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Table of Contents
2018 Chapter Business Meetings ................................................................................ 1
SCM Chapter Events – September 2018...................................................................... 2
CT & Western MA Mensa Chapter – Upcoming Events ............................................. 4
Fall Mensa Hiking Weekend ......................................................................................... 5
Region 1 RVC Roundup ................................................................................................ 6
June Monthly Dinner ..................................................................................................... 8
Word Check ................................................................................................................. 10
Puzzles & Questions ................................................................................................... 12
Answers to Some of the August Chronicle Questions ............................................ 12
Noted & Quoted ........................................................................................................... 14
Announcements & Notices ......................................................................................... 16
SCM Chronicle - Advertising Rates ........................................................................... 19
Mensa Chapter #066 - Officers 2017-2018 ................................................................. 20
2018 Chapter Business Meetings September 20 – Teleconference October 18 – In person November 15 – Teleconference December 20 – Teleconference
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SCM Chapter Events – September 2018 Saturday, September 1, 4:00–8:00 pm Free Musical Performance by Silver Steel Captain’s Cove Seaport, 1 Bostwick Avenue, Bridgeport, CT Southern CT Mensan Larry Schwartz and his wife Sharyn perform in the steel pan band Silver Steel. The band’s website is http://www.silversteelband.com/. You can see their schedule there and hear some of their music from local concerts. Free. Join us at Captain's Cove Seaport, Connecticut's Outdoor Summer Fun Destination. Enjoy seafood, burgers, and drinks on the marina. It's casual, and it's Saturday Night!
Saturday, September 1, 8:00 pm Elm Shakespeare Company—Love's Labour's Lost Edgerton Park, 75 Cliff Street, New Haven, CT The King of Navarre and his three friends have sworn to give up all the pleasures of the world for serious study and contemplation. But when the Princess of France and her three ladies arrive on diplomatic business, exuberant frivolity triumphs over studious drudgery, and the whole town erupts in a lighthearted pursuit of what (and who) they love! (https://www.elmshakespeare.org/shakespeare-in-the-park) Tickets: Donation. Bring a chair. Contact Jim Mizera at [email protected] or text or call (203) 522-1959.
Friday, September 8, 2:00–5:00 pm Another Free Musical Performance by Silver Steel Slice of Saugatuck Festival, 575 Riverside Avenue, Westport, CT M’s Larry Schwartz invites you to see his band: “One of our favorite events of the year! The Slice of Saugatuck Festival has asked us to return.” Admission is free, but you may want to participate in the terrific food tasting and stroll among the many nearby restaurants for a sampling of their tastiest cuisine. Food tickets are $15 (2 for $25) and $5 for kids, 5–12 years. Silver Steel plays on the Plaza between Saugatuck Sweets and The Whelk. For a link to the event, visit http://www.westportchamber.com/events/event/154-slice-of-saugatuck-2018 Tuesday, September 11, 6:30 pm Book Discussion at the Diner Silver Star Diner, 210 Connecticut Ave. (Post Rd.), Norwalk, CT (http://www.silverstarct.com/) Come share the highlights of books you’ve read! Some books reviewed and discussed last month: Ike and McCarthy by David A. Nichols; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells; Night by Elie Wiesel. RSVP to Jim Mizera at [email protected] or text or call (203) 522-1959.
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Saturday, September 15, 6:30 pm Monthly Dinner – Speaker: Isabelle Dervaux – “How to Organize Your Digital Photo Collection” Panera Bread, 1860 Post Road East, Westport, CT Isabelle Dervaux is a professional photo organizer, photo curator, and visual storyteller. She has 30 years’ experience as an illustrator and educator, and has worked for Vogue, the New Yorker, Barneys, and clients from Paris to Tokyo. She has taught at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco and at Parsons, the New School for Design in New York. Originally from Valenciennes, France, Isabelle now lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Jim. Visit her website at: http://www.isabelledervaux.com/. Contact Jim Mizera at [email protected] or text or call (203) 522-1959 for info or reservations. Thursday, September 20, 7:00 pm Southern Connecticut Mensa Board Meeting—Teleconference Contact Joan Coprio at [email protected] for directions or to add something to the agenda. Sunday, September 23, 2:30–4:30 pm Mensa Coffee at Starbucks 1253 East Putnam Ave, Riverside, CT (Riverside Commons Shopping Center at I-95, exit 5). Host Bruce Miller will be wearing a baby-blue baseball cap. RSVP Bruce via text at (914) 222-0052. Date to Be Announced Southern Connecticut Mensa Annual Picnic Stamford Museum & Nature Center, 39 Scofieldtown Road, Stamford, CT Come join us again this year for good food and good company in a beautiful outdoor setting! Explore the mansion, hike the trails, visit the farm, or just relax and enjoy the day. Feel free to bring some munchies to share. Visit the museum’s website at http://www.stamfordmuseum.org/. For more information, contact Joan Coprio at [email protected]. The new date for the picnic will be announced on the chapter’s Facebook Page and Blog Site.
