... it still surprises me that it took me over 24 hours to hear of J.D. Salinger's death.

Sure, there's a ton of coverage on the 'webs, but honestly, what can't you find there?

I have yet to see a broadcast media piece on his death. But I see that Twilight girl all the time. I've even seen tv pieces on the hand model that holds the apple on the cover of those books.

That's the sad state of the literary world today - great writers like Salinger, Vonnegut, and Updike can pass away with barely a whisper - and people like Dan Brown can write Highlights For Kids puzzles over a thousand pages and be called "authors."

My idol. My hero. Jerome David Salinger. January 1, 1919 to January 27, 2010.