Steve

Steve Irwin has died.

I keep hoping it's all a bad joke, and they're gonna call it off any minute now...I felt this same way when Jim Henson died: Like we just got ripped off--the creativity and changes he made to this world have been pinched. Yeah, there's all the stuff we already have, but there's not going to be any more--no more wondering what he's going to come up with next, no more awe and joy at what he does come up with.
Ach--I'm not saying this well at all.

Normally I find the concept of the Rainbow Bridge to be sappy and maudlin...but this post is fabulous: An interesting day at the Rainbow Bridge.

The Internet is completely glutted with stories, comments, and pictures about Steve and his life, and his death.

Opinions range from "he brought it on himself, tormenting the creature" to "he's a hero!" while facts are being repeated, rumored, misquoted, created, and basically mangled. It's hard to find an accurate, objective news story...some are reporting that he was filming for one show, then another, then that he was filming coral, filming stingrays, that he was attacked, that it was an accident, on and on.
I trust the CNN versions more than the People Magazine or USA Today versions...but here's a few:
Steve Irwin's death clogs Web sites
and another:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2006-09-05-irwin-mourned_x.htm

http://news.google.com/news?num=30&hl=en&ned=us&ie=utf-8&q=Steve-Irwin

And let's not forget an article on Stingrays:
http://www.potamotrygon.de/fremdes/stingray%20article.htm