The Book Club on the 21st was again a great success, and the five of us offered our opinions on ‘The Prizewinner Of Defiance, Ohio’ – a great book and wonderful movie. Upcoming on the 18th is “Wolf Hall’, a monster of a book that is very long and takes a long time to devour. Better get it soon! Imagine my disappointment when I found that it was historical fiction about Henry VI’s divorce from Catherine, and the Roman Catholic Church, to marry Anne Boleyn, and was not about monsters! So much for that theme costume!. Probably should have read this first: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_Hall Please come and visit with us! Bringing snacks is always appreciated. Please contact Vicki at vherd@shaw.ca for details.

Join us for monthly coffee! Monday, May 31st, and Wednesday, June 30th,at The Chocolate bar, 1431 17th Ave. SW – see the calendar for details.

Field Trips season is well on the way, and there are three trips left on the agenda: This is the season for getting out and about and enjoying Alberta’s geology and history! I’ve planned six trips over two months, and you, family, and friends are welcome to join us on any or all. Please RSVP to each field trip, as details may change. Dates are included on the on-line calendar of events, too. If no-one RSVPs, then the trip will be cancelled, as I won’t be going by myself! Trips are also weather dependant, and may be rescheduled.

Sat., June 12/13 Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump, Frank Slide, Waterton Lakes (overnight) – rooms are @ $150/night
Sat., June 19th Athabaska Glacier: @ 12 hr. day, $50 to ride the glacier bus
Sat., June 26th Red Deer River Valley – best trip of the season! Bleriot Ferry, Horsethief Canyon, Hoodoos, Rosedale Suspension Bridge, East Coulee Museum, ghost town of Dorothy, steaks at the Last Chance Saloon in Wayne!

Any other ideas? Please let me know!

Come see us Second Tuesday, on the 8th!

Finally, have a look on Facebook for our Calgary Mensa presence there. Thanks to Aaron for setting this up!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5041448982

This is the last LocSec’s Monthly Message until we kickstart the new season in September. Enjoy July and August!

Science

Head to the Plaza Theatre February 4th to catch “The Sea Inside”, the latest Science in the Cinema flick. Tonight’s movie – made in Spanish with English subtitles – features a true story about a quadriplegic, who fought to end his own life. Two experts, Patrick Whelan, a senior scholar with Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, and Dr. Ian Mitchell, a bioethicist with the University of Calgary, will introduce the movie. After the movie, they’ll discuss the latest spinal cord research and the ethical issues broached in the film.

The event begins February 4th at 6:30 at the Plaza Theatre (1133 Kensington Rd. NW)

Science Café (November 24, 2009)(notes taken by Esther Huang)

On supernovae, dark matter, dark energy, etc

Guest speakers: Dr Christopher Pritchet from the University of Victoria, Dr Philip Langill from the University of Calgary. Dr Langill is director of research at Rothney Astrophysical Observatory. Dr Pritchet is involved in the Legacy Survey, the Galileo Lecture Series, and CANARIE (Canada’s Advanced Research Network).

The topics which they touched on included the arguments for and against dark energy and dark matter. You’d be at the cutting edge of astrophysics if you grasped these concepts. Einstein supported the steady-state theory, but this is rejected by most current thinkers. The notion of branes, multidimensional universes, and interface of cosmology and theoretical physics got a good working out at this session of the Science Café. See what you missed? You wouldn’t, for example, have to read Lisa Randall’s Warped Passages to see the current state of the standard model of particle physics.

Supernovae were discussed and related to great extinction events on earth. Is there a connection or isn’t there? The relative frequency and enormous brightness of these stellar explosions allow them to be yardsticks for cosmological evolution and a measure of expansion of the universe itself. In recent years, we’ve discovered that expansion is speeding up rather than slowing down. In the long run, this may be the single most important fact we’ve learned in the last hundred years.

The fabric of space itself is not energy-neutral, but rather contains a force or disposition which allows what we call matter to exist. Whence discussion of the Higgs Boson and the efforts at the LHC to discover same.

Dark matter hasn’t stopped the expansion of the universe, and dark energy isn’t necessarily speeding it up. The issues relate to cosmology, because at a very early age, the energy of the universe was so great that gravity was indistinguishable from electromagnetism, the weak force and strong force. The relative ubiquity of hydrogen would be very different – and we likely wouldn’t exist – if the early history of the cosmos had been even slightly different from what it was. We can trace cosmological history by studying particle physics and analyze the latter by examining the former. They all come together.

