Social Scrutinies: A Mensan

Well curiosity finally got the better of me and I applied to join Mensa International, a high IQ society founded in 1946 by Roland Berrill, an Australian barrister, and Dr. Lancelot Ware, a British scientist and lawyer. Mensa is an international society with only one criterion for membership: a score on a standardised IQ test higher than that of 98 per cent of the general population.

Mensa is a not-for-profit society with its stated purposes as being:

• to identify and foster human intelligence for the benefit of humanity,
• encourage research into the nature, characteristics and uses of intelligence, and
• to provide a stimulating intellectual and social environment for its members

They have regular entrance examinations in each state where all you need to bring is 3HB pencils, an eraser and a clear mind (they recommend no heavy drinking prior to the exam - lucky they warned me!). There are actually two exams so you get a 'second chance draw' if something goes horribly wrong with the English Language first test. The second is designed to be language independent and works more on direct pattern recognition than language knowledge and was good fun.

I received my confirmation two weeks ago of my acceptance and today received confirmation of membership from the Qld representative. I look forward to meeting my fellow mensans at the next do!

Of real interest to me is the Special Interest Groups, or SIGs, which are groups of Mensans with similar interests or backgrounds. There are SIGs to join from within Australia and around the world. They range from the predictable chess, maths and Star Trek groupies to Densans (Mensans who don't always act too bright), Bardolatry (For lovers and enthusiasts of the Bard of Stratford-Upon-Avon) and Naturists (Nude Mensans).

"Mensa encompasses members representing many points of view. Consequently, Mensa as an organization shall not express an opinion as being that of Mensa, take any political action other than the publication of the results of its investigations, or have any ideological, philosophical, political, or religious affiliations."

Book Botherings: "Assassin's Apprentice" - Robin Hobb

The is an oldie but a goodie and I am now reading it for the third time so I figured it warranted a post in my book botherings. "Assassins Apprentice" is the first in Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy and her first book under this pseudonym (she is really Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden born in 1952 in California). It was published in 1995. Hobb really hit the nail on the head with this series, expertly drawing you in to her fantasy world from page one. It forgoes the usually "scene setting" blah blah that a lot of fantasy writers feel necessary as a preface and instead launches into the story from the point of view of a six year old boy who is only himself learning about this new world he finds himself in so his discoveries deliciously parallel your own. The supporting characters are imbued with almost too human characteristics (the vile Regal haunts me still) and the main character Fitz is immediately and irreconcilably a cherished child or vicarious self.

This first book covers the beginning of Fitz's life as a disclosed "bastard" of the then Prince Chivalry and his introduction to Buckkeep. He is initially ignored by his would be relatives and left to his own devices but after a chance encounter with King Shrewd, he is scrubbed up and sent to be trained as an assassin and protector, a job he successfully fulfills in safeguarding the throne from his treacherous uncle Regal, an act which almost costs him his own life.

The Fool, Chade, Shrewd, Verity, Burrich, Pleasant, Galen, Nosy, Molly Nosebleed and a rich caste of other characters makes for an enjoyable and refreshingly unique fantasy feast. I highly recommend this one to any fantasy fiction connoisseur!