Jun-Oct 2013
The Pursuit of Happiness
Cover Photo: Mahesh Vaze “Gudakhu Smile”
In this photograph, Mensan Mahesh Vaze has managed to capture a smile that is instantaneously transferred to the onlooker’s face. You can follow Mahesh’s flickr stream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/54655879@N07
Pursuit of Happiness This is one of those phrases that have always fascinated me. It is perhaps most well-known as a part of a famous line from the United States Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” These lines were drafted by Thomas Jefferson, and are said to have been drawn from the work of English philosopher John Locke, who not only saw happiness as a “natural right,” but further declared that "the highest perfection of intellectual nature lies in a careful and constant pursuit of true and solid happiness". Thus, in a sense, seeking contentment and happiness is not just a question of rights and liberty of man, but also one of the very base urges that define us as human beings. In some way, every action performed by us is a part of this pursuit. It is the pursuit of happiness that gives meaning to life. Of course, society may grant us the right to pursue happiness, but it is up to us to catch it. And what is happiness? We may never know what it is, but we do know that it is not in looking for the answer. It may be in getting what we want, but that’s not necessarily true. Winnie-the-pooh once wondered if it was when eating honey that he was most happy, or was there a moment just before he began to eat it, when he perhaps felt even happier than when he did. Sometimes, happiness is in helping others find happiness. Sometimes, it can quietly take over you before you know it. And at other times, it requires nothing more than just curving your lips in shape and watching your mood magically change, at least by a bit. “Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.” -- Nathaniel Hawthorne
In this Issue: Contributors The Forgotten Pursuit Notes from Marve The Last Resort Quiz Poetry Corner Development Diaries Answers to the Quiz SIGHTed in Delhi
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Shrey Goyal
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The Editor
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Contributors Sumit Ray is an entrepreneur living in Delhi who would like to believe that he makes history more fun through his company Go!Places (goplaces.in). Apart from history, obviously, he loves talking about comics, entrepreneurship, literature, cinema and culture. A Masters in Literature means he can blab on a number of topics without actually knowing anything. He can be reached at sumit.ray@gmail.com to rant more on his favourite subjects, or something entirely new as well.
K. N. Praveen gets paid by HP to be called a Marketing Analyst, with rather questionable work experience in IT and ITeS domains. When he is not warming his seat in HP, he is meeting friends, reading books, browsing the net or generally exploring other such ways of increasing our GDP. He also happens to be the president of the Bangalore Chapter.
Samarth Sharma, at the age of 16, is our youngest contributor by far. He’s currently a student and a Disc Jockey (alias Treb) with a keen interest in music production. He is also an enthusiastic writer with lineage towards poetry and songwriting.
Kishore Asthana is a management consultant and the President of Mensa Delhi/NCR chapter. Kishore is a founder member of the Aam Aadmi Party and is on the advisory board of the Joint Action Forum for Residents’ Welfare Associations, Gurgaon. He has previously worked with the Tata Administrative Services in Muscat, Oman. Kishore often writes on social and spiritual issues for The Speaking Tree and other columns in the Times of India, Mint and the Sunday Guardian. He is also an advisory board member for the Tribal Mensa Nurturing Program.
Shrey Goyal is a Delhi-based social entrepreneur and an energy and climate change geek. He is passionate about the social innovation and development spaces, and has been a writer, speaker, and consultant in these domains. Shrey has previously worked with the World Bank, the Grameen Creative Lab, and Yunus Social Business India. A graduate of IIT Kharagpur, he is a fellow of the Presidential Classroom (Washington DC) and the Australia-India Youth Dialogue, and is on the board of Protsahan, a Delhi-based NGO. Shrey is fond of quizzing, movies and books, and loves to travel. Shrey blogs at shreygoyal.com and tweets at @ShreyGoyal.
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The Forgotten Pursuit Now, there is no way for me to remember when I started down this path. These people have asked me so many times why I did what I did, when did I begin, what made me do it? I simply stare at them, or sometimes at the window behind them, and mumble "I don't know". But, I don't think they believe me, for they keep asking me again and again. They probably believe that I am withholding something, but honestly, I am not. I really don't know. I can barely even remember when they brought me here, and that was the end of my acts, not the beginning. The memories are collapsing in my own mind. I can't remember what I was wearing, or saying. I barely remember the time of day. What I do remember was the disturbingly harsh grip on my arm, the shoving, the stumbling, all of it unwarranted since I had no intention of disobeying or trying to break free. If anything, I was as keen to ask them questions as they were to ask me. But, this was a one-way street, and I didn't seem to be worthy of being allowed my own inquisition. For every "Why did you do it?" that received a shrug, there was a "Why am I here?" that received a scowl. Quite unfair it seemed to me, frankly, because I was answering them truthfully. But, I'm sure they were as much in the dark as I, why else would they keep up this back-and-forth for so long. I don't know dates anymore, just mornings, evenings, days and nights. I don't know family or friends, just friendly faces and non-. I don't know my body or mind, only my reflections, in mirrors and outside. Sometime, soon, I won't know ‘I’ anymore. Soon. I don't know what makes me talk to you. You have nothing new to ask, nor I to answer. But, you are new, and that is something I am thankful for. It's like being given a new book to read after you have read everything else, hopefully a better one. It is difficult to find something new in this world, that's how our lives have become. It's even more difficult
to find something new in this world. But, here you are. Old wine in a new bottle? New wine in a new bottle? Who knows? But, you haven't scowled at me yet, maybe because you are new. You aren't tired of me, or of my limited answers. You even asked me my name, something that no one has asked me in years. It is tragic that I cannot even give you that. Nothing comes to mind. In fact, your name is all I have. That’s a thought! Why don't you tell me about myself? Maybe the others here remember something about me. Maybe there is some record somewhere of the name that goes with this number on my shirt. Why am I here? What did I do? Did I hurt anyone? You will have that information, won't you? Maybe it's in that notebook? Please, if there is anything, share it with me, won't you? I would like to know. It's been so long since I heard some good news. Or any news. It will be nice to have something about myself to think about. Thoughts escape you in a blank world. Don't get me wrong, having no thoughts has made me forget my surroundings. One of the staff here told me I am lucky because that makes me sthir in an a-sthir world. There is apparently value to this quietude. Not to me, though, I neither value it nor disvalue. It’s just how it is and I don't fight it. Yet, now that you are here, let me learn of myself as a stranger. Hah, I don't know what to ask you. My name? Yes, but that doesn't matter much. My crime? No, that's not something I want yet. Tell that to them, not me. Wait, yes, tell me what I did for a living. Or, better yet, tell me what I did to make myself happy. What put a smile on my face, or brought brightness to my days? What made me happy?
