This is drawn by xenopus and reposted from olenenyok :)
**

We're going to keep this short and sweet (Frank and birthday vgifts will be back next week). You've probably seen the updates to our main menu. Don't be alarmed. You'll find everything you need, just in slightly shifted format. Just so you know, we based these changes on input from both experienced and new users who were not familiar with LiveJournal. Our goal was to reduce barriers to usability and make LiveJournal more accessible and easy to navigate. Please note that this is a work in progress. We welcome your detailed suggestions in feedback. We thank you, in advance, for helping us improve your LiveJournal experience.

We've updated the global navigation menu:

Here's a quick breakdown of what you'll find where:

• Scrapbook can now be found under My Stuff, along with Settings, Stats, and Edit Profile.
• You'll find all the tools you need to post and update entries under Journal, which includes posting and editing entries, managing comments and tags, and customizing your journal's style.
• Friends contains all of your friend settings, from filtering your Friends page to adding, removing, and finding new and existing friends on LiveJournal.
• Under Communities, you'll find links to manage your communities, accept community invites, and create new communities.
• Explore includes search features, RSS feeds, Question of the Day, and FRNK radio.
• Under Shop, you'll find links to upgrade or give a paid account, buy virtual gifts, purchase LiveJournal merchandise (like T-shirts), and view your payment history.

LiveJournal Mobile update:

We've enhanced LiveJournal's mobile site to improve usability and load times. We've made more of LiveJournal's features accessible via mobile, including posting comments, uploading photos, reading and commenting on friends' posts, finding and messaging friends, and more. We look forward to reviewing your feedback and recommendations for future improvements.

Other important changes:

• You can lock comments to prevent further commenting on a post, while leaving existing comments visible.
• We replaced the "Tell a friend" link with a new "Share This" widget that lets you share LiveJournal posts on other social media sites, including Facebook, Digg, Twitter, etc.
• We changed some of the icons on entries (you can hover over the icons to view descriptions).
• You'll see a Tag count on your Tag management page.
• You'll now see the 10 most recent vgifts on your profile page. To remove vgifts, left-click on the vgift and choose whether you want to remove the vgift from your profile or delete it entirely.
• We've added options to help you control receipt of vgifts, which you'll find in My Stuff under Edit Profile. You can now enable vgifts from friends or everyone and disable anonymous vgifts.

We've got your fix:

• UPDATE: We understand that Scrapbook was broken by our latest release. We're working on resolving this issue as soon as possible. In the meantime, please be aware that you cannot edit or delete photos, manage galleries, or add titles to photos. In addition, you may not be able to change privacy settings on photos. In other words, once you try to edit a photo, the changes will not be applied, and the photo will be automatically set to private (which cannot be changed).
• UPDATE: There was an unintentional change in the price of userpics. We will do a patch release to fix this ASAP, and we'll refund anyone who purchased userpics at the higher price.
• Non-conforming images will now be automatically resized for custom mood themes.
• Line breaks no longer count as two characters against your entry's character limit.
• We fixed a bug on the Manage Tags page so you can clear all tags and add new tags.
• We corrected the UI for the update.bml page so it displays properly in IE8.

Thanks again for joining us. Frank and company will be back next week!

Cancer News Offers Readers Hope and Hype, But No Help
David Casarett, M.D.Doctor, Author
Posted: March 16, 2010 08:52 AM

Cancer is a serious, life-threatening illness that kills more than half a million people every year in the U.S. alone. But you'd never know that if you get most of your information from newspapers and magazines. This is the surprising result of a study that was published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

A group of researchers (of which I was one) examined more than 400 articles about cancer and cancer treatment that appeared in publications with a national and international readership. We looked in magazines like People, Time, and Newsweek, as well as in newspapers like the Chicago Tribune and the New York Times. And what we found surprised us.

For instance, we discovered that although 95 percent reported exclusively on aggressive treatments like chemotherapy, radiation therapy and bone marrow transplants, only 13 percent mentioned that those aggressive treatments can fail. Moreover, less than a third mentioned the adverse effects--like nausea, hair loss, immune suppression, and fatigue--that these treatments can cause.

These results are disappointing, because it's clear that these articles aren't providing readers with the information they need. Imagine if you, or someone you love, have cancer. Now imagine that you're reading one of these articles, looking for advice and guidance about the side effects of treatment. Maybe you want to know if a problem or a symptom is normal. Or maybe you want a sense of what other problems might be lurking around the corner. You're not going to get that information from the articles that we found.

