What a year 2021 was. I ended up spending it mostly at home, although I got an incredible amount of work done. Working from home seems to agree with me. In 2021, I focused on my virtual, physical and spiritual lives. I tried to reimagine my teaching and I think I did so, pretty successfully, …
Light and mood
This week, I went hiking in the evening with my night light. My walks took me around the Heritage Loop in the Dundas Valley Conservation Area. I leave from my backyard and walk down the Bruce Trail section that leads to Sherman Falls, in the direction away from the Falls. After navigating a hilly trail …
New blogging project: trail walks
We are in a new yeaI have taken up a daily habit of going on a 7-10 kilometre walk on the trails behind my house in Ancaster, which is tucked into the escarpment. It is an advantage of being able to access the Bruce Trail from my backyard and I am grateful for it.r and …
New Year’s Resolutions 2021
This year was a strange year. COVID-19 kept us at home and made many of us sick - I had extended family members who caught COVID-19 and survived, thankfully. As many of you know, my life revolves around my work as a professor of communication studies and communications management at McMaster University and my work …
Datasci is the third pillar of PR and comms management
The field of professional communications has been evolving for the last 100 years. When it began, with the early work of Eddie Bernays and Ivy Lee, the focus was largely on promotions. This larger communications field split into several over the years. One can argue that public relations, marketing, advertising, investor relations, etc. are all …
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Learnings from teaching online for an intensive week
Last week, we had the Summer Residency of the Master of Communications Management program at McMaster University (offered in partnership with the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University). However, this was MCM Residency with a COVID-19 pandemic twist - for the first time, we delivered the entire residency via Zoom. It was …
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New Year’s Resolutions 2020
Last year, I committed to fitness, developing my consulting business and getting down to some research and writing. I can say that while I didn't get all the way to the end of those objectives, I made a lot of progress with each. In terms of consulting, I expanded my knowledge and abilities in the …
Endings and beginnings
The gathering of students, faculty and alumni who came together for my last Residency Gala Dinner as MCM Director, at Trius Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake. A lovely night. I was very grateful. Sometimes we immerse ourselves so completely in something, that we don't see the years roll by, focused as we are on the exciting task …
An uncanny conversation en route to dinner
I was in Ottawa last week and had the pleasure of having dinner with my friend Lars, who works on the Hill. We had plans to go and have a quick dinner at the food court in the Rideau Centre - I am partial to the Amaya chain for quick vegan and they have a …
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New Year’s Resolutions 2019
In 2018, I pretty much kept my resolultions (except for those concerning fitness - that was a sad failure.). I established plant-based living as my permanent lifestyle, banishing all animal products from my pantry, and experimented with many vegan cooking styles. I also made progress towards a liberal, progressive Roman Catholic lifestyle. I refreshed my knowledge …