Welcome to Tampa Bay Mensa! ....................................................3November Birthdays.............................................................................3LocSec Column........................................................................................ 4On Second Thought............................................................................... 5RVC Column for Region 10................................................................6As I See It.................................................................................................... 7Always Positive, Sometimes Right.................................................8Election Results.......................................................................................9Statement of Ownership.................................................................. 10November Mensaversaries................................................................ 11Calendar of Events................................................................................ 12November 2013 Calendar................................................................... 13Classifieds................................................................................................. 16Cryptopoem............................................................................................ 20Suzaku™ #72........................................................................................... 21

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Vol. 38, No. 10Vol. 38, No. 10

November 2013November 2013

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Page 2 Tampa Bay Sounding

A Publication of

Tampa Bay MensaTampa Bay Sounding (USPS 305­830)

Tampa Bay Mensa9091 St. Andrews DrSeminole, Fl 33777

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 not­for­profit 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, and Sumter counties.

Tampa Bay Sounding is the official newsletter of Tampa Bay Mensa, American Mensa local group number 10­335. © 2013 Tampa Bay Mensa. All rights reserved. All material in this issue not copyrighted by individual contributors may be reprinted in 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 non­Mensans 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 33544­2525.

ADVERTISING POLICY: Sounding offers free classified ads to Tampa Bay Mensa members for services, items for sale, jobs wanted/available, personals, etc. Ads should be no longer than 50 words. Classified ads need to be renewed on a monthly basis if you wish them to appear in consecutive issues. Tampa Bay Mensa and Sounding are not responsible for the content of ads. All commercial ads are subject to the following rates: Full page ­ $60; Half page ­ $30; Quarter page ­ $15. Members of Mensa pay half these rates.

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, poems, short 

stories, puzzles, and artwork are all encouraged.• Personal attacks and bigoted, sexist, hateful, or 

otherwise offensive material will not be published.• E­mail submissions are preferred, either embedded or 

in Word­readable attachments. Computer printouts and typewritten pages are fine. If you submit hard copy, please make sure your printer has enough toner or your typewriter has a fresh­enough ribbon. Legible handwritten submissions will be considered (but not given preference).

You may send your submissions by either of the following means:E­mail: editor@tampa.us.mensa.org      (Please indicate “TBM” in the subject header.)U.S. Mail: Ronan Heffernan, 27504 Breakers Dr, Wesley Chapel, FL 33544

Unless otherwise specified in the calendar, the deadline for unsolicited contributions is the fifth day of the month.

Visit American Mensa at:   http://www.us.mensa.org

For full instructions on how to join tbm­gm and tbm­discussion, our two Yahoo! groups, visit TBM at 

http://tampa.us.mensa.org

Welcome to Tampa Bay Mensa!

November Birthdays11/01 James Crum, Lillian Oneill11/02 Jane Pattison11/04 Jacqueline Brawner, Larry Bush, Anelle Kloski11/05 James Francis11/06 Mary Matthews11/08 Keith Lussen11/10 Elizabeth Kay11/11 Thomas Latus, Barbara Loewe11/12 Mikael Magnusson, Elizabeth Rafaloski, Doug Wilcock11/16 Walter Conrad11/17 Jack Brawner11/18 Brian Ourso11/20 Maureen Collins11/21 Robert Birrenkott, Robert Kellenberger11/23 Steven Ganci, Thomas Gordon11/24 Patricia Farnum11/25 Malcolm Haynes11/26 Philip Hair, Frankie Prather

11/27 Howard Berry, John Cattel, Joel Humphries, John Roberts, Erica Rogers

11/28 Papan Devnani, Carol Partington11/29 Jason Newberg, Audrey Silver, Anthony Sommo11/30 Roland St Marie

November 2013 Page 3

✹ Emma Couto✹ Luke Couto✹ Bethany Masiello✹ Christa Masiello✹ Breighton Reed

Emmerson Reed✹ Brandon Rudy

Laurence Wolfe✹ Jessica Wyckoff✹ Daniel Zucker

✹ New members.

LocSec ColumnRonan Heffernan

Page 4 Tampa Bay Sounding

Our Fall Picnic was a great success! At least 45 of our members came out and, in the absence of a scientific poll, I am going to assert that they all had a great time. As usual, we had quite a few new members for whom this was their first-ever Mensa event. Several members who had belonged to Mensa for years, chose this picnic as their first-ever event. I was glad to meet all of them, and to hang out with members I have known for ages.

American Mensa designated October 19th as Mensa Testing Day. Tampa Bay Mensa scheduled two test sessions on that day, and in addition to testing several candidates, Kay Shapiro conducted her last supervised test, completing the requirements to become a Proctor. Thanks for volunteering in this important post, Kay!

Speaking of new volunteers, we sure could use a few. As Jay Johnson has points out in an article on page 9, our new cadre of officers were recently appointed. While it is great that so many of our existing volunteers are willing to continue to serve in their posts, seven of those officers are wearing two or more hats. This is not an exercise in empire building; we have a shortage of volunteers. We have several volunteer opportunities that are temporary and not too involved, including positions that cannot be filled by members of our ExComm. If you have any time to help out, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Hillary Miller (contact info on page 23).

