People Who Died

Elizabeth Kubler-Ross notwithstanding, i think our society still has big issues with death and dealing with it.
Even using the word 'dead,' as in, 'Your grandfather is dead,' freaks a lot of people out. Instead, they use words like "John passed away," "Granddad went to be with his Lord," or "Elmer passed."

They're dead. Just like the Jim Carroll song.

anyway, dead people are still interesting. i like to make a mental note regarding a person's living/nonliving status from year-to-year. call me morbid, and you can, but i really do find it comforting and fascinating in some strange way. i mean, not to say i'm necessarily happy about a person's death, but it's an inevitability that affects us all. so why not just accept it?

that all said, here's a comprehensive list of notable people who died in 2004 from the local newspaper rag.
No pictures. you'll have to find those somewhere else.
btw, the December 26 issue of the New York Times Magazine has a great year-end rundown of significant people who died. Not necessarily comprehensive, but that's OK.

Death to death.

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and i can't not post this interesting story, which i first heard on the Today show this morning.
Ecstasy to be tested on terminal patients
More than a bit ironic, considering MDMA is considered one of the Schedule 1 drugs the DEA tries to consistently bust people with.
Frankly, i think MDMA would be a viable solution for some terminal patients. at the very least, it'll put someone in a happy place for a while. And if they're terminal, it's not like you have to worry about potential brain damage, you know?

Ashes to ashes.
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supplemental: Now that the death toll in Southeast Asia has hit an unbelievable 59,000 and counting (crazy shit), many here in the Bay Area, myself included, wondered about the chances of something like this devastating the Northern California coastline.
here are some answers.
apparently, we're not in as much potential danger as Southeast Asia, mainly because of the deep drop-off of the ocean floor about 10 miles out in the Pacific.

The devastation in Southeast Asia is beyond words. Beyond horrible.
here are a few links to keep updated on the devastation.
Reporters Log: Asia Disaster
Eyewitness: Sri Lanka tsunami
South-East Asia Earthquake & Tsunami
ChiensSansFrontiers
Asia's Deadly Waves
Across the Globe, a Warning Sounded
World Changing
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oh my! Christmas is late this year! but it was worth it!

Leonard Nimoy (Spock) delivers up an amazing song of intrigue and joy about Bilbo Baggins, the greatest little hobbit of them all.
Enjoy!

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