Recent Animal Stories

First, in honor of Memorial Day, "Amazing War Heroes Animals."

Also, "Recycled doggies: Saving Lives."

Enjoy.

The Gifts that Earlier Generations Have Given Us

Almost three years ago, I wrote about the "new" generation of people who one blogger called "Generation 'M'." Recently, motivated by an article that was pretty disparaging to the younger people known as "Millennials," I assembled some thoughts about everything that has been given to us by those who have gone before us: parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and other ancestors. Here are those thoughts.

People who know me well would recognize this observation that I often state among family and friends: In some significant ways, human life on this planet has always been a pain the ass, for just about everyone. There really is almost always something to complain about. About 2,600 years ago, Siddhartha Gautama, who became known as "the Buddha" after his enlightenment, called the situation by a Pali word: dukkha. I know next to nothing about the Pali language, but I have seen and heard that word translated as "suffering," "pain," "unsatisfactoriness," "unease," and "misery." More profanely, I translate dukkha to mean "a pain in the ass." Our knowing that life is a pain in the ass is, in itself, still another level of pain in the proverbial posterior. Life is far from perfect. The sooner we get over it, the sooner we have a chance at finding more grounded, enduring forms of happiness.

Alright, that's enough about the Buddha and Buddhism; I have some more specific points to make.

First, I don't agree with that article's dumping on Millennials. Here's the link again for your convenience:http://oncampus.macl...-generation-me/

I don't see the people called Millennials as any more selfish or "generation me" than any other group of people. I'm not all "Rah-rah, go Millennials!" either. For example, I don't care for the music that many of them listen to, but tastes vary. My tastes in music comprise an arcane mix, so I may just be hard to please. Nevertheless, I don't perceive the selfishness, materialism, and reduced civil engagement that the article bemoans.

To the extent that the Millennials may be somewhat more selfish, more materialistic, and less engaged in larger civic causes, we have to be realistic and give them a break. Look at the shitty economy that we have as they are coming of age. The uber-wealthy have ripped, if not the guts at least some vital internal organs, out of the USA and world economy. And there's another wave of that kind of crisis coming with student debt. How is someone graduating from high school supposed to find well-paying employment? Many, if not most, of them are going to need advanced education for that. But who can afford college tuition these days? I'm guessing it is the same with trade schools, too, but I don't know that for a fact.

The cost of higher education has spiraled out of control, many times the rate of inflation. Someone who is graduating with $50,000 to $100,000 in student debt is already at a disadvantage compared to people who graduated in the mid 1980s like I did. Add to that a dismal economy and job market, and I think anyone can see the dark clouds gathering.

On the other hand, it's also bullshit to bitch and moan and blame everything on the baby boomers and say that our (or the Millennials') lives are awful because of boomer greed and excess. I say it's bullshit because it looks at just one side of the equation, the negative side or the downside. Let me explain.

Each of us comes out of our mothers' bodies and into this world as a wet, crying, needy, and shriveled-faced infant. Any abilities or talents we have are going to do no one any good until many years after we are born. We are dependent on our parents for survival a lot longer than the offspring of any other animal species of which I'm aware.

A tiny percentage of us grow up in the lap of luxury, filled with "the best of everything," silver spoons, and so forth. Some of us endure horrific childhoods riddled with poverty, abuse, neglect, and addiction. As different as those extremes are, we all have much more in common in terms of what the world gives us.

Before I launch into my litany of good things, let me say it again: life is not perfect. Nevertheless, just think about all the stuff that is here for us, when we exit our mother's womb and enter the world--all things that we did nothing to create, paid no price to earn, and are really there for our taking.

