Madonna's the new face of plastic surgery?: Madonna's face graces the cover of New York magazine under the headline "The New New Face." It cites her smooth-skinned, baby-faced visage as an example of the plumped-up look favored by today's celebrities, in contrast to the tight facelifts of the eighties and nineties. The magazine draws attention to "the Mount Rushmore cheekbones, the angular jawline, the smoothed forehead, the plumped skin, the heartlike shape of the face" which make her look so young.

Family buys rat-infested million dollar home: When the Denham family moved into their Pacific Palisades home, they discovered it was over-run with rodents because a pair of elderly twin ladies who lived next door had been feeding the rat population for years. Experts estimate the ladies' actions may have added 500,000 new rats to L.A.'s Westside. Sisters Marjorie and Margaret Barthel are facing a lawsuit filed by neighbors Scott and Liz Denham, who were forced to exterminate the neighbor's home themselves to protect their two small children after the Department of Health did not take action.  

Caretaker charged with kidnapping: A woman who cared for a family recovering from Hurricane Katrina was arrested and charged with kidnapping Thursday after police said she refused to return five children to their mother for a month. Rhonda Tavey, 44, claimed the mother mistreated her children, ages 3 to 8, so she didn't want to turn them over to her. The kids are now in the custody of Child Protective Services until the agency can determine whether it is safe for them to return to their mother. Tavey's lawyer said Tavey could face 2 to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine if convicted.

Vitamin C lowers diabetes risk: Eating fruits and veggies may help lower a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 62 percent, a new British study reveals. In a study of 21,831 middle-aged and older men and women, those with the highest levels of vitamin C were significantly less likely to develop diabetes over 12 years than those with the lowest levels. These results offer "persuasive evidence of a beneficial effect of vitamin C and fruit and vegetable intake on diabetes risk," say researchers.

More info: NY Magazine, rodents, Katrina, diabetes


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