April 2009 eSounding - American Mensatampa.us.mensa.org/soundings/sounding_2009_04.pdf · 98th...

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April 2009

Vol. 34, No. 3

Crewe Bulletin 3 LocSec’s Report 4 The Tenth Story 5 Birthdays and Mensaversaries 6-7 Wall Street 101 8-13 Top Ten TV Shows 14-16 Call for Candidates 17-18 ARRR-RG! Registration 19 Fourth Friday Madness 20 April Calendar 22-32 May Calendar Preview 33 Suzaku 34 Cryptopoem 36-37 Answers to March Puzzles 38

Inside The Sounding

April

Special Events This Month:

Spring Picnic/Annual Meeting Apr 4th

The Arcane Science Apr 10th

House Party Apr 18th

Tampa Bay Sounding is the official newsletter of Tampa Bay Mensa, American Mensa local group number 10-335. © 2009 Tampa Bay Mensa. All rights reserved. All material in this issue not copyrighted by individual contributors may

be reprinted in other Mensa publications, provided that credit is given to the author or artist and to the Sounding. Prior written consent of the editor is required for any other reproduction in any form. Any

Mensa publication reprinting Tampa Bay Sounding material is requested to send a copy to the editor.

SUBSCRIBE!: The subscription cost for local members is partially remitted from annual dues paid to American Mensa Ltd. Tampa Bay Sounding is available to other Mensans and to non-Mensans at an annual subscription cost of $12.00. To subscribe, send a check, payable to Tampa Bay Mensa, to the Treasurer: Kathy Crum, 7164 Quail Hollow Blvd., Wesley Chapel, FL 33544-2525.

ADVERTISING POLICY: The Sounding offers free classified ads to Tampa Bay Mensa members for ser-vices, items for sale, jobs wanted/available, personals, etc. Ads should be no longer than 50 words. Classified ads need to be renewed on a monthly basis if you wish them to appear in consecutive issues. Tampa Bay Mensa and the Sounding are not responsible for the content of ads. All commercial ads are subject to the following rates: Full page - $60; Half page - $30; Quarter page - $15. Members of Mensa pay half these rates.

Submission Guidelines

Tampa Bay Sounding encourages submissions from all members. Submissions must be signed, but names may be withheld or pseudonyms used if requested. All letters to the editor will be subject to publication unless the author specifi-cally requests otherwise. All material submitted will be considered for publication, but nothing can be guaranteed. Everything is subject to editing. Please keep the following guidelines in mind:

• Articles, casual essays, opinion pieces, po-ems, short stories, puzzles, and artwork are all encouraged.

• Personal attacks and bigoted, sexist, hateful, or otherwise offensive material will not be published.

• E-mail submissions are preferred, either embedded or in Word-readable attachments. Computer printouts and typewritten pages are fine. If you submit hard copy, please make sure your printer has enough toner or your typewriter has a fresh-enough ribbon. Legible handwritten submissions will be con-sidered (but not given preference).

You may send your submissions by either of the following means:

1. E-mail—[email protected] (Please indicate “TBM” in the subject header.)

2. U.S. Mail — Joshua Moore, 12016 100th Ave-nue North, Seminole, FL 33772 (Telephone 727-398-0833) Unless otherwise specified in the calen-

dar, the deadline for unsolicited contribu-

tions is the tenth day of the month.

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A Publ icat ion of Tampa Bay Mensa

Mensa is an international society whose sole qualification for membership is a score at or above the 98th percentile on a standard IQ test. Mensa is a not-for-profit organization whose main purpose is to serve as a means of communication and assembly for its members. All opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors, and not necessarily those of the editors or officers of Mensa. Mensa as an organization has no opinions.

Tampa Bay Sounding is the official newsletter of Tampa Bay Mensa. Tampa Bay Mensa serves Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando, and Sumter counties.

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Tampa Bay Sounding

Apr i l 2009

WELCOME TO TAMPA BAY MENSA!

* = new member; others are moves in, preferences in, or reinstatements.

* Wesley Barton

* Casey Dillard

Deborah S Duvall

Robert Wyndham Fisher

Ellen Georgieff

Kelly Hallisey

Joel P Humphries

Michelle W Humphries

* Logan Libretti

Carrie A Matteoli

Sara Phoenix

Gregg L Provda

Stephen Thompson

Marie Ag Thompson

Paul Wartenberg

Testing Venues—Can You Help?

Hi Folks,

If you have access to a conference room in Tampa or Brandon we could use some help. I am looking for testing locations especially for the next few months. If you have an office or close connec-tions to someone with a large room, please contact me directly at [email protected].

- Gina

Achievement!

Congratulations to Barbara Loewe for her upcoming inclusion in the “Who’s Who in America” and “Who’s Who in American Educa-tion” publications for 2009!

* * * * CREWE BULLETIN * * * *

"April 1. This is the day upon which we are

reminded of what we are on the other three

hundred and sixty-four." - Mark Twain

Tampa Bay Sounding

LOCSEC’S REPORT Thomas George Thomas

I've been reviewing some of the history of Mensa lately, including past newsletters for our own chapter. I find history a valuable source of ideas, because sometimes there are good programs that had worked in the past which fell by the wayside for one reason or another. There are also ideas that no longer work as well, but are held onto from a sense of nostalgia or habit.

Although originally conceived as a philanthropic enterprise, the first truly successful formation of Mensa was as a social group — a voluntary society. When Mensa began to grow beyond the more well-heeled members who had meetings in their clubs, another way of getting together evolved: House parties.

For years, house parties were the primary venues for members to convene. Speaker meetings would be held in people's homes, or games nights, or potlucks. These worked well until, as time passed, people began to become less trusting of allowing strangers into their homes, either from some bad experiences (real or rumored), or as a result of the fear culture that the infotainment industry thrives upon. Over the last 30 years, people in general seem to have become more insular, although there are still many Mensans who get together to socialize. Attempts to set our meetings up in halls or community rooms have failed due to increases in rental cost and lack of participation (perhaps due to the coldness of the venues or disinterest in the topics). And meetings in restaurants provide little chance for mingling with each other, since they're set up to seat their customers in one place, unmoving.

But as these challenges grew, other opportunities have arisen to reinvigorate social groups. This past week I set up a Facebook group for Tampa Bay Mensa, and in three days over 70 of our members signed on! Clearly our members are open to this project, and I hope it works out going forward.

Facebook has some advantages over our official tbm-gm and tbm-discussion Yahoo! groups (although both remain available). For one thing, members get to know each other more easily through detailed (voluntary) profiles, and might feel more comfortable when they go to their first event. It also provides a chance for socialization online for people who don't have the time for scheduled events.

There are many possibilities open that have not yet been explored, and I'm looking forward to seeing where this one will lead. If you are already on Facebook, come join us! If you want to, but are not yet on Facebook, send me an email ([email protected]) and I'll help to get you set up. We'd love to get you as involved as you want to be.

