Denham Walk: Val, Catriona, Joy, Mark, Peter and Ian

On Sunday 16th October, a group of Mensans joined Val for an excursion to Colne Valley Park to admire the way the Grand Union Canal and Great Central Railway were driven across this watery landscape. They met on the train leaving High Wycombe at 12:57. From Denham Station they descended below the railway viaduct to reach a footpath heading for the Colne Valley park visitor centre, arriving just after 2pm. They passed Denham Deep Lock on the towpath of the Grand Union Canal, a good level path with no stiles. The total distance, including the walk to and from the station, was around six miles.

 

Regional News

Many thanks to Jacquie for taking over the role of Lincs LocSec whilst Christine had to deal with other priorities. Welcome back Christine and good team work, ladies! Don't forget you don't have to be an officer to host an event. Any member is welcome to do so. If you have a hobby or interest you would like to share with other members, why not invite us along? Or maybe you work somewhere we could visit for a behind the scenes tour? Please contact myself or any of the LocSecs if you have suggestions for future events. Especially if they may make good 'alphabet events'. We're trying to offer more than the popular eating and drinking events. So far we've included train rides, comedy nights, museum visits, greyhound racing, parties and more. But we're only half way so suggestions for M to Z welcome!

Don't forget we are still seeking volunteers to take over as LocSec for the DE, LU and NN postcodes. The role can take up as much or as little time as you wish. Please contact me if you'd like more information or for a no obligation chat.

As always at this time of year I'd like to thank everyone who has hosted or attended one of our events, the editors for providing us with a good read in Empress each month, Nick for maintaining our frequently updated web site at www.eastmidsmensa.org.uk as well as the office staff at Wolverhampton for their support. Hope to see you in 2017!

Maxine Bates

Regional Officer

Editorial

Welcome to the December Edition of Empress.

I have to start with sad news: there will be no more special birthdays in Empress. The Mensa office is removing dates of birth from listings from now on due to data protection. However, we start the festive month with a number of Christmas dinners to add to the calendar. We also have an article from Phil Jones who runs the Philosophical Discussion SIG. I hope you enjoy it. Finally, the member's profile for this month belongs to our new Empress Editor, Mark Sloan.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Maria Falces

Events and Meetings

More or Leicester

On Mon 19th Dec at 8:00pm - Christmas Curry

Christmas Dinner

Our normal 4th Monday of the Month will be on the 3rd Monday of the month, 19th Dec., and will - as if by magic! - transform itself into the traditional Leicester Christmas Curry! We'll head back again to the Mem Saab in Highcross so booking is essential.

Paul Coulson

photo of Christine Howells

Lively Lincs

On Sat 10th Dec at 12:05pm - Pub discussion

Meet at 'Adam and Eve' on Lindum Hill on Saturday 10th, we're usually in the alcove, MBlem on table. Friendly discussion on, "How much should society organise itself around religious festivals, Christian or otherwise?" starts at around 12.30, food available, free parking.

On Wed 28th Dec at 7:00pm - Eating meeting

Our, now annual, mid-festivities meal, opportunity to show off your Christmas jumper/braces/shoes .. will take place at Vincenzo's, West Street, Lincoln, on Wednesday 28th at 7.00pm. Please book with me by 18th if possible, thanks

Christine Howells

Contact [Email] for details

photo of Maxine Bates

Notts News

On Mon 5th Dec at 8:00pm - 5OTM

From 8.00pm on Monday 5th we'll be having our monthly get together at the Vat & Fiddle pub on Queensbridge Road (near Nottingham railway station). Whether you are full of festive spirit or feeling bah humbug you are welcome to join us for a drink and chat. We're usually in the Goldings Room to left of the bar and a yellow Mblem will be on the table. Why not give us a try? Nottingham Mensa

On Thu 8th Dec at 7:30pm - Christmas meal

Christmas meal

At 7.30pm on Thursday 8th we're at the Cadland in Chilwell for the Christmas meal. Pre-booking is essential so contact me to check availability or to see the menu. It's £13.49 for 2 courses or £15.99 for 3 courses.

