Rich shares insights on quality living, space exploration, IVF breakthroughs, and movie reviews, emphasizing discipline, excellence, and meaningful connections. Most importantly is what the legendary football coach, Vince Lombardi, said about excellence: “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”
Watch now and discover: → The record-breaking rise in IVF births and its implications. → Why is the US spending $20 billion to build a base on the Moon? → Recent advancements in space exploration and lunar bases. → The importance of quality over quantity in life → Play Ball! Major League Baseball starts today with “robot umps” contesting balls & strikes.
Rich Tola talks about the best practices for storing common household items to extend their lifespan and maintain quality. Perfect for anyone looking to optimize their home organization. Plus, the top fun facts of the day, including Barnum & Bailey Circus, USA Baseball Team falls to Venezuela, meteors falling from the sky, and the Smashing Pumpkins are headlining this year’s Lollapalooza!
Watch now and discover: → Understanding the importance of proper storage for household items. → Heat and humidity can ruin books and photographs. → The Greatest Show on Earth turns 145 years old today. → Better luck next time…in 2030 that is, for the USA Baseball Team. → The Smashing Pumpkins, Charli XCX and Lorde are coming to Lollapalooza!
Rich has some fun today talking about last night’s Oscars winners including Barbra Streisand’s heartfelt tribute to Robert Redford. He also talks about the Razzie Awards for the worst in cinema, fun facts of the day including March Madness and the USA Baseball team moving on to the finals in the World Baseball Classic, plus the 6 Etiquette Mistakes that’ll cost you abroad.
Watch now and discover: → Robert Redford would only play characters with a backbone. → Sorry Ice Cube for winning those Razzies…make another Barbershop or 21 Jump Street. → The odds of scoring a perfect March Madness bracket is 1 in 120 Billion. → Top 3 Jobs for Women today compared to 100 years ago. → Way to go USA Baseball…next up for the finals, hopefully Italy.
Rich discusses the evolution of classroom habits, current facts about media consumption, sports, and spring break trends, blending personal stories with insights on changing social behaviors. Plus a reading from his memoir about the best college night of his life!
Watch now and discover: → Decline of traditional classroom activities → Media multitasking trends among millennials and Gen Z → Changes in sports viewership and engagement → Spring break destinations and cultural shifts → Personal stories illustrating social changes.
In today’s Tola Talks, Rich Tola reflects on the recent tragedies at Brown University and Bondi Beach in Australia, pays tribute to the tradition of Hanukkah, discusses cultural observations related to In-N-Out Burger, and shares insights from the world of sports, particularly focusing on resilience and the lessons learned from volleyball competitions.
Watch now and discover: → 5% of the year is gone, time to reflect. → Thoughts and prayers for recent tragedy victims, including Hollywood legend, Rob Reiner. → Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the temple of Jerusalem. → Adam Sandler’s Chanukah song is a cultural staple. → The best team doesn’t always win in sports.
On today’s Tola Talks, we discuss various controversies dominating the news including Russian sanctions, White House construction projects, and the Gaza cease fire, before shifting to a nostalgic celebration of Major League Baseball – the 1989 movie starring Tom Berenger and Charlie Sheen, Major League – plus a good luck shout-out to the former New York Yankee and bench coach for the Toronto Blue Jays, Don Mattingly, aka, Donnie Baseball. We also reflect on the decline of Hollywood and the impact of the 1980s on film, sharing my Top 30 movie picks from that era, highlighting their cultural significance as well as my personal memories associated with them.
Have a great day everyone, and as always, get your workout in! Peace – R
For those who knew my father, he was a man like no one else. I guess you could say my own uniqueness, and passion, and desire to go my own way was just like my Dad’s. RIP to a local legend who was arguably the best barber in the world – and best hitting instructor! Below please find his obituary and Celebration of Life event this Sunday.
FRANCIS “RICHIE” TOLA (click HERE to visit the Obituary)
Francis “Richie” Tola (1938-2024) passed away peacefully after a long battle with cancer on Monday, October 28th. Born on July 7, 1938, he was 86 years young. For those who knew him, Richie was the greatest guy who had passion in everything he did. Born and raised in Trenton, NJ, he was a legendary barber for nearly 68 years beginning in 1957, one year after graduating from Trenton Central High School and serving in the National Guard. He was also a motivational mentor and hitting instructor to scores of kids and adolescents who ever played the game of baseball. He was revered for helping anyone and everyone who wanted it. The beloved “Richie the Barber” was also a terrific storyteller as well as an infinite source of knowledge, recounting true tales about the Mafia, baseball, Sicily (his home country), movies and anything medical related. As one longtime friend and customer tells it, “before there was Google, there was Richie.” He is survived by his wife, Rose Mary, son and daughter-in-law, Sam and Pam Tola, son Richard, daughter and son-in-law, Karen and Patrick Tuffy, four grandchildren, Matthew and Samantha Tola, and Riley and McGwire Tuffy, brother and sister-in-law, Ronald and Carolyn Tola, his four nieces, and pre-deceased sister and brother-in-law, Joan and Joseph Pallotti. Per his wishes, there will be no funeral services. There will, however, be a Celebration of Life held in his honor on November 10th from 4-6pm, in the main batting cage at Nottingham Little League. In remembrance of Richie’s life and love, the family requests any donations be made to “Nottingham Little League”, P.O. Box 2521, Hamilton, NJ 08690. Thank you for being his friend, patron or baseball player he influenced throughout his wonderful life.
Thanks for your enduring impact on the world Dad, and with love and light, I’ll see you on the other side. RIP – R
Great weather, tons of Yoga, a new talent agency and my own weekly showcase in the first 50 days. What more could I ask from America’s third largest city? I suppose a date with Katy Perry is the veritable cherry on top (no pun intended), but other than that, I’m rockin’ Chicago!
Hope you’re rockin’ your world wherever you are, and here’s a quick update since I arrived in the Windy City only 50 days ago:
Signed with BMG Talent and auditioning for film & TV.
Hosting a monthly comedy & talent showcase at Two Hearted Queen the 2nd Saturday of each month.
Taught 51 Yoga classes and love my new home at Chicago’s #1 fitness community, Chicago Athletic Clubs. Come check-out any of our 9 locations around town and take my Yoga class sometime…we’re awesome!
Found a new apartment in the lovely confines of Lincoln Park – 1 mile from the free Lincoln Park Zoo.
Made a quick trip back East to visit family and friends and to watch my oldest nephew play baseball for my alma mater, The University of Pennsylvania.
Keep pursing your passion and Happy Halloween everyone…and don’t forget your daily workouts – they do wonders to fight those aging affects of good old Father Time! Peace – R
Tola Talks celebrity Penthouse purchases in The Big Apple (Jennifer Lopez), today’s partial Solar eclipse, paper classes for athletes at the University of North Carolina, female football players kicking 42 yard field goals, and Canadian heroes at the Parliament. On Throwback Thursdays, Rich takes us back to his senior year in High School and all things 1981, including major world events, technological advances, pop culture, fashion, music, film and television.
Tola Talks with the beautiful & talented singer/songwriter, Cooper Phillip. On Acoustic Fridays, Rich interviews 21 year-old Cooper who plays two songs from her EP, Walk a Mile, and discusses going for her dreams and her heartfelt journey from Russia four years ago. Rich also talks about earthquakes, the San Francisco Giants, building dream-homes on the wrong property, mild winter forecasts, President Obama & the Ebola Czar, Brad Pitt & his new film Fury, Ms. Science Babe & her homeopathic experiments, plus GYST Awards & Hunter Biden.
