This is a little personal preface to the draft of my paper, "'Crash vs. Yield': On the Conflict Asymmetry in Syntax and Phonology".

This paper was written in memory of Steven G. Lapointe, who died on February 26, 1999. A lot of the OT syntax work cited in this paper came out around that time and since then. I think Steve would have enjoyed seeing (and perhaps being part of) the new development in OT syntax. I am sure that, now after a year from his death, the grief still remains and the painful mourning process continues in many of us. This paper was written partly in response to Steve's words in what became our last email exchange: "Keep me posted."

February 13, 2000