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CT & Western MA Mensa Chapter – Upcoming Events This is not a complete listing. Details regarding these and other C&WM events can be found at http://www.cwm.us.mensa.org/members/member-page.htm (Mensa ID and Password required). You can also check out their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/123261321217597/. Thursday, September 6, 5:30 pm First Thursday Happy Hour and Dinner (Hamden) Aunt Chilada’s, 3931 Whitney Ave., Hamden (Route 10). Two-for-one appetizers, reasonably priced drinks. Contact Ann, cell (8__) 817-9910. Saturday, September 1, 10:00 am 1st Saturday Breakfast (Springfield Area) Casa Café, 520 N Main St., East Longmeadow, MA. Directions: From I-91 (25 minutes from Northampton), take Exit 2 (MA 83 South). Go left at the light at the top of the hill, right at the next light onto Sumner, and then right onto Main St. (Rt. 83.) RSVP to: (8__) 810-7370 (voice or text). Saturday, September 8, 12:30 pm, Book Club (Cromwell) Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. Hosted this month by Howie and Bev B. Contact Howie at howiebren [at] gmail.com or Bev at bevbrender [at] sbcglobal.net Sunday, September 9, 12:00 pm Indian Buffet Lunch (Middletown) Haveli India Restaurant, 1300 South Main St., Rte 17, South Middletown. The food is enticing, the staff is friendly, and the company is the best to be had anywhere! Join us at Haveli India Restaurant for an all-you-can-eat $9.95 buffet. New members are particularly welcome at this event. To read about the restaurant or to get directions, please see http://www.haveliindia.com/. RSVP required. Call Barb for a reservation: (8__) 632-7873 or Barbmft1 [at] gmail.com Thursday, September 20, 6:30 pm 3rd Thursday Pioneer Valley Dinner Email Ian Fraser (mensanian [at] ianfraser.net) for more information, directions, or to RSVP in the affirmative (very much appreciated). As always, new members and guests are very welcome at this always friendly and interesting event. We hope to see you there! Friday, September 28, 5:00 pm 4th Friday Happy Hour (Hamden) The Playwright, http://www.playwrightirishpub.com Contact Ann, cell (8__) 817-9910.
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Fall Mensa Hiking Weekend
North Conway, NH September 14–16, 2018 New England has wonderful mountains, enjoyable lakes, and lively cities. New England also has Mensa! This fall, come on up and enjoy both hiking and Mensa, at that wonderful time when the bugs have gone, the weather is wonderful, and the leaves are beginning to change. We will once again be at David Heimann’s ski club lodge, the Skiwheelers Ski Club, in North Conway, NH (see www.skiwheelers.org for further information on the club). The lodge is a lovely 19th-century building, originally built as an inn. In the 1970s, it was used as the location for the movie Return of the Secaucus Seven. It is close enough to the center of North Conway to be easily accessible to all the shops and activities there, yet far enough away to enjoy the peace and quiet of the woods, trees, and country roads. The weekend is low-key and unstructured. The one planned activity is—you guessed it—hiking! Depending on preference, we can go to a mountain peak or other significant destination or take a couple of hours over easy terrain to reach a scenic viewpoint, waterfall, or other point of interest (or have a choice of two hikes, one of each type). Of course, you can also explore more relaxing activities such a short walk or drive, some shopping (North Conway has a few places!), or hanging around the lodge (there's a TV, pool table, piano, books, games, and videos). The weekend includes two nights' accommodations, two full breakfasts, Saturday dinner, and snacks and soft drinks (BYOB for anything stronger), for $80 per person (yes, inflation, in the form of increased guest fees by Skiwheelers, has finally taken its toll). Registrations without accommodations are $40; North Conway has various hotels and lodgings, as well as some good nightspots. We all do the cooking and housekeeping cooperatively, which definitely increases the feeling of closeness and camaraderie. We generally pick out the hikes on Friday night and leave right after Saturday breakfast (around 9:30 or so), stopping at a store on the way to the trail for people to buy sandwiches and the like for lunch. To sign up and reserve a place, send a check for $80 per person to David Heimann, 65 Cornwall St. #206, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130, or send an e-mail pledging that amount to [email protected]. You'll receive confirmation and directions to the lodge by return mail, e-mail, or phone call. If you have questions or need more information, contact David by e-mail or phone (617) 524-4531, or call Bob and Brendy Horn at (781) 843-5581. So here it is: wonderful weather, glorious mountains and forests, invigorating countryside, great people, and, of course, Mensa—all in one wonderful weekend!
