Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The Daily Newds 1/28/09
- Kudos to Amy Winehouse for enjoying topfree equality, and looking healthy.
- NBC has nixed a PETA Super Bowl ad for containing a "level of sexuality" which exceeded their standards, but naturally you can see it on the Internet here.
- Caliente might have lost the Lingerie Bowl, but dancers in the 43 strip clubs around the Tampa area are looking forward to big bucks from the Super Bowl. Officials say that there will be no stepped-up enforcement of the six foot rule.
- Here's a rare article supporting Facebook's banning of breastfeeding photos.
Think about what would become of our favorite social site if Facebook started making exceptions in their policies. We don’t need a domino effect of cases defending themselves against the nudity rule.
- The Yorba Linda chapter of the Red Hat Society have jumped on the nude calendar bandwagon.
The Red Hot Tomatoes did it, 12 photo shoots, all very discreet, and (photographer) Gordon pretended to be blind. At the end of the day, everyone had forgotten all of their nerves and their shyness, and we had laughed away the ills of the world.
- The Florida Players, a student-run theatre company, is seeking an event permit to stage a production of "Hair" with the original nude scene.
Although the scene has been considered controversial, (director Jennifer) Shorstein described it as a beautiful and powerful moment.“It is shocking not just for the sake of being shocking, but to show that the body can be beautiful in a not sexual way,” she said.
- In conservative Singapore, a couple went on a 15 minute nude stroll in a section of the city with many nightclubs. "They looked really comfortable walking down the street, which led to many curious stares," wrote blogger Leonard Tan. "Singapore is getting more and more exciting."
- An attorney declares that the Boulder Naked Pumpkin Run is perfectly legal and that participants should not be prosecuted.
The police had no probable cause for arrest. Boulder, unlike Colorado Springs, has no ordinance against public nudity, except within 500 feet of Coot Lake. The district attorney's office should not have charged the runners with a sex offense, and should not have used the fear of a sex offense conviction to extract pleas to an irrelevant charge. The prosecutor wisely exonerated some runners that carefully questioned whether the police reports contained probable cause for arrest. Unfortunately, the prudish police may have won the war because Boulder citizens are worried about participating in next year's run.
The Pumpkin Run is a great community tradition. Running naked with elaborately carved masks is a form of artistic expression. It is a tradition far safer than Spain's Running of the Bulls, and it is more fun than a typical parade. We should make sure that the tradition continues, and we should never allow the police and prosecutors to squelch a legal form of expression enjoyed by thousands of participants and spectators. - Catherine D'Lish holds more than 30 titles in the striptease industry, including Miss Nude USA, Showgirl of the Year, and Miss Nude International.
"There are many people that will stand on their soapbox and sanctimoniously proclaim that the neo-burlesque performers are superior to modern strippers headlining in strip clubs and more true to the burlesque performers of the past. I have been privy to the secrets of both worlds," D'Lish says, avoiding comparisons between the two.
- Whatever happened to sex in Scandinavia?
During the late ’70s and ’80s, as both those feminists and many of the male activist/artists represented in the Oslo exhibition moved into positions of political and cultural power in what by then had become the mainstream culture, their disinterest in or even hostility to sexual liberalism came to be the new norm. And so we end up with a renewed reassertion of state investment in its citizens’ sexual behavior, and with the concomitant efforts to ban cable channels that broadcast pornography; laws that empower the internment, without a criminal trial, of people with HIV who have unprotected sex; and that criminalize consensual sexual activity between two adults if one of them receives remuneration.
- Gersh Kuntzman was seen nude by forty people last week.
- Finally, some common sense in the sexting phenomenon where kids exchange nude photos of themselves with cell phones. The Utah House voted to reduce the penalties for those younger than 18 to a misdemeanor. It shouldn't be a crime at all, but at least this is a step in the right direction.
- Members of the indie band Black Lips had to cancel their tour and flee India after guitarist Cole Alexander stripped naked and jumped into the crowd.
- Several British rugby players have posed nude for Powerade ads "to illustrate that what players put inside their bodies and how they prepare - their InnerGear - is just as important as their sports kit."
- The economic downturn has not affected the cosmetic surgery industry, with more people than ever in the UK seeking body modifications.
- Yet another nude calendar project will raise money for Epilepsy Action.
Australian Library Bans Innocent Photo of Children Playing
Reaching perhaps the peak of paranoia, a library in Australia pulled a photo from an exhibition fearing scrutiny in the wake of the recent controversy over Bill Henson nudes.
A mother herself the artists says "(...) if this keeps going in the same direction, it won't be long before our children will be required to wear concealing head scarves - whilst surfing obscene pornographic websites protected by the freedom of speech.
"As an artist, photographer and protective mother of two children I believe in protecting all children, but the law is silencing the wrong people and we are heading back to the dark ages."
UPDATE: The ban has been lifted after common sense prevailed.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Caliente Endangering Nudism?
On the ClothesFree.com forum today. LanceAtCaliente offers the following observation on potential law changes:
LanceAtCaliente also points out that Pasco County is in the Bible Belt, with McCain/Palin campaign signs lining the roads. He also warns about Ronda Storms, a Republican state senator representing Pasco County, who has advocated sterilization of child abusers, eliminated public funding for Planned Parenthood, and led her crusade for the county to officially abstain from recognizing gay and lesbian events held inside county lines (it passed). Her motto is "I am not apologizing for who I am."
