CAM caught on Camer AM caught on Camer AM caught on Camera!
Transcription
CAM caught on Camer AM caught on Camer AM caught on Camera!
Cle veland Ar ea Mensa Clev Area Sep Septtember 2005 CAM caught on Camer a! Camera! Having fun at the Columbus Col-M-alot RG and Dining with De at the Melting Pot Vince Conforte, Todd Prinkey, and Greg Nicholson Nancy Heller and Bob Osterman Holly Heighberger and Kathryn Kerber CAM’s coat of arms, designed by Kevin Kasday, won first place at the Columbus RG. Alan Baltis came up with the “Cleveland, so Superior, it’s Erie” motto. This “coat of arms” created by Pam Sawrey and modeled by Holly Heighberger also won first prize...for “best/worst pun.” Jacob Kerber, also modeling coat of arms Lady Pam Sawrey Maria Gorodetskova, Mary Ann Mucha, and Cherie Dimmerling Who veland Ar ea Mensa Who’’s Who in Cle Clev Area Executive Committee LocSec Asst. LocSec Treasurer Member-at-Large Member-at-Large Member-at-Large Editor Region 3 ViceChair Emily Taylor Tim Schifle Pam Sawrey Kevin Kasday Jeff Smith Lyn Byrd Karen Bujak Alan Baltis 440.639.5250 216.227.1042 216.739.1514 330.310.9045 216.267.4953 216.661.6563 330.334.2115 216.226.1907 Archivist Calendar Editor CAP Coordinator Gifted Children GC Activities Coord. Mediator Membership Officer Ombudsman Proctor Coordinator Program Coordinator Public Relations Scholarship Chair Scribe S.I.G.H.T. Coordinator Webmaster Mary Ann Terrigno Richard Broida Lyn Byrd Jim Szirony Kathryn Kerber Adelaide Jaffe De Freshwater Darryl Wright Vikki Broida Jim Vorell Kevin Kasday Tom Harmon <your name here?> Dick Hershbain Bobbie Rooney [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Appointed Positions 440.235.2860 216.371.0589 216.661.6563 216.291.8628 216.731.1518 216.281.9538 440.779.8110 216.791.1318 216.371.0589 216.476.3957 330.310.9045 440.891.1138 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] 216.231.5673 440.235.0013 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Area Coordinators Near West Lyn Byrd 216.281.6563 Blood Donor Sherlock Holmes J William Finkler Dwight McDonald 440.585.0093 216.749.1506 [email protected] SIGs [email protected] Web Sites American Mensa...........................................................................www.us.mensa.org Region 3..........................................................................www.region3.us.mensa.org Cleveland Area Mensa................................................www.cleveland.us.mensa.org East Central Ohio Mensa......................................................www.ecom.us.mensa.org Subscribe to CAM news, email.................................................dfreshwater@sbcglobal.net ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ eGraffiti Extras! Graffiti is available online at the CAM website (www.cleveland.us.mensa.org). You will need to use the same user name and password you use to access the National website. Sign up now to get Graffiti emailed to you before it is printed! Email the editor at [email protected]. It saves postage and printing, and if we save enough, maybe we can expand to sixteen pages! Also, you get to see all the pictures in full color. You can’t fully appreciate Kevin Kasday’s coat of arms until you see it in page 2 color! Also, this month you have to look online to see Tom Rankin’s What’s Up astronomy column and Al Thomas’ The Alchemist, and MORE PICTURES! CAM Needs YOU! Come to the next ExComm meeting (6:30 PM, September 8, at the Boneyard, Broadview Hts.) if you are interested in being our scribe! Any member of CAM can be the scribe. Duties are attending each ExComm meeting and writing up the minutes. That’s all! See the cute little clown? He’s new (as of last month) on the CAM calendar. When you see him, you know the event is kidfriendly or kid-welcome. Sometimes we don’t know, though, and then you can check with the organizer of the event. If you are an event organizer, let Richard Broida know if your event is to be noted as kid-friendly! The eM FFact act or actor The Chaffing Dish, Mensa Member, Striker of the Wooden Frog, Maker of the Moose Face, Grand Pubah, Cursed of the Evil Passat, Headhunter Extraordinaire, Your Benevolent Despot, Enforcer of the Wearing of Tissue Paper Crowns and Grand Exalted Supreme Leader of All that is Wise and Wonderful, aka Crabcakes, urges you to vote! CAM’s elections are coming up soon. The NomComm has already announced its slate. It’s a wonderful mix of old blood and new blood, experience and enthusiasm, and I know all of them have CAM’s best interests at heart. Without the ExComm, CAM wouldn’t function. Feel free to come to one of our meetings. And, if nothing else, please vote in the election in November. Get to know the candidates by reading their statements, and make your 2% heard. I want to take a few inches of column space to congratulate Karen Bujak on the CLEVELAND AREA MENSA INVITES YOU TO: AN RG CELEbRATING OppOSAbLE ThUMbS September 30 - October 2, 2005 Don’t make us get out the thumbscrews Registration is just $70 for the entire weekend! Day Rates: Friday $30, Saturday $45, Sunday $15 (includes Breakfast Buffet) Child registration rate (12 and under): 1/2 adult registration price Two Thumbs up for hospitality which includes all meals including Saturday dinner catered by the hotel. Sunday morning hot Breakfast Buffet is available for $10 adult, $6 child. Our Thumbnail Sketch of the RG includes a Fringe Festival, Quiz Bowl, Visitors from the Cleveland Zoo, DJ Dance, Speakers, Games, Tournaments, Silliness and more! Hotel Room Rate: $59.00 s/d/t/q, Holiday Inn Elyria – Lorain 1825 Lorain Blvd., Elyria, OH 44035, 440/324-5411 Be sure to mention “Cleveland Area Mensa” and to make your reservations by September 8 No need to thumb a ride to the RG – the Hotel provides a complimentary Airport Shuttle! Registrar: Sandra Murphy , 2808 Tate Ave., Cleveland, OH 44109-4338 Email: [email protected] - Please email to let us know you are coming even if you don’t preregister Name_________________________________ Name for Badge________________________________ Name_________________________________ Name for Badge_________________________________ Address_________________________________________________________________________________ City__________________ State________ Zip_______________ Phone_____________________________ by Emily Taylor LocSec FOUR PRP awards she shared as the editor of the Braegen. We’re very lucky to have stolen her from ECOM. We’re even luckier to have her running for editor again in October. I look forward to receiving my copy each month (electronically now), and not just to see what stupid thing I’m doing when Karen had a camera at the ready. Well done Karen, and thanks for the hard work. I also want to congratulate Alan Baltis on his election to Region 3 RVC. We’re lucky to have a local member sitting on the AMC. I’ve known Alan since he moved to Cleveland, and it’s been a rare pleasure. Alan is as kind as he is intelligent, and that’s saying a lot. This month, I’m keeping my column short. I can’t think of anything else to say, and Karen needs the space for more submissions. Inside tthis his Issue CAM Officers.........................2 The eM Factor ............3 CAM Kids ............................4 Save our Strippers?..............4 The CAMera ..........................5 ExComm Minutes...........5 Calendar.......................6-7 Penny University............8 RVC3 News.......................8 Birthdays / Anniversaries / New Members....................9 Election News...................9 Plan Ahead...........................9 Death Came to Gotham.......10 Email____________________________ Volunteer to help? YES NO How? ______________________ Fringe Festival FAQ............11 # of Breakfast Buffet Adult @ $10.00 ________ Karen’s Korner............11 # of Breakfast Buffet Child 12 and under @ $6.00 ____ TOTAL AMOUNT ENCLOSED: $___________ (payable to “Cleveland Area Mensa RG”) page 3 CAM Kids © 2005 by Jim Szirony Racetrack Riddle Five local racers were among the participants in this year’s Intimidator 250 stock car race. To the delight of the crowd, the local racers overwhelmed the competition and swept the top five positions. Lynn, the only female entrant in the race, was among the local competitors. From this information and the clues below, determine the full name of each local racer (one first name is Mario), his or her racing nickname (one is “Roll Bar”) and their final race position. 