The Quest: Update 1 & The Death of A Great Writer

I need to amend the rules of my quest to give up television for the month of August. It's not as much that I lack will power (I do) but more so because this is a really bad month to give up television.

The Olympics?
Pre-season football?
TMC's Summer Under the Stars?

Television is a cruel, manipulative mistress and I am weak to her siren song.

In other, more important news, Alexandr Solzhenitsyn died the other day. I don't know why, but the death of a great author or director affects me more than the death of any other celebrity. It's no exaggeration to say that Solzhenitsyn's career has been legendary: he's written books that have help destroy despotic empires for heaven's sake, not to mention one that has become required reading for our country's youth. If you haven't read One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch, go to your library and check it out. His books transcended literature by effecting the day-to-day lives of Russians and others under tyrannical rule. He is a major hero not just for the Russian people, but to humanity, unsung though he may be. He railed against the Soviet Union for their human rights violations, but, like humans tend to do, he still felt a deep love for his homeland. He was a fascinating man. I can't say that I'll miss him because in certain ways he lives on through his literature for all eternity, a beacon for those who are mistreated by those in power. His voice should mean a lot to Americans now more than ever.