Southeast Michigan Mensa

7:00 pm (ET) Saturday, February 21, 2026 via Zoom

Join us at 7:00 p.m. (EST) on Saturday, February 21, for a look behind the scenes at the U.N., when attorney and former U.N. investigator Peter Gallo will provide us with a unique insider’s view of his claim that the U.N. failed to properly investigate allegations that some Gaza staff members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, or “UNRWA,” played an active role in the terrorist attack in Israel on October 7. He will also discuss charges that UNRWA operations there were infiltrated and influenced by Hamas.

Before joining the U.N.’s Investigations Division of the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS/ID), Attorney Peter Gallo worked in the private sector in Asia for nineteen years, 18 of which were spent as an investigator and consultant specializing in counterterrorism financing and anti-money laundering. During this time, he was recognized as one of the leading authorities on the methodologies of money laundering.

Mr. Gallo has also done some part-time university lecturing on investigation management, spoken at numerous conferences, and authored about two dozen articles published in various professional journals and news magazines. He is a lawyer admitted to practice in Scotland, Hong Kong, and New York.

Please note that this program will be presented only via Zoom.

Virtual Presentation (Zoom)

Please, pre-register:

• Click tinyurl.com/SEMM-Gathering
• Choose “February 21, 2026 6:30 pm” from the drop-down box
• Fill in your name and email address
• Click the “Register” button

The Zoom room opens at 6:30 pm (ET) for mingling. The program starts at 7:00 pm (ET).

There is no charge for the Zoom presentation, but, due to rising costs, your donation via PayPal is greatly appreciated.

• Click PayPal.com
• Log in (or sign up)
• Click the “Send/Request” button
• Enter the e-mail address: treasurer@nullmensadetroit.com
• Click the “Next” button
• Enter payment amount ($5 is recommended, but feel free to send any amount)
• Fill “What’s this for” with “SEMM Zoom Presentations”
• Click the “Next” button
• Select your payment method
• Click “Send”
• Bask in our appreciation

7:00 pm (ET) Saturday, January 17, 2026 via Zoom

In 1969, the US Air Force issued a statement that read‚ “No UFO reported, investigated, and evaluated by the Air Force was ever an indication of threat to our national security.”

Robert Salas, our speaker this month, disputes this. As a retired United States Air Force Officer, he claims to have personally witnessed a UFO visiting and disabling nuclear missiles. 

In 1967, Robert Salas was an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) launch controller and missile-propulsion engineer for the United States Air Force. He was responsible for manning nuclear payloads at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana. It was an era defined by the peak of Cold War nuclear tensions, with the only protection being “Mutually Assured Destruction.”

Join us on January 17 to learn more about the UFO incident Mr. Salas witnessed and detailed in the book “Faded Giant,” which he coauthored with James Klotz. You’ll also hear about other UFO and UAP* incidents occurring over the last eighty years, which he claims have also been covered up by the government.

Robert Salas is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy. He served seven years on active duty. He worked as a weapons controller, flew target drones, commanded intercontinental ballistic missiles as a launch officer, and worked as an Air Force missile propulsion engineer on the Titan III program. From 1971 to 1973, he worked as a safety and reliability engineer for Martin-Marietta Aerospace and Rockwell International on Space Shuttle design proposals. From 1974 until his retirement in 1995, he worked for the Federal Aviation Administration. After retirement, from 1999 to 2016, he worked as a math teacher. 

Mr. Salas has been publicly speaking at UAP*/UFO conferences, on radio, and on television since 1996. His latest book is “UAPs* and the Nuclear Puzzle”.

*UAP, an abbreviation for Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, is a recently coined term that includes not only sightings of unidentified flying objects, or UFOs, but also includes unexplained phenomena, unusual movements, and energy signatures, both naturally occurring or as a result of technology.

Please note that this program will be presented only via Zoom.

Virtual Presentation (Zoom)

Please, pre-register:

• Click tinyurl.com/SEMM-Gathering
• Choose “January 17, 2026 6:30 pm” from the drop-down box
• Fill in your name and email address
• Click the “Register” button

The Zoom room opens at 6:30 pm (ET) for mingling. The program starts at 7:00 pm (ET).

There is no charge for the Zoom presentation, but, due to rising costs, your donation via PayPal is greatly appreciated.

• Click PayPal.com
• Log in (or sign up)
• Click the “Send/Request” button
• Enter the e-mail address: treasurer@nullmensadetroit.com
• Click the “Next” button
• Enter payment amount ($5 is recommended, but feel free to send any amount)
• Fill “What’s this for” with “SEMM Zoom Presentations”
• Click the “Next” button
• Select your payment method
• Click “Send”
• Bask in our appreciation

Live and via Zoom, 7:00 pm (EDT) Saturday, December 20, 2025:

You’ve seen the movie… we’ve ALL seen the movie. We all quote it. Many have read the books (Did you know there were 14 of them?). But what do we know about the man who’s really behind the curtain, who created the first (and many believe) the greatest American Fairytale ever told?  What started as a bedtime story for his children has become an international icon that is ingrained in our culture, while continuing to inspire new adaptations worldwide.  Join us at 7:00 P.M. (EST), via Zoom, when Chris Glasgow, Curator of the Oz Museum, in (Where else?) Wamego, Kansas, will guide us as we explore the life and influences of L. Frank Baum, creator of “The Wonderful Wizard of OZ”. 