LOOKING FORWARD

Our Winter Social is coming up on January 11, 2014. A buffet lunch will be provided, and a speaker is being arranged. As with our picnics, I would expect to have 40-70 members come to the social. As a member benefit, Tampa Bay Mensa holds picnics in the spring and fall, and indoor socials in the summer and winter.

Executive Committee MeetingsThe next meetings of Tampa Bay Mensa's Executive Committee will be held:

December 8th at 1:30 PM, hosted by Barbara LoeweUniversity Village 12401 N. 22nd St., Tampa

All members of Tampa Bay Mensa are invited to all Executive Committee Meetings. For more information contact our LocSec (Officer contact info is on page 23).

On Second ThoughtBuck Beasom

November 2013 Page 5

Peter Pan Politics

We can only hope that by the time you read this the GOP-authored government shutdown will have ended. But it’s also possible that they will have compounded the misdemeanor of a government shutdown with the felony murder of our nation’s credit rating. To the eighty or so Tea Party Republicans who are holding the House, the Federal Government and – by extension – the rest of us hostage this is a worthwhile price to pay if they can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat on Obamacare. A majority of these infants refuses to acknowledge that either a shutdown or a default represent a real cost at all, believing – as they do about climate change and evolution – that the costs are just more lies dreamed up by Liberals. All 80, and many more, are ensconced in carefully drawn districts. Any of them could combine the misdeeds of Anthony Weiner, Tom Delay and Duke Cunningham and STILL not have to worry about anything other than getting “primaried” by someone even crazier and more irresponsible. So the wait for them to exhibit any responsibility or maturity will be a long wait indeed.

What this crew – and poltroons like Ted Cruz – exhibit more than anything is the Peter Pan Principle: Never grow up. Cruz’s antics on the Senate floor call to mind nothing so much as the threat that he was “going to hold my breath until I die!” More adult Republicans – most of them in the Senate, but a few in the house – admit that the battle on Obamacare was lost when the Supreme Court upheld it. But the Tea Party just can’t bear the thought of Obama enjoying a history-making success. And – as Cruz admitted – they also know that when the rhetoric

dies down, people will come to like Obamacare. “Sugar” he calls it.

But it’s not the Tea Party that is scary. The Tea Party is just the logical progression from millions of low-information voters to several score of low-information Congressmen. What is scary is that the grownups won’t either bring them into line or simply ignore them. The feckless John Boehner believes that if he lets any one of the Senate budget bills come to a vote without poison-pill amendments it will pass, and his speakership with it. So the Orange Knight continues to posture and tell what he knows are lies because his position is more precious to him than either his legacy or the fiscal or medical health of the country. The whole sad scenario is reminiscent of how discipline has eroded in schools, where the word itself has become obsolete. Instead, the term “consequence” has been repurposed as a verb as in “We will have to consequence Johnny for peeing in the finger paint” because discipline might damage his self-esteem. Like Boehner, the rest of the “Republican Establishment” has been cowed into the belief that they have no choice but to go along with what the first Bush called “the extra chromosome wing of the party.” Otherwise, the Koch brothers or the Heritage Foundation (originators of the individual mandate that the GOP now wants use as a bargaining chip,) might target them in the 2014 primaries.

Many a crime and folly have been committed under the “No Choice” argument. I saw it up close during my years as a small-company CFO, when I had to walk away from at least two lucrative positions, knowing that it is always the finance guy who ends up doing time for

Continued on page 18

RVC Column for Region 10Thomas George Thomas

At the American Mensa Board of Directors meeting on October 5, we voted on a motion which has gotten a lot of attention. From the mini-minutes of the meeting:

“All functional weapons shall be prohibited from American Mensa Ltd. National events, such as Annual Gatherings, Annual Business Meetings, Colloquium, Mind Games®, and AML Board meetings. Sworn law-enforcement officers are exempt from this policy. For purposes of this motion, a weapon is any instrument, device or thing that is both

a) Capable of causing death or serious injury; and

b) Either

i) Designed or specifically adapted for use as a weapon; or

ii) Possessed, carried, or used as a weapon.”

The motion passed 10-9-1.

The motion had been submitted by LaRae Bakerink and Roger Durham on behalf of the Risk Management Committee, of which I am a member. This was a controversial motion, resulting in substantial and respectful discussion during the meeting, with pros and cons on many aspects. (If there were only one correct answer, of course there would be no controversy.) I did not know going into the meeting how I was going to vote on the motion, since there were strong points to be made on all positions, though I did raise my concern about reputational risk to Mensa if law enforcement had to be summoned due to an incident at one of our national events, at which the press is present every year. But the argument that finally swayed me related to an earlier discussion on litigation, when Interpretive Counsel Mark Silverstein presented on the topic of disclosure and evidence. The question raised in this situation centered on our liability. In the event of a civil lawsuit brought about as a result of a weapons incident at one of our national events, this question would certainly have come up if we had not passed this motion: “You considered this possibility, and had the opportunity to take preventative action, but you did nothing.” If this motion had not been brought, this would not have been a point in court, but having been raised, I felt there was no option but to vote in favor of the motion.

One thing that most of the board agreed upon was that this was NOT a political position, despite the characterization by many members before and after the meeting. American Mensa takes no position on whether weapons can or should be carried, nor does it hold an opinion on any Federal, State or Local weapons laws, pro or con. We do, however, hold positions on internal policy matters. For the time being, that includes whether members may bring weapons into official American Mensa events, and that position is No.

