What do you do when a dream ends? If you’re Sam Schmidt, you embark upon an even bigger one. A motorcycle racer from the age of five, he went on to become Rookie of the Year at the USAR Hooters Pro Cup, and a star in the Indy Racing League. Then, in 2000, a ... Read more
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Miss International Issue Jayna Altman
Articles in the Miss International, Jayna Altman issue include: Senator Harkin — The Christopher Reeve Act; Day of Service — Of Kings & Presidents; Green Pages — Don’t Let Money Fly Out the Window; Humor — There’s Nothing Out there; Film Circuit— Reeling Through Sundance; Skiing — A Crash Course; Multiple Sclerosis — One Day At The Beach; Secret Life — Young Actors Get Their Due; George Covington — Don’t Look Now, Bambi’s Back; Christopher Reeve — His Foundation; His Champions; ABILITY’s Crossword Puzzle; Events and Conferences
GREEN PAGES — Don’t Let Money Fly Out the Window
If you’re anything like me, when you feel a draft in your house, your first inclination is to shut a door or window. But if the doors and windows are already closed, then you may chalk the breeze up to your imagination. If there’s one draft after another, however, it’s probably time for an ... Read more
VACANCY – THERE’S NOTHING OUT THERE
It’s that awful time again when I sit down at the computer, hoping to come up with a clever column. The problem is, I’ve got nothing. I’m just not feeling it right now. I’m not motivated to write about global warming, politics, the economy or even football. Crazy, isn’t it? Sorry. It’s just that ... Read more
GEORGE COVINGTON — Don’t Look Now, Bambi’s Back
Much of the year, men in the High Chihuahua Desert of Texas are so lame that they groan when they have to carry 10 pounds of groceries from the car to the kitchen. Then, when it’s deer-hunting season, these no-accounts suddenly summon the strength to haul high powered rifles, tons of ammunition and gallons ... Read more
Young Actors Get Their Due
The secret life of success He was working as a clerk at the courthouse in Beverly Hills, CA. He had done a bit of acting in the past, but had nearly put his dreams of stardom on the shelf—for good. She was taking acting classes. And voice classes. And dance. Every day. But if ... Read more
Multiple Sclerosis – One Day At The Beach
Over the years, our daughters have brought home various young men to ‘meet the parents.’ After a long, dry spell, our California daughter, Melissa, had someone she hoped we’d welcome to the family. She had gotten lucky through one of those .com mating sites. In keeping with her interest in politics, she and Charlie ... Read more
FILM CIRCUIT
Reeling Through Sundance For movie lovers, the Sundance Film Festival is an orgy of celluloid delights. Why else would people drag themselves out of bed at six in the morning to be added to the wait list for a film that may be sold out? Or slog through snow at midnight to catch a ... Read more
DAY OF SERVICE
Of Kings & Presidents I remember the day in 1968 that Martin Luther King was assassinated. My mother, our neighbor Delores, and I had just come out of a bookstore in Los Angeles. Mom revved the engine of our blue VW bug as we buckled ourselves into its funky, pleather seats. Just before we ... Read more
ASHLEY FIOLEK — Teen MotoCrosser Zooms Ahead
“Because she’s deaf…she never heard people tell her it was impossible,” said Jim Fiolek as he stood alongside the motocross track in Lake Elsinore, CA, watching his daughter, Ashley, ride. And yet, something tells us that it wouldn’t have slowed her down even if she had heard. By the age of 17, Ashley had ... Read more
Miss International Jayna Altman
Listen up Jayna Altman had no intention of running for Miss International 2008 until someone suggested it to her. Then she looked into the pageant, liked what it stood for, and added it to her very long to-do list. Winning seemed a long shot, until the moment she felt the crown placed upon her ... Read more
SKIING — A Crash Course
A Mountain Of Opportunity There’s a little bit of blood on your nose,” said Andy Gabel, my ski buddy, as he leaned onto the snow to take a look at my face. I pulled my glasses away and knew why. There was a clean-cut hole in the right lens and blood stains on the ... Read more
Senator Tom Harkin
A COURAGEOUS QUEST Elections matter! Case in point: the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act. I introduced this bill in 2002 in an effort to advance collaborative research into paralysis and improve the quality of life for people living with paralysis and mobility impairments. Over the years, the bill passed twice in the House, ... Read more
Christopher & Dana Reeve — Their Foundation, Their Champions
Though Christopher and Dana Reeve have both passed on, their vision for better outcomes and a better quality of life for people with spinal cord injuries are very much alive. Here Bob Yant, a leader within that organization, and the editors of ABILITY Magazine talk about how the foundation has grown in recent years, ... Read more
MILLARD FULLER 1935-2009
His Work Will Go On The vision, eliminating poverty housing, belonged to Millard Fuller, a man whose ideas and tireless work created Habitat for Humanity, the world’s largest nonprofit home-building organization. President Clinton once said: “I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that Millard Fuller has literally revolutionized the concept of philanthropy.” An ... Read more
