Nudist Photo of the Day 5/31/09

Nudist Photo of the Day 5/30/09

The Weekend Newds 5/29/09

• According to Canadian journalist Sharlene Asam, the Internet has "sped up teens' sexual willingness and behavior."
• 7 out of 10 Spanish men say they have no problems getting naked.
• Facebook has reinstated graphic photos of a woman's mastectomy scars after initially calling the images "sexual and abusive."

  'I put these pictures out on Facebook to put a message out to women - check your breasts regularly and do not ever be ashamed of a mastectomy,' said Miss (Sharon) Adams, 45, yesterday. 'For Facebook to claim they were sexual and abusive was absurd. Facebook has online groups about sexual positions and some groups which are bordering on racist - but they ban this.'

• Schools across the country are imposing bans or restrictions on hugs due to fear of lawsuits over sexual harassment or improper touching.
• The rampant retouching of photographs in magazines which turns ordinary humans into something unknown in the natural world is causing a backlash.

  It now seems fresh, even exclamation-worthy, when a magazine presents an unvarnished image. Last month, for example, an issue of Life & Style took the unusual step of declaring that a cover photograph of Kim Kardashian was “100 percent unretouched,” as if it had done a great service to the cause of pseudo-celebrity journalism. And People, in its “100 Most Beautiful” issue this month, included images of 11 celebrities “wearing nothing but moisturizer.”

• A UK cable station is producing a "documentary" which "follows a Newcastle-based business building up to 'Naked Friday', a day when all of its workers will come to work nude."
• Noting that "there's never a bad reason for celebrating the human body", Las Vegas City Life explores all the opportunities for non-sexual clothes-free activities in the Nevada/Arizona area.
• Unbelievably, prison officials, prosecutors, judges and attorneys in Texas are gearing up for a big investigation over a photograph of a woman exposing her breast which was sent to convicted killer Robert Fratta.

  “It’s a class C misdemeanor to distribute obscene material to someone in a correctional facility,” District Attorney spokeswoman Donna Hawkins said. “Any violation of the law will be investigated, although no charges are likely to be filed before the conclusion of the trial.”

• A Malaysian editorial calls for a heavy penalty for "unhealthy activities" after a Danish production company taped a reality series on one of the islands off Johor where some participants were nude. Apparently an apology and the firing of the director were insufficient.
• Some Australian men streaked through Sydney wearing special "nude suits" to promote a cell phone company.
• Public interest law professor John Banzhaf has weighed in on the teen sexting issue.

  Anti-child-pornography laws were designed to protect children, including teens, from coercion and other forms of exploitations by adults, and adults involved in or encouraging sexting by teens may reasonable be punished, just as they would be if they participated or encouraged teens to play strip poker, says Banzhaf. But when a teen voluntarily sends racy pictures of herself to an equally-willing teen of about the same age, the basis for prosecution - coercion, exploitation, or other wrongful conduct by an adult - is no longer present, so punishing participating teens for exhibiting themselves to others in emails may be no more justified that punishing them for exhibiting themselves to each other when skinny dipping or playing strip poker in private among only other consenting teens.

• More news here on the "naturist walk" in Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada. Details are still sketchy, apparently FCN had nothing to do with it.
• Topless coffee shop owner Donald Crabtree says that the female employee accused of being outside the establishment with no top on actually had her breasts covered with her hands and arms. Charges are unlikely to be filed, but the Vassalboro town meeting on June 8 should be interesting, since a nudity ordinance will be considered.
• The Vassalboro coffee shop is cited as a reason for another town in Maine to enact preventative ordinances against adult businesses. Waterville planning board member Erik Thomas said "To me, it's better to be proactive about these things."
• The UK Advertising Standards Authority has approved the image of a bare-breasted woman in a brochure, saying, "we concluded the images were not so provocative as to present a risk to teenagers or be unsuitable for the target audience."
• Officials in Hamilton Township, New Jersey, are planning to auction off the site of the former Sunshine Park nudist resort because revenues are down. Residents would rather see the land cleaned up and left au naturel.
• You've heard of "Banned in Boston", but how about "Censored in Chicago"?

Nudist Photo of the Day 5/29/09

Nudist Photo of the Day 5/28/09

Nudist Photo of the Day 5/27/09

NAC UPDATE American River, Auburn State Recreation Area, California

**********************************************************************
NATURIST ACTION COMMITTEE
UPDATE
**********************************************************************
http://www.naturistaction.org
**********************************************************************
Copyright 2009 by the Naturist Action Committee, which is responsible for its content. Permission is granted for the posting, forwarding or redistribution of this message, provided that it is reproduced in its entirety and without alteration.

DATE: May 26, 2009
SUBJECT: CA: American River updated e-address
TO: Naturists and other concerned citizens

Dear Naturist,

This is an Update from the Naturist Action Committee (NAC) concerning an opportunity at Auburn State Recreation Area (SRA) in California.

