption.

After posting $300 bail and being released from jail, Blair initially told a Forum reporter that the allegations against him were untrue and said he wanted to explain what really happened, but did not elaborate.

When called a second time and read a copy of the police report, he said he did not wish to comment on whether what it said was untrue.

“I’m sorry I even said that before I talked with my lawyer, and I shouldn’t have even said anything,” he said.

When asked if he was still getting married today, Blair said “goodbye” and hung up the phone.

When reached Friday, Schaefer said what she was accused of was not true, but she did not care, before saying she had no comment and hanging up.

Attempts to reach the fiancée were unsuccessful.

The comments
are equally entertaining.