Put Your Dukes Up! Boxing Fiction to Rattle Your Teeth

Put Your Dukes Up! Boxing Fiction to Rattle Your Teeth The first boxing book I remember was  Lando  by Louis LAmour. Lando was one of the Sacketts, but if memory serves, he was the only Sackett tossed into a horrific Mexican prison. He survived with silver-dollar-bending strength and a hellacious skill-set of the fisticuffs variety. The Sacketts were always hard hombres, but Lando was particularly bad news. I idolized him and he lead me to more reading about boxing. These days, the more I read, and the more widely I read, the more aware I am that boxing, or The Sweet Science, holds an allure for many authors. Sometimes its an attempt to understand the sport. Sometimes its an attempt to prove that its not a sport at all, but a barbaric enterprise: sanctioned brutality and blood for the mob. Boxing gets romanticized, demonized, misunderstood constantly, but so many authors  write about it, or at least make the attempt. I started accumulating boxing books as a young boy, and now Im finally ready to admit that Im never going to stop. I couldnt get enough. Still cant. And Im not alone. Hemingway wrote about boxing and boxed himself, although he may have suffered from romantic delusions. Some of cinematic storyteller Stanley Kubricks best work is found in his boxing photography. Norman Mailer was passionate about people hitting each other, but thats no surprise.  Read the Battle Royal opening of Ellisons  Invisible Manit will rattle your teeth. Joyce Carol Oates  wrote a book called  On Boxing,  and its great! There are so many, but today I want to steer you towards four of my favorites. Here are a few that I would encourage anyone to start with. The Abysmal Brute  by Jack London This is a simple, straightforward story about a hulking (but sensitive and literate!) farmboy who comes to the big city and begins to dominate the world of boxing. He winds up fighting against the sports rampant corruption when he realizes that even though hes winning his fights, (and hed win regardless, hes the best boxer) the fights are fixed to make money for other men. En route to the happy and inspiring conclusionsomething you dont get often with Londontheres a love story, some skillful writing about boxing itself, and a great underdog story. Ive never heard anyone else talk about this book. Please read it. Im very lonely. Rope Burns: Stories From The Corner  by F.X. Toole This brilliant collection of boxing stories, which houses the story  Million Dollar Baby,  is one of the best short story collections Ive ever read, period. And its definitely my favorite collection of boxing stories. Toole was a professional cut man. He knew boxing and it shows. When someone says a book is gritty, I usually think of Rope Burns  and wonder if they know about it.  If you dont find Tooles writing persuasive, I fear you are simply beyond persuasion. The story of the books publication is pretty cool, too. One Ring Circus: Dispatches from the World of Boxing  by Katherine Dunn Did you read  Geek Love,  also by Dunn? Please do. Ir you read  Geek Love,  would you have expected its author to write a book of boxing essays? Me either. But Im happy to report that  One Ring Circus  was every bit as unputdownable for me, if less perverse and insane and obscene and with fewer mutilation-based cults The Pugilist at Rest  and  Sonny Liston Was a Friend of Mine  by Thom Jones Besides  Rope Burns,  these two collections by Jones are as close to the visceral craziness of boxing/fighting as anything else Ive read. Jones writes well about anger, men, mania, fists, addiction, and people edging ever closer to their limits. The stories in these books arent only about boxing, but they contain some of the finest boxing fiction Ive ever read. Read  Dynamite Hands  and tell me you werent tempted to go try the isometrics exercises against the nearest brick wall. If you like these two books, Joness  Cold Snap  will also delight and/or repulse you. And thats that. If you have any additions to this list, please tell me. Ive got space on my shelves for approximately one thousand more books about boxing. . _________________________ Sign up for our newsletter to have the best of Book Riot delivered straight to your inbox every two weeks. No spam. We promise. To keep up with Book Riot on a daily basis, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, , and subscribe to the Book Riot podcast in iTunes or via RSS. So much bookish goodnessall day, every day. Sign up to Unusual Suspects to receive news and recommendations for mystery/thriller readers. Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox.

