Little Thinkers Quotes (7 of 16): Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Greetings to our blog-readers in Slovakia, Panama and Vietnam.

Tonight, we feature a special quote from Wolfgang Amadus Mozart, who has been the subject of the award-winning play and movie "Amadeus"as well as a '80s pop song by the late Falco, who also hailed from Mozart's Austria.

For those who enjoy listening to classical music on the radio, we highly recommend WETA, an NPR station in Washington, DC, dedicated virtually exclusively to classical music.

For those who want to see a symphony, as luck would have it, The Cleveland Orchestra in Cleveland, Ohio, is performing Mozart's 'greatest hits' this weekend (our words!).........

Here is the quote from Wolfgang Amadeus:

"There is no female Mozart because there is no female Jack the Ripper."

SIDEBAR: Brigham Young University's men's basketball team won a road game over San Francisco (university) last night; the final score was 83-76.

The visiting Cougars, which has a roster that includes former Wake Forest U stand-out Chase Fischer, were lead by Kyle Collingsworth (soph. guard who happens to hail from Provo, Utah, where BYU is located) who put in 19 points. His teammate and fellow Utah resident Skyler Hlaford Jr. added points for the Cougars (12-7, 4-2 in West Coast Conference). The home town Dons (yes, that is really the team's nickname!), which have a record of 12-7, 4-2 in the WCC, were lead by 26 points from Cole Dickerson. The game aired nationally on the ESPN networks.

Eid Mubarak/Happy Ramadan from Karagoz and Hacivat

Our shadow puppet friends from Bursa, Turkey, wish each and every one of you in Provo, Utah, a Happy Ramadan............

Yes, we do have an offbeat sense of humor (for those of you in Dubai who might not get the joke, Utah is a state with many Mormons and presumably very few Muslims). But, our ever diligent Javier the Intern reports there is in fact a Salt Lake City Muslim group!

http://www.utahmuslims.com/

http://www.mormon.org

http://www.goturkey.com

PS: We just found out that our blog has two hits from Cuba! To our knowledge, this is the first time, we've had hits from there.....

Greetings from Mister Lizard

We conclude Reptile Week with a gecko lizard, and no we are not trying to see you car insurance.

Let's take a moment to wish a pleasant Sunday morning to folks in Athens, Greece, where it is now 8:00 a.m. and to folks in Baku, Azerbaijan, where it is now 10:00 a.m.

According to buzzle.com, the gecko is small lizard that are quite radiant; the reptile usually resides in warm climates and the lizards are diligent when it comes to climbing around. They also like to dine on insects and they are known to make a chirping sound.

SIDEBAR: Or should we say side out, as we discuss tonight's vital women's college volleyball game between the host San Diego University Toreros, ranked #18, and the visiting Brigham Young University Cougars from Provo, Utah, , ranked #13.

The Toreros prevailed in the Big West Conference match 3-2 (25-23, 28-26, 13-25, 25-23, 15-13).

For the Cougars, Jennifer Hamson had 23 kills and 15 digs; for the winning Toreros, Katie Hoekman had 20 kills and 2 digs while her teammate Sandra Lozic, a sophomore from Serbia, had 16 kills and 14 digs.

http://www.lizards.com

http://www.byucougars.com

http://www.usdtoreros.com 

Image to Fill Space-Power Yoga

Ever since we heard the term power yoga, we thought it was a bit of an oxy moron as the term yoga usually conjures up images of people relaxing and trying to 'strike a pose.' (We don't think Madonna can sue us for that).

But, it seems to be becoming very popular at health clubs around the country, from San Francisco to Provo, Utah. Having tried this once myself, I must advice beginners to try regular yoga first.

There is a yoga retreat called Yogaville in the rural hamlet of Buckingham, Va. (some 30 miles south of Charlottesville in central Virginia), for those you really want to practice yoga away from modern distractions, without going to Sri Lanka.

www.yogajournal.com

www.yogamagazine.com

www.yogaville.org

Bonus Road Trips (10 of 10) Provo to Raleigh...beware of the traffic

We wish to warn not only incomers from Provo, Utah, but also anyone coming into Raleigh, NC, via I-40 or I-85, that this seemingly small city is quite overgrown and congested! So, I will wager that at least one angry Pittsburgh Penguins fan missed a game against the Carolina Hurricanes as I'm sure at least one angry college gymnastics missed an North Carolina State Wolfpack meet (hmm...we aren't naming names).

On Saturday, the visiting Brigham Young Cougars start their season at North Carolina State, and it is quite a trek. Assuredly, the visiting women's gymnastics team from Provo, Utah, will be flying in for the meet. But, today, we look at how long that journey would take if one came to Raleigh from Provo in a Hyundai Accent.

