Category Archives: Robert’s posts

RIP Geoff Nunberg

Posted on August 13, 2020 by Robert Basil

I aspired to rise to the level of acumen, clarity, and courtesy of this marvelous linguist, knowing of course that I could never get close. Listen to some of Nunberg’s commentaries for NPR’s “Fresh Air” program. — 22 August: The … Continue reading →

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Editing for a civil society

Posted on August 6, 2020 by Robert Basil

Friend of No Contest Communications Chet Wisniewsiki, a principal research scientist at Sophos, woke me up with this short thread earlier this week:

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On collaboration

Posted on July 14, 2020 by Robert Basil

Richard Rogers upon meeting Lorenz Hart for the first time:  “I left Hart’s house having acquired in one afternoon a career, a partner, a best friend and a source of permanent irritation.” Their song “My Funny Valentine” is something of a … Continue reading →

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The root of beauty …

Posted on June 13, 2020 by Robert Basil

… is boldness, wrote Pasternak. “That is what’s brought us to one another.” Apropos: After Wolfgang Pauli had given a colloquium on some ideas related to particle physics, Pauli said to Neils Bohr: “You will probably think that what I … Continue reading →

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“Business Writing for Everyone”

Posted on May 9, 2020 by Robert Basil

My summer 2020 first-year students will be getting their textbook for free – Business Writing for Everyone, put together by my colleague Arley Cruther’s. It’s a wonderful resource that will make my teaching better without a doubt. Arley’s “Adaptation Statement” … Continue reading →

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Journalism needs a better metaphor

Posted on April 27, 2020 by Robert Basil

NYU journalism professor Jay Rosen writes that “exposure” is a “metaphor that increasingly misleads. I refer to the image of ‘exposure’ as a description of what the press does, should do, or isn’t doing well enough. To expose wrongdoing, incompetence, … Continue reading →

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A tonic

Posted on April 11, 2020 by Robert Basil

This is from a marvellous interview with Fran Lebowitz that’s in the New Yorker: I want to switch topics and ask you a bit about Toni Morrison. Everyone felt the loss of her, but largely as a literary icon or … Continue reading →

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Time for some PD

Posted on March 8, 2020 by Robert Basil

It has been awhile since I taught a digital marketing course at my university. It was such a fun class! My third-year students all helped one another (and me) keep abreast of new apps and innovations – literally on a … Continue reading →

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Learning hungry

Posted on February 13, 2020 by Robert Basil

Earlier posts here have discussed how many university students come to class hungry. My university’s student newspaper, The Runner, notes today that almost two out of five “post-secondary students experienced some degree of food insecurity in the past year.” I … Continue reading →

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Brand-new URLs seem expensive …

Posted on January 29, 2020 by Robert Basil
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