Well, nudists aren't apologizing for who they are, either, but if a political firestorm flares up in Pasco County over nudist resorts, it's going to get ugly. The election of Barack Obama and Democrats nationwide who rode on his coattails doesn't mean that Evangelicals and hard-right conservatives have been eliminated. To the contrary, it's only fired them up to work and fight harder than ever.
The bottom line is that if Caliente has been found to be too decadent even for promoters and participants of The Lingerie Bowl, imagine what's going through the minds of the average citizens.
Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked
Rile up a zealously religious district attorney, state legislator or government official with clout, and they could initiate a legislative fire storm and eventually propose and pass laws to shut down nudist resorts...I don't know if Angye Fox is the AntiChrist or not, but it's clear that her PR campaign has caught the attention of the news media, and no doubt has been noticed by public officials as well.
Don't think it can happen? Call any of the AANR Government Affairs officers and ask them. They'll tell you! AANR and TNS officers struggle mightly and continuously to keep our lifestyle legal...
I know Chuck Foster (when he was alive), Bill Baldwin, Angye Fox (Angela Smits Whitaker), Steve Dorsey and have talked to them all at one time or another. They are steadfastly pursuing their present course, believe me. I know marketing and sales very well. I've repeatedly offered to help them sell our lifestyle to the masses above board as AANR intends it to be. All I got from them was disinterest and the cold shoulder. Wouldn't even discuss it at all. The strategy has been determined, and they're going to go with it, and that's that, thank you very much.
Why? The main investor wants them to, and he's the boss. He ultimately calls the shots. It's the old, "Want your job? Then do what I say." Period.
Yes, it's a free country. Yes, they've got big overhead. Yes, they've got to make money. We can say the same things about our man, Larry Flint and "Hustler Magazine." These arguments don't wash, folks. Sometimes, wrong really is wrong. This is one of those times. It's one of those times when the actions of the few will ruin things for the many.
LanceAtCaliente also points out that Pasco County is in the Bible Belt, with McCain/Palin campaign signs lining the roads. He also warns about Ronda Storms, a Republican state senator representing Pasco County, who has advocated sterilization of child abusers, eliminated public funding for Planned Parenthood, and led her crusade for the county to officially abstain from recognizing gay and lesbian events held inside county lines (it passed). Her motto is "I am not apologizing for who I am."
Well, nudists aren't apologizing for who they are, either, but if a political firestorm flares up in Pasco County over nudist resorts, it's going to get ugly. The election of Barack Obama and Democrats nationwide who rode on his coattails doesn't mean that Evangelicals and hard-right conservatives have been eliminated. To the contrary, it's only fired them up to work and fight harder than ever.
The bottom line is that if Caliente has been found to be too decadent even for promoters and participants of The Lingerie Bowl, imagine what's going through the minds of the average citizens.
Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked
Monday, January 26, 2009
"Lingerie Bowl" Cancelled, Nudism Suffers Again
The Lingerie Bowl scheduled for Super Bowl Sunday at Caliente Clothing Optional Resort has been cancelled.
And what's up with this so-called "Lingerie Football League"? You can't make up something this absurd. Wait a minute, somebody did make up something this absurd.
I don't think any of these people ever expected to pull off this event. Originally scheduled to be played in a vacant lot, the "game" apparently found the perfect venue in Caliente, a clothing optional resort. After a round of press releases and news stories about issues involving player salaries and indignation about playing at a "nudist colony", this non-event self-destructed. It's all just been a fabrication of huckster public relations trash.
Tom Mullhall of the Terra Cotta Inn has weighed in on the issue.
Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked
The Lingerie Bowl has been officially canceled, Stephon McMillen, a spokesman for the Lingerie Football League, announced Sunday in an e-mail.This whole think stinks. First of all, why would Caliente publicize the event and sell tickets if there was no written contract? Perhaps Fox subscribes to the adage "there's no such thing as bad publicity."
The cancellation is the result of a conflict over where nudity would be allowed during the event. The Lingerie Football League, which is organizing the game, has requested that people stay dressed in certain areas of the resort. That's something the clothing-optional resort would not agree to.
McMillen wrote that the league was "forced to cancel" the event because Caliente officials have "chosen to breach their agreement in relation to our previously agreed upon 'clothing mandate' during our broadcast and events at the resort."
Angye Fox, spokeswoman for Caliente, said this morning a contract was never signed with the league. "We never came to a full agreement so we haven't breached anything," she said.
And what's up with this so-called "Lingerie Football League"? You can't make up something this absurd. Wait a minute, somebody did make up something this absurd.
I don't think any of these people ever expected to pull off this event. Originally scheduled to be played in a vacant lot, the "game" apparently found the perfect venue in Caliente, a clothing optional resort. After a round of press releases and news stories about issues involving player salaries and indignation about playing at a "nudist colony", this non-event self-destructed. It's all just been a fabrication of huckster public relations trash.