NAC recently asked for your help in thanking a couple of State Park superintendents for their steady responses in the wake of a local city council resolution. City council members in Auburn, California, had requested that citations be issued to those who are merely nude along portions of the American River in the Auburn SRA, where clothing-optional use is traditional.

California Parks personnel have reaffirmed the existing protocol for managing clothing-optional recreation at Auburn SRA. That protocol does not include the issuance of a citation for simple nudity in the absence of a specific complaint.

Naturists have an opportunity to say, "Thank You," and NAC has asked for your immediate action in the form of your letters and e-mails of encouragement and appreciation to key California Parks personnel. The NAC Action Alert asking for your help was distributed on May 21, 2009.

Here’s a convenient link to the NAC Action Alert:
http://tinyurl.com/q5l22c

UPDATE

Your response to NAC’s Action Alert has been gratifying and effective. NAC appreciates you!

We’ve learned that e-mail sent to one of the e-addresses has bounced, so we’re printing a corrected contact list. We’ve also taken the opportunity to update a recently changed ZIP code.

The corrected e-mail address is the one for Acting Sector Superintendent Mike Lynch. The revised ZIP code is for the CA Parks office in Sacramento.

WHOM TO CONTACT (corrected)

It’s not too late to write and say "Thank You."

You may send letters of appreciation that are written on paper or e-mailed. We want tangible evidence of our participation, so NAC is not asking for phone calls in this instance. Please write to both of the following key individuals.

Scott Nakaji
Gold Fields District Superintendent
California State Parks
7806 Folsom Auburn Road
Folsom, CA 95630
snakaji@parks.ca.gov

Mike Lynch
Auburn Acting Sector Superintendent
California State Parks
501 El Dorado
Auburn, CA 95604
mjlynch@parks.ca.gov

Please send a copy of your correspondence to:

Ruth Coleman
Director
Dept. of Parks and Recreation
1416 Ninth Street,
Sacramento, CA 95814
director@parks.ca.gov

NAC would enjoy the opportunity to read your thank you notes. Please send a copy to:

NAC
P.O. Box 132
Oshkosh, WI 54903
auburn@naturistaction.org


MORE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

Additional information and links are available, along with this NAC Update on the Web site of the Naturist Action Committee.

www.naturistaction.org

Select "Alerts" and find this NAC Update under Current Updates.

There you will find the complete text of the Auburn City Council's resolution, as well as NAC's response to the City.

Naturally,

Bob Morton
Executive Director
Naturist Action Committee

---------------------------------------------------------------
Naturist Action Committee (NAC) - PO Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54903
Executive Dir. Bob Morton - execdir@naturistaction.org
Board Member Allen Baylis - rab@baylislaw.com
Online Rep. Dennis Kirkpatrick - naturist@sunclad.com
---------------------------------------------------------------

The Daily Newds 5/26/09

• Has Illinois gone too far in an attempt to clamp down on sexting?

  The ACLU and other organizations are going to have a field day with this legislation. The application to all is heavy on fail, but the biggest fail is this continued push to criminalize children. If we concede that sexting is a problem (and many would argue that it’s a media beet up and not a serious problem) how is turning teenagers into criminals and sending them to jail going to solve the problem? Vermont understands that the big stick approach shouldn’t be applied, it’s just a shame that most other US States don’t yet.

• Actress Moon Bloodgood doesn't understand why her brief topless scene was cut from "Terminator Salvation."

  "I just didn't feel as a woman that I should be apologetic about my sexuality," she said in an interview. "I thought the scene was appropriate. I thought it was beautiful. I have a very European feel about nudity. I just don't, as a woman, feel that I ever have to confine myself and be a certain way when sexuality is a part of me ... Why do we make such a big deal about it?"

• Noted nudist Cheri Alexander is waging a public relations war against Carolina Foothills Resort. She has posted here and here that she is no longer recommending the venue, but will explain why only to people she knows who contact her through email.
• Anne Hart reports that clothing-optional restaurants are booming.
• A North Carolina school psychologist is alleged to have taken inappropriate photos of a nude male teenager, but in his defense claims to be a practicing nudist.

  But that didn't explain away the photographs, which investigators found were inappropriate and crossed a line that gave them probable cause for criminal charges, Abell said. "The photographs the officers saw initiated the charges and, in their opinion and the opinion of the assistant district attorney here in Carteret County, they felt there is something more to it than just a photograph of a nude child."

• 84% of respondents to this poll feel that the new strip-search technology at airports is not worth the civil right infringements it creates.
• The simple solution of adding signs has cooled off the "nude bathing war" between Germans and Poles in the Baltic Sea resort of Usedom.
• Once again, public nudity is acceptable when done in the name of charity.
• Once again, with the start of swimming season, textiles are stressed out over the horrors of putting on a bathing suit.

