speakers at the 2024 ag
LESSONS LEARNED FROM AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE
Banquet Speaker
Presenter: Peter Dyakowski, Professional Football Player,
CBC’s Smartest Person in Canada
Peter Dyakowski is a retired CFL football player, winning several awards as an offensive lineman. He played for the Hamilton Tiger Cats 12 years, followed by 1 year with Saskatchewan Roughriders.
In 2012 Peter was named Canada’s Smartest Person in a contest run by the CBC, followed by being a finalist on Jeopardy in 2014.
Peter is a member of Mensa Canada in Hamilton.
DOES COFFEE CAUSE CANCER? LESSONS LEARNED FROM AN ACCIDENTAL CAREER IN MEDICAL JOURNALISM
Presenter: Dr. Christopher Labos, Author, Columnist, Physician
Dr. Christopher Labos is a cardiologist with a master’s degree in epidemiology. He is a columnist with the Montreal Gazette and Medscape, featured on the Sunday Morning House Call on CJAD radio, and has a regular TV segment with CTV Montreal and CBC Morning Live.
He is an associate with the McGill Office of Science and Society and co-hosts the award-winning podcast, “The Body of Evidence.” He is the author of “Does Coffee Cause Cancer?” a story about food epidemiology and why food headlines are usually wrong.
He occasionally practices as a cardiologist so he can buy groceries. To date no one has asked him for his autograph.
THE SHALLOWEST OF MEN – MURDER, MONEY LAUNDERING, AND A GLOBAL SEARCH FOR JUSTICE
Presenter: J.R. Jeff Filliter, Investigator, Crime Writer
A factual accounting of a six-year criminal investigation, presented by the investigator, involving murder, fraud, multi-jurisdictional money laundering, and corruption at the highest levels of government, all driven by the second largest drug cartel in Mexico.
Jeff Filliter is a private investigator, retired RCMP officer, and author.
NEURODIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE
Presenter: TBA
Unfortunately, the planned presenter, Ali Dussault, auticon.com, is unable to attend. We are looking for a replacement speaker in the same field of specialized human resource management. Stay tuned!
GIFTED YOUTH AND DOUBLE EXCEPTIONALITY
Presenter: Dr. Larissa Panetta, Psychologist
Dr. Larissa is a former teacher and holds a PhD in Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychology. She has a particular interest in the double exceptionality assessment of ADHD plus neurodivergency in gifted children. Her presentation will be about the special needs gifted kids, and how their parents can help prepare them for the challenges of life.
Larissa is on the board of Directors for Mensa Canada’s Gifted Youth Group.
MAKING GAMES FUN
Presenter: Matthew Freedman, Video Game Designer
Matt is a creative director and games industry consultant with 20 years of experience working on some of the largest titles and franchises in the industry across a wide range of platforms and genres. He has worked at Rockstar Games in a senior designer capacity for 8 years on titles such as Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption II and Max Payne 3. He also worked at EA, Blackbird Interactive, and most recently, while living in Edmonton, he worked for Chuhai Labs – Tokyo. He has developed a training course on practical game design for designers working in a business that is evolving at an exponentially fast speed.
Matt has been a regular host on Mensa Canada’s Gifted Youth Group gatherings.
THE ART OF MANGA
Presenter: Max Li
Max Li loves manga, the medium of Japanese comics that’s currently taking the world by storm. He’s read tens of thousands of manga volumes, and has researched the manga creation process and the lives of a mangaka (manga creator). He’s used his interactions with creators and editors in the field and knowledge of the medium to edit webcomics, webtoons, and manga for several years as a hobby. Max would like to share his love of manga with you!
A FILM IS STILL A FILM
Presenter: Scott Baker, Casablanca Enthusiast
A lighthearted talk about Casablanca; one of the best films ever made. There will be a discussion about its outstanding qualities, a touch on some minor errors of fact, character inconsistencies, and production trivia, augmented by a brief quiz.
Scott is a retired salesman, and a member of Atlantic Mensa, living in Nova Scotia. He is an avid fan of films, new or old, as long as they are good. He has an encyclopedic & frequently accurate knowledge of films. He first saw Casablanca when he was 18 and has probably seen it at least twice a year since.
CHATTING TO CLAUDE: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE -THE NEXT GENERATION
Presenter: Mishkin Berteig
Mishkin Berteig is an entrepreneur, a software developer, a math geek, an AFOL, a Baha’i, a father, a husband, a languages geek, an architecture buff, an almost author, and a road cyclist. He founded MaxGood.work in 2022 (a coaching platform) and Berteig Consulting in 2004. This is an organizational development consulting and training company that uses AI to connect users, technical, and business people to help create effective technical products and systems.
The presentation will discuss the future of AI after ChatGPT, and the philosophy of what it means to be human in the emerging context of powerful generative AI systems.
Mishkin Berteig is a member of London Mensa.
BLENDING THE PATHS LESS TRAVELLED
Presenter: Krista Barzso, B.Sc., Insurance Agent, Actor, Sword Enthusiast
Throughout her career, Krista Barzso has lived a double life; helping companies implement health and dental plans by day, and acting on stage and screen by night.
