Challenges In The News Today

Google Cites Flaws in Its Video Store
- (LA Times Business – January 26, 2006)

... (Google) seeks to extend its dominance of Web searching into the market for videos and it highlights the challenges Google faces as it expands.” The site that opened this month also lets individuals submit video clips to Google and will let them charge for the content.

At Zurich, we take the time to understand the challenges our customers face.
- (Zurich Ad copy)

Hooray for Hollywood
- (Fast Company article by Mark N. Vamos – December 2005)

And yes, they even include industry insiders such as Bob Iger, the newly minted CEO of Walt Disney, who’s daring to challenge some fundamental assumptions about how films are released (and winning himself a lot of enemies in the process).

Challenge to Hospitality: The ID Check in the Lobby
- (New York Times headline – January 24, 2006)

Challenge lies in keeping the competition good fun
- (LA Times Television & Radio headline – January 18, 2006)

Different Roster and Uniform, Similar Challenges
- (LA Times PROFILE headline / Cormac J. Carney – January 17, 2006)

Excitement served nightly
- (Food Network ad)

For thrills and spills, watch Food Network Challenge and Iron Chef America.

Challenge for President is to Show His Control of National Agenda
- (New York Times frontpage – January 26, 2006)

Ex-Merrill Broker Challenges Firing
- (Wall Street Journal Moving The Market – January 26, 2006)

Regardless, the ex-brokers legal challenge is another twist in an embarrassing saga for Wall Street.

Free Market Rattles Chinese
- (Wall Street Journal International – January 26, 2006)

Such concerns underscore the challenges facing China’s leadership. Many people now want the security of a state job, nearly one million people, a record high, vied for 10,282 central government posts last year. Now, people in China are beginning to unerstand there are more profound, less visible dangers.

Chinese leaders face the challenge of sustaining the momentum by encouraging greater domestic spending. The economy appears to be firing on all cylinders, with growth more evenly balanced among investment, domestic consumption and trade. Still, economists say the trickiest challenge might loom ahead.

Challenger’s lessons prove elusive
- (USA Today The Forum – January 26, 2006)

73 seconds after liftoff, The Challenger shuttle exploded on January 28, 1986. I was attending an Auctioneer’s Conference in Orlando and went outside to see the smoke in the sky, after first seeing it on television. Twenty years later, my memory of that day remains vivid.

Challenges In The News Today

A Global Health Challenge
- (PBS Ad)

The next epidemic could be a plane ride away. As the world gets smaller, we need to get smarter. That’s why PBS is bringing you one of the largest health and education initiatives of our time: a groundbreaking effort to make the world a healthier place for all of us.

Spark a change of global proportions.

DO-IT-YOURSELF DIVA
- (LA Times Home, January 26, 2006)

Hollywood Regency’s theatrical mix of modern furniture, ornate antiques and glamorous patterns can be hard to putt off, especially in a family home. Novice Cristi Conaway was up to the challenge.

Sports Challenges

Challenge to NHL union struck down
- (USA Today, January 24, 2006)

The U.S. Department of Labor dealt a blow to a group of dissident players, dismissing their challenge of the NHL Players Association.

Euphoric Seattle Now Faces Super Challenge
-(LA Times Sports – january 24, 2006)

Automotive Challenges

KEYES 2006 CHALLENGE
- (LA Times Ad)

We’re out to sell 2006 vehicles in January and we’ll do whatever it takes!

XL a strange fit amid auto layoffs
- (Daily News – January 26, 2006)

Now, the Big Three face the challenge of squaring their costly sponsorship roles with the downbeat news of losses and employee layoffs. “This is not an industry in which you curl up in a ball and shy away from the realities,” said Kevin Smith, a spokesman for General Motor Corp.’s Cadillace division, “It’s a time to scream to the clouds that we’re here and we’ve go great values and great prices. What better time to do that than the Super Bowl?”

EPA Calls for End to Releases of Chemical in Teflon Process
- (LA Times – January 26, 2006)

“With its announcement today, the EPA is challenging an entire industry to err on the side of precaution and public safety and invent new ways of doing business,” said Environmental Working Group President Ken Cook.

Dalton Ross: I Will Survive
- (Entertainment Weekly – February 3, 2006)

Personally, I blame it all on Janu. Last year on Survivor: Palau, the Las Vegas showgirl was the first person eliminated in an immunity challenge and as a result was banished to an island where she had to fend for herself for a night.

AOL Challenge

... it is always a bit of a challenge when sending attachments to AOL.

Up to the Challenge
- (Cover, Advance For Nurses magazine – January 23, 2006)

Cover Story: Challenges of Rural Nursing

Pioneers Memorial Hospital promotes crosstraining, variety of responsibilities to meet seasonal staffing challenges.

Although literature regarding rural nursing challenges and advantages is sparse, one can easily find vague facts or factual generalizations.It is personal and there is variety for anyone up to the challenge of rual nursing.

Feng Shui Challenge
- (Wall Street Journal Home & Family – January 26, 2006)

Feng shui, an ancient Chinese art that traces back thousands of years, is meant to improve your life by arranging your home in a harmonious way. In the U.S., the art form has become a niche area of the booming interior-design industry.

Feng shui experts charge a fee ranging from 30 cents to one dollar per square foot or a flat fee.

A feng shui expert divides the home into eight or nine areas, where each zone represents a specific part of life; such as, health, romance, career or finances. The rooms are tweaked to direct good energy, or chi, into proper parts of the home, with particular attention to the main entrance, the bed, stove and work or office area. In addition, each room should have a balance between the five elements: earth, water, fire, wood and metal.

Challenges In The News

Daily, I continue to receive multiple-messages inspired by my search for the word ‘challenge’ in both print and online media.

PBS Names (Paula A. Kerger) Its New President, A Seasoned Fun-Raiser

The Public Broadcasting Service turned to a longtime public television station executive with extensive fund-raising experience to be its next president and chief executive, at a time when it faces significant financial and ratings challenges.

The management change comes at a challenging time for PBS, which supplies programs to 348 stations.

As to the challenges public television faces,” said John Lawson - (president of the Association of Public Television Stations, which lobbies on behalf of stations,) - “I think raising money is always No. 1 on the agenda and of equal weight for us is preserving our editorial indepen- dence.”

Economic Reforms, Rising Foreign Investments Spur Growth

Special Advertising Section: INVESTING IN INDIA
Wall Street Journal, January 25, 2006

“India today is attracting new levels of foreign institional investment in its financial sector as well as foreign direct investment in its industrial and infrastructure projects. It is increasingly able to challenge traditional research and development locations and its rapidly growing domestic market and the ability to provide quality services and manufactured products, have put the country on the threshold of unprecedented economic growth.”

Start Last, Finish First

Have an idea for a startup that could challenge an industry leader?

There’s never been a better time to come late to the race.

- (Michael V. Copeland, Business 2.0 – January/February 2006)

Without Challenge There is No Change

- (Included in a Proficiency Personal Fitness Advertisement in Studio City Lifestyle)

Community Focus

“Being principal at Carpenter presents an exciting challenge in helping to continue the outstanding academic and enrichment programs provided for the students at our school,” states Linda Parth, Principal at Carpenter Avenue Elementary School.

When You Need A Business Loan

The credit process can be a challenging one, particularly for new entrepreneurs.

- (Capital One advertisement)

Blogs: new form, novel challenges

By


First Amendment Center Online staff
01.26.06

Like any other kind of communication, blogging can raise First Amendment challenges and issues.

In a new research article on the First Amendment Center Online, research attorney David L. Hudson Jr. explores a number of crucial questions about this relatively new — and burgeoning — world of blogs:

• Are bloggers journalists? Should bloggers who gather and report news be protected by reporter-privilege laws?

• Should bloggers who post messages anonymously that others consider defamatory be able to keep their identities unknown?

• Can public employers discipline their employees for making critical or off-color comments on their blogs about their workplace or fellow employees?

