jonathan butz

Library of Congress summary for ‘The Lorax’ by Dr. Seuss:

SUMMARY: The Once-ler describes the results of the local pollution problem.

Hunter S. Thompson was found dead in his Aspen home Sunday.

“And that, I think, was the handle — that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn’t need that. Our energy would simply prevail. There was no point in fighting on our side or theirs. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave. So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark — the place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.”
—[i]Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas[/i] 1971

Farewell, Dr. Gonzo.

Update: In accordance with his last wishes, his ashes were shot out of a cannon of his own design at a farewell fesitval on August 20, largely sponsored by Johnny Depp, featuring performances by Lyle Lovett and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. What a way to go: out with a bang and one last blast.

When despair for the world grows in me
And I wake in the night at the least sound
In fear of what my life and my children’s life may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
Rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
Who do not tax their lives with forethought
Of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
Waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

-Wendell Berry