The next meeting of the American Mensa Board of Directors will be on December 7th in West Palm Beach, FL.

Page 6 Tampa Bay Sounding

As I See ItDuke Mader

November 2013 Page 7

Library and Chris

At sometime during our lifetime, (usually ) during the first or second grade, we get our first library card. How does it work, the small inquisitors want to know. And what is it good for?

A library contains many books about a subject. If you want to know more about a subject, you go to the library and check out a book on the subject you are interested in. When you check out the book usually you can keep it checked out for as long as needed. When you are finished with the book, that is to say, you have learned all the good the book has to offer, you take the book back to the library and the book goes back on the shelf, and just sits there until the next person checks it out. You are left with the wisdom, the humor, good thoughts and recollections gleaned from the book. Those are yours to keep even though you

returned the book and no longer have it in your possession.

I had a young son, Chris, who was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting just 3 weeks before his 23rd birthday. I can’t remember ever crying so much. Then one day I began to think about the library and how it related to Chris’s death.

Chris was like the library book. The name of his library is Heaven. Heaven loaned me Chris for 23 years. Yes, the physical body stayed a long time. If I had had some way of knowing the future I’m sure I would have spent more quality time with him. That wasn’t the lesson Chris wanted me to learn. Unfortunately, we never know when our library book is due, but if you keep it over due, you had better have kept it clean, because the penalty is beyond decription.

Think about it.

Dolores Puterbaugh, Ph.D, LMFT, LMHC, PALicensed Mental Health Counselor

Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist

801 West Bay Drive, Suite 436Largo, Florida 33770

The Wachovia Bank Building

727-559-0863puterbaugh@mindspring.combalancedlifestylecoaching.com

Services Include:• Individual counseling• Family & couples counseling• Anxiety, depression, grief, stress, anger• Children’s behavior problems• Personal growth/development• Consulting/Coaching services• Presentations for organizations

Memberships:Clinical Member of American

Association for Marriage & Family Therapy; American Counseling

Association; Mensa; TNS

Always Positive, Sometimes RightJim Stillman

Page 8 Tampa Bay Sounding

The most frightening aspect of the mass shootings and deaths at the Washington Navy Yard is that we have come to accept gun violence as normal and usual in the United States. This time, a person with a past history of mental instability and shooting incidents, used a legally acquired shot gun to slaughter 12 people. We may never know the motive that drove Aaron Alexis and, truly, it would not matter.

On the same day, Kristen Craig was driving in Tampa and stopped at a traffic light. Suddenly a man appeared at the passenger side window and opened fire, hitting her passenger in the arm, chest and leg. The shooter then calmly drove his SUV away. According to the police report, Ms Craig did not know the shooter; she assumes that this was a case of road rage. Perhaps she was driving too slowly; perhaps she had upset the man for some other reason.

Aaron was plainly nuts. But what do you say about the road-rage incidents that occur all too often on our streets. Last week, on a highway outside of Ionia, Michigan, James Pullum, 43, was tooling along when another driver, Robert Taylor, 56, was of the opinion that Mr. Pullum had been following him too closely. Both men had legally obtained weapons and concealed-carry licenses and they used them. Both men were killed.

The Tampa Police report in another incident:

On June 29, 2013, at approximately 3:05 p.m., Tampa Police Department received a 911 call from the victim stating that someone was following him. While on the phone the victim stated that the vehicle following him had earlier pulled up next to his vehicle and someone displayed what appeared to be a semi-automatic weapon to him. The victim

stated that he had done nothing to cause someone to follow him. The victim stayed on the phone with 911 operators and the dispatchers heard multiple gunshots. According to a witness in the area, the victim then pulled off the roadway and the suspect vehicle fled the scene.

It is unknown what occurred to cause the shooting. The victim died at the scene as a result of his injuries.

Every time there is a shooting that captures the attention of the media and public, after a short time the memory fades. The school shootings at the University of Texas (1966, 16 killed), Columbine (1999, 15 killed), Virginia Tech (2007, 33 killed), Sandy Hook (2012, 27 killed) were all followed by a very temporary outcry for even modest controls on guns.

In 2011, there were over 32,000 gun deaths in the United States and another 73,000 non-fatal gun injuries. During the same period, 39,000 died from breast cancer and 33,000 men died because of prostate cancer. The latter two are recognized as serious public-health concerns while gun violence is somehow accepted.

We have an epidemic in this country, an epidemic that has taken the lives of school children, passersby in drive-by shootings, and victims of irrational road-rage. Somehow, it has been accepted that limitless and unrestricted ownership of guns are part of our old-west frontier culture. The society in which we live is not that of the 18th Century when the Constitution was written nor is it the 19th Century of Wild Bill Hickok and his six-shooter.

