Aquarium of the Pacific
The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach is Southern California’s largest aquarium, and the fourth most-attended aquarium in the nation. It displays over 11,000 animals in more than 50 exhibits that represent the diversity of the Pacific Ocean. In 2009 the Aquarium was awarded the Super Nova Star award by the Alliance to Save Energy for being the nation’s most energy-efficient business with revenues under $50 million. In 2018 the Aquarium celebrated its 20th Anniversary. It has just completed "Pacific Vision" a two-story, sustainable biomorphic glass structure that houses an immersive theater experience and changing exhibit galleries.
Dr. Jerry Schubel
Our featured speaker after the brunch, Dr. Jerry Schubel, has been president and CEO of the Aquarium since 2002. He holds a Ph.D. in oceanography from Johns Hopkins University.
The Reptile Family
THE REPTILE FAMILY is bringing arachnids, amphibians, snakes and other reptiles! They inspire appreciation of the Earth’s most misunderstood creatures. Experience the wonder that only their exotic collection can bring. Presented in a hands-on format, these creatures will delight and educate. Animals will include: albino python, tarantula, water dragon, blue-tongue skinks, black-throat monitor lizard, and milk snake. All the animals are safe for touching and holding - if you dare!
About The Family
Members of our family do the “safari themed” presentations, including Chrissy, Joe, Matt and Nabeela. We all have backgrounds, diplomas or certificates in Wildlife Education, Early Childhood Education, Zoo Keeping and/or Communications. Our animals live at our homes in Visions Enclosures and aquariums. They travel in baskets and containers (with newsprint and towel bedding and heat disks when needed).
Los Angeles Zoo
The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, founded in 1966, encompasses 133-acres. It has several unique sections, including: Chimpanzees of Mahale Mountains, Campo Gorilla Reserve, Elephants of Asia, Rainforest of the Americas, and more. Come learn about some of the L.A. Zoo's special animal residents.
Marilyn Revisited
Don’t miss this rare opportunity to meet Marilyn collector Greg Schreiner. Hear the history and unique stories behind the intriguing items, including costumes and personal effects. This is a photo presentation with live piano music by Greg, her fan club president.
Greg Schreiner
Seeing Marilyn Monroe in "Some Like It Hot" changed Greg Schreiner’s life forever. He is President and a founding member of “the longest-running fan club in existence,” Marilyn Remembered. He owns a comprehensive collection of Marilyn memorabilia, from a hairpin to her refrigerator.
End-of-Life Options Act Information and Update
People have a lot of questions and misconceptions about the new End-of-Life Options Act (AKA Medical Aid in Dying). What does the law mandate? What protections are put into place? Who can participate? Do you have to be terminal? How do you find a doctor? Viki will present data from the first year and a half of the law being implemented, how the process works, and what are the requirements to participate. Viki will focus on what the law mandates and how it is going in California. At the end, people can discuss their own opinions once they know the details of the law.
Viki Kind
Viki Kind, Mensa member, is a clinical bioethicist, professional speaker and hospice volunteer. Her award winning book, The Caregiver’s Path to Compassionate Decision Making: Making Choices For Those Who Can't, guides families and professionals who are making decisions for those who have lost capacity. Viki is known as “The People’s Bioethicist,” because she is a rare individual who bridges two worlds, that of the health care professional and of the family struggling to make the right decision. She is an honorary board member of the Well Spouse Association and has been a caregiver for many years for six members of her family.
The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane: American Popular Music 1950 – 59
American Popular music was in transition in the 1950s. The big band era was over. Groups like the Four Lads, the Four Aces and the Ames Brothers were popular. Vocalists like Eddie Fisher, Frank Sinatra and Perry Como dominated the charts. Women like Doris Day, Patti Page and Debbie Reynolds had major hits. New artists like Pat Boone and Bobby Darin made their debuts. Come hear how American popular music sounded before rock and roll changed it forever.