• Should bloggers be subject to campaign-finance laws?

• Do some bloggers take First Amendment freedoms too far?





Congress catching on to the value of blogs

By Daniel Terdiman
http://news.com.com/Congress+catching+on+to+the+value+of+blogs/2100-1028_3-6031314.html

Story last modified Thu Jan 26 04:00:00 PST 2006

When someone calling himself "John Kerry" posted a diary on the popular liberal community blog DailyKos last week, its members reacted with both suspicion and amazement.

Some immediately welcomed Kerry to the community, expressing pleasant surprise that the Massachusetts senator would take part in "our little progressive group blog." Others, however, were more skeptical. They found it hard to imagine that Kerry himself had posted on DailyKos, since it could have been one of the senator's staffers or even a random person using the senator's name.

But before long, the site's owner, Markos Moulitsas, posted a comment confirming that the diary was legitimate. All told, Kerry's post received 1,219 comments, many friendly and many from members of the community still angry at the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee for losing the election to George W. Bush.

Congressional bloggers

Eleven members of Congress have jumped into the blogosphere so far. Some have gone the whole nine yards and allow readers to publish responses to their musings. Other aren't there yet.

Mike Conaway's Blog
Rep. Mike Conaway
R- Tex.
Allows posts - YES

ConyersBlog
Rep. John Conyers
D-Mich.
Allows posts - YES

John Kerry's Diary
Sen. John Kerry
D-Mass.
Allows posts - YES

Congressman Kirk's Blog
Rep. Mark Kirk
R-Ill.
Allows posts - NO

Speaker's Journal
Rep. Dennis Hastert
R-Ill.
Allows posts - NO

John Linder's Blog
Rep. John Linder
R-Ga.
Allows posts - NO

Obama.Senate.Gov.Blog
Sen. Barack Obama
D-Ill.
Allows posts - NO

Congressman
Frank Pallone's Blog
Rep. Frank Pallone
D-N.J.
Allows posts - NO

Give 'Em Hell Harry
Sen. Harry Reid
D-Nev.
Allows posts - YES

Louise-Blog
Rep. Louise Slaughter
D-N.Y.
Allows posts - YES

Tom's Blog
Rep. Tom Tancredo
R-Colo.
Allows posts - YES

Just a year ago, a DailyKos posting from someone like John Kerry would have been all but unheard of, and blogging of any kind by members of Congress was almost nonexistent. But now that dynamic is starting to change, and slowly, members of the House of Representatives and the Senate are beginning to appreciate the value of blogs.

"When I reach out to the blog community, it gives me an opportunity to begin a dialogue with an extremely politically sophisticated and active community that I otherwise might not be able to reach," Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., wrote in an e-mail to CNET News.com. "Another benefit of blogging is that, as opposed to delivering a speech, you get immediate and unlimited feedback, both positive and negative."

Obama and Kerry are two of about 11 members of Congress who are blogging today, either on their own blogs or as guests on others' sites. Republicans like Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert of Illinois, Rep. Mark Kirk of Illinois and Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas have joined the fray, along with Democrats like Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, Rep. John Conyers of Michigan and Rep. Louise Slaughter of New York.

That's still a small percentage of Congress, but some observers of politics and blogs think a greater number of Washington's elected officials will soon come around. "I think there's a new level of comfort among many politicians that a blog is a way that you can put your positions out and carry on an online conversation about them," said Larry Biddle, a veteran Democratic political operative and the deputy national finance director for Howard Dean's unsuccessful 2004 presidential campaign.

According to Kirk, a mistrust of the Internet and blogging in particular, on the part of some members of Congress, is slowly giving way to the realities that the Internet and blogging provide a unique way to communicate with constituents. "It doesn't cost us anything to put up anything on the Web, and it doesn't cost my constituents anything to go and see it," Kirk told CNET News.com. "This is rapidly going to become the dominant way we talk to our constituents, (especially) as snail mail dies out." Others see blogging as a way to break through the barriers to direct communication with constituents, barriers that have always been a function of the one-way nature of newspapers and television.

To Conyers, considered by many to be the most blog-savvy member of Congress, Dean's campaign and its aftermath offered an example of how elected officials can engage with a populace weary of politicians looking at them as just sources of campaign contributions. "For me, the Internet and blogging serve other purposes that have nothing to do with raising money," Conyers wrote in October on his blog. "The (mainstream media) simply will not report on the actions of a party that lacks the White House or majority control of either house of Congress. Blogging lets me bypass that filter and take my message directly to many voters."

Of course, not all congressional bloggers get the feedback benefit--or risk, depending on whom you ask--of comments. Part of that involves a rule prohibiting comments on federal Web sites. And part involves a decision by some members that blogging is more a method of getting a personalized message out than of engaging in conversation. And to some, the lack of comments on the official blogs of those like Kirk, Hastert, Obama and others actually calls into question their use of the term "blog."

Without comments, a blog is "just a glorified press release," said Mike Cornfield, an adjunct professor in political management at George Washington University. Others aren't sure comments are a necessary component.

Jay Rosen, a professor of journalism at New York University and a prominent blogger himself, said there are several popular blogs, including the technology culture blog Boing Boing and the conservative political blog Instapundit, that don't have comments.

Some members of Congress, like Conyers, Conaway, Reid and Slaughter, have bypassed the rule against comments on federal sites by starting external blogs. And those sites give constituents a way to engage directly with those politicians. Regardless, more important than accepting comments, Rosen said, is that the politicians themselves write the blog entries, or at least some of them.

"When Barack Obama addressed the bloggers at the Democratic National Convention" in 2004, said Rosen, "He said, 'Welcome, welcome. I may start a blog myself.' And he said, 'I may be coming to you for advice.' And I shouted out to him, 'Write it yourself.' He said, 'Oh, well, as soon as I find three free hours a day, I will.' Which meant never. And he's learning it's necessary for him to write it himself. Because that's what's really powerful."

Meanwhile, with the 2008 presidential election looming, Biddle thinks that those seeking the White House, like Kerry, will do themselves a disservice if they don't take advantage of blogs. "Candidates who are considering the presidency are going to have to (blog)," Biddle said. "Because this is a large audience of people, and if you're a politician wanting to present your wares and ideas, you'd better be out there in the conversation with your ideas as well as listening. You need to be listening and responding. That's what the blog allows for."

In the end, though, politicians like Obama feel that taking part in blogging simply means using the latest mechanism to help people connect to their elected representatives. "The benefit of blogging for constituents is that it provides them with yet another way to communicate with the people they voted--or didn't vote--into office," Obama said by e-mail. "I think any tool that increases civic participation is good for democracy."
Copyright ©1995-2006 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.

Purina ONE 30-Day Challenge

While reading USA Today, I came across a Purina Ad that (because of the word challenge) immediately caught my eye and attention. Naturally, I tore the full-page ad out of the paper and placed it in my ‘To Read After Tearing’ pile.

Here’s what the Purina One ad conveyed:

See for Yourself.

Join the million-plus owners who have signed up for the Challenge.

Go to PurinaONE.com/Challenge and get your first bag free.

Can Purina ONE visibly improve your pet’s health? Take the Purina One 30-Day Challenge – and see for yourself.

You’ll discover ONE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. (TM).

For more information on the Purina ONE 30-Day Challenge, go online to:
http://www.purinaone.com/30day_landing.asp

ARE YOU HYDRATED?

- Water, the forgotten nutrient

Your Human Body is composed of 25% solid matter and 75% water.

Your bones are a quarter water. The muscles that drive your performance are three quarters water. If you dehydrate a muscle by only 3% you cause about a 10% loss of contractile strength, and 8% loss of speed. The truth is dehydration amongst athletes goes unrecognized and unacknowledged, even though the effects of dehydration during physical exercise have been well documented.

A new paradigm has been presented regarding the function and role of water in human biochemistry. It is now generally believed that it is the water in our bodies that regulates all functions of the body, including the activity of all the solutes that are dissolved in it.

