Photo by Playpoi

“Fire spinning is actually quite meditative. As the fire wooshes around you, you end up encapsulated in fire, like a bubble. All you can think about is what you’re doing.” Danielle Gann-Lind, aka Gemini.

The Group

You can see them at Burning Man, their Fire Arts Festival and most recently UNR’s Homecoming bonfire event. Controlled Burn is a non-profit group dedicated to the education and performance of fire spinning. From flaming hoops to whirling tassels, people young and old have been mesmerized by the group’s professional fire playing.

What is it?

“It’s a rush, definitely a rush,” Second year spinner Brenda Ashworth says. “It’s crazy to hear the woosh of the fire around you.”

Fire spinning stems from the Maori people of New Zealand, who used poi balls for a variety of reasons: story telling, performance art, or sheer exercise. The art of poi does not always involve fire, but it certainly makes it much more captivating. Controlled Burn makes all of their own tools and thoroughly checks them prior to performances. The fire poi is a chunk of Kevlar wicking on the end of a chain link which they dip in Naphtha, never carousine or gasoline, and light. Depending on wind and speed, the poi will stay lit for a maximum of about five minutes.

“The beginning of a performance is always the most dangerous because that’s when your poi have the most liquid on them,” Ashworth says.

Getting Started.

Anyone can spin, but it usually takes a push to finally get involved. Ashworth had practiced poi when she was 15 years old. Decades later she saw fire spinning at her first Burning Man.

“As soon as I saw the poi lit on fire I knew I had to start,” she recalls.

Practicing poi is extremely cheap. Putting tennis balls in tube socks is a simple replication of the tool and will also teach you caution – you’ll quickly learn that those bruises could be burns. Lighted poi are also available and look awesome when used at night. Practice is essential to mastering the art, but Ashworth says you’ll certainly know when you’re ready for fire.

The non-profit group practices every week at Washoe Horseman’s Park. Anyone 18 and over with an interest in the art is invited to try.

What to wear: requirements and recommendations.

You’d think there would be a strict dress code for spinning fire, but Controlled Burn has more of a wear-at-your-own-risk policy.

“Natural fibers, like cotton, are best,” Ashworth says. “Other things could melt your skin, whereas cotton just kind of goes out. It’s also highly recommended you cover your hair, but nothing is required.”

One requirement is that all group members attend a fire safety course. The team always has flame retardant on whatever premises their performing in addition to a duvetyn (do-veh-teen) blanket used to extinguish their tools.

Disclaimer.

Fire spinning is dangerous. Practicing with fire-lit poi is not recommended without the supervision of someone who knows what they’re doing. If you are curious about fire spinning attend the Community Burns at Washoe Horseman’s Park and get started!

We Deserve Better

We’ve all felt it – the overwhelming urge to urinate at a time when a toilet is far from reach. Imagine getting to the bathroom with that aching, about-to-burst feeling and seeing a gaping hole where the toilet should to be – and someone’s beat you there.

An estimated 2.5 billion people are toilet-less. Just think about life without our flushing friend.

The World Toilet Organization designated Nov. 19 as World Toilet Day.

WTO is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving sanitation across the globe.

“Toilets deserve better social status,” the website, worldtoilet.org, says. “WTO has been striving to elevate the status of toilets to make them status symbols and objects of desire.”

World Toilet Day is an attempt to increase the porcelain’s respect. The organization suggests five low-maintenance things that can be done to help:

• Join them on Facebook at: Toilets for the Poor
• Blog about the day and its theme of 2008: We Deserve Better
• Promote the day via MySpace, Instant Messenger and Facebook
• Share WTO’s message of necessity for better sanitation abroad
• Create a local event and add it to the website by emailing nora@worldtoilet.org

In addition to dedicating a day to the cause, the organization has put on a World Toilet Summit every year since 2001 to promote sanitary change and openness abroad. Eight summits and two World Toilet Expo and Forums have been organized in nine countries, all with different themes for discussion and improvement.

The WTO also established a World Toilet College to distinguish the sanitation and restroom industry as its own specialty. The school offers programs ranging from Restroom Design to Disaster and Emergency Sanitation.

