What's the book closest to you RIGHT NOW say ...

1. Grab the nearest book

2. Open the book to page 28

3. Find the 3rd sentence

4. Post the text of the next three sentences in your blog along with these instructions. Do not look for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST book.

5. Tag 5 other people to do the same.

An invitation for Ya'all

You are cordially invited to participate in BWB's 3rd Annual Cinco de Playa Worldwide Clean Up Weekend!

This year Cinco de Mayo falls on a Monday, so BWB will be cleaning up and beautifying our local communities everywhere on May 3 or 4th. Last year we had over 25 cities participate, and this year we already have 50 volunteers in Peru participating as well as volunteers in San Francisco and Australia.

You can check out this link tinyurl.com/4xknmr on the BWB website and see if there is a host for a clean-up in your area.

Would you like to host your own clean up? It's easy and highly encouraged!
Find a spot in your community that could use some TLC, set a time and then put out the call on your lists for May 3 or 4th.

Once you have chosen your date and have the specifics worked out, send an e-mail to Carmen with your clean-up announcement and she will get it up on the BWB website and send it out to the appropriate lists in your area. And after your clean up, please consider documenting your experience with photos and writing a Blog for the website.

In the past people have combined their clean up with a potluck BBQ, rollerskating, a fire, a camp out or whatever else makes cleaning up fun.

This clean up event is an excellent opportunity to connect with your community and make history with your fellow burners around the world.

See you out there!

Mantastic!

Hey look !
Tom made "People" magazines list of environmental heroes.

www.blackrocksolar.org/wp-con...le1.jpg

That's awesome.

I am proud of all of yous (guys and gals) working out there. Thanks for the labor & acknowledgement is great,
but a big hug for sticking it out- YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!

Jack Kerouac

SIGN UP FOR THEIR MAILING LIST

and you'll be sent notification when the movie is released.

www.kerouacfilms.com/

Mmmmm.....

dumpin' out the crawfish....

B W B Pearlington

We had a wonderful work weekend in Pearlington, Mississippi.

I thought the highlights included the WORK, re-connecting with friends, being in the community again and seeing some progress. There is so much to do, and the hits just keep coming for a lot of the residents. It's been quite a struggle for almost all of them (and the volunteers who are still down there) for many years, AND (By The Way!) any and all help is still needed & appreciated.

SO appreciated, in fact, one of the local residents threw us our own crawfish boil on Sunday afternoon! That was a nice & very welcome surprise.

We also got to meet new BWB volunteer faces and connect with other people who either have been working & living in the area, or are interested in implementing BWB projects in their own areas and/or joining one that's already in action.

I am also proud to see how the BWB has continued to expand and work is going on all over the country & it's even spread internationally, ya' all! There's a new video we got to preview with the whole town (I heard a few "Amen!"s and "You're telling me!"s), and we had a community picnic and of course I think we all went home exhausted.

Of course, if we didn't come home exhausted, it just wouldn't have felt right.

If you've got a day or two, some of the crew will be working down there going into this week-
If not, watch for an opportunity in your neighborhood, or start one on your own. You'll meet some of the finest people ever, guaranteed.

INVITE

BURNING MAN/BURNERS WITHOUT BORDERS
COMMUNITY PICNIC/WORK TRIP
plus
“BURN ON THE BAYOU” FILM SCREENING
PEARLINGTON, MS 3/27 - 4/5


Back To The Bayou: Join Burning Man and Burners Without Borders at a
Community Picnic/Work Week(end) on the Gulf Coast in Pearlington,
Mississippi this spring! During this special week, March 27-April 5th,
you can help restore the communities affected by Hurricane Katrina, and
provide an evening's enjoyment for those still working to rebuild…plus,
be among the first to view a special private screening of the new film,
“Burn on the Bayou,” the amazing post-Katrina story of how Burners
Without Borders came to be!

