———————————————————————————

Orange County Mensa Regional Gathering – 2008

Welcome to Election Daze!

Orange County Mensa welcomes you to its 2008 Regional Gathering: Election Daze! See and hear the RG’s programs; catch up with old friends; make new friends; get a room; step outside for a smoke (the old-time smoke-filled-room is now a smoked-filled-patio); enjoy the famous OC Mensa Hospitality Suite (but, please keep Hospitality food and beverages in Hospitality; this was the concession that we made to the hotel to get such cheap rooms); swim a few laps in the pool; relax in the Jacuzzi; visit the local attractions if you’re from out of town; have a great time. Heck, maybe even learn something about the election.

Questions? Comments? Complaints? Attaboys/attagirls? Talk to a committee-person – the folks wearing the oversized red/white/blue “May I help you?” buttons.

MEAL PACKAGE:

• Saturday noon sandwich buffet with salads and desserts: $17

• Saturday night BBQ: $27

• Sunday full breakfast: $17

• All three meals: $55 (save $6)

Packages (and tickets to individual meals) may still be available at Registration (whether in-advance or on-site). Ask.

All prices include tax and tip.

This Program Booklet will remain on the OC Mensa website, ocmensa.org (click on “Regional Gathering”), until the 2009 RG starts gearing up. Additional info (such as links to speakers’ websites) will be added well into the autumn.

Friday

2:00 PM Registration Opens [Lobby]

Come visit us in the lobby.

2:00 PM Hospitality Opens [Costa Mesa II and III]

Beer, wine, pop, chips, dips … and a whole lot more.

2:00 PM Games Room Opens [Pacific]

Start playing!

2:30 PM Opening Ceremonies [MacArthur]

The RG flame is lit!

3:00 PM Libertarianism [Harbor]

Hear it from The Man Himself: Joe Leibrandt, Chair, Libertarian Party of Orange County. lpoc.org/

3:00 PM Losing My Religion [MacArthur]

William Lobdell will talk about his new book — “Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America — and Found Unexpected Peace” that will be published by HarperCollins in February. The memoir is about the Los Angeles Times journalist’s spiritual journey while covering religion in America, which took him from evangelical Christian to someone who, reluctantly, no longer believed in God. williamlobdell.com/

4:00 PM Triple Symmetry: Intelligence, Education, and Human Effectiveness [MacArthur]

Michael Martinez, Professor, UCI Dept. of Education. The triple symmetry model conveys heuristic value in guiding the expansion of intelligence constructs as well as practical value for the reconceptualization of education as the enhancement of human effectiveness. The model depicts intelligence, education, and human effectiveness as having definable logical and empirical relationships with the others in a conceptual triangle. Each construct is constituted by or reliant upon competencies that are constituent to intelligence and that make effectiveness possible. The model affords theoretical consolidation in that identified structured relationships place each construct in a semantic relationship with the others. It can further prompt reconsideration of what experiences are properly called educational.www.gse.uci.edu/mmartinez

4:00 PM Philip K. Dick and His Legacy: Science Fiction and Dystopia in California [Harbor]

This talk addresses Phillip K. Dick’s conception of California during the Cold War years, — as a site of spiritual and drug experimentation and social repression. This paper will investigate Dick’s social critique of the 1950s obsession, mass man and mass society, — and investigate his notion of authenticity, craftsmanship and the lost Utopia of producerist with its nagging suspicion of all forms of organization. Professor Catherine Liu is the author of a number of books, and has her own free wheeling and opinionated blog at www.higher-yearning.org/

5:00 PM Dinner [Off Site]

On your own. Hospitality is closed.

5:30 PM The Chinese Terra Cotta Warriors [Lobby]

This exhibit at the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana www.bowers.org will be free from 4:00 to 7:00 PM. Check with the Registration Desk at 5:30 PM for directions and to find out how long you can expect to wait to get in.

