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Now that the focus in the US presidential race has shifted to the impending battle up until November between Barack Obama and John McCain, there is plenty of analysis being done on what are the major strengths and weaknesses on each side. In an election which by all rights should be a walk in the park for any Democrat, what is the best plan of attack for Republicans?
Time has been giving it some thought and has some ideas:
Sometimes you don't need the secret memo, a Deep Throat source, or the combination to the safe to get the story. Sometimes it's lying right there in front of you, a series of fragments ready to be pieced together.
Such is the case when it comes to John McCain's general election strategy for defeating Barack Obama. For weeks now, the Arizona senator's campaign has been laying its cards on the table, spelling out a strategy for November. Here's a look at seven of their key strategies.
Read the full article here.
Steve Pavlina has posted a thoughtful essay over on his blog on what it takes for a man to live well in the age of consciousness.
Here's an excerpt:
A man is willing to make mistakes. He’s willing to be wrong. He’d rather try and fail than do nothing.
A man’s self-trust is one of his greatest assets. When he second-guesses himself by worrying about failure, he diminishes himself. An intelligent man considers the prospect of failure, but he doesn’t preoccupy himself with pointless worry. He accepts that if a failure outcome occurs, he can deal with it.
A man grows more from failure than he does from success. Success cannot test his resolve in the way that failure can. Success has its challenges, but a man learns more about himself when he takes on challenges that involve risk. When a man plays it safe, his vitality is lost, and he loses his edge.
Read the full essay here.
Well-known filmmaker Baz Luhrmann has teamed up with Apple to provide a monthly educational podcast which follows the making of his upcoming film, Australia, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.
Says Baz:
"As a young aspiring filmmaker, I had many opportunities and a great deal of support from established filmmakers. There was a genuine reaching out to the up-and-coming, where we were allowed not just to observe, but to participate in the creative process.
It is with this in mind that I would like to open the door to all students who are interested in the art of filmmaking. Bazmark and Fox have partnered up with the good people at Apple to allow you to participate in the creative journey and realization of our new motion picture, Australia, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. The film will be in the theaters November 14.
For those who do participate, there is also the very real possibility of winning prizes including digital filmmaking equipment, a trip to Australia, and ultimately the opportunity for a talented student to join us in the marketing and release phase of Australia. During this process, the work you create will find an audience of millions by being included in the DVD release of Australia."
A free educational podcast from a celebrated film director? With assignments? With incentives to learn and participate? This is education as it should be.
Get the podcast here.
by danu on March 20, 2008
Why good writing is important
When we communicate with each other we send and receive a variety of signals. These include body language, pitch, tone, expression and choice of words. In addition to this, communication is coloured by the values, experience and prejudices of each person sending and receiving the message.
In marketing, the aim is to cut across all of this and deliver a strong message that will be understood (and hopefully acted upon) by its target audience. Words are the most important part of this message. In the world of design we use colour, shapes, layout and other techniques to support the message, but without words there is no clear message.
This is also the difference between commercial design and art. In art there is still a message but we leave it up to the audience to interpret what it is. In commercial design, the audience must leave with the message we intended otherwise we have failed.
Example
Our company offers a wide variety of goods and services that will help you to make your life much better in many ways.
Above is a typical example of bad writing. The message is in there, and it is essentially the same message that every company has - ‘buy what we sell because you want it’. You’re unlikely to succeed if you simply say this however, so some skill is required. Here are some tips to turn bad writing into good: [click to continue...]