Cyberstalking and Women Facts and Statistics

Cyberstalking is such a new phenomenon that the media and law enforcement have yet to broadly define and quantify it. The available resources are so few and limited that there is little information for victims or for professional victim service providers to utilize. What stats there are reveal millions of potential and projected future cases. The epidemic of identity theft indicates technology abuse is one of the fastest-growing areas of crime and those same techniques are easily applied to a specific, targeted victim. What We Know More than one million women and 370,000 men are stalked annually in the United States. An astonishing one in twelve women and one in forty-five men will be stalked in their lifetimes. The average duration of stalking is nearly two years and even longer if the stalking involves intimate partners.Within the past twelve months, 9.3 million Americans were victims of identity theft. Identity theft is often present in situations of domestic abuse and can become a form of economic abuse once the woman has left her partner. One and a half million of those reporting identity thefts in 2004 also reported that they suffered from domestic abuse and harassment from their exes. These latter stats could be more correctly re-categorized as cyberstalking incidents.National figures show victims of cyberstalking tend to be females during the college ages 18-29 but women are not the only targets. A survey of 765 students at Rutgers University and the University of Pennsylvania found 45% of stalkers to b e female and 56% to be male. National figures show most stalkers to be male by overwhelming margins (87%). Men represented over 40% of stalking victims in the Penn-Rutgers study.The Department of Justice statistical report of June 29, 2006, indicates that, on average, more than three women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in this country every day. The FBI reports that domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 to 44, more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined. Cyberstalking provides astonishingly easy and cheap tools for an abuser to locate women who have tried to move away or go into hiding. Cyberstalking and Domestic Violence Victims Domestic violence victims are one of the most vulnerable groups to traditional stalking, so it’s no surprise they are vulnerable to cyberstalking as well. It’s a myth that if women â€Å"just leave† they will be okay. Cyberstalking is a way to continue to maintain rigid control and instill fear into a domestic partner, even when she has already left the relationship. This can happen even to those who one would think would be more prepared. Marsha was an accountant, a working mom with kids, and after her husband, Jerry’s rages got more and more severe, she decided it was time for a divorce. She told him in the safety of the lawyer’s office, where terms for their separation were laid out. To say he was angry was an understatement, he vowed right then he’d â€Å"make her pay.† This threat had new meaning when she went a couple of days later to buy groceries. When all her credit cards were politely and embarrassingly declined, she went home to discover that Jerry had canceled them and her cell phone, and drained her bank accounts, literally leaving her with just fifty cents. She was forced to get a loan from her folks to make it to the next court date. We Are All Potential Victims of Cyberstalking The ease with which someone can perpetuate a cyberstalking crime has made potential victims of us all. Individuals have been cyberstalked for the most minor reasons by people theyve angered in the past. Victims were targeted because they dumped a guy after dating less than a month, fired an employee, were part of a business deal gone bad or parked in the wrong parking spot. We have all grown so complacent about our information and how it is stored and managed; we have no idea how easy it is to access essential personal data that would unlock the safeguards to our finances, our personal and economic safety, and our lives. The havoc a cyberstalker can wreak is painful, frustrating and long-lasting, and the technological tools and resources commonly used by cyberstalkers are all available online for affordable prices.

