What a terrible story, Richard, Maddie's death resonates for me given news today of the death of my compatriot, Sir Edmund Hillary, aged 88 -- "Sir Ed" as he was generally known down under.

He was a very decent man, who devoted himself to improving health care and education in Nepal. His nephew, Brett, was my best friend in high school, and killed himself after overdosing on heroin when we were in college in Auckland, 1969 it must have been. Sir Ed and Brett's father were beekeepers ("Hillary's Honey")
 

You sound so oddly detached considering she was related to you.
 

Don't confuse being numb and trying to make sense of a tragedy with detachment. Very sad, and I admire your courage, Richard, for posting.
 

Thanks, 8:18. I'm not detached, but we all have different ways to channel our sorrow.
 

Richard isn't a detached sort of person. But it does say something about you (11:41) that you would make that sort of comment in this regard. It shows a lack of experience as well as a want of empathy in these matters.
 

And it just seems mean.
 

It sure does! Why anyone would post such a comment is beyond me. Obviously Richard was affected tremendously by the news.
 

To 11:41 - You suck.