Chris Glasgow was born in Ohio and has lived in 28 of the 50 US states.  She served one term in the US Air Force, then was an at-home mom for almost 20 years, raising 5 children while completing college and teaching in public high schools.  She loves to travel, read, explore history, and be involved in theater and film. Ms. Glasgow has been with the OZ Museum/Columbian Theatre Foundation as Curator for almost 10 years. She loves to learn something new every day, then share that knowledge with others. She earned a BA in Children’s Theatre at Brigham Young University; a Secondary Credential in Education from National University, and a Small Museum Pro Certificate from The American Association for State and Local History.

Live Presentation

If you are able to attend the live presentation, you have the opportunity to mingle with your fellow Mensans and guests at our usual location:
Northwest Unitarian Universalist Church in Southfield
23925 Northwestern Highway
Southfield, MI 48075

Doors open at 6:30 pm (EDT). The program begins at 7:00 pm (EDT).

Ticket prices
Members 13+ years old: $5 or buy a strip of 4 tickets for $15.
Guests 13+ years old: $7
Members and guests 12 & under: Free
Exact change is appreciated!

Following the presentation, please join us for dinner at:
Buddy’s Pizza
31646 Northwestern Highway
Farmington Hills, MI 38334

Virtual Presentation (Zoom)

If you prefer to to attend virtually, pre-register:

• Click tinyurl.com/SEMM-2025-Gathering
• Choose “December 20, 2025 6:30 pm” from the drop-down box
• Fill in your name and email address
• Click the “Register” button

The Zoom room opens at 6:30 pm (EDT) for mingling. The program starts at 7:00 pm (EDT).

There is no charge for the Zoom presentation, but, due to rising costs, your donation via PayPal is greatly appreciated.

• Click PayPal.com
• Log in (or sign up)
• Click the “Send/Request” button
• Enter the e-mail address: treasurer@nullmensadetroit.com
• Click the “Next” button
• Enter payment amount ($5 is recommended, but feel free to send any amount)
• Fill “What’s this for” with “SEMM Zoom Presentations”
• Click the “Next” button
• Select your payment method
• Click “Send”
• Bask in our appreciation

Live and via Zoom, 7:00 pm (EDT) Saturday, October 18, 2025:

What do we know about the history of the mafia in the US? What CAN we know about that history? Our speaker Dr. Karla Mallette shares insights into the history of the mafia. Based on her research into the mafia in Detroit, she’ll focus on a notorious period– the bloody summer of 1930– exploring some of the differences between mafia myths and reality. Going deep into the details is the only way to correct the historical record and understand how the mafia took root in the US during Prohibition – and how it continued to thrive until ethnic competitors threatened its business model in the 1970s. 

Dr. Karla Mallette is author of three books on medieval Sicilian, Italian, and Mediterranean history, including Lives of the Great Languages: Arabic and Latin in the Medieval Mediterranean (University of Chicago Press, 2022), which won the Modern Language Association’s award for the best book in comparative literary studies. She has also published numerous articles on medieval and early modern history. Dr. Malette received a Ph.D. from the Centre for Medieval Studies, at the University of Toronto, in 1998. She has taught at the American University of Beirut and at Miami University of Ohio, and has been teaching at the University of Michigan since 2009. At Michigan, she has directed the Center for European Studies and the Global Islamic StudiesCenter and was Chair of the Department of Middle East Studies from 2020 until 2025. Since 2015, she has taught a course on the mafia in Sicily, the US, and Detroit.

Live Presentation

If you are able to attend the live presentation, you have the opportunity to mingle with your fellow Mensans and guests at our usual location:
Northwest Unitarian Universalist Church in Southfield
23925 Northwestern Highway
Southfield, MI 48075

Doors open at 6:30 pm (EDT). The program begins at 7:00 pm (EDT).

Ticket prices
Members 13+ years old: $5 or buy a strip of 4 tickets for $15.
Guests 13+ years old: $7
Members and guests 12 & under: Free
Exact change is appreciated!

Following the presentation, please join us for dinner at:
Buddy’s Pizza
31646 Northwestern Highway
Farmington Hills, MI 38334

Virtual Presentation (Zoom)

If you prefer to to attend virtually, pre-register:

• Click tinyurl.com/SEMM-2025-Gathering
• Choose “October 18, 2025 6:30 pm” from the drop-down box
• Fill in your name and email address
• Click the “Register” button

The Zoom room opens at 6:30 pm (EDT) for mingling. The program starts at 7:00 pm (EDT).

There is no charge for the Zoom presentation, but, due to rising costs, your donation via PayPal is greatly appreciated.

• Click PayPal.com
• Log in (or sign up)
• Click the “Send/Request” button
• Enter the e-mail address: treasurer@nullmensadetroit.com
• Click the “Next” button
• Enter payment amount ($5 is recommended, but feel free to send any amount)
• Fill “What’s this for” with “SEMM Zoom Presentations”
• Click the “Next” button
• Select your payment method
• Click “Send”
• Bask in our appreciation