Bare Facts
Copyright 2000 Lake Edun Foundation, Inc.
Official Publication of the Lake Edun Foundation, Inc.
January 1, 2003
Box 1982; Topeka, KS 66601 Voice Mail: 785-478-BARN e-mail: benude@lakeedun.com Website: www.lakeedun.com
Sauna Season Is Upon Us
With the cold weather of Winter with us once again, sauna season is in full swing. Some Eduners are regulars at our periodic saunas. Surprisingly, there are others who have never joined a sauna at our special place.
The beginning of the year typically is the time for new resolutions. So ... If you have never joined us for a sauna, resolve now to do so before this sauna season comes to an end. Who knows, you may even be daring enough to jump into the lake or make a snow angle. No matter what you choose to do, you are certain to have an enjoyable and relaxing time.
We try to schedule saunas at times that are convenient for Eduners and their guests. However, if your schedule presents special requirements, let us know. We will attempt to accommodate you.
Calling All Families
by Bruce and Barb
We would like to let everyone know that there will be several activities this year just for families. We have 4 grandkids (a 3 yr old, 5 yr old, and two 8 yr olds) and we want to encourage more kids to come.
So far, we are planning a nature hike, to look for "neat bugs", different plants, animals, birds, etc. We want to see just how many of the different things we can identify and collect. The "collecting" will be in small notebooks we will supply for the kids. Don't worry; they won't be actually bringing any bugs home no matter how "neat" they are!
Also we will be having a kid's craft day, with lots of beads, paper, glue, etc. The kids will be making necklaces, anklets, bracelets, and trinket boxes to keep everything in.
We are also working on a fishing derby, with prizes for the first fish, biggest, smallest, ugliest, etc. We will have as many categories of fish as there are kids, that way everybody gets a prize.
Any suggestions you may have for activities would be greatly appreciated. We'd really like to see more kids, so if you have kids or grandkids bring them along for the fun!!!
Watch Bare Facts. As we develop plans, we will put items in the newsletter, with dates and times. Kids love our naturism. There's
lots of room to run, play and explore. They just want to insure they have a friend to do it with. We will make that happen this year
with plenty of planned activities. You can help. Please let us to know how many kids to plan on for the events so we can be sure to
have enough materials on hand. Use the contact information on the mast head to reach us. This is going to be a lot of fun for kids
and the more kids, the more fun!!!
Pajamas Indicate Male Behavior
When it comes to sleepwear, men have lots of choices, from boxers and a t-shirt to flannel pajamas. Or even nothing at all. But what a man chooses to sleep in says a lot more than most think.
"What a man wears to bed can tell you what he thinks about you and the relationship," says psychologist Dr. David Reed. "It's a message. It's a come hither. Hang loose. Back away. Call me later."
For example, Reed analyzes what we should gather about a man who sleeps in the nude.
"The nude operator. Those are the guys who apparently want to have sex right away," Reed says. "And that is the assumption that most of us would make. However you talk to guys who do it and they want to be comfortable. It also portrays a kind of romantic confidence that a man's got."
What about a man who sleeps in long pajamas?
"I think the pajamas the man puts on says family is my first priority," Reed says. "The odds are that kind of person is a bit inhibited and he's orderly and maybe shy about being nude."
Now take the man with the white briefs and white undershirt. "It's like he just took off the suit and tie and here he is," Reed says. "He's still a businessman."
"The t-shirt is today's athlete. The 'long pants' is today's television watcher. So he's not moving in as romantic a manner as someone who has nothing on," Reed says. "I'd say he's a good average guy."
And boxer shorts? "I think boxers would be nice. They're modest. They don't put the woman on the spot the way she might be if the guy is nude and sort of a direct message."
Perhaps We Should All Move To Holland
In the Dutch town of Ypenburg, real estate agents insure they bring a clause in the purchase contract to the attention of prospective home buyers. According to this clause, the new neighbor must not object to naked gardeners in the neighborhood. It seems the chairman of the local nudist club, a keen gardener, persuaded agents to insert the clause. So far, there are no reported objections to this provision. It has probably resulted in an immediate rise in real estate values throughout the town.
Activities designated HN are sponsored by Heartland Naturists
Jan 11; Sat; 4-6; Board of Directors Meeting
Jan 11; Sat; 7-9; Sauna
Jan 17; Fri; 8-10; HN Swim in Lenexa
Jan 24; Fri; 7-9; Sauna
Feb 8; Sat; 4-6; Board of Directors Meeting
Feb 8; Sat; 7-9; Sauna
Feb 14; Fri; 8-10; HN Swim in Lenexa
Feb 23; Sun; 6-8; Sauna
Word From The Chair
by Bornnude
We Need Your Help
Rumors to the contrary notwithstanding, the Lake Edun Foundation is alive and well. As Mark Twain said when he read his own obituary that was published in error, "Rumors of my death are grossly exaggerated." We are currently working on four separate plans for the future of LEF. The plans work in concert and are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Very shortly, some of our efforts will become public. You won't need to wait to read it here. There are some exciting possibilities for Return to Edun. As soon as the contracts are signed, details will be made public.
