PAST MEETINGS JULY 2006 - OCTOBER 2011

 

The Wednesday, October 19, 2011 meeting of the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 had the fun of exploring the incredible topic of FUN!! Toastmaster Ken Walley ACG, CL gave us plenty of ideas on what to do for fun including:  “Make snow angels with soap flakes, roast marshmallows, test drive a BMW, adopt a dog, go Skeet Shooting, zipline, take dancing lessons, build an ant farm…” and many, MANY, MANY other ideas! It really was one of most fun meetings that Club #28 has ever had! Another fun highlight was Demetri Ganoff as the Table Topics Master for his first time. His well thought out questions were perfect for the meeting. Demetri's first questions was "What do you find fun that some other people might not find as fun?" Club President Ryan Dick was tapped to answer and said that he enjoyed tailgating parties at Florida Gator games. Ryan noted that Florida State Seminoles fans might not find that as much fun. The second question, "What is something you did as a child that you still like to do now for fun?" went to Steve Wood. Steve noted that he enjoyed reading even as a child and that studying outer space still has an irresistible pull on him now. Our guest, Marie Loeffler, was asked "Who do you have the most fun with?" She spoke about a good friend with whom she liked to really silly things. Ken Walley ACG, CL was asked  "What does fun look like?" Ken described fun more as a feeling than as something that you would "see" and described surfing as a teenager. The last question was aimed at Belinda Brown. She was asked what she would do if she won the lottery and how would that would enhance her idea fun. She said she would find fun in helping bring people together to help others. Demetri did a wonderful job of bringing to life the fun that is Table Topics!  Our two speeches were both really interesting, educational and…really fun as well! Jamie Waters ACB told us about the “King of Computer Hackers": the infamous Max Butler in a speech titled "The History of Computer Hacking".  It was a speech that was full of daring and astounding illeagal exploits. Justice, however prevailed in the end.  Janet Madden, not to be outdone, gave an sensational speech about the bye-gone Space Shuttle program titled “The Space Shuttle: An American Treasure!” Janet’s speech featured some poignant memories from her time when she worked in the program! Both speeches were very impressive! Malita Clarke CC also impressed us as our General Evaluator and she had the honor of welcoming back to the lectern a very busy Ken Walley ACG, CL as well as Ryan Dick to give two dynamic and helpful evaluations. Also lending the same top-shelf quality to the meeting were the members of the Reflection & Direction Council (A&DC) which embodied Grammarian Natalie Mencia, Timer Michael Whisenant, AH Counter and Club #28 Photo-Documentarian Steve Wood and 1st time Vote Counter Belinda Brown. They created yet another example of the classic teamwork that crafts a great meeting experience. We had a guest visiting from the Trailblazers Toastmasters Club, Marie Loeffler who stated that she was awed and amazed  by the high quality of the meeting. She also won the white ribbon for Best Table Topics answer!  This was a blast of a meeting! It was more fun than blowing soap bubbles or tossing horseshoes or playing lawn darts, writing a poem or playing Frisbee golf or Sightseeing Orlando… you get the idea… It was a lot of fun!

The October 13, 2011 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 meeting was another incredible meeting chocked full of wonderful "Milestones and Accomplishments", which by the way, was the theme of the meeting. At the beginning of the meeting Diane Hart led us in a moving start with an invocation about "being inspired about all that you do." Club President Ryan Dick noted that Club #28 was even celebrating a milestone on this night. He called Immediate Past Presidents Wilner Luders CC, CL and Steve Wood to the lectern and they presented the club with it’s 10^th President’s Distinguished Award ribbon to put on the club #28 banner! Next,  Malita Clarke CC took control of the meeting and did yet another awesome job as our Toastmaster. Malita used famous and personal examples to spotlight the differences between "Milestones" and "Accomplishments" which are often two completely different concepts. She also did a remarkably brilliant job of filling in as the Table Topics Master! On the spur of the moment she asked some impactful questions that got all kinds of interesting answers!  Her first question was "What is a Milestone from someone that you admire?" She called upon Mike King who responded with a tribute to Ron Paul the GOP 2012 presidential candidate. He sited Paul's courage to challenge the power of the federal reserve. Diane Hart was asked to remember a milestone of one of her children. She said that she was pleased when her child had accomplished potty training! Natalie Mencia was asked about an accomplishment of her parents that she was proud of. She said it was hard to choose from so many, but her father's service to our country was one at the top of her list. Area 32 Governor Ken Blake ACG, CL was asked about an accomplishment of one of his family in school. Ken told about how his son earned a second PhD! Ken's son is a medical doctor. EJ Jones was asked about an accomplishment of someone that she had mentored. EJ gave a moving answer about the advice she had given to a young person: "Run your race and be true to your self!" EJ said. Michael Whisnant  (pronounced: WHIZ-nit) answered the question of who had the most impact on his life. He said it was his 13 year old son, especially by watching him gain self-confidence. Malita did a truly great job as the Table Topics master as well as leading the meeting. Congratulations Malita! We had speeches from two of Club #28’s most respected speakers starting with Jennifer Hensley who presented a speech titled  "The Signs Showed the Way" about a very interesting topic, Baby Sign Language. The speech told the story of her struggle to communicate with her infant son. Demetri Ganoff who gave his second speech, titled "Who Killed Pluto?" about a completely different subject:: what happened to the planet Pluto. It seems scientists discovered that Pluto was just one of many similar sized objects in the Keepler Asteroid Belt. At first, Demetri had us wondering if something had happened to Mickey's dog.   For his first time as the General Evaluator, one of our newest members, Stokely Gittens performed as if he had been the General Evaluator a thousand times before and got two worthy evaluations from Ken Walley ACG, CL and Wilner Luders CC, CL. The Clocking, Syntax, Video and Voting Task Force (CSV&VTF) which was made up of Grammarian Barbara Cusack ACB, CL, Timer Michael Whisenant, Movie Maker Steve Wood, AH Counter Laval Brown and Vote Counter Janet Madden. All of them, as usual did extremely proficient work. At the end of the meeting two members who had not had a chance to speak, Rodney Higgins ACB and Jason Price spoke very highly of the meeting and as did our two visiting Toastmasters,  Diana Estremera ACG, CL and Delona Ashby. That this meeting ran so well and had so many great highlights simply was an amazing accomplishment. With the “Oldest Club East of the Rockies”, I guess every meeting holds some milestones and some great accomplishments. 

The Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 Wednesday, October 5th 2011 meeting was another amazing gathering with a lot of Not-so-Unintended Consequences such as great learning, entertainment, fun and friendship. Vice President of Education Ken Walley ACG, CL started the meeting by filling in as the Sgt. at Arms, giving the Invocation, leading the club in the Pledge to the Flag and covering as the acting President. Ken also introduced the Toastmaster for this evening,  Wilner Luders, CC, CL who created a motivational EVENT using the meeting theme of “Unintended Consequences: Connecting the Dots!” Wilner pointed out that our world is connected in ways that we hardly notice, but our actions, even our thoughts affect everything. “Things might not make sense now,” said Wilner “but often looking back, you can see how the dots were connected.” Laval Brown in his first time as a Table Topics Master… did a masterful job in one of the liveliest sessions Club #28 has ever hosted. His first question was "What came into your mind when you heard of tonight's theme 'Unintended Consequences?'" Steve Wood got the question and spoke about the population explosion and the need for stronger planned parenthood efforts. Janet Madden spoke about an unintended consequence that had happened to her. Janet remembered a time that she almost left a job but decided to stay with it. Because she did, things worked out better for her in the end. Laval next asked Ken Blake ACG, CL a tough question: "Had he ever impacted someone else's life and found out about it later?" Ken told of the time his wife committed an embarrassing faux pas that eventually led to a better understanding of two different cultures. EJ Jones arrived to the meeting a bit late and walked in on her own Table Topics question! She answered the question of "is it fate or consequence when the unexpected happens to you?" EJ told a story of why she was late to the meeting and how a chance encounter that she had, might lead to a job opportunity! The last question was directed at Demetri Ganoff. He was asked how important planning in advance was in his life. Demetri admitted that he sometimes over-plans things and there is something to be said for being spontaneous as well. Everyone brought some unique and surprising answers to the session. The entire club really got into Table Topics tonight! Our two speeches were also extremely memorable as well. Adam Heltemes gave a speech titled “Congressional Dysfunction” with a plea to our lawmakers to overcome legislative deadlock because of political ideology. His speech was especially timely due to recent failures to keep the government relevant during a financial crisis that Congress was challenged with recently. Adam's speech was extremely well done and a perfect speech for the times!  Natalie Mencia, giving just her 2^nd speech titled “The Principle of Self-Possession” also electrified the room with a political speech that elucidated upon the “philosophy” and flaws of the Libertarian Party. Her speech was a wonderful example of a fair and balanced journalistic view of a controversial political faction. Both presentations were truly excellent, thought-provoking and important speeches! Ken Walley ACG, CL returned to the lectern once more to led the Evaluation section of the meeting. His job was made easy by the evaluations of Malita Clarke CC and Ken Blake ACG, CL. Both Evaluators lived up to the high caliber of the speeches that they were reviewing. The Expression Appraisal & Clock Measurement Benefactors (EA&CMB) were formed with Rodney Higgins ACB as Grammarian, Janet Madden as the AH Counter, Steve Wood as the Spectroscopic Commander and Demetri Ganoff as the Timer. As usual, they kept the meeting running smoothly and efficiently. We even had a new member join our club! Welcome Belinda Brown to Club #28! The main “unintended consequence” of this meeting is that you can’t wait for the next meeting to get here!

If you believed that Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 was going to produce an amazing meeting on September 29, 2011, you would be right! Club President Ryan Dick inspired the club with an upbeat and optimistic start to the meeting introducing the theme of "The Magic of Believing" as well as introducing the evening's Toastmaster James Waters ACB, CL. James brought some magic as well  with him and gave us all a reason to believe that we were in for a remarkable night. James spoke about how believing was more than just hopeful wishing but in reality it is a state of mind in which anything is possible. Jennifer Hensley led one of the best Table Topics sessions in recent memory. She brought out some fantastic answers from our guests and members on the theme of "believing" that got everyone thinking about what, and whom, that we could believe in. Her first question was directed at Barbara Cusack ACB, CL who was asked how she defined the terms "belief" and "hope". Barbara said that she "hoped" that her favorite football team, the Tampa Bay Bucs would win and that she "believed in" her Four Tia's Black Bean & Corn Salsa was the best on the market! Diane Hart was asked about something that she believed in strongly. She said she had great joy in being a citizen on the USA, especially when she was overseas. Steve Wood answered the question of his favorite song about hope or belief with a statement about "magic mushrooms" and their ability to make other people "more creative." Ken Blake ACG, CL was given the question of if he believed in a sport team. he mention how he loved to watch Little League Baseball on a wide-screen High-def TV and root against Taiwan. Visiting Toastmaster Stokley Gittins was asked where he might go to find the most magical place on Earth for him. His answer was "church." as it was a "place of peace and hope." Mike King was given the question of what short or long term goals he has set for himself. He believed his short term goals were accomplished and his long term goals were to help create world peace and make more money. Demetri Ganoff and Natalie Mencia blessed us with two truly excellent Ice Breaker Speeches. Demetri's speech titled "A Day in the Life of Demetri" told us about a "typical" day in his life in which we got to know some of the surprising facets of his very interesting world. Natalie's Ice Breaker titled "Ordinary to the Extraordinary" made an exceptional impression both with her impressive speaking skills as well as her already remarkable accomplishments at such a young age. Both performances gave Club #28 a reason to look forward to some wonderful speeches in the future. Wilner Luders ACB, CL returned to the lectern as the General Evaluator and presided over two worthy evaluations by Ken Walley ACG, CL and Laval Brown. The evaluations gave both speakers some things to work on and tons of praise and encouragement. The "Protectors of Conspicuous Morphology and Structure" (PCM&S) was composed of Grammarian Janet Madden, Timer Adam Heltemes, Film Curator Steve Wood, AH Counter Malita Clarke CC and first time Vote Counter Mike King. They all helped in creating the special enchantment of this evening's gathering. We had two guests visiting Club #28 and they both joined the club! Welcome to Club #28 Jason Price and Stokely Gitten!! The magic of believing that Club #28 could produce a remarkable and meaningful meeting came true.

It was no lie that Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 had a completely awesome meeting on September 22, 2011. Entertaining everyone from the start to the finish was Toastmaster Barbara Cusack ACB, CL who had a lot to say about the theme of "Lair, Lair!"... All of it true! Barbara touched on the very good and the very bad that can happen when you don't tell the truth as well as reminding us of some memorable untruths in recent history that were "misspoken" by some famous people. Ken Walley ACG, CL was the Table Topics Master who could not tell a fib when he revealed that his questions were sent to him by Brian Wheeler ACB, CL who could not make it to the meeting at the last moment. The first question Ken asked was to one of our newest members, Natalie Mencia asking her how she can detect when someone is lying to her? She said that looking someone in the eyes and noting nervous reactions is not always accurate. Demetri Gandoff was asked to lie to us by pretending to make an excuse for being late on his first day on the job. Janet Madden told of a time when she had to lie and what the consequences were. Ken asked Frank Adams CC if he would lie if it meant that a great deal of money would go to a worthy charity and that there was a 73% chance of him not being caught. It was a tough question for the future minister to answer. Our guest, Deborah Cornell answered another tough question: "What is the perfect punishment for a child if you catch him or her in a lie. She said have the kid come up with a punishment to fit the "crime". Wilner Luders ACB, CL was asked "When is it ok to lie or is ever Ok to lie?" Wilner noted that there have been times when lives are at stake, or when the consequences could be beyond any reason of saying the truth. "The line between right and wrong becomes blurred." said Wilner. Nothing was blurred about the excellence of the speeches during this evening. We had three excellent speeches starting with what many said was Club #28's President Ryan Dick's best speech (so far) and his most controversial, titled "Two Words." Ryan made a compelling argument for removing the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance. He also put forth a super-professional effort that had everyone spellbound. Marrietta Bolatete also had her audience transfixed with a speech about the "ying and the yang" in the attunement of the masculine and feminine essences. She explained in her speech titled "The Balance of the Masculine and Feminine Energies" that individuals and even groups, like Club #28, as well as  have a masculine and feminine side! Mike King did not disappoint with a wonderful speech titled and about "Neuro-Linquistic Programming"  or NLP. Mike explained the power of voice modulation, mental exercises, inner-visualization and much more. At the last moment, tight before the start of the meeting, Adam Heltemes volunteered to serve as the General Evaluator. This was even more brave as it was his first time trying to serve in that meeting task Adam did very well but he had  help with a good evaluation staff. We had three exciting evaluations by Laval Brown, Diana Estremera ACG, CL and James Waters. Our Language & Duration Guardians (L&DG) was made up mostly of Toastmaster rookies including Timer Demetri Ganoff, AH Counter Natalie Mencia, Grammarian Janet Madden as well as Club #28 veterans Camera Master Steve Wood and Vote Counter Heather Russell. It was also a wonderful night for "firsts" with Laval Brown as an Evaluator, Adam Heltemes as the General Evaluator, Demetri Ganoff as the Timer, Janet Madden as Grammarian and Natalie Mencia as the AH Counter all serving for the 1st time in those roles. Everyone did fabulous! Our only guest tonight Deborah Cornell also swore she was telling the truth when she told the club how much she enjoyed the evening. Congratulations to Natalie as well as it was announced that she had passed the Florida Bar Exam!  This was a truly wonderful meeting and that is no lie! 

On September 15, 2011, Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 showed it's patriotic side with a tremendous meeting with the theme of "Freedom Isn't free!"  led by Laval Brown in his first time as the meeting Toastmaster. Laval reminded us of the millions of men and women who have given their time, effort, skills, courage and for many, their lives to keep our country free. It was great to have such a packed room to hear such an inspirational message. The evening was even more blessed with so many guests and returning members. Packing the room were Toastmasters Laval Brown, Adam Heltemes, Frank Adams CC,  Michael Whisenant, Diane Hart, Patti Stuart, Ken Walley ACG, CL; Janet Madden, Jennifer Hensley, Steve Wood, Heather Russell, Mike King, Marietta Bolatete, Jamie Waters ACB, Ryan Dick and Ken Blake ACG, CL. We had returning members Brian Wheeler ACB, CL and Jim Stitt as well as two new members Demetri Ganoff and Natalie Mencia! We had a visiting Toastmaster Stokely Gittens from the Altamonte Springs Toastmasters Club and three guests: Michael David, Maria Rasmy and Jason Price! It is one of the best turn-outs of the year so far. Many of them had the courage to take part in an impressive Table Topics session, which was directed by Adam Heltemes who was also serving for the first time in that position. Adam had some challenging questions but our members and guests were up to the task starting with visiting Toastmaster Stokely Gittens. Stokely was asked "What is your favorite constitutional right from the Bill of Rights? Stokely, being a Toastmaster, of course answered "the Freedom of Speech." Returning Toastmaster, Jim Stitt was asked to speak on what divides us as a nation. Jim spoke about lessons we could learn from the Civil War and how we must be careful not to repeat the mistakes that led us to such a division. Another returning member, Brian Wheeler ACB was asked what we were fighting for in Afghanistan and Iraq? Some of the major reasons said Brian was that countries should be free of political enslavement and have the right to self-government and freedom for their people. Natalie Mencia was asked what freedom meant to her. She took a philosophical  view quoting the famous philosopher Emmanuel Kant that people should be free to define their own definition of freedom and do the things that they believe are right. Ken Walley ACG, CL was asked what was the best thing about living in America. He said that freedom was a very precious thing to other countries and something we often take for granted here in America. He said that we should appreciate as well as enjoy our freedoms. This night featured two speakers at different places in their Toastmaster journeys: the first speaker giving his first speech and another speaker who is working his way through the advanced manuals. Michael Whisenant impressed everyone with superb Ice Breaker speech titled "Hobbies!" Part of his speech had us deep-water diving, without breathing tanks into abandoned underwater caves! Frank Adams CC totally amazed his audience with a motivating speech about commemorating and remembering the events in our lives that transform us. Frank put on a production wnich was completely entertaining. Thanks to Frank's speech (titled "Commemorate and Remember!") no one left the room without inspiration ... and some invaluable ideas. Marietta Bolatete was a flawless hostess as the General Evaluator for the educational segment of the meeting. Ryan Dick and Jamie Waters ACB  gave awesome evaluations. Both of them are appearing in Area Evaluation Contests next week and both were winners on this night. Intense credit should be paid to the "Expressionwerks Group" (EWG) which consisted of Timer Jennifer Hensley, AH Counter Heather Russell, Vote Counter Patti Stuart and another who was working for the 1st time at his meeting role, Mike King as the Grammarian. We had wonderful comments from all of our guests, Stokely Gittens, Michael David, Jason Price and Maria Rasmy. Stokely said that he was considering joining Club #28 as a second club! Area 32 Governor Ken Blake ACG, CL reminded everyone of the upcoming Area 32 Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contests. Representing Club #28 in the Humorous Speech Contest will be Rodney Higgins ACB. The club evaluation contestant and Club #28 President will be Ryan Dick. Ryan also announced that the club has two new members, Natalie Mencia and Demetri Ganoff who joined Club #28 at the end of the meeting! Welcome Natalie and Demetri! This was a meaningful, entertaining, inspiring, fun and just plain fabulous meeting! I am glad that so many were on hand to enjoy it. 

 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 had the right attitude for a super meeting on September 8, 2011 as Ken Walley ACG, CL was the Toastmaster...and motivator for the theme "Attitude is Everything!" Ken covered many subjects taken from the Table of contests of Jeff Keller's book "Attitude is Everything" including "Picture Your Way to Success", "Turn Your Problems Into Opportunities" and "Confront Your Fears and Grow!" Marietta Bolatete's excellent Table Topics session featured no less than four guests! Everyone gave remarkably skilled answers including our own Diane Hart. Diane answered the first question "Do you have a limiting belief that might hurt your personal progress or success?" She told a story of how she once "talked herself" into being able to conceive a child. Guest Dan Koehler answered the second question "Do you see the glass half empty or half full?" Dan considered himself a optimist but also sometimes, a realist. Guest Destin Arcencaux was asked if you "Attitude was a hazard to your health?" Dan believed that your attitude could indeed cause harm to your health. Spencer Leak was our next guest to answer a table topics question. He got the query: "Are we a product of our circumstances or a creator of our own circumstances?" Spencer used his bother, Mathew Leak as an example of someone who inspired him to create his own destiny.  The last question went to our returning guest Demetri Ganoff who was asked if he knew any "grumpy people"? He said he knew a few and some of them like his grandmother, who were gruff, but in a "good way". His grandmother's rough demeanor had really endeared her to his family. Tables Topics was uplifting and even inspiring thanks to Diane and our brave visitors! This evening featured speakers Laval Brown and Patti Stuart who both gave standout speeches that supercharged the meeting with two brilliant performances! Laval Brown told us about the importance of finding a mentor in a speech titled "Why Mentors?" He covered both sides of the subject, about finding a mentor as well as being a mentor to others. His speech was interesting, informative and very useful. Patti Stuart, also giving her 3rd speech from the Basic Manual, gave a powerful speech with an important message about surviving Meningitis. In the speech titled "Voices of Meningitis" She painted a picture of the horrific effects of this deadly infection and told a riveting story of how she overcame it. The message was to get those that you love vaccinated by their early teens. These two exceptional speeches deserved two exceptional evaluations and that is what each speaker received. General Evaluator Barbara Cusack ACB, CL introduced two wonderful evaluators: Jennifer Hensley and Ryan Dick. Both evaluations were of Evaluation Contest caliber, worthy of winning the upcoming Area 32 competition. The meeting also had some of best support ever from an exemplary cast of technicians. The High Quality Communication Cheer Team (HQCCT) was composed of Grammarian James Waters ACB, AH Counter Rodney Higgins ACB, Timer Adam Heltemes and yet another guest taking the initiative to play a part in our meeting, Natlie Mencia! Each and every guest testified to being impressed with the meeting during the guest comments section of the evening. Many of them pledged to join Club #28! Our guests tonight were: Dustin Arcencaux, Dan Koehler, Spencer Leak, Demetri Ganoff and Natalie Mencia. We hope that you ALL join the Club #28 family! You were great! This was a meeting that really made it worth coming out to the library on a Thursday night, it was a meeting with attitude!      

[EDITOR'S NOTE: September 1st, 2011 was the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contests. For a recap of the contests, go to the "Club Articles" section above and then visit the "Club #28 Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contests Are A Spectacular Success" article. - KHW]

An important subject was covered at the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "The Future of Energy!" theme meeting on August 25, 2011. In the wake of Hurricane Irene as it made her way up the East Coast, Adam Heltemes, started the agenda with an inspiring invocation and leading us in the Pledge to the Flag. Adam was filling that meeting role for his first time and he did a stirring job. The meeting soon turned to the issues of Energy. Our unofficial "resident scientist" Steve Wood  serving  as our host and Toastmaster, covered a number of conventional and alternate energy sources that need to be explored if planet Earth is going to meet the requirements of diminishing reserves and an expanding population. Among the subjects Steve examined were Fossil Fuels, Wind, Wave or Tidal Power, Hydroelectric, Solar, Agricultural Biomass, Geothermal, Chemical and even "manpower produced" energy. About the last one, Steve commented that "It would take 100 people, 24 hours a day, turning cranks just to produce the power to run an average house for just a few hours!"  Also adding to the discussion of reaching our energy needs was Table Topics Master Mike King who came prepared with some brilliant questions in search of brilliant ideas. His first question was to Steve Wood and it dealt with if it was really possible to research new energy sources if it meant that profit was main the driving factor. Steve thought that it was important to explore new areas of energy no matter what the motivation was, and realistically that is the way that things work. "How can we provide energy to a growing population without increasing pollution?" was asked of returning member Sean Dunn. Mr. Dunn spoke from first hand experience on how solar and wind power had help produce the energy to run a large ranch that he once owned saving him money as well as producing extra power. The question of money was approached when Mike asked Laval Brown if we would be fighting in the Middle East if "oil was not the main export there, but instead if it was Broccoli?"  Laval did not believe that we probably would be there but he noted that were are fighting in the Middle East for more than just oil. Area 32 Governor Ken Blake ACG, CL was asked what would be a major alternate energy breakthrough. Ken said that if we could come up with a powerful enough battery it would make gasoline virtually obsolete. Malita Clarke CC was asked about new alternate energy sources that she would you like to see used. She mentioned that ones that would provide a safeguard for the environment would be important. There was no energy crisis with our speakers on this evening! Our two speakers gave astounding presentations that will "walk out the door" with every member who heard them. Our first speaker was Janet Madden who was giving her Ice Breaker speech titled "The Event That Changed the Course of my Family". Not since the Ice Breaker of Richard Hendrix has there been a more powerful and moving 1st speech given at Club #28. Janet told the story of her childhood family being devastated when her father was involved in horrible accident forcing her mother to support her and her siblings while her father, overcoming horrendous injuries; helped out in the house. They kept the marriage together and the family intact and still created an atmosphere of love and support. Even though the challenges were immense, Janet said "I still remember a wonderful childhood and family." It was a powerful, moving testament of the ability to recover from tragedy and protect what is precious. Congratulations Janet!  Having the unenviable task of following Janet's speech was Club #28 President Ryan Dick who produced an inspiring speech of his own. In his speech titled "Thoughts are Things" Ryan told the story of Edwin C. Barnes a man who having no money of his own, was intent upon approaching Thomas A. Edison, already a famous inventor and insisting that he become his partner, an equal in his company! Because of his determination to succeed in this and his courage, or some would call it audacity; to confront Edison, he was given the chance. It ended up a successful partnership that would last for decades. Ryan's speech gave plenty to think about besides his usual excellence behind the lectern. Ken Blake ACG, CL served as our General Evaluator and was the presenter to two of Club #28 best evaluators. As Janet's speech will be memorable so will the evaluation of her speech by Malita Clarke CC. Incredibly, Malita told the story of how she had spent the last week with HER father helping him recover from a stroke in the hospital and how he had overcome serious challenges on the road to stability. Many in the room could be seen wiping their eyes as Malita ended her excellent evaluation with "Everyone had different beliefs, but I know that that speech was meant for me."  Diane Hart giving her second evaluation in two weeks and delivered an even better review than her celebrated evaluation from last week for Ryan's speech. Ken Blake ACG, CL in his meeting review, noted that this was a meeting that touched the hearts and the minds of those who were lucky enough to attend. The meeting was also supported by an productive group of technicians that we shall call the "Functionteers!" They were Grammarian Ken Walley ACG, CL, Timer: Laval Brown, AH Counter Frank Adams CC, Time-lapse Image Acquisitior (and Toastmaster!) Steve Wood and the final member of the Functionteers was Vote Counter Jennifer Hensley! At the end of the meeting Mariette Bolatete was called upon to speak and noted that this was a remarkable event and gave a note of appreciation to Vice President of Education Ken Walley ACG, CL for his efforts to make these meeting possible. Ken greatly appreciated the comment. We also heard from returning member E. J. Jones that she was happy to be back. Having been hospitalized, E.J. promised to be a more dependable presence at Club #28 in the future. Welcome Back E.J. and also Sean Dunn!  If we could have bottled up all of the energy at his meeting, the world would have had a source to last it the next million years.   

Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 had a meeting that was "out of this world" on August 18, 2011 with the theme of "Unidentified Flying Objects and Extraterrestrials!" Our intergalactic guide for the evening was Mike King who made quite a few of us wonder just what might be out there in that great vastness of space and who just might be visiting us. Ken Walley ACG, CL as the Table Topics Master also shared some questions with our guests and members about UFOs and ETs. He started by asking Adam Heltemes to describe his "alien abduction!" Adam told us a really fantastic tale. It was like a scene out of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". Ken's second question was for Steve Wood which was "What's the Upside and the Downside to an alien invasion?" Steve mentioned that visiting aliens might just have a "people spray" as part of the downside. Michael Whisenant was asked "If you were visiting on Earth what would you most be interested in?" Mike would take the aliens on a tour of some of mankind's greatest achievements. Ken next asked one of our visitors, Natalie Mencia what her "favorite alien"  from TV or the Movies. Natalie had an affection for the TV character Alf. Good choice, Natalie, much better than say, the Borg. Jamie Waters ACB was asked what "Special abilities he would like to have that humans do not?" Jamie went with the ability to fly. "Would you believe someone if they told you that they had seen a flying saucer?" was asked of another guest, Joseph Muzyk. Joe said he might believe someone, depending on who it was and what the circumstances were. Guest Davis Tadeny was given the question of how he would make a space alien "feel at home?" Davis fortunately had some very good ideas to keep us all from being eradicated. The last question went to Ken Blake ACG, CL who was asked to describe the insides of space ship. He said he had a friend who re-created his dentist office to look like one! So, Ken had already been there!  We did not have any visits from the "Men in Black" but we had two truly wonderful speakers beam in. Laval Brown and Jennifer Hensley both gave exceptional presentations. Laval's speech was on a perfect subject for Toastmasters, titled "The Art and Science of Being a Competent Communicator"   For someone giving his second speech from the Basic Manual, we all learned a lot from Laval! Jennifer's Speech titled "You Get What You Get and it isn't What You Expect!" related the stories of how she met her husband, her adjustment to life with her 1st child and her determination to conquer weight loss. Jennifer's lesson for her audience was about finding the ability within to adjust to life's little "surprises." Both speeches were absolutely brilliant! Bravely covering the role of General Evaluator for her first time was Janet Madden. She did an exemplary job, especially with and empowering and encouraging "meeting review." We also had two excellent evaluations by Diane Hart and Marietta Bolatete. Marietta's skillful evaluation of Laval's speech was her first time giving an evaluation. It is inspiring to see Toastmasters like Marietta and Janet step outside of their comfort zones and try new meeting roles. The "beating heart" of the meeting, like all of Club #28 meetings; were the Origination and Performance Boosters (OPB). They were ably composed of Grammarian Adam Heltemes, first time Timer Heather Russell, AH Counter Michael Whisenant, DVD Curator Steve Wood and Vote Counter James Waters ACB. To the delight of everyone we had a large number of visitors: Wayne C. Williams, Davis Tadeny, Joseph Muzyk, Natalie Mencia and Demetri Ganoff. Our guests were unanimous in their praise for this evening's meeting! Why not, this was a superb meeting and a whole lot of fun! It made you want to, in the words of ET "phone home" and tell everyone!

[EDITOR'S NOTE: There was no meeting for August 11, 2010 as the meeting room at the Herndon Branch Library was booked for both the Wednesday and Thursday nights on that week. Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 took a brief "Toastmasters Summer Vacation". -KHW]

"Ken Walley [ACG, CL] says every week that this weeks' meeting was the 'best meeting ever!'  Well I have to admit that this meeting really might live up to that!" - General Evaluator Mike King (about the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 August 8, 2011 "Words of Wisdom: Great Quotations" theme meeting) during his meeting evaluation    Ken Walley ACG, CL used quotes from many famous speakers, writers, entertainers and celebrities including Walt Disney who Ken quoted as saying: "All our dreams can come true - if we have the courage to pursue them." Other inspiring words of wisdom came from  Albert Einstein, Thomas A. Edison, Orison S. Marden, Sir Francis Bacon, Robert Browning, among many others and Malcolm Forbes who said "When you cease to dream, you cease to live." Many more deep thoughts came from the Table Topics Master Ryan Dick  He used quotes to set up his questions starting with one from Woodrow Wilson about how much time it takes to prepare a speech. Noting that Wilson was a PhD, the question he asked of Jennifer Hensley was what area she would like to pursue for a PhD? Jennifer said she would like to teach teenagers on how to manage their money. Ryan next quoted Mark Twain and asked Adam Heltemes that if he had a time machine and he kidnapped Mr. Twain; where would he take him? Adam said he would take him to EPCOT at Disney World to visit the American Adventure pavilion and ask him to comment on his audio-animatronics double! Ryan next quoted  Franklin D. Roosevelt as saying "Be sincere, be brief and be seated!" Ryan then had  Mike King respond to the question: "Do politicians have a right to their privacy?" Mike mused that those who choose that field do so knowing that they will be "under the microscope." Steve Wood was given a quote from Robert Poole about "virtual organization". He asked Steve which of these three items, the Photo-copier, the ballpoint pen or freeze-dried coffee was most important to society? Steve however took the time to endorse a bicycle shop he had visited that had been honest and fair to him. Using a quote from the children's author Beatrice Potter, Ryan gave Janet Madden a similar choice between Air Conditioning, Airplanes and the Polygraph machine. She choose the airplane noting that it had made the "world a smaller place."  The  last question was based on the quotation "I hate quotations, tell me what you know." by Ralph Waldo Emerson. When asked "What do you know?" Rodney Higgins ACB answered that he was "Still finding that out. Life is a great adventure and the quest for a purpose is part of that." All those who spoke on this night brought many wise words of wisdom. Speaking of inspiring, the three speeches that were given showcased some remarkable talent at Club #28. Laval Brown is to be congratulated on an awesome Ice Breaker speech Titled "Who Made Me" he gave credit to the people that made him who he was today, giving thanks to God, his parents and a little bit to himself. Laval showed an impressive amount of natural talent. Congratulations Laval! Marietta Bolatete really showed how much that she had improved as a speaker with a riveting speech titled "Flow" about being "In the Zone!" Everyone agreed that she was "in the zone" for her speech, giving her best speech yet! Barbara Cusack ACB, CL also brought her best to the lectern with a speech titled "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize!" Using a "folk tale" she managed to motivate everyone in the room to not give up on their hopes and dreams. Barbara's hard work paid off as she earned her Advanced Communicator Bronze Award! Congratulations Barbara! All three speeches were extraordinarily entertaining! The evaluations were impressive as well thanks to the work of Malita Clarke CC (for Laval's speech), James Waters ACB (for Marietta) and Ken Blake ACG, CL (for Barbara). Each imparted volumes of knowledge for our speakers to use in the future. Leading this team was Mike King who did a brilliant job serving as the Master Evaluator for his first time. Speaking of service, the members of Vocal & Visual Works Inc.(V&VWI) should be highly praised for their expert support of the meeting. They were Grammarian Janet Madden, Timer Rodney Higgins, Pictureplay-box Illuminator Steve Wood AH Counter Heather Russell and Vote Counter Adam Heltemes.. In particular Janet Madden served well as the Grammarian as it was her first time in that role. It had been a long while that Club #28 did not have any visitors and this night there were no new faces in the room. This was a shame because this meeting was greatly enjoyed by everyone who saw it. To quote Winston Churchill; "The empires of the future are the empires of the mind." We are building some great empires at Club #28!   

There was a Conscious Awakening at the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 July 28, 2011 "Conscious Awakening" theme meeting. It was the realization that this was a super meeting, another one, in a long series of prime get-togethers. Janet Madden started the evening with an Invocation and Pledge that inspired her audience and got the meeting off to a stimulating start.. Janet was  most impressive as this was her first time in that role. Mike King led the meeting as our Toastmaster and it soon became apparent that the night would be something really special. Mike gave us a vast amount of things to think about. He told us of ways that we could better ourselves, improve the the world around us and enrich the lives of those that me might encounter. Mike made the meeting interesting, enlightening and it could also be said that he even transcended our Toastmaster's mission into a "blissful evening of great learning and joy!" We had wonderful Table Topics questions and answers thanks to the combined efforts of Ken Walley ACG, CL and Table Topics Master  Frank Adams CC. Frank, who travels a long distance from his job at Disney World arrived after the Table Topics session had already started with Ken filling in. Everyone was glad to see Frank because Ken's questions seemingly came from off the top of his head in a "conscious awakening moment". Ken's first question was to Diane Hart who was asked "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to see it fall, does it make a sound?" Of course, the only correct answer to that question would be "I don't know." which Diane answered correctly. Ken asked Patti Stuart "How do you find your inner strength?" Patti said she finds it in prayer and meditation as well as by surrounding herself with family and friends that she loves and who love her back. Ken's last question was for Laval Brown: "Name something you found out about yourself that surprised you?" Our newest member Laval,  found out that he was able to control anger and redirect it towards accomplishing positive things. Thankfully at this point, Frank Adams CC was introduced and continued the questions with one for Malita Clarke CC "How is your happiness and your mental health?" A little shocked at the question, Malita said that she was a lot happier now that she had settled into her new job. And her mental health has improved as well! Steve Wood was asked if he had an "AH HA! moment". Steve said that many of his "Ah ha! moments" were often answers to Table Topics questions that came to him while driving home from the meeting! He also said that the moment he realized that "learning was fun," it was a great awakening for him. Janet Madden was asked to explain a time when she experienced "Deja vu". She remembered a strange feeling that she could not shake while driving past a church in North Carolina. She knew that she had been there before, of course she never had. Michael Whisenant was asked if he died what would be his life's impact on the world. Michael said that his being a father to his son would probably be the most important legacy of his life. The last question was asked of our guest Tony Salvaggio "What would you do if you could do something over again?" Tony admitted that he had made mistakes he would like to undo but those often brought him to better places that he had not envisioned. He said to change one thing might put everything else in jeopardy. It was something he did not want to risk. Like the table Topics answers, Club #28's speeches were also truly brilliant! Walk Jones ACS, CL completely entertained the room with a wonderful story, a project from the Advanced "Humorously Speaking" manual, titled "Fish Stories". He told a tale of the day that his fishing lure "caught the fisherman" and the fisherman put up quite a struggle! It was folksy, funny and a whole lot of fun! Adam Heltemes giving only his second speech, also kept everyone laughing with a speech titled "Why Golf?" as he tried to answer that age-old question with both wise, and hilarious results. We might hear both of the speeches again at the Club #28 Humorous Speech Contest in September! Ken Walley ACG, CL returned to the lectern as the General Evaluator and said he was blessed to be able to introduce two of Club #28's most capable evaluators Ken Blake ACG, CL (for Walk) and Ryan Dick (for Adam). Both of them did not disappoint in giving exquisite evaluations of the speeches. Top-notch meetings like this one do not happen by accident, only with the wise guidance from the Growth, Praise and Timing Department (GP&TD) would a gathering like this even be possible. Those who worked hard to make this night a success were: Grammarian James Waters ACB, Timer Michael Whisenant, AH Counter Malita Clarke CC, Camera Artisan Steve Wood and Vote Counter Laval Brown. Our only guest for the evening, Tony Salvaggio, gave robust praise for the meeting and vowed to come back and join the club in the future! I am sure that after finding out what an exceptional club that Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 was and seeing how much that its members enjoy learning and growing here; Tony had a conscious awakening about what a good thing that Toastmasters really is!

The July 21, 2011 Orlando Toastmaster Club #28 "Dumbocracy: Dumb Lawsuits, Criminals, Tweets & Celebrities" was truly special. In one of the most remarkable meetings in memory, Barbara Cusack CC, CL was completely awesome as the Toastmaster while celebrating the unbelievably stupid, ok, and FUNNY things some people in high profile situations do. Barbara had everyone amazed and laughing at the hijinx of some of the world's "dimmer lights." Barbara's gift as a storyteller and as a natural comedienne, made this meeting a joy to attend.  Steve Wood was also on top of his game as the Table Topics Master with some excellent questions and some memorable responses. His first question was to Marietta Bolatete. He asked her what she would do with her time if money was not a problem. Marietta, who pointed out that she was a favorite target of Table Topics Masters, vowed to help improve the lives of others less fortunate than her, and do some traveling. Malita Clarke CC was asked how she felt about the abundance of video cameras everywhere that almost capture your every moment. Malita did not like being watched all of the time but did admit it was a way to keep the public "honest." Returning guest, Gary Poole was given the query "Are there any changes in the law that you would like to see?" Mentioning the recent and infamous Casey Anthony trial in Orlando, he said that there is always room for improvement in any legal or political system as long as it does not take basic rights and freedoms away from the people. The last question was also asked of another returning guest, Tuan Nguyen "What was something embarrassing you did and did not get caught doing. Tuan remembered calling his boss by the wrong name until he realized his mistake but he was able to smooth things over. Indeed it was an ingenious, truly fun and interesting Table Topics session. The same could be said for all three of our speeches. Club #28 President Ryan Dick told us about the assassination of President of William McKinley; then Jennifer Hensley told us of life lessons that she had learned while being a parent (so far) and Diane Hart gave a speech about men that simply defies description. Ryan's speech titled "The Assassination of President McKinley" was filled with such detail and description, it felt as if you were actually there at that historic moment. Jennifer's speech was titled "Life Lessons I've Learned brought to you by Parenthood". That to her two young children, she has learned: to 1.) Be prepared for anything 2.) to expect the unexpected and 3. to enjoy the moment because those childhood experiences are precious. Diane Hart gave a speech that will take it's place in Club #28's most legendary moments. Titled "Men!" it told of her observations on the differences between men and women. Using word references that a top negotiator would be proud of, she gave a, well, how can I put this?; "Generalized portrait" of men by using the "two brain theory" of how men think It yet was another memorable performance by Diane! Malita Clarke CC was the General Evaluator and presided over a richly successful session.  Three brilliant evaluations by Rodney Higgins ACB,  Ken Blake ACG, CL and visiting Toastmaster Jean Jeune ACS turned this meeting into one to remember for some time to come. Supporting the meeting were the Methodological  Proficiency Action Cast (MPAC) which was comprised of Grammarian Frank Adams CC, Timer Mike King, AH Counter and guest Diana Estremera ACG, CL, Photo-play Engineer Marietta Bolatete and Vote Counter Jamie Waters ACB. As usual their expected sensational results were exceeded during the course of the evening. The room was packed with a lot of different guests including a number of Toastmasters such as visiting Tallahassee toastmaster Jean Jeune ACS who switched places with Walk Jones ACS to give an evaluation and Diana Estremera ACG CL who also served as our AH Counter. We had returning guests Gary Pool and Tuan Nguyen  as well as first time guests Rob Johnson, Chris LeBlanc, Brian and Tamara Wavra.    At the end of the meeting Rodney Higgins and  Michael Whisenant both joined the club. Welcome Rodney and Michael! During the closing comments, VP of Education,  Ken Walley ACG, CL noted that this meeting was a "Toastmasters perfect storm"  because of the excellent Table Topics, Speeches and Evaluations sections as well as the skillful work of the Toastmaster herself, Barbara Cusack CC, CL! "Dumocracy" might have been the theme to this meeting but it was one of the smartest meetings we have had in Club #28's history.

The only place to be on July 14, 2011 was at the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "My Hometown" theme meeting! It had the feeling of visiting with old friends in a familiar and friendly place with a lot of great memories, like going back to your hometown. Heather Russell started off the meeting as both the Sgt. at Arms as well as giving the Invocation and Pledge. Ken Walley ACG, CL was the Toastmaster, called into duty only recently but Ken did a supreme job telling about his hometown of Winter Park, Florida and explaining the "bitter-sweetness" of re-visiting his hometown and seeing the many changes but remembering the joys of the past. "It's not the town, but the history that you are seeking when you go back there." said Ken. Also putting the spotlight on his hometown of Melbourne, Fl. was Ryan Dick as the Table Topics Master. Pointing out that Melbourne is next to the Kennedy Space Center he asked Marietta Bolatete if the US should have a manned spaceflight program in the future. Marietta was very much in favor, giving a number of good reasons including that America needs to "continue being the leaders of the world!". Noting that his hometown was near untouched natural habitats, Ryan asked Adam Heltemes  what was his worst encounter with nature was. Adam remembered getting a little too close to an alligator! Ryan, mentioned that his hometown had to deal with state laws and other restrictions but was still free to make it's own decisions. He then asked Heather Russell if she controlled her own destiny. Heather believed that she did and was proud of having a sense of freedom in her life. Reminding us that there is also a Melbourne, Australia overseas, Ryan asked Janet Madden if she wanted to travel abroad. Janet, who's hometown is in New Jersey, said that she would love to see other countries, hopeful of a visit to the sunny vacation escapes of Mexico or the historic sites in Europe. Remarking that the famous lead signer from the rock band The Doors, Jim Morrison was born in Melbourne Ryan asked Diane Hart if she had ever encountered a celebrity. Diane recalled meeting the famous novelist Steven King. Unlike Diane herself, Mr. King was unimpressive. The last question was for our guest Lavale Brown who was asked about the most interesting thing about his hometown. Lavale spoke fondly of some of his childhood memories. The second part of the Toastmaster meeting, the prepared speeches just added to the excellence of the Table Topics session. The first speaker was Mike King who titled his speech "Life Is An Amazing Journey!" Amazing would be the correct word for the many varied interests, causes and plans that Mike addressed in his speech. Among them were an enthusiasm for Classical and Jazz Music, Martial Arts, Near Death Experiences, ESP studies, Ghosts sightings, exploring new places, politics and much, much more! He even spoke on his "past lives" so in a way, we got a few bonus Ice Breakers! Due to his excellent humor, personality and delivery, Mike's 1st speech was a truly awesome success. Congratulations Mike! Speaking second was Ken Blake, ACG, CL who gave a speech about an inexpensive, portable, easy-to-use Induction Stove, which will save you both time and money!! The speech titled "Faster Is Better!" had Ken giving a sales presentation, as if in an Infomercial. Ken B. "unraveled the mystery of the most amazing thing on the planet" and and told how it would "cut your electric bill down to almost nothing!!!" Ken could sell "Ice to the Eskimos" or even "hot air to Congress"; he is a brilliant salesman. Our third speaker Jamie Waters ACB, revised his classic, contest-winning speech "Golfatorium" which is about combining golf courses and cemeteries. A number of our newer members, and our guests as well, were able to hear it for the first time. It was wonderful to hear again even for those of us who had heard it many, many times before. As always the speech had everyone applauding and laughing. The Master Evaluator for this evening, Frank Adams CC had to wear more than one hat, also appearing as the evaluator for Mike's Ice Breaker speech. Frank ended up doing two remarkably good evaluations, one for Mike's speech and another when he gave the evaluation for the meeting. Barbara Cusack CC, CL was also on target with an excellent review of Ken B.'s speech. We also had a treat as Rodney Higgins ACB, a guest Toastmaster from the Let's Talk Club #4413 did an amusing and helpful evaluation for Jamie's speech. The Vocal Appreciation Unit (VAU) featured Grammarian Diane Hart, Timer Adam Heltemes, AH Counter Janet Madden, Screen Magician Steve Wood and Vote Counter Heather Russell, all of whom gave simply  transcendent support to the meeting. As did our guests Tuan Nguyen, Gary Poole, Fariba Movassaghi, David Berman and returning guests Michael Whisenant and Lavale Brown. All of our guests had wonderful things to say about our meeting and after the meeting, Laval Brown became the newest member of Orlando Toastmasters Club #28! Welcome Laval! Thomas Wolfe in his masterpiece "Look Homeward Angel"  said that "You can never go home again." Well, the old hometown might have changed, but you can always go to your "home Club #28" again; every Thursday at the Herndon Library at 7:00 in the evening.... 