1. The man who finished third is the only one whose first name and last name start with the same letter. 2. The one whose nickname is “Gearbox” is neither Elliot nor Mr. Roberts (whose first name isn’t Tom). 3. Elliot (whose nickname is not “Slicks”) finished somewhere ahead of Mr. Garlits and just behind the racer nicknamed “Spoiler.” 4. Ms. Muldowney finished somewhere ahead of Mr. Martin who finished immediately ahead of Andy. 5. Tom, whose nickname is “Double-clutch,” is not Mr. Jones (who is not Andy). WANTED! Volunteers for moving items to the RG on Thursday, September 29 from Solon to Elyria. Then to return items to Solon on Sunday. Prefer candidate to have a truck and a strong back, but will accept just a strong back. Looking for more than one candidate. Whistling while you work not a priority, but a positive attitude is a must. Contact Lyn Byrd, RG Chair at lbyrd@ penton.com or (216) 661-6563. (Grid to help you solve it) Answers on page 10 RG Highlights! ⇒ Sunday morning visit from ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ the Cleveland Zoo (complete with furry friends), and a talk by the Animal Protective League. David R. Jacquet Scholarship Fund Raffle - win hotel, restaurant gift certificates and more. Beer tasting Cribbage lessons Texas Hold ‘Em, Hearts, and Euchre tournaments Quiz Bowl Thumb Wrestling Speakers on astrology/ tarot, ecology, astronomy page 4 by Jim Vorell Should w tr ipper s? wee Sa Savve our S Str tripper ippers? Debate at the RG In April, state lawmakers passed a bill which would regulate Ohio’s $160 million adult entertainment industry. Among other rules, the bill would bar all stripping after 11 p.m. and would require that women stay at least six feet away from customers. Proponents say closing clubs early will protect both dancers and patrons by cutting down on violence and prostitution. Opponents say it will put 11,000 people out of work and serve no end but further erosion of personal freedom and pushing conservative religious agenda. There will be a debate on the law, which still has to pass the Ohio Senate, at the Cleveland Mensa Regional Gathering on Saturday, October 1 in the 3 p.m. time slot. The debate will have an agreed upon format, an impartial moderator, and a question and answer session. We expect a frank exchange and press coverage so we will rate it as somewhere between PG-13 and R. I will be serving as moderator, and the debaters will be among the leaders on both sides of the issue in Northeast Ohio (including a working stripper and a sponsor of the law). We look forward to exploring this niche issue, incredibly important to some people, and a world apart for the remainder of us. The CAMera by Kathryn Kerber A Snapshot of what’s new with local Mensans Welcome to the CAMera! We have a mixed bag this month: what's new with members, some odd stuff from me, and some member-suggested organizations and events. But first, the most important news of the month is that I am going to see the band aha play in New York City. They haven't had a concert in the US since 1986, and I will be geeking out about this for many months to come. Now, on with the "new"s! Lyn Byrd and her nephew Eric traveled to the National Poetry Slam Finals in Albuquerque, New Mexico August 9-13. Over 70 cities sent teams this year. "She Who Hates Heat" drove across the desert in August from Las Vegas (where Eric attends college) to Albuquerque. That is a real poetry lover! Hey, wait a minute, "college" in "Las Vegas?" Lyn, are you sure that's what he's doing out there? Lyn also attended the AG in New Orleans with Pam Sawrey, deftly arriving the day after Cynthia stormed through and leaving hours before the next hurricane rained down. While their timing was good in one way, it washed out their plans for a "How Mensans Deal with Weather Emergencies" book. There is, however, still an opening for a topic recently of greater importance in my ExComm Minut es Minutes by Pam Sawrey Date: August 2, 2005 Location: Boneyard, Broadview Heights ExComm members present: Emily Taylor, Tim Schifle, Pam Sawrey, Jeff Smith, Kevin Kasday, Karen Bujak. Also present: Kathryn Kerber acting as proxy for Lyn Byrd, Membership Officer De Freshwater, and members Holly Heighberger and John Harman The meeting was called to order at 6:33 p.m. The July minutes had been approved by the ExComm via email in order to meet the August Graffiti deadline. Business was kept brief in order to concentrate on the proposed bylaws. Pam Sawrey, treasurer, reported that income for July was $401.17 and expenses totaled $823.47. There is $2,771 in the checking account, and $1,500 in a certificate of deposit. Total assets are life: "How Mensans Deal with a Blind Date They Don't Want to See Again." My fear of rejection is accompanied by a just as powerful fear of rejecting others. I have therefore compiled a list of alternative nonrejections. Feel free to clip this out and keep it in your wallet for handy reference, and let me know if you have any additions. I didn't call you back this weekend because: 1) my coven was having a retreat; 2) I had to take all 16 cats in for deworming; 3) I finally got that Dyson sphere kit I ordered; or 4) I was all "itchy." And finally, here is a sampling of organizations and events you may find interesting: Cool Cleveland is co-directing the first annual Ingenuity Festival of Art and Technology during Labor Day weekend. The downtown event will feature "performances and displays, which range from cutting-edge computer-based creations and multimedia events to classical works and family fare." For more info and FREE passes see www.coolcleveland.com or www.ingenuity cleveland.com. The Ohio Society for the Elevation of Kites is sponsoring the Kite Festival at Edgewater Park on September 10 and 11 this is also this month's All Ages Event. $4,271. Of this, $1,346.55 is dedicated to the scholarship fund. Attendance is up at the Monthly Gatherings. A new location for the Gatherings is being sought, and Emily and Jeff will be scouting out a possible new restaurant located in the same vicinity as the Ponderosa. In other business, Karen Bujak recently received her awards at ECOM’s Final Friday, issued by the National Office for her outstanding newsletter work. Graffiti was submitted on time but was not sent out by the post office until August 1, because the person in charge of periodical mailings was on vacation. One of the three $500 scholarship checks was written to a recipient who showed proof of enrollment. Tom Harmon, scholarship chair, will present it to the winner. Jeff