December 2001 December 2001
Mid-Mensan
The Newsletter of Mid-Hudson Mensa
The Passing of the Marmot
MID-MENSAN (ISSN 1052-1046) is published monthly except February and August (10 issues per year) at 9 Miller Rd., Poughkeepsie, NY 12603. Subscription is $3.50 per year for current members of Mid-Hudson Mensa, and is included as part of their annual membership dues ($49.00).
Subscription fee for non-members of Mid-Hudson Mensa is $6.00 per year. Periodical rate paid at Poughkeepsie, NY 12601.
Postmaster: Send address changes to American Mensa Ltd., 1229 Corporate Dr. West, Arlington, TX 76006-6103.
MID-MENSAN is the official publication of Mid-Hudson Mensa, group 124. Mensa is an international society in which the sole requirement for membership is a score at or above the 98th percentile on any of a number of standard IQ tests. Mensa is a not-for-profit organization whose main purpose is to serve as a means of communication and assembly for its members. Inquiries should be directed to American Mensa, Ltd., 1229 Corporate Dr. West, Arlington, TX 76006-6103. Telephone: (817) 607-0060, or e-mail to AmericanMensa@mensa.org.
The opinions expressed in MID-MENSAN are those of the individual authors and are in no way intended to express the opinions of local or national Mensa, which has no opinion. Other Mensa publications may reprint any portion of this newsletter which is not individually copyrighted as long as credit is given to the author or artist and to MID-MENSAN.
The deadline for contributions for each issue is the 15th of the previous month. Anything not received by then will be held for consideration in the following issue. Contributions must be signed by the author or artist but may be published using a pen name or anonymously.
From the President's Doghouse 3
From Under the Marmot 4
Meet the New Editor 5
Amid-Hudson Mensans 6
MGs Past, Present, Future 8
A look back at MGs 9
Circulation Statement 10
Waldenbooks® Coupon 11
Snappy Science Snippets 12
Dear Miss Mensa 13
December Calendar 14
Program Notes 16
Still Wanted 16
Pun of the Month 17
Testing Day Report 17
Upcoming RGs 18
Mind Games Bid Update 18
November Ex Comm Minutes 19
Paws For Reflection 20
What's Up? 21
Cryptograms 22
Top 5 22
PotPourri 23
TV and Music Trivia 24
December Trivia 25
Answers 26
From the President's Doghouse
Jim Jelacic with Dixie
We've finally made it to the end of the year. It's a time to reflect on the past twelve months. This year's raise barely covered the increase in the cable TV bill. Passed over for promotion by someone younger who has more hair. After months of dieting, you gained five pounds instead of losing fifteen. Your dog/cat/iguana had puppies/ kittens/iguanites that you couldn't get rid of and now have turned your home into a wildlife refuge. After reviewing the endless disappointments and dismal failures for the past year, there is only one thing left for you to do: LET'S PARTY!!!
December is a month to party. All your old disappointments and failures are behind you. Learn from them and then dump them. Celebrate all the victories you won. Talking the cop out of a ticket. Choosing the fastest checkout line at the grocery store. The Internal Revenue giving an unexpected refund. Getting in the last word in an argument with your spouse/in-law/ obnoxious telemarketer. It's time to appreciate all of life's little pleasures. It's time to party.
Let it be said that Mensans never need an excuse to party. ("Hey, it's National Warthogs Day. Let's party.") But when there is a legal, nationally accepted excuse to get down and bogie, we High IQer's can do it with a vengeance. December is loaded with excuses. And most of them are religious. After eleven months of absolute obedience and solemn reverence, it appears the deities like to shake loose their dusty robes of omnipotence and party with the rest of us. It's time to party.
So whether you wish your fellow revelers Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Winter Solstice, or Happy Glugsmuckfest1, just remember: Baby iguanites make great holiday gifts! Happy Holidays and Party Hearty!
[1] Find out about Glugschmuckfest at http://www.heptune.com/StarTr12.html
Editor
Bill Zigo
It doesn't seem like it was five years ago that I moved from chapter president to newsletter editor. Well, I'm moving again. This is my last issue as editor of the Mid-Mensan. After this, I guess I could say I'm "out from under the marmot." Angela Tremain will take over with the next issue.
I'm very glad to have been able to add my name to the talented people who have edited this award-winning newsletter. By coincidence, I have -- and will continue to hold, for the time being -- the entire inventory of Mid-Mensans. I've enjoyed reading them and seeing how each editor added his or her touches and allowed the newsletter to grow in new directions.
Past newsletter editors don't receive enough credit, so I'd like to thank each of them here. Thank you: Nancy Keyes-Crosby, Kathie Vanleer, Candace Cowan, Diane Semanske, and Ron McMurdy.
But I'm not stepping too far from under the marmot. I will continue to have newsletter responsibilities. Angela has asked me to resurrect my old Are You Game? column. And as half of the current membership team, I will continue to provide input for at least some of Amid-Hudson Mensans, and I'll continue my music trivia column.
I will also continue as calendar editor. This means that anyone interested in holding an event should still get in touch with me. Because I am now essentially a middleman, I am going to impose a deadline for calendar entries: Events for the calendar must be submitted to me by the 15th of the previous month.
I have a new e-mail address too. If you're using my "Mensa" e-mail address, bzigo@compuserve.com, please switch over to mr.marmot@worldnet.att.net. I'll continue to maintain a Mid-Hudson Mensa e-mail distribution list for calendar updates; these will shortly be sent from "mister marmot."
I'd like to thank everyone who contributed to our newsletter over the past five years. I'd also like to thank the other Mensa editors, in particular the ones whom I've met, networked with, etc. You're a hard-working and under-appreciated bunch.
Thanks to this month's proofers: Alan Hauck, Angela Tremain, and Merrill Loechner.. Thanks also to last month's FSM crew: Joanne Schultz, Angela Tremain and of course our publisher, Ron McMurdy.
Meet Our New Editor Angela Tremain
My page is blank. What should I do? Ziggy thinks I should write a little introduction to myself for the newsletter. I think I should, too. But my page is blank. A large mass of white and a lone, blinking cursor. The airy hum of electricity wasted while I sit, stare, delay, wonder.