The values and ethics of the Burning Man Project are making their way
out into the world in ever-evolving ways. Burners Without Borders (BWB),
an effort that began in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, is a
huge part of that evolution. BWB is more than just an organization or a
group, it’s an idea: We can take what we learn at Burning Man and bring
those values with us off the playa, by getting more involved in and
giving our gifts to the rest of the world around us. Through civic
activity, relief efforts, and many other forms of volunteerism, BWB has
become a way for Burners to show the outside world what Burning Man is
really all about.

This Community Picnic brings Burning Man back to the bayou to help lend
a hand to a community still struggling to rebuild, and to celebrate an
important moment in BWB’s history in the place where it all began!

Here’s what we’ve got planned:

**WORK WEEKEND March 27-30:
Help paint, build, plant, clean, repair, restore homes and lives in
Pearlington, Mississippi -- a small town still working to rebuild from
Hurricane Katrina.

**COMMUNITY PICNIC March 29 (Saturday):
Celebrate the two-year Anniversary of BWB’s Gulf Coast departure!
5 PM: BBQ and potluck for residents of Pearlington
6 PM – 7:30 PM: Evening of burner-style entertainment, bayou style. Got
talent? Get in touch! Art cars, performers, chair masseuses, stilters,
etc. especially invited to attend.
7:45 PM: SPECIAL PRIVATE SCREENING: "Burn on the Bayou" -- a
documentary detailing what happened when Burning Man participants
responded to our country's worst natural disaster – an effort that would
become known as “Burners Without Borders.” Be among the first to view
this new feature film!
9:00 PM: Bonfire and performances (bring your fire toys!), followed by
a trip to the Turtle Landing Bar.

**WORK WEEK CONTINUES (March 31- April 5):
Got more time? Stay all week in volunteer housing and help out with
continued restoration projects around Pearlington.

DETAILS ABOUT WORK EFFORTS:

- Skilled AND unskilled labor needed – all are welcome
- You are responsible for your own transportation to the area
- $5 per person per day will help cover your place to stay in a
volunteer bunkhouse and three meals a day
- Space is limited. RV camping is permitted on site – sorry, tent
camping is not allowed at the Pearlington Recovery Center (aka
“Pearlmart”). Bunkhouse space onsite will be available and covered in
your $5 a day. There is also a Motel 6 available for $33 a night in
nearby Slidell, LA (12 miles away).
- Just like Black Rock City, you’ll need to bring everything with you
you need to survive. Also helpful: work gloves, your own tools, etc.
- Weather should be pleasant, although rain and bugs may be present – be
prepared.


WANT TO JOIN US?
Whether you’ll join us for the whole week, just the weekend, or just
Saturday’s picnic, please email Carmen at
carmen@burnerswithoutborders.org and let her know when you’re coming.
Also, let her know if you happen to have a particular skill (gardening,
carpentry, electrical, plumbing, etc.) to contribute.

WANT TO HELP OUT WITH THE PICNIC?
Are you an art car owner, fire performer, massage therapist, musician…or
something else you think would lend some fun to the picnic/BBQ/film
screening? Contact Bettie June at bettiejune@burningman.com -- she will
be helping to coordinate entertainment for this event.

CAN’T MAKE IT, BUT STILL WANT TO HELP?
Your donations will sponsor other volunteers who have time but not
money, and any and all proceeds raised beyond what we need to support
volunteers will be donated in the community to support recovery efforts…
or, you can still donate/volunteer to help continuing BWB relief efforts
in Pisco, Peru. Donate here:
www.burnerswithoutborders.org/con...fo-1

WHY PEARLINGTON?

Pearlington is a small, out-of-the-way Mississippi town without a Mayor
or a city council. Pearlington’s residents have been, for the most part,
left to their own devices after Katrina, and many of the people in the
town literally haven't had a single day off since the storm.