You Ain’t Nothin’ But a Hound Dog: The Birth of Rock and Roll
You know it can’t be fun sitting home all alone. We’ll be having some fun tonight. Just let yourself hear some of that rock and roll music. With a whole lotta’ shaking going on. Don’t be a poor little fool and miss this program. Stick around until you get your kicks. It’s gotta be rock and roll music.
Craig Lancaster
Craig’s programs on American popular music have, at long last, reached the music of the 1950s. There were two kinds of music in the 1950s: pop music and rock and roll. So Craig will be doing two programs. One on the nice pop music of the 1950s; and one on the “brutal, ugly, degenerate, vicious form of expression” called rock and roll. This year, for a change, Craig will be talking about something that he knows. Craig was alive during the 1950s. (Yes, he’s that old.) Surprisingly, he is actually able to remember the songs he will play. He will share his memories (such as they are) of 1950s music with you.
Pictorial Trivia
Here’s a new twist on an old favorite. Get together in teams of six and identify photographs of famous people, places and things and the facts behind them. The famous people may include scientists, world leaders, authors, artists, musicians. Places may include iconic buildings and other structures in the U.S. and around the world. Jana Bickel will be the host and Craig Lancaster will facilitate the computer graphics. Come and test your visual knowledge.
Playreading
Participants will be asked to select from a set of scenes from plays and films the role they wish to read. The scenes are short and could include scenes from “The Graduate”, “It Happened One Night”, “On the Waterfront” “Pride and Prejudice” and others. You do not have to have acting experience to participate. If you enjoy plays or movies and always wanted to know what it would be like to be saying the lines, come and try it out. You may also choose to be part of the audience.
Jana Bickel
Jana Bickel has been a member of Mensa for over 30 years and is a life member. In her Mensa career she has been San Fernando Valley Area Secretary twice, RG chairman twice and RG program chairman multiple times. She has been an active participant in the Urban Hike, Nova Toastmasters, and the Folksong SIG. A career civil servant, she is now enjoying retirement.
Five Myths About Nuclear Power
Wind can never supply more than 15% of total energy demand. Storage to provide firm power from wind and solar would cost about three times US GDP EVERY YEAR! Nothing but nuclear would work if the goal is to eliminate CO2 emissions. Five myths about nuclear power -- it's not safe, nobody knows what to do about spent fuel, it's too expensive, it leads to weapons proliferation, and there's not enough uranium anyway -- are all false.
Van Snyder
Van Snyder is a semi-retired mathematician and software engineer with an abiding interest in nuclear power. Before the flowering of the world-wide web, studying nuclear power was difficult. But after reading "Smarter Use of Nuclear Waste," "Prescription for the Planet," and "Plentiful Energy," and using e-mail to correspond with the authors, learning became much easier. I am indebted to them for their assistance, patient tutoring, and references.
Parody Sing-Along
Enjoy singing along or not in the zany world of parodies. Some of these were written by host Alan Stillson. If you’d like, BYOP (bring your own parody).
Homophonia
Homophonia is an interactive word game that involves quick identification of two consecutive homophones (words that sound alike) that are missing from a sentence An example is “She saw a man with a wooden BLANK away a mosquito.” The answer is shoe and shoo.
Alan Stillson
Alan Stillson, Mensa member since 1987, is puzzle editor of LAMentary and Oracle. He leads two SIGs, folk singing and the writers group. Alan recently retired as an adjunct mathematics professor and actively works as an author. He has eleven published puzzle books, has two produced musical shows and is working on the production of a peace concert. His website is http://stillsonworks.com and his e-mail address is astillson@sbcglobal.net.
Odd Man Out
We are not our Facebook or LinkedIn profiles. A darker truths lie beneath. Marty Nemko will reveal all in stories to make you smile as well as purse your lips in recognition. Piano playing is a thread that goes through Marty's life so he'll intersperse by playing everything from Scott Joplin to Tom Lehrer. This show has been performed at the San Francisco Civic Center's Koret Auditorium, etc.