7:00 PM Hospitality Reopens [Costa Mesa II and III]

Beer, wine, pop, chips, dips … and a whole lot more.

7:00 PM Accent Grave [Harbor]

You bring your ability or horrendous inability to talk with an accent. We provide some famous lines from plays and movies. You give your best (or worst) performance of a randomly drawn combination of accent and dialog. Winners to be voted on. Maybe there will even be prizes. Your presenter: Johnny Automatic. http://www.johnnyautomatic.com/

7:00 PM The Enigma Machine [MacArthur]

Tim Bentley presents the famous World War II cipher machine. How the unbreakable cypher machine was broken. A nation under siege, mathematics, espionage, the dawning of the computer age and personal tragedy. “Something for everyone”.

8:00 PM Cake Bake-Off [Costa Mesa II and III]

Cook at home and bring your delights for judging. Yum yum. Your presenter: Bill Bandaruk. Prizes awarded!

8:00 PM So You Want To Be A Mensa Millionaire – a trivia contest [MacArthur]

Your presenters: Art and Angie Mattson. Do you want to have fun and show off your smarts by competing in a contest of trivia and not-so-trivial knowledge? Of course you do! (Is that your Final Answer?) Based on the popular TV game show Do You Want to Be a Millionaire?, each contestant will answer multiple choice questions of increasing difficulty. Come and watch even if you’re too shy to compete on your own — you can participate when a contestant decides to “Ask the Audience” for help with an answer. There will be a prize for the winner.

9:00 PM Liqueurs and Pedicures [Secure and Undisclosed Location]

Join Thea Olsen for a little decadence. Pedi-procurers and Pedi-providers can both indulge in a sampling of various liqueurs. Just bring your toes!

9:00 PM Poker Tournament [Bristol]

Your presenter: Greg Wilson. Straight ahead serious poker with a $15 buy-in. Prizes awarded!

10:00 PM Joke Marathon [Harbor]

Your presenter: Eric Halasz. Come with your funniest jokes and share them with the crowd; or whip out some real groaners to see if anyone in the audience brought rotting vegetables with them. Prizes awarded!

Saturday

12:01 AM Games Room Stays Open [Pacific]

Keep playing!

8:00 AM Registration Opens [Lobby]

Come visit us in the lobby.

8:00 AM Breakfast [Costa Mesa II and III]

Bagels, muffins, yogurt, fruit, juice, coffee, tea … and a whole lot more.

9:00 AM Associative Thinking Awake and Asleep [MacArthur]

Your presenter, Janice Baylis, will talk about associative thinking processes where one thing can be represented by another if they have one sufficiently prominent feature of similarity. This thinking process is common in waking life as will be demonstrated in art, poetry, sports, advertising, science etc. Equally important, this is the main modus-operandi of dream-mind. The problem is that when we wake up we only have the dream image half of the equation; the trigger idea is latent in the dreamer’s mind. The “Associative Thinking Tree” analogy helps people trace the dream image back to its meaningful, associated trigger. dreamtalk.hypermart.net/member/files/janice_baylis.html

9:00 AM Sinistra Manu: Live and In Concert [Harbor]

Relive classic Sinistra Manu column bits and hear some new ones that would have been published if we had an editor. Real Johnny Automatic and Mrs. Fuji – not impersonators. home.socal.rr.com/automatic/

10:00 AM Hospitality Opens [Costa Mesa II and III]

We put away the bagels, muffins, yogurt, fruit, juice, coffee, and tea; we bring out the beer, wine, pop, chips, dips … and a whole lot more.