The July 7, 2011 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 meeting was an important and meaningful assemblage largely because of the evening's topic: "USA Citizenship: Our Traditions and Celebrations!" Malita Clarke CC, the night's Toastmaster reminded us of how fortunate we are to be Americans as she examined the theme of Citizenship. The meeting was brought to order by new Sgt. at Arms Heather Russell who also appropriately led the club in the Pledge of Allegiance to The Flag of the United States of America. New President Ryan Dick introduced the theme with a story of how his family once helped others attain Citizenship.  Malita gave us a history of how the Pledge to the Flag evolved over the years into the standard that we say before each meeting. Malita also quizzed the club with some questions found on the US Naturalization test and explained just what it means to be a citizen in the USA. Keeping in with the Citizenship theme was Table Topics Master Diane Hart. Noting the recent July 4th Celebrations as a time that people bond together, Diane asked Walk Jones ACS, CL to give some examples of how 10 year old boys might bond. Walk said that building model airplanes and using glue might cause them to bond together. He also mentioned movies, fireworks and camping. Barbara Cusack CC, CL was asked how 15 year old girls might bond. She mentioned texting, sleepovers, gossiping and acne. Our guest Felicia Sharon was asked what she could do to feel comfortable in a foreign land. Felica suggested talking with the local natives and exploring the area. Ken Blake ACG, CL was asked what tradition he had observed in his past was most 'unique'. Ken told how his father had Thanksgiving dinner on the 15th fairway of a local golf course every year until the golf course management finally ran his family off one year. Ken had everyone laughing! We had two remarkable speakers scheduled and both of the speeches this evening were worthy of fireworks. Starting with Adam Heltemes who was giving his Ice Breaker speech titled "My Piece of the American Pie" Adam remembered an event from his youth: a 4H Club flag retirement ceremony that captured a time and a place that would help together shape and inspire his future. It was an awesome Ice Breaker! Congratulations Adam! Frank Adams CC gave another informative and intriguing speech about mastering sales techniques. Titled "Taking Baby Steps". He told the secret to "four steps to sales success" and even gave us an example by talking Marietta Bolatete into a "sale"! Although I believe that Frank could sell make up to Lady Gaga. General Evaluator Barbara Cusack CC, CL. was blessed with two experienced evaluators in Ken Blake ACG, CL and Walk Jones ACS, CL so the evaluation section was really something special on this night. Both Ken and walk gave excellent evaluations of the speeches but Barbara's excellent evaluation of the entire meeting was eloquent, witty and very perceptive. The Bureau of  Performance Adjustment was credited with a collection of master technicians: Grammarian Marietta Bolatete, AH Counter Mike King, Film producer Steve Wood, Timer Ken Walley ACG, CL and first time Vote Counter Janet Madden. All of them did brilliant work. During the concluding remarks club Vice President of Education Ken Walley ACG, CL welcomed back Patti Stuart who had been missing due to surgery for the past month. It was very good to see her at a meeting again! We had a number of guest attending as well. Something that is becoming a tradition at Club #28 is the positive and glowing feedback that we get from the guests at every meeting. This night was no different our guests Rodney Higgins, ACB visiting us from the Let's Talk Club #4413 who arrived with Jamie Waters ACB, CL. Rodney said that he was "in the market" for "second club" to join and Club #28 just might fill the bill! Other wonderful comments were made by Felicia Sharon, Dan Koehler, returning guest Michael Whisenant. Another truly delightful surprise for this evening was when Walk Jones ACS, CL brought his son Candon Jones who also was very gracious in his comments. It is not hard to see why Toastmaster meetings themselves are becoming an American tradition to celebrate!        

The annual special Summer Celebration and Installation of Officers Orlando Toastmasters Club 328 meeting held on June 30th 2011meeting was a giant success! Staring off the meeting was Diane Hart serving as Sgt. at Arms for her last time, who also read the Invocation and Pledge. Ken Walley ACG, CL served as the Master of Ceremonies, obviously enjoying his role in front of a packed room, introducing amazing featured speakers, esteemed dignitaries and even popping a few Table Topics questions during the evening. He made the announcement that Club #28 was pleased to welcome two new members, Janet Madden and Adam Heltemes and that we now were 30 official members strong... and still growing!  Noting that the theme was "Summer" Ken asked his first table topics question to Jennifer Hensley "How do you survive Summer in Florida?"  Jennifer mentioned some great ideas such as reading a thick novel and staying inside, cool drinks and going out at night. We had two featured speakers on the program, starting first with Wilner Luders CC who gave a speech that was just perfect for the evening. It was titled "The Secret to Maximizing the Yield of Your Toastmaster Experience: Volunteering!" He mentioned the many rewards of volunteerism and aiding improvement in the lives of those in our local communities and made note that Toastmasters is perfect preparation for the "art of helping others." Diane Hart who keeps astounding Club #28 audiences with brilliant speeches, spoke second; giving one of her best speeches yet. She spoke on the subject of the "meaning of home" in a speech that was titled "What is Home?" In her speech she told of finding herself in strange and far-away places and taken in by others who made her feel "at home." Diane said that "Home is where you are. Home is a concept of head and heart." After our featured speakers, Ken introduced two excellent evaluators Barbara Cusack CC, CL and Malita Clarke CC who offered some solid reason and guidance for Wilner and Diane, as well as everyone else in the room. Ken took a moment to ask another Table Topics question to our newest member Janet Madden. "What do you do for Fun in the Summer?" Janet mentioned the pool and the beach  as well as a lot of other cool ideas to take advantage of the #1 Summer get-away destination in the world: Florida! The second part of the meeting was dedicated the "Changing of the Guard" as we start a new page in Club #28 history. We said "goodbye" to the past Toastmasters term as outgoing Club #28 President Steve Wood gave his "Farewell Speech". Looking back on a number of stellar accomplishments, including our 9th President's Distinguished Award, Steve also remembered some endearing personal observations about being a Club #28 President. Steve also mentioned that this was "not REALLY a 'farewell' ... I'll be back next week!" We also heard from our incoming Division C Governor, who also just happens to be our outgoing Area 32 Governor, Elon Horsham ACG, CL. Before inducing our new officers, Elon had a number of extremely positive remarks about Club #28's many successes and thanked the outgoing officers for performing their duties with grace and excellence. Gov. Horsham then presided over the "Passing of the Gavel" Ceremony and installed the July-December 2011 term Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 officers: Sergeant at Arms Heather Russell, Treasurer Frank Adams, CC; Secretary Mike King, Vice President of Public Relations Patti Stuart, Vice president of Membership Jennifer Hensley, Vice President of Education Ken Walley ACG, CL and President Ryan Dick. The highlight of the evening was the "Inaugural Address" by our new President Ryan Dick. Ryan got us fired up to try to take things to the "next level". Even said President Dick  "If you are only serving as the Grammarian, the Vote Counter or the AH Counter!" He implored us to be "all in!" for the club. Ryan stated "I want to be clear that I'm 'all-in' when I accepted this role and, I ask you, to be 'all-in' with me!" By the reaction to the speech and  the loud, rousing cheering of the audience, it looks like our new president can count on some strong support. Speaking after Ryan, was our new incoming Area 32 Governor Ken Blake ACG, CL. Club #28 is Ken's home club and he stated that he was looking forward to being our Area Governor and that he was going to "do everything in my power as Area Governor to help Club #28 continue it's success!"  Ken Walley ACG, CL noted that the meeting still had enough time to ask our guests what they thought of our Summer Celebration, even though it was not a "normal meeting." Visiting Toastmaster Diana Estremera DTM from the  "Let's Talk" #4413 Club was generous in her praise of not only the meeting , but of the club as well. She called the evening "inspiring!" Similar comments were provided by returning guest Ryan Popovic and new guest Taina Andino who both pledged to return. This was an evening to remember and a magnificent reminder that Orlando Toastmasters Club #28, it's members and friends, have a tremendous amount of achievements to celebrate but it is the future which should bring us the most joy.   

The June 23, 2011 Orlando Toastmasters Club 328 "Mars" theme meeting was simply "out of this world!" Our commander on this "Mission to Mars" was Wilner Luders CC who packed tons of trivia and facts about the "Red Planet" into the meeting. Malita Clarke CC started off the meeting with a short Invocation, simply reminding all of us to "breathe!" which Wilner pointed out would be very hard to do in Mars's atmosphere made up of 95% Carbon Dioxide. We also learned that the surface on Mars was covered in rust and that it was a very, very cold place to be. Adding to the questions that we have about Mars was our Table Topics Master for the evening Ryan Dick who started with a query for Mike King asking him if he would like to be aboard for the first trip to Mars. Mike said that he would jump at the opportunity! Steve Wood was asked if there was intelligent life on unknown planets in space. Steve said that it was possible that life in space may not be as rare as we think given the number of planets we are finding but intelligent life might be very rare. Intelligent life, Steve said, seems to "kill itself out." Ryan noting that scientists had one thought there were cities and rivers on Mars,  asked Malita Clarke CC if she had ever been tricked or duped. Malita said yes, remembering some blind dates she had been set up with in her past! Noting that the odds were slim of being conquered by aliens, our newest Club #28 member, Adam Heltemes, was asked if he thought that it was possible that a Company could take over the world? Adam said he believed that one might have already: Microsoft! Pointing out the extreme temperatures on Mars, Ryan asked one our many guests, Rich Woodman, where was the coldest place that he had ever been. Rich said that the coldest place that he had ever  visited was Norway during the dead of winter. As Mars is red and the Earth is blue, etc. another one of our guests, Janet Madden spoke on her "favorite color." It turned out to be Pink which is "not the color of any planet, but it's a great favorite color to have."  Our two speeches were both exceptional as well. The two speakers that were scheduled both cancelled out and two other speakers stepped in to cover starting with Barbara Cusack CC, CL who gave a truly "hip pocket" speech titled "Keep Coming Back!" She told why it was important for new Toastmaster to return, no matter what to toastmaster meetings and to keep working the program. She gave dramatic examples of how it had improved her speaking abilities over the years and the many, many benefits that Toastmasters had presented to her. Her speech was enlightening, inspiring and perfect for an evening when we had so many guests! Ken Walley ACG, CL spoke second and performed a reading of "The Shooting of Dan McGrew" by the poet Robert Service as a project from the Advanced Manual "Interpretive Reading". Ken's reading bought to life the rough times of the Yukon gold rush and a bar-room brawl over a gal named Lou. It was also exciting and enthusiastic fun! Taking on the role of General Evaluator for the first time was Marietta Bolatete but she was aided by two of Club #28 most able evaluators Diane Hart and Ken Walley ACG, CL. Diane did a superb job of giving helpful advice as well as a great amount of praise for ken's speech. Ken, doing double duty tonight, was also upbeat and magnanimous about Barbara's speech. Marietta in her meeting evaluation noted that while the meeting got off to a rocky start, it turned out to be a really good meeting. One of those reasons was the excellent job she did on her first time as General Evaluator. Another reason that this turned out to be a worthy meeting was the work of the Adaptive Skills & Judgment Assembly (ASJA) which was made up of Timer Ken Blake ACG, CL, Grammarian Malita Clarke CC, AH Counter Adam Heltemes, Photomodulator Mike King and Vote Counter Steve Wood. We had six guests attending our meeting, many of them giving high praise at the end of the evening. Club #28's guests tonight were Rich Woodman and his wife Kathleen Woodman, Edvens Rislin, Ryan Popovic, Janet Madden and Michael Whisenant. Many of them asked about joining Club #28' we hope they all do! Before the meeting, Adam Heltemes joined the club! Welcome Adam! This was a meeting that had a lot of atmosphere, unlike Mars, and should rocket us into the great Toastmaster future ahead! What a fabulous night!    

The room was full of dedicated toastmasters for the June 16, 2011 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "Dedication" theme meeting hosted by Ken Blake ACG, CL. The meeting started with an excellent invocation by Diane Hart that stressed the importance of devotion to duty. Toastmaster Ken Blake ACG, CL. paid tribute to doctors and medical personnel who work long hours to save lives, the men and women in the armed services and anyone who attempts to better themselves through hard work and desire. He then gave us examples of determined visionaries such as Ralph Smedley DTM, the founder of Toastmasters. Also showing a passionate zeal towards his assignment was Table Topics Master Steve Wood. Steve had some brilliant questions ready for our toastmasters and guests starting with one for Wilner Luders CC: "Who would you dedicate your book to?" Wilner said he was actually thinking about writing a book about "Cyber-bullying" and he said the might dedicate it to someone who has given him great inspiration, his son. Malita Clarke CC, was asked about the Casey Anthony trial going on in Orlando since many people seemed so devoted towards bringing the public "complete coverage." Malita said she has followed it "only a little" but admitted that it was hard to escape from the insistent media coverage. Our guest, and soon to be Club #28 member, Adam Heltemes was given the question "if you could clone 100 people from one person, who would it be?" After some thought, Adam decided to clone himself ! That way he could get all of the things he needed to get done finished! Frank Adams CC was given the question of would he watch a league of exceptional athletes aided by banned drugs or an inferior league of players who were drug-free. Frank said he would prefer watching a game with a "level playing field" and that illegal drugs, like steroids, were dangerous and even deadly to the players. Ken Walley ACG, CL was asked if we should send robots to Mars or should we send live human beings. Ken admitted that robots could probably collect data better at much less risk but it would be worth the sense of pride and accomplishment to send a real human to Mars. Dedication was also evident in the prepared speeches that were given on this evening. Marietta Bolatete and Walk Jones ACS, CL also treated us to amazing speeches. Marietta in her speech titled "My High School Teacher"  told us about one her heroes, her high school teacher  Mrs. Vale. She was both a survivor of polio and World War II, overcoming a life of danger and peril to bring wisdom to her students. Marietta's speech was filled with harrowing stories of bravery and inspiring dedication! Walk Jones ACS, CL gave us a speech titled "A Humorous Attempt to Get to the Point: The History of Humor" which was both enlightening and very funny. Walk covered humor from the beginnings of communication to biblical times through the Middle Ages and up to modern times and kept us laughing all the way!  Ken Walley ACG, CL served as the Master Evaluator and had the pleasure to introduce two of Club #28's best evaluators, Ryan Dick and Wilner Luders CC. They excelled with sage advice and keen insight. Also bringing some great examples of  patience, hard work and devotion to this meeting were the members of the Artistic & Technical Guild (ATG). They comprised of the following: Grammarian Heather Russell, Timer Malita Clarke CC, AH Counter Frank Adams CC and Vote Counter Jennifer Hensley. All were encouraging in their efforts. Our two guests both gave enthusiastic acclaim for the meeting. Faye Chandler said that she looked forward to returning and Adam Heltemes said that he plans to join next week! With fantastic meetings like this, it is little wonder why Club #28 members are so dedicated! 

The entire Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 went completely bananas at the June 9, 2011 "Bananas and other Fruits" theme meeting thanks to ingenious, even inspired work by the Toastmaster Ryan Dick. Ryan, who is the club's president-elect, covered all things bananas, including banana spiders, banana boats, banana splits, banana republics and much more about bananas. Diane Hart added some flavor to the Table Topics session with some interesting questions about fruit. She received some very tasteful answers as well. She started by asking Marietta Bolatete to give an example of a "complementary way to use fruit". Marietta said that most all fruit is "complementary" as it is healthy and just about her favorite type of food. Our guest, Justine Isernhinke was asked to give an example of when a fruit is "not complementary" to which she was ready with the answer: "A bad apple" and pointed out that it was Adam and Eve's "bane of existence." Steve Wood was asked to come up with a better recipe than "fruit on a pizza" Steve admitted that he could not but he could attest that pineapple was meant to be baked. Ken Blake ACG, CL was asked to name a fruit that was poison. Ken remembered a friend of his that bit into a pear and... "how do you say it when you find only half of a worm?" The table topic session was full of  laughter and engaging fun! What was not poison were the two brilliant speeches that followed the Table Topics session. Ruble Nedumkunnel ACB, CL started with an animated speech that moved everyone in the room. The speech, titled "My Super Hero" centered on the teachings of love and forgiveness from Jesus of Nazareth. It was an engrossing and uplifting speech. With this amazing speech, Ruble earned his Advanced Communicator Bronze Award! Congratulations Ruble! Having the tough assignment of following Ruble's speech was Jennifer Hensley who more than held her own. Giving her second speech from the Basic manual, Jennifer told of her struggles with time management in a speech titled "Just Isn't Enough of It To Go Around!" Jennifer's speech was packed with personal humorous stories that brought out the importance of organizing your life. These two speeches deserved some well crafted evaluations. In charge of the evaluation section of the meeting was veteran Toastmaster Wilner Luders CC, CL. Wilner explained that evaluations were the very keys to success of the Toastmaster program because it is the "part of the meeting where we learn from each other." Wilner had the help of two of Club #28 most esteemed evaluators, Malita Clarke CC (for Jennifer's speech) and Ken Blake ACG, CL (for Ruble's speech). Both of them gave balanced, helpful and noteworthy reviews of the speeches. As always, the production crew of the Rhetorical Debriefing Posse (RDP) were perfect throughout the evening. Those skillful players were: Timer Marietta Bolatete who also served as the Prime Cinematographer; Ken Walley ACG, CL who also covered two offices, being both the AH Counter and the Grammarian along with first time Vote Counter, and guest, Toby Wall. Both of our guests Justine Isernhinke and Toby Wall at the end of the evening gave very high marks to the meeting and expressed a desire to join Club #28, pledging to return! Even with a theme as amusing as "Bananas" there were no slip ups and the entire meeting had a great "a peel".

The June 2, 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "Mobsters!" theme meeting was an "offer you couldn't refuse." Ken Walley ACG, CL introduced the Club to some of the most dangerous crime bosses and gangsters including Al "Scarface" Capone, Salvatore "Lucky" Luciano, Carlos Gambino and Frank Costello.  Table Topics Master Steve Wood brought the mobsters "to the movies" with some questions about our favorite crime films. Mark Musgrave was asked what his favorite gangster movie was. Mark stuck with the classic "Godfather" trilogy. Mike King was asked about things that bothered him in films. Next, using the movie "Pulp Fiction" as an example, Steve questioned Barbara Cusack CC, CL on if there were any "dark comedies" that she liked. Barbara said that "life was like a dark comedy sometimes." Ken Walley ACG, CL was asked "What would a true-life bad guy think if he was watching a movie and the bad guy in the movie 'gets it' in the end?" Ken thought that bad guys would not be moved to stop being bad guys simply by watching a film. Our guest, Adam Heltemes was asked "If prohibition was so great a failure, should it not be a lesson for the legalization of some of the illegal drugs of today?" Adam thought that it would be a good idea in some cases, but not in others. This turned out to be a truly interesting and sharp-witted Table Topics session. Everyone had really good answers!  The three speeches that were presented on this night were worth far more than any mobster's bootlegging take! Starting with Malita Clarke CC who gave a speech titled "Toastmasters = Success" which was about how Toastmasters helped her to succeed at her new job. She thanked a number of fellow Club #28 members for guiding her in her Toastmaster's journey including Wilner, Alan, Patti, Frank, Diane, Barbara, Steve, Heather and the two Kens. The speech was inspiring and uplifting, but the real success story was Malita herself! Congratulations on earning your CC Malita! Our second speaker was Ryan Dick who's speech "How to Write a Junk Fax" was brilliant, informative and funny. His speech, using the Power-point projector, used clever slides to teach us how to create a masterful Junk Fax, in this case, for Toastmasters. It was a very well done presentation. Alan Brents ACG, CL who has been very busy at Club #28 lately giving speeches, gave one of his best. Keeping with the theme of the meeting his speech, titled "Killing and the Law" explained the differences between 1st, 2nd, 3rd degree murder and manslaughter. Alan, a retired lawyer, gave excellent explanations of the crimes, even using some of our own club members in his examples! All three speeches were absolutely fantastic! So were the evaluations. Ken Blake ACG, CL our scheduled General Evaluator had to leave the meeting early so Ken W. took over his role and introduced evaluators Diane Hart, Walk Jones ACS, CL and Barbara Cusack CC, CL. As would be expected with that kind of talent, the evaluations were superlative. When it came to giving the evaluation of the meeting itself, Ken W. called upon visiting Toastmaster Diana Estramera DTM to lend her thoughts about the evening. Diana was highly positive about the meeting praising all of the speakers and the way that the club covered the meeting roles. Of course, that could not have happened without a very flexible Measurement and  Description Syndicate (M&DS) which was made up of Timer Mike King, Grammarian Barbara Cusack CC, CL; AH Counter Mark Musgrave and Vote Counter, as well as Motion Picture Supervisor Steve Wood. Excellent teamwork created an exceptional meeting. Both of our guests Adam Heltemes and Laval Brown also entered high praise for the meeting, and both expressed interest in joining the club! While crime might never pay, this "mobster meeting" however was a "hit!" 

The May 26, 2011 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 meeting went on-line with the theme of "The Internet: It's Impact on Individual and Global Life!" Hosted by the evening's "Toast-Web Master"  Wilner Luders CC who did a fantastic job of bringing the incredible scope of this cyber-universe into focus. Wilner explained the amazing power of social networks, defined "digital" and warned us of Internet fraud! Wilner did a dramatic job of encapsulating a very big subject and making it meaningful and understandable. Also connecting to the world-wide-web was Marietta Bolatete who was very impressive in her debut as the Table Topics Master. Her first question to Diane Hart was: "How has the Internet impacted how we communicate?" Diane remembered sending letters and having to go to land-line phones to get in touch with someone. "Now it is all so instantaneous. We get a barrage of information!" She noted that we carry massive communication systems around with us and think nothing of it. Mike King was asked if the Internet had simplified his life. He said the Internet had the power to make something simple and other things more complex. Ryan Dick was asked to design his own avatar. I believe we heard him say that he did it once by using a photo of a "guy with a guitar on his back."  Frank Adams CC was asked if he was to follow someone via twitter who would it be. Noting that the Miami Heat are in the NBA Finals, he said Lebron James. The last question was asked of Ken Blake ACG, CL. Marietta asked him if the Internet had made us "smarter or less brainy?"  Ken noted that Club #28 probably wouldn't exist if it were not for the Internet and told a story about how he kept his house from being sold without his knowledge while seeing a chance article on the web. The second part of the meeting, the prepared speeches, matched the excellence of the first part of the evening. A truly interesting and somewhat scary, speech  titled "The Elephant in The Room" was presented by Club #28 President Steve Wood and covered the subject of overpopulation. It was a brilliant speech that had a good measure of humor even though it showed just how looming the problem of overpopulation is becoming. Steve used a Power-point presentation to enlighten us and somehow managed to delight and frighten us at the same time! Alan Brents ACG, CL joined in with a wonderfully relaxing speech titled "The Bliss of the 'Just Be' State". Alan told about how important it was to get away from the noise and clamor of the world and to find your "Just Be" state of mind. The speech itself was almost Zen-like. The third speaker was Heather Russell who titled her speech "I'm a Problem Finding Homewrecker!" The speech was not what you might think based on the title, it was about how she became a home renovator mostly because other people's houses seem to collaspe around her! All three speeches were entertaining, informative and enlivening! Taking on the dual roles of Master Evaluator and evaluating Heather's speech was Ryan Dick. As always, Ryan performed both duties to near perfection. Joining him in near perfection were Malita Clarke who gave Alan's evaluation and Ken Blake ACG, CL who reported on Steve's speech. The Word Balance Project (WBP) was undertaken with impressive success by Timer Jennifer Hensley, AH Counter Frank Adams CC, Grammarian Ken Walley ACG, CL; Motion Picture Composer Marietta Bolatete and Vote Counter Elizabeth Isbell. Elizabeth was also our only guest and gave another round of positive feedback at the end of the meeting. This meeting was better than staying at home and surfing the web but after such a great meeting can anyone be blamed for going home and looking up this meeting on the "past meetings" page in the Club #28 website?          

On May 19, 2011 We fell in love with Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 all over again as they presented a "Love in Words and Song" theme meeting. The meeting started off with a sentiment about love presented by Wilner Luders CC from the words of Elizabeth Kuber-Ross for the Invocation. Alan Brents ACG, CL was the Toastmaster for the evening and he made sure that "love was in the air" throughout the evening with famous quotes from both literature and song! Alan even sang for us but only once however. We on the other hand, wanted more singing! Invoking great rock, pop, soul and R&B groups of the past like The Temptations, The Beatles and Eric Clapton; Table Topics Master Ryan Dick asked some interesting questions based on love songs that received some "lovely" answers. Starting with Wilner Luders CC and quoting the song "Love is Like a Circus" He asked if Wilner "What act would you be from a circus?" Wilner could not really pick a specific act. Question #2 was asked of Edward Hutchinson about what he loved from his hometown. His hometown happened to be Kingston, Jamaica and he loved the fact that he met his wife there. Ken Blake ACG, CL was asked if he had owned Eric Clapton's wealth, what would he spend it on? Ken noted that Barbara Cusack CC, CL wanted to answer that question, so he "handed it off" to her! Barbara said that she would help to fund HIV programs, supplying research and medications to those most in need. Mike King was asked "What is something that you have done to advance your career?" Mike said that he read a lot of books and tried to stay informed as to what was changing in his field. Somehow the song "My Girl" from the Temptations, turned into a question about why someone would move to a city with a higher crime rate. Jennifer Hensley came up with a good answer. She said that "It might be worth it if the arts and cultural scene would be an important influence on my family." She cited cities like New York and LA with great libraries, museums, concerts and universities. The next question was aimed at Heather Russell who was asked "what have you accomplished in record time?" Among a number of different replies was "tear off a roof." The last question was asked of Ken Walley ACG, CL. Ken, a self-confessed Beatle fanatic, was asked what Beatle he liked best. Ken said that it was the blend of all of the Beatle's  personalities that made the group truly great. Everyone did a super job, this club has really excelled in Table Topics lately! Again, Club #28 featured three speakers, all of whom came prepared with memorable efforts. Starting first, with a very special speech was Monica Walley CC, CL who gave her 10th speech, earning her Competent Communicator Award! Monica's inspirational speech titled "At 21"  was a look forward towards her future stating that she had what "everyone wanted and what money cannot buy... youth." She stated that building self confidence is like charging a flashlight for the "dark forest paths of life ahead." Her speech was very well received. Congratulations Monica! Speaking 2nd was Malita Clarke who is also on the doorstep of her CC award, giving her "second" 9th speech, as she wanted to do a speech project twice from the basic manual. Malita gave a very interesting speech titled "Perspective and Reality". Using a whiteboard, Malita showed how an artist should "see what is and not see with emotion" of the subject that they are drawing. She said that drawing what "you know and not what you see", throws off perspective. This was a wonderful art lesson, and speech! I also noticed that a lot more people were doodling after her speech. Marietta Bolatete was the third speaker giving an excellent informational speech about what to expect and how to prepare for a paramedical exam. The speech titled "What is A Paramedical Examination?" and gave a unique nurse's overview of the subject. After such a successful evening of speeches, no one expected the evaluations to rival such a high quality of work, but the evaluation team led by Master Evaluator Frank Adams CC, did just that! All three evaluations given by Ken Walley ACG, CL, Diane Hart and Walk Jones ACS, CL were simply superb. Even Frank's well crafted "meeting evaluation" was noteworthy. Also bringing pride and craftsmanship to their duties was the  League of Listeners and Timers (LLT) which flaunted such talent as Timer Barbara Cusack ACB, CL; Grammarian Patti Stuart, AH Counter Heather Russell and Vote Counter Jennifer Hensley. This meeting was completely indebted to their intense dedication. This meeting was blessed with one guest, a friend of Heather's who has visited Club #28 before, Elizabeth Isbell. Elizabeth said that she "very much enjoyed" herself and looked forward to coming back again! This meeting had a little bit of everything: great speeches, table topics and evaluations. It was inspiring and fun. It had a great theme, and speaking of that, the only question that could be asked would be: what's there not to love?

The craziest thing about the May 12, 2011 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "Mass Hysteria" theme meeting was just how good it was! Starting from the Invocation and Pledge presented by Marietta Bolatete to the closing gavel from President Steve Wood; this meeting was oddly, and compellingly, bewitching. Ken Walley ACG, CL acting as the meeting Toastmaster and host, led us into the strange-but-true world were whole cities, towns and even countries completely lose their minds! He told of laughing attacks, dancing fits, soap opera induced sickness; strange sightings of weird creatures and, much more falling under the spell of a world gone mad! Joining in the fun was Table Topics Master Walk Jones ACS, CL who triggered a rash of brilliant answers from our members. Citing that people sometimes follow to extremes what they might see on TV and in the movies, he asked Marietta Bolatete what her favorite movie scene was. Marietta said it was an incredible fight scene from the movie "Fists of Fury". True, that would not be a good scene to try to reproduce in a public place! Richard Hendrix was asked what imaginary animal he would like to hunt.  Richard came up with the "Cock-a-deer" a part deer and part crocodile that would be "perfect for making a great smoked jerkey!" Our guest, Brice Aikens was given the question "Have you ever seen strange lights in the sky or a UFO?" Brice said that yes, indeed he had and that led to a scary story. Barbara Cusack CC, CL was asked by Walk if all women are "completely crazy." She said she could only speak for herself, and her two aunts; and the answer was "yes!"  Jamie Waters ACB, CL was asked to tell us about the animal yet-to-be-found, known as the "Swamp Cabbage Monster." Jamie warned us that just because we have not seen them, Swamp Cabbage Monsters are out there! These were some wonderful answers to some unique questions that they may never be asked again! Three exceptional speeches were given on this evening. Each speech, although different from the others, excelled far beyond their manual objectives. Starting with Patti Stuart's 2nd speech in three weeks titled "Nurses: Trusted to Care!" she gave a great tribute to nurses everywhere. Using Florence Nightingale as a role model, Patti related the invaluable rewards of nursing and gave us some wonderful personal insights into the profession. It was an uplifting and inspiring recognition of some real- life heroes. Speaking second was Alan Brents ACG, CL who put to use the Power-point projector to pay a tribute to another type of hero. In a speech titled "Admiral Hoskins: 'The Peg-Leg' Admiral" Alan told us of the exploits of Admiral John M. "Peg Leg" Hoskins, a colorful Navy Commander who earned many awards and this country's deepest respect. This almost-forgotten fearless leader, lost his foot in battle while climbing through the ranks from graduating at the bottom of his class at the US Naval Academy to commanding some of America's most prestigious aircraft carriers and even having a movie made based on his life as well as an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show! What a great story. The last speaker was Richard Hendrix who made his long awaited return to the lectern. It was worth the wait as Richard did not disappoint with a speech titled "My Most Memorable Moment."  He explained to our newer members that he had been away from the club over the past four months while receiving a new heart after undergoing heart transplant surgery. He recalled the day that a donor heart had been located and the mad rush to get to the hospital in Tampa for the procedure. But this was not his most memorable moment. All he could think about on the way to the hospital was not the operation that waited ahead; but the fact that his wife had told him the day before that he was going to be a new father! That was his most memorable moment! Richard's surprise ending caught everyone off guard. These three brilliant speeches received equally brilliant evaluations! Wilner Luders CC acted as both the General Evaluator and the evaluator for Patti Stuart. Two other notable Toastmasters: Frank Adams CC and Jamie Waters ACB, CL gave the evaluations for Alan and Richard. It was not only the speakers who benefited from their wisdom but everyone else in the meeting room also. Everyone, especially the Toastmaster, benefited from the work of the Clocking and Description Combine (C&DC) which was manned by Timer Barbara Cusack CC, CL; Vote Counter Steve Wood, Film Director Marietta Bolatete, AH Counter Ryan Dick and Grammarian Diane Hart. All did amazing work. The only guest of the evening, Brice Aikens also gave a very positive review of the meeting and promised to return again. The closing thought of the meeting was given by Malita Clarke who had not spoken during the evening. She was asked by Ken Walley ACG, CL to comment on Unicorns. She remembered those fanciful animals fondly from her youth but said she has not given them much thought lately. At least she was not out chasing after them. While this meeting was not something to get hysterical about, it was however "crazy good!"

Words cannot describe the fantastic "What is it About Words?" theme meeting of May 5, 2011 presented by the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28. I will try to put it into words but there are so many reasons why the words will be so hard to find. First of all, Sensational Reason #1: the room was packed with Toastmasters & Guests! Among the surprises was the return of Richard Hendrix who has been away from Club #28 since the start of this year receiving a heart transplant! So many of us were extremely happy and thankful for his return! Richard got a chance to meet many of the new members who have joined since he left for the hospital. Here is a list of all those attending: Ryan Dick, Steve Wood, Wilner Luders CC, Ruble Nedumkunnel CC, Ken Blake ACG, CL; Heather Russell, Walk Jones CC, CL; Jennifer Hensley, Ken Walley ACG, CL; Richard Hendrex, Marietta Bolatete, Ed Carmona ACB, CL; Carolyn Stapleton, Bill Fitzgerald, Patti Stuart, Diane Hart, Mark Musgrave, Alan Brents ACG, CL ; Frank Adams CC; Mike King and returning guests Debra Myers and Edward Hutchinson! Wow! Brilliant Reason #2 that this meeting was too good for words: Diane Hart gave an inspirational Invocation and Pledge and did an amazing job of opening the meeting and introducing the president. Exceptional Reason #3: President Steve Wood inspired our newer members to think about becoming Club #28 officers for the upcoming term! Remarkable Reason #4: Mike King's first-rate performance in his first time ever as the meeting Toastmaster! Mike "knocked the ball out of the park"! He gave us a lot to think about as to how words shape our world and our relationships. He kept everyone entertained throughout the meeting. Mike led the meeting as if he had been doing it for years, never missing a beat and keeping the meeting on track! Great job, Mike! Awesome Reason #5: Wilner Luders's (CC) Table Topics session. Wilner had some remarkable questions on the subject of Words starting with the question asked of Ed Carmona ACB, CL: "What gives words their meaning?" Ed answered was that  it was "Life that gives words their meaning." Brilliant! Guest Ed Hutchinson was asked about the phrase "Actions speaks louder than words." He said it was the "small things" that often meant the most to his wife, like washing the dishes and doing house cleaning. "The things that lighten her load," he said,  "Often proves much more than just words." The third question was asked of Carolyn Stapleton "To what extent do words hurt or heal a relationship?" Carolyn explained that sometimes even small slights can hurt, but it is the ability to measure our words to avoid hurt and sometimes heal verbal wounds that we should strive to master. Heather Russell was asked that if she only had one word that she could save from her vocabulary what would it be? Heather said it would be the word "Love". It is a word that we should strive to define by our lives. Ken Walley ACG, CL was given the question of how do words influence a speech. Ken saw words as very powerful things. "Words can be like weapons, you must be very careful how you use them." This Table Topics session will long be remembered for the deep meanings and the poignant insights of the words that were spoken. Incredible Reason #6 of why words cannot describe how good this meeting was: The two excellent speeches that were given on this evening! The two speeches tonight were both from the Advanced Manual speeches including the first speech by Ruble Nedumkunnel CC from the Persuasive Speaking manual. Ruble gave everyone a superb lesson  on the subject of how to be a great salesperson titled "I Have Those Goals Too!" Using personal stories, folklore, humor and down to earth steps on how to succeed in sales, Ruble told how to approach the sale, add value, handle objections, close the sale and follow-up. His advice was educational but his speech was fascinating! Ken Blake CG, CL also delighted as well being informative with a speech titled  "What Goes Up Must Come Down!" Ken was talking about his electric bill! Ken gave a number of helpful, easy and thrift-worthy ways of saving money from using energy-efficient light bulbs, to changing A/C filters and knowing which side of the house to  grow shade trees! Ken showed us his electric bill saying he was upset that it was far so high this month...  it was all of $50.00!  Spectacular Reason #7:  Walk Jones CC, CL led a very impressive Evaluation section of the meeting as the General Evaluator. He had help from two of Club #28's best evaluators; Frank Adams CC (for Ruble) and Alan Brents ACG, CL. (for Ken B.) Both were right on target with thoughtful and meaningful ideas and support in their evaluations. Walk's evaluation of the entire meeting was first-class itself with a lot of high praise for every part of the meeting. Magnificent Reason #8: The technical support of the meeting was almost as impressive as the speeches, Table Topics and Evaluations! Superior effort was made by the Scribes of Intervals and Idiom (SOII) who's company consisted of Grammarian & Camera Master Marietta Bolatete, AH Counter Patti Stuart, Vote Counter Heather Russell and first time Timer Bill Fitzgerald. Because of them, the meeting ran seamlessly. Transcendent Reason #8: Carolyn Stapleton announced that she would be leaving our Club as she is going on an extended voyage and this led a a great outpouring of love and well-wishing her the very best. You will be extremely missed Carolyn!. Supreme Reason #9:Our guests Debra Myers and Ed Hutchinson both had wonderfully positive things to say about this meeting! Ed even joined the club after the meeting to become our newest member! Welcome Ed! I really wish that I could tell you just how fabulous this evening with Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 truly was, but I just cannot find the words.

The April 28, 2011 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "Get Hired, Not Fired!" theme meeting was a wonderful experience that had something for everyone who was in, or out, of the workforce. Patti Stuart started the meeting with another inspiring Invocation and Pledge to the flag and President Steve Wood introduced a number of guests which included for the third meeting in a row past Club #28 President Ed Carmona ACB, CL as well as another toastmaster visiting Club #28 from North Carolina, Robert Fisher, CC. Also attending were two other visitors, Rett Frazier and Ed Hutchinson. All were warmly welcomed. Steve introduced Barbara Cusack CC, CL who was at her very best as the Toastmaster. She kept the meeting upbeat and lively but most of all relevant and meaningful with a subject that was perfect for today's tough employment market. Barbara gave some brilliant ideas on getting an keeping a job. She gave tips on how to prepare for an interview and how to make an impact with you resume as well as a number of pitfalls to avoid such as as outlandish e-mail  addresses on your resume, chewing gum or not knowing who you are talking to. Also helping to bring out some great ideas on the subject was Table Topics Master Diane Hart. Diane started out the session with a challenging question to our newest member Mike King about wallowing after he had lost a job or not being hired. Mike said that in the past he has done his share of "wallowing" but that it is a waste of energy and will not help you land a job. Jim Stitt was asked about "missed opportunities" to which he admitted that he had missed a few but no one knows what would have happened had he took advantage of them. He might even be worse off than he is now. Jennifer Hensley was asked to give a "laundry list" of things to do to get a great job. "Preparing ahead of time and knowing what you want to get" were on her list. Frank Adams CC was asked "If he ever had a job where he felt like a slave?" Frank gave us the feeling that there were some job in his past which truly made him appreciate the job that he has now. The last question went to Heather Russell who was asked what would "kill it" for a teenager interviewing for a job with her. She came up with quite few things. This was a really good table topics session that actually would have helped anyone who was looking for a job! Two excellent speakers tonight gave very different speeches starting with Brian Wheeler ACB who gave a speech titled "A Man Just Can't Sit Around!" about a man who found himself sitting in a lawn chair, strapped to weather balloons floating 15,000 feet up in the air... getting in the way of airplane traffic!  This speech was completely entertaining! Ken Walley ACG, CL gave a speech from the The Successful Club Series titled "How To be A Distinguished Club!" Ken gave a "hip pocket" speech about Club #28's progress towards earning it's 9th President's Distinguished award in the last 11 year and it's 3rd in a row. Ken noted there were only 3 goals left to accomplish this task and that the club should be able to complete them all. Acting as the General Evaluator for the evening was Alan Brents ACG, CL who presented two able evaluators starting with a visiting toastmaster from North Carolina, Robert Fisher, CC who had courageously volunteered to give the evaluation of Brian's speech. Robert impressed us with a very enlightening and enjoyable review of his speech. Monica Walley CL had the honor of giving an evaluation of her Father's speech which also included some advice for those who had given Table Topics answers earlier. Alan meeting evaluation was also noteworthy as being helpful towards making future meetings better as well as it's highly positive remarks about the meeting at hand. Some of those remarks were bestowed upon the Resonance Apprehension and Standardization Organization (RASO) which were composed of the Timer Mark Musgrave, Grammarian Ken Blake ACG, CL; Video Historian Marietta Bolatete, AH Counter Heather Russell and Vote Counter Jim Stitt. Also giving high marks to the meeting were the guests Robert Fisher, CC who was impressed with the club's ability to adapt to a changing agenda (two speakers cancelled at the last moment) as well as Ed Carmona ACB, CL who announced that he might be able to come to more meetings now that a conflict that he had with Thursday nights might have been remedied! Also there were wonderful comments fro guests Ed Hutchinson and Rett Frazier who both said that they would like to see more of Club #28. Ken Walley ACG, CL had noted that Marietta had not had a chance to speak during the meeting so he called upon her to explain her role as the club's "photojournalist". She said she that enjoyed filming the speeches and had become quite creative given her time with the camera.We think so as well! If this meeting had been a job interview for a first-class Toastmasters club, the answer would have been a resounding "You're Hired!"           

The Wednesday April 20, 2011 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "The Great Outdoors" theme meeting had all of the thrill of exploring untouched forestland and the peace of enjoying a mountain stream. Thanks to efforts of this evening's guide through the wilderness, Walk Jones ACS, CL,  we learned of the joys and challenges of experiencing the great outdoors. Walk told of us a few places that he has been and some of the great things to do to get in touch with your "wild side" and enjoy camping, fishing, hiking, swimming and other activities that gives you a great appreciation of unblemished nature. Also adding to the feeling of being one with the great outdoors was our Table Topics Master Sean Dunn. Sean asked Mark Musgrave if he had ever come across an animal that had "reeked havoc" by being it's natural self. Mark remembered an armadillo that was at first mistaken for a bear because it had made such a commotion. Ryan Dick was asked if he had ever gone on an excursion that did not go as planned? Ryan remembered a trip to a Wal-Mart that completely got out of control and then told about a camping trip with similar results. Bringing up the memory of president and naturalist Theodore Roosevelt, Sean asked Alan Brents ACG, CL if he had ever gone on an impromptu expedition on the spur of the moment. Alan remembered going on an un-planned ocean cruise to "get away from everything" at a particularly stressful time in his life. Sean did an excellent job of being the Table Topics Master for his first time and he brought forth some wonderful responses to his questions!  The speeches also brought forth some enthusiastic responses. We had two super speeches starting with the Ice Breaker of Patti Stuart, which was Club #28's 7th  Ice Breaker speech in the last six weeks! Patti's 1st speech was yet another memorable story that transcended her abbreviated experience behind the lectern. Titled "Why Can't You Just Play?"  her speech told the story of her her life using childhood toys as props and described a fascinating journey to becoming a professional nurse. This was an impressive speech that really left everyone in the room looking forward to her next project. Congratulations Patti! The second speaker was Barbara Cusack CC, CL who was giving an advanced speech working towards her Advanced Communicator Bronze award. She gave a speech to inform and choose the topic of the homeless. Her speech, simply titled "Homelessness" exposed a number of myths concerning their plight. Barbara's speech had important information towards creating a more compassionate community while becoming more effective  in helping a growing homeless population. It was a wonderful speech. Taking control of the third part of the meeting, the evaluation section, was General Evaluator Wilner Luders CC  who was blessed with introducing two powerful evaluators. Starting with Carolyn Stapleton for Patti's Ice Breaker speech and then the most venerated Ken Blake ACG, CL who gave the review for Barbara's speech. Both of which gave exciting acclaim to the speakers along with some wise expertise to guide their public speaking futures. Behind the scenes, the Recounting and Debriefing Tribunal (RDT) performed with remarkable excellence. They were Grammarian, Diane Hart, AH Counter Alan Brents ACG, CL; Photojournalist Marietta Bolatete, Vote Counter Ken Walley ACG, CL and 1st time Timer Mark Musgrave. Diane's Grammarian Report was especially entertaining and well prepared. Our only guest this evening was returning Club #28 past president Ed Carmona ACB, CL who had wonderful things to say about the meeting. Indeed this meeting brought the "Great Outdoors", indoors!  

The April 14, 2011 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28  "Monuments" themed meeting proved to be almost as impressive as Mt. Rushmore or the Statue of Liberty. Patty Stuart started the meeting with another meaningful and interesting Invocation. This evening's Toastmaster and host, Wilner Luders CC, CL gave us a tour of Monuments both large and small. He commented that often monuments are a sort of "marking place" for a civilization's or a culture's progress. He gave examples of monuments that ranged from the breath taking to the ridiculous. Ryan Dick serving for the first time as the Table Topics Master came up with some monumental questions that had everyone thinking about the Boll-Weevil Monument in Enterprise, Alabama and some other astounding masterpieces as well. His first question was asked of Jim Stitt inquiring what would be the first things that he would like to see on a trip to China. Jim said he would like most to visit with the people and see the temples and landmarks that were the most important to the culture of China. Asking Mark Musgrave how he would invest money if he went back in time to Enterprise, Alabama to the year 1919 with a (then) fortune of $18,000.00,  Mark told Ryan that he would probably invest in the Ford Motor Company. Smart choice, Mark! Diane Hart was asked who would she build a monument in honor of if given a chance. Diane did not know who she would build it for but she said that it would be heroes like the Astronauts who are remembered at the dramatic Astronauts Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center. Barbara Cusack CC, CL was reminded by Ryan of an United States Attorney General who had the bare breasts of the statue "Lady Justice" covered up when he had to make a speech in front of the monument. She was asked how she would feel giving a speech in front of a "bare breasted monument"? Barbara said that she would have no problem with that at all and that the idea of covering up a statue is rather silly. Debra Myers who was one of our guests, was asked to what animal she might build a monument. Debra admitted that she was an animal lover and that it was hard to pick just one to honor. She went with "an obvious choice" the Dog, citing the creature's loyalty and faithfulness. These were excellent questions followed with sharp answers from all of the participants. At this meeting we heard three more truly awe-inspiring speeches given by Jennifer Hensley, Frank Adams CC and Alan Brents ACG, CL. Jennifer's first speech titled "The Longest Night" was another brilliant Ice Breaker which centered on her becoming a mother and parent. She told of April 6, 2003 the night when she first gave birth to her son Jacob and the wild and wonderful evening that it turned out to be. She had the audience completely captivated! Congratulations Jennifer! Speaking next was Frank Adams CC who also excelled with an entertaining and stirring performance titled "Strange Instructions" that captured the imagination of everyone in the room. It was about a man who was called by God to preach to no one in an empty field in the middle of the night! As it turned out there was only one man, in a tree... who needed to hear his message. Alan Brents ACG, CL gave an electric speech titled "My Electrifying Moment" about being shocked by an electric fence and realizing that "it wasn't his time to die!" The speech was a well woven story with tons of humor, word pictures and entertainment. Leading the team that would have the awesome task of evaluating these three superior speeches was Master Evaluator Barbara Cusack CC, CL. She was supported by one of the strongest evaluation groups ever assembled for a Club #28 meeting: Brian Wheeler, ACB, Ken Walley ACG, CL and Malita Clarke. All three of the speakers were given the best in advice, encouragement and insight during this remarkable evaluation session. Barbara's meeting evaluation was also worth noting because of her positive and glowing comments! The Articulation Recovery Commando (ARC) was comprised of Timer Jim Stitt, Photo-Documenter Steve Wood, AH Counter Ken Blake ACG, CL and Vote Counter Mark Musgrave. As usual, they performed flawlessly, including first timers Patty and Mark.  The meeting was blessed with a number of guests: Nancy Dye, Jennifer Marinas, Mike King,  Michle Merritt, Debra Myers and returning member and past Club #28 President Ed Carmona ACB, CL. All were very delighted at their experience at Club #28 on this evening. Mike King and Mark Musgrave even joined the club! Indeed, this was a monument to what a fantastic Toastmasters meeting should be!