In 2006, every Saturday night while Burners Without Borders volunteers
were in Pearlington, they would gather to make art from debris, enjoy it
for a moment, and then burn it in a bonfire. At first, the locals
couldn't understand this practice, but soon the appeal of creating
beauty from nothing and then letting it go drew them in, too. The final
weeks in Mississippi, the BWB camp was filled with pieces of art created
by locals -- many of whom had never made art before, much less burned
it. Even the beautiful town sign
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imag..._sign.jpg)
was built by BWB volunteers during those final weeks, created entirely
from hurricane debris (demonstrating that anything, even garbage, can be
made into art). It has become a proud local landmark.

Our plan now is to head back to Pearlington to say hello again, and
offer them a break from their work – by helping out with rebuild
projects, and by offering a day of relaxation and entertainment that
might otherwise never happen in such a small, out-of-the-way place. The
entire Gulf Coast still needs help, and not just in Pearlington…but
Pearlington is part of where BWB’s history began, and it’s an
environment where just a little help can have a big impact on peoples’
lives. We hope you’ll join us.


A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON BURNERS WITHOUT BORDERS:

For years, we've all known that Burning Man meant *something* more than
just a party in the desert--the question was always how to define just
what. Hurricane Katrina provided at least part of the answer to the
question: What happens when we take the values we share on the playa
outside the orange trash fence, and into the default world? The answer:
a lot, and in a little over two years, members of this community acting
as “Burners Without Borders” have shown the world those values through
civic action time and time again.

Within hours after the news of the Hurricane Katrina tragedy reached the
playa, participants spontaneously reacted. In two days, they'd collected
$42,000 for the Red Cross and other relief efforts--all the more
impressive considering that Black Rock City is an environment. where
nobody really carries cash. Soon dozens of volunteers were streaming
toward the Gulf Coast. Many ended up in hard hit New Orleans; others,
including many from the Temple Crew on the playa, coalesced at a
shattered Buddhist Temple in Biloxi, MS. Over the next seven months,
supported entirely by donations large and small from the Burning Man
community, the group in Mississippi became known as "Burners Without
Borders."

After months of working to rebuild the Buddhist temple, they moved down
the coast to tiny Pearlington, Mississippi, a forgotten rural town
devastated by Hurricane Katrina. BWB volunteers lived there for three
months between January and the end of March 2006, removing tons of
debris, leveling dozens of ruined homes, and doing whatever else was
needed to help folks get back on their feet--all in a uniquely Burner
style. Before the storm, bringing creative, expressive Burners to a
small, rural town might have been a recipe for disaster. But in the
wreckage the town’s residents soon warmed to this unlikely-looking band
of hard-working Burners who offered them a gift: their helping hands,
and support for rebuilding their lives, with no expectation of return.

March 31st is the two year anniversary of Burners Without Borders’
departure from the Gulf Cost, and the improbable--and yet perhaps
entirely predictable--story of Burners Without Borders did not stop when
they left., The idea of BWB is now being used by groups of Burners as a
way to self-organize together around community service projects, all
over the world. Since leaving the Gulf Coast this concept of "Burners
Without Borders" has racked up an impressive list of community outreach
and service projects large and small – all supported entirely by the
Burning Man community. Some examples:

* On May 5th 2006 and 2007, BWB organized "Cinco de Playa" clean up days
on beaches and parks in 23 locations around the world.

* In the summer of 2006, BWB helped a group of party promoters in LA
raise money for homeless kids in the city’s warehouse district

* At Burning Man 2006 and 2007, BWB organized a massive wood recycling
effort for Habitat for Humanity in Reno, saving more than eight flatbed
trucks full of lumber from camps and art projects that would otherwise
have been destined for the burn platforms. Then, in January 2007, BWB
volunteers gave up their Super Bowl Sunday to return to Reno and help
turn that lumber into low income housing, working side by side with
Habitat volunteers.