Ethics Of Personal Ethics Action Plan - 2450 Words

Personal Ethics Action Plan OLS 263 – 11331 : Ethical Decisions in Leadership Matthew Rust Spring 2015 Indiana University – Purdue University at Indianapolis Mission Statement Throughout my life I will dedicate myself to the betterment of my community, my workplace, and the people around me. I will hold the values of fairness, innovation, and productivity key in my duties. All of my actions and thoughts will go through an ethical filter to ensure that I stay in line with my steadfast values. I will create and maintain positive relationships with my friends, family, acquaintances coworkers, and the public in general while looking to lend a helping hand whenever possible. Finally, I will use the principles of a sound mind, body, and soul to guide the improvement and maintenance of my thoughts and actions, physical being, and spiritual values. Goals †¢ I will keep a strong connection with my creator, Jesus Christ, and hold my spiritual values above all others. †¢ I will maintain my mind and body by exercising and taking care of my intake and output. †¢ I will work hard to make sure that I stay true to my values and that I don’t violate what I believe in the most. †¢ I will maintain positive relationships with my friends, family, and coworkers. †¢ I will look for opportunities for personal and professional growth in all possible life aspects. †¢ I will serve as an agent of change to emphasize ethical and productivity values that I believe in. †¢ I will work toShow MoreRelatedEthics Reflection Paper Str 581 Week 11312 Words   |  6 PagesRunning head: WEEK 1; ETHICS REFLECTIONS PAPER Assignment: Week 1; Ethics Reflections Paper By Judith Judson STR 591 – Phoenix Campus University of Phoenix Facilitator: Dr. Mark Kolesinsky Week 1, July 18, 2012 Ethics Reflection Paper In the last decade, ethics in corporate America has become highly publicized following the discovery of unethical and fraudulent business practices in major corporations. Practices at Tyco, Enron, Arthur Anderson, and WorldCom, among others,Read MoreMy Personal Ethics835 Words   |  4 PagesPersonal Ethics Statement Final Project My Personal Ethics Statement: In the world today I think that some have forgotten how personal ethics can play an important role in the success or failure in a person life weather it’s at work or in an educational setting it is quite often forgotten. It is very important that we pay attention to our surroundings and how we treat and interact with others we want to make sure that we carry ourselves in dignified and respectful manner and try a be mindfulRead MoreThe Ethics Of Leadership And How Ethics Produce Effective Leadership1224 Words   |  5 PagesI will examine the importance of personal ethics in leadership and how ethics produce effective leaders in organizations today. The importance of understanding ethics, motivation to act as a role model and developing a plan of action for an organization are discussed because of their importance regarding development of good leadership. These key points suggest personal ethics positively affect leadership and when made a priority for leaders will produce eth ical and effective leadership. With so manyRead MoreThe Importance Of Ethics, Motivation, And A Role Model And Developing An Action Plan For An Organization1205 Words   |  5 Pages The importance of understanding ethics, motivation to act as a role model and developing an action plan for an organization are discussed because of their importance regarding development of good leadership. The personal ethics positively affect leadership and when made a priority for leaders will produce ethical and effective leadership to the organization. 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The Physiological And Psychological Workings Of Emotions

What are Emotions and Moods and How Can Understanding Them Help Us to Improve Society? Emotions. They appear to control our lives; from interacting with people to being essential to our survival in situations where our ‘reptilian’ brain (the part of our brain that largely corresponds with that of reptiles and is therefore more instinctual) takes over. At this very moment, all over the globe, emotions are ruling people’s decisions and actions, ultimately moulding the basis of who they are and how they interact with their environments. Our relationships and prejudices, reactions and wellbeing are all influenced by these powerful control systems, yet it seems that society has no idea how emotions work or how we can use them to make everyday life better for ourselves and everyone around us. Despite the fact that they affect us so significantly, we have yet to come to a definitive conclusion on the physiological and psychological workings of emotions. What is an Emotion? The Oxford Dictionary defines an emotion as ‘a strong feeling deriving from one’s circumstance, mood or relationship with others’ or an ‘instinctive or intuitive feeling as distinguished from reasoning or knowledge’ . Although these definitions are sufficient in terms of basic understanding, they do not give any insight into the inner workings of emotions or why we have them. Oliver Burkman, the author of The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Feeling, said, in a blog, that no one actuallyShow MoreRelatedIncrease Of Working Memory During The Same Period1492 Words   |  6 Pagesincrease of working memory during the same period (Jha, 2010). The study also found that in addition to the gains in working memory capacity, the group that meditated had increased self-reported positive affect. Positive affect is how we experience feelings and emotions, in other words it is our moods. Because affect is a psycho-physiological co nstruct that involves alertness and motivational intensity, the benefits of mindful meditation on positive affect is invaluable for a soldier’s effectivenessRead MoreLeaders Eat Last And The Purpose Of An Organization808 Words   |  4 Pagesquestion, in the book, Leaders Eat Last and the purpose of this essay is to further analyze and summarize that book. An effective leader is a person who is able to selflessly lead others, while maintaining a level of motivation for those who are working to accomplish a common task. Great leaders, such as Army Officers, effectively utilize various techniques, which collaboratively will help better that leader’s intended outcomes. 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Expressions That Conceal Reality George Carlins Soft Language