"While this is a disappointing development for the thousands of fans that were planning on attending the festivities and the millions set to watch the broadcast, we feel ultimately it is in the best interest of the league not to place ourselves in what some would consider a potentially negative environment," McMillen wrote.Negative environment? Caliente makes no effort to conceal its adult nature, marketing to swinger groups and cutting ties with AANR. And where are AANR and TNS on this issue? With nudism and naturism taking a huge PR hit, there is nobody out there trying to neutralize the negative impressions the public is getting from all this.
Tom Mullhall of the Terra Cotta Inn has weighed in on the issue.
Caliente in Tampa which has swinger parties said nudists did NOT support them enough and swingers do. They have bills to pay, thus they cater to swingers. Nudists have no one to blame but themselves for Caliente's policy change. I do not know how to change this thought process of the experienced nudist club member.I wholeheartedly agree. The only way to counteract Caliente's negative affect on nudism is to support real nudist organizations and venues. Time will tell if nudism and naturism is strong enough and smart enough to overcome the damage done by Angye Fox and her sex-ed up selling and trashing of the clothing optional industry.
But, just remember, every time you book at a non nudist hotel or at a nude place not owned by nudists, you forfeit your right to say "why aren't there more nudist places to go to in the US," because you are part of the reason.
Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked
Gratitude today, for:
Avery's continued progress (next stop will be home, hopefully this week!)
A new cd - Zac Brown Band (Chicken Fried - I love that song!)
Pic from my friend Marilyn's 60th birthday party (see here)
Lingerie sale at Macys - $9.99 bras - that's only $5 a cup!!
White broccoli lasagna, friends & family (for dinner tonight)
...and so many things too numerous to list. I am wealthy, blessed.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Lingerie Bowl to be Clothing Mandatory
Saturday, January 24, 2009
The Weekend Newds 1/24/09
- Laure Redmond explains why life is so much better for women who feel good naked.
It's about knowing and accepting yourself at your core. We don't get to choose Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt as our parents, so we have to come to terms with the shape we take and the skin we're in. And when we do, it's very powerful.
- "Exquisite Corpse", a theatre production in Providence, features two scenes involving nudity.
- A 19 year-old assistant scoutmaster has been charged with "possessing an obscene sexual performance by a child" after posting on Craigslist that he was looking for "young teen naturists."
- A woman ended up marrying a man after spending some time in a coed bath house. in part because feeling comfortable walking around naked with a guy and his family "is a good sign you'll be able to handle anything that comes your way!".
- There are good biological reasons that men like looking at women.
"Like the masses of planets and stars, our bodies curve the space around us. We radiate signals constantly, radio sources that never go off the air. We cannot help being centers of attraction and repulsion for one another."
- Designer Jessica Rey has designed a line of swimwear which hearkens back to a time when
"women valued their bodies...You don't have to be half-naked to look beautiful... in fact, most of us look better when we're a bit more covered up!"
- When asked what her reaction when a streaker ran out onto the court at the Australian Open, Serena Williams said, "I just thought, my eyes, my innocent eyes."
- What's the reason why the Senate pool is for "men only". Could they all be skinny-dippers?
- Gotopless.org has announced Sunday March 8 and Sunday August 23 as National Go Topless Protest days.
- 85 year-old nudism pioneer Muriel Howell still takes nude vacations.
- In San Rafael, life-size cutouts of breastfeeding women have been placed in public locations with the message "When breastfeeding is accepted, it won't be noticed."
- The widow of a man who drowned in 2007 at the Olympic Swim and Health Club near Pittsburgh is suing the nudist retreat for not supplying a lifeguard.
Friday, January 23, 2009
The Buckeye Naturists in the Newds
The Naturist Society on Facebook
Thursday, January 22, 2009
The Daily Newds 1/22/09
- Melt, the Figure in Clay is the name of Tip Toland's exhibition at the Bellevue Arts Museum in Seattle, comprised of six lifelike figures, one of which is of an old woman lying nude on her side.
Nothing is beautified, but everything about her is beautiful. The way her nipple is submerged in her own sagging flesh, the gently prayerful position of the hands, the twin hollows in the cheek and the hip, labia barely appearing between her legs on her back side. She is alive as deathly, She could be the only object on display at Bellevue Arts Museum right now. She could carry an entire museum on her sleeping weight.
- The Hirschhorn Museum in Washington DC is presenting Strange Bodies through early 2010.
"Strange Bodies” provides an opportunity to examine the ways in which artists have exaggerated or altered the figure in order to explore cultural and personal experiences and psychology, as well as formal qualities such as color, shape and texture. The exhibition also traces the evolution of the museum’s particular focus on collecting figuration.
- Jane Toohey travels across the country photographing naked musicians for calendars promoting folk music, and to help them afford health insurance.
John "Mr. May 2007" Flynn, a singer and songwriter who lives in Wilmington, got naked (well, he did have on a teeny-weeny brief behind that log he's splitting with a sledgehammer) after a lengthy courtship.
"I was playing hide-and-seek with her for a long time," he said. "If there was ever a reason God invented clothes, it was probably for folk singers. We're not a group that people are clamoring to see."
