The organizers of the events listed on this calendar have expressed willingness for members elsewhere in the world to join in. Please don’t give them a bigger crowd than they can handle, and do be careful about time zones. The displayed time zone is GMT! If you add them to your own calendar, the time zone should convert to your specified time zone.

To have your virtual event added to this calendar, contact Matt C., the CAM International Calendar contact.

There may be other virtual events, as well as in-person events, which may be of interest to CAM members, hosted by various local groups listed on the American Mensa Calendar of Events.

1/ Thurs­day

  • ChiMe Activity Bulletin and Ad­ver­tising Deadlines. Last day for these submissions to the September ChiMe. Interested in organizing and hosting a virtual or in-person event? Find out how by checking out our guide to hosting events.

  • ChiMe Editorial Deadline. Last day for editorial submissions to the September ChiMe. Please submit original ar­ticles, insights, puzzles, brain teasers, or short poems. Your fellow Chicago Area Mensa members would love to hear from you.

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  • Conversation with London Mensans 8 AM. Join a video chat with our kin from across the big pond in London at 2 PM BDT. I [Carey] participated previously, along with a few other CAM members, and had a very nice chat with some of our “siblings” in the London area. RSVP (via Meetup preferred) to local host Carey S. to receive the Zoom sign-in information. The London host is Ian David Moseley.
    Virtual Event!!

  • Zoom Lunch 1 PM. Perhaps the longest running Mensa event anywhere, Chicago’s Zoom Lunch (formerly known as the Downtown Lunch) is held every week, alternating between Tuesday and Thursday. Join us for conversation, laughs, and attempts to define words you’ll never use again. The Zoom id is 836 1178 6315 and the passcode is 190710; it is also included as part of your host Jon G.’s contact information if you prefer a link. Questions? Contact Jon via email or call/text him. You may also RSVP via Meetup. We’d love to have you join us!
    Virtual Event!!

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October 31 – November 3, 2024

Only 96 more days! Join us for a fun, long weekend with hundreds of Mensans, their families, and friends at the Westin in Wheeling including lots of programs and games as well as most meals. Register for a discount by October 18th. Book your room by October 17th.
Learn More

4/ Sun­day

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  • Gifted Youth Book Club 12:30 PM. Recurs on first Sunday of the month. At this Zoom meeting, we will be discussing The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. Zoom link.
    Virtual Event!!

5/ Mon­day

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  • NNW Dinner: Mexican 6 PM. Dinner will be at Hacienda El Sombrero lo­cated at 1100 S. Elmhurst Rd. in Mount Prospect (in a strip mall on the west side of Elmhurst Rd. (IL RT 83), just south of Golf Rd.). Dining might be indoors or outdoors, depending on conditions. This is 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 a maximum of fifteen people — for a maximum subsidy of $20/person; cash (no coins) or PayPal only for your portion. RSVP (and get more details) on Meetup, but if not on Meetup, email Ken L.. Email RSVPs will receive a response from Ken.

6/ Tues­day

8/ Thurs­day

9/ Fri­day

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  • Rock­ford-Area Dinner 6:30 PM. Join Dave and other Rockford-Area Mensans for dinner at the Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom lo­cated at 6280 E. State St. in Rockford (east of Mulford in Logli’s lot). To RSVP , for more information, or to get on our email list, contact Dave L., our Rockford-Area Coördinator. RSVP required in case of cancellation, time, or venue change. Do not RSVP via Meetup. This event usually recurs on the second Friday of the month.

  • Poetry Dis­cus­sion 7:30 PM. Our poetry group is using Zoom for meetings. Please send a poem or two to Joe D. by Friday, August 9th. Interested persons who are not currently members of the poetry group can contact Joe D. , and he will email the poems to be discussed. Contact Bill K. for the Zoom links or any help you might need. Do NOT RSVP via Meetup. This event is usually held on the evening of the second Friday of the month.
    Virtual Event!!