Sumit Ray
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Notes from Marve Thoughts and remembrances from the Mensa India Annual General Meeting, 2013 My account of the conspiracies of world domination considered, discussed and budgeted at the Mensa AGM held at a resort called ‘The Resort’ in Mumbai in 2013.
And well, the project was predictably Bangalored. So now, I (read we) need to create a proposal for the site, its features etc. and get it done! But what really struck me most was the passion and zeal these Mensans bring to their “jobs” of being Mensans, office bearers or otherwise. An eavesdropper could easily have mistaken the ExComm. meeting for a high-powered board meeting! Once Mr.Asthana shares the MOM for the meeting, we can discuss the decisions arrived at, logic behind them (or the lack thereof). The Ex-Comm. meeting was followed by the AGM. It was thrown open by Nirav and began with a brief introduction from everyone, and their reasons for joining Mensa. Ranging from “mom told me to” to drawing inspiration from a Jim Carrey movie (okay, that was me), the personal anecdotes were varied, and often witty.
Most of the attendees arrived by around noon, and so did Nirav (President, Mensa India). In his defence, he was at the airport to pick up Mr. Kishore Asthana (President, Mensa Delhi). After a quick round of tea/coffee, the Executive Committee meeting commenced around 12 PM. To my surprise, a bit of shock in fact, I came to know that this was the first time Mensa Bangalore was represented at the India AGM since we were hosting way back in 2007. Attended by all the big guys from Mumbai, Pune and Delhi chapters, the Ex-Comm. meeting was a real eye-opener for me. The experience and dedication of these men in keeping Mensa India running like a well-oiled machine (well, almost!) gave me some perspective on the Hindi phrase “baal dhoop mein nahi safed kiye hain”. The one big take away from the meeting was that the Mensa India website will need to be completely overhauled. Most of the processes will be automated (testing, members’ administration etc.).
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Later in the evening, Shrey, a Mensan from Delhi shared his experiences of working in the field of Social Entrepreneurship. Being associated with ventures which made paper from specialized sources like Rhino and Elephant dung, to stoves running on fuel from rice husk, his resume was, let’s say, diverse! He is the recipient of this year’s Peter Drucker Challenge Award and will be visiting Vienna for it. This triggered an impassioned discussion on the need to have a SiG around Social Entrepreneurship.
With the new rules requiring certain companies to mandatorily apportion a part of their profits for CSR, and how Mensa can help acting as a consultant for screening NGOs/causes to help companies in this regard. The discourses were quite thought provoking! But I really hope we don’t end up vindicating Nirav’s rather close to the home statement that “we are a club of great talkers but not doers”. After closing of the AGM, a few of us had a “spirited” discussion on how we Mensans should only be having “sensible” conversations. Mundane, banal topics like Sports, Entertainment (movies, TV…you get the idea!) were beneath us! So that’s that. A partly fictional, partly hyperbolic, partly factual account of my day spent at the resort called The Resort with Mensans from all over India.
The last day of the meet consisted of fun and games, including a strategy/diplomacy game, and later, a general quiz.
Before I end this, I would request everyone check out Mensa’s Gifted Child Program at tribalmensa.org.
K. N. Praveen
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The Last Resort Quiz Among a host of games and activities at the AGM, Shrey Goyal hosted a quiz for attending members and guests.
You can have a look at the full quiz (including a Long Visual Connect mystery) at http://goo.gl/aVkpzG , although it’s not nearly as exciting as it was with the six warring teams:
Social Enterprise Focus: ElRhino The prizes were sponsored by ElRhino, a unique Assam-based social enterprise that creates elegantly crafted handmade paper and products from elephant and rhinoceros dung and other natural waste. ElRhino works with a dual purpose of conservation of the local ecology and employment generation for local indigenous communities.
The Mumbai and Delhi chapters co-sponsored the prizes as well. The winners of the evening were Nirav Sanghavi and Sanjeev Mohta, while Archis Awate and Ashay Awate (Guest) were the first runners-up, and Rajib Ranjan Borah and Abdulqadir Varawala finished third. They went home with (or more accurately, received home deliveries of) these exquisite and charming Elephant and Rhino print wall-clocks, notebooks, photo-frames and coasters. You can check out these and other ElRhino http://elrhinopaper.com/
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products
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Let’s see if you can figure some of the questions asked. Go on; give it a go (Answers at page 10):
I.
On 20 March 2003, the surprise military invasion of Iraq began without a formal declaration of war, under the US codename Operation Iraqi Liberation, the UK codename Operation Telic, and the Australian codename Operation Falconer. The US operation was then hastily renamed “Operation Iraqi Freedom”. Why?
