Corporations faced with a bout of low employee morale should organize exciting team building events to turn things around. Depending on the company budget available, there are lots of team building activities that can be implemented. Corporate event planners can organize a trip to a resort and run a myriad of group activities that encourage collaboration between co-workers.

What are some of the team building ideas that would make the event a success? Infusing a sense of adventure and fun would be the ultimate aim of these corporate events. Organizing a paintball event encourages teamwork, collaboration and competition amongst teammates and opponents. Other team building activities that would be suitable would be treasure hunts or even canoeing or kayaking. Apart from that, specialized adventure team building retreats with obstacle courses could prove to be ideal for a corporate event.

Some of the physical challenges here include monkey bars, ravine crossing, climbing walls, tire runs and stainless steel cables. Participants can be grouped into teams and encouraged to compete against one another. With this, elements such as collaboration and teamwork can be incorporated into the group during the team building event.

Another form of team building such as the geo-caching activity utilizes the combination of natural and technology elements in a mixed urban and rural environment. With a basic concept that is somewhat similar to the Amazing Race, participants are given clues to locate the next clue hidden in caches in a city or park area. Thus, logic, knowledge, collaboration and teamwork would all need to be put into place in order to decipher the clues and move on to the next location. Maps and GPS units are provided to teams for directional assistance.

Geo-caching team building programs can incorporate physical challenges such as cross-country skiing, short walks through the city or parks, or even cycling or rowing. Depending on the objective of the corporate event, physical elements will help to increase difficulty level of the geo-caching activity.

Corporations faced with a bout of low employee morale should organize exciting team building events to turn things around. Depending on the company budget available, there are lots of team building activities that can be implemented. Corporate event planners can organize a trip to a resort and run a myriad of group activities that encourage collaboration between co-workers.

What are some of the team building ideas that would make the event a success? Infusing a sense of adventure and fun would be the ultimate aim of these corporate events. Organizing a paintball event encourages teamwork, collaboration and competition amongst teammates and opponents. Other team building activities that would be suitable would be treasure hunts or even canoeing or kayaking. Apart from that, specialized adventure team building retreats with obstacle courses could prove to be ideal for a corporate event.

Some of the physical challenges here include monkey bars, ravine crossing, climbing walls, tire runs and stainless steel cables. Participants can be grouped into teams and encouraged to compete against one another. With this, elements such as collaboration and teamwork can be incorporated into the group during the team building event.

Another form of team building such as the geo-caching activity utilizes the combination of natural and technology elements in a mixed urban and rural environment. With a basic concept that is somewhat similar to the Amazing Race, participants are given clues to locate the next clue hidden in caches in a city or park area. Thus, logic, knowledge, collaboration and teamwork would all need to be put into place in order to decipher the clues and move on to the next location. Maps and GPS units are provided to teams for directional assistance.

Geo-caching team building programs can incorporate physical challenges such as cross-country skiing, short walks through the city or parks, or even cycling or rowing. Depending on the objective of the corporate event, physical elements will help to increase difficulty level of the geo-caching activity.

When you find yourself living with pain every minute of every hour of every day, just getting up in the morning can seem like too much to ask. When you find it hard to remember the last time you weren’t in pain, it’s not unusual for fear and depression to take hold and drag you into a downward spiral that makes the pain even worse. Even on good days, exercising can still be the last thing you feel like doing.

There’s evidence, however, that exercise may be one of the best things you can do to help manage chronic pain. A recent (2000) study by Martin Hoffman found that moderate exercise reduced the amount of pain people suffering from chronic back-ache perceived they felt. Other anecdotal studies and reports have confirmed that sometimes, activity can work wonders.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EXERCISE & PAIN RELIEF

Experts have suggested four possible reasons for the pain-reducing effect of activity. The first has to do with endorphins. These are chemicals your body produces naturally during exercise, which have the same kind of effect as opiates like morphine and codeine. Endorphins actually block the perception of pain, and create a general feeling of wellness, both of which are invaluable to someone with chronic pain.

A second reason is that regular activity helps to improve both the ease with which we fall asleep, and the quality of our rest once we do. Pain, can become more or less difficult to deal with depending on our resource levels. Most sufferers experience difficulty sleeping when the pain is bad, which can prompt another downward spiral. Something that helps us sleep better, means more energy and resources, which in turn, allows us to cope better with the pain we experience.

A third is that exercise helps release tension (see Exercise & Stress for an explanation of why). Tension, stress and frustration, as any sufferer of chronic pain will attest, increase pain levels. This means that anything that helps relax the body will also usually help reduce pain levels.

Finally, if the chronic pain occurs after an injury, targeted exercise can strengthen the muscles around the injury site, taking pressure off the injured tissue. Of course, the wrong kind of exercise can actually re-injure the area too, so it’s important to get professional guidance from a physiotherapist, or a personal trainer who specialises in rehabilitation work, rather than trying to go it alone.

