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Palm-Mensa
Palm Beach County Mensa Newsletter
August, 2003
Contents
To Ponder...
Historical Perspective: A plaque can still be found on the moon with the name of a famous politician inscribed on it. What name is engraved on the plaque that was deliberately left behind by an astronaut? Email elissa12@bellsouth.net with your answer.
Here's the answer to the easy challenge of last month. The one English word that retains its original pronunciation even when the last four letters are dropped is . . . Queue!
Notes From The Underground
By: Barry Karas
MEANING. Some time ago I might have mentioned this. The Internet is full of acronyms, some of which we may not know. E.g., do you know what ROTFL (and its variant ROTFLMAO) means? How about URL? Well, you can go to Acronym Finder to find out: http://www.acronymfinder.com/. You can have fun and see what your own initials generate. Mine generate a chemical: Benzyl Methyl Keton or "ketonE." (When I can find it on a search engine I think it is some sort of amphetamine.)
INTERLOC. As an officer, I get this little magazine ten times per year. It is more of a communications link between the members and the national office than the Bulletin. You can get this magazine but you have to subscribe. And it's free. Just contact the national office in order to subscribe. If you want more information, you could contact me.
HALL OF FAME. This year's inductee is Thomas A. Edison. The HoF honors individuals who have demonstrated their genius through remarkable vision and accomplishments. Some other members are Charles Darwin and Leonardo da Vinci. Sadly, I am nowhere to be found on this list.
NUMBERS. Last year we reached a maximum membership of 346. It currently is 318 because we (and national Mensa too) lose members at renewal time. Let's bring our membership maximum to 350 or more this plan year.
The Tenth Story
(RVC Column for Region 10; August 2003)
By Elissa Rudolph
Picture a lineup of about 50, six-foot Linus statues costumed in
everything from an Elvis jumpsuit to the Jolly Green Giant to
Einstein, even a 60s Flower Child, and you have an idea of the
homage paid to one of St. Paul, Minnesota's most famous citizens --
cartoonist Charles Schultz. This row of Linuses stretched across
a bridge over the fast, brown, Mississippi near the AG hotel.
Along with that note of humor, also found in the hotel lobby,
terrific programs, tours, fun, and friends, the 2003 AG was an
undeniable success for more than 1400 attendees. To see Scott
Rainey's collection of photos from the AG, go to:
http://www.oregon.us.mensa.org/pix/2003ag/
To make the AG even better, our Region 10 won several awards-but not as many as I had hoped-the PRP (Publication Recognition Program) competition was fierce. We collected 10 print nominations and 11 Web nominations all told. Tampa Bay Mensa's Web site (Mary W. Matthews, Webmaster) won an award in the category of Puzzles and Games and a Special Mention for an RSVP feature. Tampa Bay's Web calendar editor, Ronan Heffernan, won an award for service to members through calendar postings. No print awards came our way even though two groups, Manasota Mensa and Space Coast Area Mensa were in the running for the Medium Group Owl award. Guess the judges could not choose between them (they are both so good!), so they chose another group entirely outside of Florida. Congrats to all nominees and winners!
Tallahassee Mensa received an Innovative Owl award for retaining a greater percentage of its members than most other Mensa groups. Tinker Lammert, all around volunteer, deserves applause for keeping it all together. Hope to get up there one of these days!
Congratulations also to Lisa Kelley, Broward Mensa, who will be serving on the MensaWorldConnect committee (pairs U.S. Mensa groups with other national Mensas) and to Janice Johnson, Palm Beach County Mensa, who will be editing the Leadership Development Workshop (LDW) manual, adding new programs to expand the curricula. fun in August, but look out for those Dog Days of Summer....arf!
Coming Soon...
October 24-26, The MagicOwl RG, hosted by Broward Mensa,
Plantation Holiday Inn, near world famous Sawgrass Mills (954-472-5600);
$75 til 7/30 inc. 4 meals; Registrar: Barbara Moore
(954-752-8483).
