The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

I'd like to wish all my readers a very Happy New Year! May your 2015 be filled with lots of laughs, smiles, and successes! Whatever your New Year's plans, be safe, have fun, and don't get into any fights with bouncers named Bubba or Bruno! Happy New Year!

It seems that whenever I read an article regarding the police killing an unarmed person, at least one officer tells the press something along the lines of, "It's unknown at this time if the man had marijuana in his system" or "It's unknown at this time if he had been drinking alcohol." If it's unknown, why make such a statement? It's because they want to paint a certain picture inside the readers' minds and to provide themselves a potential excuse for the killing if it's later found that the victim was high or drunk. Sure, a person being high or drunk isn't, in and of itself, reason enough for a cop to kill a person. However, it would then provide them some leeway on their story-telling ability, as they could now say, "Well, the guy was drunk, angry, came after us, so what were we supposed to do? We feared for our lives and were just defending ourselves." So, it may make some sense for a police officer to make such a statement...

I had to laugh at Ndamukong Suh's "reason" for stepping on Aaron Rodgers' bad leg (twice), saying that his feet were numb from the cold. Really? So, even though Rodgers had been hobbling around and even had to leave the game earlier due to reaggravation of a calf injury, Suh accidentally stepped on the quarterback's calf not once, but twice, just by accident, without appearing to be in any hurry to get off the hobbled quarterback's leg, because his legs were numb from the cold? Is that right? And since it was an "accident" and Rodgers pushed on Suh's leg to get him off of it, Suh didn't think to look down and say, "Oops, I'm sorry. My legs were numb from the cold"? Wow... Well, if and when Suh retires from football, I think it's a safe bet he won't become a lawyer. Due to his awful excuse, don't be surprised if he says the following things in the future: - "I only held that guy because my hands were numb....

Here's the URL to my Facebook business page. I update it fairly regularly, but still haven't put forth a great deal of effort yet in researching matters and attempting to make the most out of it. In any case, it can be perused here: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCraigRozniecki?ref=hl Up next is my Twitter page. I'm still not 100% certain what I'm doing on there yet, but feel I'm gradually getting the hang of it and am up to 14,763 followers. I update it daily with many of my own tweets, but also by retweeting some others'. It can be found here: https://twitter.com/CraigRozniecki Lastly, here's my Tumblr page, which I've neglected quite a bit recently, but if you're at all curious, you can find it at the following link: http://www.tumblr.com/blog/rozzy81

For new readers (and regular ones, I suppose), here's some information pertaining to my books. All twelve of my books can be purchased in paperback form at the following site (and others): http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?type=&keyWords=craig+rozniecki&x=7&y=5&sitesearch=lulu.com&q= The ten books I've written and released in the past 3 years (yes, I've been on a roll) can be purchased for much cheaper in Kindle form at the following link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_22?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=craig%20rozniecki%20kindle&sprefix=craig+rozniecki+kindle%2Caps%2C228&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Acraig%20rozniecki%20kindle

As we head toward New Year's, like a lot of people, I can't help but reflect on the past year, and I almost have to chuckle at the fact I'm ill at the moment, because 2014 has been anything but a smile-inducing year for me, and unlike a lot of years, I can't wait for the clock to strike midnight in a couple of nights to symbolize that one chapter, no matter how trying, is over, and there can be hope for the chapter(s) ahead. The year was fairly uneventful until the month of May. I released four new books. I was mentally exhausted at that point, yet my spirits were high. I felt a new sense of hope for my literary future. My mind had been clicking more/better than at any other point in my life. I finally felt ready to go in full marketing mode, and that's when that mental exhaustion was met by a series of unfortunate events, which left me emotionally and physically exhausted as well. My girlfriend of two years and I decided it was best to part ways. A couple of days...

