March 2010, Issue #25 of The WorldVoter
The WorldVoter
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The WorldVoter
the newsletter of
Vote World Parliament
— democratic world parliament through a global referendum —
www.VoteWorldParliament.org
Vote World Parliament President is Jim Stark; Vice President is Ted
Stalets
www.RescuePlanForPlanetEarth.com
This site, above, is for the companion book Rescue Plan for Planet
Earth
Issue #25, March, 2010
(This issue and all previous issues are posted at
http://voteworldparliament.org/about/newsletter/)
THE SCORE
As of March 14, 2010, 17,588 people have voted. So far, the votes are
94.7% in favor of creating a democratic world parliament.
Quotes of the month
If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then
there would be peace. John Lennon (who was himself murdered in 1980)
I am dreaming the day when all our colleagues will join the global
referendum campaign to make “Big Mo” (a Western term for “political
momentum”) in a real sense. It will come very soon. Aamin! (An Urdu
word that means: “Yes, it must happen.”) Bhawani Shanker Kusum,
Secretary and Executive Director, Gram Bharati Samiti (GBS) and a
member of the Board of Vote World Parliament
News in brief
Rate of voting way up
A year ago, we were getting an average of 2 votes per day. Today, we
get from 50 to 100 per day, and on some days, several hundred. We long
for the day when we will receive a thousand or many thousands per day.
What is reassuring is that the 2+ billion “yes” votes we need to
prevail are out there, which means our mission is doable, and we defy
anyone to tell the great majority of adult human beings that we can’t
create what we voted for. It is hoped that all of our supporters will
redouble their efforts to bring in votes.
Become a member of Vote World Parliament … or just make a donation
We have recently established a “membership” site
(www.VoteWorldParliament.com) for our NGO. As a recipient of The
WorldVoter, you are encouraged to “join.” Membership levels are $10,
$25, and $500. No matter how you were entered into our monthly email
for The WorldVoter, your financial assistance would be much
appreciated, and is needed. If you’re not a “joiner,” then please go
to our main link, www.VoteWorldParliament.org, and at least make a
donation. Thanks for whatever support you can provide.
Recommended videos
Strawberry Fields trailer (200,000+ views), tribute to John Lennon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAZC8GTuajU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTMkh9SBdKE&feature=player_embedded
Song is “War No More,” another tribute to John Lennon, this one by VWP
president Jim Stark
* * *
The Internet migrates to smart phones
A feature article by Ted Stalets
I recently heard a quote on the radio that went something like this:
“Just because you know doesn’t necessarily mean that you will care.
But you can’t care if you don’t know.”
At Vote World Parliament, our job is to let people know about the
global referendum on a democratic world parliament, and also to let
them know why they should care. What they do after they know this is
up to them. The sum of all “free will” votes will determine the
referendum’s outcome. With a stated goal of achieving 2 billion “yes”
votes, we need to reach as many people as possible, as quickly as
possible. How do we do that?
One channel that is emerging as a potential powerhouse is to access
people through their mobile phones, to make highlights from our site
and the referendum ballot accessible to mobile phone users. On
February 15, 2010, the Associated Press released a summary report
issued by the United Nations Telecommunications Agency stating that
the number of mobile phone subscriptions worldwide has now reached 4.6
billion (bear in mind that some people have more than one phone). This
number is expected to increase to five billion by the end of 2010. The
UN agency also said that web access by people on the move, including
through laptops and smart mobile devices, will probably surpass web
access from desktop computers within the next five years.
The world of the Internet is going mobile. More than any technical
definition, the Internet is a way that people communicate. The
Internet has drastically changed the way we interact with each other,
the way we do research, and the way we shop, and it makes it almost as
convenient to buy an item from a store on the other side of the world
as it is to get it at the local mall. The Internet has changed the way
we earn money and participate in social groups.
The Internet, like television before it, is having a great impact on
politics in general. In my country, when Americans want information
about an upcoming election, they often use the Internet to help them
make voting decisions. On the other side of the ballot box, political
parties are today taking advantage of blogs, raising money with text
messaging, and communicating with potential supporters or contributors
through email. The Internet is proving to be a faster and cheaper way
for political parties and non-governmental organizations to interact
and determine what the people find important.
Twenty years ago it was science fiction to think that we would all use
small, fit-in-your-pocket communications devices that allow us to
speak with anybody in the world, take pictures and videos, listen to
music, watch videos, surf the Internet, send out voice mail, check and
respond to email. And add to this functionality hundreds of other
smart phone applications (“apps”) that are being developed monthly.
Today, all over the Internet, websites are being ported over to
formats that are easier to access, read and interact with from the
smart phones’ smaller screens. For several weeks, I have been
experimenting with a smart phone format for our global referendum
website (www.VoteWorldParliament.org), and I should have it
operational soon. This migration of the Internet to smart phones will
help us along our path as we continue to collect votes in the global
referendum.
* * *
Ted Stalets is the Vice President of “Vote World Parliament,” the NGO
dedicated to launching a global referendum on the creation of a
democratic world parliament (more info at www.voteworldparliament.org
or www.RescuePlanForPlanetEarth.com; 123 supporting authors at
http://voteworldparliament.org/allies-initiatives/authors-campaign/)