It is a beautiful day in the northern suburbs of Chicago. A quarter century ago, when I was a staff editor at a monthly trade magazine cleverly titled, Hardware Merchandiser, this was the kind of a day that would compel the magazine’s editor to come back from a lengthy lunch and announce:

“This is too nice of a day. Everyone, go home and enjoy!”

“Yes!” I’d think to myself, “Freedom!” It wouldn’t take long to power down the IBM PS/2 (just had to be sure not to leave the 1.44 MB, 3.5-inch floppy in the disk drive). A few quick good-byes, and then an afternoon of fun in the sun.

Haven’t had a boss like that since. Of course, none of my other bosses got fired, either.

Today, I settled for a walk during lunch, and an immediate getaway at 5 p.m.–after logging off of the Dell Optiplex 755.

In the past couple of days, terrorist plots have been in the news, indirectly targeting two innocent faith groups which have to once again see that people don’t understand some very basic concepts.

The first terrorist plot was launched successfully on Monday, March 29, when twin suicide bombings of the Moscow subway system killed 39 people and wounded scores more. The attack has been blamed on “Muslim extremists” in the Caucasus region.

The second terrorist plot was nipped in the planning stages over the weekend, when nine “apocalyptic Christian militants,” who were plotting to kill law enforcement officers in hopes of inciting an antigovernment uprising, were arrested in raids in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana.

The link in those two separate terrorist events was the belief that political change needed to be made through violence, and that the violence was approved by the God of these Muslim and Christian terrorists. Nothing could be further from the truth, and these terrorists couldn’t be further from true Muslims and Christians.

That is a quote by Maulana Jameel Ahmed Ilyasi, secretary-general of the All-India Association of Imams and Mosques, during a visit to Israel, organized by the American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) India office. Ilaysi arrived as part of a delegation of Indian Muslim leaders and journalists, and his organization represents half a million imams, who are the main religious leaders of India’s 200 million Muslims.

So he was the voice of reason for a large organization of Muslims, when asked to address Hamas’s call for jihad to destroy Israel. Ilaysi said,

That view would be applauded by the millions of Christians who are in the midst of Holy Week, a time for reflection and recognition of the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I imagine that the Lord is saddened by statements taken from the website created by the recently arrested militants:

and a quote:

According to a news article in the March 30 New York Times,

I’ve been studying the Book of Revelation with another member of my church and our youth pastor. For you non-Christians, let me assure you that it doesn’t state that anyone is to stockpile munitions and be ready to “fight for Jesus.”

Actually, Revelation is clear that the final battle against Satan and his deceived followers will be fought and won by the Lord. No sword-wielding human fanatics will be necessary.

When you read news accounts about “Muslim extremists” or “Christian militants,” please don’t help fan the flames of religious intolerance by spreading the lie that these idiots represent the Muslim or Christian faiths.

As a follower of Jesus Christ, I believe that Easter symbolizes forgiveness, rebirth, and God’s saving power. It is a victory over sin and death, which cause so much harm in people’s lives.

This Easter Sunday, I’ll be thinking about God’s saving power, and the destructive forces, like extremists and militants, that distort the true meaning of the holiday.

Peace.

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and I participated today in an awareness presentation at work, led by our local American Cancer Society representative. I still find it hard to believe that people resist examinations that could save their lives, but some of the other attendees talked about their own hesitancy, or that of a loved one.

According to the Colon Cancer Alliance, Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the U.S. The American Cancer Society estimates that nearly 50,000 people died of colorectal cancer last year, representing about one-third of the new cases of that cancer that were diagnosed.

The sad fact is that 80% of all cases of colorectal cancer can be prevented with recommended screening–which too many people avoid. Colorectal cancer is one of the most detectable and, if found early enough, most treatable forms of cancer. Over 90% of those diagnosed when the cancer is found at a local stage (confined to colon or rectum) survive more than five years.

I’ve never had colon cancer, but people I know and love have, including my mom and one one my best friends, Don. My mom had a cancerous polyp removed, and with minimal follow-up treatment, has remained cancer-free for several years. Unfortunately, my friend Don wasn’t so lucky. Years ago, he had a section of his bowel removed to try to stop the spread of a cancerous polyp. We thought that the cancer was caught early enough, but Don died in 2005 after battling cancer that spread throughout his abdomen.

No one likes the screening tests that detect potential precancerous growths early, but they are a walk in the park compared to dying of cancer. I’ve seen it more than once, so believe me.

It was lunchtime on Friday, and I was surfing various media websites, when I took a decided left-turn at the South Idaho Press in Burley, Idaho. Feeling somewhat morbid, I decided to check out the local obituaries, where I came across this interesting notice:

I have no clue as to what a Grand Pizzle does, but surely Burley is suffering the loss this week.

While attempting to uncover the duties of a Grand Pizzle, the closest I came to an answer actually extended the mystery. I discovered that someone has created a LinkedIn profile for a “Lord Pizzle,” Grand Poopah at Prestige Worldwide, in the Toronto area. Perhaps a distant cousin?

I may have to investigate the Toronto lead in-person this summer, when I attend the IABC World Conference in Toronto.

In the meantime, any suggestions from you as to the value of a Grand Pizzle in society?

We may be moving deeper into the electronic age of communication, but people still print and distribute business cards. I trade a lot of cards with folks I meet at professional development seminars and association events, and I try to send a short note to most, as a follow-up to our meeting.

It saddens me to see how many of these communication professionals unknowlingly sabotage their effort to market themselves and/or their company. How?

They opt for flair over readibility, by choosing a typeface and/or font size that are hard to read.

A recent example: Last week, I met a very nice photographer at an IABC/Chicago networking event. We exchanged cards, and I sent her a follow-up email the next day. One day later, I received an automated notice from my mail server, stating that my email didn’t go through.

