‘The shark/human conflict – and a permanent eco-friendly solution’
We are delighted to host dynamic marine biologist and Mensa Winelands member Dr Sara Andreotti as our guest speaker on Thursday 23 January, when she will discuss the necessity for new solutions that will keep both sharks and humans safe.
Sharks are still amongst the most feared predators on our planet, since rare negative interactions between sharks and humans can be fatal for beach users – and this historical conflict and fear of sharks is still used to justify their cull, in countries such as South Africa and Australia, by deploying shark nets and drum lines.
Sara’s research has revealed that the great white shark population is far more endangered than was previously believed, and continues to decline, largely due to the impact of human interference; her concern for these marine creatures has placed her at the forefront of solving the problem with an eco-friendly solution which will ensure peaceful co-existence.
Sara gives credence to the adage of ‘dynamite coming in small packages’ – although she is short in stature, the impact she has made on the scientific community, both locally and globally, is huge, and her contribution to the research and conservation of great white sharks is immense.
She completed her PhD at Stellenbosch University in 2015 on white shark genetics and photographic identification, and continues to contribute to the University as a senior post-doctoral researcher in their Botany and Zoology Department.
Further information and venue details from the Winelands secretary, Yvonne Steyn.
Membership eligibility testing in Somerset West.
Two multiple-choice tests are written; one is purely symbols and has no language component, and the other is available in English or Afrikaans. To be eligible for membership, you need to achieve a qualifying score on only one of these tests. The testing will take about an hour-and-a-half.
*R 130 per person – discounted to R 100 per person for groups of four or more people. Scholars over the age of sixteen years and full-time students in possession of a valid student ID also pay R 100 per person.
To register, send an email to the Winelands Testing Officer (details above), or complete a contact form on our website.
Our Board games SIG* meets again at Triggerfish Brewing on Monday 27 January from 18h30. It’s an ideal opportunity to introduce a friend to Mensa!
Bring your favourite game or board game, or just come along, join the conversation, have a drink, and share the fun! (The playing of board games is not obligatory!)
Triggerfish Brewing have a wine and malt licence, and also serve excellent light meals.
*SIG – Special Interest group
Venue:
Triggerfish Brewing
9 de Beers Avenue
Paardevlei
Somerset West
GPS co-ords: -34.090395, 18.805893
RSVP:
Winelands Secretary
Mensa Winelands’ Discussion SIG* meets again on Wednesday 5 February at the home of Erik Eloff and Louise Lindenberg in Stellenbosch.
This informal discussion group meets monthly to enjoy each other’s company, and lively group discussion on diverse topics – the subject for our February meeting is:
‘Gamification’
Whether you are an active contributor to the discussion, or would just like to come along and listen, we’d be delighted if you joined us!
*SIG – Special Interest group
Please bring whatever you’re drinking with you.
RSVP to give us an idea of numbers attending; if you would like to be included in the Discussion SIG WhatsApp notification group, please include your cellphone number.
‘KasiNomics’
African informal economies and the people who inhabit them
Did you know:
- That the muti market is worth R3 billion a year, with 27 million consumers?
- That the average hawker earns R3000 a month, and that there are nearly 500 000 of them?
- That the trade in goats is worth millions of rand?
- That the dagga trade can set the standard for market and distribution to the informal market?
- That Parmalat cheese slices have created a multi-million rand business in kotas?
- Why the Perfect Sishebo Show is the biggest food show in the country?
eKasi, the lokasie, the South African township, once an apartheid ghetto, is today an amazingly transformed place. This township today is an eclectic mix of mansions, shacks, spaza shops, rocking taverns, hawkers, taxis and hot wheels. In this kasi there are vibrant businesses, energetic people, a tightly networked social community and abundant hope.
GG Alcock will cast a light on the invisible matrix at the heart of South Africa’s informal economies and the people who live in them.
GG has been at times a shebeen owner, political activist, community worker and African adventurer, and more recently the founder of Minanawe Marketing, a leading marketing agency in the mass market.
N.B. Note that this specific meeting does not fall on our customary ‘second to last Thursday of the month’.
Further information and venue details from the Winelands secretary, Yvonne Steyn.
Membership eligibility testing in Somerset West.
Two multiple-choice tests are written; one is purely symbols and has no language component, and the other is available in English or Afrikaans. To be eligible for membership, you need to achieve a qualifying score on only one of these tests. The testing will take about an hour-and-a-half.
*R 130 per person – discounted to R 100 per person for groups of four or more people. Scholars over the age of sixteen years and full-time students in possession of a valid student ID also pay R 100 per person.
To register, send an email to the Winelands Testing Officer (details above), or complete a contact form on our website.
Is this the Fourth Industrial Revolution or the First Post-Industrial Revolution: implications for humankind.
The economist Klaus Schwab has suggested that we are now in the Fourth Industrial Revolution but Mike Bruton will argue that the current revolution is at best a post-industrial, if not an anti-industrial, revolution that may equip humans to address the many problems that were created by the first three industrial revolutions. He will also discuss the ways in which science has changed through the ages in order to remain relevant to society’s needs, with particular reference to the environmental crisis.
Mike Bruton initially followed a career in marine biology but, over the past two decades, has focused on science centre and museum design and development, the psychology of learning, and the history of Islamic science.
Mike currently uses the knowledge he has gained over his extensive career to guide and provide services in the fields of authorship, science centre development, aquatic research management, and Imagineering.
Further information and venue details from the Winelands secretary, Yvonne Steyn.
Membership eligibility testing in Somerset West.
Two multiple-choice tests are written; one is purely symbols and has no language component, and the other is available in English or Afrikaans. To be eligible for membership, you need to achieve a qualifying score on only one of these tests. The testing will take about an hour-and-a-half.
*R 130 per person – discounted to R 100 per person for groups of four or more people. Scholars over the age of sixteen years and full-time students in possession of a valid student ID also pay R 100 per person.
To register, send an email to the Winelands Testing Officer (details above), or complete a contact form on our website.
Mensa Winelands’ monthly speaker evening.
Further information and venue details from the Winelands secretary, Yvonne Steyn.