This is the moment I have always hated. The moment before the idea finally presents itself, before the hands start to work converting thought to text. The moment that usually started when the professor said "8-10 pages" and ended about 8-10 hours before the paper was due.
Should I stick to plain facts? Tell them why I'm doing this? (Why am I doing this?) Try a little humor? (Yeah, right, the way I tell a joke?)
I can do this. I write. I edit. When they need to know, folks come to me and say How do I say this? Is this correct? Who else lives and works with a grammar within 10 paces? Reads Thomas Hardy aloud to co-workers at lunchtime, grinning with delight at each dazzling phrase? I can do this.
(Just over a half column, not even a third done. Needs more words. OK, give 'em some facts now.)
I joined Mensa just over a year ago. The MGs were held at my local library, and I wanted something to do on the nights that my friends were working besides sitting on the couch arguing with my cat about whether she needed any porch time and watching Pride and Prejudice for the I-don't-know-how-many-eth time. And I thought that maybe Mensans would get some of my jokes. (Yeah, right -- the way I tell a joke?)
I worry that I'm doing this too soon. I've only been a member for a year -- what do I know about Mensa, about local Mensan tastes? And let's not forget the whole award-winning thing. Like I'm qualified to keep up that newsletter tradition.
Hey, this is scary. Ah, Ziggy, you don't really want to give up the post, do you? Or you can find some one else, right? After all, nothing's etched in stone. Nobody's told National yet, have they?
Wait. I'm doing this because I think I can. I've done some of this stuff before. I work on the newsletter of a local Audubon chapter. My company's annual report comes together largely due to me. And I enjoy the work, writing and editing, putting it together, laying it out, nagging late contributors, sitting at my computer for hours at a stretch, aching to get that one little detail just right. I can do this.
And I want to be involved. This seems pretty involved to me.
So, did you hear the one about the woman who volunteered to do the local Mensa newsletter? I hope it turns out well for her.
Angela Tremain
mhmensan@bestweb.net
14 Greenrose Drive
Marlboro, NY 12542-5919
(845) 236-3231
Merrill Loechner
and Bill Zigo
12/1 - Dr. Joseph Engenito Jr., Nathan Rosenblum
12/3 - Bob Matthews
12/7 - Mark Adams
12/11 - Les Herring, Mark Ross
12/15 - Tim Tate
12/16 - Glenn Haight
12/21 - Elizabeth "Buff" McAllister
12/23 - Casimer Decusatis
12/26 - Nick Roes
12/29 - Jim "El Presidente" Jelacic
12/31 - Ellie Stonitsch
If you have a December birthday, but you don't see it here, it's because it's listed as "withheld" on our monthly roster -- sometimes without you even knowing it. For example, Jim Jelacic's birth date, phone number and e-mail address are all listed as withheld on the roster, and he never requested it (luckily, Ye Editor knows when his birthday is). If you would like to verify/update this information, please contact the National Office either at your convenience or when you next renew.
2000 - Ronald Perry
1999 - "Webmaster" Rich Dennison, Laurie Hicinbothem, Philip Kandl, "Mr. Top 5" Dave Kochler, "Veggied & tattooed" Michelle Wojtaszek
1998 - David Furlin, Glenn Haight, Nancy Keskula, Jules Shayo
1994 - Michael Daniels, Paul Mikowski
1993 - James Cardinal, Daniel Sims
1987 - Ellie Stonitsch
1979 - Bob Matthews, June Noble
1978 - Kathie Vanleer
1974 - Richard Joyce
We'd like to express our deepest sympathy to Kathie Vanleer, whose husband, Jay Kolb, passed away after a lengthy illness. Jay had qualified for Mensa, though he never joined. But when Kathie attended a Mensa event, Jay was always by her side.
We would also like to express our congratulations to Alan Hauck on his recent marriage to Bev Waleur. Bev also frequently attends Mid-Hudson events with Alan.
Welcome to new member Jonathan Burke of Wappingers Falls. Welcome back to Tim Richmond of Pleasant Valley.
With Jonathan's membership, the most common last name in Mid-Hudson Mensa is now BURKE -- I wonder if RVC Betsy Burke has anything to do with this?
We didn't get word of this soon enough to put it in last month's newsletter, but Janet Droll was in a local production of Godspell last month. Janet says, "I finally get to sing Turn Back O Man... yeah!" The musical played at St. George's Episcopal Church in Newburgh.
This has been an interesting month for reprints. First, Ye Editor, Bill Zigo, was reprinted -- sort of -- twice last month. The first reprint was in Mensana, the newsletter of Western New York Mensa, Teri Prentiss, editor. They reprinted a quote from the October Mid-Mensan, Terry Waite's quote on terrorism. Second, an e-mail sent to former Communications Officer Marie Mayer was reprinted in the November issue of EditorialisM, the newsletter for Mensa editors. It was a quick reference to a number of web pages to which editors can refer to check virus hoaxes, urban legends on the Internet, etc. By the way, the URLs can also be found on the Mid-Hudson Mensa web pages.
Finally, we have "The Roundabout Reprint." It's the article, "27 Reasons To Have A Pet Mensan," which will shortly be reprinted in a British Mensa newsletter, Spotlight Nor'East, the newsletter of Northeast UK Mensa. I have been exchanging e-mails with the editor, Jenny Gill. The article appeared in our April 1993 issue, Ron McMurdy editor. However, Ron's notes say the article was reprinted from ToteMs, Dave Lyons, Editor, via Of Mice and Mensa, Helene Brodrick editor. Yet Jenny found it on the Internet, at a site called Karyn S. Huniting's High IQ World. Karyn's Mensa link pointed to the article, a reference to our newsletter, and a link to Metropolitan Washington Mensa's web page.
Monthly Gatherings -- Past, Present, and Future
Bibi Sandstrom and Andi Weiss Bartczak
The Present: Volunteer to bring food and a goofy gift on Friday, Dec. 14!
