One of the seven signs of the impending apocolypse

The Economist, a much-revered British weekly newsmagazine - like Time, but a lot better written - always ends every issue with an obituary. Often, it's not an obvious choice. Recent people highlighted include Alice Lakwena, who started the Lord's Resistance Army; Henry Groues/Abbe Pierre, who fought for rights for France's homeless; and Theodore Kollek, former mayor of Jerusalem.

Then again, The Economist can fall prey to the mob mentality which overwhelms even the most stalwart hold-outs to the media circus.

This past week, their person du choix was Anna Nicole Smith.