Permensa February 2015 Volume XXXII Number 2
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PerMensa February 2015 Volume XXXII Number 2 Hello, My Fellow Mensans There's a Chinese curse: may you live in interesting times. That pretty well describes the year so far. So it can only get better. Thank you each and every one for your membership in Permian Basin Mensa. Office Depot gives us a break on printing charges, so please consider giving them your business. Thank you. From the RVC: I can’t believe it’s been six years already. Yes, it was in February 2009 that I reluctantly agreed to be nominated for Regional Vice Chairman for the first time. I had just been elected to another term as treasurer of my local group, North Texas Mensa, and my interest in Mensa was very much limited to my own group and a few others nearby. I knew very little about Mensa on the national level, and frankly, I didn’t much care. My first national Board meeting was a real eye-opener. I realized immediately from the comments of the other Board members that the Mensa experience is very different in various parts of the country. Things that pass unnoticed in Region 6 can cause major upheavals elsewhere. My service on the Board has definitely been an education. From the very first, controversial issues have come before the Board, and I have done my best to contribute clarity and restraint to their discussion. Sometimes the right thing to do has been obvious to me, at other times I have sought your input, but through it all the time has flown by and now I am coming to the end of my third and last term as your RVC. Next month I will attend what may be my last Board meeting, and by coincidence it’s in Indianapolis, just like my first one. I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to represent you in this way, and I hope I have earned your confidence sufficiently to merit your support in my quest to move up to national Treasurer. You’ll be hearing more from me about this as the national election season progresses. In the meantime, membership renewals are due next month, so please don’t forget to get your renewal in to the National Office as soon as possible. Early renewals save money for Mensa that can be used for the support of valuable membership services. It’s also time to make plans to attend this year’s Annual Gathering in Louisville, KY. I know that for many of you, spouses, kids, jobs, and a host of other obligations make it hard to fit in a trip to the AG, but honestly, you’re missing the best part of Mensa if you don’t go. We have nearly 60,000 members in this country, but only about 2,000 of us make it to the AG each year, and fewer than 100 of those are from Region 6, unless the AG is held somewhere in our region, as it was in 2013. I’ve been to at least 15 AGs over the 40 years I’ve been in Mensa, and I wish I could have gone to all the others. You don’t have to go every year, but you really should try to make it occasionally, particularly when it’s relatively close by, as it is this year. As always, if you have any comments or questions about American Mensa or Region 6, please feel free to contact me by email at [email protected] , or by USPS at 9920 Ridgehaven Drive, Dallas, TX 75238. Roger Durham 1 PerMensa February 2015 Volume XXXII Number 2 Loc Sec Speaks Election Report We had five nominees for the incoming executive Committee. Since there are five positions the nominees will take office without a ballot. The nominees are: Patti King, Mark McDonald, David Nichols, Robert Volkmann, and Shirley Volkmann The nominees take office on April 1, 2015 for two year terms as the Executive Committee of Permian Basin Mensa (ExCom). At the earliest subsequent meeting (yet to be scheduled) the ExCom will elect a Local Secretary (LocSec). I wish to step down as LocSec so that I can focus on programs and proctoring. I encourage all four of the other nominees to consider running for LocSec. I will be happy to support any one of you for that office. Thank you all for your service to Mensa and your willingness to continue to contribute. Warmest Regards and THANK YOU! To All Members I look forward to seeing you at a program or dine-out! Also, send me your suggestions and complaints. Robert Happy Birthday 02/01 Shirley C. Volkmann Midland 02/02 Meredith A Nicks Brownwood 02/07 Carol Hastings Midland 02/10 Sharon Rae Colbert Houston 02/12 Charles Eubanks Odessa 02/14 Ray Evan Baldwin Odessa 02/19 Michael J Brown Menard 02/23 Kathy Robertson English Midland 