Apr i l 2009

THE TENTH STORY

(RVC COLUMN FOR REGION 10) – APRIL 2009 Maggie Truelove

If you have friends you wish to encourage to take the test, this might be the time for it to happen. The newest promotion: if someone buys a Mensa Home Test in the month of April, they will receive $5 off ($18 - $5 = $13). Then, if they return the completed Home Test by May 31, they'll receive a coupon worth $5 off the fee to take the Mensa Admission Test ($40 - $5 = $35), good until July 31.

If you are the mediator or ombudsmen for your local group, perhaps you will be pleased to learn that AML can pay for an online training course from Leadership Development funding. This is a self-paced online training course, taking from 10 to 20 hours to complete. What a wonderful opportunity for our local groups to have a trained and confident ombudsman available to deal with problems!

In January, my column dealt with the problems one member wrote of in their group's newsletter, regarding the availability of parties and other activities in their area. I asked for you, the members, to share your ideas for a future column. Okay, the future has arrived. Only two members responded. I did not receive permission to use their names, so I won't state them.

One of the members stated that he had been a member in about 8 regions during his many years of membership. He shared that one of those other groups provides $50 for refreshments for the house party, rather than charge a kitty. He also mentioned that PIG SIG groups could move the location around to different restaurants each month, perhaps considering a cafeteria style restaurant, where attendees have a wider variety of choice, catering to most dietary restrictions. He suggested that he has given up on RSVPs, mentioning that they are really only good if the host lives in a gated community and needs to give a list of names to the guard on duty.

The second respondent, also a long time member, suggested that perhaps a speaker meeting could be held in a living room at someone's home, as long as there was another area (perhaps out by a pool?) for those who aren't interested in what the speaker has to say . . . and a host willing to cut off a speaker who goes on and on and on. He does like house parties, often giving them himself. And he says he doesn't ask for any contribution or expect an RSVP. He didn't like my use of " the liability of strangers in the house." (My use of it was as a reason why some people don't host parties, as it is something they fear.)

Wishing you a lovely Spring. Maggie Truelove, RVC 10

407-855-9078 [email protected]

3333 Honeysuckle Lane,

Orlando, FL 32812

APRIL BIRTHDAYS

1 Susan Tharp

2 Mark Stadnyk, Penny Ann Levin

3 Ellen Georgieff, Sally Buffum Marnell

4 Frances Keef, Marlin Mackenzie, Shoshana Shay

5 Christopher Gaughan, Thomas William Reesor

7 Rona Wiener, Sylvia Zadorozny

8 Capt Bruce Keith Bohnker, John Bailey

9 Bradley Price, Mary Lou Clark, Phoebe McCann

10 Gerald Thackham

11 Joyce Liberty

12 Leigh Randall Freijo, Peter Cohoon

15 James Gamble II, Thomas Buonomo, William Beasom

17 Joshua Moore, Randall Greene, Timothy James Caddell

18 Jim Hawkins, Ryan Boyle

19 Michael Becker

20 Justin Ponsor

21 Catherine Dazevedo, John Khosh, Fred Wright Jr

22 Kerry Lawson, Richard Stanton

23 Martin Zoffinger

24 Talida Iancu

25 Gary Richard Blais

27 Barbara Stetzko, Bud Urban, Lawrence Schear

30 Gerry Alex Morfesis

Tampa Bay Sounding

Apr i l 2009

APRIL MENSAVERSARIES*

37 Years Kathleen Marie Robinson 36 Years Barbara Ray, Francis Wellman 35 Years Peter Profiro 34 Years Martha Miller Mallak 33 Years Rush Miller 31 Years Federico Agnir 30 Years Keven Elizabeth McGinn, Edward Reasor 29 Years Gerald Lundquist 28 Years Jane Pattison 27 Years Phillip Grant Geisinger 26 Years Frank Clarke 24 Years Barbara Loewe 21 Years Robert Bullard 17 Years Lawrence Jay, Kathleen Roulston Montemayor 16 Years Rosa Tattoli 15 Years John Alfred Crandall, Gerard MacDonald 12 Years John Kincaid, Erin Anne Wells 11 Years Charis Reine Barnard, Donald Mihokovich, Danielle Wingate 10 Years Linda Raymond, Frederick Raymond 9 Years Dhyan Appachu, MSgt Joseph Welch 8 Years Robin Burngasser, John Jordan 7 Years Howard Berry, Patricia Tannuzzo Johnson Farnum, Takaaki Onodera 6 Years Robert Morris Ayres, Elizabeth Genevieve Maguire, Dina Schlauch 5 Years James Browning, Chris O'Connor 4 Years Marni-Lee Dye, Robert Hupp, Robert Parrish Kellenberger, Katherine Ogden, Diane Abrams Ross, Thomas Szubka 3 Years Richard Averitt, Cathleen Dunn 2 Years Sheryl Kathleen Brock, Maran Fulvi, James Kircher, Michael Moffitt Jr, Jordan Offutt, James Shaheen, Steven Kenneth Shapiro, Sara Thames 1 Year Robert Ahrendt, William Beasom, Victoria Bennett, Dianne Cox, Christopher Fleming, Forrest Hurst Ford, Harrison Gross, Aidan Humphries, James Clark Johnson, David Lanigan, Paul Mertz, Mary John Reid, Jill Shapiro, Rosalynn Solomon, Michael James Thornton, Charles Venable

* Years are for continuous membership - members who let their membership

lapse start from the date of reinstatement.

Tampa Bay Sounding

WALL STREET 101 Steven K. Shapiro

Lately we’ve been hearing a lot about how the Dow is down and how the stock markets are not doing well, and the talking heads throw out a bunch of numbers as if the numbers themselves had some mystical value. Well, just what do these numbers mean, and where did they come from? To understand all that, we need to understand what stocks are and how they work.

First, what exactly are stocks? ‘Stocks’ is a synonym for shares of ownership in a company. What is the Stock Market? As the name implies, it is a market where stocks (shares in companies) are bought, sold and traded. What is the Stock Exchange? A stock exchange is an organization that provides facilities for the exchange (buying, selling, trading) of stocks. In the United States, the big exchanges are the NYSE (New York Stock Exchange), AMEX (American Stock Exchange), and the NASDAQ (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations). These are public exchanges. meaning that they deal with the exchange of stocks of public corporations. What is a stock broker? A stock broker is a person who buys and sells shares (and other securities) from market makers (or other agencies) on behalf of investors. A market maker is a company that quotes both the buy and the sell price for the shares.

So where do all these stocks that they buy, sell and trade come from? Typically, a company is started by an individual or group of individuals as a sole proprietorship or partnership. As the company grows, the owner(s) may choose to incorporate. When a corporation is created, the owner(s) declares how many ‘pieces’ (shares) of the corporation there will be, and each owner of the company gets a certain number of pieces (shares) of the company. This is referred to as a privately held corporation.

