Roger Ebert, one of America's best known film critics, has not been able to speak since he had emergency cancer surgery on July 1 to repair a burst blood vessel near the site of his June 16 surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his salivary gland. But he can still give a thumbs up or thumbs down as he reviews movies on his Web site.

Starting today, clips from Ebert & Roeper and Ebert's prior episodes of his movie review TV show will be posted here. It just may be the largest collection ever of video-based online movie reviews -- 5,000 movie reviews spanning the past 20 years will be featured.

Ebert is not quite sure when he might return to television as he awaits another surgery to restore his voice. In the meantime, he screens as many as three films a day. He watches DVDs at night to catch up on those he missed, and he's writing more than ever, he says.

In response to the post Thought for the Day: These Small Hours, a song by Matchbox 20's Rob Thomas, reader Mary H. shares the name of another beautiful song by artist Sarah McLachlan. The song, Ordinary Miracle, is from the Charlotte's Web movie soundtrack and for Mary -- and me too -- it evokes an inspiring live-for-the-moment type of message.

Think about this:

It's not that usual when everything is beautiful
It's just another ordinary miracle today

The sky knows when its time to snow
You don't need to teach a seed to grow
It's just another ordinary miracle today

Life is like a gift they say
Wrapped up for you everyday
Open up and find a way
To give some of your own

Isn't it remarkable?
Like every time a raindrop falls
It's just another ordinary miracle today

Birds in winter have their fling
And always make it home by spring
It's just another ordinary miracle today

When you wake up everyday
Please don't throw your dreams away
Hold them close to your heart
Cause we are all a part
Of the ordinary miracle

Ordinary miracle
Do you want to see a miracle?

Its seems so exceptional
Things just work out after all
It's just another ordinary miracle today

The sun comes up and shines so bright
It disappears again at night
It's just another ordinary miracle today

It's just another ordinary miracle today

Looking for a cartoonishly risqué way to keep track of the days in 2007? Fifteen webcomic artists have created the Tastefully Done: 2007 Nude Webcomic Calendar featuring nude versions of webcomic characters, with all proceeds going to cancer research.

The calendar showcases the work of Ivan Pope, Ali Graham, Gordon McAlpin, Charles Woolbright, Chris Jones, Bryan Chojnowski, Pontus Madsen & Christian Fundin, Chris Simmons, Philip Spence, Rich Dachtera, Robert Koch, Ramón Pérez, Rob Coughler, Ryan Estrada, and of course, webcomic characters appearing in various scenarios of nudity.

From geriatric strip poker to nude bus rides, the artists realize that the calendar might not be for everyone, but it was only a matter of time before webcomic cartoon characters joined the ranks of the nude in benefiting cancer research. It's not naked librarians, hunky firefighters, naked rugby players, naked day traders, nude village women (who started the nude calendar for cancer charity phenomenon) or topless models (who decided in being different they would remain fully-clothed), but it is a one-of-a-kind calendar in the webcomic category.

You can take a peek and purchase the Tastefully Done: 2007 Nude Webcomic Calendar through Lulu's here.

Just two months after her mother lost her battle with gall bladder cancer, Liane was diagnosed with breast cancer. It all happened earlier this year -- and while Liane is still mourning the loss of her mother, she is also still managing the madness of her own disease. Liane is surviving with courage, with determination, with the same powerful spirit that powered her mother's fight.

Liane lives in a small city -- population 43,000 -- in northern Alberta Canada. She has been happily married for 18 years and has two daughters, ages 13 and 15, and a golden retriever named Sunny. Liane loves to garden, cook, read, and spend time with family. She normally works full-time in a real estate and property management office but has been blessed with six months off for treatment. Liane is already -- without a doubt -- a survivor.

Each month, about 22,000 women log on to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) web site and answer seven questions to determine their risk of developing invasive breast cancer. The Gail Model, named for the NCI's chief biostatistician, Mitchell H. Gail, generates a five-year risk and a lifetime risk for each woman who answers each of these seven questions.

• Does the woman have a medical history of any breast cancer or of any ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS)? Note: This assessment tool cannot accurately predict risk for a woman who already has a medical history of breast cancer.
  
• What is the woman's age? Note: This tool only calculates risk for women ages 35 and older.
  
• What was the woman's age at the time of her first menstrual period?
  
• What was the woman's age at the time of her first live birth of a child?
  
• How many of the woman's first-degree relatives -- mother, sisters, daughters -- have had breast cancer?
  
• Has the woman ever had a breast biopsy? How many breast biopsies has the woman had? Has the woman had at least one breast biopsy with atypical hyperplasia?
• What is the woman's race/ethnicity?

A simple drop-down answer menu is provided for each question, and explanations for each question are available. Upon completion of the short survey, the Gail Model spits out a five-year breast cancer risk and a lifetime breast cancer risk with comparisons to the general population of women.

While this is only an assessment -- based on statistics that do not always take into account individual differences -- it is still a helpful tool. Because it's clear that women can minimize breast cancer risk with behavior changes and sometimes medication. And generating a personal rating on risk is a rating worth knowing. It's also worth knowing that this tool was designed for use by health professionals. If you are not a health professional, consider discussing your results with your doctor.

The Prostate Cancer Research Foundation of Canada has launched an interactive web resource to assist men in facing prostate cancer and in finding answers regarding prostate cancer diagnosis, treatment and survivorship.