Our December Monthly Gathering will again feature our fun Gimme Grabbee Gift Exchange and Holiday Party. Show off your creativity (and your sense of humor) by finding an inexpensive gift, wrapping it in the most creative or confounding or funny or twisted way possible, and bringing it to the MG! This is a popular event for both young and old, participants and watchers (but it's more fun if you participate!)
Those bearing gifts will receive a number. #1 picks a present from the pile. #2 can pick from the pile, OR take the gift from #1, who then takes another from the pile. #3 can pick from the pile, OR take #1's, who can take #2's who can take #3's -- by #15, these still-wrapped gifts have not only exchanged hands many times but have also obtained a mysterious attraction! Come join us for a fun and often downright hilarious Gift Exchange! We'll also enjoy holiday yummies, especially if everyone brings something to share.
From Bibi: I am happy to report that I have a successor! Andi Weiss Bartczak will be the next Monthly Gathering Guru. She even introduced herself at the nicely-attended MG in November. She has some innovative ideas for the future, including switching locations and dates, and even substituting salons during the winter months, for example (IF someone offers their (large) home; Andi is not able to do so.)
Andi and I will be discussing details in near future. She plans to continue finding free speakers and free locations, and she is willing and eager to consider any ideas about them or any other suggestions.
From Andi: I'll be taking over the responsibility of Mid-Hudson Mensa meetings starting in 2002. I envision a mixture of public meetings and some "just Mensa plus friends" meetings -- conversational "salons". The public meetings will be in the Marlboro Library, somewhere in New Paltz (hopefully at SUNY New Paltz), and possibly further south (Newburgh?). Which evening or afternoon will vary. The salons will be held in people's homes in the iffy weather months, since they will entail little work and will be easily canceled if the weather is bad. We may have casual summer get-togethers, say picnics. I will find a place in New Paltz (help welcome).
If someone wants a public meeting elsewhere, you will need to do the work in collaboration with me. People will be needed to volunteer their homes for the salons (smoke-free only). Plan on about 10 people coming. I will choose speakers or themes, with suggestions welcome. Contact me at (518) 943-6517 or andiw@yahoo.com (I have to read e-mails at a library, so give me at least 3 days notice).
A Fond Look Back at Monthly Gatherings Bibi Sandstrom
Maybe it's a good thing our fifteen-month-old computer just died, and I'm writing my "Farewell to Hosting the MGs" back on the trusty 286. On it is stored the first 7 years of PR I did for our Monthly Gatherings, beginning in November 1993. What a varied assortment of speakers we've had!
Those members who made the trek down to Marlboro Library on Friday nights Nov. '93 - Nov. '01 learned about: beverage-making, wargaming, belly dancing, ghosts, AIDS, UFOs, food labels, literacy volunteering, supercolliders, computers, speech- making, cooking, Biospheres, and "esthetically engineered edibles." We heard beautiful music, played with neat Science Toys, practiced Tai Chi, improvisation, juggling, and "LifePlay." We saw a stuffed marmot, the inside parts of the Bardavon organ, and an Eurasian baby owl gulp down a freeze-dried mouse. We listened to Daniel Pinkwater (and other authors), Congressman Maurice Hinchey, three times to Bill Sepe's progress on the Walkway Across the Hudson Project, and to 92-year-old Johnny "Upside Down" Miller, aviation pioneer, telling us how he watched Lindbergh take off to Paris and Roosevelt sign the bill allowing airmail.
We also heard from our fellow members: Susan Russell, Janet Droll, Dr. Goldfischer, Tom Rankin, Captain Bob Bateman, Ted "Dr. Quark" Lawrence, Joseph Profaci, Betsy Burke, Andi Weiss Bartczak, Bill Hughes, and Maria Weinberg's husband Art on being the mayor of Poughkeepsie. Out-of-town members came and told us of running for senator, trying for the moon, and building/playing electronic keyboards. And, we've shared each other's great travel slides and terrific potlucks.
We also heard from college professors, one of whom had the best "name": Dr. Brain! At the other extreme, our most... "entertaining" speaker was one who used plots of science fiction movies to "prove" that UFOs existed. Those of us who attended are still chuckling as much as we did at the "dinner-after-the-MG" outing.
At times, when having to contend with things like weather that was either too bad or even too good (only 4 members came to hear Captain Bateman's talk one beautiful May), or a new alarm system, it was tempting to give up. But I wanted the MGs to be given enough time to fail or succeed on their own merits, and I am extremely happy that I am able to hand over very healthy reins to Andi Weiss Bartczak.
So the MGs did not run of steam -- I did! Though not idea-wise; I still have a file folder full with names of private investigators, animal behaviorist, "Intelligent Exercise," the Ulster Ballet Company, and Dr. Heinz Meng. And while I'm still thrilled Daniel Pinkwater was gracious enough to come talk to us, I would've loved to find local addresses for Jim Gurney, Leil Lowndes, Peter Schickle, and famous cartoonists in Rhinebeck. But there is a wealth of fascinating people from whom to learn, and a wealth of friendly Mensa members with whom to commingle, whatever night and place we meet!
Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation
1. Publication Title: Mid-Mensan
2. Publication Number: 1052-1046
3. Filing Date: 11/08/01
4. Issue Frequency: Monthly, except February and August
5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 10
6. Annual Subscription Fee: $3.50
7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: 9 Miller Rd., Poughkeepsie, NY 12603-4611
8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters of General Business Office of Publisher: Same
9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor:
Publisher: Ronald K. McMurdy, 9 Miller Rd., Poughkeepsie, NY 12603-4611
Editor: William Zigo, 194 Roosevelt Rd., Hyde Park, NY 12538
Managing Editor: Same as Editor
10. Owner: Mid-Hudson Mensa, a local group of American Mensa, Ltd., 1229 Corporate Drive West, Arlington, TX 76006-6103
11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and other Security Holders: None
