Next week's meeting will focus on Diabetes Awareness. We will run a practice diabetes screening at our meeting, assisted by staff from Walgreens, and hear details of our Lions Diabetes Awareness project. CHUCK BASFORD is the Program Host. He says we should all take part in the screening, even if we are known to be diabetic, to see if the screening process works. No word on exactly what the process entails, and of course participation is completely voluntary. You can just come to watch and listen, but come!
The numbers were still up a little at our last meeting, which is good to see. GLENN SCHAEFFER was back, saying that he had resolved a calendar conflict and hoped to be with us more often, altho he twitted the editor for not including him on the list of "infrequent irregulars" last week. Guess we should have included JOHN, MARK, MARGARET, JOE, NEIL and GORDIE among those we'd like to see more often. And we have to get OTTO, ORV, JOHN, MARSHALL and DALE off the sick list and back on board.
The TT (wearing his American Flag tie in honor of Election Primary Day) tested the microphone as usual. It worked. Enough said. LINDA BERGREN was once again drafted as song leader, and this time the pitch averaging process took place before we started, so it went a little better when we got going. (BOB SMITH's old pitch pipe is still in the equipment box, we think.) DON NEVIASER emerged from the pack with the invocation. (Editor's comment: Lions, if you are scheduled for the invocation, please let the Prez know before the meeting starts, so he can call on you. Takes some of the stress off the presiding officer - there's enough of it as it is.)
We had one guest, Vicki Boutilier, a Lone Arranger for Fairway Mortgage, who just happens to have an office near her host, LINDA BERGREN. Vicki came to see what Lions were all about.
MELISSA NOVINSKI, Co-Chairperson of the Rose Day Committee, announced that Rose Day will be April 19. Sale forms will be available next week, so start your selling now. Product and prices will be the same as last year: a dozen long-stemmed roses, delivered, for $24.00; a bouquet of 18 carnations for $18.00; and vases $4.00.
JOHN JENSON again circulated a signup sheet for the District Convention on March 12 and 13 at the Marriot in Middleton. Registration is from 7:30 AM to3:00 PM and the first General Session begins at 8:00 AM. The Club will pay the registration fee and lunch for any of our members who would like to attend, and you should go. A great deal of information on our Lion service (Lions Camp, Eye Bank, Pediatric Eye Clinic, Diabetes Awareness, etc.) will be presented, and you will hear how much you are really helping. Our own MICHELLE VETTERKIND will be speaking at 2:25 PM on attracting new and diverse membership to Lions - something that is very important to our continued ability to serve. The State (Multiple District) Convention will be in Wisconsin Dells on May 13, 14 and 15. We can go there too.
MICHELLE reminded us of the reception she and new husband Kirk are having in Osseo on Sat. March 20 from 8 PM to midnight. All MCLC members are invited!
CHUCK BASFORD reiterated that our Club has responsibility for transport of donated eye tissue during the month of March. Most trips are in the afternoon, to such transfer points as Portage, Beaver Dam, Johnson Creek and Janesville - about 50 miles or so - and surgeons are waiting for the corneas to transplant, so this is an urgent service. Call CHUCK or MARK LARSON to volunteer.
Last week we inducted our newest member, LOUISE FRITZ. She lives at 5 Abilene Court, Madison, 53719, phone 845-3043, is retired (at least from her day job) and belongs to a couple of other organizations where she can participate in service work. Her sponsor is LINDA BERGREN. Welcome, LOUISE - we need all the help we can get!
Greg Schnirring, Director of Wisconsin Public Radio, told us a little of the history of public broadcasting, starting with station 9XM, which became WHA and broadcast thru World War I, with a regular schedule since 1919. There are now two networks around the state, one all-FM broadcasting news and classical music and one with 2 AM and several FM stations doing education and talk shows. An important development is coming - HD Digital radio, which will greatly improve the quality of both AM and FM stations.
They need about $4.2 million per year to operate, about half of which comes from the public and the university. Some programs they initiate are heard worldwide - Michael Feldman, Best of our Knowledge, and Pat McConnell on pets. Informative program - if you missed it, you should have been there.
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High Definition, digital AM/FM Radio is coming soon to a radio station near you! Learn about the technology, find answers to common questions, and preview some of the new HD Radio products soon to be available with CrutchfieldAdvisor's in-depth look at HD Radio.Start with Robert Ferency-Viars' What You Need to Know About HD Radio article to get a brief look at HD Radio technology, its promised benefits, and new products.
Then check out Car A/V Editor Todd Cabell's interview with Robert Struble, President and CEO of iBiquity Digital, the developer of HD Radio technology. Learn why iBiquity is betting you'll want HD Radio in your car, and get a glimpse of some of the future applications HD Radio may incorporate.
Finish up with Ralph Graves' insider's glimpse into National Public Radio's ambitious Tomorrow Radio Project, and learn how HD Radio may be able to provide up to 3 different programs broadcast simultaneously on a single radio frequency!