Who could have known? The April 7, 2011 "Into the Future" theme meeting of the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 was the exact opposite of the week before! Last week only 10 people were present... this week... Club #28 boasted an attendance of over 30 members and guests! We simply packed the meeting room of the Herndon Branch Library! This was a good thing too, because everyone got to enjoy a truly fantastic meeting. Walk Jones ACB, CL started off the meeting with an excellent Invocation and Pledge, which was both inspiring and professionally done. This was Walk's 1st time giving the Invocation and it was impressive, even for a man of the cloth. This evening's host, Ken Blake ACG, CL took us "into the future" by starting with a look back at the history of Club #28 and saying that "the future is the past." Ken asked us to envision a "perfect future" and said that almost anything is possible if the will is there to create it. The Table Topics Master Diane Hart created a memorable Table Topics session! Her first question was asked of returning, and a very missed, club member Marietta Bolatete who was asked what she would do in a situation where she was "completely lost, without any direction." Marietta said it was important to maintain a presence of mind and to work from what you can find out." Diane asked one of our many guests Leslie Chaillou if she had ever put great faith in anything only to see it "go up in smoke?" Leslie was able to recall quite a few experiences like that. Walk Jones ACS, CL was given the question "What do you do when the unexpected happens?" Walk said that he was "not expecting to get called for Table Topics" and seemed to be the favorite person to "say a blessing"  for almost any occasion. Patty Stuart was asked what to do when "plans go awry?" She said that she tried to "plan to plan if her plans did not go as planned." by having a backup, or escape route. Due to time restraints we only had four questions but every one of those questions had the whole room pondering the answers. The future seems hopeful for upcoming Table Topics contests! Club #28's future also arrived with the first speech of the evening, an Ice Breaker by Heather Russell titled "How to Know Heather Russell!" This 1st speech was like no other starting speech ever delivered at Club #28. Using Styrofoam cups with labels on them, passed out to most of those in the meeting room, Heather built a "Tower of Heather" that described herself. We found out that Heather depicts herself as "a sister", "daughter", "tile setter", "stroke survivor", "heart attack victim" and as "funny", "hardworking", "creative" ... and many, many many other phases and labels that portrayed who she saw herself as. A final cup, saved until the last; revealed a major piece of the "Heather puzzle". It read: "One who loves to love and be loved."  We really loved this speech! It was unique, fun, interesting and even had a "mystery ending!" What a great start to Heather's Toastmaster journey. The second speech was Club #28's President Steve Wood giving his 7th speech (if you do not count his "Inaugural Address") on a subject that was very interesting and thought-provoking, i.e. How our own brains can trick us. Citing optical illusions, speed adaptation and muscle reflex; Steve pointed out that sometimes our brains will even "lie to itself". The speech was even titled "The Hazards of Thinking."  It was another Steve Wood speech that others will not only be talking about, but thinking about for some time to come. Our last offering was a visiting speaker fresh from his Area 32 International Speech contest victory, Robert Donnenfeld DTM who performed his award winning speech titled "Look Ma! Look Ma! Look at Me! Ma!" his speech was about the challenges he was confronted with as his mother faced the trials of Alzheimer's disease. It ended with a plea to let your loved ones know how you feel about them before it becomes to late. His speech was an extremely powerful presentation. Ken Walley ACG, CL filled the role of the Master Evaluator and was blessed with the support of three exceptional evaluators. Alan Brents ACG, CL gave a glowing review of Heather's Ice Breaker and Frank Adams CC also excelled with a brilliant evaluation of Steve's speech. Ken W. introduced the third evaluator for Robert's speech as "someone he had handpicked" even though he was giving his first evaluation, because of his "obvious knowledge" of the public speaking craft. Ryan Dick did not disappoint! He gave a helpful and compelling evaluation of Robert's contest speech. Even though time was running out, Ken gave a very upbeat and positive "meeting evaluation". Also giving notable reports were the Grammarian Carolyn Stapleton and the AH Counter Jim Stitt. The rest of the Phonemics Adjudication Troupe (PAT) consisted of Vote Counter Barbara Cusack CC, CL, Photoplay Designer Sean Dunn and rookie Timer Jennifer Hensley. All of them did terrific work. The meeting ended with some of our guests giving very positive statements about the night's gathering and a number of our guests pledging to return. Bill Fitzgerald became the newest member, joining Club #28 after the meeting! Welcome Bill! Here is a list of the members that were present: Frank Adams CC, Ken Blake ACG, CL; Marietta Bolatete, Alan Brents ACG, CL; Barbara Cusack CC, CL; Ryan Dick, Sean Dunn, Diane Hart, Jennifer Hensley, Walk Jones ACS, CL; Wilner Luders CC, Heather Russell, Carolyn Stapleton, Jim Stitt, Patti Stuart, Ken Walley ACG, CL; Brian Wheeler ACG, CL and Steve Wood. They were joined by two visiting Toastmasters, both Distinguished Toastmasters: Diana Estermera DTM and  Robert Donnenfeld DTM and guests Jim Fitzgerald, Leslie Chaillou, Marsha Hall, Elizabeth Isbell, Mark Musgrave, Dottie Curtis, Lolly Burden, Mike King, Toby Hall and two UCF students named Guide ____ and Jodi _____, plus maybe a few guests that I might not have caught their names.... What a wonderful evening this was and what a bright future for Club #28!   

The Thursday March 31, 2011 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "All You Need is Love" themed meeting took place on an evening marked by extreme storms with heavy rain, lightening, thunder and hail. But all this meeting needed to be a success was some brave Toastmasters and some love... and of course, this evening's Master of Ceremonies Frank Adams CC. Frank gave some brilliant advice on how to keep long term relationships, such as marriages, strong and meaningful. Frank made it completely worth the drive to the library with a number of insightful and even inspirational messages on how to survive the "rough spots" in a relationship and how to make the good times even better. Anyone who came to this meeting left with a number of more effective ways for creating stronger relationships! Making our members and guests examine their own feelings on the subject and turning a few of them into "instant philosophers" was Table Topics Master Carolyn Stapleton. Her first question was "What are the ingredients in making a long-term relationship work." which was asked of Ken Walley ACG, CL. Ken mentioned he had been married for 22 years and that it was important to "see things through the other person's eyes" if possible and making the most of the "virtue of patience." Ken Blake ACG, CL was asked if he could give an example of "giving a little bit extra" in a relationship to make it more successful. Ken B. said that by empowering your partner and supporting their interests and individuality makes for a happier and more fulfilling bond. "If your wife or husband asks you if she or he could try a new hobby or pursuit, 'Just say 'Go!'" said Ken. Club #28's newest member, Jennifer Hensley answered the question "What is a way that you show someone you don't know all that well that you love them?" Diane Hart was asked to put into two minutes what she had "learned during her life from Love and relationships." She said she learned a lot about love from the unconditional love shown to her by her pet dogs.  Steve Wood was given the rhetorical question: "If God is Love, then what would one call Love if one did not believe in God?"  Our returning guest, Franklin Santos was asked to recount something "silly that he had done for love." The last question which was also asked of a guest, Leslie Chaillou "what has she done in the way of love without requiring that she take any kind of credit." Leslie told that she liked to help those less fortunate than herself through acts of kindness and charity. The answers of this table topics session were both encouraging and revealing of a "great heart" that existed this night  among Club #28's members and visitors. The evening was full of surprises as well. Not one, but two of our speakers were surprised that they were giving speeches. At the last moment, both of the scheduled speakers were (understandably) unable to attend. Giving the first hip-pocket speech of the evening was Ken Walley ACG, CL who called upon the Club #28 Vice President of Membership Frank Adams CC to help him with a New Member Induction Ceremony! Ken in his speech titled  "Welcome to Toastmasters!" told about the benefits and the responsibilities of being a Toastmaster before having our newest members Jennifer Hensley and Heather Russell officially voted into the club as well as having Frank administer the "Toastmaster pledge". Of course, both members were warmly welcomed! Speaking second "off of the cuff" was Ken Blake ACG, CL who told a tale of  a great cup of coffee in a speech simply titled "Coffee". Ken told about how he loved coffee but could never make it right until one day when he made the "perfect pot of coffee". Everyone simply raved about how unbelievably fantastic his coffee was! Later, when cleaning out the coffee brewer... he found a "secret ingredient" he did not know about that had CRAWLED into the filter!!! Ewwww.  The evaluators were very much like the speakers as they were simply the speakers giving each other their evaluations. Ken Blake ACG, CL who was also the Master Evaluator (as well as a Speaker and Table Topics orator) gave Ken W.'s evaluation finding a number of helpful ideas from his speech, including "if you have to give a hip pocket speech, just call up Frank Adams CC during your speech to give it for you!" Ken Walley ACG, CL got his chance next with an evaluation of Ken B.'s speech which was also packed with great ideas, and some helpful hints, such as "Don't ask the timer how much time you have left in your speech!" It was interesting to see the speakers perspective as evaluators of each other's hip-pocket speeches. Ken Walley ACG, CL  likewise  "wore many hats" throughout evening serving as a featured speaker, Invocation and Pledge leader and  a Table Topics expoundee. Others jumped into serve in the Auditory Perception and Actuate Gauging Society: (APAGS) they were Grammarian Diane Hart, Timer Steve Wood, AH Counter Monica Walley CL, Cinematographer Heather Russell and first time Vote Counter Jennifer Hensley. All performed with excellence. Our guest comments showed that even on a "dark and stormy night" we had nothing to fear as the observations from Marsha Hall, Leslie Chaillou, Franklin Santos and Dwain and Mami Smith were all laudatory and full of great praise for the meeting. It's easy. All you need is love, love and a bunch of wonderful Toastmasters!       

.  The Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 March 24, 25011 "Toastmasters: Beyond the Club!" theme meeting was not only a great lesson as to how the Toastmasters program offers many paths to improvement which encompass a wide variety of activities but it was also a huge success within the meeting room itself! Sgt. at Arms Diane Hart brought the meeting to order and made a number of changes on the agenda and then had to revised them as people kept entering the room, but eventually all of the roles were covered.  Toastmaster Alan Brents ACG, CL hosted the meeting and told of the many rewards for participating in Toastmasters events such as the upcoming District 84 Conference, the Officer Training programs like the Toastmasters Leadership Institute held in February or the recent and ongoing Area, Division and District International Speech and Table Topics Contests. Table Topics Master Ken Walley ACG, CL expanded on the theme in the Table Topics session with some very thought-provoking questions. His first question was asked of Chris August as to what brought him to Toastmasters in the first place. He was seeking ways to improve himself and become better in his work and personal life. Barbara Cusack CC, CL was asked how Toastmasters had helped her in her life, outside of the program in the so called "real world". Barbara mentioned that it gave her "an edge" as she started a new career developing a new salsa product and it helped both socially and professionally. Alan Brents ACG, CL was asked what it was like to go to a District Conference. He told us that not only were there great seminars and workshops and that you gained knowledge from Toastmasters from all over the State of Florida but that you could visit a great cocktail lounge as well! Malita Clarke was asked if she would ever consider becoming a Toastmasters International Director. She said yes, she might even become a International Director someday but not at this time in her life due to her work schedule.  Frank Adams CC was asked what the thought of attending Officer Training last month. He said he enjoyed it very much, learned a lot and was proud to be a part of Orlando Club #28 while he was there! The last question went to one of our guests, Greg Fries. He was asked "What would you like to get out of Toastmasters?" Greg mentioned self-confidence and the ability to communicate better as a way to improve many different parts of his life. The answers were all very impressive in this Table Topics session and it would have even made for a great Toastmasters recruitment film. Again this week we had two sensational speeches! Starting with an Ice Breaker speech by our newest member David Worsham, who gave a jaw-dropping performance titled "Achievement Unpacked: How Video Games Made Me Who I Am" in which he described his life through the eyes of a video game junkie! David's speech was beautifully written, extremely unique and completely entertaining! Congratulations David! Ryan Dick returned to the lectern for the 2nd week in a row to give a speech that completely amazed his audience. Using humor, wit and impressive speaking skills his speech titled "The World's Most Monumental Invention" made an excellent argument for ... Beer! Ryan has shown over the last two weeks that the future of speaking distinction is safe at Orlando Toastmasters Club #28! Barbara Cusack CC, CL was one of the many Toastmasters who covered a meeting position at the last moment. Deftly administering the role of General Evaluator, she had the help of the Walleys, Ken and Monica Walley (ACG, CL and CL respectively) to give the evaluations for David and Ryan (also respectively.) Both gave helpful, if searching to find areas to improve,  reviews of the speeches. Both held up high praise for each speaker. Barbara's "General Meeting Evaluation" was also highly praiseworthy of the meeting itself including the Table Topics, Speeches, Evaluations and the Toastmaster who had to navigate through a number of different personal changes on the agenda. He could have not made it through the meeting without the help of his Syntactic Estimation and Retrieval Directorate (SERD) which consisted of Grammarian Frank Adams CC, Timer Steve Wood, 1st time AH Counter Patty Stuart and Vote Counter Chris August. All of them did exceedingly brilliant work. Also present for this upbeat and entertaining meeting were four guests: Greg Fries, Jennifer Hensley, Ashley Witherington and Heather Russell all of who gave strong positive feedback about the meeting. One guest joined after the meeting and another pledged to join the club and even signed up for an Ice Breaker Speech! Welcome to Toastmasters and Club #28 Heather Russell and Jennifer Hensley! This was a great meeting both inside of our Toastmaster Club #28 as well as something to take with us "Beyond the club!"  

The Orlando Toastmaster Club #28's March 17th 2011 "Languages" theme meeting took place on St. Patty's Day with a terrific turnout. Several of our regular members were missing...Humm... perhaps they were bending their elbows in celebration at the local? In any event, the meeting was most auspicious; with five new visitors! Joining us this night were  Jermaine Jordan, Tony Crouthamel, David Worsham, Chris Kirby and Dale Herndon, ACB, ALB who is a District 53, Area D4 Governor! We also had a returning visitor, Bill Fitzgerald. Bill and Dale both courageously covered meeting tasks for this evening. Indeed, we had a remarkable roster of functionaries and three excellent speeches which included 2 Ice breakers and one International Speech contest oration! Our newest member, Patty Stuart led us in a beautiful and self-composed inspirational invocation on "True Greatness." Celebrating his birthday by being at the helm as our Toastmaster was Wilner Luders CC who introduced the theme of "Languages." Wilner covered many different aspects of this subject which is important to all Toastmasters. Wilner gave us a unique perspective, having the ability himself of speaking three languages fluently. Malita Clarke likewise expounded upon the topic with marvelous Table Topics that were aptly answered by our guests and club members. Malita first asked Diane Hart if she spoke a different language and if she did, how did she learn it. Diane mentioned that she spoke a little Spanish which she had picked throughout her travels in Spain and South America. Our guest, Tony Crouthamel was asked "In your mind, what does 'Language' mean to you?" Tony talked about language as being the building-blocks of culture and heritage. Monica Walley CL was asked how one might overcome a language barrier. Monica explained how she often is faced with this at her job as a server in a restaurant. She explained that using "adaptive sign language" and by "pointing a lot" at the menu usually gets the job done. Another guest, Chris Kirby was asked what tools are needed to learn a new language. Chris stressed interaction with others and using the language consistently. Which is very good advice. Wilner Luders CC was asked to compare the different languages that he knew. He noted that they were more similar than one might think being based in Latin. He expounded on the differences of French, English, Spanish and Creole all within two minutes! Our visitor, Chris Kirby who, undaunted by speaking for the first time, took the white "Best Table Topics" ribbon! Our three speakers showed us "how it's done" and we had our socks blown off by two incredible "Ice Breaker" speeches starting with Ryan Dick with a speech titled "The Three Life Lessons I Learned Playing Flag Football!" Masterfully delivered, Ryan told how he learned that 1. Fighting is not worth it; 2. Think Positive as we can only "beat ourselves" and 3. learn how to delegate and trust while trying to win a "championship T-shirt."  These were all excellent flag football lessons but it was the sheer professionalism of Ryan's 1st speech that left those present happily amazed. Not to be outdone our second speaker Walk Jones ACS was giving a "2nd Ice Breaker" to introduce himself to the club even though he is currently working on his Advance Communicator Gold award. Walk's self titled speech "Walk Jones" gave us an impressive portrait of a man who lived life to the fullest by golfing, fishing, scuba diving as well as a love of politics, having worked a one time for former Vice President Al Gore while becoming a Presbyterian minister! It was another fascinating and moving speech! Speaking third was Ken Blake ACG, CL who was giving a "warm up" speech for the Area 32 International Speech four days away. Ken's speech "Where is Shelia?" was given with some added twists and new material, hopefully to make it stronger contender for the March 21st contest. Ken showed that almost any speech given by Ken B. has a chance to win any contest! These three "super speeches" were given excellent evaluations by visiting Area D4 Governor Dale Herndon ACB, ALB; Diane Hart and Alan Brents ACG, CL. It is hoped that Dale will be able to return to give more brilliant reviews as his was very insightful. Diane Hart gave her usual skilled and intelligent evaluation of Walk's speech with her usual flair. Alan Brents ACG, CL also gave an exceptional and insightful evaluation of Ken Blake ACG, CL  which will surely help him to lead us to victory again in this upcoming contest. Monica Walley CL served beyond the superlative as the General Evaluator when she was given only about eight minutes to complete the evaluation section of the meeting and almost pulled it off. She gave the club a chance to finish the meeting before the library closed! The Word & Duration Band of Guardians (W&DBG) on this evening consisted of Grammarian Carolyn Stapleton, AH Counter Monica Walley CL, Timer Ken Walley ACG, CL and guest Vote Counter Bill Fitzgerald. A hurried, but still given with grand perspicacity, was Carolyn Stapleton's Grammarian Report as was Monica's AH Counter report.  Even though we rushed to end the meeting, every second was worth it. At the end of the meeting,  guest David Worsham pledged to join the club and even signed up to do his Ice breaker Speech next week! Welcome David! A good, hangover free, time was had by all with much laughter, insight, entertainment  and success!                                                                   (cS/kW)     

The Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 March 10th 2011 "State Flowers! ... and other Horticultural Tidbits!" theme meeting grew into a beautiful flower of its own thanks to the gardening of it's toastmaster Malita Clarke. Sgt. at Arms Diane Hart brought the meeting to order with her usual flair and introduced Frank Adams CC who started the meeting  with an interesting Invocation and Pledge that featured flowers and a rodent. Club #28 President Steve Wood happily called upon Ken Walley ACG, CL for a "Richard Hendrix report" in which he announced that Richard was back in Orlando "walking 2-3 miles every morning" and planning on returning to the club by end of the month. Malita Clarke came prepared with colorful charts of all of the State flowers and a ton of interesting "tidbits" from foliage all over the country. Her bubbly personality and transcendent sense of humor made this a totally delightful evening besides being an educational experience for everyone. Another person who uplifted the entire room was Table Topics Master Diane Hart. Admitting she had some challenges coming up with questions for the theme of "State Flowers" she produced however some memorable answers from our members. Her first question was directed at Barbara Cusack CC, CL: "Why do we even have such a thing as State Flowers?" Barbara wondered that herself stating that it "gave the women something to do." She admitted that the Florida state flower, the Orange Blossom was a great choice as the aroma was so wonderful. Jamie Waters ACB was asked if he was aware of a beautification project that was a success. Jamie told of the technical obstacles of achieving such a botanical plan and  alluding to recycling water to create several beautiful gardens that he named. Brian Wheeler ACB using less of a scholarly reply, answered Diane's question about "A weird or joke-like flower" by telling a tale of the City of Kilroy, La. that has a flower festival that celebrates a flower called "The Crazy Butt Flower" where people wear  T-shirts with the slogan of "Smell my Butt!" Having to follow that question, was EJ Jones who was given the query of "Is there a Flower in a song that you remember?" She picked the song "Lilly of the Valley" to speak on and how that song gave her strength at times. We had two excellent speeches starting with an Ice Breaker by Sean Dunn titled "Sink or Swim" who told us of his youth being brought up in a family with a competitive swimming background and how that translated into his future. Born in Japan into an Air Force family, he would go on to have a family of his own with two kids and own his own business in Orlando. It was a brilliant 1st speech! Alan Brents ACG, CL returned to the Club #28 lectern with a wonderful speech titled "St. Patrick's Day" about the same subject. Alan told us a ton of facts and trivia that included St. Patrick, leprechauns, girls proposing to men one  out of every four years, the biggest and the smallest of St. Patty's Day parades, green beer, whiskey and many other things. Having Alan back with us is the "luck o' the Irish" for Club #28! Ken Walley ACG, CL  was the General Evaluator with some home-grown talent to support him with the evaluations section of the meeting. Brian Wheeler ACB gave the evaluation for his good friend Sean Dunn's Ice Breaker Speech. which was followed by Ken Blake ACG, CL who gave the evaluation of his fellow Advanced Gold member, Alan. Both reviews were exceptionally helpful with advice and positive feedback. Ken Walley ACG, CL praised the entire meeting as being strong "at all levels" and exceeding all expectations. "This was a sensational Toastmasters meeting" said Ken. Ken noted as well the competent work of the Scholarly Observation and Notation Cataloguers (SONC) who boasted the likes of Grammarian Barbara Cusack CC, CL; Timer Ryan Dick, AH Counter Carolyn Stapleton and first time Vote Counter Patty Stuart. on this evening. We also had two guests, Franklin Santos and Zack Greer that both gave glowing testimonies to the night's proceedings. It was also announced that Patty Stuart joined Club #28 becoming our newest member! Welcome Patty! This "State Flower" themed meeting could only be labeled as a bloomin' success!

When Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 Vice President of Education Ken Walley ACG, CL announced that the date for the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 International Speech and Table Topics Contests as Thursday, March 3rd 2011, he could not have known that he would be announcing one of the finest contests ever held in the club's long and storied history. it was simply an incredible night of Toastmaster magic when everyone seemed to have brought their very best to the lectern. The meeting room at the Herndon Branch Library was packed and the electricity could be felt everywhere in the room. "High-energy" was the main gear for Ken who served as the Contest Master leading the club through yet another legendary evening of great International Speeches and Table Topics. Many Toastmasters in the past have commented that Club #28's contests often excel most of the local Area Contests simply because of the high caliber of the speeches and the top quality of the speakers that are in the Orlando Toastmasters #28 club. This year was no exception. A number of dignitaries were present including two past Division C Governors, Helen Joseph DTM and Ken Peplow CC, CLB. Returning also was or Immediate Past Area 32 Governor Luvenia Hart ACS, CL as well as our current Area 32 Governor Elon Horsham, ACS, CL. Other visiting Toastmasters included Daisy Arus ACB of the Castaways Club #618581; Barbara Bess, a past president of the Uptown Toastmasters Club #6304 and Gail Hill Smith ACS, CL from the Central Florida Facilitators Club #9958. A few guests, as well as a strong turnout of club members also were present for this special meeting. Sgt. at Arms Diane Hart called the meeting to order and introduced Malita Clarke who gave the Invocation and Pledge to the Flag. Malita mentioned that competition makes us better in life and in Toastmasters, it also creates the groundwork for sportsmanship. Ken Walley ACG, CL started off the evening with the Table Topics Contest. Ken asked the Table Topics Contest Sgt. at Arms Alan Brents ACG, CL to lead all of the contestants out of the room except for the first speaker Malita Clarke. He then asked the same question to all of the speakers by requesting them to finish the statement: "The most amazing thing I ever saw was..." Malita told us that her parent's deep wisdom and their abilities to overcome setbacks or challenges was truly amazing. Marietta Bolatete who spoke of seeing the "Mountains of 7 Colors" in South America which change color as the sunlight hits the mountain range. Diane Hart remembered the incredible experience of watching a child grow up. Carolyn Stapleton told about making a "statement in art" when she redefined her VW bug by adapting "used cigarettes" to create a "stink bug". Ken Blake ACG, CL spoke about the miracle of his children being born. All of the answers were impressive and truly imaginative! Ken Blake ACG, CL added to his already sizable hoard of contest trophies by winning first place with his answer. Diane Hart came in second, taking home her first Club #28 Table Topics Contest prize. Congratulations to all of the brave challengers in this contest who made the task of choosing a winner almost impossible for the judges. The International Speech Contest featured three of the best speakers that Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 has ever produced: Wilner Luders CC, Ken Blake ACG, CL and last year's Area 32 International Speech Champion Barbara Cusack CC, CL. Each of them came through with unequivocally remarkable speeches. Wilner Luders CC was simply astounding with a speech titled "Disaster in Motion, Distant Voices Heard" which by all accounts was the best speech that he has ever given. Relating the fragility of life to the tragic earthquakes last year in his homeland of Haiti, Wilner's speech was a brilliant performance as well as a powerful and moving narrative about life. Barbara Cusack CC, CL also brought her best to the lectern with a speech titled "Forgiving Yourself" which was a flawless presentation from start to finish. She completely mesmerized her audience about how she had made large mistakes in her life often leaving her wondering how she could ever overcome them. She realized that it was the act of forgiving herself that was a key to conquering her past demons. Ken Blake ACG, CL gave another trademark speech that showcased his polished skills and exceptional wit. His speech, about a troubled youth was titled "Where is Shelia?" Using his most engaging speaking tools, Ken built a story that was relatable to everyone in the room, had humor, emotional impact and even a little twist in the ending. All three speeches were brilliant. Ken won his second 1st Place award of the evening and Barbara Cusack CC, CL finished a close second. It must be noted that any of these three speeches were not only worthy of winning this competition but that any of them would be strong challengers to win at the Area Contest level. Let us not forget that those who made this contest possible were presented with Certificates of Appreciation by the Contest Master. He also highly praised the extremely professional and really beautiful documents that were made by Club #28's own Malita Clarke! The Contest Master also brought his daughter, and fellow Toastmaster Monica Walley CL to present him with his citation! Saying a few words about the upcoming Area 32 Contests and helping to hand out the awards was our Area 32 Governor Elon Horsham ACS, CL. Another Club #28 member doing a great great job for his first time as the Raffle Master was Sean Dunn! Sean handed out a "large" sum of money to a visitor from another Toastmaster Club, Gale Hill Smith ACS, CL as our lucky 50/50 winner! The Club #28 contest winners will go on to compete in the Area 32 International Speech and Table Topics Contests on March 21, 2011 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at the corner of Colonial and I-4 in Orlando. The contest will be at 6:30pm. I hope that Club #28 can send a big crowd to represent us at Area and cheer on our winners! Much thanks go out to those who made this a truly special evening, those who gave their time as functionaries, contestants and judges. Here is a list of those by whom our contest was made possible: Contest Master Ken Walley ACG, CL; Sgt. at Arms: Diane Hart;  Invocation and Pledge leader: Malita Clarke; Table Topics Sgt. at Arms: Alan Brents ACG, CL; Chief Judge Ken Peplow CC, ALB; Timers Frank Adams, CC and Ryan Dick; Vote Counters: EJ Jones and Steve Wood; Raffle Master: Sean Dunn; Table Topics Contestants: Ken Blake ACG, CL, Marietta Bolatete, Malita Clarke Diane Hart and Carolyn Stapleton; International Speech Contestants: Ken Blake ACG, CL; Barbara Cusack CC, CL and Wilner Luders CC and the 5 judges from other clubs. Again, congratulations to Club #28!  

The theme for the Thursday, February  24, 2011 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 meeting was "Presidents" and was brought to order by the Sgt. at Arms Diane Hart who soon introduced Kayla Sorel-Bazil for the Invocation and Pledge. Diane also introduced the Club #28 President Steve Wood who was "very presidential" on this occasion. Leading the meeting on this evening was Ken Walley ACG, CL an admitted history buff who told us intriguing and off-beat facts that you would not learn in school about Grover Cleveland (He executed two men as a sheriff in Buffalo, NY), Dwight D. Eisenhower (made a great vegetable soup) and William Howard Taft (four men could fit in his bathtub) and many others including George W. Bush, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon   Ken said his favorite president was Theodore Roosevelt who was the winner of both the Nobel Peace Prize and the Medal of Honor. Also bringing the White House to the Herndon Branch library was Table Topics Master Frank Adams CC (no relation to John and John Quincy Adams) who had some commanding questions for our members. Starting with Kayla Sorel-Bazil, Frank remembered John Adams as the first President to live in the White House and asked her what would she do if she move into that place herself. Kayla said that at first she would probably be a little overwhelmed by it all. Ken Blake ACG, CL was asked if speaking more than one language would help as President. He said it would go a long way in helping build trust with some countries. Our guest Brian Holecko was asked why it was important for a President to be a citizen of the United States. Brian thought it was important and he also mentioned that you have to be 35 years old to be president. John Tyler had 15 kids and Frank asked Carolyn Stapleton how she would handle being president with 15 kids. She said she would turn the White House into a "large shoe"  because she would have so many children she wouldn't know what to do. Many of our presidents were great orators such as Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy and our two speakers tonight would have felt right at home in their company. The first speaker, Wilner Luders CC astounded his audience with a remarkable speech titled "Disaster in Motion, Distant Voices Heard". Remembering the horrific earthquake that hit his homeland of Haiti. Wilner used the "voices" of those lives were destroyed to relate the fear, sorrow and lessons of the tragedy. His message was on the fragility of life and the necessity of being humble and thankful. The second speech, which had a more political message was delivered by Jamie Waters ACB  and dealt with the labor unions debate and the protests currently happening in Wisconsin. Jamie explained that "public unions"  might have outgrown their usefulness and that policemen would not restore order if it meant that it was their own benefits that were being protested. Jamie pointed out that it was a "conflict of interest" if the public sector was  being paid by taxpayer funds to support a "public" union. The speech was titled "The Moral of the Story: Public Unions."  The speech made some very good points. The Master Evaluator on this evening was Ken Blake ACG, CL who had the pleasure of introducing a man who had been gone for sometime from our club and had been very missed. Returning to give the evaluation of Wilner's speech was none other that Alan Brents ACG, CL! Alan gave Wilner some excellent advice and encouraged him to give this speech in the upcoming Club #28 International Speech Contest. The second evaluator was Diane Hart who gave a very balanced and reasoned review of Jamie's speech while giving him a good amount of praise. Ken Blake ACG, CL noted that it looked like we might not have much of a meeting because many of our members arrived late but the club somehow was able to put the pieces together to accomplish an excellent meeting. Excellence was the credo of the Investigative Foundation of Time and Structure (IFT&S) led by Timer EJ Jones, AH Counter Malita Clarke, Grammarian Carolyn Stapleton and Vote Counter Chris August. Any President would have been proud of their efforts! Before Ken returned the reins of power to the Club #28 President Steve Wood, he called upon Ryan Dick and Sean Dunn for their observations of the meeting. Both of them said that they were very pleased with the evening and were both planning their Ice breakers speeches.  Our guests Bill Fitzgerald, Alan Brents and Brian Holecko all he echoed Ryan and Sean's sentiments and were planning on returning. Brian even joined the club after the meeting! Welcome to Club #28 Brian!. This meeting was a fantastic meeting but what else would you expect from a club that boasts that Franklin D. Roosevelt as a member of Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 (True! look it up!)   .  

The theme for the Thursday February 17, 2011 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 meeting was "Abundance" and this meeting showed a great abundance of many things including talent, inspiration and fun! Starting with a rousing beginning put forth by Sgt. at Arms Diane Hart and the thoughtful Invocation and Pledge by Marietta Bolatete everyone knew that we were in for a meeting that would be plentiful with meaning and skill. This was confirmed by the Toastmaster of the evening, Wilner Luders CC who gave a role performance worthy of the most masterful of hosts. Wilner pointed a number of reasons we should take the time to notice the plenty in the world around us and to remember that time is fleeting. He reminded us of those less fortunate and said the most abundant things on earth should be in the charity and love that should come from within. "Abundance is an attitude." said Wilner.  Also adding to the evening's excellence was Malita Clarke who asked some very imaginative question on the theme as the Table Topics Master. Starting with Marietta Bolatete, she asked "What do you think of when you hear the word 'Abundance'?" Marietta responded that a number of different things came to mind, including friends and family. EJ Jones who has shown a brilliance lately in responding to table topics question did not disappoint with her answer to Malita's question of  what is abundant but not in a spiritual sense. EJ spoke of life itself as something that is is in abundance if we realize it. Kayla Sorel-Bazil was challenged with the question of naming something that was in too much abundance. Diane Hart gave another expressive answer as well with her reply to the question in which she shared an abundance remembering a great feast she once had. spirited expression continued with the next section of the meeting, the prepared speeches. Starting with Ken Blake ACG, CL the club was treated to an informal history of the time that Ken has been in Toastmasters titled "Tell A Story of Our Club History" Ken remembered many Toastmasters that had inspired him in Club #28 naming Ralph Cowell, ACB; the late Dennis Gola ACG, CL; Diana Walley ACG, CL; Monica Walley CL, Brian Wheeler ACB, CL; Jim Stitt, Michael Joseph DTM, Helen Joseph DTM, Richard Hendrix, Paul Hagge, Steve Wood... as well other Club #28 esteemed members. His point was that he learned something from every member that embraced the program and that the history of Club #28 was only a portrait of it's dedicated members. The second speaker, Tony Betts CC, "wowed" his audience with his first speech in at least four years at the Club #28 lectern. Titled "Good to be Back!" Tony told about how the Toastmasters program had helped him in the past and when he was unable to come to Club #28 meetings after he moved out of town, he felt that something was missing in his life. He told how after he returned that he found the club just as he had left it except for a few different faces. Welcoming, inviting and willing to help him improve in any way that the club could. Even though Tony was giving a "Second Ice Breaker" speech he was given a standing ovation. It might have been the club more happy to see Tony return than even Tony was. The evaluation section of the meeting was hosted by Barbara Cusack CC who brought her usual energy and skill in abundance to the role. She introduced Ken Walley ACG, CL who gave the evaluation of his good friend Ken Blake's (ACG, CL) speech. Ken noted that a good way of getting a positive evaluation is to praise the evaluator as well as the evaluator's wife and daughter in the speech! Ken said that the speech was not "written on paper, but in the room" as Ken B. had mentioned a number of those in attendance. Diane Hart followed Ken with her evaluation of Tony's speech. Her evaluation was as as upbeat and helpful as any given before the Club #28 banner. Barbara noted the high quality evaluations in her meeting review as well as heaping praise upon Wilner as the Toastmaster, the strong table topics session and the two brilliant speeches. Let us extend that praise to the Proceedings Status and  Summary Company (PS&SCO) which had as it's members: Grammarian Carolyn Stapleton, AH Counter Jamie Waters ACB, Timer Kayla Sorel Bazil and Vote Counter EJ Jones. All did stellar work but Carolyn's Grammarian was later praised when Ken Walley ACG, CL said that he believed that "Some people come to the meetings just to hear Carolyn's Grammarian Reports!" President  Steve Wood  asked our visitors Stephanie Hampton and Patricia Stuart what they had thought of the meeting. Both guests proclaimed very positive feedback as well as pledging to return again. Steve brought the meeting to a close noting that we had an abundance of people attending. Seeing the great wealth of enjoyment that was had on this evening, that will no doubt continue!        

'Talent' was the theme and talent is what was displayed at the Thursday February 10, 2011 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 meeting. Starting from the sound of the gavel from Sgt. at Arms Diane Hart who had to announce a bevy of agenda changes, as well as a few addendums before the meeting got underway. Diane also gave a talented rendition of the Invocation and the Pledge to the Flag. President Steve Wood introduced a returning member, Ruble Nedumkunnel ACB who announced that even though he was now living in Melbourne, Florida that he was still re-joining our club and would visit from time to time! Vice President of Education Ken Walley ACG, CL also announced that toastmaster Ryan Dick had also joined right before the meeting started! Welcome to the club Ryan and welcome back Ruble! Also introduced was returning guest Monica Artau who said she was very happy to be back at #28 again. On this evening Carolyn Stapleton was magnificent as our Toastmaster as she weaved her eloquent prose around the subject of talent. Throughout the evening Carolyn gave us a lot to think about. She started with a brief history of the word and its meaning. Carolyn reminded us that "The word 'talent' is biblical, as in the 'Parable of the Lost Talent'. It was used in those times as a gold coin." Carolyn said, "Later it came to mean a very different kind of treasure."  She also touched upon  how we perceive talent, how we use our talents and how we build upon them. "Talent is who we are at our core." said Carolyn. Mostly though, Carolyn led by example by showing us precisely what a talented toastmaster does. Ken Walley ACG, CL served as the Table Topics Master asking  seven questions of our members and guests staring with Jim Stitt who was asked to "name some people who are really talented." Jim mentioned the people that he worked with and who were able to do "small miracles" on a regular basis. Ken Blake ACG, CL was asked what he thought his special talent was. He believed it was the ability to explain complicated things and make them understandable. EJ Jones was asked about what she thought of talent shows such as "'American Idol' and 'Dancing with the Stars'."  EJ admitted that she watched sometimes but thought of real talent being elsewhere. Frank Adams CC pondered the question "Is there really such a thing as 'natural talent' or can you overcome a lack of talent by working hard." Admitting that some people are gifted, Frank said that "there is no replacement for hard work." Our guest, Monica Artau answered the question of what she would like to be talented at. She replied that it would be great to be able to speak in many different languages. Brian Wheeler ACB was given the query of if he had any "useless talents". He listed an ability to drink beer as one of those. The finial inquiry was for Ruble Nedumkunnel ACB who was asked "What is more important, having the ability to make good choices or having the talent to accomplish great things?" Ruble stated that "Good choices are everything! The world is full of unsuccessful but talented people who make poor choices." We had two good choices of speakers for the evening. Both speakers were giving Advanced Manual speeches, starting with Barbara Cusack CC, CL. Her speech, titled "Forgiving Yourself" which might be a tough contender in the upcoming Club #28 International Speech Contest. Sighting past mistakes and bad choices that she had made in her past and using a liberal amount of humorous perspective, she told the story of forgiving herself and going beyond just "moving on" to becoming a stronger and improved person. Her speech gave encouragement to everyone in the room. Approaching the lectern next was Jamie Waters ACB who speaking for the second week in a row, was covering a speaking opening at the very last minute. His presentation exceeded all expectations, including his own, by giving a very polished speech titled "The Clothes Pin."  Jamie delivered a humorous speech about the excuses that we give for not staying healthy and working out. This included a giant clothes pin type of clip intended to hold back folds of fat while you sleep! Ouch! The evaluation part of the meeting was headed by Wilner Luders CC in the role of General Evaluator. It was Wilner's delight to introduce two excellent evaluators who both gave brilliant evaluations each teeming with positive energy, helpful advice and encouragement. Giving the review of Barbara's speech was Brian Wheeler ACB, CL and for Jamie's speech was Malita Clarke. Wilner also gave a strong and positive meeting evaluation. He praised the ability of the club to be flexible and was impressed with all three parts of the agenda, the speeches, table topics and evaluations. Through a number of different changes the Numerical and Composition Enforcement Squad (N&CES) consisted of Grammarian Ruble Nedumkunnel ACB, Timer EJ Jones, AH Counter Frank Adams CC and Vote Counter Steve Wood. All of them preformed their duties with excellence. The final comments of the evening included a very positive review of the meeting by our guest Monica Artau as well as high praise for the evening's Toastmaster Carolyn Stapleton and the presenting of awards to Brian Wheeler ACB (Best Evaluator and Table Topics answer), Malita Clarke for Most Improved Speaker and Barbara Cusack CC, CL for Best Speech. There is no doubt that Club #28 is rich in talent. An evening like this one simply proves it.      

 The Thursday February 3, 2011 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "Guidance, Teaching and Mentoring " Theme meeting started as returning and newest Club #28 member Tony Betts CC gave forth an invocation from a quote of motivational speaker Norman Vincent Peale. New visitors Chris and Pamela Rogan and Alex Malavo as well as returning visitors Ryan Dick, Walk Jones ACS and Area 32 Governor Elon Horsham ACS, CL. They were warmly welcomed by presiding President Steve Wood. Club #28 linchpin, Ken Walley ACG, CL introduced the theme "Guidance, Teaching and Mentoring" and Introduced the technical arbitrators who would help him officiate the meeting, including Grammarian Diane Hart who announced the Word of the Day as being "Neophyte". No neophyte to being the Table Topics Master, Carolyn Stapleton opened table topics with a bit of Jim Croce's wisdom: "You don't tug on Superman's cape /You don't spit in the wind/ You don't pull the mask off of the old Lone Ranger and You don't...." Good advice, which is why she asked: "What advice did you: Tony Betts CC, wish that you would have taken?" His answer was he wished he had listened to his dad about going to college right after High School instead of "learning the hard way." Our guest Chris Rogan was asked what Michael Vick could teach his fans about animal husbandry and Walk Jones ACS was asked how we can turn Mr. Vick's role modeling around. Another guest Alex Malavo was asked if he'd ever followed an "unseen guidance", or a hunch to his, or to a loved one's benefit. He told how he once prevented a burglary on a hunch! Kayla Soral-Bazil was asked if she had sought any unconventional forms of guidance. Frank Adams CC was asked what skill that he would teach a young person. Frank said he would teach a belief in themselves and in a higher power. Steve Wood was asked how he would mentor to wayward teens. Steve said that he had worked as a guidance counselor's aide but pled "Don't send me your troubled teens!"  Barbara Cusack CC, CL when asked what the "best way to learn" quickly gave the answer "Hands on!" Club #28 featured two speakers starting with Jamie Waters ACB  who was working from the Advanced Communication Manual "Storytelling" in a speech titled "Ethics and Morals". The speech illustrated how the meaning of words change over time and gave real world examples of how muddied the distinction between 'ethics' and 'morals' have become over the years. We all learned a lot about apples in a speech by Malita Clark'. Her 9th Basic Manual project, titled "Apples"  began with a chorus from "Johnny Appleseed" and was followed by some unexpected history of apples! The presentation covered apples in the times of Alexander the Great and Ramses II to the 7,500 varietals grown world wide and closed with the story of how the "Big Apple" became known as such. It was a fascinating, entertaining speech from soon- to- be CC Malita Clarke! During the evaluation section of the meeting, past Club President Wilner Luders CC extolled Jamie Waters's (ACB) poise and coherence as well as his user-friendly examples of morals and ethics in modern times. Elon Horsham ACS, CL gave an exemplary evaluation of Malita Clarke's speech which left none to wonder how he's become so successful in Toastmasters in just 31/2 years. He pointed out the relevance of her topic to all, her great transitions from one aspect of her topic to another and offered some very useful guidance to the benefit of all on vocal variety, eye contact and how little we really need notes when we are as well prepared as Malita was. Frank Adams CC as our Master Evaluator gave a tremendous evaluation of the meeting which sang the praises of all phases of this evening's gathering. Before Ken Walley ACG, CL left as the Toastmaster, he recognized the important Educational Standards Arbitrators (ESA) which including two 1st class reports by Grammarian Diane Hart and AH Counter Walk Jones ACS.. Rounding out the panel was Timer EJ Jones and Vote Counter Barbara Cusack CC, CL. President Steve Wood invited comments from our guests including Chris Rogan who shared that this meeting was "Just what he needed" his lovely bride, Pamela Rogan said she "loved the diversity and positive enthusiasm of Club #28". Ryan Dick said that he'd "come full circle" as he had attended his first time when Malita Clarke gave her Ice Breaker speech and pulled no punches saying that #9 was a major positive improvement from her 1st effort. Walk Jones ACS was succinct in his praise saying that Club #28 is a "great group". Alex Malavo said that Club #28 has a wonderful system in place to make a return "inevitable". Steve Wood entertained us all with a parting joke on "business ethics" saying "If you inadvertently charged a customer $10 while your partner was in the shop, what would you do? Would you keep the $10 for yourself or... split it with your partner?"  This meeting was guided, taught and mentored to a happy & successful conclusion!     [cS/kW]

The Wednesday, January 26th 2011 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 meeting might not have been dangerous, but it was thrilling thanks to the theme of "Extreme Sports" selected by Monica Walley CL who served as the Toastmaster! The meeting was opened by Sean Dunn who led us in the Invocation and Pledge for his first time and got the meeting off to an inspiring start.. Club President Steve Wood then  introduced three guests including Tony Betts, CC who was a past Club #28 Vice President of Education. Also visiting was toastmaster Walk Jones ACS who  volunteered to be one of our evaluators and Bill Posson, a friend of toastmaster Ken Blake ACG, CL. Each was given a warm welcome. Monica Walley CL gave the club a tour of some heart-stopping "sports" that both pushed the adrenaline and danger factors to the max, including: Ice Climbing, Base Diving, Whitewater Kayaking, Motocross Stunt Biking, Bungee Cord Jumping, Urban Freerunning and many others! Table Topics Master Diane Hart also "jumped over the edge" with some challenging questions for our members. Her first question was aimed at EJ Jones "What would your idea of extreme sports be?" EJ gave an account of mountain hiking, in the dead of night and almost completely blind! It was a truly rousing, and scary, description! Returning member Tony Betts CC told us of a few of his friends who dared to partake in extreme sports answering Diane's question "Do you know anyone who makes a living in sports?" Steve Wood was asked if he thought that extreme sports were a good or a bad thing. Steve likened them to a photo he saw of a mouse wearing a helmet and eyeing the cheese in a mousetrap. He told about people who throw themselves off of cliffs in "flying-squirrel suits" while falling only inches from the walls of canyons! Diane asked our guest, Walk Jones ACS if he had met anyone who had let being a sportsman go to his head. Walk remembered a few "Big Sport" personalities that he had known. Speaking of daring and courage, Club #28 featured three Ice Breaker Speeches! Our first brave speaker was Chris August who's 1st speech was titled "The Phases of Chris". Chris showed a remarkable sense of humor (including a very funny joke about polar bears) and established a quick bond with the audience as he took us through his "phases": childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Chris's first speech was packed with potential and left everyone looking forward to his next visit to the lectern. Speaking second was Jim Stitt who gave a panoramic view of his travels in a speech titled "The Life of a Traveling Restaurant Manager". Jim told us about the strange quirks of fate, overcoming tough obstacles and answering the knock of opportunity (in Washington DC, Detroit Michigan, Toledo Ohio, Burbank California.... and others) that led him to Orlando and a life that he truly enjoys here. Jim had some great stories that made us think that "you never know what is around the next corner". Speaking third was Brian Wheeler ACB who gave an auspicious speech that was titled "Finally My Life is Complete... or is it?"  This speech told about how a young man built a successful business, married a beautiful wife and had a wonderful family with two great sons. He thought that he had everything, until one day, almost out of the blue, he found himself adopting a new baby daughter! This speech was as inspiring and powerful as it was extremely entertaining!  All three speakers would receive very much well deserved standing ovations. The General Evaluator on this evening was Ken Blake ACG, CL who was at his best tonight with an arsenal of adept insights and sharp, witty introductions. Ken was fortunate to be able to present three excellent evaluators who all accomplished the art of giving advice and encouraging the speakers simultaneously. Carolyn Stapleton was spot-on in her evaluation of Chris's speech. She told of how Chris became "immediately enduring and had excellent composure, all the while building a rapport with the audience." She also noted that he had a "genuine sense of humor that was naturally funny."  The second evaluator was our guest Walk Jones ACS giving the evaluation of Jim's speech. Walk proved up to the task with some wonderful praise of Jim's ability to "bring to life places, things and circumstances with vivid words". He gave some excellent advice to Jim as well. Next, Brian Wheeler ACB was evaluated by Jamie Waters ACB. Jamie was immediately impressed with Brian's speech. He pointing out a vast array of communication techniques that Brian had exceeded at. Ken Blake ACG, CL in his meeting evaluation gave high praise to the evening noting that all three sections of the meeting (Table Topics, Speeches and Evaluations) were well thought out and although greatly entertaining, they were educational as well. The Congregation of Vocal Referees (CVR) that was appointed for the evening consisted of Grammarian Malita Clarke, AH Counter Ken Walley ACG, CL, Timer Frank Adams CC and Vote Counter Tony Betts CC, Malita gave another brilliant Grammarian report proving that Club #28 has a innate ability to paint verbal masterpieces. This meeting had all of the excitement of a bungee cord jump and the thrills of a leap out of an airplane without the fear of dying. This was a fantastic meeting!   

