Archive for November, 2008

So I’m taking a PTO day today – not having felt too well after a late-night maintenance window for work (I know, 2am isn’t that late for me, but I think it was just catching up with me). And I’m checking emails, and doing the morning check over on facebook to see what’s going on in the world and my cousin Traci is online with a semi-cryptic status line about prayers needed for Kelli.

Now I’ll grant you that after my folks divorce I wasn’t too close to that side (paternal) of the family. But over the last year or so it’s been nice chatting with many of them again by way of MySpace, FB, etc. I’m famously not hot w/ names, but something was ringing a bell. On checking her page I find a link and after some hunting, here’s the answer:

Worst fears of mother, girlfriend prove true

Police: Dad Who Killed Daughter Threatened Suicide Before

The unnamed mother is my cousin, and the Kelli mentioned was her only child. Now I never had the opportunity to meet Kelli, but I’m just shaken to the core. I’ve made travel arrangements already, now just waiting to find out what hotel everyone is staying at.

Traci was my closest and fondest cousin of that side of the family – also being the only one that I was closest to in age (only a few years my junior). I can’t even begin to imagine what she’s feeling. An accident, whatever, would be one thing, but something like this is quite another.

I hadn’t exactly expected to do the paternal reunion this way, but like I told my Aunt, I think my dad and I can hold off on the grudge for the time being. This rather trumps our beef. Just wish it wasn’t under these circumstances.

They’re heading back to Gobles, MI which is where they’d lived previously. Viewing is Friday, and Funeral is Saturday. Gobles, near Kalamazoo. I didn’t even really think Kalamazoo was a real place, more like Shangra-la. 6″ of snow they tell me, 8 degrees above zero today when adjusted for the wind chill.

Yes, I’m just rambling now. Don’t mind me. Just trying to process it…

‘Meh’: new word for indifference enters English dictionary

LONDON (AFP) – "Meh", a word which indicates a lack of interest or enthusiasm, became the latest addition to the Collins English Dictionary on Monday.

The word, which beat hundreds of other suggestions from members of the public, will feature in the 30th anniversary edition of the dictionary, which is to be published next year.

Though the word apparently originates from North America, Collins said it was now widely used on the Internet, and was increasingly seen in British spoken English.

The dictionary entry for "meh" will say it can be used as an interjection to indicate indifference or boredom, as an adjective to describe something as boring or mediocre, or to show an individual is apathetic or unimpressed.

The word was popularised by the US comedy animation series "The Simpsons", where characters Bart and Lisa use it to express indifference when their father Homer suggests a day trip.

It was submitted by Erin Whyte from Nottingham, central England, and a panel of Collins language experts singled it out from the hundreds of other submissions because of its frequency of use in modern English.

"This is a new interjection from the US that seems to have inveigled its way into common speech over here," said Cormac McKeown, head of content at Collins Dictionaries.

"It shows people are increasingly writing in a register somewhere in between spoken and written English."

Other words submitted to Collins’s campaign — which was launched in June and called on members of the public to suggest words they used in everyday English — were jargonaut (a fan of jargon); frenemy (an enemy disguised as a friend) and huggles (a hybrid of hugs and snuggles).

Doctors in Germany say a patient appears to have been cured of HIV by a bone marrow transplant from a donor who had a genetic resistance to the virus.

The researchers in Berlin said the man, who suffered from leukemia and HIV, had shown no sign of either disease since the transplant two years ago.

But they stressed it was an unusual case which needed further investigation.

Experts said the result may boost interest in gene therapy for HIV.

Berlin’s Charite clinic said the 42-year-old patient was an American living in Berlin, but the man has not been identified.

Genetic mutation

He had been infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, that causes Aids, for more than a decade and also had leukemia.

The clinic said since the transplant was carried out 20 months ago, tests on the patient’s bone marrow, blood and other organ tissues have all been clear.

To promise to millions of people infected with HIV that there is hope of a cure would not be right

Professor Rodolf Tauber, Berlin’s Charite clinic

In a statement, Professor Rodolf Tauber from the Charite clinic said: "This is an interesting case for research.

"But to promise to millions of people infected with HIV that there is hope of a cure would not be right."

Roughly one in 1,000 Europeans and Americans have an inherited genetic mutation, which prevents HIV from attaching itself to cells.

Two million people die of Aids every year and HIV is estimated to have infected 33 million people worldwide.

Option ‘for a few’

Professor Andrew Sewell, from the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Immunology at the University of Cardiff said in theory a bone marrow transplant such as this one "should work" and it was surprising that no one had tried it before.

Most people with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa and this is hugely expensive

Professor Andrew Sewell, University of Cardiff

"The problem is most people with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa and this is hugely expensive, you have to find a matched donor, and it’s a pretty severe and painful operation.

"So it’s going to be an option for very few people."

He added that gene therapy to knock out the mutation of the key CCR5 receptor was a possibility for future treatment.

Professor Philip Goulder, an immunologist at the University of Oxford said: "It’s a really interesting case which looks at a treatment which really hasn’t been thought about before.

"But without having that much information about the specific case you would want to be very cautious about getting too excited and you wouldn’t be able to replicate that treatment for a lot of people with HIV."

Paul Ward, deputy chief executive at the Terrence Higgins Trust said: "This case gives us something to explore in future studies but it’s certainly not a quick fix as gene therapy is complex and expensive.

"With no cure in sight, prevention should be our number one priority."

You know when there’s a wedding that the ceremony makes mention of Cthulhu, zombies, the apocalypse, and brains – it’s going to be cool. Until Kendra’s wedding, the one’s I’d been to where people would describe a wedding as “being reflective of the couple’s personality.” They would tend to be an exercise in freaking out the muggles, or just plain campy (not in a good way), or come off as neither sincere nor anything other than a bizarre series of in-jokes.

Most recently Matt & Michelle’s, probably the singularly most fun wedding I’d ever had the pleasure of attending. It was fun, light hearted, sincere (the expression of simply love and joy at Michelle’s reciting of her vows to Matt was probably the most amazing look of adoration that I’ve ever seen), and overall just a rock’n good time.

I really didn’t think the photographers would really fully understand what all was going on. I was wrong. Fully. They didn’t just “get it” they were able to emote in their slideshow of the wedding and the reception the favor and feel of the evening.

Thanks again guys for having invited me. Without further adieu, here’s the slideshow (and be sure to have the sound on to enjoy the music).

http://www.chungliphotography.com/w/michelle_matt/highlight_slideshow/