What's going on Karine? Well...

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

Karine — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:45:38 GMT

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

Karine — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 03:02:16 GMT

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 http://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!

Karine — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 04:56:22 GMT

Hey look ! Tom made "People" magazines list of environmental heroes. http://www.blackrocksolar.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/people1.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

Karine — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 16:38:35 GMT

Mmmmm.....

Karine — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 05:40:03 GMT

dumpin' out the crawfish....

B W B Pearlington

Karine — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:56:13 GMT

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

Karine — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:02:48 GMT

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: http://www.burnerswithoutborders.org/contact-info-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 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Pearlington_mississippi_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 http://www.burnerswithoutborders.org/global-action/chicago-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: http://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: http://www.burnerswithoutborders.org.

THANKS B W B

Karine — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 16:10:57 GMT

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 !

Karine — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 01:36:12 GMT

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 : http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=20366&l=93921&id=535407354 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 !

Karine — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 05:52:31 GMT

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 ?!

stuff out there

Karine — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:35:00 GMT

okay - first, the SURPRISE demolition of Buckmister Fuller's industrial dome in Baton Rouge threw me for a loop (it happened last November). Of all the things Louisiana has lost - it really saddens me. THAT ONE could have been prevented. Spiral Jetty is in danger?! (Or at least Robert Smithson's widow is worried). She sent out a press release Jan 30th begging for help. Is NOTHING "special" enough to us, anymore??? Anything? You gotta start messing with art in the middle of nowhere, that is based on being in the middle of nowhere ? Meanwhile, Carmen is kicking ass in Peru, with the BWB gang, ya'all - And that's just the START of it. They've got a new Peru blog, just go to the Burners Without Borders web page, and then click on "blog". Makes me smile.

Oh Superman - Laurie Anderson

Karine — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 04:32:40 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hhm0NHhCBg

New Floor

Karine — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 05:41:22 GMT

Shop "remodel" week is going along well. You'll notice what I am doing while the boys move fresh concrete.... ((see coffee~that's mine!)) I hurt my back a bit over Xmas, so I had to take it easy. It was all I could do, to put on my muck-it-out boots and stay off to the side. It's HARD to not pitch in when messy stiff is going on ! ! ! Things are coming along great. I'll let LCN fill ya in with more details...

recycle - reuse - enjoy !

Karine — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 05:03:49 GMT

Reclamation of the old shop floor. Oh yeah! Well, it's a WHOLE LOTTA SWEAT AND HARD WORK if you ask me! (the old shop floor, being sorted, re-claimed and the rest... done away with -aka "bonfire" ) If you'd like to come pull nails ...;) j/k I'm just glad the weather is nice enough in January to DO all this work! Just beautiful.

Did I mention that this past year...

Karine — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 02:49:47 GMT

brought lots of new and exciting things for me and the family?! One of which - a new car for mama! Yes.. it's a station wagon.... But I STILL love it. I actually got it last fall- but I just took one my first pictures of it. It loves snow in Wisconsin, almost as much as I do! ah ha! The perfect match!

Oh Lawd! What a drive... and my MATH!

Karine — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 09:28:36 GMT

so - from Kansas City to Mpls, you think like 7 hours, right ??? no- it turned out to be more like 12 hours, and 7 of those, at a white-knuckle-it pace of 35 mph on Hwy 35N. The kids counted 61 cars in the ditch, and that was on OUR SIDE of the road. the blowing snow was the worst part. Visibility went to zero Instantly - and then back up to 50 ft, and then nothing. It was nerve wrenching. Glad to be HOME! I was going to stop another night in a hotel if it hadn't cleared up. Right after Ames, Iowa, the roads went clear and (with exception for the strong winds,) we could go the speed limit again. "Home" at Grandma's by 2 am ! Nice. Did I say I am "glad to be home!" ?! Best of luck to all of our families who are traveling over Xmas. I hope every one drives safe, and REMEMBER " safe = slow ". . . Maybe we won't learn to *love* sleeping in airports, being in hotels alone and waiting on tow trucks (LOL) .... But with the endless troubles due to the weather: Take deep breaths Ya'all. Alive and safe = good. (This picture was of a collision in a median/ grass highway ditched divide today in Missouri, between a semi trailer and a car - intentionally, I am not showing details, as some of you can guess... who "wins" when a semi and a car collide. The stopped cars are first responders. Approximately 4 pm)

Karine is.....

