The great French Algerian/Jewish intellectual Jacques Derrida is dead at 74.
See Michael Berube for a brief intro to what Derrida was on about. I may do one of these myself sometime soon (I first have to get some grading, book-writing, and teaching preparation out of the way).
Also see: Balkin, and the New York Times (via Crooked Timber).
Further links from Adam Kotsko: reactions from France; Spurious; Infinite Thought; and of course, Adam Kotsko himself.
And then via Kitabkhana, I found a link to this entertaining article about JD from 1991 (Headline: "DECONSTRUCTING JACQUES DERRIDA; THE MOST REVILED PROFESSOR IN THE WORLD DEFENDS HIS DIABOLICALLY DIFFICULT THEORY")