The starburst-AGN disconnection
  Optical studies of starbursts, AGN and their connections usually leave out
galaxies whose emission lines are too weak to warrant reliable measurement and
classification. Yet, weak line galaxies abound, and deserve a closer look. We
show that these galaxies are either massive, metal rich star-forming systems,
or, more often, LINERs. From our detailed stellar population analysis, we find
that these LINERs have stopped forming stars long ago. Moreover, their ionizing
radiation field is amazingly consistent with that expected from their old
stellar populations alone. The black-hole in the centers of these massive,
early-type galaxies is not active enough to overwhelm stellar ionization, and
thus, despite their looks, they should not be called AGN.