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Region 1 RVC Roundup
July was our Annual Gathering: a five-day celebration of Mensa and Mensans. There was ample socializing time, fascinating speakers, and a lot of the business of running this 50,000-person organization was transacted. I was there as your representative on the American Mensa Committee (our national board of directors) and spent a lot of hours in those business meetings, so let me share with you some of what happened. (For the personal aspects of the AG, I posted a fairly long write-up on my personal blog on July 11.) How Can Mensa Be Improved? was a session held in the debates track, but took the form of an open forum for members to make suggestions. Some that I noted were a request for better support for new local volunteers [if you’re a new volunteer and feel like you don’t have the tools you need, contact your locsec or me]; a suggestion to run more member news and chapter news in the national Bulletin [I agree, and it may be in the works]; an idea for local groups hosting events “sponsored by Mensa” for the general public; and a proposal to offer new members a rebate on the testing fee when they actually join [we’ll need to gather some data to see if it’s feasible or productive]. The national Communications Committee held a meeting during which we discussed the ACE awards. One member of the committee talked about an app her local group has, which notifies members of upcoming events that are geographically close to them, and which caught my interest. Someone suggested creating an app for a local group’s calendar of events, and there was some discussion of finding ways to change local newsletters from printed publications that spawn electronic versions to communications which start out as electronic productions, as a way to encourage members to shift to electronic subscriptions. Shifting to electronic saves the organization money, but I’m still not completely convinced that dropping print newsletters will not lead to decreased participation. It’s an evolving world, and I welcome your input. The AMC meeting Thursday was the longest and most contentious since I took office. But I chalk up that contention to actual debate and differing opinions—in other words, exactly what a deliberative body should be doing. The agenda and (when they’re posted) minutes are available on the web site at http://www.us.mensa.org (click “Read,” scroll down to “Board Meeting Reports,” and then select 2018-07-05—Indianapolis, IN). Some highlights from the meeting: I was appointed chairman of the Licensing Committee; following the resignation of Region 8’s RVC, we appointed a regional coordinator to serve out that term; we decided to hold the 2022 Annual Gathering in Reno, Nevada (during the previous term, the AMC set the forthcoming AGs in Phoenix [2019], Kansas City [2020], and Houston [2021]). We also heard presentations from our public relations firm, the Governance Review Task Force, the Strategic Planning Committee, and a report on lapsed members. The Annual Business Meeting featured the reports from Chairman LaRae Bakerink, Treasurer Deb Stone, Mensa Education & Research Foundation President Marie Mayer, and Executive Director Trevor Mitchell. There was no unfinished business carried over from last year, and no newly proposed motions this year. The Region 1 Meet and Greet was much more of me talking than I’d expected, but I think that was due to the fact that most of the people in the room already knew each other: we’re a much more cohesive region than the others. (Although I did meet a few new people there, which was great!)