• agriculture and the means of growing and distributing food;
• our system of government and laws and heritage of (albeit imperfect) protection of individual human rights;
• our language--whichever language is our native tongue--that has been developed over the course of centuries and profoundly affects how we think, speak, and act;
• sports and fitness activities (how many of us have ever invented a new sport?);
• science and mathematics and the technologies they spawn, including the Internet that is allowing me to share these words that you can read almost anywhere on earth;
• the humanities--art, music, and literature--that enrich our lives and that we can enjoy without ever ourselves putting a paintbrush to canvas, a pen to a music score sheet, or words to a sonnet or novel of our own invention;
• family wisdom and folklore passed down through the ages;
• domesticated animals like dogs, cats, and other pets that become our companions, offering us much enjoyment, companionship, and even health benefits;
• religion and spirituality, or a level-headed agnostic or atheistic worldview;
• the means of building to house us, provide workplaces and recreation areas, and create other structures for our use;
• the means of making clothing to clothe us and protect us from the extremes of the elements;
• advanced systems of medicine that allow us to live with conditions that would have been fatal less than a century ago;
• organized charities that help make life a little easier for our fellow humans, and maybe for us;
• a system of social insurance to provide retirement and disability benefits (yeah, I know this is controversial);
• systems of education to help us learn about our world;
• a military infrastructure that encompasses the most advanced weaponry and defense systems ever known to man (yeah, this is another controversial one); and
• so many other things that I can't think of right now.

Each of us, part of each advancing generation, will use these artifacts of civilization although we did not build them. We will make other contributions--whether variations or advancements on the items I have listed above, or inventions and wonders that will be classified in different groups--and will leave them for those who follow us.

Human progress depends on building on the work and creations of those who have gone before us. Yes, those earlier people did some things wrong--some grievously wrong--but I don't think it's fair or honest to assess our position in human history by focusing only on the harms done by previous generations without acknowledging the many good things they have bequeathed to us. Despite all of the gloom and doom (that I know is truly part of the current reality), there is a great deal of good stuff that we have that was given to us as a gift, free of charge. I think it's worthwhile to count our blessings and appreciate the good things that connect us to our ancestors and forebears from time to time. 

Remembering Memorial Day 2012

United States of America (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

To all who gave their lives in service to our beloved country, the United States of America: thank you for making the ultimate sacrifice. Words are not enough to thank you, I know, but I appreciate your service. May you rest in peace.

I Can Use Some Help for One of My Other Web Sites

For the last 10 years, I have operated MaleDepression.com, a site that provides information and connections to men who have mood conditions like depression and bipolar disorder, and the families and friends of those men. We have gotten a fair amount of media coverage (see "About" page on our site). Currently, the site needs some funds to keep operating. If you would like to help, please see the left-hand column of our home page where you will find the information. Thanks in advance for helping to keep the site online and free for visitors!

My Gym Has a New Web Site!

My gym, GoTime Chicago, has a new web site:

http://www.gotimechicago.com

Please visit the site and tell them I sent you!

Possible New Training Buddy in My Apartment Building

Foster Beach, Chicago, IL USA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I don't know if I mentioned this earlier here, but I moved my home in the middle of March. I am still in Edgewater Beach, just a little closer to the park and beach. My apartment is a little larger than the last place I had, I am paying $75 month less in rent, and frankly, I trust the management company of my new apartment more than the one that managed the last building I lived in. My bicycle was stolen at my old building, my apartment was invaded by bedbugs that ruined about $2,000 in furniture, and the management company engaged in unlawful housing discrimination, and it was time for me to leave.

In my new building, I've met a nice mix of friendly people and dogs. Yes, the building is dog-friendly, too. I am hoping to adopt a dog or two from a dog rescue organization or animal shelter. Having some canine friends around regularly would likely do wonders for my disposition and mental and physical health.

Last, just a few days ago, I met one of my new neighbors. He's about my size and is interested in doing some boxing training with me. Since summer is approaching, we can probably do some outdoor training. I'll let you know how it goes.

Best Punch/Photo of the Year?

Robert Ecksel at Boxing.com points us to Kevin Iole at Yahoo! Sports, who shares with us his assessment of a fine photo by Tim Shaffer at Reuters. Is that amazing, or what? Here's a direct link to Kevin's article. And here's the best news: Kevin Iole reports that, although the recipient of that punch, Tony Pietrantonio, lost the match, he was able to leave the ring under his own power and is doing fine. Winner Lavarn Harvell remained unbeaten, improving his record to 10-0.

