Gore Vidal was impossible to categorize, which was exactly the way he liked it. The reading public knew him as a literary juggernaut who wrote 25 novels - from the historical "Lincoln" to the satirical "Myra Breckinridge" - and volumes of essays critics consider among the most elegant in the English language.
He also brought shrewd intelligence to writing Broadway hits, Hollywood screenplays, television dramas and a trio of mysteries still in print after 50 years.




The government has vetoed an order by the independent freedom of information watchdog to release the minutes of cabinet meetings held immediately before the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
Biological scientist Dr Hans-Peter Kubis, who's just led a study into what soft drinks do to our bodies, has reached some shocking conclusions. When you read what he discovered, you may well choose never to touch the fizzy stuff again.
Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and Iran should pay $US6 billion ($A5.75 billion) to relatives of September 11 victims for aiding in the 2001 terror attacks, a US judge has recommended in a largely symbolic decision.
If you're looking to avoid further hormonal freakouts brought on by the hated Bisphenol A ( BPA) -- a frightening endocrine disruptor reportedly found in 96 percent of women but consumed more by their children, then you might want to clean out your wallet.






