Finally, he woke up one day, looked in the mirror, and thought, "It's not going to get any better." - With winter still holding most of the country in its icy grip, perhaps it's time to consider a nude cruise. If you're gay, you'll find lots of nude recreation options here.
- A group of University of Georgia ecology students have produced a nude calendar which encourages green living.
- A sportswriter calls out the women of the Lingerie Bowl for their nude hypocrisy.
- Striptease queen Dita von Teese is back at the Crazy Horse in Paris.
"I've always had a real fascination with the Crazy Horse ever since I was a teenager and I found a picture of this line of nearly nude toy soldiers standing at attention," she said, referring to the trademark parade that opens the nightly show.
"I wanted to do something more elaborate this time," she said. "Combine the Crazy Horse style with what I do which is classic American burlesque." - Colette Bowe, who will soon be chairperson of Ofcom. the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, has a history of nude modeling.
- Lucia Frangione describes the healing power of nudity.
I don’t know about you, but I can feel so inundated with images of women in the media: young, perfectly poised, air brushed, covered in make-up and surgically altered, that when I stare at myself in the mirror, in bad lighting, with no art director in sight, I can be very critical with myself. I also start to feel as though my naked image is only good for a cheap sell for sex, like the media portrays. I start to believe that my body is not for myself, but for someone else.
That photography session completely changed the way I view my body. In a way it was my acknowledgment and “thank you” to God for making me the way I was. Perhaps also it was a glimpse into how God may see me.
I recommend everyone, at least once in your life time, turn your body into a
painting, a sculpture, a fine photograph. Remember who you are. You’re a work of art. And a fleeting work of art at that. Capture it while you can. Celebrate
your existence. - Mark your calendars for February 8 for The Sean Ciall Intensive and Fires of Brigid Ritual in Redmond, Washington. The rituals are performed skyclad, or in the nude.
- On March 16, Rice University is offering a lecture on Nudity in the Middle Ages.
- This article is required reading for any nudist or naturist who believes that rampant pornography is threatening the lifestyle.
In short: we have "normalized the marginal." Starting sometime in the 19th century, and with increasing enthusiasm and speed in the 20th, we have given over much of the public square to pornographic ideas and degrading, humiliating and gory sexual imagery. To the point that the non-stop sexualization of women and children is so common that our conscious minds just shrug it off.
Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked
When it Comes to the Internet, Nudism Lags
I don't know what's up with nudists/naturists and the Internet.
I understand that people have time and money restraints, but there is no excuse for all the amateurish web sites out there, foremost among them The Naturist Society and their sub-sites, NAC and NEF. Their sites harken back to the early days of html, with stock buttons and bullets, fixed backgrounds, inconsistent graphics, and no formal layout, not to mention outdated information. Such an important organization should have a first class web presence.
At least AANR appears to have their act together with an attractive site.
I can forgive many of the small clubs for their lack of a slick Internet presence, but there are some basic things that they can do to appear professional and appeal to more people.
A good example of a problem easily solved is with The Buckeye Naturists, which has a web site at http://www.geocities.com/therealbirdin/TBN/. Try reciting that URL to a potential member over the phone. It's their third web address in a couple of years, leaving broken links all over the Internet, creating the appearance that they are out of business. Their email address is tbnaturists@gmail.com which has no relationship with the web address. In addition, their web site has seriously outdated information, and broken pages. Hint: http://buckeyenaturists.com/ is available. Hint #2: If you are having financial and membership problems, it's probably not a good idea to make a recording of your business meeting and post the audio on your web site for all to hear.
At least West Penn Naturist club has their own web address at http://www.westpennnaturist.com/, and their email is info@westpennnaturist.com. Simple and professional. Although their web site design is spare and simple, their information is updated frequently and is very informative.
Even though no longer affiliated with AANR, Caliente is running away with first prize when it comes to a professional web presence. I have no doubt it's paying good dividends in drawing tons of visitors, leaving other resorts in the dust.
But the thing that irks me the most is a widespread lack of email skills out there. It took me well over a year to get in touch with a couple of non-landed groups because they either had outdated addresses, or they just didn't care. Emails to several resorts in Ohio have sometimes taken days for a response. often too late for me to make plans for visiting.
I can understand a limited web presence, but I cannot understand not being able to answer emails in a prompt and professional manner.
Yeah, this all sounds a little bitchy, but the Internet is now THE primary marketing source for nudism and naturism. Time to get serious, people.
Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked
I understand that people have time and money restraints, but there is no excuse for all the amateurish web sites out there, foremost among them The Naturist Society and their sub-sites, NAC and NEF. Their sites harken back to the early days of html, with stock buttons and bullets, fixed backgrounds, inconsistent graphics, and no formal layout, not to mention outdated information. Such an important organization should have a first class web presence.
At least AANR appears to have their act together with an attractive site.
I can forgive many of the small clubs for their lack of a slick Internet presence, but there are some basic things that they can do to appear professional and appeal to more people.
A good example of a problem easily solved is with The Buckeye Naturists, which has a web site at http://www.geocities.com/therealbirdin/TBN/. Try reciting that URL to a potential member over the phone. It's their third web address in a couple of years, leaving broken links all over the Internet, creating the appearance that they are out of business. Their email address is tbnaturists@gmail.com which has no relationship with the web address. In addition, their web site has seriously outdated information, and broken pages. Hint: http://buckeyenaturists.com/ is available. Hint #2: If you are having financial and membership problems, it's probably not a good idea to make a recording of your business meeting and post the audio on your web site for all to hear.
