03-16-06 Meeting Summary

ummary of March 16, 2006Toastmaster's Meeting (with apologies for my
tardiness)

Toastmaster, Kelly T (McBreen), introduced the theme “All Things
Irish” as a theme befitting for the day before St. Patrick’s Day. With a
nod to her very pregnant condition, Kelly referred to how she would be
unable to fully participate in St. Patrick’s Day this year.

Wordmaster/Grammarian, Laura C, selected a word to tie in with St.
Pat’s -- “blarney.” The definition of blarney is smooth, wheedling talk;
sweet-talk, flattery designed to gain favor. The Blarney Stone, is a stone
in Blarney Castle, Ireland, said to make those who kiss it proficient in
the use of blarney.

Speaker #1, Betsy S, gave a speech with the mouth-watering title of
, “Chocolate is Good for You,” which was the fourth speech from the manual
-- “How to Say it.” Betsy pulled us into the topic by referring to a
package of fine chocolates that she and her guests had recently sampled.
She spoke without notes referring only to the main points that she had
written ahead of time on the easel:
· Why it’s good for you
· What’s in it.
· Why it tastes so good.

Betsy told us how high-grade chocolate is higher in cocoa content, cocoa
butter and real vanilla extract while lower grade chocolate is higher in
sugar, fats and oils and preservatives. To illustrate this point, Betsy
read the ingredients on the packages of examples of both low grade and high
chocolate products. The reason that chocolate is good for you is that it
contains, vitamins, minerals, iron, oxalic acid, calcium, theobromine,
favinoids and antioxidants.

The taste of chocolate is determined by the quality of the cocoa beans used
and bitterness is a sign that they were over-roasted. Lower grade
chocolate contains a higher ratio of sugar to cocoa. Advice from Betsy was
Read the labels, Buy the good stuff and Enjoy.

Speaker #2, Gero F “Prologue from Shakespeare’s Henry V.” Gero’s
interpretation of the piece through his delivery was excellent. Gero
explained that this piece was delivered to set the stage for Henry V’s
return to the battlefield of Agincourt in France, to justify his claims and
motivate his troops. As the recently crowned king of England, Henry’s
personal feelings were secondary to his kingly duties. The moral that Gero
takes from this piece is that happiness in life is something everyone has
the power within themselves to achieve. I’ve attached a copy of the
Prologue to the bottom of this Summary.

TableTopics master, Keri O, said that despite her Irish name that she
wasn’t actually Irish.

First question to Mark H was “What kind of lucky charm do you have?

Mark responded by saying that he grew up thinking that he was German, only
later to discover that he was in fact 100 percent Irish. If he had a lucky
charm, it was his grandfather’s DTM badge and he wore it for speech
contests. Along with a note from a member of another Toastmaster Club.

Second Table Topics question went to Eddie K was “Do Irish stereotypes
trouble you?”

Eddie related his experience of the Irish from his visit to Ireland and
said that in general he thinks that the Irish live up to their stereotypes.

And the third question, “What do the Irish owe their attributes to?” was
answered by Laura C. With no Irish connections and her
Freach/Canadian ancestry Laura struggled with a response. Her answer was
evaluated as a good stall technique.

Evaluator # 1 Laura G complimented Betsy on her opening and how she
had moved out in front of the table. She particularly liked some of the
phrases that Betsy had used including “beneficial bonbons.” She said that
Betsy had used props well for part of her speech.

Kathy J evaluated Gero’s speech. She suggested that the formal part
of the presentation, the reading of the Prologue, could have been from the
podium, which would have provided a contrast with his commentary on the
piece. She complimented Gero on his delivery

Inspiration was provided by Dan B. Dan related how the two biggest
disappointments of his life had occurred on St Patrick’s Days – March 17,
1978 when he had the task of creating the green shamrock shakes at
McDonald's. Second event occurred on March 17, 1981, on learning that
green beer didn’t come that way out of the pump

Laurie G provided the General Evaluation. She said that Kelly
provided excellent segues as Toastmaster and that overall the meeting was
very funny.


PROLOGUE from Shakespeare’s Henry V

Enter Chorus
Chorus
O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend
The brightest heaven of invention,
A kingdom for a stage, princes to act
And monarchs to behold the swelling scene!
Then should the warlike Harry, like himself,
Assume the port of Mars; and at his heels,
Leash'd in like hounds, should famine, sword and fire
Crouch for employment. But pardon, and gentles all,
The flat unraised spirits that have dared
On this unworthy scaffold to bring forth
So great an object: can this cockpit hold
The vasty fields of France? or may we cram
Within this wooden O the very casques
That did affright the air at Agincourt?
O, pardon! since a crooked figure may
Attest in little place a million;
And let us, ciphers to this great accompt,
On your imaginary forces work.
Suppose within the girdle of these walls
Are now confined two mighty monarchies,
Whose high upreared and abutting fronts
The perilous narrow ocean parts asunder:
Piece out our imperfections with your thoughts;
Into a thousand parts divide on man,
And make imaginary puissance;
Think when we talk of horses, that you see them
Printing their proud hoofs i' the receiving earth;
For 'tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings,
Carry them here and there; jumping o'er times,
Turning the accomplishment of many years
Into an hour-glass: for the which supply,
Admit me Chorus to this history;
Who prologue-like your humble patience pray,
Gently to hear, kindly to judge, our play.