Hanging with Rich

History on TV..... I'm a big fan of American history. Especially the American Revolution. When I'm scanning through the TV listings, and I find something about the American Revolution, there's a good chance that's what I'll tune in. Jamie Bell as spy Abe Woodhull in Turn. Recently, I've been fascinated by a series on AMC called "Turn", now in it's forth and final season. It's the story of a cabbage farmer, Abraham Woodhull, and others, who became important spies for the Americans under George Washington. What's that? You never heard of Abraham Woodhull before? Me neither. That's why I am so glued to this series. It has great writing, great characters, and most importantly, very good accuracy. The bad guy is Lt. John Graves Simcoe, portrayed as a particularly brutal opponent. You really can't wait for a musket ball to find this guy. But a quick check of Wikipedia tells you that Simcoe not only survived the Revolutionary Wa...

Kyrie - What You Thinkin'?..... Following is a brief summary of Kyrie Irvings basketball career. After an injury limited his college career at Duke University to 11 total games, he left for the NBA. He was the first pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has played 6 seasons for the Cavaliers, so far earning $55 million. Additionally, it is estimated he makes about $12 million per year on endorsements. The Shot: Kyrie sealed the 2016 Championship. His first three seasons with the Cavs were rather unsuccessful, as the Cavs did not make the playoffs. However, the last three seasons the Cavs made it to the NBA Finals, winning the NBA Championship in historical fashion in 2016. By the way, the last three seasons he has played with Lebron James, the greatest player of his generation. Kyrie is under contract to play for the Cavaliers for an additional two seasons. Last week it was revealed that Kyrie has requested a trade from the Cavaliers. He also has list...

Stores That I Miss..... Recently the news broke that internet giant Amazon would be buying Whole Foods. Immediately, some deep thinkers said this would mean a big change for all grocery stores and most retail services as well. While it is true that these are not glory days for shopping malls and the typical stores that populate them, most grocery stores should survive Amazon. I have seen plenty of people that struggle just using a credit card. Heaven forbid if these people had to get online to find their groceries. But I cannot deny that retail, and some specific segments have changed and may never return. When I think back over the years, there are some stores that are gone, or going, that I will miss. I will miss some for different reasons. Some just for the memories. Here are a few of them: Sears Southland was too big to fit into one picture. Sears: Sears isn't really gone yet. But it was announced that a store in my old neighborhood shopping center would...

NYPD Murder Shows a Pattern..... The news was numbing when I heard it. A New York City Policewoman was shot in the head and killed while sitting in a police vehicle. It was a totally unprovoked attack. The shooter was confronted later by police, shot and killed. Miosotis Familia Miosotis Familia was a 48 year old mother of three, including 12 year old twins. She was a 12 year veteran of the New York Police Department. She had made 76 arrests in her career, including 23 felonies. The Police Commissioner has called her killing "an assassination." Saying she was killed because of her uniform. The suspect had a long criminal record. He received an 8 year sentence for first degree robbery, but was released after 3 years with post-release supervision. But he also had a history of severe mental health issues. He also had made anti-police posting on social media. He used a stolen gun for the murder. So it would be easy to say this was just a bad guy acting out due to an ...

The Founding Fathers: An Inspiring Group, or Just Lucky?..... Around Independance Day I naturally think about the Founding Fathers. I am fascinated by the American Revolution. I have known the names Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and others, as long as I can remember. I have visited places like Williamsburg and Yorktown, Virginia and enjoyed it more than I expected. Listening to the historical interpreters at those places give a detailed insight into those times is great. When I'm in a room at a historic building, or at the Yorktown Battlefield I can imagine conversations of excitement or regret taking place among those famous people. Those guys not only changed history, they changed millions of lives. Including eventually yours and mine. We now live in a world where democracy is the norm. We hold elections and live with the results. In the 18th century, monarchy was the norm. Kings or Queens ruled the people. So would their kids. The Founding Fathers thought the time was ...

Cuba - Si o No?..... I have always been fascinated by Cuba. I don't really know why. I don't have Cuban heritage. I barely can speak a few words of Spanish I remember from high school. I don't even know anybody whose been there. But there are a few reasons Cuba gets my interest. Cuba today is a time capsule. In the early to mid 20th century Cuba was a popular playground destination for the rich and famous, and mobsters. That made the government ripe for corruption. It's hardly inconceivable that under those conditions people would revolt. Unfortunately it was led by Communists. Anyone who remembers those scenes from Godfather II can get a brief history lesson. Fredo Corleone could have been Director of Cuban Tourism. There has been a U.S. trade embargo with Cuba since 1958. As a result, Cuba, from a hard goods standpoint has been in a time capsule since then. American cars from the 1950's are the norm. They don't rust in the tropical climate. The Cuba...

Buying A New Car..... Any way you look at it, getting a new car is a major purchase, and a major undertaking. I don't find the process a pleasant one. Whenever that much money is on the table, sales people do all kinds of things to complete the sale. In addition to spending your money, you will be burning your time. Plenty of it. Goodbye to the Mazda MoneyPit. Actually, this is my wife's new car. My car is doing fine. My wife had been driving a 2007 Mazda CX-7. When it was new, it was great, and even fun to drive. It was as stylish as an SUV could get. All wheel drive, navigation, leather seats, the works. Over the years we used it plenty driving back and forth to various college campuses. Moving kids in and out and road trips. But as time  went by the car became extremely unreliable.  I have never spent more money on repairs on any other car in my life. It became a nightmare! Now you could ask why I didn't get rid of it sooner. But it would need repairs frequent...