Columnist breaks hip in hotel

Coral Gables, Fla. — Political columnist Robert Novak broke his hip while in the Miami area for the first presidential debate and was recovering from surgery in a hospital, a newspaper reported Saturday.

The 73-year-old conservative pundit fell early Friday in a hotel bathroom and underwent partial hip replacement surgery that afternoon, The Washington Post reported.

Novak aide Kathleen Connolly said the injury would not slow him down. “Are you kidding?” she told the paper. “He intends to write his column for the weekend and asked me to cancel Monday’s events, but not Tuesday’s.”

Armstrong leads cancer relay

Duarte, Calif. — Six-time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong is taking part in a cross-country cycling relay to raise awareness about cancer and the importance of cancer research.

Armstrong left Duarte at midnight Friday on the first segment of the eight-day trip that ends Oct. 9 in Washington.

Twenty cyclists, each touched in some way by cancer, are taking part in the event sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb, which developed three drugs that helped Armstrong beat testicular cancer eight years ago.

The bikers will ride in continuous 4- to 5-hour segments and Armstrong will ride in selected segments along the way.

Actor not too hot on America

Hong Kong — Chow Yun-Fat says he can’t stand the American way of life and has no plans to pursue U.S. permanent resident status.

“I can’t stand talking English every day or the lifestyle there … not to mention the food,” the Hong Kong-born film star was quoted as saying in Friday’s editions of Chinese-language newspaper The Sun. “I only go to America for work. When I finish work, I leave immediately. I won’t stay one day longer.”

Chow rose to fame in Hong Kong with gangster movies including “A Better Tomorrow” before moving to Hollywood, where he has starred in films such as “The Replacement Killers” and “Anna and the King.”

Politicians, celebs add to book

Buffalo, N.Y. — When the author of a new how-to book needed to find an expert snow shoveler, she turned to Buffalo Mayor Tony Masiello to write a chapter about his shoveling secrets.

Masiello shares the literary stage with celebrities such as Donald Trump and Jennifer Capriati in Samantha Ettus’ new book, “The Experts’ Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do.”

The book offers tips from experts on how to accomplish tasks ranging from setting a formal table to changing a diaper. Masiello is the only elected official included in the book.

But some Buffalo residents who serve on a task force that is trying to make the city more walkable in the winter questioned how much shoveling the mayor actually does.

In his entry, Masiello pointed out that not all snow is created equal and when there is at least 7 feet of snow, his advice is to call the governor to send in the National Guard and call Congress for federal aid.