I'm a little mystified as to why so many camps are getting rejected, considering all estimations seem to be that there will be a lot less people there this year. I'm sorry you didn't get placed, Dusty. And the art car on top of it is just salt on the would. That sucks.

I don't understand why the BMORG is turning away Free Labor, Free Energy, Free Enthusiasm...it just doesn't make sense. Hundreds of people are wanting to GIVE to this event and they are being told NO. They could make an Outer Esplanade or give these people 1 day early entry passes or do SOMETHING to receive the gifts they are offering.

If I were to write a letter/email to BMORG, who/where would I send it?

Oh, Dusty... That sux!!
**heavy sigh and grumpy sounds...**

I'm out this year. I sympathize with you and my many long-burning friends whose camps were also not placed, it's a bummer.

No, after 8 burns, I decided to take my pennies and vacation time and travel somewhere new. BM used to be new! and exciting! and original! every year, but in recent years seemed to fade. I was especially disappointed last year with the art--while there were a few intriguing pieces, there just was't that much that made me go WOW. Oh, and the (partying, drinking, wahoo) frat boy contingent is reaching a tipping point--they're much harder to ignore, at least for me.

Maybe it's me. I could be getting jaded. And before anyone jumps down my throat, I agree that BM's what you make it. I had a load of fun volunteering at the airport and spending time with friends I see only at BM. Great folks. But at this point, I'm game for finally seeing them on their home turfs or in another, less punishing environment...like Mexico!

here's one 'semi-official' version...

CAMP NOT PLACED? GET LISTED IN THE ALTERNATIVE WWW!

A MESSAGE FROM THE BLACK ROCK BEACON: With BRC in 2009 returning to the 2007 footprint, 130 camps were not able to be placed this year, due to the limited space available for registered theme camps.

These camps are now at a disadvantage with no listings in the official What Where When, so we wanted to do something to assist non-placed camps: the Black Rock Beacon, the Playa's daily independent newspaper, has offered to help in producing an Alternative What Where When for those not listed in the official guide.

The AWWW will be printed on-playa @ The Beacon. It will be open ONLY to camps who are not placed and events that are not listed in the official print WWW. This means if you are a rejected camp, a camp who's chosen not to be placed, or have decided last minute to hold an event or never thought you could get on-playa promotion because of the lack of address until after land grab - this publication is for you to help get the word out about your thang!

To submit a listing, please email alt.www.bm09@gmail.com before 26 August with your camp / event details. Then simply make sure to head down to PlayaInfo or the Beacon before 6pm Monday 31st to list your camp location, and you'll be listed in the AWWW with your camp address! We will have distribution of the AWWW in many camps on-Playa from Tuesday, directly from The Beacon, as well as on the Nowhere Omnibus. And a launch for the AWWW, the "Displacement Party", will be held on Wednesday evening around sundown @ Rathskellar, so you can grab a copy there too.

Donations are welcomed to defray costs of the AWWW, too. These are tax deductible and can be made at:

www.blackrockbeacon.org - even $5 or $10 would help!

For more information and discussion, please visit the Tribe:

tribes.tribe.net/toohotforburningman.

I'm going to add here again, that I, too, am deeply disappointed with how the citizens of BRC, who are wanting to volunteer services in the form of theme camps, are being treated by the BMORG. First they turned away tons of camps, now they are refusing to give sufficient early arrival passes so that theme camps can set up before opening night. I think it's fine for them to change the rules, I just think they should TELL us, in advance. Is that asking too much?

I have put my heart and soul into designing and planning our theme camp for this year and now i'm being told that we will only receive 3 of our 7 requested passes. This basically makes it impossible to do what we said we are going to do.

If we had the information that they were only allowing 10% of the projected number of camp members to have early arrival passes, we would have planned this whole thing differently and could have made it work. As it is, we already have three vehicles loaded, in different cities, each with 1/3 of the materials and now the only way to get all three vehicles in is to have only one person in each vehicle, which is ridiculous, and can't happen.

At this point, I'm considering dropping out as a registered theme camp and doing our own thing. We could probably get better placement that way besides. I used to be afraid of burning bridges with BMORG, but, unless they step up and make it right, after this debacle, I don't ever want to be a registered theme camp again, so who cares if we burn the bridges?

Before I do that, though, I am still hoping to find 4 more early arrival passes. Anyone have any extras??????

If we can find a way to make this work, we will have an awesome Blacklight Beatles Cafe' with a Beatles Barbershop Quartet, coffee, tea, cookies, the daily news and a census station.

This will be my third burn and it's possible I won't be on the Playa next year. Seriously considering working overseas or joining the Peace Corps.

Let me just give my 2 cents worth from another organization that I belong to that camps A LOT--nearly every weekend from the beginning of March until the end of November--the Society for Creative Anachronism--the SCA.

Any large organization (the SCA is the largest historical recreation organization in the WORLD---several hundred thousand members) has screw ups and years where decisions made are the sort that make you go WTF? The SCA is almost entirely run by volunteers with just a minimal staff, much like I understand BMORG to be. It may be even more volunteer if the BMORG goes non-profit as I have heard rumored.

Stupid decisions are made with little explanation in this and other organizations. We've lost membership in the SCA over them.

What you have to do is step back and decide if the organization still stands for things you can support. And does it still satisfy whatever reason it was that you originally started going. Stupid decisions and rules come and go--what matters is how you feel about the people you attend with and the overall, longterm goals of the organization. If you can't support those goals any longer, then it's time to move on.

THe SCA has been around for over 40 years--people have raised their children going to events who are now have children at events. Some of the decisions made by its (volunteer) board over the years have been outrageously poor and badly thought out. But overall, I support what it is trying to do, and I still get my ya-ya's off by going to events. I've taken time off several times since my start, and I don't attend as heavily now--but the PEOPLE are what draw me back over and over.

Regionals are great in that they allow you to connect with those in your area on a more intimate basis--but what I like about Burning Man is that it draws people from all over the WORLD for a more or less common purpose. I just can't get that at a Regional.

Denying so many theme camps without prior warning or real explanation is a dumb decision. Your task is to decide if you can look beyond that to other years or if you have had enough and no longer support what happens on the Playa. Perhaps this is a great theme for you this year--Evolution. The BMORG evolves and so do all of we. Time to move on---or not....

Mexico has some wonderful places.