Bare Facts
Copyright 2000 Lake Edun Foundation, Inc.
Official Publication of the Lake Edun Foundation, Inc.
April 1, 2003
Box 1982; Topeka, KS 66601 Voice Mail: 785-478-BARN e-mail: benude@lakeedun.com Website: www.lakeedun.com
Social Corner
by Diana
It was cold when we had the wienie roast scheduled so, aside from a couple of productive work days and several relaxing saunas, I have nothing to report for March.
Be sure to check out the schedule of coming events. As the weather improves, we have a full schedule of activities we hope everyone will enjoy.
In particular, be sure to note the two Family activities scheduled in April. Easter Sunday we will have egg dying and an outdoor Easter Egg hunt. On the 27th, a family nature walk will give everyone an opportunity to appreciate some natural beauty.
Work Days Going Well
We had two scheduled work days in March. Although the weather was not particularly cooperative, we accomplished a great deal toward making our special place even better for the coming year. Already we have planted over 500 new trees and cut several thousand Cedars.
In the months to come, we will work on insuring our irrigation systems are adequate for the challenge of the Kansas summer, access trails, and preparing our water front.
Plan to join us for a work day before it becomes too hot to enjoy it. It's a good way to learn more about other Eduners and increase your circle of friendships.
Kansas Klean-Up
By Doug B.
The state is sponsoring a "Clean-up Kansas" campaign during the month of April. They have asked us to do our part by having a highway trash pick-up on our adopted stretch of I-470.
Meet us in the Old Albertson's parking lot on the northeast corner of Fairlawn and 29th Streets at 1:00pm on April 6th.
The Kansas DOT provides us with pretty little orange vests to wear and funny colored trash bags to collect the litter in. You need to provide your own sturdy shoes and long pants. You may wear shorts if you really want to, but the long grass and low bushes kind of scratch up your legs. Gloves are optional, but a good idea. Some people like ear plugs to cut the road noise. Bring some sunscreen if it's that kind of day. Don't bring pets or young children. A water bottle that fits in your pocket or clips to your belt is a real good idea.
We will meet in Albertson's parking lot for a short safety briefing and then car pool up onto the highway. Please try to get there on time so the rest of us don't have to wait for you. The whole clean up will go pretty fast if we have enough people, but plan on spending a few hours with us anyway. After it's all done, we'll all go out to the Lake to rinse off the road dust and complete our "Kansas Kleanup" with a sauna!!!!!
Annual Nude Ritual Draws Thousands
In a past issue of Bare Facts, we reported about the annual religious festival near Chandragutti, India that attracts tens of thousands of the faithful. They come and worship in the nude, bathe in the Bhadra River, and perform various other rituals.
In 1986, efforts by social reformers to cloth these faithful became so objectionable they rioted. In the melee that ensued, the worshipers stripped police, journalists and the social activists and forced them to parade naked.
Once again, 17 years after this incident, the temple fair is upon us. Social activists have not given up in their efforts to cloth these devotees. Perhaps those who profess their good intentions could learn from the faithful in this religious gathering. As the Pope recognizes, the body itself is not inherently sinful. Perhaps the reformers are committing the greater sin by not recognizing the right of these thousands to worship in the manner they believe most appropriate for themselves.
Activities designated HN are sponsored by Heartland Naturists
Apr 6; Sun; 1-5; Work Day & Kansas Klean-up
Apr 6; Sun; 5-7; Sauna
Apr 9; Wed; 7-dark; Closed for Educational Tour
Apr 12; Sat; 10-12; Board of Directors Meeting
Apr 12; Sat; 12-4; Work Day
Apr 12; Sat; 5-7; Pot Luck
Apr 12; Sat; 7-9; Sauna
Apr 18; Fri; 8-10; HN Swim in Lenexa
Apr 19-20; Tax Freedom Campout
Apr 19; Sat; 12-4; Work Day
Apr 19; Sat; 5-7; Sauna
Apr 20; Sun; Family Day
Apr 20; Sun; 9-10:30; Easter Egg Dying
Apr 20; Sun; 11:30-12:30; Easter Egg Hunt
Apr 26; Sat; 2-6; CPR Training
Apr 27; Sun; 2-4; Family Nature Walk
May 1; Approx; Begin Mulberry Season
May 10; Sat; 10-2; Work Day
May 10; Sat; 2-4; Board Meeting
May 10; Sat; 5-7; Pot Luck
May 10; Sat; 7-9; Sauna
May 11; Sun; 10-11; Member Forum
May 11; Sun; 12-3 Open House
May 16; Fri; 8-10; HN Swim in Lenexa
May 17; Sat; 12-3; Crafts
May 24; Sat; Family 50'S & 60'S Party
May 24; Sat; 6-8; Pot Luck
May 25; Sun; Family Day - Tie Dye
May 31; Sat; 12-3; Open House
May 31; Sat; 5-7; Pot Luck
May 31; Sat; Dusk; Friendship Fire
Aug 8-10; Special activity to be announced. Keep open.
