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Tag Archives: technology

Looking Back at Our Favorite Classic Toys

04 Thursday Jun 2020

Posted by lionspridewi in Holidays, News

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box, child, classic, Duncan, fun, june, lions pride, luck, magic 8 ball, maple, retro, screen, silly putty, slinky, storage, technology, toys, video conferencing, wisconsin, world war ii

Photo Credit to Mick Haupt

This Saturday, June 6, is National Yo-Yo Day! We know that some time has probably passed since you’ve shown off your yo-yoing skills, but let us tell why and how it’s worth celebrating.

You might be surprised to learn that the world-famous Duncan Yo-Yo was produced in the Dairy State for most of its existence. The yo-yo first gained popularity in the 1930s. To handle the increase in demand, the Duncan Company began searching for an area with better access to Wisconsin’s hard maple trees. In 1946, they built a plant in Luck, Wisconsin, and were able to produce 3600 yo-yos per hour, earning the village the nickname, “Yo-Yo Capital of the World.” Today, you can still find yo-yos, but they, of course, aren’t nearly as popular as the toy industry has continued to modernize over time.  

We’ve said it once, and we’ll probably say it at least a dozen more times, but we are living in unprecedented times. For the past decade, technology has become an ingrained part of life, but during the coronavirus pandemic, most of our communication has been taking place primarily through video conferencing. The increase in screen-time has left many of us in need of a technology break. We thought it might be fun to take a look back at a brief history some of our favorite classic toys, in honor of the unofficial celebration:

  • Slinky – In 1943, Mechanical Engineer Richard James created the Slinky by accident. After working to develop springs that could necessary ship equipment steady at sea, he knocked a few samples of the shelf and watched them gracefully “walk” down instead of falling. He and his wife Betty devised a plan to turn the discovery into the next novelty toy.
  • Magic 8 Ball – The Magic 8 Ball is credited to Albert Carter, who grew up in Cincinnati, during a time when spiritualism was hitting its peak. Albert’s mother’s job as a Clairvoyant inspired him to create a fortune-telling device of his own. He forged a business partnership with Abe Bookman to mass-produce the toy. Unfortunately, he passed before seeing the product patented, but Bookman was able to perfect and patent the toy to what we know and love today.
  • Silly Putty – Here’s another example of a toy created by accident! Engineer James Wright worked for the US War Production Board during World War II to construct an inexpensive substitute for synthetic rubber. After he dropped boric acid into the mixture, he created a substance that was stretchier and bouncier than rubber. As a bonus, it could also pick up a perfect copy of print when flattened against a newspaper or comic book. The government wasn’t interested in his “nutty putty,” but partygoers loved the discovery.  

These are, of course, only four of a multitude of classic toys. What was your favorite toy as a child? We’d love to hear in the comments below.

This weekend, Lions Pride would like to encourage you to see if you still have one of these toys hiding in a box. There’s no better way to take a technology break than with a trip down Memory Lane.

Happy National Yo-Yo Day!  

Say “Happy Sweetest Day” Without Flowers

17 Thursday Oct 2019

Posted by lionspridewi in Giving Tips, Holidays, Special Events

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act of kindness, candy, card, cleveland, donate, event, flowers, gesture, gifts, great lakes, Herbert Birch Kingston, holiday, kind, legacy, lions pride, message, mission, national sweetest day, nonprofit, note, october, technology, valentine's day

assortment backgrounds baking birthday

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Pexels.com

Saturday is National Sweetest Day! We can guess what you are probably thinking, “Isn’t that just an October version of Valentine’s Day?” Although this particular holiday may sound eerily familiar to its winter cousin, it has a sweeter origin story.

Legend says Herbert Birch Kingston, a candy store employee from Cleveland, was the original creator of Sweetest Day. In the year 1922, he decided to bring happiness to those who were feeling forgotten with thoughtful gifts. He and a team of people brought candy and small gifts to orphans, shut-ins and others to show they cared.

