This is me, Donna O'Smolláin-MacDhádhoc, AKA Lady Dorothea in the "cyber world" .... I am a native of Birmingham, Alabama, and I work as an RN with Adult Oncology patients in the "real world" -- in addition to my nursing degree, I also hold a B.A. in journalism from Auburn University, my beloved alma mater !! .... I love reading, web design, cooking, good literature & poetry, beautiful art (especially the Impressionists), needlework, singing, most kinds of music (esp. classical, celtic & "kick ass" rock-n-roll -- Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Bach, The Who, Bruce Springsteen, The Eagles, U2, Loreena McKennitt, Bo Bice, Ace Young, Taylor Hicks, The Doors, Stevie Nicks, just to name a few), live theatre and movies, studying Celtic/Medieval history & folklore/World religions/American politics & political science, good conversation, collecting books (five full bookcases in my house -- on a million different topics), intelligent & openminded people, good coffee, etc etc etc.

As the daughter of an artist, I was exposed to the fine arts from an early age, thus developing a strong love for art, poetry, classical music, and literature. I started writing my own poetry and short stories while still in elementary school, and later earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Auburn University. I have since edited several organizational newsletters over the years, and although I have never made my living as a journalist, I nevertheless consider myself a writer, and a highly creative individual.

I also have a strong scientific self, with a keen interest in medicine and the medicinal arts. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in the late 1980's, and I have been employed as a Registered Nurse since that time, working with cardiac surgery and cardiac transplantation patients (among others) over the years. I love to see people work toward restored health, and I get great satisfaction from helping others achieve their goals.

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It is the blending of my creative self with my scientific self that affords me the opportunity to evaluate and judge web sites ..... The creative side allows me to appreciate beautiful artwork -- the colors, the detail, the layout of a page -- as well as to recognize quality when I see it .... Because I am a writer, I feel I can judge content which is truly stimulating and thought-provoking, and not just mere words on a page.

The scientific side of me allows me to look with fine detail at pages of coding, as well as analyze the reason (or reasons) someone has built a particular web site .... "What is the overall purpose of this page?" is the question I often ask myself when reviewing a web site ... "How does it benefit the worldwide Internet community?" .... Attention to detail, appreciation for beauty & creativity, the ability to "see" the overall picture -- these are some of my best qualifications as a web site judge.

I built my own web site, Lady Dorothea's Celtic Castle, in September 2001, and I am self-taught in hand coding, creating my entire site in Note Pad .... In February 2002, I opened The Celtic Castle Awards (program closed in May, 2004) .... I later opened The Rose Awards in August 2002 (currently AS! 4.5, WA 10--"Prince", UWSAG 5.0, and a member of APEX and CEMA ethical organizations), and I have never looked back !

I love the "fine art" of giving awards, and I am also honored to be a member the HTML Writers Guild, The International Association of Web Masters & Designers, The International Webmasters Association, among other fine organizations .... The Rose Awards are listed with Treasures of the Web, The Awards Hot List, The Awards Awards, and The Kingdom of Internet .... In addition, I am active on several Award forums, I am an evaluator for the Membership Review Committee of APEX, and I served as a program evaluator for Nikola Kitanovic's AS! 5.0 Absolut Awards (now closed), and for AEC-Global ethics organization (also now closed).

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I hope you enjoy your visit to The Rose Awards program, and if you decide to apply for an award, please know that I will give your web site a thorough review, and if you are a winner, I will email the award graphic to you within four (4) weeks -- I wish each and every applicant "Good luck!" .... Many blessings to all of you :-)