II.
The most modern and luxurious facilities of the time were on offer, including electric elevators, a swimming pool, a squash court, a Turkish bath, a gymnasium with a mechanical horse and mechanical camel, staterooms and first-class facilities to rival the best hotels on any Continent, a sixstory, glass-domed grand staircase, leading to the finest cuisine, and, if one desired a more intimate atmosphere, the chic Palm Court and Verandah restaurants, and the Café Parisien. Why were these services suddenly discontinued on 10 April 1912?
III.
Commissioned by the British newspaper The Times in 1931, it was made by Stanley Morison and Victor Lardent after Morison had written an article criticizing the newspaper for being badly printed. Its creation was supervised by Morison with
the help of Victor Lardent from the advertising department of The Times. After one year, it was released for commercial sale. It is now used all over the globe. The answer lies here!
VII.
The ___ ___ theory states that ___ __s are short in times when general consumer confidence and excitement is high, meaning the markets are bullish. In contrast, the theory says ___ ___s are long in times of fear and general gloom, indicating that things are bearish. Fill the blanks.
VIII.
____ ____ was a scientific belief prevalent amongst ancient Greek Scientists and philosophers around the 4th century BC. The ___ ___ Society was founded by Englishman Samuel Shenton in 1956, and later led by Charles K. Johnson, who claimed the UN supports the belief through their flag.
IX.
Based on the novel Rarahu ou Le Mariage de Loti (inspired by Kalidas’s Abhijnanashakuntalam), Léo Delibes wrote an opera called ____, with a protagonist called Lakshmi, the name of which went to inspire which brand?
X.
"I took a beach chair down to the beach and sat down. And I’m thinking, ‘How the hell am I going to pull this off?’ I was just thinking to myself, ‘What do I need? Well, the first thing I need is some sort of code.’ And the only code I knew of was Morse code. You know, I had to learn that in the Boy Scouts when I was a youngster. And I was thinking, [singing] ‘dit-dit-dit, dahdahdah, dit-dit-dit’. Remember what that is? That’s SOS. Dit-dit-dit was S. I stuck my four fingers down into the sand and for whatever reason I pulled them to myself.” This is a chap named Joe Woodland speaking. What did he go on to invent?
IV. The ______ line shown above is a 10-km long defensive line built during the second World War in Switzerland, named after _____ due to their apparent similarity. Fill in the blanks.
V.
VI.
Princess Irina of Russia sued MGM in 1932 for libel after the release of Rasputin and the Empress, which insinuated that the character Princess Natasha had been raped by Rasputin. What “trend” in Hollywood films did this start? This cricketer was considered as perhaps the greatest all-rounder of his time. In all, he took 1,109 first-class wickets with a bowling average of 10.32 He was also a fine batsman (4,140 first-class runs with a batting average of 14.12, an average which was very good for the time!!). He retired from cricket in 1863 at the relatively early age of 37 as a result of rheumatism . In later years, among other things, began selling cricket equipment in Leamington Spa. He was posthumously selected as Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1913, 50 years after his retirement from first-class cricket. Identify him.
Answers on Page 10
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Poetry Corner The Last Soar
The Happiness I Seek
I kept my feet on earth
Though, indeed, it is most inviting
My eyes to the sky
O Rumi, I seek not happiness thine
Hoping to flap my wings
For I am too human and at this time
For the last time
I have no wish to become divine
And glide, on the wind tide The pouring, for the world,
Along the riverbank, water whispers
Is assuagement
Wings of birds murmur and flap
But my wings
Beetles scuttle below buzzing bees
Cannot take the droplet's weight.
Leaves rustle, twigs snap
Time has come for me to make The last journey I'll ever make
In this world, firmly on ground
I see the light, the final fate
I dwell in silence amid the sound
If i could just be around
And wish I could feel, in my heart awhile
Till spring came
The happiness I've seen in a baby's smile
I thought, past heaven's door That he may come no more.
Samarth Sharma
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Kishore Asthana
The Purpose of Development The season of elections is upon us, and it’s on everyone’s mind. Even otherwise, politics dominates our conversations, our thoughts, our lives, days in, days out, and most political or policyrelated decisions in India, especially hot-button issues such as NREGA or the Food Security Bill, boil down to the idea of furthering development.
nation, let us go back to the words which marked the beginning of this journey. Opening with the memorable line, “Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny…” the speech goes on to state: “The ambition of the greatest man of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye. That may be beyond us, but as long as there are tears and suffering, so long our work will not be over.”
So, what is the point of it all? Not to sound nihilistic about it, but what is the end goal that all these efforts, to make our nation from a ‘developing’ one to a ‘developed’ one, are in pursuit of?
Isn’t that what progress should be about? The happiness of our fellow Indians, isn’t that what we believe destiny holds for us? In fact, Pandit Nehru explicitly states in the later part of the famous address:
To answer that, let’s refer to an old adage from the field of management, which states that if an attribute or parameter cannot be measured, it cannot be managed, and thus cannot be consciously improved upon. Following this train of thought, we can infer that the most commonly cited indicator of progress in the great Republic of India, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), must measure the end goal of development. Now what this means, is that the optimisation of “market value of all officially recognized final goods and services produced” within India is at the forefront of efforts as a nation.
“The future beckons to us. Whither do we go and what shall be our endeavour? To bring freedom and opportunity to the common man, to the peasants and workers of India; to fight and end poverty and ignorance and disease; to build up a prosperous, democratic and progressive nation, and to create social, economic and political institutions which will ensure justice and fullness of life to every man and woman.