Your Time
We've all heard time management tips, yet our life still seems too busy, or we may feel appropriately busy but aren't spending our time the way we'd really like to. This session will go beyond the obvious to help us reap more from our lives, day to day, and over our lifetime, so we end up feeling we've lived a life well-led.
Marty Nemko
Marty Nemko is the author of 12 books and 3,500 published articles, including 1,300 on PsychologyToday.com. He holds a Ph.D. in educational psychology from U.C. Berkeley and taught there. He does career coaching, and is in his 30th year hosting Work with Marty Nemko on KALW, an NPR station in San Francisco.
Juno, Union of Art and Science
Employing Power Point, videos, audio recordings and a 3D model Theo Clarke will unveil the Juno mission at the planet Jupiter, the Earth encounter that slung it to Jupiter, and the amazing cultural connections that define its mission.
Theo Clarke
In his 27-year career at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Theo Clarke worked as scientist and engineer on the Mariner 10 mission to Venus and Mercury, the Voyager mission to the outer planets, and the Galileo mission to Jupiter. He is the recipient of NASA’s prestigious Exceptional Service Medal for his service to Galileo’s Earth encounters. After retiring from JPL, Clarke served as an Adjunct Professor of Physics at Pasadena City College, and is currently a consultant on NASA’s Juno mission to the planet Jupiter.
The child inside sparks curiosity, playfulness, and possibilities
A program about psychology: the psychology behind shyness, leading research, and practical measures to transform shyness. For those who want to participate, there will also be interactive communication exercises. It will be catered to being a more effective communicator.
Gavin Masumiya
Gavin says he was “the quiet Asian boy who found myself stuck inside a box, too afraid to speak up. Now I realize my shyness is a gift. It ignited my interest in human behavior.” He studied psychology and received his degree from UC Irvine. “I believe your voice matters and is a gift to the world.”
Scientific Testing of Wild Claims
Jim will give us a presentation about the scientific testing of wild claims. His Center for Inquiry Investigations Group (CFIIG) was recently featured on National Geographic Explorer (Season 11, episode 5 Space Race) in their battle with flat earthers. CFIIG has tested alleged psychics, dowsers, telekinetics, faith healers and many other extraordinary claims. The CFIIG now offers $250,000 to anyone who can prove paranormal ability under testing conditions.
James Underdown
James Underdown has been the executive director of The Center for Inquiry (CFI) Los Angeles since 1999, and founded the Center for Inquiry Investigations Group (CFIIG) in 2000. The CFIIG investigates fringe science, paranormal and extraordinary claims from a rational, scientific viewpoint. James is also one of the co-hosts of CFI’s podcast, Point of Inquiry.
Life in Cameroon
Elvis Prince Tognia is a passionate speaker whose voice you will fall in love with the minute he says a word. He will tell us about his life in Cameroon, and his organization, Africa U Can, which is dedicated to helping Africans. He will tell us about the conditions in Cameroon (where they still practice "breast ironing"), and "what I would do if I could change Africa."
Elvis Prince Tognia
Elvis Prince Tognia, was born in Cameroon in the centre of Africa. He arrived in the US in 2001 without speaking any English, and engaged in the path of personal development. He is now author of two books, a storytelling speaker and the president of Africa U Can, a non-profit organization that inspires and motivates the youth of Africa.
The Secret Is Out
The ancient Greeks thought epilepsy was a divine dispensation, calling it the “sacred disease.” Socrates had epilepsy, hearing voices that “directed him.” Since early childhood, he experienced both simple and complex partial seizures as a brief voice. Over 2000 years later, modern medicine made a diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy. Afi has info and stories of famous people with epilepsy, and different types of seizures.