This is contrary to the previously held belief that the solute composition is the governing factor of all biological functions of the body, i.e. the water is just the packing material.

Life on earth could not exist without its unique physical, chemical and electrical qualities. Why then if water covers 70% of the planet and makes up 70% of our bodies, is chronic dehydration pandemic? Perhaps it is due to its abundance that we take it so much for granted. The most elaborate dietary regimes and costly nutritional supplementation can only work if a person is well hydrated.

When you become dehydrated a cascade of chemical events take place. Your body naturally begins to increase production of histamine. Histamine is present in all body tissues and produced by the mast cells found in connective tissue. Not only is histamine a mediator in inflammation, but it acts as a neurotransmitter, directing and operating the subordinate systems that promote water distribution to various tissues and organs. These subordinate systems involve the action of the hormones vasopressin and renin-angiotensin, as well as prostaglandins and kinins.

When levels become excessively active the mucus membranes of the lungs, for example, can become irritated and in time the muscles and tissues that make up the breathing mechanism can go into spasm, resulting in severe breathing problems and at worse asthma . This in addition to long term damage to the immune system is bad news indeed for the athlete.

When the core temperature rises while training, the blood that would otherwise be available for the muscles is used for cooling via respiration and perspiration. The body will do this automatically as temperature moves out of the preferred narrow range. It is this loss of water that ultimately impairs physical performance and interferes with normal cognitive function. Intense exercise can increase heat production in muscles 20 fold. Don’t be fooled by lack of thirst and not feeling thirsty. These sensors are inhibited by strenuous exercise.

BE Alive! Ultra-Wellness Water

Full-Body Cellular Hydration Water for

Personal Fitness and Individualized Wellness

Fluid replacement is a much misunderstood and frequently misguided aspect of nutrition and performance.

Here are some guidelines:

Pre-Hydrate

By drinking extra water for the 2 days preceding the event and continue up to 20 minutes before the start. Your stomach requires that much time to empty. Carbo loading will increase your water loading yield. In order to store each gram of glycogen, the body has to store 2.7gms of water. It is possible to consider yourself optimally hydrated when you urinate frequently and your urine is clear.

During performance take all the plain water you can get. This is particularly important for events of 30 minutes and over. Ideally water intake should match sweat loss and a pre-hydrated athlete has more water to spare, meaning better times and improved recovery. Cold water leaves the stomach far more quickly than room temperature water. Sip, don’t gulp and stay away from the carbonated drinks that slow absorption. The single most important factor that affects the rate of water emptying is its glucose content. The more glucose present, the slower the gastric emptying time. This includes commercial sports drinks containing high levels of simple sugar – don’t be fooled by the false feeling of increased energy. For events of 1.5 to 2 hours or longer some additional glucose and electrolyte support may be beneficial. Fructose is the preferred choice as it doesn’t stimulate insulin release like glucose does, and also replaces liver glycogen better.

Re-Hydrate

With plain, cold water, sipped, not gulped. Avoid everything in the goody bag until you are at least four glasses ahead, to avoid cramps and possible nausea. Continue to drink extra for the following 12 - 36 hours. To establish when hydration has been adequately recovered, you should weigh yourself prior to training or competing and again afterwards, ensuring you have drunk the equivalent amount of water lost. As a rough guide 1 pint of water equals 1 pound of lost weight. If you calculate water loss as a percentage of body weight, losing more than 1% of bodyweight can have serious consequences. The major electrolytes lost during exercise in sweat can be found in fresh fruit and vegetables, (including salt). Ensure you diet contains plenty of these.

The message is use water for what it is, the main component of your body and keep it as pure as possible, either bottled or filtered. Drink small regular amounts frequently. Drink your water fridge temperature. Do not rely on the thirst mechanism. Rehydrate using the one pint to one pound principle. Consider electrolyte replacement when exercise exceeds 1.5 hours. Carbohydrates store water – carbo load 6 days prior to competition. Keep dietary intake of fresh fruit and vegetables high. Where indicated appropriate testing of mineral levels can be carried out by a registered nutritional therapist.

http://www.serpentine.org.uk/advice/nutrition/hydrat.htm

Christina Robilliard is a member of the Serpentine Running Club, and a registered nutritional therapist in practice in Central London.

Numbers Challenge

Reading through Time magazine, I came across a column on page 27 titled ‘Numbers’ and was intrigued to the point of wanting to share.

1 million - Tons of wasted fish – 28% of the annual U.S. commercial catch – that gets tossed overboard, often because they are not the desired species.

4 - Pounds of so-called bycatch discarded by Gulf Coast shrimpers for each pound of shrimp kept.

21.2 million – Cubic yards of debris removed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers since hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

40 – Percentage of New Orleans that is still without power.

44 – Percentage of federal employees eligible to retire within five years.

72 – Percentage of recent college graduates surveyed who said they had at most limited interest in working for the Federal Government.

$430 - Record-setting price per square foot paid last week for the air rights above a Manhattan church, twice the going rate.

$30 million - Amount the church will get in the deal – which does not involve any construction in or above it – so high-rise-apartment developers can secure Central Park views.

Challenge In The News

Every day, I search the news for news, with a focused attention to finding at least three or more challenges in the headlines or body copy. Yesterday, was a good challenge-in-the-news day.

Young earners face intense financial challenge

The picture for young adults is bleak. College loan debt is at an all-time high. Credit cards are getting maxed out. A new book Strapped: Why America’s 20- and 30- Somethings Can’t Get Ahead by Tamara Draut looks at the root causes of the money troubles that young adults face today. The author presents tales of struggle, as well as bits of her personal challenges and draws from analytical research that suggests the crisis is not letting up. “They will be the first generation who won’t match the prosperity of their parents,” she concludes.

New CEO of PBS faces challenges

Calling public television a vital piece of the American culture, Paula A. Kerger said she hopes to preserve authenticity and quality as the head of Public Broadcasting Service, with an annual budget of more than $300 million.

‘Way Forward’ Requires Culture Shift at Ford

As Ford rolls out a sweeping restructuring plan, the central challenge at Ford is fixing the company’s culture, which past and present employees describe with words like “toxic, cautious, cliquish and hierarchical.” Mark Fields is in charge of a spiritual re-think within the company, dubbed the ‘Way Forward’, as Ford tries to figure out what it stands for and who its customers are and aren’t.

Routing of air ducts is a challenge

To raise the power output of an engine, air can be force-fed to the intake system instead of drawn in naturally by the suction of the pistons. A turbocharger or supercharger provides the pressure and are spun by the pressure of the engine exhaust.

Oil Sector’s Next Big Test: 2006
Strong Profits Again Expected, Challenges Await Industry

How long will the gusher last? Most oil companies are likely to shatter records when they post fourth-quarter earnings. The market already is looking beyond those results to the challenges the industry will face trying to maintain its boom. And there is the continuing challenge of finding enough new oil and natural gas to replenish what the industry is pumping out of the ground.

A Big Story and A Challenge that became increasingly perilous for U.S. Reporter

Jill Carroll, a 28-year-old American journalist, moved around Baghdad relatively unnoticed, slipping quietly inside Iraqi society, telling stories about the lives of the Iraqis she met. On January 7, she was kidnapped. As a woman, Ms. Carroll had a special advantage: She could dress in the Islamic head covering, a hijab, and the long black cloak, the abaya, and move around relatively unnoticed. In Iraq, danger presents itself on a daily basis and is a constant challenge – especially to foreign reporters.

Dream (Vision) Challenge

Dreams do turn into reality. With a dream or vision statement, you can plan the way to achieving the challenge of living your life the way you want to live your life. Dreams and visions do come true.

