April is when MAM members traditionally have to answer the following question: Who cares? First, it is the traditional time for Mensa Cares (which is Mensa’s annual local community service projects). But with living in the current pandemic, perhaps members of Mid-America Mensa rather need to move closer toward a ‘new normal’ in what we may do daily and how we spend our time. Also, it is the start of a new fiscal and membership year in Mensa. So, let’s take a look at how some of MAM’s activities can now maybe exist in a more stable environment and world.
Ad Astra Mensa via Zoom
On March 8th, Ad Astra Mensa (Topeka, Lawrence, and environs) met virtually via Zoom. Topics discussed included legal aspects of travel company contracts during Covid-19, Covid-19 generally, vaccines, when travel will be safe again, where people would like to travel to (Peru, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Germany, Turkey, Egypt, India, Greece, Vietnam, Thailand, Jordan, Australia), the humanities (KU is dropping its humanities program), Classical Latin and Greek, the influence of ancient philosophers on the Founding Fathers, TV shows, movies, French cave art, books, culinary traditions of St. Patrick’s Day, how to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day during Covid-19, Egyptian pyramids, camels, petroglyphs, Nazca lines, astronomy, ancient architecture, Australian dream states, primitive drawings in Colombia, and other subjects. Ad Astra Mensa will meet virtually by Zoom again on Monday, April 12th at 7:00 pm.
Ethnic Eats
Spring has either sprung or sprang, depending on your preferred colloquialism. What’s your favorite ethnic spring-like dish? Lamb? Dandelions? Spring rolls? Bring a dish that makes you think of Spring. We hope to see MAM members via Zoom on Saturday, April 10th at 1:00 pm.
2021 Mensa Elections & Portal
April is especially important for American Mensa because it includes the start of the national election period. If you have an email address on file with the National Office, look for your electronic ballot in your Inbox on or soon after April 15. If the office doesn’t have an email address for you, they’ll mail you a paper ballot. Marked ballots need to be returned by May 15. You can see the list of candidates and access their candidacy materials after logging onto American Mensa’s website and going to: us.mensa.org/lead/amc/elections/2021-election-portal/. You may see that we have contests going for four of the five national offices, one referendum for a Bylaws amendment, and several active races for RVC posts. There’s no RVC contest in our Heartland Region, because Beth Anne Demeter is running unopposed and, therefore, she will be declared elected.
Editor’s Note: Portions of the April 2021 Mid-America Mensa Mension were used in this article.