12. Tax Status: Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months
13. Publication Title: Mid-Mensan
14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: October 2001
15. Extent and Nature of Circulation Avg. # Copies No. Copies of
Each Issue Single Issue
During Pre- Published Nearest
ceding 12 Mos. To Filing Date
a. Total Number of Copies (net press run) 245 325
b1. Paid/Requested Outside-County
Mail Subscriptions 236 236
b2. Paid In-County Subscriptions 0 0
b3. Sales Through Dealers & Carriers 0 0
b4. Other Classes Mailed through USPS 0 0
c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation 236 236
d. Free Distribution by Mail
d1. Outside-County 0 0
d2. In-County 0 0
d3. Other Classes Mailed Through USPS 10 10
e. Free Distribution Outside the Mail 65 50
f. Total Free Distribution 75 60
g. Total Distribution 311 296
h. Copies Not Distributed 34 29
i. Total 345 325
j. Percent Paid and/or Requested
Circulation 75.88% 79.75%
16. Publication Statement of Ownership: Printed in the December, 2001 issue.
17. Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, or Business Manager, and date:
/s/ Ronald K. McMurdy, Publisher, 11/7/01
Marijuana and Memory: Researchers have discovered natural brain chemicals that act on the same brain receptors that marijuana does. They appear to play key roles in a process that may be central to our remembering. That is probably why being under the influence of marijuana can seriously interfere with the process of remembering. Science, Vol. 291 (3/30/01), p. 2530.
Babies and Cancers: Biological processes like the development of a fetus from a fertilized egg and the development of cancerous cells both rely on cell communication via identical signaling pathways. Some of the same signals control cell proliferation (production of new cells) in adult tissues. For example, the epithelial cells lining your colon proliferate at the same rate as lining cells die. Different signals start and then stop the process.
Colon cancer, like many other cancers, is partially caused by mutations that cause cells to receive a continuous signal to proliferate, whether by locking a component in the ON position or inactivating a protein that keeps the pathway in the OFF position. Science, Vol. (3/3/00), p. 1606.
No-Brainer: Brain-mapping studies have shown that our brain's frontal lobe controls creativity, decision-making, working memory and planning. Early in the 20th century, anatomists concluded that the human frontal lobe occupied a larger percentage of the human brain than did a chimp's (our closest relative) frontal lobe. Now a new comparative study finds that while humans have larger brains for their bodies than other primates, all large parts of the brain are proportionately increased, except for the cerebellum. Science, Vol. 288 (5/5/00), p. 799.
Variety Increases Yield: The results of Chinese field trials reinforce the theory that planting different varieties of a crop in the same field decreases the spread of certain diseases and improves yields. Mixing two varieties of rice in the same field for 2 years lead to an 18% rise in overall productivity, including greater profits for a variety that is particularly susceptible to rice blast from a fungus.
In both years blast destroyed about 20% of the more valuable variety in monoculture but only 1% in the mixed plot; the other variety had 2.3% versus 1%. Farmers were able to stop their periodic fungicide spraying. Science, Vol. 289 (8/18/00), p. 1122.
Helper Fungi: Early land environments were low in nutrients and subject to drying because of poor shade.
In 1975 it was proposed that a symbiotic combination of fungi and plants was able to invade the land from the sea. Fossils of a fungus just discovered seem to support this hypothesis. Science, Vol. 289 (9/15/00), p. 1884.
Dear Miss Mensa
© 2001, Barbara Neumann
This month, MM would like to comment on the suggestion from the government that people in the U.S. "wash your hands after handling the mail" as a way to deal with the anthrax concern. MM was not aware that other households have specially-designed, hermetically-sealed rooms for the purpose of handling mail. She tends to mix her mail up with other possessions, such as magazines in the living room. She tends to read telephone bills in bed at 3 a.m. and make out checks to Central Hudson on the dining room table during breakfast. There is not a clear delineation in MM's life between "handling mail" and "not handling mail." Others must be sitting with a quill pen at a roll-top desk with mail under lock and key, "paying the bills" as an 18th century exercise. Also, MM would also like to note that for most subscribers, our own Mid-Hudson Mensan arrives by mail, and she knows everyone surely carries that around to read at all times.
A tribute to our outgoing editor for a job well-done! Throughout history, there have been many famous editor/author collaborations -- for example, Maxwell Perkins as editor for authors Thomas Mann, Thomas Wolfe, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Into this illustrious hall of fame, may we enter the name of our MHM editor, humbly known as Ye Ed, our own Bill Zigo. Bill has patiently over the years accepted MM's columns as she scrapes precariously close to each deadline via e-mails hastily sent with plenty of last-minute fine-tuning and judicious pruning to improve the readability of the column. Well-versed on a variety of topics, including Iceland, marmots, food tips, and the political acceptability of MM's humor, Bill handles it all.
MM has enjoyed working with Editor Bill in the columnist/editor capacity with grocery coupons as a perk. Editor Bill and MM are now on a specially-tuned wavelength that enables one to open a door and arrive at an aisle at work (MM) the exact moment that the editor steps out of his door into the same aisle (Editor Bill). Let's hope that the same kind of telepathic synchronicity develops between columnists and our new editor, Angela Tremain. We welcome Angela into her new role and look forward to developing the same kind of cross-column banter and fellow-Mensan rapport!
The column would not be complete without mention of Harry Potter. Seen in a Harry Potter ad: Nimbus 2000™ electronic broomstick, $14.99, "makes 'magical' swooshing sounds!" I love the note next to the picture in the ad of the kid on the broom, "Broom does not really fly."
11/30 - 12/2 - Pilgrimage RG
12/4 - Gift Wrapping
12/8 - Testing
12/9 - Veg Out With Michelle
12/14 - Monthly Gathering
12/15-29 - Coupon Faire
12/16 - Pizza SIG
12/19 - FSM
12/20 - TTT
12/21 - Ronnie's Xmas Party
B - BYO drink
K - Suitable for kids
K+ - Suitable for kids over 10
$ - Fee involved
P - Pets at event site
R - RSVP please
Y - Yummies welcome
S/N - Smoking/no smoking
November 30 - December 2
New England Pilgrimage RG
Danvers, MA
Wendy Birchmire
(781) 444-8213
wab@birchmire.com
Boston Mensa's gem of an RG is back and as good as ever with great hospitality, speakers, and games. If interested, contact Wendy.