Of course, it's not such a terrible thing if we can't find what we need about cancer in newspapers and magazines. These are just one source of information that's available to us. If we don't find what we're looking for in one of these articles, we can look somewhere else.

That's why the real problem with these articles is not the information that's missing from them, but rather the biased picture that they give of what it's like to have cancer.

For instance, only one percent of these articles focused on palliative interventions like hospice that can improve the quality of life of people with incurable cancer. That's a serious omission because it suggests to readers that these symptoms can't be managed. But that's simply not true. Although cancer may be impossible to cure, pain can always be treated. That's what I tell my patients, and that's what these articles should be telling the public, but they're not.

The most worrisome thing we found in these articles, though, was the way that they carefully avoid mentioning death and dying. In fact, only eight percent mentioned the possibility that people die of their cancer. And of the more than 200 individual patients who were described in these articles, about 80 percent were reported to have survived. That message is unfortunate, because although cure rates are this high for a few cancers, the prognosis for most is much worse.

What's the message that these results offer readers? It's clear: People don't die of cancer. But of course they do. Every day.

Perhaps this bias shouldn't be surprising. It's just one face of the media's hype around hope. We're all scared of getting cancer, and of course we're scared of dying. So these articles play to this fear by reassuring us that there are treatments that work, and that there are cures that are effective. That is, they tell us what we want to hear.

It's unlikely that message is going to change any time soon. People want hope, and newspapers and magazines need to give their readers what they want. That's particularly true today, in this era of shrinking circulations and online competition. So we shouldn't expect a more honest portrayal of cancer anytime soon.

Nevertheless, the future isn't entirely bleak, because we have access to a wide range of other sources of information that can offer a more honest view of what it's like to live (and die) with serious illnesses like cancer. For instance, people are turning to social networking sites like Facebook to stay in touch with friends and family members who are struggling with serious illness. In fact, some sites like CarePages are designed specifically for this purpose. Those sites provide a wealth of facts and feelings and beliefs, raw and unfiltered.

And blogs, of course, are becoming a widely available source of genuine perspectives of real people. Honest, direct, and passionate, many blogs tell it like it is. Like the wonderful blog of Eva Markvoort, a young woman dying of Cystic Fibrosis, who shares what she learns from each day that she has left.

Eva's blog, and many others like it, carry messages of hope, of course. In that regard they're not so different than what we'd get from the New York Times. They tell us what we want to hear.

But they also don't shy away from the realities that people with serious illnesses like cancer face every day. They tell us not only about the good days, but about the bad days, too. They're not just about hope, but also about despair. That is, they're telling us not just what we want to hear, but also what we need to hear.

Antiseptic baths in ICU keep infection rates down
Giving severely injured ICU patients a bath using antiseptic-soaked washcloths reduced their risk of catheter-related infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, MRSA and other super-bug infections. Harborview Medical Center in Seattle uses the baths for all ICU patients and saw the number of MRSA infections per 1,000 patients drop from 20 to 7.6. Reuters (3/15)

Reposted from anastgal --cute kitties collection drawn by xenopus 
**
Картинки кликабельные, но не факт, что клик выведет на больший формат - автор xenopus не любитель выкладывать в своём блоге большие картинки. К моему огромному сожалению.
Если я не ошибаюсь, то на первой фотографии магазин, в котором бы у меня в зобу спёрло дыхание, а жаба выросла до неимоверных размеров и придушила до смерти.
Уважаемый Ксенопус (в миру Алексей) лично и письменно дал добро на скачать и опубликовать его работы в виде галереи. Я промотала его блог на четыре года назад и собрала всё, до чего дотянулась.
Не скачала замечательное: АЗБУКУ, которая прекрасна. Хочется попросить автора разрешить скачать и её тоже. Только я потеряла ссылку... :(( Блин, дура я склеротичная! :(( И ещё хочу просить художника позволить мне сделать аватарки из его рисунков для раздачи людям. А вдруг он позволит? Надежда умирает последней.