The Second Amendment was passed in a day when one had a single-shot musket

Continued on page 17

Election ResultsJay Johnson

November 2013 Page 9

Last June a general election was held at which time you, the membership, elected a new governing board, the Executive Committee. In accordance with the Bylaws, the new Excomm was seated at the October meeting for the first time and the following appointments were made:

Ronan Heffernan: LocSec

Art Schwartz: Deputy LocSec

Kathy Crumb: Treasurer

ExComm Officers often take up various responsibilities along with their ExComm obligations and this Board is no different. The following are additional officer positions taken by Board Members:

Ronan Heffernan: Editor, Webmaster

Dan Chesnut: Scholarship Chair, Auditor

Sylvia Zadorozny: Calendar Editor, Scribe

Barbara Loewe: Member-at-Large

Melissa Stephens: Gifted Youth Coordinator, Programs Officer

Art Schwartz: Circulation Officer

Hillary Miller: Volunteer Coordinator

Kay Shapiro: Proctor

Other appointed non-ExComm Officers in no particular order are:

Thomas Thomas: Testing Coordinator

Jay Johnson: Publicity Officer, Assistant Testing Coordinator, Election Committee Chair

Susie Anderson: SIGHT Coordinator

Les Milewski: Publisher

Eloise Hurst: Ombudsman, Election Committee

Audrey Silver: Election Committee

Open: Membership Officer

Open: Nomination Committee

Officers need assistants. If the idea of assisting an officer in any of the above positions strikes an interest in you, or if you just want more information about a position, please contact the officer; contact information is on the last page of Sounding.

ExComm Meetings are held bi-monthly and all members are welcome. The next meeting will be December 8th, 1:30pm at the meeting room at Barbara Loewe’s. Contact Barbara for more information.

Statement of OwnershipThe US Postal Service requires that this information be published annually in our newlsetter.

Publication TitleTampa Bay Sounding

Publication Number305­830

Issue FrequencyMonthly

Annual Subscription Price$12.00

Headquarters and Known Office of Publication9091 St. Andrews Dr.Seminole, FL 33777­4521

Contact PersonSylvester (Les) Milewski(727) 397­8483

PublisherSylvester (Les) Milewski9091 St. Andrews Dr.Seminole, FL 33777­4521

Editor and Managing EditorRonan Heffernan27504 Breakers Dr.Wesley Chapel, FL 33544­6667

OwnerTampa Bay MensaAmerican Mensa Local Group #10/3351229 Corporate Dr. WArlington, TX 76006­6103

Known Bondholders, Mortgages, and Other Securities Holdersnone

Tax status has not changed during the preceding 12 months Issue Date for Circulation Data Shown BelowOctober 2013

Mailed Outside County Paid Subscriptions213 for October and 213 avg for preceding 12 months

Free or Nominal Rate Outside County Copies0 for October and 0 avg for preceding 12 months

Mailed In­County Paid Subscriptions134 for October and 136 avg for preceding 12 months

Free or Nominal Rate In­County Copies0 for October and 0 avg for preceding 12 months

Paid Distribution Outside the Mails0 for October and 0 avg for preceding 12 months

Free or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other Classes0 for October and 0 avg for preceding 12 months

Paid Distribution by Other Classes of Mail0 for October and 0 avg for preceding 12 months

Free Distribution Outside the Mail0 for October and 0 avg for preceding 12 months

Copies Not Distributed13 for October and 16 avg for preceding 12 months

Percent Paid100.00% for Octiber and for 100.00% avg for preceding 12 months

Page 10 Tampa Bay Sounding

November Mensaversaries

November 2013 Page 11

40 years Nan Owens38 years Vel Jaeger34 years William Mader, Esther Talledo Snook33 years Richard Flynn, James Francis32 years Kerry Lawson, Stanley Pleban28 years Philip Hair, Elliott Loyless27 years Martha Metcalf25 years Thomas Timberlake22 years Joseph Joeb, Donald White19 years Karen Payne, Tracy Sober17 years Meredith Craig14 years Logan Johnson12 years Thomas Johnson11 years Ronald Croft10 years Fernando Narvaez, Carol Park

9 years John Hamilton, Jamie Heuer, Joel Humphries, Michelle Humphries, Alvin Nienhuis, Bradley Price

7 years Timothy Dixon, Christopher Orozco

6 years Linda Christina, Ryan McCormick, Jason Newberg, Julianne Pasco, Richard Quinn

5 years Genevieve Corrada, J Dvornik, Allan Escher, Sky Williams, Douglas Woolley

4 years Pamela Colker, Ella Mendelowitz, Fredrik Tucker3 years Lauren Lampinen, Kaci Loveland, Alison Williams

2 years Jennifer Deeb, William Knowles, Elizabeth Knowles, Brad Koppelman

Note: Years are for continuous membership.  Members who let their membership lapse start from the date of reinstatement.

Calendar of Events

Page 12 Tampa Bay Sounding

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November 2013 Calendar

November 3 11:30am Tampa Museum of ArtLocation: 120 W Gasparilla Plaza Tampa, FL 33602

Join Out'N'About Tampa Bay Ms as we explore the four traveling exhibits at our own Tampa Museum of Art: Utility and Aesthetics in Ancient Art, Sea of Tranquillity, Fragile Waters and Arp, Calder & Mir: Modern Masters from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Find out more: http://tampamuseum.org We will enjoy a nearby lunch and a walk in the beautiful downtown park during our trip.

Melissa Stephens at MelissaLStephens@aol.com 813-476-5405

November 6 7pm Reading GroupLocation: IHOP, 4910 West Spruce Street, Tampa

Read whatever you like and bring books you'd like to recommend, discuss, exchange, or give away.