Karine — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 05:06:48 GMT

Grinder Girl!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Karine — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 06:13:17 GMT

http://www.elfyourself.com

Open Studio 2007

Karine — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 16:40:17 GMT

We had another "Open Studio" at the University of Kentucky. It was last night. It happens every year. (The students even created a facebook account for it - which I thought was cute. ) So the entire Art Studio building is open to the public, people make donations at the door, and there is a juried student exhibition, a grad student exhibition, food, music (techno, live & otherwise) performance art & video art, TONS of 2D art ... on pretty much every wall. And in some places, floor to ceiling - salon style. It's the largest Univeristy Studio building I have seen in these WHOLE United States... so the space is ENDLESS. Anyone who wants entire rooms is free to fill them up. (Our studio buildings are 3 story, 20 foot ceiling Reynold's Tobacco brick warehouses built in 1917.) We even got Art Ed into it this year and they had a "kids zone". That was cute. The Graduate students organize the whole dang thing. And it's only ONE night. Then we get to organize the clean-up, too. (Ack!) The best thing about it is, ACCOUNTABILITY and it is the excuse once a year to paint the walls a fresh white, clean-up and take care of the building. Without it, the whole place would fall into more disarray. Also, during VIP hour before "general public hours" the Gallery owners get to chat with that students and tell you who is interested in what. That's awkward! But it starts talking, so whatever. A lot of the professors, tenure and what-not help out by organizing their rooms and requiring the undergrads to help us out, as part of their grade. So.... it is here and gone (again). This year I won the top award, the "Dean's Award for Excellence" and he purchased my painting in the juried show. Tribe (for some reason) isn't let me post a pic right now. The award was a nice compliment after weeks of exhausting work ... and NOT painting as much as I'd like ! I am glad Open Studio is over and we now we can get back to WORK! My qualifying review is Monday.

SOMA FM for the Holidays

Karine — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:37:06 GMT

check out: Christmas Lounge http://somafm.com/

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Karine — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 16:20:09 GMT

cut and paste from the Jack Rabbit Speaks **\<>/**\<>/**\<>/**\<>/**\<>/**\<>/**\<>/***\<>/**\<>/**\<>/**\<>/** HELP BURNERS WITHOUT BORDERS ASSIST PERUVIAN EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS Burners Without Borders Heads Up: Construction in Earthquake Devastated Peru: You can volunteer, you can help! A devastating earthquake hit Pisco, Peru on August 15, 2007, leaving 80,000 people without homes. The manner in which the Peruvian Government is handling this makes FEMA look like Daddy Warbucks. The good news? When everybody has nothing, every gesture matters. Sam Bloch, Burning Man Cafe carpenter, electrician, and seasoned disaster relief volunteer, left in October to head up construction of a school and hospital in Pisco. Sam spearheaded the construction of community centers for eight months with Thailand Tsunami Volunteers, which was rated the best non-profit in Thailand by the Lonely Planet Guide. He is paying his own way, bringing his own tools, and is creating a sustainable Burners Without Borders volunteer group in Pisco - so that the Burner community may work together to help those hardest hit by the earthquake. The skills and resources of this community can make a big difference in the lives of Peruvians right now. Go to this link at the Burners Without Borders website to learn how you can volunteer or donate money for much needed tools and supplies: http://tinyurl.com/2x3yr8.

Seriously... Come on, man - I mean SERIOUSLY.

Karine — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 05:12:37 GMT

I've been doing a lot of reading (art historically) on "who is an artist" and who is "not an artist" and who decides who is, and who isn't - and this is a long history.. Well, it goes back to right after WWII when it became socially "good" to be a professional something- ANYTHING. Even art couldn't escape. The College Art Association made the MFA in Art the "terminal degree" and WHAT AN ARTIST IS became a big debate for artists in the 1960's. Seemingly NOW everything since is snobby, inclusive, and New York based. I betch'ya by "their" standards none of us are artists at all. Maybe the top 100 contemporary artists don't have to argue if they are an artist- But mostly, it's your degree (MFA?) IF and where you are teaching, how "serious and dedicated" you are, and that reflects where are you showing. Otherwise, we are "regional artists" who make their living selling regionally- or we are "artist mothers" if we are full-time parents. Even if we ARE dedicated... "they" wouldn't consider us serious. Who or what is going to turn this shit around? Do you think it will ever change? I am not saying I am bitter. I have just seen a lot of very serious and excellent art get shoved aside.

