PerMensa March 2015 Volume XXXII Number 3

Editor Hello, My Fellow Mensans

March is quite a month for Permian Basin Mensa. We have testing, a PI Day program, two dine outs, an Executive Meeting and it is time to renew our dues. Office Depot gives us a break on printing charges, so please consider giving them your business. Thank You Shirley Volkmann 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 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 .

Loc Sec Speaks Fellow Mensans!

By the time you read this, the nasty February ice storms should be a ancient memory. Our program last month was destroyed by such an ice storm. When The Nine Willows AMTGARD and Mensa planned the outdoor program in the park we anticipated mild spring weather. We didn't get it. We will learn about AMTGARD at a later date. This month the weather will not impede our plans. We are invited to the McDonalds to share our favorite You Tube videos. This should be fun. As always, Mensa is created by our ideas. Thanks to Mark who suggested this idea!

Warmest Regards, Robert

1 PerMensa March 2015 Volume XXXII Number 3 Happy Birthday

03/07 Louis Heidema Abilene 03/12 MSG James Ralph Landers Abilene 03/13 George W Eastes lll Mason 03/21 Lynne S Kilgore Willoughby, OH 03/22 Anthony W Watkins Odessa 03/24 Benjamin J Smith Midland 03/28 Michael Newton Babb Odessa 03/28 Larry W Pontaski Midland 04/16 Stephen Holmquest Midland 04/22 Martha L Dunham Midland 04/26 Joseph M Tucker Odessa 05/05 Mike Craddock Big Spring

Mensaversaries

Shirley C. Volkmann Midland 03/1989 John M Hagar Midland 03/2000 Joseph M Tucker Odessa 03/2005 Robert Turrentine Midland 03/2005 Rylie Turrentine Midland 03/2005 Mike Borland Midland 03/2010 Vivian Lea Borland Midland 03/2010 Lucas Gibbs Abilene 03/2012 Meredith A Nicks Brownwood 03/2013 Robert G. Volkmann Midland 04/1980 Lynne S Kilgore Willoughby, OH 04/1983 Lucy C. Arcand (Brandt) Big Spring 04/1993 Jackie L. Chestnutt Knickerbocker 04/1997 Dennis Allen Hein San Angelo 04/1999 James Daniel South Abilene 04/2003 Trent Walton Midland 04/2007 Mark McDonald Midland 04/2009 Mark Fakhoury Abilene 04/2012

2 PerMensa March 2015 Volume XXXII Number 3 Permian Basin Mensa Events March 2015

Midland Thursday Lunch -Every Week 12 to 1:30 PM Grand Buffet, 2510 W. Ave., Midland, (432) 688-8881

Membership Test Saturday, March 7, 2015 at 2 PM. Midland County Public Library Centennial Library conference room located at 2503 West Loop 250 North, Midland, Texas.

Dine-Out in Odessa Tuesday, March 10, 2015 , 7:00 PM Red Lobster Restaurant 4536 E. University (intersection with JBS Parkway) Odessa, Texas 79762, 432-367-8926

Permian Basin Mensa Executive Committee Meeting Saturday, March 14, 2015 at 2:00 PM Home of Mark and Mary Lou McDonald 2600 Culver Drive, Midland, Texas 79705 All members of Mensa are welcome

Pi Day Program Saturday, March 14, 2015 at 7:00 PM We will view your favorite You Tube Videos Home of Mark and Mary Lou McDonald 2600 Culver Drive, Midland, Texas 79705 Bring a dish to share (No alcoholic beverages at this venue)

Coffee in San Angelo Saturday, March 21, 2015 , 10:30 AM Hardback Cafe, Hastings Bookstore 4238 Sunset Drive, San Angelo, Texas 76904

Dine-Out in Midland Saturday, March 21, 2015 , 7:00 PM K D's Bar-B-Que 3109 Garden City Highway, Midland, Texas 79701, 432.683.4013

The Only Pi Day of Our Lives 3 PerMensa March 2015 Volume XXXII Number 3

"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

From the RVC It’s March once again, and an election year in Mensa, and soon you will be inundated with candidates’ materials asking for your vote. I hope you will read and consider them carefully (especially mine!), but I would ask that you contemplate each candidate’s agenda as you read. Unfortunately, there is no requirement that candidates, or their supporters, be entirely truthful in their claims. Letters have already begun to appear for or against certain candidates, and a common theme seems to be that Mensa is somehow “broken” and needs to be fixed. This is heard every election season, but seems to be particularly prevalent this year. The truth is, of course, that Mensa is not broken, it just isn’t being run to suit those who are complaining about it. As an elected member of your national Board of Directors, I have heard the anguished complaints from various members, some of them very prominent in the organization, about the way things are being done recently, and how it’s the fault of the Board for doing them that way. The fact is, though, that what they are generally complaining about is that things have changed in Mensa, and they don’t like it. Well, friends and neighbors, I’m sorry, but it’s not 1980 anymore. The legal and economic climate has changed over the years, and Mensa has had to change with it. I don’t like some of these changes either, but they are mostly unavoidable. There is one area, though, where I think previous Boards have taken a wrong turn. Our outgoing Treasurer, Nick Sanford, has allowed our expenses to run out of control, relying on regular dues increases to fund the excessive growth of the budget. That’s why I am running for national Treasurer: to put a stop to constant dues increases and insist on cost reductions wherever possible. The current Board has already made a start in this direction, rejecting the Treasurer’s outrageous dues increase proposal for 2015 and requiring a very conservative budget for the coming year. But when you read that there is a huge conspiracy by your elected officers to ruin Mensa, or that the national staff is somehow hoodwinking the Board into listening to them instead of the membership, please take these claims with more than just a grain of salt. Your elected Board members work hard and give up a lot of their time to represent you at the national level. They are committed to maintaining a vibrant, exciting, and financially stable organization for your enjoyment. Please don’t be fooled by people who just want to have their own way, no matter what. (OK - end of sermon.) Finally, as always, please remember that if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, you can always reach me at [email protected] or by snail mail at 9920 Ridgehaven Drive, , TX 75238. DON’T FORGET – RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP NOW! Roger Durham

