• When visiting Robert Graves, comedian Terry-Thomas felt that perhaps he had offended the famous poet with his sense of over-confidence because instead of having an intellectual discussion about Greek mythology, all Mr. Graves talked to him about was compost, frequently sticking a fork into various maturing piles and making Terry-Thomas smell them.
• Anne Beatts, a writer for Saturday Night Live, used to keep a hospital bed in her office at Rockefeller Center. She used it for writing (her typewriter sat where the food tray would normally sit), instead of a desk and chair.
Couples
• At age 40, children’s book author Lois Lowry got divorced and started dating, a process she hated, mostly because the men who took her out told her things like they had a wife but were thinking seriously of getting divorced or they had a problem with alcohol but were thinking seriously of quitting drinking. One day, she wore an expensive dress on a date with a rich man who opened the door on what she thought was the driver’s side of his car and motioned for her to get in. She said, “I’d really prefer that you drive,” and he replied, “I’m going to. The steering wheel’s on the other side of a Rolls [Rolls-Royce].” Later, she was watching an episode of Kate and Allie when one of the stars took out a dress from a closet — the same dress that she had been wearing on the date with the rich man — and the other star made fun of it. After that, she still wore the dress, but she didn’t like it as much. Fortunately, on another date she met another man, Martin, who quoted the Babar the Elephant books and who grew a beard after she said that she preferred men who had beards. Today, she shares her life with Martin.
• Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Meyer Berger used to do odd jobs around the house while thinking about how to write an article. One day, the deadline was approaching for a difficult magazine article, so his wife decided to leave him at home so he could write. She entertained some visitors, taking them to a movie and dinner, and when she returned, she discovered that her husband hadn’t typed a single word — but he had polished the silver and run the vacuum cleaner. However, the time spent doing housework was also time spent planning the article. The next day, Mr. Meyer sat down before the typewriter and quickly wrote a very good article.
• As a young man, Dean Koontz kept writing novels and also worked to earn a living, but although he published some books, his writing career seemed to be going nowhere. His wife, Gerda, saw that her husband was worried, so she offered to support him for five years as he wrote, saying, “If you can’t make it in five years, you never will.” Mr. Koontz accepted her offer, and after quitting his job, he started writing for sixty hours a week. At the end of the five years, Mr. Koontz had succeeded to such an extent that his wife quit her job to manage the business end of her husband’s writing career.
• When Kate Mostel and Madeline Gilford decided to write a book of autobiography and anecdotes in conjunction with their famous husbands, Zero Mostel and Jack Gilford, Mr. Mostel was reluctant at first and thought his wife was wasting her time, but after reading a few pages of her writing, he became enthusiastic. In fact, he made a writing room for Kate in their home, and he bought her a writing desk. When a salesman showed him a little writing desk, he said, “No, no. That’s too small. We need a serious writing desk. My wife’s a writer.”
Today, BadToTheBoneBob shares his birthday with a French Alpine skier who swept the Gold at the 1968 Winter Olympics in the Downhill, Slalom, and Giant Slalom, followed by a career as a TV spokesman. What is the name of this World Cup winning skier?
Kurt Vonnegut's seventh novel, set in the fictional town of Midland City, Ohio, was subtitled Goodbye Blue Monday. What is the title of this 1973 work of fiction?
Breakfast of Champions, or Goodbye Blue Monday is a 1973 novel by the American author Kurt Vonnegut. His seventh novel, it is set predominantly in the fictional town of Midland City, Ohio and focuses on two characters: Dwayne Hoover, a Midland resident, Pontiac dealer and affluent figure in the city and Kilgore Trout, a widely published but mostly unknown science fiction author. Breakfast of Champions has themes of free will, suicide, and race relations among others.
Source
Billy in Cypress U. $. A. was first, and correct, with:
"Breakfast of Champions" where everyone eats Wheaties for breakfast?
Mark. said:
Breakfast of Champions.
Alan J answered:
Breakfast of Champions.
Randall wrote:
Breakfast of Champions
Mac Mac responded:
Breakfast of Champions
Cal in Vermont replied:
Breakfast Of Champions variously subtitled as Wheaties or Two-Pound Bag Of Twizzlers or Sixpack of Budweiser.
Deborah, the Master Gardener wrote:
“Breakfast of Champions” was Vonnegut’s 7th novel. It’s also the tag line for Wheaties, which was the answer to Friday’s TQ (I’m composing this before reading yesterday’s answer). I read it but don’t remember it, so maybe it’s time to download that Libby app and borrow is from my library.