Elissa Rudolph
RVC10@us.mensa.org
5054 Lakefront Blvd., Apt. D
Delray Beach, FL 33484
561-496-0124
Dusty Reviews
by Miss Dustinea Jacquette,
retired, spinsterish librarian
Blood Orchid is Stuart Woods' latest tale of the adventures of Chief of Police Holly Barker of Orchid Beach, Florida, a very Vero Beach-like small town on the state's east coast. What begins as a series of unrelated murders of real estate developers evolves into a large money laundering scheme based right under Chief Barker's nose. Although I thought eliminating real estate developers in Florida might be a good sign -- surely we do not need more development -- Chief Barker is adding the details together and coming up with a brutal scam more dangerous and far-reaching than any she has dealt with in previous novels.
The story reads easily with several sidelights to add a bit of sex and fun. Chief Barker falls into the arms of an FBI agent, Grant Early, an attractive man who not only cooks in the kitchen, he really sizzles in the bedroom (I'm blushing!). Holly deals with the new owner of an abandoned development in her town originally called Palmetto Gardens. Ed Shine grows orchids and not just your common phalenopsis, but a blood red bloom called (what else?) the Blood Orchid. In fact, he has re-named the development after the exotic flower, but I ask you, would you live in a community called Blood Orchid Estates? Advertised thus: Blood Orchid Estates, a new golf community, home sites from $1M, completed homes from $2.5M. Sounds a bit vampirish to me.
Other Holly Barker/Orchid Beach novels are just as lively as this one. Visit your local library and flirt with the librarian, esp. if she's past the age of 60.
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Hello to all! Allow me to introduce myself: I am a former homemaker whose two boys had the bad taste to grow up and move away, throwing me out of work. So I went downtown and found a new job as an administrator in an insurance office, where I act like a mother and clean up after everyone else.
I have been married for almost 39 years to (you guessed it) Bill Hickok, who is not wild, but is related to James Butler.
I am older than most dirt and other stuff in South Florida, and I just found out I was smart enough to be a Mensan in 2001.
I hope to present a readable and enjoyable newsletter each month, and I'd like for you to let me know what I can include that interests you. My address is 6529 Country Wood Way in Delray Beach. The zip is 33484-3508. E-mail is hickokhome@aol.com.
This is gonna be fun.
Until next month...Kathy
Event Reviews
AG03-Time to Renew Old Friendships, Time to Meet New Friends
St. Paul, Minn-e soh-ta, on the Mississippi, was the site of the 2003 Annual Gathering, and it was as warm as Florida in July. With nearly 1500 Mensans mingling and hundreds of conversations sparking along, the energy was high and smiles were incandescent. Bob and Ann Abbott and Elissa Rudolph were the only Ms from the Palm Beach County group in attendance. Bob ran his "Bureaucratic Maze," a sort of satiric look at the corporate conundrum many of us find puzzling. There were several winners who figured out the answer and a few participants who may be still wondering what the solution is.
Next year, the Annual Gathering is in Las Vegas (or, Lost Wages, to some), in 2005 New Orleans, and 2006, you won't have to go far from home to enjoy a large Mensa gathering. To celebrate Mensa's 60th birthday, a World Gathering will be held at the Coronado Springs Resort in Disney World, Orlando. Ms from all over the world will be here to commemorate the occasion. It will be a "one of a kind" gathering.
NEW TERM FOR THE MONTH
MOUSE POTATO: The computer equivalent of a couch potato. With computing and being online becoming more popular -- even taking away some TV viewers -- expect to see more mouse potatoes. From Barry Karas.
Notes & Newsworthy Items
As of the end of April Palm Beach County Mensa had 318 members— 6 entered the group as new, reinstated or moving in members. Welcome or welcome back to Hubert Connolly, Royal Palm Beach; John Desormeau, Delray Beach; Philip Kapp, Boca Raton; Justin Lumiere, Boca Raton; Steven Meyer, Boca Raton; and Stephen Nie, Jupiter. Come out to an event and let us meet you or organize one in your area and meet other Mensans!
Note: The opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and DO NOT reflect opinions of Palm Beach County Mensa, its officers, or of American Mensa, Ltd., which holds NO opinions.
© 2000-2007 Palm Beach County Mensa. The Mensa logo is a registered trademark of Mensa International Limited and American Mensa Limited, all rights reserved. Mensa does not hold any opinion or have, or express, any political or religious views.