This blog entry has a lot of links, but I want to make sure each of these guys gets proper credit and recognition with the search engines. If I had a link for Tim Shaffer, I'd post it, but I don't. Great work, gentlemen!

30 minutes light roadwork today. I've got to shake off this ring rust, but my mom has been in the hospital so my time has been limited. I need to get back to my gym; hopefully, they'll still recognize me when I return! For now, doing some dogsitting and chilling out.

Spring is Here

Did 42 minutes of roadwork today. It was warm and sunny outside. It was a great day to be outdoors. There were lots of people and lots of dogs! :-)

"How Does The Financial Crisis Affect The Poker World?"

How Does The Financial Crisis Affect The Poker World?

by John Edmonds

Everyone knows that the financial crisis has been tough on everyone. A question important to participants in the gaming world is, how has the crisis affected poker? One would expect, with people having to cut back on recreational activities, poker would suffer as well. Again, the question is, has it?

How Has the Financial Crisis Affected Poker Pros?

It’s hard to say how the financial crisis has affected the lives of day-to-day rounders who grind it out online or at low to moderate stakes casino tables every day. One would imagine their jobs have gotten a little bit harder, as their tables are probably filled with more strong players and fewer tourists with money to burn. However, even in a struggling economy, there are always some people with money, and there often always seem to be people willing to risk that money gambling, hoping for a big score. There does not seem to be any danger of casinos or major online poker sites shutting down anytime soon, and poker pros seem to have managed to stay in action. 

How Has the Financial Crisis Affected Poker’s Future?

Poker has stayed strong enough that when the economy rebounds, poker probably will, too. In the meantime, the World Series Of Poker is still expected to attract thousands of players, with millions of dollars on the line. Hopefully whoever wins that money will pump it back into the global economy to help get things going again.

Cold Roadwork in Early April

Did one hour and 16 minutes today. It was cold out there. March was unusually warm, but so far, April feels kind of cold. No big deal. It keeps me moving.

Saturday Roadwork

37 minutes on a nice, warmer-than-normal-for-this-time-of-year Saturday. Ah, sweet stuff, indeed!

Reconnecting with a High School Buddy: A Lesson in Good Sportsmanship

Several years ago, over the Christmas holidays, I was talking with my brother, Paul (Gordon Tech High School class of 1983, whereas I was in the class of 1981), about something that happened during frosh year. While sitting one day in an Internet cafe, I had heard a song on the radio from that year and had been startled. I remember, saying to myself, “Holy shit, no way was that song from 30 years ago!” But it had been. Amazing. It’s weird–I can remember lots of details about high school but if you ask me what I had for lunch today, I’ll have to think about it.

Over the last few years, I’ve been reconnecting with a lot of my friends and classmates from the old GT Ram days. About two years ago, while surfing through the list of names of guys who had graduated in 1981 like I had, I remembered one of their names. The fellow’s name is Dean. Feeling kind of social and outgoing, I reached out and “friended” him. At first, he didn’t seem to remember me, which was no surprise. After all, we had a huge class–about 550 of us, I think–so I wouldn’t have been surprised if he hadn’t remembered me much, if at all. Further, Dean and I had not really been good friends at the time. He had seemed likable enough, and he and I had some classes together, but we didn’t know each other very well; we were more just classmates rather than friends.

There was one particular and important time that I do remember about Dean, when we were outside of classes. After I recounted the story to Dean, he started to remember me more than just as a “name that was kind of familiar.” It was in intramural boxing. At our then-all-boys high school, boxing was regularly our most popular intramural sport. Dean and I both had bouts on one day, against different opponents. It has been more than 30 years since that day, so I don’t remember now if Dean’s match was before or after mine, but he and I talked before my match and Dean was friendly and very encouraging. When the other kid and I were called up, Dean enthusiastically said something like “Go get him, Steve!”

