Special Quote of the Week- Ayn Rand

Yes, since we love being ironic here, we thought we'd quote Ayn Rand just 48 hours after we quoted Che Guevara. One is a libertarian, far-right icon and the other is a socialist, far-left icon. Guess which one is which?

Even though the Russian-American author Rand (1905-1982) has been dead for almost 30 years,(she ironically died the same year that Warren Beatty won an Oscar for director for his 1981 film "Reds;" it was about the American left-wing figure John Reed who made Rand's journey in reverse), due to the emergence of Tea Party lunatics and the filmazation of her 1957 novel "Atlas Shrugged," she is making waves again. Wow, that last sentence was way too long alas Javier the Intern, who does all the editing for us is having lunch with his frat brothers at Burger King. (Ok, this is a no joke, there is no Javier, but I could use a personal assistant!).

The movie version of "Atlas Shrugged" has a 6.1 user average on the Internet Movie Database, and it is currently showing at the Grandin Theatre in Roanoke, Va., among other places.

Here is the quote from Rand:

"The creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others."

SIDEBAR_ Those who like Ayn Rand probably read "Reason" magazine as well. Along with "Weekly Standard," the publication happens to be one of the few conservative magazines ("Reason" is known for its libertarian perspectives) I don't despise. Ironically, an article from that magazine was republished in the left-leaning "Utne Reader."

According to reason.com and its perceived political bias, the government's 'war on speculators' won't lower gas prices. I guess those of us who are liberal can agree with conservatives than paying circa $50 at the tank is ludicrious. The only thing that has inflated as much in recent years has to be concert ticket prices. Why do some people shell out $60 for REO Speedwagon tickets? I saw them with Cheap Trick as a teenager in 1985 for like $17. I don't know....

Also, we wanted to share something about Osama bin Laden, who as everyone except maybe a Buddhist monk in a village in Bhutan, knows was killed over the weekend (there are of course conspiracy theories out there as insane as one that would suggest Joe Biden and him are hanging out Firebrick Pizza*; we assume Osama wouldn't want pork on his pizza or beer with his meal**).

That is his age; he was 57. For some reason, no one mentions this, not even the BBC! Interestingly enough, television viewers in America that year could watch the following shows, "Leave it to Beaver," "Maverick," "Perry Mason" and "The Howdy Doody Show."

*-Firebrick Pizza is real place in Washignton, DC

**- Yes, we know there is nothing funny about mass murder and terrorism, but we have to make fun of people who think he's still alive (?!), and of course as a Turkish-American (my late father was a Muslim), I can make subtle fun of certain aspects of Islamic life. Fortunately, very few are actually terrorists, but alas the few who are cause great, unjustified damage to the faith's followers. Hopefully, one day this will be corrected and I certainly hope that day comes sooner than later.

Status Update- Paid over 40 Bucks for Gas Today

Gazooks! We did indeed pay $40.28 for gas at a BP station near Greensboro, NC, today!

It appears that the political unrest in Libya may be partly to blame though that country's main trading partners like Italy and Turkey (my late father's country) are probably becoming even more broke after their trip to the pump.

"The Huffington Post" reported today that an estimated 14 people were killed in political protests across Libya. Faiz Jibril, a Libyan in exile, has stated publicly that he is delighted to see his fellow citizens standing up to Moammar Gadhafi.

There are of course alternatives to driving yourself to work, and the group Ride Solutuions in my hometown of Roanoke, Va. (as well as nearby Blacksburg, Va.) is working diligently to make folks aware of that in their community.

And, perhaps, it's time for people like me to consider carpooling even if, as in my case, it may well prove to be a huge pain-in-the-neck.

High School of the Week- Red River HS (Grand Forks, N.Dakota)

This may very well mark the first time that we've had an entry about North Dakota, a state we've never been to!

But, Red River High School in Grand Forks, N.Dak., is our High School of the Week.

Kim Slovtsue is the principal of RRHS, which has about 1,330 students. The school was established in 1967. And, the school's nickname The Rough Riders was in honor of Teddy Roosevelt (pictured here).

Unlike most schools in my two states of Virginia and North Carolina, RRHS offers hockey as one of its school sports for both boys and girls alike. The school won the state championship in boys' hockey last year.

"The Rider's Digest" is the school newspaper.

Emily Wong, a freshman gymnast for The University of Nebraska, is among the school's recent alumni.

SIDEBAR: Ragsdale High School in Jamestown, NC, a suburb of Greensboro and High Point, which was a previous High School of the Week, won their home game over Western Guilford HS by a 25-17 score on Friday night. The Flying Tigers is on the road against Page High School from Greensboro.

SIDEBAR TWO: My good friend and fellow blogger Chris Knight has reported that an Elvis Presley impersonator went into a Sheetz gas station in Eden, NC, on Aug. 27. We have idea if he sang "Viva Las Vegas" for customers or not!

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.

Silly Photo to Fill Space- Summer Jobs (Gas Station Attendant)

If you are a college student coming back from spring semester at Penn State or Duquense to your hometown of Altoona, Pa., and you have found out that they have already hired someone to be the mascot of the minor league baseball team The Altoon Curve and that summer internship at "The Altoona Mirror" (the local newspaper) is unavailable, don't worry!

You can become a gas station attendant at a place like Martin's General Store off Exit-41 on 199 (for legal reasons, we should state that though there is such a place, we aren't sure if they are hiring!).

Apparently, this particular gas station is right across from a Sheetz, which is based in Altoona, and they now have stores as far south as Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (that is a joke, but they are in South Carolina.....?!)

One internet poster said that the store has really, really great pizza but alas they offer no diesel.

As for the Altoon Curve, in my personal opionion (though it may not come across this way I mean this as a sincere compliment), their mascot looks like a cross between Marvin the Martian and Gumby!

The Curve's next home games will be from June 7-9 against the Harrisburg Senators.

Altoona, Pa., is also the birthplace of current Florida governor Charlie Crist.