10:00 AM Tour the Orange County Performing Arts Center [Lobby]

Experience an expanded tour of Southern California’s award-winning home for the performing arts. The FREE public tour of the majestic Segerstrom Hall will guide visitors through backstage areas while learning about the techniques of theater operations; reveal the star dressing and rehearsal rooms; educate about the unique architecture of the performance hall and lobbies; and present the captivating sculptures and artwork that grace the building. Gather in the lobby; you can choose to take a leisurely stroll over to the Performing Arts Center (located across the freeway about two blocks) or catch the hotel shuttle over there. The tour begins at Segerstrom Hall at 10:30 AM, and lasts about an hour.http://www.ocpac.org/

10:00 AM Calico, Valsequillo and Early Man in the Americas [MacArthur]

Your presenter: Chris Hardaker. A PowerPoint presentation will discuss the case for early man in the Americas from the perspective of the two most viable candidates, the Calico Early Man Site, and the Valsequillo discoveries. Both sites were initially explored during the 1960s. You could even call the sites, “twins,” insofar as both were being excavated almost simultaneously. Currently, the 12,000 year old cellar for American antiquity which was maintained since the 1950s until 1999, has now extended to about 20,000 years according to mainstream conjectures. Calico and Valsequillo were dated to at least 200,000 years. Both sites ended up being ridiculed and vilified, as were their professional proponents, including Louis B. Leakey, who directed the Calico project until his death in 1972. There is massive evidence for the authenticity of both of these sites, as well as about a dozen others in the New World, but all of them continue to be shelved by the professional community. The discussion will hopefully shed light on what the heck is going on, along with my current work analyzing the 70,000-piece Calico collection.

10:00 AM Why Atheism? [Harbor]

Why Atheism? is based on the book written by your presenter, Bruce Smith: The Path of Reason: A Philosophy of Nonbelief. While The Path of Reason emphasizes how logic, science, and critical thinking can help us to better understand the world — especially when it comes to philosophical issues — Why Atheism? covers the most controversial element of the book: how reason can lead a person to atheistic conclusions. This thought-provoking discussion will give you greater insight into why atheists think the way they do. www.bruceasmith.com/

11:00 AM Bioterrorism: The Dark Side of Science [MacArthur]

A bioterrorism attack will involve the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria, and/or other toxic agents (either chemical agents or biologically derived toxins) used to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants. Many of these agents are typically found in nature, but it is possible that they could be changed to increase their ability to cause disease, make them resistant to current medicines, or to increase their ability to be spread into the environment. Understanding the principles of toxicology, the field that deals with this “dark side of science” is instrumental in developing detection techniques and countermeasures to protect people and mitigate the damage of a bioterrorist attack. Your presenter: Professor Michael T. Kleinman, Ph.D. www.faculty.uci.edu/profile.cfm?faculty_id=2235

11:00 AM Money Origami [Harbor]

How to make a fish, a Hawaiian shirt, and so on, from a dollar bill. The fish is really easy. Others are more difficult. Origamicist (is that a word?) Betsy Walli shows you how.

11:00 AM Charades [Pacific]

Your presenter: Shira Paskin. Prizes awarded!

Noon Meal-Package Meal [Harbor and MacArthur]

Sandwich buffet with salads and desserts: $17. Ask at Registration to see if tickets are available. Hospitality is closed.

1:00 PM Hospitality Reopens [Costa Mesa II and III]

Beer, wine, pop, chips, dips … and a whole lot more.

1:00 PM Brownie Bake-Off [Costa Mesa II and III]

Cook at home and bring your delights for judging. Yum yum. Your presenter: Bill Bandaruk. Prizes awarded!

1:00 PM Ask the Sexologists [Harbor]

Robert Berend, JD, PhD (in human sexuality) and Lisa Berend, Registered Nurse, will answer any and all questions on human sexuality, dating, relationships, STDs, kink, pheromones, alternative sexualities….etc….(to the best of their abilities). People can raise their hands, or can put their questions on a piece of paper for anonymity.