Saturday Game: Arizona at Carolina Pick: Carolina - It's really a shame Arizona has been so banged up this year, especially at quarterback. Of course, just about every team could play the what-if card, but it especially applies to the Cardinals, who would probably be the top seed in the NFC if Carson Palmer didn't get injured. Even though part of me feels sorry for Bruce Arians and the Arizona Cardinals, though, it's hard for me to pick them on the road against the suddenly resurgent Carolina Panthers, who, after starting the season 3-8-1, finished the regular season off at 4-0, capped by a dominating road victory against Atlanta this past Sunday. Arizona's defense should be able to keep things relatively close, but I have a difficult time believing their offense will generate enough points to put them on top at game's end. I'll go with the Panthers at home by 6. Result: Carolina 27 Arizona 16 Record: 1-0 Game: Baltimore at Pittsburgh Pick: Pittsburg...

1. Seattle Seahawks (12-4): With the defense playing as well as it ever has and the offense, while unexciting, being efficient, Seattle has to be my favorite to win the Super Bowl. 2. New England Patriots (12-4): With home-field advantage in the playoffs, the Pats have to be the AFC favorite to reach the Super Bowl. However, for as awful as the offensive line has played in recent weeks, that has to be worrisome entering the post-season. 3. Denver Broncos (12-4): If Denver had home-field advantage in the playoffs, they would definitely be the AFC favorite to reach the Super Bowl. However, with a very possible date with New England in Foxboro in the AFC Championship game, Peyton Manning and company will have to alter trends in order to prevent being haunted by the ghosts of their pasts yet again. 4. Green Bay Packers (12-4): The Packers' post-season hopes all rest on the shoulders (and legs) of Aaron Rodgers. If he's not at full health, it'll be a long off-season fo...

In Week 17 of the NFL season, I learned that... - ..., in the off-season, Ndamukong Suh will become an instructor of a new workout, entitled, "Aaron Rodgers Step Aerobics." - ...Geno Smith may retire after playing a perfect football game at the end of a 4-12 season. Congratulations! - ...if Jay Cutler and Marshawn Lynch ever joined forces as guests on a radio talk show, within 5 minutes, the show's host would likely start snoring and drooling. - ...Jim Harbaugh became the first person to smile at the thought of leaving San Francisco for Michigan. It's also believed to be Harbaugh's first ever smile. - ..., instead of being the team's water-boy next season, Johnny Manziel is going to ask if he can be the Cleveland Browns' beer-man. - ..., in just a few hours, the Atlanta Falcons went from possibly hosting a playoff game to finding themselves with the #8 pick in the draft. Yes, the NFC South was THAT bad this year. - ...Andy Dalton will likely ...

Well, as I do every year, I'll be heading away for a few days to spend time with family during the holiday. I'd like to wish all my readers and their families a fun and safe holiday season! Just remember that whenever a family member starts driving you mad, there's probably some eggnog in the next room - that or at least a shot glass with the three wise men nearby (Johnnie Walker, Jim Beam, and Jack Daniels, of course). Have fun, be safe, and be sure not to take any drunken family selfies and post them on Facebook!

Here's the URL to my Facebook business page. I update it fairly regularly, but still haven't put forth a great deal of effort yet in researching matters and attempting to make the most out of it. In any case, it can be perused here: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCraigRozniecki?ref=hl Up next is my Twitter page. I'm still not 100% certain what I'm doing on there yet, but feel I'm gradually getting the hang of it and am up to 14,660 followers. I update it daily with many of my own tweets, but also by retweeting some others'. It can be found here: https://twitter.com/CraigRozniecki Lastly, here's my Tumblr page, which I've neglected quite a bit recently, but if you're at all curious, you can find it at the following link: http://www.tumblr.com/blog/rozzy81

