HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: ken@nate.UUCP (Ken Gacioch)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: the perennial question
Date: 17 Nov 92 14:40:43 GMT
Reply-To: nate!ken@cs.rit.edu
Organization: HealthChex, Inc.

In article <Qf20keq00iV085UkMP@andrew.cmu.edu> ps3p+@andrew.cmu.edu (Peter A. Simon) writes:
>Would someone please be so kind as to e-mail me address of Mensa's head
>office?  Also, I would appreciate it if someone could tell me what GRE
>scores are required for membership.
>
>Thank you very much.
>
>Peter

Search for  "Mensa - FAQ:".  Phil Hill graciously posts it here periodically.
Also, your local group(Western PA)'s Mensaphone number:  412.682.5565

Well, OK, but just this once:

GRE Verbal and Math combined -- 1250
American Mensa, Ltd.
2626 East 14th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11235-3992

---CUT---CUT---CUT---CUT---CUT---CUT---CUT---CUT---CUT---CUT---CUT---CUT---


                           APPLICATION FORM

Mail to:
American Mensa, Ltd.
Dept. Usenet
2626 East 14th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11235-3992
(718) 934-3700

Name _______________________________________ Date of birth _____________

Address ________________________________________________________________

City _______________________________  State ______________ Zip _________

Home phone (____) _______________

Work phone (____) _______________

[ ] Please send me the at-home pre-test.  I understand that if  I  score
    in  the  top  5%,  I  will  be  invited to take the supervised test.
    Enclosed is U.S.  $12 (check or money order) for the pretest.

[ ] I wish to go directly to the Mensa-supervised test.  Please send  me
    the name and address of the nearest proctor (a $25 fee is to be paid
    to the proctor.) I understand that if I score in the top 2%, I  will
    be invited to join Mensa.

[ ] I claim  exemption  from  testing  and  enclose  prior  evidence  of
    intelligence  test  scores  in the top 2% of the general population.
    Enclosed is my U.S.   $15  (check  or  money  order)  non-refundable
    evaluation  fee.  (If the evidence is being sent to us directly by a
    psychologist or testing institution, please note that the score must
    be  sent on an official letterhead and signed by the psychologist or
    institution responsible for the testing.)

Amount enclosed: $___________ (All checks must be drawn on U.S. banks in
                               U.S. funds.)

I learned about Mensa through: Usenet newsgroup "rec.org.mensa"
                               Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
                               Prepared by Phil Hill, Boston Mensa

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________


---CUT---CUT---CUT---CUT---CUT---CUT---CUT---CUT---CUT---CUT---CUT---CUT---


You're welcome.

Ken Gacioch
Proctor Coordinator
Rochester (NY) Area Mensa
nate!ken@cs.rit.edu

Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
From: edp@math.zk3.dec.com (Eric Postpischil)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: Voting Analysis
Date: 17 Nov 92 15:52:28 GMT
Reply-To: edp@math.zk3.dec.com (Eric Postpischil)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation

In article <mike_steiner-161192115857@192.35.50.131>,
mike_steiner@qm.claris.com (Mike Steiner) writes:

>Yes, the message is sent in the sampling.  Absent the sampling, there is no
>message.  The point is that not-voting, *in and of itself* does not give
>any message.  Every example you have given has relied upon another method
>of communication to send the message.

Only the sampled non-voters participated in "another method" to send the
message.  The majority of non-voters did not do so, yet they contributed
to the sending of the message.  The sampling alone does NOT send a
message about the other non-voters; it is also NECESSARY that the
unsampled people refrain from voting in order to send the message.  More
precisely:

An interested organization demographically selects 1000 non-voters,
labeled group X.  They sample the people in group X and learn that
approximately x% of the general population of non-voters did not vote
because they objected to the election or the candidates.

Call the remaining millions of people who did not vote group Y; let y
denote the number of people in this group.  The interested organization
can deduce that approximately there are approximately x% * (y+1000)
people who did not vote because of objections to the election or the
candidates.

The interested organization has learned something -- they have gained
information.  Had the objectors in group Y not refrained from voting,
the organization would not have this information.
Without group Y, the organization would only know that the sampled
non-voters objected; they would have no information about other
objectors.

But there were other people in group Y, and they were counted, and they
contributed to the final estimate of the number of objecting non-voters
in the amount of x% * y.  Therefore, the non-voting is a cause of the
organization gaining the information.  Further, the objectors in group Y
did nothing other than not-vote.  Therefore, not-voting and not-voting
alone are the sole cause of the organization gaining information about
the objecting non-voters in group Y.

