Free Republic

It's one thing to set fire to The Man at the Burning Man festival a few days early -- at least the effigy is built to be burned, albeit at a specific hour. But Paul Addis, the guy who bummed out thousands of burners by torching The Man before festival participants were ready for it, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of trying to torch a historic cathedral in San Francisco. Here's a slice from the story:(Edit)On the one hand, I can understand the power of the image to someone who sees the church as an oppressive institution. On the other...

Heroes are meant to be imitated. Nicole Richie's admirers look like chopsticks with hair, while David Beckham's fans strut around in cleats looking for the perfect plastic lady to bear the children they will then name after the places in which they were conceived (in these parts: Cowgirl's Inc., Lynnwood, Peso's, etc.). As a kid, I went through a brief phase of trying to be Hello Kitty. I tried to sculpt my hair into strange, high pigtails and copped a blank stare, arms hanging at sides, head always turned to the side. My classmates found it creepy, so I dropped...