(Link to PDF version for printing)

April 2007
Newsletter

Anhinga's fine Spring catch

 

Contents

LocSec Column The Tenth Story Music Lovers--CandleLight Concert Series Boca Bunch Report Dining Adventure Group (DAG) "Boca Raton Where are you?" - Follow up. AMC in Action

 

LocSec Column

Boca Mensans, I am happy to report that two new events were successful. Kay Skoog's Boca Bunch had their first meeting and it was enjoyed by all, and Elissa's DAG had an electric event at the Pineapple Grille. You can read about them in another part of this newsletter.

I wish to let members know that I will be passing the newsletter off to Len Woodrow. He is unable to come to executive meetings, and as the Editor is one of the elected ExComm positions, he will be titled Assistant Editor. The task is too much for me since and has stolen time from my LocSec duties, which I feel bad about. We do still need an editor, and with Len's help the task will be less Time consuming than it has been for me. I shall remain Interim Editor and still do the final review, and send the document to Kinkos.

Group 334 also needs a Membership Chairperson. This is an important position that is responsible for maintaining membership and encouraging membership growth. The task is not all that hard, but it is a key volunteer position that I am filling, but not as well as someone who has only that position. Palm Mensa is an all volunteer group, and we have over 350 members. Surely there is at least one of you who would enjoy the experience of being Group 334's Membership Chair! Volunteering can be a very mind expanding, challenging, and a fun learning experience. The benefits are often not tangible, but they are real and they stay with you for ever. Get your name listed in the Newsletter inside front page, volunteer for membership Chair, contact your LocSec today!

April is the first full month of Spring. It is the month that many plants and trees blossom, and in the countryside the squirrels go crazy, so watch your driving, lets not add to the appalling road kill, remember, all creatures have a place in this interdependent web of existence we all share and depend upon.

Brian K. Johnson / LocSec Palm Beach Mensa

 

The Tenth Story

Thank you, Region 10! I am reelected due to there being THE TENTH STORY

There has been a lot of reaction to my mentioning last month about the option of receiving your newsletters electronically rather than in print. I do wish to make a couple of comments regarding this issue. First, it is only intended to be an OPTION for members to CHOOSE to receive them that way. At no point is anyone going to be required to have anything other than their paper-in-hand. Second, I am rather pleased to note that some members are actually reading my column! Thank you!

Both national and international Mensa elections are upon us, and I encourage you to vote! At the national level, there is strong competition for all but one (1st Vice Chair Elissa Rudolph) of the AMC ExComm positions. I urge you to take the time to read the candidates' information and vote for those you think will do the best jobs. At the international level, I know that many of us don't vote, probably because we don't know the candidates or much about them. Sad to say, American Mensa has more than twice as many members as UK Mensa, yet in the last heavily contested election (2003), UK had more votes cast than American Mensa. As an informational item for you, I am going to list those candidates for international office who were nominated or endorsed by the AMC, basically being given AML support. 

They are Jim Werdell for Chair, Stacey Kirsch for Director of Administration, Willem Bouwens for Director of Development, and Godwin Zwanenburg for Treasurer. Of those four, Jim And Stacey are members of American Mensa. Now, please join me in voting.

Much attention has been paid lately to an article being sent to various newsletters around the country, stating that Mensa was better in the good old days, and perhaps we should go back to the good old days. This was written by someone who could speak knowingly, having been a member since the good old days. For myself, I have only been a member for 25 years, so my good old days aren't quite so far back. 

However, I did want to comment about this situation. For many of us beyond our GenX years, we can hark back to things that were great way back when, but we should also remember that the whole world is different now than it was back then. Rather than going on about things that have changed, I will just say that I truly do like Mensa administration better now than back in the good old days. I like receiving prompt attention from the national office in Texas rather than waiting forever for a response from an apartment in Brooklyn! I like the fact that our name and logo are being protected. I like the fact that hospitality people are being trained in food safety, to protect our health. And so on. If things at the national level were still being done the way they were in the good old days, I am not sure that Mensa would have survived at all!

Remember the upcoming events - Tampa Bay's ARRR-G in May, the AG in Birmingham in July, and FloRanGe a Trois in Fort Lauderdale in September. See you there!

Maggie Truelove

Regional Vice Chair, Region 10

3333 Honeysuckle Lane Orlando, Florida 32812

407-855-9078

rvc10@cfl.rr.com

 

Music Lovers--CandleLight Concert Series

The first of a series of Candlelight Concerts held on February 25th was a great success, and those who went rave about their experience. Two more in the series  arranged by well known musical director and soprano Marilyn Mims are coming up.  Call (561) 627-6105 9am-2pm  wk. days for tickets. Unfortunately March 25 will be gone by the time this newsletter reaches you.

