According to the Norwegian tabloid Verdens Gang, Kaja Bordevich Ballo, daughter of Norwegian Parliament member Olav Gunnar Ballo, reportedly took her own life [English translation] after scoring poorly on a Scientology personality test. There is some skepticism as to the validity of the report. The results of the test were time-stamped just hours before Ballo’s death, but this could merely be an excuse to cover up the real cause of death, given that Kaja comes from a politically motivated family.

As you may have heard, the personality test, also called the Oxford Capacity Analysis (OCA) or American Personality Analysis, is offered free by the Church of Scientology and comprises an integral part of their recruitment efforts. The test however, has been extensively criticized as it almost exclusively yields negative results. Here are some testimonials from people who have taken the test:
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Wednesday, the body of a 48-year-old construction worker was found hanging from one of the rafters of a construction site on a property owned by controversial filmmaker/actor Mel Gibson.

“Detectives along with paramedics arrived at the scene and the gentleman was pronounced dead on arrival. Cause of death will be determined by the Los Angeles Coroner’s office,” Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Det. Eddie Brown told E! News.

Based on the state of his body, which was reportedly in “full-body rigor mortis,” authorities believe his death might have occurred on the night before he was discovered. So far, officials say no note was found, and no clear reason for the suicide has been identified.

“There were three additional co-workers there, one of them notified the police,” Brown added. “Nobody lives on the property, it’s only wood framework.”

TMZ.com is reporting that the suicide victim was Michael John Van Dyke, who also worked as a prop foreman for the Psycho remake.

No details are available yet, but here’s an article from the New York Times:

The actor Heath Ledger was found dead this afternoon in an apartment building at 421 Broome Street in SoHo, according to the New York City police. Mr. Ledger was 28.

At 3:31 p.m., a masseuse arrived at Apartment 5A in the building for an appointment with Mr. Ledger, the police said. The masseuse was let in to the home by a housekeeper, who then knocked on the door of Mr. Ledger’s bedroom. When no one answered, the housekeeper and the masseuse opened the bedroom and found Mr. Ledger unconscious. They shook him, but he did not respond. They immediately called the authorities. The police said they did not suspect foul play and said they found pills near body.

Mr. Ledger, a native of Perth, Australia, won acclaim for his role as a co-star in “Brokeback Mountain”, a 2005 film. The film, based on a short story by Annie Proulx about two cowboys who fall in love, won critical acclaim. Reviewing the film in The New York Times, the critic Stephen Holden wrote, “Mr. Ledger magically and mysteriously disappears beneath the skin of his lean, sinewy character. It is a great screen performance, as good as the best of Marlon Brando and Sean Penn.”

Calls by The New York Times to Mara Buxbaum, a publicist for Mr. Ledger, and Steve Alexander, the actor’s agent, were not immediately returned this afternoon.

UPDATE: As could be ascertained by the “found pills” statement in the original NY Times story, most signs are pointing to suicide. with Ledger’s friend telling US Magazine that “we saw it coming”:

“Heath has gone though a rough road of trying to get sober,” the source tells Us.

“Things were very dark,” the source says. “His one joy was Matilda.” Matilda is his 2-year-old daughter with ex-wife Michelle Williams. They split in September.

“Everything else was misery for him,” adds the source. “Unfortunately he was too late in getting help.”

In some countries, teens commit suicide by blowing themselves up for the good of their God or country or whatever. Yet in America thousands of teens commit suicide every year to NO NATIONAL ADVANTAGE. What I don’t get is why we don’t utilize this impressive natural, national resource and send our suicidal youths over to our enemies to do some damage. Just seems like a real waste. href=”http://www.hopeline.com/”>1-800-SUICIDE

Actor Owen Wilson reportedly tried committing suicide this weekend, cutting his wrists and taking a bunch of pills. A statement by the actor, released to TMZ.com stated “I respectfully ask that the media allow me to receive care and heal in private during this difficult time.” EMO. Maybe he watched that part in The Royal Tennenbaums where his brother gets all bummed out to Elliott Smith and tries to kill himself too many times.