The concept caught on. By the 1930’s, celebrities became getting involved in the event. Sweetest Day grew to include loved ones, coworkers, acquaintances and friends. Today, it is most celebrated in the Great Lakes region.

It seems that sending flowers is the most popular way to celebrate the unofficial holiday, but there are other touching ways to say, “Happy Sweetest Day:”

  1. Give candy or sweets

Get back to the roots of the occasion by giving someone a box of their favorite candy. Of course, if you’re in a baking mood, you could always substitute with other homemade baked goods. You’re not limited in the sweets you send.

  1. Send a heartfelt note

Sweetest Day is, without a doubt, a big card-sending holiday. We know that everyone enjoys receiving cards, but often times, the best part about a card is the note. Consider making a homemade card with a genuine message about how much the person means to you. With the drastic increase in digital technology, we can safely assume that your recipient will appreciate the kind gesture.

  1. Do something nice

There’s no reason a gift for Sweetest Day requires a trip to the store. Rather than purchasing a physical gift, think about completing a kind gesture for your loved one. Perhaps, you’d like to check an item off their mile-long To Do List, pick up dinner or treat your special someone to a night out on the town. We are confident that no matter what you choose to do, your act of kindness will be well-received.

  1. Donate in his or her name

It’s no secret that donations are the lifeblood of any nonprofit organization as it helps them continue on their mission. When celebrating Sweetest Day, consider giving your recipient’s favorite organization in his or her name. When you make an honorarium/memorial donation to Lions Pride, we’d be happy to send an acknowledgment card to your loved one. All gifts go toward creating a lasting legacy for future generations at the Wisconsin Lions Camp and in other WLF projects.

Sweetest Day may have gotten its start with candy, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only way to celebrate. We believe the idea behind the unofficial holiday is to celebrate with small acts of kindness. How will you celebrate?

Happy Sweetest Day from Lions Pride!

The 2019 USA/Canada Leadership Forum

12 Thursday Sep 2019

Posted by lionspridewi in Conventions, News, Special Events

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attractions, canada, change, cyber, forum, graduation, keynote speakers, lakes, landmarks, leadership, lions club, lions pride, lions university, mental health, michelle ray, northwest, parks, safe travels, schedule, seminars, spokane, strides walk, technology, tours, USA, washington, weekend

Leadership Forum 2019.pngForum week has arrived again! For the past 43 years, Lions Club Members from all over North America have been meeting for three days of motivation, education and leadership development. From September 19 to September 21, Lions and Lionesses will gather in one of America’s greatest riverfront cities, Spokane.

During their time in eastern Washington, Lions will take part is over 77 seminars spanning a wide variety of topics, including:

  • making change stick
  • using technology for more impactful marketing
  • creating synergy through action
  • enhancing mental health and well-being
  • how to captivate the attention of a younger audience
  • the ins and outs of cyber clubs

See the entire seminar schedule. Of course, there will be no way for one person to attend them all of the seminars. The biggest challenge you may faces is deciding which topics to focus on.! We’d suggest talking with fellow club members and divvying up the seminars. You can always follow-up, later on, to talk about the highlights.

Other special events will be taking place over the weekend. Lions will also have the opportunity to participate in the Strides Walk, observe a Lions University graduation and hear from incredible keynote speakers. If you enjoyed listening to Michelle Ray’s presentation at last year’s forum then you’re in luck. She’s back by popular demand! She’ll be challenging you to become a better leader by changing your personal attitude.

Lastly, we hope Lions will have the opportunity to explore Spokane. Attendees are encouraged to come early and stay let to allow the local experts to guide them through the Inland Northwest. The city is chock full of historic landmarks, breathtaking parks and lakes as well as unique attractions. Browse through all of the available tours, courtesy of Group Coordinators.

The USA/Canada Leadership Forum has something for everyone. Will you be attending the forum next weekend? If so, what are you most looking forward to seeing? Let us know in the comments below.

