Two Thousand Seven Hundred, Eighty-Six years since the first
Olympiad and competition is going strong at North Shore
Toastmasters Club 1085 … including SIX quests. W O W !!!!
Our club has and will continue to persevere.
First-time Chairman Michelle F. ran the meeting smoothly while
maintaining a fun, positive atmosphere. Michelle’s opening
comments were thoughtfully researched into the Olympics … she
included the fact that she has a personal competitive element --
her garden.
Wordsmith Diane C. gave us the word persevere to incorporate
into our vocabulary tonight … different members managing to use
the word ten times in total. Impressive!
Steve Z. was Jokemaster -- telling a joke about his perseverance
in learning English and speaking French in Paris.
The Wizardress of Ahs, Barbara M. was dynamic and enthjusiastic
at the lectern and had an excellent ear – giving our piggy bank
a full course meal.
Albert L. inspired us with his proposal that all developed
countries give one percent of their GNP to countries of less
wealth.
Jennifer S. was our Timer and gave a very clear demonstration of
the equipment and solid explanation of her role – she included
an excellent and concise report at the end of the evening.
Table Topics Master Albert L. gave a good explanation of what he
was looking for and posed his intriguing questions to the
following people:
Jim S.’s question “Is a world without war possible?” – to which
he replied “No.” But despite this pessimism Jim’s message was
encouraging -- “we must work together to keep war to a minimum”.
Steve Z. was asked “Instead of having to compete for limited
places at universities, should all Canadians be entitled to a
free university education” to which he replied “Yes, we should
have a free university system”.
“In our quest for the biggest vegetables and the smartest
babies, we are turning more and more to genetic manipulation. Is
this a good thing?” Barbara M. used humour when responding --
“Hmm. Interesting question that compares vegetables to babies.”
and she also spoke about the aspect of gender selection.
“Is Capitalism an example of a constructive competitive system?”
– to which Diane C. spoke of competition and reward systems,
using schools as her example – rewards motivate: people to do
more and take more pride in their work.
Robert G. received the question of “Why does the Devil always
compete with God”? to which he related a personal anecdote from
a family member who believed that religion was one of the three
great evils in the world – Robert believes in the human spirit.
Jan K. responded with “It’s all a question of power and control.
Just leave the kids out of it – when responding to “Why do
people in divorces always fight over child custody instead of
sharing.”
Our guest Peter K. accepted the challenge to answer the question
“Are there some events that should not be in the Olympics?” He
replied “No. But all of us could participate in horse-jumping …
however, barbaric sports like wrestling could be removed.”
The last question was directed to Dave A. -- “Bands competing
for buyers’ dollars: Does this create the best music?” Dave
spoke of the immense amount of money bands and their
agents/labels spend to promote the music. He described how the
internet has brought true democracy to the music industry.
Our Toastmaster Jim Sinclair says his wife believes that he is
too competitive – as he toasted “To healthy competition”!
A special thanks to Kate E. for the great info session – very
easy to understand … simply explained.
Our General Evaluator for the evening was Christina R. who was
very appreciative of first-time roles – good suggestion to us
all: “It’s up to the person at the lectern to lead the
clapping.” – “Don’t be afraid to fudge: Never admit that you
forgot what someone said.” It was wonderful that Christina
concluded by thanking certain members for special elements she
enjoyed at the meeting.
Thanks to Diane C. for those delicious brownies!
Some noteworthy comments from our guests – “It was great! A lot
more guests this time.” – I really enjoyed this immensely.” –
“You are all very competitive, but in a very discreet manner.” –
I was very warmly welcomed.”
Our next Toastmasters meeting will be Monday, June 9th, at
7:15pm in our regular location. Come join us in "Learning
Through Fun and Friendship".
Club 1085