Earthquake to remind you....

Karine — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 03:53:57 GMT

Moderate Earthquake Shakes Bay Area from The Associated Press ALUM ROCK, Calif. October 30, 2007, 11:41 p.m. ET · A moderate earthquake shook the San Francisco Bay area Tuesday night, but there was no immediate word on any damage or injuries. The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 and struck shortly after 8 p.m., about 9 miles northeast of San Jose, according to the U.S. Geological Service. The California Highway Patrol has received no reports of damage or injuries, spokesman Tom Marshall said. The quake was centered in the foothills east of San Jose, not far from the home of the city's mayor, Chuck Reed. He said the city hadn't received any reports of damage. Residents reported feeling the quake, which lasted about a minute, as far east as Sacramento and as far north as San Rafael, north of San Francisco. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. ALUM ROCK, Calif. (AP) — A moderate earthquake shook the San Francisco Bay area Tuesday night, but there was no immediate word on any damage. The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 and struck shortly after 8 p.m., about five miles northeast of Alum Rock and nine miles northeast of San Jose, according to the U.S. Geological Service.

Sorghum with Joe & Jennifer

Karine — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 07:21:26 GMT

You guys wouldn't believe the amazing folk here in Kentucky! Sorghum?! Made from cane you grew and harvested yourselves? Just off a small country road, you say?! Only a few hours drive... Heck ya! THANKS to Joe & Jennifer, I learned where nummy Sorghum actually comes from, how it's made, and how much hard work it takes to produce it. They worked the whole day, into the night - and will be back up in the early morning. I felt bad I couldn't stay and chop wood to keep the fires going through the rest of the weekend. Wow! That was soooo cool. What a fun day. I will eat the delicious and sweet, thick fruits of this labor all through the coming winter (smiling).

Home made Glow Stick

Karine — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 04:38:56 GMT

MYTH (NOT TRUE! ) : mountain dew, hydrogen peroxide and baking soda TRUE: hydrogen peroxide and diphenyl oxalate ester mixed together, then you add Isopropyl Alcohol when you want colour. Okay: hydrogen peroxide is the chemical most commonly kept separate.. which causes the 'reaction' and the glow. There are several chemiluminescent chemical reactions, but the luminol and oxalate reactions are most commonly used for light sticks and glow sticks. American Cyanamid’s Cyalume light sticks are based on the reaction of bis(2,4,5-trichlorophenyl-6-carbopentoxyphenyl)oxalate (CPPO) with hydrogen peroxide. The fluorophors (FLR) in this reaction are the chemicals that provide the color of the light stick. Basically, most glow sticks hold a hydrogen peroxide solution and a solution containing phenyl oxalate ester and a fluorescent dye. When the two compounds are mixed, the hydrogen peroxide oxidizes the phenyl oxalate ester, resulting in a chemical called phenol and an unstable acid ester. The unstable compound decomposes, resulting in additional phenol and a cyclic peroxy compound. The cyclic peroxy compound then decomposes to carbon dioxide this decomposition process releases energy to the dye, and the electrons in the dye atoms jump to a higher level, then fall back down, releasing energy in the form of light. The actual light stick is simply a form of housing the two solutions. In the stick, the two solutions are kept in separate chambers. The phenyl oxalate ester and dye solution fills most of the glow stick, while the hydrogen peroxide solution is held in a smaller glass vial within the middle of the stick. This is why glow sticks must be bent to activate - bending the plastic stick breaks the glass vial open, allowing the two solutions to mix. The glow stick can stay lit for hours, if enough compounds are used. However, more commercial glow sticks are likely to last up to 30 minutes. Also, heating the glow stick will cause it to glow brighter, but it will also dim more quickly. Similarly, cooling the stick will slow down the process and cause a dimmer light to last much longer. Freezing a glow stick can cause the light to last for several days, though it will eventually fade out. OH- And do not drop them on the playa. You probably should just leave them at home. Now making your won would be cool = remember, can be dangerous... right? Safety 3rd!