Bittersweetness . . .

Today we mark the extinction of the Eyak language with the passing of Marie Smith Jones (May 14, 1918 – January 21, 2008).  Her name in Eyak is Udach' Kuqax*a'a'ch (wiki) which, she said, translates as "a sound that calls people from afar".

Do you hear her call? Let's not lose another language - get involved with The Rosetta Project.

A birthday salute to Robert Weston Smith (21 January 1938 – 1 July 1995) better known as the disc jockey Wolfman Jack.

Wolfman Jack died of a heart attack in Belvidere, North Carolina, on July 1, 1995, age 57. The day before his death, he had finished broadcasting his last live radio program, a weekly program nationally syndicated from Planet Hollywood in downtown Washington, D.C. Wolfman Jack said that night, "I can't wait to get home and give Lou a hug, I haven't missed her this much in years." Wolfman had been on the road, promoting his new autobiography Have Mercy!. When he got home, he entered his house, hugged his wife, said "Oh, it is so good to be home!", and died in his wife's arms. (wiki)

It is a bittersweet reminder that it is National Hugging Day.