USING EXERCISE TO HELP YOU MANAGE PAIN

An important disclaimer: this article is written assuming that, if you’re experiencing chronic pain, you’re already working with a healthcare professional to manage it (and if not, you need to be!) Check any suggestions you want to try with that professional, and follow their recommendations. Also, if an activity increases your pain levels, don’t do it. It’s OK to have muscles that are tired and slightly sore the day after. It’s not OK to experience any joint pain or sharp, stabbing pain during or after exercise, or anything that makes your chronic pain worse. If you experience any of these, seek advice from your healthcare professional as soon as possible.

That said, the most beneficial kind of exercise depends very much on the individual. One of Optimum Life’s key principles is that activity will always do more good if it’s something you enjoy. This is even more important when you experience chronic pain, when something you start dreading or tensing up about can quickly make your condition worse. Additionally, it helps if you choose activities that give you a good range of aerobic, strength, and flexibility exercises. Good potential choices to start with include walking, swimming, stationary cycling, yoga or t’ai chi.

Finally, be aware that exercise will be most helpful for pain management if it’s one out of many tools you use. Medication, diet, visualisation, relaxation, acupuncture and biofeedback have all been shown to have positive effects on pain individually – but the best effects seem to come from taking a multi-disciplinary approach. Take time to research the different therapies available to you. There are a number of excellent pain management sites online – two of the more popular ones include The Chronic Pain Haven or The Mayo Clinic.

Chronic pain will never be fun to live with, but there are options available that make it more manageable. Give yourself the gift of being willing to try out different options until you find the combination that’s right for you, and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. Meanwhile, until the next issue, may every day bring you closer to your Optimum Life.

If you have any questions about this week’s article, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Otherwise, until next time, may every day bring you closer to your Optimum Life.

When you find yourself living with pain every minute of every hour of every day, just getting up in the morning can seem like too much to ask. When you find it hard to remember the last time you weren’t in pain, it’s not unusual for fear and depression to take hold and drag you into a downward spiral that makes the pain even worse. Even on good days, exercising can still be the last thing you feel like doing.

There’s evidence, however, that exercise may be one of the best things you can do to help manage chronic pain. A recent (2000) study by Martin Hoffman found that moderate exercise reduced the amount of pain people suffering from chronic back-ache perceived they felt. Other anecdotal studies and reports have confirmed that sometimes, activity can work wonders.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EXERCISE & PAIN RELIEF

Experts have suggested four possible reasons for the pain-reducing effect of activity. The first has to do with endorphins. These are chemicals your body produces naturally during exercise, which have the same kind of effect as opiates like morphine and codeine. Endorphins actually block the perception of pain, and create a general feeling of wellness, both of which are invaluable to someone with chronic pain.

A second reason is that regular activity helps to improve both the ease with which we fall asleep, and the quality of our rest once we do. Pain, can become more or less difficult to deal with depending on our resource levels. Most sufferers experience difficulty sleeping when the pain is bad, which can prompt another downward spiral. Something that helps us sleep better, means more energy and resources, which in turn, allows us to cope better with the pain we experience.

A third is that exercise helps release tension (see Exercise & Stress for an explanation of why). Tension, stress and frustration, as any sufferer of chronic pain will attest, increase pain levels. This means that anything that helps relax the body will also usually help reduce pain levels.

Finally, if the chronic pain occurs after an injury, targeted exercise can strengthen the muscles around the injury site, taking pressure off the injured tissue. Of course, the wrong kind of exercise can actually re-injure the area too, so it’s important to get professional guidance from a physiotherapist, or a personal trainer who specialises in rehabilitation work, rather than trying to go it alone.

USING EXERCISE TO HELP YOU MANAGE PAIN

An important disclaimer: this article is written assuming that, if you’re experiencing chronic pain, you’re already working with a healthcare professional to manage it (and if not, you need to be!) Check any suggestions you want to try with that professional, and follow their recommendations. Also, if an activity increases your pain levels, don’t do it. It’s OK to have muscles that are tired and slightly sore the day after. It’s not OK to experience any joint pain or sharp, stabbing pain during or after exercise, or anything that makes your chronic pain worse. If you experience any of these, seek advice from your healthcare professional as soon as possible.

That said, the most beneficial kind of exercise depends very much on the individual. One of Optimum Life’s key principles is that activity will always do more good if it’s something you enjoy. This is even more important when you experience chronic pain, when something you start dreading or tensing up about can quickly make your condition worse. Additionally, it helps if you choose activities that give you a good range of aerobic, strength, and flexibility exercises. Good potential choices to start with include walking, swimming, stationary cycling, yoga or t’ai chi.