( MORE kitties this way: )

wordy_icons
Searching for words to the wise? Come celebrate the joy of witty userpics in this creative, sharing community. A great place to strut your stuff or hunt down the perfect turn of phrase to complement your mood du jour. If you love the art of snark, you'll find inspiration, admiration, and entertaining jubilation.

corrupted_wish
Ever dream you'd find a genie in a bottle to grant your fondest wish? Granted!! Simply post your ardent desire and an alternative reality will materialize before your weary eyes. Quirky, creative, and oddly cathartic, a place where fantasies come true, but never in quite the manner you imagined. Shooting star meets Murphy's Law.

cookingfailures
Whether you're a wizard or a passionate novice in the kitchen, we've all had our share of recipe disasters. From the fallen souffle to the runny chocolate mousse to the lasagna that looks (and/or tastes) like it's been eaten before, come embrace your epic fails through photos and stories. Help others learn from your cooking calamities or simply revel in the fun of failure.

for today i need to drop the similes. poetics left standing in the doorframe. blue collared words only please.

i haven't stood up except to transfer to the commode. i can sit up easily cross legged to play cards, beating everyone who dares to play with me. they say me on drugs equals them with normal card playing abiility....and yet i continue to kick ass....

i still need someone with me at all times. my core team has been vigilant with this one and my mother in particular has been with me almost 24/7. it's an interesting way to get to know your mother. i am so grateful for our quiet times together. we spend a lot of time cuddling and focusing our positive energy and stretching my aching unused limbs

since posting that video a month ago on youtube....

there have been three close calls- each one a little worse then the last.

the most recent one - i had an allergic reaction to a bronchial dilating nebulizer... two minutes of breathing in this medication and i felt like i couldn't breathe. i quickly went from feeling like i couldn't breathe to actually NOT being able to breathe. my smaller airways had swollen and no air was getting through. the head nurse rushed in and tried to keep me conscious as the lack of oxygen was causing me to pass out. once the highest ranking doctor was in the room she assessed the situation and had ventilin (even though i react extra shakily to it) given to me. she thought it was too late as i was barely breathing and was in a non responsive state.
my family didn't stop.
they did exactly what i asked them to.
i had told them that if this were ever to happen that i am not ready yet. there may come a day but that day is not just yet. i want them to help me fight! my mum kept yelling and my brother sitting close talking loudly into my ear and holding my hand,
"don't give up eva! keep looking at me! come on you can do it...this is not your time!.. one more breath! come on eva! i love you!". for the next hour the doctors walked the balance between keeping me un-distressed (whenever i regained consciousness my lack of oxygen caused me a great amount of anxiety so i would begin to physically fight...not useful at this point in the game!) and breathing. they had to give meds to keep me sedated as i wouldn't stop fighting.
i can write about this now that time has passed and i am breathing a little easier but even a day after this event i had a tough time talking about it let alone writing it out for the world to share. my doctor told me that in 23 years of medical practice she had never seen someone recover from that state, from that much respiratory distress.

that happens and then your friends call the next day and ask how was the night? did you watch the hockey game?

it's so strange. this is my reality.


and then there are days devoted to nausea.
devoted.
ups and down. lights, no lights. chatting, silence.
puking
puking
puking
gravol
sleep
sleep
sleep
and there is a certain calmness in that sleep. to cuddle with my friends. to curl up with my family.

Have found this marvelous selection of quotes whilst looking for something else (isn't that how 'Net usually works? ;)  Enjoy!
Cat
**

Today is International Pi Day, because it is 3/14!!!

I have forgotten about it, actually, until I logged on to Google and saw this (see below).
[Yes, did I mention my mom's a math teacher? And so's her brother? XD]

**

Reposted from vasily_sergeev 
**

**
( Translation of lyrics here:  )

Abou Ben Adhem

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An angel writing in a book of gold:—
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the Presence in the room he said,
"What writest thou?"—The vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered "The names of those who love the Lord."
"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerily still, and said "I pray thee, then,
Write me as one that loves his fellow men."

The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blessed,
And lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest.


 

James Henry Leigh Hunt

http://www.poemhunter.com/

We're finishing up a few odds and ends before our next major release. Our mighty Ops guys continue to slay spambots and balance load times on a highwire without a safety net (which is kind of tough dressed in full ninja gear). Down on solid ground, we're celebrating this week's virtual birthday party with a warm toast to pants. If you can rearrange the letters of your favorite city, state, and/or country (feel free to combine these elements) to spell one of Frank's favorite treats (e.g., pants, wire, paper, etc.), he'll send you over a can of whipped cream to top it all off (provided you return the empty can for his midnight snack)! And, with that, let the word scrambling commence!

Stuff you should know:

We're still working on the delayed/missing notifications issue. Sorry, we're frustrated too. We'll keep you posted. Last week, we became aware that a recently-implemented script was overwriting affiliate referral fees for some of our users. Once we confirmed this, our Ops team quickly removed the script. Please be aware that, while we may beta-test other affiliate scripts down the line, we will take greater measures to ensure that no existing user-referral arrangements are impacted in any way. While we plan to stick to a weekly news schedule, if we have a release in between regular newsletters, we'll post here to keep you informed. You can also check lj_releases for current release information.