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The Foundation Reception was a fancy-dress event to recognize donors to the Foundation, and several of this year’s award winners (see the five-page article in the July issue of the Bulletin). It was followed by the Gala Banquet and Speaker (also a fancy-dress event), and a masked ball. The Awards Ceremony was just what it sounds like. But to my mind, there are far too many awards, so that they all tend to blend and lose any sense of importance. There should be a three-page article listing them in the next Bulletin. Several of our local groups won Jewel Awards for participation and activity. The session on the Changing Face of Regional Gatherings, facilitated by our own Lori Norris, was a discussion on what can be done to host an RG, what has been done in the past, and how changes in the world around us have forced us to change the way we do things. Our Region 1 RGs are very well established, but I think there’s room in the calendar for more. Talk with me or Lori if you’re looking for help getting one going. Remember, the newsletters (and calendars) from your nearby local groups are available to you on the Mensa web site (from the main us.mensa.org web site, pull down the “Read” tab and click on “Local Group newsletters”), and I urge you to share your events with those surrounding groups’ calendar editors. Keep up to date with the latest goings on in the region in Region 1’s Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/188180494045/
Ian Randal Strock (917) 755-6935 [email protected] Upcoming Region 1 Regional Gatherings: Mensa of Northeastern New York’s RechaRGe, in Albany, New York (August 31–September 3). For more info, see https://mensaofnortheasternny.wordpress.com Boston Mensa’s Wicked Good! 2018, in Fitchburg, Massachusetts (October 26–28). For more info, see https://rg.bostonmensa.org/. Glossary: AMC: American Mensa Committee, the national board of directors AG: American Mensa’s once-a-year five-day Annual Gathering, featuring the Annual Business Meeting, more than a hundred speakers, and more than a thousand Mensans. ExCom: Executive Committee, in some groups known as Board of Directors: the members who have volunteered and been elected to take care of the day-to-day business of operation a local group. The local group version of the AMC. LocSec: Local Secretary, aka president: the elected leader of a local group (the name comes from our British roots) Region 1: The northeast region of American Mensa, comprising New England, Northern New Jersey, and most of New York RG: Regional Gathering: a weekend-long get-together hosted by a local group featuring speakers, games, events, and more with 100–400 of your closest friends you haven’t met yet. RVC: Regional Vice Chairman, a member of the AMC with responsibility for a specific region of American Mensa YM: Young Mensan: teenaged members and those younger YAM: Young Adult Mensan: members in their 20s and 30s
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June Monthly Dinner Our June monthly dinner featured a first for Southern CT Mensa—it was the first time our chapter has had a major television broadcaster as the speaker. Bill Pidto, studio host for Madison Square Garden (MSG) Network's coverage of New York Rangers hockey and New York Knicks basketball road games, gave a casual but informative talk at our customary meeting place, Panera Bread in Westport. We were able to get Mr. Pidto as a speaker thanks to Larry Schwartz, one of our chapter’s officers, who is Bill’s cousin. Bill has a busy schedule of NHL hockey and NBA games from fall until May or June, depending on how far the Rangers and Knicks go in the playoffs; so Larry asked Bill if he could speak to our Mensa chapter at the end of the season. Bill, who lives in Hartford County, kindly agreed to take time out to give a talk and field questions from our members and their guests. Larry introduced Bill at the June dinner by fondly recalling their youthful friendship, when both of their families lived in New York. When the Pidto’s moved to California, Larry and his family were devastated. Fortunately, Bill came back east in the 1980s to attend Cornell University (Ithaca, NY), and Larry and Bill renewed their friendship. Larry shares Bill’s interest in sports, so he was glad when Bill found work as a volunteer sports anchor and reporter at Cornell’s college radio station, WVBR. Ups and Downs in Broadcasting Bill Pidto spoke to us about his career, sports broadcasting, and some changing facets of sports. “I’ve been working in broadcasting for 36 years,” he reflected, “but I still remember how difficult it was breaking in.” Even though he received a lot of air time at Cornell, getting a paying job came down to one thing: “In my profession, you're hired if they like your looks and voice.” Back then, many radio listeners and TV viewers aspired to work behind the mike and camera, but there were fewer opportunities: “There was no Internet,” Bill reminded us. “Now teams have their own sports network, but in the mid-1980s, all-sport TV networks were new, and 24-hour sports radio hadn’t begun. . . I was hired at $6 an hour for a CBS affiliate in Binghamton (N.Y.), but a lot of my time there was spent sending out my tapes, looking for my next position. Everyone on the ground floor in broadcasting has to do that. It was very humbling.” Bill worked as Sports Director for a Binghamton TV station for one and a-half years, then moved on to a Syracuse station to work as a sports anchor. By that time, a new era in broadcasting was beginning. “I benefited from the explosion of cable broadcasting taking place,” Nill explained. “I got hired by Sports News Network, a 24-hour sports network, in 1991.” But that network lasted only 10 months. Bill found himself unemployed again, struggling to get an interview. He still had his talent, however, and the growing ESPN (Entertainment Sports Network) recognized it and hired him. Bill made the most of the chance. He started as a field producer for scholastic sports, and covered New England sports for a while. Then ESPN launched a second channel, ESPN2, in 1993. Bill interviewed there and landed a job. He anchored or reported on football, baseball, hockey,
