renaissance2010
Turning to photography as a creative outlet during a valiant fight with breast cancer at age 34, renaissance10 survived and set up a photo contest to help raise funds for the Lavender Trust, a nonprofit that provides information and support to younger women with breast cancer. In the first two years, the competition brought in over £65,000 (that's $107,260.73 U.S.!), with entries from 130 countries last year. Renaissance10 recently joined LiveJournal to meet other passionate photographers and find supportive friends.

curiouscupcakes
Holy buttercream frosting! If you have a sweet tooth for sugary goodness or a wandering eye for whimsical confection, this is pure ecstasy iced in deliciousness. Hailing the beloved cupcake as the artisinal canvas of choice, you'll enjoy recipes, photos, and bountiful tips to bake up a batch, whether your taste leans toward French classics or funky and flavorful.

mission101
With New Years in the offing, it's an ideal time to reflect on past accomplishments, make peace with disappointments, and refocus the lens on future goals. This community welcomes you to create a bucket list of 101 things you plan to accomplish in the next 1,001 days. Offering support, guidance, and inspiration, this is a great way to jumpstart those pesky resolutions.

We went to see this today. I have to say: I think Mark is quite, quite wrong about 3D. Avatar is supposed to be shown in 3D, and I think it makes a big difference. It's not like moving from black and white to colour, but there is a sense of depth - a staging that brings solidity to the stuff moving on screen, most of which is fake. I think it becomes a lot more real in 3D.

That's not to say it's not going to lose that much in 2D; as a film it probably works just as well if we're honest. But it's not the same film.

Quite possibly there will be very few films which do justice to 3D, at least in the next five years. And directors will keep doing the pointy-pointy thing at the viewer's head to get a physical reaction, and indeed that is very gimmicky. But, there is a huge amount of potential to it.

One thing I haven't seen - and which I would be interested to know if anyone has - is the use of the depth field in 3D. Things won't need to be entirely visible in order to be seen in 3D: for example, the "Predator effect" could be extremely subtle yet incredibly unnerving if done right with light bending in different ways for both eyes, in a way that 2D cinema would not be able to achieve.

But, in short, I think this could be very, very cool. I would have liked to have seen the base jumping scene from Star Trek in 3D....

i_hope_that
For many of us, the holidays can be kind of rough. If you're searching for a network of understanding friends, this ultra-nurturing community encourages you to express your heartfelt wishes and offer other members encouragement and acceptance. Not for the terminally snarky or emotionally-challenged, this is a good-spirited place to lend comfort and support.

diygifts
Feeling crafty? If you've got a few last folks on your holiday gift list, this is a great place to seed your creativity and generosity. You'll also discover wonderful DIY tips to decorate your home and entertain guests. Offering a no-frills-no-skills attitude that welcomes the cash-challenged and arts-phobic, you're sure to get ideas and make friends in the process.

cooking_club
A fun and friendly community dedicated to those who love to cook, whether you're a meat-and-potatoes type, an aspiring gourmand, and/or a vegan. In search of a brilliant dish to use up those weekly leftovers? Post your ingredients and you'll be whipping up a feast by dinner. You can also share favorite recipes. For Type A chefs, you can spice up your culinary repertoire with exciting cooking challenges.

stepstomarrow
When granddaughter, Jada, was born with leukemia, a donor-match was located and Jada made a miraculous recovery. In honor of her grandaughter's health, Jeanna has decided to walk across the country (in the dead of winter) to raise awareness and build support for the bone marrow registry (all that's required is a cheek swab). Follow Jeanna's remarkable journey as she travels the United States by foot.