Thank you everyone for your beautiful entries to the Season of the Wolf III contest
[link]

The judging will now commence!

The judges include


Prizes include;

Personal Portraiture & copy of my new jazz CD, winner stamps
Exclusive Stock from
A Custom Fairy from
An Exclusive Stock Pack from
A 3 Month Subby for the 1st Place winner...
and 1 Month Subbys for 2nd & 3rd by hantoms-siren
1 yr, 6 months and 3 months subbys from
1 yr sub to the 1st Place winner from
A Journal Feature for the winners from
A Journal Feature for the winners from
A Journal Feature for the winners from
A Journal Feature for the winners from
A Trad Art Drawing of 2 or less animals from


RAISING $$$ FOR THE FOUNDATION

*You can also take part in my Fundraising for Lupus Awareness, by simply
submitting an entry! ~ All entries will be counted... and for each one,
I will donate $1.00 to the LUPUS FOUNDATION OF AMERICA [link]

HOW ELSE CAN I HELP?

If you would like to participate in a radio interview show
being put together by , please send her a note!

Watch a short video about Lupus here;

[link]

*INTRODUCTION TO LUPUS
(Information found at www.lupus.org)

Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can affect various parts of the body,
including the skin, joints, heart, lungs, blood, kidneys and brain.
Normally the body's immune system makes proteins called antibodies,
to protect the body against viruses, bacteria, and other foreign
materials. These foreign materials are called antigens.

In an autoimmune disorder like lupus, the immune system cannot tell the
difference between foreign substances and its own cells and tissues.
The immune system then makes antibodies directed against itself.
These antibodies - called "auto-antibodies" (auto meaning 'self' )
cause inflammation, pain and damage to various parts of the body.

Inflammation is considered the primary feature of lupus.
Inflammation, which in Latin means "set on fire," is characterized
by pain, heat, redness, swelling and loss of function, either on the inside
or on the outside of the body (or both).

For most people, lupus is a mild disease affecting only a few organs.
For others, it may cause serious and even life-threatening problems.
Although epidemiological data on lupus is limited, studies suggest
that more than 16,000 Americans develop lupus each year.

The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) estimates between 1.5 - 2 million
Americans have a form of lupus, but the actual number may be higher.
More than 90 percent of people with lupus are women. Symptoms and
diagnosis occur most often when women are in their child-bearing
years, between the ages of 15 and 45.

In the United States, lupus is more common in African Americans,
Latinos, Asians, and Native Americans than in Caucasians.

SYMPTOMS

Although lupus can affect any part of the body, most people
experience symptoms in only a few organs. The most common of
symptoms with SLE are listed below. Occurrences of particular
symptoms happening are listed as percentages.

* Achy joints / arthralgia (95 percent)
* Fever of more than 100 degrees (90 percent)
* Arthritis / swollen joints (90 percent)
* Prolonged or extreme fatigue (81 percent)
* Skin Rashes (74 percent)
* Anemia (71 percent)
* Kidney Involvement (50 percent)
* Pain with deep breathing / pleurisy (45 percent)
* Butterfly-shaped rash on the cheeks and nose (42 percent)
* Sun or light sensitivity / photosensitivity (30 percent)
* Hair loss (27 percent)
* Abnormal blood clotting problems (20 percent)
* Raynaud's phenomenon (17 percent)
* Seizures (15 percent)
* Mouth or nose ulcers (12 percent)

It's time we find more effective treatments for this horrible disease, thank you for supporting the cause!