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and basketball programs from 1993 to 2008, when ESPN was thriving. Bill lost his job when ESPN began to lose momentum and Bill lost his job. In recent years, the company has continued losing viewers and shedding more jobs. Looking back, Bill said, “The 1990s was a peak time for ESPN. Now it’s hard time for them. Now people get sports info from their smart phone or computer; they are not watching television as much.” MSG Network soon recognized Bill’s talent, however,and hired him in 2009. He currently serves as a studio host for Rangers and Knicks road games, as well as the short two-and-a-half-minute “MSG 150” on the Internet. Questions and Insights
Mensans and friends had many good questions for Bill. One attendee wanted to know if his work was as demanding as that of sportswriters. Bill replied that he has it better, because he doesn’t face the deadlines writers do. “Reporters have the stress of doing a write up after games, usually night games,” he noted. “We’re given the highlights.” But as he pointed out later, these highlights come fast and furious: “You rely on young kids rolling you the highlights. You’re getting sheets that you don't get a chance to look at until they appear on air. It's a high-wire act. But that's what makes it exciting. You're working without a net. One day is unlike any other.” Another person asked about the difficulties of doing games when teams are losing or lagging, as the New York Rangers and Knicks have been doing for the last few years. Bill acknowledged that New York pro teams recently haven’t gone as far as their fans expected. “We're in a situation now where we hope that the Knicks and Rangers can turn it around. The owner of the network also owns the teams where I work, so we're totally
dependent on the success of the teams. The Rangers have gone very far but decided they didn't go far enough, so they hired a new coach.” In the last year, courts have found sports gambling legal, and one audience member asked Bill how that would affect the games and sports broadcasting. One big name TV sportscaster, apparently, is already working for a sports betting network. “Now there will probably be a gambling network, and gambling shows on some sports stations,” Bill commented. For people who fear corruption, he cautioned that athletes probably get paid far too much to risk their careers on bribes. Technology is shifting the television industry again, and our audience wanted to know Bill’s opinion on where the game is heading. “The key demographic is the 25–35-year-old age group,” Bill answered. “They’re not watching the same way previous generations did.” They are less apt to watch a complete game, and more likely to flip through highlights of current games that are constantly being fed. “Is it about attention-span?” a Mensan asked. “Yes,” Bill said. “We get Twitter feed and we now have MSG GO, where a cable subscriber can watch on a tablet computer. I don't want to watch on a tablet or phone, but many younger viewers do.”
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Another questioner wanted to know what scoring level and game tempo Bill prefers in the major team sports. “I like the NHL playoffs better than the NBA playoffs,” he said. “I like 3-2 NHL games where every goal is important.” This provoked some debate about unnecessary delays in pro sports contests, particularly baseball. Bill wisely advised us not to blame instant replays of umpire and referee calls for delays because the reviews, while they take a minute or so, save time by shortening arguments from managers and coaches. Although he covers pro basketball and pro hockey now on MSG, Bill worked on baseball and football shows on ESPN. He keeps up with both sports, so he was happy to field questions about them. One person brought up how savvy baseball statisticians inspired other sports to dig deeper into data. What, he asked, is the right way to blend stats and stories into sports reporting? Bill said he likes to bring up statistics that give viewers insights in what to watch for. “In hockey,” he pointed out, “if a goalie sees the attacker, he has a 90 percent chance of stopping the shot. If you block his vision, though, you have a much better chance of scoring.” Bill looks for such numbers that help fans see the key conflicts in the game more clearly. ****** Bill personally shook the hand of everyone who came and thanked all for their questions and comments. People stayed for several minutes afterward to talk with him and among themselves about the night’s many topics. You can find out more about the MSG Network on their website, https://www.msgnetworks.com/ , and you can watch some of Bill Pidto’s reporting and reviews at https://www.msgnetworks.com/?s=Bill+Pidto&team=&show=&personality=.