From The Desk Of The Prez
By Doug B.
We have all mourned John Ritter's passing and taken some time before electing a president to replace him. I have volunteered to serve and the Board elected me president.
My term as president will be an administrative one. I will keep my position as secretary and combine the duties of the two. You should continue to look to our chairman, Bornnude, for inspiration and leadership. I will be responsible for various administrative things such as corporate signatures and reports.
John's other duties as a super worker bee must be shouldered by the rest of the members. Yes that means all of us get to help out. The work doesn't seem so much like work when you do it without clothes!
When Did Breasts Become Sex Objects?
By Sanitsuda Ekachai, Bankok Post
The current breast-exercising craze shows only too well how Thai women are tortured by modern concepts of female beauty, critics say.
Women are told by the beauty-care and advertising industries that they must be curvy and blessed with sumptuous breasts to be sexually attractive, said Malee Pruegpongsawalee, a feminist and law lecturer. "Those who don't fit the mold are made to feel inadequate, so much so that they're willing to put their body through all sort of pain to feel beautiful." Women should base self-esteem on their personal competence and reject concepts of beauty that reduce them to mere sex objects, she added.
One way to beat the notion that breasts are a symbol of female sexuality, she continued, is to look at their real function and value: they are designed to feed infants.
This obsession with breast size is actually a recent social phenomenon in Thailand, said writer Sukanya Harntrakul during a talk organized recently by the Women Studies Programme at Thammasat University.
Period photographs show female vendors walking topless through village markets. In the old day, breasts were not considered as sexual objects that needed to be covered up to demonstrate a woman's modesty.
"Women should realize that no two persons' breasts are the same. One of a woman's breast may even differ from the other," she said. "So we must ask some questions: when did this effort to standardize women's breasts come about; why has it happened; and who gains from it?"
Sukanya finds it strange that while motherhood is glorified to such a degree, a part of a woman's body that is directly related to motherhood is not recognized as such. These experiences, which belong to the whole of womankind, go unrecognized in the male world where breasts have been reduced to sexual objects. "It's woman's duty to give our own meanings to our breasts and bodies," she said.
Walking With Cavemen
The BBC has recently completed a four-part series that shows our ancestors as we've never seen them before. Presenter Robert Winston travels back in time with the aid of actor David Rubin and a cast of 14 to trace the development of our ancestors from 3 ½ million years ago to as recently as 30,000 years ago.
Rubin brings six different ancestors to life in this time odyssey. Filmed on location in South Africa, Iceland, and England, the hardest part, Rubin reports, was sitting in make-up for five hours every morning and then for another two hours at the end of the day.
Over 2,000 actors applied to be one of the cast. All were required to film their roles naked. To ensure as much historical accuracy as possible, 111 scientists were involved in the project. Director Richard Dale says the series helps explain how we act as we do today. "What intrigued me most is how much of the caveman remains in us today and how much we are shaped by these bizarre creatures that have come before us."
When speaking of his nudity, actor Rubin observes, "After the first five minutes it wasn't a problem. It was more of an issue during rehearsals. But once we got out in Africa, we were the happiest people, because it was baking sun - and being naked was preferable to being clothed.
"The funny thing about working with actors when they're naked," he continues, "is that you imagine it's going to be an enormously difficult problem - but it's only a problem for about five minutes."
Then he poses a most intriguing question that has troubled us for quite some time: "The fact that our actors are naked raises an interesting question: Why do we wear clothes? And at what point in our history did we begin to wear clothes?"
