June ChiMe Activ­ity Bulletin Dead­line. Last day for these submissions to the June 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.
Earlier Deadline of Tuesday, April 21st!!

June ChiMe Editorial and Ad­vertising Dead­lines. Last day for editorial submissions to the June 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.

New Zealand Sunday Seminars: AI Sovereignty: Could/should New Zealand have its own LLM? 7 PM (Sunday Noon NZT). Details TBA. The list of the upcoming seminars and any details can be viewed on their website.
Virtual Event!!

Toronto Mensa INQUIRING MINDS : Operation Fish, 1940: How to Finance a War While Under Threat of Invasion 1 PM. Operation Fish, a daring top-secret mission during World War II, was the largest movement of physical wealth in history. It was also perhaps the single greatest economic gamble of all time, and a tremendous success—a testament to the resourcefulness and co-operation of the allied powers and their central banks during the war. In May and early June of 1940, Hitler's armies swept over western Europe forcing the desperate evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk. In Britain, newly appointed prime minister Winston Churchill and his War Cabinet were confronted with the prospect of imminent invasion. If the unthinkable happened and the Germans invaded, how could the war continue? What measures would best safeguard Britain and the Empire for a long-term war? One idea was to transport Britain's $200 billion in gold reserves and securities to Canada for safe keeping. Thus, was born ‘Operation Fish’. Dr. Paul Doerr's presentation will outline the origins and execution of this successful transfer of wealth and the importance of Operation Fish in the history of the war.

Paul Doerr grew up in Ontario and earned his PhD from the University of Waterloo. At Acadia University, he teaches courses on the World Wars, military and diplomatic history and Europe in the twentieth century. In his tutorial classes, he likes to have students recreate diplomatic conferences and crises so they can understand the thought processes of the historical figures involved. His research interests include British foreign policy, appeasement and war termination. He is the author of British Foreign Policy, 1919–1939.

See the full write-up and find contact info on the American Mensa Event.
Virtual Event!!

AML Leadership Workshop: Level Up! Seeing What I Couldn't See: How Great Leaders Recognize and Unlock Potential 7 PM. The best leaders don't just develop people—they see potential before people see it in themselves. In this talk, Carlos Kidman will share his journey from being a phone salesman to becoming a globally recognized engineering leader, and how the people who believed in him shaped how he now develops others. You'll learn the specific signals that reveal hidden potential, the difference between encouragement and real advocacy, and concrete ways to create opportunities that transform career both inside your organization and in your broader community. Through stories from building QA at the Point and developing talent at companies like Adobe and beyond, you'll discover how one person recognizing potential creates a multiplier effect that extends far beyond your direct reports.

Carlos is a globally recognized Quality and AI Engineering Leader. He is currently a Quality Engineering Architect at Salt.ai, but was formerly an Engineering Manager at Adobe. He is an instructor at Test Automation University with courses around architecture, design, containerization, and ML/AI. He is the founder of QA at the Point, which is the Testing and Quality Community in Utah, and does consulting, workshops, and speaking events all over the world.

For more details, visit the AML Event which includes the Zoom link for this event.
Virtual Event!!

SFRM : Becoming a Space Faring Society 4:30 PM. Is there a need for us to migrate into space? Ejner will discuss the reasons we will need to spread beyond the Earth if humans are to survive. On Becoming a Spacefaring Society addresses focuses on propulsion, space habitats, mission architecture, and genetic modifications necessary to become space-adapted humans, aka galactica.

Ejner Fulsang was an Army helicopter pilot in Korea from 1969-70, later attending West Point where he graduated in 1974 with a BS in Engineering. After leaving the army in 1979, Ejner spent the next 20 years working in engineering and marketing. He spent the last ten years before retiring as a proposal manager at NASA Ames and SETI helping scientists write proposals for space missions. He is most proud of his contributions to the Icebreaker mission which was designed to search for microbial remnants of life on Mars. Twenty years ago, Ejner took up writing. He writes in the hard SciFi genre where all science and technology must be plausible. The Galactican Series depicts the scientific, technological, and societal evolutions that a society will have to make in order to become a true spacefaring society.

For more details, visit the M-Wisely's Cafe. To register, visit San Francisco Regional Mensa (SFRM)’s registration signup.
Virtual Event!!

GOBS Request Deadline Noon. Today is the last day to submit a request for GOBS funds to be approved at this Tuesday’s virtual Business Meeting for any planned, eligible event, activity, or class taking place after Tuesday, May 19th through Tuesday, June 16th and, optionally, later; to be eligible, events involving CAM members must be published in the issue of ChiMe corresponding to the month in which they occur.