On Sat 31st Dec at 8:00pm - New Year's Eve party

Our final event of the year is a New Year's Eve party from 8.00pm on Saturday 31st at my home in Langley Mill. Come and help me celebrate the end of 2016 and start of 2017. I'll provide a buffet, music and décor but please bring whatever you would like to drink. Some floor space still available for anyone wishing to stay overnight. We may surface in time for brunch on New Year's Day!

Ciao for now!

Maxine Bates

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

photo of Richard Allen

Hertfordshire Happenings

On Thu 1st Dec at 8:00pm - FThOTM

As ever, we are at the Three Magnets, Leys Avenue, Letchworth. Thursday nights are curry nights but other food (standard Wetherspoons' fare) is available as well. Leys Avenue is the main shopping street in Letchworth and is a few minutes' walk from the station (Kings Cross to Cambridge line). Call me for more details and encouragement.

On Thu 8th Dec at 8:00pm - L is for Letchworth Garden City Brewery

Alphabet Event - L

L is for Letchworth Garden City Brewery

We're meeting at Hertfordshire's newest brewery on Thursday 8th December at 8.00pm - to prove we can organise a booze-up in a brewery! The Letchworth Garden City Brewery is on The Wynd, between the two main streets of Station Road and Leys Avenue and is about a five minute walk from the station. Call me for further details and encouragement.

On Sat 31st Dec at 5:30pm - New Year's Eve concert

Viennese style New Year's Eve concert at the Barbican, London

This will be the twelfth year we've been going and it remains as enjoyable as ever. If you're interested, please drop me a line or give me a call as tickets sell fast. We meet at a nearby Wetherspoon's for a drink and a meal at 5.30 and then walk to the Barbican, which is about ten minutes' walk. The concert finishes at about 10, so you can get to any celebrations you may have planned!

Richard Allen

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

photo of Jo Sidebottom

Mensans in MK & Bedford

On Sat 3rd Dec at 3:00pm - T@3

Our first event in December is T@3 on Saturday 3rd in the restaurant at Dobbie's Garden Centre in Fenny Stratford. We'll be there from 3pm, probably in the conservatory area at the back.

On Sun 11th Dec at 10:00am - Sunday breakfast

We return to our new venue of Brown's, next to Jury's Inn on Midsummer Boulevard, for breakfast on Sunday 11th. Join us from 10am for a full breakfast, a snack, or just a drink.

We will not be doing the Barge quiz this month as we're never quite sure about their Christmas arrangements, and December is usually a busy month for everyone. We'll be back there in January.

Just a reminder about our M-MK & Bedford Facebook group - if you would like to join please search for the group and send me a request. I also keep an email distribution list for meeting reminders and any last-minute changes, so if you would like to be added to this please let me know.

We hope to see as many of you as possible at one or other of our events in December. Do remember that you're welcome to bring a guest with you, so if you've never been to a Mensa event and are a little nervous about coming along on your own, just bring a friend.

I'd like to wish all our local members a very merry Christmas.

Jo Sidebottom

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] / [Mobile Number] for details

photo of Val Hinkins

Mid Bucks

On Fri 9th Dec at 10:30am - Mornig coffee

Meet me from 10:30am onwards on Friday 9th December for a morning of informal conversation and coffee. This month we are visiting the Costa Coffee Shop, 35-37, Sycamore Road, Amersham, Bucks. HP6 5EQ.

On Sun 11th Dec at 12:15pm - Tapas Lunch

At 12:15pm on Sunday 11th December we will meet for lunch at Origins at the White Lion on Great Missenden High Street, HP16 0AL. Origins describes itself as both a vibrant wine and cocktail bar serving light international tapas in a sophisticated environment and an oasis of civilization on a busy high street. See www.originswinebar.co.uk/Menus.aspx for further details. It is very popular so I will need to book us a table. Please let me know by Wednesday 30th November if you want to join us.

On Sun 11th Dec at 2:00pm - Craft Fair

After lunch we will move on to Missenden Abbey's Christmas Craft Fair, HP16 0BD. This features Christmas craft stalls, festive food and drink, fun activities for kids, Thomas Ball Children's Cancer Fund tombola, charity raffle as well as free entry and parking. If you are not joining us for lunch first, look out for me at the entrance around 2pm.