All of which leads me to our greatest current need. We need to increase our cash flow over the next few months to make our plans work. Contributions to the Legal Defense Fund would be greatly appreciated and are definitely needed. If you have already made a contribution, we thank you; if it slipped your mind, please do it today. You may contribute by going to www.lakeedun.com and make a contribution either with your credit card or by using PayPal. Instructions are on the website. You may also mail contributions to the Post Office Box. Paying your dues in advance of the due date will also help. If you pay your dues in full prior to February 28, 2003, you may pay just exactly what you paid last year. This not only helps the foundation but also protects you against any potential dues increases prior to your renewal date.
We need a Newsletter Editor. We've really needed one for quite some time. All it really entails is accumulating reports from the committees, and keeping the schedule up to date. This can all be done on your computer and sent electronically. It will be printed and mailed as it is now. It would be of great help to have someone take this over for the coming year. If you would like to consider this, write to bornnude@aol.com.
Volunteers are always needed for a number of projects. If you are interested in hosting a social activity, write to cottentail43@aol.com. If you are interested in helping with conservation and facilities, write terrdavis@hotmail.com. Return to Edun can always use volunteers. If you have ideas to pass on, don't hesitate.
Do Clothes Inhibit A Peaceful Existence?
In his report to his sponsors, the King and Queen of Spain, Columbus described the indigenous people he met in the new land he had discovered. "So tractable, so peaceable are these people that I swear to your Majesties there is not in the world a better nation. They love their neighbors as themselves, and their discourse is ever sweet and gentle, and accompanied with a smile; and though it is true that they are naked, yet their manners are decorous and praiseworthy".
This gentleness was also found in the California Indians. They have been described as "gentle as the climate in which they lived." But, as the Spaniards moved up the coast of California, they gave the Indians names and clothes, established missions, then converted and debauched them. After the discovery of gold in 1848, people poured into California by the thousands. They took what they wanted from the submissive Indians, debasing those whom the Spaniards had not already debased, and then systematically exterminating whole populations now long forgotten.
Why is it: On the one hand we claim to value the peaceful, friendly manner the Indians exhibited. However, we used these very qualities to take from them their land, their food and their lives. While they lived their lives successfully and naked, our first priority was to put clothes on them.
Could it be living naked promotes manners that are considered "decorous and praiseworthy"? Could it be that cloth-ing-compulsive people are incapable of living in such a peaceful state? Could it be that we will only find the peace so many claim to seek after we learn to live as naturists? Perhaps we are on to something - Help spread the word!
The Truth About Area 51
The truth about Area 51 has finally been laid bare by the Weekly World News, an online tabloid. Contrary to popular belief, the mysterious Air Force base isn't a repository for downed UFOs - it's a nudist camp for the nation's top military brass!
That's the shocking assertion of a UFO buff who claims he penetrated the heavily guarded secret compound using a hang glider and got an unexpected, X-rated look at high-ranking Pentagon officials. "I risked my neck hoping to find tangible proof of alien visitation," says the man, who asked to be identified only as "Mr. X." "Instead I was treated to the sight of all these people in crew cuts cavorting in their birthday suits. My God, it was like one of those old-fashioned nudist camps from the 1960s."
Mr. X estimates he saw 250 buck-naked officers engaged in such activities as volleyball, aerobics, swimming, group meditation and yoga. "I spotted a top Department of Defense official I recognized from TV press briefings," he says. "I'm not going to name him but you know who I mean."
As way-out as the story sounds, the theory that Area 51 is a nudist camp was first expounded in a 1988 book by British military expert Jon Seacrest. "In the early 1950s, naturalism was seriously studied by the U.S. military, the concept being that exercising in the nude, as the ancient Greek generals did, was good for both the body and the mind," Seacrest reveals. "It was known at the time that the Russians had set up special nudist camps for its top officers and the Americans followed suit. The Pentagon made up the stories about aliens at Area 51 in order to scare people away and prevent them from finding the military nudist colony."
A Pentagon spokesman calls the bare-bottomed brass claims "absurd," adding, "there are no nude officers - or nude aliens, for that matter - in Area 51, and there never have been."
Items We Need
Random Thoughts & Reflections
Star Trek: Nemesis, the 10th installment of the "Star Trek" movie franchise, was recently reviewed. Nemesisbegins with the crew toasting the marriage of ship's counselor Deanna Troi and Cmdr. Will Riker. Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, gives a humorous toast about how their marriage is ruining his life. Riker is due to finally get his own command, and Troi will join him on the new ship. Interestingly, the Enterprise is on its way to Troi's home planet of Betazed, where a nude second wedding ceremony will be held in the best Betazed tradition. But first, the ship investigates a nearby planet and finds plenty of adventure. You will have to see this movie to learn if the nude wedding ever takes place.
It seems that Boise, Idaho Mayor Brent Coles is known locally for his well publicized opposition to public nudity. In spite of this, he and his chief of staff twice ate meals at a clothing-optional facility on a recent trip to Key West, Florida. It kinda makes us wonder what those who claim to be opposed to nudity in Kansas visit when they are in a location that successfully attracts tourists with their clothing optional beaches and other facilities.