Ideally the company grows by increased sales, and these sales are reinvested into the company to keep it growing. Suppose that the company wants to grow significantly more than its sales can support? Or suppose that it wants to grow so that it can significantly increase sales? The company can either borrow the money from a bank, find another investor to become another owner in the company, or it can ‘go public’, and offer pieces of itself to the public. It is basically selling ownership of the company to the public. This is referred to as an IPO (Initial Public Offering). The owners of the company will decide how many shares they will offer to the public and the price per share, and then they will offer it for purchase by the public.

How do they determine the value of each share? The simple way is to calculate the net worth of the company, divide it by the number of shares they want to sell, and that is the price of each share. For example, suppose

the net worth of the company is One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) and they want to issue One Million shares of stock. That would mean that the intrinsic value of each share is One Dollar ($1). Typically, the original owners keep a controlling number of shares so that they can still be in charge. So in our example, suppose that the original owners keep half for themselves and offer the remaining 500,000 shares to the public. Upon initial purchase, the company now has an extra $500,000 in net worth: The original $1,000,000 plus the additional $500,000 from the sale. They can now take that extra $500,000 and invest it in the company to increase sales and make even more money. The people who bought the shares of the company are called the investors. They have invested their money in the company.

Why would someone want to buy a piece of the company? What’s in it for them? There are typically two ways to make money from buying shares of a company: dividends on the shares and selling the shares. When a company makes a profit, a portion of the money is invested back into the company to grow the company, and a portion of the money is paid to the owners. When it is paid to a shareholder, it is called a dividend. Suppose that at the end of the year our example company had a profit of $200,000, and the company management decided to put half back into the company, paying the remainder as a dividend. That would be dividing up $100,000 among 1,000,000 shares, which is a dividend of ten cents a share. Considering that the share cost $1, that’s a 10% dividend, or 10% return on your investment. Not bad.

Let’s look at our company now. It has grown, increased sales, probably owns more assets (trucks, facilities, products, etc.) and has some cash in the bank. Suppose that this company is now worth $2,000,000. This means that each share now has an intrinsic value of $2. You not only have the 10% increase in value from the dividend, but now all your stock has doubled! Your $1 investment is now worth $2.10. That’s a pretty good deal. It’s a good investment.

Not only do you think so, but other people think so, too. In fact, they think that this company is on the rise and would like to own a piece of the company. How much is a share of the company worth to them? They might offer you $3 or $4 per share because they think that the company is going to be worth that much and more over the course of the next year. You now have a choice. Do you sell your share and take your profit, or keep your share and risk that the company will actually do worse next year and you might lose money?

Bear in mind that these days, the intrinsic value of a share is rarely based on the net worth of the company or even its past performance. Many times, especially these days, the value of a company share is only based on the value that someone is willing to pay for it. For example, in the early

Apr i l 2009

Tampa Bay Sounding

days, Amazon was just a web site and an idea. Yet people were paying big money for shares of Amazon. There was no intrinsic value to the shares, and no net worth to speak of for the company. Plus, they were not even projected to make a profit for the first few years. Yet, it was a feeding frenzy and people seemingly couldn’t pay enough for shares of Amazon. Go figure.

Anyway, getting back to our little example company . . . imagine if we multiply our example company by 10,000. That’s right, there’s 9,999 other companies out there just like our company, all with shares of stock being traded by the public. Not only that, but there are millions of people looking to buy, sell and trade shares of stock. Where does everyone go to do this trading? That’s where the stock brokers and market makers come in. These people or organizations provide an interface between the public and the exchange. In the internet age, we can even buy and sell via web sites. You open an account with an online broker, and they provide you a web page where you can look at the buy price, sell price and last sold price of the shares of various companies so that you can make a decision about whether or not you want to buy or sell stock.

So what’s this buy price, sell price and last sold price? Why are there three prices? In large part, that’s how the brokers make money. They make money on the difference between the prices. For example, suppose the last sold price of our company was $3. If someone wants to buy a share of the company, the broker may tell them that it will cost $3.05 for each share. Similarly, if you want to sell a share of the company, the broker may tell you that it will pay you $2.95 for each share. PLUS, the broker will charge you some nominal service fee such as $9.95 per trade. So, suppose you want to buy 10 shares. It will cost you $30.50 + $9.95 = $40.45. You now own 10 shares of stock in the company. After your purchase costs each share has cost you (approximately) $4.04 ½ . If you want to make a profit, you need to earn more than what you paid for them. This means that the shares of that company will need to go up an additional $2.10 (previous sell price: $2.95 + $2.10 = $5.05 new sell price). Calculating your earnings: $5.05 (sell price) x 10 = $50.50 – $9.95 = $40.55. Congratulations! You have just made a dime! This would not have been a good investment since the stock price would almost have to double in order for you to make even a meager profit. Yet, the broker would have made a nickel per share plus his $9.95 transaction fee, making his earnings for your transaction $10.45. He makes this money whether you buy or sell. So, for every ‘round trip’ you make, he gets $20.90. Not bad.

In the previous example, you bought a small number of shares. As you could see, in order to make a profit it would take a large (relative) increase in the price per share for you to earn a profit. Similarly, if you were to buy a large number of shares, it would take a lesser increase in the price per share for you to earn a profit. Consider, instead, buying 1,000 shares. $3.05 x 1,000 = $3,050 + $9.95 = $3,059.95 to purchase these shares. To

make a profit, the share value must increase by only a nickel (which is actually a dime increase when you consider the buy/sell spread). Sell 1,000 x $3.10 = $3100 - $9.95 = $3090.05 - $3059.95 (original cost) = $30.10 profit. In this example, the stock only had to go up less than one percent (1%) in order to make a more substantial profit.

As you can see, the real power of buying and selling (AKA trading) stocks is in the quantity. The larger the quantity, the less change per share you need to make a profit. On the downside, it also takes less of a change to take a loss! For a really wild ride, there are stock options. Stock options are where you pay money to be able to buy (or sell) stocks at a future date. You don’t have to actually buy the stocks themselves to make a profit (or a loss), and the numbers increase another ten-fold. However, stock options are beyond the scope of this article and may be something I talk about in the level 201 article.

What are some guidelines for making money when trading stocks? Basically “Buy Low, Sell High”. This means that you want to buy when the price is lowest, and sell when the price is highest, thus maximizing your profits. How do you know when the stock is at its lowest or when it is at its highest? That’s the ‘trick’. There is no guaranteed way to know. Anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell you something. In fact, you may see ads for products that ‘guarantee’ results and claim that they can tell you when to buy and when to sell, but in fact, they are just making a guess. Granted, some of these products are pretty sophisticated and they can make a pretty good guess. But when it comes down to it, that’s all it is – a guess. Some people refer to this as ‘timing’ because you are trying to figure out when is the right time to buy, and when is the right time to sell.

How do these products work? They perform what is called ‘technical analysis’. Technical analysis is the study of the action of a stock in particular or the market as a whole, primarily through the use of charts to examine the price and volume of stock trading over time thus reflecting the demand. Imagine if you were to take a piece of paper and plot the price and volume of a stock as a graph (or use graphing tools like finance.yahoo.com), you could see the ‘movement’ of the stock or market over a period of time. This is called a trend. The catch phrase is “The trend is your friend” and by analyzing individual stock charts or market charts the changes in the trend will be visually displayed. These products may look at the trend of the market as a whole as well as the trend of the stock in particular, and make a determination as to the best time to buy and the best time to sell.