You can claim that the non-voters in group X did something else to
communicate, but that is not true of those in group Y, which is a much,
much larger group than X.  Millions of people contributed to the
information gained by the organization and they did so solely by not
voting.


                                -- edp (Eric Postpischil)
                                "Always mount a scratch monkey."
                                edp@rusure.enet.dec.com
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: Keeping Your Mensa Membership A Secret
From: hollombe@polymath.tti.com (The Polymath)
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 03:41:39 GMT
Organization: The Cat Factory

In article <16Nov92133624@miracle.com> jcooley@miracle.com (John Cooley) writes:
}
}I know of quite a few active Mensans who keep their membership
}in Mensa either a secret from their workplace and/or a secret from
}most of their social circle ...

}Anyone have any positive stories concerning telling non-members you're
}a member?  Also, what are some of the bad reactions you've recieved?

I don't keep it a secret, but I don't make a point of mentioning it,
either.  Sometimes it comes up in conversation.  Mostly it doesn't.

Once it came up in a graduate seminar when I was in school.  My fellow
students were very impressed.  I explained that everyone in the room
qualified for membership (or they wouldn't be there), so I didn't see it
as anything to brag about in their company.

For bad reactions see anything posted by Scott Tai and/or similar brats.

The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe, M.A., CDP, aka: hollombe@polymath.tti.com)
Head Robot Wrangler at Citicorp
3100 Ocean Park Blvd.   (310) 450-9111, x2483
Santa Monica, CA  90405
From: detlev@bnr.ca (Detlev Grad)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Henmon-Nelson Test Qualification?
Date: 16 Nov 92 14:00:15 GMT
Reply-To: detlev@bnr.ca (Detlev Grad)
Organization: Bell-Northern Research Ltd.



hi,

could someone from this newsgroup tell me if my wife
qualifies for membership with the mensa society?

she showed me a copy of a henmon-nelson test she took
during high school. her iq on the test was 132.

she also has memory of achieving scores of 142 and 146
from two stanford-binet tests she took during school. 
when we contacted the her school, the administrators 
could locate only the henmon-nelson test results.

i told her about the mensa society and she is now 
interested in joining.

please post. thanks! 


detlev
From: c60b-3ho@web-3a.berkeley.edu (Graham Randall)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: Help....college is killing me!!!!
Date: 20 Nov 1992 00:16:58 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
NNTP-Posting-Host: web-3a.berkeley.edu


In article <BxGqqo.2J3@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> ivaliote@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Matthew Ivaliotes) writes:


>but no money and little confidence to execute them.  I feel stuck, unintelligent
>, and dissappointing to thise around me.  I am only taking two classes for  
>credit this semester, and still I am doing horribly.  I am a political science 
>major (focusing on theory and international relations), and a former engineer
>who got REALLY bored.  
>
>Matt

I had this same problem last year!  I'd been here a Berkeley for two years
and was miserable.  Then I realized it was my major, economics (they don't
call it the dull science for nothing.).  I was bored stiff and unchallenged.
So I became a mathematics and economics double major!  Math keeps me happy
and econ assures my parents that I can get a high paying job outside of 
academia when I graduate.  I also vowed never to take any of the liberal arts
courses that are so AWFUL!  Nope, it's math, physics, and computer science 
(and a few more dreaded econ sleepers) for me.

Matt, get out of those "fuzzy" courses if they bore you.  I know you said you
found engineering boring, so find something mentally stimulating.  And don't
take only two courses.  If you're busy you won't have time to be bored.
--Graham(Another new member waiting to be processed)

-- 
Graham L. Randall			"I was born not knowing and have
University of California, Berkeley	only had a little time to change
c60b-3ho@web.berkeley.edu		that here and there."
randalgl@ocf.berkeley.edu				--R.P. Feynman
From: dobbs@ast.saic.com (Lynn Dobbs)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: Special Interest Groups
Date: 19 Nov 92 00:58:36 GMT
Organization: SAIC

In article <9oHFuB4w165w@stam.nl> nicolas@stam.nl (Nico Veenkamp) writes:
>matt@severian.chi.il.us (Matt Crawford) writes:
>
>> > And while we are at it. Why not start an 
>> > Internet SIG (Special Internet Group :-) that you can join when you have 
>> > an @ address or are able to post on the 'net?
>> 
>> Excellent.  Call it @SIG.  Let me look for my old paperwork on
>> starting SIGs ...
>
>And of course organize @-parties at gatherings :-)
>
>
How about t-shirts with a large @ on the front.
--Lynbn
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
From: johnson@sleipnir.mnesouth.corp.mot.com ("Johnson")
Subject: Subjective info on other groups wanted
Reply-To: johnson@sleipnir.mnesouth.corp.mot.com
Organization: Motorola Wireless Enterprises, Schaumburg, IL
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 22:33:04 GMT