“The WTC was started with the belief that there is a need for an independent world body to ensure the best practices and standards in toilet design, cleanliness and sanitation,” worldtoilet.org says. “WTC’s underlying principle is to ensure that the needs, design, maintenance and cleanliness of restrooms receive mainstream attention.”

Every summer, Dr. Katherine Obenchain unconventionally educates by taking students 4,658 miles away from their comfort zones to put them in Romanian classrooms for a period of four weeks. The associate professor of Educational Specialties has traveled to Italy, Croatia, Bosnia, England, France, Canada and the Bahamas, but it is the relationships she has formed in Romania that keep her coming back. With friendships forming and perspectives gained, what started as a UNR exchange program quickly developed into an emotional investment that the U.S. citizen happily devotes over eight weeks per year to.

How long is the flight to Romania?

It’s about 25 hours, which is why I never suggest going for less than a week.

25 hours? Wow… How do you deal with the opposite time schedule?

For the first week I try to make sure I always have something scheduled from 2 pm until 5 pm, because that’s when I’m the most tired. We keep students up after the day-long flight and try to keep them busy – they’re exhausted, but otherwise they’ll never sync with the time change.

Why do you think students should travel?

Most students that we work with don’t have a lot of different perspectives. Most of them were born and raised in Nevada and a vast majority have never left the country. I believe it is critically important to get other perspectives. Other people, other cultures, they make valid decisions that are different from our own, but they are still valid. We try to make our students uncomfortable in a supportive environment. I say if you’re not uncomfortable, you’re probably not learning.

What is your project trying to accomplish?

The main thing is taking UNR students and teaching them how to conduct social science research – we want our students to know how to collect data. On a typical day we are up and in classrooms all day. We help with substitute teaching, demo lessons, organizing fairs, just helping any way we can. It’s usually an imposition on Romanian teachers to have us there, so we want to help.

So, is it just helping abroad or could it be considered study abroad?

Well, we spend three hours a night four days a week in a classroom. I teach qualitative research and my co-teacher, Bob Ives, teaches quantitative. They have homework and readings just as if they were in school. The weekdays are pretty intense, but the weekends are a chance to sleep or travel if they want.

Why Romania? Why not somewhere like California or Oregon that doesn’t involve a 25-hour flight?

There are a few reasons. We chose Romania (and the city of Cluj-Napoca, in particular) because UNR already has an exchange and collaboration agreement with three universities in that city, which gave me the opportunity to become friends with a few university colleagues. From a teaching perspective, we wanted to put students into some relatively unfamiliar settings so they would rely on their research training and not just their habits of interaction.

Do you have a favorite souvenir?

This I got in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia/Herzegovina. It’s a vase made from a Russian artillery shell from the [Bosnian] war. It’s very possible that metal has killed people that were fighting for Romania. I asked friends of mine if they would be offended if I bought this, they said they would not because their country is rebuilding.

What about a favorite food?

In Romania they have ‘clatite,’ which translates into pancake. It’s a crepe with chocolate. For the most part, though, I don’t really like Romanian food. They use a lot of meat and I’m not a huge meat-eater. One time a student asked me if I’d like to try fried meat, I didn’t, but I said okay. It was fried bacon fat! It was disgusting. But their vegetables are delicious, they always taste like farmer’s market.

What comes to mind when I say ‘most memorable experience’?

I can’t think of a specific experience. In almost every trip there are overwhelming moments. Romania gives me the opportunity to make friends and connect with other people and cultures.

Is that why you travel?

I travel because I can. Why not? I have many friends in Romania who are unable to get Visas and can’t travel. If they’re single, they are refused Visas because the U.S. thinks they will stay in the country. I have the privilege of being able to go pretty much anywhere I want.

Has traveling helped reveal anything about yourself?

Traveling usually makes me feel lucky. I’m a typical American. I love my house, my car, my garage… I don’t think anybody has a worse life than I do, but I’ve realized through travel that I was born and raised right where I was supposed to be.

Would you say that travel is the only way to get the aforementioned experiences and perspectives?

Intense study and reflection are great, they help a lot. But one thing travel does is you don’t get to shut the book. You’re in it. It intensifies the experience in a way that books and research can’t.