This sounds like an excellent series. We hope PBS or some other network picks it up for airing in this country; or that it becomes available on video.
National Guard Investigates Streakers
With all that is happening on the international scene, we are comforted to learn the National Guard is investigating an alleged streaking incident outside a barracks at Ft. Bragg.
Several soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the 130th Aviation Regiment were seen naked outside their World War II-era barracks. The unit's commander, a Lt. Colonial was one of the streakers. The unit is at Ft. Bragg preparing to deploy. It is not known if the investigation will hamper the unit's ability to deploy an Army spokesperson said.
So her we are; sending young men and women into harm's way; they pull a harmless stunt to release stress and the Army figures it has time, personnel and resources to "investigate" the incident. And, it may result in a delay in the unit's deployment. I wish I had known about this trick 35 years ago during the Vietnam era.Support Our Legal Defense Fund
Effects Of Breast Implants Studied
Researchers from Holland and Sweden recently released a long-term study of 3,521 women who have had breast augmentation surgery.
The study tracked women who had breast augmentation surgery for cosmetic reasons between 1965 and 1993. After a follow-up that averaged 11 years, Veronica Koot and her colleagues found a rate of suicide three times the expected rate. They also found an excess number of lung cancer deaths, most likely due to smoking.
The researchers speculate women who opt for breast implants to enhance their natural beauty do so because they lack self-esteem or have a poor body image. "Our findings suggest there might be a psychological problem in some women," said Koot.
Naturists have long recognized the intense pressure upon women and girls to have a "perfect" body. We have also begun to warn about similar pressures upon men and boys. It is good to have our speculations confirmed by research.
Random Thoughts & Reflections
LEF is first and foremost an educational foundation. While we have a lot of fun in the process, it is important to keep this in mind. If anyone doubts the seriousness of our task, a recent event in Kent, Ohio should serve to reinforce it to all of us. It seems a 35-year-old house wife was inspired in February to go out and build a snow woman, complete with snow breasts. While nothing was inappropriate with the snow figure, it wasn't long before a neighbor complained and the police were dispatched. While those of us with a better balance on life may find the incident amusing, it illustrates well how body phobia permeates our society. We have a long way to go!
If you are the last to leave, insure the gate is locked!On several occasions, the gate has been left open when no one was at our special place.
We are anxious to publicize some of our special events. If you have a portable sign with changeable letters we can place near the road, we can make good use of it this year.
Did you know: In a Roper Poll commissioned by the Naturist Education Foundation, 80% of respondents agreed that people who enjoy nude sunbathing should be able to do so without interference from officials as long as they do so at a beach that is accepted for that purpose.
Items We Need
Dumb Farmer
A farmer lived on a quiet rural highway. But, as time went by, the traffic slowly built up at an alarming rate. The traffic was so heavy and so fast that his chickens were being run over at a rate of three to six a day. So one day he called the sheriff's office and said, "You've got to do something about all of these people driving so fast and killing all of my chickens."
"What do you want me to do?" asked the sheriff.
"I don't care, just do something about those drivers."
So the next day he had the county go out and put up a sign that said:
SLOW: SCHOOL CROSSING.
Three days later the farmer called the sheriff and said, "You've got to do something about these drivers. The 'school crossing' sign seems to make them go faster." So, again, the sheriff sends out the county and they put up a new sign:
SLOW: CHILDREN AT PLAY.
And that really sped them up. So the farmer called and called and called everyday for three weeks. Finally, he asked the sheriff, "Your signs are doing no good. Is it all right for me to put up my own sign?"
The sheriff told him, "Sure thing, put up your own sign." He was going to let the farmer do just about anything in order to have him stop calling. Well, the sheriff got no more calls from the farmer. Three weeks after the farmers last call, the sheriff decided to call him. "How's the problem with those drivers. Did you put up your sign?"
"Oh, I sure did. And not one chicken has been killed since then. I've got to go. I'm very busy." And he hung up the phone. The sheriff thought to himself, "I'd better go to that farmer's house and look at that sign... There might be something there that WE could use to slow down drivers..."
So the sheriff drove out to the farmer's house, and he saw the sign. It was a whole sheet of plywood. And written in large yellow letters were the words:
SLOW: NUDIST CLUB