  It's no wonder that so many of us dread putting on a bikini; they reveal every imaginable flaw, leave nothing to the imagination and expose all of the insecurities that we have about our bodies. Every year around this time, the tabloid magazines run a "best and worst" beach body story, with pictures of emaciated actresses with ribs poking out labeled the "best," and women with patches of cellulite or fleshy hips the "worst." To add insult to injury, they take a petite and perfectly toned woman that most of us would kill to look like and add some commentary about how brave she is to bare her "curves."

• A private health clinic in Prague is offering free silicone-enhanced breasts to female employees who renew their contracts.

  “I would rather have plastic surgery than a free car,” said Ms. Kalivodova, who opted for cosmetic breast surgery that would normally cost €2,600, or about $3,500, as well as liposuction on her thighs and stomach. These were physical enhancements, she said, that she could not afford on her €1,000 a month salary. “I feel better when I look in the mirror,” she added. “We were always taught that if a nurse is nice, intelligent, loves her work and looks attractive, then patients will recover faster.

• An Ohio judge has ordered David Weber out of the nudist resort Paradise Gardens near Cincinnati.

  "He just decided one day he liked it and didn't want to leave, so he took the wheels off his RV and built a little porch around it," Paradise Gardens' attorney, Joseph Krause, said. "The problem with that is that is not how these campgrounds work. No one's allowed to live there year-round. That's Ohio law." In a hearing last week, Common Pleas Judge William Mallory ordered Weber to get out - and take his trailer with him - no later than the end of June.

• Wingnut commentator Debra J. Saunders calls the one million dollar wrongful death settlement in the case of Berkeley's Naked Guy a "jackpot for mom."
• "Naked Words - The Body Love Project" is verbal nudism, a series of 15 monologues by women who attempt to come to terms with their own physical appearances.
• "Dressed to Kill" is a book by doctors Sydney Singer and Soma Grismaijer, claiming that women who wear bras 24 hours per day have a 3 out of 4 chance of developing breast cancer.
• A man found nude in a woman's bathroom claims to be a "closet nudist."

The Big Bad Wolf

Dr. Peter Cumming, associate professor at York University and coordinator of the Children's Studies Program there, says that the Internet and cell phone cameras are "the big bad wolf" in society. that the uproar over sexting is today's version of the public outrage expressed over Elvis Presley shaking his pelvis on stage in the 1950s, and that making criminals out of teens for expressing natural curiosity over their own sexuality defies common sense.

"It would be very unlikely to see dozens of news stories announcing that some children we caught playing spin-the-bottle, or doctor, or strip poker," he says. "Yet many of the cases brought forward have been on the same level of innocence and experience as those activities. "In other words, kids are playing spin-the-bottle online."

Cumming goes on to argue that a distinction has to be made between nudity and child porn, a challenge which also faces nudism and naturism today if the lifestyle is to continue to exist as being family-friendly.

Sotomayor Once Blocked Tunick Nude Photo Shoot

Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor once blocked Spencer Tunick from doing a nude photo shoot in New York. Story here.

UPDATE: Hey, folks, I just thought this was interesting that Sotomayer was involved in a Spencer Tunick case, I'm not editorializing or suggesting in any manner or form that this decision is important to her confirmation.

Maybe it Wasn't the Nude Photo That Killed Jessie Logan

In a stunning news story, it has been revealed that the parents of Ohio teen Jessie Logan, who committed suicide last summer, never even brought up the subject of a nude photo during an investigation of their daughter's death.

Logan's parents have been waging war against lawmakers, educators and students, alleging that harassment and inaction over a nude photo Jessie took of herself led directly to the suicide, and have subsequently filed a lawsuit seeking damages from just about everybody involved. They even appeared alongside Ohio lawmakers who want to enact laws criminalizing teen sexting so that future suicides can be prevented.

It turns out that the family told investigators that Jessie was distraught over the suicide of a classmate, had recently broken up with her boyfriend, and, according to one uncle, might have been pregnant. Reportedly, the parents fought for months against releasing a blood sample for a pregnancy test, which they said was negative. But in the days following the girl's death, nobody in the family even mentioned the nude photo to investigators.

The whole affair is tragic -the loss of a young life, the pain felt by family and friends, and the unsolved questions which always remain after such a senseless death will continue to haunt all those close to Jessie for as long as they live.

It's human nature for people to seek answers for events which shatter their lives, but it is the responsibility of police, lawmakers, counselors, media types and other professionals to remain calm and rational in the face of runaway emotion. In the case of Jessie Logan, it appears that everyone took the nude photo story and ran with it, without even examining all the other factors which likely drove the teen to her sad decision. The nude photo made for sexier television, more sensational political fodder, and contained the degree of tawdriness necessary to make this an international story.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for those aged 15 to 24. It's clear that more preventative measures are needed, that parents, teachers and students need to be made more aware of the warning signs and how to deal with them before it's too late. With Jessie Logan, we may never know if she was giving off any warnings, and if those warnings were ignored or unrecognized, because the nude photo took center stage and captured all the attention.