Tuesday, 12/4 - 10 am-10 pm
Scholarship Fund Gift Wrapping
Poughkeepsie - R
Bibi Sandstrom (845) 255-5528
bibis@juno.com
We will once again be wrapping gifts at the Barnes & Noble® on US 9 in Poughkeepsie, across from IBM to raise money for our scholarship fund. Please see Program Notes for details.
Saturday, December 8
Testing
Marlboro - R
Jim Jelacic (845) 691-8009
jimjelacic@mybizz.net
The Mensa qualification exam is given by one of the proctors in our chapter approximately every two months. If you know someone who would like to take the test, please contact Jim in advance.
Friday, 12/14 - 7:00 pm
Monthly Gathering
Marlboro - K/N/Y
Bibi Sandstrom (845) 255-5528
bibis@juno.com
It's the annual Gimme Grabbee Gift Exchange & Holiday Party! Dig out some interesting inexpensive present and turn on your gifted imagination! Form is more important than content. Bring your creatively wrapped gift to the Marlboro Library on Route 9W. Please bring a holiday yummie to share. Call Bibi for more info.
December 15-29
Waldenbooks® Coupon Faire
Four Locations
Bibi Sandstrom (845) 255-5528
bibis@juno.com
Make a copy of the coupon on page 11 and present it to the cashier. You will receive a 10% discount, and Waldenbooks will match the discount as a donation to our chapter. Please contact Bibi with any questions.
Sunday, 12/16 - 5:00 pm
Pizza SIG
Hurley - K
Bill Zigo (845) 229-8746
bzigo@compuserve.com
We end our year of visiting our favorite pizzerias by going to our favorite, the Hurley Mountain Inn. From the US 209/NY 28 intersection, take 209 south approximately 1 mile. Just beyond the underpass, make a right. The Inn is roughly ¼ mile ahead on your left. Please contact Bill with requests for directions or additional info.
Wednesday, 12/19 - 7:00 pm
Fold, Staple, Mutilate
Hyde Park - N
Bill Zigo (845) 229-8746
bzigo@compuserve.com
Here's your first chance to see Editor Angela's handiwork as we assemble the Jan/Feb 2002 issue at Bill's house. Will the crowd "Ooh" and "Aah?" Will Bill be bitter over the high quality of Angela's work? Not only will you find out the answers to these questions, but you'll be rewarded with pizza afterwards. Call Bill for more info or directions.
Thursday, 12/20 - 11:45 am
Third Thursday Therapy
Poughkeepsie - K+
Charlie Rovner (845) 462-4787
CRovner@juno.com
Take a break from the hectic pace for some therapy at Umberto's of Mamma Marissa's at the intersection of US 9 and South Gate Drive, next to Red Lobster. The buffet is $6.95 plus beverage, tax and tip. Please contact Charlie for info or directions.
Friday, 12/21 7:30 pm
Winter Solstice Holiday Party
Newburgh - R/Y
Ronnie Brown (845) 565-6329
ronniebrown@juno.com
Ronnie's annual party is back. Bring a wrapped gift to exchange that you have made, or, if you feel uncreative, something you have treasured but no longer use that would be a fun gift for someone else. Recycling is good for the earth! Creative imagination is good for the soul! Please call Ronnie to RSVP or for info or directions.
Calendar Editor
Bill Zigo
Pizza SIG will conclude its year-long tribute to our Hall of Fame entries. This means it's time to find new pizzerias or Italian restaurants to visit to add to the ranks. Several people have offered to help find sites in their area, such as Dave Kochler and Dave Cardall. But your name doesn't have to be Dave to send me your suggestions. If you have a favorite pizzeria you'd like to see us visit for Pizza SIG, please let me know. I'll try to schedule it on a Sunday when you can attend.
If you're interested in joining us for Veg Out With Michelle, you may want to check out New World Home Cooking's web page, at:
They also feature an early bird special, if you're seated before 6:30 -- which will be the case for us (Yay!). it features a 3 course meal for $15. It has a nice variety: vegetarian and non-vegetarian selections, appetizer, main course and dessert.
Gift-wrapping to benefit our scholarship fund will take place on December 4th at Barnes & Noble® in Poughkeepsie.. Bibi Sandstrom is coordinating the effort. We also hope to wrap for donations at Waldenbooks®. Please contact Bibi if you would like to participate. We need folks to help wrap gifts during the morning and afternoon hours!
Still Wanted: A Few Good Mensans Jim Jelacic
Our call for talented people to take over for retiring volunteers have been partially answered. We still need one position filled by an energetic person:
Newsletter Publisher: You duties are to organize the FSM (Fold, Staple and Mail) of the newsletter for each of the ten issues per year and to be the Post Office liaison in mailing the issues. After nine years, Ron McMurdy can do it in his sleep and is willing to show you how to do it.
He was a mediocre conductor of a mediocre orchestra. He had been having problems with the basses -- they were the least professional of his musicians. It was the last performance of the season, Beethoven's 9th Symphony, which required extra effort from the basses at the end. Earlier that evening, he found the basses celebrating one of their birthdays by passing a bottle around. As he was about to cue the basses, he knocked over his music stand. Sheet music scattered. As he stood in front of his orchestra, his worst fear was realized; it was the bottom of the 9th, no score, and the basses were loaded.
Send your favorite groaner to PUNS, PO Box 133, Esopus NY 12429-0133 or jimjelacic@mybizz.net.
National Testing Day Report Jim Jelacic, Chief Proctor
I am happy to report National Testing Day was a success. Nine people took the Mensa Admissions Test in two separate sessions at the Marlboro Free Library on Saturday October 20th. One of the test-takers was a columnist from the Woodstock Times newspaper and promised an article. The two-thirds page article was in the October 25th issue and was very positive.
Another achievement for the day was Joanne Schultz completing her requirements for being a proctor. She is now able to conduct the 2nd Sunday testing sessions.
Many thanks to: Joanne for her time and assistance in giving the tests; Michelle Wojtaszek, our publicity maven, for her work leading up to National Testing Day and manning the refreshments table between the two sessions; my wife Pat for baking cookies, setting up the refreshments table and manning the table with Michelle; and Merrill Loechner and Bill Zigo, our membership committee team, for dropping in to field questions about Mensa.
