Articles
What’s the point of learning grammar
Many Australians were never taught grammar. That’s left them in a rather frightening place, because they make grammar or punctuation errors and only realise it when people – whether a boss or a customer – point this out to them. Read more
The billion-dollar business benefits from good editing
One of the silliest things we do is call communication skills soft. It implies that they are not vital to employment in the way hard skills are. But how far can you go careerwise, if you cannot communicate effectively? The hard fact is that businesses are hamstringing their performance by using words badly, both inside and outside the organisation. Read more
What about leadership I hear you ask
While a leader’s approach (not personality) is important, it is the team that is central to leadership effectiveness. Leadership is not in the hands of one person, but many. It takes a collaborative team effort to realise positive outcomes and transformation and if it doesn’t why have a team at all. Read more
Value creation in Globalised Higher Education
Reading Mark Leach’s “Assertive Relevance 101” in the AFR (27 Apr 2018) undoubtedly would strike a chord with many of us working in universities. What stood out was his call to arms, namely that Australian universities should not “delay in owning and promoting a more compelling narrative”. Read more
The Newly Released JFK Assassination Files
In terms of who shot the President, the newly released files do not alter the conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone gunman. But, that is not to dismiss the importance of these documents because the documents do indeed prove a conspiracy. The files confirm that the FBI and CIA concealed and withheld important information from the Warren Commission charged with investigating the assassination. Read more
If We Can’t Win, Then Dismantle the System
The anger from the Northeast about the outcome of the 2016 presidential election is without limits. It now manifests itself with a legal attack on how the Electoral College casts votes for the President. Aimed at the 2020 election, this lawsuit is an attempt to change the way that Americans elect their President. A sad corollary is that if the litigation is successful, the result could permanently destablise the USA. Read more
The Fed – Is It Back to the Future
When President Trump nominated Jerome Powell to be the next Chair of the US Federal Reserve, my first reaction was – I’ve seen that man before, a long time ago.
Jerome Powell is the first non-economist to head the Fed in 30 years. His background is in law, investment banking and commercial banking. This is a radical departure from the economists who have led the central bank for many years. Read more
Rexit – It Was Only a Matter of Time
Donald Trump was not experienced in foreign affairs or diplomacy when he entered the White House. Rex Tillerson was a reasonable choice for Secretary of State although, it was fated to fail in the long run. Read more
Donald Trump and the 'S..thole Countries'
Recently Donald Trump was reportedly heard to bemoan why migrants to America came from ‘s..thole countries’ like Haiti and African countries and not from places like Norway. Well, a significant number of Norwegians migrated to America – but that was long ago when Norway, too, was a so-called s..thole country!
Putting aside the uncalled-for vulgarity in the President’s remark, it reflects a lack of understanding about migration. Read more
Oprah for President
Apparently not to be outdone by the Republicans and Donald Trump, there is now talk among some Democrats about a possible Oprah Winfrey candidacy in 2020. This sudden interest in Oprah seems to have arisen from her eloquent and well-received comments at a recent Golden Globes Ceremony. While this is hardly the same as a policy speech before the Council on Foreign Relations, in the current age of Trump, maybe the Golden Globes counts for more than the Council on Foreign Relations. Read more
The Election of 2016 – a Personal Reflection
Apparently not to be outdone by the Republicans and Donald Trump, there is now talk among some Democrats about a possible Oprah Winfrey candidacy in 2020. This sudden interest in Oprah seems to have arisen from her eloquent and well-received comments at a recent Golden Globes Ceremony. While this is hardly the same as a policy speech before the Council on Foreign Relations, in the current age of Trump, maybe the Golden Globes counts for more than the Council on Foreign Relations. Read more
Statues in America – When Is the Use-By Date
It started with the generals of the Confederacy but now the controversy has extended to Christopher Columbus and Theodore Roosevelt – both of whom have statues in prominent locations in New York City. Should old statues be removed? And, under what circumstances should they be removed? While emotions can run high, the underlying questions are not all that easy and perhaps raise more controversy than the statues themselves. Read more
Lose your fear of grammar
Does the word grammar scare you? Does it bring to mind the errors you made that evoked sniggering or even fury in your readers – and you just couldn’t see what you had done wrong?
Or does the word toll with the horrors of pedantic grammar and punctuation classes where the subject was treated as a set of rules that had to be obeyed on pain of death, even though half of them were incomprehensible? Read more
Why editing is essential for even the best writers
When we read the work of gifted writers, it is easy to get the impression that they write effortlessly, perfect words pouring in impeccable order onto the page. Nothing could be further from the truth. Read more