I'm curious about some of the other hi-iq groups mentioned in the FAQ.
Anyone here belong to others?  How do they compare to Mensa, or how
would you describe them, from a standpoint of focus and activities?
I'll take email and summarize to the net if there's enough interest.
-- 
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| "Johnson"                              |Just because you're paranoid doesn't|
| johnson@sleipnir.mnesouth.corp.mot.com |   mean they're not out to get you. |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Let's face it; if our lawyers knew what went on here, they'd shut us down.  |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
From: mike_steiner@qm.claris.com (Mike Steiner)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: the perennial question
Date: 17 Nov 92 19:20:28 GMT
Followup-To: rec.org.mensa


 In article <Qf20keq00iV085UkMP@andrew.cmu.edu>, ps3p+@andrew.cmu.edu
(Peter A. Simon) wrote:
> 
> Would someone please be so kind as to e-mail me address of Mensa's head
> office?  Also, I would appreciate it if someone could tell me what GRE
> scores are required for membership.
> 
> Thank you very much.
> 
> Peter

American Mensa Limited
2626 East 14th Street
Brooklyn, NY  11235-3992

GRE minimum score is 1250

Phil Hill's Answers to FAQ files has much more information.

+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Now that I have a reader that can do .sigs, I can't think of a witty |
|one to put here, so I won't.  All normal disclaimers apply.          |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
From: nick+@pitt.edu (Nick C De Mello)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: Weighted Suffrage
Date: 17 Nov 92 14:04:06 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh

In article <mike_steiner-161192155402@192.35.50.131> mike_steiner@qm.claris.com (Mike Steiner) writes:
> >> It all depends on your particular agenda.  If you want more
> >> government, then there's no problem--things are moving along
> >> just fine.  If you want less government, then one-man-one-vote
> >> doesn't make it.  Weighting by income taxes paid would tend to
> >> favor the middle class agenda (since they pay most of the taxes),
> >> which would feature the election of those who would reduce the
> >> size and scope of government, thus freeing up the private sector.
> >> The increased role of the marketplace would narrow the gap between
> >> rich and poor, and promote peace worldwide.

  Well we could weight it to the middle class agenda, then again, with
we could also try to elimenate the effect of racial prejudice agains
blacks in this country, give each man two votes if he's black, one if
he's not.  The result would be more people of color in office, a better
balance of power in this country, and perhaps fairer policies and 
an easing of racial tensions.
  Of course we could apply the same argument to women.  After all
they were without the vote longer than any other group in this country.
Perhaps we should now offer them two votes, in recompense.
  And one can't forget the Native American, who has for too long had
no voice in this country, he should also be given a second vote.
  Then there's the lower economic class.  These are people who are
suffering the most from the abuses and neglects of our government,
and should be given a stronger voice to denounce those who've led
our country to this sad state.
  But neithe should we forget the wealthy.  What incentive is there
for a man to work hard and prosper, if he's then treated as a second
class citizen, if he's given no defense against the teaming masses that
would take all he's worked so hard for, from him?
  Yes, weighted sufferage could do much to promote an agenda... but 
which agenda should we address?  Moving forward in any one direction,
will more us backward in another.  If we must sacrifice some portion
of our populace to the general good, that direction must be chosen
fairly, and each member must be given equal input and opportunity
to affect that outcome.  My solution, how do we choose this agenda?
The answer seems obvious, lets vote!

                                         :)

                                       -- Nick

( of course theres the second alternative, we give a second vote
to everyone, thus addressing all the agendas!)

-- 
   _/   _/  _/  _/_/_/   _/   _/  Sea Shells to C shls,  Waikiki to
  _/_/ _/  _/  _/   _/  _/_/_/     the Internet, a wave, is a wave...
 _/ _/_/  _/  _/       _/ _/                   
_/   _/  _/   _/_/_/  _/   _/                       Nick+@pitt.edu
From: rr@chem.ucsd.edu (Roxanne Rohmann)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: t: Re: t: social rejection
Date: 17 Nov 92 19:04:18 GMT
Article-I.D.: network.1ebfniINNst
Organization: Chemistry Dept, UC San Diego
NNTP-Posting-Host: chedccf0.ucsd.edu

In article <9767@blue.cis.pitt.edu.UUCP> nick+@pitt.edu (Nick C De Mello) writes:
 > Request:  Could you guys trim your articles a little more? When it's piled
 >           six levels deep I have a great deal of trouble making any 
 >           sense of it...
 
