(Link to PDF version for printing)

July 2006
Newsletter

Contents

Coming Soon... Notes from the LocSec Member News Helping Out Election Results Your Dues at Work Scholarship News

 

Coming Soon...

• World Gathering (Aug 2006)
  Wg06.us.mensa.org

• Regional Gathering (September 2006)
  www.mamensa.org/RG2006

• Colloquium (October 2006)
  www.colloquium.us.mensa.org

We are looking for original artwork for our newsletter, submit yours to editor@palmbeach.us.mensa.org.

Visit our website at www.palmbeach.us.mensa.org

 

Notes from the LocSec --

Hello fellow Palm Mensans

There are many issues that demand our attention today if we are to have a human friendly planet for our offspring and their offspring. 

      The price of Gas at the pumps serves to bring one to our attention, that of energy. Oil is around $70 a barrel, gas at $3.00 a gallon, some say it will be $150 and $5.00 soon if any of a number of potential international crises are not averted, such as the Iranian Nuclear program, and the Iraq's attempts at government formation. Then there is Venezuela's Hugo Chavez' dislike for the US and Carlos Mesa's quasi nationalization of their natural gas industry, and Nigeria's militia attacks on oil facilities, all of which add supply uncertainty to the oil that are industrialized states lifeblood.

     Renewable energy sources, solar, wind, biomass, tidal, and others, are the rage today. China has passed a law that requires all power generating companies to have a minimum of 5% renewable generation by 2010. The island of Samsoe off the coast of Denmark was designated a renewable energy island by Denmark in 1998, and has now reached the goal that 100% of its electricity comes from renewable sources, and 75% of its heating requirements also.

     In the UK the greens object to the unsightliness of the giant wind turbines, and the UK birdwatchers say that they are an obstacle for bird migration killing many avian species.

     The average human can generate between 0.1 and 0.5 HP by pedaling and turning a generator. The Gossamer Albatross was flown over the English Channel in 1979 to win the second Kremer prize by human power alone. It flew at an average speed of 18mph and was piloted by an athlete, Bryan Allen, who is calculated to have generated as much as 1 HP of power, and averaged 0.6 HP. The flight took 2 hr 49 minutes, indicating that a fit human may put out 0.6 HP for at least a couple of hours. Contrast this to the power required for many common home power requirements, e.g. washer, ~1HP, dryer ~7HP, 3.5 ton air conditioning system ~6HP. Then consider the lowest powered automobile, one of which would be the Honda insight rated at 60mpg in the city and 66mpg on the highway. It has a 3 cylinder 1 liter engine that generates a maximum of 65HP, somewhat more than pedal power could achieve.

     My point is we cannot visit family, deliver goods, and enjoy nighttime sports without energy greater than humans can create mechanically. We need alternatives, and we need them rather quickly.  Coal we are told is in the ground in quantities to last 300 years at our current rate of usage. If we stopped using oil for electricity generation, then this coal would substitute for oil and last correspondingly less time, but still at least 200 years plus. However burning fossil fuel is what is according to most climatologists is causing global warming. The US Republican led executive branch has yet to agree with this, although no surprise given where their and their friend's wealth has, and continues to come from. 

     So, global warming is even more of an issue than the impending energy shortage, and present energy costs. Some say the crisis is a few years away, others say even if we start to reduce greenhouse emissions now we will still have a 1.4 Cē to 5.8 Cē average temperature rise by 2100. Assuming the average of these extremes 3.6 Cē the result will cause the acceleration of the polar cap melting, and glacial melting, already observed and measured phenomena, will put the lower lying parts of many land masses, including parts of Florida under water.

     The EPA spells it out on its URL: http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/climate.html. Another information source is:  http://www.climatehotmap.org/ the site supported by a number of environmental organizations.

    So do we go back to Amish style living, if so we must reduce the population to a level sustainable by more primitive agriculture than we use today. Or do we go nuclear as France has done, so far successfully, and find a solution to the nuclear waste disposal, other than making Nukes. Or do we go renewable, using solar, wind, ethanol, bio-diesel, tidal, whatever?