Over the years, I have developed, updated and incorporated my personal definitions for successfully achieving the lifestyle best for me and my family by doing my best to think about, write down and know my answers to the following:

(1) If I could have everything 100% the way I want it to be, that would include:

(2) I know I cannot have everything 100% the way I want it to be, but I commit to spending 80+% of my time doing what I do best and most enjoy and that includes:

It’s not how you play the game, but who is keeping score that counts. By knowing what exactly I am working to achieve, I can continually focus on overcoming the challenges to achieving my goals and objectives, know when I am where I said I wanted to be and am aware of when I get there.

By spending 80+% of my time doing what I do best and most enjoy, I have FUN – Feel Unlimited Naturally – with every step, because I am doing what I want to be doing, which is what I do best.

The greatest challenge is to enjoy achieving your personal dream vision before you set new goals and continue the process, at the expense of being satisfied that you are where you wanted to be.

Challenges of an Actress:

Geena Davis – TV’s Commander in Chief

For years, my favorite show has been The West Wing. Now, I’m hooked on Commander in Chief, which I believe has met the challenge of transitioning viewers to a new administration (ie, new weekly TV series), with the first woman President in the Oval Office.

Geena’s motto (according to a quote in USA Weekend, January 20-22, 2006) is, “It a person can do it, I can do it.”

Within the article ‘Commanding Performance’, I noted the following challenge references:

“I was afraid to try physical challenges because I was really sure I was uncoordinated and un-athletic.”

“As an adult, I have been increasingly drawn to challenge myself.”

“I have one of the most challenging jobs I’ve ever had and I find it incredibly fulfilling.”

Challenges of an Actor:

Michael J. Fox on Boston Legal

I just finished watching an episode of Boston Legal featuring Michael J. Fox, a very successful actor/entrepreneur with a life-threatening illness that plays second chair in a court trial. As most of us know, Michael has Parkinson’s disease and it had to be very hard for him to face the challenge of going back to work as an actor.

During the show, the following challenge statements were made by Michael:

The future holds increasing challenges.

If we were not faced with challenges, life could become dull and boring. Even though the future holds increasing challenges, they may not all be challenges that challenge our ability to find solutions that make our daily life better and more interesting. How much fun would it be if the future held decreasing challenges?

... challenged to make new discoveries.

If we don’t keep looking, we may not find answers. New discoveries lead to new solutions. The challenge is keep an open mind amid adversity.

We challenge them at every turn.

Our team against your team. Plan your work and work your plan, that’s a challenge in itself. Competition is a combination of defining challenges and responding to challenges.

Unless you are the lead elephant, the view is always the same. Challenge your competition and your customers will respond with orders.

My Blog Challenge

My Blog Challenge is what to blog about today. Already, I am ‘Back Blogged’ with topics. My challenge is to present insights and reflections that will be read and integrated into my reader’s challenge, so that he or she can use the input to meet their challenge(s).

While researching the newspapers I read – Daily News, LA Times, NY Times, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal – the following challenges were found in headlines and body copy and challenged me to further investigate and think about what I just read.

Ski-School Challenge

First of all, I don’t have to go to Ski-School and be challenged. Second, this is something I want to do for fun and enjoyment. Let the challenge create priceless memories of the time you couldn’t ski as well as you do after meeting the challenge you decided to meet.

Google’s Public Relations Challenge

To stay on the front page and in the limelight of all media at all times. The challenge is to maintain ‘It’s Google and everyone else’.

A Speaking Challenge

Corporate CEOs get 175 requests to speak each year, 3.4 a week. Most are turned down, but just about every CEO wants to be invited to speak at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. On any CEOs dance card, here’s an important ticket you need punched,” says Carol Ballock, managing director of Buson-Marstellar’s Executive Positioning Specialty Service.

The Ten Most-Valued Podiums are: (1) World Economic Forum; (2) Business Roundtable; (3) Detroit Economic Club; (4) Fortune; (5) BusinessWeek; (6) National Press Club; (7) CERAWeek; (8) Commonwealth Club; (9) Consumer Electronics Show and (10) Chief Executives Club of Boston.

The New “Sputnik” Challenges

Sputnik was a satellite the Soviets launched in 1957 that inspired the Eisenhower administration to put the U.S. into a crash program to train more scientists and engineers to catch up with the Russians in the space race. A New Sputnik Challenge is a car called the Geely 7151 CK sedan made in China that will cost around $10,000 when it goes on sale in 2008. Another New Sputnik Challenge is Iran, which is going to make a nuclear bomb; because, with $60-a-barrel oil, the mullahs are rich enough to buy off or tell the rest of the world. A third New Sputnik challenge is climate change and protecting our environment.

An Animation Challenge

Pixar is close to being bought by Disney, which needs animation help. Steve Jobs would become the largest Disney shareholder. Pixar was an upstart whose films were partially financed by Disney as it explored the then-new world of computer animation. Our son is currently meeting his challenge in an intensive course of study for real world applications of 3-D Animation.

The Greeting Challenge

There is nothing like a first impression. “You got me at hello.” This morning, a lady and her dog were standing in front of the entrance to the coffee house and the dog – a mid-sized golden lab – was barking. Another customer was challenged by the bark and the owner responded, “That’s how he says hello.” This owner needs to teach this dog another way of saying hello, as most of us respond to this type of challenge with apprehension ... not a good first impression.

The Celebrity Challenge

What a problem to have, you are so popular that you are challenged by the fact that your fans want to talk to you directly and are excited about seeing you in person.

The Challenge of Goliath

Goliath was a giant among men, physically. His mere size intimidated his competition. He became a symbol of strength and victory. He was constantly challenged in battle and with each victory lead the soldiers in battle.

... the company faced a major challenge in expanding its method of targeted online advertising into less efficient forms of media such as broadcast radio.
This was within an article titled ‘Google to Buy Radio Ad Company’. Google is Goliath in the Search world and wants to use its might to be victorious over any and all competitors.

David Accepts the Challenge

David stepped up, at the King’s request, to challenge the giant Goliath. No one believed that David would be successful, except David. He had faith in God and in his ability to be successful. Thank God he did what he did to get ready for the challenge.

The most challenging year of his career ...
As we grow stronger, the challenges before us get bigger and more unique. Like Goliath, strength is an asset. Experience and preparation keeps us at the forefront of the army of change.

Power vs. Force

By David R. Hawkins, MD, PhD

Finished Reading on November 14, 2004.

Part 2-of-2 parts

Artificial intelligence supercomputers has allowed the application of the theories of nonlinear dynamics to be applied to the study of brain function.

... from time immemorial, man has tried to make sense of the enormous complexity and frequent unpredictability of human behavior.

Map of Consciousness – pages 68 and 69

Levels of Human Consciousness – a logarithmic progression

... even a small increase represents a major advance in power and the rate of increase in power as we move up is enormous.

The individual at the level of Acceptance isn’t interested in determining right or wrong, but instead is dedicated to resolving issues and finding out what to do about problems.

At this level of development, the capacity to discern essence becomes predominant, the core of an issue becomes the center of focus. It is accompanied by a measurable release of endorphins in the brain.
Social Distribution of Consciousness Levels - ... 85% of the human race calibrates below the critical level of 200. Only 4% of the world’s population calibrates at an energy field of 500 or above; only 0.4% reach 540; and a level of consciousness calibrating at 600 or above is reached by only 1 in 10 million.

Everyday Critical Point Analysis - ... identifying attractor patterns. ... one may calibrate what level needs to be reached by the various departments to succeed.

In this interconnected universe, every improvement we make in our private world improves the world at large for everyone making it a collective level where power arises from meaning.

To make a thing happen requires motivation. Motivation is derived from meaning. Therefore, the visible and invisible worlds are linked together.

The visible world is created from the invisible world and is therefore influenced by the future. The capacity of the invisible concept to materialize is based on the power of the original concept itself.

We might say that the right brain “gets the pattern” and the left brain “makes it visible”.

Individuals of great power throughout human history have been those who have totally aligned themselves with powerful attractors and attributed the source of the power to something greater than themselves.