Learn more about all scientific subjects by turning up at the Science Café. Check our events calendar for date and time.

Report on Science Café – October 2009
by Jeff Pugh

Science Cafe of Tuesday, Oct. 27th concerned bacteria – an excellent topic considering the current controversy over vaccinations. I especially liked Dr. DeVinney’s introduction: Bad To The Bone – The 1% of Bacteria that are Pathogenic. She compared bacteria to bikers, where only 1% cause all the trouble, but those are the ones we know of the best.

Some bacteria, like botulism, are not dangerous in themselves, but produce a toxin that is. From food poisoning from non-acidic home canning to smoothing the wrinkles in your face is quite a journey for one bug! I didn’t realize that another famous bug, E. coli, is terrific for you in your digestive tract, but is deadly for kidney failure when prowling out on its own, or in your water source, as it did in Ontario a few years ago.

Bacteria reproduce asexually, so that ought to give them identical DNA for generations, but their ability to adapt is phenomenal. Microbiologists use E. coli for genetic engineering, knocking out the harmful parts of their genome, to use the bacterium as a delivery tool for antigens.

Recent microscopy advances, such as real-time 3D observations, have allowed great insight to the lives and loves of the lowly bacteria. Shigella and salmonella force their way into the gastro-intestinal epithelial cells, and while there, remodel those cells to ‘hide’ from the immune system. Lysosomes in the cell are acid baths meant to destroy microphages, but E. coli can turn them into romantic hot tubs and reproduce like Californians. Other bacteria can inject a microscopic syringe into white blood cells, paralyzing them, so they can no longer attack the phagocytes, and take them over.

So microbiologists ask if that feature can be turned for the good, reforming their purpose – disarming other bacteria, or as a cancer therapy and vaccine delivery system?

Dr. Schryvers discussed vaccines and antigen engineering. Apparently, most vaccines are very simple in design, and are ‘obsolete’ for combating the newer forms of virus. He is trying to develop the ‘Windows 7′ version of vaccine, as the DOS version is having virus trouble of its own. The new version would contain a new antigen for much better vaccine coverage. Bacteria can use the iron-based proteins in humans to create decoys to avoid an immune system response, and in doing so, these previously benign bacteria can become pathogens. Bacteria can change their ’surfaces’ so as to be unrecognizable to our defenses. Sneaky buggers. The abrupt changes in bacteria are a mystery – we don’t know what triggers these mutations, or why some bacteria try to kill their host – an evolutionarily foolish thing to do. Further, most bacteria are species-specific, and rarely ‘jump’ hosts to another species. Interestingly, many diseases are symptomatic – a result of the body’s over reactive immune system causing the disease, not the bacteria. The Spanish Flu of 1918-1919 killed 100 million people, mainly the young, fit, and healthy, as their own good immune systems killed them. Tragically ironic.

Some 50% of your body weight is just bacteria. (So why don’t we lose weight when we take antibiotics – answer that, good doctor!! Now, *that* would be a diet pill!)

Laura will appreciate this: Dr. Schryvers is working on a ‘humanized’ mouse, in order to test antibacterials for us on them, as they wouldn’t work on ‘regular’ mice. I wonder if ‘humanized’ mice will have better manners or worse – we may not be doing them any favours, I think.

OCT 3 – PUB TOUR

Postponed to Saturday, November 14, Vicki is organizing this tour of the Wild Rose Brewery. For only $20/person, each guest will receive an up-close look at the brewing process, a glass of beer and a souvenir Wild Rose glass to take home. There is a minimum of 10 people needed for a tour and you must be 18 years of age to join us.
Please RSVP to vherd@shaw.ca.

The address is Building AF23 – #2, 4580 Quesnay Wood Drive SW. Vicki can provide a map (your editor hasn’t figured out how to copy a map from Word to WordPress).

OCT 7 – MCGILL ON THE MOVE – TRAUMA MEDICINE: WAR AND PEACE

With Dr. David Mulder, Chief of Thoracic Surgery at McGill University.

Emergency medicine has fascinated the public and captured the popular imagination for decades. Television shows as diverse as M*A*S*H and ER have portrayed the work of trauma physicians on a weekly basis. But what is it really like for these highly trained doctors?