This reminds me of an old joke, about an intoxicated gentleman down on all fours under a streetlight near his house. When a concerned neighbour enquires, he replies that he dropped his keys at his door, but can’t find them. The confused well-wisher asks why he was looking for them so far away from where they were lost, and our irritated drunken friend answers, “Because I can see better over here!” And that is how we end up reframing our goals and motives as a society. It’s not about putting our nation on sale and counting the first bidder’s offer. And yet, we do precisely that, simply because it’s a well-lit street corner, and we needn’t get into the obscurities of the unquantifiable. Having crossed the 66th anniversary of our taking on the tryst with destiny as an independent
We have hard work ahead. There is no resting for any one of us till we redeem our pledge in full, till we make all the people of India what destiny intended them to be.” While the GDP may be a convenient yardstick, by no means should that allow us to forget the great Indian pursuit. Education, health, removal of poverty, provision of justice, and a fulfilling life, for all citizens. Freedom, and opportunity, for everyone to be what destiny intended them to be. For every Indian, to be happy.
Shrey Goyal Development Diaries is a column that aims to open a window into the lives at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid. The author hopes that the reader shall ponder upon their own role and responsibility in bringing greater social equity to the world they live in.
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Answers to the Last Resort Quiz I.
‘Operation Iraqi Liberation’ shortens to OIL, possibly exposing the hidden American agenda behind the siege.
VI.
John Wisden
VII.
The Skirt Length Theory (Refer to http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/skir tlengththeory.asp )
VIII.
Flat Earth
II. They were aboard the Titanic
IX.
III.
TIMES NEW ROMAN (Did you notice this question ‘looked’ different from the rest?)
X. The Humble Barcode
IV. V.
The All-Persons-Fictitious Disclaimer: All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
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You can have a look at the full quiz (including a Long Visual Connect) at http://goo.gl/aVkpzG
SIGHTed in Delhi
The Mensa SIGHT Program SIGHT — the Service of Information, Guidance and Hospitality to Travellers — was proposed and founded in June 1967 by June Alexander Solntseff, then living in Australia. Her proposal was reminiscent of an idea proposed in 1959 by Victor Serebriakoff, one of Mensa's most influential leaders. It is one of the most interesting and rewarding services Mensa offers as part of membership.
(L-R) Shrey Goyal, Samarth Sharma, Ajay Kumar Singh, Akil Laxman, Vikas Kumar, Col.Ajay Chaturvedi, Kishore Asthana, and Ratan Singh Rathore.
Ms.Ingrid David, the President of Mensa France, paid a visit to India in October 2013. She visited Bangalore, Mysore, Kochi, Trivandrum, Mumbai, New Delhi, and Allahabad, and was a guest at the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan Golden jubilee celebrations in Trivandrum, where she was hosted by Ambassador (Rtd.) T.P. Seeenivasan. Ingrid later participated in the Mensa India Delhi chapter meeting in October 2013, and exchanged insights about the similarities and differences in cultures and ways of life between the two nations and people. She also discussed the various activities undertaken by members of Mensa France. Munhaeng Heo, Mensan from South Korea now living in Gurgaon, also joined us for the meeting.
As an international service, SIGHT allows members to enjoy the company and hospitality of Mensans from around this country and from more than 40 other countries. Members are encouraged to experience the SIGHT program both as hosts and as guests, and to share their experiences.
The World Journal The Mensa World Journal (previously the Mensa International Journal) is the membership magazine for Mensa International, Ltd., and is produced under the auspices of the Mensa International Board of Directors. The Mensa World Journal consists of articles and advertisements of interest to members worldwide. The Journal carries news from International Mensa and appears in many national Mensa magazines 10 months per year. The following pages are from the Mensa World Journal.
Ingrid works in the Media Production space in France, and is currently working on a TV documentary (mini-series) about India. We look forward to meeting her again, and wish her the best.
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mensa world journal september 2013 issue 009
from the director of administration... A
former chairman and Honorary President of Mensa International, the late Victor Serebriakoff, used to speak of his golden vision of Mensa as a global village. Mensa did indeed become that but with the technological facilities of our time, the realm of Mensa has grown far beyond a village and is more akin to a small city. With approximately 120,000 inhabitants, this global city exists in a parallel dimension, and has a portal in every part of the world. Some candidates who receive letters of acceptance are happy just to have the visa to this global city in their pockets for possible use one day. Others actually join and get their passports, but are content just to go to the airport to be able to say, “I’ve been there, I am a member.” Some even set foot outside the airport and start to explore the city, but after a first encounter – good, bad or indifferent – think that this typifies Mensa Nothing could be further from the truth. As in every city, there is a wide gamut of people, areas, cultures and events. Every city has its Left Bank of artists, its Greenwich Village of writers; its Wall Street of investors, its Fleet Street of Journalists. So, too, does Mensa. But one needs to seek out these areas; knowledge of the city comes through exploration, wandering down winding alleys, cul de sacs, retracking from deadends and not being distracted by difficult people and other obstacles. And when found, mensa world journal september 2013
