Folks Tales. Anybody reading material from American Mensa these days knows that their Articles of Incorporation must be amended to legitimize voting methods they have inadvertently been using inaccurately for many years. The quest for proxies, necessary just this single time, has emphasized that the change will allow voting by mail, either for officers or referenda items, and set a quorum for the Annual Business Meeting (ABM), the former being presented as mainly a benediction of "business as usual." (See "Proxy 101," elsewhere in this issue.)

AMC Communications Officer Tim Folks reminds us, however, of another possible application of the change and the reason the proxy form is worded in seemingly awkward language: The AMC wants to keep voting options open, such as the right "to forbid mail ballots" in favor of electronic ballots.

Folks comments that "There is nothing wrong with us narrowing [emphasis added] our election options within our Mensa governing documents." Before jumping to the conclusion that such a narrowing is in the immediate future, readers should know that a change such as one to e-ballots only or any other extensive limitation would require a change in the bylaws (although such changes have generally passed in recent years). Still, one should consider all ramifications of giving one's proxy. As readers of cautionary folk stories know, they usually begin with "Once upon a time …"

Dues and Don'ts. Under the aegis of former International Chairman Dave Remine, that body's treasury became so depleted that the international dues component (an amount paid by each national Mensa to International) has been brought back up to 8%, a significant increase. This raise will cost American Mensa approximately $65,000 more per year until the international treasury returns to acceptable levels. That amount is an additional $1.23 out of each member's dues per year, or 2.5% of our dues income — a legacy the Remine reign leaves to members and American Mensa Ltd. (AML), even though he was replaced this year by a new International Chairman, Chris Leek. It appears that this particular "leek" has his finger in the dam and is shoring it up, but AML and its members are going to be paying for the former administration's activities for years. Recent news says that the increase might even be as much as $85,000!

PRoxy. American Mensa is "porning" on the heat in its effort to collect the proxies necessary to change its Articles of Incorporation. Two numbers were given to members, one via a postcard and one in the Bulletin. The first number (1-800- MY PROXY) reached a sex line. The second (1-877-597-7699) connected the caller to another bawdy business. No red light can stop our intrepid AML, which has now corrected the number to 1-877-MY PROXY, but there's no doubt that the proxy quest is definitely a hot issue.

Ventura Capital. Don't place your dollars on betting that the International Board of Directors (IBD) will ever pass one of the motions on the most recent agenda. A motion to list both the Republic of Ireland and the Channel Islands as separate countries, followed by the words "See British Mensa," in any list of national Mensas met with strong opposition from American Chairman Jean Becker. Both places are separate political entities, not part of the United Kingdom, but are included in British Mensa. The motion would have made it easier for members and potential members in Ireland and the Channel Islands to find information. Becker contended that this motion would create confusion between the Channel Islands off the English Coast and the Channel Islands of Ventura County, California, even though the California islands are part of a state and not a separate country and the name is a romanticized one to indicate a local group that does not have any members on the islands. Indeed, only park rangers may live on the California islands, which are National Park Lands. There are campsites available for limited stays, and two of those sites even have drinking water available, so maybe there is reason for Becker to address this "tents" situation. The motion could not be reworded to Becker's satisfaction and was withdrawn.

Mama Mia! The American Mensa national office put out a request for families willing to exchange mothers for 10 days as part of Mensa's participation in a new reality television program. Mensans often call themselves a family, and this certainly has aspects of a family affair. Will this silence critics who say Mensa needs a dose of reality?

Ockham All Ye Faithful. The original AML ad requesting proxies fomented a great deal of agitation among some local group editors. Ungrammatical and containing unexplained acronyms (as one editor said, ABM sounded like what one says when potty training a child), confusing and rife with incomplete sentences, the ad was assailed by many editors, but National insisted that the ad be used as is or not at all. Tim Folks, AMC Communications Officer and member of the ProxyQuest team that wrote the ad, agreed that it was poorly written, but "as long as it is the work of the entire team, it gets my support." Isn't it great that the American Mensa Committee (AMC) is full of independent thinkers! In response, many editors simply refused to run the ad in their local group newsletters. The ProxyQuest team then listened. They changed the ad.

Clean Slate. It wasn't Carnivale in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when the International Board of Directors (IBD) met, and at least one officer wore no mask. Chairman Chris Leek's opening comments included a caveat that his administration would do things very differently from the previous one. Leek is determined that dirty politics will have no place in the new IBD. Given that top item on the laundry list, may the Tide be with him!

A Gentle Remineder. The Mensa Constitution states that the Past Chairman fills out the term of office if the current Chairman cannot complete his or her tenure. With this in mind, the International Board of Directors voted to leave Dave Remine on the IBD e-list even though he serves on no committee and holds no office — but he is on "read only" status and is not allowed to post any comments. This is an international reminder that, with apologies to Lerner and Loewe, we've grown accustomed to His Grace.

The Secret's Out. For those pushing for openness in American Mensa, it's right here, right now. Proxies to change the Articles of Incorporation will all be tracked and recorded, as is necessary. Will this have ramifications for future national nominees or members who exercise their right to "NO"? Will the list of voters' names (only) be published? Such a list could vouchsafe the legitimacy of the results, while at the same time it could serve as a poll book for future candidates.