Something that these products cannot consider are unexpected events that happen that affect the market. For example, the stock and the market may be doing quite well, and there are strong buy ‘signals’, so you buy the stock. The next day an airplane crashes into the World Trade Center or

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Tampa Bay Sounding

you find out that the big product that is making them lots of money has just been found to cause cancer. Stocks are risky and there are no guarantees.

What’s all this Dow and S&P stuff they keep talking about on the radio and TV? These are two types of stock market indices. A stock market index is a method of measuring a section of the stock market. An index represents the performance of the stock market — and by doing so, is said to reflect investor sentiment on the state of the economy.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (also called the DJIA, Dow 30, INDP, or informally the Dow Jones or The Dow) is one of several stock market indices that were created by Charles Dow (Dow Jones & Company) and the Wall Street Journal in the 1800’s. The Dow is an index that shows how certain stocks have traded over a period of time. Dow compiled the index to gauge the performance of the industrial sector of the American stock market.

This was back in a time when the country was primarily industrial. These days the Dow is computed from the stock prices of 30 of the largest and most widely held public companies in the United States. The "industrial" portion of the name is largely historical—many of the 30 modern components have little to do with traditional heavy industry. The average is price-weighted. To compensate for the effects of stock splits and other adjustments, it is currently a scaled average, not the actual average of the prices of its component stocks—the sum of the component prices is divided by a divisor, which changes whenever one of the component stocks has a stock split or stock dividend, to generate the value of the index. Since the divisor is less than one, the value of the index is higher than the sum of the component prices.

So you see, this ‘magical’ Dow number is based on ONLY 30 COMPANIES. Amazing but true, out of the thousands of companies in the markets, it is only 30 of them that are responsible for this number!

So what about the S&P 500? That’s 500 companies. Isn’t that a lot better than just 30? The S&P 500 index has been published since 1957 and is based on the prices of 500 large publicly held companies that trade on either of the two largest American stock markets, the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ. Almost all of the stocks included in the index are among the 500 American stocks with the largest market capitalizations (market capitalization is a measurement of corporate or economic size equal to the share price times the number of shares outstanding of the company).

You would think that averaging 500 companies would be a better indicator. Not so. It appears that the calculations that the S&P use give more ‘weight’ to those 30 Dow companies. The net effect is that the Dow

Apr i l 2009

index dominates the S&P index to such an extent that the S&P graph is almost identical to the Dow graph. So basically, 30 companies dominate the economic outlook of our economy. Check it out for yourself. Go to finance.yahoo.com and click on the Dow chart so you get the full page version. Then click on the ‘compare’ link and select the S&P 500. Adjust the time scale all the way back to 1960 and see for yourself.

When investing in stocks, the entire market itself is a factor, especially since everyone has direct access to the market via the internet. If the market is trending down or up, the trend will affect the specific company whose stock you may want to buy or sell. Some investors look to buy stocks that are contrary to the market. That is to say, if the market is going down, but a specific stock is going up, that indicates that there is a fundamental strength to the stock, which tends to indicate that when the market goes up, that stock will be ‘stronger’ than the rest, and go up that much higher than the rest.

How do you know if you know enough to ‘play’ the market? One way to find out is to do it ‘on paper’. Go online and learn everything you can about how to play the stock market. Learn about reading charts, market timing and all the different ways to decide when to buy and when to sell. When you think you are ready, rather than actually risking your money, just do it on ‘paper’. Pretend that you have bought stock in a company and track it from day to day, keeping a written log. Decide if you want to buy more shares or sell what you have. Keep track of the buy, sell and market prices at each point. Factor in the cost of executing your trades. See for yourself how well you do. Do not invest any money until you are confident in your skills and your ability to make a profit.

Do you think you are ready to ‘play’ the market? The stock market is a risky place in which to invest your money. It is a great place in which to lose your money, too. It is only one of many places where you may invest your money. Remember, the bigger the risk, the bigger the potential (important word) reward, but there are no guarantees. You can take a big risk and have it fail completely. Make sure you don't get into the market before you are ready. Do your homework before you invest. Be conservative and never invest in anything you do not understand.

Steve Shapiro

[email protected]

"Mix a little foolishness with your serious plans.

It is lovely to be silly at the right moment." - Horace

TOP TEN ALL-TIME FAVORITE TV SHOWS

Well, people, it looks as if we have come to the end of submissions. Our last contributor is William Dennis, and, of course, I had to add my list to the mix.

William sent his list without any additional comment, leaving us to draw any conclusions on our own. Or not, after all, it is just a list of TV shows. Still, William, I conclude that you like gentle humorous stories about families and people who cherish other people. Judging from the database, many members agree with you on your choices. My Top Ten All-Time Favorite TV Shows Presented by William Dennis

The Waltons M*A*S*H All In The Family The Cosby Show The Dick Van Dyke Show Touched By An Angel Hill Street Blues Two And A Half Men 7th Heaven The Gilmore Girls The books we read teach us how to deal with our world, but I don’t think such a commendation was ever expected for television. Yet thanks to good writers there are many programs that did and still do inform our thinking. Not everything is pure entertainment or time-waster. If we can get affirmation of how we want to see our families grow from watching other families on television, then why not. Even the rough edges on this list had strengths to show us when they were in a pinch.

Thank you, William, I enjoyed revisiting and thinking about your choices.

Finally, the last submission is my list. Even though I spent time revisit-ing programs on each person’s list none influenced my own choices. This surprised me; I expected to be reminded of shows that I had for-gotten and though that did happen, none was strong enough to go on my list. Like many others, I was unable to winnow down to just 10, eh, so it goes.

Tampa Bay Sounding

Apr i l 2009

My Top Ten All-Time Favorite TV Shows Presented by Jay Johnson

Max Headroom—We should have paid more attention to the messages in this program because the program was supposed to take place 20 minutes into the future and that future is recognizably now. Babylon 5—Again, good writers inform our lives. How disparate people can come together for mutual goals, and especially, against a mutual enemy. Outer Limits (the original) West Wing—Don’t you wish this was real? Boston Legal—Yes, it got a bit preachy, but what other program gored sacred cows so handily? Mr. Sterling—A very short-run program of a man who goes to Washing-ton to fill his deceased senator father’s seat, and while there, tries to find the balance between his own common sense and Washington sense. Cosmos—Thank you Carl Sagan for showing us our place in the uni-verse. BSG—This new one is a real rip-roarer, isn’t it? How people survive un-der great stress and tension, in very close quarters, especially when not all of them are people at all. Meet the Press—There is no better place where I can find out what is going on in politics. RIP Tim Russert. Eureka: The heck with the stories, fun though they are, just show me more gadgets. Mad Men—For sheer detail of an age I was part of, but was too close to see, this is it. This program rings so true; it shows how far we have come in many ways, yet not at all in others. Human nature doesn’t change, just the outfits it wears. Torchwood—Thanks to a real upgrade in stories and plots, this program earns a mention on its own merit. John Barrowman ain’t bad either. Yum. Torchwood began much like Doctor Who with great creatures, but has evolved to great story-telling as well, as has Doctor Who, some-what. A nod to Doctor Who that has had the best creatures season after season, Doctor after Doctor. Even the hokey ones were great. In the ‘Yum’ column, Adrian Paul in The Highlander. Yes, his voice gets all squeaky when he does accents, but hey, maybe all those muscles can do that to you. The Prisoner—This program, when it first came out, changed some fun-damental parts of my thinking, and often I can make a direct link right back to what Patrick McGoohan was telling me. Later, thanks to the brilliant and insightful wrap-arounds from Scott Apel, I was able to re-