Professor Mulder will give McGill alumni, family and friends a behind-the-scenes look at Quebec’s Trauma Care Delivery System, which he recently helped to redesign. Learn how the new system draws on military knowledge to respond to civilian injuries in times of crisis, and hear how trauma medicine will change in the future.

When
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Where
TransAlta Place 1
110 – 12 Avenue SW
Calgary

Cost
$10 – includes light refreshments

Please RSVP along with payment information to lacraig@ucalgary.ca before October 1, 2009 to avoid missing out.

About Dr. David Mulder

Dr. David Mulder, MSc ‘65, was born in Easton, Saskatchewan and graduated magna cum laude from the College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan in 1962. He has been at McGill since 1963 and was the first recipient of the Rocke Robertson Chair in Surgery.

OCT 13 – SECOND TUESDAY

Continue a 27 year tradition at the home of Vicki Herd. The festivities are at 2469 Sorrel Mews SW and start at 7:30 pm. The evening is a casual affair including good food and great company.

OCT 14 – MENSA POOL NIGHT AT THE GARAGE

The Garage is in Eau Claire (downtown). We will meet at 6:00pm on Wednesday, October 14th, shoot some stick and unwind after a long day. Great food and bevvies are offered by the in-house restaurant as well. Please RSVP Robert at robertanddiana@telus.net by the 13th. If we have a large group, we’ll need to reserve tables to avoid disappointment.

OCT 16 – FLAMES GAME NIGHT

NHL hockey is back! Come join us to watch your beloved Flames take on the rotten, stinking, no good, ought-to-be-thrown-out-of-NHL Vancouver Canucks.

Start a passport in the “Around the World in 80 Beers” plan. $5 gets you the passport and you have one year to sample 80 beers from all over the world. Every 20 beers you get a prize as well. If you don’t want to do that, they still have a fine selection of brewed bliss as well as a good food menu and TVs everywhere. One of our Mensans just finished one recently and another is poised to do so this night.

Non-drinkers are also encouraged to join us. They have a good food menu and the servers won’t brush you off once they discover that you aren’t drinking like some pubs do.

7:00pm at Bottlescrew Bills. The bar is on the northeast corner of 10 AV and 1 St SW and we are usually in the corner table by the ATM. If the group is over 4 people we can take over a booth. Look for the guy in the red sweater with a flaming “C” on it.

OCT 18 – MENSA MOVIE MATINEE

We had a good time viewing Food Inc – thanks to everyone who came out. It was quite an eye opening experiencing seeing what goes on behind closed doors. Did you know that a third of the USA is covered in cornfields? That only 3 or 4 companies control all of the food distribution? That corn is in 90% of everything you eat and can be manipulated to become dozens of other food additives?

We will be meeting the afternoon of Sunday, October 18 for this month’s cinematic adventure. Movie (a request has been made for The Rocky Horror Picture Show) and start time will be posted closer to the date.

OCT 19 – DINNER NIGHT

September’s Dinner Night was a good time (even better once the sun broke out just in time to eat). Thanks to all who came out. For October we are going to employ an ethnic theme and head over to Gee Gong. They are at 206 Centre St S (about halfway between the river and 3 Av SW. We’ll meet there on Monday, October 19 at 6:00pm.

Please RSVP to robertanddiana@telus.net before October 16 so that reservations can be made.

This place is tucked away so if you need further clarification on the night of the event, call Robert at 403.973.3590 and he will lead you to it.

OCT 27 – SCIENCE CAFE

Join us on Tuesday, October 27 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm at the Ironwood Stage and Grill (1429 9 Av SE) to continue the 2009/10 season of our Science Cafe program!

Science Cafes provide an opportunity to both hear from guest experts about the latest in current science issues in our community, as well as strike up a discussion with other adults about these topics, all over a beer or cup of coffee. Everyone is welcome, and it’s free, so I hope to see many of you out!

October’s topic of discussion is TBA and will be broadcasted once details are made available.

OCT 31 – MONTH END COFFEE NIGHT

We’ll be at the Good Earth Café, 31 Crowfoot Terrace NW. If turnout remains low at this location we have a coffee shop in Kensington that we want to try out for November. 7:00pm – no reservation needed. Look for the table with the Rubik’s Cube on it.