Power Patterns in Human Attitudes – charts on pages 146 and 147

... power originates from the mind, whereas force is rooted in the material world.

Churchill stood for power, Hitler for force. When the two meet, power always eventually succeeds; in the long run, if it’s deeply founded in the will of the people, power is immune to force.

Where the intellect is limited, the heart is unlimited.

One characteristic of truth is that is needs no defense, it’s self-evident.

... the differences between businesses that have failed and businesses that have succeeded is marked by excellent predictive accuracy.

Support the solution instead of attacking the supposed causes.

Successful solutions are based on the powerful principle that resolution occurs by fostering the positive, not by attacking the negative.

One characteristic of genius is the capacity for great intensity.

The Database of Consciousness – a vast, hidden database of human awareness, which is characterized by powerful, universal organizing patterns. Such a database, comprised of all of the information ever available to human consciousness, implies stunning inherent capabilities; it’s far more than just a giant storehouse of information awaiting a retrieval process.

The great promise of the database is its capacity to “know” virtually anything the moment it’s “asked”, for it’s able to tap in to all that has ever been experienced anywhere in time.

A question can’t be asked unless there’s already the potentiality of the answer. The reason for this is that the question and answer are exactly symmetrical; that is, there can be no “up” without a “down”.

... choice is not only possible, but inevitable.

While the young are being programmed by specialized TV and computer games that glorify violence, their parents are being brainwashed by adult media.

An individual’s level of consciousness is determined by the principles to which one is committed.

Truth isn’t functional unless it is meaningful, and meaning, like value, relies on a unique perceptual field. Facts and data may be convincing on one level and irrelevant at another.

Functional validity of information received also varies with the intellectual level and capacity for abstraction of the recipient.

Power vs. Force

By David R. Hawkins, MD, PhD

Finished Reading on November 14, 2004.

Part 1-of-2 parts

Following are highlighted notes made during the reading:

Uniformity of response ... results were predictable, repeatable and universal.

... response to truth and falsehood

“database of consciousness”

forms of shared knowledge ... inner sub-rational wisdom that can discriminate

cutting edge “knowledge”

Is the human brain a wondrous computer linked with a universal energy field that knows far more than it knows it knows?

... calibrating a scale of relative truth by which intellectual positions, statements or ideologies can be rated on a range or 1 to 1,000.

... truths reported were scientifically derived and objectively organized and like all truths, they were experienced personally.

... states of awareness give direction to the process of subjective realization for a state of subjective awareness.

How does one reach this state of awareness? When the mind grows silent, the thought of ‘I am’ disappears and Pure Awareness illuminates what one is, was and always will be, beyond all worlds and all universes – infinite and beyond time.

... ordinary activities ... habitual, automatic and effortless.

All human endeavor has the common goal of understanding or influencing our experience. Spectacular amounts of time and money are invested in data collection and analysis in the attempt to predict human trends.

We are drowning in information. The obstacle is that we don’t have the proper tools to interpret the significance, relevance or accuracy of our data.

Man’s two basic types of operational faculties, reason and feeling, are both inherently unreliable.

... pattern recognition – the logical arrangement of data serves mainly to enhance a pattern-recognition system that then becomes “truth”.

The decision-making process is a function of consciousness itself; the mind makes choices based on millions of pieces of data and their correlations and projections, far beyond conscious comprehension and with enormous rapidity.

A positive stimulus provokes a strong muscle response. A negative stimulus results in a demonstrable weakening of the muscle.

The challenge in presenting lies in the paradox of comprehending nonlinear concepts in a linear, sentence-by-sentence structure. (p. 33)

The individual human mind is like a computer terminal connected to the unlimited information contained in the database.

... the technique can be used by anyone, anywhere, at any time and has the capacity to initiate a new era of human experience based on observable and verifiable truth.

... my challenge has been to work it into a readable form. (p. 35)

We have at our fingertips, a means of accurately distinguishing truth from falsehood, workable from unworkable, benevolent from malign.

We have the means of finding answers to previously unresolved problems at our disposal.

In the 1970’s computers were being designed that were capable of millions of calculations in milliseconds, making the new tools of artificial intelligence possible.

Ways of Consciousness ... Regardless of what branch of inquiry one starts from, all avenues of investigation eventually converge at a common meeting point: the quest for an organized understanding of the nature of pure consciousness.

... the context needed to comprehend the findings

By identifying subjective and objective ... we can find the answers to all questions by merely looking within.

Each of us possesses a computer far more advanced than the most elaborate artificial intelligence machine available, one that’s available at any time, - the human mind itself.

Critical Point Analysis ... a technique derived from the fact that in any highly complex system there is a specific, critical point at which the smallest input will result in the greatest change.

Nonlinear dynamics enables significant patterns to be identified in complex presentations. It discovers the relevance in what the word discards as irrelevant, using an entirely different approach and totally different methods of problem resolution from the ones with which the world is familiar.

Nonlinear dynamics moves in the opposite direction: From the unknown to the known (the answer)!

The Challenge of Morning Brain

On January 11, 2006, I read an article written by Michelle Healy in USA Today and thought it presented an interesting perspective and insight.

Morning Brain Drain Saps Mental Ability

That grogginess you feel even after eight hours of slee0p can be more debilitating than sleep deprivation, researchers report. In a study, test subjects had diminished short-term memory, counting skills and cognitive abilities during the bleary-eyed period upon awakening, a condition know as sleep inertia.

“For a short period, at least, the effects of sleep inertia may be as bad as or worse than being legally drunk,” says researcher Kenneth Wright of the University of Colorado-Boulder. That befuddled feeling usually lasts for at least a few minutes but may be detectable for up to two hours, says the study in today’s Journal of American Medical Association.

There is evidence that the cortical areas of the brain thought to be responsible for problem-solving, complex thought and emotions take longer to wake up than other parts of the brain, the study says.

Embrace The Challenge

On a recent flight home, I was browsing through the Sky Mall catalog and noted a motivational piece of artwork titled:

Windsail: Embrace The Challenge

Caption:

What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters, compared to what lies within us.


To order from SkyMall, go to:
www.skymall.com and type in product code number 734319A.
Wood double-matted, 20” x 36”.
$179.99

Dirty Air Is His Biggest Challenge

The following headline is the headline of the third page of an article that appears on the front page of today’s LA Times titled “Port Panel Chief Has Plenty to Unload” and the challenges within the article.

Dirty Air Is His Biggest Challenge

The new president of the Los Angeles port commission, S. David Freeman, has launched a search for alternative fuels to replace heavily polluting diesel in some port equipment.

But it neatly captures the challenge that Freeman confronts: to boost trade while slashing exhaust from ships, trucks, trains and machinery at a port that has quietly swelled into one of the West Coast’s worst air polluters.

“ He’s brilliant and he’s shaking things up and when you shake things up, you rattle the status quo,” said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “I want him to challenge the powers that be, get them to think outside of the box.”

The dirty air is Freeman’s most daunting challenge.

Personal Challenges

Following are challenges that appeared in multiple newspapers that because of the word ‘challenge’ inspired me to read.

My personal challenge is derive meaning that might be applicable to what I am doing for myself and the Challenge Marketing projects I am working on. Please be aware that my reflections (thoughts and feelings) may have nothing to do in relation to the content of the article.

Personal Challenges In The News

New Life Forms, New Challenges

I really like this, as new life forms, there are new challenges for both the new and the old life forms. A long time ago, I learned that when oxygen first form, new life (including humans) would evolve; however, thousands of life forms became extinct because of oxygen.

Teenage soccer phenom’s latest challenge: trying to make U.S. team

It is always a challenge trying to be part of a team. It is even more challenging to part of a team representing a country or international corporation. You need to be the best-of-the-best and represent all of those who support the team, the entire team, not just one of the best players on the team.

