Conversation with London Mensans 8 AM. See Thursday, January 27th.

Downtown Lunch: Virtual 1 PM. See Tuesday, January 25th.

Rainbow SIG Potluck 6 PM. Potluck and Holiday Charades at a home in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago. The maximum number of attendees have already RSVPed for this event.

Futures & Fantasies 2:15 PM. F&F will discuss Chasing New Horizons, by Alan Stern. Human curiosity about the outer reaches of the solar system started centuries ago, with the discovery of Uranus by William Herschel in 1781. By the 1830s it was known the planet’s orbit was not quite what Newton’s laws predicted — so much so that it violated Kepler’s 2nd law. “In the 1840s the astronomer-mathematicians Urbain Le Verrier in France and John Couch Adams in England both began searching for explanations to these anomalies—which turned out to be the existence of Neptune.” In 1930 astronomer Charles Tombaugh discovered Pluto. By the late 1980s, successful flybys of Jupiter and Uranus inspired Stern and colleagues to form the Pluto Underground, to see to it that the most distant planet was given its just due of attention. “Working with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and NASA, Stern and his team braved funding cuts, political fights, and bureaucratic red tape to plan, design, build, and fly [three billion miles at 32,000 mph] the Pluto-bound spaceship. Interspersed among the scientific and engineering details of the mission are moving stories, such as Pluto discoverer Tombaugh’s widow giving Stern some of the astronomer’s ashes to put aboard the spacecraft. Stern also shares the emotional impact the endeavor had on himself and his colleagues.” See the ar­ticle in the December 2021 ChiMe for more details. If COVID is still an issue (and I [Steve] suspect it will be), we will meet via Zoom. If it is no longer a problem, we hope to meet in Conference Room G on the 3rd floor of the Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake Street in Oak Park. Water, soda and light snacks are acceptable. Parking is available under the building. To RSVP , or for more information about this event and/or SIG, contact Steve M., the SIG coördinator. F&F usually meets on the second Sunday of most odd-numbered months.
Virtual Event!!

Downtown Lunch: Virtual 1 PM. See Tuesday, January 25th.

Conversation with London Mensans 8 AM. See Thursday, January 27th.

Rock­ford Mensa Dinner 6:30 PM. Join Dave and other Rockford-Area Mensans for dinner at Franchesco’s Ristorante, lo­cated at 7128 Spring Creek Rd. in Rockford (just east of Perryville Rd. and behind JMK Nippon restaurant). To RSVP , for more information, or to get on our e‑mail list, contact Dave L., our Rockford-Area Coördinator. RSVP required in case of cancellation or restaurant change. This event is usually recurs on the second Friday of the month.
IL Indoor Mask Mandate Applies!!

Poetry Dis­cus­sion 7:30 PM. Our poetry group is using Zoom — now with closed captions — for meetings. Interested persons who are not currently members of the poetry group can contact Joe D. , and he will e-mail the poems to be discussed. Contact Roy L. for the Zoom link or any help you might need. This event is usually held on evening of the second Friday of the month.
Virtual Event!!

Beverly Area Saturday Salon (B.A.S.S.) ~Noon. Spontaneous conversation in far SSW Chicago, approx­i­mate vicinity of 107th St. & Western Ave. Please contact Rick E. the Beverly Area Coördinator, for this month’s lo­ca­tion and the exact time as well as more information; if e‑mailing, put “BASS” in the subject line. This event usually recurs on the 3rd Saturday of the month, about midday.
IL Indoor Mask Mandate Applies!!

Conserv­atives Lunch 1 PM. Join other members of the Mensan cell of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy for lunch and civilized Un-PC conversation. No forbidden questions, no unchallengeable answers. This lunch happens on the third Saturday every month, but the location changes and can’t always be determined in time to make the ChiMe schedule. If you’re curious about the location and the COVID restrictions at this month’s meeting place, e-mail Jim Z. the event coör­di­na­tor. Open to non-Mensans; bring a conservative friend.
IL Indoor Mask Mandate Applies!!

