Did you see the Mensa contingency on Dancing With the Stars tonight? They were sitting in the front row wearing lab coats, and supporting Bill Nye the Science Guy, who did a passo doble with his partner Tyne Stecklein. See, nerds can be cool, too! In fact, according to host Tom Bergeron on his Twitter account, "BTW, @TheScienceGuy and @TyneStecklein's premiere DWTS dance has the most YouTube views of ANY dance in DWTS history! #hotknowledge" I've included the video below for your enjoyment. Dancing With the Stars is on ABC on Monday nights. Check your local listings for the time. Good luck, Science Guy!

Like most kids my age, I was very much into NASA's space program. I followed all of the space flights, and ate space food sticks just like the real astronauts. I also wondered things that kids would wonder - how do astronauts sleep when they are floating around? What happens when they sneeze? How do astronauts go to the bathroom? 

Today, that last question was answered for me in an awesome article: Space Poop: Astronaut Toilet Explained. When fancy intellectuals talk about the space program, that's usually not their focus. However, while it took a lot of genius-level people to get a capsule into space, it took a whole lot of supporting genii to make all of the little details work. In fact, when Alan Shepard made his historic flight, there was no way for him to relieve himself. He had to pee in his space suit. I'm sure that made that roomful of engineers feel a little sheepish.

The next time you feel that your job isn't as important as anyone else's work, remember how important the small details are. I'm sure all of the astronauts after Shepard appreciate the work of the guy who designed the space toilet. 

So, Peter Capaldi is the new Doctor Who, and the official Hi-Q Whovians Special Interest Group is all a-buzz. What do you think? Is Doctor Who the ultimate Mensan?

To support Mensa Membership Month and National Mensa Testing Day in October, we are creating our Dollar Days promotion. From Aug. 19 – Sept.15, we will be offering the Mensa Home Test for just $1. 

 There will not be a special code because  the pricing for this online prep test will be $1 for everyone during the three-week promotion.  The Mensa Home Test can be found at www.us.mensa.org/MHT. 
  

To honor the greening of spring and the recent fame of some of our younger members, American Mensa is offering a 70 percent discount for the month of May to potential members who want to qualify using Prior Evidence.
This promotion has been launched to take advantage of public interest generated by several young Mensans highlighted in recent news stories.
Many people find that submitting scores from prior intelligence tests is a quick and easy way to qualify for Mensa membership. For potential members under age 14, submitting scores from prior testing is the only way to be evaluated for membership. However, the May Prior Evidence discount is available to potential members of any age.
If you know of potential members, let them know they can see what testing qualifies and can take advantage of this $12 special by visiting http://www.us.mensa.org/testscores. Use the code MAYPE13 on the application to receive the discount.

What a fantastic Mind Games! I could write all about it, but the professionals already did:

St. Louis Beacon

Wall Street Journal

The speaker for the March meeting is Brian Ettling. Brian Ettling is a naturalist park ranger, speaker, and educator regarding the causes, impacts, current prognosis, and actionable plans for climate change. Brian has worked as a ranger for years, educating the public on climate change issues, and he has spread out to bring his message further. He has recently taught local classes at St. Louis Community College and St. Louis University and spoken at a number of local clubs and organizations. Brian is knowledgeable and gets his information across in a cheery and jovial manner

March, 16, 7:00 PM - Location: Washington University West Campus, 7425 Forsyth in Clayton. Enter from the sunken courtyard on the east side of the building, beneath the large canopy in the middle of the parking lot (near Bally's).

Standardized testing for admission to Mensa will be held on April 21, 2013, at 1:00 PM at the Airport Marriott. The testing fee is $40 payable by check or cash only. Please bring a photo ID. Anyone 14 or older may test. To register, or for more information, visit our Contacts page.

Morning comes early on the weekdays. The good thing is that I get to see a pretty sunset every morning. The bad thing is that I see it from the window of a car, instead of from the warmth of my bed.  Right around lunch, I need an energy boost. If you're the same way, we have just the thing for you: Lunch Bunch. Break up your day with ans hour or so of truly Mensan conversation - and food, of course. Check out the Calendar to see when and where to find the next Lunch Bunch!

We had a wonderful time at the January Monthly Gathering. SLAM Welcomed mystery authors Sharon and Bill Hopkins, who spoke about everything from how to start writing a book, to how to publish, to fast cars. About 40 Mensans attended this wonderful program, and I think that every single one of them (us!) had a book in our heads just needing to be put on paper. If you missed the program and are interested in more information, visit the Deadly Writes Facebook page.

Next month we welcome John Kosash, MPA, Policy Fellow at the  Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH), speaking on and answering questions about the Affordable Care Act (ACA). See the Calendar for details.