Jessie's parents claim that it was "shock" which blocked out the nude photo in their minds when initially speaking to investigators, yet this "shock" didn't prevent them from coming up with several other reasons for the suicide.

Let's hope that this lawsuit is thrown out, that the Ohio law fails to pass, and all these people get back to trying to live their lives as best they can. I know what it's like to live with unspeakable tragedy, the loss and pain never completely leave, but life always goes on somehow, and time helps to smooth the road.

Society's tug-of-war over nudity, with Puritanical revulsion on one side and endless fascination on the other, is the root cause of making this story so sensational. Until we come to grips with the fact that we all have bodies, that we are essentially all the same underneath our clothes, we will continue to see this sort of irrational, unfounded and dangerous gut reaction to expressions of teen sexuality from the keepers of a repressed society.

Nudist Photo of the Day 5/26/09

Nudist Photo of the Day 5/25/09

New Challenges to Public Nudity Laws

The topless doughnut shop in Vassalboro, Maine, is the center of a topfreedom equality issue when it was reported to police that one of the waitresses was outside the shop without a top on. No charges were filed in the incident, but the matter has been referred to the district attorney for possible review.

My guess is that there will be no charges for a couple of reasons. First, the woman reported to be topless is described as being "probably involved", so there could be some question of eyewitness accuracy. Second, there is some doubt as to whether the town's allowance of the topless establishment prohibits nudity outside the cafe.

The absence of charges in this case will likely result in further revision of a proposed nudity ordinance by the town's Board of Selectmen, which is scheduled to make a final vote at a town meeting on June 8.

The article on the incident notes that there were also males outside the cafe, but does not say if they were topless or not. The report also does not give a reason why the employees were outside. These are important facts to uncover, because if the men were outside on break just to get a little sun, perhaps the woman decided to join them in a display of topfree equality, merely enjoying the freedom given by society to all men.

By insisting that the "probably involved" woman be questioned while fully clothed, and not demanding the same of the male employees, trooper Shawn Porter likely engaged in sexual discrimination. We really need to get a grip on this female breast phobia and stop treating women like criminals when they exercise their topfree equality. This case in Maine could potentially be important in the fight for topfreedom.

In the town of Bracebridge, Canada, a group of naturists paraded nude in front of an Ontario Provincial Police department to protest public nudity laws. There is no word if the Federation of Canadian Naturists had a hand in the incident, but a recent blog post by Malcolm Scott, calling himself a "Proud Naturist", declared his right to be naked anywhere, anytime. Scott is apparently affiliated with FCN as the Coordinator of Public Awareness and Education, but there is nothing at this point to link him directly with the protest.

There were no arrests in Bracebridge, but due to several complaints the matter has been handed over to the district attorney, similar to the case in Maine. If anyone has further details on this incident. please forward them to me at nudiarist@gmail.com. I'd like know who's behind the protest, and if the naturists had a permit for their public assembly.

Perhaps it's time for naturists in the US and Canada to stand up for their rights to be nude. With public events such as Bare to Breakers and The World Naked Bike Ride gaining public acceptance, society seems to be ready for more clothing optional areas on public beaches and lands. Naturist and nudist organizations need to move from reactive into proactive mode if these challenges are to be met.

Nudist Photo of the Day 5/24/09

The Weekend Newds 5/23/09

• 89 year-old Jo Wallace remembers when fundraising was done in formal wear, but now she has posed nude for a calendar to raise money for a local women's shelter.
• Members of the Dunscar Golf Club in the UK raised £10,000 for breast cancer by selling a nude calendar.
• The nude body of a man has been found floating in the waters east of Wreck Beach in British Columbia, Canada.
• James Martin explores places to get naked in Europe.
• Nick Sortal of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel got naked for a yoga class. Instructor Ray Whetstone said, "If you can stand in front of a mirror naked 15 minutes a day and deal with the issues, you're going to be a very healthy person."
• Illinois has become the latest state to make "sexting" a crime.
• I'm not so sure I understand this story. A size 12 Cambridge student is in the finals of a modeling competition because "Studies have shown that 63 per cent of girls would rather be a topless model or lap dancer than a doctor, lawyer or teacher...I want to use this opportunity to show young girls that education is important, as someone that has prioritised my own education and worked really hard to get into Cambridge and get my degree." So...she's trying to put a stop to female objectification by posing in her bikini?
• Tom Lubbock critiques the great painting "Reclining Nude" by Jean-Francois Millet.
• A 12-year old boy in Dallas could face obscenity charges for having a nude photo on his cell phone.

