InkBlot's Inkernet

I’m usually slow about these things, so I’m sure you’ve probably seen this elsewhere.  Match It For Pratchett is a grassroots effort to raise support and awareness for Alzheimer’s Research.  The site itself does not collect money, instead it directs people to the Alzheimer’s Research Trust in the UK.  Why the UK?  Because the site was started in honor of top UK author Terry Pratchett, who was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s this last year.

Terry Pratchett recently donated $1 million (£500,000) himself, with the comments, “I am, along with many others, scrabbling to stay ahead long enough to be there when the Cure comes along. Say it will be soon – there’s nearly as many of us as there are cancer sufferers, and it looks as if the number of people with dementia will double within a generation. In most cases, alongside the sufferer you will find a spouse suffering as much. It is a shock to find out that funding for Alzheimer’s research is just 3% of that to find cancer cures.”
If, like me, someone in your family suffers from Alzheimer’s…or even if you don’t know anyone who suffers this horrible disease now, I encourage you strongly to take action.  The Alzheimer’s research trust is in the UK.  Here in the US you can also check our the Alzheimer’s Association. Whether you realize it now or not, you’ll be helping someone you love.

Much of my daily reading on the interweb comes from news aggregators.  I particularly like those with a sense of humor, such as Fark.  That sense of humor, however, doesn’t mean that the news isn’t serious.  Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s tragic.  Sometimes it’s important, sometimes it’s personal.

The other day, this story floated across the wire.  It described Charles Whiting, who lost his wife in 2005 to cancer and emphysema.  One thing that comforted him was the voice mail greeting his wife had recorded with their Verizon phone service some years earlier.  The message remained long after she was gone, and Charles would call it daily to hear her voice once more.

Recently, system upgrades replaced the equipment which provided Whiting’s voice mail service, and the greeting was lost.  Calls to Verizon informed him the previous greeting recordings were lost for good.  It was sad, and a reminder that the world is always changing and someday the things we rely on most will inevitably disappear.

At least, that’s what I thought when I saw it.  Today, a follow-up article showed up on the AP wire.  From the article: Company spokesman John Bonomo said Tuesday that a contractor found the recording and restored it to the new voicemail system.

“I’m glad they rescued it,” Whiting said. “I’m very happy.”

Another reminder: There’s always some good in everyone’s heart.  Let it out whenever you can.