Here at Lions Pride, we’d like to wish all leadership forum attendees safe travels as they make their way to Washington. We look forward to hearing about your experiences when you return.

Bon voyage!

 

National Camera Day + Tips for Taking Good Photos

27 Thursday Jun 2019

Posted by lionspridewi in News, Special Events

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album, alhazen, camera obscura, cameras, clean, digital, gallery, grids setting, history, june, kodak, lens, lions pride, national camera day, natural lighting, paper film, photography, pinhole, rule of thirds, share, smartphone, steven sasson, technology, tips, zoom

collection of gray scale photos

Photo by Fancycrave.com on Pexels.com

When was the last time you sat down with a loved one to look through a treasured photo album? If you’re like many of us, it’s probably been a while. This Saturday, June 29, is National Camera Day, and we think there’s no better time to celebrate the magical history of photography as well as cameras themselves.

You may be surprised to learn that the cameras have an extensive history. The device first made its debut in the Middle Ages. A physicist named Alhazen discovered the idea of Camera Obscura, the act of reproducing an image with color and perspective preserved. This discovery led to the invention of history’s first pinhole camera.

Over the years, many scientists experimented with photography, developing different types of cameras, but the tools didn’t become accessible to amateurs until George Eastman began producing and manufacturing film in 1955. He later created a brand that we all surely recognize, Kodak.

Of course, the whole industry was turned on its side when Steven Sasson invented the first digital camera in 1975 while working at Eastman Kodak. Unfortunately, the discovery was not given the recognition that it deserved. At that time, the company was afraid that digital products would compete with their film products and did not pursue the venture. The digital camera became available to the public in the early 1990s.

Nearly 30 years later, we don’t have to tell you that times have changed. Unless you are an aspiring photographer, you probably don’t have a high-tech camera; you simply rely on the device that can be found beside you.

Smartphones have allowed everyone to become a photographer. We now all have the ability to take a picture, edit it and share it with the world in mere minutes. The problem; however, is that many of our photos never actually see the light of day. We may scroll through them occasionally when we want to take a quick stroll down Memory Lane, but they rarely get a permanent home in a photo album for future generations to see.

In honor of National Camera Day, we challenge you to start taking pictures with the intention of printing and preserving. These four easy tips can help you take your best photos yet, even if you are only using your trusted smartphone:

  1. Clean the lens

    We know, this is a simple one. You can take the sharpest images by staying on top of dust and grime. Use a clean, microfiber cloth to get the job done.

  2. Use natural lighting

    Did you know that the word “photography” effectively translates into “painting with light?” You may have noticed that professional photographers often have more tools to play with lighting. Remember this when taking your own pictures. When possible, be sure to have the primary source of light shining on the subject.

  3. Avoid using zoom

Again, you may see many professionals utilizing the zoom function, but smartphone cameras do not work the same way. Rather than actually zooming in on the subject, the camera just crops the image. Instead of using the zoom, just try moving closer.

  1. Turn on the grids setting

A common rule in photography is “The Rule of Thirds,” the idea behind the rule is to break the image into thirds to create a well-balanced and interesting shot. Learn more here. You can imagine the grids themselves, or you can find the setting on your device.

Just think of where we’d be if we didn’t have cameras in our life. We likely wouldn’t recognize many elder family members, look back at history or have the chance to relive the most important memories of our lives. Make sure to keep this in mind as you think about photographs in today’s world. Your great-grandchildren will want to see pictures of you!

Are you a smartphone photo gallery scroller, or do you still print many of your photographs? Let us know in the comments below.

Happy National Camera Day from Lions Pride!

 

 

Creative Ways to Save on Holiday Gift Wrap

08 Thursday Dec 2016

Posted by lionspridewi in Holidays, News

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bows, crafts, creativity, environmental awareness, food, holidays, leftover fabric, lions camp, lions pride, maps, newspaper, packaging, plan ahead, potato chip bags, reduce, ribbons, save, shopping bags, technology, used gift bags, waste, wrapping paper

Did you know that from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, US household waste increases by more than 25 percent? An additional one million tons of garbage is added to our landfills each week from increased food waste, shopping bags, packaging, wrapping paper, bows and ribbons.

