june - tampa bay mensa · 2018-05-29 · welcome to tampa bay mensa! june birthdays 6/1 henry...
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Welcome to Tampa Bay Mensa!......................................3 June Birthdays................................................................3True Story Phoebe McCann...........................................11RVC column for region 10 Thomas George Thomas.....21Mensaversaries..............................................................23Cryptopoem...................................................................24 Answer to the April’s Cryptopoem The answer to May’s
Cryptopoem was printed in the May issue. Apologies toour readers.................................................................26
-2018 Tampa Bay Mensa Officers.................................27
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Letters to the editor are welcomed andencouraged.
The Sounding will accept classified adsfrom members and publish them free. The
policy excludes business ads even formembers
June, named after Juno, the goddess of marriage. This isalso the month with the longest daylight hours of the year.
June's birthstones are the Alexandrite, the Moonstone, and the Pearl. Its birth flowers are the honeysuckle and the rose
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Visit American Mensa at: http://www.us.mensa.org
For full instructions onhow to join tbm-gm and tbm-discussion, our two Yahoo! groups, visit TBM at
http://tampa.us.mensa.org
A Publication of
Tampa Bay MensaTampa Bay Sounding (USPS 305-830)
Tampa Bay Mensa11111 N. 20th Street
Tampa , FL 33612
Mensa is an international society whose sole qualification for membership is a score at or above the 98th percentile on a standard IQ test. Mensa is a not-for-profit organization whose main purpose is to serve as a means of communication and assembly for its members. All opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors, and not necessarily those of the editors or officers of Mensa. Mensa as an organization has no opinions. Tampa Bay Mensa serves Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, andSumter counties.
Tampa Bay Sounding is the official newsletter of Tampa Bay Mensa, American Mensa local group number 10-335. © 2018 Tampa Bay Mensa. All rights reserved. All material in this issue not copyrighted by individual contributors may be reprintedin other Mensa publications, provided that credit is given to the author or artist and to Sounding. Prior written consent of the editor is required for any other reproduction in any form. Any Mensa publication reprinting Tampa Bay Sounding material is requested to send a copy to the editor.
SUBSCRIBE!: The subscription cost for local members is partially remitted from annual dues paid to American Mensa Ltd. Tampa Bay Sounding is available to other Mensans and to non-Mensans at an annual subscription cost of $12.00. To subscribe, send a check, payable to Tampa Bay Mensa, to the Treasurer: Kathy Crum 7164 Quail Hollow Blvd , Wesley Chapel FL 33544-2525
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Submission GuidelinesTampa Bay Sounding encourages submissions from all members. Submissions must be signed,but names may be withheld or pseudonyms used if requested. All letters to the editor will be subject to publication unless the author specifically requests otherwise. All material submitted will be considered for publication, but nothing can be guaranteed. Everything is subject to editing. Please keep the following guidelines in mind:• Articles, casual essays, opinion pieces,
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Unless otherwise specified in the calendar, the deadline for unsolicited contributions is the fifth day of the month.
Welcome to Tampa Bay Mensa!
June Birthdays6/1 Henry O'Neill6/1 Richard Mitchell6/3 Sarah Langevin-Gaspar6/4 James Chevalier6/4 Roger Zitman6/5 Peter Denman6/7 Kevin Brawner6/7 Bruce Whiting6/7 John Evan6/10 Brandy Ray6/12 Eva Cunningham6/14 Douglas Bahringer6/14 Dolores Puterbaugh6/15 Harry Richter6/17 Archit Kalra6/18 Fernando Narvaez6/18 Jason Revis6/19 Leonard Nugent6/20 Keith Jones6/20 Jason Maranto6/20 Brian Walkowiak6/21 William Amos6/23 Nicholas Colarusso6/25 Ernest Sebak6/26 Alexandria Noriega6/27 Charles Gleason6/27 Mike Good6/30 Marcia Fulvi6/30 Jason Coletta
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Professor Drago helped with the Marine Watch presentation at This year’s RG.
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Calendar of Events
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June 2-4pm TBM EXCOMM
Location: 18244 Collridge Dr, Tampa, FL 33647Tampa Bay Mensa Executive Committee meetings are open to all Tampa Bay Mensans. This month's meeting is at Lisa Blair's house in Cross Creek (New Tampa).
