CALENDAR OF EVENTS

September 25 – Sunday

12n    Cafe Discussion: Should the government legislate moral behavior? If so, to what extent? See October 2. (RSE Su)

7p    Channing Club. See October 23. (RSE 4 Su)

28 – Wednesday

6:30p    The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe Book Discussion. This week we’re reading Chapter 4, Pareidolia. See October 5. PC (RSE W)

October 1 – Saturday

6p    Start The Month Right. At Elna and Adrian Tymes’ home in Mountain View. Come celebrate the 42nd year and longest running monthly social event in all of American Mensa (at Elna’s home every month since 1981)! Potluck dinner, unstructured socializing, games, and talk. We provide the main dish; you bring salad, bread, or dessert to share and YOB. $1 donation requested. No reservations needed. Info (650) 969-6650. Guests of Mensans must be accompanied by the member. Masks optional. PC, SO, WBC, WCD, C/D (RSE 1 Sat)

2 – Sunday

12n    Cafe Discussion: Giftedness & Curiosity (inspired by the Einstein quote). Albert Einstein said, “I am neither especially clever nor especially gifted. I am only very, very curious.” What do you think about this quote? How do you view “giftedness,” “curiosity,” and how the two terms may be related? Cafe Discussions are lively, interesting, and you always come away with something to think about in the week to come. Drop in and stay for as long as you like. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by James Monschke. PC (RSE Su)

4p    Albany Hill Hike. 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)

4 – Tuesday

5:30p    Tuesday Tipplers will meet at San Rafael Joe’s, 931 4th St., San Rafael 94901, at 5:30p for drinks in the bar and then move on to dinner in the dining room after an hour or so. Park on the street or in the city garage behind the restaurant. If you have questions e-mail Carole at caroleptaylor/a/t/gmail.com or call (415) 472-1207. PC (RSE 1 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)

5 – Wednesday

6:30p    The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe Book Discussion. We are reading one chapter a week of The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe: How to Know What’s Really Real in a World Increasingly Full of Fake by Dr. Steven Novella. This week we’re reading Chapter 5, Hyperactive Agency Detection. Join us for one, a few, or all discussions. This is a Zoom event. The login details are listed on Meetup. Hosted by Mickie Winkler. PC (RSE W)

7 – Friday

7p    Palo Alto Dining at Arya Steakhouse, a Persian restaurant located at 140 University Ave., 94301, near the High Street Parking structure. This restaurant has an interesting and tempting variety of food to tease our palates. Entrees are a bit pricey, but soups and salads are available. See their menu at www.aryarestaurant.com. They call themselves, “A Persian Steakhouse passionate about creating unforgettable experiences.” Join us for good food and good conversation. To reserve, contact Susan Heimlich at susan.heimlich/a/t/gmail.com or call/text (650) 714-4972 by Wednesday, October 5. Be sure to get a confirmation. Please bring cash. For last minute changes, call (650) 714-4972. Vaccinated people only. PC, NMPCW

8 – Saturday

4p    Big Ideas Reading Group: System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot by Rob Reich. Troubled by the values that permeate the university’s student body and its culture, three Stanford professors worked together to chart a new path forward, creating a popular course to transform how tomorrow’s technologists approach their profession. Now, as the dominance of big tech becomes an explosive societal conundrum, they share their provocative insights and concrete solutions to help everyone understand what is happening, what is at stake, and what we can do to control technology instead of letting it control us. For November 12 on Zoom: A Thousand Brains by Jeff Dawkins and Richard Dawkins. 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)

9 – Sunday

12n    Cafe Discussion: !@# Expletives and their Appropriate Usage. As Lenny Bruce said, “If you can’t say ‘F*ck’ you can’t say, ‘F*ck the government’.” At times, what needs to be expressed can only be expressed via expletives. Their transgressive nature is fundamental to their meaning. They cannot be translated into non-transgressive forms without fundamentally changing their meaning. See October 2. (RSE Su)

