No matter how great Cindy Crawford is as a model, that's the most beautiful picture I've seen of her yet—in the role of mom.
Daria Williams, Bandera, Texas
So, Cindy Crawford had a baby. I'm so excit...Excuse me, I drifted off a minute there. What were we talking about?
Joan Elmouchi, Garden City, Mich.
Cindy Crawford gets put on the cover of PEOPLE because she had a baby! Big deal! Who cares? She is not the first woman to ever give birth, nor will she be the last.
Linda Alpert, via e-mail
I've got to tell you! The cover shot of the Gerber-Crawford family makes me want to have my husband's vasectomy reversed! It's the epitome of love!
M. Standish, Santa Barbara, Calif.
I had to laugh out loud when I read that Cindy Crawford will "have the same problems as everyone else." The article talks about her personal trainer, hired live-in help, and a decorator in charge of renovating the nursery. I wish I had Cindy's problems!
Lisa Hummitsch, Oak Lawn, Ill.
Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber's birth experience is all the more sacred for their having birthed baby Presley at home—and that has to do with much, much more than just seeking privacy. Home birth, attended by a midwife, has been proved to be both safer and a more positive experience for healthy, low-risk women. Today's technical hospital births make birth primarily a clinical event rather than a spiritual one. Having witnessed a thousand hospital births as an RN, I recognize that we've "tech-nologized" birth to a tragic point.
Maribeth Diver, Seattle
As a paramedic and registered nurse, I was disappointed that Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, with all their resources and access to the best medical services, chose a home birth. This decision put their privacy first and the child's safety last. If there had been complications for the delivery, no 911 service would have been fast enough. A midwife isn't equipped to handle such emergencies.
Sara Stewart, St. Peters, Mo.
If Cindy Crawford is truly anxious to live like a "typical mom," I'm sure there are millions of women who would be happy to trade places with her.
Monika Downing, Antioch, Calif.
Matuschka
I had a mastectomy 18 months ago following the discovery of two cancerous lumps. You cannot imagine the profound relief and joy I felt when my doctor told me the cancer had not spread to my lymph nodes. Given the same set of circumstances, I would make the same choice again. In Matuschka's case, she should have taken her own advice and gotten a second opinion before she had a mastectomy. It was ultimately her choice. And shame on the jury that awarded her $2.2 million for not telling her the same thing!
Lea Ann Newquist, Lexington, Ky.
Nothing in this world, including a breast, is more important than one's life. With her family's history of breast cancer, Matuschka should be thanking her doctor for a second chance. She could be one of the thousands who fought the battle against cancer and lost.
Virginia Elliott, La Mesa, Calif.
I recently lost my mother-in-law to breast cancer, and I can't believe the anger in this article. Matuschka should be thanking her lucky stars for righting this terrible disease and having a winning hand. I would trade anything for my mother-in-law to have had that. Matuschka suing her doctor for something that she has a family history of? I know a mastectomy is disfiguring and very hard to cope with, but death is harder.
M. Thomas, Woodbridge, Va.
I don't suppose the thousands of women whose lives have been saved by mastectomies would agree with Matuschka's contention that they should be outlawed. The bottom line is that Dr. Cody's recommended action for such a high-risk patient as herself resulted in a cancer-free woman, albeit an ungracious one.
Harout Mekhjian Jr., Alpine, N.J.
As a breast cancer survivor who had a mastectomy in 1995, I do not consider my choice a mutilation, but a lifesaver. I resent the fact that this insecure, conceited, one-named woman, who apparently has her whole identity tied to a few body parts, dares to imply that the legions of survivors due to mastectomy are freaks. Get into the real world, lady! I had my surgery three days before my 49th birthday, and I've just celebrated my 53rd because of my choice.
Cyd Buckley, Carefree, Ariz.
My guess is that Matuschka was an angry person before her breast cancer and that now she has something tangible to direct her anger at. She needs counseling, not a $2.2 million award.
Gail Johnson, Randolph, N.J.
Farrah Slad
Good for Farrah Slad, the 21-year-old $78.8 million lottery winner! It's so nice to see a young single woman win such a great jackpot. I'm tired of all the old retired couples winning big. Farrah, relax—spend wisely and enjoy!
Christy Telker, O'Fallon, Mo.
Brian Bea
A house with an incredible view is something most Americans would cherish, but at what cost? Mr. Bea apparently thought that having the view was worth marring it for everyone else. Some of the most beautiful spots in America are being torn apart and developed. One would hope that Mr. Bea would try to blend in with the landscape instead of sticking out of it.
Bryan Yerman, Dunedin, Fla.
Many of us who were born and raised in this area are happy to see this house being built by members of a family who have lived and worked here for years. This house is being left natural, and in a few months the weathering will make it hardly noticeable from the Oregon side of the river. Tell Kevin Gorman to take care of his own backyard and leave this family alone.
Gerry Brashears, Hood River, Ore.
I want Brian Bea to know that he has people on the East Coast rooting for him. My husband and I moved from Oregon, and we know the Columbia Gorge and love the scenery. But the land he used to build his home on was his land, not the government's. You can't give someone permission to build a home and then, after it's built, tell them to move it. If the building permit office was so concerned, they should have taken time out of their day and visited the site beforehand.
Sonya Ambuehl, Albany, N.Y.
Brian Bea is being selfish claiming a right to his house on the Columbia River Gorge. He and his family may have an extensive history in the area, but so do many other individuals. Furthermore, Bea is creating a slippery slope—other landowners will ask why they are not able to build their dream houses. The commission will have a hard time justifying Bea's exception, and when the entire gorge is built up with houses, Brian Bea will have lost the beautiful view that his "dream house" was originally built for.
Susan Armstrong, Lubbock, Texas
I guess it would be safe to assume that a person who is professionally trained in the medical field should not take on the task of playing general contractor. Brian Bea was given an opportunity to build a house in a place millions of us could only dream of and wish for. His blatant disregard for the guidelines that had been put in place to ensure his right to build and to preserve what is left of this country's natural beauty stands as a strong argument for the necessity of environmental rights groups.
J. Wible, Benicia, Calif.
Scoop
I was outraged by the ignorance of Jeane Kirkpatrick that she would think her poodle Jasper was "never in jeopardy" when left in her car. A woman of her intelligence should know that animals can die in a matter of minutes if left in a hot car, even with the windows open. Let's take away her sweat glands and put her inside a locked car on a hot day and see how she likes it.
Erica Gardner, Sarasota, Fla.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