June 6-7pm Reading Group
Location: IHOP, 4910 West Spruce Street, TampaRead whatever you like and bring books you'd like to recommend, discuss, exchange, or give away.
June 7 12:30pm Tampa Lunch Bunch@ Sweet Tomatoes
Location: Sweet Tomatoes on Dale Mabry just South of BearssSweet Tomatoes is an all you can eat salad & soup buffet.Show up at your convenience and join us in the private room off the dining area.Tell the cashier you are there for the Mensa lunch to receive a 15% discount. Non-member spouses or friends are included, too.
There is no program for this very informal event, and the conversation is free flowing.Topics range, based on the interests of members, and the backgrounds of participants varies widely, making for interesting discussions.Members are respectful and genuinely interested in listening to each other.New members arealways welcomed even if you can't be a regular.Hosted by Dave Bryant; please email him at [email protected] if you have any questions.
June 9 7pm Oldsmar Games Night
Location: 651 Timber Bay Circle West, Oldsmar We play fun board and table games. Snacks and sodas provided ($3 kitty helps defray refreshment expenses). No pets. No smoking indoors, please.
June 13 7pm Gourmensan SIG
Location: Cedars Restaurant, 8999 Park Blvd N, Seminole, FL 33777, USA
This months Gourmensan event will be held Wednesday This months Gourmensan event will be held Wednesday June 13th at 7 pm on the Pinellas side of the bridges at Cedars Restaurant 8999 Park Blvd N., Seminole Florida.
Please join us for some very authentic looking Lebanese food, the people there were very nice and receptive to our event and it should be a good time for all. This is an ethnic cuisine I am not very familiar with but the menu looks amazing. Hope to see you all there. The website is Cedarsseminole.com
June 14 12:30pm Tampa Lunch Bunch@ Sweet Tomatoes
June 16 1pm CANCELED--Spring Hill Games, Event will resume in October.
June 20 7pm Reading Group
June 28 12:30pm Tampa Lunch Bunch@ Sweet Tomatoes
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June 30 7pm Tampa Games Night
Location: 11111 N 20th St, Tampa, FL33612, USACome play fun board & table games - feel free to bring your favorites! Snacks, sodas, coffee, tea & dinner provided ($3 kitty helps defray
refreshment expenses). My large game room is on a separate AC and additional tables in the dining and living room areas. I have cats who stay in their bedroom, and two Great Pyrenees who will need a walk or backyard play session, but otherwise, will stay in their room until 10ish. (If you're interested in walking with us, they will love to meetyou!) I also have some reptiles and my quaker parrots Jasmine and Lucky may make an appearance.No smoking indoors, please. Carpooling encouraged. Street and driveway parking available
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Instructions for VotingPlease follow steps #1 - 3 carefully, to help ensure that your votes are counted.
1. Complete your ballot. Write-in candidates are also welcome.
2. Prepare an envelope to contain the ballot. a. Print your full name and address on the upper left hand corner, where the return address is placed. This name will be verified with the current official Tampa Bay Mensa roster to verify your eligibility to vote. b. Address the envelope to the Election Supervisor: Dave Bryant, 16057 Tampa Palms Blvd. #150, Tampa FL 33647. Write “Ballot Enclosed” in the lower left corner of thefront of the envelope. This will identify your envelope as containing a ballot, and prevent it from being opened prematurely. Please do not include regular correspondence with the ballot, as it will not be opened until the meeting of the Election Committee. d. Seal your completed ballot in the envelope.
3. Mail the ballot to the Election Supervisor. It must be received by Monday, July 31.
Please feel free to contact the Election Committee Supervisor if you havequestions: Dave Bryant, Election Supervisor, email [email protected]
Your Name Your Address City, State, Zip
Dave Bryant
16057 Tampa Palms Blvd. #1
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2018 Election BallotPlease read the instructions before voting.All ballots are due to the Election Supervisor by Monday, July 31.