Ronan Heffernan 727-537-6626 ronansan@gmail.com

November 7 12:30pm Lunch BunchLocation: Piccadilly Cafeteria, 11810 North Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa

We meet at Piccadilly Cafeteria (next to Barnes and Noble Bookstore), in Tampa. For directions, descriptions, and/or encouragement to attend, call:

Jim Perry 813-837-3473 philart@gte.net

November 8 7:30am Breakfast GatheringLocation: Village Inn at the corner of Walsingham and Vonn Roads in Largo.

Gather for food and conversation. Please call before Friday for headcount.Lori Puterbaugh 727-399-2419 puterbaugh@mindspring.com

November 9 7pm Games NightLocation: 651 Timber Bay Circle West, Oldsmar

We play fun board and table games. Snacks and sodas provided ($2 kitty helps defray refreshment expenses). No smoking indoors.

Sylvia Holt Zadorozny 813-855-4939 sylviachocolate@gmail.com

November 12 6pm USF Tampa Lecture: The Greatest Story Ever Told -- So Far, with Lawrence Krauss

Location: Marshall Student Center, University of South Florida, 4103 Cedar Dr, Tampa, FL 33612The Greatest Story Ever Told -- So Far, with Lawrence Krauss: Description: This is a presentation by renowned physicist and cosmologist Lawrence Krauss.Krauss is Foundation Professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration and Inaugural Director of the Origins Project at Arizona State University. He will argue that the REAL story of the Universe is much more exciting than the bland myths pervaded by the ancients. He will describe the remarkable scientific story that has led to the

November 2013 Page 13

Except for rare cases that hosts will make clear, all events listed in our Calendar of Events, whether hosted in private homes or public venues, are open to all Mensans, their spouses, and accompanied guests.

While kitty amounts are mandatory, hosts often spend far more than the specified amount. Donations in excess of the kitty amount will be appreciated. If you have special needs or restrictions, it is prudent to discuss them with your host before attending an event.

greatest intellectual edifice ever created by humans, the Standard Model. It is a tale ripe with drama and surprise, and will take us from Plato to the discovery of the Higgs Boson. He will discuss the implications of these key discoveries for fundamental understanding of space, time, and origins, presenting his own cutting edge research in the field. Krauss researches the early universe, the nature of dark matter, general relativity and neutrino astrophysics. He has authored over 300 scientific publications, has won numerous research awards, and is an elected Fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In addition, he has led national efforts to educate the public about science and to ensure sound public policy, winning such major honors as the AAA Award for the Public Understanding of Science and Technology; the 2001 Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize of the American Physical Society; and the 2001 Andrew Germant Award, given by the American Institute of Physics to "a person who has made significant contributions to the cultural, artistic, or humanistic dimensions of physics." In addition to his academic publications, Krauss has a huge public following, having written popular books and made many high profile appearances. One of his recorded talks has received over 1.6 million views on Youtube. Target audience: USF Faculty, staff, and students, and the general public. For More Information: http://humanities-institute.usf.edu Map, directions and parking info: http://msc.usf.edu/directions.php In general, from FLETCHER AVENUE enter USF at Palm Dr. Turn left at USF Holly Dr. Turn right at USF Cedar Circle. There is a parking garage, lot, and handicap parking available. For more information about parking permits and policies, visit the Parking Services Website. Please RSVP.

Melissa Stephens at MelissaLStephens@aol.com 813-476-5405

November 13 1:15pm MHUNCHLocation: West Caribbean Cuban, 2215 S Combee Road, Lakeland 606-5954

Join us for lunch. Your RSVP is important! Please either email or call me so we can save a seat the the table for you!

Merrell Fortner 863-701-7109 mini@mindless.com

November 14 12:30pm Lunch Bunch

November 14 6pm Dali Talks: Joann Kakascik-Dye: "Dali's Mathematical Mind"

Location: Dali Museum One Dali Boulevard St. Petersburg, FL 33701 Dali Talks: Music, Math & More is a fall series that explores various Dali themes and ideas from a particular perspective. The series is held on the second Thursday of the month from September through December. "Dali's Mathematical Mind" is presented by Joann Kakascike, Professor of Mathematics, Hillsborough County Community College and Dali Museum Docent. For this talk, Kakascik focuses on the way Dali employs math in his art, examining his fascination with the Golden Ratio, the logarithmic spiral, polyhedral, and his friendship with mathematician Prince Matyla Ghyka. Cost: $5 General Admission; Free to Dali Members. Seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Series takes place in the museum Theater. Please RSVP.

Melissa Stephens at MelissaLStephens@aol.com 813-476-5405

November 15 3pm Games Weekend at Lake Louisa State ParkLocation: Lake Louisa State Park, 7305 US Highway 27, Clermont, FL

Back by popular demand, TBM will be having its 4th games weekend at Lake Louisa State Park from Friday November 15th through Sunday the 17th. Spend a weekend playing games with your friends. We will be staying at the park in fully equipped