Evidently Japanese gymnastic authorities were upset when five-times world champion and double Olympic gold medallist, Lavinia Milosovici filmed a nude performance near Tokyo. Romanian Milosovici and two other female Romanian gymnasts performed naked on competition-standard apparatus such as the balance beam in a DVD filmed in Chiba prefecture. Later, the performance was partially broadcast in a late-night show on a private television network in Tokyo. Perhaps someone should inform the Japanese that originally all Olympic events were done by naked competitors.
Not Everyone Conforms To Western Dress
Recently, a journalist visiting a tribe in a remote portion of Uganda, East Africa, learned that in order to get the best story, he must conform to the traditions of the tribe. Among this tribe, men do not wear trousers or underwear. It is far too hot and humid to endure the discomfort. Instead, in the evening when it is cool they wrap themselves in cloth called asukas. Among members of this tribe, a man, who hides his nudity, is suspected to be concealing some sickness.
The journalist reports that most men carry with them a small stool called an ekicholong. It raises the user about 6-8 inches off the ground. He can sit in a group of men for hours and comfortably play games or talk with others. When they sit on the ekicholong, their private parts dangle and "kiss" the ground.
"They are well endowed," the reporter asserts. "Their 'things' grow unhindered in conformity with the laws of nature [and] gravitational pull."
One must respect members of this tribe in Uganda. After over 150 years of contact with Europeans, they have found a way to force visitors to conform to their traditions rather than rushing to accept European dress.
Man is the sole animal whose nudities offend his own companions, and the only one who, in his natural actions, withdraws and hides himself from his own kind. - Montaigne
A New York Moment
Newsday recently reported that Francesca Sterlacci had what is referred to as a New York moment on Eighth Avenue the other day. "Here are these two girls walking down the street topless," says Sterlacci, who is chairwoman of the fashion design department at the Fashion Institute of Technology. "Just strutting naked from the waist up, and no one was turning around. Try to get away with that in Kansas City."
New York is a lot of things, but self-conscious isn't one of them. The city's sense of abandon, its perpetual shoulder-shrugging at convention and conservatism, is what has fostered its identity as the epicenter of fashion for decades.
"You can get away with anything here," says Sterlacci, pointing out that the city's streets are where trends bloom and merge - and where designers go to look for inspiration.
By their very nature, port cities such as New York are always buffeted by diverse influences - think New Orleans, or Los Angeles, or San Francisco. But Sterlacci claims New York takes that diversity a step further, encouraging disparate cultural elements to converge and so create fresh, new hybrids.
"Anybody can design the newest fitted ruffled blouse," she says. "But who is putting a sari together with a denim jacket?"
Perhaps it is New York's identity as a commerce capital that is responsible for its role as a fashion mecca. "Wherever the power and the prestige and the money and culture are, so is the center for fashion and style," says Jan Glier Reeder, couture specialist at Doyle New York, the Upper East Side-based auction house. "People who are wealthy and want to show their wealth do it sartorially."
But for as long as it has been awash in money, New York has been equally steeped in irreverence - a critical ingredient for creativity, says Caroline Rennolds Milburn, a fashion historian and author of "New York Fashion: The Evolution of American Style". A century ago, she reminds, "people were commenting on the men who ran posh shops sitting out without any neckwear or jackets, with their chairs leaning back and their feet up - sartorially, that was the 19th century equivalent of walking around naked today."
Its good to keep in mind that fashions change. Maybe we are coming closer today to granting women equality by permitting them top freedom; Perhaps, someday, we will all be able to dress ourselves practically for the climate in which we live. In Kansas in the summer, that would mean wearing very little!
- Lucy Irvine, Castaway
LEF LEGAL DEFENSE FUND NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT NOW!!!!!
The Lake Edun defense fund needs your financial support now - more than ever!
Contributions to the legal defense fund are used for legal expenses to keep Lake Edun open. Our permit expired Dec.31st. We have hired an attorney who has experience but we need funds to pay him.
We CAN keep Lake Edun open but only with your support!!!
Ways you can help:
Make a direct financial donation (it's tax deductible!)
Join or renew your membership if you've allowed it to expire!
Renew your membership early.
Help organize fundraisers
Participate in fundraising
If you'd like to make a donation now, or renew your membership please mail to Box 1982; Topeka KS 66601 or email benude@lakeedun.com
If you'd like to assist in fundraising activities or have any experience or interest in grant writing contact Heather at 224-5847.
There are many of us interested in maintaining our freedom at Lake Edun. We all realize how beautiful the place is and how healthy our association can be. A relatively small contribution from each of us will go a long way toward keeping our special place available for many years to come.
Each of us have different financial means. If all Eduners will review their situation and make a generous contribution of $20, $100,
$500 or $2,000, we will be in good shape for the challenges that lay ahead.TNS Update: In response to a $1,500 challenge from The
Naturist Society, Eduners have contributed $1,675. Thank you to all who have helped. We still have a long way to go before we are
out of the woods. You may mail your contribution to our P.O. Box or contribute on line using PayPal or your Visa or MasterCard.
With all of our members and supporters, we should easily double their challenge.