This year six nominations are needed to fill the ExComm seats, and therewere no new candidates submitted. Vote for the candidate listed below and/or write in the names of other members of Tampa Bay Mensa for whom you wish to vote, for a total of up six votes. Print the names of write-in candidates clearly. Only one vote on the ballot per candidate willcount. You may vote for fewer than six candidates. If there are more thansix votes on the ballot it will not be counted. If there is more than one vote for the same candidate on the ballot, those votes will not be counted. All terms are for two years.
_____________ Linda Christina
_____________ Kathy Crum
___________ Lisa Blair
_____________ Arthur Schwartz
Write-In Candidates __________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ___________________________________________
Thank you for contributing your votes.
The ballots will be counted by the election comittee after July 31. All nominees will be notified by phone, email or Facebook and the results announced at the next ExComm meeting; date and location to be determined. Both the count and the meeting are open to all members.
Please remember to vote for up to 6 candidates
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True Story Phoebe McCann
Before I even begin this article, I need to establish my qualifications. Back in the Dark Ages, I had a double major in college. One major was music – that was the one my parents knew about. The other was pre-medwhich my parents didn’t know about because my dad believed a woman being involved in anything like that was unthinkable. So why didn’t I goon to medical school? Do you know how many women were even admitted to medical school in the sixties, let alone on scholarship? Don’teven bother to Google that. In the Army, I became a Certified VeterinaryTechnician, trained at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. with further training later on as a Field Medic. Etc. etc. etc. The important thing for the purpose of this article is that while I was a life-long performing musician, Vet. Tech. was always my “day-job.” Oh yeah … and I’m a member of Mensa too. lol SO! Away we go!
1. When was the most recent human death from Rabies in Florida? Five years ago? Ten? Fifty? I’ll come back to that.
2. How many people in the US have to receive post-exposure prophylaxis (Rabies vaccine injections) annually? I’ll come back to that as well.
3. Should you tell your 5-year-old never to touch a wild animal and why? No? Are you sure?
4. How many people, worldwide, die of Rabies every year? Yeah, you got it … I’ll come back to that.
5. How many dogs and cats in the US are confirmed to be rabid annually? Yep … back to that
6. Has the number of confirmed animal cases or rabies in Florida increased or decreased in 2018?
7. Which, if any, of the following animals are naturally immune to Rabies: squirrels, kangaroos, fish, cows, alligators, zebras, raccoons, birds, whales?
8. How is rabies transmitted from one animal to another – or from animal to human? What’s the big deal about dying of Rabies? We all have to die of something!
9. Is there any way to tell an animal has Rabies just by looking at them? And how many varieties of Rabies are there anyway?
10.Is Rabies everywhere in the world?
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11.Is there any good news? I guess I’d better start giving you some answers, huh? The answer to #1, the most recent case of Rabies in Florida, is January of 2018. An 8-year-old boy was scratched, not bitten, by an infected bat. When the boy’s dad told him he had to go to the doctor to get some shots, the boy cried so his father relented. Did the boy develop symptoms? You bet. The time from the onset of symptoms until his death was five days. When was the most recent human death from Rabies in Florida prior to that? October of 2017. No, it wasn’t in the Tampa Bay area but it absodamlutely could have been. It could have been you! It’s still here, folks and it’s killing people.
I’ll let the World Health Organization answer question #2.
“ WHO | Rabies www.who.int
40% of people bitten by suspect rabid animals are children under 15 years old…” Now do you think you should tell your 5-year-old to leave all wildlifealone … and give that child an age-appropriate reason why? Does a child that young know the difference between a coyote and a regular dog? If a rabid coyote walked up to him/her would s/he be likely to pet it? Most people, especially children, love animals. And kids are, by nature, curious. Kids usually not only want to pet all animals, they often think they’d make good pets. “Hey, Mom! Look what followed me home!” For the answer to #3, here is a quote from the CDC (Center for Disease Control):
“Despite the control of rabies in domestic dogs in the United States, each year interactions with suspect animals result in the need to observe or test hundreds of thousands of animals and to administer rabies postexposure prophylaxis to 30,000 to 60,000 persons .” (The underscore & boldface are mine.)
Why are some animals only observed and others tested? The ones that are only observed haven’t bitten or scratched anyone. The ones whoare tested have either bitten a human or an unvaccinated pet. And how are they tested? I’ll come back to that.
