! e May, 2011 u s s E I n E E M o i t c e R l E l VOT a FO i c e p S Volume 29, No. 5 The PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID 808 Wisteria Drive Cocoa, FL Melbourne, FL 32901-1926 32922 Permit 20 ©2011 Space Coast Area Mensa Permission to reprint non-individually copyrighted material is hereby granted to all Mensa publications, provided proper credit is given to both Author and Editor, and a separate copy of the publication is sent to both author and editor. For permission to use individually copyrighted material, contact the editor. Opinions expressed are those of the individual writers and do not reflect the opinions of Space Coast Area Mensa or American Mensa Ltd., as neither holds any opinions. Mensa is registered at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as the collective mark of the international membership association. Send your change of address to both The SCAM at the above address and to: American Mensa Ltd., 1229 Corporate Drive West, Arlington, TX 76006-6103. The SCAM logo designed by Keith Proud SPACE COAST AREA MENSA ExCommunication April 6, 2011 Website: www.spacecoast.us.mensa.org (All Area Codes are 321 except as noted) Minutes of the April ExComm Meeting. Treasurer he ExComm met at the home of George Patterson on Wednes- BUD LONG T day, April 6, 2011. Called to order at 6:14 pm by LocSec George Executive Committee 660 Alaska Rd., Merritt Island, FL 32953 Patterson. 422-5011 [email protected] Attendees: ExComm members George Patterson, Karen Freiberg, Bud Local Secretary Recording Secretary Long, and Terry Valek. Joe Smith was unable to attend.. GEORGE PATTERSON KAREN FREIBERG 301 Sand Pine Rd., Indialantic, FL 32903 876 Buxmont Ct., Rockledge, FL 32955 Welcome Guests: None. 777-3721 [email protected] 633-1636 [email protected] Minutes for the March 2, 2011 meeting were approved as pub- Assistant Local Secretary Member-at-Large lished in the April 2011 SCAM. JOSEPH SMITH TERRY VALEK 4317 Sherwood Blvd., Melbourne, FL 32935 626-8523 LocSec Report: George reminded all that the May issue of the news- 259-4966 [email protected] [email protected] letter was the ballot edition and that we were all up for re-election. We have a Nominations and Election Committee, NomElCom, headed RG Committee Chair by Wynn Rostek, and expect to have a social and vote counting event SCAM Appointees BUD LONG following close of voting. Treasurer: Bud submitted the Treasurer's Reports via email for Proctor Coordinator SCAM Bylaws Committee March. It showed a final balance of $4094.98 HANK RHODES MICHAEL MOAKLEY [email protected] [email protected] Testing: Hank Rhodes (proctor coordinator) reported via email that no individuals were tested in March. Four candidates were contacted Membership Publicity Committee Chair for the first time, and 8 candidates for the 2nd or 3rd time. A test KAREN FREIBERG GEORGE PATTERSON [email protected] was scheduled for April 16 at the Central Brevard Library in Cocoa. George observed that we, as the ExComm, needed to find some way to S.I.G.H.T. Mediator assist Hank in persuading some of those who have "expressed an in- KAREN FREIBERG MICHAEL MOAKLEY terest" to actually take the test. [email protected] [email protected] There was no new or old business. Editor Assembly/Circulation The meeting was adjourned at 6:28 pm. The next meeting will be MICHAEL MOAKLEY GEORGE PATTERSON The SCAM 808 Wisteria Dr., Melbourne, FL 777-3721 at Karen Freiberg's house at 876 Buxmont Ct., Rockledge, FL, 32955, Editorial Staff 32901 on Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 6:00 pm. No May meeting will be [email protected] held. Webmaster Calendar KAREN FREIBERG DOUG STARKE 633-1636 633-1636 [email protected] [email protected] MEL DAHL, RVC10 AMERICAN MENSA, LTD. American [email protected] 1229 Corporate Drive West Arlington, TX 76006-6103 Mensa (817) 607-0060 Ltd. [email protected] 2 Space Coast Area Mensa Space Coast Area Mensa 23 THE TENTH STORY Mel Dahl, RVC-10 Vol. 29, No. 5 The May, 2011 t the AMC meeting held in Atlanta on March 26 the AMC de- A cided, over my no vote, to change the default for newsletters from print to electronic. So, let me explain what that means, both for All submissions must be received by the Editor before the 10th of the month preceding individual members and for local groups. publication. Please allow extra time for mailed submissions, which may be typed or legi- Local groups have the option to offer their members delivery of bly handwritten. Whenever possible, we prefer submissions via e-mail. They may be in e-mail text or any of most word processing formats. All submissions should be sent to the local group newsletter by electronic means if they choose to do so; the Editor, whose contact information appears on Page 2. no local