what riches! The Mensa Greenwich Village, for example, includes Jean Aeul, creator of the Clan of the Cave Bear, Dr Jack Cohen, scientific writer, SciFi writers such as Arthur C Clarke, and many, many more. We have hundreds of writers who write magazine articles, short stories, romantic novels, poetry, academic tracts … and we have thousands of writers who have yet to put pen to paper. Who knows what will emanate from their pens and word processors? Mensan Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, didn’t write his first novel until the age of 53. Now he is a household name. Every city also has its ethnic centres: its Chinatowns, its Bohemian quarters; these are easiest to find in Mensa, because of our real-life geographical divisions into national Mensas. Your citizenship in our Mensan realm gives you entry to all quarters; meetings in every part of the world; all enjoying a slightly different flavour and emphasis. And best yet, you can visit several at once: EMAG (European Mensa Annual Gathering) introduces one to Mensans in Europe; AMAG to Mensans in Asia. Last year the AMAG, for example, was held in Bali. Despite this being a popular holiday destination, the theme was a serious one: ‘Global Brains for the Poor’ and three days of combined M energy was directed towards means of ensuring education for those who couldn’t yet afford to access even the most basic of the three Rs. And, just as in real-world cities,
Therese Moodie-Bloom
we have a wide range of socioeconomic strata and members have a wide range of educational levels (some not having completed grade school but ably self-educated, others heads of their academic fields in universities around the world) - with widely divergent occupations, and personalities. While this global city of Mensa lies in a very accessible notional dimension, with entry tests and IQ scores as portals, it sometimes seems that we have slipped through a different portal – a looking-glass - and ended up in Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland! Like Alice, we meet weird and wonderful people. And, as in Wonderland, our Mensa global city inhabitants can be fascinating, extremely clever, eccentric, odd, rude at times, strident, or gentle and kindly; they often appear to speak in riddles, and can be quite unconventional. In my twenty years of Mensa membership I have met them all. I have empathized with some members who have been turned away by the more strident characters who sometimes seem to dominate a meeting, but Mensa is far bigger and greater than any local group. Explore the
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mensa world journal Mensa realm as you would any new city – you will find wonderful surprises if you keep seeking. Prior to joining Mensa I had enjoyed a variety of occupations and lifestyles: a magic childhood on a sunny Sydney beach, as a rebellious university student, a musician in Viet Nam and SE Asia during the war, a teacher of classical music in Europe, an English language teacher in the Middle East, and a puzzles columnist for a national newspaper. I lived and worked in both first and third world countries, I experienced Islamic, Bhuddist and Christian religious environments, and lived under many types of government. Yet Mensa has further enriched my life immeasurably, in innumerable ways. I am proud to have this opportunity to give something back to Mensa, as Director of Administration.
Therese Moodie-Bloom admin-mil@mensa.org
Mark Your Diaries October 4 - 8 GOM (Mensa Croatia Annual Gathering) gom@mensa.hr October 26 - 28 Dutch October-Weekend More details to come November 22 - 24 Australian Mensa Conference + Kids’ Conference.www. mensa.org.au/amc-2013 amc2013@mensa.org.au Nov 29 - Dec 8 Australian MAP (Mensans At Play) Camp: www.mapsig. com mensa world journal september 2013
the man behind our science news... John Blinke has been writing for Mensa publications for 23 years and his column, SuppleMentally, has been of widespread interest to members worldwide during that time. Many, many thanks to John - the longest-serving contributor to the International Journal and now the Mensa World Journal.
John lives in Rochester Hills, Michigan, USA. He joined Mensa in 1984 and is a life member. He’s an electrician/thermographer for Ford Motor Company, is single, has no kids and is 62 years old. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English at Wayne State University in 1973, has been a civil defense volunteer and is a trained tornado spotter. He blames his sixth grade science teacher for his interest in science. “Dr Norvel Scott treated my class like a group of lab assistants. He even took us on tours of other schools to show off the observational skills he taught us. Dr. Scott’s classroom was lined with aquariums full of ant colonies, frog eggs, lizards ...” SuppleMentally was created by then-editor of the American Mensa Bulletin, Kent Van Cleave. He asked John to take over the column in 1990, and he has been writing it ever since! John hosts a monthly Mensa science discussion group called RAM (Rochester Area Mensa) and has given science presentations at a
number of RGs and AGs on varied topics. He also helped organize two Colloquia: Dark Matter and Human Consciousness. His local group is Southeast Michigan Mensa (SEMM) and for his contribution to all things Mensa, he was given a Mensa Service Award in 1992. He drifts between a number of “nerdy” hobbies: ham radio, astronomy, rocketry, chemistry, and “just fooling around to find stuff out”. John reads a lot of periodicals and listens to dozens of podcasts, he doesn’t watch TV and only turns on broadcast radio for weather forecasts. “Years ago,” John writes, “I read about flying saucers, meditation and witchcraft, among other things. All swore to be the TRUTH, but none of them were. When I discovered science, it claimed to know nothing with certainty, but it tried honestly to find things out. It is still trying. And, so am I.”
September 19-23
International Board of Directors Meeting Calgary, Canada
www.ibd2013.com
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mensa world journal overcoming the odds... John Pirola recently joined American Mensa in Minnesota. His road to Mensa was a rather different - and more difficult - path than is usual. John outlines his journey for us below. Earlier this year, I stumbled upon the Mensa Brain Test app and was immediately hooked. Having completed all the tests, I purchased a book of Mensa puzzles and found these to be even more challenging. Completely intrigued by these puzzles, I began to wonder if I was physically capable of enduring the formal Mensa Admissions Test...
