(As you are, we once were; as we are, you soon will be. Photo by Pablo Solis. Source.)

Very briefly, as a postscript to an old post, the New York Times invited several people to comment on roadside memorials, no doubt inspired by the recent public exhalations of supposedly private grief over Michael Jackson's death. The editors asked: “Why do people feel a need to build them? Are they a distraction or a warning? Should restrictions be placed on them?”

As expected, the responses (and the many fascinating comments from readers) are incredibly diverse.