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President’s Message

Are we getting the full benefit of membership?
Probus members in Canada, about 22,000 of them, have an advantage over the members of most service and social clubs. To start with, Probus clubs are not fund-raisers or assigned to supporting the community or medical needs of others, although we may support volunteer activities individually. We are free to enjoy ourselves and meet our own hedonistic pursuits for social and mental stimulation. So far we haven’t taken much advantage of the Probus potential. Many extra activities are possible. Some clubs, especially those with female membership, will have a dozen or more extra activities. For example the new Credit River Club has 14 activity groups. Another combined club has three book clubs, two or more card clubs. a garden club, hiking club and computer club. Others have dining groups and even a scotch tasting group. We only have an active book club and an investment club and have done some golf. Our members should look around and see where we could take more advantage of the possibilities.

Gerry Sutton, our overworked VP and Speakers Chairman will preside at the next meeting, in February, while I return to Mexico to study the effects of the drug and booze trade on Gringos.

– Dave Patterson

President’s Message

Probus is expanding in Canada. There are about 2000 people on waiting lists. A new mixed gender club has just been formed in Port Credit and another women only club has been added in Burlington. Hopefully our club will soon have a website to reach out to those looking for stimulating social interaction with like-minded people.

I have just returned from a trip to Tunisia, the Arabic nation on the Mediterranean Sea between Algeria and Libya, and the first to start the Arab Spring revolutions. They were also the first to succeed based on using cell phones. It started as a local protest initiated by the suicide of a young man in December 2010. It spread by Facebook and Twitter. There was no news of it on the government controlled TV or newspapers. A local rap singer sang about the corruption of the president/dictator and his family on YouTube which was supported by millions clicking on the “like” icon, which tallied their responses.

The people coordinated their surge into the streets in protest using their cell phones. They swarmed the president’s guard and disarmed them. In January the president fled to Saudi Arabia, and has been convicted in absentia of embezzlement.

Elections were held in October. Tunisia has a good chance of success, having a relatively secular and tolerant society and without the tribal divisions bedeviling Libya and other African countries.

See you at the Xmas lunch on December 8th !

– Dave Patterson