Soft language is a phrase coined by American comedian George Carlin to describe euphemistic expressions that conceal reality and take the life out of life. Americans have trouble facing the truth, Carlin said. So they invent a kind of a  soft language  to protect themselves from it (Parental Advisory, 1990). Under Carlins definition, euphemisms are the closest synonym to soft language, although the softness is implied to be an effect of the euphemisms usage. When a euphemism is used, its purpose is to soften the impact of something shocking, crude, ugly, embarrassing, or something along those lines. Carlins point is that this indirect language may spare us some discomfort, but at the cost of vividness and expressiveness. A corollary to this is jargon, which is specialized language for particular fields. On the surface, its intention is to express specialized ideas more clearly and specifically. In practice, however, jargon-heavy language tends to obscure the point rather than clarify it. See Examples and Observations below. Also see: George Carlins Essential DrivelBureaucratese and Business JargonA Dictionary of Phony PhrasesDoublespeakEngfishEuphemismFifty Reasons Youll Never Be Told, Youre FiredFlotsam PhrasesGenteelismGobbledygookLanguage at -ese: Academese, Legalese, and Other Species of GobbledygookMystificationNever Say Die: Euphemisms for DeathWhat Are Weasel Words? Examples and Observations Sometime during my life toilet paper became bathroom tissue. . . . Sneakers became running shoes. False teeth became dental appliances. Medicine became medication. Information became directory assistance. The dump became the landfill. Car crashes became automobile accidents. Partly cloudy became partly sunny. Motels became motor lodges. House trailers became mobile homes. Used cars became previously owned transportation. Room service became guest room dining. Constipation became occasional irregularity. . . .​The CIA doesnt kill anybody anymore. They neutralize people. Or they depopulate the area. The government doesnt lie. It engages in misinformation.(George Carlin, Euphemisms. Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics, 1990)When a company is levering up, it often means, in regular language, that it is spending money it doesn’t have. When it is right-sizing or finding synergies, it may well be firing people. When it manages stakeholders, it could be lobbying or bribing. When you dial into customer care, they care very little. But when they call you, even at dinnertime, then it’s a courtesy call.(A. Giridharadas, Language as a Blunt Tool of the Digital Age. The New York Times, Jan. 17, 2010) George Carlin on Shell Shock and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Here’s an example. There’s a condition in combat that occurs when a soldier is completely stressed out and is on the verge of a nervous collapse. In World War I it was called shell shock. Simple, honest, direct language. Two syllables. Shell shock. It almost sounds like the guns themselves. That was more than eighty years ago.Then a generation passed, and in World War II the same combat condition was called battle fatigue. Four syllables now; takes a little longer to say. Doesn’t seem to hurt as much. Fatigue is a nicer word than shock. Shell shock! Battle fatigue.By the early 1950s, the Korean War had come along, and the very same condition was being called operational exhaustion. The phrase was up to eight syllables now, and any last traces of humanity had been completely squeezed out of it. It was absolutely