1:00 PM A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Inauguration, or the Sacred Geometry of Washington, D.C. [MacArthur]

Your presenter: Chris Hardaker. Sacred, or Classical, Geometry is the geometry of shapes derived from a circle using a simple compass and straightedge. It can be considered a science in its own right, e.g. Design Science. Evidence for it use and knowledge has been traced around the globe, wherever perfect polygons turn up in art and architecture, and even astronomy. In this short overview, the principles will be introduced, and then as an example of its application we will explore the design for Washington, D.C. and examine some of the curious city glyphs that seem to have been embedded into the overall design and their possible role in the presidential inauguration.

2:00 PM Cutting Things in Half [Harbor]

Complete bisection of a geometric figure has an arbitrary outcome. Ribbons, napkins, apples… THEY LIED TO YOU! (Children under 14 only if accompanied by adult. May adversely affect public education.) Your presenter: “Uncle” Al Schwartz. www.mazepath.com/uncleal/

2:00 PM Jenny’s Presidential Trivia Quiz [MacArthur]

Presented by Jenny Zilka. Show off your knowledge of Presidential Trivia. Those who fail can brush up on the facts this evening with Richard Lederer’s talk. Prizes awarded!

3:00 PM The Quest for Other Worlds [Harbor]

More than 2000 years ago, Epicurus taught that there are an infinite number of other worlds both like and unlike ours, and Aristotle taught that there are none. Neither hypothesis can currently be falsified, but philosophers and scientists from their time to ours have endeavored to find out whether our earth, solar system, galaxy, and universe are unique. The talk will explore the historical development of these endeavors, ending with some details of the 300+ planets that have now been found orbiting other stars and of current thinking on the multiverse concept. Dr. Virginia Trimble of the UCI Physics department explains it all, and with overheads, yet. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Trimble

3:00 PM Julian Jaynes and Ancient Religion [MacArthur]

Overview of Julian Jaynes’s paradigm-shifting book, ‘The origin of consciousness in the breakdown of the bicameral mind,’ and how it changes our understanding of ancient society, culture and religion. www.julianjaynes.org/ Danila Oder is a writer, editor, activist on food and ecology issues, former vegan chef, and lifelong amateur psychologist.

4:00 PM Adventures in Astronomical Incomprehension [Harbor]

To those of us who lived through them, the 25 years between the report of the first gamma ray bursters to the recognition that they are very rare, very powerful events associated with the formation of black holes seemed like a very long time. Other astronomical puzzles have, however, lasted even longer, the record arguably being held by the 300 years it took to figure out that some well known variable stars, like Mira and Delta Cephei are pulsating in and out. The talk will look at some of these “once upon a time” stories, including cases where there was prolonged community convergence on a wrong answer and others where the right one was in the inventory almost from the beginning, like quasars and the solar neutrino problem. A number of other puzzles will be left at the end as “exercises for the student.” Dr. Virginia Trimble of the UCI Physics department explains it all, and with overheads, yet. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Trimble

4:00 PM Mai Tais With The Goddess Kristine [Costa Mesa II and III]

Talk about self-explanatory. Well, one explanation: The Goddess Kristine offers both leaded (for adults) and unleaded (for children, or for those who prefer it that way).

4:00 PM Poli-tickles [MacArthur]

Longtime MENSA BULLETIN columnist Richard Lederer will share the best political jokes and bloopers of all time.www.verbivore.com/

5:00 PM Hospitality Closes [Costa Mesa II and III]

We’re setting up for the Meal-Package Meal.

5:30 PM Meal-Package Meal [Costa Mesa II and III]

BBQ: $27. Ask at Registration to see if tickets are available. Hospitality is closed to those without tickets.

7:00 PM Hospitality Reopens [Costa Mesa II and III]

Beer, wine, pop, chips, dips … and a whole lot more.