group is required to offer electronic newsletter deliv- ery. When Mensa members renew their membership (or become Mike Moakley, Editor members in the first place), they are asked if they prefer print or elec- Inside the Pocket Protector tronic newsletters. Up until now, unless someone specifically opts for electronic delivery, the default has been to send them print newslet- ave you heard? We at Space Coast Area Mensa are in the ters. That has now changed. Going forward, if a local group offers H middle of an extremely contentious campaign to determine electronic delivery, and if we have an email address on file for some- who will lead SCAM for the next year. The question is, who will one, the assumption will be that people get their newsletters electron- ultimately win? ically unless they specifically request print. (Some people get both, if On one slate of candidates are five rather familiar names. In their local groups allow that.) If an email address bounces, that fact, since we do not have term limits, I believe most reading this member will go back to getting print newsletters. And, since this is column will experience little, if any, difficulty recognizing these new, there will no doubt be bugs that need to be worked out. brave souls. Ironically, their campaign statement (if I heard it Let me reiterate that if your local group is not one that offers elec- correctly) is: “We need new blood.” tronic delivery, you aren't required to start. This simply means that There is, however, another slate. As there are no names of if your local group does offer electronic delivery, you have to make a individuals, they could not be listed on the ballot. There is, how- point of telling us if you want to remain a print subscriber. The ever, a group name (Sorry, we cannot use group names on bal- whole point of this exercise is to save money on postage. lots) of sorts: it is “Apathy”. This means two things. First, you should check your profile on On a more serious note, I would be amazed if, after the vote national's Web site to see if you are signed up for print or for electron- is counted, our new ExComm does not have all the same mem- ic just to be sure that you are getting the delivery that you want. Se- bers as before. It’s not like this has never happened… cond, if you want electronic delivery, make sure the email address shown on your profile is a valid email address for you; one concern There is, however, a glimmer of hope. In responding to one of that I have is that people often change their email addresses without my many editorial prods, one member has indeed spoken out. In sending their new addresses to national, which means that your his article (published in this issue), he has outlined several ideas, newsletter could be going to an address you no longer check. Unless some having to do with newsletter content. Perhaps I have an- and until it bounces back, if you aren't signed up for print and the e- other contributor? As I’ve stated repeatedly, new contributions mail address we have for you is an email address you haven't used in are always most welcome. years, you may never see another newsletter. So, the onus is on each (Continued on page 6) individual member to make sure that national has correct infor- mation as to your delivery preferences and e-mail address. Finally, this is an election year and you should all have received The SCAM sells classified ad space. SCAM members, non-commercial, no your ballots by the time this column appears in print. Please vote; charge. Others: $20 full page; $10 half-page; $5 quarter-page per month, we offer discounts for multiple insertions, and we can help with layout and design. (Continued on page 21) Subscriptions: SCAM members, included in dues; others, $10 for 12 issues. 22 Space Coast Area Mensa Space Coast Area Mensa 3 OPINIONS ARE LIKE... Kurt Penca The Tenth Story Continued he job of an editor is difficult, and never is it more difficult (Continued from page 22) T than when he is given little to edit. Perhaps this circumstance every national office race is contested and we tend to have low turn- lies behind the invitation that those who "believe ... that we do not out so your vote really does count. publish a wide enough range of opinions ... e-mail your own views on With regard to the race for chair, we in Florida are lucky to have the topic of your choice." The editor is correct to appeal for articles, our national chair be one of us; Elissa is a member of the West Palm yet this effort is undermined by the prevailing assumption that the Beach group and is usually to be found at their local group events if SCAM newsletter should serve as a soap-box on which a limited you've always wanted to see what a Mensa national chair looks number of people proclaim.