sterile: operational exhaustion. Like something that might happen to your car.Then, barely fifteen years later, we got into Vietnam, and, thanks to the de ceptions surrounding that war, it’s no surprise that the very same condition was referred to as post-traumatic stress disorder. Still eight syllables, but we’ve added a hyphen, and the pain is completely buried under jargon: post-traumatic stress disorder. I’ll bet if they had still been calling it shell shock, some of those Vietnam veterans might have received the attention they needed.But it didn’t happen, and one of the reasons is soft language; the language that takes the life out of life. And somehow it keeps getting worse.(George Carlin, Napalm Silly Putty. Hyperion, 2001) Jules Feiffer on Being Poor and Disadvantaged I used to think I was poor. Then they told me I wasnt poor, I was needy. Then they told me it was self-defeating to think of myself as needy, I was deprived. Then they told me deprived was a bad image, I was underprivileged. Then they told me underprivileged was over-used, I was disadvantaged. I still dont have a dime. But I have a great vocabulary.(Jules Feiffer, cartoon caption, 1965) George Carlin on Poverty Poor people used to live in slums. Now the economically disadvantaged occupy substandard housing in the inner cities. And a lot of them are broke. They dont have negative cash flow. Theyre broke! Because many of them were fired. In other words, management wanted to curtail redundancies in the human resources area, and so, many workers are no longer viable members of the workforce. Smug, greedy, well-fed white people have invented a language to conceal their sins. Its as simple as that.(George Carlin, Napalm Silly Putty. Hyperion, 2001) Soft Language in Business It is perhaps only a sign of the times that one business appoints a new executive, a chief information officer, to monitor the life cycle of documents--that is, to take charge of the shredder.(Robert M. Gorrell, Watch Your Language!: Mother Tongue and Her Wayward Children. Univ. of Nevada Press, 1994) Opaque Words Today, the real damage isnt done by the euphemisms and circumlocutions that were likely to describe as Orwellian. Ethnic cleansing, revenue enhancement, voluntary regulation, tree-density reduction, faith-based initiatives, extra affirmative action--those terms may be oblique, but at least they wear their obliquity on their sleeves.Rather, the words that do the most political work are simple ones--jobs and growth, family values, and color-blind, not to mention life and choice. Concrete words like these are the hardest ones to see through--theyre opaque when you hold them up to the light.(Geoffrey Nunberg, Going Nucular: Language, Politics, and Culture in Confrontational Times. Public Affairs, 2004) Soft Language in Stephen Dedaluss Dream of Hell Goatish creatures with human faces, horny-browed, lightly bearded and grey as india-rubber. The malice of evil glittered in their hard eyes, as they moved hither and thither, trailing their long tails behind them. . . . Soft language issued from their spittleless lips as they swished in slow circles round and round the field, winding hither and thither through the weeds, dragging their long tails amid the rattling canisters. They moved in slow circles, circling closer and closer to enclose, to enclose, soft language issuing from their lips, their long swishing tails besmeared with stale shite, thrusting upwards their terrific faces . . ..(James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, 1916)