02/28 Jean Ellen Campbell Abilene 02/28 Dennis Allen Hein San Angelo 02/28 Ronnie D. Scott Midland 03/12 MSG James Ralph Landers Abilene 03/13 George W Eastes lll Mason 03/21 Lynne S Kilgore Willoughby, OH Mensaversaries Nellie B Fields Midland 02/1968 Pamela Jo Piper Fisher Andrews 02/1982 William Keith Smith Abilene 02/1983 Robert Isaiah Starr Midland 02/2004 David Mitchell Midland 02/2008 Susan Marie Roehrig San Angelo 02/2008 Richard Kirschner Stamford 02/2009 Noah Majkowski Tuscola 02/2011 Kathy Robertson English Midland 02/2012 Misty D Borland Midland 02/2013 George W Eastes lll Mason 02/2014 Shirley C. Volkmann Midland 03/1989 John M Hagar Midland 03/2000 2 PerMensa February 2015 Volume XXXII Number 2 The Only Pi Day of Our Lives "Yes, the time is upon us. Everyone knows pi day is March 14th, but any true nerd realizes pi is not 3.14, but rather an irrational constant which continues infinitely in decimal expansion. Starting at 9:26:53 (.589... sec) AM, the longest extended Pi Day of our lives will come into action. The date, at the AM and PM hours, will be " 3/14/15 at 9:26:53.589. Days like this only come once in a lifetime! It is understood 1592 was a better year. This was probably the greatest pi day in history. Every 100 years (1915, 2015, 2115 etc) come the next closest pi days. It is also understood there are other minor pi days (be creative). Yes, 22/7 is pi approximation day -- But it's not that accurate! I wrote this just for all you people who like to find missing details written in nerd events. I'm sure you'll still find more ;) Pi = 4*Sum[(-1)^i/ (2*i+1) ,{i,0, infinity}] = 4*( 1 - 1/3 + 1/5 - 1/7 + 1/9-...) This formula can be derived using the Taylor series for arctan via integration, namely arctan[x] = integral[1/(1+t^2),{t,0,x}] and writing 1/(1+t^2) as a geometric sum with generator -t^2. Jimmy Derocher Submitted by Mensa member, Howard Prince I was in a conversation elsewhere on Facebook where a member was questioning his experiences as a member and whether he would renew or not. After I wrote the response, I realized it was best to share with my Mensa friends -- especially those of you who have been so supportive over the past few months --- and with my non-Mensa friends so that you might know a little more about why my insanity cannot be cured! :) ... XYZ, I can't speak to your experiences, but I'm sorry to hear about them regardless. I worked at Mensa for 17 years, and then I became a member. Insanity? Maybe? Maybe not. I joined because of the people (and I learned to accept people for their differences... even the asshats... because it was a part of the job). I secured a new job last week, announced it on my page, and had a flood of people in 24 hours congratulating and supporting me... from all over the world. I've had other members offer assistance with my mortgage, to collect funds so that I could fly to their local and see my friends there, to give me resounding recommendations and reference letters. I've had offers to sit on a beach in Hawaii and spend a week in Vegas during my unemployment. I've had members offer advice (membership, employment and legal) and one who submitted my resume on my behalf to headhunters. I've had members at AT&T, Amazon, Facebook and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory offer to make connections for me. Yes, a number of my friendships within the organization were because of my tenure, but they're long- lasting friends nonetheless. Yes, I would probably have them without a membership, but I want the organization to be better than it is because of what it's given me during and after my employment. Will it ever be perfect? Nope. Will the members ever be perfect? Certainly not. But it can be better, and I'm willing to risk the $70 this year to vote in the election and try. Submitted by Mensa member, Howard Prince . 3 PerMensa February 2015 Volume XXXII Number 2 Permian Basin Mensa Events February 2015 and March 2015 Midland Thursday Lunch -Every Week 12 to 1:30 PM Grand Buffet, 2510 W Louisiana Ave., Midland, Texas (432) 688-8881 Dine-Out in Odessa Saturday, February 21, 2015 , 7:00 PM Mi Piaci Italian Restaurant 2607 N. Grandview (University and Grandview) Odessa, Texas 79761 432-362-8060 Dine-Out in Midland Tuesday, February 24, 2015 , 7:00 PM Thai House, 9 Meta Drive, Midland, Texas 79701 in the Village Shopping Center, Northwest corner of Andrews Hwy & Wall Street Program Saturday, February 28th, 2015 at 3:00 PM Southeast corner of Haley Park, Midland, Texas.