Hanging with Rich

Do Marches Make A Difference?..... Yesterday, marches were held all across the country to demonstrate solidarity against gun violence. Called the "March for Our Lives", it was organized, and led by high school students. The plague of school shootings across the country, especially the one in Parkland, Florida seems to have struck a nerve. There were marches yesterday in a number of cities, with over 800,000 people participating at the one in Washington, D.C. March for Our Lives in Washington. The crowds were impressive. The speakers were impressive. But will the marches be effective? So far we know it was a good civics lesson for the young adults involved. Here is what we know: 1. No one is in favor of school shootings. 2. Almost no one in charge knows what to do about it. The marches are over now. Everybody went home. Only time will tell how effective this march was. After most marches or demonstrations, nothing happens. Let's take a look at some historic marc

The Quest for Conway's..... St. Patrick's Day has become a traditional day for drinking. I rarely drink to excess anymore, but there's nothing wrong with taking part in this Irish celebration. Most bars will even put green food coloring in some beer. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of that. The most Irish of drinks are Guinness Stout and Jameson Irish Whiskey. But in my town, it has become trendy to patronize one of the local micro-breweries. My town now has more micro-breweries than Duncan Donut shops. The oldest and most common of those are the Great Lakes Brewing Company.  It makes many award-winning brews, including the famous Dortmunder Gold. But Great Lakes makes a local beer that is very popular this time of year: Conway's Irish Ale. It;s a fine beer that even has a picture of an Irish cop on the label. Locally it has become the beer of choice for a fine St. Patrick's Day celebration. I was told we would be going over my buddy Mike's house

Daylight Savings Time Stress..... I was out last night with some friends. The place was emptying out when I looked at my phone for the time. (I no longer own a watch.) It was about midnight. Oh my gosh, I thought. Tonight is the night we "spring ahead" for Daylight Savings Time. That means it's really about 1 in the morning! I got my coat and said my goodbyes. When I got home I ran around my house changing the time on the various clocks. Let's see....how do you change the time on that microwave again?  Thank God I no longer own a VCR. Those were the worst to change the time. By the time I got to bed it was effectively a quarter to 2 in the morning. But I woke up in the middle of the night. I was wondering what I should write this column about. The President and the porn star? Nah. But I better think of something fast. It was 5 o'clock and I need to get back to sleep. It was official. I was a victim of Daylight Savings Time Stress ! I had heard a news repo

And The Oscar Goes To..... Tonight is Oscars night. It's the one night of the year when people tune into the show to see the stars, and what they're wearing. Sometimes I wish I had a friend that was a movie star. I would just like to talk with them to see what it was like. It's red carpet night. Most everybody I know have a regular job. It's not too exciting. You go to work, and you come home. Nobody ever asked me for an autograph. Actors do not have regular jobs. They work periodically as independent contractors making a film. They have plenty of time off, and make tons of money. If I had a friend that was a movie star, I would probably want somebody that seemed like a normal guy like Tom Hanks or Mark Wahlberg. I don't think I could have a good conversation with people that seem "out there" like Johnny Depp or Uma Thurman. But they will all be out tonight for the Academy Awards. This is the night we honor the best the film industry has produ