JRS Volume #6; Issue #6

JRS/6:6/12.11.01

Welcome to the Jack Rabbit Speaks, internet newsletter for Burning Man. This JRS comes to you free of spam, drivel, caffeine or saccharine. For a moment of reflection from a fellow participant, read on. (TOC follows)

A moment this quiet rainy morning in Seattle, to share:

Working on a project mired in truly lousy communication and the just plain silly bureaucratic fussiness of dealing with a public school district. Ready to throw up hands, take the work, and walk out of the building, kissing the money (such as it is) goodbye. Driven to waking by imagined dialogues and self-righteous fantasies. To myself, “might as well get out, get coffee and get it done.”

House quiet, housemates all sleeping like all the Who’s down in Whoville. Lights off to preserve this quiet, Christmas-nearing, cold, dark Seattle Morning. Peaceful. No traffic, distant jogger, silent. Distracted by the personalities and the replay of absurd conversation, the twenty year routine of car starting takes no attention: door, seatbelt, key, clutch, ignition, defrost.. in the air a message. Clay, alkali, gray, traces of playa waiting for its moment and the ideal tuning of senses to jolt memory. It wasn’t there yesterday. Today it is crystalline. I take deep long draws to soak it in. I long for home.

You can show them pictures, you can talk until you’re blue in the face and your friends are bored to tears. There’s no explaining the dust. You had to be there. When the time comes, mix my ashes with an equal part of playa and then scatter me to the wind. That way we’ll always be together.

love,
SexySnackTin.

BLM Meetings: UPDATE

THANK YOU, to those that rousted themselves with no notice and attended the BLM workshops on the Black Rock Desert NCA (National Conservation Area) in Sacramento and Reno.

Action Girl and I walked into the Sacramento meeting and the BLM staff member at the door said: “I see you sent out one of your emails.” I smiled and said: “You think?” He shows me the sign-in sheet, “Yeah, Most of the people who’ve showed are Burning Man folks.” There were 30-35 people who had signed in at that point, and during the hour I was there at least 5-10 more arrived.

The format was that of an informational workshop. There were informational packets, maps, photographs, BLM personnel answering questions, and a web site running locally for people to submit suggestions/comments. Jovial and friendly was the atmosphere with Bman participants educating themselves, asking questions and making comments on population limits to the event. The burners were also socializing with each other talking about theme camps, where they camped, and what volunteer group they work with. Burning Man participants are diverse, so it’s not easy to tell simply by dress who’s been to the event. However, it’s a no-brainer when they wear a Ranger Jacket, fimo necklace from Alien Love Nest, Bman-T-shirt or have a big friendly grin on their face and introduce themselves easily to others. In addition to several in suits and ties, kids in tow, there were those wearing the identifiers. I was SO proud of the turnout!

I understand the Reno meeting was equally as successful.

Typically, an Environmental Impact Study begins with an official scoping meeting. The BLM has been waiting for the official go-ahead to begin this process, and the time-clock for their deadline is ticking. They decided to use the wait-time wisely and have the informational workshops as an appetizer to the “official” scoping process. The decision was made very quickly, and the dates set up to get some work in before the Holidays. This is why Black Rock Desert users had very little notice. The good news is that information gathered during the workshop process can be used in the official scoping process once it begins. Additionally, comments contributed on the Black Rock NCA web site also count towards the EIS scoping. UNFORTUNATELY, for reasons totally unrelated to Burning Man, the Black Rock Desert, or the BLM for that matter, the Department of the Interior (and therefore BLM) has had to disconnect from the internet. Read about it here: www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/
internet/12/09/interior.internet.ap/index.html

When they’re back online, you can check out the web site, and leave your comments on the NCA and any proposed population limit to Burning Man at: www.BlackRockHighRock.blm.gov

See my previous JRS v6:#5 for info on what the issues are. I’ll also be posting more details shortly to give you some idea of what we are faced with in the creation of the NCA.

<>/ THANKS to all of you who showed up, thanks to all who emailed me asking to help, thanks to ALL who care enough to help with this process in the future. We will be engaged in EIS development for a few years. This is just the beginning. Believe it or NOT, your comments make a difference. We saw it happen in 1998, and 1999.

We ARE the largest single user of the Black Rock Desert, we surrender the largest Special Recreation Permit Fee for BLM land in the United States. We leave the desert cleaner than MANY users do per/person. I can’t do the politics alone thanks for the help!

/ THANKS also to the handful of people who offered to help with political connections across the country, the state of CA, and in the City of SF. Any other helpful connections out there please email: politics(at)burningman(dot)com

extra info:

For those of you in Reno and Sacto, both areas have a regional announcement list set up to send you information on things like political meetings, events, etc.
— Reno info reno-announce-subscribe(at)burningman(dot)com
— Sacramento folks can get info via: sacramento-announce-subscribe(at)burningman(dot)com

The Art of Burning Man in LEONARDO

The international art and technology journal “Leonardo” and Burning Man are pleased to announce a collaborative project to document the art of Burning Man. The project is being coordinated by “Leonardo” Guest Editor Louis M. Brill and LadyBee, Burning Man theme art curator.

This collaboration will result in two forms of documentation: a Leonardo-sponsored web site and, upon completion of the online documentation, a special section in the print journal “Leonardo” titled “Art of Burning Man”.

This project has recently reached its midpoint, and “Leonardo” and the editors of this edition are now making access to the website public, currently a work-in-progress. Once documentation of the 20 selected artist’s projects and articles by LadyBee and Director Larry Harvey have been posted on the Web, print publication of the material in Leonardo is expected during 2003.