More Ways to Reach Out to Your Fellow SC Mensans
The Southern Connecticut Mensa Blog https://scm66.wordpress.com/ The Southern Connecticut Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/groups/SCM066/ The Southern Connecticut Twitter Feed https://twitter.com/scmensa66 If you would like to post any last-minute events or information on the blog, email Merrill at [email protected]. Anything posted on the blog will be mirrored on the Facebook page and Twitter feed unless otherwise requested. If you hit the Follow button on the blog and add your email address, you will be automatically notified of all new updates.
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Word Check Define these words for types of persons. 1. benedict - - 2. cacogen - 3. choragus - 4. cowcat - 5. crepehanger - 6. epigone -
7. ergophile - 8. mahout - 9. musicaster - 10. paladin - 11. parvenu - 12. scaramouche -
Answers: 1. benedict - a newly married man who has long been a bachelor. 2. cacogen - an antisocial person. 3. choragus - the leader of a choir or organizer of musical festivals. 4. cowcat - a person whose function is to occupy space. 5. crepehanger - a pessimist; gloomy person. 6. epigone - an inferior imitator of a distinguished writer, artist, or musician. 7. ergophile - a person who loves to work; a workaholic. 8. mahout - one who rides or drives elephants. 9. musicaster - a mediocre musician. 10. palidan - 1. a leading champion of a cause. 2. a trusted military leader. 11. parvenu - 1. a newly rich person, a nouveau riche; an upstart. 2. a person who has recently or
suddenly acquired wealth, importance, position, or the like, but has not yet developed the expected manners.
12. scaramouche - a cowardly buffoon.
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Puzzles & Questions
(Answers may be in next month’s Chronicle newsletter) 1. How long does it take to drink a cup of coffee? 2. What is the formula for the distance to the horizon? 3. What are the differences between a fight and a brawl? 4. At Socrates’s trial, what was the vote count for and against him on the charge of corrupting
youth? 5. Name as many elements as you can that comprise an author’s style. 6. If you put a 1 in front of this 5-digit number, it is exactly 3 times the number you get by putting
a 1 at the end of this number. What is the number? 7. What were Sherlock Holmes’ weaknesses? 8. According to data from the U.S. Immigration Commission from 1899–1910, what percentage of
immigrants during that period were literate in some language? 9. Name 10 technology companies that did important research that they failed to capitalize on but
that other companies used to achieve great success. 10. Earth is 93 million miles from the sun. How far from the sun is Pluto, the most distant planet (or
planetoid) tin our solar system? 11. What did the Stoic philosophy of ancient Greece and Rome believe? 12. How many of the 30 major league baseball teams have changed their home cities since their
debut?
Answers to Some of the August Chronicle Questions 2. What is the next number in this series? 6, 34, 102, 228, 430, … A: The next number is 726. The numbers are generated by plugging the integers into the
equation 3 (x * third power) + 2(x * 2nd power) + x, so 3 x (6 x 6 x 6) + 2 x (6 x 6) + 6 = 726.
4. How many years did Aristotle attend Plato’s Academy in Athens? A: Aristotle studied at Plato’s Academy for 20 years, from 367 B.C.E., when he was
seventeen, to 347. Plato founded the Academy about 387 B.C.E. in Athens. He died in 348 or 347 B.C.E., but his Academy continued until about 83 B.C.E. Aristotle left Athens for Asia Minor in 347 B.C.E, taught in Macedonia. He returned to Athens in 333 and founded his own school, the Lyceum.
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6. When did Connecticut ratify the Bill of Rights amendments to the U.S. Constitution? A: Connecticut ratified the Bill of Rights sometime in 1790, but the documents were
misfiled under “1780,” so they went unnoticed. Consequently, Connecticut mistakenly thought it had not officially ratified the Bill of Rights, and it voted on them again and ratified them on April 19, 1939. The Bill of Rights was ratified as part of the Constitution on December 15, 1791, when Virginia became the 10th of the 14 states to ratify it, giving it the two-thirds necessary majority.