On Mon 12th Dec at 8:00pm - Board games

Join Dave and Alison at their home in Flackwell Heath for a relaxed evening of indoor board games. Arrive for an 8pm start on Monday 12th December. Please contact Dave on [Email] or [Phone Number] for directions and to let him know which games you would like to play. For further details or encouragement contact me.

Val Hinkins

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

Derby Diary

On Sat 3rd Dec at 11:00am - Llama experience

As well as the official 'alphabet events' around the East Midlands region I'm organising my own. Which led me to find a Llama experience at National Forest Llama Treks in Burton On Trent (DE13 8ED) just off the A38. An hour long session includes a talk about the llamas, feeding, grooming, a short trek and chance to look at their other small animals followed by coffee and cakes. The cost is £10 per person and all ages welcome. I've booked the 11.00am session on Saturday 3rd. Numbers are limited and nearly sold out as soon as I advertised the event online (see, there are perks to belonging to our Facebook group!) but do contact me to check availability if interested. If it's fun I may look at us doing a half day llama trek in the spring/summer.

On Wed 21st Dec at 7:30pm - 3WOTM

On Wednesday 21st we're at the Standing Order on Irongate in the city centre. Wetherspoons don't appear to be taking prebookings for Christmas meals this year although say they will be offering a festive menu. So come along from 7.30pm until late for food and/or a drink. Look for a yellow Mblem on a long table at the rear of the pub.

On Thu 8th Dec at 7:30pm - Christmas Dinner

Christmas Dinner

Our regular event at The Cadland in Chilwell becomes the Nottingham Mensa Christmas meal on 8th December. £13.49 for 2 courses or £15.99 for 3 courses. Contact Maxine for menu and to book. Fiver deposit required.

Maxine Bates

Contact [Email] or [Phone Number] for details

Member's Profile - Mark Sloan

Indoor shot of Mark Sloan
What's your name?
Mark Sloan
Where were you born?
I was born in the town of Heswall which is on the Wirral peninsula (the bit which sticks our between Liverpool and Wales).
Where do you live?
Castle Donington, which is in Leicestershire but has a Derby Post Code. Nearby there is the Donington Park race circuit and East Midlands airport
When did you join Mensa?
I joined in September 1981, around about the time I started university in Sheffield.
Why did you join?
There was a Mensa-themed quiz which ran for a week on the local radio and I had a go, only struggling on one question. This inspired me to go for the proper test, which I passed - at the second attempt.
Have you attended any events?

When I first joined the first event I went to was an 'At Home' event near the hall of residence I spent my first year at Sheffield. I got on quite well with the host such that I continue to attend other events in the local area. Eventually I ended up renting the spare room in this host's flat which was infinitely preferable to student digs.

After university I stopped going to Mensa events when I moved down to Reading. When work took me up to the Midlands I eventually spotted that the AG was going to be in Blackpool. This inspired me to start to go to meetings again and I haven't looked back.

How have you benefited from your Mensa membership?
New friends and lots of adventures which I have had, such as visiting the pyramids in Egypt, the Chernobyl reactor in Ukraine and seeing penguins in the Arctic Circle, all through people I've known in Mensa. It has made up the best part of my social life for the last fifteen or so years.
Any hobbies/interests?
I like to take photos although I'm really just a 'point and shoot' person who occasionally gets lucky and produces a good picture. I enjoy a wide variety of films but especially sci-fi. I also like to tinker with computers, having built a couple from scratch
Anything else?
For quite a few years now I have been the Regional Meetings Coordinator for the East Midlands (the long title for a simple job - to organise the meeting notices from the locsecs into some sort of order for the main magazine). For some strange reason they are now allowing me to be guest editor for the January Empress. Anything could happen!

The Philosophical Discussion SIG by Phil Jones

Shot of phil in front a watery backdrop

An update on the Philosophical Discussion SIG that I run from the scenic heights of Matlock ...

Having introduced myself to fellow East Midlands Mensans last year, I thought an update might be in order. Firstly, I'm pleased to report that the SIG continues to thrive. Membership has risen above the 500 mark, and is now progressing steadily towards 600. As with most SIGs, however, the number of contributing members is significantly fewer - of the order of tens, rather than of hundreds.