For new readers (and regular ones, I suppose), here's some information pertaining to my books. All twelve of my books can be purchased in paperback form at the following site (and others): http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?type=&keyWords=craig+rozniecki&x=7&y=5&sitesearch=lulu.com&q= The ten books I've written and released in the past 3 years (yes, I've been on a roll) can be purchased for much cheaper in Kindle form at the following link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_22?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=craig%20rozniecki%20kindle&sprefix=craig+rozniecki+kindle%2Caps%2C228&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Acraig%20rozniecki%20kindle

Well, since I'll be heading out of town before long to spend time with family during the holiday, I'll have to just list my rankings without the typical side sarcasm and commentary. 1. Seattle Seahawks (11-4) 2. New England Patriots (12-3) 3. Denver Broncos (11-4) 4. Green Bay Packers (11-4) 5. Dallas Cowboys (11-4) 6. Detroit Lions (11-4) 7. Cincinnati Bengals (10-4-1) 8. Arizona Cardinals (11-4) 9. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5) 10. Philadelphia Eagles (9-6) 11. Indianapolis Colts (10-5) 12. San Diego Chargers (9-6) 13. Baltimore Ravens (9-6) 14. Kansas City Chiefs (8-7) 15. Miami Dolphins (8-7) 16.  Houston Texans (8-7) 17. Buffalo Bills (8-7) 18. San Francisco 49ers (7-8) 19. St. Louis Rams (6-9) 20. Minnesota Vikings (6-9) 21. Cleveland Browns (7-8) 22. Carolina Panthers (6-8-1) 23. Atlanta Falcons (6-9) 24. New Orleans Saints (6-9) 25. New York Giants (6-9) 26. Chicago Bears (5-10) 27. Washington Redskins (4-11) 28. New ...

Sunday Game: Carolina at Atlanta Pick: Atlanta - As sad as it is to say since Carolina comes into this game at 6-8-1 and Atlanta stands at 6-9, the winner of this game will win the NFC South and play a home game in the playoffs. Since this game is at home for the Falcons and I like they're playing more so than the Panthers, I'll take the Falcons at home by a field goal. Result: Carolina 34 Atlanta 3 Record: 0-1 Game: Cleveland at Baltimore Pick: Baltimore - After losing to Houston, Baltimore is now on the outside looking in when it comes to a Wild Card spot. With this game at home and playing against the now seemingly hapless Browns, I think the Ravens will at least do their part to make the playoffs. Now all they'll need is for San Diego to fall to Kansas City. I'll go with the Ravens by 10. Result: Baltimore 20 Cleveland 10 Record: 1-1 Game: Dallas at Washington Pick: Dallas - While Dallas has the NFC East title wrapped up, the NFC still doesn...

In Week 16 of the NFL season, I learned that... - ...the Buffalo Bills have diagnosed themselves as bipolar, as they experienced the high of their season a week ago in a win against 10-3 Green Bay before experiencing their low of the season just a week a later in a loss to 2-12 Oakland. - ...in the off-season, the Cleveland Browns will likely ask LeBron James to start at quarterback for them. - ...the Thursday night game between 2-12 Tennessee and 2-12 Jacksonville was said to be like watching paint dry, except watching paint dry would have been more entertaining. - ...J.J. Watt's diet mainly consists of: Beef, water, and quarterbacks. - ...Mark Sanchez misses his butt-fumble days. - ..., even when ill, Aaron Rodgers is better than most quarterbacks in the league and has a tendency of making opposing defenses feel sick by game's end. - ...Saints fans may start wearing bags over their heads again at home games. - ...Joe Flacco may start asking President Obama to ...

Due to police officers Darren Wilson and Daniel Pantaleo not being indicted for the killings of two unarmed black men, Michael Brown and Eric Garner, there has been a nationwide protest against police brutality in recent weeks. Now, just days removed from the tragic killings of New York City police officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos by Ismaaiyl Brinsley, the GOP has made its opinion heard loud and clear on the matter: "It's the protesters' fault!" That's right; the party of "freedom" has decried people of practicing their First Amendment rights through peaceful protests (for the most part) against police brutality and blamed them for the murders of two police officers, whose job it is to protect our lives, and with that, our freedoms. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani had this to say about the matter: "We've had four months of propaganda, starting with the president, that everybody should hate the police. The protests are being embrace...

