Medary.com

Hunter S. Thompson fatally shoots himself
"For the whole point on this picaresque is that the American-style rogue-hero must not merely tease or insult the Silent Majority, but abuse it, outrage it, twist it, hurt it, smash it," he once wrote.

I'll admit, I'm not a big HST fan. But, he was an icon of antiauthority and the founder of "gonzo journalism" which subsequently metastatized into Dan Rather, Steve Irwin (the "Crocodile Hunter") and reality TV. His passing, by self-inflicted gunshot wound, was probably predictable.

Israel approves Gaza Pullout
Palestinian officials were unhappy with the measures, which they view as an attempt by Israeli leaders to draw borders unilaterally.
It's astonishing to me that the Palestinians are putting up a fuss about this. Would they really rather quibble about a couple of square miles than accept success at last? Maybe . . . long range strategic thinking does not seem to be an Arab strength.
“It's not an easy day, it's not a happy day,” Sharon said at the beginning of his marathon Cabinet eeting Sunday. “But it's a critical move for the state of Israel.”

This is a leap into the dark for Israel. Will the extended hand of peace finally be accepted, or will it again be slapped aside? Stay tuned.

A-B rolls out Budweiser Select nationwide
Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. is rolling out its Budweiser Select beer nationwide Monday in response to consumer demand for variety.
Budweiser tries again for the low-carb beer market. Haven't they heard that low-carb is dead? I'm looking forward to trying it . . . maybe it will actually have some taste, unlike Michelob Ultra.