CALENDAR OF EVENTS

September 2020 Calendar of Events
Eric Eichorn, Calendar Editor

Codes: ACW all children welcome; BYOB bring your own beverage; CO clothing optional; C/D cat/dog at residence; FE fictitious event; FFE fragrance-free event; FFO finger food only; LCR light carpet rules (no red wine or other staining substances; can also mean no shoes); MO members only; NC no children; NPC, PC no public calendar, public calendar; NMPCW new members, prospects, and candidates welcome; NS, S, S/NS, SO no smoking, smoking, provisions for both, smoking outside; NXM not exclusively Mensa event; RSE regularly scheduled event; WBC well behaved children; WCD, WCE, WCI, WCP wheelchairs difficult, easy, impossible, possible; RSEs are reprinted verbatim unless an update is received by the deadline for the issue in which a change is requested. Note: Children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

Web Calendar Policy: Our policy is not to list events on the Web calendar unless requested to do so by inclusion of the “PC” (“public calendar”) code. If the PC code is not included, your event will default to NPC (no public calendar) and will not be included in the Web calendar. Home addresses (and directions to same) are not listed on the Web, but city and contact information such as telephone and e-mail are unless requested otherwise.

Meetup: SFRM maintains a MeetUp group for events announced on short notice. See meetup.com/SFMensa

To List Your Event: Length limit: 120 words. Submit items to the Calendar Editor at calendar@sfmensa.org. Items must be received by the deadline listed in the calendar to guarantee inclusion. Items must include host’s name, date and time, location, and applicable codes (above), and should also include phone (including area code) or e-mail address. Notices are published on a space-available basis subject to the discretion of the Calendar Editor. The policy for inclusion in the calendar is based on the SFRM bylaws.

Note to Readers

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, most September events have been cancelled, and are so noted below. The few remaining events are virtual or employ effective social distancing. Please continue to check here for updates as well as join our Meetup group where we have several impromptu virtual events happening.

WEEKLY EVENT

None at this time.

End of August

August 23 – Sunday

12n Socrates Cafe Mensa. See September 6. This week’s topic is “What is good government?” (This will not be a political discussion.) PC (RSE Su)

Channing Club is cancelled for August. (RSE 4 Su)

26 – Wednesday

Brainstormer Trivia Night is cancelled for August. (RSE last W)

6p Book DiscussionSapiens: One chapter a week. See September 2. This week’s chapter is The flood. PC (RSE W)

27 – Thursday

South Bay Lunch is cancelled for August. (RSE 2,4 Th)

29 – Saturday

6p Online Board Games. See September 5.

30 – Sunday

12n Socrates Cafe Mensa. See September 6. This week’s topic is “Are stereotypes ever helpful?” PC (RSE Su)

September 1-7

September 1 – Tuesday

Tuesday Tipplers (as an in-person event) is cancelled for September, but watch the sources mentioned above in Note to Readers for Zoom Tipplers. (RSE 1 Tu)

2 – Wednesday

Math Lovers’ Lunch is cancelled for September. (RSE 1 W)

6p Book DiscussionSapiens: One chapter a week. We’re reading Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari – one chapter a week. Instead of discussing the whole book in one sitting, we’ll discuss it in more depth one chapter at a time. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. This week’s chapter is History’s biggest fraud. PC (RSE W)

4 – Friday

Movies That Matter is cancelled for September. (RSE 1,3 F)

5 – Saturday

6p Online Board Games (Experimental new event). Come explore some board games that can be played on the Web. To prepare, it’s best if you create an account at boardgamearena.com and walk through the “Can’t Stop” tutorial. We’ll meet online with Zoom to establish voice contact, then we’ll decide on a game to try out. RSVP on the Meetup calendar if possible, otherwise contact Karl Heuer at puzzles/a/t/sfmensa.org or (650) 648-3594. PC, NMPCW, ACW

Start the Month Right is cancelled for September. (RSE 1 Sa)