In 2001, I had been diagnosed with a cholesterol granuloma located deep within the base of my skull. Though benign, this aggressive tumor had eroded significant bone mass and, left unchecked, would soon have damaged my cranial nerves and/or infiltrated my brain tissue. Eight years and half a dozen surgeries later, the tumor relentlessly recurred yet again and I suffered a traumatic brain stem injury during another surgery in 2010. Fortunately, I finally found a surgeon who was able to eradicate the tumor in 2011; to him I am eternally grateful. Upon awaking from the 2010 surgery, I was paralyzed on the left side. After months of intensive physical therapy, I re-learned to walk and use my left arm fairly well, but still have other lingering physical issues to this day. As a result of this brain injury, I unfortunately struggle with severe facial pain on a daily basis. This intractable pain is exacerbated by any activity, including speaking and prolonged concentration, which has forced me to leave the workforce altogether. Over the years, I had several breaks in my mensa world journal september 2013
employment as a contracts professional (drafting and negotiating various contractual documents for the defense, software and healthcare industries), but I always returned to work. Since the brain injury, however, I have been unable to seek another position similar to the last one I held as Director of Contracts and Procurement. All known surgeries, drugs and treatment options have proven unsuccessful, including intrathecal infusions of incredibly powerful drugs via an implanted pain pump, which was recently surgically removed. However, although the injury was physically devastating, my cognitive functions, fortunately, remain intact. Rather concerned that these too might atrophy without continued mental stimulation, I made a concerted effort to work my brain on a regular basis. This has been rather challenging since the act of focused concentration exacerbates my condition fairly quickly. Nonetheless, I had been working hard each day by engaging in various mental activities (mostly on my iPhone), e.g. playing chess, Soduku and working on analytical puzzles. Then I began to concentrate on Mensa puzzles! In an effort to foster a teachable moment for my four young children (two boys and two girls, ages
eight to fourteen), I decided to sign up for the test and give it a try, understanding that the outcome was secondary to putting forth my best effort. Each day, as my children diligently studied and pored over their homework, I too was deep in thought, reviewing countless Mensa puzzles while fighting through the exacerbated pain. I decided to use this increased mental activity as a precursor to also increasing my physical activity in an effort to further build upon my already extraordinarily high pain tolerance. My ultimate goal: having the ability to re-engage with my family, as I had effectively become a housebound invalid since the injury. As the May 2013 test date approached, my children’s excitement level began to surpass my own and provided additional impetus to continue my preparation. Not surprisingly, the test experience required a Herculean effort (both mentally and physically), but in the end, it was worth it, as this exercise went a long way in further increasing my pain tolerance - not to mention the fact that I somehow scored high enough on the test to gain admission into Mensa! Upon hearing the news that I had achieved a score at or above the 98th percentile, my eight year old daughter
“Not surprisingly, the test experience required a Herculean effort (both mentally and physically), but in the end, it was worth it...�
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mensa world journal Dyslexia - an overview is a problem of letters and word reversals; juxtapositions of letters, words or entire sentences. These “Dyslexia is a speech learning disability “move about” that is neurobiological in origin. It is or “dance” characterized by difficulties with accu- and appear in rate and/or fluent word recognition and various posiby poor spelling and decoding abilities. tions on the These difficulties typically result from page being a deficit in the phonological component read. But, writing and reading words of language that is often unexpected backwards is quite common in the in relation to other cognitive abilities incipient stages of learning to read and and the provision of effective classroom write among both the “average” and instruction.” (Lyon, Shaywitz and the dyslexic person. The presence of Shaywitz 2003) this “extra condition” does not necesThe word “dyslexia” is made up sarily indicate a reading disability. of two distinct parts: “dys”, meaning (Reading disability is the most com“not” or “difficult”, and “lexia”, mean- mon and carefully studied of all learning “words”, “reading” or “language”. ing disabilities, affecting 80 percent of Research indicates that the dyslexic’s those who are learning- disabled). problem originates in the brain, more Dyslexia is neurobiological in precisely in the geniculate body in the origin, meaning that it is a physical thalamus. At the heart of the problem problem in the brain. Dyslexia is not of the dyslexic is his or her inability the result of poverty, developmental to correctly identify speech sounds delay, speech or hearing impediment in spoken language. A “short circuit” or learning a second language. Chilin the medial geniculate area in the dren with dyslexia often show two auditory thalamus causes an error in main difficulties when asked to read the processing of speech sound. Hence, a grade-level appropriate text: they dyslexic or “reading disabled” adults will not be able to read by first sight and children incorrectly transfer audi- as many words as the average reader; tory information from the ear to the guessing, stumbling, and unsuccesscortex. fully attempting to sound out some The dyslexic adult and child do words. Secondly, they will often show not lack the intelligence necessary to decoding difficulties: they will not be read as a “normal” person; however, very accurate in using letter-sound persons with dyslexia have difficulty relationships in combination with reading and explaining isolated words context to identify unknown words. and entire texts. A common misunDyslexia is a condition that affects derstanding about dyslexia is that it people from childhood through to
Thomas Hally
Although most of us have the ability to read and write with little or no hindrance, for the dyslexic, these fundamental skills are elusive and difficult to master. Before I go any further, let us look at one very good definition of “dyslexia”:
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old age. With remedial instruction, some of the difficulties can be helped significantly. Imaging research has shown that the brains of people with dyslexia show different and less efficient patterns of speech and sound processing than average readers during specific tasks. One commonly used method for imaging brain function is functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a safe, non-invasive method that measures physiological signs of neural activation using a powerful magnet to pinpoint blood flow. Participants perform tasks while “under the magnet” rather than letting the activity of the brain be measured while it is “at rest”. Hence, the fMRI technique is “functional”. In a 2003 study (Hayward et al) using brain-imaging techniques, 10 children with dyslexia were compared with 11 average readers before a 28-hour intervention that only the students with dyslexia received. The two groups of students were compared in “out-of-magnet” reading tests as well as sound identification tasks based on level of activation. The results showed that while the control children showed (continued on p06)