8. Not counting Washington, D.C., which 5 U.S. cities have the highest concentration of their
state’s population? A: New York City has the highest concentration, 42.9% of its state’s total. Next highest are
2) Anchorage, Alaska, 286,000, 41% of the population; 3) Honolulu, Hawaii, 375,000, 29%; 4) Albuquerque, New Mexico, 529,000, 26.3%; and 5) Omaha, Nebraska, 455,000, 25.3%.
10. a) What is the average distance to dead center field in current major league baseball
stadiums? b) To the left field line? c) To the right field line?
A: a) The average distance to dead center is 405 ft. b) 332 ft. c) 328 ft. The average distance to the power alleys are: left center field, 375 ft., and right center field, 373 ft.
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Noted & Quoted Life is a long road on a short journey. - James Lendall Basford (1845–1915), U.S. watchmaker Life is a trail. - Anonymous A good novel is the biography of an imaginary person—and when the biography is completed, the person is no longer imaginary; he is as real as his creator. - William Edmund Barrett (1900–1986), U.S. novelist Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free. - Stephen King (1947–), U.S. horror novelist Fear cannot be without hope nor hope without fear. - Baruch Spinoza, Ethics, Part III (1677) He, perfect dancer, climbs the rope, And balances your fear and hope. - Matthew Prior, Alma, Canto II (1718) Come and trip it as ye go, On the light fantastic toe. - John Milton, “L'Allegro” (1645) You forget what you want to remember, and you remember what you want to forget. - Cormac McCarthy, The Road (2006) In each of us there is another whom we do not know. – Carl Jung (1875–1961), Swiss psychiatrist I can't go back to yesterday because I was a different person then. - Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland (1865) Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin. - Mother Teresa (1910–1997) Time has no future. - Anonymous The sun himself is weak when he first rises, and gathers strength and courage as the day gets on. - Charles Dickens, The Old Curiosity Shop (1841) At sunrise everything is luminous but not clear. - Norman Maclean (1902–1990), U.S. novelist
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The night has a thousand eyes / And the day but one / Yet the light of the bright world dies / With the dying sun. – Francis William Bourdillon, “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes” (1873) This dead of midnight is the noon of thought / And Wisdom mounts her zenith with the stars. - Anna Letitia Barbauld, “A Summer's Evening Meditation” Look the world straight in the eye. - Helen Keller (1880–1968) Once you have flown, your eyes will ever gaze skyward. For once you have been there ... There you will go again!" -Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) I hope I have found myself, my work, my happiness—under the light of the western skies. - Zane Grey (1872–1939), U.S. novelist Zen has no business with ideas. - D.T. Suzuki, “An Introduction to Zen Buddhism” The arts are the servants of life; wisdom its master. – Seneca, Epistolae Dreams are given to man in order to emphasize the emptiness of real life. - Alexander Povolotsky All perishes, all decays, all is born again. - Leonid Andreyev, “King Hunger” Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide. - Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821)
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Announcements & Notices The Curious Guide to Things That Aren’t, by John D. Fixx and James F. Fixx, illustrated by Abby Carter The Curious Guide to Things That Aren't features thoughtful riddles—one for each letter of the alphabet—paired with engaging illustrations that reveal and explain the answer. Each spread features a riddle with several clues about an intangible item, such as air, breath, or jokes. Kids then have to figure out the answers through detective work and a little creative reasoning. The clues on each page progress from challenging, more abstract clues to a simple, final clue that encourages the reader to turn the page to discover the answer. The book covers a broad range of themes, including science, language, social studies, math, music, and art. The Curious Guide to Things That Aren't teaches creative thinking through deductive reasoning, listening skills, and imagination. https://www.amazon.com/Curious-Guide-Things-That-Arent/dp/1633221768 Games for the Superintelligent Those who thrill to a mind-bending challenge have met their match in this one-of-a-kind collection. Readers can match wits with an elite class of master problem-solvers in a wide variety of math, logic, and word games. These games are inspired by members of MENSA, the organization made up of people with an I.Q. of 140 or more. Puzzle addict James Fixx invites readers to sharpen their pencils and their wits. https://books.google.com/books/about/Games_for_the_Superintelligent.html?id=tyNAPgAACAAJ
Books by Eric Lehman, Amy Nawrocki Prof. Eric Lehman of the University of Bridgeport, the speaker at our January 2010 and September 2016 monthly dinners, has 12 books available on www.amazon.com, including fiction, poetry, and nonfiction works about history, literary history, travel, nature, and food. His most recent book is his novel Shadows of Paris (Homebound Publications, August 2016). He published four books in 2015, including his acclaimed history Homegrown Terror: Benedict Arnold and the Burning of New London. Eric has also coauthored 3 books about Connecticut with his wife, Prof. Amy Nawrocki, including Literary Connecticut: The Hartford Wits, Mark Twain and the New Millennium (History Press, 2014). You can view these books and Prof. Nawrocki’s books of poetry at https://www.amazon.com/Amy-Nawrocki/e/B00IXP5MZC/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_1.