I was petrified to go to Burning Man. The idea of willfully stranding my small self in the desert with over 49,990 strangers rattled my nerves. But I knew even before I went that this experience is impossible to replicate, so I went. I only knew ten people from my former life who were going to Black Rock City for the event, so the odds of seeing a familiar face were against me.

We knew cell phone service was a figment of our imaginations in the middle of nowhere, so on our first day Erika and I planned to meet at Eight O’clock and Gremlin Streets at 7:30 p.m. – this was before we realized how dark it gets in the desert. When I left on my bike at 7:10 p.m. the sun was already setting. The music was creeping louder and louder to let the city know that the party was soon to begin. As a first timer with dependency issues, the increasing noise was a daunting way of telling me I would soon be immersed in natural blackness with thousands of strangers, so I began to pedal faster.

Too fast. The basket of my bike flew off and was whisked over my head. Irritated and wasting precious daylight, I put the kick-stand down and turned around to get my basket. A naked man ran towards me, painted multiple colors, privates flopping and my basket in hand. He didn’t say a word as I praised my naked hero, but rather smiled before he left to let me know it was no problem at all.

“Hey! I got some zip-ties and string over here if you need help putting that back on,” a male bystander yelled from his camp. “Come over here!”

Even after the peaceful nudist interaction my gut was still saying ‘never take zip-ties from strangers!’ But this experience was about opening my mind and stepping out of my comfort zone, so I slowly rolled my bike to his camp.

“Is that your first time seeing a painted man’s junk while he helped you out?” the man asked while zipping and tying my basket. I laughed and confirmed that yes, it was the first time I had seen a stranger’s blue, green and red penis while receiving a helping hand. “Welcome to Burning Man,” he said.

Once my basket was securely fastened, I thanked my second helper and continued on my way. As I rode, I thought of how unlike real life this place was – did we all just shed our inhibitions and apprehensions for the sake of helping other Burners?

It was almost dark by the time I reached the meeting place. I wasn’t sure how much the basket debacle set me back, so when Erika wasn’t there I began to feel semi-panicked. Granted, she is always late… so I waited. And I waited. I scanned my surroundings and waited. As I waited, a man, older but not old, walked toward my general area with his gaze obviously locked on me. Per usual, I avoided eye contact and maintained a minding-my-own-business demeanor.

“Excuse me,” he said. “But, are you lost? You’ve seemed a bit disoriented for the last few minutes and I can gladly assist you back to your camp.” I gave him a once-over, which is completely against the Burning Man mindset. Seeing as he had no trench coat, obnoxious wingspan or dangling privates I figured he was genuine in his attempt to get me home safely.

“Oh, no, I’m just waiting for a friend. Thanks,” I replied.

“Alright, well it’s my seventh year out here so I’m no stranger to these parts,” he told me. “If there’s anything at all you need, look for this bike. My camp is at 7:30 and Dart.” I sincerely thanked the third attempted helper and continued to wait.

About six minutes after the older-but-not-old man offered his navigational expertise I heard another voice, this time a woman’s.

“Excuse me,” she started, “but, are you lost?” I concluded that being short must emit a helpless façade and that next year I’m getting stilts or serious stilettos. I turned around to tell her that, no, I was simply waiting for my perpetually tardy friend but her gasp interrupted my thought.

“You are adorable! I absolutely love that dress!” She said.

‘Adorable’ goes hand-in-hand with ‘short’, but an unwarranted compliment is always nice to hear.

“Oh, thank you so much,” I smiled. “And thanks for your help, I’m just waiting for a friend.”

“Well, here.” She stuck her hand out and put something in mine. “So your friend can see you when they get here.”

It was a necklace with glow-sticks connected to make a peace sign. I had officially been gifted.

I thanked her and told her my heart had been touched, which wasn’t only because of the necklace but rather a result of the last 40 minutes. In the last half-hour I had been approached by four ‘strangers’ who went out of their way to help me – solely because I looked like I needed it, not because I asked or waved my arms in desperation.

