Book and Movie Reviews

Helmut Erxleben reviews the book:

Willpower

Willpower

Willpower by Roy Baumeister and John Tierney deals with one of the main issues facing human society today: the lack of self-control. The authors use some of the latest psychological research as well as examples from human celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Eric Clapton, the explorer David Livingstone and others to illustrate that willpower in a human being is a finite resource. It is actually dependent on the sucrose level in our brain which gets depleted as our day wears on.

In other words, we can only make so many effective decisions during the day.

Because much of our life is consumed by resisting temptations, Willpower offers some practical and helpful suggestions on how to make our lives more enjoyable and successful. Over the years religious doctrine has had a lot to say about that, except that in this book the scientists have confirmed that a person with self-control (not self-esteem as previously thought) is ultimately a happier person. Baumeister summarizes his research: “Our willpower has made us the most adaptable creatures on the planet and we’re once again discovering how to help one another use it

Helmut Erxleben reviews the following Movies:

Argo

Argo

ARGO – The story is about the 1979 Iranian Revolution when the Revolutionaries invaded the American Embassy and captured 52 American hostages.  They were held for 444 days.  Unknown to the revolutionaries was that 6 Americans had escaped through the back door. After being rejected by three neutral embassies they found refuge at the Canadian Embassy and stayed at the Ambassadors home.  The movie states that this story is “based on” actual events.  Great liberties were taken to make a successful story.  The movie is an exciting  suspense thriller and totally enjoyable.  The tension keeps rising and the white knuckle last scenes will have you on the edge of your seat. It is a good movie with great acting and directing. It could win Oscars for best movie and direction. But, it is not the truth.  The Canadians  put themselves in jeopardy in the rescue operation and their part was greatly diminished while the American role was greatly embellished.  Ken Taylor, the Canadian Ambassador, led the Americans out and even bought the airline tickets from his own pocket.  He is the real hero.  As it so often happens, the Hollywoodenheads made the Americans the heroes. Remember, according to Hollywood, John Wayne won WW II.

Arbitrage

Arbitrage

ARBITRAGE –  This is a gripping tale of high finance and low morals. You first meet Robert Miller, well portrayed by Richard Gere, at his 60th birthday party.  He is a portrait of success in business and family life.  But the actual situation is far different.  He is over his head financially, has committed fraud and is having an affair with a much younger woman.  His life is further complicated after he has an auto accident in which his mistress is killed.  Gere gives an excellent performance in this suspense thriller.  The ending will surprise you.  We loved it

Pleasant Experiences

Probus Tour to Oktoberfest in Kitchener Oct. 11, 2012

On the Oktoberfest Bus

On the Oktoberfest Bus

After a scenic tour through the Ontario country side we ended up at Bingemans in Kitchener for a Bavarian lunch and refreshments, some old time Polka tunes, yodeling and cowbells, and Manfred hammering away at the beer keg

An Aviation Announcement

THE PROBUS CLUB OF OAKVILLE – In a moving ceremony which took place at the Canada Science and Technology Museum on November 21, 2012, in Ottawa, Honorary Air Commodore, The Honourable John Alexander Douglas McCurdy, Canada’s First Pilot and the first man to fly in Canada and the British Empire, J. A. D. McCurdy, was inducted into the prestigious Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame.

McCurdy graduated from the Universityof Toronto in 1906 in Mechanical Engineering where he was the youngest student to be admitted to the University. Capping a brilliant career in aviation, McCurdy was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia from 1947-1952. Known as one of the Principal Fathers of Canadian Aviation when he died on June 25, 1961, in Montreal, Quebec, he was the world’s oldest living pilot. J. A. D. McCurdy was buried in his birthplace, Baddeck, Nova Scotia with full military honours facing the waters of Bras d’Or Lake from where he made his historic flight in The Silver Dart

Correct Internet Address

We have some good news and some bad news …..

First the Good News: You are viewing the correct Oakville Probus website. Our Internet address is  www.oakvilleprobus.com  This link can be pasted into the Favorites or Bookmark sections of your browser.

Now the bad news. For some time, out website address has been published incorrectly. We won’t be showing it here because we don’t want to add to the confusion.

Just use the above address and you will always get to the right website.

 

 

No December Newsletter

Because of the Holiday Season is a busy one for all, the November-December Newsletter will not be published this year. Instead the next Newsletter will be published in January 2013.

Our President’s Message

At the President’s Reception held at the Lighthouse on September 27th, Vice President John Beales presented David Patterson with his Past President’s pin, expressing on behalf of all of us appreciation for the accomplishments during his term of office. Notable among these was the establishment of the WEB site and the successful negotiation with Maple Grove united Church which resulted in an extension of our arrangement with no increase in payment. In the meantime a committee had explored alternative locations and were most enthusiastic about the facilities at St. Joseph’s Church on Trafalgar Road. It was agreed that we would hold a meeting there during the coming year and get the response of members. I would suggest the January meeting but that will be discussed at a general meeting.

The Nominating Committee has done an excellent job in filling all the positions on the Executive and I look forward to a stimulating and constructive year. But there are challenges, chief among them being the size of our membership which must be increased if we are to survive. The Membership Committee under Trevor Dandy is exploring ways in which this can be accomplished. If we are to continue to get good speakers we must have a decent size audience. At present we seem to average about 65 members at a typical meeting out of the 100 on the membership list. There are always some members away on vacation, down south in the winter or up north in the summer, or with health problems. So to have more attendees we must have more members. Similarly the Entertainment Committee under Robin Davidson needs to have a decent sized membership to meet the participation required to justify attractive events.

We  would welcome your suggestions.

This issue of the Newsletter will be distributed by e mail, thus saving over $600 a year in postage. For the benefit of those without computers printed copies will be available at the meeting. Hope this works well for everybody.

Gerry Sutton, President

The Past Two Meetings

In August, our profiler was Cliff Chappel who gave a very interesting outline of his life and career. He recounted his experiences as a young man in the navy during WWII and his extraordinary successful career in bio medical research.

Our speaker was Doug Porter, Deputy Chief Economist for BMO Nesbitt Burns spoke on the economic outlook for Canada and the world. It was a very interesting and wide ranging presentation. He entertained several questions at the end. Doug was introduced by Gerry Sutton and thanked by Clancy Fulton.

September brought us  David Shoalts, Globe and Mail columnist. Introduced by Frank Fisher. Dave, who has been with the Globe over 25 years, stated he did not expect any NHL play to resume until December at the earliest, perhaps even later.  Owners have to make the first move – they are taking a hard line.  Players are being asked to take a further reduction in salary. Dave shared some interesting annecdotes on the NHL, with tidbits on individual teams. As would be expected,  he dwelt on theToronto Maple Leafs and their problems – one being their one “kick at the cup” in 1993. The foibles of Harold and Yolande Ballard provided a few chuckles. All in all, a most interesting and enjoyable hour.

Annual General Meeting – opened the September meeting with all committees reporting. It has been a good year, but a drive for new members is now in progress.