(Link to PDF version for printing)

VOL 2  ISSUE 3           MAR  2008

Spring makes me go crazy

Contents

LocSec Column The Tenth Story Palm Beach Area Mensa Group Elections

 

LocSec Column

        Spring is almost here, wild life, and that includes most of us, goes crazy in the spring. The Slash pines are dusting us with their yellow pollen, the cherry hedges are starting to flower, the leaves have come back on the almond trees, and the bottle brush is in full bloom. In my micro nursery I have succeeded in seeding three slash pines, they will take three years to reach 6 feet tall, but will help to replace those we have lost to the southern pine beetle. This spring is special for Palm Beach area Mensans because we are having a change of the guard, and election of officers. The candidates statements are published in this edition of the newsletter, and the voting sheet is on page 7. Please be sure an d get your ballots in by March 14th midnight. We have two great volunteer vote counters, they are Evelyn Levy, longtime member in Boca Raton, and Kay Skoog, a longtime member also in Boca Raton.

Directions for mailing your ballot are listed on it

There is a deadline, it is MIDNIGHT ON THE 14th of March.

This is so we can announce the results in the April newsletter the deadline for which is the 16th of March. Please vote, and please get your ballots in before the deadline

Brian Johnson
LocSec.

The editor apologizes for the missing March birthday section, there was not sufficient space in this issue due to the election notice and ballot form.

Happy birthday to all Palm beach Area Mensans who have a March birthday.

All new member since the start of 2008, welcome to the Palm Beach Area Chapter. We will be a having a new member event soon.

 

The Tenth Story

THE GENX REPORT

When Maggie asked me to be her Assistant RVC last July, I didn't realize how many great people I would meet through this office. Attending the LDW, the AMC meeting and trying to get to every one of our regional RGs (I've made them all except one, so far!) has really let me meet a lot of new people, and has led me to get involved in Mensa in new ways.

One of the things I've done is to start a Region 10 blog, designed to give people a place to keep up with what is going on locally. I cover all of the little National Office announcements that don't often get printed in the newsletters, and I highlight a Region 10 local event every Friday. You can find the blog at http://kelleymensa.blogspot.com. Contributions are always welcome: if you have something to say about Mensa in Florida and you are looking for a venue, please drop me a line so that we can discuss your ideas.

If you are a GenXer in the Mensan sense, born between 1961 and 1981, consider joining the Region 10 GenX e-list. This list is much lower in traffic than the main GenX list, and is where Florida GenXers discuss upcoming RGs and who is planning to attend what local events. The list and instructions for joining can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GenX-R10/.

In other online venues, the main GenX SIG has started sub-groups on MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn in order to help promote Mensa membership with the younger crowd. Everyone has their favorite bit of online real estate these days, so let's find each other wherever we are! Information on the online coordinators and how to join the sub-groups is available for SIG members on the main SIG website at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GenX-Ms/

I hope to see all of you are our next Regional Gathering, the Tampa Bay ARRR-RG in historic Ybor City over Memorial Day weekend. RG Chair Maran Fulvi tells me they are planning all kinds of wonderful things from a Chocolate Orgy to a Trash Bowl. If I haven't met you yet, I am certainly looking forward to it.

Maggie Truelove, RVC 10
Lisa Kelley, Assistant RVC 10

 

Palm Beach Area Mensa Group Elections

Office           Candidate Statement      

Local Secretary: My name's Rich Haney, and I'm running for the position of Local Secretary of Palm Beach Mensa.

I've been a Mensan since 1997, moving from Broward Mensa to Palm Beach Mensa in 1999.  In real life, I'm a UNIX Systems Engineer.  I've been the team lead on several high-profile projects, and at one point was the manager of the systems administration group, with responsibilities for people and systems worldwide.  I've been responsible for coordinating people and systems, making sure they work together smoothly, for several years.  Before entering the computer field, I was a store manager for a national retail chain.

I'd like to work to diversify PB Mensa, involving a broader cross-section of age groups and interests.  One area in particular where I would like to see enhancement is programs for young (teen and pre-teen) Mensans.  If the organization is to continue to survive (and ultimately thrive), we need to continue to bring fresh perspective and new faces, and by involving younger people at an earlier age, they'll grow into the roles that will be necessary for our future.

I'm looking forward to serving as Local Secretary, and am confident that I can keep P.B. Mensa moving in the right direction.  I hope to receive your vote in the upcoming election.

Treasurer: Much like the myriad joggers of late, I'm running again.                   OK, so I'm better at financials than humor. Should you vote for me, I'll continue to serve the group as treasurer. Thanks for your support,

Tom Winchester  Current Treasurer, Palm Beach Area Mensa

Editor: I have published the Palm Mensan newsletter since December 2006, during this time the cost of publishing has been reduced significantly so that now our local group treasury grows instead of shrinking each month. I have also been Local Secretary, and Membership Chair during this time. The duties of those offices have prevented me from doing more with the newsletter. Now that I am stepping out of the Local Secretary task and the Membership Chair, I will be able to devote full time to the Palm Mensan. Please vote for me as Editor. Contact:   briankj@bellsouth.net  /   561-706-3725

Recording Secretary:    Member 10 years - no previous elected posts

                  Work Experience: NCCI Holdings, Inc - 19 years

                  Lead Business Analyst -- 5 years

Responsible for Project Management, interactions between IT and Business units, project documentation, project communication, select and lead project teams, provide system knowledge and support for the Business unit, represent department to NCCI as a whole, including IT, Customer Service, Data Collection, Regulatory, Legal, and Finance.

       BS Economics, Lebanon Valley College.  Married, one child -- both Mensans

3950 Barkis Ave Boynton Beach, FL 33436     H:  561-244-5531      C:  561-523-8060

ELECTION DIRECTIONS

Palm Beach Area Mensa (PBAM) is having an election this month. Between the dotted line below is your ballot with the names of the candidates for office.

Please vote by circling a name for each position or write in the name of a Mensa Member in good standing who has agreed to be a candidate for that position. Then cut off this page with the ballot and mail it to either to arrive at either of the election tellers shown below. Vote before Midnight on March 14th 2008 to have your selections count.

Evelyn Levy 20139 S Key Dr. Boca Raton 33498  FL

Kay Skoog 1265 NW Seventh St. Boca Raton 33486  FL

Winners will be announced in the April newsletter, and newly elected officials will begin their two-year term on May 1st 2008.

Official ballot for Palm Beach Area Mensa March 2008

Deadline for vote to be counted is midnight March 14th 2008

Office	Candidate	Write in
Local Secretary:	Richard Haney	________________
Treasurer:	Tom Winchester	________________
Editor:	Brian Johnson	________________
Recording Secretary:	Kathy Haney	________________

Vote before March 14th 2008 to have your selections count