Dec 8th 2015 Theme: December 8

“The most dangerous food is wedding cake”.  ~~ James Thurber, born December 8, 1894 - 1961

Welcome to the second meeting in December blog posting.

Jim was our toastmaster of the day. He talked about a variety of historical happenings that occurred on December 8. For examples, in 1922, The Northern Ireland ceased to be part of the Irish Free State; in 1980, John Lennon was murdered by Mark David Chapman in New York City.

The GAT(e) team comprised of: Grammarian – Kathy [festivities/festival/festive],  Ah Counter – Lynne, and Timer – Dave.

There were two speakers and two corresponding evaluators.

The first speaker was Robert, who completed project #2 from the Special Occasion Speeches manual.  He spoke for more than 8 minutes in a speech entitled: "Praising Keith Jarrett"

Robert blended the oral with the auditory in letting the audience become acquainted with Keith Jarrett and hearing a short musical excerpt of his Improvisational Jazz Solo, the Koln Concert.

Robert depicted Jarrett in terms of...

• some facts: He is a world renowned jazz and classical musician born on May 8, 1945 in Allentown, PA.

• some quirks: He is idiosyncratically known for his frequent, loud vocalizations and active physical movements while he is playing.

[To see Keith Jarrett in action, view the youtube video of The Last Solo <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKJ3aFGYNiQ>

• some demands: He is intolerant of audience noise during his solo improvised performances and has been known to distribute cough drops in the cold seasons and stop and conduct the audience in a group cough.

• some struggles: In 1996, he contracted Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (an airborne bacterial parasite) and was forced to stop performing and playing and listening to music for several years.  He customized his piano to respond to the lightest touch of the keys to make loud sounds. He was gradually restored to health via an experimental treatment. He is a musical treasure. There is no one like him.

A full audio and video discography for Keith Jarrett may be found at this site:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Jarrett_discography>

Robert was evaluated by Warren. Warren was sold on Keith Jarrett. He liked Robert's way of showing insight into the musician by describing his performance behavior and his humanity by relating his catching Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, adjusting to it and eventually recovering from it. Warren recommended Robert provide greater emotion in speaking and to make the music that was played louder. Warren liked the speech ending in a promotional appreciation and a call to get more familiar with this unique musician.

Warren was voted the best evaluator.

The second speaker was Dan, who completed project #2 from the Competent Communicator manual.  He spoke more than 8 minutes in a speech entitled: "The Top 10 Nutrition Myths".

Dan gave a powerpoint presentation that detailed each of these myths in turn. He began by saying that not all diets are created equally. Some are good but unappealing, some are appealing but have negative effects on a body's hormones and metabolism.

The untrue myths are:

• Saturated Fat is bad            • Excess protein is bad

• Low Fat, High Carb Diets are best

• All Calories are equal         • Fat Loss = Cal in – Cal out

• Whole Grains Good for Heart Health

• Eating every few hours speeds up metabolism

• Breakfast is the most important meal of the day

• Eat Carbs in the Morning    • There's 1 perfect diet

In debunking these myths, he cautioned that these are guidelines only since everyone is different and when dieting to start with the basics of quality protein, fresh vegetables and good fats.

Due to time disqualifications, no one was voted the best speaker.

He was evaluated by Jean. Jean noted that this was Dan's second talk. He provided an excellent presentation with great cartoons. He had good gestures and a strong energetic voice. She recommended that there be less verbiage on each slide and that he get out of the way of the screen. He might also relocate the computer to a table to face the audience more. To reduce the presentation time, she suggested maybe 3-5 myths rather than 10.

We also had a Table Topics session mastered by Jessica D. Her topic theme was Winter Wonderland. To each speaker, she asked a different question.

Jessica: "Where is home?"

Julie: Yakima, WA where there are 4 seasons.

Jessica: What is a west coast winter; How does it compare to others elsewhere?

Chizuko: I prefer Seattle's, where it is wet but not cold rather than Colorado, where it is dry and quite cold.

Jessica: "What is the way to Grandma's House?"

Lynne: Over the mountains to Wenachee, WA and over on the west side.

Jessica: "What is your favorite holiday food/meal?"

Jordan L.: Turkey Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy. He is the youngest of 7 siblings.

Jessica: "What is the greatest gift?"

Kenneth K.: The greatest gift is intangible. It is to give a home for kids without a home.

Kenneth K. was voted the best table topics speaker.

We were honored with 2 Guests, Jordan L. and Kenneth K. 12 Members attended this meeting: Barb, Chizuko, Dan, Dave, Jean, Jessica D., Jim, Julie, Kathy, Lynne, Robert and Warren

Our active membership total remains at 31.

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Katz for Amritha Imandi, Secretary

Public Speaking Northwest #9406