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Robert McKenzie

Robert McKenzie

About

My Scottish dad and English mom boarded a passenger ship to travel around the world. They made it to Canada, then California, and then had three kids. End of the world tour. For a while.

As a kid I lived in Southern California, then in Texas, and then lived as an adult in Pennsylvania while also staying for extended periods of time in England and Sweden. 

I earned a Ph.D. from Penn State University in the field of Communication.

Already in this biography I don't like how much I'm saying "I this, I that," but what other choice is there when you write your own biography? 

So, I guess I'll continue....

I'm now a professor and the chairperson of the Communication Studies department at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. I'm also the Advisor to the university's radio station, W-E-S-S (90.3 FM), where I host two shows, "The Stones Hour" (centered on Keith Richards' rhythm guitar), and "The Talk Show." 

I like to play golf, watch Phillies baseball, make food on my crude outdoor barbecue pit, meet people, and go around seeing the world. I've been to most countries in Europe, several Caribbean islands, Mexico, Canada, Ghana and China. And I love listening to Rolling Stones music. Their tunes "Jumping Jack Flash live (from the 1972 tour), When the Whip Comes Down live (from the 1978 tour), and Respectable (studio version) are three of my favorites.

My philosophy in life is guided by the mantra that you can decide to make the day a good one if you want.

I prefer not to conform to standard ways of thinking about what is important in life, which is a big reason why I wrote Rounding Some Corners.
 

Commitment

Commitment

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Description

<p>It’s hard to be committed to anyone when you don’t know whom to trust.</p><p>Alexis Toles, a former FBI agent turned undercover CIA agent, is quickly finding that out in Nancy Ann Healy’s newest political thriller, <i>Commitment</i>.</p><p>Alex embeds in a secret organization of intelligence operatives known as The Collaborative. Its partners include operatives from the CIA, National Security Agency, FBI, US Department of Defense, and an entanglement of foreign intelligence agencies.</p><p>It’s about half a year after the death of President John Merrow, a friend and someone she respected. But she remains committed to overthrowing The Collaborative as she works with a onetime adversary who believes the organization’s involved in the president’s death.</p><p>Meanwhile Alex; her wife, Cassidy O’Brien; and Cassidy’s son try hard to live as a family but must first overcome personal struggles, including a nasty custody battle with Cassidy’s ex-husband, Congressman Christopher O’Brien. The family has their own share of secrets that, if unleashed, could affect their hopes for the future.</p><p>There’s no place to turn without discovering people who are not who they claim to be. That can’t stop Alex. She must remain committed to the cause, both at home and as she works against The Collaborative.</p>