Smith, who recently volunteered to serve as a testing proctor, will monitor his first testing session on August 6. The RG 2005 plans are OSEK organizes a variety of kitemaking and flying events throughout the summer, and memberships are very reasonable. Their website is at http://users.adelphia.net/ ~osekcleve. The Kite Fest will feature a sport kite flying competition to music, and judges are chosen from the audience for part of the contest. Sunday the 11th (National Patriot Day) will feature lots of Red-WhiteBlue. See the calendar or send me an email for more info. Here's one for everyone into Ancient Pastimes of the Nobility: Lawn Bowling. You may have seen this in the Metro section of the Plain Dealer: there's an organization in East Cleveland called the Forest Hill Lawn Bowling Club, and they sound like a great group of people. They are trying to drum up new members, so if you're interested in finding out more about lawn bowling, contact Wayne Crookshanks at foresthillbowl @aol.com or (440) 3521978. That's all for this month. I hope you enjoyed the column, and be sure to let me know what's new with you! moving along well. Pam Sawrey will display her paintings at the RG and will donate 10% of any sales to the scholarship fund. Tim Schifle also volunteered to display his art work and also donate 10% to the fund. Other artists willing to do the same should contact Pam. The CAP program’s focus on work at the women’s shelter is proving successful, and there will be future opportunities for volunteering. A productive discussion of the proposed bylaws brought about several improvements, suggestions, and modifications. De Freshwater will write in the changes, and submit them to the ExComm via email. The members will review them, and additional discussion will take place at the September meeting. The next meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 8, at the Boneyard in Broadview Heights. The meeting adjourned at 7:50 p.m. page 5 by Richard Broida Sep Septtember Calendar KEY: CAM: Cleveland Area Mensa ExComm: Executive Committee ECOM: East Central Ohio Mensa FMI: For more information : Kid-oriented or kidfriendly events SEP 2 – Friday 6:30 PM FIRST FRIDAY Dine with Bob at the Country Diner, 520 East Market Street, just east of downtown Akron. New members particularly welcome. FMI: Bob Crawford (866) 8666686 or [email protected]. SEP 5 – Monday 12 Midnight Deadline for the October Calendar. All calendar submissions, changes, deletions, corrections, should be submitted to Richard Broida at [email protected]. SEP 6 – Tuesday 6:30 PM FARSIDE WEST Meet at Sugar Creek Restaurant 5196 Detroit Rd. Sheffield Lake. (440) 934-5059, Amish-type food, great desserts, separate checks. FMI: Sue Taylor (440) 926-2973. SEP 8 – Thursday 6:30 PM EXCOMM MEETING NOTE CHANGE IN DAY! At The Boneyard, 101 E. Royalton Rd. Broadview Heights (440) 717-WING. Private room beyond the bar area. Come and join the discussion! SEP 9 – Friday 9 PM Absolute final deadline for the October Graffiti! Please make sure all materials have been sent to [email protected] before 9 PM. menu. Mid-month ECOM mixer. The Wilsons turn the reins over to Jeanne Ebie (330) 798-1194. SEP 10 – Saturday 11 AM ALL-AGES EVENT The Cleveland Kite Festival at Edgewater Park. Join us for kite-making workshops, the Mass Ascension of Kites, kite races, and flying demonstrations. This is a great event for spectators and participants. The Festival is Saturday and Sunday, so the rain/no wind date is the 11th. RSVP to Kathryn at kathryn [email protected] or (216) 731-1518 for more info and so we know to expect you. SEP 10 – Saturday 2 PM MENSA TESTING Arrive early, test starts promptly at 2 at the Cleveland Heights Community Center, One Monticello Blvd., Cleveland Hgts just off Mayfield Rd. between Superior and Lee, in Activity Room 3. Email or call if you have further questions. Contact Vikki Broida, Proctor Coordinator, (216) 371-0589 or C: (216) 548-3861. [email protected]. SEP 10 – Saturday 6:30 PM GAMES NIGHT At Karen’s house in Wadsworth. Food, friendly chat, and fun games! Some snacks provided, but you may bring something to share. Bring a favorite game, if you wish. Join us at 8585 River Styx Road. RSVP to Karen (330) 334-2115 or [email protected]. SEP 11 – Sunday 2 PM PENNY UNIVERSITY NEW EVENT! (See article on page 8.) At the home of Colleen and Alan Baltis, 1418 Lakeland Ave., Lakewood. It’s the first house south of the intersection of Detroit and Lakeland, on the west side. Email us at [email protected] or call us at (216) 226-1907 to RSVP. SEP 9 – Friday 6:30 PM MENSA AT THE MOVIES At the Cinemark at Valley View, 6001 Canal Road, Valley View, (216) 447-8820. First showing of A Sound of Thunder after 6:30 PM. RSVP to Kevin Kasday at: kevink@ kasday.org or (330) 310-9045. SEP 14 – Wednesday 7 PM E=MC3 Eating Out = Mexican Cuisine, McIntyres and Merry Conversation at Mariachi Locos, 1870 Buchholzer Blvd., Akron. FMI: Jim/ Barbara McIntyre (330) 928-8079. SEP 9 – Friday 6:30 PM ECOM SECOND FRIDAY Dakota Grille, 2727 Manchester Rd., Akron, Enjoy great food from a varied page 6 SEP 14 – Wednesday 7:30 PM CAM TRIVIA Play NTNetwork Trivia! Hamburgers to full meals, soft drinks, beer, etc. Instant Replay at 6710 Smith Road, Middleburg Heights, by the tracks, just north of Southland. FMI: Terry Durica (440) 888-0843. SEP 15 – Thursday 6:30 PM 3RD THURSDAY THINKERS THING At Emidio’s in Cuyahoga Falls, 3204 State Road, at the corner of Bath Rd. FMI: Peter Spearing (330) 376-8230 or pwspearing@ sbcglobal.net. SEP 16 – Friday 7 PM THIRD FRIDAY FUN FEST Festivities are now at The Hong Kong Buffet, 4770 Dressler Rd, Canton. Great Buffet! Hosted by Ed Glomski and Jason Cannon. FMI: [email protected]. SEP 17 – Saturday 11:30 AM “ALL-TALLMADGE” ROAD RALLYE Starts at the Autozone Parking lot on West Avenue. $12/car in advance, $15 at the door. Picnic follows the rallye at the Turner residence, 889 Martindale, Tallmadge. Cost for picnic only is $4/person or $10/family. (Picnic is included in rallye registration.) Send registrations, checks made payable to ECOM, to Elizabeth Wilson, 791 N. Azalea, Barberton, Ohio 44203. FMI: Dick Turner (330) 633-6729. SEP 18 – Sunday 11:30 AM BRUNCH AT BORDERS Meet in coffee area of Borders, SW corner of Detroit and Crocker in Westlake, off I90. No agenda, no reservations, just conversation, snacks and beverages. FMI: Adelaide Jaffe (216) 281-9538. SEP 22 – Thursday 7 PM DINING WITH DE DWD Dinner Group goes southeast to Macedonia - Long-Yun’s Mongolian Barbecue, 307 Highland Road, Macedonia. (330) 908-3988. Separate checks. Wheelchair accessible. RSVP a must by 9/ 21 to De at [email protected] or (440) 779-8110. ALSO, email De with your restaurant suggestions. SEP 24 – Saturday 3-6 PM TAKE APART DAY For young Mensans at the Connecting Touch Community Room, 960 Graham Rd., Cuyahoga Falls. Bring safety goggles and Sep Septtember Calendar - cont. tools for you and your child. Bring something to take apart, or work on what we already have here: a computer monitor, a printer, tape player, TV, and CD players. Pizza will be provided. FMI: Katie Hayes at walfordgal @yahoo.com or (330) 9402210. SEP 25 – Sunday 11:30 AM KAFFEE KLATSCH On the east side at Einstein Bros. Bagels, 36099 Euclid Ave. (Route 20) in Willoughby, corner of Beidler & Euclid, ½ mile east of Rte. 91. FMI: Lynne Killgore/ Dave Michel (440) 951-6535 or JP Thompson/JW Finkler (440) 585-0093 or jpjwetal@ stratos.net. SEP 25 – Sunday 6:15 PM LAST SUNDAY IN WARREN At the