The Soviet Leader Vladimir Lenin And The New Millennium Essay

Introduction: One step forwards, two steps back. This was the mantra of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin as he consolidated power during the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in 1903 (Lenin 1941). In the statement, Lenin illustrates the idea that every attempt or step towards progress only succeeded in creating new challenges, new problems, out from the woodworks. Sixteen years into the 21st Century, this catchphrase seems to be the running theme, or perhaps joke, of the new millennium. The internet has connected all of humanity in ways that have never before been seen throughout the history of mankind, yet it also opened the door for cyber terrorism, illegal surveillance, and the efficient propagation of dangerous hateful ideologies. Progress in the field of medicine races forwards at the speed of light, but pharmaceutical companies are greedy. They hold onto their patents with vice grips and raise prices of essential medications while they cost only pennies to produce. Progress is like Pandora’s box in that it proliferates the spread of evil, greed, and corruption, while the fragile hope that remains in the jar continues the human race in its attempts to move forward. We tell ourselves, â€Å"Maybe we’ll get it right this time. This time we’ll learn for our predecessors mistakes.† Very rarely do these hopes materialize. Politics, especially politics, have not escaped this one step forwards, two steps back mantra. Laws have been put into place to protectShow MoreRelatedRussia A Hybrid Regime Is A Pseudo Democratic Regime1947 Words   |  8 Pagespolitical transitions and more. This country, which has transformed its self into a superpower, has caught the attention of the world in the 20th century and now the millennium. What is most interesting is throughout Russian history—the Tsars, the Russian Revolution, the Soviet experiment of communism, and the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics—Russia has flirted with democracy, but time and time again it returns to the familiar, authoritarian regime. Russia’s inability to shake the shacklesRead MoreMarxism and Communism Christian Communism4953 Words   |  20 Pagesreformers in the early 19th century founded communities based on common ownership. But unlike many previous communist communities, they replaced the religio us emphasis with a rational and philanthropic basis.Notable among them were Robert Owen, who founded New Harmony in Indiana (1825), and Charles Fourier, whose followers organized other settlements in the United States such as Brook Farm (1841–47).Later in the 19th century, Karl Marx described these social reformers as utopian socialists to contrast themRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesAutotown, U.S.A. Van Gosse and Richard Moser, eds., The World the Sixties Made: Politics and Culture in Recent America Joanne Meyerowitz, ed., History and September 11th John McMillian and Paul Buhle, eds., The New Left Revisited David M. Scobey, Empire City: The Making and Meaning of the New York City Landscape Gerda Lerner, Fireweed: A Political Autobiography Allida M. Black, ed., Modern American Queer History Eric Sandweiss, St. Louis: The Evolution of an American Urban Landscape Sam WineburgRead MoreInternational Management67196 Words   |  269 PagesUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln Jonathan P. Doh Villanova University INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT: CULTURE, STRATEGY, AND BEHAVIOR, EIGHTH EDITION Published by McGraw-Hill, a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Copyright  © 2012 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Previous editions  © 2009, 2006, and 2003. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval

The Rehabilitated Magwitch in Great Expectations Essay

The Rehabilitated Magwitch in Great Expectations A warmint, dear boy is the answer that Magwitch gives Pip when asked what he was brought up to be (305; ch. 40). This is what any person would expect from a man who has lived a life of crime. With further exploration, however, one will see that it is deeper than petty theft and prison. By using a character such as Magwitch, Dickens suggests the implications of using the Australian penal colonies as a way of rehabilitation for criminals. It is quite possible that Dickens has portrayed a view of penal colonies in a very positive way. After all, Magwitch is a successful, even famous, ex-convict who is responsible for Pips wealth. By exploring the character Magwitch, one†¦show more content†¦The irony in Dickens portrayal of the criminal is that he was rehabilitated and he did return. It is obvious that Magwitchs crime was deemed bad enough to be sent to Australia, however, not bad enough to have served the toughest form of servitude in the chain gangs. Magwitch was given the sentence of a laborer on a sheep farm. This is where he eventually gains his wealth. Dickens, however, created quite an irony in the fact that the master of Magwitch was an ex-convict himself. In fact, Magwitch gains his freedom at the death of his master. Not only is Magwitch left with freedom but also a large sum of money and land. This gain of money and land is the source of Pips expectations: It was the money left me, and the gains of the first few year wot I sent home to Mr. Jaggers (299; ch. 39). Obviously, Magwitchs master was a successful ex-convict which reappears with Magwitch. The theme of successful convicts illuminates Dickens view of the penal system. By having a convict work for an ex-convict, the reader is under the impression that life in the penal colonies was n ot so bad, therefore portraying the colonies in a positive light. Australia, during the reign of the penal colonies, was known to have an overabundance of convicts and ex-convicts as members of the society. Those that were not forced immigrants, such as Magwitch, did not like their fellow society members. Magwitch remembered being