4 PerMensa March 2015 Volume XXXII Number 3 ELECTED OFFICERS

Executive Committee : Patti King, Mark McDonald, David Nichols, Robert Volkmann, and Shirley Volkmann.

APPOINTED OFFICERS

Local Secretary: Robert Volkmann (432) 570-6209; cell (432) 889-6858 Treasurer: Mark McDonald (432) 697-0358 Editor: Shirley Volkmann (432) 570-6209 Scholarship Chair: Mark McDonald (432) 697-0358 Program Chair: Open Bylaws Revision: David Nichols (817) 896-7621 Dining Out Chair & Membership Chair: Shirley C. Volkmann, (432) 570-6209 Elections Chair: Stephen Holmquest (432) 260-5388, PO Box 52990, Midland, Texas 79710-2990 Testing Coordinator: Robert Volkmann (432) 570-6209; cell (432) 889-5868, Testing fee $40.00 Proctors: Dr. Ed Rowland, (432) 638-2781, Odessa, Robert Volkmann, Midland. (432) 570-6209; cell (432) 889-5868 Ombudsperson: Dr. Ed Rowland, (432) 638-2781, Odessa. SIGHT Coordinator: Open Web Master: David Nichols (817) 896-7621

AREA COORDINATORS San Angelo Coordinator: Dennis Hein, (325) 224-8186 Abilene Coordinator: Open

REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE RVC (Regional Vice Chair) Region 6: Roger Durham, [email protected]. Asst. RVC: Bob Brevard 210/695-2700 http://bevard.net/

5 PerMensa March 2015 Volume XXXII Number 3

March 2015 Volume XXXII Number 3 Contact: (432) 889-6858

MEETINGS, LUNCHES, DINE-OUTS

Midland Thursday Lunch 12 to 1:30 PM Grand Buffet, 2510 W Louisiana Ave. (432) 688-8881

Dine-Out in Odessa Tuesday, March 10, 2015 , 7:00 PM Red Lobster Restaurant, 4536 E. University (intersection with JBS Parkway) Odessa, Texas, 432-367-8926

Permian Basin Mensa Executive

First First ClassMail Committee Meeting Saturday, March 14, 2015, at 2:00 PM Home of Mark and Mary Lou McDonald 2600 Culver Drive, Midland, Texas

ation All members of Mensa are welcome

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erfor issue, Saturday, March 14, 2015, at 7:00 PM e sole membershipe sin Mensa, and is ffiliations. in the in PerMensa. te fornon ntile on any of a l l We will view your favorite You Tube irectors of Permian Videos. Home of Mark and Mary Lou McDonald, 2600 Culver Drive, Midland,

Texas. Bring a dish to share. (No alcoholic beverages at this venue)

Coffee in San Angelo Saturday, March 21, 2015 , 10:30 AM Hardback Cafe, Hastings Bookstore 4238 Sunset Drive, San Angelo, Texas

Dine-Out in Midland

standardized Mensa IQ ais tests. nonprofit organiz Saturday, March 21, 2015 , 7:00 PM

K D's Bar-B-Que 3109 Garden City Highway Midland, Texas, 432.683.4013

members of Permian Basin Mensa: Business Card (2x2 quarterpage $10; -half $18; -full page- $35. Ra members are double. Mensa anis international organization for which th qualification ais score at or above 98ththeperce number of members. Mensa has no opinions, political ornor religious a Postmaster - If undeliverable,return to: American Mensa, Ltd., 1229 Corporate Drive West Arlington,76006 TX PerMensa theis official publication of Permian' Ba sent to membersgood in standing'. The subscription as part of the duesannual of American Mensa, Ltd. for members $10is non-members/yr and for $12/yis expressed in PerMensa are opinionsthe of the autho necessarily those of the theeditor, officers and d Basin Mensa, or of Mensa,American Ltd. The editor reserves rightthe to published edit materia Editor responsibleis for any unattributed material Deadline for submissions theis 20thday of the mon monthof publication. PerMensa advertising rates, p which exists as a means of assembly and communicati 6