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So number 4, the number of humans who die of Rabies annually worldwide, according to WHO, is between forty and sixty thousand! It’s impossible to be sure because they only know about the cases in areas where there are doctors, hospitals, veterinarians, etc. In the ‘back of beyond” where there are no doctors, where there is no treatment, we can only guess. It could be hundreds of thousands. Hmmm.
I’m going to let a quote from the CDC answer number 5. I copied and pasted this from the CDC website so you can check if you don’t believe me.
: “… each year between 60 to 70 dogs and more than 250 cats are reported rabid. Nearly all these animals were unvaccinated and became infected from rabid wildlife (such as bats, raccoons, and skunks).”
So let’s say you have your dog vaccinated but your neighbor doesn’t bother vaccinating his dog. Then his dog is bitten by a rabid bat. If that dog bites your dog, everything should be okay. But what if that dog bitesyou? You almost certainly haven’t had a Rabies vaccination.
Let’s go local. In question #6 I asked if there’d been an uptick in Rabies this year. On March 1st it was announced in the “Tampa Bay Times” that there had already been eight confirmed cases of Rabies in Hillsborough County alone in 2018. This was only for the first 2 monthsof this year and is more than twice as many confirmed in the entire year of 2017! Again, hmmm.
On to lucky #7. Or not so much, perhaps. Which animals are naturally immune to Rabies?Squirrels? Nope. Kangaroos? No. Fish? Yes. Cows? No. Gators? Yes. Zebras? No. Raccoons? No. Birds? Yes. Whales? Nope.
So what on earth is the difference? Consider how fish, gators and birds give birth? They lay eggs. All the others give birth the same way we do and yes, that includes kangaroos and whales though admittedly theprobability of a whale being bitten by a rabid animal is pretty darn slim. All those I listed except fish, gators and birds are mammals. I know, I know – you thought kangaroos gave birth in their pouches. Nope. Yes, they’re marsupials but they are also mammals and give birth the same
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way all other mammals do. They do, however, nurse their young in the pouch. But I digress.
Question #8 … Rabies is transmitted through saliva which is why a bite is the usual means of contagion but if the animal has saliva on its paws, even a scratch can do the job. Can an infected person give anotherperson Rabies? Since the incubation period is normally 4 to 12 weeks, could you have the disease and not know it? Yes. But are you contagious? Sadly, yes. So suppose you and your significant other have a romantic moment and during a kiss you transfer saliva to that person. Theoretically, the deed is done although it has never been documented. There was an actual case of human to human transmission via a transplant. We have to hope you’re not going to get Rabies and then bite your partner hard enough to break the skin, right?
As to why it is such a big deal, dying of Rabies since we all have to die of something: during my training at Walter Reed, our class was “entertained” by films of people and animals dying of Rabies. This may sound cruel but it was done so that there would be no doubt in our minds that it is the most horrific death you cam possibly imagine. I’d rather be burned to death. I’ve had colon cancer twice which I promise you, is no walk in the park, but I’d far rather die of that, despite the pain, than Rabies. If you doubt me, you may be able to find videos of Rabies deaths online. If not, ask your veterinarian. Vets get the vaccine for Rabies and must get regular boosters as well. Would they go through that if it weren’t absolutely crucial? Somehow, I don’t think so. Rabies shots are not fun, ladies and gents.
On to #9 and I’ll take the second part first. There are two kinds of Rabies: the “furious” form and the “paralytic” form. Both are equally deadly. The best known is the “furious” type where an animal might be attacking anything that moves or even foaming at the mouth. This is what used to be called “Hydrophobia.” Because the animal can no longer swallow, when it tries to drink and can’t, it backs away from the water and appears to be afraid of it. With the paralytic form, people (and animals) gradually slip into a coma and die but they are just as contagious.
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So what you look for is any atypical behavior especially with regards to wildlife. A coyote coming up to you the way a dog would, for instance. A bat flying around in broad daylight. A raccoon strolling into the middle of your game of golf. We don’t see many skunks in Florida and most that are here are spotted rather than striped but if you see one out during the day, steer clear. And the danger increases after a hurricaneor any time when prey is scarce for wildlife. For instance, I live near the Gulf of Mexico and right next to Joe’s Creek so my condo complex was right smack in the middle of Hurricane Irma. A day or two later, a woman was walking her dog, a full grown Boxer, near the creek. Before the woman could even scream, an alligator scrambled up the bank and ate that dog right in front of her. No, gators aren’t mammals so it couldn’t have been rabid but suppose it had been a pack of coyotes instead of a gator?