  "It makes me uncomfortable to think about that," said Scott Mauro, a school counselor. "I mean, these are just little kids. I think it's just a cry for attention, just looking to give them attention."

• Time Out New York promotes the World Naked Bike Ride event through Central Park on June 20.
• I'm not so sure that this letter to Annie's Mailbox is legit.

  I looked around and saw a man in a hot tub. I assumed this was the guy, so I kept watching. Five minutes later, he got out of the hot tub and really was naked. I instantly got a headache and my eyes burned. I want to do something to prevent children from seeing him. I know he was in his own backyard, but you could see him clearly from the field. Would that count as public nudity? Do you think I should report him? — Scarred for Life

• You want to run around naked in public? Apparently all you have to do first is declare you are doing it for charity. 21 year-old Roy McGuinness was cheered on by family, friends and spectators has he rode "The Naked Bus" in Ireland to raise money for the MS Society.
• Model Amy Houlton, wearing only the paint of an artist's design, walked through downtown Toronto to promote the Canadian Bodypainting Championships.

  Amy poses next to the main doors, below huge images of CBC’s best-known presenters. Peter Mansbridge’s stern, 20-foot tall face seems to disapprove. Inside, an encounter with a school group elicits a mixed reaction. One girl dismisses it as “disgusting,” but some of the teenage boys can’t believe their luck: “Oh my God, was she naked?!”

• A poster of a toddler pretending to breastfeed her doll is eliciting both scorn and praise at a hospital in Manchester, England.
• 25 actors had to take off their clothes for 25 days during the filming of "The Girl Who Lived", the story of a young woman who survived the Auschwitz death camp during World War II.

  The volunteer cast and crew worked from 4pm to 4am to avoid work and study commitments and spent months taking part in trust exercises and workshops so the nude scenes could be filmed with ease.

• Former Albion mayor Michael Hadick, when asked about nude photos of him posted on a website, declared, "I am naked every day. It isn't a big deal."
• Guy Adams, commentator for The Independent, cannot understand America's strange morality laws.
• A Munich art exhibit celebrates 150 years of body images in photography.
• A Denver prosecutor says that a woman flashing her breasts in public is not free speech as protected by the First Amendment.

Nudist Photo of the Day 5/23/09

The above photo by Globe and Mail photographer John Lehmann was a finalist in the Canadian National Newspaper Awards. It shows members of Skinnydipper Club bowling in the nude at Lucky Strike Lanes, New Westminster, B.C. April 27, 2008.

N Magazine Summer 2009 Issue

The current issue of N Magazine has been published by The Naturist Society and is available for purchase here. The editors were kind enough to put the table of contents and an article on Haulover Beach online for all to read. Also, kudos to The Academic Naturist for his article "Freehiking Wisconsin", but you will need to purchase a copy to read that one, as well as "Naked in Santa Barbara", "Lake Como Love Story", "Getting Back to the Naturist Future", and much more.

Nudist Photo of the Day 5/22/09

NAC Action Alert - Auburn, California

************************************************** ********************
NATURIST ACTION COMMITTEE
ACTION ALERT
************************************************** ********************
http://www.naturistaction.org
************************************************** ********************
Copyright 2009 by the Naturist Action Committee, which is responsible
for its content. Permission is granted for the posting, forwarding or
redistribution of this message, provided that it is reproduced in its
entirety and without alteration.

DATE : May 21, 2009
SUBJECT: California: American River
TO : Naturists and other concerned citizens

Dear Naturist,

This is an Action Alert from the Naturist Action Committee concerning an important situation in the state of California.

The city council of the town of Auburn, California, recently passed a resolution asking for increased enforcement and citations for nudity at the nearby Auburn State Recreational Area (SRA). The area includes traditional clothing-optional sites along a portion of the American River.

The resolution was introduced by Councilman Kevin Handley as a response to recent media attention given to online advertising that touted some stretches of the river as sites for illicit sexual behavior. That advertising has been removed. The local resolution has no real teeth, and California Park managers responsible for the Auburn SRA have indicated that they do not feel obligated to change their existing enforcement policies concerning simple nudity at traditional areas within the State Park unit.

Naturists have an opportunity to say, "Thank You." NAC is asking for your immediate action in the form of your letters and e-mails of encouragement and appreciation to key California Parks personnel.

BRIEF HISTORY AND DISCUSSION

Skinny-dipping and nude sunbathing are a decades-old tradition on the American River. The clothing-optional sites that would be most directly affected by the resolution are those located northeast of the town of Auburn, below the confluence of the North and Middle branches of the River and above the site of the abandoned Auburn Dam project on the American River.

