Presidential Pearls

by Kelly "aka Dizzy" Shepardson

Happy Holidays!

I hope this finds everyone well and still stuffed from eating too much turkey and trimmings on Thanksgiving! Wow, has this year gone by fast! It seems like just last month, I was writing an article for the November 1998 newsletter!

Since it's Thanksgiving, I wanted to take a second and give thanks for the fact that we have a beautiful lake to go to relax, unwind and socialize with people that enjoy Naturism! The Lake Edun is very fortunate to have Webb give us use of his land to enjoy nature! There have been some really hard struggles as you know, and I'm just thankful that we are able to enjoy the beauty of the lake. Thanks to all of you who devote their time and energy into making Lake Edun the place that it is: cozy, quiet, beautiful, and relaxing. May Y2K be good to all of us!

At the last Board of Directors Meeting, we unofficially elected officers because we did not have an official quorum of board members present to conduct an official meeting. When we have our meeting in December, we will officially elect people to positions on the Board of Directors.

As always, though, if you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me at Dizzie28@yahoo.com. I'm always happy to answer questions you may have about Lake Edun.

Coming up this month we've got a Christmas party scheduled at Dave's house. This is the place where we had the party last year and it was a great success! A big thank you to Dave for opening up his home to us again this year. If you missed last year, Dave has as marvelous house complete with a hot tub and plenty of room, so please come and join us! We are going to have a goofy gift exchange. If you want to participate, bring a gift that is no more than $10. We are also asking everyone to bring a covered dish to share. Directions to Dave's place will be included as an insert in this newsletter. I hope to see everyone there!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwaanza, Feliz Navidad and have a happy new year!

Christmas Shopping

While you shop for those special people on your mailing list, consider a truly unique gift from the Lake Edun Foundation. We have T-shirts, and hats; Tickets and subscriptions; Even a membership for that truly special person.

Review the gift list in this newsletter and give a unique gift that will be long remembered. And remember, you can charge it on your Visa or MasterCard.

Don't Miss Our LEF Christmas

Once again, the Lake Edun Foundation has a wonderful Christmas party planned thanks to the hospitality of Dave, who hosted last year's party. Festivities will begin at 7 pm on December 11. Bring some pot luck food; something for a gift exchange, if you wish (costing less than $10); and your holiday smile. (Don't forget your towel, also)

Dave's hospitality is legion. We will be able to enjoy his hot tub, good food and great company. If you have friends, bring them also. Please note that cigarette smoking will not be permitted indoors and cameras or VCR's will not be allowed.

Socially Speaking

by Vickie Knueppel, Board of Directors

Here we are, about to enter the year 2000. I can't think of a better group of people to do that with.

I am looking forward to another great year at Lake Edun. This year we are going to ask all of you to help sponsor the events again. We will are hoping to have one event every month this year.

I think the tye dye party in September was such a success that we will definitely do that again this year. We will of course have our favorites like the Luau and the July 4th bash. If you have any other ideas for events, let me know.

I hope everyone has a great holiday season and a wonderful New Year!

DON'T FORGET

Dec 11; 12-2; Board of Directors Meeting

Dec 11; 7:00; Christmas Party

Dec 17; 8-10 pm; Heartland Naturists swim in KC

Dec 19; 4-6 pm; Sauna

Dec 28; 5-7; Sauna

Jan 8; 12-2; Board of Directors Meeting

Jan 8; 7-9; Sauna

Jan 21; 8-10 pm; Heartland Naturists swim in KC

Jan 23; 4-6; Sauna

Feb 11; 7-9; Sauna

Feb 12; 12-2; Board of Directors Meeting

Feb 18; 8-10 pm; Heartland Naturists swim in KC

Feb 27; 4-6; Sauna

Mar 11; 12-2; Board of Directors Meeting

Mar 11; 7-9; Sauna

Mar 17; 8-10 pm; Heartland Naturists swim in KC

July 14-16, 2000; Return to Edun/8

Art Can Be Interesting and Beautiful

I was in San Francisco over the Thanksgiving holiday. It is always enjoyable to visit other areas. The weather was cool so I did not visit Baker Beach. But, I did spend quite a bit of time walking through other parts of the city.

Local artists were displaying their work in Union Square, one of the hearts of San Francisco. There were paintings, sculpture, and photographs. All of it seemed good, some of it was very good. It was fun strolling through the works, studying the other people as much as the art.

The entrances to Union Park have the traditional concrete or stone work. At one of these, a young man had dressed himself in gold-colored pants, shirt, and jacket; he had put on gold-colored make-up and wore gold-reflecting sun glasses. Every visible portion of his body was gold. He positioned himself on top of one of the concrete corner posts, assumed a mostly prone position, and held it. He was a human statue on his own pedestal.

