Mediaboss Marketing

President Obama had a simple goal in his first press conference in more than five months: Dont step on his own message(s).

President Barack Obama gestures during a news conference in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, March 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)It was clear from the get-go that Obama wanted to accomplish two things with the press conference: First, introduce a series of new housing measures designed to address the foreclosure crisis and second, hammer away at the Republican presidential candidates for their casual (his word) approach to the use of military force.

The challenge for Obama was that he faced a barrage of questions on a series of controversial topics Iran, Israel, Syria, Rush Limbaugh that had the potential to steal headlines from the presidents preferred messaging if he made any sort of news on any of those fronts.

With one possible exception Do you think a president of the United States going into re-election wants gas prices higher? Obama joked at one point in an off-key moment he largely accomplished that goal, virtually ensuring that his tough talk against the GOP candidates on foreign policy matters would be the story of the presser.

Whats said on the campaign trail....those folks dont have a lot of responsibilities, Obama said at one point. They arent commander in chief. At another, he argued: If some of these folks think its time to launch a war, they should say that.

With his rhetoric, Obama was working to make the case that while its easy to call for military action when you are running for president, its much harder to justify it when you are the president and your decision means American troops will be put in harms way.

This was another adult in the room moment for Obama in which he tries to cast himself as someone committed to getting it right while portraying his Republican opponents as interested solely in scoring political points.

(Need more evidence? This is not a game, Obama said at one point regarding foreign policy. And, he repeatedly noted he doesnt undertake the use of military force in a casual manner.)

Even as Obama was trying to make that adult case, he was dodging political pitfalls left and right.

He carefully avoided reiterating his controversial remark that the 1967 boundaries of Israel would be a starting point for negotiations about Middle East peace.

View post:
Obama press conference: Above all, do no (message) harm

05-03-2012 13:03 Create Your First WordPress Site http://www.thesisvideotutorials.com In this video we will configure WordPress so that visitors to our site are not shown the subfolder that we have used to install our WordPress site.

Visit link:
Create Your First WordPress Site - WordPress Installation Pt 3 - Video

Evening Standard/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES Kim Novak is clarifying why she used the word "rape" to describe how she felt about The Artist.

The 79-year-old Vertigo actress, who will be honored next month at the TCM Classic Film Festival, said during a phone interview Monday that hearing the score from the Alfred Hitchcock film used in the recent Oscar-winning homage to the silent-film era reminded her of the same feelings she experienced when she was raped as a child.

"It was very painful," said Novak. "When I said it was like a rape, that was how it felt to me. I had experienced in my youth being raped, and so I identified with a real act that had been done to me. I didn't use that word lightly. I had been raped as a child. It was a rape I never told about, so when I experienced this one, I felt the need to express it."

Novak, who played the dual role of both a suicidal trophy wife and a morose working girl opposite Jimmy Stewart in the 1958 thriller, said in a statement released in January by her manager that she "wanted to report a rape" and that the filmmakers of The Artist had no reason "to depend on Bernard Herrmann's score from Vertigo to provide more drama."

Novak's comments drew criticism from rape crisis groups, who noted that plagiarism was not the same as a sexual assault. Other actors have similarly been chastised for misusing the word "rape." Johnny Depp and Twilight star Kristen Stewart both issued apologies after they compared having their photos taken to being raped in respective interviews.

OPINION: Why Kim Novak Is Wrong About 'The Artist'

"I never reported my real rape, so I felt the need to report this one," said Novak, who left Hollywood in the 1970s for Big Sur, an isolated section of California coastline, before eventually relocating to Oregon. "I felt that someone needed to speak up because the music has been taken advantage of too much. I hope that in the future, maybe somehow it will do some good."

Michel Hazanavicius, the writer-director of The Artist, which won five Academy Awards last month, including best picture and original score, responded to Novak in January, noting that the film was "a love letter to cinema" and that he loves "Bernard Herrmann, and his music has been used in many different films, and I'm very pleased to have it in mine."