I can't imagine that any amount of trimming is going to help....

   ---Roxanne Rohmann
From: crawford@boole.mitre.org (Randy Crawford)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: grad students killing professors
Date: 20 Nov 92 22:39:51 GMT
Organization: The MITRE Corporation, McLean, VA
Originator: crawford@boole.mitre.org


In article <1992Nov19.003856.22944@ncsu.edu>, cjdcosta@eos.ncsu.edu (CHRISTOPHER J DCOSTA) writes:
> 
> Disclaimer: This was told to me by a friend. I have no means of knowing if
> it's accurate or even true.
> 
> It seems a graduate student killed his advisor after trying in vain for
> many years to complete his PhD dissertation to the latter's satisfaction.

It's true.  It was a Stanford math student and took place about 10 years back.

> Another rumor I heard was of a Korean student who shot his instructor 
> after being awarded a failing grade, claiming that it was a 'matter of honor'.

This was a grad physics student at U Iowa about 1 year ago.
-- 

| Randy Crawford        crawford@mitre.org        The MITRE Corporation
|                                                 7525 Colshire Dr., MS Z421
| N=1 -> P=NP           703 883-7940              McLean, VA  22102
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
From: ecsd@tfs.com (Eric C. S. Dynamic)
Subject: GREAT BEAST RE: TAI DISCUSSION
Organization: The Great Beast 666 = 777, Period.
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 10:48:09 GMT

MUST I?
MUST I FOREVER COME IN TO CLEAN UP OTHER PEOPLE'S BABY-SHIT?

I'M BUSY, DEFINING AND EXTENDING PERDITION.
YOU FOOLS SEEM TO SEE FIT TO ENGAGE IN MEANINGLESS DIALOGUE WITH "TAI".
I TELL YOU TO LEAVE HIM TO *ME*, BUT ---OH NO, WE CAN HANDLE HIM.

NO
YOU
CANNOT.

ISN'T IT OBVIOUS BY NOW?
YOU HAD HIM, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, FOR THE BETTER PART OF A YEAR.
AND YET? IT TAKES **ME** TO ARRIVE ON THE SCENE, TO REFORM HIM.

GET THE GOD-DAMNED DRIFT!!
GOT A "TAI"-PROBLEM?? CALL THE "TAI-BUSTERS" - CALL ***ME***.
I *******AM******* AROUND. YOU-ALL SQUEAMISH ENTITIES, with you codes
of silence.

Drowning in the fellow. Ah, Ah. WHEN WILL YOU BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND,
who is psycho-psychically equipped to HANDLE SUCH PROBLEMS, that you would
LEAVE IT TO THE PROFESSIONALS??? - ??? WELL.
EVIDENTLY, NEVER. SO.
STEW IN YOUR OWN JUICES.
DO I CARE?
**YES**.
CAN I DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT?
***ONLY*** IF YOU BID ME TO.

BUT, YOU WON'T, BECAUSE YOU FEAR ME TOO.
WELL.
SORRY.
TOO BAD.
IT'S NOT TRUE.
NO REASON TO FEAR ME.

BESIDES.
ONLY I CAN BUST TAI'S CHOPS SO HE LISTENS.
I WANDER OFF FOR 48 HOURS, AND ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE.
WHO YOU GONNA CALL?
YOU AIN'T CALLED NO TAI-BUSTERS . . .
ME . . .

SO?
WHADDYA THINK? 'M'I GONNA BUST 'IM, 'R'RE YOU? ***YOU CAN'T***.
I DID.
TRUST IN EXPERIENCE, FOLKS.

IN HIS NAME, BAPHOMET . . .
TAI-DUSTING, A SPECIALTY.

Take a warning. little one. when they ask me. I shall answer.
You're *DEAD MEAT* for my snake. & you know it.

Ooooooooooh FOREBODING, malicious.

*sigh*
But - WILL they catch on?
No.
They'll keep falling into Tai's traps.
Pfui.
I am not - NOT - associated with Scott Tai, except to reform him . . .
this cannot occur any faster than he allows. Meanwhile: LEAVE HIM TO ME!!

I SWEAR IT. CALL, and I shall ANSWER.
HELP!! HELP needed to BASH Tai.
I'll say - okay - I be reading the group, and yes, Tai's back at it.
OKAY. GO BASH, GO KILL, GO SIC THE SNAKE ON HIM.
DEAD MEAT.
At your bidding, but - ah - no. What worse do we get to call you?
But -
I am *always* around.
*anyway*.
So?

Leave Tai to ME.

