Southeast Michigan Mensa

March 2026 Monthly Gathering – Al Capone, Stories My Grandmother Told Me (Via Zoom Only)

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

Al Capone was one of the most well-known, some would say “bigger than life” figures of the twentieth century. He was also Diane Patricia Capone’s Grandfather. His name is still known and talked about around the world almost eighty years after his death. Why the insatiable curiosity? Was he a cold-blooded villain? Was he a kind-hearted “Robin Hood”? He has been called Public Enemy Number One, the quintessential American “rags to riches” phenomenon, the most famous gangster of all time, a conundrum. and, by his grandchildren, “Papa”. What was he really like?

Join us at 7:00 P.M. (EDT) on March 21 to hear Diane’s personal recollections of her grandfather and learn what it was like to grow up as a Capone.

Diane was born in Miami Beach and raised in Miami Shores. She attended St. Mary’s Catholic School and then Notre Dame Academy for Girls before moving to Palo Alto, CA, in the early 60’s, where Diane graduated from Palo Alto High School. She married, completed college, and raised her family in the San Francisco Bay Area communities of Sunnyvale, Cupertino, and Los Altos. She worked in administration in high tech and venture capital before completing a Master’s in Counseling. She then became a Counselor at Mission College in Santa Clara for twenty years, and retired to the Sierra Nevada Foothills.

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

Virtual Presentation (Zoom)

Please, pre-register:

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Choose “March 21, 2026 6:30 pm” from the drop-down box
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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.

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February 2026 Monthly Gathering –Incompetence and Corruption in the U.N.?

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”
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Select your payment method
Click “Send”
Bask in our appreciation

January 2026 Monthly Gathering– UFOs & Nukes: Disturbing UFO Events at U.S. Nuclear Bases

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

December 2025 Monthly Gathering – L. Frank Baum: The Wizard Behind Oz

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