While there are plenty of reasons to be thankful for this time of years, that’s not to say that life is perfect. This holiday season, we thought we’d incorporate a major lesson taught out at Lions Camp each summer and practice environmental awareness with a few fun ways to save on gift wrap:

newspaper-wrapping
Newspaper – Finished catching up on today’s current events? Start saving your newspapers and take your recycling to a whole new level. The best part about this material is that no special skills are required to wrap your gifts. You’ll follow the same techniques that you use with regular wrapping paper but will likely spend a little less time with your scissors.

 

potato-chip-wrapping
Potato Chip Bags – Leave it to Martha Stewart to find a way to reuse potato chip bags! Simple wash and air dry the empty bag and cut along the seam to reveal beautiful, metallic colors. Wrap your presents and dress them up with ribbons and homemade cards.

 

 

map-wrapping
Maps – Thanks to the technology found in our smartphones and GPSs, those once ever-so-important paper maps, are no longer necessary to get from Point A to Point B. Give your old map a new life as gift wrap and add a worldly touch to the holidays.

 

leftover-fabric-wrapping
Leftover Fabric – Attention crafters! You finally have a use for those saved scraps of fabric by replacing it with gift wrap. Depending on the size and shape of the gift, you may be able to use some creative folding techniques to complete the wrapping job, or you may need to find a pretty bow to add the finishing touch.

 

 

Used Gift Bags – If you’re ahead of the game and already have your presents wrapped, it’s never too early to start thinking about the year ahead. Begin collecting bows, ribbons, gift bags and wrapping paper to reuse for the next year’s holiday season.

 

These are only a handful of ways that you can do your part to reduce household waste. How do you plan to wrap all of gifts this holiday season? There’s never been a better time to get creative and save; you’ll never know what you might come up with.

Happy Wrapping from Lions Pride!

The 2015 LCI Convention

25 Thursday Jun 2015

Posted by lionspridewi in Conventions, News, Special Events

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2015 convention, hawaii, honolulu, international show, kenny loggins, learning, leos, lionesses, lions, lions club international, lions pride, live stream, mickey thomas, networking, parade of nations, social meda, special olympics, steve augeri, technology, theme, tim shriver, twitter, viridiSTOR, yacht rock revue

LCI Hawaiian Shirt Challenge

The countdown is on! We are only about 24 hours away from the state of the 2015 LCI Convention in Hawaii. Year after, Lions all over the world look forward to the international convention, but this year, the committee appears to have outdone themselves.

The theme of this year’s event is “Strengthening the Pride.” (Do we have to tell you that we love the name?)

The event kicks off tomorrow – Friday, June 26, at the Hawaii Convention Center. Participating Lions, Lionnesses and Leos will be able to spend five beautiful days in Honolulu, networking and learning with other members.

Emerging technology appears to a center topic for many of the convention seminars. Members will be able to attend presentations such “ViridiSTOR Training”, “MYLCI Tips & Tricks” and “Social Media – A Practical Guide for Lions (Beginners)”.

We are also excited to see that the committee has picked out a phenomenal keynote speaker, Tim Shriver, the chairman of Special Olympics. He will be discussing the advantages of partnering with Special Olympics as well as other organizations with similar missions.

Of course, attendees will see annual favorites like the Parade of Nations and the International Show starring Kenny Loggins with Steve Augeri and Mickey Thomas backed by the Yacht Rock Revue.

Don’t worry if you aren’t able to make the trip down, many of the events will be live-streamed. The links to the events will appear on Twitter.

All of us here at Lions Pride are excited to hear what our fellow Wisconsin Lions and Lioness learn at the international convention. Together, we can continue to keep building our Pride.

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