GENERAL

I (Robert) am also planning an urban “photography hike” for October. The idea is to meet at Eau Claire and stroll along the Bow River to capture fall’s parade of colours dancing on the trees. It will be on a Saturday ot Sunday and is dependant on weather and the condition of the trees. If a potential date exists, it will be detailed in a weekly Events e-mail.

If any member has ideas for group events (talks, hikes, etc) please submit them to Robert at robertanddiana@telus.net and we can get them advertised for you. Additionally, if you have a favourite restaurant you want to share on dinner night please contact me and we’ll set something up.

If any member has ideas for group events (Science Café, hikes, etc) please submit them to Robert (robertanddiana@telus.net) and we can get them advertised for you. Additionally, if you have a favourite restaurant you want to share on dinner night please contact me and we’ll set something up.

Flames Night: Robert Conn is in desolation row and no games are scheduled for the next little while. Sadness and grief. But there’s always next year and, for now, the thrill of others.

Movie night is scheduled for Friday, December 5^th, but another possibility is between Christmas and New Years so watch this space or – better – contact Patricia with your suggestions.

Feel life is passing you by? Activities with fellow Mensans will turn this around. Think coffees, martinis, movies, dinners, quizzes, anything that ravels up the tired sleeve of care. We’re informal and unstructured, on occasion intellectually stimulating. Mensa Calgary is a community where members interact, network, support each other, and enjoy each other’s company. For further info, contact Patricia at kathleen4057@yahoo.ca ["There's no pleasure on earth that's worth sacrificing for the sake of an extra five years in the geriatric ward of the Sunset Old People's Home.” (John Mortimore)]

Mensa Test

We’ve scheduled a session at 6:30pm on Thursday, November 6, 2008. If any readers work at a post-secondary institution such as U of C, SAIT, or Mount Royal, or if you think potential Mensans are affiliated with your company or organization, we’d appreciate if you post a notice on a bulletin board, in the corporate classified ads or other appropriate location. For the notice format, contact Vicki at vherd@shaw.ca or (403) 243-6144. We’ll advertise future tests or generally in some local community newsletters commencing December. If you have any other ideas for advertising Mensa Calgary, please let Vicki know.  Also, if you have friends or colleagues who may qualify for Mensa, please let them know about the upcoming test. 

The testing fee is $90. This covers the cost of writing 2 tests, receiving feedback on eligibility for Mensa membership, plus the first year’s membership fee if you qualify. You write 2 tests so you have 2 chances to qualify for Mensa.  Full time students pay only $70.

A pictorial test is available if your mother tongue is not English and you do not want your test scores to be disadvantaged by language.

You need to score in the top 2% of the population in one of the two tests to qualify.

Contact Vicki with questions about Mensa or the testing, and let her know if you want to write the tests so she can plan resources and give detailed directions to the testing site, likely at meeting Room 2, Basement, W R Castell Central Library, 616 Macleod Trail SE, Calgary.

MensaGenerationX

Viva the under-30s!! Ideas and participation are welcome. Beat the winter blues by contacting Leslie Joanne at august_83@hotmail.com

CoffeeFests

Brighten dark November by attending our coffee soirees, Tuesday November 18^th and Thursday November 27^th. 7:00 pm both evenings at Kaffa (2138-33^rd Ave SW, corner of 33^rd Ave & 21^st St).  Parking on 21^st.  A copy of Harry Potter will be at the table. RSVP not required, atmosphere great, munchies superb. Really funky. Visit Casablanca afterwards for a DVD; they have the best selection in the city. Cash only at Kaffa.

DinnerNight

November’s Dinner Night will be held at Bolero’s located at 6920 McLeod Trail (above Smugglers) on Friday November 21, 2008 @ 6:00 pm.  Bolero’s is a popular place and it took time to get a reservation for our group. The restaurant is Brazilia-inspired, a steakhouse featuring rodizio-style dining. Gaucho chefs bring churrasco (sword-like skewers) to the tables, slicing off pieces of tender meat, vegetables and even sweet grilled pineapple for tasting. A gourmet fresco and hot bar offset the meat selections. All you can eat. There are also plenty of gourmet salads, cheeses and vegetables if you aren’t into meat. Check the place out at http://www.ffwdweekly.com/article/life-style/food/big-beef/  You must RSVP for this one, so call Patricia asap: almostp@shaw.ca.