6 – Sunday

12n Socrates Cafe Mensa. Do you enjoy deep, honest, and respectful discussions of fundamental human questions? If yes, then you will love this event! We ask questions and discuss ideas to stimulate critical thinking. We enrich ourselves with the perspectives of others, not to convince others about our own perspectives. No academic training in philosophy is necessary, just enthusiasm and an open mind for exchanging ideas and points of view. A few examples of subjects discussed at past meetings: What is a successful life? What ideals, if any, are worth dying for? What is the best form of government? What is the “best” education? What is true friendship? This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Pia Smith. This week’s topic is “What is science?” PC (RSE Su)

2p Monthly GatheringSan Francisco Values. Geri Spieler and Rick Kaplowitz will discuss their newest book, San Francisco Values: Common Ground for Getting America Back on Track. In it they delve, from both liberal and conservative perspectives, into the complex and sometimes contradictory values that define the United States. This is a Zoom meeting, and the link with which to join will be posted on Meetup as the date of the event approaches. PC

4p Albany Hill Hike. (NOTE: This event is on, since the trail is still open as of this posting and is amenable to social distancing. Contact Roberta as below just before the event to make sure that this is still the case.) Join us for a one-hour scenic and historic hike up and around Albany Hill. The trail is steep in spots, but the views are expansive. Special bonus: We have scheduled the Sather Tower Solar Beacon to shine directly upon us as we arrive at the top of the hill. Meet under Pacific East Mall Jumbotron just behind the bus stop on the east side of Pierce St. between Central Ave. in El Cerrito and Washington Ave. in Albany. Free parking is available in the mall lot, which is seven tenths of a mile from the El Cerrito Plaza BART station. Please contact Roberta Maguire to make sure she is in town at robertamaguire/a/t/hotmail.com or (510) 292-6370. PC, ACW, NMPCW, NS, WCI, NXM (RSE 1 Su)

September 8-14

8 – Tuesday

6:45p Puzzled Pint. (NOTE: If shelter in place is still in effect, this will instead be a virtual event on Zoom. Contact Karl as below for instructions on how to connect.) Who likes PUZZLES? The kind where part of the game is to figure out what you need to be doing in the first place? Want to do it as part of a team, so you can bounce ideas off each other, and let someone else do the parts that you find uninteresting? This is a monthly event held in the Bay Area (and simultaneously elsewhere in the world), at a convenient pub where we might order food and drink before or during the game. RSVP to Karl Heuer at puzzles/a/t/sfmensa.org or (650) 648-3594 (voice or text) to reserve your spot and learn the address; it’s almost always either Sunnyvale or Mountain View, near Central Expressway. PC, NMPCW, NS, NXM (RSE 2 Tu)

Intelligencer Deadline. Deadline for calendar events, advertising, members’ free ads, and all other content. See above for information on submitting events. PC (RSE Tu after 1 Sa)

9 – Wednesday

6p Book Discussion: Sapiens: One chapter a week. See September 2. This week’s chapter is Building pyramids. PC (RSE W)

10 – Thursday

South Bay Lunch is cancelled for September. (RSE 2,4 Th)

6:17p Bay Area Restaurant Group (BARG). A new version of BARG-It-Yourself: Please support one of your local restaurants by ordering take-out or delivery to enjoy in your own home. Tip generously! And for great conversation, consider phoning one of your Mensa friends. (RSE 2 Th)

11 – Friday

Delta Happy Hour Hunters is cancelled for September. (RSE 2 F)

6:30p Maybe Mid-Month Mex (MMMMex). Depending on whether Tito’s dining room has reopened, we might meet, eat, and rest our feet at Tito’s, 15508 E. 14th St., San Leandro 94578, 1,500’ NE of the exact geographic center of the Bay Area. Twixt 580 and 880, and close to Bay Fair BART, this is where Mensans might meet in the middle and go, “MMMM!” Conditionally come for the Mensans and the margaritas (or just for the Mensans), along with the marvelous Mexican meal you’ve been missing after 7p. Cohosted by Hank Stephenson, hank888/a/t/earthlink.net or (415) 793-0300 cell, and Peter Midnight. Come when you can to see why Tito’s has been there for more than 60 years, directly across E. 14th St. from Bay Fair Mall. Someday we’ll see you again at Tito’s! No Pets. PC, WCE, NMPCW, NC, SO, NXM (RSE 2 F)

GenX Food and Movie Night is cancelled for September. (RSE 2 F)

