“My return trip home from the coronavirus capitol of Wuhan gave me a sense of peace for, oh, about fifteen minutes. Then my thoughts began to run to Yogi Berra’s famous quote “It’s like deja vu all over again.” The recent outbreak of coronavirus throughout the United States brings back the same feelings as Wuhan’s …
“What, me worry?” Alfred E. Neuman, Yogi, and the coronavirus Read More »
A humbled communication professional stands before you. This story tells how Wuhan and the coronavirus continue to teach me about life. Maybe the lessons will help you. I wrote a book called Seeking Balance. The work provides common-sense advice on speaking English in daily situations. I was proud of my two-year effort and considered myself …
Lessons from living in a coronavirus-ravaged Wuhan Read More »
The last few days provided me the rare view of seeing inside real fear on a large scale as a tense pall envelopes Wuhan, a city of humans not statistics. Here a few examples. The second rescue plane was cancelled two days ago. People leave frantic messages on WeChat about babies and paperwork problems. Real …
Today, a former student of mine posted the simple yet eloquent plea on WeChat “Please, do something humans.” He sums up the feelings in Wuhan, the sense of facing a crisis alone. I live in Wuhan, the coronavirus capitol of the world. We’re all germ-infested suspects, the Chinese, Americans, and all other nationalities. We’re accused …
Monday, January 27: A battle between masks, hand washing and germs plays out in this central China city. Will Wuhan explode into a sea of coronavirus patients overwhelming all medical facilities or will a hidden population wearing masks turn the tide? This week could tell the tale. Wuhan doctors estimate 250,000 carriers of the deadly …
I live in Wuhan. Few had ever heard of the city before last week. Now it sits at the center of the worldwide coronavirus scare. Thursday morning, January 23rd, the news that Wuhan closed all public transportation in, out, and around the city came out, setting the city into a coronavirus panic. Realizing you can’t …
English speaking 2020 Day 3 Are you open-minded when speaking English? Do you consider other points of view when discussing a hot topic or do you abruptly cut others off if you disagree? Today, Americans furiously debate President Donald Trump, the most polarizing man in the world. Conversations between family and friends cannot take place …
Holiday season is upon us. The biggest change to a holiday dinner isn’t vegan turkey but getting the kids to put down their cellphones. John McGory decided to write a book to help grandparents and kids to talk. Instead of dinner talk with grandma and grandpa, the ubiquitous head-down pose of youngsters grabbing a glance …
Give the gift of talking: A book to help grandparents and kids talk Read More »
Holiday season is upon us. The biggest change to a holiday dinner isn’t vegan turkey but the complete addiction to mobile technology. English-speaking improvement takes a hit when the phones come out. Instead of dinner talk with long-lost aunts, uncles, and cousins, the ubiquitous head-down pose of people grabbing a glance at social media feeds …
English-speaking improvement guide helps excessive cellphone use Read More »
Improving English takes effort and a plan. John McGory’s new book provides a unique strategy: using yinyang to improve English. The key to yinyang is accepting balance. Good English or bad English are not two things but one. An excellent English speaker realizes the importance of both sides of a feeling, thought, or emotion. “Take …
