Though it is entirely possible I will not see the new season because of the move, I am delighted that Bravo Network's Celebrity Poker Showdown is returning this month!

On Thursday, August 18 (9:00-11:00 p.m./ET), Bravo's hit original series "Celebrity Poker Showdown" will return for an all new tournament featuring twenty-five stars competing for $250,000 for charity. The tournament will consist of six all new, two-hour episodes. Poker pro Phil Gordon will once again team up with host Dave Foley as the stars ante up for another round of high stakes Texas Hold 'Em.
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This tournament's games are themed and include "Reality All-Stars," "Boys Night Out," "Ladies Night" and more with players including Alex Trebek, Howie Mandel, Meatloaf, Kathy Najimy, Caroline Rhea, Sharon Lawrence, Ricki Lake, Rosie O'Donnell, Mo Gaffney, Travis Tritt and Penny Marshall. The new sponsor for this season is Beck's Premier Light beer.

I was quite pleased with an interview I heard during Morning Edition today. Discussed was Timothy Naftali's newest book, Blind Spot: The Secret History of American Counterterrorism, a comprehensive look at how the United States' position on counterterrorism tactics have dramatically changed in the last fifty years.

Of particular note was the fact that hijacking used to be taken as a mere inconvenience. Many hijackers of passenger aircraft would instruct the flight crew to take them to Havana, Cuba. This happened so often in fact, pilots who frequented the southeastern United States had maps of José Martí International Airport on-board just in case.

Additionally, the Swiss government — the United States' representative in Cuba — had a standardized pre-filled form prepared that only needed the flight number and date entered which formally requested the return of the airplane, passengers and crew.

And finally my favourite bit, the Cuban government decided to profit from the regular dispatch of hijacked Americans and started giving out Cuban sandwiches. Billed, of course, to the United States Department of State at thirty dollars a piece.

You can listen to the story at npr.org.