You don't have to wait until next October to take the Mensa Admissions Test. Tell your friends we have testing sessions the 2nd Sunday of even months (2, 4, 6, ... Feb, Apr, Jun, ...). Contact me and I'll save them a seat.
Upcoming RGs
The New England Pilgrimage - November 30-December 2, 2001, at the Sheraton Ferncroft in Danvers, MA. Wendy Birchmire, 70 Oak Hill Road, Needham, MA 02492, (781) 444-8213, wab@birchmire.com
Winter Solstice - December 14-16, at the Eden Resort Inn and Conference Center, in Lancaster, PA, tel. (717) 569-6444, rooms $84, guaranteed through 11/16. Registration $60 to 12/7, $65 thereafter. Contact Val Weiner, 39 Kensington Square, Mechanicsburg, PA, 17050, (717) 691-6654, valerie@ezonline.com.
New Hampshire's Granite Gathering - February 15-17, at the Radisson in Merrimack, NH, with a room rate of $75/night, telephone (603) 424-8000. Registration is $55 until 2/14, $60 at the door. There are discount registration rates for children. Many of last year's popular speakers are back (including the explosives expert (!)). Meals include a Friday evening homemade supper. The RG meal plan offers a Saturday dinner buffet for $25 and a Sunday brunch for $13. A registration form is available on the New Hampshire Mensa web page, or mail your check, payable to NH Mensa-RG to: Registrar, NH Mensa, P.O. Box 7998, Nashua, NH 03060-7998, or contact Deb Stone, debstone@aol.com.
Snowball XXVIII - March 15-17, at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Piscataway, NJ (same place as last year). Registration is only $35 through 9/15, $40 through 11/15, $45 through 1/15/02, $50 to 3/5 and $55 thereafter. Contact Andrea Gallini Garnieri, 632 Salem Avenue, Apartment 102, Elizabeth, NJ 07208, or by e-mail at andreabgg@aol.com.
Mensa Mind Games 2002 - April 19-21, at the Ramada Inn and Conference Center on Lakeland Avenue in North Brooklyn Park, MN. Registration is currently $50, hotel rooms (800) 343-1737 $49 for a single. The registration check should be made out to Minnesota Mensa and mailed to Mind Games Registrar, Judy Hogan, 58th Ave N #260, Brooklyn Center, MN 55429, Tel. (763) 533-6755, or e-mail to mensajudy@aol.com.
Mind Games 2003 Bid Update Bill Zigo
Regrettably, Mid-Hudson Mensa won't be submitting a bid. None of the hotels in the area near Stewart International Airport were very interested in our business.
I'd like to thank all of you who offered to help our effort, especially RVC Betsy Burke for putting me in touch with the right contacts, and Bill Hughes for the initial work contacting the hotels.
Mini-Minutes of the 11/11/01 Ex Comm Meeting Bill Zigo
In attendance: Rod Cowan, Jim Jelacic, Nancy Keyes-Crosby, Merrill Loechner, Angela Tremain, Michelle Wojtaszek, Bill Zigo.
The meeting was at vice-president Cowan's house. Jelacic opened the meeting at 3:15 pm.
Officer Reports:
Jelacic: National Office sent new Loc Sec handbook. Nine people participated in National Testing Day, including one reporter. There was a huge and positive article about the event in the Woodstock Times. Thanks to Pat Jelacic for baking yummies, Joanne Schultz for proctoring, and Michelle Wojtaszek, Merrill Loechner, and Bill Zigo for attending and meeting the folks taking the test.
Cowan: Read report from Bibi Sandstrom: Sandstrom is pursuing December gift-wrapping at local bookstores for scholarship fund-raising. Andi Weiss Bartczak will take over as Monthly Gathering coordinator.
Keyes-Crosby: Was not able to contact Community Foundation to inquire about inconsistent fund reports due to eye surgery. Treasury will have approximately $2500 after paying expenses (newsletter costs, FSM).
Zigo: RG approval form for 2002 RG will be sent out shortly. Registration rate will increase by $1 this year. Looking into submitting a chapter bid for Mensa Mind Games 2003. Various chapter members are assisting. Angela Tremain will be taking over as newsletter editor in December; Zigo will remain calendar editor.
Loechner: Continuing to receive data diskette from National Office. Is not getting labels for new/inquiring members. Zigo is getting these and will send to Merrill.
Wojtaszek: Nothing new to report.
Old Business: We need a new newsletter publisher, and a Columbia County Area Contact. Zigo will pick up Columbia County Area Contact responsibilities.
New Business: Scholarship contest will begin shortly. Betsy Burke will be contact. Judges will be Jelacic, Loechner, and Zigo.
We need to re-establish scholarship fund-raises. Ollie Simpson is willing to host another garage sale. Several people are willing to host fund-raising dinners.
We need to get new members active sooner. Zigo will spend more time contacting new members and will host "Meet the New Members" parties. Zigo will also hold a formal brainstorming session for ideas in 2002.
Angela Tremain introduced herself and spoke briefly about her plans as the next editor for the Mid-Mensan.
Meeting was adjourned at 4:07 pm. The next meeting will be Sunday, January 13th at 1:00 pm at Jim Jelacic's home.
RVC Betsy Burke, with Casper and Lambchop
Lately I seem to be using my computer more and more. I find it a lot more efficient to go to a web site than to hunt through catalogs or search for papers that I've misplaced. The Mensa website at us.mensa.org is an especially helpful one, and one I hope you've checked out recently. Yes, there are some puzzles to keep me off task, but gatherings are listed and so are those blasted forms I always seem to misplace. One of my favorite features is the additional articles Julie Boone posts. These are items of interest that didn't make it into the bulletin due to various reasons. The October issue included one about a Mensan who is a professional matchmaker! Check out this site!
The Internet has also helped me get in touch with some long lost friends and relatives. In this past month I've found a classmate of mine from grade school. As many families have discovered you can also lose track of cousins through time. In my case I lost track of my father's side of the family. Much to my surprise a cousin tracked me down while doing some genealogy research. I'm glad he did as he had some facts wrong, and I was able to help him while reconnecting with the family.
