As each year winds down, Americans tend to get reflective on the previous twelve months, and will even utter sentences like “Whoa, that happened this year? That feels like five years ago."

Ray Horner Show producer and fill-in host Tony Mazur sat down with Bob Ethington, who heads up the pop culture division at the Akron-Summit County Public Library. They recapped the year in popular culture, from the biggest (comic book) movies of 2019 to the celebrity deaths, to how we as a culture consume entertainment. They even talked about Bob Hope, their favorited shared subject.

Check out AkronLibrary.org for the latest in books and digital media, as well as their events calendar.

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:19 - As a part of the week of Christmas and Hanukkah, Ray dug up the top-selling toys from the 1960s to 1990, when all the members of the morning show were children. Also, there is a Christmas town in Indiana named Santa Claus, and the post office gets millions of letters each year that are addressed to “Santa Claus.”

8:46 - Where the heck did some of these old sayings like “Apple of My Eye,” “Make a bee line,” and “A bakers dozen” come from? Ray and Tony had a slew of these sayings and the meanings behind them.

14:46 - One of the treasures in Northeast Ohio is the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. Bobby Dinkins from the CVSR talked about all the special events coming to the railroad in 2020, as well as the general rides through the valley.

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:19 - After an offseason of hype and happiness, the Cleveland Browns have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Ray and Tony dug into the corpse of the Browns, who will look to avoid another double-digit loss season.

8:11 - Our veterinarian Dr. Gary Riggs stopped by to take some listener calls, touch on the trend of feeding raw meat to pets, and what to do when getting a new puppy for the holidays.

18:01 - The holidays bring both joy and sadness to many. Tony Agnesi has met with many who fall into the latter category, and he joined Ray to talk about counseling folks suffering with grief during this season.

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:19 - The shooting of a kosher store in Jersey City left a wake of destruction, which involved several deaths, including a police officer. Ray and Tony talked about this particular shooting, and how antisemitism seems to be on the rise.

6:52 - Continuing with the topic of hate crimes, SACS Consulting president and CEO Tim Dimoff delved into the world of online radicalization, which is increasingly popular among youth culture.

17:04 - Odell Beckham Jr. apparently has a sports hernia, and has dealt with it since at least training camp. Dr. Joe Congeni from Akron Children’s Hospital touched on what exactly a sports hernia is and how to treat it.

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:19 - Is the Democrat Party in such turmoil internally that Hillary Clinton would lead the presidential polls if she ran? Or are left-wingers a bit tired of the names Clinton and Biden that they want to go in a new direction?

5:21 - Speaking of politics, the articles of impeachment are being presented, and Dr. David Beer from Malone University discussed the impeachment process and how it will affect the polls and public perception come 2020.

13:54 - The Mr. Potato Head and the Barbie doll were among the top toys of the 1950s. As discussed by the panel, those have not changed too much over the decades.

20:01 - Ray and Tony touched on the recent controversy (or outrage) over the Peloton ad, which was viewed by some as chauvinistic.

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:19 - The month between Thanksgiving and Christmas is busy for many of us, but especially those employed by UPS, FedEx, and Amazon. But after they deliver those packages to your door, how are we so sure that box will still be there? Tim Dimoff from SACS Consulting joined Ray to talk about package thieves, which are sadly quite prominent these days.

6:18 - Ohio State finished second in the College Football Playoff, and they will take on Clemson on December 28th at the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona. Jim Kebert is not only a lifelong friend of Ray’s, but he’s also on the Fiesta Bowl committee, and he talked about the series of events going on around the game, not just what’s on the field, and how well Buckeye nation travels.

13:06 - Staying on the topic of sports, Brian Dulik from the Medina Gazette and Elyria Chronicle-Telegram came on to talk about drama surrounding all three of Cleveland’s pro teams: the Odell Beckham Jr. drama, and some Cavs players unhappy with head coach John Beilein.

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:19 - A common trope in the internet outrage community around the holidays is “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer promotes bullying.” Ray brings up the bullying aspects, with Santa, the coach, and “all of the other reindeer” being mean, while Tony, Jeanne, and Steffany claim it’s a story about redemption.

11:52 - Lt. Jamal Agnew-El is from the Salvation Army on our final day of the 70th annual WAKR Share-A-Christmas (which benefits the local Salvation Army), and he talked about all the good that comes out of the Maple Street building for children and families.

16:42 - A light weekend at the movie theaters, as Frozen 2 continues to dominate, according to our movie guy Scott Wynn.

19:24 - Every Friday, the voice of the Cavaliers, Tim Alcon, joins us for a segment called “Three Pointers.” Alcorn mentioned who will be a part of the Cavs’ future, Tristan Thompson’s tenure, and who his all-time favorite backcourt is.

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