For so long I have wanted to believe that people are generally good, but never saw a true example until Burning Man. I constantly saw the best in people once inhibitions were erased, which posed a question: are social boundaries what spark social hostility? Perhaps it is because everyone is there by choice, or that we won’t get arrested for walking around topless, but once within the perimeters of an unconventional event I, too, began acting unconventionally. I didn’t get one name from any of the helpers – but those people carried over into my interactions, as I willingly and successfully exuded myself to help some unfamiliar faces during my stay in the BRC. This experience connects everyone involved and I learned that there are no strangers at Burning Man – only fellow Burners waiting to be helped.

Ponderosa Ranch

The Ponderosa Ranch was initiated in 1959 when directors of the once-popular television series, Bonanza, needed a place for the characters to reside. For 14 seasons, millions of viewers across the nation watched Ben Cartwright and his three sons ride horses and have weekly shoot-outs on a 600,000 acre imaginary ranch known as the Ponderosa off the shore of Lake Tahoe.

The fictional ranch was said to be a two hour horse ride from Virginia City, Nevada. Coincidentally, Tahoe locals Bill and Debbie Anderson happened to own a large piece of property off the north shore, complete with horses. The couple often received unwarranted knocks at the door wondering where the Ponderosa was, or if their property was it – which triggered a profitable light bulb. The two contacted NBC, who contacted Bonanza’s producer, David Dortort. All parties agreed that a Ponderosa-themed park was a monetary opportunity and they drafted a plan.

When the park opened in July 1967, it included a full scale replica of the Cartwright’s ranch house and barn. A set of Virginia City was also built because the plan was to film at the theme park, then allow tourists in after each episode was complete. However, the cost of transporting the crew to Incline Village grew too expensive. The show was filmed in other desert places such as Big Bear Lake and Red Rock Canyon. However, the actors did swing by the ranch frequently, in character, to visit with fans and sign autographs.

The Ponderosa Ranch had a Wild West show, hayride breakfast, classic car exhibit, souvenir shops and even served a “Hoss Burger.” For the 37 years it was open, millions of tourists visited the ranch and ate an estimated 3 million Hoss Burgers while there! But as former employee Diana Horch recalls, it was the Cartwright ranch house fans flocked to see. The house came complete with Pa’s desk, dining table and stone fireplace. The replica also showed people the technicalities of filming a show.

“They would show you all the secrets to the house, such as where the cameras were all hidden and what walls would move to show hidden rooms,” Horch said.

The Ponderosa experience began by being ‘robbed’ by an ‘outlaw’ and having a wagon take a group of visitors to the ranch house for safety. There, tourists saw simulated graves of the three wives that gave Ben Cartwright his three sons. (Later, graves for the Cartwrights and their cook, Hop Sing, were added.) In the house, a carved figure of Ben Cartwright sat at his desk while a carved Hop Sing worked in the kitchen. Behind the house was the replica of Virginia City, where tourists could pan for gold, watch the Wild West Show or walk through a haunted house.

The park closed in 2004, after the Andersons sold their property to Incline Village developer David Duffield for unknown reasons and an undisclosed sum. If there was any hope the park would eventually re-open, the website, ponderosaranch.com, reads: “The Ponderosa Ranch is now closed to the public. There are no plans for it to be reopened. We apologize for any inconvenience it may cause.” Duffield closed the park “indefinitely” on September 26, 2004. “A sad day for all,” former employee Horch remembered. “I have nothing but positive memories [of the Ponderosa].”

What to know pre-Burn.

Always remember that as a first-timer, practicality laughs in the face of extravagance.

An integral part in surviving your first burn is to know that whatever you bring is all that you have, and everything you bring you are responsible for. It’s all about self-sufficiency. There are no trash cans and there are certainly no late-night runs to Wal-Mart for contact solution or toilet paper. It is not difficult to master the art of a no trace event, simply consolidate. Take items out of their boxes and plastic wrap prior to packing them, not only for more space but to minimize trash while in the desert. Instead of bringing two cases of bottled water that can yield up to 70 empty plastic bottles, buy a few 3-gallon plastic jugs and bring a Nalgene-type bottle to refill.

The most vital things to go into your suitcase/trunk/backpack are goggles and a dust mask. This is non-negotiable. The weather in the middle of nowhere can turn ugly on a whim and continue to be disagreeable for hours. This is not something to fear if you are prepared. The playa is not made of sand or dirt as most are used to. It’s a microscopically fine dust that once the wind kicks up will undoubtedly infest every crevice. The wind is not your friend at Burning Man – if you get stuck on the playa in a wind storm without goggles or a dust mask you will undoubtedly be miserable. Wal-Mart carries the two side-by-side during Burn Season: get some and keep them handy.