For our points of destination, we are going with the famous restaurant, The Pit Authentic Barbecue, which was featured on the reality/cooking show "Ludo Bites America," with the ever-passionate five-star French chef Ludo Lefebrve, on the Sundance Channel. It is still showing in reruns.

As for Provo, Utah, where those of us who voted for Barack Obama may feel like Chomskyite hippies wearing Che Guevara t-shirts and Birkenstocks, (for those of you in Gyumri, Armenia, Provo, Utah, is considered the most conservative city in the land) we are selecting the Sensous Sandwich Shop on West Center Street.

Despite solid performances from Wolfpack gymnasts Diahanna Ham, Lane Jarred and Brooke Barr, the team fell to the third-ranked Florida Gators 196.025-194.675, who probably were fortunate enough not to deal with I-40.

So, just how far is Provo from Raleigh, assuming traffic is not backed up to Greensboro on I-40 (45 miles west of Raleigh); is the answer?

A) 31 hours even

B) 32 hours even

C) 33 hours even

D) 34 hours even

SIDEBAR: We want to take a moment to congratulate Radford University Highlanders' freshman R.J. Price for being named Big South Freshman of the Week in men's basketball. My alma has been on hard times as of late as the team lost its 13th basketball game in a row on Thursday night in Rock Hill, SC, to Winthrop University by a score of 70-54. But, in spite of the team loss, Price scored 19 points in the game. The Highlanders next face arch rival Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., on Thursday night.

Bonus Silly Photo to Fill Space- It's Oktoberfest Time

Hmm....yes, I'm afraid this photo image might get blog banned in both Qom, Iran, (we've actually had hits from Iran!) and Provo, Utah. In addition, it's possible that Michele Bachmann might use this entry to exemplify her views of a decline in morals in our culture. Of course, truth be told, I'd be honored to be on her enemies' list as the late Paul Newman said when he found out he was near the top of President Richard Nixon's enemies list, which had some 249 other names.

One of the major Oktoberfests going on this weekend will be in Leavenworth, Wash. The event will start at noon on Saturday. It will consist of four venues full of beer, bands and brats (their words, not mine).

Minors will be allowed until 9:00 p.m., and No Dogs Allowed inside the Oktoberfest compound.

SIDEBAR: Believe it or not, I am in the process of finishing up listening to two artists known for kischy music. The first was Barry Manilow II, a record I found for one dollar at All Day Records in Carrboro, NC (near Chapel Hill). And, the second is "Poems, Prayers and Promises" from the late John Denver, which I got at a yard sale some 25 years ago.

Both records contain 'signature songs' from the artists as the first one has "Mandy" and the second one has "Take Me Home Country Roads," which was supposedly written on a farm in Mount Jackson, Va., in the Shenandoah Valley. The answer to the question why am I doing this to myself is indeed a very valid one.

Announcing a Very Big Sale

My mom is having a HUGE moving sale at her former residence, located at 456 Ingal Blvd., Salem, Va. 24153 (we are using the zip code in case you want to Mapquest it; I think Bethesda, Maryland, is about five hours away as is Fayetville, NC---we really want people to come out in droves for this thing, seriously!).

Among the low-end items for sale are a pennant with King Kong hovering over the World Trade Center, a Captain Tennile vinyl record with their hit song "Love Will Keep Us Together" (it didn't belong to me) and a children's wind-up toy of a monkey playing a drum that might actually be older than I am.

The high-end items include an exotic Indonesian puppet, several antique lamps (we think), depression glass (hmmm....I should have asked mom to confirm all this), a nice couch and a huge big-screen tv.

There will also be lots of tools, but I'm not sure if those should be classified as high-end or low-end items. And, there is a cute, antique "Pinocchio" children's book as well as some novels which I actually found time to read, like "American Psycho" by Bret Easton Ellis.

Should you reside in Provo, Utah, which is 30 hours and 21 minutes from Salem, Va. (we did confirm this!), you can always fly. I think Delta Airlines would have the best route.

But, we know you will probably settle for watching "Antiques Roadshow." The episode which is reportedly airing in most markets tonight was taped in Billings, Montana. Assuredly, that town is even farther away from Salem than the folks in 84601 (zip code for Provo, Utah).

For more information, you can go rickandvick.com which will hopefully have an update on the Big Sale during the week.

My mom also sells antiques and collectibles at Duke's Antiques Mall in historic Lexington, Va.

I guess now mom will have to take me out to eat at Applebee's for doing all this!


PS: We forgot to mention that the times for the Big Huge Sale are Friday from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Beers from Around the World_ Hansa from Norway (#44)

Today, we are reviving our Beers Around the World series with Hansa, a Norwegian brew that is produced in Bergen and Sarpsborg (Norway's second and fifth largest cities, respectively).