At least West Penn Naturist club has their own web address at http://www.westpennnaturist.com/, and their email is info@westpennnaturist.com. Simple and professional. Although their web site design is spare and simple, their information is updated frequently and is very informative.
Even though no longer affiliated with AANR, Caliente is running away with first prize when it comes to a professional web presence. I have no doubt it's paying good dividends in drawing tons of visitors, leaving other resorts in the dust.
But the thing that irks me the most is a widespread lack of email skills out there. It took me well over a year to get in touch with a couple of non-landed groups because they either had outdated addresses, or they just didn't care. Emails to several resorts in Ohio have sometimes taken days for a response. often too late for me to make plans for visiting.
I can understand a limited web presence, but I cannot understand not being able to answer emails in a prompt and professional manner.
Yeah, this all sounds a little bitchy, but the Internet is now THE primary marketing source for nudism and naturism. Time to get serious, people.
Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Life and Loss
One movie line which has always resonated with me was from the 1994 movie "Wyatt Earp", where Wyatt's dad tells him "That's what life is all about: loss."
If you live long enough, you lose everything, and everyone.
That's something they don't teach you in school. If they did, it would put a damper on youthful enthusiasm.
If you are above the age of 40, you have developed some sense of mortality. The years begin running out very quickly.
I remember once when an elementary school friend's father died. None of us had the maturity to approach him and talk about what happened. I remember seeing him walking alone home from school, with a noticeable limp from some unknown injury.
Little did I know that a year later, my own father would die when I was only 9. I remember feeling very alone as all the adults gathered and spoke in hushed tones with muffled sobs. I remember my mother breaking down as she picked out a suit for him to wear to his grave.
It was the beginning of a long string of losses. Three of my grandparents were dead before I was born, and my remaining grandfather died when I was about 14. He only really spoke Polish so I never really got to know him. Several aunts and uncles also passed when I was young.
In 1994 my wife's parents were killed in a car wreck, a couple of months following the death of my mother.
And yesterday, we learned that my wife's brother-in-law has stage 3 colon cancer.
I'm not telling you this to elicit pity. On the contrary, I feel very lucky that I have made it to my 55th year without a single broken bone, a wound requiring stitches, or any serious illness. I'm a survivor in a world of loss.
So if you take one lesson from all the sadness found in the average human life, it's to enjoy it while you can. If you always wanted to try nude recreation, do it. Maybe you wanted to take up painting, or catch up on some reading, or take that vacation you've been talking about for so long.
What are you waiting for?
Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked
If you live long enough, you lose everything, and everyone.
That's something they don't teach you in school. If they did, it would put a damper on youthful enthusiasm.
If you are above the age of 40, you have developed some sense of mortality. The years begin running out very quickly.
I remember once when an elementary school friend's father died. None of us had the maturity to approach him and talk about what happened. I remember seeing him walking alone home from school, with a noticeable limp from some unknown injury.
Little did I know that a year later, my own father would die when I was only 9. I remember feeling very alone as all the adults gathered and spoke in hushed tones with muffled sobs. I remember my mother breaking down as she picked out a suit for him to wear to his grave.
It was the beginning of a long string of losses. Three of my grandparents were dead before I was born, and my remaining grandfather died when I was about 14. He only really spoke Polish so I never really got to know him. Several aunts and uncles also passed when I was young.
In 1994 my wife's parents were killed in a car wreck, a couple of months following the death of my mother.
And yesterday, we learned that my wife's brother-in-law has stage 3 colon cancer.
I'm not telling you this to elicit pity. On the contrary, I feel very lucky that I have made it to my 55th year without a single broken bone, a wound requiring stitches, or any serious illness. I'm a survivor in a world of loss.
So if you take one lesson from all the sadness found in the average human life, it's to enjoy it while you can. If you always wanted to try nude recreation, do it. Maybe you wanted to take up painting, or catch up on some reading, or take that vacation you've been talking about for so long.
What are you waiting for?
Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
The Daily Newds 1/20/09
- An Australian sports club has imposed a six month ban on a member for streaking.
A member - who didn't want to give her name - said the six-month ban was "ridiculous".
- "Hanging Out" is the name of a nude musical revue in California.
From the moment they dropped their robes our merry band of birthday suit-ers (which was also the name (Birthday Suit) of one of the 23 numbers) didn’t bat an eyelash or flash a blush as they gamely sang and danced.
- Spencer Tunick is back in Mexico City again, this time for more intimate photos of 40 subjects instead of the 20,000 people he gathered in May 2007.
- Calendar Girls in Hampshire, England, is holding a nude photo contest in anticipation of the arrival of the hit musical.
- The advice given to the mother of a three year-old who loves being naked is to invent an imaginary therapist and use bribery to get her to put on clothes.
More Bad Publicity for Nudism
As most of you know, Caliente clothing-optional adult resort in Florida has been in the news lately. PR director Angye Fox has been marketing the venue to swingers groups, has quit AANR, and hosts parties like "Eyes Wide Shut" which pays homage to a group orgy scene from the movie of the same name.