After the bout–I won, but just barely!–Dean and I talked a little. He slapped me on the back and was going on and on about how well I had done. (For the record, I was exhausted at that point, so I’m glad he’d had enough enthusiasm for both of us! I was so tired that as Coach Clarence “Bronco” Telkes, who had refereed the match, raised my hand for the decision, I felt like I was going to collapse from fatigue; my opponent had done really well and I was kind of surprised that I had won.)

I’m smiling as I write this, but it was awesome that Dean seemed even more excited about my win than I was. Maybe that was because I had a headache! I thought, “Dean is a good guy. He seems really psyched and happy for me about my win and he doesn’t really even know me much.” (It’s also more than a little embarrassing that I don’t remember how Dean’s bout went, although I was cheering for him.)

This is a small memory, but a happy one. It’s great to reconnect with my high school friends. Communication seems a bit easier now. It’s great to find out what everyone’s been up to and to share my own stories with them. Dean now has a family, and he’s a CPA and successful businessman. I’m thrilled for him, just as he had been for me that afternoon in our gym, about 3 decades earlier.

Back in the Gym Today

Today was finally the day I got back to the gym to resume workouts. I intended to go easy my first time back, although once I got moving, I'm not so sure how easy I kept things. I guess I'll be able to tell by any soreness I feel tomorrow.

It was great to be back. We're getting a lot of snow here today, so that made traveling to and from my gym a bit slower than usual, but it wasn't all that bad. Rob, Chad, and Ricky really made me feel welcomed on my first day back and I appreciate that very much. Thanks, gentlemen!

Here's the breakdown of today's work.

• 30 minutes roadwork
• 3 rounds shadowboxing
• 4 rounds double-end bag
• 4 rounds speed bag
• 1 round heavy bag
• 1 round sit-ups and crunches
• 8 rounds stretching/flexibility

I spent a lot of time working on flexibility. I've learned multiple times that one doesn't take a fairly long break from exercise and then jump right back into it without being respectful to one's body. If I honor flexibility and give it the attention and respect it deserves, I will be fine. I don't care to have any injuries in general, and it certainly doesn't make any sense to have my return to training stopped by injuries resulting from being a bit too eager to resume the exercise routine.

Today's return was something of a homecoming for me. Now, the challenge will be to arrange my time skillfully so that I will be able to fit in a lot of workouts and use the one-hour trip each way as working time. I am blessed to have some projects now that ought to fit into that kind of arrangement. Ah, so good to be back!

Good Training Resource: BoxingPerformance.com

Are you visiting Rob Pilger at his site, http://www.boxingperformance.com, and following him at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and at his syndicated news feed? I hope your answer is "yes," because if it isn't, you're missing a lot. He offers some serious training content.

Here's a recent example. You've already learned that punching power comes from the base of your body, all the way from a floor. Here is a video of Rob Pilger explaining that principle a lot more effectively than I can, complete with demonstration of proper footwork.

I have the "fast feet" device from Ringside that is shown in the video. It helps me keep my stance from going too wide and prevents me from some of the more awkward positions that clumsy footwork can place me in. If I am in awkward position, I am off balance. If I'm off balance, something as small as a good shove to my shoulder can push me over.

This video is just one sample of the content Rob Pilger produces. Of course, he doesn't need me to persuade you; just go to the site and look around: http://www.boxingperformance.com. Most likely, you'll be a regular visitor after spending just 5 minutes there. Enjoy!

Getting Back to the Gym

If all goes well, I'll be back at the gym tomorrow morning. I've spent a lot of time developing a plan for 2012 and have spent the last few days implementing some of the plan's first tasks for my law firm. It will be great to get back into a regular training routine.

As for the law practice, I have a renewed enthusiasm to generate new business this year and explore a variety of opportunities. I also watched some very good MCLE programs during the past week. (That June deadline is getting closer.) I think the recent spring-like weather is helping to boost the energy and focus, too!