One of my all-time favorite quotes comes from, not surprisingly, one of my all-time movies, Batman Begins.  A young Bruce Wayne (Batman's alter ego) is asked by his father, Thomas, why we fall. Thomas goes on to answer "so we can learn to pick ourselves up." It's such a simple statement, and yet so deep. I think all of us will agree with it. If we never failed, we'd never strive to improve ourselves. If we never faltered, we'd never have any reason to grow. Life, as a result, would seem mundane -- empty, even. Nothing feels sweeter than achieving a goal after investing a lot of sweat and tears -- and failing repeatedly -- in something. Obviously, this in no way means failing deliberately or as a result of reckless, ill-conceived decisions. I'm talking about exhausting all your savings just so you can get your fledgling business off the ground. I'm talking about studying your tail off until you turn your "F" in engineering clas...

It seems superhero movies are the rage these days. From Batman and Superman to X-Men and The Avengers, one would think that Marvel Studios and DC Entertainment have deliberately hijacked the movie industry. It seems one or more of these CGI-laden flicks come out each year. And who can blame them? Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which was released in the U.S. on March 25, has already pulled in a whopping $851.9 million. Not too shabby, considering it was produced on a not-so-shoestring budget of $250 million. I saw the movie a few weeks ago and thought it wasn't as good as any of the movies in The Dark Knight trilogy. But that's neither here nor there. Meanwhile, Captain America: Civil War, slated to hit theaters in the U.S. on May 6, is expected to earn more than $190 million domestically and somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 million worldwide in its opening weekend. I remember how, back in the day, superhero movies primarily targeted children, their key dem...

Earlier today, a local radio station reported on its Facebook page that 75% of women prefer feminine men rather than masculine ones.  Since they didn't provide their source, I question the veracity of their claims. What's more, I've found the opposite to be true: Most women have told me they prefer masculine men. Not necessarily "muscle-bound" masculine, just a man who displays self-confidence and doesn't cry every two seconds. I'd like to think that not all women long for a Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Vin Diesel, or any of the guys portraying superheroes like Batman and Superman. Surely, there must be average Joes -- thin, chunky, brainy, and otherwise -- that ooze some sex appeal.  What's deemed sexy and attractive by one woman might be considered unappealing by another. Luckily, we all have different taste, and there's someone out there for everyone.  Still, most women would probably agree that the ideal man strikes a hea...

This morning, I was saddened to read about the death of a man, Lenny B. Robinson, who would dress up as Batman to cheer up kids with life-threatening illnesses in various Maryland hospitals. He drove around in a Batmobile (among the many cars he owned was a black Lamborghini sporting the Batman symbol) and spent thousands of dollars on his costume and memorabilia. Now, he is being mourned by family and fans around the world as a real-life hero. I came across a comment to the article that included this quote: "What you do for yourself dies with you. What you do for others lives on." It reminds me of a line uttered by Katie Holmes' character in, ironically enough, "Batman Begins," starring Christian Bale: "It's not what you are underneath -- it's what you do that defines you."   These kinds of quotes stand in contrast to the feel-good ones we hear that center around being happy with yourself, not caring what others think of you, and so ...