COMensarations
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
A Member Asks….How to Publish
How does one make an original entry on the blog.
Someone asked me…
Chuck, please tell us how to start an original entry. And don’t make it sound too simple, otherwise I’ll resign and join Densa.
Here’s how you should be able to go about it.
[1] Log-In using the LOG-IN button at the top. This will take you to a screen that allows you to enter your user name and password for recognition.
[2] Hit the PUBLISH button at the top. This button appears if you are logged-in. It will take you to a control panel where you can see all kinds of interesting stuff. Not that you can get to it all, but you can see the tabs across the top of the control panel.
[3] Select the PUBLISH tab. That will take you to the screen where you can make your entry.
[4] Enter a TITLE. Do try to be ‘original’. The system does not like duplicated titles.
[5] Enter a short and/or witty SUMMARY. We prefer that you use the italics function in this area. Just so it is easily distinguishable from the body. You can use the bttons above the SUMMARY area to start and stop the italics. These buttons can also be used in the BODY and EXTENDED TEXT areas as well.
[6] Enter the bulk of your entry in the BODY and EXTENDED TEXT areas. You can use the buttons above the SUMMARY section to add emphasis to your comments; BOLD, italics, underline,
,blockquote
If you are going to add a link, I recommend that you use bold treatment for the text that will appear on the screen. It helps it to stand out better. Just put the bold before and after the text at the end of the finished link. Dink around with it and you’ll get the idea.
There is an ability to add images. If you want to do so, please send the image to me by e-mail so that I can upload it onto the server.
If you want to write an essay, try to construct it in such a manner as to readily break between the BODY and EXTENDED TEXT. I’d say to put about a paragraph or two of your main thought in the BODY and put the rest of it in the EXTENDED TEXT area. This will work best in maintaining the blog’s appearance.
Use the CATEGORIES tab, to set the category of the original entry you have made. You can have multiple categories. Just hold down your shift key while clicking on them.
You can then use the buttons over to the side to Preview or Submit the entry.
If you don’t like the way it came out, just go back to the Control Panel by using the PUBLISH button on the blog, select the entry from the list of entries you can access, i.e., those YOU put in there, and dink around with it until you get it just right.
Try to be polite. I’ve not activated the censor function yet.
People who make original entries, will have the ability to moderate the comments that appear in their entry area. I’ll publish information on how to go about doing that later.
Monday, October 17, 2005
A Denver Mensan Comments….
Someone from Denver writes, saying…
I wonder if it has dawned on anyone that since Mario has declared himself the “leader”, by both his own choice and by default, of Denver Mensa, that he may in reality be one of the root causes of apathy in the rest of the group. He is the reason that people like myself have chosen not to become more involved, and the more he declares himself to be the leadership of the group, the less many will become involved. He even declares his discussion group to be the “unofficial” discussion group for Denver Mensa, and moderates the group based upon his whim and his moods. There seems to be a significantly negative correlation between the fact that our chapter membership grows each month (according to the Matrix), and the fact that fewer people become involved in the chapter’s activities and meetings. One would think that if more people are joining, that more people would become involved. Just food for thought.
Mario has the advantage of being the only one who seems to be interested in doing the job. His motivations for this are unknown to me. I do remember him as being energetic. That’s a plus. However, I also remember him as being mercurial, and that could well be a minus. I recall when I was LocSec and he was Treasurer, he walked into a Mut Fodle event at our house in Englewood, put down a brief case containing all the Treasurer’s information, said, “I don’t like you,” to me, quit and walked out. I would not be surprised if he were to do the same in this position as LocSec. The Assistant LocSec would be well advised to be prepared to pick-up the reins at the drop of a similar hat.
Whether or not Mario’s coup d’etat is the reason for people’s apathy is subject to considerable discussion. I’d say it is not so much a result as it is a contributor. As I said, apathy was a growing problem some years ago.
Getting ‘involved’ in Denver Mensa does not necessitate getting involved with Mario. The life of Denver Mensa was found its SIGs. Not in its ExComm. If one wants to ‘get involved’ all one needs do is go to a SIG. If there’s no SIG that deals with what one is interested in doing, start a SIG to do it. It’s as simple as that, and, of course, publishing what you SIG is going to be doing, when and where in the Matrix.