All along this very traditional career path (after all, doesn’t everyone pursue a science degree to work in insurance and the arts?), people have commented how it must be so difficult to split her focus between such opposing interests. This reaction makes sense in a world where we are told to pick a focus from birth, and stick with it. But the plot twist is that these two seemingly opposite fields actually compliment each other far more than they realize; businesses need creative solutions and artists need business savvy in order to thrive.
In this talk, Krista will explore how following the path less travelled has enriched both of her careers and consequently her life as a whole.
THE 1970’S FILM REVOLUTION
Presenter: Ian MacMillan, Toronto Mensa Legend and Movie Impassionado
In the 1970’s, films were made heading in new directions than those of the 1960’s. Although there was some good work in the 1960’s, the standard Hollywood fare seemed to be aimed at television audiences and was becoming tired and tame, and there were great changes in society that Hollywood didn’t seem to know what to do with. As the boomers came of age, and political consensus broke down, independent films and film-makers came into their own.
Ian has a dedicated movie room on the ground floor that will show ongoing classic movies to people who share his interest in great film. Please find him and put a request in, if you have a favourite you want to watch and discuss with an informed group.
BUSINESS CASE FOR SUSTAINABILITY: WORKSHOP
Presenter: David Sumpton, Instructor, Western University Engineering & Fanshawe College
We will apply the “Business Case for Sustainability”, first presented at the Mensa 2021 Online AG. Since then, companies must solve climate emergencies, deal with global political problems, comply with environmental, social & governance reporting regulations…and effectively apply technologies such as AI.
The world has changed again.
Imagine you are invited to a senior management meeting. Your company has asked you & your team to define a project which solves an environmental, climate or social issue. It must be affordable and technically feasible. It must be related to Business Strategy and grow the business.
How can you help your company find the resources for this? How do you avoid ‘greenwashing’ or ‘telling people what they want to hear’? What can you do to make a positive difference, as a leader, working professional, entrepreneur, or community volunteer?
Share your solutions. Discover new ideas and practical innovation.
FAKE IT UNTIL YOU MAKE IT. IMPROV LESSONS AND HOW TO BE IMPRESSIVE
Presenter: Marilyn Norry : Actor, Improv performer, director, author, book publisher, thesis researcher, drywall paster, wall painter, Mensa proctor
Marilyn Norry is a professional actor in Vancouver, and has mastered the art of being glorious.
This will be a workshop with exercises on:
- holding head high and appearing majestical.
- accepting Nobel prizes with grace and dignity
- deciding who you want to be, and then becoming that person.
- using a flourish of the hand to distract attention from the sandwich that just fell on the floor.
There will be costumes, prizes, fun and laughter.
There may be a grand finale parade through the Awards Banquet going on next door on Sunday morning.
This is part of the Mensa Youth Program, but people of any age are welcome to attend, if they want to release their Inner Diva.
Which is the costume and which is the real Marilyn? This is for you to decide.
THE ART OF THE DEBATE, AND HOW TO BE PERSUASIVE
Presenter: Tyson Geib; Mensa Canada YAM coordinator, Master Debater, puzzle enthusiast, Software developer
In the world of communication and persuasion, mastering the art of debate is a skill that can truly set you apart. Debates provide a platform to express ideas, challenge perspectives, and influence others through logical arguments and persuasive communication. Speaking during a debate is not just about expressing your ideas; it’s about capturing the attention of your audience, delivering your arguments effectively, and leaving a lasting impact. Good debaters learn valuable techniques to help them speak concisely with confidence and authority during a debate, organize their arguments logically, and present each point in a structured manner.
Debating skills can also be used to ask for a promotion, explain a disaster that was not your fault, or ask your parents to borrow the car for a week.
This will be an interactive session, with tips on how to develop the basic skills to conduct a debate.
If there is enough interest, there may be a debate contest, with prizes!
LAUGHING IN THE FACE OF TOTAL ABSURDITY
Presenter: Professor Giggles D. Otter
Professor Otter has made the utterly ridiculous her life’s work. Her latest book “Keeping a Straight Face in the Face of WTF” has spent the last 6 months on the New York Times Bestseller List, and she is the author of 42 research papers on the topic of bizarre beliefs and the absence of logic.
At 3pm on Saturday June 22nd, Professor Otter will lead a 1-hour workshop on how to let go, relax, and find humor in the craziness you can’t fix.
ACTIVE LISTENING: MAKING EYE CONTACT WITHOUT LOOKING CREEPY
Presenter: Gertrude von Wetpaws
Ms. Wetpaws is the CEO of Otterly Attentive Communications, Inc. She has 15 years’ experience in teaching the art of attentiveness as a tool for success at work, in social situations, and most importantly, in personal relationships. Her client list includes Fortune 500 executives, heads of state, and more then a few celebrities with scandals to smooth over.
At 8pm on Saturday June 22nd, Gertrude will lead a 1-hour workshop on how to make people feel that you’re genuinely interested in their thoughts, not just mentally calculating if they will fit in your freezer.
English (Canada) 
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