Background Information

This webpage describes seven things, in a background kind of way, about the MENSAN:

• the Full edition;
• the Gazette edition;
• why we publish two editions;
• password protection;
  • locally; and
  • nationally;
• back issues;
• subscribing to off-line delivery;
  • Gazette edition; and
  • Full edition and
• out-of-group paid subscriptions.

The Full Edition

The Full edition (50+ pages; large print; photos; color) is available in on-line format for free to all local group members, and at no additional charge to out-of-group paid subscribers. It offers many features not found in the Gazette edition, including articles and columns from our award-winning writers.

A copy of the Full edition will be printed out onto real paper, and snail-mailed, off-line, to any local group member who subscribes to it. There is a "small fee".

The Gazette Edition

The Gazette edition (4-6 pages; fine print; no photos; black-and-white)  is available in off-line (paper, snail-mail) format for free to all local group members who subscribe to it, and at no additional charge to out-of-group paid subscribers who ask for it in addition to the Full edition. It normally contains only minimal information:

• a calendar of events;
• minutes of Board meetings;
• official officers' reports;
• etc.

Why We Publish Two Editions

The great bulk of your dues to American Mensa ($52 for 2005 and after) supports some very important programs at the national level. Local groups get less than a sixth of your dues—$8.64 per member per year—for everything. At 13 issues of the MENSAN per year (monthly, plus directory issue), that works out to 66¢ per member per issue. That only covers the cost of a 6-8 page newsletter. The wonderful 24-page newsletters that we used to have were the product of having a very profitable Regional Gathering every year—and volunteers to put on an RG are not as plentiful these days as they have been in past years.

So we've more than doubled the size of the old 24-page newsletters, and gone to on-line distribution. This is the "Full" edition. For those who can't (or prefer not to) get their newsletters on line, we offer a printed-on-paper-and-snail-mailed "Gazette" edition (4-6 pages), for free, but only to members who ask for it—we assume that most members will prefer the on-line "Full" edition. And we offer printed-on-paper-and-snail-mailed subscriptions to the "Full" edition, too—for our costs of printing and mailing.

This frees up a lot of money for scholarships, gifted children, and many other fine programs.

Password Protection

The Full edition of the MENSAN is primarily delivered on-line. (There is an alternative procedure for off-line delivery, but it's slower and more expensive.) The on-line MENSAN is password-protected to provide some privacy to the wonderful hosts and hostesses who open up their homes for the enjoyment of their fellow members—but not for the enjoyment of every person on the planet whose only claim to fame is that he has Internet access (many of such persons being of low character).

There are two ways to get the password which is needed to get the MENSAN:

• locally; and

• nationally.

Locally

Locally is the easiest. We snail-mail the San Diego Mensa Password—it's the same password for everyone—to the folks who need it:

• new local members when they join;

• renewing local members when they renew; and

• out-of-local-group subscribers when they subscribe. 

There's a new password snail-mailed out at least once a year, keyed to the renewal season. We send it via:

• a mailing of the off-line, paper "Gazette" to all members (and not just to those who have requested it);

• postcard; or

• whatever other way we can think of to get it into the hands of every member (but not into the hands of the low-character individuals whose only claim to fame is that they have Internet access).

Usually it's mailed out more frequently, generally when we have the money to cover the costs of printing and postage.

So:

• get out that snail-mailed:

  • Gazette;

  • postcard;

  • whatever;

• make sure that you have the right software (Adobe Acrobat Reader) downloaded and installed on your computer for Viewing and Printing the MENSAN; and

• get your newsletter by clicking here.

Nationally

Maybe you vaguely remember, last March, when the American Mensa Office sent you your membership card. Maybe you still have the cover letter. Yes, that cover letter has your American Mensa Password (a different password for each member), and an explanation of how to use it.

If you've thrown away the cover letter and want another way of getting your American Mensa Password from the American Mensa office, then click here.

If you know your American Mensa Password, then you can get your MENSAN by clicking here.

Back Issues

This website collection is not really an archive:

• As typos are brought to the Editor's attention, they get fixed.
• Whenever we run out of space on this website, the oldest issue—both Full edition and Gazette edition—gets deleted.

So feel free to save a copy on your computer or CD-ROM for your personal use.

Yes, we can dredge up a back issue (which we saved on CD-ROM rather than on the website) and e-mail it to you, but it might take a day or two.

Subscribing to Off-Line Delivery

Both editions of the MENSAN—Full and Gazette—are available to local group members in off-line (hardcopy, paper-and-ink, snail-mail-delivery) format on a subscription basis.

The Off-Line Gazette Edition

To subscribe to the off-line Gazette edition—which is free to local group members—please:

• send an e-mail to our Distribution Manager; or

• send a snail-mail to:

  San Diego Mensa
  P.O. Box 710783
  San Diego, CA 92171-0783

During January-February-March of each year, the Gazette will likely include a form to renew your off-line subscription through March of the next year. Renewing your annual subscription to the off-line Gazette edition is free (pay your dues, and use any of the above three methods), but you have to actually do it. Otherwise, we will assume that you have migrated to the on-line Gazette edition, and no longer wish to receive the Gazette edition in off-line format.

The Off-Line Full Edition

To subscribe to the off-line Full edition, please snail-mail a check (payable to "San Diego Mensa") to:

San Diego Mensa
P.O. Box 710783
San Diego, CA 92171-0783

along with your name and snail-mail address.  The amount of the check is $4.00 for each month of your subscription. All subscriptions expire immediately after the mailing of the January 2005 edition. You're smart; do the math!

Yes, even local group members have to pay (officers and Board members the same as everybody else).

Click here to learn why we give you such a piddly Gazette edition for free, and why we charge you such an outrageous amount to print up, and snail-mail to you, the Full edition.

In January 2005, we'll re-evaluate our costs, and invite you to re-subscribe for another year. This will probably be at a different rate.  (Hey, it could be lower!) The full hardcopy edition is not intended to be a money-maker, but it's not intended to be a loss-leader, either.

Out-of-Group Paid Subscriptions

Out-of-group paid subscribers get the same on-line access to the San Diego MENSAN as local members do, other than that:

• out-of-group subscribers have to pay; and
• out-of-group subscribers have to be a member of Mensa somewhere.

Send:

• a $12.50 check (payable to "San Diego Mensa");
• your name and e-mail address; and
• what Mensa you're a member of;

to:

San Diego Mensa
P.O. Box 710783
San Diego, CA 92171-0783

for a year's subscription. We'll give you the same San Diego Mensa Password that we give to local members.

If you'd like the off-line Gazette snail-mailed to you (USA addresses only, please) as well as getting the on-line Gazette, then please so indicate, and please tell us your snail-mail address. No extra charge.

On request, we'll snail-mail an off-line Full edition to you (USA addresses only, please). Please so indicate, please enclose a bigger check (we'll take the same money from you that we take from our local-group members), and please tell us your snail-mail address.