Sun. Mar.  25 -- Marcio Bezerra and Estibaliz Gastesi classical pianists

Sun. Apr.  15 -- Javier Bernardo, tenor; Ramon Tebar, piano; Miguel Gonzales, guitar

Concerts will be at the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Palm Beaches at: 635 Prosperity Farms Road, North Palm Beach. It is on the west side about 0.5 miles North of Northlake Blvd. just over the canal.

 

Boca Bunch Report

The Boca Bunch met March 10 at Kay Skoog's house for discussion and practice of image streaming, as recommended by Dr. Win Wenger's book The Einstein Factor. We were nine people: Esther Michaels and Laura Michaels and their guests Suzanne Saunders and Linda Feldman, Don VanDusen, Tom Zarate, Elissa Rudolph and Patrick Peacock and hostess Kay Skoog.  In reporting the images, we learned that some people imagine in bright colors and some don't. The best thing we learned is that we enjoy getting together and seeing old and new friends. We'll do it again in May. Watch the calendar. The next event will be in May.

 

Dining Adventure Group (DAG)

It's always an challenge to attempt to find a great restaurant, reasonable prices, good food served efficiently, and all enjoyed in pleasant company. February's Dining Adventure could have been a DOG (Dining Out Gruesome) instead of a DAG (Dining Adventure Great). The event hit most of points mentioned -- the Pineapple Grille in Delray Beach is in great location, prices are moderate, food is eclectic, and dining with Ann and Bob Abbott of Jupiter was certainly fun. But just before we arrived, the restaurant lost its electricity and was operating on emergency power. The place was dark, smoky, and intimidating. Being the adventurous sort, we stuck with our plans. Eventually, it all worked out. Except for the lack of ambience -- nearby conversations were too intrusive for easy repartee among us diners -- and the cluelessness of our server (who may have been pressed into service at the last minute), it was still a pleasant experience.

  March's DAG event was at Greenfield's in Delray Beach and April's will be at Fratelli's Italian Restaurant in Delray Beach. Join us! Or suggest a restaurant in your area.  Elissa Rudolph.

Review of Atlantic Fish Company, Delray Beach : We were seven in January -- Hub and Rita Elkins, Pat and Paul Couture, Barbara Rosen, Patrick Peacock, and Elissa Rudolph (organizer). It was a Friday night in high season, so we had a bit of a wait even with a reservation. Once seated and recognized by the server, who was extremely attentive once she saw we were a congenial group, we commenced conversation and sampling the specials (pecan crusted snapper was among the delicacies). As with most Mensa get togethers, the discussion ranged from current events to Mensa's future to the next restaurant we should try. The food and service were good to excellent according to the diners.

See the calendar for DAG's next meeting.

 

"Boca Raton Where are you?" - Follow up.

We have discovered Bocan's do not eat lunch, or they do not socialize when they eat lunch. Jerry Mitchell advertised a luncheon group in Boca in last month's newsletter but received no responses. Bocans, if I have drawn the wrong conclusion, please suggest a more appropriate one. Email your appropriate conclusions to your LocSec.

 

AMC in Action

In December of this year, American Mensa's board of directors, also known as the AMC (American Mensa Committee) will hold its winter meeting in West Palm Beach at the Airport Holiday Inn. Palm Beach County Mensa is hosting the AMC, which means that you, the local members, will have the opportunity to meet the 21 board members, many of whom may be only vague names to you. Our Executive Director, Pam Donahoo, will attend also. The schedule for this particular weekend is something like this -- Nov. 30, Friday evening, a reception (snacks and beverages) for the AMC and local members at the hotel; Dec. 1, Saturday, 9am to 5pm, the AMC meets. The meeting also at the hotel is open to all members. Saturday evening there will be a special dinner, details to come, for the AMC and any interested local members.

A small cadre of local members is needed to help with various aspects of this AMC meeting. We need volunteers  who will pick up people at the airport and ferry them to the hotel (not absolutely necessary, but a nice, welcoming gesture) and a few people to organize and keep stocked the snacks and drinks in the hospitality suite Friday evening and Saturday evening. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Elissa Rudolph (elissa12@bellsouth.net or 561-496-0124).

If you have ever wondered how your organization really works, this is an ideal time to find out and meet those members who volunteer their time to keep Mensa vibrant and stimulating!