If you spot any mammalian wildlife acting oddly, or are bitten or scratched by any animal that you haven’t provoked or aren’t sure has been vaccinated, try to get someone to keep an eye on the animal so it can be caught but YOU go inside immediately and wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water for at least 15 minutes. Then get yourself to a doctor ASAP because the shots, ideally, should begin within48 hours. The animal must be quarantined or, preferably, tested right away. If it can’t be found, I can’t think of any reason you wouldn’t get the vaccine. Can you?
I said I’d get back to the “testing” part. I know it sounds gross but the animal must be humanely euthanized and its head sent to the CDC. The reason for that is that the Rabies virus is found in the brain and spinal column … the central nervous system. Part of my job as a vet tech was to perform the unpleasant task of dissecting and mailing. Once,while stationed at Ft. Benning, I had finished all the prep and packaging of a suspect skunk and was removing the blade from my scalpel when I slipped and cut my finger. OMG! We had never … not once … had a skunk that had proved negative for Rabies. I washed and washed and WASHED & then went to tell our colonel who was, of course, a veterinarian. The Rabies vaccine is cultured in egg and I am allergic to eggs. The colonel said we would wait until we heard from the CDC before deciding what to do. It was the worst three days of my life, bar none. Finally, word came back from the CDC: negative. I nearly
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fainted. There is now a vaccine cultured differently for people allergic toeggs, and thank heaven for that!
Moving right along, is Rabies everywhere? Almost but not quite. I researched this carefully and the only 3 places I could find in the whole world entirely free from Rabies are Hawaii, Australia and Antarctica. This is only true because all three are island nations/states. Some say that because Australia and Antarctica are continents that they are too big to be called islands. Semantics aside, they are isolated enough that they can enforce quarantine for every single mammal brought to every port ofentry.
So is there any good news? Depends on what you call “good.” The Rabies shots given to humans after possible exposure are no longer givenin the stomach. They’re given in the arm or hip like any other vaccine. Since it’s a series of 6 shots given over a 14 day period, this is really good news. The reason your cat, dog or ferret gets only one shot is because it hasn’t been exposed.
There is also what is called the “Milwaukee Protocol” which is still experimental. A person who has already developed symptoms of Rabies is placed in an induced coma and anti-viral drugs are admin-istered … for months. I’ve only read of one person, a young woman, who survivedthis way and most experts are saying that it was a fluke. It was tried on the 8-year-old boy in January but he died anyway.
There may, however, be light at the end of the tunnel that isn’t an oncoming train. Biologists at the University of Georgia are working with mice given a modified gene. A large group of healthy mice with that gene were then given the actual disease. Half the mice survived. I know half isn’t exactly a “halleluiah” moment but it’s progress.
In the meanwhile, there’s a thin line between safe and sorry. You’ve heard, I’m sure, “once bitten twice shy.” With rabies, it’s more like, “once bitten, you’re dead.” We must continue to assume that once Rabies is acquired, without the vaccine, the disease is always, always fatal. Please be safe.
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One last question. What is even more amazing than a talking bat? Answer: a spelling bee.
Okay, 1 more. What breed of dog can jump higher than trees? Answer: all breeds … everybody knows trees can’t jump.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. I’ll really try to make future “True Story” articles not only less technical but hopefully, more entertaining.
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Historyplace.comJune 4, 1989 - The Chinese government ordered its troops to open fire on unarmed protesters in Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Birthday–
June 5, 1783 - The first sustained flight occurred as a hot-air balloon was launched at Annonay, France, by brothers Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier.
June 5, 1968 - Robert F. Kennedy was shot and mortally wounded while leaving the Hotel Ambassador in Los Angeles.
.June 6, 1944 - D-Day, the largest amphibious landing in history, began in the early-morning hours as Allied forces landed in Normandy on the northern coast of France. Operation Overlord took months of planning and involved 1,527,000 soldiers in 47 Allied divisions along with 4,400 ships and landing craft, and 11,000 aircraft. By the end of the day 150,000 Allied soldiers and their accompanying vehicles had landed with 15,000 killed and wounded.