Page 14 Tampa Bay Sounding

cabins. The cabins have 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, a fireplace and a large screened-in wraparound porch. They sleep up to 6 people. The cost for a cabin is $120.00 a night. The total cost of a cabin for the weekend with tax is $266.40 to be split by all occupants of the cabin (see below). Two of the cabins at Lake Louisa are handicapped accessible and I have reserved one of these. Pets are not allowed in the cabins. There are also camping sites for anyone who does not mind roughing it. Additionally there are RV sites at the park that cost about $24. If you act now, I'll throw in a comet!!!! Weather permitting, we should have a great viewing opportunity that weekend to see Comet ISON. Comet ISON will come within 800,000 miles (1.2 million km) of our sun's surface on November 28. If it doesnt break up, Comet ISON should become very bright. It might be bright enough to see in daylight, near the sun, briefly. If it survives, it should go on to have a dazzling showing in December 2013. For a short time, it might become as bright as a full moon. Thatll be around the time of its perihelion or closest approach to the sun on November 28, 2013. For additional information about the park, go to http://floridastateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/Lake_Louisa_State_Park/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=FL&parkId=281108&topTabIndex=CampingSpot For more information on the event, contact the host, Art Schwartz at art.schwartz@baycare.org or 813-343-8850. DIRECTIONS: Take I-4 to exit 55 #US-27 N toward Clermont; go 15.4 miles to the park on the left. If you can't spend the entire weekend you can drop by on Saturday. The park charges an entrance fee of $5 for cars for that are not staying overnight. The park closes at sunset to those not staying overnight. For nature lovers the park has hiking trails and inexpensive canoe/kayak rentals. The accommodations in the Lake Louisa State Park are: Cabins sleep up to 6 people. Cabins Cost $120 a night plus tax, after tax a 2-night stay is $266.40. 2 bedrooms--1 bedroom has a queen size bed, 1 bedroom has 2 singles 2 bathrooms Full kitchen No pets allowed in cabins (they are allowed in park) Occupant(s) of each bedroom will pay $94 (35%); if no one is in the living room $133.20(50%). Occupant(s) of the living room will pay $82.40 (30%). Cost will be by room not person, once again the buddy system pays off. 1 person in the room alone would pay the entire cost of the room, 2 sharing split the cost There is a limit of 2 cars per cabin so please try to arrange to car pool.

Arthur Schwartz 727-418-0172

November 16 5pm Shakespeare WatchLocation: 320 19th St, Palm Harbor

Bring your own favorite Shakespeare or Shakespeare-inspired DVD and the group will choose which movie to watch. Please RSVP. Call/e-mail for directions. Smoking outside.

Maran Fulvi 727-7891390 serakh@gmail.com

November 20 7pm Reading Group

November 21 12:30pm Lunch Bunch

November 22 6:30pm Fourth Friday DinnerLocation: 9 Bangkok, 571 Central Ave, St. Pete

Excellent food and good service at a reasonable price. Please RSVP by Thursday evening, if you are going to join us, as call-ahead is a must at this popular restaurant.

Diane Campo 727-667-7070 campodiane@gmail.com

November 2013 Page 15

November 27 1:15pm MHUNCHLocation: Earhart's Runway Grill (map) 3900 Don Emerson Drive, Lakeland 937-8900

Join us for lunch. Your RSVP is important! Please either email or call me so we can save a seat the the table for you!

Merrell Fortner 863-701-7109 mini@mindless.com

November 28 4pm Potluck "Orphans' Thanksgiving" DinnerLocation: 651 Timber Bay Cir W, Oldsmar

Not visiting family for Thanksgiving? Come join our potluck "Orphans' Thanksgiving" dinner! I'll cook the turkey, and you bring a side dish, dessert, appetizer, whatever. (For those who don't cook, store-bought is fine.) I don't plan to coordinate dishes so we'll see what we end up with--it's worked well in the past. And since Hanukkah falls during Thanksgiving this year, if my Jewish friends want to add a little Hanukkah flavor to our festivities, that could be fun too! RSVP appreciated, so I know how big a turkey to get.

Sylvia Zadorozny 813-855-4939

November 30 7pm Chanukah Party & GamesLocation: 320 19th St Palm Harbor, FL

Home for the holidays? Looking for fun? This Chanukah Party may just be the one. You don't have to be Jewish to win dreydle games, or fill up on goodies with unfamiliar Jewish names. So join us tonight for a latke or two, maybe start a few friendships, and others, renew. Kitty: $2.00 If you'd like to participate in a gift exchange, please limit the gift to under $5.00. Smoking is permitted outside only (but in a covered area with nice comfy furniture.) The house has two cats and a rabbit. Take U.S. 19 to Tampa Road (which is Hillsborough Ave., in Tampa.) Go West on Tampa Rd. to 19th Street (2 lights past U.S. 19.) Turn Right (North) on 19th St. The house is on the right, and doesn't have Christmas lights. Please RSVP.

Maran Fulvi serakh@gmail.com 727-789-1390

Classifieds

Page 16 Tampa Bay Sounding

Wanted: telescopes or binoculars to borrow for comet-watching during Games Weekend. melissalstephens@aol.com

Wanted: costume jewelryEspecially older vintage pieces If you have any you want to show, sell, trade or talk about it. Sapir schwartz 813-343-8850 sapirschwartz@yahoo.com (only checked occasionally)

Wanted: microscopes and/or accessories to borrow for Gifted Youth events (esp. Nov 16th) melissalstephens@aol.com

Always Positive (cont)

xkcd.org

November 2013 Page 17

and there was no other way to protect home and family. Rapid-fire weapons were unknown and not within the experience of the framers. There were no effective police authorities, certainly not in the more remote frontier area and a rifle for protection and to hunt for food was essential.

