Presidential Quotes (13 of 16): Richard Nixon

Today, we quote our personal favorite Republican President, Richard Nixon (it should be pointed out that we are Democrats here). One can visit the Nixon Library Museum in Yorba Linda, Calif.

A poster of Nixon bowling in the Coen Borthers film "The Big Lebowski" has also become a part of pop culture. And, a Lebowski Fest will be taking place in Tampa, Fla., from Jan. 31-Feb.1, 2014.

But, before we quip Nixon, let's throw in one from Al Capone in the hopes that it will increase our hits from Belgium and Slovenia: "Capitalism is the legitimate racket of the ruling class."

Here is our quote from Nixon: "Only if you have been in the deepest valley, can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain."


http://www.nixonlibrary.gov/

http://www.nixonfoundation.org/

http://www.lebowskifest.com

Presidential Quotes (7 of 8): Richard M. Nixon

Greetings to our blog readers in Canada, Belize and Uganda- where we learned that Yuweri Museveni is now president, hopefully he is a nicer guy than Idi Amin!

And, with that reference to a prominent '70s world leader, we turn our attention to President Richard Nixon, who left the White House due to the notorious Watergate scandal, but even though we are not Republicans, we kind of like this guy.

And, at this time, to arbitrarily increase hit numbers, we will mention Bradley Cooper, Elisabeth Hasselback and Kim Kardashian.

Here is our quote from Nixon who makes a 'cameo' of sorts in "The Big Lebowski," a film that was made several years after this death:

"Those who hate you don't win unless you hate them, and then destroy yourself."

http://www.nixonlibrary.gov

Quote of the Day/Week-Richard Nixon

Today, we conclude our quotes of the last eight presidents, four of whom are quoted on our sister blog "The Daily Vampire," with a quip from Richard Nixon (1913-1994) who died at age 81 during Bill Clinton's presidency.

Among the iconic images of Nixon are the photo of him bowling, a poster of which can be seen in the Coen Brothers' cult classic "The Big Lebowski" and the photo of him meeting Elvis Presley, who was rumored to be high on marijuana when the picture was taken.

A portrait painting by Norman Rockwell of the president can presently be seen at The National Portraits Gallery in Washington, DC.

Nixon has been played many times on film, in fact, two actors Anthony Hopkins ("Nixon") and Frank Langella ("Frost/Nixon") have been nominated for playing him. The Richard Nixon Library is in Yorba Linda, Calif.

Here is his quote, which seems appropriate given that this is both a presidential election and an Olympic year:

"Finishing second in the Olympics gets you a silver. Finishing second in politics gets you oblivion."http://www.nixonlibrary.gov

Roanoke vs. Greensboro- Drive-In or Bowling? (Entry 2 of 6)

Today, in our Roanoke vs. Grensboro series, we go a little bit outside both city limits, as look at the Lee-Hi Lanes bowling alley in Salem, Va., and the Eden Drive-In in Eden, NC, which is actually 40 miles north of Greensboro.

Lee-Hi Lanes, which are actually just over the line that divides Roanoke and Salem, was once the Lee-Hi Drive-In, an establishment that was in operation from 1948-1982.
The bowling alley features the Strikers Cafe, 40 lanes with automatic scoring, league bowling and moonlight bowling, which is pretty cool.

A movie theatre, which is now the Salem Valley-8, opened next to the Lee-Hi Drive-in in 1976, and caused problems. I remember seeing a James Bond movie "The Man with the Golden Gun" (1974) as a child at the old Lee-Hi. Of course, it would have been even more cool to see "Werewolves on Wheels," a combination biker/horror film, but I was a bit too young for it (I was born in 1970). And, I can not verify that it ever showed at the Lee-Hi Drive-In.

The Eden Drive-In is still operating and apparently doing quite well. This week, the drive-in was showing a double-header with "Cars 2" and "The Green Lantern." The rates for seeing movies at the drive-in are quite inexpensive as adults are five dollars, children between ages six and eleven are two dollars and kids under five get in for free.

Though I am a movie person, my inner Zippy the Pinhead (Bill Griffith's counterculture comic strip character) would have to go for Lee-Hi Lanes. Drive-Ins are great except when it rains, and then both you and your car have to deal with lots and lots of mud. And, the money one saves by seeing movies at the drive-ins will go to a local car wash. I haven't read "Freakanomics," but I would gather this fits in with the 'one thing leads to another' realm of thought.

Incidentally, a poster of Nixon bowling was featured in the legendary Coen Brothers film "The Big Lebowski."

The Best and Worst Films of the Coen Bros

We had the most trouble getting images for this entry! Whew!

First of all, we must admit that the idea for this blog came from a "Washington Post" article by Ann Hornaday, who is the paper's film critic. Like her, I was surprised that former arch-conservative House Speaker Newt Gingrich also thinks "Fargo" is the best Coen Brothers film (since when do Republicans watch art house movies?!).


But, here are my own choices from best to least favorite Coen Brothers films. Their most current film "True Grit" also made my top 20 films of 2010 list on our other blog "The Daily Vampire."


It's hard to believe that I saw one of these films in Paris, France, (O Brother, Where Art Thou?) in Paris, France, and another one of these films (The Ladykillers) at a second-run multiplex in Lynchburg, Va.!


Here is the list:

1. Fargo (1996)

2. Barton Fink (1991)

3. The Big Lebowski (1998)

4. Miller's Crossing (1990)

5. Raising Arizona (1987)

6. Blood Simple (1984)

7. No Country for Old Men (2007)

8. O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000).

9. A Serious Man (2009)

10. True Grit (2010)

11. The Ladykillers (2004)

12. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

13. The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)

14. Burn After Reading (2008)

15. Intolerable Cruelty (2003)

50 Beers From Around the Globe- Cerveza Cristal (Chile)

This latest brew caused some confusion for me because not only is there a Cerveza Cristal in Chile, but there is also a beer with the same name in Peru and there might even be one in Cuba!

But, the one pictured here is (we believe) the Chilean brew. According to Wikipedia, Chile brews corn beer, known as chicha, in addition to beer from the traditional barley like Cerveza Cristal.

Beer started in Chile circa 1850 when German immigrants began to establish the first breweries in the country.

I could not find any info regarding this beer's availability here in the United States. But, amazingly enough, a blogger with a retired blog (no new entries since 2009) named "Your Liver Hates You" said that he found the Peruvian Cerveza Cristal at a gas station in Texas!

SIDEBAR:

My friend Joe Scott and WUAG-FM, the student station of UNCG, will be presenting a screening of the Coens Brothers classic "The Big Lebowski" at The Carousel Luxury Cinemas on Thursday. The Greensboro, NC, theatre will screen the film at 7:30 and 10:00 p.m. There is a package with the film that includes bowling at Triad Bowling after the showings of the film.