BookClub

The Mensa Book Club will meet on Friday November 14^th, 2008 @ 7:00 pm at Patricia’s home in Bankview, hosted by Jeff Pugh. We’ll each discuss a book of our choice. Please contact Patricia (almostp@shaw.ca) if you want to join or try it. The club is basically fun, full of novel ideas (groan). Our membership has been pretty steady but we’re always looking for new members. You can talk about any book at all for the November meeting, so consider joining us. 

 SecondTuesdays(of the Month)

Second Tuesday will be held (naturally) on Tuesday November 11^th, 2008, at the home of Vicki Herd (2469 Sorrel Mews SW) @ 7:30 pm (near the Safeway in Garrison Woods). Contact Vicki (vherd@shaw.ca / 243-6144) or Patricia ( almostp@shaw.ca / 212-1461) for additional information.  RSVP not required. Second Tuesday is a casual open house. Drop by and meet some of the other members.

OtherUpComings

Movie night is scheduled for Friday, November 7^th, 2008.  Details to follow.  Suggestions? Contact Patricia, you know the email address.

Jeff and Leslie will host a Novemdrums party. Place? Bookers. When? Saturday, November 15^th, 2008 at 6:00 pm. Check it out: 316 3^rd Street SE, just off the 4^th Avenue fly-over with free parking in front. Members and guests welcome to drop in for dinner and/or drinks.  http://www.bookersbbq.com/F23.cfm

If anyone wants to host a games night or video night in November, let Patricia know. Suggestions and comments always welcome.

Last Month:

October was busy.

We had about a dozen attendees for the lecture: A Calgary Pilot At War (Squadron Leader Thomas H. Hoare DFC), Air Combat Over Western Europe 1942-45, presented by the dynamic Stéphane Guevremont. The lecture was outstanding and we plan to have Stephane back in January. For those of you who did not attend, you missed out. Stéphane can lecture on many subjects related to WWI or II. We’ll narrow the choices in December, then select the next topic.  Perhaps WWI this time. We’re always on the lookout for lecture suggestions so please let us know if you have ideas/contacts. We’re keen to develop a regular lecture series.

The October book club discussed The Great Depression by Pierre Burton. Only a couple of us actually read the book, but everyone learned something from it. Sobering material.

Jeff, Maria, David and Colleen enjoyed the day trip to the Drumheller Museum, Gopher Museum and area. Jeff will host more road trips next spring. Ellis Bird Farm, Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump/Ft. Macleod, Frank Slide, Reynolds Museum, Waterton Lakes and Great Falls/Ft. Benton are possibilities. 

Eight members attended the dinner at SAIT. The food was elegant and delicious, consisting of five courses served over approximately two hours. Plenty of time for chat. There’s a fabulous buffet on Thursdays.

We welcome six new members to Mensa Calgary. Congratulations to Robert, Andrew, Raihan, Brad, Jeanette and Joey. 

For other and general event queries, email Patricia (almostp@shaw.ca).

Feel life is passing you by? Activities with fellow Mensans will turn this around. Think coffees, martinis, movies, dinners, quizzes, anything that ravels up the tired sleeve of care. Suggest it, we’re game. We’re informal, unstructured, and intellectually stimulating. Want a change? Here’s where to come. Mensa Calgary is a community where members interact, network, support each other, and have fun. For further info, contact Patricia at kathleen4057@yahoo.ca ["There's no pleasure on earth that's worth sacrificing for the sake of an extra five years in the geriatric ward of the Sunset Old People's Home." (John Mortimore)]

MensaTest

Watch this page for the October Mensa test date. Or email/phone Vicki Herd at vherd@shaw.ca, (403) 243-6144. Testing should take just over an hour and is user-friendly.

The testing fee is $90. This covers the cost of writing 2 tests, receiving feedback on eligibility for Mensa membership, plus the first year’s membership fee if you qualify. You write 2 tests so you have 2 chances to qualify for Mensa.  Full time students pay only $70.

A pictorial test is available if your mother tongue is not English and you do not want your test scores to be disadvantaged by language.

You need to score in the top 2% of the population in one of the two tests to qualify.

