Actually Yvonne, it's me you hear applauding! I would find the person responsible for choosing the photo and give them a job because that person "gets" how to grab attention which is key in publishing and marketing.
Let's face it, cancer is a word that you bring up that most people will just chalk up as a scare tactic. Our society is desensititized (sp) and even when there is alarming news most people will miss it due to being constantly bombarded by such messages. A quick example is the dentist in Elizabeths interview not knowing the facts about the #1 cause of OC..and that person "should" know.
How many people will read that article now because of an "offensive" photo? More then without it I'll wager.