In booking the annual Lingerie Bowl at Caliente, Fox has taken yet another step to exploit her resort, and further exploit women at the same time. The Lingerie Bowl features hot babes in underwear playing football for salivating males during the halftime of The Super Bowl.
News stories continue to refer to Caliente as "nudist", when it is not. Yes, there are nudists who frequent the place, but it is not family-friendly anymore, preferring to cater to the Hedonism crowd. Let me state here and now that I do not oppose what Caliente is doing because I am a libertarian on these issues, but what I find unacceptable is the perception that nudism equals sex, and it is this distortion which threatens to do long term damage to the nudist and naturist lifestyles.
Now the worst has happened. In a news story today, TampaBay.com is reporting that the women participating in the Lingerie Bowl are upset about playing in front of "nudists".
In booking the annual Lingerie Bowl at Caliente, Fox has taken yet another step to exploit her resort, and further exploit women at the same time. The Lingerie Bowl features hot babes in underwear playing football for salivating males during the halftime of The Super Bowl.
News stories continue to refer to Caliente as "nudist", when it is not. Yes, there are nudists who frequent the place, but it is not family-friendly anymore, preferring to cater to the Hedonism crowd. Let me state here and now that I do not oppose what Caliente is doing because I am a libertarian on these issues, but what I find unacceptable is the perception that nudism equals sex, and it is this distortion which threatens to do long term damage to the nudist and naturist lifestyles.
Now the worst has happened. In a news story today, TampaBay.com is reporting that the women participating in the Lingerie Bowl are upset about playing in front of "nudists".
More problems have hit the Lingerie Bowl, but organizers say the game will go on.
Some players have quit the team over a pay dispute and because they object to holding the game at a nudist resort, said Lingerie Bowl quarterback Reby Sky of Temple Terrace and an agent who represents some Tampa Breeze players.
"I don't have anything against the lifestyle," Sky said, referring to the shift to a nudist resort. "But we as players were having a hard enough time dealing with and defending against the negative stigmas and stereotypes associated with the sport and playing attire before it was announced that we would be playing at a nudist resort."...
Ricker Yankowski, who represents six players through his St. Petersburg agency odels Without Attitude, said Horizon Productions failed to pay the players Dec. 3 as promised and that the company now says it will pay $1,000 to each player on game day -- about 70 percent less than the players thought they would get. He said at least three of his players have quit, and more resignations may happen.
"I never thought it would come down to this," Yankowski said. "Taking these girls away from home and family and work, then paying them a lot less, then making them play at a nudist resort, is below moral."
Holy shit. AANR and NAC need to address this issue now with a press release denouncing Caliente and distancing all nudists and naturists from this deteriorating situation. If girls who dress like porn stars and objectify themselves sexually are calling nudism "below moral", we have a big, big problem.
UPDATE: The Sporting News blog has picked up on this story. Look for it to spread like wildfire. This could all be a publicity stunt, but whatever the reason, nudism and naturism are taking a hit.
UPDATE: The Sporting News blog has picked up on this story. Look for it to spread like wildfire. This could all be a publicity stunt, but whatever the reason, nudism and naturism are taking a hit.
Then remaining members complained about the venue, a "clothing-optional resort" north of Tampa where guests may or may not decide to wear pants as they wander the grounds playing volleyball, playing volleyball, swimming, or playing volleyball in the pool.
(This is all there is to do at nudist resorts. I know this from sad, unforgettable experience, having gone one weekend to a nudist resort as a dare taken out of boredom. You will never, ever erase the image of a couple in their 60’s hosing off their RV, each wearing nothing but flip-flops and a fine coating of benign melanomas earned from years of exposure to the sun.)
The Sporting News also reports that Lingerie Bowl quarterbacy Reby Sky once posed nude for Playboy, and the blogger supports her decision not to play "with what she considers inferior goods".
UPDATE: Reby Sky has an arrest record. Can this get any worse? Probably.
Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked
UPDATE: Reby Sky has an arrest record. Can this get any worse? Probably.
Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked
Monday, January 19, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Another Comes Out of the Closet
The Sunday Newds 1/18/09
- Plans for installing surveillance cameras on a nude beach in Australia have been scrapped in favor of an increased police presence to deter sexual behavior.
- An Irish woman recalls the "lady with a stick" who used unorthodox means to enforce dress codes in a church.
My skirt had obviously risen just above my knees as I was sitting down. Our friend chastised me verbally for my immodesty in church. I tried to move away but she moved over after me and whacked my legs with her stick. My son took grave exception to this and bawled so I had to leave. I missed the whole event.
- The Birmingham Museum of Art is presenting Body Image: American Art and the Human Form through May 9, 2009.
"The human body has been an important subject for artistic expression from prehistoric times," says Graham Boettcher, PhD, William Cary Hulsey Curator of American Art at the Birmingham Museum of Art. "The most fundamental training for any artist long consisted of the study of anatomy and life drawing."
- Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel would gladly trade full frontal nudity for another Super Bowl ring, no questions asked.
