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This page is intended on providing the LocSec with a way to express their ideas and communicate information to both the general public and Mensans. Remember, Mensa does not hold any opinion, nor does it express any political or religious views; but I do and should you read further you will run into a few of them here.

Sincerely, Betsy McCall

DATABANK: File 12: Strange People

Published: 7/26/2009 - Modified: 07/21/2009

Those of you that know me well will not be surprised at what I’m about to say; those that know me less well may be: I don’t really like people. Yes, I’m Local Secretary of Columbus Area Mensa and I dislike people. ... More

DATABANK: File 11: The End Of The Year

Published: 6/26/2009 - Modified: 07/21/2009

For us here at Columbus Area Mensa ExComm, July marks the end of the year. As I write this, we are awaiting petitions for the new Executive Committee. There are likely to be some old faces returning, and some new ones joining us. Last year we had a lot of interes in volunteering and actually held--gasp!--an election! :) We also completely redesigned our website. But who knows what this year will bring.

When I first took on the job of Local Secretary and started writing these columns, I asked for those of you who can to participate. Mensa is only what the Members make it, and so I ask again. If we are having an election, I encourage everyone to vote. Don't know all the candidates? Vote for those you can. Whether we are having an election or not, however, we can still use volunteers willing to shape Columbus Area Mensa in their image. There are some open positions already, and there is always some turnover. We can use your help to fill these.

Among the things you can volunteer for are: Program Coordinator and Local Scholarship Chair. But mayve you aren't ready to do all that? Got an idea for a single monthly meeting? You can volunteer to do just one. You can train to become a proctor. Attend the Col/M Assembly nights and help staple the newsletters together. Or write an article for the newsletter.

Have more ambition? Start a SIG or an area group. We have small pockets of members in Zanesville and Athens and Chillicothe that would probably love to have more local events they can attend. I'm sure there are still more possibilites.

At the end of July is our Regional Gathering (RG), and I'm certain this year's RG Committee--and next year's too--will also be looking for volunteers to help make our RG a success. Whether you want to shape Mensa in your image or just mee more people, volunteering is the best way.

This has been a good year for Mensa nationwide and locally. We recorded a record-high membership! So there are a lot of new and returning faces I haven't seen yet. We'd love to see you all at the RG or other local events.

Despite the economy, we hope that this year has been a successful year for all of you. We strove this year to try some new things and meet in different locations to better serve more of our members. If this worked for you, please let us know. If you have any suggestions for next year, fee free to e-mail me or any other current officer or member of the ExComm with your ideas. You can even post them to the Yahoo!Group. If you don't tell us what you want to see, we will just continue to do what we want! :)

Have a great year!

DATABANK: File 10: Disaster!

Published: 5/01/2009 - Modified: 05/27/2009

Watching the public response to the swine flu recently has got me thinking about the way humans respond to apparent threats. We see a lot of both extremes in the media. Some people panic and react in essentially irrational ways to protect themselves, while others dismiss all ... More

DATABANK: File 9: Critical Thinking

Published: 5/01/2009 - Modified: 05/19/2009

I'm teaching an English class online right now, and other than the mountains of grading, I'm really enjoying it. One of my favorite parts is that in addition to teaching the students how to write well mechanically, the students are also learning about critical thinking, so that ... More

DATABANK: File 8: Unlucky Numbers

Published: 4/01/2009 - Modified: 05/19/2009

We are all familiar with the Western tradition of thirteen being the unlucky number that makes some people apoplectic. Buildings are numbered without a thirteenth floor, and ... More

DATABANK: File 7: Pythagoras

Published: 3/01/2009 - Modified: 05/19/2009

Ive been teaching trigonometry this quarter, and you know, everything in trigonometry goes back to Pythagoras. Perhaps not directly, but a lot is built on the Pythagorean Theorem, which is where most of us begin ... More

DATABANK: File 6: Climate Change

Published: 1/23/2009 - Modified: 05/12/2009

As I write this, it is just four days before the inauguration of a new President, and a radical shift in climate change policy for this country is about to take place, as evidenced by the Cabinet and advisory choices like Steven Chu, and John Holdren. It seems an appropriate coincidence ... More

DATABANK: File 5: Janus

Published: 12/24/2008 - Modified: 05/12/2009

It’s the new year and that means, it’s January. We think of January as being the obvious start of the new year, but in fact, the Roman calendar upon which our modern one is based did not begin in January. The Roman year began in March, with the spring. That’s why astrological calendars ... More

DATABANK: File 4: Tradition

Published: 11/24/2008 - Modified: 05/12/2009

As I write this, we are still two weeks away from Thanksgiving, and a few more weeks after that is the winter holiday season when it seems like everyone has a holiday, or indeed, has an excellent excuse to celebrate several simultaneously. This time of year is steeped in centuriesold traditions—some of them are even millennia-old. The marketplace depends on ... More

DATABANK: File 3: Voting Theory

Published: 10/24/2008 - Modified: 05/12/2009

In this month when we celebrate democracy, it seems like a good time to talk about the theory behind how we vote. ... More


Last modified: July 21st, 2009