Please contact Vicki Herd if you have questions about Mensa or the testing, and let Vicki know if you want to write the tests so she can plan resources and give detailed directions to the testing site, likely at meeting Room 2, Basement, W R Castell Central Library, 616 Macleod Trail SE, Calgary.

MensaGenerationX

Viva the under-30s! Poker and games night on October 18, y’all. Mellow and easy time. BYOB. Contact Leslie for time and place, RSVP by Oct 16: august_83@hotmail.com

CoffeeFests

Diverting discussion at 7pm, Kaffa Coffee and Salsa House in Marda Loop. Address: 2138 – 33Ave SW. October 1, 8 and 30. No subject too hot, no view too contentious, no humour too sublime. Confirm with Patricia at kathleen4057@yahoo.ca or not, as you like. Look for the Harry Potter book on the table.

DinnerNight

Our October feast of reason and flow of soul is Tuesday, October 21st, at 7:00pm. The place: one of the best locations for affordable fine dining in Calgary – the Highwood Dining Room at SAIT. RSVP to Patricia (almostp@shaw.ca). Reference the link below for a full review of the restaurant.

http://www.opentable.com/rest_profile.aspx?rid=19825&restref=19825

BookClub

Patricia will host the October Book Club on Friday, October 17th, 2008. The time, 7pm.  Address and more particulars at almostp@shaw.ca. The selection is most appropriately The Great Depression, 1929-1939, by Pierre Burton (1990). 

Here is a review.

Nobody could tell exactly when it began and nobody could predict when it would end. At the outset, they didn’t even call it a depression. At worse it was a recession, a brief slump, a "correction" in the market, a glitch in the rising curve of prosperity. Only when the full import of those heartbreaking years sank in did it become the Great Depression – Great because there had been no other remotely like it and (please God!) there would never be anything like it again.

In retrospect, we see it as a whole – as a neat decade tucked in between the Roaring Twenties and the Second World War, perhaps the most significant ten years in our history, a watershed era that scarred and transformed the nation. But it hasn’t been easy for later generations to comprehend its devastating impact. The Depression lies just over the hill of memory: after all, anyone who reached voting age in 1929 is over eighty today. There are not very many left who can remember what it was like to live on water for an entire day, as the Templeton family did in the Parkdale district of Toronto in 1932, or how it felt to own only a single dress – made of flour sacks – as Etha Munro did in the family farmhouse on the drought-ravaged Saskatchewan prairie in 1934.

The statistics of those times are appalling. At the nadir of the Depression, half the wage earners in Canada were on some sort of relief. One Canadian in five was a public dependent. Forty percent of those in the workforce had no skills; the average yearly income was less than five hundred dollars at a time when the poverty line for a family of four was estimated at more than twice that amount. 

This army of the deprived were treated shabbily by a government that used words like "fiscal responsibility" and "a sound dollar" as excuses to ignore human despair. Balancing the budget was more important than feeding the hungry. The bogey of the deficit was enlisted to tighten the purse strings.

R.B. Bennett, who presided over the five worst years of the Depression, said he was determined to preserve the nation’s credit "at whatever sacrifice." But the burden of that sacrifice did not fall on the shoulders of Bennett or his equally parsimonious opponent, Mackenzie King. It fell on those who, in spite of the politicians’ assurances to the contrary, were starving and naked – on the little girl in Montreal who fainted one day in school because, as her teacher discovered, it wasn’t her turn for breakfast that morning; on another little girl in Alberta who could go to school only on those days when it was her turn to wear "the dress"; or the Ottawa landlord who collapsed in the street from hunger because none of his tenants had been able to pay their rent; on the New Brunswick father who awoke one cold winter night in a house without fuel to check on his three-month-old baby, only to find her frozen to death. 

Over 1.5 million Canadians were on relief, one in five was a public dependant, and 70,000 young men travelled like hoboes. Ordinary citizens were rioting in the streets, but their demonstrations met with indifference, and dissidents were jailed. Canada emerged from the Great Depression a different nation.

The most searing decade in Canada’s history began with the stock market crash of 1929 and ended with the Second World War. With formidable story-telling powers, Berton reconstructs its engrossing events vividly: the Regina Riot, the Great Birth Control Trial, the black blizzards of the dust bowl and the rise of Social Credit. The extraordinary cast of characters includes Prime Minister Mackenzie King, who praised Hitler and Mussolini but thought Winston Churchill "one of the most dangerous men I have ever known"; Maurice Duplessis, who padlocked the homes of private citizens for their political opinions; and Tim Buck, the Communist leader who narrowly escaped murder in Kingston Penitentiary.

