I just found out that one of my professors from my last university was killed on Christmas Eve. He was always kind of unusual, but he meant well and was very kind and giving. I don't quite know what kind of prayer I'm asking for here, but I just felt the need to mention it.
Here's something I found online about him:
http://radio.weblogs.com/0120711/2004/01/06.html#a1
What a nice tribute...