Opposition to reasonable gun control, perhaps measured by the locale, is the same as opposing research for a cure for cancer or laws to keep drunk drivers off the highway. Even a modest step as

insisting on meaningful background checks and a waiting period before purchasing a weapon is politically shunned. A restriction on gun sales other than by a licensed dealer is deemed impossible.

Enough is enough. Too many have died, too many parents have wept over the death of their child and too many children have been orphaned.

On Second Thought (cont)

Page 18 Tampa Bay Sounding

the malfeasance of his boss. As a banker I also watched more than one small entrepreneur lose everything trying to prop up a failing business in a futile effort to recoup his emotional investment. Every single one of these mistakes was justified with the same question: “What choice to I have?” Often there were several but they required the swallowing of pride, losses – or both. And so the notion that “failure is not an option” led to the decision that folly was. Sometimes the question of choices came too late because the person making choices had spent weeks or months eschewing the smart ones until the paint enclosed the corner and only the bad ones remained.

One could well argue that the President’s “red line” comment in reference to Syria’s chemical weapons painted him into a corner. It led to the threat of a military strike that proved too much for both America’s and Obama’s allies to swallow. We don’t know how the Syria situation will play out. But it is a measure of Obama’s character that instead of ginning up phony evidence or just ignoring the UN, Congress and the voters and forging ahead, he declared his authority to order a strike and let that threat push the pieces around the board. It is truly depressing to recall how Bush II, Nixon and LBJ wasted lives and treasure on the fraudulent premise that there was no other choice. This is especially true when we recognize that the biggest thing on the line for each of them was ego.

As we often see, a “gaffe” in today’s political universe is not when you get caught saying something stupid, insensitive or blatantly false, it’s when you get caught saying what you really think. This mistake has been the undoing of politicians from Trent Lott to Christine O’Donnell to Todd Aiken. Mitt Romney

got caught on tape saying what he really thought. It killed his shot at the White House.

And so, while Cruz may talk of “sugar,” no Republican is going to get caught admitting that Obamacare – like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and food stamps – will prove to be a successful, progressive program, further assassinating the right wing canard that “government is the problem.”

This notion is anathema to the GOP. After decades in the wilderness, the party regained legislative power under the “government is the problem” rubric. From a policy standpoint it has virtually nowhere to go other than to start another war, trash another government agency charged with protecting us, or cutting taxes still further. The Party of “No” is, in fact, the party of negativity. It has nothing to offer beyond a “hate thy enemy” message. Witness Rick Scott’s effort to jump-start his 2014 campaign by criticizing Obama.

Faced with the fact that progressive programs of the New Deal and the Great Society have become popular institutions with broad support, the adolescents that control the House simply can’t abide the idea that when Obamacare survives and grows in popularity – a virtual certainty – it will further prove the intellectual bankruptcy of the “government is evil” message. The only question is how much collateral damage the GOP will inflict upon the economy, the nation and themselves before the inevitable proves true.

Unfortunately, this dooms the rest of us to an endless display of Peter Pan politics. The stomach-turning man crush displayed by Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio on the floor of the Senate at the end of September

xkcd.org

'Sorry, I left out my glass of water from last night.' OH GOD I APPARENTLY LIVE IN A GARBAGE PIT.

November 2013 Page 19

was pathetic, but not without purpose. Both men are consumed by ambition – so consumed, in fact, that there is little room in either for anything else. So Rubio gushed over Cruz and his “courage” while Cruz went on to spend nearly a full day blathering on the Senate floor.

Both Cruz and Rubio want the 2016 GOP Presidential nomination and have applied the same math to the situation: You can’t win the GOP nomination without the Tea

Party, so pander to all of the silliness that animates it and then hope you can hoodwink the general electorate once the nomination is secure. (And be sure to check for hidden microphones before you betray your contempt for half the country.) That kids on Head Start go hungry, government workers unpaid or our nation made a fool before the world is of no matter to them. They have bigger fish to fry. But while all this goes on, it’s our country that is getting burned.

CryptopoemSylvia Holt Zadorozny

Page 20 Tampa Bay Sounding

(Each has its own code.)

1. BLIOI PEA E CYGNT MISSYP NEVIR LESS

PLY MISS UN BLI AFOUNT UN BLI MESS;

‘BPYGSR LEXI DIIN E AER BLUNT

LER LI RUIR UN BLI AFOUNT,

DGB LI RURN’B, LI RUIR UN BLI MESS.

~ ENYNCVYGA

2. W RLFOELUV’M AOPOE WPOEMO

IT ONBEOMMLAD LIMORK LA W IOEMO

OUTATFLUWR MICRO

WAY COI, WRR IGO SGLRO,

IGO RLFOELUV’M WRSWCM W POEMO.

~ RWHEOAUO BOEELAO

Suzaku™ #72Thomas George Thomas

Suzaku™ (from Japanese sousaku: search) is a compound puzzle. The first step is to solve it as a traditional sudoku puzzle, using letters instead of numbers. The second step is to search for words in the solved sudoku. Start from any letter, moving up, down, forward, backward or diagonally in any direction, changing direction as needed without reusing the same square for a word. Although there are nine letters in this puzzle, words can be longer if you can find them. (There is a hint for this puzzle on page 22.) For extra credit, score the words using their associated number values to try to find the highest word points.