Afi Bell
This is Afi (pronounced like “coffee” without the "c"). She brings energy and humor as an advocate for the Epilepsy Foundation, focused on informing about the many types of seizures. How Socrates, Harriett Tubman, Florence Griffin Joyner, Julius Caesar and Afi operated through the challenges of Epilepsy, went for their passions and gained great results!
Life After Death
The overwhelming evidence that we don't die, messages from those who have had a Near Death Experience (NDE), and varied components of an NDE. Sue Crossen presents discussions by scientists and physicians, on both sides of the aisle, of NDE's validity or if they're just the last gasp of a dying brain.
Sue Crossen
As a therapist, author, and former radio show host, Sue Crossen embarking on a seven-year search for factual evidence that we survive death. If anyone is afraid of death, grieving the loss of loved ones, and/or just interested in what happens when we die, this is one presentation you don’t want to miss.
Independent Travel for Folks 45+
Ah, to travel the world! Exciting! Scary? Costly? Too costly? Lonely? Want to travel but you’re not the fixed-tour-package type? We’ll cover as much as possible, touching upon: travel on a modest budget - affordable airfare, lodging; meeting people and having true cultural and educational experiences; packing for 1-bag travel™ - backpack or wheels, bring what’s needed without breaking your back; navigating when you’re on your own; accessing your money from afar; staying connected -dealing with time zones.
Deborah Shadovitz
Deborah Shadovitz first traveled on her own from her native NY to Israel in 1983, then to Europe in ’84, then 3 years solo around the world 1985-1988. She wrote about travel, then settled into life in Los Angeles as a Mac consultant. In 2011 she left to travel at age 54. She’s now 61. Each time she leaves, it’s for 6-months to 1.5 years. How? For one thing, she continues to work as she travels. For another, she well… you’ll learn her travel style and tricks.
Achieving Balance in an Unbalanced World
Do you have or only dream about having a Quality of Life? Those subjects will be discussed in an interactive format: Family – Where it All Begins; Community – Staying Connected in an Unconnected World; Education – A Never-Ending Quest; Career – Love What You Do; Do What You love; Finances – To Achieve Financial Independence, Start Early; Health - More than Just Minding Body & Soul; Leisure – Avoid the Syndrome of All Work & No Play; Spirituality – Getting in Touch with Your Greater Self
How I Was Scammed Out of $6,000
An interesting but sad tale. Anyone can be had by the smooth con artist. The schemers were very experienced and had an answer for everything. Happy to tell about it so others don't get taken too: Why was the date significant? Why did I have to spell the name of my son? Why did they want “gift cards”? Was the court going to keep my son in jail unless provided $6,000 as bail?
H. Stan Jones
Born in Illinois, Stan came to California compliments of Uncle Sam and moved to Hawaii in 1999. He is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Speaking Professional. He served as an Army Officer, was a professor of Taxation & Law at California State Universities. Stan has several passions. For over sixty years he has been researching his roots. This genealogy endeavor has taken him to many places around the world. Stan has volunteered in Ukraine, Romania, and Russia under auspicious of USAID. He is a member of American Mensa and Intertel.
Psychic Debris and Crowded Closets
Cluttered minds and crowded closets weigh us down, thwart productivity, and make it difficult to move forward with ease and a sense of clarity. "Psychic Debris, Crowded Closets: The Relationship Between the Stuff in Your Head, and What's Under the Bed" is a fun, funny insightful conversation about our relationship with mess as a chronic condition. Dr. Regina Lark provides practical tools and strategies to de-clutter the mind, and other matters.
Regina Lark
In 2008, Dr. Regina Lark founded A Clear Path: Professional Organizing and Productivity. As a Certified Professional Organizer CPO, and additional certifications in Chronic Disorganization, she works with clients who are challenged by ADHD, procrastination, and time management. Regina earned her Ph.D. in history from the University of Southern California. For fun, she writes goofy songs about clutter.