I have a lot to get done before heading out of town on Tuesday for the holiday, so I'll give the condensed version of my picks. I'll list my picks in chronological order, with my confidence number next to each pick (1-38), and keep a running tally. Game: New Orleans Bowl Match-up: Nevada vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Pick: Louisiana-Lafayette (7 confidence points) Result: Louisiana-Lafayette 16 Nevada 3 Record: 1-0 (7 points out of 7 total points) Game: New Mexico Bowl Match-up: Utah State vs. UTEP Pick: Utah State (38) Result: Utah State 21 UTEP 6 Record: 2-0 (45-45) Game: Las Vegas Bowl Match-up: Utah vs. Colorado State Pick: Utah (22) Result: Utah 45 Colorado State 10 Record: 3-0 (67-67) Game: Idaho Potato Bowl Match-up: Air Force vs. Western Michigan Pick: Air Force (9) Result: Air Force 38 Western Michigan 24 Record: 4-0 (76-76) Game: Camellia Bowl Match-up: South Alabama vs. Bowling Green Pick: South Alabama (8) Result: Bowlin...

Here's the URL to my Facebook business page. I update it fairly regularly, but still haven't put forth a great deal of effort yet in researching matters and attempting to make the most out of it. In any case, it can be perused here: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCraigRozniecki?ref=hl Up next is my Twitter page. I'm still not 100% certain what I'm doing on there yet, but feel I'm gradually getting the hang of it and am up to 14,501 followers. I update it daily with many of my own tweets, but also by retweeting some others'. It can be found here: https://twitter.com/CraigRozniecki Lastly, here's my Tumblr page, which I've neglected quite a bit recently, but if you're at all curious, you can find it at the following link: http://www.tumblr.com/blog/rozzy81

For new readers (and regular ones, I suppose), here's some information pertaining to my books. All twelve of my books can be purchased in paperback form at the following site (and others): http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?type=&keyWords=craig+rozniecki&x=7&y=5&sitesearch=lulu.com&q= The ten books I've written and released in the past 3 years (yes, I've been on a roll) can be purchased for much cheaper in Kindle form at the following link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_22?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=craig%20rozniecki%20kindle&sprefix=craig+rozniecki+kindle%2Caps%2C228&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Acraig%20rozniecki%20kindle

Thursday Game: Tennessee at Jacksonville Pick: Jacksonville - These could very well be the two worst teams in football this year (Oakland and Tampa may have an argument as well). While Jacksonville has shown some signs of improvement in recent weeks, however, it's felt as if Tennessee has gotten worse. With the game at home, I'll take the Jaguars by a field goal. Result: Jacksonville 21 Tennessee 13 Record: 1-0 Saturday Game: Philadelphia at Washington Pick: Philadelphia - Washington is a mess and has nothing but pride to play for over the final two weeks of the season. Philadelphia, meanwhile, finds itself a game back of Dallas in the NFC East and on the outside looking in as far as a Wild Card spot goes. So, to have any chance of making the playoffs, they'll likely have to win this one and their season finale against the Giants. With all of that in mind, I'm going to take the Eagles on the road by 10. Result: Washington 27 Philadelphia 24 Record: 1-1...

1. New England Patriots (11-3): With the Packers losing to an AFC East team and the Patriots dominating Miami on Sunday, the Pats are back on top. Up next will be a road game against the New York Jets. Rex Ryan has given New England fits in the past, but I'd be shocked to see an upset this time around. 2. Seattle Seahawks (10-4): Seattle's offense my not wow too many people, but for how great their defense is playing, that doesn't matter. In Seattle's last four games, all wins, they've allowed just 27 points (6.8 per game), against teams with a combined record of 34-22 (.607). 3. Denver Broncos (11-3): The emergence of tailback C.J. Anderson may not be good for Peyton Manning fantasy owners, but he'll definitely be good for Manning and the Broncos come playoff time. 4. Green Bay Packers (10-4): So, Aaron Rodgers is human after all. The really bad news for the Packers is, due to that loss, Green Bay finds themselves as the 6th seed in the playoffs, whic...

