The word loner has shown up regularly in the news media's descriptions of Mr. Cho, and it seems to have struck a chord with users of Facebook, for whom would-be friends—other users who respond to electronic overtures, often reciprocally—sometimes seem more numerous than strangers. (To those familiar with older connotations of the word "friend," a Facebook or MySpace friend might be better described as a "correspondent.")

Online, Students Say 'Reach Out to Loners' [NYT]

Catherine Conn grew up in a world whose underpinnings were Victorian. She was of a time and a state of mind when it was believed possible to jump into American society through the free pass of stardom, as if such enchantment would automatically rob the world of its prejudices. Denial was often a necessary tool for advancement, even in the theatre: names were changed, accents Anglicized. The composer Arthur Schwartz, who spoke with a distinctly British accent, told his son, Jonathan, "We're not Jewish, we're in show business." Getting out of a taxi once, Kitty Carlisle's mother was asked by a curious driver, "Is your daughter Jewish?" "She may be, but I'm not" was the reply.