We produce a quarterly newsletter, THINK (I usually refer to it as a "journal") with a special edition in January each year. The special addition serves mainly to advertise our annual Spring gathering at Oxford, where we usually have around 60 or so attendees. If you haven't been to Oxford (or even to any Mensa meeting) before, then this annual gathering could be a good place to start - it's open to all Mensans, plus family and friends.

The 2017 gathering will take place at Balliol College on Saturday 1 and the morning of Sunday 2 April, though several people will turn up early the Friday before.

Keep an eye on the Mensa Magazine (or email me) if you may be interested.

"What's the difference between Philosophy and just .. Thinking?" my wife occasionally asks. Well, I don't suppose there is much difference really. It's just a process of asking questions and trying to arrive at tentative answers - on pretty much any subject. We often pose a topical "problem" or two for readers to reflect on, so let me give a sneak preview of a question to be posed in the upcoming December issue of THINK:

In the Tory Party Conference in October, Theresa May commented that: "If you believe you're a citizen of the world, you're a citizen of nowhere. You don't understand what the very word 'citizenship' means".

Is she right?

You don't have to be a SIG member to answer that question, so please feel free to email me your views, and I'll publish responses (probably in the Spring 2017 issue). I'll also email you the relevant copy of THINK so you can see your answer in print.

I find a philosophical approach to life to be helpful, and particularly like a quote from Michel de Montaigne (a 16th century French philosopher) who once remarked: Rejoice in the things that are present: all else is beyond thee". His attitude resonated during a period of personal challenge in 2012, when I had an unexpected stroke - a brain haemorrhage - which eventually led to being diagnosed with Cadasil, a rare genetic disorder. I've made a good recovery, but the event made me more aware of my personal vulnerability and limitations, and I now try to factor that into any commitments that I make.

Although further neurological challenges probably lie ahead, I take active steps to optimise my health - I go to the gym regularly, walk in the Derbyshire Dales, travel, read, write, study, engage with my grandchildren . and just keep taking those tablets. Not too different from many people my age, I imagine.

If you'd like to learn more about the SIG, or about the Oxford gathering, or even just comment on the question above, please email me at mensaphil@tiscali.co.uk

20 Questions (No. 182)

Did you know the answers to the 1940s quiz in the October issue? They were Lancelot Ware and Roland Berrill, White Christmas, Jackie Robinson, Glenn Miller, The Pentagon, Mahatma Ghandi, 872, Pinocchio, New Mexico, Agnetha Faltskog, General Dwight Eisenhower, Alfred Hitchcock, Jan Smuts, The Philippines, It's That Man Again, Italy, 8th May 1945, Captain America, George De Mestral and attack on Pearl Harbour. Congratulations to Pamela Covey of Woburn who wins the £10 book token.

We have a festive quiz for you this month. Send your answers to arrive by 10th December either by email to [Email] or by post to '20 Questions (No. 182)', [Address]. Remember to include your name and address however you enter.

1. What is the name of the character played by Will Ferrell in the film 'Elf'?

2. Which country eats the most Brussels sprouts per annum?

3. What is the best-selling Christmas song of all time?

4. Christmas Island is a territory of which country?

5. A snowflake has how many points?

6. Who had a hit with 'Mistletoe And Wine'?

7. Ilex is the scientific name for which plant associated with Christmas?

8. Which Christmas song was the first to be played in space?

9. In which year did Queen Elizabeth II deliver her first televised Christmas message?

10. Which company put Santa Claus in red rather than the original blue and green?

11. The song 'Walking In The Air' comes from which film?

12. Which alcoholic ingredient goes into a snowball cocktail?

13. Tinsel was originally made from which precious metal?

14. In 'The Twelve Days Of Christmas' my true love gave nine what?

15. What is the highest grossing Christmas film?

16. In which year did the river Thames last freeze over in order to hold a Christmas fair?

17. Estonian families traditionally visit where on Christmas Eve?

18. Which country donates a tree to London's Trafalgar Square each year?

19. Who invented the Christmas cracker?

20. The tallest snowman at 122 feet was made in which US state?