HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: hollombe@polymath.tti.com (The Polymath)
Subject: Re: Mensa national versus local, New York City
Organization: The Cat Factory
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 19:14:33 GMT

In article <1992Jul22.141007.27275@nntpd.lkg.dec.com> edp@math.zko.dec.com (Eric Postpischil) writes:
}... The amounts American Mensa provides will not pay for printing of
}our newsletter (five standard 8.5 by 11 pages) at the cheapest service
}in the area (New Hampshire).

GLAAM manages to print and distribute thousands of copies of a 32 - 40
page newsletter every month with available funds.

The newsletter money from American Mensa is supposed to be enough to
publish a calendar of local events and mail it out first class, period.
Financing anything more is up to the local group.  I suggest you start by
applying for a 2nd class permit, as we did.  Then consider taking on some
advertising for additional revenue, as we do.

}From the local group, I benefit from frequent events and new
}acquaintances.  In contrast, I receive little from American Mensa except
}the Bulletin, which is useful for RG announcements and little else. 
}(The articles are occasionally entertaining, but not worth much.)

American Mensa is what holds the local groups together as a national, and
international, organization.  The books are open to inspection.  I doubt
they waste much.  How much would it cost to move the main office, hire new
staff and train them?  How long would the difference in rent take to cover
that expense?  What about hidden expenses and economies? (New York is a
major metropolitan area.  Moving to East Podunk might save on rent but
double the cost of obtaining office supplies).

}We should change how dues are distributed and move American Mensa out of
}New York City.

Maybe.  It's not a simple matter and there's more to consider than the
obvious raw numbers.

The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe, M.A., CDP, aka: hollombe@polymath.tti.com)
Head Robot Wrangler at Citicorp                   Turn the rascals out!
3100 Ocean Park Blvd.   (310) 450-9111, x2483     No incumbents in '92!
Santa Monica, CA  90405 {rutgers|pyramid|philabs|psivax}!ttidca!hollombe
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
From: hollombe@polymath.tti.com (The Polymath)
Subject: Re: T: To All MENSA Members...
Organization: The Cat Factory
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 18:38:41 GMT


/sat@ailab/h:j
/ T: /j

The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe, M.A., CDP, aka: hollombe@polymath.tti.com)
Head Robot Wrangler at Citicorp                   Turn the rascals out!
3100 Ocean Park Blvd.   (310) 450-9111, x2483     No incumbents in '92!
Santa Monica, CA  90405 {rutgers|pyramid|philabs|psivax}!ttidca!hollombe
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
From: moroney@ramblr.enet.dec.com
Subject: Re:  Mensa national versus local, New York City
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 02:36:16 GMT

In article <1992Jul23.144711.11247@eagle.lerc.nasa.gov>, drich@sandman.lerc.nasa.gov (Daniel Rich) writes...
>I have asked several times for a breakdown of where the dues income is
>spent, but have never seen anything satisfactory (although I did see a
>somewhat vague pie chart at one point).
...
>One of the arguements I have heard several times is "We charge much
>less than many professional societies."  However, this doesn't make
>any sense.  Mensa is a *social* organization, and for my $39/year (of
>which the local group gets around $7 if I remember correctly) the
>national office provides only a single (rather worthless) magazine.

From a box marked "This information appears for postal audit only" on the
Mensa Invitation form (i past the testt, i are reel smartt eye gess like
yew guyz) :

Mensa Bulletin Subscription     $6.00/year
Local Group Support             $1.50/year (what can they do with that?)
Local Publication Subscription  $5.00/year

So where will my other $26.50 go?

-Mike
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
From: gmark@cbnewse.cb.att.com (gilbert.m.stewart)
Subject: Re: Genius sperm bank
Organization: AT&T
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1992 17:29:36 GMT

In article <49587BD7C0205567@ccfvx3.draper.com>, seb@draper.com (Steve Bacher Batchman) writes:
> After all that talk about how idiotic it was for Nobel prize winners to
> offer their sperm, now we seem to have evidence that, contrary to the
> pooh-poohers and maysayers, Genius Sperm Kids really DO have higher
> intelligence (however you define it)!
> 
> If so, then this opens up once again the "master race" wormcans.

Better yet, if given the choice of having the child you have be
highly intelligent, would you refuse it?  Would anyone of any intelligence
at all still believe the "intelligence = lacking in humanity" BS?

> 
> Now, there is a difference between attaining a master race by murdering
> all those who don't fit the bill and only breeding those who will, so
> maybe we're not talking Hitler here just yet.  Still, I have some
> serious problems with this whole setup.  What happens now?  Will 
> women refuse to procreate with just anybody, but gravitate toward

Doesn't this depend on the woman?  Don't all people get choosy about
who they procreate with?  What the heck kind of a question is this?