Questions or comments may be directed as follows: Louis M. Brill, Guest Editor: lmbrill(at)eathlink(dot)net. LadyBee: ladybee(at)burningman(dot)com.

Cafe documentation project: URL

Cafe Team member, Camera Girl, aka: Heather, had the enjoyable task of documenting the café construction for 2001. Take a look at the web site she’s created. http://www.bohemianmasquerade.com/bman2001/ode.htm

BURNBABYBURN screenings. (text submitted by the film maker, and edited slightly by the rabbit)

12th December – Phoenix Theater – Petaluma
($10, or less if you are broke)
13th December – CELLspace – San Francisco ($5)
14th December – Pacific Cultural Center – Santa Cruz ($6)

All shows start at 7:30pm, except SF where there’s a second show at 9:30pm

BurnBabyBurn is a documentary by British filmmaker Paynie about Burning Man 2001. Several members of the Burning Man organization have given this film a thumbs up. This will be the very first screening in the Bay Area. A percentage of all profits will be donated to The Black Rock Arts Foundation.

Shot and edited in 12 days as a submission for a editing contest, this film is almost as good as being there and won’t fill every orifice with dust. There will be a short program of short films preceding the hour long film and copies will be available at a reduced price as well.

Please see <<< www.paynie.com >>> for more details.

MORE INFO on staying connected to other Bman folks in the area of these films:

To stay connected on Bman-related events in the North Bay, email: northbay-announce-subscribe(at)burningman(dot)com. SANTA CRUZ shortly, as in next few days, there will be a santa cruz announce and discussion list, but for now, you can email: santacruz(at)burningman(dot)com and ask to be added to either. You CAN try: santacruz-announce-subscribe(at)burningman(dot)com for the announce- only list or santacruz-list-subscribe(at)burningman(dot)com to be added to the discussion list.

David Best & Jack Haye: Talk about the Mausoleum

Thursday, December 13: 6:30 PM
Hospice of Petaluma: 416 Payrun Street (behind Albertson’s)

<from the Mausoleum team>

You lived through the heat, the dust, the work, now enjoy the stories!

David and Jack will be giving a slide show and talk about the Temple of Tears on Thursday, December 13 at 6:30 pm at the Hospice of Petaluma (directions below).

Also, For those of you who wanted a box of ashes and didn’t get one, I’ll have more available on the 13th. (And if you can’t make it then and still want one, contact me and we’ll work something out.) Beth: 707 763-1532

Directions:
From Hwy 101 take the Lakeville/116 Exit. Head west on Lakeville (NOT towards Sonoma) and stay in the right lane. Turn right at the first light onto CAUFIELD and then immediately left (just past the shopping center) onto PAYRAN. The Hospice will be on your left at 416 and looks like a big house with a trellis and small parking lot in front.

Tickets for BMAN 2002

Tickets for Burning Man 2002 are scheduled to go on sale on January 14th. We expect ticket prices to remain nearly the same. The lowest level will change slightly. Rules for the cheapest tickets will remain the same. All levels will be available, and because the lowest level is severely restricted in quantity we plead beg and cajole you to pay for the available ticket level which you can best afford, and leave the cheapest for those in need. PLEASE!

A post card will be in the mail before the end of 2001 with all necessary information. A JRS will also announce info, but only after the post card has hit the streets. I believe ticket holders for 2001 will receive information first.

We’re not really set up for a flood of questions right now, but if you must, try: partiserv@burningman.com. They can answer your ??? better than the rabbit can.

Future JRS issue: Preview, why you should read/contribute to it.

Okay, so throughout the year, but particularly after the event, I receive all these: “can’t find my friend”, “lost my camera”, “didn’t get any photos of me at the Canadian you-know-what contest”, “Please post my URL”, “isn’t this a great idea?” requests to post information to the JRS. Most of you know I’m pretty selective about what I choose to bother the rest of you with.

In a forthcoming, probably next issue I’m going to give you all I can, and you can decide what’s worth your time. This issue of the JRS will be the end of the year, clearance sale on all these miscellaneous posts. I tend to only send you URLs of web sites and photos I like, yeah unfair huh! Well, in the “free box” might be an URL of a web site with a photo of YOU on it. 😉

Anyway, send me your posts. I’ll put as many that fit. Then, others can sort around and see if they want what you have, have what you want, are who you want, want who you are, want to read what you write and I post, etc.

POSTS MUST have a subject header OTHER than a reply to this JRS, please, it makes it impossible for me to filter the many emails I receive after each JRS I post. AND, make sure you email jackrabbitspeaks(at)burningman(dot)com with your request.

I think this might be amusing!

Thank you, good night.

Misc. Crap that won’t interest most of you.

Meow to the meows.

Happy 40th, AND Congratulations to my favorite right-wing Burning Man poster boy: Phaedrus and his bride for bringing a new life into the world on this day.

Year end greetings to my family most of whom seem certain I’ve run off to join the circus or a cult or a circus-cultÅ they aren’t sure, but they think I neglect my family too much and spend too much time networked into Burning Man. Thanks to my mom, step pop, sista, and auntie for attending the event in 2001. Dad, you’ll need to see it someday. xoxox

Admin on and Off this Thing

OFF? bman-announce-unsubscribe(at)burningman(dot)com
ON? bman-announce-subscribe(at)burningman(dot)com

Meow meow meow.

Maid Marian

Burning Man
jackrabbitspeaks(at)burningman(dot)com (for questions and post requests)

The JRS: guaranteed to be interesting every now and then.

old rabbits