Interesting stereotype reversal: Republicans can lay claim to the man widely considered to be the best musician-president of all time: Richard Nixon (pianist), while Dems can lay claim to the best golfer-president: JFK.

BrentB: I have no doubt the Lord does love him. But I have a problem whenever a celebrity lives a notorious lifestyle in a very public way, with girls, drugs and the whole nine, and then goes on TV to name drop Jesus. Think of the effect that could have on the millions of young people who look up to him as a role model. If someone like him wants to start instagramming and tweeting his exploits, I will rarely ever call him on it-- until he starts professing Christ while holding a golden statue on TV; then I call bull***t. I have compassion for the guy, but I believe shame has it's proper place in the world as well, when called for. And when you pose--like so many athletes and celebrities do--like a Christian, while living a lifestyle that flaunts the name you offer thanks to on TV--that's one of those times.

It's obvious what happened here. His leg finally went numb--exhausted from the thrill continually running up and down for five long years.

Agh. Rattlesnake. You may have ruined Guac forever with that tidbit!

Bonus News: Next week is the official "Social Justice Week" at Northwestern. It promises to be one for the ages.

It's hypocritical because his lifestyle indicates he didn't live in accordance with the deranged religion he says motivated him to murder. Shows the religious rationale is artifice.

I think the bombers' uncle Ruslan said it better than anyone:

Hands clasped tightly in front of him, Uncle Ruslan faced off against a pack of about 30 journalists, cameras pointing at him, microphones stuck in front of him, questions about his nephews thrown at him:

“When was the last time you saw them?” He answered: December 2005. Another journalist asked: “What do you think provoked this?” “Umm, being losers! Hatred to those who were able to settle themselves!” he shouted. “These are the only reasons I can imagine. Anything else to do with religion, to do with Islam, is a fraud, is a fake.”

I admire the way the uncle handled himself in a difficult situation. "Being losers! Hatred to those who were able to settle themselves!” That's about right, I think. Article's worth a read:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/muslims-have-a-problem-uncle-ruslan-may-have-the-answer/2013/04/23/d8975c18-ab68-11e2-b6fd-ba6f5f26d70e_story.html?hpid=z3

It was only 100 followers about an hour ago. I suspect he'll have plenty more by the end of the day.

I was kind of thinking that too, almost regretting this post, until I saw this:

http://www.tmz.com/2013/04/15/justin-bieber-raises-dukes-boxing-at-anne-frank-house/

Tommy, You may have a point.

Why are people inferring so much?

I think context is a factor : http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/bieber-posts-shirtless-photos-anne-frank-controversy-article-1.1317263

We all say dumb things sometimes. I do it almost every day. But I think there's something important in this--just my gut feeling. His remark was oddly self-focused in such a moment. I'll admit I worry about our cultural obsession with fame. Bieber is a reflection of our culture as much as he is a product of it.

Tommy De Seno: A contrarian view:

Dear Jo: If you read sociology studies on the subject, you'll find that young people's self esteem has risen dramatically over the past few decades.

I could be the worst case of all, since I spend more time uploading my creative work onto the internet than anyone I know.

Sorry, Pseudo: I did consider a reader warning...

Hey 10: Sometimes random foreign words ARE annoying. I suppose I thought this line was common enough that it would ring a bell for most readers. As for your second question, I have no idea how to type greek letters on a standard keyboard. That's a trick I should learn someday. But, my greek is so bad that I'd probably mess up most of the accents anyway.

Proverb that should never have been written: Words are powerful, but declensions are extremely painful.

Ko: I don't think Phillips was saying suicide is divinely inspired. Considering his religious beliefs, it's more likely that he thought of suicide as a sin. The way I read it, Phillips was claiming that the "act" of judgement was the reporting work he had done. In other words, by exposing the man, he felt he had done the work of God--an interesting window into the way he viewed his work, and maybe a glimpse of the great power Phillips attributed to the written word.

Burros's Jewish upbringing was relevant to Phillips and the NYTimes for the obvious reason--because the KKK was full of raving antisemitism, as I'm sure you are aware. Burros's bigotry was doubly heinous because he was knowingly promoting hatred toward his own family--an act that seems unnatural, depraved, and opportunistic to the point of nihilism.

Phillips wasn't happy the man killed himself; that's clear. But he felt he was right to expose him.

The power of words, the consequences of words--that's the essence of the obit.

I'll venture to guess it didn't start off with 10mg of Adderall

Yes. The educational establishment is behind this trend. No doubt.