The schedule change from the regular Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 Thursday evening meeting to Wednesday January 19, 2011 was not a "hoax", although the theme of the meeting was! Club #28 President and this evening's Toastmaster, Steve Wood chose "Hoaxes" as the theme. It was another first-class meeting begun with a quotation attributed to Henry Ford which was chosen and Delivered by the club's newest member Chris August. Ford said: "Whether you think you can, or think you cannot; you're right!" Only one guest came for a visit, Eduardo Ramirez who invited toastmasters to a fundraising evening of entertainment by the "Up With People" cross cultural singing program. Monies raised would be used for scholarships talented foreign students to travel, do community service and entertain audiences with traditional song and dance from their native countries. Eduardo found two Orlando Toastmasters clubs in which to make his cause known. VPE Ken Walley ACG, CL announced a gain of 5 new members since January 1st! The membership gain that can be aptly described by our Word of the Day: "auspicious." Wilner Luders CC was our esteemed Table Topics Master and posed "how do you make a decision when you think that you might be tricked?" to Ken Walley ACG, CL.  His sage response was to "listen to your gut feelings and do research" He used the example of Orson Wells's broadcast of "War of the Worlds" to show how people can be tricked by the media. Next up was Frank Adams CC who asked to recall a hoax that was played out on him and what the effect had upon him. Frank vividly recalled an April 1st prank where he became trapped in an old refrigerator and to this day he had that hoax and April Fool's Day permanently associated! Carolyn Stapleton was asked how the "mermaid" myth affected her! She disclosed her interest in mermaids, mermen, sirens, Yetti and a strong desire to go to Scotland in search of "Nessy." Guest Eduardo Ramirez stepped up to the plate and explained that following "what you are and what you believe is like the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow." Not to be outdone, Ken Blake ACG, CL reported that he believes that the "initiation rites" rumor is NOT a hoax and cautioned fellow toastmasters not to "flash" their lights at oncoming cars with their headlights off and to add a "Don't shoot, I'm not a tourist!" sign to their car, just in case. ne hart did an astonishing job on her 5th speech entitled "Focus!" She eloquently recounted a fund raising dinner that she helped orchestrate and easily met the goal of the speech which was to use "body language and gestures" proving that through song, mime and acting, that it is important to use focus to accomplish even the biggest tasks well. Club #28's youngest, perhaps it's oldest as well, member, Monica Walley CL delivered one of her best speeches yet titled "Toastmasters: The Best Thing on the Menu" where she delighted us with how Toastmaste5rs has helped her organization and communication skills. She said that the Toastmasters program has taught her to "think on her feet and problem solve" and the program has made her a "richer person all around!" Returning member Brain Wheeler ACB said that he had to "really stretch" to find room for improvement in Diane Hart's speech and that she scored  "Perfect on every count", his only suggestion to her was not to use the word "okay' as a segue. Fantastic job Diane! Ken Blake ACG, CL, who was introduced as "our next Area 33 Governor" beamed with pride as he evaluated Monica's bocial variety, facts, smile and he applauded her on her organizational skills that made it all "come together" . His suggestions to Monica were to get rid of her notes and not do the "cha cha cha" behind the lectern. General Evaluator Ken Walley ACG, CL followed the 2nd evaluation with a general evaluation of the meeting which was full of praise for the job that Steve did as Toastmaster, the brilliant questions and answers in Table Topics as well as the premium speeches and evaluations. He praised the work that was done by the Analysis and Amplification Collective (AAC) which consisted of Timer Jim Stitt, AH Counter Sean Dunn, Grammarian Carolyn Stapleton and first time Vote Counter Frank Adams CC. The Grammarian Report by Carolyn should also receive marked acclaim due to the intricate beauty of well chosen phases and of Carolyn's ability to create visual images with words. Ribbons were handed out to Frank Adams CC for best Table Topics, Monica Walley CL for Best Speech and Most Improved  and Brian Wheeler ACB for being the best Evaluator. Our welcomed guest Eduardo said that he'd only been to one meeting in Mexico prior to the Orlando Toastmasters meetings. He never thought he would enjoy Toastmasters from having to sit through that meeting. "It was three hours long!"  he said "and Chaotic!" but he went on to say that the meeting on this night with Club #28 restored his faith in Toastmasters and he found the evening very enjoyable, interesting and entertaining!"  On this night, Club #28 was proof that superb Toastmasters meetings are no hoax! [c S/kW]    

The second meeting of 2011 on January 13th of the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 had the theme of "It is OK to Fail Because You Will Be In Good Company!" and it got off to a thoughtful start with a prayerful invocation by new member E J Jones for the recovery of Congresswoman Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and other victims of the Arizona shootings. She also reminded us of the upcoming holiday in honor of the slain statesman Martin Luther King Jr. and that "Freedom is not free." Club President Steve Wood noted that we had two new guests who both found us online and were warmly welcomed. Shannon Knibble said that she wanted to add more "spice to life" and Monica Artau strives to sharpen her oral presentation skills and become proficient in English as she is in Spanish. Chris August returned and happily announced that he is ready to join Club #28 and received a loud applause and a hearty "whoo hoo!" from club member Carolyn Stapleton and others. The club was delighted to see Kayla Sorel-Bazil return after a few weeks missing as well as Dr. Ross Thomson ACB, CL who last attended our Humorous Speech contest in September. In other club news, Ken Walley ACG, CL read an e-mail sent to him from club member Richard Hendrix, who is now a new heart recipient. He said that he is doing well although not out "of the woods" but he is out of ICU! Everyone gave a big "whoo hoo" for Richard "You cannot keep a good man down" Hendrix. Recently re-joined club member Brian Wheeler ACB jumped back in the saddle as Toastmaster and introduced the theme "It is OK to Fail Because You Will Be In Good Company." He introduced Marietta Bolatete serving as Grammarian who choose the word "tenacious" as the word of the day. Jim Stitt gave an exceptional AH Counter explanation professing to relish announcing those flaws with "the bell." The inimitable Ken Walley ACG, CL served aptly as Table Topics Master. After noting that Oprah Winfrey handled failure by eating "30 pounds of Mac and Cheese",  Ken asked Sean Dunn about "good ways to deal with failure". His second question went to E J Jones who was asked to give examples of how failure can be a "blessing in disguise". Chris August was asked how he defines "success and failure". Chris said that "Success is how you handle failure" and suggested to see failure as an "inconvenience".  Carolyn Stapleton used her own unparalleled wisdom to explain the Mike Ditka quote that "Success is not permanent and failure is not fatal". Saying that all is transient, the only thing that abides is real success gained by "picking yourself up" and moving on. The finial question was posed of our guest Monica Artau: "When or why is failure a good thing?" She stated that sometimes we have to fail in order to succeed. Brian Wheeler ACB provided anecdotal evidence that "it is OK to fail" citing examples of  people who overcame failure and yet achieved greatness such as Mike Marshall the football Hall of Famer who once ran a "backwards touchdown" to score a safety for the other team and Michael Jordan the Basketball legend who was once cut from his High School team because of "lack of skills." Next came two of Club #28's most excellent speakers, Malita Clarke gave an interesting and informative speech titled "Splitting Headache" on the same subject. It contained excellent research on the many different varieties and symptoms associated with headaches. The speech closed with "knowledge is power" for a "newer, better, improved you in 2011." A powerful speech indeed. Past Club #28 President Wilner Luders CC, gave a 20 minute speech on the "Selling Process in Five Steps" and encouraged all to approach sales as a problem solver, rather than as a person manipulator as well as to "throw off rejection and objection" The vivacious Diane Hart gave the evaluation for Malita Clarke and applauded her on her research, speech variation and body language. Using roses as a metaphor for praise, Diane presented a "blunt thorn' in the form of the suggestion that she could have used her notes less but said that she surely has "another career ahead of her"  in the field of public speaking. The second evaluator Dr. Ross Thomson ACB, CL gave a discerning and helpful evaluation of Wilner's speech in which he recognized Wilner's great stance, smile, humor, storytelling and encouraged him to use more vocal variety and augment his speech with "play dialogue" or other forms of "showmanship." Jamie Waters ACB was our gentle General Evaluator and commented that Malita Clarke's "refreshing take on migraines almost takes away the pain."  The Constructive Consultation and Efficiency Commission (CCEC) on this evening included Marietta Bolatete who gave her first Grammarian Report and impressed everyone present, the AH Counter Jim Stitt who also delivered an absolutely stellar UM/AH report  that proved that he is not as "bell-happy" as he at first said that he would be, as well as our Timer, Barbara Cusack CC, CL and first time Vote Counter Sean Dunn. Brian Wheeler ACB closed with a story about Dizzy Dean the baseball great, who after being hit in the noggin with a baseball, said that the "Doctors had X-rayed my head and found nothing there!" Ribbons were presented by Vote Counter Sean Dunn to E J for Table Topics, Wilner for the Best Speech, Mailita for Most Improved and Dr. Ross for the Best Evaluator. The closing feedback from our guests was also a highlight of the evening! Shannon Kibble felt "Warm and welcome" and said that Club #28 seemed to her as being "cohesive and concerned with each other" as well as a warm environment that was interested in "learning an growing." Shannon said that she felt "comfortable already!"  Monica Artau reported on the warm welcome and said the meeting was "well structured" with many "different types" including members that are happy to return. In closing, Ken Blake ACG, CL  announced that the imminent return of two more beloved past Toastmaster from years gone by was as relayed to him by Dr. Michael Deichen CC, CL and his wife Susan Deichen CC! We look forward to seeing them return. This meeting was surly no failure... and I think that was because of the good company that we had on this evening! [c S/kW]             

2011 got off to an auspicious start for Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 with the first meeting of the new year on January 6, 2011 aptly themed "New Beginnings." The lovely and eloquent  Diane Hart  our newly appointed Sergeant-at -Arms, called the meeting to order for her first time and Carolyn Stapleton  our newly appointed Secretary quoted Lao Tsu for the Invocation and made the happy announcement that fellow Club #28 toastmaster Richard Hendrix was receiving his new heart and might, at that very moment be recovering from his heart-transplant surgery! Carolyn asked for our thoughts and prayers for Richard. Steve Wood Club #28's newly appointed President acted double duty as Toastmaster as well as the President and pledged that his 1st act as President was to help new toastmasters find "easy jobs" to make public speaking effortless, like being the Toastmaster or the Table Topics Master for example. Steve had the pleasure of introducing five guests including long-lapsed members Club #28 Brian Wheeler ACB and Jim Stitt! They brought with them Sean Dunn who said he wanted to "go forth and be counted!" David Beagle who was a first time visitor as well as being newly graduated and looking for ways to improve upon leadership skills. A return visitor, Chris August said that being involved in Club #28 "is his new years resolution." When "President Wood" became "Toastmaster Wood"  he reminded us that there is always a chance at a new start. He mentioned a homeless man by the name of Ted Williams who was caught on camera using a professional "Golden Voice"  and went from being a transient street person to a "new beginning" complete with TV fame, job offers etc. through the miracle of Youtube!  "If it happened to him, think what we can do!" said Steve. Steve also in his own inimitable fashion, was the first to use the "word of the day" to illustrate to the visitors the zeal with which Club #28 acknowledges the use of the word of the day! Yes, you guessed it, the w.o.d. was zeal. Table Topics Master Barbara Cusack CC, CL vowed to "do something she's uncomfortable with" in 2011, like being the Table Topics Master, as well as putting into practice the "10-10-80" principle and asked Frank Adams CC if he would implement that or some other forms of meaningful tithe/savings plans in 2011. Frank Adams CC was not only aware of this but has socked away 10% of his Disney Dollars for the last 20 years! His current resolution is an "old school idea" to use cash instead of credit to find financial peace in 2011. The next Table Topic went to the well-spoken Malita Clarke who replied to the question of "new health habits in 2011" She envisioned  a "destination" race/ marathon, perhaps on a Chilean Mountain range? It was good to see Malita back after being away for awhile. Welcome back Malita!  Wilner Luders CC was posed the question about how to balance work, family and church. He said that he had plans to return to school in 2011 but that he will still prioritize what is truly meaningful  and balance the needs of family with the quality of life improvement that education will bring. Guest Jim Stitt was asked how he is going to improve his "spiritual connection."  Jim planned to use the new year to better himself and hopefully attend church more often in addition to attending Toastmasters! Another guest David Beagle, said his "new years resolutions" are to "improve his communication skills" and to secure a leadership role job.  He knows that Toastmasters is a way to help him reach his goals. Barbara cheered him on saying "It works if you work it, and you're worth it!"  Steve Wood was restored to the lectern where he queried members and guests about the Table Topics Master position. "Did that look hard?" he joked, "you don't even have to answer any questions!"  He then moved on to his "favorite part" of the meeting: the speeches! The first speaker of the night was Ken Walley ACG, CL who gave an amazing and seemingly effortless  "hip-pocket"  speech titled "How to Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking". Ken created wonderful word pictures of the lectern being held "tighter than a teddy bear by a child" and recognized that most of us join Toastmasters to overcome a fear "greater than flying or dying". In rapt attention we listened as he taught us in several easy steps how to "make the butterflies fly in formation" and to run "towards the opportunities to speak" instead of running away from the fear of speaking. He used baseball legend Pete Rose as an example of someone who always "ran it out" even if it looked like a hopeless grounder or pop-out. When he did, he often he would find himself safe on base. "In public speaking,  always run it out!"  Speaking second was Marietta Bolatete who gave a masterful 2nd speech, chocked full of zeal, titled "Get Engaged in 2011!" While noting that she planned to get married over the coming year she also planned to focus on taking healthy action in 2011. She explained that "engagement" includes your body and your breath and what you put in it as well as the more you put in... the more you get out. She gave us numerous ideas to improve fitness, vitality, vigor and reach optimal health and wellness, not just the absence of disease. She gave us three mandates: stop poisoning yourself, cleanse and detoxify and lastly to regenerate with sleep and proper nutrition.  All excellent ideas and great for New Beginnings!  Next came the evaluations of our two speeches with Frank Adams CC speaking first to evaluate Ken Walley's (ACG, CL) speech. He got a giant laugh when he said he felt like John the Baptist baptizing Jesus" and likened Ken to the "Michael Jordan of Toastmasters" when the laughter subsided, Frank enumerated the many high points of his "masterful" speech and made a personal note to follow in his footsteps by incorporating greater vocal variety and modulation into his own speeches. Jamie Waters ACB was the evaluator of Marietta's motivational speech while sighting great organization, delivery, confidence, facial expression  and her obvious potential as a very competent and knowledgeable public health speaker who has the education and the ability to "speak from the heart."  General Evaluator Ken Walley ACG, CL called both evaluations this evening as being "contest worthy" and he gave the meeting itself a grade of A+ speaking with great zeal and aplomb at seeing the room filled with new guests and returning members!. Of course the meeting could never have reached this high level of distinction without the help from the Inscription and Recitation Panel (IRP) that consisted of Timer Malita Clarke, AH Counter Monica Walley CL, Grammarian Diane Hart and 1st time Vote Counter E J Jones. Diane's Grammarian report applauded all for their "heroic" use of the w.o.d. Monica gave an excellent AH Counter report even if she said that she had missed a couple ahs & ums because she was so caught up in the meeting! E J Jones did a superior job of presenting the ribbons. All of them gave sublime efforts. The flood of praise from our guests Brian Wheeler ACB, Jim Stitt, Sean Dunn, David Beagle and Chris August was overwhelming. Chris summed it up with how important it is to have encouragement for "something that is as scary to some as dying!" All of our guests asked about joining the club and after the meeting it was announced that Brian, Jim and Sean had became our newest members! Welcome Sean and welcome back Brian and Jim! The meeting ended at 8:30 followed by the buzz of new members, visitors and camaraderie. This was a magnificent meeting and a striking new beginning for Club #28 and 2011!                                            [c S/kW]          

The room was brightly lit with Christmas lights and there was enough holiday decorations brought in by our Club #28 members to make the Herndon Branch Library meeting room look like Santa's workshop for the 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club Christmas Party and Installation of Officers on December 16th, 2010. Carolyn Stapleton also brought us chocolate treats (and eggnog!) and the mood was festive and full of cheer. Starting this special evening was the new Sergeant-at Arms Diane Hart who called the gathering to order and also covered for Richard Hendrix who was called out of the room at the last moment for a very important phone call. Diane led us in the invocation by telling us a Christmas memory and leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance. For the last time as President  Wilner Luders CC welcomed our guests. They were Erlean ("E J") J ones and Gale ______ and then Wilner gave a brief  holiday greeting. He introduced the Master of Ceremonies for the evening, Ken Walley ACG, CL  who expressed his joy at the opportunity to be this evening's Toastmaster as well as making this a part of his Christmas season tradition. Another tradition, Ken's annual "Ho! Ho! Ho!" laugh delighted the young and old alike. Ken introduced the featured speaker for the evening, Frank Adams CC who was giving his Competent Communicator Award Graduation Speech! Frank's speech titled "Living a Life of Integrity" was another inspiring and insightful speech from one of the club's most dynamic speakers. Using Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol" as a metaphor,  Frank showed how the elements of Faith, Hope, Passion and Love can help to create a life of moral honor and fulfillment. During the presentation, Frank played a part of the resignation speech of Robert McKirken who was leaving his job as the President of a Bible College to care for his Alzheimer's disease stricken wife. Everyone in the room were greatly moved by his words. Congratulations to Frank for earning his CC award! As the Master of Ceremonies Ken did ask one Table Topics question, directed towards Ken Blake CG, CL: "How do you stay warm on a cold Florida night?" Ken B. sang the praises of a space heater he owned which was also recommended by home building guru Bob Villa. Ken B. likewise sang the praises of Frank's speech as his evaluator giving  him an early gift of  positive feedback. Before going on to the second part of the meeting Ken Walley ACG, CL. gave Richard Hendrix a chance to read his prepared invocation that he was unable to do so at the start of the meeting. It was an exciting holiday tale but even more moving was Richard's announcement that the phone call he rushed to answer earlier was the good news that he had been accepted for the "short list" of heart transplant recipients. It was a  fantastic Christmas wish come true for Richard. The second part of the meeting or the "changing of the guard" started as outgoing Club #28 President Wilner Luders CC gave his "Farewell Address". Wilner said that "opportunities come to those who serve" and stated that the rewards of being the club president were many and diverse. He praised the club for its cultural diversity and the support that it gives its leaders. He was also happy to say that he would be back as the Vice President of Public Relations in the next administration. Following Wilner's speech was the "Passing of the Gavel" Ceremony which was administered by our Area 32 Area Governor Elon Horsham ACG, CL. Elon masterfully inducted Sgt. at Arms Diane Hart, Treasurer Barbara Cusack, CC; Secretary Carolyn Stapleton, Vice President of Public Relations Wilner Luders, CC; Vice President of Membership Frank Adams, CC; Vice President of Education Ken Walley ACG, CL and President Steve Wood. Amid a loud ovation of bravos and cheers, new Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 President Steve Wood approached the lectern to give his "Inaugural Address". In his address he noted that a Toastmaster President is not like the President of a country. "A Toastmaster President has no navy, no army and no pay." He spoke about how he looked forward toward guiding the club to reaching it goals and how the position offered him an opportunity to improve his own speaking skills. His speech while rich in humor was also rich in hope for the club's future. After Steve's address, Ken Walley ACG, CL called for a standing ovation for Frank Adams CC for winning his CC award and the outgoing and incoming presidents Wilner Luders CC and Steve Wood!  Ken himself was given an award by Area Governor Elon Horsham ACG, CL for completing his Leadership Excellence program. In his closing remarks Ken reminded the club of the many accomplishment they had achieved over the past year and he wished everyone a very happy holiday season. Joining the club on this special evening was Earlean "EJ" Jones. Welcome EJ! Which only leaves us to say...A Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

The last regular meeting of the year for Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 with the theme of "Transitions" on December 9th 2010 also marked the end of Wilner Luder's (CC) brilliant term as Club #28 President. So it was fitting that Wilner took charge of the meeting as our Toastmaster as well. Wilner spoke about how change and transitions are a part of everyone's life; be it a transition from childhood to adulthood or from one career to another. Having to adapt in life tests both our strengths and abilities. Also showing a skillful talent of adaptation were our club members who answered the verbal quests of the Table Topics Master Ken Blake ACG, CL. Ken, an auto mechanic, had first thought that the theme was "transmissions" instead of "transitions" but was able to overcome his disappointment  with some excellent questions. "If transitions are like a 'glue'" asked Ken, "when was the last time that you were stuck on an idea?" Marietta Bolatete remembered overcoming the challenge of fixing a broken toilet without a plumbing background. Christopher Berns was asked to describe the changes in his future. Christopher said he looked forward to a career as an emergency room nurse and working in an intensive care unit! Ken Walley ACG, CL was asked what transitions he had gained from being in Toastmasters. Ken spoke about gaining self-confidence and being able to speak in front of groups of people without fear. Steve Wood was asked if he had prepared for the transition to become the new president of Club #28? Steve remembered the ill-fated leap of America into the metric system and said he was not putting limitations for change on the future. The two speeches tonight were both inspiring and motivational. They were also powerful speeches by two of the club's best speakers. Frank Adams's speech "Marshmallows" spoke of the rewards of patience starting with making the audience wait while he tied his shoes. He told of an experiment with school children that tested their ability to wait for an award of an extra marshmallow. The study showed that those who had patience often succeeded in life far better than those who could not wait. It was hard to wait for our next speaker as well. Richard Hendrix, like Frank Adams, had many club members waiting in anticipation for his next speech. Richard's speech was titled "How To Go From Good to Great!"   Richard explained that it was the "little differences"  that often separated those who truly succeeded at what he or she wanted from life from those who simply "got by". Richard explained that it was often those who worked just a "little harder" or made the "little adjustments", such as breaking bad habits or showing dedication to improvement, that paid off big time in the end. It is hard to remember two speeches that were so meaningful and beautifully performed given both on the same night. The evaluations were also remarkable. Ken Walley ACG, CL was the General Evaluator and asked Diane Hart to stand and explain what an evaluation was for our guest Robert Radloff. Diane did so with such eloquence and perfection that it should have been taped for future educational purposes. Ken then had the pleasure of introducing two very accomplished Toastmaster teachers in Carolyn Stapleton and Barbara Cusack CC, CL. Carolyn gave a very balanced and helpful evaluation of Frank's speech that would have been a challenge to any evaluator. Barbara as well, noted that Richard's speaking ability captures the attention of the audience so intently that any physical disability is not even noticed. As much as the speakers and evaluators were a part of the success of the meeting, the same could be said for those who served on the Continuance and Documentation Headquarters (CDH): Timer Kayla Sorel-Bazil, Grammarian Carolyn Stapleton, AH Counter Mariette Bolatete and Vote Counter Christopher Berns. All did exceedingly well in their duties. This was one of those remarkable meetings that "follow you around" as you transition back into the "real world" past the meeting room door. It was a great way to cap off a remarkable series of meetings throughout 2010.

  One thing that was for sure was that the December 2, 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "Things That Could Never Be!" theme meeting was simply fantastic! Inspired and led by Steve Wood, the club looked at the impossible and found that the impossible often became probable. Steve told of a number of things that truly were beyond the edge of reality like "A kitten cannot always stay a kitten" and some once thought to be true that have fallen besides that barrier, such as "Mankind will never walk on the moon!" as well as ideas that have become commonplace, for example: "Mankind will never fly!" Helping in the quest to define the reality of possible and impossible, was Table Topics Master Richard Hendrix. Richard gave us a list of the "10 Most Stupid things People said would Never Be". The list include Bill Gates comment that 640K was enough for any computer." and the words of a former head of the US patent office in the late 1800's: "All things that can be invented, have been invented!" Richard had some questions for the group on the subject starting with Ken Blake ACG, CL who was asked "If you found the fountain of youth what year and time would you go back to?"  Ken said to 1974 to buy a car that he passed up on that is now worth over a million dollars. Monica Walley was given the question of what is now thought impossible that she thinks might actually come to be. Monica remembered the "replicator" from the TV Star Trek series and thought in her lifetime, with the current speed of technology, it might someday exist. Wilber Luders CC was given the question of world peace but Wilner was not entirely optimistic only saying that the answer is still a big "maybe". Ken Walley ACG, CL was asked about biogenetics and what animal he might like to create by breeding two animals. He said "a pig and an eagle" so that he could see "pigs fly" and then everything would be possible!  Our guest Andrew Schaefer was given the question of "If aliens came to the Earth how would they best communicate with us?" Besides being friendly, said Andrew they would have to come down to our level of understanding and not be threatening." All of the answers were very interesting and thought provoking as could have been said of our two speeches. The first speech was a special occasion for Club #28: Marietta Bolatete's Ice Breaker speech titled "Life's Twists and Turns!" Marietta gave us a spellbinding journey of her life and of  its up and downs including being born in the Philippines, playing guitar in a band, earning a BA in Psychology, becoming a tennis player, singing in choir and eventually, coming to the United States to be a health and wellness events director. It was a wonderful 1st speech that was rich in talent and adventure. Speaking next was Carolyn Stapleton who's speech, titled "Move Over Dr. Moreau" dwelt on the horrors of biogenetics and genetically modified organisms or GMO's. Carolyn educated Club #28 with some incredible facts about mismanagement at the top of the food industry and the irresponsibility of US regulators that could lead to major world-wide health concerns in the very near future. It was a powerful and enlightening speech! Also powerful and enlightening were the evaluations of our speakers. Led by General Evaluator, Wilner Luders CC, two of Club #28 most esteemed toastmasters, Ken Blake ACG, CL and Ken Walley ACG, CL gave outstanding advice and encouragement for our speakers. Also upbeat was Wilner's "meeting evaluation" which praised the theme, table topics, speeches, evaluations and the excellent effort by our Toastmaster Steve Wood. This meeting could not have been such a success with out the efforts of our Recording and Sanction Board  (RSB) consisting of Timer Monica Walley, Grammarian Diane Hart, Vote Counter Kayla Sorel-Bazil and AH Counter Ken Walley ACG, CL. Before giving his report, Ken Walley AVG CL  noted that two members of the club had not had a chance to speak, so he asked a question of both George De Jesus and Mark Gumula CC. George spoke about coming to more Toastmasters meetings and Mark gave an very positive review of the meeting. Joining the chorus of positive feedback were our guests Samone Lett , Andrew Schaefer and Laura Crisan all of whom we hope will soon become part of our club. This club proved that one thing that CAN be: is a fabulous meeting!!

As the holiday season approaches, the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 has had a tradition of looking back with gratitude with a Thanksgiving theme meeting. This year's November 18, 2010 meeting started with a special Invocation and Pledge by Mariette Bolatete titled "Being Thankful in the Face of Adversity". Hosting this special evening was Toastmaster Jamie Waters ACB who served up a fantastic feast of Thanksgiving history, personal memories and traditions. Among other things, Jamie reminded us to be thankful for many blessings, especially our families and friends. Also carving up a slice of Thanksgiving nostalgia was Table Topics Master Diane Hart. "Have you ever experienced a non-traditional thanksgiving?" was a question for Richard Hendrix who remembered a Thanksgiving dinner that consisted of Cheeseburgers! He thought that by having everyone bring a different topping it would be a  creative way to bring people together! Her next question was to Carolyn Stapleton asking if she had ever "almost forgotten Thanksgiving." Carolyn told a story how she was hit on the head with an apple at a young age and suffered a coma and had erased all memory of Thanksgiving! In her recovery, she had to re-learn and re-experience the holiday from scratch. It must have been a really heavy apple! Wilner Luders CC was asked if he had ever received a gift and not felt as if he was properly thankful. He said yes, but it was rare when that happens as he is most always thankful for any gift, help or blessing. Barbara Cusack CC, CL was asked if there was a time when others had not shone her the proper gratitude. She remembered cleaning houses and getting little praise for a lot of hard work. She said that sometimes we fall short with our best efforts and that is why she likes the way that Club #28 always tries to focus on the positive. We had two different types of speeches at this meeting from the "two Kens". Ken Walley ACG, CL went first with a speech that warned us about a very powerful corporation that bordered on the monopolization of the farming industry. The company, named Monsanto was the subject of a speech titled "Monsanto: The Evil Empire!"  Ken gave a scathing review of a company he felt might cause a danger to public health and safety. The second speech, on a much more light-hearted theme was by Ken Blake ACG, CL with the title of "The Pomegranate!" The lesson here was that Toastmasters are, in a way, a lot like that very seedy fruit. If prepared correctly, they produce the finest and sweetest juice. But it takes some work to get there. His speech was funny, and even poignant in places. The General Evaluator was Barbara Cusack CC, CL  who introduced two Toastmasters who came prepared to give sensational evaluations. Frank Adams gave a very professional and extremely helpful report on Ken W.'s speech. The other evaluation, by Monica Walley  CL was also worthy of an evaluation contest. Monica gave solid insight into Ken B.'s speech. Barbara was very upbeat and positive in her meeting review, not only of the excellent evaluations but also of the other sections of the meeting as well. The "dessert" was still to come! The reports by our AH Counter Wilner Luders CC and Grammarian Carolyn Stapleton were brilliant. Carolyn outdid herself with a spectacular Grammarian report that brought back memories of the Grammarian reports once delivered by the late Club #28 legend Dennis Gola ACG, CL. The other members of the Recommendation and Computation Council (RCC) were the Timer Marietta Bolatete and the Vote Counter Richard Hendrix who also performed distinctively. Sadly, there were no guests to enjoy this delicious meeting but it was like a family had gathered together and feasted on a cornucopia of Toastmasters treats!  You could almost taste the turkey and smell the pumpkin pie! 

The theme of the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 November 11th 2010 meeting was for the first time, amazingly enough "Toastmasters!" A toastmaster perfectly suited to leading a meeting about Toastmasters was Mark Gumula CC who noted that Toastmasters International now has 260,000 members in 12,500 clubs in 113 countries! Mark sang the praises of how Toastmasters has improved the lives of, and has opened new opportunities to, thousands of people. Also providing background and acclaim for the non-profit organization was Table Topics Master Carolyn Stapleton who came prepared with a few very interesting questions. She started with a question for Diane Hart asking her if Toastmasters had given her the power to "stand up and speak out". Diane was honest saying that she had never had a problem with speaking her mind but that Toastmasters had helped her to do it a little better. Carolyn asked Frank Adams to put into words a time at which he felt exhilarated and empowered. Frank remembered when he was a manager at a Disney World theme park when the 9/11 terrorist attacks happened. He remembered having to help clear the parks and keep the guests safe and the surprisingly supportive reaction he received in that situation. The third question as asked of Jamie Waters ACB: "What have you gained from the connections that you have made at Toastmasters? Jamie said that he was the member of three clubs and he had made great friends in all of them. He said that he was faced with a choice of having to leave one of the clubs but he could not make up his mind which one to leave. Ken Walley ACG, CL was asked "what was the best advice you were ever given at Toastmasters?" Ken said it came from his early mentors in the club which was "Keep going with the program and do not give up." Taking that advice was one of the best things he had ever done. The final question was directed at Steve Wood. Carolyn inquired "of all that you have learned in Toastmasters what who you like to pass on to others?"  Steve said  it was that the not really what you have learned but that the real point was to keep on learning. Steve noted that Toastmasters was a perfect forum for acquiring knowledge from others that you would not normally come in contact with. A Toastmasters meeting would not be a success without speeches! and on this night there were two excellent offerings from Frank Adams  and Wilner Luders CC, CL! Starting with Frank Adams speech, titled "DWT is the new DWI" he gave a warning about the dangers of texting on cell phones while driving. This has become the latest and most dangerous hazard of driving on our streets and highways. Frank called for more regulations and warned of future tragedies if something was not done soon. Wilner's speech was a fascinating look into Ponzi Schemes titled "What is the Cost of Trust and Deceit?: Ponzi Schemes"  Wilner traced the devious world of financial investor fraud from Charles Ponzi to Bernard Madoff, explaining how these ruses work and how to avoid them. These speeches were both interesting, helpful, informative and fun to listen too. So were the evaluations by Diane Hart and Ken Walley ACG, CL. Introduced by General Evaluator Ken Blake ACG, CL, Diane gave her first speech evaluation before a toastmasters meeting and made it an impressive debut. Giving excellent advice and insight, she also provided due credit to Frank's skilled speech. The second evaluation was by Ken Walley ACG, CL of Wilner's presentation which was another inspired example of speech appraisal. Ken B. noted in his meeting evaluation that this evening's effort contained excellent table topics, speeches and evaluations, a perfect combination for a magnificent meeting. You can add to that the contributions of the Instruction and Measurement Committee (IMC)  which consisted of the Grammarian James Waters ACB, the AH Counter Barbara Cusack CC, CL, Vote Counter Steve Wood and the club's newest member, Marietta Bolatete's 1st time as the club's Timer. Both of our guests Karen Z _____ and and returning guest Marlou Defoe had truly positive and uplifting comments on the events of this night. If ever there ever was a meeting to showcase the qualities of Toastmasters this was it. As they say:  It is best when you lead by example! 

The November 4th 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "Mass Media" themed meeting was so good it should have been broadcast worldwide! Appropriately, Ken Walley ACG, CL started off the evening with an invocation from the words of Oprah Winfrey. Leading the overview of the power and scope of the Mass Media was Toastmaster Wilner Luders CC. He brought to light how the avalanche of information that is projected at the public both shapes us and manipulates us. Continuing the theme was the Table Topics Master Jamie Waters ACB. Jamie noted that term "Mass Media" was very extensive and asked our newest club member, Marietta Bolatete to give an example of  a TV show that could be truly classified as "mass media". Marietta pointed out that network news shows were a good example because they provide information and try to reach as large an audience as possible. Steve Wood was asked if advertising on the internet should be regulated. Steve noted that ads are annoying and that pop-ups seem to be everywhere, but said it was possible to deal with them without state regulation. Richard Hendrix commented on a California ordinance that does not allow for a toy to be served with a child's meal at fast food restaurants if the nutrition content of the meal is not up to state standards. Richard thought it was a "strange law" but was not surprised by "anything that the state of California does." Diane Hart was given the question on if the news media should "not be let in" on certain right-of- privacy issues. She noted in a free society the right of the press should not be hampered by censorship and that rules on "when to let the press in or out were a slippery-slope." She added: "I'm Diane Hart and I approved this message!" Mark Gumula CC was asked how democracy and freedom of the press were related. Mark said that in a true democracy, it is necessary to give the press complete freedom. "Other than complete freedom, the state has control over the people instead of it being the opposite way." Well said. Reaching the wide audience of those in the meeting room, were two excellent speakers who gave two sensational speeches. Frank Adams was our first speaker, already on his 7th speech and providing another eye-opening presentation titled "A Winning Business Formula."  Based on the Walt Disney World Company business principles, Frank laid out the blueprint that has helped that company reach such a high level of success. Among the ideas offered were "Exceeding guest expectations", "Acting on guest feedback", "Investing in staff and recognition of performance excellence" and "Maximizing profits and controling cost."  His speech was another great example of presenting a lot of helpful information in a short amount of time! Speaking next, was Kayla Sorel-Bazil who was giving her only 2nd speech but showed dramatic improvement over her Ice Breaker speech just a month ago. Kayla's speech, titled "Natural Disasters: The Dawn of the Ice Age" was a primer in how to survive a coming Ice Age! The picture that she painted "3/4's of the world's surface will be coved in Ice..." did not lend itself to great optimism for those of us in Florida. It was a terrific speech on a very different and interesting subject! "Terrific" could also be said of the job that the Master Evaluator Mark Gumula CC did as he led the evaluation section of the meeting. Jamie Waters ACB and Ken Walley ACG, CL supported Mark's efforts as the evaluators (for Frank and Kayla's speeches respectively) both of them giving strong appraisals with the emphasis on praise. Mark also gave an excellent meeting perspective as well in his general meeting review. The Production Assistance Crew (PAC) consisted of Timer Richard Hendrix, AH Counter Steve Wood, Grammarian Diane Hart and serving for her first time as the Vote Counter, Marietta Bolatete. All of them did perfect work. It was announced that Jamie Waters ACB had earned his Advance Communicator Bronze Award last week and that the club had added a new member in Marietta Bolatete. Congratulations Jamie and welcome Marietta! Worthy of the mass media itself and certainly a lot better than many of the shows on TV, this Club #28 Toastmasters evening was only attended by a few. That was a shame because it really was a  thumb's up (***** out of five) meeting!        

There were no "Boos" at the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 October 28th 2010 Halloween theme meeting. Carolyn Stapleton started off the meeting with an excellent invocation and pledge. Our Toastmaster for this haunted evening was Barbara Cusack CC, CL who instead of giving a dry history of the holiday, told us about the UNICEF "trick or treat" program and read us amazing poems written by children about the bewitching evening. Giving Club #28's members and guests some "trick" questions was our Table Topics Master Diane Hart and she got some real "treats" for answers. The first question was asked of Wilner Luders who had arrived late and just walked in the door. "Did you have any imaginary friends or monsters who scared you when you were a child?"  Wilner told a great story that featured zombies and how later in life he would walk through cemeteries to prove to himself that the "dead have no power over the living."  Returning guest Darrin Driver was given the question "Do remember a time when someone played a scary trick on you?" Darrin did not remember any time in which he had been tricked but he remembered the time he sent his friend, dressed as Jason from the Friday the 13th movies, to scare his sister! Ken Walley ACG, CL was asked if he believed in Guardian Angels. Ken admitted that there were times in his life when he could not explain how he had overcome seemingly overwhelming obstacles. He said that he has always "felt" a presence was around him. Although there were only three table topics questions on this night, they were all very well done. Speaking of threes, tonight was the first time since the beginning of August that Club #28 had presented three speakers! It was a remarkable night of excellent speeches starting with Richard Hendrix giving only his 2nd speech and performing a brilliant, flawless presentation titled "Save the Seventeen!"  Taking note of how 17 people die each day waiting for organ transplants, Richard made an impassioned plea to all to consider becoming an organ donor. Being in the situation of waiting for an organ donation himself,  he explained that it was like standing in back of a line with the "entire population of Winter Park, Maitland and Apopka combined." His speech was one of the most professionally delivered performances in Club #28's long history. Malita Clarke was up to the challenge of following Richard's speech with a strong offering of her own. In a speech titled "What Do You Do?" she explained the challenges, nuances and pressures of being charged with pricing merchandise for a giant retail company. "As you can imagine the many complex calculations," pondered Malita, " but it is still an Art!  How much is just enough and not too much, today, but maybe not for tomorrow?" She made her job an entertaining and fascinating subject. Speaking third was Ruble Nedumkunnel CC who had been away from the club for a time and has since moved to Melbourne, Florida. He came tonight to give one last speech and say "goodbye" to the club. His speech was on the subject of how to give a great speech. He did disappoint with a speech appropriately titled "Unleash the Speaker In You!" . Did he ever! He gave a nine minute clinic on public speaking that was both powerful and exciting. Ruble later received a standing ovation for his service to the club. He will be missed. Ken Walley ACG, CL  served as the General Evaluator and introduced two cultivated evaluators in Carolyn Stapleton for Richard's speech and Jamie Waters CC for Malita's speech. Ken Walley ACG, CL himself did the honors for Ruble's presentation. Ken noted in the Meeting Review that the evaluations were brilliant. Kelly Driver, a guest from last week, filled in as our Vote Counter and headed up a strong functionary team with Ken Blake ACG, CL as the Timer, Mark Gumula CC as the Grammarian and Kayla Sorel-Bazil as the AH Counter. Again, all of our guests, Marietta Bolatete, Kelly Driver and Darrin Driver had high praise for the meeting. For a Halloween theme meeting, how good of a meeting that this was will "haunt" our other meetings for weeks to come!    

There was a knowledge explosion at Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 October 21st 2010 meeting thanks to toastmaster Steve Wood.  Steve was our host on the theme of "Knowledge Explosion!". Steve pointed out that the rate of attaining data has outpaced our abilities to process or even store it. Steve brought some astounding facts with him such as that China is soon to become the #1 English speaking country in the world; that there are 31 billion searches on Google every month and that there is now 5 times the amount of words in the English language as in Shakespeare's time! "We are living in exponential times." said Steve. Adding to the meeting were the challenging questions put forth by our Table Topics Master Wilner Luders CC. "How has the expansion of knowledge effected the labor market?" was put forth to Frank Adams. He noted that the new data that has flooded the marketplace has led to less human involvement and many skills have been lost because of it. Our guest, Ed Janeczek answered a question about the effects of an influx of new products on the consumer. Ed noted that it is often hard to keep up with everything these days but it is good to have choices. Kelly Driver, another guest, was asked that if she moved to another planet, what information would she take with her? Kelly was practical, suggesting knowledge on how to grow food and make needed tools to survive. Richard Hendrix was asked if we could develop the technology to cope in time with population growth.  Richard was only semi-optimistic, noting that humankind still faces grave problems and new intelligence has not been the answer, so far. This Topics session, would have made for a great TV news dialogue show! It was surprisingly well-done. We had two speeches on this evening that were also top-notch. Starting with Diane Hart, who gave a brilliant speech on how to survive Ozone radiation titled "Slip, Slop, Slap!" . Diane gave a travelogue of Australia and a story on how she ended up the manager of a hostel in Perth. The speech concluded in a group song and dance extolling the joys of sunscreen lotion! Brilliant! Ken Walley ACG, CL also gave a fabulous speech, even though it was put together on the spur of the moment about the "Fab Four" titled "The Three Stages of the Beatles". Starting with how the Beatles met and formed to when they stopped doing live concerts and recorded only in the studio to their final break up. He had a plethora of interesting facts about the Beatles. Ken even sang a little of "All You Need is Love" . Doing one of the best presentations in recent history as the General Evaluator was Mark Gumula, CC.  Mark, who showed a flair for introductions and meeting analysis, had the honor of offering two of Club #28's best evaluators: Ken Blake ACG, CL and Jamie Waters CC to review the speeches of Diane and Ken W. Both of the evaluations included great insight and strong support for the speakers. Also helping to make this meeting a success were the functionaries which included Timer Kayla Soral-Bazil who as well delivered an inspiring Invocation and Pledge to start the meeting. Rounding out the other Specialization Experts were AH Counter Richard Hendrix who also was the Vote Counter and Grammarian Frank Adams. It was Frank's first time as Grammarian and he came through with a very competent effort! It was great to see the return of Jamie Waters CC who has been away for a time as well as one of our guests, Darrin Driver who joined Club #28 many years ago but only re-surfaced until this evening. Welcome back! Darrin brought with him his wife, Kelly Driver as well. Our other guest, Ed Janeczek along with Kelly and Darrin all had extremely positive comments on the meeting. You will never go to a toastmaster meeting and not learn something new but this night's successful meeting was truly a knowledge explosion!

The best place that anyone could have been on October 14th 2010 at 7:00pm was at The Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "Time and Space" theme meeting. This evening's Toastmaster was Ken Walley ACG, CL and he compared time and distance in terms of interesting conjectures and observations starting with the "largest object in space", a 200 million light-year wide structure that looks like a "giant green jellyfish!" Ken also gave facts on the smallest object known to man, ideas on how to go back in time, the international dateline and many other oddities. Also joining in the time/space continuum with a few choice conundrums was Steve Wood as the Table Topics Master. Steve asked Malita Clarke if she would rather explore a star in space or shrink to a very small size and  visit the inside of a human cell?  Malita choose to visit the star. Richard Hendrix was offered the choice of taking a "slow" starship into space or exploring worlds by being teleported. He did not like the idea of being "destroyed and reassembled." even as Richard said, "if I was not aware of it." Diane Hart got to answer the question "Is there intelligent life out there in the Universe?" Diane is a believer that there must be as the Universe is so immense. Ken Walley ACG, CL was given the choice of going back into the past or visiting the future. Ken said that a trip to the future would be a fantastic voyage of new discoveries. Wilner Luders CC was given the question of should we spend vast resources and money to explore space when we have many problems that need our attention on Earth? Wilner said that there must be a balance, but space exploration is worth it. "We will always have pressing problems" explained Wilner, "but progress is paramount." Ken Blake ACG, CL turned the tables on Steve asking him a table topics question! "What happened to the planet Pluto?" Steve explained that Pluto no longer met "planet criterion". Someone who met the criterion of an excellent speaker on this night was Club #28 President Wilner Luders, CC who gave an astounding speech titled "Laurels in the Midst of Adversity". This advanced speech called upon Wilner to give a commencement address to a graduating class. Wilner delivered an inspiring and uplifting appeal to never stop from learning and to set their goals higher than they believed possible. It was a heartfelt plea toward aiming at success in life. The second speech was every bit as moving because it was a true graduation of one of Club #28's members. Mark Gumula, CC delivered his Competent Communicator  Award graduation speech titled "To Succeed In Club #28" Mark spoke about how the Toastmasters program had made real results in his life and had not only helped him overcome challenges with communication skills but had turned those "challenges" into positives with his career and life! It was an excellent speech worthy of a standing ovation which he received later in the evening. Congratulations Mark! Malita Carke also took a step into the unknown, by taking the initiative to serve as the General Evaluator for her first time. She also gave the evaluation for Wilner's speech. In both roles, Malita showed the highest skill by using a sharp insight, first-rate guidance and solid encouragement. Ken Walley ACG, CL gave Mark's evaluation and he praised his incredible progress. The functionaries also put forth their best efforts with a faithfulness to duty that deserved recognition; they were AH Counter Diane Hart, Grammarian Richard Hendrix, Timer Ken Blake ACG, CL and Vote Counter Steve Wood. It is a shame that one cannot go back in time an visit this meeting again. We can only look to the future for more fantastic Club #28 meetings like this one was!    

Wednesday October 6, 2010 was an enchanted evening for the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "Folklore and Fairy Tales!" theme meeting. The Toastmaster of the evening, Malita Clarke cast a spell over the room that created toastmaster magic and she even read us the story of "Rumplestiltskin"! Also spinning a weave of Table Topics fun was Ken Blake ACG, CL who brought a captivating treasure of questions for our members starting with "What is a wish you made that came true?" to Richard Hendrix. Richard remembered hoping that a particularly beautiful girl would someday marry him and she later became his wife. Wilner Luders, CC was asked what day he would make into a national holiday . He said "September 12th" so that we would not dwell on the horrible events of 9/11. Ken Walley ACG, CL was asked to make up a folklore story or Fairy Tale about "Mew Mew the Kitten (?!)". Ken came up with a strange tale of a kitten that brought bad luck. Barbara Cusack CC, CL was asked to pick a nursery rhyme and explain it . She picked "Jack and Jill" saying that it was the story of her life. Diane Hart was asked to comment on a movie that scared her. She choose the Alfred Hitchcock classic "Psycho" saying she had trouble taking showers after she had seen it. Steve Wood was asked to take us on a "Mission to the year 3000" Steve was skeptical that mankind would even be around then. All of the answers were excellent. We started the speech segment of the meeting with a very special speech by Richard Hendrix. It was not only special because it was an Ice Breaker, titled "The Newest Member of the Oldest Club East of the Rockies" but it was special because anyone who heard it will never forget it. The speech, started with the typical ice breaker information. Richard grew up in Florida in the Merritt Island area, went to UCF and graduated, got married and took a job as sales manager in Orlando. Then Richard dropped a bombshell. Wearing what looked to be a laptop computer in a case, he explained that less than a year ago he went to the doctor for a checkup and was told that his heart was about to fail at any moment. After months in the hospital he was given a blood circulation pump to assist his heart while he waits for a heart transplant! Without the case, indiscreetly attached to him, he probably would not survive for very long! Richard intends to make the most of his life no matter what challenges that he might face! Having to follow that was Barbara Cusack CC, CL who nonetheless gave a memorable speech of her own. Titled "Salsa, Salsa, Salsa!" she gave a demonstration speech from the advanced manual about how to produce, manage and market an idea. Barbara told about how she put her "Four Tias" brand salsa on the market in eight steps from idea to the product in the pantry shelf. It was a truly fascinating journey. These two remarkable speeches deserved two worthy evaluations. Ken Blake ACG, CL and Ken Walley ACG, CL did the honors with Ken W. also acting as the General Evaluator. Both of these evaluations were heavy with praise as the speeches themselves were extraordinary and, as Ken pointed out in the meeting evaluation, so was the meeting itself. It was a small gathering in terms of attendance but it was gigantic in terms of enthusiasm. Throughout the meeting the cacophony of wild applause could be heard. Richard received a standing ovation for his Ice Breaker. He might have gotten one even if his speech had not been his first. The functionaries on this night were AH Counter Wilner Luders, CC, Grammarian Diane Hart, Vote Counter Steve Wood with Ken Walley ACG, CL and Malita Clarke sharing the Timer duties. I wish there had been more on hand to witness a meeting of this caliber but in a way it was like a fairy tale toastmaster meeting and the memory of it will live happily ever-after.