THE LAW Section 314.1 of State Penal Code is the portion of general state law used to charge indecent exposure, but California courts have said that absent any lewd content, benign nudity like skinny-dipping is not prohibited under 314.1. Title 14, Section 4322 of the California Administrative Code bans nudity in State Park units. However, well established State Parks policy and court decisions have limited restrictions on nudity in traditional areas of clothing-optional use, and Section 4322 itself allows for the creation of areas within state parks to be set aside officially for clothing-optional use. Historically, California Parks personnel have not hassled people for mere nudity along the American River, unless a specific complaint has forced them to respond.

WHAT IS NAC DOING?

Since 2006, the Naturist Action Committee has been closely, directly and continuously involved with officials of the Auburn SRA. Following the recent resolution by the Auburn City Council, NAC board member Allen Baylis spoke with District Superintendent Scott Nakaji, who understands the issues of naturists. Superintendent Nakaji assures NAC that Auburn State Recreation Area intends to continue under established California Parks policy (the Cahill Policy).

NAC has also sent a letter expressing its concern to the Auburn City Council. Various local news stories on the matter have quoted NAC board member Baylis, as well as a spokesperson for the River Dippers, a Sacramento-area affiliate of the Naturist Society.

WHAT IS NAC ASKING YOU TO DO?

The Naturist Action Committee is asking you to do just ONE thing:

1) Write immediately to the California Parks officials
responsible for the Auburn State Recreation Area.
Thank them for their consistent and reasonable response
in the face of the local resolution.

NAC is not asking at this time for letters to be sent to the City of Auburn.

WHO SHOULD WRITE A "THANK YOU" NOTE?

NAC is asking ALL NATURISTS and other concerned individuals to write, regardless of your residence. The area at issue is U.S. public land being administered as a California public park. This is a matter that affects us all.

WHOM TO CONTACT

You may send letters of appreciation that are written on paper or e-mailed. We want tangible evidence of our participation, so NAC is not asking for phone calls in this instance. Please write to both of the following key individuals.

Scott Nakaji
Gold Fields District Superintendent
California State Parks
7806 Folsom Auburn Road
Folsom, CA 95630
snakaji@parks.ca.gov

Mike Lynch
Auburn Acting Sector Superintendent
California State Parks
501 El Dorado
Auburn, CA 95604
mlynch@parks.ca.gov

Please send a copy of your correspondence to:

Ruth Coleman
Director
Dept. of Parks and Recreation
1416 Ninth Street,
Sacramento, CA 95816
director@parks.ca.gov

NAC would enjoy the opportunity to read your thank you notes. Please send a copy to:

NAC
P.O. Box 132
Oshkosh, WI 54903
auburn@naturistaction.org

Key points to remember when writing:

1. This is intended to be a THANK YOU note to State Park
managers who already understand our message. Please
resist the temptation to convince them of the benefits of naturism.

2. Identify yourself. Anonymous correspondence is generally
disregarded. If you are a California resident, please say
so prominently.

3. Be brief and polite.

4. Say clearly and sincerely that you SUPPORT and APPRECIATE
the continuing position of officials at the Auburn SRA in
their management FOR nude recreation. Skinny-dipping and
nude sunbathing are benign activities that are a
traditional part of the diverse use of the Auburn SRA.

5. Gently remind the officials that mere nudity is not lewd.
Naturists do not condone lewd conduct in public.

6. Say briefly and specifically that you OPPOSE any move to
ban skinny-dipping and nude sunbathing on the
American River.

WHAT ELSE TO SAY?

Keep your correspondence focused and uncluttered. This is intended to be a "thank you" for specific State Park officials. At this point, they don't need to be converted, they need to be appreciated.

MORE INFORMATION AND RESOURCES

Additional information and links are available, along with this NAC Action Alert on the Web site of the Naturist Action Committee.

http://www.naturistaction.org

Select "Alerts" and find this NAC Action Alert under Current Alerts.

There you will find the complete text of the Auburn City Council's resolution, as well as NAC's response to the City.

PLEASE HELP NAC TO CONTINUE HELPING NATURISTS!

The Naturist Action Committee is a volunteer nonprofit organization that exists to advance and protect the rights of naturists throughout North America. Fighting for the clothing-optional recreational use of public land is expensive. To do its job, NAC relies entirely on the voluntary generosity of supporters like you. To donate to NAC, use the address below

NAC
PO Box 132
Oshkosh, WI 54903

Or call toll free (800) 886-7230 to donate by phone using your MasterCard, Visa or Discover Card. Or use your credit card to make a convenient online donation: www.naturistaction.org/donate/

Thank you for choosing to make a difference.

Naturally,

R. Allen Baylis
Board Members
Naturist Action Committee

---------------------------------------------------------------
Naturist Action Committee (NAC) - PO Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54903
Executive Dir. Bob Morton - execdir@naturistaction.org
Board Member Allen Baylis - rab@baylislaw.com
Online Rep. Dennis Kirkpatrick - naturist@sunclad.com
---------------------------------------------------------------

Nudist Photo of the Day 5/21/09

Nudist Fruit

Photo of an actual cherry we got at Kroger.

