The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Actor Bryan Cranston plays a quadriplegic in the new film The Upside  and some are not happy about it, claiming that it's wrong for an "able-bodied" (I hate that term) actor to play the part over a disabled one. While I can empathize with disabled actors and feel they should receive more opportunities than they do, I feel the critiques leveled toward Cranston are misguided. It may sound overly simplistic, but actors act. That's what they do. Those who receive the most acclaim are the actors who can master starkly different characters in an array of genres. Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, and Daniel Day-Lewis are all prime examples of this. Actors who consistently attempt to expand their horizons by going out of their comfort zones for parts tend to be the most widely respected. Those who are typecast for a single character or part, while they may be successful at the box office, they're often parodied by comics and shut out at awards ceremonies. What will impress audie...

I find the high octane bickering about former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick becoming the new face of Nike interesting, yet perplexing. While I've long supported Kaepernick and those like him using their first amendment rights to peacefully protest, I'd also be the first to point out Kaepernick is anything but the perfect role model for the cause. On the other side of the deal, Nike also doesn't have a perfect reputation when it comes to measures of equality. I give Colin Kaepernick credit for trying to walk the talk after basically getting blackballed by the NFL. He's appeared to devote a great deal of his time doing charity events, volunteer work, and donating to charitable causes. However, his march for awareness and equality has been anything but a smooth ride. This bumpy road peaked, in my opinion, when he admitted to not voting in the 2016 presidential election. Look, I get it - there's more that can be done to implement change than to get ...

I'm growing increasingly more amazed by the number of people I personally know who have family members that have been diagnosed with autism. Just recently I was notified about a reputable organization whose main intent is bringing awareness, hope, and aid to those affected with autism. The organization is called "Autism Speaks," and more information can be found at this link: https://www.autismspeaks.org/ways-give?gclid=CjwKEAjwqJ67BRCzzJ7Hy-LYlFYSJABwp9PGxaScEO-GR1UYadoZfPjp7j0qMG0ve23zrUNUbF_NDhoCERzw_wcB Ways you can help include: - Buying merchandise - Becoming a corporate partner - Workplace giving - Matching gifts - Donating your vehicle - Wedding favors - Bequests and planned giving - Earning money for the organization while walking, running, or biking - Installing the We-Care app and donating through shopping online Once again, you can read about all this and more at this site: https://www.autismspeaks.org/ways-give?gclid=CjwKEAjwqJ67BRCz...

There was a great deal of controversy and debate surrounding the recipient of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at last night's annual ESPY awards ceremony, as former Olympic champion Bruce Jenner was presented this award for coming out as a woman, Caitlyn Jenner. Regardless of whether a person believes someone other than the former decathlon champion should have received the award or questions her true intent of coming out as Caitlyn Jenner, there can be no denying that Ms. Jenner's speech was a very important, timely, and powerful one. Caitlyn Jenner's speech largely centered around her struggles in coming forward as her true self, fearful of her family's reaction, and building off that to illustrate the larger problem in the transgender community. In a very emotional end to the speech, she thanked those closest to her for their love and support, said some transgender individuals aren't so fortunate, and wind up being beaten, killed, or killing themselves due to the...

Jack Hoffman is a 7-year old boy from Nebraska who has unfortunately been battling brain cancer the past couple of years. After two go-rounds of brain surgery, approximately 95% of the tumor was removed, but the other 5% has been declared inoperable and has altered in size since the second operation. The youngster has made a few headlines in recent weeks. In Nebraska's spring game, he was handed the ball on a play and ran for a 69-yard touchdown, before being picked up and cheered on by the team, the fans in the the crowd, and people all across this country. If you've yet to witness this heart-warming and tear-inducing event, it can be viewed at this link - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/07/jack-hoffman-touchdown-nebraska-spring-cancer_n_3033583.html President Obama then invited he, his family, and former Cornhuskers tailback Rex Burkhead to visit him at the Oval Office this past week. That touching photograph and story can be seen and read here - http://www.cbsnews....

It's been about three years since President Obama's healthcare law passed Congress and was signed by the president himself. Sadly, three years later, the public is just about as uninformed now on the healthcare law as it was right when it passed. A Kaiser poll was just released regarding the public's knowledge on the healthcare reform law, and the numbers were quite disturbing. When poll participants were asked if the healthcare law included the following components, more answered the questions incorrectly than correctly: - "Cut benefits for people in Medicare" - 43% correctly answered that the law does not do this and 44% incorrectly answered that it does do this, with 14% responding that they aren't sure. - "Establish a government panel to make decisions about end-of-life care for people on Medicare" - 39% correctly answered that the law does not do this and 40% incorrectly answered that it does do this, with 21% responding that they aren...