In this #1 best-selling book, Berton proves that Canada’s political leaders failed to take the bold steps necessary to deal with the mass unemployment, drought and despair. A child of the era, he writes passionately of people starving in the midst of plenty.

http://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385658430

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/The-Great-Depression-1929-1939-Pierre-Berton/9780385658430-AllReviews.html

http://www.bookfinder.us/review-0385658435-title-The_Great_Depression-author-Pierre_Berton.html

SecondTuesdays(of the Month)

October 14th is our casual get-together at Vicki Herd’s home, 2469 Sorrel Mews SW (a couple of blocks south of 33 Ave, east of Crowchild Tr), 7:30pm. BYOB if you wish. Contact Vicki (vherd@shaw.ca / 243-6144) or Patricia (almostp@shaw.ca / 212-1461) for additional info.  RSVP isn’t necessary.

OtherUpComings

Saturday, October 4th
An exciting Drumheller excursion. Here’s the itinerary. Please rsvp to almostp@shaw.ca or jjpugh@shaw.ca.
Dep. Langevin School (Bridgeland) parking lot at 8am, travel to Torrington.
Arr. Torrington and tour Gopher Hole Museum, not to be missed.
Arr. Royal Tyrrell Museum. Tour the world class exhibits and Midland Provincial Park.
Arr. Drumheller and  visit attractions such as the giant T-Rex, fossil shop, Rosedale Suspension Bridge, Atlas Coal Mine, Hoodoos, Dorothy ghost town.
Arr. Wayne and enjoy the fabulous bbq steak dinner at the Last Chance Saloon, mmmmmm!
Arr. back at Langevin School around 9:30pm

For more detail, also see http://www.roadtripamerica.com/places/gopher.htm
http://photocamel.com/forum/hdr-photography/51134-grain-elevator-dorothy-ab.html

Sunday, October 26th is Mensa Calgary’s AGM.  All members welcome. 2 to 3pm. For the address, call (403) 212-1461. Order of Business: election of officers (Local Secretary, Secretary/Treasurer, Events Coordinator, Directors at Large), Financial Report, Activity Report.

Refreshments will be served at the conclusion of the AGM.

Nominations for Board positions should be emailed to Peter Walker, Elections Officer, at peterwalker@shaw.ca by Wednesday, October 22, 2008.  Nominations will also be accepted from the floor at the AGM. Come one, come all.

For other and general event queries, email Vicki Herd (vherd@shaw.ca).

Feel life is passing you by? Activities with fellow Mensans will turn this around. Think coffees, martinis, movies, dinners, quizzes, anything that ravels up the tired sleeve of care. We’re informal and unstructured, on occasion intellectually stimulating. Mensa Calgary is a community where members interact, network, support each other, and enjoy each other’s company. For further info, contact Patricia at kathleen4057@yahoo.ca ["There's no pleasure on earth that's worth sacrificing for the sake of an extra five years in the geriatric ward of the Sunset Old People's Home." (John Mortimore)]

MensaTest

September 25, 2008. Email or telephone Vicki at vherd@shaw.ca, 403-243-6144. Testing should take just over an hour and is user-friendly.

The testing fee is $90. This covers the cost of writing 2 tests, receiving feedback on eligibility for Mensa membership, plus the first year’s membership fee if you qualify. You write 2 tests so you have 2 chances to qualify for Mensa.  Full time students pay only $70.

A pictorial test is available if your mother tongue is not English and you do not want your test scores to be disadvantaged by language.

You need to score in the top 2% of the population in one of the two tests to qualify.

Please contact Vicki if you have questions about Mensa or the testing, and let her know if you want to write the tests so she can plan resources and give detailed directions to the test site, likely at meeting Room 2 in the basement of the W R Castell Central Library, 616 Macleod Trail SE, Calgary.

MensaGenerationX

Viva the under-30s! Thursday, Sept 25 at Bottlescrew Bills, 140 – 10th Ave SW. Beers galore, as you can see on http://www.bottlescrewbill.com/80beers.html. Meet around 7:30, Leslie will reserve a table and a copy of Twisted will be on it for the first 15 minutes. RSVP to Leslie at august_83@hotmail.com and check the Facebook group Mensa Calgary Under 30’s.