- Strapped Los Angeles homeowners are opening their doors to movies, commercials and porn shoots to pay the mortgage. Amazingly, according to the IRS, if the shooting lasts less than 15 days it's tax free, so the government is subsidizing porn.
- A US couple has been released from a Brazilian jail pending trial. They have been accused of sexually abusing children at a "nudist colony".
- Oscar de la Renta says that Hillary Clinton is "prudish about the type of clothes she likes to wear."
- "Art jamming" is a group painting session in Ireland where an instructor brings all the needed materials to a home or place of business so people can exercise their creativity in familiar settings. The "art jam" can be arranged for private parties, corporate events and festivals, and for "hen parties" a nude male can be provided as a subject.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
The Weekend Newds 1/17/09
- A judge in the UK ruled that a "convicted pedophile" can continue going on nude outings with British Naturism. The article mentions that the man was in possession of photos by "American author Robert Sturgess" which is likely to mean photographer Jock Sturges. The charges for the "indecent" images were dropped because the photos could be found in any reputable bookstore.
- Tampabay.com readers respond to the proposed stricter dress codes on Pinellas County beaches.
"Let's stop being prudes and designate an area for "clothing optional" swimming. I'm sure the AANR (American Association for Nude Recreation) and TAN (Tampa Area Naturists) would support this and any extra fee that may be incurred. Other states and countries, even Canada, have a nude or topless beach areas." - Walter Latham
"Lest you think otherwise, I am definitely not a prude, but please quit treating us like people who only want to wear clothes from the 1920s. Fashion is one thing, but leave our beaches for everyone to enjoy." - MaryLou Tuttle
"Are you kidding me? With the state looking to close some of our most beautiful parks because of the Legislature's fiscal irresponsibility, we waste our collective time and ever-shrinking resources to debate bathing suits." - Keith Richardson
"Indeed, it is the easy answer to state the obvious: Turn away. Turning away is a viable option. Perhaps these "dismayed visitors" could elect to turn away from underclad beachgoers. The very idea that this issue is under discussion is insulting." - Barbara Audirsch McKee - Joanna Weiss makes the following astounding statement in The Boston Globe regarding the Facebook breastfeeding photo controversy:
"But elevating nursing to some exalted status doesn't seem so healthy, either, and that seems to be the danger in that flood of profile pics. Nursing gets equated with motherhood itself, and that doesn't do new mothers any favors."
Read the entire article for context, and be sure to check out the reader comments. - The MARNA nudist swim tonight is a "critic's pick" in the Baltimore Citypaper.
- A children's cartoon depicting the bare buttocks of a princess is causing outrage in Romania.
- A PR consultant is suing her plastic surgeon and Fox TV because she alleges that nude photos of her body were broadcast without her permission.
- Caliente resort continues to sex-up nudism by hosting this year's Lingerie Bowl.
The event, which will be held Jan. 31 and broadcast on pay-per-view during Super Bowl halftime, features barely dressed women playing full-contact football.
- Did singer Katy Perry take a nude photo of herself?
- Eight celebrities have posed nude for Marie Claire magazine to raise awareness of violence against women.
- If you are caught up in the big Midwest freeze of 2009, you might be interested in this article on how the body adapts to cold weather.
- A citizen responds to an editorial calling for laws restricting adult entertainment establishments in Maine, brought on by the granting of a business permit for a topless coffee shop in Vassalboro.
America is the most prudish nation in the free world. The European, South American, South Pacific nations that do not restrict whether a female chooses to go topless or not, do not have anywhere near the sex based crimes, especially rape, that the US has. If a law is going to be passed that a female cannot be topless, then it will have to be applied to include men as well, or it will be a law based on sexual discrimination which is unconstitutional. Bottom line: If you don't like the idea of topless wait staff in a coffee shop, don't go, period.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Huffington Post Publishes Madonna Full Frontal Nude Photo
It's not news that Madonna posed for nude photos 30 years ago in order to make ends meet, but it is noteworthy that The Huffington Post web site today published the uncensored image (with a NSFW disclaimer). Since the print is being sold through Christie's and is expected to fetch $10,000, the editors must have felt the image now falls into the category of "high art".Look, it's a nice image, but it's no different than what you see on quality nude photography web sites like Domai or MetArt, and far less erotic than a Georgia O'Keeffe painting. I just find it amusing that a photo once peddled in Playboy as being scandalous is now acceptable.
So at what point does a nude photo of a spread-eagled woman become art in our society? Is it the fact that the subject is a celebrity? Bingo. Other than the fact that it's a photo of Madonna, it's no different than any other good cheesecake photo out there.
As a nudist, I have no problem with either image. It's the double standard that irritates me.
Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Nude Theatre Event in Columbus Ohio
2nd UPDATE 1/15: Bottom line is that there is some confusion over who can attend this event. Even though the TBN web site announcement does not mention the need for an RSVP, and even suggests buying tickets online, a spokesperson for the Madlab Theater says it's a private event. The best thing to do if you wish to attend is to call TBN President Jim M. at 614-337-2372 or email the club at tbnaturists@gmail.com.