7:00 PM Fascinating Facts About Our Presidents [MacArthur and Harbor]

Longtime MENSA BULLETIN columnist Richard Lederer will offer a treasury of trivia and significa about our American presidents: their feats, fates, families, foibles, and firsts. You’ll have fun learning a lot about our presidents’ lives, their accomplishments, and their roles in American history. http://www.verbivore.com/

9:00 PM Dance, or Just Listen: Kofi ‘n Cream [MacArthur and Harbor]

Cream and Blind Faith were seminal 1960’s Blues Rock bands, both of which featured Ginger Baker on drums. Now, Kofi Baker, son of Ginger, provides the foundation for this new project based on Cream and Blind Faith classics. Rounded out by the exceptional talents of Cameron Morgan (guitar) and Armondo (bass), they bring a fresh sound to the vintage staple of classic rock. Two sets tonight, not stopping until midnight! Aside from Cream songs they are working on a number of classic rock songs too. Look: www.kofibaker.com; listen: www.myspace.com/tributetocream.

Sunday

12:01 AM Games Room Stays Open [Pacific]

Keep playing!

8:00 AM Registration Opens [Lobby]

Come visit us in the lobby.

8:00 AM Breakfast [Costa Mesa II and III]

Bagels, muffins, yogurt, fruit, juice, coffee, tea … and a whole lot more.

9:00 AM Th’ Supreme Coort Follows th’ Iliction Returns [Harbor]

In KSR v. Teleflex, a unanimous Supreme Coort bowed to political pressure last year and destroyed both the USA’s patent system and its once-mighty economy. It thereby created the Second Great Depression which now impoverishes us all. Patent lawyer Tom Streeter impotently fulminates on this dry topic to an empty program room. tomstreeter.com/ksr.htm

9:00 AM    Whose Candidate Is It Anyway?

Have you ever watched Whose Line Is It Anyway? and wondered, “How do those guys do that?” Former Orange County Crazie improvisational comedy performer, director and instructor Eric Halasz takes you through the fundamentals of improvisational scene study and scene building using games and techniques in the pursuit of creating a dramatic or comedic scene using your own brilliant imagination. Come and play, or have ideas to contribute for settings and situations.

10:00 AM OC’s Freshest Farm and Art Market [Lobby]

Live music! Fruit & Veggie Vendors! Nursery Plants! Face Painting! Free-Range Food! Local Artists! Fresh Flowers! Hand-Made Goods! Honey! & Much More! Located at 2937 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, in the SoBeCa District, two blocks south of the hotel. Easy walk – meet in lobby to form your groups.

10:30 AM Meal-Package Meal [Bristol]

Full brunch: $17. Ask at Registration to see if tickets are available. Hospitality is closed.

Noon Hospitality Reopens [Costa Mesa II and III]

Beer, wine, pop, chips, dips … and a whole lot more.

Noon Vegan Cooking [Harbor]

Audience-driven presentation of veganism, vegan nutrition, vegan cuisines, and how to cook vegan dishes. Danila Oder is a writer, editor, activist on food and ecology issues, former vegan chef, and lifelong amateur psychologist.

Noon Soundscape, Church Bells and Culture Clash [MacArthur]

Brenda Kiser will present an updated version of her talk given at the 2006 RG plus the paper recently given at “Acoustics ‘08” in Paris. Included will be an explanation of soundscape and a description of how ringing church bells have created sound neighborhoods. Brenda will discuss the unique soundscape created by the bells of London’s church St. Mary-le-Bow known as Bow Bells (a true Cockney is defined as having been born within the sound of Bow Bells) and how a part of the folklore and history of London can be told through the story of these famous bells. And, finally, the question of culture clash – what happens when sounds of different cultures or ethnicities compete? Sound examples will be included.

1:00 PM Porch Envy, Chicken Fatigue, Garage Branding, and Other Scenes from the Design Age [MacArthur]

An entertaining and educational tour through the everyday life of contemporary design with UCI English professor Julia Lupton, co-author with Ellen Lupton of DIY: Design It Yourself (2006), DIY Kids (2007), and Design Your Life: The Genius, Stupidity, and Deceit of Everyday Things (forthcoming 2009). www.faculty.uci.edu/profile.cfm?faculty_id=2787

1:00 PM The Enneagram [Harbor]

Learn the basics of this personality-typing system and how it can be useful to you in your daily life. Danila Oder is a writer, editor, activist on food and ecology issues, former vegan chef, and lifelong amateur psychologist.