10 – Monday

4p    San Francisco Pub Get-Together. Stop by after work or, if you don’t work downtown, just come anyway. All Mensans and their guests are welcome, provided that they are at least 21, at Patriot House in 2 Embarcadero Center (Sacramento St. between Front St. and Davis St.), SF 94111. Take the inside escalator to the 2nd floor, turn right twice, and then follow the sign to the stairs to the 3rd floor. The restaurant’s entrance is near the top of those stairs on the 3rd floor. Look for the Mensa logo on our table or ask one of the waitresses to find us. Starting at 4p, but arrive when you can and leave when you’re ready. We will be there for several hours. They have a Happy Hour from 4p until 6p, with the kitchen closing at 9p and the bar closing at 10p. RSVP preferred on Mensa’s Meetup site at www.meetup.com/SFMensa, less preferred by e-mail to Barry Krasner at bwkbwk/a/t/pacbell.net. If you find that you can’t come after RSVPing “Yes”, please change your RSVP to “No” before the event takes place. PC, NC, NS, NMPCW (RSE 2 M)

11 – Tuesday

6:45p    Puzzled Pint. (NOTE: If Game Control has not chosen a pub, 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)

12 – Wednesday

6:30p    The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe Book Discussion. This week we’re reading Chapter 6, Hypnagogia. See October 5. PC (RSE W)

13 – Thursday

11:45a    South Bay Lunch. Meet at Scrambl’z, 5055 Almaden Expressway, San Jose 95118 (near Hwys. 85 & 87), (408) 269-2900. Voted one of the best breakfast restaurants around. Extensive menu online at www.scramblzalmaden.com. Sandra Anderson, (408) 997-3187. PC, NMPCW, WCE (RSE 2,4 Th)

14 – Friday

12n    Monday Munchers. Special note: Monday Munchers meets on Friday in October! Back from the pandemic and rising up from the old Ethnic Dinner, a lunch group in Marin dedicated to trying different restaurants. This month we will visit Marinitas, 218 Sir Francis Drake Bl., San Anselmo 94960, (415) 454-8900, marinitas.com. RSVP by Monday, October 10, to Elizabeth Calaway at (415) 456-9220 or elizterrycalaway/a/t/aol.com. In the future, Thursday Munchers will meet on the 2nd Thursday of each month. PC (RSE 2 Th)

15 – Saturday

6p    East Bay Movie Night. 2022 marks the 70th anniversary of Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen’s iconic Singin’ in the Rain. In celebration, we will be screening this movie outdoors at member Erin Putnam’s house in Concord. Members, their kids, and their guests are welcome to attend. Well behaved pets are also welcome so long as your pet is socialized to be around both other pets and small children. Light refreshments will be available but please feel free to bring something to share with the group. Please bring a camping chair or blanket to sit on during the movie as seating is limited. RSVP via SFRM Meetup at www.meetup.com/sfmensa/events/287794832 or by e-mailing Katie To at tiggr0272/a/t/hotmail.com. The exact address will be provided to those who RSVP. PC

7p    Teton Tea. Teton Tea Parties are folk-singing parties going back to the 1950s. We welcome both traditional folk singing and singer/songwriters. Our meetings are currently on Zoom. Join the Zoom meeting: us02web.zoom.us/j/6912937135?pwd=WVlpMEs1SCs0c1FoZk5seUhoREVaZz09. Meeting ID: 691 293 7135. Password: berkeley. Hosted by Kevin Langdon, kevinlangdon86/a/t/yahoo.com. PC (RSE 3 Sa)

16 – Sunday

12n    Cafe Discussion: Implications of Apathy. Apathy; what does it mean for the individual and for society. What motivates apathy and how can we change it? See October 2. (RSE Su)

18 – Tuesday

7:30p    Intelligencer Peel and Stick. Come help label the newsletter. Snacks and drinks will be provided. Location to be determined. PC, NS, C (RSE Tu after 3 Sa)