Finally, be aware that exercise will be most helpful for pain management if it’s one out of many tools you use. Medication, diet, visualisation, relaxation, acupuncture and biofeedback have all been shown to have positive effects on pain individually – but the best effects seem to come from taking a multi-disciplinary approach. Take time to research the different therapies available to you. There are a number of excellent pain management sites online – two of the more popular ones include The Chronic Pain Haven or The Mayo Clinic.

Chronic pain will never be fun to live with, but there are options available that make it more manageable. Give yourself the gift of being willing to try out different options until you find the combination that’s right for you, and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. Meanwhile, until the next issue, may every day bring you closer to your Optimum Life.

If you have any questions about this week’s article, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Otherwise, until next time, may every day bring you closer to your Optimum Life.

Copyright 2005 Tanja Gardner

The City of Corpus Christi has selected Gilbane Building Company to serve as project manager for the $20 million Corpus Christi Bayfront Convention Center expansion and rehabilitation. Gilbane will serve as a representative for the city throughout the life cycle of the project and use its expertise to manage all aspects of the project. Gilbane is joining the project early in the planning phases to assure the project is planned, designed, bid and constructed properly.
The proposed project would consist of a minimum addition of 40,000 square feet of exhibit area and 15,000 square feet of meeting rooms. Improvements to the facility are designed to improve the city's competitive position in attracting more conventions and trade shows.

Other convention center projects Gilbane's Southwest Region is involved with include the Austin Convention Center Expansion, Austin, Texas; George R. Brown Convention Center expansion and Convention Center Hotel, Houston, Texas; and the Astrodomain Wrangler Exhibit Hall, Houston, Texas.

Gilbane (www.gilbaneco.com) is a full-service construction and real estate development company and is a leader is serving the public assembly, educational, criminal justice, pharmaceutical, healthcare, aviation, advanced technologies and corporate markets nationwide.

The latest installment of the Louis Farrakhan media sideshow is less news than soap opera. Who will repudiate him next? Who will refuse to do so? How should we judge each response? What will Farrakhan do about Khalid Muhammad? How will Khalid respond? Who will pop up in the cycle of soliloquies of pain/hurt/fear/grave concern? Who will take the stage next to lament the harm "black anti-Semitism" does to the "historic alliance" of blacks and Jews?

The whole spectacle is quite like the other mass-mediated melodrama, the one sociologist Francesca Polletta has characterized as a version of the underclass morality play. I mean, of course, the saga of the deserving (respectable, aspiring, attractive, intact) working-class family versus the undeserving (disorganized, trashy, tacky, broken) lower-class family, starring Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding
But there's more going on in the Farrakhan show. The obvious and odious anti-Semitism of Farrakhan and Khalid Muhammad, when all is said and done, is only a pretext for the furor. Most revealing and distressing is the way this carnival captures the poverty of public discourse about race in American society. Somehow, the earnest op-ed page discussion provoked by Khalid Muhammad's remarks has managed to avoid the obvious point that race is a central element in a system of enforced hierarchy and inequality.

Take the editorial in The New York Times insisting that black leaders (whoever they might be) "renounce root and branch Mr. Farrakhan's . . . message." The Times graciously suggests that "in return, black organizations and leaders have a right to ask for heightened white sensitivity to the commonplace discrimination of everyday life and to the increasing tolerance for parlor - and campus - prejudice against blacks."

Black people, that is, must prove that they deserve basic protections accorded automatically to all other citizens by passing The Times's litmus test for moral and ideological responsibility.

Two themes underlie this point of view. One is the idea that "racism" is a problem of individual psychology and attitude. The other is the lofty ideal of interracialism, which floats on pieties about universal brotherhood, harmony, communication, and sympathetic, mutual understanding.

Thus, The Times and other mainstream media voices urge us to be appalled at the bigoted, often noxious views that Farrakhan and his minions in the Nation of Islam express about whites in general and Jews in particular. A recurring theme is that black people who support Farrakhan are squandering the moral capital acquired for them by the early civil-rights movement and Martin Luther King Jr.'s transcendent interracialism - "Black and white together, we shall overcome some day."

In the mainstream press's overheated rhetoric, Farrakhan's racism and anti-Semitism have been presented as equivalent to that of David Duke, legendary Southern segregationists, even Hitler. The comparisons are laced with a sense of irony or studied surprise that black people, the most familiar victims of American racism, can themselves succumb to the most heinous racist beliefs.

To say that Farrakhan's racism is different from David Duke's does not depend on a claim that blacks deserve some sort of affirmative-action points allowing for bigotry on the basis of past suffering. The point is simply this: The more tightly the lens focuses on personal attitudes, the more nearly identical Farrakhan seems to notorious white bigots. And in terms of character or moral worth, the comparison works.