* In Chicago, BWB projects are changing the landscape and the lives of
thousands of residents--they've done so much, we can't begin to explain
it. Read all about their amazing ways of turning art into action here
www.burnerswithoutborders.org/glo...-bwb

* In the Midwest, a BWB group has helped to build a shared artist space
in central Ohio, cleaned up after a barn fire in Wisconsin, and helped
restore the Wolf Run Wildlife Refuge.

* In LA after the fires, local BWB volunteers helped clean up the Madre
Grande site, host of the Xara event

* In San Francisco, when the National Park Service proposed banning
fires on Ocean Beach, BWB and Burning Man rallied to help get 3,000
letters opposing the move--then raised $42,000 to have Burning Man
artists build artistic fire pits along the shore, preserving access to
fires while creating an outdoor "museum of fire art."

* In the fall of 2007, BWB volunteers joined in the “Black Rock Solar”
project to build and give away solar power systems to a hospital in
Lovelock, and the Gerlach schools--the largest solar arrays ever given
away anywhere. Next week, they'll start on a new one for the students of
the Pauite reservation, at the Natchez School in Wadsworth, NV. (see:
www.blackrocksolar.org/)

*In January 2008, after a flood devastated Fernley, Nevada, BWB
volunteers were on the scene within hours helping to clear out, then
stayed on for two weeks, supported by $7,000 in donations from Burners
around the world.

Today, BWB has gone international, and now has over 40 volunteers
working in Pisco, Peru, helping the local community rebuild following a
devastating earthquake.

And now we're going back to the bayou, the place it started, to remember
where we've been, and where we're going.

For more information about BWB, visit: www.burnerswithoutborders.org.

THANKS B W B

Wow! Kentucky / Ohio really kicked serious ass on this project!
(((and we had fun, too!)))

Thanks to everybody, because every little bit helped,
and Wolf Run now feels like there is somebody out there in the world who cares about their labor & love.

WOLF RUN this SUNDAY !

OKAY! We'll be mending fencing, putting in a gate, and replacing roof(s) over kennels, FOR SURE!

Lunch : Bring a pot luck, or pack your own.
BRING A CHAIR, TOO! (You know... like a camping chair) And I'd recommend a thermos of something warm and nummy.

I will bring a table.

YOU SHOULD WEAR WARM CLOTHES, (and a hat) because we are up on top of a windy hill.
((Hint: That may be why the storm did so much damage ! ! ! The pic here, is lower down the hill a bit, and this is what the kennels we will be fixing up, USED to look like)))

We'll be digging post holes and mending fences (wear gloves!), and replacing roof(s) of kennels which have disappeared into the ethos... the new ones we will put on, should be better - a plastic derivative, perhaps... instead of the plywood that got shredded and blew away. Another Wolf Run volunteer is doing the planning on that. A local Humane Society is helping us, too- and they are supplying us with some small $ for the cememt, etc - and a few of their volunteers want to come help us, too! (The MORE the MERRIER!)

BRING A POST HOLE DIGGER IF YOU CAN!
(We are on the "look out" for some !)
Also needed:
3- 4 ' levels, wire cutters for THICK fence, strong needle-nose pliers (etc, for fence wire), extra wire and buckets for water.
Shovels that can get dirty, plastic bags for trash and clean-up (heavy duty), other things ? Umh... for pouring cement (like a face mask might be handy) and who is going to bring a camera? (just kidding)

Volunteers who want to less "strenuous work" ?1 - You are more than WELCOME! There is lots to pick up, etc. and lunch to set out, too!

S W E E T !

Prelim pics are at : www.facebook.com/album.php
I posted them there because I could make an album, name it and give the photos descriptions.
If anyone has trouble viewing them, let me know!

BWB Work day in Kentucky Ya'all !

Wolf Run (Wildlife refuge) www.wolfrun.org/index.html
is just outside of Lexington, and
needs help after the storm ripped up their cages and kennels.

They need some extra hands!
Any one in for a Sunday (perhaps march 2nd) clean up day ?!