UPDATE 1/15: I heard from someone at Madlab who stated the following: "Thanks for the interest. At this point, being this is the first one of these we've done, we want to keep it relatively small, so we are keeping it to the Buckeye Naturalists (sic)." This is contrary to the public announcement made on The Buckeye Naturists web site, and contrary to what TBN is doing by announcing this event to at least one other group. I will supply more details as soon as I know something.
The Madlab Theater in Columbus Ohio is having an "undressed" rehearsal for its latest presentation of Full Frontal Nudity's "Sketch You Can Believe In" on Wednesday, January 21, 2009. While the performers will be clothed, the audience will be entirely nude.
The public announcement was made on The Buckeye Naturists web site.
Details are somewhat sketchy. Since this announcement has been made on the Internet, one can assume that anyone willing to be nude in the audience will be admitted. I do know that the announcement has been made to at least one other Columbus area naturist group.
If you are interested, you should call TBN President Jim M. at 614-337-2372 or email the club at tbnaturists@gmail.com. The phone number for Madlab Theatre is 614-221-5418 and their email is publicity@madlab.net. I tried to contact Madlab through email and they did not respond.
Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked
UPDATE 1/15: I heard from someone at Madlab who stated the following: "Thanks for the interest. At this point, being this is the first one of these we've done, we want to keep it relatively small, so we are keeping it to the Buckeye Naturalists (sic)." This is contrary to the public announcement made on The Buckeye Naturists web site, and contrary to what TBN is doing by announcing this event to at least one other group. I will supply more details as soon as I know something.
The Madlab Theater in Columbus Ohio is having an "undressed" rehearsal for its latest presentation of Full Frontal Nudity's "Sketch You Can Believe In" on Wednesday, January 21, 2009. While the performers will be clothed, the audience will be entirely nude.
The public announcement was made on The Buckeye Naturists web site.
Details are somewhat sketchy. Since this announcement has been made on the Internet, one can assume that anyone willing to be nude in the audience will be admitted. I do know that the announcement has been made to at least one other Columbus area naturist group.
If you are interested, you should call TBN President Jim M. at 614-337-2372 or email the club at tbnaturists@gmail.com. The phone number for Madlab Theatre is 614-221-5418 and their email is publicity@madlab.net. I tried to contact Madlab through email and they did not respond.
Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked
The Daily Newds 1/14/09
- A BYU editorial claims that Facebook has surrendered and will now let mothers post photos of themselves breastfeeding their children. I've seen no other report of this, so take it with a grain of salt.
- Six Pennsylvania high school students ages 14 through 17 are facing child pornography charges for sending and receiving nude photos of themselves with cell phones. Please STOP destroying the lives of children using laws that are supposed to protect them.
- An Orange County Register reporter tries out for the Pageant of the Masters 2009 summer show "The Muse" which features "men, women and children of all shapes and sizes, clothed and nude."
- The New York Times has an excellent article on people seeking self-esteem through surgery.
To the rigors of teenage grooming — waxing, plucking, body training and skin care regimens that were once the province of adults — add cosmetic surgery, which is fast becoming a mainstream option among teenagers. But with this popularity, some experts are concerned that the underlying motivation for many of the young people seeking surgery — namely, self-esteem — is being disregarded in the drive to look, as Kristen puts it, “normal.”
- An all-nude club opening in Dallas is purported to be the largest in Texas.
- Momlogic has an article decrying the use of nude models in the new Abercrombie and Fitch catalog, and then has a photo gallery of the "racy ads" for all to see.
- The Columbia Citypaper has an article on the Travelites 2009 Nude Chili Cook-Off.
The group at the pool table hooted and catcalled when a large naked man scratched on the eight ball. On the other side of the Plexiglas, a woman grabbed a stray beach ball and dove into the pool. Cheri Alexander caught me eyeing an empty chili crock-pot and grinned.“You know the only difference between a nudist and clothed person is that after a meal, we don’t have a belt to loosen,” she said.
- A formal consultation has begun to determine the future of a naturist beach in England.
- If you are having trouble finding accommodations in the DC area for the inauguration, The Pine Trees Associated Nudist Resort in nearby Maryland has a room for you, but at some point you will have to get naked to comply with club rules.
- Oprah is in love with Kate Winslet's breasts. She said, "I love the fact that you have real breasts. Because in all the breast scenes, your breasts do what real breasts do.” Article with video here.
- An actor blogs about his only nude scene in a play.
The odd thing was, once I'd done it, it felt OK. Sort of. Crucially, it felt advantageous to the play, which after all is the only fig leaf any actor has to hide his spiritual nakedness. When the artistic director (himself fearful of the moment being too upsetting for the unsuspecting punters) suggested I needn't strip at all but could keep my pants on, I was having none of it – so strongly did I now feel about its necessity to the play. In fact, I threatened to walk out if the nudity was cut. Funny cusses, actors.
- Did Nazism draw some if its inspiration from the German nudist movement?
- Pinellas County might toughen its swimwear rules due to reports from "outraged" Fort De Soto Park visitors who have complained about people in "states of near total nudity."
"It's certainly going to have a negative impact," said Ken Kushman, 62, secretary of Tampa Area Naturists, "because it's going to turn people away who want to wear less bathing suit than their grandmother does."
- Here's a photo gallery of people participating in No Pants Day 2k9 in Los Angeles.
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