June 11, 1994 - After 49 years, the Soviet military occupation of EastGermany ended. At one time there had been 337,800 Soviet troops stationed in Germany. Over 300,000 Russians died during World WarII in the Battle for Berlin.
June 13June 13, 1966 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled (5-4) in the case of Miranda v. Arizona that an accused person must be apprised of certain rights before police questioning
Birthday - American writer Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) was born in Litchfield, Connecticut. She wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin, an anti-slavery novel containing vivid descriptions of the sufferings and oppression of African Americans. June 15, 1215 - King John set his seal to Magna Carta, the first charter of British liberties, guaranteeing basic rights that have since become the foundation of modern democracies around the world.
June 16, 1963 - Valentina Tereshkova, 26, became the first woman in space
June 17, 1972 - Following a seemingly routine burglary, five men were arrested at the National Democratic Headquarters in the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. However, subsequent investigations revealed the burglars were actually agents hired by the Committee for theRe-election of President Richard Nixon.
June 18, 1815 - On the fields near Waterloo in central Belgium, 72,000 French troops, led by Napoleon, suffered a crushing military defeat. Thusended 23 years of warfare between France and the other powers of Europe. June 18, 1983 - Dr. Sally Ride, a 32-year-old physicist and pilot,became the first American woman in space.
Birthday - Baseball great Lou Gehrig (1903-1941) was born in New York City. June 20 Return to Top of Page
Birthday - American military hero and actor Audie Murphy (1924-1971)was born in Kingston, Texas. He was the most decorated American soldier of World War II, awarded 37 medals and decorations,
June 21, 1964 - Three white civil rights workers - James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner - lef Meridian, Mississippi, at 9 a.m. to investgate a church burning. hhen they failed to return, a search was begun. Their murdered bodies were discovered on August 4th
June 25, 1950 - The Korean War began
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June 25, 1950 - The Korean War began Birthday - British satirist George Orwell (1903-1950) was born at Montihari in Bengal (as Eric Arthur Blair). He is best known for two works of fiction Animal Farm (1944), and 1984 (1949).
June 26, 1945 - The United Nations Charter was signed in San Franciscoby 50 nations. The Charter was ratified on October 24, 1945.
Birthday - Champion athlete Mildred "Babe" Didrikson (1914-1952) was born in Port Arthur, Texas. Nicknamed after baseball legend Babe Ruth, she won two gold medals at the 1932 Olympics, setting world records in the javelin throw and high hurdle. She then took up golf, winning the 1946 U.S. Women's Amateur Tournament. She was named 'woman athlete of the first half of the 20th century' by the Associated Press. She died of cancer at age 42.
June 28, 1914 - Archduke Francis Ferdinand, Crown Prince of Austria and his wife were assassinated at Sarajevo, touching off a conflict between the Austro-Hungarian government and Serbia that escalated intoWorld War I.
Birthday - Philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) was born inGeneva, Switzerland. His book The Social Contract stated that no laws are binding unless agreed upon by the people, a concept that deeply affected the French
June 29, 1972 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled (5-4) that capital punishment was a violation of the Eighth Amendment prohibiting "cruel and unusual punishment." June 30, 1971 - The 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was enacted, granting the right to vote in all federal, state and localelections to American citizens 18 years or older. The U.S. thus gained an additional 11 million voters. The minimum voting age in most states had been 21.
June 30, 1997 - In Hong Kong, the fag of the Britsh Crown Colony was officially lowered at midnight and replaced by a new fag representng China s sovereignty and the official transfer of power
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RVC column for region 10 Thomas George Thomas
hhile I usually use this column to report on the actons of the American Mensa Commitee AMC), we’re in a slow period right now, as our last meetng was in April and our next will be at the Annual Gathering AG) in July. But of course this doesn’t mean nothing is happening.
Mind Games was held towards the end of April, with 64 games chosen to be evaluated by a large group of Mensa judges, and fve games were awarded the Mensa Select seal, which will contnue to put our name out to the a demographic group gamers) who would have a higher than average interest in Mensa. Although I didn’t go to Mind Games this year, I did pick up one of the winners Azul, from Next Move Games) the day they were announced. The other winners were Constellatons Xtronaut Enterprises), Ex iibris Renegade Game Studio),Photosynthesis Blue Orange Games), and Raiders of the North Sea Renegade Game Studio).