Central Indiana Mensa OMG! held today at 4 PM through Sunday, May 17th, at the Versailles State Park at 1387 U.S. 50 East in Versailles, Indiana. An outdoor excursion to a group of cabins in the woods. Reasonably described as “camping-lite,” the Outdoor Mensa Gathering (or OMG!) is a trip to the great outdoors of Indiana, with a campfire, hiking, board games, card games, guided discussions, and other activities. You get food, lodging, scenery, and more. For additional details and registration rates, get the event info from AML or visit the Mensa of Indiana website.

Animae Central (ACen) held today through Sunday, May 17th at the Donald E. Stephens (DES) Convention Center at 5555 N. River Rd. in Rosemont (accessible via CTA Blue Line). See the special guests and performers. For more information, visit their website.
Public Event!!

SEMM : The Lost Princess: Recovering the Heroines Of Historic Fairy Tales 5:30 PM CDT. People often associate fairy tales with Disney films, and with the male authors from whom Disney often drew inspiration—notably Charles Perrault, the Brothers Grimm, and Hans Christian Andersen. In these portrayals, the princess is a passive, compliant figure. By contrast, our speaker this month, in her book The Lost Princess, Dr. Anne E. Duggan will show us that classic fairy tales such as Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Beauty and the Beast have a much richer, more complex history than Disney's saccharine depictions. Dr. Duggan recovers the voices of women writers, who penned popular tales about ogre-killing, pregnant, cross-dressing, dynamic heroines who saved the day. This new history will appeal to anyone who wants to know more about the lost, plucky heroines of historic fairy tales.

Dr. Anne E. Duggan is a professor of French Studies and a member of the Academy of Scholars at Wayne State University. She is the author of three monographs, two of which have been translated into French and Chinese, and she has edited numerous volumes on fairy-tale cultures. Professor Duggan served as associate and co-editor of the journal Marvels & Tales: Journal of Fairy-Tale Studies, for 25 years, and she currently edits the Donald Haase Series in Fairy-Tale Studies at Wayne State University. She is currently working on a book about politically committed animated tales.

See the full write-up and find contact info on the American Mensa Event. If you happen to be in Detroit, you are invited to attend their MG and join them at their dinner afterwards. All Zoom attendees must preregister by visiting the SEMM Monthly Gathering page and choosing "May 16, 2026 5:30 pm" from the dropdown. Due to rising Zoom costs, SEMM asks for a $5 donation, if you can afford it.
Virtual Event!!

SFRM : Why the Scopes Trial (1925) is Still Relevant 4:30 PM. Trial of the Century: Tennessee vs. John T. Scopes. The first major sally against the teaching of evolution in the US, and, mostly because of the fictional play and movie Inherit the Wind, Scopes is wrongly perceived as a victory for evolution over the forces of obscurantism. The full story is much more complex and interesting, involving science, religion, law, education, politics, celebrities, modern communications, and the politicization of science.

Dr. Eugenie C. Scott is an expert on the creationism and evolution controversy and science denialism. The former director of the National Center for Science Education, she is the recipient of numerous awards from scientists and educators, and has been awarded ten honorary degrees. Asteroid 249540 Eugeniescott was named for her but she assures us it is not aimed at Earth.

For more details, visit the SFRM Zoom RSVPs FB Group or the SFRM List of Presentations. To register, visit San Francisco Regional Mensa (SFRM)’s registration signup.
Virtual Event!!

Irish Mensa Lecture and Discussion: The Later Years: Organisation, Independence and Peace of Mind 1 PM. Irish Mensa meets virtually on the third Monday of each month at 7 PM Irish Time; a discussion then follows the lecture.

How should we get organized for our later years? With just a little preparation while we are fit and healthy, we can express our wishes for more difficult times. There are simple and positive options to be followed. Not just a will and lasting power of attorney, but simple steps to being independent longer, staying at home longer and enjoying life longer. A little thought now, and hopefully with discussion with family members, will provide reassurance and peace of mind for all.

His Honour Sir Peter Thornton KC was a practicing barrister in criminal and human rights law, a QC (now KC), founder member and head of Doughty Street Chambers in London, a Senior Circuit Judge at the Old Bailey (the Central Criminal Court), and judge in the High Court and Court of Appeal (Criminal Division).  Sir Peter was the first Chief Coroner of England and Wales.  He is now a Visiting Professor at King's College London (where he teaches a course, Death Investigation: Coroners and Inquests), a member of the Independent Expert Panel of the House of Commons, and an international trainer of coroners and judges with the Civil Service College, the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association and the Slynn Foundation.  His latest book is The Later Years: The Simple Guide to Organising the Rest of Your Life (Bedford Square Publishers, 2025). He also conducts workshops on life and lifestyle in the later years.

For the full write-up and to join, visit the American Mensa Event. One does not have to register early for the event—simply click on this Zoom link about 15 to 30 minutes before the session starts to both register and join.
Virtual Event!!