visit and solidify some of the ideas that had been planted when I first saw this show in the ‘60s. McGoohan, a Mensan, died just recently and I missed my chance to tell him how much of an influence he was, and how much I appreciate his ideas and intellect. Normally I don’t do re-gret, but in this case… Next month I will reveal the top TV favorites of Tampa Bay Mensa. The clue this month is: Oh, darling, the TV show that the actor from the original was in has been cancelled, but don’t feel too badly, one family member is still with us.

Be seeing you,

Tampa Bay Sounding

Dolores Puterbaugh, Ph.D, LMFT, LMHC, PA

1208

Licensed Mental Health Counselor Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist

801 West Bay Drive, Suite 436 Largo, Florida 33770

The Wachovia Bank Building

727-559-0863

[email protected] balancedlifestylecoaching.com

Services Include:

• Individual counseling

• Family & couples counseling

• Anxiety, depression, grief, stress, anger

• Children’s behavior problems

• Personal growth/development

• Consulting/Coaching services

• Presentations for organizations

Memberships: Clinical Member of American Association for

Marriage & Family Therapy; American Counseling Association; Mensa; TNS

The theme word/phrase for this month's Suzaku™ is

HARLEQUIN.

"Foolproof systems do not take into account

the ingenuity of fools." - Gene Brown

Apr i l 2009

CALL FOR CANDIDATES

TAMPA BAY MENSA - 2009 ELECTIONS Erica Rogers

The annual elections to fill open positions on the Tampa Bay Mensa Executive Committee are in June. In accordance with TBM bylaws, the terms of five members of the Executive Committee will expire in 2009. These positions are currently held by Barbara Loewe, Thomas Thomas, Maxine Kushner, Ronan Heffernan, and Eloise Hurst (serving out the term of Dana Groulx). These openings are for two-year terms. Members are invited to pursue one of these leadership positions in our organization.

Executive Committee meetings are held six times each year. Officers enjoy the satisfaction that comes from being “in” on what is going on in the chapter, leaving their mark on these activities, and, of course, the great camaraderie that comes from associating with fellow members.

Interested members should contact members of the Election Committee to clarify any details of the election process. Candidates are responsible for fulfilling all requirements as prescribed in the bylaws of Tampa Bay Mensa, contained in the Member Handbook, and this Call For Candidates.

The Election Committee is composed of:

Erica Rogers 200 2nd Avenue S. #307 St. Petersburg, FL 33701 727-204-4230 [email protected]

Jay Johnson 5051 Cardiff Dr. Holiday, FL 34690 727-934-9575 [email protected]

Dana Groulx 21416 Cypress Tree Ct. Land O Lakes, FL 34637-7485 813-996-5552 [email protected]

Members in good standing of Tampa Bay Mensa seeking a seat on the

Tampa Bay Sounding

Executive Committee in the upcoming election must provide to the Elections Supervisor no later than Wednesday, April 15:

1) a nominating petition, and

2) a campaign statement.

Nominating petitions must contain the printed name, address, telephone number, and signature of the candidate, plus the printed names and signatures of five (5) members in good standing as defined by the bylaws of Tampa Bay Mensa. Campaign statements must be limited to 250 words. Note that, since campaign statements will be printed in the Sounding, they must comply with current editorial policy.

Petitions and campaign statements must be mailed to:

Erica Rogers (Elections Supervisor) 200 2nd Avenue S. #307 St. Petersburg, FL 33701

STRIKE! Are you a Mensan who’s a regular bowler? Or how about just some-

one who used to bowl regularly, but hasn’t in years? Or maybe even

someone who’s just looking for some people to go out and have fun

with?

If any of these sound like you, or if you just want an excuse to go

bowling, I’m thinking about getting some people together to have a

Mensan Bowling event regularly. If you’re interested, be sure to con-

tact me!

Joshua Moore

[email protected]

727-398-0833

Apr i l 2009

This year the Pirates have sailed to a Polynesian Paradise! So pack your grass skirts and coconut bikinis, and your pirate gear, of course! ARRR-R G! 2009 will be a jolly good time, full of cavorting, camaraderie, competition, and conversation. This Memorial Day adventure will be one you’ll treasure forever.

Holiday Inn Express 2580 Gulf to Bay Blvd, Clearwater, FL 33765

727-797-6300 Rate: $99 per night, Single / Double / Quad

(guaranteed through April 22nd) Free Parking � Free Hot Breakfast � Free WiFi

Registration: $85 through Apr. 30th, $90 at the door.

Children 12 & under, half price. Make check payable to Tampa Bay Mensa

Mail check to: Kathy Crum, Registrar 7164 Quail Hollow Blvd, Wesley Chapel, FL 33544

NAME:

ADDRESS:

EMAIL: PHONE: ( )

NAME FOR BADGE: (Choose a Pirate Name at http://www.piratequiz.com )

Tampa Bay Sounding

FOURTH (NOT LAST) FRIDAY MADNESS FEBRUARY 27, 2009

Phoebe McCann

FardleBear is probably not too happy with me right now because this is so late but I have been sick IN BED with the flu for two weeks! Obviously this is a lesson in procrastination because if I'd done this write-up the day after the meeting, I would have been feeling fine and wouldn't be in hot water with the Fardle. (Oooo, don't tell Dan!)

In any case, because I'm still sick (finally going to the doctor tomorrow), I'm just going to list the names of the absolutely fascinating people who attended the meeting, tell my little story and go back to bed.

Oh, before I do, I owe a WHOPPING apology to Christine Gonzalez. I seem to have a blind spot when it comes to her. At LEAST three times now I've gone up to her after the meeting and introduced myself to her and the same number of times she's smiled SO graciously and reminded me that I already know her. Talk about embarrassing. Christine, I swear, you're not forgettable ... I'm just a dope.

So, CHRISTINE GONZALEZ goes first, then BOB TOPPER, DAN McCANN, KERRY FITZPATRICK, TERRI ELSTON, CARL HAMMEN, DEBORAH KAZOR, SYLVIA ZADOROZNY, THOMAS THOMAS, ERNST HALL, RON DUBS and PAMELA SAWERS.