> Grade A Select Spermatozoa?  Will not-so-smart-but-good-hearted people
> be breeded out?  Will there be a preponderance of myopics in the

Wouldn't you need to make your own personal decision as to the most
important, least important, preferable, necessary characteristics of
your mate?  Don't people already do that?  Aren't the users of this
genius sperm making a decision that would otherwise be done by their
finding smart fathers?  So what?  

> general population, raising the cost of eye care to society and
> causing a run on sausage-colored horm-rim raw materials?

And isn't this the stereotype of "smart=myopic"?  Is it that genuises
have bad eyesight, or that they just buy glasses more often, or that
stupid people tend to be unsuccessful and have on average less
disposable income to buy the "discretionary, possibly unnecessar"
pair of specs?

> 
> Let's think this one over cautiously.

Well, I have for awhile, and I'm still laughing, pardon me.

> 
> Steve Bacher (Batchman)
> Draper Laboratory
> 
> Disclaimer:  (the usual)
Good post, Steve.


GMS
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
From: jlc5f@poe.acc.Virginia.EDU (Jean L. Cooper)
Subject: Re: More on the AG
Organization: University of Virginia
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 15:47:03 GMT

You also should note that under the previous AMC
(different Chairman, different Secretary), the
meetings normally ran 12-15 hours; one marathon
meeting last 17 hours.  Yes, I know that's 
incredible, but you can check the records.

I honestly don't know why we don't seem to be
communicating on this.  I'm trying to answer your
questions in as factual a manner as I can.  Obviously,
I simply can't figure out what it is you want to know.
If you are asking why did it take my predecessor
so long to do the minutes, my only answer is, I
don't know.  She didn't tell me.
--
Jean L. Cooper    (BITNET: JLC5F@virginia.edu   CIS: 70253,1114)
"The true University of these days is a Collection of Books." 
                                           --Carlyle                        
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
From: gmark@cbnewse.cb.att.com (gilbert.m.stewart)
Subject: Re: speed of light and age of the universe
Organization: AT&T
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 16:07:14 GMT

In article <14769@claris.com>, mike_steiner@qm.claris.com (Mike Steiner) writes:
> In article <4744@unixhub.SLAC.Stanford.EDU>, joann@ariadne.SLAC.Stanford.EDU (Jo Ann Malina) writes:
> > 
> > In article <1992Jul17.015002.20294@cbnewse.cb.att.com>, gmark@cbnewse.cb.att.com (gilbert.m.stewart) writes:
> > |> In article <14747@claris.com>, mike_steiner@qm.claris.com (Mike Steiner) writes:
[.....]
> > Must be the same god who buried all the fossils in different rock strata to
> > fool us.
> 
> I think that we already agreed upon that. :-)
>  
> > How about the obvious -- any book that says that the world was created in
> > six days by a supernatural being is WRONG. Poetry, if you will. Not literally
> > true. In error, if you're being literal. Mistaken. Out in left field. Barkin'
> > up the wrong tree. An ex-parrot (oops, wrong routine). Wrong.
> 
> Of course.  But how do we get people like my brother-in-law to believe that?


Well, we could always travel town to town, find non-believers like him
and torture them until they agree.

GMS
From: mike_steiner@qm.claris.com (Mike Steiner)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: IQ vs. Faith
Date: 22 Jul 92 17:37:10 GMT

In article <1992Jul21.161026.21921@cbnewse.cb.att.com>, gmark@cbnewse.cb.att.com (gilbert.m.stewart) writes:
> 
> In article <14772@claris.com>, mike_steiner@qm.claris.com (Mike Steiner) writes:
> > In article <711486015.F00001@blkcat.UUCP>, Dave.Aronson@f120.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Dave Aronson) writes:
> > > 
> > > mike_steiner@qm.claris.com writes:

> > >  MS> Well, light does slow down and speed up as it passes 
> > >  MS> through various densities
> > >  MS> of various forms of matter and energy.
> > > 
> > > I mean thru vacuum, or at least as close to it as deep space gets....
> > 
> > well, we can shine a flashlight through [omitted]'s ears and see how long
> > it takes to come out the other side. :-)
> 
> Note that this would be a function of the density of the cranial
> material at both the extreme high and extreme low points.