Someone in my Men’s Group at church, in Denver, sent me an article that I think touches very close to this matter; apathy. Not only that, but to life in general and how getting ‘stuck’ in our ways has a detremental impact on our life, including how long we ‘live’. I think I’ll address that come tomorrow, or the day after. Stay tuned....
Sunday, October 16, 2005
The Demise of Denver Mensa
Thinks are rotten in the chapter of Denver.—Hamlet (paraphrased)
I see that Mario is the only candidate for the position of LocSec for Denver Mensa. That’s interesting. Not in the idea that Mario is incompetent. Rather, it is interesting in light of the fact that no one other than Mario is interested in holding the position, not to mention a lack of interest in others holding things together. It apparently is to the point that Mario suggests doing away with the election process, as only he and some others are willing to do the jobs necessary to keep the operation going; one per office.
And it’s sad too. I was commenting to a fellow M from Denver a few weeks ago, when it was mentioned that thinks were going downhill up in Denver, that apathy was the root cause of the problem. I had published an issue of Matrix based on the concept of Apathy back while the editor of the monthly ‘newsletter’ there. The cover depicted an angel weeping, its head on a stone, face covered by its arms.
Alva has mentioned, many times, his concerns for young people. He would start up a theater operation and the young folk would show up expecting to be entertained. Not having a clue that it was expected of them to work in order to entertain other people.
This business is particularly interesting as I suspect that this is the way of empire. A lot of people, due to necessity, build up an organization, be it a company, a community, a nation. Then when things are working smoothly, their follow-ons, i.e., grand children, think everything is fine, just as it is. So they figure that society owes THEM everything. They have no concept of the necessity to work in order to maintain the status quo. Not to mention working harder, in order to improve things. And therein begins the back-slide into oblivion.
We seem to be watching this sort of back-sliding with regards to Denver Mensa, if not American Mensa, as a whole.
The question becomes, how does one reverse the process?
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
History 102
The unwritten chapter of Connections; Beer, Wagons, Barbeques and Politics.
The two most important events in all of history were the invention of beer and the invention of the wheel. The wheel was invented to get man to the beer. These were the foundation of modern civilization and together were the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two distinct subgroups: Liberals and Conservatives.
Once beer was discovered it required grain, and that was the beginning of agriculture. Neither the glass bottle nor aluminum can were invented yet, so our early human ancestors just stayed close to the brewery. That’s how villages were formed.
Some men spent their days tracking and killing animals to BBQ at night while they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is known as “the Conservative movement”.
Other men who were weaker and less skilled at hunting learned to live off the conservatives by showing up for the nightly BBQ’s and doing the sewing, weaving and hair dressing. This was the beginning of “the Liberal movement.” Some of these liberal men eventually evolved into women. The rest became known as ‘girleymen’.
Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the domestication of cats, the trade union, class action lawsuits, the invention of group therapy & group hugs and the concept of democratic voting to decide how to divide the meat and beer that conservatives provided.
Over the years conservatives came to be symbolized by the largest, most powerful land animal on earth, the elephant. Liberals are symbolized by the jackass.
Modern liberals like imported beer (with lime added), but most prefer white wine or imported bottled water. They eat raw fish but like their beef well done. Sushi, tofu and French food are standard liberal fare. Another interesting revolutionary side note: most of their women have higher testosterone levels than their men. Most social workers, personal injury attorneys, journalists, hair dressers, dreamers in Hollywood and group therapists are liberals. Liberals invented baseball’s designated hitter rule because it wasn’t “fair” to make the pitcher also bat.
Conservatives drink domestic beer and eat red meat & potatoes. Conservatives are big-game hunters, rodeo cowboys, lumberjacks, construction workers, medical doctors, police officers, corporate executives, soldiers, self employed, athletes & generally anyone who works productively outside government. Conservatives who own companies hire other conservatives who want to work for a living.
Liberals produce little or nothing. They like to “govern” the producers and decide what to do with the production. They also like to take money away from successful people and give it to the failures. Liberals believe Europeans are more enlightened than Americans. That is why most of the liberals remained in Europe when conservatives were coming to America. They crept in after the Wild West was tame & created a business of trying to get MORE for nothing.
Thus ends today’s lesson in world history.
[Hat Tip: Lattina]