Gratitude and humility...

My friend Marilyn stopped by my office yesterday to hand-deliver a wonderful gift: a group of heart-themed ATCs made for my niece -- the timing is perfect, as I will be traveling with my dad tomorrow to see her. (Marilyn also collaged the house pictured here, in which the ATCs will reside.)

In addition to the beads, glitter, buttons and embellishments that any little girl would love, these very special ATCs also carry messages of hope, love, family, and strength (to name just a few) which brought tears to my eyes, and I am sure they will be treasured by Avery when I share them with her.

Thank you Marilyn, Melanie, Melissa, Lori, Fran, Laura, Sharon, Miriam, Peggy, Roberta, Pam, Linda, Ginger, Elaine, Helen, Tabitha, and Patti. I will carry your thoughts, prayers, wishes and friendship with me on this visit, and everyday.

The Daily Newds 5/20/09

• Porn stars are getting more parts in mainstream films.
• A Colorado Springs attorney is asking a judge to declare the city's ban on nudity in licensed liquor establishments unconstitutional.
• The saggy pants proposal in Tennessee is likely dead.
• Red Moser, PA, PhD, chronicles his life in nudity.

  One of my strangest experiences in 1975 was a nude graduate school interview! I applied for a master's program at UC Davis. In order to save me the travel time, three of the faculty members offered to interview me at their home in Sonoma County. I arrived promptly, clad in my interview suit and tie. There was no answer at the door, but I heard them call me from the back yard. As I entered through the gate, I couldn't help but notice that I was a bit over-dressed for the occasion. I don't really know, but I think I am the only person ever to be interviewed for graduate school by three nude faculty members.

• "The Sex Education Show" in Britain tackles the issue of pornography and how it is affecting young people today. Episodes can be viewed online here.
• The lawsuit over the death of Luis Andrew Martinez, aka Berkeley's Naked Guy, has been settled.
• The media is finally waking up to the fact that people are being virtually strip-searched at airports, due to the fact that privacy advocates are calling for a suspension in the use of the imaging machines.
• John Zammit, candidate for the European Parliament, is running on a platform which includes the creation of nudist beaches.
• A costly legal battle looms in the UK over the protection of a nudist beach from an apartment complex which threatens to look out directly onto the sunbathers.
• A columnist takes on the naked vs. nude debate.

  In the context of his argument, it seems better to be naked than nude; the former implies a choice, whereas the latter implies that a female is being unwittingly, unfairly dominated by a male gaze. Other critics would argue almost the opposite, however. Kenneth Clark, a critic who is often credited as the source of the debate, believed that nude forms are the admirable equivalent of Titian’s Venus; they are ideal forms of art, while naked bodies are just their embarrassing, real-life counterparts.

• The owner of a BBQ restaurant in Reading, Ohio, has been ordered to "cover up a bit" a female mannequin standing outside the establishment. The mannequin has been wearing a bikini top and shorts, and some people complained that it was "too sexy". The owner plans to appeal.

Nudist Photo of the Day 5/20/09

Bad for Nudism

Last night VH1 ran an episode of "New York Goes to Work" where the personality visited The Terra Cotta Inn clothing-optional resort in Palm Springs, California. You can watch it online here.

From the minute owner Tom Mulhall walked out and New York (aka Tiffany Pollard) exclaimed, "Oh my goodness, his wiener is hanging out", it was clear that this was going to be a public relations disaster for nudism.

Tom, I love ya, you run a great resort and your wife Mary Clare is a gem, but what were you thinking? Sure, you might get some extra bookings from the show, but allowing you and your guests to be "censored" on national TV with animated smiley faces and fig leaves was a bad move

"I always thought that good hygiene required pants" was one of New York's "observations", thus perpetuating one of many common myths about the lifestyle. "Your dick is out, I'm sorry, I'm just noticing it" she said as she covered her eyes and looked away. About her job, she exclaimed, "It's just hard to do it with all these old nekkid people around". Holding her head, she cried "Help me help me help me" as if asking God to deliver her from Hell. And she also referred to one rude guest as a "mother****er" when he got irritating. Was this guy a plant from the network, Tom? I hope so, because if he was an actual guest it's speaks poorly for your clientele.

"Your thing is out, like, you're hanging out" New York said as she served breakfast to a guest, as if she's never seen a penis before. There were also several shots of an older gentleman, who was greeted with comical sound effects and rude comments.

The one moment of truth was when New York, an African-American, said that seeing all these nude people was all a huge culture shock for her, thus illustrating all too painfully the lack of racial diversity in the clothes-free lifestyle.

Tom, you were used by VH1, who put an over-the-top comic personality into your midst merely to exploit your resort for cheap laughs. The show did nothing, NOTHING, to put the nudist or naturist lifestyle in a positive light.