According to an Internet web site, it is apparently available in some parts of New Jersey. But, somehow, we don't expect halal markets in Paterson are the place to look, though when we have time we can ask Mayor Jeff Jones (yes, he is the mayor of Paterson) if he knows of a place to find Scandanavian beers in town. Of course, since I'm half-Turkish, I can make fun of halal markets where one can always find great yogurts actually, especially if they are from Bulgaria or Lebanon (I should say that Turkish yogurt is perfectly good too before I offend my constituency---not there are many here in Welch, W.Va*).

As for Hansa, it was founded in 1997 and the Hansa Borg brewery has 26 percent of the beer market in Norway. And, apparently, beer has been in Norway for close to one thousand years.

SIDEBAR: Earlier today, while taking a quiz on mentalfloss.com we learned that Crown and Sugarlof is the name of a London pub, which happens to be on Fleet Street (where the macabe musical play "Sweeney Todd" takes place) as opposed to a Charles Dickens story. Apparently, the pub has a very relaxed atmosphere and they are not open on Sundays, which makes me wonder if the owner might be someone from Provo, Utah?!

*-We don't actually live in Welch, W.Va, but we understand they have a great drive-in movie theatre there!

Silly Photo to Fill Space- Che Guevara Plush Toy

A few weeks ago, I put the Che Guevara plush toy, which would probably more popular in San Francisco than Provo, Utah, on a mock Christmas gift list. I actually saw the item at a novelty shop in Greensboro, NC, along with similar plush toys for artist Frida Kahlo and scientist Albert Einstein.

Most of the plush toys retail for $16.95, and other figures that The Little Thinkers produce include Jesus Christ, Charlie Chaplin, William Shakespeare and Sigmund Freud.

I did not get the Che Guevara plush toy this year, but next Christmas is just around the corner, right?! Perhaps, there will be a socialist revolution by then (well, it couldn't be any worse than the Tea Party movement!)

Quote of the Week- George W. Bush

Yes. I know since I am a fairly partisan Democrat who would proudly be considered a socialist in Provo, Utah, this might come as a suprise. But, everyone from NPR to perhaps the Turkish newspaper "Zaman" is talking about George W. Bush's new memoir "Decision Points," which sold 220,000 copies today_ its first day of release.

Bush makes no apologies for being a human rights violator as he said he firmly stands by his decision to use waterboarding on terrorist suspects at Gitmo (slang for the U.S. naval base in Cuba) even though the decision was even criticized by conservatives like Andrew Sullivan of "The Atlantic."

The memoir apparently illustrates other aspects of Bush's 'black and white' Chuch Norris movie view of the world which makes me wonder if the former president will stop by Cinema Overdrive in Raleigh, NC, which is screening Norris' 1984 film
"Missing in Action 2: The Beginning" at 8:00 p.m. tonight. (We heard about it thanks to a blurp in 'Independent Weekly' from their film critic Zack Smith).

Of course, Katrina vandan Heuvel of the liberal journal "The Nation" has publically stated that Dick Cheney was the real American president from 2001-2008, which we presume may not make her a welcome guest at the Bush Childhood Home in Midland, Tex.

But, irregardless of where you or I (or Chuck Norris and Katrina vandan Heuvel) stand politically, one has to admit that the Bush Childhood Home (which is actually open to the public) has a great event on Nov. 18. On that day, the museum/home is sponsoring the Laura Bush Literacy Program with readings fom 4:00-5:00 p.m.

50 Beers Around the World- Heineken (The Netherlands/Holland)

The Dutch beer Heineken might well be the most popular brand we've featured in this series yet! The brand sells 250.8 million liters around the world, and it is perhaps the one European item that Republicans have no issues with.

Heineken was first made in 1873, and it consists of purified water, malted barley, hops and yeast.

You might even find it in Orem, Utah (just outside Provo).

Things We Learned on the BBC Today- Fidel Says It's Good to Be Alive

According to the BBC, Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who is reportedly sharing a Cuban cigar with Glenn Beck in Provo, Utah, as we speak, says that he was at the grim reaper's door during his long illness.

Castro actually made those comments in an interview with the Mexican newspaper "La Jornada" in which he also said that it was difficult for him to aspire to live much longer.

The long-time Cuban president, who many have deemed to be a dictator for his long-standing human rights abuses, first got sick in 2006 when he suffered from intestinal illness.

But, Castro says that he's made a full recovery and that he can now walk without a cane.