But if we are talking about political significance, things are much more complicated. David Duke has been elected to a seat in the Louisiana state legislature and twice received majorities of the white vote for statewide office (reminding us once again that black enfranchisement is all that stands between us and the Old South). Jesse Helms is now serving his fourth term in the U.S. Senate. The New York Times editorially linked Farrakhan to Ross Barnett and George Wallace. But Barnett was a governor of Mississippi and has a state park named in his honor, and Wallace was four times governor of Alabama.

Farrakhan has no power or influence in our official institutions. He can neither make nor enforce any law or public policy. He has no constituency outside his own small, esoteric organization (most estimates of the Nation of Islam's membership range between 20,000 and 30,000), which may even be in decline. His main claim to fame is that he commands the attention of a willing news industry that accords him visibility and the mercurial celebrity of an entertainer.

Can we really imagine Louis Farrakhan - or any other black person - leading a successful fascist takeover of the United States?

That Farrakhan does not pose a social and political threat equal to Duke and the others in no way diminishes the reprehensible character of his views. (And not just his attitudes about whites, either. He advocates a nightmarish, repressive regime for black Americans, as I wrote in The Nation in January 1991. In the current episode of this national racial psychodrama, only Joe Wood in The Village Voice has even raised Farrakhan's reactionary agenda for black Americans the one domain in which he could be truly dangerous.) But the simplistic, tit-for-tat patter about racism on the editorial pages of The New York Times and elsewhere - the luxury of the privileged - is grossly inadequate. It equates the danger posed to a superordinate white majority by a fringe black ideologue who depends on the mainstream news industry for his audience with the danger posed by racists who hold public power.

Editor, Capitol Weekly newspaper and Political Pulse, a newsletter of California politics based in Sacramento. He is the co-founder of the Roundup and a contributor to Calraces.com. He is also a regular contributor to The Los Angeles Times opinion section, a former Washington, D.C. correspondent for Salon.com and former associate editor of the California Journal. York holds a BA in politics and literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz.Our readers are mostly California political professionals--legislators, lobbyists, media and other people who have a personal and/or professional interest in California politics."
Do you follow any regular news cycle?

"I'm involved with a few Web sites. The Roundup (www.capitolbasement.com) publishes daily. It's a morning digest of California political news, with a bit of attitude thrown in. It's sort of like ABC's The Note of California. Our two newsletters, Political Pulse and Education Beat, are also online, and those are updated when a new print edition of the newsletters hit the streets. I am also affiliated with Calraces.com, which monitors developments in California legislative races. Posting there gets hot and heavy during campaign season, and is updated as news or circumstances permit."

What are the benefits of your Web site compared with mainstream media outlets in your state?

"We are dedicated to California political news. There is no single publication in the state that covers state politics in the kind of detail that we do. We try to cover California politics and the California political community. Most mainstream outlets want the big story, or what their hometown legislator is up to. We try to look a bit beneath the surface for tidbits that may not be of interest to the average LA Times reader, but will be for our core group of political junkies."

What role does your Web site play in politics in your state?

"Hard to tell. I think California is just getting up to speed in terms of developing a good online media and information base. There is now a number of Web logs and state information resources online. We hope that we help our readers stay informed on the news they need to know to keep up with California politics.

"We have just purchased a newspaper, Capitol Weekly, which we hope will continue to develop this vision. If The Roundup is The Note or The Hotline for California, then Capitol Weekly will be its Roll Call or The Hill. With the re-launch and redesign of the newspaper will come a more fully realized Web site which we hope will be a true one-stop shop for California political news, commentary and information."

Number of Hits

"The Roundup began in January 2005. Through word of mouth, it's grown to have about 2,500 subscribers who receive the Roundup through a push e-mail every day. A few hundred more people come to the Web site to read the Roundup every day."

Claim to Fame

"I'm one of the smart-asses that writes the Roundup every morning. I've also jumped from a burning building and lived to tell about it."

In 10 Years

"Still covering California politics. From Barcelona."

Immediate Career Goals

"Build Capitol Weekly into a trusted source of California political news."

Political Heroes

"Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, Henry Adams, Paul Revere, Hunter S. Thompson."

Secrets of Success

"'Follow the money' is good advice for tracking down a story, bad advice for following a career path."

Biggest Gripes

"Political ambulance chasers/media whores."

Predictions

"California will continue to confound."

Best Moment in a Campaign

"Traveling around Arizona in a little private plane with John and Cindy McCain in the fall of 1999. It was just before McCain's campaign took off, but it was clear that the momentum was starting to build, and that he was starting to believe his long-shot campaign may actually have a chance."

Worst Moment in a Campaign

"Oversleeping in New Hampshire, and having to rent a car to catch up with the Bradley campaign bus."

If I Were President for a Day

"Tommy Chong would get a presidential pardon."

COPYRIGHT 2005 Campaigns & Elections, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group