Some atavistic taboo, a notion of respect for the dead as if her mother still lay there in possession.

NEWYORKER: A Beneficiary

For the sake of stability, and out of respect for the dead king, the royal family, local politicians, ordinary Jordanians and a panoply of world leaders have rallied behind King Abdullah.

ECONOMIST: Jordan��s new king

The Home Office has confirmed that a further 107 failed asylum seekers of various nationalities at the Oxfordshire detention centre are now refusing food "as a mark of respect for the dead man".

BBC: NEWS | UK | England | Oxfordshire | Failed asylum seeker found dead

And yesterday was the first time since that cold day at the end of January 1965 that the bells of Big Ben had fallen silent as a mark of respect for the dead - with the exception of a brief period in the 1970s, when the tower was closed for repairs.

BBC: Viewpoint: Margaret Thatcher funeral's place in history

With demographic changes reinforcing a permanent ethnic tribalism that abjures the melting pot, the likelihood that our country will ever recover its founding values has vanished as thoroughly as our respect for the dead white men who pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to make our way of life possible.

FORBES: Chronicling The Decline And Fall Of Entitlement Democracy