Yes, YOU can change America! YOUR VOTE COUNTS!

I stumbled across an application for my Blackberry phone today that I felt was quite interesting, and upon reading about it further and using it for a couple of days...I feel that this could be a vital tool in putting the power back into the hands of the American people.  This application is called Visible Vote, and no I, nor my club are associated with it.  This is not part of some political agenda, but I feel that this is valuable enough to be brought to your attention as it could change America for the better in the years to come.  Best of all, it's free!  Here is the "About" section from their website:

Know your representatives and make your voice heard...

Why should your voice be heard only on Election Day? Why not let your position be heard by your representatives each and every time there is a measure to be voted on?

Visible Vote allows you to do just that. It is the first and only application to allow you to cast your virtual vote and then notify your representatives of your position weekly. Visible Vote also monitors how often your Congressmen vote in alignment with you and the people they represent.

Visible Vote is non-partisan and unbiased service that brings greater transparency and accountability to our representative form of government. Discover the most technologically powerful way to advise, communicate and track your legislators today.

Get involved now.

Who is behind Visible Vote?

Visible Vote was founded by Paul Everton, an average citizen, as he tried to "get involved" in the political process in light of the impending $700 Billion bailout. Paul discovered that making your voice heard as an average citizen is nearly impossible, because the system has become so big that it has become impractical for constituents to attempt to have a dialogue with their representatives.

After experiencing firsthand the difficulty with knowing how his legislators had voted and with having his voice heard, Paul sat down with his younger brother and explained the problems and had an “Aha!” moment, and Visible Vote was born.

Visible Vote was created to address the following:

• The average citizen feels powerless in making a difference in today's government and policies.
• We are not sure where to get fair and unbiased information on issues being voted on.
• We don’t understand how laws and politics affect us personally.
• The system is too large and complex to be engaged using old technology like faxes and voice mails.
• Political opinions are charged with emotion and Visible Vote makes it easy to understand and communicate.

Visible Vote’s Goals:

• Know your representatives and make your voice heard.
• Bring the power of government down to the everyday person.
• Personalize politics down to the individual.
• Allow for every day citizens to use technology that is simple and time efficient.
• Make it fun and enjoyable to participate and communicate with others on political issues.

Visible Vote will remain a free, unbiased, non-partisan application for every US Citizen to accomplish today what wasn’t possible before.

So basically I vote on the issues that our government is voting on.  I read and learn about the bill proposals, and then I cast my vote.  It is recorded for our government to see publicly, along with everyone else who uses the service.  I can see how my elected officials voted in comparison to me.  I can also see how other Americans are voting.  I can read about issues regarding bill proposals on various news sources, such as Fox, ABC, CNN, etc.  I can also send elected officials message to voice my opinion very easily, which could be particularly useful to Lions especially.

There are various ways to participate including: a desktop application, smart phone applications, and/or a Facebook application.

I believe as American Lions, it is our DUTY to vote and be heard, and this is a great, free, and convenient way to do so.  The more citizens that get involved, the stronger our voices, and thus, getting what our country truly needs and wants.  Democracy working at it's best!

Visit their website at: http://www.visiblevote.us/index.php to find out more.  LIONS BE HEARD!

Spring

Yesterday the twig was brown and bare;
To-day the glint of green is there;
Tomorrow will be leaflets spare;
I know no thing so wondrous fair,
No miracle so strangely rare.
I wonder what will next be there!
~L.H. Bailey

Spring is a time for rebirth, renewal, and regrowth.  Let us, as Lions, celebrate this season by doing the same!

A Chance Encounter in the White City

I just finished a great non-fictional novel about the Chicago World's Fair (aka, the White City) called, The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson.  Among the many fantastic details that I learned about in this book, one jumped out at me that I felt Lions in particular would find interesting.  I will share that brief passage in a moment, but first a little background information.

In 1892, a superintendent of the Illinois School for the Blind named Frank Haven Hall developed the first modern printing machine for the blind when he demonstrated his recently developed braille typewriter before the American Association of Instructors of the Blind.  A good writer with a slate and stylus could maybe write ten to twenty words a minute, whereas a proficient braille typewriter operator could write forty to sixty words per minute.  Because of Hall's invention, Louis Braille's devised  dot system started to become more widely accepted.

But Hall did not stop there.  He wanted to make a more powerful, quicker way to print braille; a machine that could emboss whole sheets of thick paper. He succeeded, and his newest invention was exhibited at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago (aka, Chicago World's Fair) in 1893.

Now that you know the background, I will give you the passage from Larson's novel:

          Chance Encounters led to magic.
          Frank Haven Hall, superintendent of the Illinois Institution for the Education of the Blind, 
     unveiled a new device that made plates for printing books in Braille, the Hall Braille Writer, which 
     he never patented because he felt profit should not sully the cause of serving the blind.  As he 
     stood by his newest machine, a blind girl and her escort approached him.  Upon learning that Hall 
     was the man who had invented the typewriter, she used so often, the girl put her arms around his 
     neck and gave him a huge hug and kiss.
          Forever afterward, whenever Hall told this story of how he met Helen Keller, tears would fill 
     his eyes (Larson 2003, p.285).

Until reading this book, I had not given any thought to the invention of braille or how it became widely accepted by the blind community.  It is refreshing to read a wonderful and touching passage such as this, and to know that Hall did this as a SERVICE to the blind is even more remarkable.  He certainly made a difference in the lives of the blind, which is evident by Helen Keller's reaction upon seeing one of her original Knights.  Hall's impact on the greatly improved quality of life for the blind is still evident today as most books are printed using updated versions of the Braille Writer he exhibited at the Chicago World's Fair.

I learned this information from reading articles on the American Printing House for the Blind's website at www.aph.org/ and Erik Larson's novel, The Devil in the White City.