Still smoky at dawn and dusk, with some cleaning during the day. We drove to Napa yesterday and got a few glimpses of some burn areas. It’ll be a long time before those areas grow back.
Jim from CA, retired to ID, said:
Breakfast of Champions
zorch replied:
It’s the subtitle of his ‘Breakfast of Champions.’ He couldn’t call it Wheaties.
Jacqueline responded:
Breakfast Of Champions . Was on the New York Times bestseller list for 56 weeks.
Kevin in Washington DC wrote:
It was “Little Chocolate Donuts”. Just kidding, it was “Breakfast of Champions”. I read it back then in hardcover, and remembered that it had some drawings in it as part of the narrative. So I looked one up to add; a pic of a page of the book as written and drawn by Vonnegut:
Dave said:
Breakfast of Champions.
Dave in Tucson answered:
If correct I'm sensing a sort of Wheaties theme here. Breakfast of Champions?
DJ Useo replied:
Breakfast Of Champions. I read that years ago. Mainly, I read all his books. Never during breakfast, however.
mj took the day off.
Micki took the day off.
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Daniel in The City took the day off.
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Michelle in AZ took the day off.
Joe ( -- Vote Blue, No Matter Who -- ) took the day off.
Roy, still a Libtard Snowflake, still isolated in Tyler, TX took the day off.
Harry M. took the day off.
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Barbara, of Peppy Tech fame took the day off.
Roy the (now retired) hoghead (aka 'hoghed') ( Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid. ~Frank Zappa ) took the day off.
Doug in Albuquerque, New Mexico, took the day off.
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BttbBob supplied today's trivia question (and is celebrating another solar anniversary).
~~~~~
CBS starts the night, as usual, with '60 Minutes', followed by a FRESH'Big Brother', then a FRESH'Love Island', followed by a RERUN'NCIS: The 3rd One'.
NBC opens the night with LIVE'Stanley Cup Stuff', followed by a FRESH'Cannonball', then pads the left coast with local crap.
ABC begins the night with a RERUN'America's So-Called Funniest Home Videos', follwoed by a RERUN'Celebrity Family Feud', then a RERUN'Press Your Luck', followed by a RERUN'Match Game'.
The CW offers a FRESH'Fridge Wars', followed by a RERUN'Supernatural'.
Faux has a RERUN'Last Man Standing', followed by a RERUN'Duncanville', then a RERUN'The Simpsons', followed by a RERUN'Bless The Harts', then a RERUN'Bob's Burgers', followed by a RERUN'Family Guy'.
MY recycles an old 'How I Met Your Mother', followed by another old 'How I Met Your Mother', then an old 'Big Bang Theory', followed by another old 'Big Bang Theory', then still another old 'Big Bang Theory', followed by yet another old 'Big Bang Theory'.
BBC -
[6:00AM] PLANET EARTH: THE HUNT - Oceans
[7:00AM] PLANET EARTH: THE HUNT - Plains
[8:00AM] PLANET EARTH: THE HUNT - Coasts
[9:00AM] PREMIER LEAGUE DARTS
[10:00AM] TOP GEAR
[11:30AM] TOP GEAR
[12:30PM] DAYS OF THUNDER
[3:00PM] THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS
[5:30PM] 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS
[8:00PM] TOP GEAR - Nepal Special
[9:42PM] THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS
[12:13AM] 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS
[2:44AM] TOP GEAR - Nepal Special
[4:26AM] DOCTOR WHO - The Timeless Children (ALL TIMES ET)
Bravo has 'Real Housewives Of Potomac', another 'Real Housewives Of Potomac', followed by FRESH'Real Housewives Of Potomac', and another 'Real Housewives Of Potomac'.
Comedy Central has the movie 'Knocked Up', followed by FRESH'2020 MTV Video Music Awards'.
FX has the movie 'Deadpool', followed by the movie 'Deadpool 2', then the movie 'Deadpool 2', again.
History has 'American Pickers', another 'American Pickers', followed by a FRESH'Apocalypse Earth'.