Novak said that the motion picture academy sent her a letter disapproving of her making the statement while The Artist was in Oscar contention. She acknowledged that after getting "over the shock" that the Vertigo love theme was used in The Artist, she actually enjoyed the film and thought it deserved its Oscar glory except for the best original score trophy.

The rest is here:
Kim Novak Clarifies 'Rape' Comments on 'The Artist's' Use of 'Vertigo' Music

In "Wildlife Heroes," Julie Scardina and Jeff Flocken profile 40 leading conservationists who are helping thwart today's most pressing threats to the our planet's wildlife. Read an excerpt.

INTRODUCTION

The wildlife heroes featured in this book are forty individuals we admire and respect acclaimed for their vision, determination, and success. Some of them we have known for many years and worked closely with, while others we only knew before this book through knowledge of their impressive accomplishments, or from their stellar reputations in the field of wildlife conservation.

Admittedly, the assemblage of species we chose to highlight show a bias of the authors, as we have our own personal love for certain animals and direct experiences working in particular conservation arenas. So while we both have great fondness for critters like the obscure dwarf wedgemussel and the underrated dung beetle, and understand their important roles in their habitats, this book tends to feature the big charismatic species, the same ones who rightly or wrongly tend to receive the most conservation resources and public attention. Luckily these same high-profile animals frequently serve vital roles as keystone, flagship, and indicator species, thereby arguably deserving the lions share of adoration they receive.

These individual species, like the heroes selected for the book, were also chosen as being best suited to bring a broader message of conservation need, and inspiration for action, to readers. We are compelled to feature these heroes, species and issues as we both feel the heartbreak of what is happening to the wild animals and wild places we love. Unless more people help fight the war we are currently losing to save species, wild lands, and ocean habitats, there will be far less of these incredible creatures and environments left in the world.

The heroes in this book have dedicated their lives to preserving these creatures; animals that are beloved by the world because they are both compelling and fascinating. We are proud to shine a light on them all. And we sincerely hope that this book will result in more support for the heroes critical efforts and in meaningful gains in the struggle for existence of these amazing species.

Julie Scardina and Jeff Flocken

EARTH: WORKING ON THE GROUND BY KUKI GALLMAN, ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF I DREAMED OF AFRICA, ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST, AND FOUNDER OF THE GALLMAN AFRICA CONSERVANCY.

Caring for Eden

It was about forty years ago that I moved to Kenya and acquired the responsibility to look after a piece of heaven on the Eastern Great Rift Valley, Ol ari Nyiro, a biodiversity oasis of rugged, dramatic landscapes, with a relic forest and natural springs, gorges, and ravines, where endemic species of wildlife and flora survived and still do, in stark contrast with the now degraded landscape surrounding us, from where most indigenous vegetation has been removed.

Originally posted here:
‘Wildlife Heroes’: Spreading the word about conservation

LONDON (AP) How do you sum up the work of songwriter Robert B. Sherman? Try one word: "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."

The tongue-twisting term, sung by magical nanny Mary Poppins, is like much of Sherman's work both complex and instantly memorable, for child and adult alike. Once heard, it was never forgotten.

Sherman, who died in London at age 86, was half of a sibling partnership that put songs into the mouths of nannies and Cockney chimney sweeps, jungle animals and Parisian felines.

Robert Sherman and his brother Richard composed scores for films including "The Jungle Book," ''The Aristocats," ''Mary Poppins" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." They also wrote the most-played tune on Earth, "It's a Small World (After All)."

Sherman's agent, Stella Richards, said Tuesday that Sherman died peacefully in London on Monday.

Son Jeffrey Sherman paid tribute to his father on Facebook, saying he "wanted to bring happiness to the world and, unquestionably, he succeeded."

Jeffrey Sherman told The Associated Press that his father had learned the craft of songwriting from his own father, Tin Pan Alley composer Al Sherman.

"His rule in writing songs was keep it singable, simple and sincere," Jeffrey Sherman said. "In the simplest things you find something universal."

Robert Sherman knew another truth, his son said: "What seems so simple is really very complex.

"He was a very simple guy complex but simple. If you ever want to know about my Dad, listen to the lyrics of his songs."

Continued here:
'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' composer dies