From the RVC:
Now that all the campaigning is over and this year's National and International Elections are history, it's time to look forward to the Annual Gathering. If you have never been to an AG, you cannot imagine what an experience it can be. Think of the best Mensa activity you have ever attended, then multiply it by at least a factor of 10. If you've never been to a Regional Gathering, multiply it by 100. Think of it: 2000 of your fellow Ms all together in one place for 4 days! If you can't get away for the AG in Pittsburgh this year, you can start planning now to go to next year's AG in Michigan. Speakers, games, workshops, art, music, all kinds of entertainers, banquets, tours, non-stop hospitality… what more could one ask?
Well, actually, there is one more thing I could ask for - extending the party for another few days! Here's a thought: if we start planning now for 2010, we could arrange to charter a car or two on the train from San Antonio to Chicago, and then on to Detroit. In addition to San Antonio, you could board the train in Austin, Fort Worth, Dallas, Longview, Texarkana, or Little Rock. I've been trying to promote the idea of an Amtrak road trip to an AG for years now, and next year is the perfect location for a trip starting in Region 6. Think about it, OK?
For those of you who can't make it to the AG, I hope to see you at Lone Star Mensa's RG in Austin over Labor Day weekend or at the North Texas Mensa RG in Dallas at Thanksgiving. Also, please take note that South Texas Mensa (San Antonio) is planning a Leadership Development Workshop (LDW) in October. If you want to learn how a Mensa group really works, please plan to attend. Thanks to a grant from American Mensa, it's free!
On a more serious note, some of you may be aware that American Mensa recently concluded a long-running lawsuit over unauthorized use of our name. While the jury did not choose to award us any damages, they did confirm our legal rights to use of our name and the British company we sued has changed the name of their product to eliminate the alleged infringement. If you have further questions about this litigation, a Q&A section has been posted on the AML website.
Roger Durham