It was a safe bet that the Wednesday, September 29, 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "Safety and Security" theme meeting would be a success. The topic, as Toastmaster Wilner Luders, CC pointed out, is on everyone's mind since the 9/11 attacks of 2001. "The concern with safety and security goes beyond just wanting to feel protected" He said "It also shows that there is a massive amount of insecurity that surrounds our world right now. Wilner covered a wide array of issues concerning safety which included everything from the individual feelings of security to the international war on terrorism. "Terrorism can be compared to a Starfish, when a part of it is destroyed it seems to grow back in another place." Also addressing this important subject was Table Topics Master Steve Wood. Steve asked Carolyn Stapleton if she has or would ever, parachute from an airplane. Carolyn showed that she is really a secret daredevil when she revealed that jumping out of a plane "is on her list!" She also told us about her adventures ziplining. Christopher Berns was asked about the dangerous fad of texting on a cell-phone while driving. Christopher called for legal regulations to curb the practice saying it was "5 times more deadly as not texting and just as dangerous as driving while drunk." Malita Clarke was a little more undecided when asked about gun control. Admitting that the police often have less firepower than criminals, she still feels that the right to protect herself is important. Kayla Sorel-Bazil was given the question of recent FDA regulations of prescription drugs that had been thought to be "safe". She said that it sounded really dangerous. Monica Walley CL was given the question if she thought that Social Security benefits would be available when she became of retirement age. She said that she hoped so but that at her age, she had never really given it any thought. Someone who was not "playing it safe" was Diane Hart who was giving her 3rd speech. Diane gave it all she had with a whirl-wind speech titled simply "Taste". "Who wants to be low-class?" she asked. She made the point that what we listen to, what we watch and what we read becomes a part of us. "Good taste is the norm" she said "but things of low class and bad taste will consume us if we are not conscious of them." Her speech was filled with beautiful, expressive and articulate language. Speaking second was Ken Walley ACG, CL who was giving a speech for his High Performance Leadership project titled "Be A Judge!"  Ken's project is to be the Chief Judge at the upcoming Division C Contests. Ken told about why we have contests, what judges do, how to fill out a judge's ballot, who is a Chief Judge and he encouraged toastmasters to be contest judges in the future. Ken made this a fun speech and even "held court". No speaker is safe from evaluations but the speakers could feel secure in knowing that they would get some good advice. Monica Walley CL was our General Evaluator and she had the pleasure of introducing Malita Clarke who gave her very first evaluation reviewing Diane's speech. She did a great job giving good advice and excellent encouragement and sharing a wealth of her own insight. It was a fantastic first evaluation! Also giving uplifting advice was Ken Blake ACG, CL who praised Ken Walley ACG, CL in his quest for his DTM. Monica gave another above-par meeting assessment saying that this meeting was important in its theme but still full of extraordinary energy, brilliant speeches, helpful evaluations and marvelous table topics questions and answers! This could not have been possible without the help of the technical table which consisted of Grammarian Carolyn Stapleton, who gave one of the best ever grammarian reports ever heard at a Toastmaster's meeting; 1st time AH Counter Richard Hendrix, Timer Kayla Sorel-Bazil and Vote Counter Christopher Berns. At the end of the meeting Vice President of Public Relations Mark Gumula took photographs to use on a "Club #28 poster" that is in the works. It was a superlative evening and everyone got out safely!       

The September 23, 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "Heroes" theme meeting found a number of real-life heroes right in the room in which we had the meeting! Ken Walley ACG, CL was the host and Toastmaster as he showed that heroes came from all walks of life and from many different places. Ken covered sports heroes, heroes who changed the entire world, heroes who acted bravely, even heroes who make big changes in small ways. Ken mentioned among many others, John Glenn, Walt Disney, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Robert Kennedy and baseball great Henry Aaron as examples of heroes. He also remembered those who serve or have served in our armed forces mentioning past club members Michael Machata and Jose D. Lopez, CC, CL . He also said there were those in our club who volunteered to help feed the hungry and keep families together who deserve to be called "heroes". Carrying on the theme was Table Topics Master Wilner Luders CC who brought out some very heroic statements from our members. Doug Creveling  spoke eloquently about heroes when asked to comment on the statement that "It takes heat to make popcorn." He said heroes work best under pressure and often find they can accomplish more than they realized that they ever could. Steve Wood came through with a remarkable answer speaking on "common sense and being a hero". He pointed out that understanding rules are often necessary for new  discovery as with Galileo Galilei and Sir Isaac Newton. "How should we look at others knowing that heroes come from all walks of life?" was the question asked of Carolyn Stapleton. "We should greet everyone with grace and dignity, as if you might expect them to be heroes."  Our newest member, Richard Hendrix was asked "Do you think that heroism is rooted in conviction?" Not always said Richard, but fighting for a cause is often the starting place for heroism. On this night, we also had a brave hero of our own giving her Ice Breaker speech! In her first speech, titled "The Quest"  Kayla Sorel-Bazil  painted a picture of someone willing to take on her fears and overcome them! We learned that she came from Haiti but grew up in Lakeland, got married and works at Disney but her "quest" is to inspire others and be the "dim star in the sky that get brighter the more you look at it". It was an inspiring first speech. Congratulations Kayla! Also inspiring was our second speaker with a speech that was perfect for the night's theme. Frank Adams gave his 6th speech titled "Men Whom Inspire!" Frank spoke of three men who had a strong effect on his life, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Michael Jordan and the founder of an organization to help heal marriages and families, Family Life named Keith Tully. Those three men would have been proud of Frank, for it was Frank that did the inspiring on this night. General Evaluator Barbara Cusack CC, CL did a perfect job of leading the evaluations part of the evening. She started by introducing Mark Gumula who gave an excellent evaluation of Kayla's Ice Breaker and Jamie Waters CC who gave a strong evaluation of Frank's speech. Barbara gave a notably intelligent and positive meeting evaluation as well.  Bravely helping the club through the meeting were the meeting heroes also known as "functionaries": Grammarian Diane Hart, Timer Carolyn Stapleton, AH Counter Steve Wood and a returning past member, as the Vote Counter, Amber Gudenkaupf. It was also announced that Richard Hendrix had joined our club as well. Welcome Richard! This meeting had everything including inspiration, courage and magnificent achievement... all of the things needed to produce heroes. 

The impressive strengths and talents of the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 were on display in the September 16th 2010 "Strengths and Talents" themed meeting. Toastmaster Carolyn Stapleton spoke about how sometimes our talents are often hidden and need to be brought out  while at other times we seem to know just what they are from the start. Carolyn herself has a true gift for leading Toastmasters Club meetings. Case in point being this masterpiece of compelling impressions, narratives of talent and the exhilarating tour of learning and enjoyment that took place during this night. Also pushing the envelope of untapped talent was the Table Topics Master Ken Walley ACG, CL who gave Club #28's members and guests a chance to showcase their talents of extemporaneous speaking. "How are you talented?" was the simple but tricky question posed to Carolyn. Carolyn said that she found a new talent for pressure washing over the weekend at her house but she had had for a long time a skill for cooking that led her to embrace a career as a chef. Frank Adams was asked what he though was his biggest strength was at his job. Frank said it was keeping his composure in a time of stress and gave an example of a time that a rat walked through a packed restaurant and had everyone standing on the chairs and tables! "Who is someone that you admire because because of their talents?" was a query given to the club's newest member Jed Freeman. Jed came up with a number of people who inspired him including the man who came up with a system for card-counting! Given the question of if there truly is such a thing as a "natural talent" guest Richard Hendrix admitted that some people are born with an edge but talent is often something that takes great persistence to develop. He gave the example of Tiger Woods spending over 100,000 hours of practice to reach the highest level of a golf professional. Also showing great strengths and talents were our speakers. Giving one of the most remarkable second basic manual speeches in Club #28 history was Diane Hart who presented a speech titled "Parents". Her speech pointed out that parents can go to the extremes in protecting their children such as being a "Bubble Boy" parent or a "Helicopter"  parent. She even sang a verse from a Noel Coward song "Don't Put Your Daughter on the Stage!"  Also performing oratorical magic was Club President Wilner Luders CC who gave a speech titled "Quid Unemployment vs. Unemployment Compensation". This was a 14 minute informational and technical speech on unemployment compensation that Wilner somehow made enjoyable and interesting. Now that's talent! Wilner covered, among other things, frictional and structural unemployment and labor mobility. The true test of raw talent is an attempt at something for the first time as Frank Adams bravely did so with his first ever evaluation of Diane's speech. Frank succeeded beyond anyone's expectations by sounding as if he had been giving evaluations for all of his life. Serving as the General Evaluator tonight was Ken Blake ACG, CL who also gave the evaluation for Wilner's speech. Ken gave both a solid evaluation of her speech as well as a majestic review of the entire meeting. Showing off their talents at the different functionary roles were Ken Walley ACG, CL with assistance from Ken Blake ACG, CL as the Timers; the AH Counter Steve Wood, Grammarian Jamie Waters and Vote Counter Jed Freeland. Jed joined the club tonight. Welcome Jed! It was a small turnout but the meeting itself was large beyond the scale of the numbers present. This was thanks to the lyrical handiwork and strengths and talent of Club #28's praiseworthy members.         

The September 9th 2010 "Amazing Feats!" theme meeting of the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 was, well, amazing! Ken Walley ACG, CL played the role of the Toastmaster and packed the meeting full of the incredible, the interesting and the insane. The world's fastest man, a man who survived a firing squad, the longest married couple and the world record holder for eating cow brains were just some of the amazing feats that Ken mentioned. Also astounding those who attended was Table Topics Master Wilner Luders CC who had some riveting questions based on astonishing achievements. Thinking of a man who ate 36 live cockroaches in one minute, Wilner asked Steve Wood if he would attempt anything like that. Steve stated that he might but he hoped they would be "chocolate covered"! Wilner asked Diane Hart about her impressions of Nelson Mandella who survived 27 year in prison and them become the leader of an entire country. She said she was awed by his ability to overcome such an obstacle as that and that he was a "wonderful example" of leadership. Guest Jed Freeland was as about strength when Wilner gave the example of a man named John Evans lifting a mini-car. John was not impressed saying that others have lifted far more... but it is truly impressive to strong. Carolyn Stapleton spoke about attempting the seemly impossible such as the world record 1134 push ups using the backs of the hands. Monica Walley CL spoke about a man who was famous for eating metal and glass remembering the the worst task she had had to ever overcome. It was an unforgettable Table Topics session! "Amazing" would be the perfect word to describe the speeches on this evening as well. Starting with Malita Clarke who is already on her 6th speech and her third speech in three weeks, she gave a spellbinding speech about new techniques in giving CPR . Titled "No Mouth Required" her presentation noted that it is no longer necessary to use "mouth to mouth" to save a life. She enlightened us with a much more efficient way to perform CPR. Frank Adams, who is on his 5th manual speech, gave an impressive presentation of his own about the psychological effects of colors titled "The Magic of Color". He spoke about how painting a room in different colors causes a wide variety of emotions and behaviors. It was a truly fascinating concept... and speech! Steve Wood served as the General Evaluator and did so masterfully with the help of evaluators Jamie Waters CC (for Malita) and Carolyn Stapleton (for Frank). Both of these evaluations deserved to be in an evaluation contest as they carried exceptional advice and support. The meeting also boasted a blue ribbon panel of functionaries with Timer Kayla Sorel-Bazil, AH Counter Monica Walley CL, Vote Counter Melanie Rizzo as well as a very grammatical Grammarian Report by Diane Hart. This toastmasters meeting was an amazing feat all of its own with great Speeches, Table Topics and Evaluations!

September 2nd 2010 was an evening to remember for the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 as some of its best speakers went head-to-head in its 2010 Humorous Speech and Evaluations Contests! Starting off the meeting was Frank Adams who spoke eloquently about the importance of learning from competition while leading the Invocation and Pledge to the flag. Contest Sgt. at Arms Ken Walley ACG, CL introduced Barbara Cusack CC, CL as "a toastmaster who was born to be a Humorous Speech Contest Master!" Barbara made this a very special evening as she kept everyone laughing with  funny stories, jokes and  some table topics questions. She also kept the meeting running on time and kept everyone in an upbeat and relaxed mood! The evaluation contest was the first on the agenda. Toastmasters veterans Ken Blake ACG, CL and Jamie Waters CC joined contest newcomer Mark Gumula in reviewing "test" speaker Daisy Arus's speech "The Magical Potion Lotion Shop". Her speech was a sales-type speech with a humorous twist that included a "customer" in the form of a giant bowling pin. You would have had to have been there! All three evaluations were filled with good advice, encouragement and valuable insight. Ken and Jamie who together, have over two decades experience in Toastmasters and have given hundreds of evaluations, were upstaged by Mark Gumula who, incredibly, was giving his very first ever evaluation! Mark wanted to "try his wings" by giving his first evaluation in a contest and it paid off big with the 1st place trophy! Second place went to Jamie Waters, CC. The Humorous Speech Contest featured four brilliant speakers including Ken Blake ACG, CL who told us about a phone mix-up with a Chinese take-out restaurant titled "Where are my Messages?". Speaking next, Club #28 President Wilner Luders, CC gave another superb performance with a story about a barber who "gets even" in a speech called "Justice Served". Malita Clarke gave a very funny speech that highlighted the danger of "on-road" driving called "What Happens to your Mind When You Enter Your Car!" Her speech had many thinking that she could have had a great career as an actress. Speaking in the finial position was Jamie Waters CC who gave his classic "Golfatorium" speech about combining golf courses and cemeteries. Any of the contestants were worthy of this year's top spot but Jamie Waters CC came out with the most votes from the judges and Ken Blake ACG, CL came in second. Other highlights of the evening included fabulous Table Topics answers by Elon Horsham, ACS, CL; Frank Adams, Bob Blaydes, CC, CL; Christopher Berns and Kayla Sorel-Bazil. The turnout was excellent for the meeting which was held at the Center For Spiritual Living and including some of the most admired local Toastmaster dignitaries. These including former Area 49 Governor Toni Gitles, DTM; previous Let's Talk Club #4413 and Club #28 President Helen Joseph DTM; Club #28 International Speech Contest winner and former club officer Bob Blaydes CC and past Club #28 President Dr. Ross Thomson ACB, CL. The immediate past Area 32 Governor Luvenia Hart ACS served as the Chief Judge and the current Area 32 Governor Elon Horsham ACS, CL was present as well to hand out the trophies to the winners! The contests could not have happened with out the "success team" that helped with the many duties required of producing these club contests. All of the contestants along with the Timers Steve Wood and Diane Hart, Vote Counter Christopher Berns and the Contest Sgt. at Arms Ken Walley ACG, CL were recognized for jobs well performed. At the end of this special evening it was announced that Dr. Ross Thomson ACB, CL had re-joined our club! Welcome back Dr. Ross! This was a very magical evening that was filled with laughter and fun.

Thanks to our Toastmaster Ken Blake ACG, CL, the August 26, 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "Transportation" theme meeting had a lot of "get up and go!" Ken started out the meeting with the history of transportation noting the invention of the wheel and incorporated facts about all kinds of modes of travel  which included a number of helpful ways to keep our cars running in top condition. Ken, by the way, is one of Orlando's most popular mechanics. Also keeping the wheels turning was our Table Topics Master Monica Walley CL who asked Frank Adams what his favorite way to travel was. Frank likes to travel on a cruise ship and he loved the relaxing pace of a deep sea cruise. Great answer! Steve Wood also gave an excellent response to Monica's question about the most fearful way to travel. He said that getting from one place to another by airplane can have its moments, remembering a small plane he once owned. Barbara Cusack CC, CL was asked about the "coolest" place that she had ever visited. It's not cool weather-wise but it is a great place to visit: Jamaica! Christopher Berns told us about the longest road trip that he ever took. Ken Blake ACG, CL was asked how he would get around if cars had never been invented. Ken said he would live on a river and just boat from place to place. Lastly, Ken Walley ACG, CL told how his daughter Monica was a good luck charm in a cruise ship casino on one trip when he was asked to tell a story about traveling. Those at the meeting were treated to two excellent speeches starting with Frank Adams's fourth manual speech titled "A Touch of Color". Frank gave a very informative and interesting speech about interior design. He gave us three key steps to follow to create an artistic home decoration plan: 1.) Pick a room theme 2.) create with fabrics and accessories, and 3.) match with a color theme. The speech was an inspiring success that made you want to go home and re-design your house! Also inspiring was Mark Gumula's speech "Get Your CC and CL! " Mark told us why earning  the Toastmaster's Competent Communicator and Competent Leader Awards could have a big effect on your job, personal and social life. Mark is well within reach of achieving both of those goals. He has only one more speech to earn his CC award! As the General Evaluator, Ken Walley ACG, CL was able to introduce two of the club's best evaluators, those being club president Wilner Luders CC and Barbara Cusack CC, CL. Wilner gave a very helpful and positive evaluation of Frank's speech. While Barbara who has been away from the club the past two weeks, showed that she had not lost her touch by giving a strong and meaningful evaluation of Mark's speech. The functionaries were a crew of seasoned toastmasters: Timer Malita Clake, AH Counter Christopher Berns, Grammarian Jamie Waters CC and Vote Counter Steve Wood. Also attending the meeting was club member Kayla Sorel-Bazil who was given a chance to speak at the end of the meeting and painted a very descriptive vocal picture of her car. There were two other guests also attending  Sophia Martinez and Ryan Sexton as well as a returning past Club #28 member John Bonowitiz-Coffey. Our guests gave some excellent comments and hopefully will return to become part of our club in the near future. As our next meeting is the Humorous Speech and Evaluations Contest at the Center for Spiritual Living in downtown Orlando, you might say this "Transportation" theme meeting was "one for the road!"             

The Wednesday, August 18^th, 2010 “Change!” theme meeting of Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 was a meeting that showed that the changes over the years that have been made to this club has only made the club better! Wilner Luders, CC led the club in a superlative evening in which he examined the pros and cons of change. “The only thing we can be sure of is that change is going to come and we cannot stop it.” Said Wilner “But change is good, all of our advancements come from change!” Someone who obviously is not afraid of change is Diane Hart who courageously offered to be our Table Topics Master even though she had not performed at this meeting role before. Diane did a marvelous job! She asked four challenging questions starting with one for Carolyn Stapleton: “Name a change that has happened to you that has greatly effected your life?” Carolyn admitted that sometimes she had to “turn lose or be dragged” by change but looking back she was glad of some of the changes in her life that she might have feared at first. She asked one of our guests Tom Bacom what changes that he would like to see in his life. Tom answered that he would like to become better at communicating with others, pointing out that this was one of the reasons he was at our meeting tonight. Steve Wood was asked “Can you think of a change ‘after the fact’ that has had an effect upon you?” Steve remembered he left his lights on one time in his car. He also spoke of changes in the workplace where “trail and error” had paid off. Ken Walley ACG, CL was asked about “Changes in attitude” he said that attitude make all of the difference and that as a server he had to often change the attitudes of his guests. One of the things that I hope do not change at Club #28 is the high quality of the speeches! Tonight we had two fantastic speeches from Malita Clarke and Doug Creveling. Malita gave a speech titled “I See Numbers” about a numerical progression called the Fibonacci sequence. She explained how this remarkable mathematical oddity is found in the world of nature. Not only was it evident in sea and plant life but also in the world of art and structure as well. Her speech was an extraordinary example of making art, science, and education an interesting and a compelling learning experience.  Doug Creveling spoke next in a speech about how to survive a triathlon, appropriately titled “Pleasure vs. Pain”. The triathlon challenges a competitor to swim 800 meters, bike 25 miles and then run 6.2 miles on top of that! Listening to Doug brought us a lot of pleasure in describing the perils and rewards of being in a triathlon although a few of our muscles might have ached after some of his descriptions. Monica Walley CL served as the General Evaluator and was blessed with two excellent evaluators Deepti Dhiman Sharma CC, CL and Carolyn Stapleton. Deepti and Carolyn came through with brilliant reviews of the speeches and Monica gave a very positive meeting evaluation to round out a strong evaluation section of the meeting. The functionaries for tonight were Timer Ken Walley ACG, CL, Vote Counter Steve Wood and Mark Gumula who was serving as both the AH Counter and Grammarian. At the start of the meeting past club president Deepti Dhiman Sharma presented the club with the President’s Distinguished Ribbon to add to our club banner! On a sad note it was announced that Deepti is leaving the club to move to Memphis Tenn. Deepti was given a standing ovation for all of the many accomplishments that she had done for our club. Deepti will be missed. It was also announced that Monica Walley CL had earned her Competent Leader Award (CL). Congratulations Monica! We had two guests Tom and Mary Bacom who both gave very positive comments about the meeting and hoped that they could come back soon. Some things seem to never change, like the great meetings of Club #28!   

It would be a good habit for Kayla Sorel-Bazil to be the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 meeting Toastmaster on a regular basis as she did such a great job for her first time at that position at the Wednesday August 8, 2010 "Bad Habits" theme meeting. Kayla had many insights on how to overcome bad habits and be aware of those that are forming! Also doing a fantastic job as the Table Topics Master for her first time was Malita Clarke! Malita asked her first question to Diane Hart "When does a bad habit become an addiction?" Diane said that we know "when we are doing things a certain way that interferes with other people." Malita next asked Melanie Rizzo "What advice would you give someone trying to kick a bad habit?" Melanie thought that keeping a daily journal and writing down the thing and situation. "Then you could review it daily for accountability."  Steve Wood was asked "What is a bad habit that someone you know has and why do you perceive it as a bad habit?" Steve said that if he were President of the United States he would talk to people about getting rid of their bad habits. He said that it would make a valuable impact on society. Ken Walley ACG, CL was asked to define what a bad habit was and how does culture and society influence the definition of a bad habit. Ken said it was hard to see a bad habit when you are personally involved because it is an action that seems meaningless at first. Ken also related it to his struggle to quit smoking. Another good habit of Club #28 is having excellent speeches! On this night we had three of them starting with Mark Gumula's eighth speech titled "Types of Business Structures" in which he used a handout that laid out the types of business structures. The speech gave a wealth of information to be used as a tool when starting up a business plan of our own. Wilner Luders CC spoke next, giving an advanced speech from the "Persuasive Speaking" manual titled "Effective Selling". Wilner used role playing to bring out three basic points: 1. A need to focus on the buyers needs. 2. Create an urgency to fulfill the need and 3. To understand that there is more than one way to satisfy a need. Wilner showed how to persuade the buyer by avoiding provocative, annoying and offensive techniques. Speaking third with a highly upbeat speech was Monica Walley who also gave her 8th speech titled "The History of the Telephone". We walked through time from 135 year ago into the future by marking significant breakthroughs in communication technology. Monica moved from the first phone call to digit dialing to cell phone technology evolution to even possible hologram image phones featured in the Star Trek future! In the evaluations part of the meeting, Ken Walley ACG, CL wore two hats as both the General Evaluator as well as the evaluator for Wilner's speech. Deepti Dhiman Sharma, CC, CL evaluated Mark's speech and we had a special evaluator giving the evaluation of Monica's speech, guest Daisy Arus, ACB from the Castaways Toastmasters Club. All of the evaluations were of the highest quality with useful advice and compliments. Ken W. in his meeting review, praised highly the work of Malita and Kayla for doing such an admirable job for their first times at their meeting roles. The functionaries for this meeting were also to be highly praised: AH Counter Ken Blake ACB, CL; Grammarian Diana Hart, Vote Counter Jamie Waters CC and Timer Frank Adams. Also attending the meeting was a good friend of Mark's Stephanie Gardner who had some very positive things to say about the meeting as well as our visiting Toastmaster Daisy Arus who also brought her two daughters as well. The only bad habit for this meeting was running a bit behind the time but it is hard to stop when you are having so much fun. 

It was clear that the Passion of our Toastmaster Ruble Nedumkunnel, CC for the August 5th 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "Passion: What do You Love To Do?" theme meeting was... being a Toastmaster! Ruble led the evening with a great sense of purpose to show that it is the things that we care most about that shapes our world and defines us. He had passionate help in conveying that message from his Table Topics Master Wilner Luders CC who came prepared with some fantastic questions on what is most meaningful to those in Club #28. Diane Hart was asked to identify "passion". She pointed out her love for travel and said it is a feeling "in the heart". Mark Gumula II was asked about a person who inspired passion in him. Returning member, Tai Johnson spoke fervently on the question if it benefits others to know about her passions. Steve Wood was asked if he thought that a relationship could survive without passion. Steve did not believe that it truly could. Kayla Sorel-Bazil talked about excess in passions believing it was often the cause of serious problems in life. The speeches on this evening were also something to be passionate about. Barbara Cusack gave a speech titled "Ruth and Boaz' which brought to life the biblical story of a woman who was rewarded for her dedication. Barbara's advanced speech gave both meaning, as well as the ability to relate to characters of a very different time and place. Speaking second was Carolyn Stapleton with speech titled "Always the Bridesmaid, Never the Bride: II" in which she brought to life celery, you read it right, celery. Carolyn astounded us with making the vegetable interesting, entertaining and very funny! Mark Gumula II was our General Evaluator for his first time and did a wonderful job at the position. Mark introduced the two evaluators for the night, Ken Blake and Monica Walley. Both of them signed up for the Evaluation Contest coming up in September and both gave contest worthy evaluations of our two speeches. The functionaries for this evening was a mix of new and seasoned toastmasters: Grammarian Melanie Rizzo, Timer Doug Creveling, AH Counter Ken Walley ACG, CL and it was good to see Tai Johnson return and fill in as the Vote Counter. With only two speakers tonight, Vice President of Membership Carolyn Stapleton took the opportunity to formally induct Tai Johnson, Diane Hart and Kayla Sorel-Bazil! It was a very well performed, even inspiring, ceremony. This was a great meeting and one that everyone should have been very passionate about!

 WOW! The July 29th 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "Enthusiasm" theme meeting was a power-charged tour-de-force from start to finish with Deepti Dhiman Sharma CC, CL leading the way as the Toastmaster! Deepti said there were four steps to developing intense enthusiasm even when things are not going your way: 1.) Smile! 2.) Stand up straight! 3.) Speak in a clear voice! and 4.) Give yourself a pep talk! Someone who needed no pep talk was Table Topics Master Ken Walley ACG, CL, aka "Mr. Electricity" who brought some sparks to the meeting with some very electric questions. Ken's first question was to Wilner Luders, CC: Ken, quoting Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, asked Wilner what he meant when he said "Enthusiasm makes the difference!" Wilner said enthusiasm was a way to inspire others as well as yourself . Malita Clarke was asked to name some things that she was enthusiastic about! Painting she said, is a passion to her as a way of expressing  herself. Kayla Sorel-Bazil was asked about enthusiasm at the work place. She said in her job in customer relations, enthusiasm is a main factor in being successful. Doug Creveling was asked if he had ever been inspired by somebody who was enthusiastic? Doug remembered his father. After Doug's answer, Ken lead the club to a standing ovation for Doug in recognition of his Ice breaker speech two weeks ago! Carolyn Stapleton was asked to give the Club a "pep talk" about Toastmasters! Carolyn got everyone energized with a rousing oration! Liz Van De Mark, our guest,  was asked to give the club one way that she would make the world a better place. She spoke of a world with more compassion and understanding among ourselves. This was one of the most enthusiastic table topics sessions that the club has ever had! The two speeches presented tonight by Diane Hart and Ruble C. Nedumkunnel were both incredible as well. One of the most fun and interesting Ice Breakers was delivered by Diane in a speech titled simply as "TB". Diane told about her passion for traveling, saying that she had "TB" or the "travel bug" ... not tuberculosis!! While telling about her life she also gave a whirlwind tour of the world. Speaking second was Ruble Nedumkunnel, CC who gave an advanced motivational speech tiled "The Magic Formula" in which he gave us the recipe to overcome frustration and achieve your goals! it was another inspiring speech from Ruble and perfect for the "enthusiasm" theme of the evening! Diane Hart also received a well deserved standing ovation for her excellent Ice Breaker speech! Ken Blake, ACG, CL  led the evaluation session as the General Evaluator as well as having the pleasure of introducing two of Club #28's best evaluators, Monica Walley and Jamie Waters, CC. Both came through with excellent evaluations as did Ken with a very thoughtful meeting review. The same can be said for the reports from the Grammarian and the AH Counter. Carolyn Stapleton's Grammarian report was another in a series of reports that have been far above the norm in quality, as well as being entertaining and helpful. The AH Counter report by Malita Clarke was also helpful, precise and enjoyable! Rounding out the technical table on this evening was Timer Wilner Luders CC and Vote Counter Doug Creveling. Toastmaster Steve Wood, who had not been given an opportunity to speak during the evening was given the "last word" on the theme he stated that "enthusiasm went beyond just a feeling of approval but that it was a passion for something that helped define who that person is." Well said. We had only one visitor but she was extremely enthusiastic about the meeting. Liz Van De Mark said she did not know what to expect about the meeting but was very impressed. We hope that she will be impressed enough to return and join our club! This was after all a meeting to really get enthusiastic about!

Unlike our recent US economy, The July 22nd 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "CRASH PROOF: Surviving in the Current Economy" theme meeting was a bustling triumph! Leading our meeting to its robust success was Toastmaster Jamie Waters, CC who presented the club with some solid ideas on how to stay afloat during tough times. Also helping to bring reason and design to the current financial nightmare was Table Topics Master Frank Adams. Pointing out the recent job losses during the recession, Frank asked our newest member Diane Hart how she would go about protecting her income during this economy. With people watching their pocketbooks these days, Frank next asked returning past club President Deepti Dhiman Sharma, CC, CL how she controls her expenses in such a tight economy. Deepti said that she tries to increase her "Financial IQ" and shops a little less." The last question was asked of our guest Tamara Palin about if she should stop saving or maybe think of investing during this uncertain era. Tamara suggested that investing might be a little shaky but saving was a good idea. The Table Topics session was somewhat abbreviated due to having four speakers scheduled on the agenda. Even so, the excellent questions, and answers made this Table Topics session a remarkably good exchange of ideas. For the first time in over a year Club #28 presented four speakers! Starting first was Ruble Nedumkunnel, CC who is working towards his Advanced Communicator Bronze award He presented a speech from the advanced "Storytelling" manual. His speech, titled "All That Glitters is Not Gold!" told of a horrendous experience buying a 1999 Honda Accord for $4000.00 and having to repair it, very shortly after buying it, for only $3000.00! The lesson of the story was "be aware of the details." The second speech was by Carolyn Stapleton, it was her first speech at the Club #28 lectern. This truly excellent speech was titled "Human Doing vs. Human Being!" It the speech Carolyn explained that life is about living rather than just existing. That having the courage to explore new worlds without has given her life meaning and interest within. This was a powerful and enlightening speech that we might see again soon at a future International Speech contest. Steve Wood gave a very different type of speech, a much more scientific speech about the virtues of a Track Ball when compared to the common computer mouse in a speech titled "The Trouble with Mice".  Steve as always, used his natural talent with humor to make his technical topic entertaining and enjoyable... even while we learned something! After three brilliant speeches, Club #28 members were rewarded with a bonus fourth exceptional speech by Malita Clarke. Malita's speech had all the elements of a wonderful presentation. The subject was the history about he shape of the soccer ball titled "What Shape Is It?" Malita traced the shape of the ball from the perfectly round heat-fused ball used in the latest World Cup matches back in history to when human heads were used as the "ball" in a less-enlightened ancient time! Again, another interesting and fun speech about a subject that absolutely no one expected to hear about! General Evaluator Monica Walley was able to introduce four evaluators equal to the fantastic speeches given: Wilner Luders, CC; Ken Walley ACG, CL; Ken Blake ACG, CL and Barbara Cusack, CC, CL. As expected each evaluation was entertaining on its own merits but still provided great ideas for the speakers and for everyone else as well.  The functionaries for tonight's meeting somehow kept the meeting on track and on time, even with the extra speakers Kalya Sorel-Bazil gave a very polished report for her first time as Grammarian, Melanie Rizzo was perfect as the timer, Diane Hart kept track of the Ahs and Ums as our AH Counter and Deepti Dhiman Sharma, CC, CL served for her first time as the Vote Counter in a long time. Thanks to a great team effort, this meeting ran very smoothly. The room was packed as Professor Christopher Fama brought another class of students from Florida Technological College. Also attending as guests were William Chestnut and Tamara Palin who both were very upbeat and positive in their comments at the end of the meeting. It was also wonderful to see Deepti Dhiman CC, CL return to the club after being away for awhile! While the economy might be struggling to come back it is clear that Orlando Toastmaster Club #28 is doing very well, thank you! 

The Wednesday, July 14th 2010 "Your State of Health" theme meeting of the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 was a very healthy one indeed! Club president Wilner Luders CC also served as our Toastmaster for the evening. He brought out some great examples of how each individual's health effects us all and some excellent ideas to keep in shape! Keeping us in good extemporaneous speaking shape was Frank Adams as our Table Topics Master. Frank did a very fit job for his first time at the position. His first question was to Kayla Sorel-Bazil asking her "Why is exercise important to good health?" Kalya gave a number of good reasons. Steve Wood was given the question "Why is breakfast important?" Steve pointed out in China that prevention is stressed and one who becomes sick has, in a way, failed. Carolyn Stapleton was asked "How does sleep effect health?" She sounded like a health professional explaining the many benefits of sleep. Dental Health was the subject of Diane Hart's question. Melanie Rizzo was asked how having good friends were a part of staying healthy. Christopher Berns came up with a great answer as well about the part that water plays in everyday health care. All of the answers were superb. The same can be said of the speeches. Club #28 featured three speakers who all came prepared starting with Doug Creveling who gave his Ice Breaker speech! Titled "All About Me!" We learned a lot about our new club member who hails from Eastern Pennsylvania. He was taught at a young age to follow his passions and work hard. Doug compared his life to three things: crayola crayons, bison and Lance Armstrong! Doug became a cross country runner while pursuing a career as a financial analysis. His speech was brilliant for his first time at the lectern! Speaking second was Ken Blake ACG, CL who gave a speech titled "George" which drew a connection between his son Dr. Daniel Blake and the late New York Yankee team owner George Steinbrenner. While helping others in great need, his son had drawn inspiration from the baseball legend. Speaking third was Mark Gumula II already giving his 7th speech titled "Business, Success and Failure!" This speech was highly technical with a lot of statistics but it still was made interesting, even entertaining by Mark! We learned the focus of successful businesses and the odds of failure in today's marketplace. Having the burden to give appraisals of those speeches fell to an impressive team of evaluators led by General Evaluator Carolyn Stapleton who did  very good work on her first time at the position. She introduced Monica Walley, Jamie Waters CC and Ken Walley ACG, CL to disperse their wisdom. All of them gave helpful and empowering reviews. Also powering the club this evening was a strong specialized board: The functionaries were Timer Kayla Sorel-Bazil, AH Counter Melanie Rizzo, Vote Counter Diane Hart and Grammarian Ken Walley ACG, CL. All of them preformed splendidly. We had one new guest visiting us tonight, a friend of Carolyn, Gail Plosen who was very positive about our meeting in her comments. It was also announced that Diane Hart officially joined our club on this evening! Welcome Diane! It can only be said that with all of the new members that have come to Club #28 the club is definitely  growing and healthy!

The July 7th 2010 "Friendship" theme Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 meeting was a friendly place to be! Filling a number of different roles, Ken Walley ACG, CL opened the meeting as the Sgt. at Arms and gave the Invocation which was an old Irish blessing. Ken also served as the Toastmaster for this evening. he brought with him a number of quotes and proverbs about friendship as well as a short guide on how to be a great friend. Additionally being very friendly and helping out as the Table Topics Master was Carolyn Stapleton who had a number of sociable questions for our members and guests. Carolyn asked Doug Creveling how he would go about making an acquaintance into a friend. Doug suggested meeting over coffee or seeing a movie. Another excellent question was asked of Steve Wood what qualities do you look for in a friend? Our guest, Caesar DaCosta was asked what were the "liabilities of having friends"? Caesar could do more damage because they would know more about you. Kevin Bauer was asked if he ever had a friend that he could really count on. The last question was for Paige Psaros who was asked if her perceptions about friendships had changed as she grew older. She said that often her perceptions change but the friendships stay the same. Club #28 had some new and long-standing friends giving speeches. Speaking first was Mark Gumula II who gave one of the most powerful speeches ever delivered at Club #28 titled "The Cost of the BP Oils Spill" amid a flurry of cost estimates to clean up the environment and the oil spill's effect on the economy, health and cleanup waste, he noted that the true cost will never be able to be calculated. Mark remembered the human cost of the 11 people that died in the explosion of the oil rig.  Speaking next, with another excellent speech was Frank Adams, who's speech titled "What Makes a Man?" was based on the idea that a man must have the heart of a king, a warrior, a mentor and a friend. The speech was a great insight into what makes a man "tick".  The third speaker was Jamie Waters CC, CL who was giving a "practice" speech for a social event the next night. His award-winning humorous speech "Golfatorium" proposed that graveyards and golf courses be combined! It was a chance to laugh again for those who had heard the speech before and a real treat for our newer members and guests. Acting as the General Evaluator for his first time was Steve Wood who ended up doing an excellent job. Steve got to introduce Wilner Luders, CC; Ken Walley ACG, CL  and Ken Blake ACG, CL. Ken W. used Frank's idea of king, warrior, mentor and friend as the basis of his speech evaluation! Wilner and Ken B. both came through with strong evaluations of their own. The functionaries on this evening boasted  four new toastmasters all filling their meeting positions for the first time! First time Grammarian Melanie Rizzo, rookie Timer Kalya Sorel-Bazil, newbie AH Counter Doug Creveling and never-before Vote Counter Kevin Bauer all performed their duties with true expertise! Ken reminded the club that some of the best friends that he had ever made he found at Toastmasters. At the end of the meeting Kevin Bauer joined the club! Welcome Kevin! This was a wonderful meeting filled with a lot of learning, fun and friends. 

The July 1st 2010 "July 4th" theme Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 meeting was a great celebration that only lacked some hot dogs and apple pie but still had some wonderful (verbal) fireworks! Steve Wood gave a very introspective invocation and led the pledge and introduced for the first time as Club #28 President Wilner Luders, CC. Wilner introduced Monica Walley who was no statue of liberty but instead gave a great presentation on the history of our country's birthday along with some very interesting facts and trivia. "Did you know there are five cities named Independence?" was just one of many tidbits offered by Monica. Also doing a fantastic job was our Table Topics Master Wilner Luders, CC. Wilner asked Carolyn Stapleton what her "recipe" was for a great Fourth of July. Ken Blake ACG, CL was asked to comment on our National Anthem. He gave a very inspiring answer. Jamie Waters CC was given a harder question about our nation's "checks and balances" system. New member Doug Creveling was asked by Wilner to explain the line from the song "America": "From every mountain side let freedom ring!" The last question went to another new member, Kayla Sorel-Bazil. She was asked to tell of her favorite 4th of July movie. She told how some war movies paint the picture of bravery among the troops who fight to keep our country free. The answers were all excellent as were both of our speeches tonight. Our speeches also showed how when you come to a toastmasters meeting you never know what subject that you might hear a speech on. The first speaker, Mark Gumula giving his fifth speech, titled "Mulch" was about how mulch was made, produced and packaged. It was a very interesting look into an industry that few people ever think about. Mark also did a great job of making his speech entertaining by using body gestures to "act out" giant machinery and cranes! Frank Adams spoke on a very different subject in his speech "Why Marriages Fail" explaining that the three threats to a marriage are the assumption that the marriage is strong enough to survive any challenge, the inability to adjust to changing circumstances and unwillingness to admit natural weaknesses. It was a powerful and helpful speech for anyone who is married. Two excellent speeches such as these deserve two excellent evaluations and that is what they got from Jamie Waters. CC and Alan Brents, ACS. In his "meeting evaluation" Master Evaluator Ken Blake ACB, CL  commented that the evaluations on this evening were both "right on target". He also welcomed Alan back to the club after returning to Orlando while living out of the state for the past few years. Welcome back Alan! Kalya Sorel-Bazil did an perfect job as the AH Counter. it was her first time at the position as our newest club member. Melanie Rizzo, another new member, served well as our vote counter. Ken Walley ACG, CL was the timer for this evening and Carolyn Stapleton gave another 1st class Grammarian report that inspired Monica to wish that she could be our "permanent Grammarian." We were also honored to have our new Area Governor Elon Horsham ACB, CL join us and he gave some highly encouraging words for Club #28 at the end of the meeting. Also giving high praise for the evening's accomplishments were guests Chris August, Isabel Chang and a returning guest from last week, Kevin Bauer. It was great news as well that Alan Brents re-joined the club after the meeting!  This meeting was a wonderful way to start out the upcoming Fourth of July holidays and a real "blast"! 

 The special Summer Celebration and Installation of Officers Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 meeting held on June 24th 2010 was a giant success with great speeches, the "Passing of the Gavel" ceremony and even a new member induction! The room was packed as we had a visit from Prof. Christopher Fama from Florida Technological College who brought his class of about 25 students... as well as a number of other visitors! Barbara Cusack CC, CL started off the meeting with a Call to Order and also introduced Monica Walley who gave the invocation. Monica had the pleasure of bringing to the lectern as the night's Master of Ceremonies Ken Walley ACG, CL. Ken introduced some of  the visitors including Prof. Fama, two returning guests from last week, Melanie Rizzo and Kayla Sorel-Bazil as well as Charlie Van Derven, Travis Kemp, Kevin C. Bauer and Diane Hart. Ken was delighted also to welcome back Paul Hagge, CC a Club #28 member who has been away for some time. Ken explained that this was not "a normal meeting" to our guests but added that he would ask some Table Topics as the night went on even though we were not having a Table Topics session. Bringing up the theme of "Summer" he asked Paul Hagge, CC how he kept cool during the blistering Florida heat. Some of Paul's advice was to stay indoors with the AC on! Ken later asked Mark Gumula what is there fun to do in a Florida Summer? Mark was very enthusiastic about water parks. Which has been a really good idea lately. Our featured speaker for this special night was our newest club member, Frank Adams who was also giving a special speech, his Ice Breaker. Titled "I Am", Frank gave a remarkable first speech that told of his involvement in an organization called Family Life. He became active in the group after his first marriage ended in divorce. Family Life is an organization that helps keep families together and strong. Frank works at Disney World where he works as a restaurant manager and volunteers for community work with the "Disney Voluntears" programs.  Next on the agenda, Ken Blake ACG, CL gave a very upbeat and positive evaluation of Frank's speech. He still however found some room for some excellent advice. Frank received a standing ovation for giving his Ice Breaker speech! Due to our out-going Club #28 President Deepti Dhiman CC, CL getting married in her native India, Ken Walley ACG, CL filled in to give her "Farewell Speech". Ken extolled Deepti's leadership abilities, spoke about how the club membership grew, how the club produced tremendous meetings and how she was willing to try new ideas. Ken noted that the club won it's 8th President's Distinguished Award in the last 10 years under her watch. He gave credit to those in the club that earned achievement awards as well as thanking her officers for their hard work and dedication. He said that Deepti is very proud of this club but like him, she believes that the best moments of Club #28 are still in the future. Ken next introduced Area 32 Governor Luvenia Hart ACG who called the incoming officers to the lectern for the "Passing of the Gavel" Ceremony. Gov. Hart installed Sgt. at Arms Monica Walley, Treasurer Barbara Cusack, CC, CL; Secretary Malita Clarke, Vice President of Public Relations Mark Gumula, Vice President of Membership Carolyn Stapleton, Vice President of Education Ken Walley ACG, CL and President Wilner Luders, CC. After the ceremony, President Luders gave his "Inaugural Address" Wilner spoke of the club building a "strong bridge" to leadership and communication opportunities. He spoke that "8 is not enough" when it comes to earning the President's Distinguished Award. He spoke of membership as a priority and that he would be counting on everyone for advice. Wilner said that he would like to see a "club inspired!"  It was Wilner who inspired us on this night. Wilner received a standing ovation as our new president. Ken Walley ACG, CL seeing that there was a lot of time left in the meeting, mentioned that he had received an application for club membership from Melanie Rizzo. Ken noted that the club had not had a formal induction of a new member in a long time so he asked the new Sgt. at Arms Monica Walley to escort Melanie out of the room. He had Melanie voted into the club formally and then had Melanie take the "Toastmaster's Promise"  while the club members affirmed their support of Melanie's membership. Melanie received a standing ovation for joining the club. Also the Area 32 Governor-elect Elon Horsham ACB, CL was asked to say a few words about "Why I Became an Area Governor". Elon spoke eloquently about the opportunity of serving in an Area with two legendary clubs such as Orlando Club #28 and the Orlando Conquerors Club #1066 as well as the great chance to learn leadership outside of the club environment. To end the meeting Ken once again asked some our guests to comment on the evening's events. All of the guest comments were extremely uplifting and positive! Another guest, Kayla Sorel-Bazil decided to join our club family after the meeting! Welcome Kayla! This special evening was entertaining, inspiring, fun and showcased just what a great future that this club is creating for itself.

A very upbeat and positive Ken Walley ACG, CL led the June 17th 2010 "Optimism and Pessimism" theme Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 meeting. Ken reminded everyone that being optimistic would lead to better health, a more even temperament and even an increased intelligence. He also covered the "dark side" of pessimism saying that human nature is to put need before reason. Ken asked that everyone remember over the next week that "every cloud has a silver lining" and that "it will all come out right in the wash." Helping Ken keep things upbeat and positive was Ken Blake ACG, CL as the Table Topics Master. Ken put the focus on the upcoming Father's Day for his questions. His first question was to Monica Walley: "How could anyone survive having a father like Ken Walley?" Monica said that her dad was "the best father ever" and that he was always fun to be with and always caring about her life. Monica said her other friends "thought that she was lucky to have a dad like him... and she felt the same way." Wilner Luders CC was asked what it meant to "Follow in your father's footsteps?" He remembered fondly lessons he had learned from his father. Our guest Melanie Rizzo was asked about any situations in which she was told to "Wait until your father gets home!" She remembered her mom saying that when she left her bike in back of her mom's car and it got ran over. Her father was a good guy about it. Ruble Nedumkunnel CC was asked about spanking as a punishment. He believed that it was "important to let kids grow and expand beyond the thoughts of their parents". Another guest was Toastmaster Miles Keever who was asked to speak about if those who have been adopted should look for their birth parents. Miles thought in some cases that it was a good thing. There was every reason to be optimistic about our speakers for the evening and they did not disappoint. Speaking first was Wilner Luders CC who gave an astounding speech titled "Dig Up Your Unidentified Dormant Potential!" Reminiscent of a motivational speaker such as Zig Ziglar, Wilner called out to his audience to tap into the hidden inner strengths and gifts that might have been set aside because of past fears or situations. "Do what you love and are passionate about!" said Wilner. Speaking second was Ruble Nedumkunnel CC with a speech titled "Live in Ecstasy!". This was Ruble's best speech to date. He gave a 20 minute mini-seminar that entertained and motivated. He pointed out that if you can define what makes you depressed and downtrodden; then simply act and believe the opposite in how you talk, move and appear. Your own actions will change and redefine you. Leading the evaluation section of the meeting as the General Evaluator was Monica Walley who introduced Barbara Cusack CC, CL and Ken Walley ACG, CL. Both evaluations were of the highest quality giving great advice and pointing out the many things that the speakers excelled in. Monica's meeting report gave this meeting very high praise for the Table Topics, Speeches and Evaluations. Everyone was at the top of their game including the functionaries who consisted of Timer Frank Adams (his first time at the position), Grammarian Carolyn Stapleton, AH Counter Ken Blake ACG, CL and Vote Counter Miles Keever. At the end of the meeting, all of our visitors Cristina Chylinski, Kayla Sorel-Bazil, Miles Keever and Melanie Rizzo unreservedly had admirable reports about the meeting and the club. Indeed, there was nothing but pure optimism about the future after such a great meeting like this one.