10/ Satur­day

  • Rainbow Mensans Restaurant Outing 5:30 PM. Join us at the All Meal Prep Kitchen & Café in their private dining room. Located at 1100 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. in Chicago (Edgewater). At this meeting, we will plan our calendar for the next 12 months. Please contact Jim, the Rainbow SIG Coördinator (email or text preferred).

12/ Mon­day

  • Best Perseid Meteor Shower Viewing will reach its maximum rate of activity tonight. Some shooting stars associated with the shower are expected to be visible each night during the week before and after. For more information, see the space.com website or see the viewing tips at EarthSky. There are also some amazing photos posted on Flickr.
    Public Event!!

14/ Wednes­day

RSVP for Northern Exposure no later than 10 AM. RSVP via Meetup preferred.

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Northern Exposure

  • Northern Ex­po­sure Dinner 6:45 PM. Frost in August? Then you should have dinner with us. Join us at Kaiser’s Pizza & Pub in Gurnee, famous for pizza and a wide variety of casual fare. Located at 1801 North IL Route 21 in Gurnee. NOTE: Because it’s a smaller venue, this event will be limited to 20 people. Please RSVP on Meetup or via Janice’s email, jesser@chicago.us.mensa.org  , so she can reserve a big enough table.

15/ Thurs­day

16/ Fri­day

  • North Suburbs Lunch 11:30 AM. Venue TBD. Please RSVP by email or phone to Brent B.

  • FanExpo of Chicago today through Sunday, August 18th at the Donald E. Stephens (DES) Convention Center at 5555 N. River Rd. in Rosemont (accessible via CTA Blue Line). Visit their website for more information. (Check online for discounted tickets on sites like Groupon or LivingSocial.)
    Public Event!!

17/ Satur­day

  • Conserv­atives Lunch 11:30 AM. 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 at this month’s meeting place, email Jim Z. the event coör­di­na­tor. You may also RSVP via Meetup. Open to non-Mensans; bring a curious friend.

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  • 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 emailing, put “BASS” in the subject line. This event usually recurs midday on the 3rd Saturday of the month.

18/ Sun­day

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Professor Alex Pentland

  • SFRM: AI and Society Virtual Discussion 4:30 PM. Tune in to learn how AI is changing the way governments, companies, and individuals behave. By choosing the right sort of architectures for AI and for data, we can make this transition much safer and more likely to produce a healthy society.

    Prof. Alex “Sandy” Pentland is a pioneer in AI, privacy and security, and is a co-founder of the field of Computational Social Science. He is one of the most cited authors in computer science, co-founded several significant companies, and has been on advisory boards for Google, AT&T, and UN Secretary General.

    For more details, visit the SFRM Zoom RSVPs FB Group. To register, visit San Francisco Regional Mensa (SFRM)’s registration signup for this event.
    Virtual Event!!

19/ Mon­day

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  • Irish Mensa Lecture and Discussion: Are Financial Markets Efficient? 1 PM. Irish Mensa meets virtually on the third Monday of each month at 7 PM Irish Time; a discussion then follows the lecture.

    One of the crucial ideas in finance is that markets are efficient — that they fully reflect all available information. If so, what about market bubbles? Over the last year, people have been willing to pay exorbitant amounts for extremely odd assets such as Non-Fungible Tokens, meme stocks etc. Why do they do this? This lecture will explore some investors’ systematic behavioral biases, and how these can be used to predict returns.

    Professor Raghavendra Rau is the Sir Evelyn de Rothschild Professor of Finance at Cambridge Judge Business School. He is a past president of the European Finance Association, and a past editor of Financial Management. He is a founder and director of the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) and a member of the Cambridge Corporate Governance Network (CCGN). He also serves on the editorial boards of several journals including the Journal of Corporate Finance, the Journal of Banking and Finance, Financial Review and the Quarterly Journal of Finance, among others. His research has frequently been covered by the popular press including The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Economist.

    For the full write-up and to join, visit the American Mensa event. One does not have to register for the event — simply click on the Zoom link at the appropriate date and time.
    Virtual Event!!

  • Super Moon Viewing tonight.