In Week 15 of the NFL season, I learned that... - ..., at the current pace they're on, Arizona may wind up starting Matt Leinart or Kurt Warner in the playoffs. - ...RGIII would be stumped in the game charades if the word was "fumble." - ..., if a genie approached either Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers, they'd wish to never play the Buffalo Bills again. - ..., with how he played in his first start, Johnny Manziel may soon hear his nickname changed from Johnny Football to Johnny Looking For Work. - ...J.J. Watt plans on starting an off-season workout called "No Longer Human," so he can attempt to play 60 minutes in every game next season for the Houston Texans and give them a chance to make the post-season. - ...there are times Mark Sanchez appears to still think he plays for the New York Jets, for which opponents are very grateful. - ..., at the end of the season, Jim Harbaugh's going to Disneyworld! ...with family... to get far away from S...

Just the other day, I thought to myself (I do this often), "I haven't written about Fox News in a while. That's kind of weird." Fortunately, a lovely Fox News story just fell into my lap today, so hopefully I'll be able to get over this case of PFAFNWS (Poking Fun At Fox News Withdrawal Syndrome). After the gruesome torture report got released this past week, Fox News' own Andrea Tantaros had this to say about the matter: "The United States of America is awesome. We are awesome. We've closed the book on [torture], and we've stopped doing it. And the reason they want to have this discussion is not to show how awesome we are. This administration wants to have this discussion to show us how we're not awesome." When I first heard this, the theme song from The Lego Movie  immediately started playing in my mind - "Everything is awesome!" Speaking of something playing in my mind, here's Ms. Tantaros' extended, never hea...

I hate to make fun of people's addictions, however, I couldn't help but laugh at a story I read about the matter. On Monday, 23-year-old Michael Durban showed up to the Marion County Courthouse in Oregon, where he was to be arraigned on a heroin possession charge. When he went through security screening, deputies found hypodermic needles and a cotton ball which contained heroin in his pocket. He thereby went from being arraigned on a drug charge to being arrested and charged with unlawful possession of heroin. When Durban was asked about the needles and cotton ball, he said, "I got mixed up. I thought I left it in my car." No, this is not an article from The Onion , and yes, I had to double-check that too. In light of this odd event, expect the following to occur at some point in the future: - A man going to court for a DUI shows up with nothing but his car keys and a half-empty bottle of Jack Daniels - Someone charged with indecent exposure shows up to co...

Why is it that it appears many people have taken on the false dilemma informal fallacy when discussing the police shootings. Like former President George W. Bush, when he said, "You're either with us or you're against us (with the terrorists)," many people have basically been saying, "You're either with the police or you're against them (with the 'criminals')." Some people have also said, "Well, many cops have died in the line of duty, so how can you blame them for shooting and killing these 'criminals'?" It's like Jon Stewart said on The Daily Show the other day (paraphrasing), "You can be saddened by police deaths and also be against police brutality. They're not mutually exclusive." He's absolutely right. Just because many of us don't agree with the actions some police officers have taken in killing unarmed citizens, which we felt was both an example of abusing their power and of brutality,...

I've been reading Harlan Coben's critically-acclaimed Myron Bolitar series. It was recommended to me by both my mother and her sister. So, since we all quite thoroughly enjoy detective mystery books and all have similar senses of humor, I thought I'd give the series a gander. I just got through book #8 of the series (out of 10), Promise Me , and while I've promised myself (no pun intended) I'd get through the entire series and discuss it with my mom and aunt, I'm having trouble motivating myself to do so. The books in this series are often times quick moving, entertaining, easy reads, which don't leave any lasting impact or provide what I call the "wow" factor. Since I've finished eight books in the series, it's quite obvious I haven't disliked them to a great degree. However, after each and every book, while there are some chuckles and tense moments along the way, as well as some unexpected twists and turns, I'm still left feelin...