A very important and relevant Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "Memorial Day" themed meeting took place on June 3rd 2010, just a few days after the Memorial Day weekend had passed. The gathering, led by Toastmaster Mark Gumula II  was both a remembrance of those who had bravely fallen in service of our country and also a look at the history and background of this hallowed celebration. Mark told of heroic stories as well as a number of interesting facts about Memorial Day. This was Mark's first time as a meeting Toastmaster and he excelled in the role! Ken Walley ACG, CL also was on hand to lead the Table Topics session. Ken had some great questions for our members. His first question was asked of Christopher Berns: "What was the bravest thing that you have ever seen or hear of?" Chris told the story of the famous Sullivan Brothers, all five of them, who all perished in World War II. Ken Blake, ACG, CL was asked to take a minute to thank our service men and women who are on active duty. Monica Walley was asked what were the good things that she would like the rest of the world to acknowledge about America. Our guest, Frank Adams was asked how we could support those serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. He came up with some great ideas. Lastly, Barbara Cusack CC, CL was asked about the two often "forgotten" branches of the military, the Coast Guard and the National Guard. She remarked about the very important work that they did and gave some great examples as well. There were two simply excellent speeches on this evening starting with a speech by Malita Clarke that held everyone spellbound. Her speech titled "Press Record" was a reflective look at the power of memory. It was both an insightful speech and a moving one. In the speech, she captured moments of her youth with words pictures that bought them to life such as "the dew in the morning air and the smell of alfalfa" from her grandparent's place. Also speaking, was Wilner Luders, CC who gave a "hip pocket" speech which was titled "Who Gets the Final Word?". Wilner gave examples of men who "got the final word" because they had gained the courage to speak up. He used the example of John Payne a man who put into motion a movement towards social and political freedom. Ken Blake ACG, CL did double duty as the General Evaluator as well as giving an excellent review of Wilner's speech. Barbara Cusack CC, CL was no less impressive with her top-notch evaluation of Malita's speech. Ken Walley ACG, CL  stood in as the club president and was pleased to introduce three guests including returning guest Frank Adams as well as Erika Robl and Sam Lingawi. All three of the guests were very upbeat in their praise of the meeting! After the meeting, Frank joined the club and became Club #28's newest member! Welcome Frank! This was a meeting that was a worthy tribute to Memorial Day and to our fallen heroes.

The May 27th 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 meeting was an historic event  and not only because the theme was "Great Events in American History!" It should also be remembered as one of the finest examples of a Toastmasters meeting due to the excellence in table topics, speeches and evaluations. Ken Walley ACG, CL was the host for the evening, as well as starting out the meeting with the Invocation and Pledge. Ken throughout the evening unveiled his list of the "Top 10 Most Important Events in United States History" . In order from least important to most important, Ken ranked: The 9/11 attacks, Man Lands on the Moon, Oct. 24th ("Black Monday") 1929, The assassination of Lincoln, The dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima,  The attack on Pearl Harbor,  The Louisiana Purchase, The Emancipation Proclamation, The Battle of Gettysburg and the Number 1 Most important: The adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Also adding to this historic evening was Table Topics Master Barbara Cusack CC, CL who had some great questions ready for the club. Her first question was of Ken Blake ACG, CL "What do you remember of the first Moon landing in 1969?" Like most Americans Ken remembered where he was and that the moon never looked the same to him again. Mark Gumula II was asked if we should make cigarettes illegal. He agreed that cigarettes are bad but it would just cause another prohibition-era like debacle. Using Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as an example of a man with a passion, Barbara asked Malita Clarke what was her passion. Malita said that helping the homeless, especially in Central Florida was her most passionate cause. She said she would be willing to take a stand to help those in a truly great need. Carolyn Stapleton took on the role of being President Barrack Obama's advisor on the oil spill crisis going on in the Gulf of Mexico. Carolyn had a great empathy for the president and said that some things are beyond the control of a single man. Our guest Frank Adams was asked about his favorite war movie based on an actual event. Frank admitted that he was not a war movie buff and hoped for a time when those movies would all be fiction. All of the answers were excellent! The same can be said of our speeches. We had three speeches starting with speaker Deepti Dhiman CC, CL who gave a speech titled "Mr. Perfect". She told of her quest to find the perfect man to marry and that it took a while to realize that there are no "perfect men". Instead, she "surrendered to the Universe" and found that her soul mate came to her. It was a great story... things just fell into place, and, she's getting married in June! Our second speaker was Ken Blake ACG, CL who told us about his adventures at the District 84 Toastmasters Spring Conference in a speech titled "What I Learned in School" here in Orlando. The conference had a "Going back to School theme".  Ken had a wonderful time and he shared with us some really fun stories. He also told us that he learned a lot from "Watching the Pros speak." Speaking third was Steve Wood who gave a speech titled "How Do You Know You Know What You Do?" Steve started the speech by informing us that our brains had been captured by aliens while we slept and that we were "being programmed to accept our present reality." It was one of the best openings to a speech ever heard at Club #28. Steve went on to examine how emotional perceptions can effect our views of reality. Having to come up with evaluation on these three very good speech was the daunting task of the evaluators which included our General Evaluator James Waters, CC. James also had the please to review Deepti's speech and introduce Wilner Luders, CC who evaluated Ken B.'s speech and Ken Walley ACG, CL who had the honor of giving Steve's speech appraisal. All three evaluations were of the highest level! Praise should also be extended to the functionaries who did perfect work throughout the evening: Timer Carolyn Stapleton, Grammarian Mark Gumula II, AH Counter Malita Clarke and our brave guest Doug Creveling who served as the Vote Counter. All of our guests, Edwin Garcia Melendez, Frank Adams and Doug Creveling all were extremely upbeat and positive with their end-of-the-meeting comments. Although the meeting ran a bit late, it was a meeting that should live in Club #28 history for being interesting and fun!

The world of Art, Music and Literature took center stage for the May 20th 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "The Arts and Culture" theme meeting. Leading us on this tour of expression was Toastmaster Wilner Luders, CC who brought in paintings, quotes from great minds and hearts, even classical music to make his point that "culture is the context for art." Bringing a touch of high class to the evening was Table Topics Master Carolyn Stapleton who encouraged a resonating discourse on the perceptions of  art and culture. Carolyn asked returning toastmaster Christopher Berns if healing was an art or a science? Christopher said that the "medical side of healing cannot explain entirely why people heal. Many times health is part 'art form' as well as a science." Jose E. Lopez was asked about customer service and art. "Dealing with human emotions is always subjective and therefore an art." pointed out Jose. "Done well, it produces excellent results, done poorly... it is not a 'pretty picture'." James Waters CC was asked about the cultural direction of the present generation. James was not impressed with the current state of the arts and held up the pop media and Reality TV as an example of cultural disintegration. Resident Club #28 scientist Steve Wood, was given the question "Is science art?" Steve said that often bringing abstract science and math into the living or even just a 3-Dimensional world, created what could be called a "fine art". Mark Gumula II was asked about using numbers to create art as a movement. Using a sharp wit, Mark remarked that he used to connect numbers to create art... by using crayons! He made the point that art is the same in any context. Guest Ryan Dicks was given the question about mixing drinks as an art. Pointing to 'Mix-logy' and relating it to food and beverage, Ryan said that matching food with wine is a truly delightful art! After this Table Topics Session, it was great to see that Club #28 was so refined! Speaking of high class, we had two very impressive prepared speeches on this evening. Keeping with the theme of the meeting, Malita Clarke's Ice Breaker titled "How I Feel About Turning 30!" used word pictures describing watercolors to paint a portrait of her life! Among her "paintings" were working at Disney World, helping the homeless and spending time with her father. It was a beautiful 1st speech!  She received a standing ovation. Congratulations Malita! Speaking next and giving his second speech was Jose E. Lopez who gave a speech that could have won an International Speech Contest titled "Can You Spare Some Change?". Jose spoke about not only overcoming the fear of life transitions, but capturing the power of redefining one's self to create a better future. Jose gave a powerful example of his father, who was dealing with change in the face of immigration challenges. This was an uplifting and inspiring speech with a very meaningful message. The General Evaluator on this evening was Ken Walley ACG, CL who introduced two excellent evaluators: James Waters, CC and Ken Blake ACG, CL. Both rose to the occasion with helpful and well crafted evaluations. The functionaries produced a work of art themselves with flawless efforts. They were Timer Monica Walley, Grammarian Christopher Berns, AH Counter Mark Gumula II and Vote Counter Steve Wood. We had a number for guests who attended: Ryan Dicks, Jousha Todd, Doug Creveling, Mike King, Agatha Charles and Tai Johnson. Tai even became our newest member after the meeting! Welcome to the club Tai! This meeting was a true Toastmasters Masterpiece!

The May 13th 2010 "Summertime" theme meeting of the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 was HOT! HOT! HOT! Thanks to Barbara Cusack CC, CL, Jamie Waters, CC and Ken Walley ACG, CL who shared the Toastmaster role for the evening and brought the lazy, hazy days of summer to life. Malita Clarke started the meeting off with her first time behind the lectern by giving the Invocation and Pledge to the Flag. Barbara reminded the women at the meeting that Summer was not the season to be pregnant but it was a good time to stay indoors. She introduced Ken Blake ACG, CL to help out with the Summertime memories as the Table Topics Master. Ken asked questions of Ken Walley ACG, CL; Jose Lopez, our guest David ____, Carolyn Stapleton and Club President Deepti Dhiman, CC, CL. Just some of the highlights of this remarkable session were Ken W.'s description of a truly horrible summer job he had in college, Jose telling us how he stays cool, David's advice on losing the "summertime blues", Carolyn's memories of summer camp (at least three club members attended Camp Wee Waa!) and another memorable question being a brief description of a June wedding in India... by Deepti who is getting married there next month! This was a great Table Topics session. Jamie Waters CC introduced our first featured speaker of the night, Wilner Luders, CC who was giving his Competent Communicator graduation speech! The speech, titled "The Secret" was worthy of the occasion. Wilner told us that "the secret" that many of us do not know is that each one of us has the potential to do great things. After the speech Jamie led the room in a well deserved standing ovation for Wilner. Congratulations! Ken Walley ACG, CL was back as the Toastmaster to introduce  the second speaker who also deserved high praise. Mark Gumula II gave his second third speech in three weeks. Titled "Sleep Hygiene" the speech told us about the development of good habits to promote restful sleep. Some of Mark's suggestions were no caffeine before bedtime and to make a regular bedtime schedule. Mark has impressed everyone with his tremendous improvement from week to week. Barbara Cusack CC, CL served as the General Evaluator introducing the Deepti Dhiman, CC, CL and Ken Walley ACG, CL who both gave excellent speech evaluations. Deepti's review of Wilner's speech was especially well thought out, full of terrific suggestions, enthusiasm and  brilliantly delivered. The functionaries this evening were Grammarian Jose Lopez, AH Counter Ken Walley ACG, CL, Vote Counter Carolyn Stapleton and her first time as the Timer, Malita Clarke. All of them did excellent work. At the end of the meeting our guest David ____ had a number of very positive things to say about Club #28. Indeed, this really was the good old summertime in a toastmaster meeting..

The May 6th "Mother's Day" theme meeting of the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 was a superb tribute to Moms all over the world. Led by Toastmaster Barbara Cusack CC, CL we were reminded of the great debt of gratitude owed to those who cared for us and loved us the most. Also giving eloquent honor to mother's everywhere was Table Topics Master Wilner Luders who came prepared with some thought-provoking questions. His first question was asked of Ken Blake ACG, CL about what advice he would give to a single mother. Ken noted the trend over recent decades and said that single moms should try to "hold on to the true family values of the past." Carolyn Stapleton was asked about women who juggle both a job and bringing up children. Carolyn admitted that it must be hard to do that but it can be done. "Women should wait until they are established enough to have children." Malita Clarke was asked the tough question "Is it motherly love to give up a child for adoption?" She said "yes" but only, if the situation demanded it. Our guest Clemente Cuevas was given the question "In what way did your mother most effect your life?" He said that his mother was "always there" when he most needed her and that gave him a confidence and stability in his life. Steve Wood was asked what memory brought the most joy about his mother. Steve said that to choose would be hard and the answer would probably come to him while driving home. The last question was asked of Ken Walley ACG, CL which asked about what effect his Grandmothers had on him. Ken remembered two very different grandmothers Pearl and Julia, who instilled in him a toughness and a tenderness. There were two extremely impressive but very different speeches tonight. The first was by Mark Gumula II who was giving his second speech in two week. This week's speech was an informational speech on organic foods titled "The National Organic Program".  Mark explained the four different standards of the Organic Food Program Act of 1990. Somehow Mark made all of this interesting and even exciting. Speaking next was Ruble Nedumkunnel CC, CL who delivered another speech from the Storytelling Advanced Manual. This night's storytelling engaged us with a tale titled "The Donkey's Brain" which feature a smart fox, a lion king and an easily flattered donkey. Ken Blake ACG, CL acting as our General Evaluator had the pleasure of introducing two evaluators with very different amounts of evaluator experience. Speaking first was Carolyn Stapleton who gave her first ever evaluation for Mark's speech. She performed as if she had been giving speech evaluations all of her life! Carolyn came up with excellent advice and encouragement. Jamie Waters, CC no stranger to giving advice, also gave a compelling and helpful review for Ruble's speech. Some of the technical table ended up doing more than one task on this night. Ken Walley ACG, CL was the timer as well as filling in for the President. AH Counter Jamie Waters, CC as well as Grammarian Carolyn Stapleton both also served as evaluators. Steve Wood rounded out the functionaries as our Vote Counter. We had three guests Clemente Cuevas, Poulose Kuyiladan and Malita Clarke all added to the meeting and had very positive things to say about the night's proceedings. Malita also became our newest member of the club! Welcome Malita! This was a night that every mother, and everyone else as well could be very proud of!

 The April 29th 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "Odd Jobs!" themed meeting took a look at the weird and often strange world of very unusual employment. The guide for this tour of the bizarre was Toastmaster Ken Walley ACG, CL who told about Crocodile Wranglers, Cheese Sprayers, Professional Whistlers, Adult Bookstore Attendants, Dog Food Testers, and Light Benders and many more eccentric occupations... all real jobs in which people actually make a living. Monica Walley who was holding the job as Table Topics Master for the evening added to the fun with some terrific questions for the club members. Monica asked Barbara Cusack, CC, CL what was the "oddest job that she ever had?" She told some wild stories about when she cleaned houses as the "Queen of Clean". Mark Gumula II was asked about his favorite odd job. Carolyn Stapleton gave a great answer about holding more than one job at a time. We found out that Carolyn was a practical "jack of all trades". Ken Walley ACG, CL was asked what he thought was the weirdest job that he had ever heard of. His answer was the Rodeo Clown. Ken explained that was not a funny job at all, but extremely dangerous. Deepti Dhiman CC, CL,  was asked what job she would not do even if offered a million dollars a year. She said that she would pass on being an "odor tester", or, one who tests deodorants by smelling other people's armpits. The last question asked was to Wilner Luders: "What kind of work would you like to see your children do? Wilner said it would be a job that helped others find opportunities of their own. One thing that was not at all odd, was that two exceptional speeches were given by Wilner Luders and Mark Gumula II! Wilner went first with a speech titled "Are the Castles We Cherish Built on Rock or Sand?" For the second week in a row, Wilner delivered a top-notch speech. This speech explored the evils of stereotyping and prejudices. Mr. Gumula gave his second basic manual speech which was titled "Habitat for Humanity". Mark told us about the Habitat for Humanity project which has helped so many families over the last thirty years to own affordable housing. His speech was both informational and uplifting. Ken Walley ACG, CL did double duty as the General Evaluator and introduced two excellent evaluators: Jamie Waters CC who reviewed Wilner's speech and Deepti Dhiman, CC, CL who evaluated Mark's offering. Ken later noted in the "meeting evaluation" that, for two weeks in a row, both Jamie and Deepti gave contest-level evaluations of the speakers. Also giving brilliant reports were the AH Counter Carolyn Stapleton and our multiple-tasking Grammarian Deepti Dhiman, CC, CL. Tonight's timer was Barbara Cusack, CC, CL and our Vote Counter was George De Jesus. George became the newest member of Club #28 at the end of the meeting! Welcome to the club George! We had a number of guests attend the meeting and all of them, Brice Aikens, Sophie Mitchell and Malita Clarke were very positive in their remarks at the end of the evening. It was certainly no "odd job" to enjoy this Club #28 meeting. It is apparent that the work that is done at a Club #28 meeting is very beneficial and productive. Sometimes it is hard to wait a whole week to see what Club #28 will come up with at their next meeting. 

It was a warm and fuzzy feeling at the April 22nd, 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 meeting with the "Those Things That Nourish Us!" theme. Being the Toastmaster for her first time at Club #28 was Carolyn Stapleton who made us feel safe and contented while still efficiently keeping the meeting organized and running on time. Carolyn even told us of what it is that gives her own soul nourishment. She likes to go to the puppy store and play with the puppies! "Puppy breath is something that really nourishes me!" said Carolyn. Also bringing sustenance to the meeting was Ruble Nedumkunnel, CC, CL as the Table Topics Master. Ruble had some comforting questions starting with our returning guest Linda Dabney. Linda was asked "What Nourishes our body?" She said relaxing in a Jacuzzi or Sauna  brings her joy but it is "It is whatever nourishes the soul that nourishes the body." Jose E. Lopez was asked "What nourishes the mind?" Jose spoke about how rest regenerates the mind, noting how glad he was that his UCF classes were over for the semester. Steve Wood responded to a question about vacations and celebrations. He thought they were important. Our guest, Josh Goodman spoke about the most nourishing people in his life. He recalled a recent trip to California with his friends. Monica Walley was able to answer the question about her "most nourishing vacation" as one that she has not taken yet which will be coming up in a few weeks. It will be her first vacation without the family! Ken Blake ACG, CL was asked to choose between oxygen, food, water or soil to bring him nourishment. Ken picked 'water' as he finds scuba diving a great way to relax and enjoy living. Today we had three excellent speakers who brought great joy to the room starting with an impressive speech from Wilner Luders titled "Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty?"  Wilner's speech was an stirring speech that requested the listener to try to see the environment around him or her in a different way by using nature as inspiration. Ruble Nedumkunnel CC, CL was the second speaker with a folk tale with a number of different twists. Titled "Sandra and the Woodcutter" his story weaved a number of different themes that included golden eggs, retrieving angels and Sandra Bullock. The moral was if you wish for Sandra Bullock you might end up like Toyota Motors. Well, something like that. The last speaker was Barbara Cusack, CC, CL who treated the club to a "tune up" of her Area 32 International Speech Contest award winning speech titled "The Echo". With the Division 'C' Contest less than a week away she got some great advice from our club members that will hopefully let her go on to win at the next level. Barbara gave her usual brilliant performance. What is more nourishing that a great evaluation? Ken Blake, ACG, CL was the General Evaluator who introduced three very soothing evaluators, starting with Ken Walley ACG, CL who gave good advice to Wilner. Next, Deepti Dhiman, CC, CL also showed great wisdom in her suggestions for Ruble. Lastly, Barbara's contest speech was reviewed expertly by Jamie Waters CC. It was one of the most successful evaluation sessions in memory. Speaking of memory, let us remember the 1st rate work of the technical table: Grammarian Jose Lopez, Timer Mark Gumula II, AH Counter and returning member Justin Gay and Vote Counter and guest Linda Dabney. We had a few guests including Justin Gay who announced that he had been offered a job in Michigan after graduating from UCF. Congratulations Justin! Another past member, Dr. Princess Anita also said it was nice to be back at Club #28 returning guest Linda Dabney  helped out in our meeting and new visitor, Josh Goodman also stated he was impressed with the meeting and was interested in joining. To a Toastmaster this meeting was indeed nourishing to the soul!

There was a lot of energy in the April 15th 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "Energy" themed meeting! Speaking of energy, Wilner Luders showed how he could cover the President's position and be the Toastmaster while keeping the meeting on time and lively with some fantastic facts about energy and the importance of using new resources and ideas. Also adding some electricity into the proceeding was Table Topics Master Steve Wood. Steve asked some powerful questions starting with the one he asked of Mark Gumula II: "Should we build nuclear power plants knowing they can cause a threat to the environment?" Steve used some very interesting science in describing his questions, which included quoting Albert Einstein. Which is what he did when asking Barbara Cusack, CC, CL how she would use the extra energy if her energy was doubled. Carolyn Stapleton was asked to reply to a question about global warming: would she drive an electric car? Carolyn gave a resounding "yes!" answer. Ken Walley ACG, CL was asked if we should explore new worlds as space travelers. Ken said he cannot wait to get on a space ship. One of our guests, George De Jesus was asked how long he thought that man could survive on Earth? George pointed to mankind's ability to adapt and said that we might survive as a species "indefinitely." Jose E. Lopez gave an excellent answer when asked that "as President how would he handle the threat of a nuclear war?" His approach would be very carefully and with a great restraint. The verbal high voltage continued with the  featured speaker Ruble Nedumkunnel, CC who gave a speech to entertain from the Advanced "Entertaining Speaker" manual. Ruble was our only speaker on this evening because his speech was 15 to 20 minutes in length but he definitely entertained us the entire time! His speech was titled "The Power of Laziness!" and it started out with Ruble explaining how Sir Isaac Newton used relaxation to discover the laws of gravity... by getting hit on the head with an apple! Throughout the speech Ruble gave us a wonderful example of how a speech can be a performance. He often played the part of different characters, used humor, as well as making an inspirational and enthusiastic message! The best thing for Club #28 members was that we did not have to pay to hear him speak! Ken Blake ACG, CL did an spirited job as the General Evaluator while introducing Ken Walley ACG, CL as "Mr. Electricity" to give the evaluation of Ruble's speech. Ken gave an exhilarated performance of his own with a very positive analysis of the speech. The functionaries were also highly competent and all turning in great work: 1st time Grammarian Mark Gumula II, Timer Barbara Cusack, CC, CL, AH Counter Jamie Waters, CC and Vote Counter Carolyn Stapleton. Carolyn became the newest member of the club joining after the meeting! Welcome Carolyn! Also joining us tonight were two long-time lost past members: Linda Dabney and George De Jesus. It was the first time that George had been to the club since February 1st 2007 and the first time Linda had been to a Club #28 meeting since October 23rd, 2001! Welcome Back! Don't stay away so long next time! This was a high-octane meeting that actually lived up to it's theme.     

There were no "Boos" at the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28, April 8th, 2010 "Ghosts" themed meeting and the only thing that was scary was just how good the meeting was! Leading the meeting as our Toastmaster was Ken Blake, ACG, CL who told us some great ghost stories and described another world "just beyond our reach." Also present tonight in the room was Marjorie McCauley, ACS, CL visiting us from the Let's Talk Club #4413. Marjorie served as the Table Topics Master this evening and asked some very 'haunting' questions. First to be queried was Jamie Waters, CC. Jamie answered the question: "Have you ever encountered a ghost?"  Jamie remembered feeling his Grandfather's "presence" one day on a golf course which would later inspired him to write a speech on the subject of combining golf courses and cemeteries! The next question was directed towards Steve Wood who was asked if it was possible for ghosts to communicate. He really did not know but none have contacted him... yet. Ken Walley ACG, CL was asked how you make a ghost comfortable? Ken said even though some spirits might not make us comfortable, we can talk to them and try to understand why they are still around. Ken Blake ACG, CL had to answer why politicians keep skeletons in their closets! Visitor Carolyn Stapleton was asked if children are being de-sensitized to the spiritual world by the media. Carolyn admitted that it is hard for campfire stories to compete with Freddie Kruger. Lastly, returning visitor, Jose Hernandez was given the question if he had a favorite ghost story. Jose remembered a story told to him as a child. The speeches tonight were all truly tremendous starting with the Ice Breaker speech of Mark Gumula II titled "How I Became Part of Club #28!" Mark told us of his background in finance and accounting and his battle to earn his CPA degree at the University of Central Florida. He also told us of his struggles to become a better communicator and how he felt accepted at Club #28. You are in the right place Mark! Congratulations! The second speaker was Deepti Dhimnan, CC, CL who told a story titled "Do Not Be a Dinosaur!" about Dinosaurs and... automobile manufacturing! Somehow it all worked out into a great speech with the moral: "Never rest on your accomplishments!" or "Be prepared for anything!" or...oh, the speech just had a whole lot of great lessons! Speaking third was the always entertaining Wilner Luders. Giving his 7th speech titled "Bank Failures in the United States!" Wilner again delivered with both an interesting and informative speech about the banking crisis happening in America. It was a very eye-opening investigative speech. All of this excellent work was reviewed by our evaluation team headed by the General Evaluator Barbara Cusack, CC, CL. Barbara also gave the evaluation for Mark's Ice Breaker speech and introduced Ed Dimayuga, CC, CL and Ruble Nedumkunnel, CC who both came through with brilliant evaluations of their own. Also doing excellent work was the technical table of Timer Ken Walley, ACG, CL, Grammarian Jamie Waters, CC;  and the AH Counter as well being the Vote Tabulator, Steve Wood. Club #28 boasted of five guests on this night including toastmasters Marjorie McCauley ACS, CL and Carolyn Stapleton who were visiting from other clubs. Also attending were returning guest Jose Hernandez and two new guests, Katie Bourne and Aaron Berg. Everyone had wonderful things to say about the meeting! You might even say that a "specter" of  greatness hung over the room tonight.            

The April 1st 2010 "Diversity" theme meeting of the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28  turned out to be one of the most important and educational meetings in memory. The Invocation and Pledge was led by Ken Walley ACG, CL and then Wilner Luders was introduced as not only the Toastmaster for the evening, but also as the acting Club #28 President! Wilner came in early to decorate the meeting room with balloons, candy and colorful streamers so that we might "celebrate diversity". Wilner introduced the theme by underlining that the concept of incorporating different ideas from many cultures has transformed the social scene, workplace, generational outlooks and even how we view the modern world. Ken Walley ACG, CL acting as the Table Topics Master turned the session into a mini-seminar on how to cross cultural bridges in order to create a better living environment for everyone. Ken's first question was asked of Ken Blake ACG, CL: "How is America a better country because of the diversity of it's population?" The next question, to new member Dana Davis was a reading of the inscription on the Statue of Liberty. Dana gave some extremely insightful views from the perspective of an immigrant. Guest Mark Gumula II was given the question "How is it possible to create a world with less bigotry and intolerance?" Mark's answer was to practice interaction, understanding and education. Steve Wood was asked to comment on the Anne Frank quote that "We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same." Steve saw first hand other countries that understood that different groups working together were more effective towards achieving their goals. Wilner Luders, who came from the country of Haiti was asked if he thought that America was still the "Land of Opportunity?" His answer was a resounding "yes!"  Lastly, Club #28 guest Jose Hernandez was asked "how does understanding the differences of others enriches ourselves?" Jose believed that both problems, and solutions, are universal. This was a truly uplifting and educational Table Topics session. The same can be said of our two speakers starting with a special event, the Ice Breaker speech of Jose E. Lopez. Jose's speech titled "I Am Special" made it soon apparent that both Jose and the speech were special! Jose is studying at UCF for a career in Hospitality Management but his real love is public speaking! (Hooray!). he also told how he ran the Chicago Marathon, found religion and wanted to motivate others. From listening to his Ice Breaker speech, Club #28 looks forward to many big things from Jose! Called upon to give a "hip pocket" speech, Deborah Ryan ACG, CL came through with a wonderful performance! Telling the story of having her identity stolen in a speech titled "Your Most Valuable Possession" she gave great advice on how to avoid immense suffering and loss. Her "spur of the moment" speech turned out excellent!. Barbara Cusack, CC, CL led the evaluation session as the General Evaluator and re-introduced Deborah Ryan ACG, CL to deliver the evaluation of Jose's Ice Breaker. Deborah was on the other side when Ken Blake ACG, CL gave her speech evaluation. Both speech reviews were full of great advice and rich in encouragement. The functionaries also stood out tonight as our Grammarian was our newest member Dana Davis who gave an impressive report. Ken Walley ACG, CL doing double duty, served as the AH Counter and did not spare the bell! The timer was Steve Wood and bravely serving as the Vote Counter was Mark Gumula II. Acting President Wilner Luders closed the meeting by traditionally asking our guests what they thought of the meeting. Guest Jose Hernandez pledged to return and gave the meeting high praise and returning guest Mark Gumula II responded by joining the club! Mark is the fourth new member in two weeks! Club #28 is a highly diversified group whose membership and leadership boasts many different cultures and backgrounds. This has made our club remarkably strong over the years. We are truly proud of who we are and what we do at Club #28!

The March 25th 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "Spring Break" theme meeting was like a day at the beach! The Toastmaster for the evening Ken Walley ACG, CL even came prepared with a beach towel, sunglasses, frisbee, sun screen and he even led the meeting in his bathing suit! Wow! really white legs Ken! Ken told us some history about Spring Break and even few hazy memories of his own spring breaks from the distant past. Barbara Cusack, CC, CL filled in as our Table Topics Master at the last minute and came up with some awesome questions. She started with Ebony Langston who was asked if she had any embarrassing moments during Spring Break. Ebony remembered a jump into a pool that went terribly wrong. Sun tanning and sun tan lotion were the subject of Barbara's next question to Christopher Berns. Apparently, Mr. Berns... burns! Deborah Ryan, ACG, CL told us of her favorite Spring Break memory, a summer with a lot of her friends. Even our guest Mark Gumula dove in with an answer about his best Spring Break adventure. Mark remembered taking a Caribbean cruise. We only had one speaker tonight because of the length of his speech. Ruble Nedumkunnel, CC was giving a 20 minute "after dinner keynote speech" from the advanced manual "The Professional Speaker" . The title of his speech was "The Secret Key" in which he told us the main ingredient to success and happiness: cultivating the "state of mind". He even had a great quote from Jawaharial Nehru. The Indian Prime Minster shocked a media group once by saying, "The happiest moments I ever had was spent was with another man's wife." Until he added: "It was my mother."  Ruble also added a wonderful story of how a priest once got into every big trouble by misquoting him! Ruble's speech was enlightening and inspiring and would have brought out true happiness at any Toastmaster meeting. Doing the honors of General Evaluator was Wilner Luders who was able to introduce our only Evaluator, Deborah Ryan, ACG, CL. She gave a very spot-on review of Wilner's speech with some solid advice and excellent encouragement. The Technical Table for the meeting consisted of AH Counter Steve Wood, Grammarian and new member Dana Davis, Timers Barbara Cusack, CC, CL and Deepti Dhiman, CC, CL and returning & new member Ebony Langston as our Vote Counter. Also joining our club tonight was Jose E. Lopez! Welcome Dana and Jose and welcome back Ebony! We had two other visitors, Mark Gumula and Jeimmy Acosta who both gave wonderful comments at the end of the meeting. This meeting was as good as any MTV Spring Break extravaganza, except of course, without the drinking and the wet T-shirt contest.    

The March 18th 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 meeting was not held but instead members were encouraged to attend the Area 32 Table Topics and International Speech Contests that were held on March 15th, 2010 at the beautiful Crown Plaza Hotel in Orlando. The first Contest was the Table Topics contest which featured four contestants, two from the Conqueror Club #1066, Steve Jamba and Paul Vondes Heide and two from Orlando Toastmasters Club #28: Christopher Berns and Ken Walley, ACG, CL. The question was "The Greatest Lesson I have Learned Is..." Ken spoke about that it is "The importance of learning that is in the process of learning, not what it is that you have learned." Ken took 2nd place in the contest to a very clever answer by Steve Jamba who lamented that he did not come up with a way to  make infomercials and get rich! In the Area 32 International Speech Contest there were six great speeches! Elon Horsham, CC, CL of the Court Muse Club spoke first with a moving speech titled "A Mother's Love" which told about the depths of a mother's love for her child. Speaking second was Sally Wolfe also from the Court Muse Club, who spoke about the tragic cost on society of Mental Illness in a very powerful speech titled "Four Stories". The Power of Words was the focus of a speech by Jerome Kalisz, DTM from The Conquerors Club #1066 titled "Mere Words". After a short recess for dinner, Orlando Toastmasters Club #28's Barbara Cusack, CC, CL took the stage and gave a command performance of her speech "The Echo" a speech about a life lesson learned from an echo. Barbara had the room captivated. Also speaking for the Conquerors Club #1066 was Paul Vondes Heide who gave a speech titled "A Great Idea" about as Paul said, "Spreading health instead of illnesses!" Ken Walley, ACG, CL gave his club's contest winning speech titled "Our Future" about what the future might hold for us via his crystal ball. Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 came out the big winner as Barbara Cusack, CC, CL took the 1st place trophy and Ken Walley ACG, CL came in 2nd place! A great time was enjoyed by all who attended and Club #28 now will go on to the Division 'C' Contests in April! Congratulations Barbara and Ken!

The March 11th, 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 International Speech Contest will rank as one of the best ever, if not the #1 highest quality International Speech contest ever produced by the club.  The meeting started with Barbara Cusack, CC, CL calling the meeting to order, for the second week in a row Vice President of Education John Hines came up with a brilliant Invocation to start the meeting. Club President Deepti Dhiman, CC, CL  was introduced and welcomed many of our dignitaries and guests including a guest named Jose Lopez. The last club member we had named Jose Lopez, went on to become a club president!  Let's hope the same happens this time. Also attending was our District 84 Lt. Governor of Education Scott Hoehn, DTM, The Court Muse Club VP of Education Elon Horsham, CC, CL;  President Nancy Humberson, CC of the Castaways Club #618581 and Carolyn Stapleton who was visiting us from the Baldwin Park Club #6304. It was also very nice to see returning members Sue Park and Ed Dimayuga, CC, CL who have been away for a few weeks. Deepti presented the lectern to our Contest Master Deborah Ryan, ACG, CL. Debbe returned as Contest Master for the second week after doing the honor at last week's Table Topics Contest. Again, she ran a "tight ship" keeping the contest on schedule and within the Toastmasters International guidelines. She also added a lot to the evening with some great stories of past International Speech Contests and Toastmaster lore. After reading the rules Deborah started the contest by introducing the first contestant, John Hines. John gave a powerful and emotional speech titled "Defiance Street" in which told how his daughter had overcome a severe illness and how her courage had inspired him to be able to make life changing decisions of his own. Speaking second was Deepti Dhiman, CC, CL who gave a captivating speech titled "Culture Shock" which compared the culture differences between the United States and her native India. The next speaker was Barbara Cusack, CC, CL who presented a truly motivating speech about how a father and son learned a life lesson from an echo. The speech, titled "The Echo" taught us "What you put out there, comes back to you." The fourth speaker was Ken Walley ACG, CL who spoke about two paths that the world might end up following in a speech titled "Our Future". Looking into his crystal ball, Ken saw that one future was very, very good and the other was very, very bad. The last speaker of the evening was Ken Blake, ACG, CL who gave an inspiring and highly polished speech titled "Its Not About the Money" in which he told about an Olympic Gold Medal winner who overcame extreme dyslexia to make a successful living as a public speaker. Every speech was well prepared and presented. They were all worthy of winning an International Speech Contest. While the Chief Judge Scott Hoehn, DTM  was counting the votes, Deborah thanked all of the functionaries who helped the contest to run so smoothly: Timers Monica Walley and Ed Dimayuga, CC, CL, Raffle Master Ken Walley ACG, CL and the Vote Counters Steve Wood and Christopher Berns. Everyone did a fantastic job. Deborah also called Barbara to the lectern to describe her Black Bean & Corn Salsa and then she called up Deepti to describe her hometown in India. Once the results came in, District Lt. Governor of Education Scott Hoehn, DTM did the honors of announcing the winners of our contest. Barbara Cuack, CC, CL came in 2nd place and the winner for the 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 International Speech Contest is... Ken Walley ACG, CL! All of those who attended should be commended for braving horrible weather just to get to the library for the contest. Indeed, both of this year's Table Topics and International Speech Contests are a testimony to the dedication and hard work of the entire club. Congratulations to Club #28 for another successful contest season! Now its on to Area to beat Club #1066!     

The March 4th, 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 Table Topics Contest was a giant success. Because of so many of the club members taking part in the Table Topics and International Speech Contests, the club decided to have two separate contests on two different dates. The Table Topics contest featured seven different contestants, the most ever for a Club #28 Table Topics contest! Club Sgt. at Arms Barbara Cusack, CC, CL called the contest to order and introduced Vice President of Education John Hines to give the Invocation and Pledge. John used a verse from the Simon and Garfunkel song "The Boxer" to inspire our contestants! Club President Deepti Dhiman, CC, CL welcomed our guests and dignitaries which included the Area 34 Governor Luvenia Hart, ACS; the Let's Talk Club #4413 VP of Education Linda Ramey, ACB; Past Division Governor Helen Joseph, DTM; Club Court Muse VP of Education Elon Horsham, CC, CL and returning Club #28 member Ebony Langston. Deepti also introduced our Contest Master Deborah Ryan, ACG, CL. Debbe did a great job of reading the rules, keeping the meeting on time and recognizing the contestants and functionaries. As Contest Master she also picked the question to be asked of all of the contestants. The question was a good one: "What is your biggest regret?" Speaking first was Ken Blake, ACG, CL who mentioned working on a marriage. The next contestant was John Hines who spoke of how he tries to live without regrets. Speaking third was Wilner Luders who wished that he had spent more time with his wise grandmother when he had the chance. Jamie Waters, CC spoke on not joining Toastmasters sooner. Monica Walley speaking fifth, remembered a kitten that she once had. Christopher Berns regretted joining the Navy and later was glad that he did! Speaking last was Ken Walley ACG, CL who wished that he had applied himself a little more in college or maybe did not work so many years at Disney World. In the end he asked the question "am I happy with my life?" He was, because of his many blessings. While the Chief Judge Helen Joseph, DTM counted the ballots with the vote counters, Deborah asked some Table Topics questions of her own. She asked  Ken Blake, ACG, CL what had brought him to Toastmasters. She asked Christopher Berns what he had gained from Toastmasters and Monica Walley what she did at her job at the Boston Market restaurant. All of them gave great answers, Ken Blake praised Christopher Berns for being the "most improved Toastmaster he had seen in his many Toastmaster years". Christopher spoke about overcoming challenges and Monica spoke about pleasing her bosses, balancing banks and keeping a clean and safe place to work. Deborah gave out Certificates of Appreciation to the Vote Counters Deepti Dhiman CC, CL and Steve Wood and to the Sgt. at Arms Barbara Cusack, CC, CL, the Timer Luvenia Hart, ACS as well as all of our contestants. Ken Walley, ACG, CL who was also the Raffle Master, announced the winner of the 50/50 prize to be Luvenia... who donated her 50/50 winnings back to the club! Thank you Luvenia! At last... the winners were announced! Second place was awarded to Wilner Luders and the 2010 winner for the Table Topics contest was Ken Walley, ACG, CL! Congratulations Ken! This was a great meeting and hopefully our International Speech Contest will be just as good next week!!        

The February 25, 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "Success and Failure!" theme meeting was a gigantic success! Sgt. at Arms Barbara Cusack, CC, CL called the meeting to order and Christopher Berns led the club in an inspiring success-themed Invocation. Acting President John Hines set the tone for the meeting by telling us about the book "The Game Plan for Life" by the legendary Basketball coach John Wooden and his "7 point Creed of Success". Ken Walley  ACG, CL was introduced as the Toastmaster and throughout the evening Ken gave inspiring "proverbs of success" along with a number of famous examples of people who have overcome failure to achieve greatness including Abraham Lincoln, Walt Disney and Michael Jordan. Using quotes from the book by Coach Wooden, John Hines returned to the lectern as the Table Topics Master and asked Wilner Luders to comment upon the phrase "Being True to Yourself". Christopher Berns was asked to explain what it means to "Never flinch under failure". Chris told about what that meant to him after serving in the military. Sashimi Robertson one of our guests for the evening, was asked what her definition of success was. She replied that it is finding the ability to "push harder to overcome the stumbling blocks of life." Ken Blake ACG, CL was given the opportunity to speak on the subject of Enthusiasm, a thing that Ken is rarely ever short on. The club was not short on simply fantastic speeches tonight either. The first speech was a very special presentation by Deborah Ryan, ACG, CL who's speech titled "28 is More Than Just a Number" was a truly interesting and exciting history of Club #28! Tracing the club's history from 1933 to the present. She told of the founders of the club including famous Orlando Mayor William Beardall and the founder of Toastmasters International Ralph Smedley, DTM coming to together to organize the club. She told stories of the 40's and 50's when the club was named after a local developer and war hero Howard Rybolt, DTM, stories about when the club met in a bowling alley and many other great stories about the club! Our second speaker was John Hines who also gave a riveting speech titled "Speech Vis Aids As A Metaphor For Life". John used visual aids such as a painting by his daughter and books that have inspired him to help explain the important lessons that he has learned in life. It was one of John's most dramatic and powerful speeches. Serving as the General Evaluator was Monica Walley who re-introduced her father Ken Walley ACG, CL to give the evaluation of Debbe's speech. Ken had very high praise for the speech and hoped to hear more from our new "club historian". Ken Blake, ACG, CL also gave a review of the John Hines speech which was again packed with uplifting acclaim. Monica mentioned the excellent Table Topics, Speeches and Evaluations in her "meeting assessment" and she even somehow got the meeting back on time after being quite a bit behind schedule! Wilner Luders and Steve Wood gave exceptional reports as the Grammarian and AH Counters. Barbara Cusack, CC, CL served as the Timer and Vote Counter. All of our guests had very high praise for the meeting including Sashimi Robertson who said when would definitely return as well as father and son visitors Spencer and Barry Pigot. Spencer said that they planed to look at a number of clubs but that they "might not be necessary now look at other clubs!" One of the "success proverbs" Toastmaster Walley used was "Nothing Succeeds like Success", that was certainly true with this meeting.

Doing a decent Woody Woodpecker to start the February 18th, 2010 meeting, Ken Walley, ACG, CL, filling in as the Sgt. at Arms opened the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "Favorite Cartoon Characters" theme meeting. He also led the club in the invocation and pledge and then introduced the Club President and this night's Toastmaster, Deepti Dhiman, CC, CL. Deepti came prepared with a ton of facts and stories about the great cartoon characters of the past and present. She mentioned some of Disney's beloved cartoons including Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Pluto, The Little Mermaid as well as others such as Tom and Jerry, Bugs Bunny and many others. Ken Blake ACG, CL our Table Topics Master, was not allowed to watch cartoons as a child, we learned and so he  led one of the strangest Table topics session ever. Ken Walley ACG, CL was asked to describe his Disney "character" named "Mr. Howdy" that he "played" while working at the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue dinner show. Deepti Dhiman CC, CL had the unfortunate assignment of explaining Daffy Duck while talking like Daffy Duck. Steve Wood was asked to do the Toastmaster Mission Statement talking like Elmer Fudd but he told an off-color joke instead. John Hines did a very passable Count Duckula but no one remembers just what he actually said. Jamie Waters, CC told how he was a "Dennis the Menace" to his parents. Christopher Berns mercifully ended the Table Topics session with an explanation of how he was "Grinch-like." We had two excellent speeches however from two of the club's better speakers. John Hines gave his 7th speech titled "Working on a Dream" which followed the history of the legal cases used  to fight discrimination and open the doors to the  passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. John brought history to life while both educating and entertaining us. Speaking second was Ken Walley ACG, CL who gave a speech titled "Our Future" about the choices that we have to make leading into this decade. Looking into a crystal ball, he saw both the very good and the very bad that might await us. Ken Blake ACG, CL also acted as our General Evaluator and introduced Wilner Luders who was excellent with his review of John's speech as well as was Jamie Waters, CC who gave the evaluation of Ken's speech. Deborah Ryan ACG, CL returned this week to be our Grammarian, Steve Wood served as the Timer, Ken Walley ACG, CL doubled as an AH Counter and Christopher Berns awarded the ribbons as our Vote Counter. Our only guest, Eric Jones had some wonderful things to say about the meeting and he pledged to return. All and all, this was a lot like a Looney Tunes cartoon, a whole lot of fun... TTTTHHAAAT'S ALLL FOLKS!

Love was in the air for the February 11th, 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "Love" theme meeting with Valentines Day right around the corner. The Club's own "Guru of Love" Barbara Cusack, CC, CL led the meeting and gave us words of wisdom, advice and warmth on the subject of Love. Also in the spirit of Love was our Table Topics Master Jamie Waters. CC who shot some of cupid's arrows, in the form of questions, to our members. Our returning guest Ron Silva was the first to receive a question. He answered Jamie's request to "describe a lovely day for yourself." Wilner Luders got an open ended question "What do you love that is good for us?" Christopher Berns was asked a more personal question "Do you have a special someone?" Steve Wood answered Jamie's question of "How do you see love effecting society?" Steve said that it is not "Love that make the world go 'round" but "centripetal gravitational forces that do that, but, love is a powerful emotion." When asked when love has the most influence on her life, Barbara Cusack, CC, CL answered "When love is shown to me, not told to me." Club #28 had what all Toastmasters Clubs love to have: three excellent speeches! Monica Walley, giving her 7th speech towards her Competent Communicator Award went first with a speech titled "Keep It Simple". Her speech was on ways to make your life easier by simplifying. She gave us some great ideas such as using only one credit card and always telling the truth. It was an interesting and helpful speech. Speaking next was Ken Walley ACG, CL who gave a speech titled "The Self Control Remote Control" in which Ken told us that "all you need to know in life is on your remote."  Ken reminded us to "Play" "Pause" and  go "Forward" in life with the help of our "self control remote control"  Speaking third, was Ken Blake ACG, CL who told us about an Olympic sport, the Skeleton, in a speech titled "It's Not Always About the Money". He noticed the license plate of a car he was working on and found out it stood for the Skeleton gold medal winner Jim Shea from the 2002 Olympics! Ken told us the dangers involved with the sport which became prophetic when only a day later a 2010 Olympic Luge competitor was killed while practicing for the event. John Hines stepped in as the General Evaluator and created a stellar example for future General Evaluators with his skillful introductions and spot-on meeting evaluation. His evaluators for this evening were Ken Blake, ACG, CL, Wilner Luders and returning Past Club #28 President Debbe Ryan, ACG, CL! All of the evaluations were excellent as well. The support group was one that you just had to love: Grammarian Wilner Luders, Timer Steve Wood, AH Counter Christorpher Berns and Vote Counter Ken Walley ACG, CL. We had three visitors Ron Silva, Debbe Ryan, ACG, CL and Diana Walley ACG, CL who had come to hear both her husband and her daughter speak. After the meeting, Ron and Debbe joined the club! What is there not to love about a meeting like this?

A very special Toastmasters meeting took place on the campus of the University of Central Florida on February 9th 2010. A "mock" Toastmaster Meeting was sponsored by the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) and produced by Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 and the Castaways Toastmasters Club #618581. This meeting was the brainchild of SMPS and Orlando Club #28 member Justin Gay who selected the theme "Success & People Skills". This meeting was a great example of people skills and a huge success! With a very good turnout of UCF students willing to take part in their first Toastmaster meeting. Justin Gay opened the meeting and introduced Scott Hoehn, DTM the Lt. Governor of Education for District 84. Scott Introduced the attending Toastmasters including Club #28's Sgt. at Arms Barbara Cusack, CC, CL who brought along all of Club #28's equipment for the mock meeting. Scott told about the Toastmasters program and explained the importance of getting involved and then introduced the Toastmaster for the evening, Ken Walley ACG, CL. Showing his usual enthusiasm, Ken explained how he got involved with Toastmasters crediting his wife for "literally dragging me to my first meeting." As the meeting progressed, Ken explained more about the program and the different parts of a Toastmasters meeting. All of the functionary positions were covered by SMPS members who were expertly coached by Barbara. The Table Topics Master for this evening was Nancy Humberson, CC the current President of the Castaways Club. Nancy challenged the SMPS members with some brilliant questions and even a "charades project" that required only hand gestures! Nancy asked one member to give a "Marketing Analysis" of the question "How much wood could a woodchuck, chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" Another student was asked to explain, without hand gestures how to tie a tie! Still another SMPS student was asked to do a commercial for "Wet Ones Baby Wipes". All of the answers were very well done and even remarkable considering this was their first time answering Table Topics questions. Three speeches were presented, all of them by SMPS students starting with a speech by Justin Gay titled "How to Give A Great Speech!" Justin gave some excellent advice for both the UCF students and the Toastmasters that were present alike. Speaking second was SMPS student Nick Lanza who spoke about "Life After College". Although he said he was unprepared to give a speech, he delivered a very polished speech on what it was like to face an uncertain future. The third speaker wanted only be known as "J.R." and he also came up with a fantastic speech titled "Buying your Next Car". Instead, J.R. told us of his dream "muscle car" and how to find it. All three speeches were simply superb. Ken Walley ACG, CL was also the General Evaluator and he introduced three very highly qualified evaluators. Speaking first and evaluating Justin's speech was past Orlando Club #28 President Barbara Cusack, CC, CL. She had a number of positive and upbeat comments on Justin's speech. Another Toastmaster who was impressed with the speech that she had to evaluate was Daisy Arus the VP of Education for the Castaways club. She admired the confidence that Nick showed while giving his speech. Evaluating J.R.'s speech was Scott Hoehn, DTM who gave an insightful and very helpful review of J.R.'s speech. Ken also gave a brief evaluation of the meeting stating how remarkable that the talent of the SMPS students was, as well as how happy he was to see this mock meeting take place. The functionaries gave expert Grammarian and AH Counter reports as if they had been in Toastmasters for years. Ken thanked the SMPS group for inviting Toastmasters and urged them to explore Toastmasters in the future. Justin Gay was re-introduced and thanked the Orlando Club #28 and the Castaway Club #618581 for helping to make this mock meeting such a great success. He presented each of the Toastmasters with a Certificate of Appreciation. Justin then adjourned the meeting. This special meeting was a wonderful way to bring Toastmasters to other groups and it was a really fun way to spend the evening as well!