I looked at her card again. Her photography business was named after her, with a middle initial that looked like a lowercase letter “L.” Her email address was in 9-point type, with part of it appearing (to my aging eyes) to be “@klh…” I then realized that the letter I took for an “l” actually was an “i”–the difference was very hard to detect.

It is difficult to generate leads, and it is unwise to put up barriers that discourage potential customers or colleagues from reaching you.

The gold-medal game in the Olympics was just about everything that someone would want: skilled passing, shooting and goal-tending, a last-minute goal to send the game into overtime, and an athletic shot to end the game in sudden-death.

But I didn’t have a sense of national loss that I might have if the winning team had been from a Nordic country. As the teams lined up for their medals, and their names were announced, it was clearly a celebration of athletes who competed for their nation of origin, but who were making a living elsewhere. In several cases, players from the Canadian team were shipped in from a U.S.-based professional hockey team, and some of the U.S. team were cheered in Vancouver because they played professional hockey in Canada.

Does that make a difference? If you’re asking whether it was “wrong,” clearly not. If you’re asking whether it changed my attitude, I’d say that it did. I was cheering for the U.S. team to pull the upset, but when the medals were being handed out, I was proud of both teams.

It didn’t feel like “Canada versus America (U.S.).” It felt more like “Canerica” showing the world how we can compete with each other, but maintain our honor and dignity, even when we don’t “win.”

That happens in sports, and doesn’t happen often in politics or business.

I was reminded of that tonight, and I remembered why the Olympics remains important. I’m sorry that another Games has ended, and with it, the taste of what might be, in that mystical land of Canerica.

As Black History Month winds down, I’m sharing a poem that I wrote two years ago for a contest at work. I won the poem-writing portion of the contest, but I don’t think they got more than a handful of entries.

Still, I think this has value. Enjoy.

Black
“Is it because I’m black??!!”
The comedian asked.
As if being “black” could be a reason
Or an excuse
To treat someone differently.

But what is, “black”?
How could a single color
Singled out from the rainbow
Tell so many
That they have no shades of grey?

Not different
From each other.
Not the same
As anyone else.
Separate and NOT equal
In the color-blind eyes of the racist.

Is Black History Month
A time to gently return
The color black to the rainbow,
So that it can join the other colors
In a celebration?
Where every color is joined together AND equal
In the color-soaked universe of our Creator God

“Is it because I’m black?”
“Yes,” the rainbow answered.
As if we could be a rainbow
Without you
Within us
To be glorious together.

(c) 2008 Tom Keefe

Communications pro Allan Jenkins, from his base in Hjelm Bay, Møn, Denmark, sends a tweet calling the Danish daily Politiken “complete wimps” for apologizing over the publication years ago of unflattering editorial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

Link to story

Was it cowardice, or common sense? If an axe-wielding extremist broke into your home because you posted a comment or cartoon that might be considered “offensive,” or continued to plot ways to kill you, would you be willing to die for freedom of speech? Really?

Why then, do I hear and watch so much “humor” and “editorial comment” knocking the Christian faith, but just about zero directed at Islam? Why do people think it is acceptable, even in the workplace, to use “Jesus Christ” as a swear word, but those same people wouldn’t think of substituting “Prophet Muhammad”?

Christians don’t blow up innocent groups of people, and they don’t grab an axe to attack people who disparage their Lord, Jesus Christ.

Should they? It seems to work for Islamic extremists, at least in Denmark. Allan might think his local journalists are wimps, but maybe they are realists. And maybe we are, too.

Finally, President Obama and I agree on something. Unfortunately, my chance of seeing it happen in my home is about the same as Obama’s chance of passing his health-care reform.

In an Associated Press news article titled, “Obama: No weeknight television for Malia, Sasha,” the U.S. president says the one sure way to help kids learn is to stop them from watching television on school nights.

The story quotes Obama as saying, “The girls don’t watch TV during the week. Period.” He later adds, “Very early on, we set expectations for Malia and Sasha in terms of them taking responsibility for their own education. They got alarm clocks at age 4 to begin waking themselves up, making their own beds and getting themselves ready to get to school on time. We monitor them. But they are expected to be prepared to learn when they go to school.”

I’ve fought a losing battle for years in the Keefe household around time spent in front of the TV. Unfortunately, my wife was in the habit of using television to fall asleep at night, and that habit continues to this day. The kids watch some television “to wind down” after school, and actually spend several hours in front of the tube every day.

Most of the shows we watch add nothing to the value of our lives; they are just time-wasters. I have enough other interests and commitments to keep me from lasting long in front of the TV, and the kids are active enough in sports and church groups so that they do engage in healthy pursuits.

I just wish that they could see how much of their lives are being wasted in front of the boob tube.

On Feb. 16, 2010, IABC/Chicago held a professional development session titled, “Making the Most Effective and Efficient Use of Your Time.” Barbara Talisman, president of Talisman Associates, Inc., delivered the presentation.

UPDATED 2/28/2010: I finally was able to upload the video to the IABC/Chicago YouTube channel. I’ve deleted the PodPress videos, which took too long to load, and embedded the YouTube video. Enjoy!

In this 8:45-minute video, Barbara is interviewed by IABC/Chicago volunteer Wanda Whitson. They discuss:

• The benefits of a social media policy for organizations, and the risks if companies don't have one
• Some of Barbara's favorite social media tools
• An example of a successful social media campaign for an external audience
• Who 'owns' social media within an organization
• Then, two session attendees share one learning that they obtained from the session

For information on upcoming IABC/Chicago events, go to http://chicago.iabc.com.

For information on the consulting services offered by Talisman Associates, Inc., go to www.3talisman.com.