I first heard about the incident yesterday morning when ldunbar mentioned his meeting had been canceled. It was the most recent diary entry on Advogato, so I wondered what small disturbance might have caused the problem. An unsuccessful visit to CNN prompted me to jump on IRC (a seething pool of wild rumor and speculation, even today), which was where I finally learned what had happened.

Blood donation lines, even here in Northeast Tennessee, are hours long, a tragic but heartwarming sight.