I bring sad news that Michael Shannon aka Terralthra has passed away, losing his battle with cancer. He will be greatly missed.
His sister posted this to his facebook timeline:
"There are only two people in the world that I have watched grow up from birth.
Today, one of them died.
My brother, Michael, passed away from complications from his cancer. We were all together when it happened. And it's ok.
I don't have words right now.
I don't understand being in a place where he isn't . . ."
and his Mom posted this:
With incredible sorrow, we (Mike Shannon & Trish) share with you that our beloved son, Michael Durr Shannon, has passed away. He was diagnosed with melanoma 14 months ago. He was treated by savvy and kind professionals at the Stanford Oncology Center and Hospital. They did everything they could. Everything. He faced the last 14 months with unwavering courage and utter honesty.
While raising him we had many adventures that included many of you. He was an interesting child to raise, and we were slow to realize the depth of his intelligence. When we went to the 1st parent- teacher conference at the Kindergarten at Sloan Elementary in Murrysville, PA. As we got to the front of the line, the teacher burst into tears. It seemed that he wanted to run the place, and we negotiated a deal that if he behaved, they would teach him to read. He accepted the deal and learned how to read the next day. His intellect was broad and deep, and we were continually astounded at how intelligent he was. During grade school, he got poor grades. What he did was read the textbooks the 1st week and then did not understand that he had to do all of the busy work to get the “A”. He was smarter than most of his teachers (and his dad). He was as passionate about science as he was about literature, and everything else.
Michael had a very rich life with multiple social circles—all of them will deeply miss him. His deepest passion was for teaching English composition, which he did at San Francisco State University and Contra Costa College. He was a Jedi, and in addition to knowing everything about Star Wars, he was a member of the Golden Gate Knights. The GGK trains and performs staged choreographies of light saber battles in full regalia. Michael was brilliant and ebullient. He moved through life with total panache. He was funny, with a very highly developed sense of irony. He loved word play. He was thoughtful. He was passionate. He was a loving brother to his sister Meredith, and a loving uncle to Regina. He will be deeply missed by his best friend, Sara. He was our beautiful boy who became the most amazing man.
If you are moved to remember Michael, please make a donation in his name to either the Stanford Cancer Institute (http://med.stanford.edu/cancer/about/he ... -gift.html[/url]) to eradicate this pernicious disease, or to The Planetary Society, which is committed to space exploration and travel (http://www.planetary.org/).
They ought to take all the money they give to professional athletes and give it to teachers. And on a somewhat personal note, the guy was a more talented and accomplished aficionado of the physical side of recreation than I'll ever be, and coming from me that is pure admiration. R.I.P.
"Do I really look like a guy with a plan? Y'know what I am? I'm a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it! Y'know, I just do things..." --The Joker
I may be an idiot, but I'm a tolerated idiot
"I think you completely missed the point of sigs. They're supposed to be completely homegrown in the fertile hydroponics lab of your mind, dried in your closet, rolled, and smoked...
Oh wait, that's marijuana..."Einhander Sn0m4n
A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory.Leonard Nimoy.
Now I did a job. I got nothing but trouble since I did it, not to mention more than a few unkind words as regard to my character so let me make this abundantly clear. I do the job. And then I get paid.- Malcolm Reynolds, Captain of Serenity, which sums up my feelings regarding the lawsuit discussed here.
If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich. - John F. Kennedy
Why is it so goddamned hard to get little assholes like you to admit it when you fuck up? Is it pride? What gives you the right to have any pride?
–Darth Wong to vivftp
GOP message? Why don't they just come out of the closet: FASCISTS R' US –Patrick Degan
The GOP has a problem with anyone coming out of the closet. –18-till-I-die
"Whilst human alchemists refer to the combustion triangle, some of their orcish counterparts see it as more of a hexagon: heat, fuel, air, laughter, screaming, fun." Dawn of the Dragons
I’m very sorry to hear that, he was a great contributor here. Condolences to his loved ones and as ever, fuck cancer.
Yeah, I've always taken the subtext of the Birther movement to be, "The rules don't count here! This is different! HE'S BLACK! BLACK, I SAY! ARE YOU ALL BLIND!?
- Raw Shark
Destiny and fate are for those too weak to forge their own futures. Where we are 'supposed' to be is irrelevent.
A deep sadness for his passing :< I remember fondly conversing and debating things with him over the years.
He will be sorely missed and remembered.
Praying is another way of doing nothing helpful
"Congratulations, you get a cookie. You almost got a fundamental English word correct." Pick
"Outlaw star has spaceships that punch eachother" Joviwan Read "Tales From The Crossroads"! Read "One Wrong Turn"!
The brightest candles burn the fastest.
Rest in peace.
A minute's thought suggests that the very idea of this is stupid. A more detailed examination raises the possibility that it might be an answer to the question "how could the Germans win the war after the US gets involved?" - Captain Seafort, in a thread proposing a 1942 'D-Day' in Quiberon Bay
Well looks like I was the last person he'd talked to on the forum, I really wish the conversation had been less inane. Rest in peace bud.
Superior Moderator - BotB - HAB [Drill Instructor]-Writer- Stardestroyer.net's resident Star-God.
"We believe in the systematic understanding of the physical world through observation and experimentation, argument and debate and most of all freedom of will." ~ Stargate: The Ark of Truth
"There is no justice in the laws of nature, no term for fairness in the equations of motion. The Universe is neither evil, nor good, it simply does not care. The stars don't care, or the Sun, or the sky.
But they don't have to! WE care! There IS light in the world, and it is US!"
"There is no destiny behind the ills of this world."
He was a very much respected poster on this board and seemed like a good guy.
May the earth be light upon him.
Whoever says "education does not matter" can try ignorance
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A decision must be made in the life of every nation at the very moment when the grasp of the enemy is at its throat. Then, it seems that the only way to survive is to use the means of the enemy, to rest survival upon what is expedient, to look the other way. Well, the answer to that is 'survival as what'? A country isn't a rock. It's not an extension of one's self. It's what it stands for. It's what it stands for when standing for something is the most difficult! - Chief Judge Haywood
------------ My LPs
Condolences to his family, his friends, and to all of us for losing such a great guy from our lives.
Nitram, slightly high on cough syrup: Do you know you're beautiful?
Me: Nope, that's why I have you around to tell me.
Nitram: You -are- beautiful. Anyone tries to tell you otherwise kill them.
"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP" -- Leonard Nimoy, last Tweet
'Next time I let Superman take charge, just hit me. Real hard.'
'You're a princess from a society of immortal warriors. I'm a rich kid with issues. Lots of issues.'
'No. No dating for the Batman. It might cut into your brooding time.'
'Tactically we have multiple objectives. So we need to split into teams.'-'Dibs on the Amazon!'
'Hey, we both have a Martian's phone number on our speed dial. I think I deserve the benefit of the doubt.'
'You know, for a guy with like 50 different kinds of vision, you sure are blind.'
Never apologise for being a geek, because they won't apologise to you for being an arsehole. John Barrowman - 22 June 2014 Perth Supernova.
Countries I have been to - 14.
Australia, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, Germany, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, USA.
Always on the lookout for more nice places to visit.