1:00 PM Cookie Bake-Off [Costa Mesa II and III]

Cook at home and bring your delights for judging. Yum yum. Your presenter: Bill Bandaruk. Prizes awarded!

2:00 PM Cash Cab [Harbor]

Your presenters: Art and Angie Mattson. Come and join us for a fun competition based on the cable TV game show in which contestants answer questions of increasing difficulty while riding around New York City in a taxi-cab. Of course, we’ll have some minor differences — we’re not in New York… there’s no cab… we won’t give out cash… and we aren’t on TV — but, otherwise, it will be similar. Teams of up to four will compete — come with a team already formed or join an ad hoc team after you get here. Members of the audience can participate when the contestants ask for help with a “Mobile Shout Out.” There will be prizes for the winning team.

2:00 PM Electronic Music [MacArthur]

Paul McGinnis presents an introduction to electronic music, with a lot of “show and tell”. Paul will bring various traditional instruments, showing how things were done in the past, then go into a brief history of electronic music, then demonstrate modern electronic music and instruments. Finally, he will finish it up by playing the Kaosillator synthesizer, which just came out this year, the future of electronic music. It doesn’t have a keyboard, it has a touchpad, and you can get some amazing sound out of it. http://www.korgkaossilator.com/

3:00 PM Global Warming [MacArthur]

Your presenter: Darrell Clarke.

3:30 PM Chocolate Tasting [Bristol]

Taste a variety of semi-sweet and bittersweet chocolates, filled and unfilled. Learn how to match filling to coating. Limit 30 participants. Danila Oder is a writer, editor, activist on food and ecology issues, former vegan chef, and lifelong amateur psychologist.

4:00 PM Clark’s Solar Power System [MacArthur]

Clark Jones will give his presentation on the utility intertie (grid connected) solar energy system installed at his home in Gilbert (Phoenix suburb) in 2006. He will briefly describe the system, the specifications of the system, various background information, and the economics of the installation, as well as the results of operating it for two years.

4:00 PM The Lathe – A Tool For The Thinking Woodworker [Harbor]

David Wade is OC Mensa’s insipid intrepid woodworker. He will drone on about the joys of woodturning and show you a few examples of what happens when you take a piece from a roundish/cylindrical organic object (AKA: “Tree”) and hack away at it with a mechanical device designed to make things roundish/cylindrical (AKA: “Lathe”). At the point boredom sets in he will attempt to use a small lathe to make a bowl and measuring scoop as you watch. During this time he will regale you with the geometric constraints and issues involved in the use of said tool. You will wish you had paid attention in your high school geometry class.

5:00 PM Dinner [Costa Mesa II and III]

Pizza!

7:00 PM Forensic Genealogy [MacArthur]

Dr. Colleen Fitzpatrick is a consultant for the Armed Forces DNA Identification Lab. She has just been involved with identifying the remains of a serviceman who was killed in a plane accident in Alaska in 1948. The remains were found by two airline pilots in 1999, and it has taken about 10 years to finally come up with an identification. Dr. Fitzpatrick will give us a glimpse into the fascinating work she is doing in the field of forensic genealogy. Here is a news article that just came out recently – some form of the article has appeared in about 250 papers worldwide:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article4549789.ece

7:00 PM Hypnosis: What it is and what it isn’t? [Harbor]

Why does someone quack like a duck under hypnosis? Can Svengali-types really make you rob a bank while under hypnosis? Is hypnotism mind control? What’s the difference between hypnotism and hypnotherapy…and what is medical hypnosis? Can you actually have surgery without anesthesia? Why does hypnosis work? What are the appropriate uses for hypnotherapy? Are you really “getting sleepy”? How can you change your life with hypnotherapy? How do you choose a qualified hypnotherapist… and not a quack? Gwen Finestone, Ph.D. has been a practicing hypnotherapist for 30 years and is certified as a medical and clinical hypnotherapist.