Stake-Out, 5115 YoungstownWarren Road (Rte 422) in Niles, 1.2 miles west of the Rte. 46 intersection, next door to Penne’s Restaurant. Len Sainato hosts. Sunday Monday Special events include Fringe Festival (Friday night), Rockin’ Dance (Saturday night), and catered Breakfast Buffet (Sunday morning - $10). Speakers, games, tournaments and great hospitality (i.e. food) all weekend. At the Holiday Inn, 1825 Lorain Blvd., Elyria, (440) 324-5411 or (800) 321-7333. To register and make hotel reservations see page 3, visit cleveland.us. mensa.org/rg.html, or contact Sandy Murphy, Registrar, [email protected]. FMI: (330) 399-8496 or LenLefLuv @aol.com. SEP 26 – Monday 6 PM LICK ‘N STICK Join the volunteers who tape and label each issue of Graffiti. At Bobbie’s, 6787 Warrington Dr., N. Olmsted. (440) 2350013. SEP 27 – Tuesday 6:30 PM MANHATTAN DELI Meet to eat and greet at the Manhattan Deli, 24180 Lorain, between Clague and Columbia, North Olmsted. FMI: Charles Grace (440) 899-7737 or chasgrace @aol.com. SEP 30 – Friday 6:30 PM ECOM FINAL FRIDAY ECOM’S monthly meeting will be at at Ni’s Dynasty, 4054 Medina Rd, Akron. It’s on the south side of Rte. 18, just east of I-77. Linda Snowball will speak about books and book collecting. Speaker rescheduled from two months ago. Dinner is at 6:30, business meeting at 7:45, and speaker at 8. FMI: Dale Harding (330) 434-8444 or witchking @core.com SEP 30 – Friday 3 PM until OCT 2 – Sunday 1 PM CAM REGIONAL GATHERING “Have Thumb Fun” with Mensans from all over the Midwest and beyond for a threeday celebration of the opposable thumb. Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 1 4 5 Calendar Deadline Pittsburgh RG 11 6 12 13 E=MC3 7 PM 14 20 21 Brunch at Borders Westlake 11:30 AM 25 Kaffee Klatsch 11:30 AM Last Sunday in Warren 6:15 PM 26 Lick’n Stick N Olmsted 6 PM 27 Manhattan Deli 6:30 PM 15 ECOM 3rd Thursday NTN Trivia Middleburg Hts 7:30 PM 19 8 CAM ExComm Broadview Hts 6:30 PM Farside West 6:30 PM Penny University Lakewood 2 PM 18 7 28 2 3 ECOM First Friday 6:30 PM Note there is no Monthly Gathering this month due to the RG Labor Day Saturday 6:30 PM 22 Dining with De Long-Yun’s Macedonia 7 PM 29 Pittsburgh RG Mensa Movies 6:30 PM 9 Kite Festival 11 AM 10 ECOM 2nd Friday Mensa Testing 2 PM 6:30 PM Games Night Graffiti Deadline 6:30 PM 1166 17 3rd Fri Fun Fest ECOM Road Rallye Hong Kong Buffet 11:30 AM 7 PM 23 30 CAM RG 3 PM ECOM Final Fri. 6:30 PM 24 Kids Take-Apart Day Cuyahoga Falls 3-6 PM CAM Regional Gathering - All day Sat, til 1 pm Sun page 7 -Lit er ations: AL-Lit -Liter erations: Penny University AL by Alan Baltis WHO: Cleveland Area Mensans and their guests who think that civilized, passionate, interesting, learned conversation is a pretty good way to spend a Sunday afternoon once a month. To encourage a more sophisticated exchange, no children, please. WHAT: A coached discussion on the Issues of the Day, modeled after the Penny University salons of Olde England (surely you’ve heard the expression “a penny for your thoughts”?) of which we modern smarties wish to Einstein we could partake. We’ll focus on a specific topic each month, but like any Mensa discussion we suspect we’ll digress maybe a little, just without getting too lost to return. Cost of admission? One penny placed in the jar as you enter (exact change, please). Given the date, our first topic of discussion will be Terrorism. WHEN: Sunday, Sept. 11, from 2-6 PM, and every 2 nd Sunday of each month through at least the end of 2005. That’ll be Oct 9, Nov 13, and Dec 11, so mark your calendars now! WHERE: At the comfortable-forconversation home of Colleen and Alan Baltis, 1418 Lakeland Ave., in lovely Lakewood. It’s the first house south of the intersection of Detroit and LakeLAND (not to be confused with LakeWOOD Ave.), on the west side. There’s plenty of street and lot parking available. WHY: Because it sure seems to us that many of today’s discussions aren’t a sharing of ideas, but yelling until someone succumbs. Want to share some facts on subjects in which you’re knowledgeable? Join us. Want to voice an opinion? Join us. Want to hear that opinion subjected to intellectual rigor rather than “that’s crap” or “I believe as you do?” Join us. Want to learn and unlearn in equal measure? Join us. Want to be enlightened as much as you enlighten others? Join us. Want a monthly taste of, maybe, what you always dreamed Mensa could be? Join us. Join us. Join us. HOW: Email us at [email protected] or call us at (216) 226-1907 to RSVP, so that we have an idea of how many chairs to set up. Bring along some food or drink to share, if you’d like. It’s not required, but the breaking of bread builds friendships and civility. Bring that big brain and big heart of yours, and don’t forget that penny! page 8 News fr om yyour our R VC from RV by Alan Baltis Regional Vice Chair [email protected] “What I Did on My Summer Vacation” My wife and I “did” the Annual Gathering in New Orleans this year, and it was an incredible amount of smart fun. Please allow me to elaborate. Colleen and I had decided we were going to drive there and back, because (a) we wanted to take a little longer vacation to celebrate my being well again (I just survived melanoma, which I’ll probably talk about in a future column), and (b) to give us an excuse to travel. We’re seeing as many state capitals as we can, and this was a great opportunity to capture 10 or so, and (c) flying nowadays and especially the TSA makes me feel that I no longer live in the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. Colleen and I really enjoy each other’s company, and what others have called “how could you stand being trapped with each other for 2 weeks?” was something to which we were actually looking forward. In preparation for the trip I had loaded up on state maps of our route, both from the various tourist bureaus and from AAA (which is some of the best money I spend each year). We also had many guidebooks like “Road Trip America,” “Road Food America,” and “Road Kill America” to help us find the cool, quirky “biggest-ball-oftwine”-type places that we love to visit. I hate getting home and finding out that we were within 5 miles of the best mini-golf course in Tennessee, and missed it! I had also used www.priceline.com to make sure that we had a decent place to stay each night, while keeping costs down to an average of $40/night. Priceline is a godsend if you don’t know an area well enough to care where you stay, but you do care about a good bed, a good shower, and a good lock on the door. We started off out of Cleveland on the Friday morning before “AG week” and zoomed down through Ohio into West Virginia. Along the way we stopped at a place called Tamarack that a helpful clerk at the Ohio border had recommended, a place where hundreds of Appalachian craftspeople and artisans ply their trades and sell their wares, and it was much nicer and less tourist-trappy than we expected. I picked up a few handcrafted wood puzzles, Colleen got a colorful sun-catcher for our kitchen, and I got a few gifts for my brothers for Christmas - candies that look just like lumps of coal for their stockings. We stayed in Charleston, West Virginia, spending the first 20 minutes or so in town searching for our hotel, and, frustrated by the confluence of rivers and bridges and highway overpasses and one-way streets, finally having to call them to guide us in. It turns out that the Capital Ramada is actually quite a bit away from the Capital. The next morning we