Hanging with Rich

Patriotism - The Right Way..... These days you hear plenty on the news about groups expressing their American rights. But you don't hear much about patriotism in general. You hear about Nazi groups and their right to have a public display. You hear about their opponents if it leads to violence. You even hear about players in the National Football League that refuse to stand for the National Anthem. They are protesting something in America. But nobody knows specifically what it is. It is their American right to protest. Ohio flags of honor displayed this weekend in Walton Hills, Ohio. You don't hear much about patriotism. Maybe it's not news-worthy. You don't hear much about the Ohio Flags of Honor. The Ohio Flags of Honor is a traveling display that honors Ohio's fallen in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the global war on terrorism. A full size flag is displayed for each of them. I was proud to have played a small part of it this weekend. There are now about 300...

Racism In America Goes In Cycles..... Am I really going to write about racism in America? These days it's hard to avoid it. Racism has always been part of American culture, and unfortunately, probably always will. Watching hate groups on the news is both shocking and disgusting Ohio plates on this car make me sick. Here we are in the 21st century. We are a well established society. But things like Charlottesville still happen. Some say the President has made racism cool. During the campaign he talked like a racist. Unfortunately, now that he is the POTUS, he still acts and talks like a racist. Some groups seem to be encouraged by that. I care little about his politics. Whatever happens to Obamacare happens. Tax laws will be changed, and changed again. The same with immigration law. I just want to live in a peaceful and fair America. I don't think that's asking for too much. Today we have terrorism. Extreme prejudice against ethnic groups, and politicians with ...

An Anniversary Cruise?..... Forty years of marriage is an accomplishment for any couple. If you can do that, pat yourself on the back. My wife and I will be celebrating that accomplishment soon. Sometimes it feels like four years, sometimes like four hundred years. But, we made it. Statistics say the average marriage in America that ends in divorce lasts eight years. But the median duration for all marriages is forty years before somebody dies. So if we're at forty years now, anything more is just gravy. More reason to celebrate. Crazy kids. My wife and I were in our very early 20's when we got married. If I were counseling a young person today on marriage I would advise them to wait until they were older. But nobody told us not to, so we went ahead. It even took over a year to plan the wedding. We didn't have a clue as to the challenges and curveballs that life throws at you. There are no guarantees in life. Forty years is a mark where you can look back a...

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 ...