12 – Saturday

4p Big Ideas Reading Group: What the Future Looks Like: Scientists Predict the Next Great Discoveries by Jim Al-Khalili (Editor). (NOTE: We are meeting online via Zoom. E-mail host Chris Boyd as below if you might want to be included in the online meeting or to be updated on any changes in venue.) Award-winning author Jim Al-Khalili and his team of top-notch experts explain how today’s earthshaking discoveries will shape our world tomorrow – and beyond. They cover genomics, robotics, AI, the “Internet of Things,” synthetic biology, transhumanism, interstellar travel, colonization of the solar system, teleportation, and much more. For October 10 on Zoom: Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past by David Reich. We have a list of books read at www.bigideasreadinggroup.com/BIRG2.html. For questions and directions please contact Chris Boyd at snoboyd/a/t/sbcglobal.net. PC, NMPCW, NXM (RSE 2 Sa)

13 – Sunday

12n Socrates Cafe Mensa. See September 6. This week’s topic is “Is democracy always democratic?” PC (RSE Su)

14 – Monday

Monday Munchers is cancelled for September. (RSE 2 M)

San Francisco Pub Get-Together is cancelled for September. (RSE 2 M)

September 15-21

16 – Wednesday

6p Book Discussion: Sapiens: One chapter a week. See September 2. This week’s chapter is Memory overload. PC (RSE W)

20 – Sunday

12n Socrates Cafe Mensa. See September 6. This week’s topic is “What is power?” PC (RSE Su)

2p Mensa Speaker Series. David Brin: Creating our replacements? AI, human augmentation, or Uplift? Brin is an award-winning author (Hugo, Nebula, others), astrophysicist, and futurist. In his Uplift Universe, a patron species genetically modifies a client species to create sapient beings, which then become indentured servants and potentially partners. In his universe, humans have “uplifted” chimpanzees and dolphins. A short intro to David and Uplift can be found at Smithsonian Magazine: bit.ly/2XrzmVb. This is a Zoom meeting and details will be posted on Meetup. PC

September 22-30

23 – Wednesday

6p Book Discussion: Sapiens: One chapter a week. See September 2. This week’s chapter is There is no justice in history. PC (RSE W)

24 – Thursday

South Bay Lunch is cancelled for September. (RSE 2,4 Th)

25 – Friday

6:30p Virtual Happy Hour. Mix up your favorite beverage. Bring out some happy-hour munchies and join us for a virtual relaxing time. This is a Zoom meeting and details will be posted on Meetup. Hosted by Judy Unger, junger2040/a/t/gmail.com. PC (RSE 4 F)

26 – Saturday

6p Online Board Games. See September 5.

27 – Sunday

12n Socrates Cafe Mensa. See September 6. This week’s topic is “If life were a game what would the rules be? Would there be a bonus level?” PC (RSE Su)

Channing Club is cancelled for September. (RSE 4 Su)

30 – Wednesday

Brainstormer Trivia Night is cancelled for September. (RSE last W)

6p Book Discussion: Sapiens: One chapter a week. See September 2. This week’s chapter is The arrow of history. PC (RSE W)

FUTURE FLASHES

October 2 – Friday

6p Movies That Matter. (RSE 1,3 F)

3 – Saturday

6p Start The Month Right. (RSE 1 Sa)

4 – Sunday

2p Monthly Gathering. Jacquie Gentry will talk about her three mystery novels: First Thing ~ Kill the LawyersSecond in Her Class, and Third Man Theme. All three are set in San Francisco, and all three feature amateur sleuth Clara Quillen, a lawyer and law professor who works with a veteran SFPD detective to solve murders committed in the Bay Area. All can be found on Amazon. J.E. (Jacquie) Gentry was a lawyer and law professor until she decided to devote herself full time to writing. She earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in English before going to law school, and then earned a Juris Doctor degree. She is a life member of Mensa and served on the AMC. She has traveled extensively and now lives with her husband in the San Francisco Bay Area. She enjoys classical music and classic movies, as well as show tunes and cool jazz. She is somewhat like her central character, Clara Quillen, but in the books Clara is better looking, nicer, younger, and much wealthier. This is a Zoom meeting; see Meetup for details. PC

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