The Internet is also increasing my vocabulary. Don't be a cunctator but instead check out the web site and see about upcoming gatherings. New Hampshire's is the next one in our region. Feb 15-17 at the Radisson Hotel in Merrimack. Contact Deb Stone to register, PO Box 7998, Nashua, NH 03060. Registration is $55 and hotel rooms are $75.
Enjoy your holidays.
Betsy Jane Burke
3 North Cross Rd.
Staatsburg, NY 12580-5301
(845) 889-4588
betsyb4@aol.com
What's Up?
Tom Rankin
Vice-President,
Mid-Hudson
Astronomy
Association
In November, we had Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter in the evening. Did anyone see any of the planets? What about the Leonid Meteor shower?
Mars continues moving slowly moving eastward through the constellation Aquarius in the southeast. At the beginning of the month, Saturn will rise in the east around sundown and Jupiter a few hours later.
The Geminids, a fine meteor shower, should be excellent this year, as the moon will not interfere. The best time to look will be early on the evening of December 13th, towards the east. This is one of the few meteor showers that lasts most of the night. There is also a minor meteor shower, the Ursids, that appear to come from the Little Dipper, so look North, early on the morning of the 22nd.
Astro News:
The total number of binary asteroids grew to 18 recently when researchers found that the Trojan asteroid 617 Patroclus is a pair of twin bodies 105 and 95 kilometers in diameter. Trojans are asteroids that are linked with Jupiter in their orbit around the Sun. Some have migrated to near the Lagrange points 60 ahead of and behind the massive planet along its orbit.
A surprising discovery that a doughnut shaped ring of dust, normally surrounding a black hole, is missing
around M87 may cause astronomers to revise some of their theories about black hole dynamics.
Scientists may soon be able to see evidence of mini black holes, created in a particle accelerator. The possibility that high-energy collisions of particles in accelerators can create black holes is called "TeV-scale gravity."
A great new astronomy web site, filled with trivia questions about astronomy and other related sciences, (Hey! J.J., are you reading?), is at http://www.the-solar-system.net/. Check it out!
Next time: I'll discuss the prospects for the Quadrantid Meteor shower in
January.
Clear Skies!
If you want to see what the MHAA is doing this month, outdoors or indoors, check out our web page, http://jump.to/mhaa, or call our Hotline, at (845) 485-5669.
Tom Rankin - (845) 758-6305 X< http://jump.to/mhaa
Easy:
VO'N C MFR-PCO-MFR JFAYM CIM V'L JPCAVIR LVYX HFIP
NTFAON. XPYYG CYYPI
Hard - no punctuation and grouped in 5:
EVGUW LUPQU UNODV QOJKN MGWUU YKHQB TQMWO
DJSQB SVQEV NOQBW OTU.
In an effort to be more efficient this holiday season, here are the Top 5 ways for Mensans to be naughty and nice at the same time.
5) Tell a Densan: "You look great for someone wearing that."
4) Write a book, Thinking For Dummies, then give it away to specific people.
3) Give out statuettes that look suspiciously like Oscars, engraved with: BEST PERFORMANCE IN LIFE IN A SUPPORTING ROLE.
2) Tell a Densan to start a group like Mensa for people in percentiles 3 through 10.
1) Give out lots of free advice. For example, Be happy with who and what you are. But please, once in a while try pushing the envelope.
Tavitian
E
P H
Pourri
T G
The first Minor-Key Melody that comes to mind is:
• "We hate to see you go ..." which is closely followed by:
• "Oh where have you gone, Billy boy, Billy boy..." Next on the list would probably be:
• "I'll be seeing you in all..." and
• "Bye, bye, bluebird..." (yes, I know the real featured "friend" is blackbird, but I don't care for the color black!)
There are certainly many more that can be added to my list, but they'll just make me a very "Melancholy Baby." So let's change to a Major key now.
Since this is the season to be Jolly, then let's "Sing a Happy Tune" and join in the chorus of the songs appropriate to the season of candlelight and fireside revels.
Come along with me. Let's go get some chestnuts to roast, some sugar plums to dance, mistletoe sprigs to kiss, nutcrackers to crack, silver bells to tinkle, popcorn and cranberries to string, taffy apples with their shiny-red coats to snap into, marshmallow snowmen with gumdrop hands and feet, and an orange pomander with cloves galore to sniff.
"Deck the Halls" and "Dredle, Dredle" linger on the air and buoy up our spirits. All the world has a shine that is more than the lights and the candles. It's the smile on the faces around us and the cheeriness one feels. Revel in the beauty of it and keep it in your heart all year.
Oh, and don't forget the candelabrum and the candles, the gelt, the gifts, and the games that are a traditional celebration -- for centuries!
Old celebrations and new traditions combine to make for holidays that not only cheer us but also give us new and renewed connections with family and friends.
And, as my November column said, Give Thanks.
"See You In The Funny Papers" TV Trivia Jim Jelacic
Just as movies, plays and books have become TV programs, so too have programs from comic literature been used. See if you can recognize the comic book or strip that was the basis for a TV show.
1) He dedicated his life to fighting crime when he saw his parents gunned down before him.
2) He gained his powers after a radioactive spider bit him.
3) He rocketed to Earth as a baby when his home planet exploded.
4) He turns into a green behemoth whenever he gets angry.
5) He thwarts the evil Emperor Ming's plans for galactic conquest with the help of Dale Arden and Dr. Zharkov.
6) His bio-regenerative formula turned him into a shambling mass in the Louisiana bayou.
7) She is an Amazonian princess.
8) He thwarts the evil Killer Kane's plans for galactic conquest with the help of Wilma Deering and Dr. Huer.
9) He gained his powers after being splashed with chemicals electrically charged by a lightning bolt.
10) He escaped from a mental asylum and proclaimed himself to be "protector of the city" with his sidekick, Arthur.
"Memorable Lyrics" Music Trivia Bill Zigo
Some songs have unusual or unique lyrics which tend to stand out. See if you can identify the song that contained each of these memorable lyrics.
1. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.