IFC -
[6:00A] The Three Stooges - If a Body Meets a Body
[6:15A] The Three Stooges - They Stooge to Conga
[6:30A] The Three Stooges - Nutty But Nice
[7:00A] Monty Python and the Holy Grail
[9:00A] Galaxy Quest
[11:30A] Inglourious Basterds
[3:00P] The Wolf of Wall Street
[7:00P] Final Destination 3
[9:00P] Final Destination
[11:15P] Final Destination 2
[1:15A] Final Destination 3
[3:15A] The Final Destination
[5:15A] The Three Stooges - Violent Is the Word for Curly
[5:30A] The Three Stooges - Ants in the Pantry (ALL TIMES ET)
Sundance -
[6:30am] columbo - A Case Of Immunity
[8:15am] columbo - A Matter Of Honor
[10:00am] close up with the hollywood reporter - Drama Actors
[11:00am] face/off
[2:00pm] the silence of the lambs
[4:30pm] a few good men
[7:30pm] gladiator
[11:00pm] braveheart
[3:00am] fargo
[5:00am] close up with the hollywood reporter - Drama Actors (ALL TIMES ET)
SyFy has the movie 'Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire', followed by a FRESH'Wynonna Earp'.
Representatives of the late Leonard Cohen’s estate and publishing company have both issued statements saying they declined requests for his song “Hallelujah” to be used at the Republican National Convention — even though it was played twice following the conclusion of Donald Trump’s speech Thursday night.
The estate’s attorney made a threat of legal action as part of her statement.
Said Michelle L. Rice, the Cohen estate’s lawyer: “We are surprised and dismayed that the RNC would proceed knowing that the Cohen Estate had specifically declined the RNC’s use request, and their rather brazen attempt to politicize and exploit in such an egregious manner ‘Hallelujah,’ one of the most important songs in the Cohen song catalogue. We are exploring our legal options.”
The singer of the first version of “Hallelujah” that was heard, Tori Kelly, quickly took to Twitter after the conclusion of the telecast to assure upset fans that she had nothing to do with the usage of her recording — and, unlike the estate and publisher, she was apparently never approached about it.
Many Cohen fans were displeased when they heard Kelly’s recording of the song playing during the fireworks that capped Trump’s address — sandwiched right between “She’s a Grand Old Flag” and Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” as pyrotechnics spelled out “TRUMP” and “2020” over the Washington mall.
The documentary film-maker Michael Moore has warned that Donald Trump (R-Compromised) appears to have such momentum in some battleground states that liberals risk a repeat of 2016 when so many wrote off Trump only to see him grab the White House.
“Sorry to have to provide the reality check again,” he said.
Moore, who was one of few political observers to predict Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016, said that “enthusiasm for Trump is off the charts” in key areas compared with the Democratic party nominee, Joe Biden.
“Are you ready for a Trump victory? Are you mentally prepared to be outsmarted by Trump again? Do you find comfort in your certainty that there is no way Trump can win? Are you content with the trust you’ve placed in the DNC [Democratic National Committee] to pull this off?” Moore posted on Facebook late on Friday.
“I’m warning you almost 10 weeks in advance. The enthusiasm level for the 60 million in Trump’s base is OFF THE CHARTS! For Joe, not so much,” he later added.
Lawsuit Against Charter Communications Moves Forward
Byron Allen
Byron Allen and Entertainment Studios announced Friday that its lawsuit against telecommunications giant Charter is set to move forward.
Federal District Court Judge George H. Wu has ruled in favor for Allen’s $10 billion dollar lawsuit against Charter Communications for racial discrimination. The latest move comes after Wu initially appealed the decision in 2016 and upheld his ruling in November 2018.
In March 2020 the United States Supreme Court ruled that the entertainment boss needed to provide evidence to support his claim of racial discrimination from the communications company. With Judge Wu’s latest ruling, Allen can now proceed to bring legal action against Charter.
“Charter once again tried to claim in a court of law that the First Amendment gives them the right to discriminate against Black people. This is a despicable, racist legal position, and I’m highly-confident Charter CEO Tom Rutledge and the Charter Board of Directors will be held fully accountable,” Allen said in a statement. “Charter has now been told by Judge Wu twice, and the Ninth Circuit, that the First Amendment does not give anyone the right to discriminate against 100 million minorities in this country.”
The Entertainment Studios founder and CEO has also brought a similar lawsuit against Comcast, also $10 billion, accusing the media conglomerate of racial bias and alleged violations of the Civil Rights Act. In June, Allen and Comcast reached a settlement which saw the network extend terms for The Weather Channel and 14 television stations.
The company that owns the Trump International Hotel in Vancouver has filed for bankruptcy.