It was an interesting site and a small crowd gathered to observe and appreciate his ability to remain completely motionless. If an appreciative viewer approached to leave a donation in his cup, he broke his position, leaned around and either shook the generous hand warmly or kissed it graciously. Then with a smooth, deliberate motion, he returned to his original poise and seemed to freeze.

Although it doesn't hang on the wall very well, this probably qualifies as art. It caused me to wonder: Supposing an artist talented in this manner were to poise naked. Would the crowd be as appreciative? Or, suppose the artist positioned himself near a stone statue of a naked person and assumed a poise similar to that of the cold original, would the warm imitator be appreciated as art or arrested for lewdness?

Winter Workers Needed

Soon after the first of the year, we will organize some Eduner volunteers to meet on reasonably decent weekends to make progress on some special projects the Board of Directors has targeted to complete before the beginning of our new season. If you have the time and interest in assisting, please let us know.

While we anticipate making real progress in some areas, we also expect to have fun while (and after) we do it. This will be a good opportunity to get some good exercise at a time of year when you are probably more inclined to remain indoors. And, in the process, you will help make a noticeable difference in our special place.

A few of us gathered irregularly last year to reduce the Cedar population and do some other projects. We have even more slated for this winter and will appreciate the help of even more Eduners this year.

Random Thoughts & Reflections

Occasionally there are warm sunny days when Eduners find it pleasant to visit our special place and even walk the trails. If you find yourself in this category, please keep your eyes open for trash, cans, and even bottles that may have been thrown off the trails. This is the time of year that they are easy to spot and reach.

Have you ever considered hosting a winter party at your home or club. Some apartments have facilities residents may reserve; some of us are members of fitness clubs or pursue other hobbies many other Eduners might enjoy. See if you can gain access for other Eduners to the facilities you enjoy. If you have an idea or need help, contact a member of the Board.

From The Mail Bag

Dear Lake Edun;

We spent a day at Lake Edun this summer and had a very good time. The distance of 650 miles is just to far. We joined a travel club this summer and have joined aanr. Thanks again for allowing us to visit and we will visit when ever we are in the area.

Jim & Punky

Dear Lake Edun:

Some late-night web surfing led me to the Lake Edun site. I'd not looked at it for some time. My congratulations on the marvelous photographs. To me, they evoke the very essence of the Naturist idea. Kansas is blessed with some remarkable secluded sites for clothes free recreation, for those who are willing to work to find them.

- Dave

Reflections

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years.

We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We've conquered outer space, but not inner space; we've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we've split the atom, but not our prejudice.

We have higher incomes, but lower morals; we've become long on quantity, but short on quality. These are the times of tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.

These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes. It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to make a difference ... or just be too busy.

Reprinted below is an excerpt from a recent editorial that appeared in the Johnson County Sun - along with my reply, also published. (Steve Baska, the editorial's author, is the guy who manufactured the "Romeo and Juliet" controversy that wasted so much time and caused so much mischief in Johnson County - including the eventual resignation of high school teacher Tim Thornburg - last January.) I believe it's important to face these things down as they surface in the press.

The Naked Truth about TV

Steve Baska, Associate Editor

Popular prime time television programs are showing more nudity and profanity than ever before.

Last week on "ER," the No. 1 rated TV show in the nation, an actress was shown topless in bed for several seconds.

Also last week, actor Mark Harmon said "Sh- happens" on "Chicago Hope," another top-rated medical show.

I have enjoyed these shows because of their good story lines, but I was disgusted last week as liberal Hollywood enjoyed trying to shock America. The producers of these shows said they were simply showing the "reality of everyday life." The truth is, they have little or no concern for the children affected by seeing nudity and hearing profanity. I think TV and movie people simply enjoy the shock value.

However, some of us are not shocked at all. A woman in my office who saw the shows said, "I did not even notice those things."

And that's a good point. We are becoming desensitized.

The bad taste extends to commercials. There is one running now in which a man in a steel neck brace tries to eat a Snickers bar that is wedged in the brackets in front of his mouth. This is supposed to be funny?

What has American television come to?

Return to Edun/8 is scheduled for the weekend of July 14-16, 2000. Nancy has volunteered to make this event happen. But, coordinating an event of this magnitude is a major undertaking. We need people to help her locate suitable talent, coordinate security, handle publicity, and the host of other tasks required. If any Eduners are interested in helping with the planning and preparations for this event, please let us know.

Items We Need

We would like to measure the length of our trails next spring. If any Eduners have access to a measuring wheel we could use to get an accurate length of our trails, please let this be known.

We also need more lids for trash barrels. These should be designed to fit over a 55 gal barrel and keep the rain out.

Here's my response:

I first met Ginny and Charlie Metcalf and their two children in 1990. Their daughter was 7 or 8 and missing her front teeth. Their son was about 5 and gave new meaning to the term perpetual motion.