Called Prostate Cancer Assessment Tools (PCATs), each of the 12 PCATs provides individualized information that will help each man better understand prostate cancer.

A sampling of the PCATs are as follows:

• Based on age, PSA, percentage of free PSA, and DRE findings what is the likelihood that I have cancer, if a biopsy is performed?
• Based on the characteristics of my cancer, what is the likelihood that the Gleason sum found on biopsy is higher than the Gleason sum on final pathology, when the prostate is removed?
• Based on the characteristics of my cancer, what is the likelihood that the cancer has spread beyond the capsule of the prostate?
• Based on my PSA, cancer stage at DRE, biopsy Gleason sum, the cumulative length (mm) of cancer on all biopsy cores and on the percentage of positive cores, what is the likelihood that my cancer is clinically significant (i.e., one that may kill)?
• Based on my cancer characteristics what is the likelihood that my cancer represents a (TZ) transition zone cancer?
• Based on the characteristics of my cancer, what is the likelihood that my PSA will increase and indicate a relapse of my prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy?
  

To learn more, and to make use of this interactive tool, visit the Prostate Owners Manual.

MyCancerPlace is a new cancer community website where cancer patients can give and receive support, learn from the experiences of others, and share information. Modeled after the popular MySpace, MyCancerPlace is the first time this social technology has been used to create an online community  where members in their 50's, 60's, 70's and beyond -- whose lives have been touched by cancer -- can create a free web page with text and photos.

Michael Horwin, founder of Cancer Monthly, launched MyCancerPlace. The Horwin's motivation to create quality resources for the cancer community is a strong one. Michael and Rafaele Horwin's 2-year-old son Alexander died of brain cancer in 1999.

According to the Horwin's, "After doctors administered what they said was the best treatment available, and despite the risk of side effects including infection, heart damage, lung damage, deafness, infertility and a second cancer, just to name a few, we trusted the doctors when they said this was the best option. Alexander's cancer quickly spread through his entire body, and he died four months later. We were horrified and angry to later discover studies that showed the same chemotherapy had hastened the deaths of hundreds of other children the same age with the same brain cancer."

The Horwin's say had they found this research earlier, they would have made different treatment choices. MyCancerPlace is another resource for cancer patients to discover information and explore options in cancer treatments and survivorship, and to connect with others facing the same struggles with cancer.

Paul McCartney lost both his mother Mary and his first wife Linda to breast cancer. Heather Mills McCartney, his current wife, is an outspoken advocate for cancer prevention, campaigning for the reduction of dairy products that can lead to greater risk for some cancers -- like ovarian cancer.

I have admired the efforts both have made for cancer prevention. Today, it was announced that the two have separated and will be getting a divorce. Of course speculation immediately turned to financial matters, with tongues wagging about how much Paul is worth and how much Heather stands to receive, considering there is no prenuptial agreement.

The couple issued a joint statement insisting their split was friendly -- but said that intrusions by the media made it difficult to sustain their relationship. Well! This turn of event isn't going to dim the lights on the media extravaganza that has surrounded them. The end of a marriage is difficult, and I am just sad to see that two people who have spent time and money working to improve the lives and health of others will be suffering personal pain on a world stage. You can read personal messages directly from Paul here.

Nevada is home to the loneliest road in America, legalized brothels and Las Vegas. Now -- according to a spokesman for Gov. Kenny Guinn -- the state government will help Nevadans with the ability to purchase low-cost prescription drugs from Canada via the internet by providing direct web links to pharmacies in Canada. Nevada is not listening to the staunch objections from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to the fact that it is illegal. The legislators state that the import option is needed because many people pay twice as much for similar prescriptions in this country and often cannot afford the drugs they need to live. Lawmakers contend that the federal policies regarding the ability to obtain low-cost prescription drugs are simply a disgrace.

Nevada lawmakers passed the measure allowing Nevadans access to less expensive prescription drugs from Canada, and Nevada regulators have given approval to move ahead with implementing links to pharmacies in Canada. There will be a warning on the state website saying that the federal government views getting prescriptions filled in Canada with non-FDA-approved drugs an illegal act. The state website and links to Canadian pharmacies is scheduled to go live today.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Center of Excellence in Cancer Communications Research has launched a comprehensive new website for Spanish-speaking breast cancer patients and their families. The new Spanish-language site, called Conviviendo con el Cancer de Seno, is a cultural and linguistic translation of an existing online resource called Living with Breast Cancer.

"To the best of our knowledge, this new site is the most comprehensive and culturally relevant resource on the Web for Latinas with breast cancer," says Susana Torres-Corona, project manager. "The site offers an extensive database of original content, and it also serves as an information clearinghouse linking directly to other high-quality educational materials in Spanish for Latinas created by trusted sources such as the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation."

First, I am embarrassed to admit that I cannot speak Spanish. Second, I feel odd in posting this in English. After all, the information about a resource for Spanish-speaking breast cancer patients seems like it would be far more effective in reaching its target audience if it was written in Spanish. But there you go -- here it is -- if you speak English and know of a breast cancer survivor who speaks Spanish, let them know about this new web resource.

Update: If you will check the comments following this post you will find the Spanish language version of this information -- and an explanation of how this information is being distributed to the Spanish-speaking community. Many thanks! to Bret Shaw.