Popular Music ID Quiz
If you can identify song titles and the artists who recorded them from hearing short segments of them, you’ll do well on this quiz. Hints and trivia about the songs will be provided. There will be three sections: (a) Top 10 hits from the 1960's (b) Holiday songs & (c) Popular folk songs.
Robert Savenye
Robert Savenye has run music ID quizzes at various RG's. He currently produces and is DJ for two online radio programs: “Just Folking Around“, which is folk and folk rock, that airs Wednesdays from 3 to 5 PM. Then “Sixties At Five“, songs from the 1960's, airs Wednesdays from 5 to 6 PM. Both can be heard at OCRockRadio.com . Robert is a long-time Mensa member and retired chemist who has always had a great interest in popular music, even though he cannot sing or play an instrument.
Emotions Are Not Real
The subject he will be covering is entitled: “Emotions are not real.” What role do our five senses play in shaping our life? Can we maintain control of our emotions? During this intriguing presentation, Prince will reveal the truth behind emotions and show you how they are not something you experience, but instead are conjured up!
Prince Simmons
Prince’s book “Unleash the Power of Your Internal Blueprint” comes out in about four months. He is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and Peak Performance Expert. For over a decade, he has made it his business to study and master the science of personal and professional achievement. During college he majored in psychology, theology and business management. He was recently named Best Informative Speaker by the South Bay Professional Association as well as other well-known organizations.
Improv Workshop
Through a series of games, this improv workshop helps you be more spontaneous and trust your choices. It is an experience in liberation, agility, resilience and quick thinking. It is a great way to test your creative reflexes and almost always involve plenty of laughter.
Karyss Gonzalez
Karyss Gonzalez began acting at the age of seven and has performed in over 50 stage productions all over the world. She has worked with Actors Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, Disney Entertainment, and Warner Bros Studio. Karyss has just recently moved back to Southern California after teaching and directing Theater and Dance in San Francisco for the past five years. And she is very glad to be back home.
All about Spiders
The fear of spiders is in the top 10 most common fears people have, alongside some actually scary things, like fear of failure and fear of intimacy. However, the more you learn about these 8-legged, multi-eyed hunters, the more you see just how amazing they really are. Spiders are wickedly intelligent, talented, beautiful, and have some of the strangest adaptations (like vegetarian spiders!) Come geek out about arachnids, and learn some of the latest research and some just plain cool stuff, like that they can have a dry bite and they can live in one area of the earth that no other living thing can.
Angela Madsen
Angela Madsen is an ecology Masters student at CSU Bakersfield studying the interaction of plants, soil bacteria, and insects. She is a lover of all things nature, especially the animal kingdom. Her love of bugs began at a very, very young age, when a swarm of june bugs landed in her backyard in Texas and they just looked so tasty...
Chinese Stories
China is one of the oldest cultures on earth, and encompasses more land than any other nation. In addition, they emphasized education and literacy so there is an extensive quantity of myths, folk tales, children’s stories, love stories, villains and heroes, animal stories etc. Today will be like a Chinese Buffet where we will sample many forms of Chinese stories.
Sandra Smith
Sandra Smith, a Life Member of Mensa, comes from a family of story tellers. Her first experience in public speaking was in kindergarten Show and Tell. She now does less showing but is still delighted to have an opportunity to tell. Her school years coincided with the Space Race and its focus on science. The one exception was studying Greek and Roman mythology. Now she covers many other cultures, heroes, folk tales, and anything else that catches her interest. You may or may not learn something at her presentation, but you are almost sure to be entertained.
Acrylic Painting
Come relax and unwind with friends while bringing out your creative side! We will be using acrylics to paint the seascape shown. I will be bringing paint and canvasas. No experience necessary! $20 charge for supplies.
Nik Ki Smith
Hello! I’ve been a member of Mensa since 2014 and Life Member since last year. I’m an avid costumer and prop maker. I’m fortunate that my whole family has the same artistic obsessions as I do. I’m a local gal hailing from Harbor City. If you see me, say “Hi”. I love to meet new people and I can give recommendations for restaurants and such in the San Pedro area.