Not this point you-all have gotten yet, uh? No.
Deal with him as you can then.

And have fun, best you can.

Not want to watch Master Go Kill? *sigh* Humans are Soooooo tentative.
Too bad.

& yes - it was all true. Now that I am the newly-anointed bad-guy :
pump it. For what it's worth.

-------

But not without REASON.

-------

met Mike Eager. He's okay. More to say, but not now.
Will see if I meet his standards re: pagemaker &c. - will see.

{ HA } ^ 11

Bye.
-ecsd
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
From: sue@netcom.com (Sue Miller)
Subject: Re: Keeping Your Mensa Membership A Secret
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1992 02:07:47 GMT

In article <1992Nov20.213820.28411@ttinews.tti.com> hollombe@polymath.tti.com (The Polymath) writes:
>In article <mike_steiner-171192112631@192.35.50.131> mike_steiner@qm.claris.com (Mike Steiner) writes:
>}In article <16Nov92133624@miracle.com>, jcooley@miracle.com (John Cooley)
>}wrote:
>
>}>   Anyone have any positive stories concerning telling non-members you're
>}>   a member?  Also, what are some of the bad reactions you've recieved?
>}
>}Well, how about that I got a job in a brand-new field (to me) and within
>}two years quadrupled my annual income because I told a hiring-manager that
>}I'm in Mensa?
>
>You don't suspect the income quadrupling had anything to do with your
>competence at performing the job?
>

I think we'd need a lot more information than what Mike provided
in order to make a reasoned conclusion that telling his hiring
manager that he was in Mensa gave him these benefits.  And even so,
this does not mean that every Mensa member would profit by telling 
a hiring manager that Mike Steiner is a member of Mensa.  :-)
From: mike_steiner@qm.claris.com (Mike Steiner)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: Keeping Your Mensa Membership A Secret
Date: 17 Nov 92 19:28:01 GMT
Followup-To: rec.org.mensa

In article <16Nov92133624@miracle.com>, jcooley@miracle.com (John Cooley)
wrote:
> 
> 
>   I know of quite a few active Mensans who keep their membership
>   in Mensa either a secret from their workplace and/or a secret from
>   most of their social circle (with the exceptions being from some
>   of their close friends).
> 
>   Usually it's because they don't want to deal with the "This-must-
>   mean-you're-smarter-than-me-and-I've-got-to-defend-my-ego" reaction
>   one typically gets when they tell non-Mensan friends that they're
>   a member of Mensa and the qualifications to join.
> 
>   Anyone have any positive stories concerning telling non-members you're
>   a member?  Also, what are some of the bad reactions you've recieved?

Well, how about that I got a job in a brand-new field (to me) and within
two years quadrupled my annual income because I told a hiring-manager that
I'm in Mensa?

+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Now that I have a reader that can do .sigs, I can't think of a witty |
|one to put here, so I won't.  All normal disclaimers apply.          |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
From: ahw@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Arthur Watson)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: Prometheus Society
Date: 15 Nov 92 22:06:43 GMT
Organization: Princeton University
Originator: news@nimaster

In article <09Nov92184204@miracle.com> jcooley@miracle.com (John Cooley) writes:
>clong@remus.rutgers.edu (Chris Long) writes:
>>Does this still exist?  My letter to them was ignored.
>>-- 
>>Chris Long, 265 Old York Rd., Bridgewater, NJ  08807-2618
>That's funny; I sent them a letter, too, about a year ago
>and never got any reply either...
>       John Cooley              Zappa as a waste management engineer: 
>                                  "Hey, there, Brother!  Whatcha
>    jcooley@miracle.com            doing with that Cosmic Debris?"

I got them to send me a membership roster and cash my membership
dues check, and am currently awaiting my first issue of the journal.
However, a bit of persistence was required -- a couple weeks after
I initially wrote to them, I phoned Robert Dick and asked him if
everything was in order, and he told me he hadn't received my letter.
He took my name and address, sent me the information, and things
proceeded smoothly thereafter.  Note that he has a son of the same
name living at the same address, which probably increases the chance
of mail being lost.  If you're just sending in qualifying scores without
an initial inquiry, it could take a couple months to go through the
admissions process in which several geographically diverse officers
sign off on you.  Also note that the minimum accepted Mega score is 36,
though it was apparently once as low as 33.  Since it's possible that
unsolicited nonqualifying scores would be ignored unless accompanied
by return postage, it might be worth checking the current cutoff for
whatever test you're planning to submit just to be safe.

-- 
-Arthur Watson 
ahw@cs.princeton.edu, mccabe!arthur@uunet.uu.net