Of course; depending upon who "[omitted]" is, it will vary considerably.
From: hollombe@polymath.tti.com (The Polymath)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: Why GREENSleaves?
Date: 29 Jul 92 18:22:05 GMT
Organization: The Cat Factory

In article <920725183852.2080b106@VAX1.UTULSA.EDU>, SSR48327@VAX1.UTULSA.EDU (Syed Shibli) writes:
}> mcbeanb@brandonu.ca writes:
}> 
}>>In article <1992Jul23.134510.4261@ugle.unit.no>, mortenaa@Lise.Unit.NO (Morten Aagaard) writes:
}>>> Why is most vegetation green? Is this a result of random evolution or
}>>> is there any particular reason for not growing blue?
}>>
}>>Cuz the chlorophyll pigments make them green...  without chlorophyll you
}>>get a real dull plant that's no fun at parties.
}> 
}>   I remember extracting some cholorophyll from a few leaves as part of
}>   Biology lab. Pure cholorophyll is actually more bluish than green.
}>   I think the green hue comes from the mixture of sugar and the
}>   cholorophyll itself. 

I remember a similar experiment.  I also remember the chlorophyll extract
appeared green under ambient room light, but red when an intense spot lamp
was shined on it.  The teacher had no good explanation for that.

The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe, M.A., CDP, aka: hollombe@polymath.tti.com)
Head Robot Wrangler at Citicorp                   Turn the rascals out!
3100 Ocean Park Blvd.   (310) 450-9111, x2483     No incumbents in '92!
Santa Monica, CA  90405 {rutgers|pyramid|philabs|psivax}!ttidca!hollombe
From: mike_steiner@qm.claris.com (Mike Steiner)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: Newsletter costs (was Re: Mensa national versus local)
Date: 29 Jul 92 17:34:44 GMT

In article <1992Jul29.033911.6502@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>, jlc5f@poe.acc.Virginia.EDU (Jean L. Cooper) writes:
> 
> 
> I hate to be perceived as a pedant,

Don't worry; you're not--at least, not here.
From: mike_steiner@qm.claris.com (Mike Steiner)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Hell's M's
Date: 27 Jul 92 17:54:25 GMT

The following was posted on the Mensans_Only echo of Fidonet, and is
reposted here with permission of the author.

      To: All
    From: Christopher Baker
 Subject: New Chapter of Hell's M's if forming to your left
 Created: Wed 22 Jul 92 at 00:25
Imported: Thu 23 Jul 92 at 08:22

[repeat announcement by popular request?]
 
i am happy, pleased and proud to announce the formation of a new Chapter of
Hell's M's dedicated to and consisting of those who frequent these and other
hallowed halls of electronic communication.
 
i have just spoken to the most high Skinner and received his approval of the
Chapter name for this group: Electronic! Elite.
 
a Chapter formation requires at least 12 founders [or as close to it as
possible] to sign up for the charter membership. i propose to be one. are
there eleven more takers?
 
what IS Hell's M's [i hear you cry]? it's a SIG of Mensans and non-Mensans
devoted to partying!
 
first year membership is $13.00 [U.S.] and includes the glorious Hell's M's
T-shirt with our new Chapter name emblazoned upon it. you can have any color
you want as long as it's black. [grin] the logo is white. the sizes are all
adult sizes including SMALL, MEDIUM, LARGE, X-LARGE, XX-LARGE, and XXX-LARGE.
 
subsequent yearly dues are $6.00 since you only get a T-shirt once.
additional T-shirts are available at $10.00 each. membership runs from 6-30
to 6-30 the following year.
 
a newsletter is published quarterly in June, September, December and March.
 
if you want to be a founding member of this new chapter, please send your
name, Mensa number [if you have one], address and telephone number along with
your initial dues of $13.00, check or money order made payable to Hell's M's,
to me at:
               Christopher Baker
               P.O. Box 5921
               Titusville, FL 32783-5921.
 
once i have collected 11 more names and checks, i will submit them to Skinner
for processing. he sez the membership info will come back pretty quick but
that the T-shirts will take from 4 to 8 weeks to manufacture and distribute
depending on where we catch him in his shirt making cycle.
 
you can let me know in here that your info and dues are on the way. [grin]
 
anybody interested?
 
TTFN.
Chris
 
p.s. if you already belong to Hell's M's in another chapter, you can also
join this one or just wait till our chapter has been processes and send for
the t-shirt only. we should be chapter 34 or 35 depending on how long this
takes.
From: SSR48327@VAX1.UTULSA.EDU (Syed Shibli)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Why GREENSleaves?
Date: 23 Jul 92 18:43:59 GMT
X-Received: by usenet.pa.dec.com; id AA15156; Thu, 23 Jul 92 11:44:16 -0700
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mortenaa@Lise.Unit.NO (Morten Aagaard) writes:

>Why is most vegetation green? Is this a result of random evolution or
>is there any particular reason for not growing blue?