Getting Creative About Aging
Robert will talk about growing wiser as we age, and being creative about how we get the most out of the experience. He learned life-long insights and wisdom from his Stanford Undergrad and Stanford Law School MENSA Father. You will appreciate their relationship and their story. When most have long since slowed as they approach their golden years, Robert continues to routinely take on unprecedented challenges, and to help others see what can be achieved in their own lives.
Robert Owens
Robert Owens has recently been given the Title: “The Fittest 66 Year Old in the World” by Triathlete Magazine. He is a former USAF Pararescueman. He now is a trainer and mentor to USAF Pararescueman and Navy SEAL Candidates. He is the father of 5 children and has been Speaking and Business Consulting for 30 years. Learn more at roberthamiltonowens.com.
RELATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: The 6 Practices of Highly Engaging People
For centuries we have been nurturing and praising human Rational Intelligence. “It’s what makes us different from other animals!” Most recently we have studied the power of Emotional Intelligence. “The key to success resides in EQ” we found. And now we are trying to figure out what do we do with the new Artificial Intelligence… but in this process we forget that what mostly matters for humankind is Relational Intelligence. In this presentation we will discuss 6 specific practices that anyone can leverage to further develop Relational Intelligence and creatively improve our interactions.
Jorge Sciupac
Based in Los Angeles since 1979, Jorge Sciupac has been called “The Partnering Architect.” As an international author and group facilitator, he has shared his unique Modern Mentoring Methods to help world-class organizations like The J.P. Getty Trust, Callison, Timberlake, EEK, and others, grow. With a worldwide background in Business, Psychology, and Architecture; as well as advanced education from prestigious schools such as Pepperdine, UCLA, USM, and UBA, Jorge’s life has been dedicated to professional and organizational development by facilitating projects, operations and transitions through external and internal Partnering Strategies.
Today's Taxes - What's New?
The 1040 Tour Guide will take you on a trip around John and Jane Doe's tax return covering types of income deductions, tax credits, and audit preparation. The new tax law, good, bad, or ugly, will be explained before it is amended with technical corrections. See how John and Jane Doe are affected by the new law. The lecture will discuss wage earner income and expenses and self-employment issues including office in the home, depreciation of assets, and self-employment tax. Education credits and adjustments will be explained. If you want a better understanding of what you file under penalty of perjury with the government each year, this session is for you.
Linda Dorfmont
Linda Dorfmont has been doing other peoples taxes for over 40 years. She has taught taxation for the Small Business Development Centers, the IRS TCE/VITA Program, the College for Financial Planning, local colleges, and private education providers. She is a frequent speaker at Mensa events, and, as of a few months ago, is now a full-fledged member of Mensa.
Celebration of GLAAM
In what may become an annual tradition, this is an opportunity for members of our chapter to come together and reminisce about the people and events in our past. Take the opportunity to share, laugh, cry, and mostly remember things from the last year or further back.
New Member Meet & Greet
Welcome to Greater Los Angeles Area Mensa! Whether you are new to Mensa or new to the Los Angeles area – or both! – this is a great opportunity to find out about the kinds of things that happen in our chapter and learn about the stuff you might want to get involved with…or even decide to start yourself!
Desiree E. Elliott
Desiree E. Elliott is the Local Secretary (Chairman/President) for the Los Angeles Chapter. She has been a member of Mensa and the Los Angeles Chapter since 2004 and has served on both the local board and the national board over the years. As an active member, she has experience with various activities that are currently part of the schedule and knowledge about past favorites as well.
RVC Q&A
Come chat with the Regional Vice Chair, Michael Wong, about what is going on in Mensa today. Feel free to ask questions and offer comments about any issues regarding Mensa during this program.
Michael Wong
Michael Wong is the current Regional Vice Chair for Region 9 and a member of the American Mensa Committee (AMC), our national board of directors.