November 2013 Page 21

Suzaku™ (cont)Last month's puzzle used the 13-letter word "interventions", which used eight of the nine letters in the grid for a total of 62 points. The theme for this month's Suzaku™ is a two-word phrase consisting of 13 characters and one space, using all eight letters and the space in the grid, for a score of 62 points. The shaded square is the starting position for the theme phrase, which is a favorite of many Ms. The solution will be provided in next month's issue of Tampa Bay Sounding.

You could also search for a list of words and accumulate additional points. What is the highest cumulative score you can achieve?

Answer to the October Cryptopoem:

Page 22 Tampa Bay Sounding

Answer to the October Suzaku™ (#71)

When the pumpkins are so yellow

And the vines with grapes abound,

When the melons are so mellow

And the nuts fall to the ground;

When persimmons lose their bitters,

And the apples are so red;

When we love to eat corn fritters

Since the roasting ears have fled;

When vacation days are over

And the children go to school,

They no longer play in clover,

But must learn "Arithmos-rule,"

When weird Hallowe'en's most naughty elves

With gnomes and sprites appear,

While fat Thanksgiving fills the shelves -

'Tis AUTUMN, QUEEN OF YEAR.

~by Winifred Sackville Stoner, Jr.

2013-2014 Tampa Bay Mensa Officers

November 2013 Page 23

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

➢Local SecretaryRonan Heffernan 27504 Breakers Dr. Wesley Chapel, FL 33544 727-537-6626locsec@tampa.us.mensa.org

➢Deputy LocSecArt Schwartz1909 Dover CTOldsmar, FL 34677813-343-8850asstlocsec@tampa.us.mensa.org

➢TreasurerKathy Crum 7164 Quail Hollow Blvd. Wesley Chapel, FL 33544 813-907-0526 treasurer@tampa.us.mensa.org

➢Circulation OfficerArt Schwartzdistribution@tampa.us.mensa.org

➢EditorRonan Heffernaneditor@tampa.us.mensa.org

➢Programs OfficerMelissa Stephens 2023 Blue Rock Rd. #301Tampa , FL 33612813-476-5405 programs@tampa.us.mensa.org

➢Calendar EditorSylvia Holt Zadorozny 651 Timber Bay Cir. W. Oldsmar, FL 34677 813-855-4939 calendar@tampa.us.mensa.org

➢Membership OfficerVacantmembership@tampa.us.mensa.org

➢Gifted Youth Coordinator

Melissa Stephens giftedyouth@ tampa.us.mensa.org

➢ScribeSylvia Holt Zadoroznyscribe@tampa.us.mensa.org

➢Testing CoordinatorThomas George Thomas27647 Sky Lake Circle Wesley Chapel, FL 33544 813-994-3981testing@tampa.us.mensa.org

➢Volunteer CoordinatorHillary Miller1700 66th St NSt Petersburg, FL 33710volunteer@tampa.us.mensa.org

➢Publicity OfficerJay Johnsonpublicity@tampa.us.mensa.org

➢AuditorDan ChesnutP.O. Box 1839St. Petersburg, FL 33731727-434-0353chesnut314@gmail.com

➢WebmasterRonan Heffernanwebmaster@tampa.us.mensa.org

➢Scholarship ChairDan Chesnutscholarship@tampa.us.mensa.org

➢Members-At-LargeBarbara Loewe 12401 N. 22d St.Apt #C111Tampa, FL 33612 813-968-3343bloewe@juno.com

OTHER OFFICERS

➢OmbudsmanEloise Hurst 3615 W Renellie Cir Tampa, FL 33629 813-839-2695 ombudsman@ tampa.us.mensa.org

➢SIGHT CoordinatorSusan Anderson 10733 Dowry Ave. Tampa, FL 33615 813-494-6517 sight@tampa.us.mensa.org

➢SIG CoordinatorDavid Schwartz1909 Dover ctOldsmar FL 34677

813-965-0370davidsdover@yahoo.com

➢Election SupervisorJay Johnson 5051 Cardiff Dr Holiday, FL 34690 727-934-9575election@tampa.us.mensa.org

➢PublisherSylvester (Les) Milewski 727-397-8483 LesMiles@aol.com

➢ProctorsJay Johnson Thomas George Thomas

➢Editorial BoardJay JohnsonMelissa StephensAudrey SilverThomas George Thomas

➢Election CommitteeJay JohnsonAudrey SilverEloise Hurst

ASSISTANT OFFICERS

➢Asst TreasurerDan Chesnut, Jay Johnson

➢Asst Programs OfficerArt Schwartz

➢Asst WebmastersArt Schwartz, Thomas George Thomas

➢Asst Membership Off.Art Schwartz

➢Asst Scribe, Asst Editor, Asst Testing Coordinator

Jay Johnson

NON-TBM CONTACTS

➢RVC, Region 10Thomas George Thomas27647 Sky Lake Circle Wesley Chapel, FL 33544 813-994-3981rvc10@us.mensa.org

Tampa Bay Sounding (USPS 305­830) is published monthly by Tampa Bay Mensa at 9091 St. Andrews Dr., Seminole, FL 33777. Periodicals postage paid at St. Petersburg, FLPostmaster: Send address changes to: Tampa Bay Sounding, c/o American Mensa Ltd. 1229 Corporate Dr. W., Arlington, TX 76006­6103.

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