Story Behind The Book

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<div class="a-section celwidget" style="margin-bottom:22px;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:12.7272720336914px;line-height:19px;"> <div class="a-row a-spacing-micro" style="width:717.272705078125px;margin-bottom:4px;"> <div class="a-icon-row a-spacing-none" style="line-height:0;padding-top:1px;padding-bottom:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"><a class="a-link-normal a-text-normal a-color-base" href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R6D2A35DVNWGL/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&amp;ASIN=0692281401&amp;channel=detail-glance&amp;nodeID=283155&amp;store=books" style="color:rgb(17,17,17);"><span class="a-size-base a-text-bold" style="line-height:19px;font-weight:bold;">Some (mainly most) of his articles are funny..</span></a></div> <span class="a-color-secondary" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);"><span class="a-size-normal"><span class="a-color-secondary">By </span><a class="noTextDecoration" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/ADM8P8QU2SH44/ref=cm_cr_dp_pdp" style="color:rgb(0,102,192);">J. Gumble</a> </span><span class="a-color-secondary">on November 19, 2014</span></span></div> <div class="a-row a-spacing-small" style="width:717.272705078125px;margin-bottom:10px;"><span class="a-size-mini a-color-secondary" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);font-size:11px;line-height:1.465;">Format: Paperback</span><span class="a-size-mini a-color-state a-text-bold" style="color:rgb(196,85,0);font-size:11px;line-height:1.465;font-weight:bold;"> Verified Purchase</span> <div class="a-section" style="margin-bottom:0px;"><span class="MHRHead">As one of this author's former students at his respective college, I was really curious about his new book ... that and I also needed some new reading material since I was running out of things to read. The book &quot;ROUNDING SOME CORNERS&quot; is a book that presents a collection of articles that this author wrote for the Pocono Record for an extended period of time. The articles that he wrote (there are about 150 in this book), overall examine on just how silly, ironic, and sometimes downright weird people can be. Some (mainly most) of his articles are funny ... some are serious ... and some will actual put you in deep thought and make you see things in a whole new light. Its a book where he is not trying to make you agree with him ... but more of a book that will really challenge your own perspective on things, and maybe add some clarity to your own morals and values.<br /><br /> Of the almost 150 articles in the book, I have read about 1/3rd of the book so far, and I must admit ... while some I have gotten a really good laugh out of it (some articles are designed to), some have also really opened my eyes and made me say to myself - &quot;Wow, I never thought of it that way, or looked at it from that angle&quot;. He tackles things ranging from Valentine's Day (one of my favorite articles in the book) ... to our Health Care system ... to Social Media ... to Broadcasting ... to Sports ... to Drug Use ... even things as silly as &quot;Auto-Correct&quot; (one of the best, and funniest, articles in the book in my opinion). It really is a fascinating book that will really challenge your perspective on things.<br /><br /> One of the highlights in the book, that is also mentioned in the preface of the book ...</span><span class="a-declarative"><a class="a-link-normal" href="http://www.amazon.com/Rounding-Some-Corners-Observing-Oddball/product-reviews/0692281401/ref=cm_cr_dp_text?ie=UTF8&amp;showViewpoints=0&amp;sortBy=byRankDescending#R6D2A35DVNWGL" style="color:rgb(0,102,192);">Read more ›</a></span></div> </div> <a class="a-link-normal comment-link" href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R6D2A35DVNWGL/ref=cm_cr_dp_cmt?ie=UTF8&amp;ASIN=0692281401&amp;channel=detail-glance&amp;nodeID=283155&amp;store=books#wasThisHelpful" style="color:rgb(0,102,192);" title="0">Comment</a>  <span>Was this review helpful to you?  <span class="a-declarative"><span class="a-button a-button-beside-text a-button-small yesButton votingButtonReviews" style="padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;text-align:center;margin-top:-3px;height:22px;background:rgb(231,233,236);"><span class="a-button-inner" style="height:20px;"><a class="a-button-text a-text-center" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/voting/cast/Reviews/2115/R6D2A35DVNWGL/Helpful/1/ref=cm_cr_dp_voteyn_yes?ie=UTF8&amp;target=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2dwL3Byb2R1Y3QvMDY5MjI4MTQwMS9yZWY9Y21fY3JfZHB2b3RlcmRy&amp;token=B9ED0C737483BA8374595D17F2C5795AE008B3F7&amp;voteAnchorName=R6D2A35DVNWGL.2115.Helpful.Reviews&amp;voteSessionID=178-9200309-4358655" style="color:rgb(17,17,17);padding:0px 6px 0px 7px;font-size:11px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;border:0px;white-space:nowrap;width:32.0738639831543px;height:20px;background-color:transparent;" title="Yes">Yes</a></span></span><span class="a-button a-button-beside-text a-button-small noButton votingButtonReviews" style="padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;text-align:center;margin-top:-3px;height:22px;margin-left:.385em;background:rgb(231,233,236);"><span class="a-button-inner" style="height:20px;"><a class="a-button-text a-text-center" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/voting/cast/Reviews/2115/R6D2A35DVNWGL/Helpful/-1/ref=cm_cr_dp_voteyn_no?ie=UTF8&amp;target=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2dwL3Byb2R1Y3QvMDY5MjI4MTQwMS9yZWY9Y21fY3JfZHB2b3RlcmRy&amp;token=63223DB1E40DDABA02411638EF51474F64F1E02C&amp;voteAnchorName=R6D2A35DVNWGL.2115.Helpful.Reviews&amp;voteSessionID=178-9200309-4358655" style="color:rgb(17,17,17);padding:0px 6px 0px 7px;font-size:11px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;border:0px;white-space:nowrap;width:27.5284080505371px;height:20px;background-color:transparent;" title="No">No</a></span></span></span></span></div> <div class="a-section celwidget" style="margin-bottom:22px;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:12.7272720336914px;line-height:19px;"> <div class="a-row a-spacing-micro" style="width:717.272705078125px;margin-bottom:4px;"> <div class="a-icon-row a-spacing-none" style="line-height:0;padding-top:1px;padding-bottom:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"><a class="a-link-normal a-text-normal a-color-base" href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R20GLO4VKICVNR/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&amp;ASIN=0692281401&amp;channel=detail-glance&amp;nodeID=283155&amp;store=books" style="color:rgb(17,17,17);"><span class="a-size-base a-text-bold" style="line-height:19px;font-weight:bold;">Worth Every Penny!