Guerneville Rises to a River’s Challenge

Sometimes, a challenge must be faced because there is no choice. A natural disaster, like a rising river, must be faced by everyone in the town. Negative challenges can be bonding opportunities. No matter how we feel as individuals, we all tend to come together when something challenges our town, our community and it’s well-being.

During a court hearing on the Sea Scouts’ challenge to Berkeley’s policy ...

This is a toughie for me, as I have been active in the Boy Scouts for many years and my son (an Eagle Scout) participated in the Sea Scouts program several times. My personal challenge is to focus on “What’s best for the boy(s)”.

At Earthbound Farm, we never let any of those challenges stand in our way.

Until I saw this ad, I had never heard of Earthbound Farm Organic products. The challenges the company faces in their commitment to grow food organically is the additional time, attention and cost involved in nourishing the soil and protecting the crops without the use of dangerous chemicals. The company’s theme is “Delicious produce is our business, but health is our bottom line.”

A former advisor for Goldman Sachs quits an intense job and finds his challenge at Golf Odyssey, which reviews the world’s best courses.

The headline: Wall St. Guru Takes Swing at Publishing

Text under a photo with the article: NEW STRATEGY: David Baum purchased and merged two newsletters to create a publication that reviews the world’s golf courses and resorts. he’s pushing annual subscriptions as corporate gifts.

David Baum was co-head of mergers at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., the world’s leading acquisitions advisor. He used the several million dollars he received from Goldman’s 1999 IPO to quit in 1003 and to buy and combine the Golf Insider and the monthly Golf Odyssey. He’s counting on former Wall Street contacts to help increase subscriptions beyond 1,500 and turn a profit and says he will accept no advertising (that’s a challenge right there) to avoid becoming beholden to the industry.

Challenges come and go, but it is important to remember their passing with as much clarity as their appearance.

This was part of the Astrological Forecast in the LA Times on Tuesday, January 10, 2006 for Pisces (Feb 19 – march 20).

Challenges do come and go and sometimes they stay for a while. Too often, we spend time keeping the challenge alive, after it has been resolved. Understanding is the ability to explain what was learned with clarity and confidence. Once resolved, the result is more important than when we first started being challenged.

The Challenge of Friday the Thirteenth

Friday the thirteenth is considered the unluckiest of days, unless you were born on Friday the thirteenth. If you were born on this day then Friday the thirteenth is your lucky day.

The origins of Friday superstitions are many. One of the best known is that Eve tempted Adam with the apple on a Friday. Tradition also has it that the Flood in the Bible, the confusion at the Tower of Babel, and the death of Jesus Christ all took place on Friday.

Long before the Bible was written, Friday was considered an important day. Primitive people set aside Fridays as a special time to worship their deities and ask them for good crops, health and happiness. Those who worked on this day were told not to expect "good luck" from the gods.

The day Friday was named after Frigg (or Frigga)

The Norse goddess of marriage.

Later she was confused with the goddess of love, Freya, who in turn became identified with Friday. When the Norsemen and Germanic tribes became Christians, Freya was supposed to have been banished to the mountains as a witch.
Friday came to be called "witches' Sabbath." For it was believed that on this day, each week, twelve witches and the Devil met - thirteen evil spirits up to no good!
This is just one of the explanations for our superstition about Friday the 13th.

Math Challenge

Came across the following website in my search for challenges and thought it was an interesting application.



Jesse, our 10 year old resident math expert, has created math challenges that are fun for 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. Test your math skills and see if you can solve these. Each challenge requires that you have the right answer for EACH part, or the whole challenge ends up wrong. Good luck!
See if you can answer all the math challenges correctly.


challenge 1
challenge 2
challenge 3
challenge 4
challenge 5
challenge 6
challenge 7
challenge 8
challenge 9

If you'd like to send in a math challenge to Jesse, just email it to jesse@kidprintables.com and he'll be happy to include it on the site. Be sure to include your first name and age so we can give you credit.

Challenge In The News

Medical assistance abroad can be a challenge, to say the least.
You need to prepare in advance of going abroad in the event you need medical assistance. This is a predictable challenge. Be prepared and have all your medical information readily available, just in case. Use the Internet for information on available medical services and how to receive attention when you need it.

The EU has been at the forefront of building a post-Cold War order to deal with the challenges of globalization.
The older you are, the harder it is to change. If you don’t take charge, someone else will. The world is becoming a smaller place and every nation will have to deal with the challenges of globalization in a 24/7/365 environment.

... program brings executives from companies such as Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Time Warner and Experian into our classrooms, where you’ll tackle an actual business challenge.
It’s about time, let’s learn from actual business challenges and how America’s leading companies make decisions. Let executives tell it like it is and learn from real frontline business solutions. There is a difference between the classroom and the real world.

The Turkey Day wine challenge
That is a challenge, which wine to drink on Thanksgiving. Personally, I am thankful there is wine to drink.

Raising Enough Spuds Proves to Be a Challenge
If you are a potato grower and you have orders for more spuds than you can produce, this could be a definite challenge to your growth. For me, if there aren’t enough spuds, I’ll eat rice.

Like you, Kellogg School students know the rewards of a good challenge.
Now, this is more like it, a school that teaches the rewards of meeting a good challenge. This is what I focus on, rather than continually defining the challenge. The rewards make it worthwhile.

... to bring our clients an entirely new perspective on the opportunities and challenges they face. – Credit Suisse
This is what I live for, to create an entirely new perspective – ‘Blue Ocean Strategy’ – for my clients, offering them a new perspective on how to look at the positioning and sales challenges they face.

The Challenges in Iraq
For centuries, there have been challenges in Iraq and the people have survived. America’s challenges in Iraq are that Iraq is not like America and the people are culturally different. We can best help Iraq meet its challenges by letting Iraq decide how to meet its challenges and then helping them to make it so.

What specific difficulties or challenges did you experience in doing this service?
Information leads to knowledge. By understanding another’s experience with specific difficulties or challenges, we can apply that learning to the specific difficulties or challenges we are facing or are about to experience.

Challenges loom for Bush priorities in midterm elections.
By 59% -30%, Americans prefer a candidate who’d cut the deficit by canceling tax cuts over one who’d cut social spending. By 53%-43%, they’d favor one who wants to reduce troops in Iraq over one who advocates staying the course “until the situation is stable.”

Therefore we believe that clients’ financial challenges deserve innovative answers. - WestLB – New Answers in Banking
And we believe that we should be paid for those innovative answers. That is our financial challenge.

Challenge In The News

Lisa’s great at reporting, but a little Christmas-challenged.
KRTH Radio
Holidays can be challenging, with family and travel situations out of your control. Reporting is a learned skill. Christmas is supposed to be full of priceless memories of the unchallenging kind.

... alum enjoys challenge, culture of museum management
To enjoy a challenge is to look forward to a conclusion to the challenge. You are aware, interested in and motivated by the challenge. It takes time and energy to become part of a culture, but once you speak the language, others will communicate with you as one of their own.

“There are some interesting challenges in the East Bay for this project.”
What, there are no interesting challenges in the West Bay? Does the project create or solve the challenges?

“Then there are technical challenges, such as how to present the works in a visual culture.”
You’ve heard this before, “The photo doesn’t do it justice”. There’s nothing like seeing the works in person and experiencing the visual impact. Technology now allows us to get much closer to the real experience. In the future, technical abilities will help us to feel that we were really there; especially, when they add digital smells.

Faced with the largest challenge of his career ...
... he/she rises to the challenge or not. Facing the largest challenge of your career is career-building. Solving the largest challenge of your career leads to advancement and the next largest challenge of your career.

“I suppose any industry presents comparable challenges.”
Every company in every industry faces comparable challenges – the need to make money to stay in business and all that process entails. Positioning is a challenge for new companies, products, services and newsmakers. Industry leaders create challenges for their competition. Upcoming industry leaders introduce ‘Blue Ocean Strategy’ to challenge the industry and their competition.