20/ Tues­day

  • Dinner Out West 6:30 PM. Join us at Two Brothers Roundhouse at 205 N. Broadway in Aurora. Their food is good; their Dumaine DuPage is the official beer of the WWHfWM. I’m hoping their soup of the day will be Cream of Mushroom. This is a GOBS-subsidized event. GOBS will cover ½ of your meal cost, including tax and tip (rounded up to the nearest dollar), up to a maximum subsidy of $15, for each CAM member and their guest. Cash, Zelle, or PayPal for your portion. Limit 20 people. Reservations are required so Beth knows how big of a table to reserve. RSVP via Meetup (preferred) or directly to Beth W. no later than Saturday, August 17th.

21/ Wednes­day

  • GOBS Request Deadline Noon. Today is the last day to submit a request for GOBS funds to be approved at this Saturday’s Business Meeting for any planned, eligible event, activity, or class taking place after Saturday, August 24th and through Saturday, September 28th or later; to be eligible, events involving CAM members must be published in the issue of ChiMe corresponding to the month in which they occur. For CAM events, it’s recommended you submit the GOBS request and get it approved before submitting your event information for publication in ChiMe — so no later than today for events planned for October. October events need to be submitted by the 1st of September to the activities editor to be included in the October ChiMe. An article must be featured in the October ChiMe for GOBS-subsidized November events with an RSVP deadline in October (same 1st of September deadline but article emailed to the editor; see editorial deadline).

  • Mensa Testing 6 PM. The location is in the River North neighborhood of downtown Chicago. You must prereg­ister and prepay — very limited seating. Parking is very expensive; public transit is strongly recommended! Latecomers (you must arrive before 6 PM to be admitted) and anyone without a reserved spot will not be admitted. If you are or someone you know is interested in joining Mensa, see our Testing Information for contact details and additional dates/lo­ca­tions.
    Event Not in ChiMe!!

22/ Thurs­day

  • North Suburbs Dinner 6:30 PM. Venue TBD. Please RSVP by email or phone to Brent B.

24/ Satur­day

Our next Monthly Gathering occurs on July 27th.
at the
Rolling Mead­ows Com­mu­ni­ty Center
3705 Pheasant Drive, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008


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CAM August Monthly Gathering @Rolling Meadows Community Center

  • Monthly Gath­ering
    The location of our August Month­ly Gath­ering is the Rolling Mead­ows Com­mu­ni­ty Center
    3705 Pheasant Dr. in Rolling Meadows.

    Games and hos­pi­tal­ity are in the spacious auditorium, with overflow space in the lobby. The speaker event is in the Card Room. A Parents-Kids Play Room is available after the Mensa Test. Park in the NW lot behind the building and use Entrance K (near inner corner). Please note that we have this venue only until midnight, so plan accordingly. This gathering is open to the public. So if you’re interested in learning more about Chicago Mensa, come join us. There is an admissions fee to help cover costs (major credit cards accepted). Members, RSVP via Meetup to let your friends know you’re going to be there.

    Test:
    5 PM.
    Business Meeting:
    5 PM.
    Game room opens:
    6 PM.
    Program:
    7:30 PM.
    Refreshments:
    8:30 PM - Midnight.

    The CAM Executive Committee has allocated GOBS funds to be used for the reimbursement of either or Uber ridesharing services from/to the Arlington Park METRA station. Details are on our Monthly Gathering page.
    * * * * *
    Volunteer
    Get involved! Hone your leadership, organizational, or web skills. We’re looking for vol­un­teers to fill some of the open po­sitions listed both near the back of ChiMe or on the List of Officers. Try your hand as the Gifted Youth Coördinator, a co-Program Officer, a website designer, or 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. Or consider supervising the children at the MG for some extra cash.
    * * * * *
    Express Yourself
    Write an ar­ticle, submit a photo, or create a puzzle for ChiMe; see our Submission Guidelines for contact information and deadlines. Host your own event or your own virtual event using Discord!

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    Program Topic: Storytelling within the Mise-en-Scène

    presented by Bob Moss

    As we view the credits at the end of a film, we realize that it takes hundreds of people to make a film. There is, however, a small group of very important people that collaborate closely with the Director to create the images that help tell the story onscreen.