  If I remember correctly, that green color is caused by the
  presence of chlorophyl. Chlorophyl is a chemical which,
  along with light, H2O, and carbon dioxide, regulates the
  photosynthesis in the leaves. The end result is oxygen.

  Hmmm... yeah, that's it. (:


-- 
                                              --Syed Shibli
                                                ssr48327@vax1.utulsa.edu
                                                +1 918 631 3257
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
From: schmeve@seeker.mystic.com (Steve Schmitt)
Subject: Re: IQ vs. Faith
Organization: Mystic Software Pittsburg, Ca
Date: Mon, 20 Jul 1992 19:53:05 GMT

I recall Carl Sagan's statement (paraphrased):
	If the creationist theories are acurate, then >99% of the
	universe was created to fool man.

I think he made this statement in _Cosmos_.
---
Steve Schmitt                               .__o                  
schmeve@seeker.mystic.com                  `\_<,       
                       ... ... ... ... ..(*)/'(*)

Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
From: werme@alliant.com (Ric Werme)
Subject: Re: daylength
Organization: Alliant Computer Systems Corp.
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 18:34:35 GMT

In article <1992Jul26.141259.1989@brandonu.ca> mcbeanb@brandonu.ca writes:
>In article <1992Jul25.084637.22322@cs.mcgill.ca>, mingmar@cs.mcgill.ca (Ming MAR) writes:
>> In article <1992Jul22.145917.25486@ncsu.edu>
>> gpowell@ent1.ent.ncsu.edu (Eugene Powell) writes:
>>  
>> }Consider time between sunrise and sunset inside the arctic circle.
>> }The old Sol does seem to be motionless there
>>  
>> How is the sun motionless there?
>>  
>Because they're on top of the world...  Land of the Midnight Sun and all.

If you stood on the North Pole a few days before the start of spring, you
would see the Sun rise above the horizon.  For a few days it would slide
along the horizon before it finally clears it.  In the next few months it
would continue to spiral upward until it reach an altitude of 23 1/2
degrees (spending about 10 weeks above 20 degrees).  During the summer it
would slowly descend until sunset soon after autumn begins.  Twilight would
continue until early November, but the full moon will still illuminate
the ice.  (Cresent moons would stay below the horizon.)

-- or --

From the North Pole, the Sun is always due South.  Therefore it must be
motionless.  :-)


-- 
| A pride of lions               | Eric J Werme                 |
| A gaggle of geese		 | 77 Tater St			|
| An odd lot of programmers      | Mont Vernon NH  03057	|
| A Constitution of Libertarians | Phone: 603-673-3993		|
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
From: skh@draper.com (Kjeld Hvatum)
Subject: Re: SAT Scores
Organization: Draper Laboratory
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 06:48:42 GMT

>I found the following information in the World Almanac.  They are the mean SAT
>scores of college-bound high-school seniors for the years listed.  I don't
>...
>By comparison, the norm is 400 for each part (or 800 combined), and Mensa's
>eligibility scores are 1250 (Post 1978) and 1300 (pre 1978).

Not sure what you mean by "the norm is 400 for each part".

>One thing I found interesting is that except for 1970, boys got higher Verbal
>scores than did girls--even though "conventional wisdom" says that girls
>score higher than boys in the verbal part of the SAT.

From "Life with the SAT", by George Hanford, president of the College
Board, 1979-1987, p. 116:

  "As more women, like the nation's ethnic minorities, have sought to
   upgrade their status through education, they have become a larger
   portion of the SAT-taking poplation, and increasing numbers come
   from the less academically able end of the spectrum."

Kjeld Hvatum <skh@draper.com>
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
From: cjdcosta@eos.ncsu.edu (CHRISTOPHER J DCOSTA)
Subject: Re: More on the AG
Originator: cjdcosta@c00400-346dan.eos.ncsu.edu
Reply-To: cjdcosta@eos.ncsu.edu (CHRISTOPHER J DCOSTA)
Organization: North Carolina State University, Project Eos
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 23:40:56 GMT


scott@ailab.ncsu.edu (Scott Andrew Tai) writes:

>Organization: NCSU Artificial Intelligence Systems Laboratory
>
>[...]
>
>     You might ask yourself, "Why is this guy going on like this?"  I 
>really believe that you guys deserve to be kicked in the ass every now
>and then by someone who studies the brain scientifically.