“An important challenge we faced was helping people understand all we do and how we make money.”
There can be no conflict-of-interest if all the cards are on the table. People have enquiring minds and want to know, “Why do I need to understand what you are doing?” Once we understand, then we can make a decision on what course of action, if any, we wish to take. We all know it takes money to make money.

“One example involves the discussion of silicon chip manufacturing and related technical challenges.”
Technical challenges with silicon chip manufacturing is one of my favorite topics for discussion. Then again, once I read the example I might find that a related technical challenge applies to my line of work and even helps me to move forward on a path I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. The challenge is to take the time to learn and apply someone else’s learned experience, which they had to pay for in time, energy and dollars.

“There have always been a variety of interesting challenges to tackle at Morningstar.”
Another way said, “At Morningstar, we love to work on challenges.” This is not a problem if by tackling the challenges, Morningstar creates challenges for its competition. Tackling doesn’t mean solving, there is a difference. The fishing was good and the catching was great.

“It is tough to follow a legend. That is Bernanke’s greatest challenge.”
Brian Rogers
So don’t follow. Bernanke’s greatest challenge is to lead and become the new legend. By allowing a continual comparison to the outgoing legend, there is no room for the new legend to develop. After 18 years, we need a change with someone who will meet and exceed the challenges and our expectations.

U.S. Faces Another Challenge
How many challenges is that so far? Probably, in the gabillions. Facing challenges is what Americans do best. What’s another challenge or two?

Challenge In The News TODAY

Just got back from my morning bulk-media intake session and was overwhelmed by the number of Challenges In the News Today and wanted to share them right away.

This BLOG POSTING is ALSO being POSTED TODAY at the
My Blog Agent Blog – http://my-blog-agent.blogspot.com


... Cites Global Challenges For Auto Makers
Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of automotive partners Renault SA and Nissan Motor Corp expressed concern that the continuing problems of big U.S. auto makers General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. – which are losing market share and suffering sizable losses in their North American operations – aren’t good for rivals. “When the big players in the market are in trouble, everybody is in trouble,” says Ghosn, “and there is no place for half measures. If you start watering down any plan, you’re doomed.”

Choose to work with someone who doesn’t challenge everything you say.
This is so important so creativity and the ability to innovate. Time spent responding to constant challenges are a drain to productivity.

Sometimes the challenge of being a person is to recognize that the task at hand should be performed later, considered from a new angle or if it’s a waste of time, ignored.
Don’t be so involved that you lose your perspective to recognize the learned experience that the path you are traveling leads to a solution for another challenge. An hour, day or week saved is resources we can use as we choose.

The Challenge Before Us
For those of us that ‘Rise To The Challenge’, there is always one or more challenges before us. The key is to focus on the challenge before you in this moment. We can all think about multiple challenges; however, multi-tasking is not a form of focused attention to the challenge before us.

Tom Freston Takes Over As Chief of the New Viacom As Media Challenges Mount
This is a Big Challenge Job, to take over when you know there are mounting challenges. As Chief, you’re the leader. He faces some immediate problems, such as turning around Paramount and taking in the reins at a time of great upheaval in the media industry. The Internet has opened up a new world of distribution possibilities that is forcing the major media companies to rethink how they sell their content.

Dance classes, for instance, combine exercise with social interaction and mental challenge.
Dance promotes fitness and wellness of your body, your mind and your emotions. The challenge is to flow and accentuate your movements to enhance the exercise and delivery of precision-based implementation.

Today, we look to our past, not as reason for pride, but as a source of inspiration for the challenges of the future.
I would have said, “Today, we are proud of our past, which inspires us to meet and exceed future challenges with experienced-based solutions.”

After Losses in Lipitor Case, Shares Could Slide Again On More Legal Challenges
In the Boy Scouts, I learned from Eagle Scouts doing their Eagle Projects, that it’s not done, until it’s done. If it isn’t over, the challenge continues. When there are no more legal challenges, we can get on with the paperwork.

“It’s time for me to move on to other challenges.”
Carl Ichan says parts of Time Warner are worth more separately than combined, a view echoed by Steve Case.

This summer its (eBay) biggest challengers – Google, Microsoft and Yahoo – acquired or launced technology allowing their users to call each other online.
In the Fortune – October 3, 2005 issue, there is an article titled, “eBay and Skype: The Net’s New Odd Couple”. Making the two businesses work well together is sure to be a challenge, even for a management star like (Meg) Whitman.

“There’s a challenge for any state like Maine with issues such as the loss of talented people to other markets, the effects of globalization on natural-resources-based industries and competition for industries such as call centers, all which can be affected dramatically by the ability of people to use technology” – Tony Buxton, an energy lawyer.

Challenge In The News

Today, managing that ever-rising tide of information is a growing challenge. Microsoft Office has evolved. Now you can organize, prioritize and synthesize information like never before.
Information leads to knowledge. Understanding is the ability to explain. No matter how much you organize, prioritize and synthesize, it is a continual process to stay a step ahead of the next wave of information.

The Work-Life Balance Challenge for Women in Executive MBA Programs
Balancing work in life is a challenge and not just for women in Executive MBA Programs. In the ‘Always On Web’, work is 24/7/365 and doesn’t stop just because you’re not working. The priorities are: Family, Self and Business. The challenge is plan your work and work your plan.

“Roller coasters are a relief after dealing with the challenges of business. You just ride.” - Carole Sanderson, roller coaster affionado
That’s great for those of us that like the ups-and-downs of business. When you ride a roller coaster, who’s in control – you or the operator? There is no dealing with a challenge, just making it through the ride. What kind of business challenges do you face that riding a roller coaster (with its high speed and hard turns) is a relief?

We are experts in solving the essential challenges our customers face everyday: Infor – We know their business, speak their language and make promises we can keep. Our customers love us for it – and it shows.
Who determines what is essential and what is not? As an expert, you are expected to know what you are talking about. Who determines what is an essential or non-essential challenge? Be careful of making statements that sound great but may come back to bite you.

But going home for the holidays was always a challenge.
Too bad, going home to be with family and friends for the holidays was never a challenge for me. I did everything I could to keep up with the eating, talking, playing and present opening. The challenge was being in good enough shape to be able to return home with all the new stuff I got.

Scandals challenge the dogma that science roots out all its evils.
It has been a long time since I challenged anyone’s dogma; especially, scientific dogma. When people find out about a scandal, it definitely impacts credibility and challenges acceptance of your results.

Cultural Challenges
There is nothing like a cultural challenge; that is, to fit in wherever we are. People do not all think the same. By understanding other cultures we can experience life from a different perspective.

Florence Nightingale challenged army officers in Victorian England to secure permission for her nurses to staff an army hospital during World War I.
By doing so she brought about positive changes in sanitation, food and the way that injured soldiers were cared for. Her efforts demonstrated that nursing could have a powerful influence on both health care and health care policy.

The ultimate marketing challenge ... Brand Value
To get into the mind is a challenge and requires good storytelling – the reason you need our product or service. Branding value is priceless, even in a crowded market. Kleenex was a brand name that became with soft paper to blow your nose with (get me a Kleenex), Xerox with copies (Xerox this for me) and FedX with overnight deliveries (FedX this for me). First in the mind of the consumer is better than first to market with a high quality product.

... all of the new healing methods that are being discovered to help patients deal with their ever-growing list of health challenges.
A commitment to a healthy lifestyle is essential to preventing and minimizing health challenges. Health awareness is a challenge and takes time and energy, every day. New healing methods are being discovered because old methods are not solutions to new health challenges. If you don’t take care of yourself, someone else will have to do it for.

A summary of trends, challenges and opportunities will be discussed.
A summary should be presented, reviewed and then discussed. How can we discuss intelligently before we become aware? Trends bring new challenges, which when properly researched might lead to opportunity.

Challenge In The News

Microsoft’s New X-Box 360 Creates Challenges for Game Makers
This could be good or bad, depending on what kind of challenges were created for game makers? What good is a new game device with no new games to play? Did game makers need a new challenge?