107 teams partcipated in CultureQuest this year, with 200 questons ranging from the arcane to the arcade, but everyone I’ve heard from had a lot of fun. hinners will be announced at the AG in July. hill Tragic Kingdom from Central Florida maintain their streak of frst place fnishes? Stay tuned…
May is the tme of year when we focus on lapsed members. hhile Region 10 had 1,125 lapsed members at the end of the 2016-2017 year, we only had 802 lapsed members at the end of March 2018, and as of this writng, we’re down to 612 lapsed members, which isn’t unusual. Membership Officer Henri Buccine-Schraeder and Director of Membership Timothy Brooks will be distributng the annual iapsed Member survey this month to get feedback on what factors lead to
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lapses, with the side beneft of reminding some members who procrastnated to send in their renewals. And local groups are also encouraged to reach out to their own lapsed members in order to add a personal touch, and get a litle additonal funding for the efort.
Mensa Connect is also progressing, with all the natonal commitees using them in order to do their business. The techies at the Natonal Office are in the process of working with some groups on testng the functonality for local group communites, and they should be rolled out to all the local groups soon as a home grown social network that won’t require members to be on Facebook to partcipate.
This will be my last chance to put in a plug for the AG coming up in July in Indianapolis, as well as the Annual Business and AMC meetngs which will be held there. Unfortunately, the agenda for the meetng is not available in tme for this column, so I recommend checking online during June at htps://www.us.mensa.org/read/board-meetng-reports/to see the agenda when it is ready, as well as minutes of our past meetngs.
I also encourage anyone who is interested in ongoing Mensa news to subscribe to the e-newsleter Mensa hired htps://www.us.mensa.org/read/enewsleters/mensa-wired/) , where you can get informaton much faster than through my monthly columns.
Untl next month or untl I see you online),
Thomas George Thomas
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: htps://www.facebook.com/thomas.g.thomas
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Mensaversaries
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Years Name1 Martin Hughes1 Ross Richardson1 Christopher Vasilakis1 Deborah Duvall2 Steven Wilsey2 George Quliltz2 William Tibbals2 William Ayala3 James Kelley4 William Bickner4 Liza Stephen6 Kay Shapiro6 Kevin Brawner6 Nadia Azzi6 Alexander Pidochev6 Jill Deen7 Bill Mecklenburg9 James Kennedy9 William McNally10 Tyler Fernandez10 Melissa Stephens10 Taylor Fernandez10 Emma Edmund11 Jessica Helphrey11 Eloise Hurst14 Rea Rupani14 Shoshana Shay15 Cynthia Weatherby18 M Walke18 Margaret Argudo19 Tom Penkethman22 Gary Drake23 Daniel Chesnut30 Katherine Crum
Cryptopoem
RPYSQGN SUN SUAPFND HSRDSH SL DAGMEN FLOP, FLP’S ENS ULCN SAGMEN FLOP
LD KRHSENH KDAGMEN FLOP.
QT SUN MEANH RCCNRD, BAHS GRIN SUN MNHS LT SUNG;
BAHS GRIN R BNHS LT SUNG;
FLP’S MN CLHHNHHNF LT SUNG.
RS SUN DQHI LT HLAPFQPJ DRSUND CERSQSAFQPLAH —
UNDN’H OURS Q MNEQNZN HULAEF MN SUN RSSQSAFN QP AH:
R HAPPY FQHCLHQHU OQEE REORYH HNN YLA SUDLAJU —
OUNP AC RMLZN SUN HIQNH RDN MERU ’HSNRF LT MNQPJMEAN.
GQHSND SDLAMEN GRINH LAD TRKNH JDLO ELPJ,
MAS R HGQEN OQEE URZN UQG HRYQPJ, “HL ELPJ!”
QS DNREEY FLNHP’S CRY SL MN R JELLGY CQEE —
QS’H RMHLEASNEY GLHS DQFQK’, CLHQSQZNEY HQE’.