Charlie is on a police force in California and Ginny is a housewife. They'd make great stand-ins for Ozzie and Harriet.

I last saw the Metcalfs in the summer of 1998. Their daughter, a teenager, had developed into a strikingly attractive, poised, self-confident young lady. Charlie bragged that their son was "a straight-A student."

This anecdote would be of little significance except that the Metcalfs spend many of their weekends at a nudist park. This is where I met them.

In her article "Factors Associated with More Positive Body Self-Concepts in Preschool Children" in the Journal of Social Psychology, home Economist Marilyn Story reported that among 13 factors she studied "only two were generally significant, with males having more positive body self-concepts than females and social nudists more positive body self-concepts than nonnudists."

Last year UCLA psychologists Paul Okami, Richard Olmstead, Paul Abramson and Laura Pendleton published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior the results of an 18-year study, "Early Childhood Exposure to Parental Nudity and Scenes of Parental Sexuality ('Primal Scenes'): An 18-Year Longitudinal Study of Outcome." They reported, "At age 17-18, participants were assessed for levels of self-acceptance; relations with peers, parents, and other adults; antisocial and criminal behavior; substance use; suicide ideation; quality of sexual relationships; and problems associated with sexual relations. No harmful 'main effects' correlates of the predictor variables were found."

In his sensationally titled editorial "The Naked Truth about TV," Sun associate editor Steve Baska fumed, "The truth is, they have little or no concern for the children affected by seeing nudity and hearing profanity."

Excuse me? Profanity aside, one would hope that Mr. Baska might elaborate on whose children are affected by seeing nudity and how. Could this be one of these cases where "values" and scientific findings collide?

Last January Shawnee preacher Phil Ellsworth treated a Shawnee-Mission school district curriculum review committee to a lecture on the harm English teacher Tim Thornburg was doing to his students by showing them "Romeo and Juliet." The film shows Olivia Hussey's breast for 4 seconds.

The committee wasn't convinced.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion about the effects of nudity on children. But when these opinions enter the public debate they become fair game for critical review. So I'm calling Mr. Baska's hand. Let him back up his opinion with facts.

By the time you read this, it will be winter at Lake Edun. Like all other natural settings in Kansas, this means it is much cooler than it was during the past summer. In accord, except for the occasional sauna or indoor party, human activity has pretty much stopped at the Lake until next spring. What not everybody realizes, however, is we tropical primates are not the only critters who have to change our behavior drastically in response to the changing seasons.

Winter provides several challenges to all living things. First, and most obvious, it is cold, which provides the topic for this article. This means that you will need a lot of extra energy to stay warm if you're warm-blooded. If you don't have an internal thermostat (such as if you're a frog or turtle) you'll be very sluggish. An obvious solution is one that naturists as a group tend to disapprove of -- wear more clothes! The mice, deer, birds, squirrels and other warm-blooded winter inhabitants of Lake Edun all put on heavier coats of fur and feathers for the season.

Some also try to find the coziest available place to hide, which explains why the field mice come inside during the fall. Many animals also try and put on extra fat during the summer as insulation. (This may also help to explain behavior at Labor Day cookouts.)

If you're ectothermic (a more scientifically accurate term for "cold-blooded"), however, this won't work. The best thing to do is to find a nice dry hole and to wait the winter out. This is the solution for most snakes, turtles, and a large number of insects.

Many frogs and turtles have an even better trick, however -- they wait out the winter in the wet mud under the Lake. This is helpful because they know they won't freeze (this

can be highly damaging to body tissues, unless you happen to have natural antifreeze in your blood like some frogs), but problematic since they won't be able to breathe air. Fortunately, their metabolisms slow down drastically, and they are able to filter enough oxygen out of the water so their last breath in autumn will last for six months. Most plants, of course, also shut down in broadly similar ways for the winter, except for evergreen trees and shrubs.

Ever thought that a trip to Bermuda sounds good about now? That's the idea of those animals that can fly long distances, and can travel to where it's warm and return again after the spring thaw. Many birds take this option, though a number also stay around and stick it out. (A few kinds that are accustomed to conditions in Canada travel from the north in the fall, and find things in Kansas balmy enough they just decide to stay for the season!)

People don't always realize other animals also do this, including various bats (which are common, if not commonly seen local residents), and insects such as strong-flying dragonflies and monarch butterflies. The latter are particularly interesting since the adults usually die during the return flight in the spring, and the young of next year make the rest of the trip back to someplace they've never been by themselves.

Cold temperatures are just one of several challenges to the flora and fauna of Lake Edun in winter; since it will still be winter next month, I'll save some of that topic until then. Don't forget, though, that winter is a good time to see wildlife because the leaves are off the trees and activity levels of winter-active animals are extra-high in winter. So, the next time you go to a sauna be sure to arrive a little early to do some nature watching.