Even if the theme for the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 February 4th, 2010 meeting was "Peace" I do not think that you could describe it as "peaceful". Maybe you could say it was exciting and fun or enjoyable and wonderful...  Sgt. at Arms Barbara Cusack, CC, CL called the meeting to order and introduced Christopher Berns to give the Invocation and Pledge. He read a stirring quotation regarding peace and solitude. Toastmaster and Club #28 President Deepti Dhiman, CC, CL welcomed our visiting guests including club member John Hines's daughter, Jenna Hines and Johnny Nuygen. Being the Toastmaster for his first time tonight was Wilner Luders. Wilner had many great insights as to peace both as a world goal and as an inner feeling. He likened peace to a man in a moving ocean or a man in the forest. He also reminded us of winners of the Nobel Peace Prize. Our Table Topics Master tonight was Monica Walley. Monica wanted to know if John Hines ever thought there would be world peace. Despite John's optimism in the world, he didn't feel there would ever be a true world peace. Christopher Berns was asked what "peace" meant to him. Christopher talked about building connections with people. Returning member Justin Gay was given the question "did you ever have to be a peace keeper?" Justin said that he tries to defuse a bad situation before it gets out of hand. Barbara Cusack, CC, CL was asked how to bring about peace. Barbara thought that getting together at the table and eating salsa would help us out of the toughest disputes. Ken Blake, ACG, CL; was asked what good comes out of war. Ken thought that war helped out the economy and could possibly help our image if entered into properly. The night's first speaker was Deepti Dhiman, CC, CL. Her speech was titled "Degrees of Separation" Deepti showed us how the world was all connected through "six degrees of separation." She told some amazing stories about just how small our world really is. Our second speaker was Ken Walley ACG, CL. Ken gave a hip pocket speech about how to deliver a great speech titled "How to Prepare a Speech". He received a standing ovation! Our first evaluator was Barbara Cusack, CC, CL who evaluated Deepti's speech. Barbara loved Deepti's stories and use of vocal inflection. Ken Blake, ACG, CL was the second evaluator. Ken felt that this unprepared speech was well polished and very well detailed. He said that Ken actually had been preparing his speech for the last ten years while in toastmasters! Our functionaries were Grammarian Justin Gay, Timer Jamie Waters, CC, AH Counter John Hines and Vote Counter Jenna Hines. This meeting, besides being very entertaining, was full of some very deep insight.

The room was like a rainbow of colorful phrases and word pictures as the theme for the January 28th, 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 meeting was "Colors!". Sgt. at Arms Barbara Cusack CC, CL called the meeting to order. A moving quote from Judy Garland was read for the Invocation and Pledge by Toastmaster Ken Walley ACG, CL. Toastmaster Club #28 President, Deepti Dhiman, CC welcomed our visiting guests Melissa Leecock, Lee Chavous and Will Cooper. Tonight's Toastmaster was Jamie Waters, CC who spoke about how colors often effect emotion and how colors have meaning. Our Table Topics Master for tonight was Ken Walley, ACG, CL. Ken, a Florida State University graduate, wanted to know what John Hines's favorite colors were. We found out that John's favorite colors were Orange and Blue... and that he was a true "gator". Ed Dimayuga, CC, CL was shown a very colorful art painting and he was asked to describe it. Ed told us a shorthand art trick that anyone can use to appear like they are "art knowledgeable".  Ed sounded like an art expert! Our guest Will Cooper, was asked what it means to show your "true colors". Will felt that showing your true colors was about showing loyalty to those closest to you and pouring yourself into your purpose. Monica Walley was asked what was the most colorful thing that she has ever seen. Monica remembered seeing the Osborne Family Christmas Lights with her family every year at Walt Disney World. She said it was a colorful and memorable experience. Next the Table Topics Master wanted Wilner Luders to describe himself using colors. Wilner liked a certain shade of green because it reminded him of hope, and light blue because it conveys calmness as well as aggressiveness. Toastmaster Jamie Waters, CC also introduced Wilner Luders who gave his sixth speech titled "Stewardship." Wilner taught how time, talent and treasure affect our lives. Barbara Cusack, CC, CL was our next speaker. Her speech was called "The Echo." The morale of this story that she weaved was that whatever you send out comes back to you like an echo. Our final speaker Elon Horsham, CC, CL who gave a toast to Club #28! Elon praised this year's accomplishments. Changing hats to become the General Evaluator was Jamie Waters, CC who introduced Deepti Dhiman, CC, who had high praise for our first speaker Wilner. Our second evaluator was John Hines. John loved Barbara's voice inflection and expert timing. The final evaluator of the night was Ken Walley, ACG, CL. Ken was honored to hear Elon's toast and enjoyed how he tailored it to his audience. His evaluation ended with a toast of his own to Elon! Our functionaries for the night were Grammarian Monica Walley, Timer Ed Dimayuga, CC, CL; AH Counter Steve Wood and Vote Counter Christopher Berns. For a meeting with the theme of "Colors" this meeting lived up to it's name but the most colorful thing about the meeting was the members themselves.

The theme for the January 20th 2010 special Wednesday edition Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 meeting was "Living Life Without Limits" and it truly was a meeting that had no limits on talent and inspiration! Sgt. at Arms Barbara Cusack CC, CL called the meeting to order. A touching Invocation and Pledge was given by toastmaster Deepti Dhiman, CC who was then introduced as Club #28 President Deepti Dhiman, CC. Deepti first greeted our guests Ron Silva and Felix Coven and then returned to the lectern to Barbara Cusack, CC, CL as the Toastmaster for the night's meeting. Barbara invited us to "redesign, redeem, restore our vision, revive our passion for living and reclaim what is stored inside of us if we did not like the way that things are going in our lives." The Table Table Topics Master for this evening was Ruble Nedumkunnel, CC; who had recently earned his Competent Communicator Award. Ruble wanted to know about "going beyond what you are, if the sky was the limit" from Christopher Berns. Christopher talked about his own goals to serve others and the steps in education he is taking to achieve those goals. Steve Wood received the next question from the Table Topics Master: "If you had an unlimited amount of money, how much would you spend each day and what would you spend it on?" Steve said he does not have a lot of extra time, so it would be difficult for him to spend a high amount of money. Steve did say however that he wanted an airplane for a quarter of a million dollars. Next, Ronald Silva was asked how he would spend his time if he had everything he needed in life. Ronald said that helping others, supporting his family and improving himself would take center stage. Jamie Waters, CC was asked what his greatest mission as a speaker would be. Jamie spoke about his transition in Toastmasters and how much being a part of this club has helped him to accomplished his goal of becoming a good speaker. Barbara Cusack, CC, CL took back the lectern to introduce the first of three speakers, Elon Horsham. Elon's speech was called "A Leader as a Coach" from the Toastmasters International "Leadership Excellence" Series. He started his speech by saying "As a leader you are not recognized for what you do, but for the results of your team." Elon spoke about getting the best out of your team, because it is from their success that you are going to be recognized. He talked about setting high standards but keeping the goals achievable. Elon went on to talk about support, acknowledgement and engaging team members on their level. Out second speaker was Wilner Luders. Wilner's speech was entitled "Fight your Fear" He explained that  both hope and fear share uncertainty. The difference, he explained, is the outcome. Wilner also spoke about the importance of not yielding, even in the face of adversity. He told us how his friend, a taxi driver, overcame a robber pointing a gun at his head in his cab! Later we would find out that this "friend" was actually Wilner himself. Wilner's story showed us how hope can win out over fear. Our final speaker was John Hines, his speech was called "A Still, Small Voice" He spoke about a noble purpose and a calling. John wanted to make an impact in an under-served area. He recognized the author Alfred Lord Tennyson, who said, "To life, you can only respond by being responsible." John's desire to be responsible has led him into a role as a teacher and a cross-country coach. Now taking on the position of General Evaluator,  Barbara Cusack, CC, CL introduced the first evaluator Ken Blake, ACG, CL, who loved Elon's introduction and use of many examples in his speech. The next Evaluator was Jamie Waters, CC, who reviewed Wilner's speech. Jamie recognized how his talk gave many inspirational phrases and that the delivery was exceptional. Our final evaluation as given by Deepti Dhiman, CC who complemented John Hines's use of body language, eye contact and use of motivating books. Our Functionaries for the night were Grammarian Jamie Waters, CC, Timer Ken Walley ACG, CL, AH Counter Christopher Berns and Vote Counter Steve Wood. Visiting guests Ronald Silva and Felix Coven gave highly positive reviews of their first Toastmasters meeting experience! With a meeting this good, I only wish that we had had no limits on Time. This turned out to be an excellent meeting!

The theme for the January 14th 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 meeting was: "Hot and Cold". This meeting was HOT! Sgt. at Arms Barbara Cusack, CC, CL called the meeting to order. An inspiring Invocation and Pledge given by Monica Walley was the very appropriate to the theme, reading of Robert Frost's famous poem "Fire and Ice". Deepti Dhiman, CC Toastmasters Club #28's President, greeted returning members Justin Gay, Diana Walley ACG, CL and Susan Deichen, CC. It was good to see them back again! Deepti Dhiman, CC also asked our visiting guests to introduce themselves. Their names were Kate Rose, Sarah Flower, Derya Dursun and Murat Balci. It was nice to see so many new faces as well. Ken Walley ACG, CL took the lectern as our Toastmaster for the evening's meeting. Ken Illustrated what hot and cold can mean. He gave an examples such as proximity to an object, attractiveness, personality and most important, temperature. Ken next gave control of the lectern to Table Topics Master Ken Blake ACG, CL. This evening Table Topics session was very exciting. Ken first wanted to know from his fellow toastmaster Steve Wood if he believed in global warming. Steve did, but he believed that the real question among scientists is more about what is going to happen when the planet does warm up, not if it would. Barbara Cusack, CC, CL was asked if she would prefer a car with a really cold AC or a warm heater. Barbara said that she loves the heat, but she can't stand the cold. She said that even if she does not have an AC, she can always roll down the windows. Ken Walley ACG, CL was asked about a type of hot sauce. Ken compared this type of hot sauce to others and spoke about the finding right sauce to bring out the flavor in food. John Hines was given a question about the ethical use of pepper spray by the police. John talked about the effect of pepper spray on the neurotransmitter level and the importance for officers to use what was needed to subdue those resisting arrest. Our guest, Murat Balci, was asked if either he or his wife liked their food "hot and spicy". Murat said it was all based on perception. Kate Rose was asked if she would prefer a bright red Mustang or a car that would be less likely to get a ticket. Kate said that her lead foot gets her into trouble sometimes, and that she would rather have the car with good features even if it were less sporty. Ken Walley ACG, CL took back the lectern and entertained us about the hottest and coldest temperatures in the world. Ken introduced the first speaker Ruble Nedumkunnel. Ruble gave his ninth speech in only two and a half months, which is really amazing! His speech was called "Can Black Balloons Go Up?" Ruble's inspiring speech recognized that it was not the color of the balloon that decided if it would go up or not, but it was what was inside the balloon that mattered. He was he said more interested in what was inside of us and what was preventing the group from "going up" or advancing in our lives. He had returning member, Justin Gay talk about his desires in life and ways that he could change his state of mind in order to put those desires in a priority worth achieving. Our next speaker was Wilner Luders who gave his fourth speech "Why Give Back?" Wilner spoke about how we are encouraged to give back through taxes, schools and in business. He showed us how we could all help each other out through giving back. Wilner emphasized how faith has been an anchor for him in the time of adversity. Deepti Dhiman, CC gave our finial speech for the evening called "Vikram and Bhital" Based on an Indian Folktale, it told about a brave king who ruled a prosperous kingdom in India. His bravery was tested when he was asked to bring back a possessed corpse. This corpse told the king about a woman who accidentally had a spirit put on the wrong head of her husband's body! After her story, it was time for evaluations. General Evaluator Jamie Waters, CC introduced himself as the first evaluator. Jamie talked about Ruble's passion and use of examples. Our next evaluator was Susan Deichen, CC. She talked about Wilner Luders use of body language and his ability to interact with the audience. John Hines evaluated the final speech. He talked about how we knew many things about our President Deepti Dhiman, CC CL; but we did not know until that night that she was a great folklore storyteller! John noticed Deepti's use of voice, body language and her use of props. Our technical table for the night were Timer Steve Wood, AH Counter Monica Walley, Grammarian Barbara Cusack, CC, CL and Vote Counter Christopher Berns. Although time was limited at the end of the meeting, we got some extremely upbeat comments on the meetings from some of our guests and returning members. This was a hot night for club #28,  you could say it was really "cool".                        

The theme for the January 7th 2010 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 meeting was "New Beginnings." It truly was a fantastic new beginning for the club! New Sgt. at Arms Barbara Cusack, CC, CL called the meeting to order. An inspirational Invocation and Pledge was given by toastmaster Ken Walley ACG, CL. Deepti Dhiman, CC, speaking from the lectern for the first time as Toastmasters Club #28 President she welcomed guest Michael Finn, DTM from Massachusetts who served as our Grammarian, utilizing his 18 years of experience as a toastmaster. Deepti Dhiman, CC began by saying "Every ending has a new beginning." She was excited to begin the first meeting of the year 2010. Table Topics Master Ken Walley ACG, CL was also interested in looking for the potential in the New Year. Wilner Luders was asked about a new beginning in his life. Wilner spoke about the intellectual, spiritual, physical and financial fitness that he wanted to achieve in this New year. Ed Dimayuga, CC, CL was asked what he though a resolution for the entire world should be. Ed wanted the world to "go slower" He spoke about computers, smart phones and the economy frustrations as well as the benefits of respecting others, physical fitness, and even the benefits of eating dark chocolate! Sue Park was asked what resolution has had the most effect on her life. Sue said coming to America in 1973 was a life-changing idea that has impacted her life. Deepti Dhiman, CC, was asked what a new year's celebration was like in India. Deepti spoke about spending time with family, making New year's resolutions and listening to the top twenty songs of the past year. Michael Finn DTM got the next question. He was asked about the best and worst of 2009. Michael spoke about retiring from work as a letter carrier during the past year. Christopher Berns received the last question for Table Topics. "Why should we be hopeful about the future?" Christopher spoke about spending time with friends and beginning new relationships. Deepti Dhiman, CC took the floor again and spoke about new beginnings, inventions and the tremendous impact of things we "can't live without". Our first two speeches of the year were given by toastmasters Steve Wood and Ruble Nedumkunnel. Steve's speech was called "Be Rich and Famous" He explained how one could become a YouTube celebrity and get paid for advertisements. This was Steve's fourth speech. Ruble Nedumkunnel gave his eight speech, which is  incredible because he has only been a Toastmaster for a little more than two months! he titled his speech "State of Mind is the Key". Using a coconut and a little red ball he told about the "ball of concern" and the "ball of influence". "We must live in the sphere of which we can influence, that which concerns us is often beyond our ability to change." said Ruble. Master Evaluator John Hines introduced evaluators Jamie Waters, CC and Ken Blake ACG, CL whose evaluations would give us an opportunity to grow as communicators. Jamie and Ken praised the speeches and spoke highly about each speaker's progress. Grammarian Michael Finn, DTM was exceptionally impressed with the well spoken group and use of descriptive words. Functionaries for the night's meeting were Timer Barbara Cusack, CC, CL; AH Counter Ed Dimayuga, CC, CL and Vote Counter Christopher Berns. Our Grammarian was our distinguished guest Michael Finn, DTM. Ken W. announced that the meeting for the week after next week's meeting would be held on Wednesday, January 20, 2010 instead of on our usual Thursday night. A special reminder that officer training will be held on January 16th 2010 at the Roth Jewish Community Center 815 North Maitland Ave, Maitland, Fl. 32751. As for a new beginning this club could not have had a better one!

The library halls were festooned with holiday gayety and joy as stockings and garlands, even a tree decorated the Herndon Branch Library meeting room for the December 17th, 2009 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 Holiday Party and Installation of Officers. Starting off the festivities was Sgt. at Arms Steve Wood who called the meeting to order and  introduced Monica Walley to give the Invocation and lead the club in the Pledge to the Flag. Club President Ed Dimayuga, CC, CL welcomed a full room of toastmasters, guests and dignitaries. Visiting the club was Area Governor Mario Blaise who brought his brother Gary Blaise, our own Area 32 Governor Luvenia Hart, ACG, CL and our Division C Governor Kenneth Peplow, DTM. We also had a returning guest, Genio Lauresten as well! Ed introduced the Master of Ceremonies for the third year in a row, Kenneth H.Walley ACG, CL. Ken started off the meeting with a hearty Santa-like "Ho! Ho! Ho!" while wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and promising some Table Topics questions. He asked Jamie Waters, CC what the best present that he ever received was and Jamie replied that it was Toastmasters! "I learned a lot and made some wonderful friendships as well as memories that will last a lifetime." said Jamie. Division C Governor Kenneth Peplow, DTM was asked "Why do we call this the most wonderful time of the year?" Which Ken reminded us of a joy in the air and a feeling of hope that abounds during this time of year. Ken Walley, ACG, CL next introduced our two featured speakers starting with Christopher Berns who was giving his Ice Breaker Speech titled simply, "Christopher Berns" . Chris told of growing up on a farm and being influenced by his sister and father, among others to find his way into the military, being a student, working with electronics, customer care and Toastmasters. His courage was apparent and his first speech was excellent! Speaking next was Wilner Luders who's speech, titled "What is the Gift in this Season for You?' which had a religious theme but was not a "religious speech". Wilner asked us to "see within" and find how we can work to improve the lives of others. He used The Bible as guide for wisdom and this season as an inspiration. Next on the agenda were the evaluations which produced two brilliant evaluations starting with Ruble Nedumkunnel. Ruble gave his first ever speech evaluation for Chris's Ice Breaker speech! John Hines also gave some solid advice and encouragement for Wilner's speech. The second part of the meeting was about the "changing of the guard" for Club #28's leadership team starting with the "Farewell Speech" for Outgoing President Ed Dimayuga, CC, CL. Ed recalled having to take over as President only a month into the new term while having to deal with changing the meeting place of Club #28 (where the club had been for over a decade), as well as the passing of Club #28 icon Dennis Gola, ACG, CL. Throughout these challenges however the club stayed strong and even grew, while earning the President's Distinguished Award, the highest award a Toastmaster Club can earn! He praised his officers who helped in the club's success during his term and also praised the incoming officers for their courage to lead. Area 32 Governor Luvenia Hart, ACG, CL was introduced to perform the "Passing of the Gavel" ceremony  to install our new officers. Treasurer Kenneth Walley ACG, CL; Secretary Christopher Berns, Vice President of Public Relations Ruble Nedumkunnel, Vice President of Membership Wilner Luders, Vice President of Education John Hines and President Deepti Dhiman, CC, CL were on hand to accept the gavel (incoming Sgt. at Arms Barbara Cusack, CC, CL was unable to be at the ceremony) and be inducted as the January-June 2010 Club #28 officers. Gov. Hart presented Deepti Dhiman, CC to the lectern to give her "Inaugural Address" which turned out to be inspiring and uplifting to the Club and everyone in the room as well. Deepti reminded everyone that she was not "superwoman" but she was committed using all of her skills to make a success for the club. She wanted to focus on attaining President's Distinguished, building Membership and using creativity to produce even better meetings! She used humor and heart to create a great Inaugural Address. After her speech, Ed, Deepti and Chris Berns (for giving his Ice Breaker speech) were all given standing ovations! Master of Ceremonies Ken Walley, ACG, CL asked for comments from the forum and received many generous, positive and uplifting comments from all of our guests and dignitaries. As the meeting adjourned, Ken wished everyone a Very Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!"  Club #28 cannot wait for 2010.

The theme for the December 10th 2009 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 was "Whatever Comes to Mind". What came to the mind of Elon Horsham, CC, CL who served as the Toastmaster for the evening was, well, ... a truly excellent Toastmasters meeting! Elon used this theme to remind us that in other parts of the world saying "whatever" is thought of as rude. He also sang his version of "Que Sara, Sara [Whatever Will Be Will Be]" as well as reminding us that taking risks often pays off better than doing nothing. He did a beautiful job at his first time behind the lectern as the Toastmaster! The Table Topics Master called in sick with the flu at the last moment but the Club President Ed Dimayuga CC, CL was up to the challenge. Thinking of what was on his mind, Ed asked some wonderfully interesting questions, some probably never asked at a toastmaster's meeting before.  He asked Ken Walley ACG, CL "What about the weather?" to which Ken quoted the Beatles song "Rain" that the weather is "just a state of mind" . Christopher Berns was asked what he thought was the most entertaining thing on TV. Chris admitted to watching the show "Mantracker" . Wilner Luders was asked what his favorite thing about December was. Ken Blake, ACG, CL finally got to answer the question: "Is it better to work on a car or drive one." Ken said he preferred to drive, because every once in a while you have to tell a customer that their car is dead! Visiting Toastmaster Natasha Stefaif, CL was asked what to get her significant other, she replied that women would "love to see a man do the dishes for Christmas." She said that "giving the gift of time" is truly the most prized. Our other guest, Genio Lauresten answered the question of what was the best sport? Steve Wood got the last question "How could this club be better?" Among other things, Steve suggested aliens and spaceships. It was a Table Topics session that included a whole lot of fun. The speeches tonight were also on a contest level. Starting with John Hines's 5th speech titled "Fitness Evangelist!", the club was treated to a power session of how to improve your life through exercise. It included a running, jumping, push-up making, squat producing and pull up machine that had us all out of breath from just watching him! He also gave us some great tips on the benefits of staying fit. Having the unenviable task of following John's speech was Ruble Nedumkunnel. Ruble rose to the task with an inspirational speech titled "What Are Your Rules?". Ruble said that he was going to give us "10 Minutes to change your life!" He reminded us that the goal of being happy does not have to be tied to becoming successful. He spoke with a style and an enthusiasm that would have pleased Zig Zigler. Club #28 President Ed Dimayuga, CC, CL returned to the lectern to serve as the General Evaluator. He had the pleasure of introducing our visiting Toastmaster from the Court Muse Club, Natasha Stefaif, CL to give the evaluation of John Hines's speech. Noting John's speech title, she called herself an "Evaluation Evangelist!" and highly praised his speech. Ken Blake, CC, CL had the tough task of giving Ruble's evaluation but he did his usual brilliant work by mixing astute observations with a healthy dose of encouragement. The functionaries who supported such a highly successful meeting on this night were: Grammarian Wilner Luders, Timer Ken Walley, ACG, CL; Ah Counter, Chris Bern and the Vote Counter Steve Wood, all of which gave super efforts as well. Both our our guests, Natasha and Genio, vowed to return to us and also gave us high praise. At the end of the meeting, for all of whom attended, "whatever came to their minds" was "now THAT was a really fantastic meeting!"

The December 3rd 2009 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28  was a very special meeting with the theme of "Remembering Dennis Gola". Over the Thanksgiving holidays, former Club #28 Distinguished President and stalwart supporter Dennis Gola, ACG, CL passed away at the age of 56 from complications following open heart surgery. This night's meeting was a tribute to his leadership and friendship over the years. The meeting started off with a heartfelt Invocation and Pledge by the Rev. William Watson, CC. Longtime club member and a close friend of Dennis's, Ken Blake ACG, CL served as the Toastmaster for tonight's meeting. The first part of the meeting included two brilliant speeches by Wilner Luders and Ruble Nedumkunnel who had signed up to speak before the holiday break. Wilner's speech was titled "Faith: An Anchor to Life in Adverse Times" which although not planned, was a very appropriate for the evening. Wilner gave personal stories about how he had faced troubles and challenges but was able to get through them with the help of turning to faith in God and in himself. The second speaker was Ruble Nedumkunnel who's speech titled "Paradigm Shift" spoke of how when we change directions in life, we also change as individuals. We are the sum of our actions and beliefs but sometimes there are other situations beyond what we see or understand that change us. Both speeches were excellent examples of well crafted presentations. The second part of the meeting was dedicated to the memory of Dennis Gola, ACG, CL. Toastmaster Ken Blake ACG, CL spoke of some memories of Dennis and remembered his dedication to helping others. Ken then introduced Club #28 President Ed Dimayuga, CC, CL who delivered the Eulogy for Dennis Gola. Ed spoke about how much Dennis had meant to the club and his passion for Toastmasters as well as how he touched the lives of those around him. It was by all accounts a wonderful testimony to a man that will be very missed at Club #28. An open forum was then hosted by Ken Blake, ACG, CL. Speaking of their memories and thoughts of Dennis were John Hines, Ken Walley ACG, CL; Bob Blaydes, CC; Jamie Waters CC; Steve Wood, Michael Deichen, CC, CL; Susan Deichen, CC; William Watson, CC and Tseganesh Gudeta, ACB, CL. All had great stories and warm memories to share about Dennis. The meeting adjourned after announcement and some closing comments by our President Also attending tonight was Chris Berns who served as the evaluation assistant and five students from the University of Central Florida. All of our visiting students were impressed with this special meeting. This was a meeting that paid tribute to a great Toastmaster in a way that a great Toastmaster club should. 

There is a lot for Club #28 to be thankful for and one of them is the meeting that took place on November 18th 2009 with the theme of "Thanksgiving."  This editor was not there so I will tell you what I have been able to find out. By all accounts it was an excellent meeting guided by the talents of Toastmaster Barbara Cusack, CC and Jamie Waters, CC who served as the Table Topics Master. We had three speakers including an Ice Breaker by Wilner Luders with the title "My Life as a Bank Account", a fourth speech by John Hines and Ed Dimayuga's CC graduation speech titled "Be a Club #28 Officer!" I know that Deepti Dhiman was there as the Grammarian and Sue Park as the AH Counter, and quite a few others. As I find out more about this meeting I will add to this recap. But I do want to say Congratulations to Wilner and Ed!

What's in a name? If the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 name is any indication, greatness, talent and high quality meetings like the "What's in a Name?" theme meeting that took place at the Herndon Library on November 4th, 2009, is the answer! Ken Walley ACG, CL started off the meeting with the Invocation and Pledge using a insightful Native-American quote. Club #28 President Ed Dimayuga introduced our Toastmaster for the night, Deepti Dhiman, CC who had just earned her Competent Communicator award last week.  Deepti gave some truly fabulous stories about how children are named in her native India as well as researching most of the names of the club members in the room. For example, the name "Christopher" is from the Greek and stands for "bearing Christ within"  as Deepti told Chris Berns when she introduced him for his first time as our Table Topics Master. Chris had some excellent questions about names. Clothing names and torn jeans was the subject of his first question to John Hines. John professed his love for his jeans and flip-flops. Ken Walley, ACG, CL was asked what he thought of when he heard the name "Orlando". Sue Park was asked how she came to have her name. Wilner Luders was asked what one person at work would he give a name to and what would it be? Wilner was nice. Steve Wood was asked what a name was worth and Ken Blake ACG, CL was asked about the difference between name brands and generic brands. Everyone seemed to have great answers to all of the questions. Toastmaster Deepti could not come up with a meaning for the name of our first speaker, Ruble Nedumkunnel except that "Ruble" was the term for the Russian dollar! Ruble however was worth a million bucks with his Ice Breaker speech titled "Me, My Life and My Decisions". He told about not wanting to come to America but once he arrived he did not want to go back to India. Ruble earned his engineering degree and later got a job working in the health care industry. His true passion is public speaking and he wants to become a professional speaker some day with the help of Toastmasters. Speaking next was no stranger to the lectern, Jamie Waters CC. Jamie, who's name means "one who plants" gave a strong presentation titled "Kick the Can" which told how a simple beverage container law with a 5 to 10 Percent mandatory deposit requirement could more than double the recycling efforts in Florida and produce a litter free state like the success stories of states that have adopted the legislation. Jamie made a very good case. Barbara Cusack, CC, CL returned to the position as General Evaluator and introduced John Hines to give the evaluation for Ruble's Ice breaker speech. It was john's 1st evaluation and he did an impressive job... even if he had given a thousand evaluations!  Evaluation pro Kenneth Blake ACG, CL ("Kenneth" by the way,  means "handsome") also gave an excellent evaluation of Jamie's speech. Barbara in her meeting review noted that this was a brilliant meeting by any name. Another handsome Kenneth, Ken Walley ACG, CL served as the timer tonight and headed a strong cast of functionaries, with Sue Park as the AH Counter, Wilner Luders as Grammarian and the Vote Counter being Steve Wood. Club President Ed Dimayuga noted that this meeting had a number of members serving for the first time in meeting roles. "Rubel gave his Ice Breaker tonight," said Ed, "Sue Park as our AH Counter, Christopher Berns as Table Topics Master and John Hines giving his first evaluation just shows that our new member are brave enough to go outside of their comfort zones. They are to be commended!"  The truth is that the entire club should be commended for creating such a high quality meeting such as this. "Excellent" would be a good name for it.   

The only thing truly scary about the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 October 29th 2009 "Halloween" theme meeting was just how good it turned out to be! Dennis Gola ACG, CL started out the meeting with the invocation and pledge and acting President Deepti Dhiman, CC introduced the Toastmaster of the evening, Ken Walley, ACG, CL. Instead of telling about the history of Halloween, Ken told a ghost story (complete with night gown, cap & candle) about a haunted restaurant! Also adding to the Halloween spirit, or spirits... was first time Table Topics Master Wilner Luders who did a fantastic job of spooking the members with some frightening questions. "What is the most interesting costume that you have ever seen?" was asked of John Hines. Next, Herman Chahal was given the question of what was the scariest thing that he had ever seen at Halloween. Herman remembered going to Universal Studios and being attacked by a "man with a chainsaw"! He thought it was real at first! Steve Wood was asked if he had ever seen a movie that really scared him. The last question was asked of Chris Bern to describe a Haunted House... which he did with great fearsome detail. Tonight was a very special night because we had an Ice Breaker speech as well as a Competent Communicator Graduation speech among the three speakers. Speaking first was Sue Parks who titled her 1st speech "Why I Came to Toastmasters" she told of a time not long ago when she had to speak before a crowd of 50 people... and it did not go well. She said that she is determined to learn how to speak from the heart and never have to worry about not being ready to talk in front of an audience again! It was a wonderful Ice Breaker! Speaking next was Ken Blake ACG, CL who told us the folktale of "Stingy Jack" as a project from the Storytelling Advanced Manual. Stingy Jack was so bad that even the devil wouldn't take him and he became the legend of the Jack O' Lantern that we know of today! A perfect story for Halloween. Deepti Dhiman, CC earned her CC Award with an inspiring speech titled "Fear No More!" It was a moving message that "the power to control fear is within all of us" and we have to recognize that we have that power. "Once we acknowledge our fear" said Deepti "We can kill the fear!"  Both Deepti and Sue received standing ovations for their efforts! Ken Walley ACG, CL also served as the General Evaluator having the pleasure to introduce Jamie Waters CC and Elon Horsham CC, CL to give the evaluations of Sue and Ken B.'s speeches. Ken W. himself gave the evaluation for Deepti's speech. Again, all three evaluations were excellent! Many people helped to make this meeting a downright scary success including the functionaries: Timer Steve Wood, Grammarian John Hines, Vote Counter Jamie Waters, CC and AH Counter Herman Chahal. We had two guests Listiani Oencie (sp?) and returning guest  Ruble C. Nedumkunnel who had many positive things to say about the meeting. Ruble even became our newest member! This not- so- scary Halloween meeting turned out to be one of our best ever! No BOOs here!

[Editor's Note: I was unable to attend the October 22nd 2009 meeting and I sincerely thank Monica Walley and Deepti Dhiman for providing me with the following information.]

No one was asleep when the October 22nd, 2009 "Sleep" theme meeting took place at the Herndon Library! It turned out to be a fantastic meeting which included the return of Dennis Gola ACG, CL this time to give our invocation, not from a hospital bed, but (thankfully) live and in person! Acting President and Toastmaster Ed Dimayuga kept everyone awake with some very interesting information about subject of sleeping such as: "Babies sleep for 18 hours a day! As you grow older  most people require 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night. Other people can make due with only a few hours, 3 or 4 hours of sleep every night" said Ed. Deepti Dhiman rang the alarm for everyone to keep on their toes with some great Table Topics question "How many hours do you sleep a night and is it enough?" was asked of Chris Berns. Ed Dimayuga was asked why he thought that sleep was important. Deepti came up with a fantastic question to ask of Steve Wood: "What was the longest time that you have gone without sleep and what was the effect on you?" Monica Walley was asked had she had any experience with someone keeping you awake when you were trying to sleep. Dennis Gola ACG, CL was asked what makes it hard for him to sleep and what his "sleep requirements" were. Our guest Elisa Ellison was asked if there was any "weird activity" that she did while sleeping. Our other guest, Rubal Nedumkunnel was asked about his latest dream. All of the answers were excellent! The speeches were also worth staying up for. John Hines gave another inspirational speech, this one titled "Run Free!" that got the entire room revved up to win a championship! John spoke to the club as if they were a cross country running team motivating them to win a big race! Speaking next was Elon Horsham CC, CL who did a speech, titled "Drinking and Driving" on the dangers of drunk driving. This speech was filled with valuable information about the devastating effects of drunk driving. It would be hard to follow those speeches on any night but Club #28 had Monica Walley serving as the Master Evaluator and she had two excellent evaluator in two veteran Toastmasters, Ken Blake ACG, CL and Demetrice Vasser, CC. Besides being helpful to both the speakers and all those attending, this evaluation session was a very entertaining one as well. The meeting was supported by a great cast of functionaries: Grammarian Wilner Luders, Timer Monica Walley, AH Counter Chris Berns and Vote Counter Steve Wood. This would be a meeting to emulate if you wanted to wake up a group of Toastmasters for sure!

The October 14th 2009 "Indian Summer" theme Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 meeting was as hot as the 95 degree mid-October weather we have been having lately! Hosted by Toastmaster Ken Blake ACG, CL the club was able to put together some fantastic Table Topics as well as two excellent speeches. Club Treasurer Ken Walley ACG, CL was the acting President this week because the President, Vice President of Education, Vice President of Public Relations, Vice President of Membership and the Secretary could not attend. "I'm glad I was here," said Ken, "because the Sgt. at Arms is missing as well!" Ken Blake ACG, CL told us a number of fun facts about Indian Summer, like the fact that there are no love bugs during an Indian Summer because it is to hot for them and that in the South a late, hot summer are often known to as "Dog Days".  What was not like "the dog days of summer" was a very lively Table Topics session held by John Hines. John asked some great questions including asking Steve Wood his thoughts about Global Warming and Climate Change. Steve said we might see Santa come on a floating houseboat this Christmas! Newest member Chris Berns  was asked if he would miss the changing seasons. Chris who is from Iowa, remembered jumping into big piles of brightly colored leaves as a kid. Barbara Cusack CC, CL was asked what was her favorite fall memory. She remembered a great Halloween story. Our guest Balaji Ramamurthy was asked what his favorite outdoor activity was. He loves skiing the mountains. Guest Sue Park answered the question about shopping on the busiest shopping day of the year: "Black Friday", the day after Thanksgiving. She told us a story from a 1990 visit to Disney World where the parks were empty because everyone else was out in the stores. "Where would you like to have a 2nd home?" was asked of Wilner Luders who choose the State of Maine because of that state's natural beauty.  This night featured two excellent speakers starting with Barbara Cusack, CC, CL who gave an off-the-cuff speech about the Division C Humorous Speech and Evaluations contests held last week. Titled "I Go For the Cookies" she described a contest that had some surprise twists, not all of them good. It was a great review with more humor that some of the speeches that were at the contest. Jamie Waters, CC gave a highly technical speech titled "Support GIS" in which he talked about Global Information Systems which used such things as "Identifiable tone" and DM Systems to look underneath the ground. Jamie somehow managed to make all of this interesting. Ken Walley ACG, CL stepped up to serve as the General Evaluator as well as evaluating Barbara Cusack's speech. Barbara herself was the evaluator for Jamie's speech. Both gave helpful and well thought out evaluations. The technical table consisted of  two brave toastmasters who were serving their roles for the first time: Wilner Luders as the Grammarian and Chris Berns as the AH Counter. They both did superb work for their first times at their positions. Rounding out the functionaries were Steve Wood as Timer and Ken Walley ACG, CL as the Vote Counter. We had very good comments from our guests Balaji Ramamurthy and Sue Park. After the meeting Sue joined our club! Welcome Sue! Like an Indian Summer heat wave, the great meetings just keep going on and on at Club #28!

The October 8th 2009 meeting ushered in a new era  at Club #28 and we started off with a yummy subject for the theme of the meeting: Fast Food. Our first meeting at our new home at the Herndon Library Branch was a great success mostly due to the efforts of the Toastmaster, Monica Walley. Monica brought with her a number of facts about the best and the worst of fast food. We also found out she has a great love for Tacos! Also adding to the feast was the Table Topics Master Ken Walley ACG, CL. Ken's first question was served up to Jamie Waters CC who was asked what his favorite fast food was. Ed Dimayuga was asked "What has caused fast food to have such a bad nutritional reputation?" Michael Machata was given the question of why is that fast food is so popular in America.  Our returning visitor, Wilner Luders was asked what could the major fast food chains do to make their choices healthier? Our newest Club #28 member, Chris Berns was asked "If you had a restaurant what would be on the menu?" The last question was given to another guest, Sue Park asking her opinion if fast food should be served in schools. The main course of the evening were two delicious speeches given by John Hines and Elon Horsham. John gave only his second speech, titled "Defiant Street" but it was a powerful and inspiring speech that spoke about the courage it takes to face adversity. John spoke about not accepting what others might believe in order to overcome daunt challenges. A very different speech, an award winning humorous speech was given by Elon Horsham to prepare for the upcoming Division C Contest next week. Titled "Men, They Just Don't Get It" it was his version of a humorous speech that Barbara Cusack, ACB  had given at our club contest about the Five Love Languages. Elon told about how he had started dating again ... and things he had to re-learn. It was a really funny speech! Ken Blake ACG, CL was the Master Evaluator and he introduced two excellent evaluators Michael Machata and Barbara Cusack, CC, CL. Both of them gave two of the best evaluations that they have ever delivered. Everyone in the room learned from their advice to the speakers. The technical table consisted of Ken Blake ACG, CL as the Timer, Steve Wood as the AH Counter, Chris Berns as the Vote Counter and Jamie Waters, ACB who did a brilliant job as the Grammarian. Ed Dimayuga who has been our acting President for the past month said that this meeting had everything and more expected of a great Toastmasters meeting. I think it was like a really good meal... even if it was "fast food"!

The first meeting of October was also the end of an era for the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28. The October 1st, 2009  "Imagine If" themed get together was the last meeting at the Downtown Orlando Public Library where the club has met since 1999. The meeting started out with the Invocation and Pledge being delivered by speaker phone from Dennis Gola, ACG, CL who calling from his hospital bed at ORMC. Dennis read a quote from the author Richard Bach. Dennis was scheduled to have open heart surgery the next day. Ken Walley ACG, CL was the Toastmaster for the meeting and he used the theme to come up with some interesting ideas and even a look back at the great thinkers that used imagination to make fantasy become reality. Also using some some imagination was our Table Topics Master Ed Dimayuga who came up with some excellent question on the theme. Asked of Jason Davis, ACB was the question "Imagine that you were a kid, what did you think that life would be like as an adult?" Jason thought it would be eating potato chips, staying up late and watching TV. Deepti Dhiman was asked to imagine a world with no war or poverty. visiting Toastmaster Elon Horsham, CC, CL was asked where he would be 20 years from now. Toastmaster Ken Blake, ACG, CL was asked what he daydreams about. Steve Wood was given the question what he would change about the world if he could. His answer was that he would like to "make pigs fly". Said Steve, "just stand at your doorway with a shotgun and you'll have breakfast in no time!" In a fluke of conflicts, illness and accidents all four of the scheduled speakers cancelled out leaving two very brave Toastmasters to give "hip pocket" speeches! Going first was Toastmaster Jamie Waters, CC who titled his speech "Imagine If". Jamie somehow came up with enough material to fill six minutes on the subject of drivers remembering to use their turn signals! The speech had humor and pointed out how much more efficient and safe our highways would be if people simply took advantage of their turn signals. It was an amazing attempt to show that an interesting and witty speech does not have to be about a complex subject. Ken Walley ACG, CL also gave a speech titled "Imagine If" in which he spoke about the power of the human imagination. "The Earth is in a constant state of change. This evolution is due to the power of our thoughts. All that is around us has been created by our minds. Imagination is the most powerful and unstoppable force on the planet." said Ken. Ken touched on the genius of Walt Disney, George Gershwin, Salvador Dali and Thomas Edison to show that imagination can change any path of life or accepted view. Ken also stayed on to serve as the Master Evaluator introducing the winner of the Area 33 Evaluation Contest last week, Ken Blake, ACG, CL who gave the evaluation of Jamie's speech. The next evaluator, Elon Horsham CC, CL who gave a very well done evaluation for Ken's speech, came in second at the Area 32 Evaluation contest last week!  The technical table for this finial meeting at the downtown library was composed of Grammarian Deepti Dhiman, Timer Steve Wood, Ah Counter Jason Davis, ACB and Vote Counter Herman Chahal. Also attending this historic meeting was Monica Walley. Besides Elon we also has two other guests, Wilner Luders and Chris Berns who both had great things to say about the meeting. Both said they look forward to joining the club! One can only Imagine If all of our meeting were this great.

The September 24th 2009 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 meeting was not held at the Orlando Public Library but instead was moved to the Florida Hospital Creation Conference Room so that our members could cheer on our winners of the club Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contests in the Area 32 & 33 Contests! Club #28 had a lot to cheer about. In the Area 32 Evaluation Contest Club #28 was represented by Ed Dimayuga and Monica Walley who both did exceptionally well but were beaten out in a very strong field by 1st place winner Jessica Guthrie and 2nd place finisher Elon Horsham. In the Area 32 Humorous Speech Contest Club #28's very own Barbara Cusack took the 2nd place trophy! She had everyone howling with laughter with her speech "The 5 Love Languages"  Mitesh Smart came in first place with his speech "King of the Mall" and will represent our Area at the Division contest. Even though they were representing the Let's Talk Toastmasters Club in the Area 33 Contest, two Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 members ended up winning both the Area 33 Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contests!! Jamie Waters took 1st place with his "Golfatorium"  speech and Ken Blake dedicated his winning the Evaluation to Dennis Gola, ACG, CL who is in the hospital and who he had substituted for. Club #28 had a wonderful turn out of members including Ken Walley, Deepti Dhiman, Herman Chahal, John Hines and Steve Wood. It was a wonderful evening of fun and a grand success for all of the clubs who participated and both Areas 32 and 33!

 The September 17th 2009 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 Themed "Languages of Love!!!" meeting had everything a toastmaster could love including excellent Table Topics, great speeches and two brilliant evaluations. Starting off the meeting was Steve Wood who was covering for Sgt. at Arms Jason Davis. Steve got the meeting off to a good start as did Herman Chahal who gave the Invocation and Pledge for his first time as well. Ed Dimayuga who has done a masterful job filling in for our President Jose Lopez, CC the past month also brought the meeting off to a good footing with the introduction of the many guests: Samuel Lee, Reggie Reeves, and Mariana Prater all returned from last week as guests and Elizabeth Katen and Danielle Christian were visiting the club for their first time. The best part of Ed being our Acting President was to introduce the Toastmaster Barbara Cusack, CC, CL! Barbara reintroduced us to the five "Love Languages" which was the subject of her recent humorous speech from two weeks ago. The Love Languages of Acts of Service, Encouragement, Giving of Gifts, Touch and Quality Time were all explored by Barbara along with some great examples and her usual sense of fun and wit. Also helping to make this a love-filled meeting was Ed Dimayuga as our Table Topics Master. Ed's first question to Steve Wood was "Have you ever performed an act of service that you were especially proud of?" Hard pressed to come up with an answer, Steve remembered having his car washed by bikini-clad women for a charity! Ken Walley ACG, CL was asked to speak on words of Encouragement. Jamie Waters, CC, was asked to speak on his favorite quality time that he spends with another person. Jamie mentioned his quality time on the golf course. Guest Aaron Pierre was given the the chance to choose between chocolate and flowers while speaking about the "giving of gifts". Jennifer Barrett spoke about if schools should regulate the hugging and touching of the students. Ken Blake, ACG, CL was asked the question of "What fills up your Love tank?" All of the answers were excellent and it was a truly "lovely" table topics session. We had two speakers who both gave brilliant examples of speechmaking. First to speak with his Ice Breaker titled "Connections" was John Hines. John gave a jaw-dropping first speech that held everyone mesmerized from the start to the finish. He told of a career in real estate, traveling the United States and settling down with his two kids and two dogs in Florida. He told how he has spent his life trying to live up to the title of "overachiever" and how he wants to take the chances that make up an exciting and meaningful life. It was an awe-inspiring and very motivational Ice Breaker! Not to be out done, Ken Walley ACG, CL gave a speech (titled "A Near Death Experience") that could be called more of a "word painting" describing a Near Death Experience. In vivid detail, he told of a horrible accident, following a great light into a "garden as big as an ocean" and meeting a very mysterious man. It was quite a trip! The evaluation section of the meeting was equally excellent. Ken Blake ACG, CL played the role of General Evaluator and did tremendous work introducing the two evaluators, (Ken Walley, ACG, CL for John's speech and Ed Dimayuga for Ken W.'s speech) as well as giving a very good "meeting review" of this wonderful toastmaster evening. The functionaries included Steve Wood as Timer, Herman Chahal as the AH Counter (also for his 1st time at that position) Jamie Waters, ACB as our Grammarian and our guest, Samuel Lee doing a very good job as the Vote Counter. The entire meeting was given very positive feedback by our guests and why not? With a meeting like this one...What is there not to Love? 

[Editor Note: I was not at the 9/10/09 Meeting but Monica Walley was kind enough to take notes for me. Here are her notes.]

Date: September 10, 2009 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 Theme: "Join the Club". Toastmaster, Ken Blake, ACG, CL. Table Topics Master: Deepti Dhiman! #1 Question  was to Monica Walley "Why did you join and have you achieved your goal?" #2 Question to John Hines was "What are the benefits of joining Toastmasters?" #3 was "What is your most embarrassing Toastmasters moment?" was answered by Barbara Cusack, CC, CL. Question #4 "What was your best speech at Toastmasters?" was answered by Jason Davis ACB. Speeches: Paul Noor gave the first speech titled "Few at the Mountain Top" (10-12 minutes). In this speech, Paul used a clever tennis analogy to describe the changing economy. Speaker number two was Ed Dimayuga who gave a five to seven minute speech titled "How to Evaluate". (5 -7 minutes) Ed gave us some great ideas on how to give a great speech evaluation. Evaluations: Ken Blake ACG, CL evaluated Paul's speech and Monica Walley evaluated Paul's speech. We had three guests.  The meeting started very late and ended very late as well but it was still a great meeting.