went back and saw the capital building by daylight, which to our chagrin, was actually undergoing renovation and whose gold dome was all wrapped in plastic! However, the inside of the building was beautiful and loaded with historical info, so a great first stop. We then headed east to connect with the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia, which I had been on before and wanted to share with Colleen (and see again). Of course we stopped at every roadside historical marker, and slowed to take all kinds of pictures of wildlife and scenic vistas, exercising our new digital camera and determined to take as many of the 1000 or so pictures for which I had room on three Compact Flash cards, each the size of one of those chocolate afterdinner mints. Technology is Good. What wasn’t good was seeing the sign for “Asheville, 280 miles” when it was already 7 p.m. Asheville, North Carolina held our next hotel, and even if we stopped stopping at every little sign, if we continued to average the 50 m.p.h. maximum speed on the Parkway, we wouldn’t get in until 1 a.m. or so. So we hopped off the Parkway and onto the interstate that parallels it along that stretch, and worked on making up some time. This took us west into Tennessee and then down into North Carolina, and because we stopped for dinner along the way before everything shut down at 10 p.m., we still didn’t get in until after midnight. And this was the Renaissance Hotel, one of the nicer ones in which we’d be staying. Aaargh. By getting in so late on a Saturday night we got the second-to-last room available in the hotel, and the only nonsmoking one left. It was a huge conference room with a Murphy bed hidden in one wall, which (though I feared the worst) was actually quite comfortable. . . .Continued on Page 11 Happ y! Happyy Bir Birtthda hday! Election N Neews September Birthdays Susannah Bradd Theodore S. Wodoslawsky Ann D. Makohon Shawn Kenney A. Malachi Mixon IV James Dalton Saunders Jacob Jay Boone John Byrum Ann L. Eurenius John Alan Cundiff Troy D. Piper Sandra M. Jones Milton D. Fritschle Elisabeth K. Panec Emily Taylor Martin J. Slunski Thomas M. Cooper Christopher A Hartenstine Jon McFarland Beth Slejko Jane Brewster Quentin Alexander Tim Schifle Michael Lovas Thomas R. Wyvill John Sankovic Matthew Limpach Louise Anne Bene Gretchen F. Markin Edward Richard Karlovec Gary J. Chester 1 1 2 6 6 6 8 9 9 10 12 12 13 17 18 19 19 20 21 21 21 22 22 23 24 24 25 25 28 29 30 Plan Ahead... Sep 2 - 5 - Western Pennsylvania RG, Pittsburgh Sep 16-18 - Central Ind. Outdoor Gathering Sep 17 - ECOM Road Rallye, Tallmadge, Ohio Sept 30 - Oct 2 - Have Thumb Fun!, Cleveland RG Oct 22 - National Testing Day Oct 28-30 - HalloweeM, Chicago RG Nov 25 - ECOM Scholarship Auction Dec 2 - 5 - DecadeDent RG, Cincinnati Dec 10 - CAM Holiday Party Check www.us.mensa.org or region3.us. mensa.org for more information on these and other events. The Cleveland Area Mensa Nominating/Election Committee is pleased to announce its nominees for the 2005 election taking place in October. There are three member-at-large positions open for two-year terms. The Committee nominates: Katherine Kerber Jeff Smith Jim Vorell Our nominee for editor, for a one year term is: Karen Bujak All of these folks have been active members in Mensa, and we believe that they would be great additions to the ExComm. Katherine is a new and very active member of CAM; she is our new Gifted Children’s Activities Coordinator. Jeff is serving on the ExComm as a member-at-large and does a great job. Jim Vorell was our vice president several years ago, and arranged the Mixers until a job transfer moved him away. Since he has moved back to Cleveland he has helped out by arranging the Monthly Gatherings and speakers. Karen has been a Hellos . . . Welcome new member: Kenneth Fribush Brecksville Reinstating (after lapse > 1 year): Christopher M. Ernst Chagrin Falls George C. Cooper Jr. Mentor Moving in (from): George Clark Elyria (Marlborough, Mass.) Dr. A. Patricia Humphrey Oberlin (Albany, Ohio) And welcome back two members who had recently lapsed. and Goodb Goodbyyes . . . Moving out (to): Scott A. Labuda Shawn McClintic Cleveland (Stow, Ohio) Lakewood (Glenville, NY) Cur ship: 4 49 Currrent Member Membership: 449 by Vikki Broida Chair, Nominating & Elections Committee great editor of Graffiti this past year. She won four National PRP awards for her work on Braegen. If anyone else is interested in running for member-at-large or editor, they may be nominated from the floor, in person or in writing, with at least one second, at the August Monthly Gathering/Business Meeting. Respectfully submitted, Vikki Broida, NomComm Chair, Colleen Baltis, Richard Broida, Holly Jo Heighberger, Sandy Murphy Happ er sar y! Happyy Anniv Anniver ersar sary! (Years in Mensa) Harold Kirkpatrick Jane W. Burkey Joseph F. Gitto Michael Jay Jordan James R. Michael Harvey J. Bernstein George E. Lasch Jr. Ann L. Eurenius Mary Eileen Fogarty Gwendolyn Laura Miller Dr. Mary A. Turzillo Lois Ann Delozier Ernest W. Nitschke Lorraine Petitti Rick Stalnaker Matthew Limpach Deric C. Payne C. Reynolds Keller Jr. Jill A. Ferguson Robert Cireddu Cable Steinemann Thomas Corrigan Ramona K. Boggins Robert H. Warner Shelly E. Gould Burgess Christopher Pratt Jesse Weiner Elizabeth J. Haynes 40 28 28 28 27 26 26 24 21 20 18 16 13 10 7 6 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 page 9 by J.R. Simons Death came to Gotham Deat h came tto o Go n Death Gottham on a clear blue cloudless mor morn In wing ed missiles, winged Steel dr agons guided bbyy madmen dr unk on rreligious eligious ffer er dragons drunk ervvor or.. No one kno ws wh hat da know whyy he came tthat dayy, But come he did. Steel dr agons pier ced twin tto ower s, dragons pierced ers, Pillar osper tr opolis. Pillarss of pr prosper osperity Metr tropolis. ity in Me Flames sho om nos tr ils w h rraging aging fuel. shott fr from nostr trils weet wit with Heat immeasur able undid bloc ks and mor immeasurable block morttar ar,, Sinking tto hat had ssttood ttall all and def iant ag ains he wind. erss tthat defiant agains ainstt tthe ower O, Go our Dar k Knight no w? Gottham, wher wheree is yyour Dark now? O, Me tr opolis, wh he Caped Cr usader ffor or sak en yyou? ou? Metr tropolis, whyy has tthe Crusader orsak saken ak en yyour our ttoll. oll. O, Deat h yyou ou ha Death havve ttak aken O, Deat h yyou ou ar or ce tto o be rrec ec koned wit h. Death aree a ffor orce eck with. h, be no oud, But, Deat Death, nott pr proud, For ffear ear has no po wer oo’er ’er hear ts ffilled illed wit h fr eedom’ pow hearts with freedom’ eedom’ss song. Deat h, yyou ou can ttak ak ou ’ll ne akee a body body,, but yyou ou’ll nevver claim a soul. Death, Deat h, yyou ou can kill a symbol, but yyou ou ’ll ne Death, ou’ll nevver kill its meaning. Deat h, w ou in tthe he fface ace and laugh. Death, wee ssttar aree yyou ance. We defy yyou ou wit h our ar with arrrog ogance. What did yyou ou ttak ak ou tthat hat da ou came tto o Go akee wit with dayy yyou Gottham? h yyou eady died; Nothing mor han hollo w souls tthat hat had alr moree tthan hollow already Steel dr agon pilo ts whose souls yyou ou alr eady oowned. wned. dragon pilots already I pity yyou, ou, Deat h. Death. You came tto o Go or some souls tto o sstteal, Gottham looking ffor But onl way wit h dus onlyy came aaw with dustt our hands In yyour In yyour our eeyyes In yyour our nos tr ils nostr trils In yyour our ear earss In yyour our mout h. mouth. We