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mensa world journal a look inside children’s minds When young children gaze intently at something or furrow their brows in concentration, you know their minds are busily at work. But you’re never entirely sure what they’re thinking. Now you can get an inside look. Psychologists led by the University of Iowa for the first time have peered inside the brain with optical neuroimaging to quantify how much 3- and 4-year-old children are grasping when they survey what’s around them and to learn what areas of the brain are in play. The study looks at “visual working memory,” a core cognitive function in which we stitch together what we see at any given point in time to help focus attention. In a series of object-matching tests, the researchers found that 3-year-olds can hold a maximum of 1.3 objects in visual working memory, while 4-year-olds reach capacity at 1.8 objects. By comparison, adults max out at 3 to 4 objects, according to prior studies. “This is literally the first look into a 3 and 4-year-old’s brain in action in this particular working memory task,” says John Spencer, psychology professor at the UI and corresponding author of the paper, which appears in the journal NeuroImage. The research is important, because visual working memory perfomance has been linked to a variety of childhood disorders, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, developmental coordination disorder as well as affecting children born prematurely. The goal is to use the new brain imaging technique to detect these disorders before they manifest themselves in children’s behavior later on. “At a young age, children may behave the same,” notes Spencer, who’s also affiliated with the Delta Center and whose department is part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, “but if you can distinguish these prob lems in the brain, then it’s possible to mensa world journal september 2013
intervene early and get children on a more standard trajectory.” Plenty of research has gone into better understanding visual working memory in children and adults. Those prior studies divined neural networks in action using function magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). That worked great for adults, but not so much with children, especially young ones, whose jerky movements threw the machine’s readings off kilter. So, Spencer and his team turned to functional nearinfrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), which has been around since the 1960s but has never been used to look at working memory in children as young as three years of age. Like fMRI, fNIRS records neural activity by measuring the difference in oxygenated blood concentrations anywhere in the brain. You’ve likely seen similar technology when a nurse puts your finger in a clip to check your circulation. In the brain, when a region is activated, neurons fire like mad, gobbling up oxygen provided in the blood. Those neurons need another shipment of oxygen-rich blood to arrive
to keep going. The fNIRS measures the contrast between oxygen-rich and oxygen-deprived blood to gauge which area of the brain is going full tilt at a point in time. The researchers outfitted the youngsters with colorful, comfortable ski hats in which fiber optic wires had been woven. The children played a computer game in which they were shown a card with one to three objects of different shapes for two seconds. After a pause of a second, the children were shown a card with either the same or different shapes. They responded whether they had seen a match or not. The tests revealed novel insights. First, neural activity in the right frontal cortex was an important barometer of higher visual working memory capacity in both age groups. This could help clinicians evaluate children’s visual working memory at a younger age than before, and work with those whose capacity falls below the norm, the
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mensa world journal researchers say. Secondly, 4-year olds showed a greater use than 3-year olds of the parietal cortex, located in both hemispheres below the crown of the head and which is believed to guide spatial attention. “This suggests that improvements in performance are accompanied by increases in the neural response,” adds Aaron Buss, a UI graduate student in psychology and the first author on the paper. “Further work will be needed to explain exactly how the neural response increases - either through changes in local tuning, or through changes in long range connectivity, or some combination.” Contributing authors include David Boas from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and Nicholas Fox, research assistant at the UI. (http://now.uiowa.edu/2013/06/lookinside-childrens-minds)
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squealed with delight. The next day, she told her whole class that, although her Daddy is very sick, he’s still smart and now “does Mensa”. Aside from my helpful Mensa test proctor with whom I still communicate from time to time, I have not yet met any other Mensans. Hopefully, the daily struggle to increase my pain tolerance will afford me the opportunity to do so (before too long), as I have been unable to socialize on a one-to-one basis much at all since the injury, let alone in a large, public setting. Otherwise, perhaps my current team of physicians may be able to eventually identify a helpful treatment option. I remain cautiously optimistic... mensa world journal september 2013
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no differences between the two readings, the dyslexic students showed a significant increase in activation in those areas important for reading and language during the phonological task. Before the intervention, the readingdisabled children showed significant under-activation in these areas compared with the control children. The profiles of both groups were very similar when the treatment was over. This appears to be good news, although a word of caution is advisable. The results are somewhat “suspect” due to a lack of specificity about the intervention that was provided, the small sample size, and the lack of an experimental control group. All is not negative for the dyslexic, however. The average reading-disabled person has a pretty nifty” collection of abilities and assets which can be of great use in the right situation. Dyslexics are hyper-perceptive and environmentally-aware; highly curious, intuitive and insightful, and they have
lively imaginations. Most are very creative, adaptable to change, and they are holistic, getting to the gist of the matter and not getting “bogged down” in details. And above all, dyslexics are often leaders and in charge of their destiny. There have been many, many accomplished people in the annals of history who are dyslexic, among them: Alexander Graham Bell, actress Ann Bancroft, Pierre Curie, Thomas Edison, Michael Faraday, Albert Einstein, and actor Tom Cruise. There are currently a number of research studies in progress with the goal of determining the most effective and utilitarian methods of intervention to help the child or adult afflicted with dyslexia. The future looks very bright indeed for the reading-disabled person.
“Dyslexia is neurobiological in origin, meaning that it is a physical problem in the brain.”
References: 1)“Dyslexia and the Brain: What Does Current Research Tell Us?” by Roxanne F. Hudson, Leslie High, and Stephanie Al Otaiba. LD online (2007). 2)“New Insights into the Neuroscience of Dyslexia” by Rick Nauert, PhD, Senior News Editor. Psychcentral.com 3)“The Upside of Dyslexia” by Anne Murphy Paul. The New York Times Sunday Review.
S.I.G.H.T SIGHT is an acronym meaning Service for Information, Guidance, and Hospitality to Travellers. SIGHT connects Mensans who want to meet other Mensans. Some travel themselves while others give advice to travellers including the best places to stay or visit. SIGHT also puts members in touch with each other as hosts and guests, providing each party with the information to make contact.