To our paid users, we send squirrels in love!

If you have a paid or permanent account, you can send five free Squirrels in love vgifts through Monday, March 15th at 4pm, PST! You'll see both the free and the $0.99 squirrels displayed until they've scurried off to their new homes. Please send only one vgift at a time. In other words, you'll need to complete check-out and start a new order for each vgift you send. If you're not receiving vgifts (from friends and/or Frank), you may have disabled them. To enable vgifts, visit Edit profile (under Profile), scroll down to the bottom of the page, and select 'Do not disable' from the drop-down menu. Have fun!

Help is on the way!

We're pleased to announce the winner of our first charitable vgift poll, Doctors without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières, which provides critical medical care to under-served populations around the world. Priced at $2.99, we'll donate 100 percent of the proceeds we raise from the sale of this vgift (we'll cover credit card fees). We invite you to start recommending nonprofits for our next fundraising drive at ljnewscontests. We'll take suggestions through the month and post a poll in the news during the first week of April to let you choose the recipient. We thank you, again, for your passion and generosity.

We've crowned a header

Congratulations to ohterlus for submitting the winning header, which will go live next week and keep us leafy through mid-April! You can submit designs for our next header contest at ljnewscontests now until March 31st. We'll post a poll in the news to let you decide which header will sit at the top of LiveJournal from mid-April to mid-May. All artistic interpretations are welcome. The winner will get a $25 LiveJournal gift certificate. All other contributors will receive $5 gift certificates. Our heartfelt appreciation for sharing your talent and creativity!

For this week's winning photo and more adventures with Frank & Meme, we'll catch you under the cut!

( Read more... )

There's a new comm by wirral_bagpuss :) Please join if you're interested!  This is what she says about it:

I have created a new community to discuss all things relating to Dr. Watson. Members can discuss anything to do with Dr.Watson in the Canon or the actors who played him on film, TV, and stage. The community can also discuss Victorian medicine, Victorian life, the Afghan war, First World War, anything really that relates to Dr. Watson and his friendship with Sherlock Holmes

If you want to join, just click on this link and you will find yourself welcomed to Dr. Watson's Consulting Room !!  jwatsonmd 

Hope to see you there !!! :)

Ode

The spacious firmament on high,
With all the blue ethereal sky,
And spangled heav'ns, a shining frame,
Their great original proclaim:
Th' unwearied Sun, from day to day,
Does his Creator's power display,
And publishes to every land
The work of an Almighty Hand.

Soon as the evening shades prevail,
The Moon takes up the wondrous tale,
And nightly to the list'ning Earth
Repeats the story of her birth:
Whilst all the stars that round her burn,
And all the planets, in their turn,
Confirm the tidings as they roll,
And spread the truth from pole to pole.

What though, in solemn silence, all
Move round the dark terrestrial ball?
What though nor real voice nor sound
Amid their radiant orbs be found?
In Reason's ear they all rejoice,
And utter forth a glorious voice,
For ever singing, as they shine,
'The Hand that made us is Divine.'

Joseph Addison

http://www.poemhunter.com/

Copied from vasily_sergeev 

Художник Эмиль Мунье

Эмиль Мунье – французский художник, родился 2 июня 1840 г. в Париже. Эмиль Мунье был сторонником академических идеалов в живописи и последователем Вильяма Адольфа Бугеро (William Bouguereau), чей талант стал одним из важных факторов вдохновения для молодого Мунье.
Игра с младенцем

( Several more family scenes with children and cats :) )

The Need of Being Versed in Country Things

The house had gone to bring again
To the midnight sky a sunset glow.
Now the chimney was all of the house that stood,
Like a pistil after the petals go.

The barn opposed across the way,
That would have joined the house in flame
Had it been the will of the wind, was left
To bear forsaken the place's name.

No more it opened with all one end
For teams that came by the stony road
To drum on the floor with scurrying hoofs
And brush the mow with the summer load.

The birds that came to it through the air
At broken windows flew out and in,
Their murmur more like the sigh we sigh
From too much dwelling on what has been.

Yet for them the lilac renewed its leaf,
And the aged elm, though touched with fire;
And the dry pump flung up an awkward arm;
And the fence post carried a strand of wire.

For them there was really nothing sad.
But though they rejoiced in the nest they kept,
One had to be versed in country things
Not to believe the phoebes wept.

Robert Frost

http://www.poemhunter.com/