w alk in yyour our shado w, walk shadow But w he light of da wee see tthe dayy. Deat h, go home. Death, Come no o Go ymor e. nott tto Gottham an anymor ymore. Me opolis has no rroom oom ffor or yyou. ou. Metr tropolis tr Photo © 2001 by Karen Bujak Since she is the only female driver, Lynn’s last name is Muldowney (clue 4). Clue 1 now tells us Mario must be Mr. Martin (the third place finisher). Since she finished ahead of Mario (clue 4), Lynn could only end in first or second place with Andy finishing fourth. From clue 3 we learn Elliot did not finish first or last. This makes Elliot the second place finisher leaving Lynn, whose nickname is “Spoiler” the winner of the race and page 10 Answers to CAM Kids Tom placing fifth. Clue 5 tells us Tom’s nickname is “Doubleclutch,” and his last name is not Jones. From clue 2 we know his last name is not Roberts, therefore Tom must be Mr. Garlits. Mr. Jones is not Andy (clue 5) so his first name must be Elliot, leaving Andy to be Mr. Roberts. Elliot’s nickname is not “Gearbox” (clue 2), nor “Slicks” (clue 3), so it must be “Roll Bar.” Since Andy Roberts’ nickname is also not “Gearbox,” (clue 2) his nickname must be “Slicks,” and Mario Martin is “Gearbox.” To summarize: First: Lynn “Spoiler” Muldowney Second: Elliot “Roll Bar” Jones Third: Mario “Gearbox” Martin Fourth: Andy “Slicks” Roberts Fifth: Tom “Double-clutch” Garlits Fring es tiv al FFA AQ ingee FFes estiv tival by Chris King Q. When is the Mini-Fringe Festival®? A. It will be held on the first evening of the 2005 CAM RG, September 30, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. We will be hosting a Café where you will find a mini version of a Fringe Festival in progress. Q. What is a Fringe Festival®? A. Fringe Festivals have become one of the most popular and most successful theater events in the world in a short space of time. They are unique in several ways, but in particular because they continue to focus on supporting new and emerging artists presenting innovative performances to wider audiences. Q. What kind of performance is acceptable? A. Anything goes; poetry, storytelling, theater, stand-up comedy, magic, juggling, art, a work in progress, any performance, whatever you want, not more than 15 minutes in length. Following the governing principles of Fringe Festivals, “There must be artistic freedom; no censorship is allowed.” Q. How will performances for the MiniFringe Festival be chosen? A. Events must be non-juried, and entrants must be chosen by a lottery, “first-come, first-served basis” or similar random process. We will choose by a lottery. Q. What should I submit? A. To enter the lottery, submit: 1. Your name, address, phone, email, 2. Title of your 15-minute program, 3. Maximum 30-word description of the program, and 4. Standard Content Warning (if appropriate) for language, subject matter, violence, nudity. Q. What is the deadline? When will I know if I have been accepted? A. Deadline for submissions is September 5 (postmarked), or electronic submissions received no later than 11 p.m. EST on September 7. (Be sure to put “CAM MiniFringe Festival in subject line.”) Results of the lottery will be announced by September 9, and those who will be performing will be assigned a time slot (between 7 and 10 p.m.). More names will be drawn than slots, so if there is any reason someone chosen cannot attend the 2005 CAM RG, there will be a waiting list. Q. Where do I send my submission? A. Send email submissions to: [email protected] or mail your submissions to Mini-Fringe Festival; Chris King, P.O. Box 221255, Beachwood, OH 44122. RVC Column continued from page 8 . . . The next morning we had a great breakfast (Colleen was by now hopelessly addicted to grits), and headed over to the Biltmore House. Built and maintained by the Vanderbilt family, this is the place that the US President should live if he really wanted to impress foreign dignitaries. Hundreds of rooms, all uniquely appointed with international artifacts as well as local crafts. Beautiful gardens, an extensive winery, and working farm park added to the delights. I actually saw, for the first time in my 45 years, an egg pop out of a chicken! We then…whoops, I see I’m already over my 800 word limit for most newsletters, so I’ll stop short here. Next month - more on the trip, the AG, the hurricanes we almost got to experience, etc. Okay, an injection of Mensa business for those hungry for such things. My first AMC meeting as your RVC was wonderfully smooth and cooperative compared to some of the Tales of Terror I had heard from past AMC members and meeting attendees. Many appointees for the 2005-6 or 7 terms were approved, a number of housekeeping-type motions were ratified, and everyone got to know one another (7 out of 10 RVCs were new, so many new faces and voices and minds). Minutes for the meeting are available at the www.us.mensa.org website. One item of significance was the rescinding of a motion at April’s meeting to restrict the use of Mensa resources for ride-sharing, roommate matching, etc. at Mensa events, with the rescindation (like that’s a word!) coming from the count that passed it not agreeing with AMC members’ memories of how they voted. If you have thoughts or feelings you’d like to share on this or other Risk Management-based topics or, heck, anything Mensa-related, please email me at [email protected]. Thanks! Kar en aren en’’s K or ner Kor orner by Karen Bujak Editor Again, I have more “stuff” for the Graffiti than room to put it. I am going to push for more pages at the next ExComm meeting. Please subscribe to the electronic version so we can save postage and printing, and so you get the EXTRAS: more articles and more pictures! Speaking of pictures, notice the picture on the front cover of Todd Prinkey? At the time of the dining event, he had just taken the Mensa test (at the urging of Mary Ann Mucha, a coworker and CAM member), and didn’t know if he had qualified. I am pleased to report that he has, and hope he will soon be a new member. Do YOU know someone who you think should be a member? Invite them to take the test or submit other proof of qualification (details on the national website as to what constitutes “prior evidence”). It’s probably too late now (unless you subscribe to the email Graffiti - then you still have 2 weeks), but AML evaluated prior evidence for FREE all during the month of August. CAM offers testing monthly and is training new proctors to be able to provide more testing locations and dates. National Testing Day is coming up October 22, and CAM will be testing in at least two locations that weekend. Watch for details in Graffiti. RG Hospitality Highlights! Dim Thumb Buffet Chicken ‘n Thumblings Pierogies Thumb print cookies Thumby Gnocchi Asian-themed dinner provided by hotel on Saturday ⇒ Rootbeer floats ⇒ Microbrewed beer ⇒ BBQ Pork buns ⇒ Thumbelina Salad and what no RG is ever without: ⇒ Thumbthing chocolate! ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ ⇒ page 11 AMERICAN MENSA, LTD. 1229 CORPORATE DRIVE WEST ARLINGTON, TX 76006-6103 POSTMASTER: ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Graffiti Newsletter of Cleveland Area Mensa Have you registered for the RG yet? Volume 39 PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID at North Olmsted, Ohio - Mailing label - Number 9 September 2005 GRAFFITI (ISSN 0746-5378) is published monthly by Cleveland Area Mensa; 6787 Warrington Dr. North Olmsted, Ohio 44070. Subscription price: members of Cleveland Area Mensa included as part of annual dues; all other Mensans $10/year. Mailing labels are computer-generated and provided by American Mensa, Ltd., 1229 Corporate Drive West, Arlington, Texas 76006-6103. Whenever you write to the National Office, include your membership number. When making an address change, include your telephone number, even if it hasn’t changed, since the computer will drop your old number if the address change includes a ZIP code change. CAM GRAFFITI IS THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF CLEVELAND AREA MENSA #440. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Opinions expressed in Graffiti are those of the individual authors and do not represent Mensa. Mensa, as a group, holds no opinion on any subject. The deadline for submissions is the first of the month for the following month’s issue. The editor will consider for publication all materials submitted. Anonymous submissions will not be printed, but names may be withheld upon request. The editor reserves the right to edit any submission for length or clarity. Other Mensa publications are granted permission to reprint any material that does not contain a copyright notice. Attribution to Graffiti and the author are required. A courtesy copy to the Graffiti editor is requested. Written permission to reprint must accompany all copyrighted materials Electronic format is preferred. Hard copy requiring typing may result in delays in publishing. Please submit items to [email protected], or by mail to Karen Bujak, 8585 River Styx Rd., Wadsworth, Ohio 44281. Graffiti accepts prepaid ads from CAM members. Rates per issue: $6/business card; $20/quarter page; $40/half page. Classified ads for positions wanted are free to members. 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 Editor: Karen Bujak 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 Calendar Editor: Richard Broida 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 CAM Contributors:Alan Baltis 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 Vikki Broida 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 Kathryn Kerber 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 Chris King 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 Pam Sawrey 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 J. 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Simons 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 Jim Szirony 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 Emily Taylor 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 Jim Vorell 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 Lick ‘n Stick 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 Coordinator: Bobbie Rooney 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 Proofreader: De Freshwater 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 Photography: Karen Bujak 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 De Freshwater 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901 Graffiti Staff Printed by: Congress Printing, 2872 West Market St., Akron, Ohio 44333 330-836-2051 * paid advertisement * DISCREET EFFECTIVE REPRESENTATION TERRENCE DURICA ATTORNEY (440) 888-0843 GENERAL LAW PRACTICE INCLUDING PERSONAL INJURY, WILLS, PROBATE AND BUSINESS ORGANIZATION eGraffiti Extras! September 2005 by Al Thomas The Alc hemis Alchemis hemistt Jack and Jill Your editor, receiving the PRP awards Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a bucket of …money. Money? They are continuing to fill their bucket with stocks without any consideration to the value of these equities. They are not worried at all as they are buying “safe” mutual funds. the best indicators is the SP500 Index. Your broker compares everything he does with the SP500 because it is a broad base of 500 stocks that are widely traded. Everyone knows mutual funds are safe. Jack and Jill know they don’t know how to pick good stocks so they leave that to the fund manager. He is an expert. When you look at the long term record of 99% of the mutual funds you will see that expertise has been sadly lacking. I hate to remind you of the 2000 to 2003 period, but I must. In fact I must tell you it is going to happen again. Now you want to know when….and so do I. The finest indicator is the SP500 Index. Draw a 40-week chart of the closing prices. If you don’t know how ask your broker, he will tell you. Write it down and save it. It is very simple. Have him set up a 40week Simple Moving Average to appear on that chart. Look at 5 years worth of prices. Immediately you will see that if you are in the market while the 40-week MA is going up you are making money, and if you are out of all your positions while the index average is going down, you will not lose money. It doesn’t get any easier than that. And that is the problem with almost every fund manager. As long as the market is going up they can’t do much damage to your account, but when it rolls over and heads down they have no idea how to invest when a bear market is in progress. Not a single one of them will acknowledge that cash is a position. Jeff, contemplating his next move? Kathryn and Jake, tossing down a couple of cold ones. Cash is a position? They are in shock. Of course they are. If brokerage customers put their money in a money market account while the market is falling it means they do not make any commission at all and if they recommend this to their customers the brokerage manager will fire them because he won’t make any money either. “Keep your customers fully invested or I’ll show you the door” is the manager’s comment. Jack and Jill can fill their pail as the market is going up and need not spill their accumulation while they walk confidently down the hill holding their bucket full of cash not equities. Al Thomas’ book, “If It Doesn’t Go Up, Don’t Buy It!” has helped thousands of people make money and keep their profits with his simple 2step method. Read the first chapter at www.mutualfundmagic.com and discover why he’s the man that Wall Street does not want you to know. Copyright 2005. [Ed. Note: Al Thomas is a Mensa member in Florida and writes a weekly syndicated financial column that appears in more than 150 newspapers.] You must learn when to sell. Any fool can buy, but it is the wise man who knows when to sell. To see the condition of the overall market one of Playing cards? or helping Jeff contemplate his next move? page 13 What What’’s up! Current topics in Astronomy by Tom Rankin In July/August, we had 2 planets visible in the evening and 2 others in the morning. Did you see any of them? This month, we have life and death in the cosmos: Hubble spies a zoo of galaxies - Gazing deep into the universe, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has spied a menagerie of What is Mary doing to Alan? And why is Colleen surprised? galaxies. Located within the same tiny region of space, these numerous galaxies display an assortment of unique characteristics. Some are big; some are small. A few are relatively nearby, but most are far away. Hundreds of these faint galaxies have never been seen before until their light was captured by Hubble. Hubble pinpoints red supergiant that exploded - A series of lucky breaks has allowed two University of California, Berkeley, astronomers to track down the identity of a distant star that exploded a month ago in the majestic Whirlpool Galaxy. While astronomers can predict which stars will end their lives in a fiery explosion, surprisingly only five supernovas