    This talk will examine how the efforts of these seven filmmakers carry out a dual function, first — creating the world that the characters inhabit and the emotions they feel, and second — arousing the visceral, emotional, and mental reactions of the viewer. We focus on the creative process and the ensuing result that occurs within the camera’s lens for a particular shot or scene. (Images, not sounds)

    Each one of these people is necessary to communicating a visual message to viewers. Their working together is essential to the film’s success. Understanding how each contributed to the communication of the story will enhance your appreciation of the art of film.

    Show all…

    Bob Moss moved to Chicago from London, England when he was 11 years old. He attended James G. Blaine Elementary and Lake View High School. Bob is a graduate of Northwestern University and I.I.T. Chicago Kent College of Law.

    Following a career as a social worker, lawyer, and state district judge, Bob Moss retired and began studying about film—his passion. He returned home to Chicago in 2004 after a 30-year absence. Bob is a member of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Northwestern University in Chicago.

    Over the past several years, he has coordinated several film-study groups at OLLI on topics such as “The Art of Watching Films,” “Scene by Scene,” and “The Story of Film.” In addition, Bob leads biweekly movie-discussion groups in which members analyze current feature films. He has also written the book, Vibes From the Screen: Getting Greater Enjoyment From Films.

    Show less
    If there is a spike in Covid cases, the in-person MG may become virtual & testing would be cancelled!!

25/ Sun­day

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  • Theodore Talk: Resisting Misinformation 2:30 PM. As the growth of human-like chatbots and other forms of generative AI continues to accelerate across the internet and infiltrate every aspect of our lives, we are inhabiting a reality where misinformation and disinformation become increasingly more difficult to discern and combat. Detecting deception has never been so difficult and so imperative. Don’t assume that being a Mensan makes you immune to being duped!

    Dr. Jevin West, Associate Professor at the University of Washington's Information School, will address some of the new challenges of generative misinformation and potential next steps to resist manipulation. Dr. West co-founded the new Center for an Informed Public at UW, aimed at resisting strategic misinformation, promoting an informed society, and strengthening democratic discourse. His research and teaching emphasize the influence data and technology have on science and society and explores how to slow the spread of misinformation.

    See the full write-up and find contact info on the American Mensa Events website. Even if you can’t attend the live Talk, provided you register, you will receive a link to a recording of the event. Closed captioning enabled.
    Virtual Event!!

27/ Tues­day

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  • Break­fast in Mount Pros­pect 10 AM. Breakfast or lunch and conversation at Jelly Café lo­cated at 1784 W. Golf Rd. in Mount Pros­pect (northwest corner of Golf Rd. and Busse Hwy.), featuring a large and diverse menu. Dining might be indoors or outdoors, depending on conditions. Sepa­rate checks are available. Use Meetup, but if not on Meetup, RSVP to Ken L. via email. If you RSVP by email, your reservation is not confirmed until you receive a confirmation email.

29/ Thurs­day


* * * * *

1 September/ Sun­day

  • ChiMe Activ­ity Bulletin and Ad­vertising Dead­lines. Last day for these submissions to the October ChiMe. Interested in organizing and hosting a virtual or in-person event? There’s bound to be an activity or a restaurant you want to try, but you just want some other people to experience it with you. So invite your fellow Mensans. Find out how by visiting our guide to hosting events.

  • ChiMe Editorial Dead­line. Last day for editorial submissions to the October ChiMe. Please submit original ar­ticles, insights, puzzles, brain teasers, photographs, or short poems. Your fellow Chicago Area Mensa members would love to hear from you.

Activities Bulletin
August 2024

August
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4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31

RSVPs - Always contact the CAM event host as specified in the event details — email , phone , text , or Meetup .

About
Meetup

Chicago Mensa Meetup - All our events are listed; see who signed up, get notifications, and add the event(s) to your personal calendar. Check out the August calendar.

About
Meetup

Chicago Mensa Meetup - All our events are listed; see who signed up, get notifications, and add the event(s) to your personal calendar. Check out the August calendar.

More September Events
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