| Couple files class action lawsuit against Blue Cross
SOUTH FLORIDA -- When Logan Wealcatch of Plantation was 3 months old, doctors diagnosed him with a severe deformation of the skull called plagiocephaly. Specialists immediately outfitted the infant with a corrective helmet to realign his skull and prevent permanent facial deformities, along with hearing and vision problems. But when Logan's parents, Matthew and Alison Wealcatch, submitted the $2,000 bill to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Inc., they received a letter telling them that the helmet was a cosmetic accessory and would not be covered. Now, the Wealcatches are suing the insurance company on behalf of their son, as well as the families of other children suffering from plagiocephaly, a condition that affects one in 10 newborns in the United States, according to the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery.
Mendes Rules Out Plastic Surgery
Hollywood beauty EVA MENDES will never consider having plastic surgery because she could never allow doctors to invade her body in that way. The Latina actress - who recently (JAN07) admitted any weight she puts on goes straight to her breasts - has ruled out going under the knife to keep her sexy looks. She says, "No, not for me. That's a brutal operation. Very invasive. I'm really into the subconscious, you know? "I wonder if they can hear the doctors talking about you when you lie there. Because you're out, but you're still alive. "I'd want to be plugged into my iPod or something."
31/01/2007 17:23
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EVA MENDES
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Trashy teen novels glorify bad behavior
Recently, I was in the teen section of a large bookstore skimming books for my 10th-grade English class when I came across the young-adult novel Beautiful Disaster by Kylie Adams. Captivated by its provocative cover - a dripping wet, bikini-clad blonde relaxing on the side of a swimming pool - I opened the book and began reading. Within a dozen pages I was introduced to a cast of characters so unscrupulous and trashy that I thought I was reading a romance novel by Danielle Steel. The only difference, of course, is that all the characters in Beautiful Disaster were minors. Their ages ranged from 15 to 17, but this didn't keep them from binge drinking, swearing, using illegal drugs, and engaging in promiscuous sex; one of the characters, a 15-year-old girl named Shoshanna, actually had breast implants.
Implant factory adjusts to silicone rule
In many spots, the factory looks like an especially clean industrial kitchen. Workers are covered from head to toe in surgical scrubs. Stacked on stainless steel rolling trays are mounds of various sizes and shapes, all resembling risen pizza dough. Mentor Corp. has its global manufacturing operations at this 145,000 square-foot factory that is home to the nation's only breast implant manufacturing facility and anecdotally known as one of the augmentation capitals of the United States. The recent FDA approval of silicone-gel implants -- ending a 14-year virtual ban -- has far-reaching ramifications in Texas. All made-in-the-U.S.A. breast implants begin here, the starting point for nearly a quarter million breast augmentation surgeries a year. The daily grind of making implants might not change much -- but what workers are doing here will affect hundreds of thousands of women a year.
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