Nonverbal Communication Pioneer

Here's a brief obituary of one of the pioneer's in nonverbal communication research.

Nassau County’s Shame

So, Nassau County was ready to nominate their first poet laureate—a six member committee voted unanimously for Maxwell Corydon Wheat Jr. But, then it was discovered that not all of his poems were sufficiently pro-war; in fact, some had criticized the war. So, in the end, the committee to nominate a poet laureate, voted 6 to 1 against his being appointed because they didn’t like his position on the war. Is Nassau County now going to investigate teachers, police officers, and doctors, for example, and only appoint those who are pro-war? Anyone now appointed poet laureate of Nassau County will have to know that it’s not the poetry that ultimately counts, it’s the poet’s politics. Shame on you Nassau County!

Plagiarism (Again)

Here's an interesting website on plagiarism with great examples.

Plagiarism

Here's a recent article on apparent plagiarism by a school superintendent. It gets more and more difficult, it would seem, to convince students not to plagiarize when educational and political leaders are apparently doing it as well.

Graduate Student Must Reading

If you're a graduate student, I think you'll be interested in Mark Hickson's "Why Bother Attending Conferences?" in the October 2006 (which for some reason I just received) issue of Communication Education. It is exactly the kind of article that will help you see the great values in attending academic conferences.

Essentials of Human Communication

I just heard that the 6th edition of Essentials of Human Communication (2008)will be translated into Czech. This is my second book that will be in Czech. It's especially interesting since there are only 10-12 million people who speak Czech as a first language, though others speak it as a second language. Communication, so it would seem, is an important topic in the Czech Republic and I couldn't be more pleased.

Persuasion book

If you want a book on persuasion that's practical for today’s world and at the same time discusses the roots of rhetoric (Aristotle, Cicero, Quintilian—the entire group is here), take a look at Jay Heinrichs’ Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion (Three Rivers Press, 2007). The subtitles of just a few of the chapters will give you an idea of the book’s perspective and range: Cicero’s Lightbulb, Eminem’s Rules of Decorum, The Belushi Paradigm, Quintilian’s Useful Doubt, Aristotle’s Favorite Topic, Monty Python’s Treasury of Wit, The Brad Pitt Factor. It’s definitely a book worth looking into.