CoffeeFests

Next occasion is Wednesday, September 24th, 7pm, at Kaffa Coffee and Salsa House in Marda Loop. Exact address: 2138 33Ave SW. Diverting discussion as always. No subject too hot, no view too contentious, no humour too sublime. Confirm with Patricia at kathleen4057@yahoo.ca or not, as you like. Look for the Harry Potter book on the table.

DinnerNight

Our September feast of reason and flow of soul is Friday, September 26th, at 5:30 pm. The place: Brava Bistro, voted best Calgary restaurant in 2003, located at 723 – 17th Ave SW.  RSVP please to Patricia (almostp@shaw.ca). Reference the links below for a full review of the restaurant. 

http://www.bravabistro.com/
 
http://www.calgaryrestaurants.ca:80/basic.php?name=Brava%20Bistro

BookClub

In August, the club conducted its Banff roadtrip. The big question was why novels written almost 200 years ago by a clergyman’s daughter, who moreover lived a short and unspectacular life, should still be popular in the 21st century. The bookclub took in a performance of Pride and Prejudice at the Banff Centre on August 22nd and then met to discuss the performance and Austen’s novels over tea at the Banff Springs.

Like to read? Got some good ideas for ways to enhance our understanding of novels or authors? Join us! We’re always happy to welcome new members and ideas. Our next meeting is Friday, September 19th when we’ll be discussing Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. Contact Patricia at almostp@shaw.ca if you’re interested.

Previous Mensa Club books have included Literacy and Longing in L.A., Night, The Alchemist, Water for Elephants, Pride and Prejudice and A Thousand Splendid Suns.

SecondTuesdays(of the Month)

September 9th is our casual gettogether at Vicki Herd’s home, 2469 Sorrel Mews SW, a couple of blocks south of 33 Ave, east of Crowchild Tr, at 7:30pm. BYOB. Contact Vicki (vherd@shaw.ca / 243-6144) or Patricia (almostp@shaw.ca / 212-1461) for additional info.  RSVP isn’t necessary.

OtherUpComings

Thursday, September 4, at 7:30 pm. The Jack Singer Concert Hall. A Taste of the CPO.  Tickets are free.  Contact Patricia (almostp@shaw.ca) and look up  http://www.cpo-live.com/main/biography.php?id=418

Haysn Hornbeck will lead a hike to Grassi Lakes on Saturday, September 13^th. The hike is 3.1km including return, with only 350m elevation gain. Even the slowest slowpokes should make it. The area is sandwiched between Mount Rundle and Ha Ling, in a rocky canyon with plenty of natural beauty. It’s also five minutes from Canmore. If anyone wants an extension, we can add Policeman’s Creek (4km loop in Canmore, no elevation) or Grotto Canyon (5km with return, minor elevation). Since we’re so close to Canmore anyway, dinner at the Sage Bistro would be a nice way to end the day. The bistro has excellent food and a good atmosphere, plus a wall of exotic teas to choose from. If you are interested in joining us for the hike and/or dinner, please RSVP to Patricia (almostp@shaw.ca). We’ll organize a car pool or you can make your own way to the hike.

We have a unique Japanese POW documentary to present and Haysn has generously offered to convert the video to NTSC format. Watch this space for a date to see the footage.

We’ll hold a Mensa Sunday brunch at the Banff Springs Hotel in October. All Mensa members are welcome. Details to follow.

Mensa Calgary will host a weekend Regional Gathering in Banff in the fall of 2009. This seems a long way off, but it involves some serious (and not so serious) planning so we’ve started discussions already. Considering the location, we aim to attract Mensans from around the globe and your ideas and support are greatly appreciated. If you’d like to be part of the committee or have thoughts about speakers, activities etc., please contact Patricia (almostp@shaw.ca). There are many Mensans who’d like to take a more active role in the organization, and this is a golden opportunity to place your favorite subjects front and centre. Mensa Calgary has blossomed over the past year and we look forward to further excitement as the Regional approaches.  

Congratulations to Mensa member David Coulibaly who has a new son, Noah Matys Coulibaly, born August 22nd.  David and his family moved to Calgary from Paris a few years ago.

For other and general event queries, email Vicki Herd (vherd@shaw.ca).