For heaven's sake, give us a break. Please. There is NO " NCSU Artificial 
Intelligence Systems Laboratory".  There is NO "ailab.ncsu.edu". If there
were, and you were an AI student like you claim, you would know that there
is NO research being done by the AI group at NCSU into "studying the brain
scientifically". The only branch of AI that might border on studying the 
brain would be the Connectionist/neural net area, and even there the work is 
marginal. 

In any case, I moderate the Connectionist/neural network bulletin board site 
here at NCSU and am also on the program committee of the Triangle Area Neural 
Network society. I work with the AI/NN people at NCSU and cannot imagine you 
being one of them. If you must fake your identity, at least do a good job of 
it. Maybe if you changed into a tai@psycholab.ncsu.edu, your claims that
you "study the brain scientifically" and your other assorted comments about
the nature of intelligence would be more believable. (The psychology dept 
at NCSU will certainly not have heard of a psycholab, but then that's not 
stopped you before.)


>And I am no
>exception to the ass-kicking.  Kick back; I will enjoy it.  

No doubt you will. Only the truly sadistic could stick to this group given 
the dismal level of support and credibility you enjoy.

>I enjoy 
>intelligent debate, for it makes me and those I debate stronger in the
>process.


Repeated posting of the same tired old arguments that have been refuted time 
and again, constitutes intelligent debate? And if nothing else, I would think
you could have at least reworded them... but then you probably feel they need
no further improvement. I just don't see you strengthening your debating skills 
in this manner.

>
>-- Scott Tai
>   tai@m-net.ann-arbor.mi.us
>

>PS to Mike Steiner:
>Get some rest; take your vitamins.  Don't be obnoxious.  You are NOT as 
>smart or precious as you think you are.  You are a lump of dysfunctional 
>proteins riding on a creaky old planet with 5 billion other lumps 
>weighing it down.  Grow up.

By the way, those were "Travis Peter"'s lines you just recited above. 
Apparently you recycle other people's garbage in addition to your 
own. Or should I have said, other personalities, seeing that Peters
was just one product of your multiple personality syndrome. 

If you want people to listen to you, you must stop using these ridiculous
aliases and have the courage of your convictions. Use your true identity 
and stand up for what you believe in, or be forever dismissed as a coward.   
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
From: sonic@artgate.cray.com (Curtis Swanson)
Subject: Pulses
Organization: Cray Research, Inc.
Date: 28 Jul 92 09:40:39 CDT


In article <1992Jul28.004937.15853@cs.mcgill.ca>, mingmar@cs.mcgill.ca (Ming MAR) writes:
> >there are many clinical records of people going into deep trance
> >states such that they appear dead and then reviving.  ...  Some
> >can stop and start their heart beat for minutes at a time
>  
> Stop their heartbeat?  Or stop their pulse?  A simple trick is to
> place a hard object (like a rock or an orange or a fist) in the
> armpit and squeeze it.  This causes the object to press against
> an artery in the armpit and thus stop the pulse at the wrist.
> The heart hasn't stopped, just the pulse.

Just a comment.

A few years ago I was at a karate weekend in Minnesota and we had a 
Master instructer from the bay area, CA, in to help.  He did a demonstration
on controlling 'chi' one day with changing the pulse in both arms 
independantly of each other, verified by two balck belts from our Mpls dojo.
He had his pulse drop to near nothing, race, and also do something neither 
black belt could describe.  He was also not holding any rocks.

I don't know if his explanation of how he did the feats was correct but I don't
think he faked it either.
--
***  Curt Swanson  ***  sonic@romulus.cray.com  ***  IOTTMCO  *********
HOME:n - That mythical place where you can go and relax.......
I'd rather be in a coma.........
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
From: yaros@sab57.larc.nasa.gov (Steve Yaros)
Subject: Re: speed of light and age of the universe
Organization: NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA  USA
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 12:07:02 GMT

Mark Twain was concerned about the speed of light and the stars...in his
"Letters from the Earth" he states that "For three hundred years, now, the
Christian astronomer has known that his Deity didn't make the stars in those 
tremendous six days; but the Christian astronomer does not enlarge upon that
detail.  Neither does the priest".

All well and good, I guess, but what ticks me off is the decades I spent under
repressive Sunday Blue Laws, when the people who made the laws couldn't even
decide what a day was!      
-- 
                           |                                                   
    Steve from Norfolk     | ...be aware that a walk through the river of most           
 yaros@sab57.nasa.larc.gov | people's souls would scarcely get your feet wet...
      804-864-3050         |                                  Deteriorata 1977
___________________________|____________________________________________________