On September 3rd 2009 the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 achieved a masterful success with the brilliant performance of it's 2009 Humorous Speech and Evaluation Contestants! This was an evening enjoyed by all who attended and superbly highlighted the talents, dedication and creativity of the entire club. The Contest Master was a man who had been in this role many times before, Ken Walley ACG, CL.  Ken led the proceedings with a quick wit and also at a very fast pace to get everything accomplished on time! The first contest of the night was the Evaluation Contest. The contestants, as well as the overflow crowd in the Magnolia Room (extra chairs had to be brought in just to seat everyone!) were in for an oratorical treat! Giving the "test speech" for the contestants to evaluate was Demetrice Vasser from the Kissimmee Night Talkers Club #6045. Demetrice presented a speech titled "Famous Faces Out of the Blue!" which was about celebrities that she had met while growing up in Memphis. She mentioned MC Hammer and Little Richard among a host of other well-knowns. The speech painted little portraits of each famous face and what it was like to meet them in real life. It was an interesting and fascinating performance. While the contestants were preparing their evaluations, the Contest Master took the opportunity to ask Michael Machata, Bob Blaydes, CC and Deepti Dhiman some Table Topics questions. They did so well answering them, Ken said that they were "showing off" for our guests! Faced with the tough task of evaluating such an excellent speech were the contestants Ken Blake, ACS, CL; Edward Dimayuga, Dennis Gola ACG, CL and Monica Walley. The Evaluation Contest Sgt. at Arms, Steve Wood helped to make sure that the contest went smoothly as each contestant gave their evaluation. All four evaluations would have won most club, area or division contests. That such high quality work could be found at only the club level made it particularity hard for the judges to pick a winner. Coming in second place in the contest was Ed Dimayuga and taking the first place trophy was Dennis Gola, ACG, CL. Dennis defended his crown successfully from last year. Last year's Humorous Speech Contest was hailed as one of the best ever in the 75+ year history of Club #28. Even so, 2009's contest may have exceeded that lofty level. Hilarious speeches were delivered by all four contestants. Going first, was Jamie Waters, CC who gave a revamped speech that he gave last year now titled "Golfatorium". Jamie's speech was given with an exquisite deadpan delivery while he proposed that we should combine graveyards and golf courses! It also showed how visiting a relative's grave while playing a round of golf might lead to inner peace and improve your swing! Going next was Jason Davis ACB who came up with a great speech about the perfect girl and where to take her for a "dream date". Titled "My Dream Girl" he found himself (and his future wife) at a McDonalds! Speaking third was Ken Blake ACG, CL who gave a speech titled "My Favorite Worker" about an employee who could outwork anyone in the shop and never complained. Even being struck by lighting could not stop her! It turned out that Ken's employee "Bertha" was an industrial compressor machine! Following Ken was Barbara Cusack, CC, CL who had everyone holding their sides with laughter with her speech titled "The Five Love Languages" in which she lampooned the well known best seller, not to mention showing off her singing voice! Those were four very funny speeches and each of them had the entire room laughing. These speeches were lauded by many as some of the funniest that they had heard at any Humorous Speech contest! This time Jason Davis, ACB came in 2nd place and once the judges votes were counted, the winner for Orlando Toastmaster Club #28's 2009 Humorous Speech Contest was... drum-roll please....Jamie Waters, CC!!! Another highlight was the 50/50 Raffle by the Raffle Master Kami Shahid who was able to award a sizable amount to raffle winner Barbara Cusack, CC. Barbara generously gave the money back to the club! A number of dignitaries were on hand for the contests including Helen and Michael Joseph (both DTMs) from the Let's Talk Toastmasters Club #4413, Gloria Grehl, DTM another well known Distinguished Toastmaster, was visiting us from the Vista Club #7250, the President of the Let's Talk Club, Linda Ramey was also present. Elon Horsham was also visiting us from the Turnpike Toastmasters Club as well as popular radio director and on-air personality Steve Biddle. Another guest who joined us for this special evening was Jim Edwards. The best news of the evening was that returning guest, John Hines became our newest member! Welcome John! The contest would not have succeeded without the help of our club members who also stood in as functionaries and participants, beside those mentioned above were our timers Justin Gay and Patrice Hatcher as well as our vote counters Robert Streeter and Jennifer Barrett and a special thank you to our Chief Judge Linda Ramey and the other judges as well as our Area Governor Luvenia Hart ACS, CL! Thanks to everyone for making this such a very special evening and a great success!

The August 27th 2009 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "Football Season!" theme scored a TOUCHDOWN with some Table Topics, Speeches and Evaluations worthy of a Speaker's Super Bowl! Kicking off the meeting was the evening's quarterback, Ed Dimayuga who scored with a number of pigskin facts, history as well as a great overview of the High School, College and Pro seasons. Monica Walley also came out as a winner with the Table Topics session as the Topics Master. Every time Monica asked a question she tossed a small football to the person she wanted to have answer it. Sure-handed Ken Walley ACG, CL was asked to describe the game of football... in two minutes. Not an easy task! Ed Dimayuga was asked to explain the popularity of the game. Barbara Cusack, CC, CL received the football and the question "Should there be a woman's football league?" Barbara did not like the idea very much. Rob Streeter was asked to tell us "Football story". Dr. Ross Thomson, ACB, CL was asked who his favorite team or player was. Coming from Canada he picked an "entire team made up of people not good enough for the NFL." The last question was asked of our visitor Aaron Pierre of who he thought would win the Super Bowl? Aaron, smartly, did not want to venture a guess. One of the favorite speeches of any Toastmaster meeting is an Ice Breaker speech and tonight we heard a wonderful one from Kami Shahid titled "Rouge Citizen". Kami impressed everyone with a story of her travels through America and even overseas to India where she collected languages like some people collect butterflies. It was an impressive speech, both in contest and in presentation, which promised some great speaking adventures from Kami in the future! Another brilliant speech was by Dennis Gola ACG, CL who inspired the club to take action against recent library policy changes. His speech "Blessings for a Common My-Greater" put forth a brilliant message for us to find our voice as a club. The evaluations were as they say in football "right through the middle of the uprights" Ken Blake, ACS, CL was the Master Evaluator and he had the honor of introducing two of Club #28's wisest coaches: Barbara Cusack, CC, CL and Jamie Waters ACB. Both had profound lessons for our speakers wrapped up in the hard helmets and shoulder pads of high praise. The "Refs" of tonight's meeting had very few "flags" to toss: Ken Walley, ACG, CL was the AH Counter, Jason Davis ACB, CL was the Timer, the Grammarian was Patrice Hatcher and our Vote Counter Rob Streeter. Our guest tonight, Aaron Pierre, echoed the feelings that this was like a great football game that you wanted to go into overtime (well, we did a little) and never end. If greatness was the gridiron than Club #28 were Champions on this night.    

The August 20th 2009  Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "Happy Habits" themed meeting was one of the happiest events that Club #28 has put together in recent memory. This evening's Toastmaster Barbara Cusack, CC, CL showed us that there are many ways to improve our lives without entering expensive programs, therapy or seminars. "Developing simple habits that make for a more positive outlook is one thing that everyone can do." said Barbara. Habits such as doing something good for someone else everyday, redirecting negative thoughts into positive ideas and saying 'thank you' with a true sincerity are just some of the healthy routines that she brought up during the meeting. Table Topics Master Dennis Gola, ACG, CL examined the world of good and bad habits with a brilliant question and answer session ."What is a 'habit'?"  was asked of Ken Blake, ACG, CL. Steve Wood was asked what his favorite "happy" habit would be. He mentioned teeth flossing. Jason Davis, ACB was given the opportunity to explain the difference between "something that just keeps us busy" and a "true habit."  Visitor and past Toastmaster John Hines was asked "Do we have more good habits or bad habits?" Ken Walley ACG, CL was asked to pluck from his Disney experience and convince someone to develop happy habits. Ken reminded everyone that each day is a blessing and to have a magical day!. Ed Dimayuga gave us an explanation of how long it takes to develop a habit. The club developed a happy habit of giving good speeches at this meeting starting with Patrice Hatcher's Ice Breaker speech titled "Our Life is Molded by Our Experiences". Patrice told of growing up as a military kid, becoming a neo-natal nurse for 17 years, teaching her 15 year old to drive and also some about her beloved Labrador dog! It was an excellent 1st speech. Giving a much more technical type of speech, titled simply "GIS" was Jamie Waters CC who explained Global Information Systems from cell phones to Global Positioning Systems. Jamie enlightened us all about how these wonders of technology work. Speaking third and also giving his Ice Breaker (titled "Ice Breaker: The Sequel") was 10 year Club veteran Ken Blake ACG, CL who was starting through the basic manual for a second time. Ken gave us an overview of his life as refrigerator repairman, auto mechanic, dog lover and husband. Ken B. told us about his duties while working for FEMA in disaster and hurricane relief. It was another very impressive Ice Breaker! Ken Walley ACG, CL served triple duty on this night and one his roles was that of the General Evaluator. He had a lot of help from three truly excellent evaluators. Ed Dimayuga reviewed Patrice's speech, Jason Davis, ACB evaluated Jamie's speech and Monica Walley had the tough task of giving Ken's evaluation. All of the evaluators had exceptional insight and advice for the speakers. Besides serving as the General Evaluator, Ken Walley ACG, CL also gave the Invocation & Pledge and was the Grammarian for this meeting. The other members of the technical table were Kami Shahid who was the AH Counter for her very first time, Vote Counter Steve Wood and Timer Monica Walley. Acting President Ed Dimayuga had a lot of very positive comments from our guests who included a past Toastmaster John Hines, Mark Batchelor and visiting a Toastmaster Ahmad Durant-Bey. John even pledged to join the club and hopefully give an Ice Breaker speech at the next meeting! I think that if all Toastmasters meetings were like this one, being at the Orlando Public Library at 7:00 every Thursday night would be a "happy habit" for everyone!

The August 13th 2009 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 meeting took a trip to China with it's tour guide, club President Jose Lopez, CC during it's "China" themed meeting. Jose told about his recent trip there, showed us photos and gave us some incredible stories about the culture, food and remarkable beauty of this amazing country. He made it feel as if we were standing with him at the gates of the Forbidden City or standing on the Great Wall. Also bringing a touch of China to the meeting was the Table Topics Master Monica Walley. Monica had some wonderful research to go along with her questions. Her first question was asked of Deepti Dhiman: "What would you like to see first if you visited China." Deepti mentioned a number of places to go but chose the Great Wall of China. Because Ice Cream was a Chinese invention, Monica asked Ken Blake CG, CL what his favorite ice cream  flavor was. "How did you adjust to the time difference?" was asked of Jose Lopez, CC. New club member  Rob Streeter was asked if his "year" fit his personality. Rob was born in the "Year of the Rat"! Steve Wood was asked if he had a lucky color or charm? He noted a horseshoe that brought him luck even though he did not really believe in luck. All of the answers were almost worthy of Confucius! Our three speeches tonight were worthy of high praise! Deepti Dhiman started off with a brilliant speech on Global Warming titled "Good News / Bad News". The bad news is we are going to experience infectious diseases, horrible weather, flooding, food shortages and disaster! Said Deepti, "the good news is that that is in the future!"  The second speech was by Steve Wood who gave his best speech yet titled "The Monty Hall Problem" which was about how our mind can be tricked by probability situations like going for Door #3 or switching to Door #2 for 2000 dollars?... it was an interesting speech that made probability and statistics easy to understand and even fun. Speaker #3 was William Watson, CC who earned his Competent Communicator Award with his 10th speech titled "The Beholder". William told us how you could see the different personality types of people person by looking in their eyes. Congratulations William! He received a standing ovation for his speech and his accomplishment. Ken Walley ACG, CL played a number of different roles during this meeting. He gave the Invocation and Pledge, was the timer for most of the meeting, gave the evaluation for Steve's speech and served as the Master Evaluator! Ken had some help however with the evaluations from Ken Blake ACG, CL and Jason Davis ACB. All of the evaluations were excellent. Besides Ken W. as the timer, the others serving as functionaries were Grammarian Jamie Waters, ACB and first timers AH Counter Rob Streeter and Vote Counter Kami Shahid. A great country like China deserved a great Toastmasters meeting like the one Club #28 held on this evening.

The Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 August 6th, 2009 meeting had a very interesting, and useful theme: "Apologizing With Sincerity". Also very interesting was Demetrice Vassar, the hostess for the evening. Demetrice, a guest from  the Kissimmee Night Talkers Club #6045 was trying her hand for her first time as a Toastmaster and she did a fantastic job! She told us about the many aspects of apologizing including how to ask for forgiveness, make restitution, and express remorse. She even told a personal story in which she had accused someone wrongly without realizing that she was the one in error. Adding his own insight to the meeting was the Table Topics Master Jason Davis, ACB, who had some great questions prepared. The first question, "Do people really mean it when they say "I'm sorry" for a small slight or accident?" was asked  of Deepti Dhiman. Next, Ken Blake, ACG, CL  was asked of a time that he made a bad mistake. He remembered opening the wrong can while making a tuna salad, using cat food instead! Visiting Area 32 Governor Luvenia Hart, ACB, was asked about cell phones and Toastmaster meetings. Club President Jose Lopez, CC, just back from a trip to China was asked to "sing a song" to his wife to impress her. Ed Dimayuga was asked what he would do if he accidentally stepped on his favorite actresses shoes! Returning toastmaster Dr. Ross Thomson, ACB, CL was asked how he would apologize to his wife if he forgot their anniversary. The last question went to our newest member Rob Streeter which was how he would explain to a professor how he forget to write a term paper! This meeting featured three excellent speeches! Speaking first was Justin Gay who had been away from the club for awhile and who had re-joined just last week. Justin told us about a program at the University of Central Florida that prepares students for business careers. It was titled "Professional Selling" and it tended good advice on how to "sell yourself." The Rev. William Watson giving his 8th speech in only six months of being a Toastmaster. He spoke on the subject of inspiration in a speech titled "How to Inspire an Audience!" William gave many of the newer toastmasters some good advice as he closes in on  his Competent Communicator Award. The third and finial speech of the evening was a very funny and heartwarming speech by Barbara Cusack, CC, CL, who gave a humorous speech titled "The Five Love Languages"! This speech could win the upcoming Club #28 humorous speech contest! The Master Evaluator Deepti Dhiman was able to call upon three experienced evaluators: Ed Dimayuga, Jose  Lopez, CC and Monica Walley. Each of the evaluators gave helpful and significant advice. During her meeting review, Deepti also praised the meeting highly! The last order of business was the Grammarian report by Ken Blake, ACG, CL and the AH Counter report by Jamie Waters ACB. It should be noted  that both were two of the best in recent memory. The other member of the functionary table was the Vote Counter Robert Streeter. Besides Robert,  Kami Shahid also joined the club! Jennifer Barrett returned as a guest and Sonja Moraraity attended for her first time. Congratulations to Robert and Kami! No one had to apologize for the meeting that Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 had on this night!

The Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 July 30th 2009 meeting had a very interesting theme: "Shipwrecks" it also had a very interesting Toastmaster: Jamie Waters ACB who had some great tales of the ocean deep and the bravely of men in the face of disaster. Jamie kept the meeting afloat with some great examples of how the unthinkable could happen at sea such as what had happened the HMS Titanic. Also adding to the lore of shipwrecks was our Table Topics Master Ed Dimayuga who asked some questions that got us all thinking about life on the high seas. "Tell us about a boat trip that you once took?" was asked of seaman 1st Class William Watson. "If you find a sunken treasure who should keep the bounty?" was asked of Paul Hagge, CC. Paul said "finders keepers". Revisiting Toastmaster Demetrice Vassar from the Kissimmee Night Talkers Club 6045 was asked "What would you hate to lose in a Shipwreck?" Her answer was a very true: "human life." Steve Wood was asked to explain the Bermuda Triangle. Another Visiting Toastmaster Elon Horshan from the Court Muse Club was asked about the creation of artificial coral reefs. Ken Blake ACG, CL was asked what his favorite water disaster movie was. He feared most the movie "Jaws". One thing that did not sink to the bottom were the prepared speeches. Even though two of our three scheduled speakers were unable to be at the meeting, Club #28 still had two brilliant performances. Speaking first was Jason Davis ACB who gave a presentation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s most famous speech, the "I Have a Dream" speech of August 28th 1963. Jason did an inspiring performance of this powerful and historic speech. Ken Walley ACG, CL gave a speech to persuade the club to get ready for the upcoming Humorous Speech contest in September titled "How to Give A Winning Humorous Speech!"  Ken told what the judges would be looking for and drew on his past contest experience. Ken Walley ACG, CL also returned to the lectern to captain the Evaluations section of the meeting as the Master Evaluator. His evaluation crew included two of the best that Club #28 has to offer: Ken Blake ACG, CL (for Jason) and Paul Hagge, CC (giving Ken W.'s evaluation). Both evaluations were upbeat and helpful with insightful advice and strong encouragement. The functionaries for this meeting steered the Club past many verbal icebergs to a successful landing, they were Grammarian Barbara Cusack, CC, CL; Timer Steve Wood, Vote Counter Rev. William Watson and bravely returning AH Counter Demetrice Vassar. Demetrice even volunteered to return next week to be our Toastmaster! We had very positive feedback from our guests Elon, Demetrice and Jennifer Barrett. It was also announced that Justin Gay was coming back to the club and would speak next week! Welcome back Justin! Aye maties! No Davy Jones's locker here, this meeting was smooth sailing.

The Orlando Toastmaster Club #28 July 23rd, 2009 had the theme " Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millenials" and was hosted by Baby Boomer Ken Walley ACG, CL who led the club through a walk down memory lane and a peek into the future for Generations yet to come! Ken gave many examples of the achievements of each generation and reminded everyone that all three generations are still creating the future for "Generation Z". Asking questions about our past and future was Jamie Waters, CC as the Table Topics Master. Jamie asked Steve Wood to tell a little about his generation. He said he was a Baby Boomer and he believed that the defining moment of his generation was the first manned landing on the moon. Monica Walley was asked to explain her generation's (the Millenials or Generation Y) love for high tech. Deepti Dhiman explained the difference between family generations and cultural generations. Dennis Gola ACG, CL talked about aging issues among Baby Boomers. The answers showed that the generation gap of today is not as wide as it has been in the past. We had three excellent speeches starting with Dennis Gola ACG, CL who told us  in a speech simply titled "$425." how to avoid foreclosure issues and lower interest rates in a very tough economy. Deepti Dhiman gave a wonderful speech on the beautiful classical fashions of her homeland India tiled "Culture Through Clothing" She showed us some very attractive clothes of the Sari, Salwar Kameez and Lehnga styles of the traditional Indian culture. Rajiv Bhatia giving his third speech, spoke on a more complex subject of how the median family income is being effected by recent economic trends in a speech titled " Higher Risks, Lower Rewards and the Shrinking Safety Net" . He did not paint a very bright picture of the upcoming "adjustment market". A very bright picture was however painted by our General Evaluator Ed Dimayuga of this meeting and the future looked pretty good for our club speakers when we heard from evaluators Monica Walley, Barbara Cusack, CC, CL and Jason Davis ACB. All of the evaluators had good things to say about the speeches as well as some excellent advice. Ed Dimayuga, who was also filling in as club President this week, gave a very good meeting review in his role a General Evaluator. Helping to create such a high quality meeting were the functionaries who performed flawlessly: Grammarian Patrice Hatcher (her first time at that position), AH Counter and visiting Toastmaster from the Kissimmee Night Talkers Club, Demetrice Vasser, Vote Counter Paul Hagge and Timer Steve Wood. All of our guests, Demetrice Vasser, Jacquine Chase and Kami Shahid had uplifting a positive comments. No matter what generation you were from, if you were 18 or 80 this was a delightful, interesting and fun meeting. Toastmasters is a great way to bring generations together!  

Daaadum...daaaduuummmdaaduuuumd... DUMDAAMDUDUMDUM...!!! The theme of the July 16th 2009 Orlando Toastmaster Club #28 meeting was "SHARKS!" and it really had quite a bite to it. Monica Walley did a fantastic job as the Toastmaster giving everyone a lot to think about before they go back into the water. She told us many facts about one of the most misunderstood creatures of the deep. Also jumping in feet first was Dennis Gola ACG, CL who at the last moment took over as Table Topics Master. Dennis had some great bait to catch a few Toastmasters off guard with his questions. "If the Saturday Night Live Show 'Land Shark' came to your door, what would you do?" was asked of Barbara Cusack, CC, CL. Barbara did not remember the classic SNL skit, but she still managed to make her time limit! "Would you go down in a shark cage and what do you think would be going through your mind?" was asked of Jose Lopez, CC. Jose was up to the challenge. Clint Levert our guest, was asked what he would name a new type of shark. "Lion Shark" sounded good to him. Ed Dimayuga was asked to compare the roach to the shark and which would survive best in a global cataclysm. Jamie Waters was asked to speak on the idea of putting sharks in the water hazards at golf courses. Finally, Ken Walley ACG, CL was challenged to remember the song "Mac the Knife" which had something to do with sharks. He said he dreamed of being as cool as Bobby Darin when he was younger. We had two very different speeches with two speakers who achieved oratory excellence like a Great White going after a bleeding surfer. First we had, Steve Wood giving his second speech titled "Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation" which captivated and educated his audience with a description of the "Big Bang". He told how we can look backward into time toward the creation of the universe. Speaking second with a completely different type of presentation, was Jason Davis, ACB who played both parts from a Neil Simon play titled "Why Are You Doing This To Me?" He played both the frustrated father and the fearful daughter who had locked herself inside a bathroom and was refusing to come out on her wedding day. Jason did a very good performance while being challenged with a very hard advanced manual project. Monica Walley also covered the position of Master Evaluator and was rewarded with two of Club #28's best evaluators, Barbara Cusack, CC, CL and Jose Lopez, CC to assist her. Jose and Barbara came through with expert advice and some great ideas for everyone in the room, not just for our speakers. The functionaries this night were also very strong: Ed Dimayuga as the Grammarian, Jamie Waters as the Timer, Ken Walley ACG, CL as the Ah Counter and Jose Lopez, CC as the Vote Counter all gave excellent reports and preformed their duties perfectly. Ken W. as the Ah Counter also noted that Patrice Hatcher had not had a chance to speak so he gave her a few minutes to sum up her feelings on sharks. She said that she might be more fearful of sharks now... than public speaking but that the meeting tonight was wonderful. President Lopez said that it was a very happy surprise to have Dennis Gola ACG, CL return back so soon. Dennis later voiced that because of the outpouring of support and encouragement from Club #28 he had decided to postpone his "sabbatical" from Toastmasters for the time being. This meeting was far, far better than watching all of the Jaws movies in a row and a lot less scary!

The Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 July 9th 2009  "So you think you know July?" themed meeting was perfect for a July evening and for accomplished Toastmaster Dennis Gola, ACG, CL to bring out a myriad of fabulous facts about one of the hottest months of the year! We learned that July was Sugar Cookie Month as well as National Ice Cream Month. We learned about famous people born in July such as President Calvin Coolidge as well as two Presidents who died on the same Fourth of July (1826): Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Dennis gave us many other facts about the month and really did a tremendous job of keeping the meeting interesting, informative and fun! Ken Walley ACG, CL also taught us a few things about July with a Table Topics session that was more like a trivia quiz. His first question to Rajiv Bhatia was about how to beat the heat. "How did people stay cool before air conditioning?" Rajiv came up with some very good ideas. The second question "What does July the 4th mean to you?" was given to Steve Wood. Noting that Idaho and Wyoming were the only two states admitted to the union during July, Ken Blake ACG, CL was asked to expound about what life is like in those two states. July 20, 1969 was the date of Neil Armstrong's first step on the moon. Michael Vance was asked what the significance of that event was now looking back 40 years. Returning Toastmaster Dr. Ross Thomson ACB, CL spoke about how we should observe National Rock n' Roll Day (July 9th). Our guest Shay Audrey spoke about what she liked best and worst about the month of July. All of our members and guests gave excellent answers. Our two speeches were also of superior quality. Michael Machata's 9th speech titled "Are You Ready for Retirement?" brought out that 47% of Americans have no retirement plan! He gave us ideas on how to start investing, even if it is late for the future. "Do your research for a plan that is right for you and save, save, save!" said Michael. Also giving wise advice was the Rev. William Watson who gave a speech titled "Time for a Change" . He noted that change can be small in life but it is often the small changes that we make in our lives that can have major consequences. Said William, "Small changes can be often more effective, and helpful than any large or earth shattering transformations." Monica Walley served as our General Evaluator and had the pleasure of introducing two of the most effective evaluators that have ever stood behind the lectern: Jose Lopez, CC and Dr. Ross Thomson, ACB, CL. It should be noted that both of the speech reviews were helpful, purposeful and encouraging. They were two of the best examples of quality evaluations in recent memory as was Monica's meeting evaluation. We had two very good functionary reports by Grammarian Jamie Waters and AH Counter Steve Wood. Filling out the roles of our functionaries were timer Ken Blake ACG, CL  and Vote Counter Michael Vance. Comments by our guests Patrice Hatcher, Shay Audrey, Krysten Childs, Linda Childs, Rob Streeter and Shawn Knibhe all were very upbeat and positive. Joining our club on this evening was Patrice Hatcher! Welcome Patrice! Dennis Gola ACG, CL announced that due to health reasons he would be taking a "sabbatical" from Toastmasters for the foreseeable future but he hoped that he would be returning to us as soon as possible. He will be greatly missed. Dennis was given a standing ovation. Thanks to this "So you think you know July?" meeting, July and the new Toastmasters term is off to a very positive start!

The Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 June 25th 2009 Summer Celebration and Installation of Officers proved to be delightful fun, interesting, humorous, and much more,  covering a wide range of inspirational and joyful emotions as we said farewell to the past Toastmasters term and welcomed in a fantastic future! Starting off this special evening was Tseganesh Gudeta, ACB, CL who gave an invocation that reminded us to encourage others by example. Tseganesh then introduced our club President Barbara Cusack, CC CL who welcomed our guest, Patrice Hatcher and two distinguished dignitaries, Let's Talk Club #4413 President Helen Joseph, DTM and Area 32 Governor Richard Arden, ACG, CL. She also introduced our Master of Ceremonies for the evening, Paul Hagge, CC. Paul was at his best on this night! he paid tribute to the Summer with stories and personal memories and he even asked a few Table Topics questions along the way. Paul also paid tribute to two icons of the 1970's and 80's who past away earlier in the day: Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. He also called upon Dennis Gola, ACG, CL and Deborah Ryan ACG, CL to also say a few words about these entertainment legends. The evening had two featured speakers who both came with excellent speeches. Speaking first was Deepti Dhiman who gave a s speech on the history of the city of Orlando titled "Magical Cowtown"  She took us through the entire history of the city from the Seminole War to Walt Disney World. Deepti told of a time when cows grazed next to the city streets and when most of those streets were paved with bricks. Which, incredibly, was still within the lifetime of a few of the Toastmasters sitting in the room! (I won't name any names!). Deepti brought to life the history of our now, very modern, city. Speaking next was Monica Walley who asked the question "Are Ghosts Real?" Monica pondered the question of spirits among us and even told a very spooky tale that had everyone a little more afraid to turn off the lights. Next giving evaluations of our two speakers were Ken Walley ACG, CL and Ed Dimayuga who both gave insightful and helpful advice. The next part of this special evening was the "changing of the guard" for Club #28 starting with the Farewell Address of Club #28 President Barbara Cusack, CC, CL. Barbara's speech was full of her trademark humor and had plenty of praise for the club as well. She noted the work that was done by her officers, the increase in membership, the excellent international Speech Contest, and the Club winning the President's Distinguished Award. She drew loud applause throughout the speech. She was given as standing ovation for her service at the end of the speech. Called next to the lectern was Area 32 Governor Richard Arden, ACG, CL who was on hand to perform the induction ceremony for our new officers. Taking the gavel for the "Passing of the Gavel Ceremony" were (in order) Sergeant of Arms Jason Davis, ACB; Treasurer Ken Walley ACG, CL; Secretary Amber Gudenkauf, Vice President of Public Relations Rev. William Watson, Vice President of Membership Deepti Dhiman, Vice President of Education Ed Dimayuga and incoming Club #28 President Jose Lopez, CC. Congratulations to all of our newest leaders! Upon accepting the gavel, President Jose Lopez, CC gave his "Inaugural Address" in which he pledged to try to meet the needs of the members, to reach not only club goals but to focus on individual goals and to uphold the excellence that is the foundation of Club #28. He praised his fellow officers for having the courage to take leadership roles and said he was inspired by both the established toastmasters and the new toastmasters as well. He even congratulated Steve Wood, who was attending tonight for recently giving his Ice breaker speech. The speech was uplifting, encouraging and full of hope for the future of Orlando Toastmasters Club #28! After Jose's speech Paul called for announcements from the floor and also received some very upbeat and positive remarks from our guest Patrice and from Helen Joseph, DTM as well. Helen invited Club #28 to attend her club's Officer induction next week. Once the gavel fell everyone who left the room did so with a great feeling of anticipation towards a brilliant future for Club #28.

The June 18th, 2009 "Father's Day!" theme made it a very special meeting to all who attended because of the hard work and effort provided by the evening's Toastmaster Susan Deichen, CC who gave some heartwarming and uplifting stories and anecdotes about Fathers. It was a very memorable performance as Toastmaster. Our Table Topics Master, Debbe Ryan ACG, CL changed the subject a little for Table Topics asking some questions about Toastmasters. She asked Deepti Dhiman "What speech have you heard, or given that has meant the most to you since you've joined Toastmasters?" Deepti remembered a classic speech that she gave a few months ago titled "Culture Shock". Michael Machata was asked "What historical event do you wish that you could have had experienced?" Michael would have loved to have met George Washington and heard him speak. A good choice. Jose Lopez, CC was asked to give some speaking advice to President Barack Obama. He gave some very good suggestions including for the President to watch his "Ums and Ah's".  Susan Deichen, CC was asked to explain why she joined Toastmasters and how it had helped her. Barbara Cusack, CC, CL was asked why Toastmasters was important to her life. The last question returned to the theme of the meeting and was asked of one of our newest Toastmasters, Erin Hoalgen: "What makes for a good father?" One of the things she mentioned  was that a good dad was someone who "Made you feel loved and special" Our three speeches tonight were all special and the audience also loved them. Speaking first was Steve Wood who gave his Ice Breaker Speech titled "Addicted to Learning". Steve's speech told about how he came to love the quest for information which led him into a path towards being an Aerospace Engineer and a full time student at University of Central Florida! Congratulations Steve on your 1st speech! Rajiv Bhatia gave his own Ice Breaker only a few weeks ago and tonight showed a great improvement with his second speech titled "A Perfect Mess!" he featured a natural gift for humor while giving a dissertation on how being messy can be a good thing! Speaking third was Michael Machatta who gave a very technical speech titled "E.T.F." The address was a financial treste on "Exchange Traded Funds". We learned more in 7 minutes on this subject than most Financial Advisors learn in a lifetime! In order to put these speeches in perspective we called upon our General Evaluator Deepti Dhiman who came through with an excellent evaluation of Michael's speech and also introducing Jamie Waters, ACB and Ken Walley ACG, CL who gave the evaluations of Steve and Rajiv. Even though this meeting ran a bit overtime, we still had plenty of space for two excellent reports from the Grammarian Jose Lopez, CC and the AH Counter Barbara Cusack, CC, CL Our timer was Ed Dimayuga and Erin Hoalgen did a very good job as our Vote Counter. Jillian Galdieri was the only guest tonight and she said she was impressed with the camaraderie of the club. We hope she returns soon and becomes part of our Club #28 family. There was only one father present at the meeting: Ken Walley, ACG, CL who was very happy to find out that his daughter Monica Walley and her good friend and fellow Club #28 member, Amber Gudenkauft were unharmed in a "fender bender" on their way to the meeting. Monica and Amber still showed up for the meeting in time to catch some of the speeches...now that is dedication to Toastmasters! It would make a father proud.   

  It was "Root, root, root for the home team" at the June 11th 2009 "Magic Mania" themed Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 meeting. Toastmaster Jamie Waters, ACB brought a lot of team spirit with him for the evening . Jamie reminded everyone that Orlando has gone "Magic crazy" since it's pro basketball team was in the NBA finials. Jamie had "the crowd" shouting "Let's Go Magic!" and "Beat LA!" throughout the night! Also adding championship flavor to the meeting was the Dwight Howard-like effort by our Table Topics Master Monica Walley. Her first question was to Jose Lopez, CC: "Are professional sports good for the city of Orlando?" Jose answered with a resounding "Yes!" Debbe Ryan ACG, CL was asked why it was better to live in Orlando than in Los Angles. Michael Machata was asked what the best and the worst professional sports were. His favorite was soccer and his choice for the worst pro sport was baseball, even though Club #28 has a large number of diehard baseball fans! Monica the "passed the ball" off to Susan Deichen, CC asking her for her prediction of the series. Susan said that if the Magic did not win on this night that they would lose in 5 or 6 games, but,  if they won, they might go all of the way! Amber Gudenkauf was asked what sport that she enjoyed watching the most. Amber said that she like watching all kinds of different sports and could not pick out a real favorite. Our two speakers tonight, using basketball jargon, "hit nothing but the net"! The Rev. William Watson spoke first, giving his 6th speech titled "The Power of Truth" This was William's second speech in two weeks and another example of his power to hold and inspire an audience. He set forth the idea that the act  of positive thinking was far more than wishful thinking. He said that living a positive life and thinking positively is a way of coming the condition of human frailness. Ken Walley ACG, CL gave a completely different presentation in which he spoke of his love for the ocean in a speech called "Ode to the Beach". Ken not only professed his love for being at the beach but he also taught the rest of the club how to surf! Cowabunga dude! Our Master Evaluator on this night was Dennis Gola ACS, CL who had the great pleasure of introducing two excellent evaluators: Club guru Ken Blake ACS, CL and Jason Davis ACB. Both Ken and Jason gave 1st class evaluations. Dennis, noting that the club was far ahead of schedule ("Maybe because of a basketball game coming on at 9:00" he said) gave a very detailed meeting evaluation which itself could have won the "best speaker" ribbon! Our Technical Table consisted of Grammarian Paul Hagge, CC; Timer Ed Dimayuga, AH Counter Erin Hoaglen and Vote Counter Steve Wood all performed wonderfully and also added to a night that was a "slam-dunk" of a meeting! [Editor note: Susan's prediction was right! The Orlando Magic basketball team lost this night and went on to lose to LA in 5 games. This meeting, however will always be a winner.]

One of the most inventive meetings ever held of the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 was the June 4th 2009 "Invention" themed meeting. Toastmaster Barbara Cusack, CC, CL came up with some wonderful trivia, stories and even new ideas about brilliant inventors and inventions. She even told us of an invention of her own that might make her rich and famous someday. Ed Dimayuga showed an inventive streak of his own by coming up with some very imaginative questions for our Table Topics session. He started by asking visiting Toastmaster Frank Ricchi from the Lake Nona Toastmasters Club #695848: "What invention has helped mankind the most?" Frank noted that the airplane has made the world a smaller, and more friendly place. Our newest member Steve Wood, answered the question of what invention he would like to take credit for. Amber Gundenfauf came up with an answer for the worst invention of all time (the gun).  Ken Walley, ACG, CL had to ponder the question of "How would you re-invent yourself?" Another one of our guests, Diane Bartolone was given the question "Is it easier to be an inventor or an editor of other people's inventions?" Toastmaster Michael Machata used last week's speech by Dennis Gola ACG, CL as an example of how to invent your way out of a tough situation. Our other guest, Michael Haldavnekar also visiting from the Lake Nona Toastmasters Club, was given an opportunity to answer the question of how do we come up with smarter innovations for the future? Lastly, Monica Walley asked to speak on musical inventions of which she praised highly the electric guitar. It was another remarkable Club #28 Table Topics session. Thomas Edison would have been proud. Our first speech of the night was by Rev. William Watson who is coming close to his Competent Communicator Award at lightening speed. William's speech titled "Teaching Customer Service" used a very interesting approach to custom service: applying the Golden Rule. This novel idea made a great deal of sense to anyone in the services or professional fields. Jason Davis, ACB electrified the meeting with his rendition of "Barrack Ocala's Election Night Victory Speech". Jason brought all of the inspiration and engery of this powerful speech to life. Ken Blake, ACS, CL was the General Evaluator and did his usual highly excellent work but he had help from two very good evaluators in Michael Machata and Jamie Waters, ACB. The functionaries as well preformed with much skill and ability, they were: Grammarian Ken Walley ACG, CL, Timer Monica Walley, 1st time AH Counter Steve Wood and our Vote Counter Amber Gudenkauf. Our guest had nothing but high praise for our meeting Michael Haldavnekar, Frank Ricchi, Diane Bartolone, Dawn Smith and Robert Hill were very generous with their praise. I wish we could invent a club that gives ingenious and creative meetings like this one every week. Wait! We have! It's Club #28!

The May 28th 2009 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 "Adapting" themed meeting showed that Club #28 sure knows how to adapt and create a great meeting! Deepti Dhiman was at the helm as our Toastmaster and she gave some wonderful examples of how mankind changes often for the better in the face of tribulation and challenge. She also used examples from nature and philosophy to weave and interesting and enlightening experience. Monica Walley as the Table Topics master followed Deepti's lead with a series of very probing questions that brought out some of Club #28's best Table Topics answers on record. Toastmaster Dennis Gola, ACS, CL was given the question of what was the biggest change he ever had had to endure. Dennis remembered adjusting to the "real world" after being a baseball umpire for years. "I just couldn't tell my boss that he was "'Yer Outta Here!!' and throw him out of the building whenever I wanted." The next question was asked of Alison Briggs who had announced earlier that she was moving to North Carolina next month, what she would have to adapt to there. She admitted that she is not looking forward to the colder weather. Ed Dimayuga told about how hard it was to change his mind. Michael Machata told about a situation in which he had to adapt in order to save his life. He remembered a bomb going off  while in the Marries serving in Iraq in which quick thinking might have saved the life of a friend who was badly injured. Returning Toastmaster Dr. Michael Deichen, CC, CL was asked about how he adapted to returning to College after over 20 years. This was a truly first class table topics session, every answer being interesting and thought provoking!! The Speeches as well were brilliant. We had three speakers tonight who gave very different but equally masterful presentations. Speaking first was Ed Dimayuga giving his 8th speech and entertaining us with tales of travel in a speech titled "Travel Tips for Traveling Light". We learned a lot on the subject of going places with the least amount of hassle. After the speech, everybody wanted to take a trip somewhere! Speaking second was Dennis Gola ACS, CL who once again made a speech out of "Words and Topics" by asking for one of each from everyone in the room. This speech went almost everywhere but it was still funny, interesting and fun as only Toastmaster Dennis can do it! Speaking third was Susan Deichen, CC who delivered her Competent Communicator graduation speech titled "You've Got the Power!" Susan had the power to totally inspire us to believe that we can face our doubts and prove others wrong if we are willing to try. She used real life examples like  Dana Torrez and Susan Boyle and had us all chanting "I've Got the POWER!" at the end of her speech! Susan was given a standing ovation for achieving her CC award. Congratulations! Ken Walley ACG, CL was the General Evaluator and also the first evaluator for Ed's speech. Ken was able to introduce two other very good evaluators Michael Machata and Barbara Cusack, CC, CL while also giving a very positive criqutie of the meeting itself. Indeed, the evaluations were excellent, the speeches were tremendous, the Table Topics session superb and the Toastmaster was excellent. Even our functionaries for the evening: Timer Steve Wood (who joined the club on this evening), Grammarian Alison Briggs, AH Counter Rajiv Bhatia and Vote Counter Dr Michael Deichen, CC, CL performed admirably. At the end of the meeting, because there was a quorum present,  Club #28 accepted unanimously the new officer slate for 2009: President Jose Lopez, CC; VPE Ed Dimayuga, VPM Deepti Dhiman, VPPR Rev. William Watson, Secretary Amber Gudenkauf, Treasurer Ken Walley ACG, CL and SAA Jason Davis! Congratulations to our new officers as well, The club adjusted to every little twist and turn tonight and still came up with a flawless meeting filled with some great memories!     

The May 21st 2009 Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 meeting started with a "Big Bang" as meeting Toastmaster Ken Walley ACG, CL introduced the theme of "Explosions!". Ken spoke about some of the biggest explosions known to man including: "The Big Bang", "The giant meteorite that hit the earth",   "Krakatoa" and "The great Gamma Ray Burst" among others. Also making a big impact was our Table Topics Master Dennis Gola, ACS, CL. His first question was to Ken W.:  "What are the fun and positive things about explosions?" Ken remembered enjoying fireworks with his family in his youth. Ken Blake ACS, CL was asked about "something that had blown up unexpectedly" around him.  Not unexpectedly, he told about a car that had some major troubles. Ed Dimayuga was asked about chemistry class experiments gone wrong. Our guest Michael Feury spoke about the biggest effect on our country due to the 9-11 attacks. Rajiv Bhatia was asked about President Truman's decision to drop the atomic bombs. The last question was directed towards returning member Jamie Waters. He was asked to give a plea to all of the countries of the world to disarm their Nuclear weapons! We had two excellent speeches from Amber Gudenkauf and Jason Davis. Amber gave her Ice Breaker Speech titled "My Story" She revealed that she was graduating from Boone High School and would be attending Valencia Community College in the fall, that she was a vegetarian, listens to Bob Marley and loves going to Disney and the beach. It was a great first speech! Congratulations Amber! Jason Davis, CC presented a project from the Advance manual "Speaking on Television" titled "Exceptional Speaker."  He gave us a number of great ideas to improve public speaking skills. Acting as the General Evaluator was Deepti Dhiman who released a lot of energy with a highly explosive evaluation session. The two speaker evaluators, Ken Blake ACS, CL and Jamie Waters certainly did not "bomb"! They gave very good advice for our speakers. It should also be noted that Deepti gave a brilliant meeting evaluation as well. Lighting up the "Toastmaster sky" were tonight's functionaries: Timer Ed Dimayuga,  AH Counter Monica Walley, Grammarian Rajva Bhatia and Vote Counter and returning guest Steve Wood. This meeting was interesting, fun and everything a Toastmasters meeting should have been! In short: it was a blast!

In what was one of the most unusual and fun meetings in the past few years, the May 14th 2009 "Time" themed meeting had the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 going backwards! Club President Barbara Cusack, CC started the meeting by Adjourning the meeting! After the VP of Education Deepti Dhiman announced next week's schedule, we heard from our guests Hajol Kaur, Steve Wood and Stacey Forget some comments on what they had thought of our meeting! (They all loved it!) Ribbons were handed out to our winners from the Vote Counter Jose Lopez, CC and we heard the concluding remarks from our President... even before we first saw our Toastmaster for the evening Ed Dimayuga! In this topsy-turvy evening, Ken Walley, ACG, CL gave the Grammarian report proudly announcing that everyone had used the Word of the Day and the AH Counter report was delivered by Jim Stitt even before we had heard the first "Ah". Evaluator reports by Jose Lopez, CC, Michael Machata and Ed Carmona, ACB, CL were delivered on what the evaluators hoped to hear from the speakers! General Evaluator Jason Davis, CC gave a very good meeting evaluation which was also based on what he hoped would take place! Amid the zaniness there were three excellent speeches starting with Speaker #3 Brian Wheeler, ACB, CL who returned to the club after being away for well over a year! Welcome back Brian! He gave a superb speech titled "Fountain of Youth" which told how as he faced the upcoming 40 year-old mark, he found his "fountain": a dark green Ford Bronco! One just felt younger simply by hearing his speech! Next, Speaker #2, Barbara Cusack, CC gave a speech that was titled "Armed and Dangerous" which was about HIV education and prevention. Even though the message was a serious and important one, Barbara used humor and personal stories to make it effective and meaningful. Speaker #1 was Rajiv Bhatia who gave his "Ice Breaker" speech titled "My Wanderings" which gave Rahiv a chance to express his love/hate relationship with Math and for us to get to know a funny and interesting new member of the club. After each speech Toastmaster Ed Dimayuga introduced the speaker who had just spoke. Also doing a backwards spin on things was Table Topics Master Deepti Dhiman who asked club members to speak about the theme of time and then she formed a question to fit the answer! Bravest of all was our guest Stacey Forget who spoke about how you change as you seek your own independence while experiencing life. Deepti then asked the question: "How do you change as you seek your independence while growing and developing in life?" Jose Lopez, CC gave an answer of  how he prioritizes events and duties in his life. Brian Wheeler, ACB, CL spoke on how time means different things to different people. Barbara Cusack, CC spoke on how to cope with changing times and friends. Ken Walley ACG, CL spoke on being abducted by aliens and brought back in time150 years. Before the Table Topics session, but really after it, Toastmaster Ed Dimayuga introduced Deepti! He then went on to introduce our Vote Counter Jose Lopez, CC, AH Counter Jim Stitt, Timer Monica Walley and  Grammarian Ken Walley ACG, CL. Soon Barbara was back as President to introduce Ed as the Toastmaster and welcome our guests. Michael Machata introduced Barbara and then lead us in the Pledge to the Flag before he delivering the Invocation. So that everyone would have their agendas correct, Michael read the changes to the agenda and then Called the meeting to order! Even backwards, this is a meeting to remember for a long time!

The truth is that the Orlando Toastmasters Club #28 May 7th 2009 "Truth" themed meeting was a great way to spend a Thursday night! With the President and VP of Education unable to attend, Vice President of Education Ed Dimayuga did a super job as acting club president to get the meeting going  He had his work cut out for him as he had to introduce no less than 9 visitors and guests! Our Toastmaster for tonight Dennis Gola, ACS, CL got to the heart of the truth with a vast array of interesting quotes, history (he told just what "The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth" actually meant) and dilemmas that face us all to weave together a fascinating meeting. Also examining the truth was Paul Hagge, CC our Table Topics Master  who put together some ver interesting questions on the topic of Truth. Deborah Ryan ACG, CL was asked "Should we tell a lie to avoid hurting someone else's feelings?" She answered "No" because it becomes a "slippery slope of lies" to follow. Jose Lopez, CC was asked if it was easier to lie or to tell the truth. Jason Davis, CC  gave an example of telling the truth only to find out that it was really not the truth later on. Ken Blake, CS, CL was asked if he could "tell when people are lying to him." Paul asked our guest Matt Giles if he thought that telling lies had become more acceptable in today's society. Allison Briggs was ready for the question when asked if the truth could be manipulated to get what you want. She said it could, but it is often better to build trust by the way of the truth. The Table Topics session was brilliant with both questions and answers on this evening and the same can be said about the speeches. Monica Walley gave the first speech titled "Just Do It!" about the art and sport of skateboarding. We learned about how to "drop in" (to a cement swimming pool without water) how to wear protective gear, how to do an "ollie", a heel-flip and a kick-flip. We also learned about the regular and goofy stances on the board and much more! Let's Ride! Michael Machata gave a speech on a completely different subject titled "Stress Test" which was about the financial market's recently released reports on the "health" of our major banks. Michael managed to take a very complex speech with a lot of data and make it very interesting! Deborah Ryan ACG, CL was our General Evaluator and she was given the task of introducing the "two kens":  Ken Walley ACG, CL and Ken Blake ACS, CL. Ken W. had a great time of giving his daughter's evaluation as well as Ken B.'s excellent evaluation of Michael's speech. From the evaluations, everyone in the room learned something. The truth is that the meeting was also a success because of the functionaries who also made our speaker look so good, they were Grammarian Alison Briggs, Timer Ed Dimayuga, AH Counter Jose Lopez, CC and Vote Counter and our newest member, Rajiv Bhatia