     Solar has a significant disadvantage in that far more efficient storage of electricity in large quantity is required so lights stay on in the dark. Wind does not blow constantly except in special places, it also requires large electrical storage, way beyond the batteries we have today.  If we could wire the world though, the sun is shining on half of it, howbeit, only reaching the ground where no clouds are present, so we could have sun power 24/7 maybe?

     My challenge to the Mensans that read this newsletter is to put your superior intelligence to work and send your solutions back to our LETTERS TO THE EDITOR column via Ed Sorensen our new editor.

---Brian K. Johnson

 

Member News

Palm Beach County Mensa ended June with 334 members. We gained 10 brand new members, renewing or moving into our area. Welcome or welcome back to: Dr. Lois Hammond of Stuart, Denise Cote of WPB, Amy Mouskountakis of WPB, Gregg Kocenko of Wellington, Rory Burton of WPB, Michael Smollen of Boynton Bch, Steven 'Sam' McCollough of Lake Worth, Katherine Smith of Lake Worth, Philip Kapp of Boca Raton and Dana Coholan of Delray Bch.. Come on out to an event or organize one yourself. We'd like to meet you!

Have you renewed your membership yet?

 

Helping Out

Interested Mensans can read more about Project Inkslinger.

Dear Mensans,

Hopland Elementary School in Hopland, California (NW part of the State) was the only school in the State that was completely closed as a result of the New Year's flooding. Thousands of books were lost. The school is scheduled to reopen this September after extensive repair. Amy Wachspress of Redwood Empire Mensa has asked if we can help replace the school library books for the children.

Hopland Elementary is a small rural community school with about 170 students in grades K-6, plus a preschool. It serves a highly Native American and Latino population. After the flooding the children joined in, wearing rubber gloves and big gum boots, to cart the ruined books out to the dumpster in radio flyer wagons. Amy said it was heartbreaking.

Please send books for the children. Books should be developmentally appropriate for ages 4 to 11. Science, poetry, all the good stuff. Lots of picture books. Books about horses, farm animals, gardens, and nature. Books with Native American and Latino themes. Books in English, or Spanish, or bilingual. Classics as well as contemporary. And those series that children love like the Goosebumps, Animorphs, Babysitters Club, Series of Unfortunate Events, Harry Potter, etc. Well, just about everything!

New or gently used books would be nice. Even one would be welcome. If you send many, please limit each box weight to 30 lbs maximum. Check with carriers for book shipping rate.

Send books to:
Hopland School/Warehouse
130 Fircrest Ave
Ukiah, CA 95482

Respectfully,
Michael Paul Beetham
Project Inkslinger Coordinator

 

Election Results

Locsec:
Brian Johnson (15)
Barry Karras (14)
New Locsec = Brian Johnson

Treasurer:
Kathy Hickok (11)
Tom Winchester (17)
New Treasurer = Tom Winchester

Editor:
Ed Sorensen (no alternative)
New Editor = Ed Sorensen

Program chair:
Kathy Hickok (2)
Barry Karras (1)
New program chair = Kathy Hickok
Note: Kathy has declined the position.

 

Your Dues at Work

by Tom Winchester, Treasurer

This is just a note to say that the Palm Beach chapter is operating on a sound budget. I am required to publish a financial report semi-annually and you may not have seen one in the last six months. For anyone who might be concerned, it will be published for the first half 2006 in the August newsletter. The newsletter is our primary expense, and there are possible opportunities for other meaningful expenditures to be discussed.

 

Scholarship News

William Harwood of Palm City won a $300 Mensa scholarship for an essay outlining his career plans. He graduated this year from South Fork High School in Martin County and will pursue a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering at Florida Institute of Technology. He plans to work in a third world country and improve their electrical systems or provide a new electrical base in areas where there is currently no power.

The sole eligibility requirement for Mensa scholarships is to be enrolled for the upcoming academic year in an accredited U.S. institution of post-secondary education. The scholarship competition is announced in the fall and closes after the beginning of the year. During that time applications are available on the American Mensa Web site. Essays are judged by panels of local, regional and national Mensans. For more information contact Janice Johnson at 772-463-0495, Janice@aposner.net.