The reasons include the technical challenges of the work and restrictions by the U.S. government.
A great idea or invention faces numerous challenges in order to come to market. Technical challenges need to be overcome and then presented to differentiate the product from any competition. Government restrictions demand compliance to existing guidelines and sometimes need to be revised in order to meet new technical challenges not previously covered.

“This unfortunately marks the real challenge being laid at the feet of AtomFilms: How are they going to compete with Viacom?
Ultimately, this is the real challenge of all businesses: How to compete with the market leader in our field? It is better to be first in the mind of a customer than first to the market. If you are not first in a category, create a category in which you are first and make the market leader compete with you.

Be prepared to have your preconceptions challenged daily.
Be Prepared, at all times, to be challenged on your point of view. When you are being challenged, someone is comparing their preconceptions to yours and presenting differences, in their opinion. This is a learning opportunity for you. The challenge is to listen and then incorporate the new concept into your development of the final conception.

The Bushes reflected on a challenging year ...
Wonder which reflections the President and First Lady feel challenged them the most this year. Am sure they had a lot to choose from.

Near-monopoly status challenged: Amgen patent attacked
Challengers challenge in order to compete. Attacking a patent is one way of challenging a market leader.

Has been challenged to sell 20 units by the end of the year.
Sounds like a sales challenge. Is it possible to sell 20 units by the end of the year or is this a request for help to accomplish a sales goal? Why do I care about your challenge to sell 20 units? If I help you meet your challenge, how do I benefit? Thanks for sharing your challenge with us.

A little more than a year ago, Jewish National Fund embarked on a challenge, a long term vision.
Developing the Negev into a hospitable, habitable, profitable environment that would become home to an additional 250,000 people.

And they are challenging the Madison Avenue establishment in New York City, the industry’s historic home.
The Dutch shop is part of a new wave of independent agencies that believe they can profit from the same market forces that have brutalized the business. The Information Age has changed the advertising establishment and challengers are entering the market with vim and vigor. Gone are the days when you can’t do for yourself or at least, part of the work.

... the disruptor is facing the challenge of disruption.
Be careful when you stir up the pot because you may have to face the same disruption as you intended for others. From disruption comes clarity. Be sure to answer questions before they are asked and solve tomorrow’s predicable problems today.

Retirement Age Poses Challenges
For me, the good kind of challenges – whether to hang out with family or friends, play tennis, go fishing, travel, read or do whatever else feels good. These are the kind of challenges you can pose to me all day long.

Challenge In The News

Sumo Wresting Challenge: The Big Boys
I think it is quite a challenge that these ‘Big Boys’ can do what they do. The challenge is to get Sumo Wresting to catch on in America. Where have they started? Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world.

The challengers line up
It must be something really great for the challengers to line up. Challengers are not supporters, they are contesters and competitors. When they line up, you either have something they don’t want to see come to market or you don’t have what you think you have and they want to challenge you out of business.

Challenger abandons Detroit mayoral race
Must not have been such a strong challenger to abandon the race. That either means that the current mayor is doing a good job or the challenges of a new major do not warrant changing mayors.

Travel Challenge
Travel is challenging. There are a lot of details to deal with. The challenge is taking care of confirming all the details before you depart. Once there, you must deal with the challenges of being in a different country, where they don’t all want to be Americans. You must prepare yourself for the journey and make the challenge to live the ‘priceless memory’.

Defense Lawyers Plan Challenges Over Spy Efforts
Defense lawyers in some of the country’s biggest terrorism cases say they plan to bring legal challenges to determine whether the National Security Agency used illegal wiretaps against several dozen Muslim men tied to Al Qaeda.

One challenge is a rift among Republicans over immigration.
Rift is disagreement. How can we all agree on things some of us disagree about? Immigration is a challenge, people want in. The challenge Republicans face is where the immigrants will settle and how much federal aid can be expected.

That program, the first at a U.S. airport when it began in 2002, was challenged last year after a black ACLU official said he was questioned and threatened with arrest if he didn’t show identification.
The ACLU has sued to stop a behavior-screening program run by the Massachusetts State Police at Boston’s Logan International Airport.

... eBay and Google have matured into well-financed rivals challenging Microsoft in several areas.
Microsoft is not used to being challenged and losing. eBay and Google are no longer the ‘New Guys In Town’. Microsoft spends time competing against Google and Google spends its time and money expanding its’ market position.

... what analysts say is the most significant challenge Microsoft has ever faced.
Losing to Google with AOL has posed a significant challenge for Microsoft in the Search War. Unless it partners or acquires Yahoo, Microsoft is in a strong third place. Rumor has it that Yahoo turned down an $80 billion offer by Microsoft, as it wasn’t enough.

Focus on the Family, the movie, about a love affair between two male ranch hands, posed other critical challenges.
“Brokerback Mountain”. New cultural approach for Conservative Christians: Reviews, Not Protests. High marks for artistry, but not for content.

Edgier acts, recruiting challenges
Actions speak louder than words. If you need a challenge or don’t have enough challenges, then you need to go forth and find (recruit) challenges.

Challenge In The News

We took that challenge on a few years back and just dealt with it.
A challenge came before us. We looked at it, analyzed it, discussed it and decided to ‘Take It On’ and get involved. We dealt with it some time ago. It is now a solved-challenge and we should not need to deal with it again.

Bush’s challenge includes the need to manage the Heisman-inspired subplot of Vince Young’s response to a second-place finish ...
Southern California’s Reggie Bush, not President Bush.
His challenge includes, meaning there is more than one part to his challenge. ‘The need to manage’ is required or you become managed.

But the idea that great content can be used in a multitude of different ways is a wonderful challenge and a wonderful opportunity.,?u>
With digital, each of us can use content (what we are after) in a number of ways. The challenge is to learn, understand and practice the ways. It is a wonderful opportunity to be able to access and organize the content you want, so that you can have it presented to you in the best form for you.

... whomever CBS picks for Dan Rather’s seat challenges NBC’s Brian Williams.
That’s what competitors do, they challenge the competition. We want our guy to be better than your guy. The challenge is in the picking, for to pick a real challenger, you must know the competition.

C. Hall is up for challenge.
Campbell Hall of North Hollywood, California
Is every body ready? Is it a yes or a yes. We can’t go until everyone is up for the challenge. Were they not up to the challenge before? Why? What is different today. Is this a signal or a dream response to the challenge?

... the latest challenge to his (Charles Darwin) theory of natural selection.
Where have all the flowers gone? Darwin called it a Theory because in his opinion, it provided an explanation that could be proven and accepted. To challenge it requires proof. Who alive today was there? How life on Earth started and has evolved will be challenged for a long time to come.

Bernanke Faces Challenges in His Freshman Year
Ben Bernanke is scheduled to become chairman of the Federal Reserve on February 1, the day after Mr. Greenspan’s 8-1/2 year tenure ends.
Who doesn’t face challenges in their Freshman year? How can you be as good as an incumbent finishing their first 2 or more years doing what you professed you could do better. Face the challenges you already know about and then the challenges that come with the new assignment.

Fundamentalists of Politics Challenge Iranian Leader
Politics is a challenge no matter which side you are on. If 51% approve of what you are doing, 49% do not. The challenge is to not take it personally, you can never make everyone happy.

Managing medicine and after-care can be a confusing challenge for discharged patients left on their own.
Let me see, I just had a medical experience and am at home in after-care. Isn’t the challenge of just getting better enough for me right now? Will trying to figure out how to manage the medicine help me get better faster? Just what I need to go along with the pain, confusion and frustration. This would be an excellent time for the healthcare provider to be there and help make it ‘an easy solution’. We’ll all feel better.

Lose up to 6 pounds with the Special K Challenge
Six whole pounds. Is eating the whole box the challenge? Who do I call if I meet the challenge and only lose 3 pounds?