Terminology

I hope that you all had a happy Thanksgiving. Mine has been very heartwarming, a time to renew old relationships, strengthen current ones, and make new ones. Mensa provides the atmosphere where we can make the new relationships so that we can enjoy the bounty that we are provided with. The strength that one draws from the membership of Mensa can help an individual through even the most difficult times, and I urge you all to remember that that is what makes American Mensa what it is. There are currents that would move the organization away from the open-arm philosophy, and in my opinion, this is not what we as Mensans want.

I now have confirmation that reality has ceased to exist several miles back. The Boston Red Sox, the perennial also-rans of baseball, overshadowed by the Yankees in the same manner as the New York Mets, have won the World Series in FOUR GAMES, a phenomenon that has been pronounced as rarer then the arrival of Halley’s Comet. Hard as it may be to believe, it underscores the fact that one can overcome all obstacles to achieve one’s goals and that one should not give up trying.

The next AMC meeting is taking place in December, in Orlando, the site of the World Gathering in August of 2006. The agenda is still being formulated for the meeting, and I, as always, will be soliciting your input on how to vote on issues. By the time you read this column, the agenda will have been published, and polls will be posted on the Region 2 Yahoo group, asking for your input on important items. Once again, I will remind you that in order to participate, you must subscribe to the group by sending an email to: AML-Region2-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. If you need any help learning how to use Yahoo, I or anyone else would be more then happy to get you on board.

The AML election season has just begun. The Nominating Committee has made its choices, and they are available for your perusal. So far, only one candidate has announced for RVC for Region 2, and that is Marc Lederman. There is much concern that there is not a choice for the office in several of the local groups, and, according to the bylaws, there is a remedy. One can submit a petition to the election committee, requesting to have one’s name put on the ballot. The petition must contain the signatures of fifty or more members in good standing. The deadline is March 1st for submission of the petition. I have heard several discussions on the topic of petitions being circulated for other candidates, and if you want a choice, it is your duty to ensure that you have a choice.

The Regional Gatherings on the schedule are:  Tidewater’s “My Favorite Mensan” in Virginia Beach, VA during November 12-14; Central Pennsylvania’s Winter Solstice Regional Gathering in Lancaster, PA during December 17-19, and Central New Jersey’s Snowball XXXI, “Nautical but Nice” in Piscataway, NJ during March 4-6.