SUN DRQP GRY CQSSND-CRSSND —
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QS DNREEY FLNHP’S GRSSND —
TLD EQTN KRP MN FNEQHU
OQSU R HAPPY FQHCLHQHU.
~ QDR JNDHUOQP, “HAPPY FQHCLHQHU”
Gourmensan event:
This month’s Gourmensan event will be held
Wednesday June 13th at 7PM on the Pinellas side of the bridges at Cedars Restaurant 8999 Park Blvd N., Seminole Florida. Please join us for some very authentic looking Lebanese food, the people there were very nice and receptive to our event and it should be a good time for all. Thisis an ethnic cuisine I am not very familiar with but the menu looks amazing. Hope to see you all there. The website is Cedarsseminole.com
Mensaversaries – cont
Years Name32 Thomas Riedhammer32 Stuart Angelo 36 Dorothy Butler 39 Raymond Celli 40 Marilyn Hobbs 42 Steven Fried 45 L Aschoff
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Answer to the April’s Cryptopoem The answerto May’s Cryptopoem was printed in the May issue. Apologies to our readers.
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Too green the springing April grass,
Too blue the silver-speckled sky,
For me to linger here, alas,
While happy winds go laughing by,
Wasting the golden hours indoors,
Washing windows and scrubbing floors.
Too wonderful the April night,
Too faintly sweet the first May flowers,
The stars too gloriously bright,
For me to spend the evening hours,
When fields are fresh and streams are leaping,
Wearied, exhausted, dully sleeping.
~ William Shakespeare, "Spring in New Hampshire"
2018 Tampa Bay Mensa Officers
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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEELOCAL SECRETARYArt Schwartz 1909Dover CtOldsmar, FL [email protected]
➢Deputy LocSecSylvia Zadorozny asstlocsec@ tampa .us.mensa.org
➢TreasurerKathy Crum
➢AuditorKevin Brawner [email protected]
➢Calendar EditorSylvia Zadorozny [email protected] ➢Gifted Youth CoordinatorMelissa Stephens 11111 N. 20th Street Tampa , FL 33612813-476-5405 giftedyouth@ tampa.us.mensa.org
➢Programs OfficerLisa Blair 18244 Collridge Dr Tampa, FL 33647 240-205-1684 jazzergirl@verizon
➢PublisherMelissa Stephens 813-476-5405 [email protected]
➢Scholarship Chair➢Vacantscholarship@ tampa.us.mensa.org
➢ScribeSylvia Zadorozny [email protected]
➢Testing CoordinatorLinda [email protected]
➢WebmasterKathy Crumwebmaster@ tampa.us.mensa.org
OTHER OFFICERS➢EditorArthur Schwartz
➢Membership OfficerTammy Hicksmembership@ tampa.us.mensa.org
➢ArchivistTammy Hicks
➢Editorial BoardArt Schwartz Thomas Thomas Melissa Stephens
➢Election SupervisorDave Bryant 16057Tampa Palms Blvd. #150 Tampa FL 33647 [email protected]
➢Nominating Committee Chair Vacant
➢OmbudsmanMaran Fulvi ombudsman@ tampa.us.mensa.org
➢ProctorsThomas Thomas
➢Publicity [email protected]
➢SIGHT CoordinatorMelissa Stephens [email protected]
➢
➢Social Directors Tammy Hicks (Fall) Art Schwartz (Winter) Sylvia Zadorozny (Spring) Melissa Stephens (Summer) Tammy Hicks(2018 RG)
ASSISTANT OFFICERS➢Asst TreasurerVacant
➢Asst Webmasters Blinda Nemeth
➢Asst GYCKay & Steve Shapiro
➢Asst Programs Officers
Melissa Stephens Sylvia Zadorozny
➢Social Media Dir. Beinda Nemeth
REGIONAL CONTACTS➢RVC, Region 10Thomas George Thomas27647 Sky Lake Circle Wesley Chapel, FL 33544 [email protected]
FB:https://www.facebook.com/thomas.g.thomas
Twitter: @FardleBear
Tampa Bay Sounding (USPS 305-830) is published monthly by Tampa Bay Mensa at
11111 N 20th St, Tampa, Fi 33612
Periodicals postage paid at Tampa, FL
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