Dinner in in the North­west Suburbs: Chinese 6 PM. We will be dining at Lao Sze Chuan which serves highly rated Chinese cuisine. Separate checks are accommodated. The restaurant is lo­cated at 9434 Skokie Blvd. in Skokie.

This is a a GOBS-subsidized event where ½ the total cost (including tax plus a 20% tip, rounded up to the nearest dollar) of a CAM member’s, and up to one guest’s, dinner will be covered for up to $25/person. A refund­able deposit of $25/person is required to reserve your spot. For dinners exceeding $50, the additional amount must be given to Ken, the event host, immediately after the bill is presented. For meals costing less than $50, the deposit amount re­fund­ed will be $25 minus ½ the total cost rounded down to the nearest dollar. See more details on Meetup. RSVP (Meetuppreferred; otherwise via e-mail) at least 24 hours in advance and submit your PayPal payment using Ken L.’s e‑mail address. Everyone will be notified of either their confirmed seat (based on received deposit order) or their position on a waiting list. Deposits will be re­funded for cancellations prior to the dinner.
IL Indoor Mask Mandate Applies!!

Conversation with London Mensans 8 AM. See Thursday, January 27th.

Downtown Lunch: Virtual 1 PM. See Tuesday, January 25th.

HotTopics 6 PM. Join us in learning & sharing our views while having fun in a friendly & safe environment! Topic: The Great Resignation. Visit Chicago Mensa Meetup for links to some videos and articles on this topic. The Zoom access info was provided to those who RSVP on Meetup (preferred) or e-mail Mike B.
Meetup Virtual Event Not in ChiMe!!

Virtual Mixology with Mister Tootsie: 7:30 PM. January in Chicago calls for hot drinks. Join as we mix up some warm cocktails to fend off the January Chicago cold. Participants will get a list of needed ingredients and equipment (which you probably have in your house already), as well as the Zoom info prior to the event. Make this your month to join in! This is a GOBS-subsidized activity. The subsidized cost is $12.50 for up to 2 people per Zoom login. Participation maxes out at 15 Zoom logins. One person at each Zoom login has to be a CAM member. If space permits, the event is now open to non-CAM members (unsubsidized @$25/login). To RSVPs and get payment info, e-mail Beth W.. Payment is required to hold your spot.
Virtual Event!!

Monthly Gath­ering
(Held via Discord )
The January Monthly Gathering takes place via video teleconference using Discord. Join the group as we all experiment with a different way of interacting. BYOB and snacks . In this age of social distancing, aren’t you ready to have some fun and to try something different?

Test:

Cancelled this month.

Business Meeting:

5 PM in the Business Meeting channel.

Socializing :

7 PM in the Hospitality channels.

Nomi­nations for Local Officers:

7:30 PM in the MG Speaker channel.

Program:

Cancelled this month.

Socializing & Games:

~7:35 PM in the Hospitality or Games channels and Board Game Arena .

Monthly Gathering

The Nomi­nating Committee is looking for qualified candidates to run for the elected po­sitions on the Chicago Area Mensa Board of Directors. If you’re interested or just curious, see Deb J.’s ar­ticle in the February ChiMe or January ChiMe for details. You can also view the job descriptions and the required qualifications.
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The Deadline for Candidate’s Statements is Tuesday, February 22nd. The statements for publication in the April ChiMe are to be no longer than 500 words and cannot include any boldface, italic, or larger type; they should be sent to Hieu N., our Nominations Committee Chair, via e‑mail .
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Volunteer
Get involved! Chicago Mensa needs you. We’re looking for vol­un­teers to fill some of the open po­sitions listed both in the back of ChiMe or on the List of Officers. Try your hand as the ChiMe editor, Communications Officer, or as a MG Hospitality Volunteer. You can view the job descriptions and the required qualifications for all the open positions and ones you may be interested in.
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Express Yourself
Try your hand at writing an ar­ticle for ChiMe, submitting a photo, or creating a puzzle; see our Submission Guidelines for contact information and deadlines. Host your own event or your own virtual event using Discord!