Would more money help students know that grammar, spelling and punctuation count?

Why, then, is it so darned difficult for teachers of English and writing to hold students to standards that will help them succeed on the job? Why is more money necessary? Why can’t a given instructor simply tell a student, “No, you can’t use a plural form of the verb and a singular form of the noun. They have to both be plural, or both be singular.”" What’s so hard about that? Are teachers afraid of hurting students’ feelings? Why? Isn’t it going to hurt a whole lot worse when they lose a job – if they get hired in the first place? What on earth is going on here?

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Good to be home: PRSA conference / Veterans Day

I hear from the DoD that there are huge efforts at work to enable a 120-day handoff between the active-duty medical system and the VA; that is still too long, but is certainly better than the years veterans have to wait now. We need – we need desperately – to deal with the consequences of war.

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In praise of silence

I’d rather have the base-line of my working life be anchored in a kind of silence that encourages intelligent thinking and discussion, rather than have it be anchored in noise, over-stimulation, distractions and constant rush. I’d like to enter public spaces – stores, medical offices, health clubs, malls and elevators – without being bombarded with constant noise disguised as music. I know that’s asking a lot, and most people will never have that luxury. But I think we’re far the poorer for it.

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Social media, multi-tasking, and rapidly updating everything

I have a question: are we so involved in the minutia of our lives and others’ lives through the massive amounts of updating we’re doing on social media sites, that we’re losing sight of the big picture? Do we even have the ability to stand back and look at the big picture anymore? Isn’t there a massive disconnect going on here?

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A summer filled with public relations of a different sort

Taking a breather here in the middle of the summer to talk about public relations of a different sort – the sort offered by Missoula, Montana’s wonderful International Choral Festival (http://www.choralfestival.org).

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Goodbye from me to Newsweek and Reader’s Digest

Everybody does flash now, and everybody thinks flash is substance. Well, I beg to differ – it’s not. Granted we have lots of bells and whistles at our fingertips online, and we can stay entertained for endless periods if we like. But I like to read, and I look to read news of substance and stories that enlighten me in some way, that tell me something about myself in reflection, and about the world I live in. I like to read. Is there anybody out there anymore who also likes to read?

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Watching Iran news: First Amendment gratitude – again

The First Amendment – This is almost all I can think about this evening, watching the Iran news pour in via Twitter and CNN. It’s mesmerizing. It makes me even more grateful for our own First Amendment – the Amendment by which I’ve been granted the right to make a living all these years, in helping others to tell their story . . .
But some people who are Twittering tonight are sending some disturbing – and, IMHO (in my humble opinion), quite ignorant messages.

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Communicating about land-use issues in the rural American West

First, a list of some barriers to communication; on Monday (if not before) some tips for more effective communication regarding land-use and natural resources issues in the rural American West. This is an excerpt from my paper, “You Gotta’ Know the Territory!” done as a final Capstone project for my Master’s in Communications Management at Syracuse Universtiy.

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I’ll be live on Internet radio, Thurs., 6/18, 9 a.m. Pacific Time

Thursday morning at 9 a.m. Pacific Time, I’ll be interviewed by Lee Weinstein on Small Plate Radio at http://prworks.sprnetwork.com/.  From a small list I gave him, Lee chose what one of my favorite topics – land-use and natural resource issues and public relations.  Below, I’m listing some barriers to communications in this area; on the [...]

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End-of-the-term thoughts

It’s lovely to reach that point in your career where you recognize the problem confronting you as well as what avenues are available for resolving that problem. But how disillusioning it would be to assume you didn’t have to gain that hard-won experience early in your career; to think that life as a young professional would be easier than it really is. What a letdown, if you’ve been highly praised growing up and now must face the prospect of closed doors in the business world. Far better to be taught to expect less and to work hard, understanding that given a certain skill level (study hard, everyone), attitude makes all the difference.

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