It gets extremely dark at night. My first night was during a new moon, meaning there was no lunar headlight in the sky. Burning Man does not provide streetlights or corner torches for visibility. If you are not lit at night, you will not be seen. If you are bringing a bike, a head lamp is vital. The city is a little over seven square miles, and it’s not hard to get lost. A head lamp provides great light for you and other bikers while leaving your hands free to maneuver. With as dark as it gets in the desert, not being lit at night could cause serious injury or death – art cars and other ‘mutant vehicles,’ as the website calls them, aren’t looking for an unlit Burner (which, ironically, is unheard of at the event.) This is 100 percent avoidable via glow sticks, lanterns, head lamps, or any other creative way you choose to keep yourself seen at night. Nights also get chilly, so don’t forget at least one pair of sweats.

Prepare for the heat, but don’t fear it. Nobody told me this throughout my preparation process, and it proved to be one of my biggest anxieties. The heat is ONLY unbearable if you are unprepared. Definitely bring a handkerchief for your head. When dipped in water and tied around, it brings the body temperature down significantly and continues to catch the sweat when dry. A wide brim hat is also extremely recommended. I learned shade yields energy, so try and keep your face shaded. I also bought a small pocket mister for about $8: I would have paid $80. Even a spray bottle would work, just something you can pull out that will deliver a quick cool down while out and about.

Sleeping is not a challenge at Burning Man. I highly suggest bringing at least two sleeping bags per person due to the extreme drop in temperature right before the sun comes up. A sleep mask is also helpful because it allows precious sleep if you’re not the wake-up-with-the-sun type.

Water

Ah yes, the miracle elixir. If anything, bring more water than you need. It can always be gifted or traded. Many people do not think of bringing water for bathing, but it’s certainly something to consider. The general rule of thumb is 1.5 gallons of water per person per day, which includes showering. Don’t worry about bringing enough bathing water for each day of your trip; showers are not nearly as valued in Black Rock City as they are in the civilized world – if you skip a couple of days, I guarantee no one will notice.

Showering brings up the topic of gray water, something people who are accustomed to the luxurious drain barely consider. You cannot just dump your dirty bath water onto the playa like it is a street. Water on the playa is actually quite hazardous to bikers because the dust turns into a strange, dense clay, which traps the wheel and causes the rider to fall. The simplest bet for gray water is to purchase an empty 7.5 gallon jug and a funnel. One jug per person should be enough, unless multiple showers a day are an absolute must. For those who are traveling in campers, Burning Man provides RV servicing for the emptying of septic tanks and other maintenance so feel free to shower it up.

Gifting

It is wise to understand the culture and interactions of Burning Man before going. The event has what is called a ‘gifting’ culture, which means there is no buying or selling of anything. The only items sold through the event are ice and coffee. And true to the Burning Man culture, they don’t rip you off. Ice is $3 a bag.

What’s exciting is you will find priceless souvenirs via gifting. The idea of gifting is NOT something to worry about for a first-time burner. If anything, it is a relief because it means most people bring extra things to trade or merely give away. I witnessed many individuals finding joy in hydrating a fellow burner who ran out of water while out and about on the playa.

Quick-tip

If you are in a tent, Ziploc baggies and trash bags are worth their weight in gold. It’s smart to assume that when you leave your campsite, there will be a windstorm as soon as you’re out of range. Nothing would kill a buzz more than coming back to your site and having EVERYTHING covered in two inches of dust. Instead of hunkering everything down and putting it all away, throw floater items into a Ziploc or trash bag and rest-assured that even if there is a windstorm, your things have a protective shield.

Overall, minimalism is key. For seasoned burners, costumes and extravagant shade structures are all in a year’s work, but a first-time burner’s focus should be on hydration and practicality. Jeans at Burning Man are impractical… a small piece of cloth to wrap around your waste is smart packing. Once the hump that is the “premiere burn” is over, the possibilities and ideas won’t stop flowing and you’ll have all year to execute your creativity.