The fear of anything from Steve being close to death or already no longer with us has been a topic of wide appeal for 2008.  Steve Jobs has finally put to rest (no pun…) the demise as himself as the CEO of Apple and has also been kind enough to present us with a letter of what has been going on with him.  

A personal letter is very rare from the Apple CEO, but I am sure with all the goings-round from the news outlets, podcasts, blogs in the past that he needed to set things straight.  See the letter below and take a breath, for he should be with us for another year or more we hope.

January 5, 2009

Letter from Apple CEO Steve Jobs

Dear Apple Community,

For the first time in a decade, I’m getting to spend the holiday season with my family, rather than intensely preparing for a Macworld keynote.

Unfortunately, my decision to have Phil deliver the Macworld keynote set off another flurry of rumors about my health, with some even publishing stories of me on my deathbed.

I’ve decided to share something very personal with the Apple community so that we can all relax and enjoy the show tomorrow.

As many of you know, I have been losing weight throughout 2008. The reason has been a mystery to me and my doctors. A few weeks ago, I decided that getting to the root cause of this and reversing it needed to become my #1 priority.

Fortunately, after further testing, my doctors think they have found the cause—a hormone imbalance that has been “robbing” me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy. Sophisticated blood tests have confirmed this diagnosis.

The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I’ve already begun treatment. But, just like I didn’t lose this much weight and body mass in a week or a month, my doctors expect it will take me until late this Spring to regain it. I will continue as Apple’s CEO during my recovery.

I have given more than my all to Apple for the past 11 years now. I will be the first one to step up and tell our Board of Directors if I can no longer continue to fulfill my duties as Apple’s CEO. I hope the Apple community will support me in my recovery and know that I will always put what is best for Apple first.

So now I’ve said more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say, about this.

Steve

[Apple]

  Xbox Live is having a Black Friday sales event themselves.  If you thought some of their items were a bit overpriced, now is your chance to get them for a discount.  The deals include Arcade Games, DLC and Themes.  See the full list below:

Xbox Live Arcade Games
Rez HD – 500 Microsoft Points
Arkadian Warriors – 500 Microsoft Points
Assault Heroes – 400 Microsoft Points
Catan – 500 Microsoft Points
Brain Challenge – 500 Microsoft Points
Boogie Bunnies – 500 Microsoft Points
Golf: Tee It Up! – 500 Microsoft Points

Paid DLC
GH3 Metallica “Death Magnetic” Full Album – 1000 Microsoft Points
Forza – March Car Pack – 400 Microsoft Points
Crackdown – Getting Busy Bonus Pack – 500 Microsoft Points
Rock Band All That Remains Pack 01 – 290 Microsoft Points
Lips – The Remedy (Jason Mraz) – 100 Microsoft Points

Themes
Gears of War 2 – Last Day – 180 Microsoft Points
Sonic Unleashed – 180 Microsoft Points
Castle Crashers Premium – 180 Microsoft Points

[via Major Nelson]