Copyright and Permissions: What Every Writer and Editor Should Know Do I need permission to reproduce something I found on the Internet? If so, how do go I about it? How long does copyright last? What if I want to copyright something I created? In her brief book, Mensan Elsa Peterson (Obuchowski) provides an engaging, accessible guide to the basics of copyright and permissions as they apply to writing, editing, and publishing. Available as an e-book or in print on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Copyright-permissions-Elsa-Peterson/dp/188040723X) and Lulu (http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/elsa-peterson/copyright-and-permissions/paperback/product-
20563038.html)
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Announcing New Baseball Website Young Southern Connecticut Mensan Benjamin Stransky has just launched his baseball website www.ratatatstats.com. It’s got videos, stats, and team news. Get ready for the season and stay informed.
Classic Cars Patrick Foster, the speaker at the February 2016 Southern CT Mensa Monthly Dinner, has written 21
books about classic cars. To see a selection of Pat’s books, search www.amazon.com/patrick+foster .
Structural Integrations Sessions http://structuraltransformations.com/ Yonathan Hormadaly - Mensan and advanced practitioner of the Rolf Method of Structural Integration with offices in Stamford, CT, and Redding, CT. In practice since 2002. For new clients, I am offering a free first session at my office in Connecticut ($150 value). No strings attached, no commitments necessary. Structural Integration is something that must be experienced as words so often do it no justice, and there is no better way to experience it than to have a session. Call to schedule an appointment or for a free phone consultation. 203-550-6888,
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Southern Connecticut Mensa eChron Vol. 27, No.9–September 2018
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SCM Chronicle - Advertising Rates Short Classified Ads: free to Mensa members and subscribers, $2.00 per month and $20.00 per year for others. Send copy to the editor. Display Ads: Full Page, $50; half page, $30; quarter page or business card, $15. Discounts for Display Ads: 10% for three issues, 20% for six issues, 30% for 12 issues. All ads must be paid in advance, checks payable to Southern Connecticut Mensa.
The Chronicle is the official publication of Southern Connecticut Mensa The views expressed in this publication are the views of the individuals submitting items for publication, and do not represent the opinions of American Mensa, Ltd., the Chapter Executive Committee, or the Newsletter Editor (unless so stated in the article). Unless otherwise noted, material is not copyrighted and may be used in other publications, subject to notification of the Chronicle Editor, and receipt of two copies to the Editor (one for the Editor, one for the Author).
Change of Address To change your address on the web, login at https://www.us.mensa.org and select the Edit Profile link. You may also email, or write to: American Mensa, Ltd. Membership Department 1229 Corporate Dr. West Arlington, TX 76006-6103
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Mensa Chapter #066 - Officers 2017-2018 Southern Connecticut Mensa Officers
TITLE NAME E-MAIL
President Joan Coprio [email protected]
Vice President Jim Mizera [email protected]
Secretary Open
Treasurer Elizabeth Cortright [email protected]
Membership Officer Bruce Miller [email protected]
Web Master Thomas O'Neill [email protected]
Member-At-Large Erin Davis [email protected]
Proctor, Testing & Recruiting Debra Jennings [email protected]
Scholarship Chair Darcy Sledge [email protected]
Editor Jim Mizera [email protected]
Publications Officer Merrill Loechner [email protected]
Region 1 Vice Chairman Ian Randal Strock [email protected]
American Mensa, Ltd. 1229 Corporate Drive West Arlington, TX 76006-6103 Phone: (817) 607-0060 Fax: (817) 649-5232 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.us.mensa.org