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mensa world journal books tom elliott This Way Madness Comes by Robert Alan (Cycd Press). Although written for entertainment purposes, this tale admittedly touches upon the dangers of the double-edged sword of technology and extreme ideologies. And a spellbinding tale it is. In a remote Arctic laboratory, Soviet scientist Alexi Truskov discovers a virtually unlimited source of energy (no, it isn’t cold fusion) that sets off a desperate intercontinental race for a device that could change the course of human history – or end it. A thriller full of unexpected twists and turns both in the air and under the sea, the book’s cover sports more seals than a well-used passport, including the 2011 International Book Award for “Best New Fiction” and 2011 Indie Excellence Award for “Fiction/Adventure”. Navigating the Pathways to Modern Life by Patrick Fritton (Good Oak Press LLC). Conflict in life is nothing new, but what seems to cause us the most strife is getting along with others. Designed to be a “swissarmy tool for life’s problems”, this self-help guide focuses on these relationships: how to understand them and rebalancing ourselves to solve life’s problems, big and small. But it gets quite deep and requires levels and charts showing the
interactions of many different categories such as physical, psychological, mental, volitional, spiritual, and metaphysical and how they all combine to affect who we are, what we believe, and how we behave. Getting the Best Price on a Used Car by Lynnette Hartwig (CreateSpace). A mechanical engineer, mechanic, daughter of an auto repair shop manager, and journeyman toolmaker, Lynnette has the chops to steer you right not only about choosing the best car for you, haggling over the price, arranging for financing, and getting the most for your trade-in, but also about finding a good mechanic, negotiating warranty work and repairs, and the many other details of car ownership. Bottom line: if you’re planning to buy a used buggy, don’t leave home without this guide!
sites to which she alludes. Morgan’s quiet life in Sutton alongside her cat, Juliet, is suddenly shattered when she stumbles across a body in Sutton Woods, first assuming an accident but soon suspecting something more sinister, a turn that puts her life in danger. To tempt you further, know that Lisa has woven in bits and pieces of poetry, literature, science-fiction, computergaming, yoga, music, and other elements that Mensans will especially understand and appreciate. God, Angels, Yoga, and Maslow: A Search for Meaning in a Chaotic World by Andrew A. Kenny (CreateSpace). I’m not all that keen on self-help books in general, but I’ve always wanted to learn a bit more about yoga and Buddhism, and this book provides a relatively painless way for me to do so. Andrew describes the effects of moving up in Maslow’s Hierarchy beyond the God Union level that characterizes Christianity and delineates the distinctions between insights derived from experiential versus those from intellectual knowledge. Don’t let all the tables and diagrams throw you off, as everything will begin to fall together and start making sense as you continue.
Aspen Allegations: A Sutton Mass. Mystery by Lisa Shea (Minerva Webworks LLC). Lisa, as I’ve mentioned before, is the founder and leader of the Boston Mensan Writers group and a prolific author in her own right. I love stories set locally, and am familiar with All books reviewed in this column are Sutton, Purgatory Chasm, and other authored by Mensans.
Check www.mensa.org for contact details of events open to all members internationally mensa world journal september 2013
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mensa world journal What do these organizations share in common?
What do these people share in common?
Mensa International Board of Directors invites you to a gala secret agent induction session and banquet Saturday, September 21, 2013 at 7:00 pm Delta Bow Valley – 209 – 4th Avenue SE, Calgary Spy Wear
international directory Chairman: Ms Elissa Rudolph chairman-mil@mensa.org Tel: +31 (0)20 661 2718 Director Admin: Ms Therese Moodie-Bloom +612 99549937 admin-mil@mensa.org Director Development: Mr Mr Björn Liljeqvist development-mil@mensa.org Treasurer: Mr Rudolf Challupner treasurer-mil@mensa.org Dir. Smaller National Mensas: Mr Lars Endre Kjølstad dsnm-mil@mensa.org Hon. President: Dr Abbie Salny 407 Breckenridge, Wayne NJ 07470 USA Tel: +1 973 305 0055 SIGHTCoord: Mr Steve Mai SIGHT@mensa.org Int. SIG Coord: Ms Barbara Kryvko sigs@mensa.org Ombudsman:Mr Martyn Davies ombudsman@mensa.org
editorial staff
Editor: Ms Kate Nacard 407/23 Corunna Rd, Stanmore NSW 2048 Australia Tel: +61 2 9516 1024 mwjeditor@mensa.org Science: Mr John Blinke Johnb44221@cs.com Books: Mr Tom Elliott tme@verizon.net Feature Articles: Mr Thomas Hally tjh@thomas-hally.com Executive Director: Mr Michael Feenan, Slate Barn, Church Lane, Caythorpe, Lincolnshire NG32 3EL, UK Tel/Fax+44(0)1400272 675 mensainternational@mensa.org The Mensa World Journall (MWJ) is produced under the auspices of the Mensa International Board of Directors. Mandatory content as identified by the MWJ editor must be published in every national Mensa magazine. Publication of other content is recommended but optional. Opinions expressed in the MWJ are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of any other individual or any official Mensa body. Submission Guidelines: Language: English only. Text: MS Word (Windows), .rtf (Word/Mac), plain text, PageMaker (Windows), InDesign (Windows) Length: 500 word limit. Send by e-mail, fax, snail mail to the Editor. The Editor reserves the right to include or edit submissions for space and content considerations. All unoriginal submissions must be accompanied by written permission for publication from the original author.Permission is granted for MWJ articles to be reprinted in any Mensa publication provided that the author, MWJ and MWJ’s editor are acknowledged. Permission must be sought from the MWJ editor for reprinting of any part of the MWJ in non-Mensa publications.
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