8:00 PM How to Perform at Your Highest Level for a Lifetime [MacArthur]

Jeff Spencer, author of Turn It Up!, is an author, healer, coach, former Olympic athlete and advisor to some of the worlds top athletes, teams and organizations. His experience shows that each of us are born with highly individualized innate talents that when properly cultivated create a life of passion, purpose, productivity and prosperity. Dr. Spencer designs, tracks and evolves personalized success programs for individuals, groups and organizations to take them to the top of their game entertainment or life. As Lance Armstrong said, “Jeff is part doctor, part guru, part medicine man. While he fixed us physically, he also fixed us mentally.” www.jeffspencer.com/

8:00 PM Nutrition In The Information Age [Harbor]

In a couple generations, the amount of nutritional information has gone from a trickle to an overwhelming flood. And information is being generated far faster than the medical profession has been able to absorb it. Find out about the nutritional nerds who are surfing the wave of information, and how you can benefit from their efforts. Your presenter: Cynthia Allingham. http://www.eatpurple.org/

9:00 PM Ice Cream Social [Costa Mesa II and III]

What part of “hospitality” don’t you understand?

9:00 PM Hollywood Behind the Scenes [MacArthur]

Nelson Soler is currently on staff with Lincoln Heights, a dramatic series on ABC Family – their highest-rated series. Terry Black is an ACE cable award winning writer. The two will discuss the series, Hollywood in general and show some unseen footage. Sneak peek on the upcoming season!

10:00 PM Single Malt Scotch Tasting [Secure and Undisclosed Location]

Your presenter: Randy Bergum. No admission charge, but strict limits to size of event. Go to the head of the sign-up sheet if you bring a bottle to share. Rooms are available at the hotel. Consider getting one. You might need it.

10:00 PM Carnelli [Pacific]

It’s the game of quick thinking and associations. Most of us know it by now. If you don’t – have no fear, as Carnelli Master Eric Halasz will be happy to teach you. Just remember: his decisions are arbitrary, capricious and final.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnelli

Monday

8:00 AM Breakfast [Costa Mesa II and III]

Bagels, muffins, yogurt, fruit, juice, coffee, tea … and a whole lot more.

9:00 AM My Second Life [MacArthur]

Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its Residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by a total of 9,843,757 Residents from around the globe. John Olsen has been involved for a year and a half, runs a virtual business and owns a virtual home on virtual land. He will give an introduction of Second Life and field questions.

10:00 AM RVC Rap Session [MacArthur]

Here’s your opportunity to meet and chat with the Far West Region’s “Regional Vice Chairman”, Clark Jones. Find out what’s going on at the national level in Mensa.

10:00 AM Hospitality Opens [Costa Mesa II and III]

We keep out the bagels, muffins, yogurt, fruit, juice, coffee, and tea, and we bring out the beer, wine, pop, chips, dips … and a whole lot more. Consume on-site, or buy some unopened containers (at reasonable prices!) to take home.

10:00 AM Ask Our Mexican – Luis Cambustón [Harbor]

Many of you are familiar with the “Ask a Mexican” column that has made Gustavo Arellano the “go to guy” when anyone has a question regarding Mexicans. Well, OCM has its own Mexican, and Luis Cambustón is REALLY from Mexico — not just a child of Mexican immigrants. In fact, he has traveled through most of the Mexican States and has seen a lot of different sides of Mexico. Luis is ready to field your questions, and to question some of things he sees in the US that are deemed Mexican but that he just doesn’t remember from his home country.

11:00 AM Closing Ceremonies and Volunteer Prize Drawing [MacArthur]

The RG flame is extinguished. Volunteers: this is your chance to win prizes!

Noon Good-Bye!

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

The Committee