Greater Milwaukee Men

The city of Milwaukee just announced a revamped recycling program. No longer do you need to separate paper and containers - you can throw it all in together. In addition, they will accept more containers - including cartons (those 'wax' - actually thin plastic - coated juice and milk cartons) as well as #4 and #5 plastics, even pots and pans. The full details on what, when, how are on the Milwaukee Recycles  Recycle For Good website.

So often, as men, we want to handle things on our own. But too often there are people out there willing to help us whether it is an issue or problem, or a goal or dream. The City of Milwaukee Equal Rights Commission  has a list of government and independent organizations that provide various services that can assist the people of Milwaukee in many endeavors including education, advocacy, even entrepreneurship. Per the Commission, the list includes Local Agencies providing services related to issues of equality, equity, social justice, and quality of life for Milwaukee’s diverse community. The initial lost is alphabetical by all agencies, but you can filter using categories on the left-hand side. for example, want to find out how to get involved in - even start up - non-profit organizations and advocacy, click on AAO for Awareness, Advocacy, and Organizing agencies. Need capital to start up your dream project, check out FR for Financial Resources. Lost your job and need Job Trai

Natural Awakenings magazine Milwaukee edition has a cover article on Dr. Oz' (of Oprah and his own show now fame)  25 Greatest Men's Health Tips. I recommend picking up the magazine which I found at Outpost Natural Foods as I did not find the article on the web site yet, hopefully it will be there, but here is the list sans his exposition on the benefits but with a quick note by me. Roll on the Floor Laughing - laughing eases stress and reduces blood pressure Don't Skip Breakfast - specifically fiber means less hunger later Hit The Sack - get seven hours of sleep Admire Your Work - snoop your poop Don't Pamper Your Bad Back - bed rest weakens back so get up Taste The Colors - eat foods with color, as many different colors Brushing Is Not Enough - floss Take A Deep Belly Breath - just one deep breath can calm Join A Yoga Class - Dr. Oz says: being surrounded by women in spandex is a good reason. I'll take his word Don't Be an Island - women may live

The Iron Horse Hotel , the most masculine 'boutique' hotel you will find and right here in Milwaukee has now won the Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association (BLLA) Boutique Hotel of the Year award for the second year in a row. To go with the hotel's honor, owner Tim Dixon was named BLLA 2011 Hotelier of the Year.

Having a disability can close many doors, and though with help and modern technology there are less and less closed doors, one that has been hard to open is access to the outdoors. A local organization seeks to open up that possibility by providing recreational fishing activities for persons with disabilities. Fishing Has No Boundaries , a Wisconsin organization that recently added a chapter in Milwaukee, is a non-profit 501-C3 organization whose goal is to open up the great outdoors for people with disabilities through the world of fishing. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently highlighted the story of Dave Coon , volunteer and co-chair of the group's Milwaukee chapter. An avid fisher disabled by a construction accident, Coon has rehabbed his way back to be able to fish using the methods of FHNB and through the organization helps others do it as well. Fishing provides a way for people, especially men and boys, a way to connect with nature other than hikes, camping, and bikin

In Winter Haven, FL a man used his bare hands - shirtless and shoeless - to punch through the window of a burning car to rescue a woman from inside the car. Keith Ledger ran outside to see the car on fire and acted on instinct, taking 4 or 5 punches to free the windshield and the woman inside. The full story is on the local Tampa  ABC news page . It is amazing what men can do under pressure.

Current technology keeps giving us more and more ways and reasons to be in front of that technology which often means less time in the 'real world' including people and nature. All this can be a drain on our psyche and we need to find ways to recharge and refresh. One of the best ways to do this is to just get outside, but to make the most advantage you need to unplug and disconnect from all that tech. There are lots of simple ways to do this, but I like to take it a bit farther and truly make sure I cannot use the tech even if wanted to - get rid of the temptation fully. There are lots of resources such as books and web site, not to mention organizations that promote this philosophy such as the National Wildlife Federation's Get Outside program and Biofriendly.org  and many focused specifically on families and children. As men it is a fairly simpletwo step process: 1. Plug your devices in to charge themselves 2. Open the door and go outside to charge yourself.