Okay, I promised a little story. Recently I learned a lesson in pluralization of pronouns, Southern style, by listening to someone who'd been home-schooled in Mina, Arkansas. He said that "y'all" could be used as singular or plural, as in, ""Hey, Y'all" when addressing one friend" or "How're y'all doin?" when addressing a few friends. When addressing a large group of people, however, one must say, "C'mon, ALL Y'ALL really gotta get movin' or we'll be late."

Well, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. See all y'all next time.

Apr i l 2009

GREETINGS FROM PIEDMONT! HAVE WE GOT A DEAL FOR YOU? WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN US FOR THE

CAROLINAH REGIONAL GATHERING, HEROES AND VILLAINS, MAY 1-3.

WE ARE TOLD THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST RGS AROUND. WE HAVE

GREAT PROGRAMS, A COSTUME BALL, GAMES, LOTS OF FUN, AND VERY

FRIENDLY PEOPLE. REGISTRATION IS $74.00 UNTIL APRIL 24. ALL

MEALS ARE INCLUDED, WITH TWO CATERED BY THE HOTEL. ROOM RATES

AT THE SPARTANBURG RADISSON ARE $79.00 PLUS TAX, GUARANTEED

UNTIL APRIL 17. FOR ROOM RESERVATIONS, CALL 864-574-2111 AND

REQUEST THE MENSA RATE.

RG REGISTRATIONS CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEB SITE

WWW.PIEDMONTAREAMENSA.ORG. CHECKS SHOULD BE MADE OUT TO

PIEDMONT AREA MENSA AND MAILED TO OUR REGISTRAR, MARY ANN

COX, 509 BETHEL DRIVE, MAULDIN, SC 29662. YOU CAN ALSO CONTACT

HER AT [email protected].

YOU CAN FLY FROM ST.PETE/CLEARWATER TO GREENVILLE/

SPARTANBURG (GSP) ON ALLEGIANT AIR FOR $39.00 ROUND TRIP IF YOU

RETURN ON THE MONDAY. THE HOTEL HAS A FREE SHUTTLE TO AND

FROM GSP. WHAT A DEAL. WE HOPE YOU WILL JOIN US.

Tampa Bay Sounding

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Apr i l 2009

APRIL 2009 CALENDAR Maran Fulvi

Calendar Editor

Mensa events are open to all Mensans, their spouses, and

accompanied guests. A party at a private home is a private event,

and who may or may not attend is at the complete discretion of

the host. While kitty amounts are mandatory, hosts often spend

far more than the specified amount. Donations in excess of the

kitty amount will be appreciated.

Please e-mail your calendar event notices to

[email protected], or visit

http://tampa.us.mensa.org/cal for complete instructions.

To have event announcements sent directly for your email, sign up

for the tbm-gm group at Yahoo!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tbm-gm/

Your deadline for the following month’s calendar is the

10th of the preceding month.

Hosts: Please remember to mention any special concerns about

your location, such as limited access for the handicapped, smoking

restrictions, or presence of pets.

Guests: If you have special needs or restrictions, it is prudent to

discuss them with your host before attending an event.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1

1:15 PM to 2:30 PM MHUNCH

Location: Eat-a-Bite, 2136 New Tampa Highways, Lakeland

Your RSVP is important! MHUNCH events are subject to cancellation if there is a lack of interest.

Do let me know if you spot any coupons ;-) I'll post

them for all to see.

Merrell Fortner (863) 701-7109 [email protected]

Tampa Bay Sounding

7:00 PM to 8:30 PM Reading Group

Location: Perkins Restaurant, 612 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa

We meet twice per month (on the first and third Wednesday). Our meeting location is Perkins on Dale Mabry, just north of Kennedy. Bring along books you'd like to exchange or give away.

Ronan Heffernan (813) 732-2310 [email protected]

THURSDAY, APRIL 2

12:30 PM to 1:30 PM Lunch Bunch

Location: Piccadilly Cafeteria, 11810 North Dale Mabry, Tampa

We meet at Piccadilly Cafeteria (next to Barnes and Noble Bookstore) in Tampa. For directions, descriptions, and/or encouragement to attend, call:

Jim Perry (813) 837-3473 [email protected]

SATURDAY, APRIL 4

2:00 PM to 6:00 PM Spring Picnic and Annual Meeting

Location: Mobbly Beach Park, 807 Shore Drive East, Oldsmar Shelter #4

The park is at the south end of Shore Drive, right on Tampa Bay itself.

Tampa Bay Mensa will provide hot dogs, hamburgers, and veggie burgers. Please bring your own BEVERAGE (no alcohol permitted) and also a SIDE ITEM to share with everyone.

Don't forget your swimsuit! You can swim in Tampa Bay (at your own risk--no lifeguard), and there's a nice little sandy

Apr i l 2009

beach area near our shelter. There's also a trail with fitness equipment, and you could even launch a canoe if you have one.

This is a family-friendly event; spouse and kids are welcome. The shelter and restrooms are wheelchair accessible via concrete pathways. Pets are not permitted in the shelter area, but you could walk your dog on the other side of the road from the shelters and beach.

On April 4 itself, I'll try to remember to turn on my cell phone: 813-579-8282. (Don't call the cell number other days, as I keep it turned off and won't know you called.)

Hope to see you all there!

Sylvia Zadorozny (813) 855-4939 [email protected]

7:00 PM to 10:00 PM Executive Committee Meeting

Location: 651 Timber Bay Circle West, Oldsmar

All TBM members are welcome to attend any or all meetings of the Executive Committee. This is where decisions are made regarding our business, activities and future. Come be a part of it!


8:00 PM to 11:00 PM Skywatch

Location: MOSI, 4801 E Fowler Ave #100, Tampa

See the universe up-close and personal through MOSI’s telescopes. See craters on the moon. Watch as another planet’s moons slowly perform a gravitational dance. See stellar nurseries where stars are being formed. See star clusters so far away that light – traveling at 186,000 miles per second – takes tens of thousands of years to make it to your eye. SkyWatch is free and open to the public. Feel free to bring your telescope for additional viewing opportunities – and tips on making the most of your telescope back at home – or otherwise!

Come look at Mars through MOSI's telescopes! Weather permitting, outside in the Butterfly Garden. FREE!

Telescopes begin at Sundown, so times are approximate — also, this event is weather-dependent; clear skies are required to use the telescopes. SkyWatch will be cancelled if it is raining or cloudy.

Melissa Stephens (813) 476-5405 [email protected]

Tampa Bay Sounding

SUNDAY, APRIL 5

5:00 PM to 7:00 PM Tampa Oratorio Singers

Location: Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church, 3501 W. San Jose St.

A German Requiem

Opus 45

by Johannes Brahms

Come hear our own Terry Wolfe sing with the Tampa Oratorio Singers, a community chorale led by Nancy Callahan-Hyer, and Tampa's oldest choral organization.

They will be performing A German Requiem, Opus 45, by Johannes Brahms.

Unlike Requiems based upon the Catholic tradition, the Brahms Requiem is a Requiem for the living. It affords comfort to the bereaved, and a blessing of eternal peace for the departed. It is a reassuring statement of faith for the living. In it, Brahms expresses his abiding conviction that the paradox of death and mourning and the hope for eternal life can find reconciliation. It is human, non-dogmatic, and personal.