One can always hope that he may venture from Havannah to Frederick, Md., (an hour from Washington, DC) to see a minor league Frederick Keys game with right-wing pundit George F. Will, who will probably still believe global warming doesn't exist when it's 98 degrees in Bethesda in late January. The Keys are actually having community food drive from now until Sept. 3. Last night, the team lost a home game to the Kinston Indians by a 9-2 score. The two teams plays each other again tonight.

As for Castro, there are always a number of interesting musings about him on Cuban-American blogs which generally lean to the right politically. There was this quite radical one we used to glance at now and then that pretty much compared President Barack Obama to Gargamel (the villain in "The Smurfs").

We lost track of that particular blog, but we did find one today called BabaluBlog (http://www.babalublog.com) which is also understandably quite critical of Castro, but we have no idea if they have compared Obama to Gargamel, Iago or Ming the Merciless. But, if they do, we will kindly remind them that George W. Bush was as bad as Gargamel, Iago and Ming the Merciless!

'Official' High School of the Week- Meadowdale HS (Lynwood, Wash.)

Students who attend the Meadowdale High School in Dayton, Ohio, are going to be disappointed because we are featuring a school with the same name from Lynwood, Wash.

The Meadowdale in Washington state is the alma mater of senior University of Washington gymnast Kristen Linton, whose name we almost didn't spell right! (Kristin Linton is what I first wrote down).

The Huskies' first Pac-10 meet is not until Jan. 21 when they face Cal, but the school's football team has a date with BYU in Provo, Utah, (one of our favorite towns to make fun of) on Sept. 4. Alas, none of the Huskies faithful will be able to have a beer if they win unless they are willing to drive to Salt Lake City!

As for Meadowdale High, it happens to be the alma mater of Alice in Chains' lead singer Layne Stanley and Mark Stewart of the Minnesota Vikings as well.

The schol nickname is The Mavericks (the Maverick mascot pictured here is for another school) and the principal is Dale Cote. Meadowdale has an enrollment of 1,56 students. Classes don't actually start there until Sept. 7.

Meadowdale also has a Japanese Anime and Dead Poets Society club, which makes them perhaps a bit hipper than the high school you graduated from!

Linton said on her gymnast profile that she can't live without her cellphone, has a crush on Johnny Depp and enjoys lemonade and ice cream.

SIDE NOTE- Our next 'High School of the Week" will be Bristol Palin's alma mater Wasilla High School in Wasilla, Alaska. Those of you who've been to this blog before know I love the Palins as much as I love going to the dentist's office! If you have any future suggestions for a High School of the Week feel free to mention them here.

Top Ten College Albums of the Week (According to 'Rolling Stone')

We were pleasantly surprised to see one of our favorite '80s New Wave bands Devo is actually listed in the current College Radio Top Ten Albums list in the current "Rolling Stone."

Another band from Akron, Ohio, The Black Keys have the top album of the week.

Devo will be performing in Des Moines, Iowa, tonight before heading for shows in Indianapolis and Atlanta next week (why doesn't anyone come to North Carolina any more?!).

I will admit I haven't heard of many of these acts. Tame Impala?! But, the band Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse has a really, really cool name, don't they?

Here is the complete list:

1. The Black Keys "Brothers"

2. Wolf Parade "Expo 86"

3. Tokyo Police Club "Champ"

4. Deer Tick "The Black Dirt Sessions"

5. Tame Impala "Innerspeak"

6. Blitzen Trapper "Destroyer of the Void"

7. Devo "Something for Everybody" (pictured)

8. Stars "The Five Ghosts"

9. Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse "Dark Night of the Soul."

10. Sleigh Bells "Treats"

SIDEBAR: Because everything in the world is closed here in King, NC, (not really where I'm at), we will be posting our new 50 Beers from Around the World entry on Monday.

SIDEBAR TWO: WUAG-103.1 FM, the college radio station for UNC-Greensboro has ranked Wolf Parade's "Expo 86," which was number two on the RS list as their top album of the week. The station (wuag.net) also features an all-vinyl show between 7-9 p.m. on Wednesdays with host James Wert. You can actually listen to the show in both Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and Provo, Utah, because the station is available for streaming around the world.

Silly Picture to Fill Space- An Alarm Clock

If there is one thing all of us hate more than politicians who get away with infidelity that Warren Beatty would raise an eyebrow at (and, this is coming from someone who almost volunteered for John Edwards. But I should remind our Republican/Tea Party friends that Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho is still 'not gay.') it would have to be the ever-annoying morning alarm clock.

Supposedly, there is an Atomic Clock in Boulder, Colo., which keeps track of the exact time of day down to the nano-second, but we don't have time to actually verify this!

But, a friend of mine from Provo, Utah, told me they have great microbrews in Boulder (can never not make enough fun of people from Utah--nudge, nudge, wink, wink!)