2. You would cry too if it happened to you.
3. Tin roof rusted!
4. Send your camel to bed.
5. Can't forget the motor city.
6. So tell me what you want, what you really, really want.
7. I can see the red tail lights heading for Spain.
8. Her hair is Harlow gold.
9. He's got a girl named Jane with no last name.
10. When I squeeze you, you make noise.
Trivia, December 2001 Jim Jelacic
Greetings, Fellow Trivians! Here are the answers to October's questions:
Q61: Which is farther west: Alberta, Manitoba or Saskatchewan?
A61: Alberta.
Q62: Of the 3 B's of classical music, Beethoven, Brahms and Bach, who was born first?
A62: Bach in 1685, Beethoven in 1770 and Brahms in 1833.
Q63: In US history, what is the significance of these letters: E, K, J, N, F, C, R, B, C, B.
A63: These are the initials of the last 10 presidents.
Q64: In Greek mythology, Icarus fell to his death when the sun melted the wings his father built for him. Who was his father?
A64: Daedalus.
Q65: Which element was named after a Greek word meaning "goblin or demon of the mines?"
A65: Cobalt, from the Greek "kobald."
Q66: True or False: The English Horn is really a woodwind.
A66: True.
Q67. In 1958 a landslide in Lituya Bay, Alaska caused the highest recorded tidal wave. In feet, how high was it? (Submitted by Dave Cardall)
A67. 1700'. (TLC).
Q68. Where is the world's largest rock? (Submitted by Dave Cardall)
A68. Ayers Rock, Australia (TDC).
Q69. How old is plastic surgery? (Submitted by Dave Cardall)
A69. Over 2000 years (www.stv.co.uk/how2).
The winner is Dave Cardall with a perfect 9 correct of 9 answers. Les Herring with 6 correct answers.
And now, this month's questions:
Q79: Which nation has a flag of three vertical stripes of green, white and orange?
Q80: Who sang the blue songs Blue on Blue and Blue Velvet?
Q81: When was the first Winter Olympics (± 8 years)?
Q82: What modern art movement included the artists Rickard Hamilton, David Hockney and Andy Warhol?
Q83: True or False: Albert Einstein never won a Nobel Prize for his Quantum Mechanics.
Q84: Who is poorer -- a British billionaire or an American billionaire?
Q85: Name the only president of the US not to be re-nominated by his own party. (Submitted by Dave Cardall)
Q86: With British right-hand drive cars, which foot is used with the accelerator? (Submitted by Dave Cardall)
Q87: The first crime photo was taken in England of a murder victim. Who was the murderer? (Submitted by Dave Cardall)
Send your answers to Trivia Contest, PO Box 133, Esopus NY 12429-0133 or jimjelacic@mybizz.net by December 31st.
Cryptogram Answers
Easy: It's a dog-eat-dog world, and I'm wearing Milk Bone shorts. Kelly Allen
Hard: Physics lesson: When a body is submerged in water, the phone rings.
"See You In the Funny Papers" TV Trivia Answers
1) "Batman"
2) "Spiderman"
3) "Superman"
4) "The Incredible Hulk"
5) "Flash Gordon"
6) "Swamp Thing"
7) "Wonder Woman"
8) "Buck Rogers of the 25th Century"
9) "The Flash"
10) "The Tick"
"Memorable Lyrics" Music Trivia Answers
1. Hotel California by The Eagles
2. It's My Party by Lesley Gore
3. Love Shack by The B-52s
4. Midnight At the Oasis by Maria Muldaur
5. Dancing In the Street by Martha & the Vandellas
6. Wannabe by the Spice Girls
7. Daniel by Elton John
8. Bette Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes
9. Gitarzan by Ray Stevens
10. Rubber Ducky by Ernie
President: Jim Jelacic Jimjelacic@mybizz.net
P.O. Box 133, Esopus, NY 12429-0133 (845) 691-8009
Vice President: C. Rod Cowan crcowan@attglobal.net
3 Chestnut Ridge Rd., Poughkeepsie, NY 12603-6504 (845) 485-2050
Secretary: Bill Zigo BZigo@compuserve.com
194 Roosevelt Rd., Hyde Park, NY 12538-2300 (845) 229-8746
Treasurer: Nancy Keyes-Crosby njkc@msn.com
P.O. Box 243, West Park, NY 12493-0243 (845) 384-6553
Membership: Merrill Loechner MerrillL@worldnet.att.net
38 Sunny Valley Rd., Apt. 31, New Milford, CT. 06776-3348 (860) 355-8699
Editor/Calendar Editor: Bill Zigo BZigo@compuserve.com
194 Roosevelt Rd., Hyde Park, NY 12538-2300 (845) 229-8746
Publisher: Ron McMurdy ronmcm@attglobal.net
9 Miller Rd., Poughkeepsie, NY 12603-4611 (845) 473-0723
Proctor Coordinator: Jim Jelacic jimjelacic@mybizz.net
Gifted Children Contact: Position available
Scholarship Contact: Betsy Jane Burke betsyb4@aol.com
3 North Cross Rd., Staatsburg, NY 12580-5301 (845) 889-4588
S.I.G.H.T. Coordinator: Ronnie Brown ronniebrown@juno.com
11 Potter's Ridge, Newburgh, NY 12550 (845) 565-6329
Webmaster: Rich Dennison brainiax@yahoo.com
211 Old Bates Gates Rd., New Hampton, NY 10958-3318 (845) 374-2378
Kingston and Northern Ulster County:
Les Herring (lherring1@juno.com) (845) 338-0383
New Paltz and Central Ulster County:
Bibi Sandstrom (bibis@juno.com) (845) 255-5528
Northern Orange County:
Ronnie Brown (ronniebrown@juno.com) (845) 565-6329
Southern Orange County:
Janet Droll (sodroll@hotmail.com) (845) 783-0104
Sullivan County:
Nick Roes (NickARoes@aol.com) (845) 557-8713
Columbia County and Northern Dutchess County:
Bill Zigo (mr.marmot@worldnet.att.net) (845) 229-8746
Southern Dutchess County
Ollie Simpson (ollie_simpson@earthlink.net) (845) 298-8379