THURSDAY, APRIL 9





FRIDAY, APRIL 10

7:30 AM to 8:30 AM Breakfast Gathering

Location: Village Inn, 13105 Walsingham Rd, Largo, FL

Breakfast Gathering at the Village Inn at Walsingham Road in Largo 7:30 AM on the 2nd Thursday of every month. Gather for food and conversation.

RSVP to Lori Puterbaugh (727) 399-2419

7:00 PM to 9:00 PM The Arcane Science

Location: Belleview Biltmore Resort - Lobby Bar

Explore topics of mutual interest to include a scientific approach to mysticism, the occult, spells, ancient rituals and hidden knowledge from various religious and hermetic traditions. Initial

Apr i l 2009

meeting to determine level of interest in an ongoing monthly group and types of activities. Possibly to model group after a similar one in Mensa London. Skeptics and dabblers also welcome!

SR60 West to Clearwater (which turns into Gulf-to-Bay). Follow the left lane to overhead sign that says 60W “Bypass” and continue into downtown Clearwater to Fort Harrison Avenue and turn left; travel south for approximately 1 mile to the traffic light at Belleview Boulevard. Turn right onto Belleview Boulevard; go straight after the stop sign. The entrance to the property on the left (prior to the bend). Advise the guard that you are visiting the Hotel, once through the gate the main entrance is after the first cottage on your left.

Lux Devoid (727) 475-0950

SATURDAY, APRIL 11

8:30 AM to 2:00 PM Second Saturday Fossil Dig

Location: Vulcan Quarry

I am chronically late, so please do not be offended by the warning, but you MUST be on time. We will enter the mines at 9 am. Anyone not there at that time will not be allowed in.

Child members, or member's children, must have a parent or legal guardian present to participate. I will have waiver forms for everyone to sign before we go in. To reach Vulcan, take I 75 north to Exit 301, Brooksville/ Rt 98. Go ten miles to Brooksville and follow the signs for Rt. 98 north. Go another ten miles north of Brooksville on 98 and watch for the CEMEX/ Vulcan signs on the left side. Wait by the highway entrance.

You will be driving in, so you will have access to any coolers you may bring. I would suggest bringing snacks and PLENTY of water. It gets hot, so dress appropriately. You might want to bring sunscreen. Please RSVP by email by the Friday before so I can have a good idea of how many are coming. I have scheduled this to coincide with the Tampa Bay Fossil Club dig so that we may have some experts there who can answer our questions. I do not bring tools, but you may wish to bring a hand shovel.

RSVP to Theresa Hohmann [email protected]

Tampa Bay Sounding

7:30 PM to 11:59 PM Games Night

Location: 651 Timber Bay Circle West, Oldsmar ($2 kitty)

No fooling, it’s April, that time of the year

Of Passover, Easter, and tax day (oh, dear!).

Cute bunnies bring eggs as they hop far and near,

But Mensans who like playing games gather here.

I hope you will join us, but ask that you please

Step outside to smoke, so that all breathe with ease.

A cat shares my home (be forewarned if you’ll sneeze),

And no need to call up with RSVPs.

So come out and play to compete or relax—

I’ve all sorts of games, all piled up in high stacks.

A card may determine your team—reds or blacks—

Then join in the fun, playing games, munching snacks.


TUESDAY, APRIL 14

7:00 PM to 9:00 PM Tuesday Night Trivia

Location: Barnacles of Tampa, 926 Providence Rd, Brandon

Join us for Buzztime Trivia every second Tuesday at Barnacles.

Tuesday is when the rest of the national NTN-SIG plays (join the SIG at [email protected]).

Tuesday features Buzztime's Brainbuster and Showdown games.

Barnacles is a full restaurant and bar, so you can socialize even if you don't play trivia. They even have Karaoke later in the evening for anyone interested!

See Barnacles of Tampa online at www.barnacles.com

Thomas Thomas (813) 994-3981 [email protected]

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15


Location: S & L Restaurant, 2915 S Combee Rd, Lakeland





Apr i l 2009

7:00 PM to 8:30 PM Reading Group

Location: Perkins Restaurant, 612 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa

We meet twice per month (on the first and third Wednesday). Our meeting location is Perkins on Dale Mabry, just north of Kennedy. Bring along books you'd like to exchange or give away.

Ronan Heffernan (813) 732-2310 [email protected]

THURSDAY, APRIL 16





FRIDAY, APRIL 17

7:00 PM to 12:00 AM Buzztime Trivia

Location: Prime Time Sports Grill, Carrollwood

Buzztime Trivia (formerly NTN Satellite Trivia) is a nationwide contest held in assorted restaurants and bars in our region.

Three short rounds of five questions each are interspersed with breaks for conversation and socializing.

We meet in Carrollwood at Prime Time Sports Grill which puts the trivia games on a BIG screen! Look for the table with our mascot, Owlbert. Come join the party!

Thomas Thomas (813) 994-3981 [email protected]

SATURDAY, APRIL 18

7:00 PM to 12:00 PM House Party

Location: 4710 Heath Avenue, Tampa

Come kick back and enjoy an evening of fun. A brief educational program will focus on growing orchids as a hobby (for those who are interested). Within the 200+ collection, there’ll probably be 25-30 in bloom. After that, there’ll be stimulating conversation, music, & food (& darts for the competitive among us).

The party will be both inside and outside (screened area). Three cats allow us to share their home. Most of the snacks will be homemade, including Swedish Meatballs and Oriental Glazed Chicken Wings.

Tampa Bay Sounding

BYOB; $2.00 Kitty per person; smoking permitted outside; wheelchair friendly.

RVSP Gerri Almand (831) 264-6859 [email protected]

SUNDAY, APRIL 19

2:00 PM to 5:00 PM Fold, Staple, and Mail

Location: 320 19th St., Palm Harbor FL

Once again it's time to Fold, Staple and Mail!

Come join in to help get the next issue of the Sounding out to all our members. And be one of the first to see it for yourself!

Maran Fulvi (727) 789-1390 [email protected]

MONDAY, APRIL 20

7:00 PM to 9:00 PM Mensa Admission Test

Location: Brandon

Do you know of a friend, family member, co-worker, or anyone else who may qualify for Mensa, but hasn't taken the test? Here's their chance! Let them know that a test session is scheduled in Brandon on April 20 at 7:00 pm.

Advance registration is required in order to ensure we have enough tests on hand.

Contact by April 14 for details.

Thomas George Thomas [email protected]

Apr i l 2009

THURSDAY, APRIL 23





FRIDAY, APRIL 24

6:00 PM to 8:30 PM Fourth Friday Madness

Location: Olive Garden, 6700 U.S. 19 N., Pinellas Park

Come party on down with us every fourth (not necessarily last) Friday at the Olive Garden Italian Restaurant from 6pm to whenever. This is just southeast of Gandy Boulevard. RSVP to:

Phoebe McCann (727) 546-4030 [email protected]

SATURDAY, APRIL 25

6:00 PM to 7:45 PM PigSIG

Location: Billy Bones, 1300 3rd St SW (US 17), Winter Haven.

