By Pam Maldonado Nothing in my previous life prepared me to be involved in making videos. I was a pediatric ICU nurse, stay-at-home mom and eventually worked in property management. But being active in the League gives you the opportunity to grow and learn all sorts of new skills. In September, out of the blue, we were contacted by a freelance video producer named Shea Elmore, who lives in Amsterdam. He offered to donate his services to help produce Get Out the Vote videos for us. To say we were gobsmacked would be putting it lightly! Shea’s initial email included scripts for three possible 15-second videos, and was quickly followed by story boards to illustrate his ideas. Of course, our first question was how to cover the costs of production and marketing the videos on YouTube. League member, attorney Salesia Smith-Gordon, a dynamo in high heels, offered to make a
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By: Jalynsey Brown On Monday, 1/11/2021, I had the pleasure of speaking with League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County member, John Pastore. Pastore is the owner of Emergency Info Plan, LLC; an amazing tool that is helping users become prepared in the event of an emergency. Pastore explained how this business came about, after the sudden and unexpected passing of his wife in 2017. Pastore mentions how he and his wife were in different states at the time of her medical emergency and how he was not made aware of what had happened, how to reach her, which hospital she was being transported to, and so on. He also mentions how his wife was also unable to tell first responders’ pertinent medical information about herself, which may have saved her life. Pastore wants to ensure that others are educated and prepared to avoid this from happening to them,
Read more →Ever get tired of typing in your login or contact information over and over again? Wouldn’t it be great if someone, somewhere, figured out how to automatically fill in that data for you? Hey, wait! Someone already did! It’s known as AUTOFILL. AUTOFILL has been a part of the browser experience for a long time. Yet, somehow, it remains one of those features that you just don’t think about that often and may never think to use, unless someone points it out to you. AUTOFILL enables you to store certain data securely — such as your name, address, telephone number, and so on — in your browser, which you can then use to automatically fill in forms you come across online. Type “set up Autofill” in your internet search bar to learn how to do this with your browser. This works on every browser… Give it a try!
Read more →Dear League members and supporters, The League of Women Voters of Florida is pleased to announce the appointment of Former Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Peggy Ann Quince to its State Board of Directors. In 1993, Justice Peggy A. Quince became the first African-American female to be appointed to one of the district courts of appeal when she was appointed by the late Governor Lawton Chiles to the Second District Court of Appeals. Five years later, Justice Quince had the distinct privilege of being jointly appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by Governor Chiles and governor-elect Jeb Bush. A third Governor had input when Governor Chiles died and his successor, Governor Buddy MacKay also agreed on the appointment of Quince. Justice Quince became the third female and first African-American woman to head any branch of Florida government when she became the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida in
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The Healthcare Committee is reopening their program to show families how to be better prepared for emergencies by using www.EmergencyInfoPlan.com This site now educates both iPhone and Android phone users on how to alert 911 and important contacts of an emergency and to provide vital medical information at the scene to those who come to your aid. The unique phone sticker program has been expanded to also include Emergency Alert Stickers for cars and homes to tell first responders to check your phone for medical information and emergency contacts. Our healthcare committee member, John Pastore, was inspired by his own personal tragedy to develop the website www.EmergencyInfoPlan.com Everyone seems to carry a mobile phone today. It’s obvious that mobile phones are the device of choice to alert 911, to provide vital information to first responders and to notify contacts. Most people think they are prepared, but when they take the
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Local League of Women Voters Partners with Solar United Neighbors to Virtually Launch Palm Beach County Solar Co-op on Jan. 14 New Co-Op Offers Affordable Rooftop Solar (West Palm Beach, FL – December __, 2020) The League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County (LWVPBC) is partnering with Solar United Neighbors (SUN) to launch the Palm Beach County Solar Co-op on January 14 to help Palm Beach County residents go solar. Other nonprofit partners on the co-op include the City of Boca Raton, City of Boynton Beach, Climate Reality Project Boca Raton Chapter, City of Delray Beach, Elders Climate Action, Sierra Club, Southeast Alliance for Clean Energy and South Florida Regional Planning Council Clean Cities Coalition. “The co-op will enable Palm Beach County homeowners and business owners to join the growing community of people saving money by harnessing solar power,” said Laura Tellez, South Florida program coordinator for SUN. “Together, we’re
Read more →by Linda Geller-Schwartz Co-Chair Voting Rights Coalition Now that a reformist administration is on the verge of being inaugurated in D.C., we can anticipate that some of the most urgent changes in national voting laws will have a chance of being implemented. During the last Congress, two bills, H.R. 1, For the People’s Act and H.R.4, The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act were passed by the House of Representatives, but never taken up for consideration in the Senate. With some modifications to address the problems that occurred during the 2020 Election, we know that both bills will be re-introduced during the 117th Congress. H.R.1, For the People Act is comprehensive voting legislation that would, inter alia, make voting easier and more accessible; lower barriers to running for office by addressing the problem of money in politics; and require independent redistricting commissions. The Brennan Center calls it “historic legislation that
Read more →Remember Me. Ever get tired of making mistakes when typing in your username and password? Maybe it’s too hard to remember a complicated password? Wouldn’t it be great to have a website login automatically Remember YOU? Your browser can do that for you! Google Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer, Edge, Firefox- all of the browsers can save passwords. This works on your smartphone and tablets, too. Type “save passwords” in your internet search bar to learn how to do this with your browser. Give it a try!
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By Christene Campbell-Gabor This year’s Government Bee Contest was conducted via Instagram due to COVID-19. Lori Dool, Palm Beach County School District Secondary School Social Studies Program Planner and the Co-Vice Chair of our Civics Education Committee, worked with a committee from the sponsoring bodies to make it happen. Thank you, Lori. In the preliminary round, five civic questions were posted daily during the week of October 26. Participating students responded and winners were listed on a leaderboard. In the final round, which was held on November 2 the day before the national elections, the leading students were given a specific time frame to submit their responses to 10 civic questions. It was an exciting competition for all 21 students who participated. There was even a tiebreaker question in the finals. Congratulations to all of the winners. Winning students and their teachers were awarded monetary prizes. We
Read more →The Everglades Handbook: Understanding the Ecosystem, Fourth Edition By Thomas E. Lodge Reviewed By Kathy Panko What a great idea for holiday gift-giving! The Third Edition of The Everglades Handbook is completely revised, updated, and now with color photographs and illustrations in every chapter. The book provides a breadth and depth of information on the entire ecosystem of the Everglades that cannot be found anywhere else. Written by Thomas Lodge, one of the most respected authorities on the Everglades and one of its most ardent protectors, the book is an updated, expanded, and comprehensive explanation of what the Everglades is, how it has been changed, and the restoration needed to bring back ecological functions and safeguard sustainable future uses of the region by people. The expanded and updated cover in the third edition includes: – St. Lucie/Indian River estuary – Kissimmee headwaters, including the
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