Thank you all very much for the birthday wishes, and for the sympathies about the circumstances surrounding the occasion.

R.I.P. Grandma Belle, she did indeed pass away yesterday, strong to the end, she only ended up hanging on roughly 50x longer than the doctors thought she would without the respirator. It wouldn't have been her style to go out without surprising everyone like that one more time, and the only thing I can think would have been more appropriate is if she managed to crack everyone up with one last joke on the way out. Here's what I will say about Belle, and though this is obviously from a skewed perspective, I assure you of its accuracy: She had as much capacity for love as anyone you'll meet, and had the innate ability to create it on the fly like a love generator. She was the matriarch of an incredibly extended family that is pretty complicated in the way of our times, and she bound us all together with a warmth and caring that defies description. One example of that is how boggled the nurses became at all the visitors of various races who referred to themselves as Belle's daughters, as so many of Belle's actual daughter's friends "adopted" her over the years. We're sad to lose her, but happy for her life, and relieved that the suffering that accompanied her passing has ended.

R.I.P.: DNA pioneer Frederick Sanger dies aged 95.

Loving Links:	Thanks Ant and Acleacius.
Play:	Pause Ahead. Bot Lair.
Stories:	Moose-eating shark rescued in Newfoundland harbour. Thanks Boing Boing. ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons reveals he turned down $1 million to shave off his beard. Volcanic eruption creates new island far south of Japan. Thanks The Caretaker.
Media:	Drew Carey Cracks Up Over the Number 69. 'The Daily Show' Doubles Down On New York Pizza. Thanks nin. Super Cafe: Who's a Hero?