before now had been traced back to a known star. Most supernovas are too distant, or their progenitor stars too faint or in too crowded fields for astronomers to look back in historical sky photos in order to pinpoint the location and type of star. Naughty Tim. It’s not polite to read at the dinner table. Your editor again...with daughter Karla. Cassini Finds an Active, Watery World at Saturn's Enceladus - Saturn's tiny icy moon Enceladus, which ought to be cold and dead, instead displays evidence for active ice volcanism. NASA's Cassini spacecraft has found a huge cloud of water vapor over the moon's south pole, and warm fractures where evaporating ice probably supplies the vapor cloud. Cassini has also confirmed Enceladus is the major source of Saturn's largest ring, the E-ring. Spitzer Finds Life Components in Young Universe - NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has found the ingredients for life all the way back to a time when the universe was a mere youngster. Using Spitzer, scientists have detected organic molecules in galaxies when our universe was one-fourth of its current age of about 14 billion years. These large molecules, known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, are comprised of carbon and hydrogen. The molecules are considered to be among the building blocks of life. If you want more information on any of these stories, I can supply references. Just let me know. Meteors - September has no good shower. Yummy dessert! page 14 Our Chaffing pot? [Ed. note: Mensan Tom Rankin writes a regular column for the Mid-Hudson (NY) Mensa newsletter. His email address is trankin @hvc.rr.com.] Join us ffor or Thumbt hing FFun! un! Thumbthing by Nancy Heller I am Nancy Heller, Hospitality Chair for the 2001 and 2003 CAM RGs. I also was RG Chair in 1999, when we brought the RG back after a six year hiatus. The last three biannual RGs each brought over 150 Mensans together for a weekend of fun, food, friends, and frolic. This year, from September 30 through October 2, we’re going to “Have Thumb Fun” at the Holiday Inn Elyria, 1825 Lorain Blvd., Elyria, OH 44035. Registration is $65 until September 1, when it goes up to $70 (which will be the “at the door” price). I’d like to tell you about what we are planning. Before I get to the weekend of food and programs, I want to let you know about a special program planned for Sunday morning. Many RGs have no programming Sunday morning, but CAM has brought the Cleveland Zoo to several RGs, and the response has been so positive that we are doing it again! So make plans to join us for a fun family program with the Zoo (which will include some “little friends”), and a speaker from the Animal Protective League which will follow. Registration for Sunday only is $15 and includes the hotel-catered Hot Breakfast Buffet of fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausage gravy, buttermilk biscuits, French Toast, bacon, orange juice, coffee and tea. Those 12 and under may join us for half that price! OK, now to the whole weekend. As has become customary at our RG, we will open up the buffet table on Friday Night – we are calling it “Dim Thumb”. Dim Sum is a Chinese phrase meaning “the heart’s little treasures” – but our treasures are not all Chinese in origin! Though this buffet will include Chinese dumplings (can’t pleat ‘em without thumbs) and roast pork buns from Chinatown (can’t pick ‘em up to eat them without thumbs), our buffet will also include: Bob Osterman’s homemade Chicken ‘n Thumplings (can’t form the dumplings without thumbs), Potato Pierogies direct from the grandmas in Parma (can’t fold them closed without thumbs), Texas style Queso for dipping chips (can’t dip a chip without a thumb), and soups, salads, sweets and surprises, including Bob’s Home Made Thumbprint Cookies. Continental breakfast Saturday and Sunday is included in your registration. For Saturday lunch, we will continue to celebrate Thumbs with that thumby Italian potato-based pasta treat: Gnocchi, with homemade ricotta-marinara sauce and butter sauce, and meatballs, Italian Chick Pea Soup and salad. Dinner Saturday is provided by the Hotel (and included in your registration), and will feature an Asian theme (can’t use chopsticks without thumbs, though they will not be mandatory) with several stir fry dishes, including beef, chicken, and vegetables, rice, Thumb Rolls, Thumbelina Salad, and a surprise dessert. A cash bar will be available for those of you who prefer a cocktail before or during dinner. The RG will of course have 24 hour hot dogs and snacks (healthy and not), and all of the beverages you expect – including beer, wine, and a keg of homebrewed rootbeer (and ice cream for root beer floats on Saturday night)! Sunday morning, we hope that you choose to join us for the Hot Breakfast Buffet provided by the Hotel and described above for only $10 per person ($6 for those 12 and under), so I can finally sit down for a while! There is more to do than just eat and drink at the RG. Our game room is huge, and will be stocked with everything you want to play (and perhaps a few things you didn’t know you wanted to play). We will also have programs to amuse and enlighten you, beginning Friday night with the Mini-Fringe Festival®. Saturday afternoon, we will host a debate concerning legislation pending in Columbus to regulate Ohio’s $160 million adult entertainment industry. We expect a frank exchange between two debaters, who are among the leaders on both sides of the issue in NE Ohio (including a working stripper and a sponsor of the legislation), and a lively question and answer session. We will also have a Saturday DJ Dance, a Quiz Bowl, Thumb Wrestling, Beer Tasting, Meet the Artist, Cribbage lessons, speakers on astrology/tarot, clowns and face painting, ecology, stars and planets, and lots of other wonderful diversions. Our gamesmeister, Robert Villarreal, is planning, among other things, Texas Hold ‘Em, DDCH Hearts and TWO Euchre Tournaments. As noted, on Sunday we feature the visit from the Cleveland Zoo and the Animal Protective League, so even if you just come Sunday for a little Mensa socializing, your presence would be welcome and your time well spent! Since the RG is CAM’s primary fundraiser for a two year period, we will have a raffle all weekend, to benefit the David R. Jacquet Memorial Scholarship Fund. RG Chair Lyn Byrd has come up with some wonderful prizes, including hotel accommodations, and substantial restaurant and merchant gift certificates. You can get more information and an RG registration flyer on the Region 3 Website, www.region3.us.mensa.org/ or CAM’s Website, www.cleveland.us.mensa.org. Even without a flyer, you can register by sending your contact information and check payable to “Cleveland Area Mensa RG” to Sandra Murphy, Registrar, 2808 Tate Ave., Cleveland, OH 44109; you may email the Registrar at [email protected]. Please do email the Registrar and let us know if you think you will attend all or part of the RG, even if you don’t pre-register, so that we can ensure a sufficient quantity of goodies! Day rates are $30 Friday, $45 Saturday and $15 for Sunday only (which includes the Hot Breakfast Buffet). Child rates (under 12) are half of the applicable adult rates. For a hotel room (recommended, but not required), call the Holiday Inn Elyria – Lorain (a AAA Three Diamond Hotel) at 440/324-5411 or 800/321-7333; be sure to mention “Cleveland Area Mensa” to get the $59/night room rate. Its gonna be thumb fun! page 15