After reading several articles pertaining to the recent non-indictments of police officers whom killed unarmed black men, I was struck by a theme I observed in the comments section below the articles. This theme was, "The cops would have done the same thing if the person was white." Resorting to the hypothetical as a means for rationale is absurd on just about every level. First off, we're comparing a real-life event with an imagined one. Real-life event: "An unarmed black man was killed by a police officer." Imagined event: "If the unarmed man had been white, he would have been killed by the police officer as well." Try using that rationale in court sometime and see how far back the judge rolls his or her eyes. I just hope the judge's name isn't Linda Blair. Secondly, and more importantly, studies show that these commentators are likely wrong from a numbers standpoint as well. According to a ProPublica analysis, young black mal...

I've known many people I could describe as being conflict-avoidant. This includes: Friends, family, exes, even myself a few years ago. Granted, I don't know too many people whom would ever stand up and proudly declare, "You know what I love more than anything else? Nope, not football, not beer, not pizza. I love conflicts!" However, what many conflict-avoidant individuals don't seem to realize is that by avoiding conflicts to avoid stress and drama, they're making the situation more stressful for themselves, and as the tension escalates over time, when the conflict is finally confronted, the stress and drama may be at such a boiling point that it will be virtually impossible to fully resolve the conflict. Conflict-avoidance is not the same as conflict-resolution. In fact, by being conflict-avoidant, one is essentially avoiding resolution. When one sits down and thinks about it, it's all fairly common sense. It's like with personal problems. If one do...

Here's the URL to my Facebook business page. I update it fairly regularly, but still haven't put forth a great deal of effort yet in researching matters and attempting to make the most out of it. In any case, it can be perused here: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorCraigRozniecki?ref=hl Up next is my Twitter page. I'm still not 100% certain what I'm doing on there yet, but feel I'm gradually getting the hang of it and am up to 14,370 followers. I update it daily with many of my own tweets, but also by retweeting some others'. It can be found here: https://twitter.com/CraigRozniecki Lastly, here's my Tumblr page, which I've neglected quite a bit recently, but if you're at all curious, you can find it at the following link: http://www.tumblr.com/blog/rozzy81

For new readers (and regular ones, I suppose), here's some information pertaining to my books. All twelve of my books can be purchased in paperback form at the following site (and others): http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?type=&keyWords=craig+rozniecki&x=7&y=5&sitesearch=lulu.com&q= The ten books I've written and released in the past 3 years (yes, I've been on a roll) can be purchased for much cheaper in Kindle form at the following link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_22?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=craig%20rozniecki%20kindle&sprefix=craig+rozniecki+kindle%2Caps%2C228&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Acraig%20rozniecki%20kindle

1. Green Bay Packers (10-3): Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees are still all solid quarterbacks, but the very best in all of football right now is Aaron Rodgers. So long as he stays healthy, the Packers have a shot at the Super Bowl this year. 2. New England Patriots (10-3): After a tough road loss at Green Bay a week ago, New England bounced back with a tough road win against San Diego. Up next on the slate is a home game against Miami, who beat them earlier in the season. Expect Brady, Belichick, and company to get payback and get one step closer to attaining home-field advantage in the playoffs. 3. Denver Broncos (10-3): Denver hasn't been playing great football the past 3+ weeks. Lucky for them, though, Kansas City has fallen apart, and San Diego, with a loss against the Patriots on Sunday night, is two back of the Broncos. So, as tough as things have been for Peyton Manning and company of late, their in good position to win the AFC West again. 4. Arizona Cardi...