19 – Wednesday

5:30p    Re-BORG. Berkeley-Oakland Restaurant Group is reborn and revived in honor of the incomparable Cathy Roha, who initiated this event and hosted it for many years. Assimilate delicious food and interesting conversation at a good restaurant somewhere in the central East Bay. Bring cash, your vaccination card, and a mask. Limited seating. E-mail or call ahead for location up to a week ahead. RSVP by 3p on Tuesday, October 18. Roberta Maguire, robertamaguire/a/t/hotmail.com, (510) 292-6370. PC, NS, NMPCW, ACW (RSE 3 W)

6:30p    The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe Book Discussion. This week we’re reading Chapter 7, Ideomotor Effect. See October 5. PC (RSE W)

21 – Friday

    Pub Trek is on hiatus for October. We’ll be back in November. (RSE 3 F)

22 – Saturday

11:30a    SFRM Fall Picnic. Come join us for our annual Fall Picnic at Marlin Park, 500 Cringle Dr., Redwood City 94065. At this family friendly event, people can relax over hamburgers, hot dogs, and various beverages while enjoying our great fall weather in a socially distanced setting. This event is sponsored by SFRM so it is free for our members, their guests, and their kids. RSVP via SFRM Meetup at www.meetup.com/sfmensa/events/287721344. Please feel free to contact Katie To at tiggr0272/a/t/hotmail.com if you have any questions. PC

6p    Online Board Games. Come explore some board games that can be played on the Web. If you’re new, please create a (free) account at boardgamearena.com and follow the setup instructions. We’ll meet online with Zoom to establish voice contact, and 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

23 – Sunday

12n    Cafe Discussion: Dumbing down to fit in. To what degree do people “dumb down” to adapt, and in which contexts? See October 2. (RSE Su)

7p    Channing Club is a wide-ranging discussion group which has been meeting, in one form or another, for over half a century. There are no assigned topics; we discuss whatever is on participants’ minds. Our meetings are currently on Zoom. Join the Zoom meeting: us02web.zoom.us/j/6912937135?pwd=WVlpMEs1SCs0c1FoZk5seUhoREVaZz09. Meeting ID: 691 293 7135. Password: berkeley. Hosted by Kevin Langdon, kevinlangdon86/a/t/yahoo.com. PC (RSE 4 Su)

26 – Wednesday

6:30p    The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe Book Discussion. This week we’re reading Chapter 8, Dunning-Kruger Effect. See October 5. PC (RSE W)

27 – Thursday

11:45a    South Bay Lunch. See October 13. (RSE 2,4 Th)

28 – 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. RSVP on Meetup for the Zoom Link. Hosted by Judy Unger, junger2040/a/t/gmail.com. PC (RSE 4 F)

29 – Saturday

5:30p    Games Night in San Rafael. Join your fellow Mensans for dinner and games at Geri Randall’s home in San Rafael. Geri will provide the main entrée; please bring beverages and a salad, hors d’hoevres, side dish, or snack. Pente, Scrabble, and RummiKub are available, or bring your favorite game. Proof of vaccination is required, masks are optional. Space is limited so an RSVP is required; e-mail Geri at gerirandall/a/t/hotmail.com and she will send you directions. PC, NC, NMPCW, WCE

30 – Sunday

12n    Cafe Discussion: Scared vs. Prepared. In light of Halloween being tomorrow, the concept of “scaring people” surfaces. What are your views toward being scared by someone/something, being the one who does the scaring, limits of what may be acceptable behavior, etc? Have your views changed over time? See October 2. (RSE Su)

31 – Monday

6p    Online Board Games. See October 22.

November 1 – Tuesday

5:30p    Tuesday Tipplers. See October 4. (RSE 1 Tu)

2 – Wednesday

6:30p    The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe Book Discussion. This week we’re reading Chapter 9, Motivated Reasoning. See October 5. (RSE W)

5 – Saturday

6p    Start The Month Right. See October 1. (RSE 1 Sat)