According to the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada, TA Hotel Management Limited Partnership filed for bankruptcy on Thursday. Records show the company has CDN$4.7 million (US$3.59 million) in liabilities and CDN$1.1 million (US$840,000) in assets.
The first meeting of creditors is expected on Sept. 16.
The hotel officially opened in February 2017 with Donald Jr. and Eric Trump attending, along with developer Tiah Joo Kim. Protestors gathered outside and then Mayor Gregor Robertson and other local politicians did not attend the ceremony.
The United States' top intelligence office told lawmakers it will largely stop holding in-person briefings on election security, officials said on Saturday, signaling it does not trust lawmakers to keep the information secret.
President Donald Trump (R-Vlad's Asset)'s new director of national intelligence, John Ratcliffe, notified the House and Senate intelligence panels on Friday that it would send written reports instead, giving lawmakers less opportunity to press for details as the Nov. 3 election approaches. An official in Ratcliffe's office, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said it was "concerned about unauthorized disclosures of sensitive information following recent briefings."
The move drew a heated rejoinder from House Democrats, who have focused on foreign efforts to sway the presidential election in 2016 and again this year.
"This is a shocking abdication of its lawful responsibility to keep the Congress currently informed, and a betrayal of the public’s right to know how foreign powers are trying to subvert our democracy," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said in a statement on Saturday.
Ratcliffe, a close political ally of Trump, is a former member of the House intelligence panel and was a vocal defender of the president during investigations of Russia's efforts to influence the 2016 election. He told senators during his confirmation hearing this year that "the intelligence I deliver will not be subject to outside influence."
More than half the ice shelves ringing Antarctica that prevent huge glaciers from sliding into the ocean and lifting sea levels are at risk of crumbling due to climate change, researchers said Wednesday.
Melt water running into deep fissures caused by warming air is undermining the structural integrity of these natural barricades, they reported in Nature.
"If the ice shelves fill up with melt water, things can happen very quickly," said co-author Jonathan Kingslake, a glaciologist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.
Scientists are especially concerned about the weakened state of ice shelves holding back West Antarctica's Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers which could, if destabilised, raise global oceans by more than three metres.
The two glaciers cover an area larger than Germany.
A high-ranking US intelligence official died by suicide in front of his wife, leading to a CIA investigation of the death, but public silence from his peers.
The death of Anthony Schinella, national intelligence officer for military issues, comes at a time when his expertise might have been crucial.
He shot himself in the front yard of his home in Arlington, Virginia, on 14 June, according to a medical examiner’s report seen by The Intercept.
Mr Schinella was just weeks away from retirement and had only recently married his wife, Sara Corcoran, a journalist. She was in her car in the driveway of the home and told The Intercept that she was trying to get away from Mr Schinella when she witnessed the suicide.
His work was particularly sensitive as the most senior military affairs intelligence analyst and as a member of the National Intelligence Council (NIC), which prepares reports for senior policymakers in Congress and the president.
US taxpayers spent more than $64,000 for President Donald Trump (R-Crooked)’s eldest son and his girlfriend to visit Paris for a two-day vacation in 2018.
Secret Service documents reveal that the trip by Donald Trump Jr (R-Lock Him Up) and Kimberly Guilfoyle (R-Unglued) included a stay at a $1,000-a-night hotel near the Champs-Elysees.
Mr Trump and Ms Guilfoyle had recently begun a relationship when they took the trip in which they visited the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, according to posts on Instagram. The couple then continued their travels by attending a friend’s 50th birthday party in Monaco.
The Huffington Post reports Secret Service records show a cost to taxpayers of $31,104 on air travel and $23,036 for accommodation.
It is unknown how many agents accompanied the couple on their trip, nor what costs were incurred in Monaco.
In his first speech since the Republican National Convention, President Trump (R-Corrupt) said Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris is "not competent" enough to become the first female president, suggesting that his daughter, Ivanka, would be a much better fit.
Speaking at a New Hampshire campaign rally on Friday night, the president poked fun at Harris' failed 2020 presidential campaign. He said she was not the kind of woman who could make history as the first female president.
"I want to see the first woman president also, but I don't want to see the first woman president get into the position the way [Harris] would do it, and she's not competent, she's not competent," he said, according to The Daily Beast.
"They're all saying, 'We want Ivanka!'" he continued, pointing to cheering supporters near the stage. "I don't blame them."
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supplied today's trivia question (and is celebrating another solar anniversary).
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