Contact Stewart Prince at (863) 967-7680 for details.

7:30 PM to 12:00 AM Last Saturday Rotating Games Night

Location: 804 N Lincoln Ave, Tampa, FL 33609 ($2 kitty)

Each month the Last Saturday games rotate to a different host in order to distribute the commute evenly for all participants, and to give more people an opportunity to host. This month's games will be hosted by:

James Browning (813) 997-9999 [email protected]

Tampa Bay Sounding

SUNDAY, APRIL 26

2:00 PM Mensa Admission Test

Location: Westchase

Do you know of a friend, family member, co-worker, or anyone else who may qualify for Mensa, but hasn't taken the test? Here's their chance! Let them know that a test session is scheduled in Westchase on April 26 at 2:00 pm.

Advance registration is required in order to ensure we have enough tests on hand.


WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29


Location: End Zone, 6771 US Hwy 98 N., Lakeland





THURSDAY, APRIL 30





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Check Event Calendar updates at http://tampa.us.mensa.org

Check Event Calendar updates at http://tampa.us.mensa.org

May 2

009

Tampa Bay Sounding

SUZAKU © 2009

Thomas George Thomas

Suzaku™ (from Japanese sousaku: search) is a compound puz-

zle. The first step is to solve it as a traditional sudoku puzzle, us-

ing letters instead of numbers. The second step is to search for

words in the solved sudoku. Start from any letter, moving up,

down, forward, backward or diagonally in any direction, chang-

ing direction as needed without reusing the same square for a

word. Although there are nine letters in this puzzle, words can be

longer if you can find them. (If you need a hint, the theme word/

phrase for this puzzle is on page 16.) For extra credit, score the

words using their associated number values to try to find the

highest word points.

Apr i l 2009

Tampa Bay Sounding

CRYPTOPOEM*

Sylvia Zadorozny

U QRPN KYPK U VYPCC IRBRN XPER

P MFRX VCUMMURN KYPI P VIPER

FN FFLUID GUKY PV QUIR P WAUTR

PV NAIV UI DUNCV FN RBRI VMNATR ...

IF U GFIK XPER IFK IFG IFN CPKRN

MIFXRV PV CABRNCRR PV MRNKPKRNV

KNRRV UV XPZR OS QPAIV FN VPKSNV

OAK FICS KPKRNV XPER MRNKPKRNV

& KNRRV UV DNFGI OS VAI QNFX VFZ

& VF PNR KYR VFZV GYF IRRZ P DFZ

OAK MFRKKNRRV CPTE PIS TCAR

Apr i l 2009

KYRS WAVK IRRZ XR

& XPSOR SFA

--RPNCR OUNIRS, "MFRK-KNRR"

* Warning: This month's Cryptopoem contains a few un-usual spellings. Happy solving!

SIMPLE

http://xkcd.com

“Actually, I think if all higher math professors had to write for

the Simple English Wikipedia for a year, we'd be in much better

shape academically.”

Tampa Bay Sounding

ANSWER TO MARCH’S SUZAKU

ANSWER TO MARCH’S CRYPTOPOEM

The wind blows, the sun shines, the birds sing loud,

The blue, blue sky is flecked with fleecy dappled cloud,

Over earth's rejoicing fields the children dance and sing,

And the frogs pipe in chorus, "It is spring! it is spring!"

The grass comes, the flower laughs where lately lay the snow,

O'er the breezy hill-top hoarsely calls the crow,

By the flowing river the alder catkins swing,

And the sweet song-sparrow cries, "Spring! it is spring!"

--from "Wild Geese" by Celia Thaxter

ANSWER TO GEMSTONES! 1(h), 2(d), 3(i), 4(p), 5(c), 6(f), 7(l), 8(o), 9(g), 10(e), 11(q),

12(j), 13(k), 14(m), 15(a), 16(b), 17(n)

Tampa Bay Sounding (USPS 305-830) is published monthly by Tampa Bay Mensa at 9091 St. Andrews Dr, Seminole, Fl 33777. Periodicals postage paid at St. Petersburg, FL. Postmaster: Send address changes to: Tampa Bay Sounding, c/o American Mensa Ltd., 1229 Corporate Dr. West, Arlington, TX 76006-6103.

2008-09 TAMPA BAY MENSA OFFICERS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Apr i l 2009

OTHER CONTACTS

Local Secretary Thomas George Thomas 27647 Sky Lake Circle Wesley Chapel, FL 33544 813-994-3981

[email protected]

Deputy LocSec Sylvia Zadorozny 651 Timber Bay Cir. W. Oldsmar, FL 34677 813-855-4939

[email protected]

Treasurer Kathy Crum 7164 Quail Hollow Blvd. Wesley Chapel, FL 33544 813-907-0526

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Program Officer Maran Fulvi 320 19th St. Palm Harbor, FL 34683 727-421-4728

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Circulation Officer Eloise Hurst 3615 W Renellie Cir Tampa, FL 33629 813-839-2695

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Web Spinner Ronan Heffernan 27504 Breakers Dr. Wesley Chapel, FL 33544 813-732-2310

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Gifted Children’s Coordinator Theresa Hohmann 825 Cypress St Apt C787 Tarpon Springs, FL 34689 727-686-1880

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Membership Officer Maxine Kushner 7442 Hollylake La. New Port Richey, FL 34653 727-841-6043

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Member At Large Barbara Loewe P.O. Box 764 Land O’Lakes, FL 34639 813-968-3343

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RVC, Region 10 Maggie Truelove 3333 Honeysuckle Lane Orlando, FL 32812 407-855-9078

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Ombudsman Frank Clarke 150 Colette Court Oldsmar, FL 34677 727-452-7399

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Testing Coordinator Gina Boogher

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Scribe Jay Johnson 5051 Cardiff Dr Holiday, FL 34690 727-934-9575

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Publisher Sylvester (Les) Milewski 9091 St Andrews Dr Seminole Fl 33777 (727) 397-8483

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Proctors Gina Boogher Barbara Counts Jay Johnson Thomas Thomas Sylvia Zadorozny

Scholarship Chair Marilyn Wolf 9452 Conservation Dr New Port Richey, FL 34655 727-372-9825

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S.I.G.H.T. Coordinator Susan Anderson 10733 Dowry Ave. Tampa, FL 33615 813-494-6517

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Editor Joshua Moore 12016 100th Ave N. Seminole, FL (727) 398-0833

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Open Positions Area Activities Coordinators Meeting Location Scout

American Mensa Ltd. 1229 Corporate Dr. W. Arlington, TX 76006-6103 817-607-0060

[email protected]

April 2009 eSounding - American Mensatampa.us.mensa.org/soundings/sounding_2009_04.pdf · 98th...

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Transcript of April 2009 eSounding - American Mensatampa.us.mensa.org/soundings/sounding_2009_04.pdf · 98th...