Jeanine Krieber is wrong. The Liberal Party will survive.

It sometimes feels good to give vent to personal bitterness, but before sounding off, critics must carefully consider that what they are saying is correct. Recently, Jeanine Krieber expressed several personal concerns about the Liberal Party’s impending demise, adding that she does not want to support a party that ‘could end up in the dustbins …

Guest lecture today from Don Smith of the Canada Revenue Agency.

Don Smith, Director of Operations, Public Affairs Division at the Canada Revenue Agency dropped by our CMST 4n03: New Analysis, Theory and Practice class to deliver a guest lecture and lead a discussion about working for the federal government. He presented his M.A. thesis which was a content analysis of compliance messaging for the CRA …

Breakdancing in the McMaster Student Centre

Yesterday, I stayed late, writing in my office. I had a manuscript to finish for submission to a journal. It was an interesting piece about how Barack Obama uses time words to create a link between past and present in his speeches. I had a quick dinner and glass of merlot with a friend at …

Two great nights out: One Duke and CLiC at the Art Gallery of Hamilton

On Wednesday night I went out to a new pub for me – One Duke in Hamilton. It was a night of great conversation and good wine. The grilled calamari was excellent. It’s a shame that busy schedules and time constraints don’t let me hang out with one of my favourite people as much as …

Future public servants evaluated on opinions about Conservative Economic Action Plan.

The highly controversial Conservative Economic Action Plan is being used in an essay question for potential applicants to an elite management training program in the federal public service. One of my former research assistants was really excited recently – he was applying to get a job in Canada’ public service. So he logged on to …

Some advice for college and university students

[This piece was originally posted as a note on Facebook on Saturday, September 12, 2009 at 15:24 and republished on the Talent Egg Career Incubator on September 15, 2009] The three or four years you will spend at college or university should be some of the best years of your life. You have a rare …

Guest lecture from Andrew Laing of Cormex Research at McMaster

My 4th-year News Analysis class had a special treat today. We had a guest lecturer – Dr Andrew Laing, president of Cormex Research. Cormex Research is Canada’s leading media content measurement and analysis firm. Here’s an example of the sort of work Cormex does. Andrew is a unique and admirable person. He took time out …

Ontario must invest in higher education.

When I began teaching at McMaster University on July 1, 2001, I had a pretty unique experience as a new professor. I was the first person hired into the Communication Studies Program at McMaster University. The program was so new that it didn’t even exist. In fact, the program only officially took existence with our …