</span></a></div> <span class="a-color-secondary" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);"><span class="a-size-normal"><span class="a-color-secondary">By </span><a class="noTextDecoration" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A36BPGQ2LE0BZT/ref=cm_cr_dp_pdp" style="color:rgb(0,102,192);">Poconos</a> </span><span class="a-color-secondary">on November 6, 2014</span></span></div> <div class="a-row a-spacing-small" style="width:717.272705078125px;margin-bottom:10px;"><span class="a-size-mini a-color-secondary" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);font-size:11px;line-height:1.465;">Format: Paperback</span> <div class="a-section" style="margin-bottom:0px;">I am giving this book five stars and I haven't even read it! However, I have read almost every single story in this book because they all appeared in my local newspaper (The Pocono Record...a great small town paper). Every story was easy to read and held my attention until the very end and, the very end was where you got the payoff.<br /> Buy the book and you WILL enjoy it.</div> </div> <a class="a-link-normal comment-link" href="http://www.amazon.com/review/R20GLO4VKICVNR/ref=cm_cr_dp_cmt?ie=UTF8&amp;ASIN=1502782766&amp;channel=detail-glance&amp;nodeID=283155&amp;store=books#wasThisHelpful" style="color:rgb(0,102,192);" title="0">Comment</a>  <span>Was this review helpful to you?  <span class="a-declarative"><span class="a-button a-button-beside-text a-button-small yesButton votingButtonReviews" style="padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;text-align:center;margin-top:-3px;height:22px;background:rgb(231,233,236);"><span class="a-button-inner" style="height:20px;"><a class="a-button-text a-text-center" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/voting/cast/Reviews/2115/R20GLO4VKICVNR/Helpful/1/ref=cm_cr_dp_voteyn_yes?ie=UTF8&amp;target=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2dwL3Byb2R1Y3QvMDY5MjI4MTQwMS9yZWY9Y21fY3JfZHB2b3RlcmRy&amp;token=43A906E3C841E3593C338ACE4A52B43F90682A68&amp;voteAnchorName=R20GLO4VKICVNR.2115.Helpful.Reviews&amp;voteSessionID=178-9200309-4358655" style="color:rgb(17,17,17);padding:0px 6px 0px 7px;font-size:11px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;border:0px;white-space:nowrap;width:32.0738639831543px;height:20px;background-color:transparent;" title="Yes">Yes</a></span></span><span class="a-button a-button-beside-text a-button-small noButton votingButtonReviews" style="padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;text-align:center;margin-top:-3px;height:22px;margin-left:.385em;background:rgb(231,233,236);"><span class="a-button-inner" style="height:20px;"><a class="a-button-text a-text-center" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/voting/cast/Reviews/2115/R20GLO4VKICVNR/Helpful/-1/ref=cm_cr_dp_voteyn_no?ie=UTF8&amp;target=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5hbWF6b24uY29tL2dwL3Byb2R1Y3QvMDY5MjI4MTQwMS9yZWY9Y21fY3JfZHB2b3RlcmRy&amp;token=7EE63010075B1E078B4D24461247A8E5AB9BFB0C&amp;voteAnchorName=R20GLO4VKICVNR.2115.Helpful.Reviews&amp;voteSessionID=178-9200309-4358655" style="color:rgb(17,17,17);padding:0px 6px 0px 7px;font-size:11px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;border:0px;white-space:nowrap;width:27.5284080505371px;height:20px;background-color:transparent;" title="No">No</a></span></span></span></span></div> <div class="a-section celwidget" style="margin-bottom:0px;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:12.7272720336914px;line-height:19px;"> <div class="a-row a-spacing-micro" style="width:717.272705078125px;margin-bottom:4px;"> <div class="a-icon-row a-spacing-none" style="line-height:0;padding-top:1px;padding-bottom:0px;margin-bottom:0px;"><a class="a-link-normal a-text-normal a-color-base" href="http://www.amazon.com/review/RJ10F8TISP3QU/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&amp;ASIN=0692281401&amp;channel=detail-glance&amp;nodeID=283155&amp;store=books" style="color:rgb(17,17,17);"><span class="a-size-base a-text-bold" style="line-height:19px;font-weight:bold;">Would make a great Christmas gift</span></a></div> <span class="a-color-secondary" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);"><span class="a-size-normal"><span class="a-color-secondary">By </span><a class="noTextDecoration" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A2VBYCL0P8I45I/ref=cm_cr_dp_pdp" style="color:rgb(0,102,192);">mark lichty</a> </span><span class="a-color-secondary">on November 21, 2014</span></span></div> <div class="a-row a-spacing-small" style="width:717.272705078125px;margin-bottom:10px;"><span class="a-size-mini a-color-secondary" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);font-size:11px;line-height:1.465;">Format: Paperback</span> <div class="a-section" style="margin-bottom:0px;">Over the years I looked forward to Rob's Columns in our local paper. He has a wry sense of humor. His insights on many topics reflect the breadth of his world experience. One can pick this up,read a few columns and return to it at will. Would make a great Christmas gift. Mark Lichty</div> </div> </div>