(SPOILER ALERT)

And to top it all off, Tom had to fire the woman because she was a ditz and drank on the job, and tore up the $10,000 check in her face, causing New York to storm off in anger , making Tom not only look like a weird California dude, but an asshole as well.

Every dealing I've ever had with Tom and Mary Clare has been terrific. The work hard, run a great resort, and are perhaps the friendliest online nudists you will ever meet. I hope that they can come up with an antidote to the poison pill they were forced to swallow last night.

Warning - I am ranting just a little bit here...

Control issue!? - Me?!

I've discovered recently (or is it again?) that I have one. Actually, I don't think it's an issue at all. I like to be in control - of MY life, MY art, MY decisions. That's all. Is that an issue? I don't think so. I can compromise, but I find that compromise comes easiest to me about things I don't care much about. The things about which I am really passionate and have strong opinions - like my art, my house, or my dog, for example - those are things about which I want to be the sole decision-maker. I don't want to compromise. I don't want to have to meet in the middle, or spend my time doing something out of obligation rather than something born of natural desire.

Of course, I've mentioned in previous posts that I am well aware that control of any sort is an illusion. How often do I get up in the morning and mentally plan how my day will unfold, only to find it doesn't work that way? To some extent, every day. I know that there are a billion details beyond my control - to me, this is another argument to hang on to as much of the illusion as I can.

All this, and yet I consider myself a pretty easy-going person. There are just a few things about which I have become very protective lately. My art - which is coming from a very personal place these days, so I am protective of the source and of the motivation. I want to share it, and I plan to -- but how and when? I just haven't decided yet. And my time - I never have enough to do all that I want. Does anyone??

In the meantime, here are some journal pages from my overnight in the country with Debbie. We also did a collaborative painting, but I forgot to take a photo. (FYI a collaborative painting is definitely a surrender of control!!!)

Footnote: It has been pointed out to me that my recent change in marital status could be part of my current control "thing." It is amazing how quickly one can get used to not having to consult with another human being when making decisions.

Debunking Myths About Child Nudity

Must reading from Dr. Paul Rapoport.

The prime myth is that all photographs of child nudity are illegal. This is no longer in the background but considered a specific "fact." In early April, Ruth Marcus of The Washington Post left no doubt: "Nude photos of minors -- even if the minor is you --are child pornography." Not only is there no basis for that absurdity in jurisprudence in North America, it maligns family snapshots as well as photos in the arts, medicine or naturism; and it declares the sole purpose of a lack of clothes to be immoral, harmful sexuality.

Nudist Photo of the Day 5/19/09

The art exhibit...

My friend Marilyn's exhibit opening at the Five Rivers Environmental Center on Saturday was a great beginning to the weekend. After taking in all of the exhibits(Marilyn was one of five artists whose work was on display), I made a nature print at Marilyn's demo table, and then painted a metal heart (for Avery, of course) that I was able to rivet onto a metal sculpture. I love exhibits that allow for some interaction. I would have liked to stay longer to enjoy the hiking trails and see the grounds more thoroughly, but I had lots to do, so I plan to visit again when I can just take some time to walk around with my camera and my journal.

After some much-needed yard work, I headed out to farm country to visit my friend Debbie. I'll be posting the artful results of that visit tomorrow.

The Daily Newds 5/18/09

• British model Katie Price faces possible arrest for nude sunbathing in the Maldives.

  Foreign Office travel advice warns: "Nudism and topless sunbathing are prohibited throughout the Maldives including on resort islands. "The Maldives is a Muslim country and serious violations of law may lead to a prison sentence."

• No disciplinary action will be taken against six students who streaked across the stage at the Green Mountain College commencement in Vermont.

  It's sort of become a new tradition at the school, one that is not encouraged but not "stamped out, either," (communications director Kevin) Coburn said. "It happened at last year's commencement," Coburn said, hours after Saturday's streaking.

• Married for 43 years, Ian and Nancy Watters love the nude lifestyle.

  "We do everything in the nude; mowing, mulching, gardening. We always seem to have a lot of laughs and that’s good for your health."

• A sex theme park slated to open in October has been torn down by Chinese authorities because it was "vulgar, ill-minded and misleading."
• A South Texas town is debating whether or not to ban "nude sketch classes" in the Arts District, due to its proximity to schools and day care centers.
• Laurie Penny says that burlesque today is nothing more than a "misogynist scam."

  I began to realise that what really differentiated my act from that of your average stripper wasn't the performance, or the costumes, but simply class. Like the majority of women who choose to get involved with burlesque, our troupe was made up of middle-class girls, with the act offering us an opportunity to indulge in raunchy exhibitionism without feeling "cheap" (at least initially). Burlesque serves up misogyny in a tasteful package of feathers, while the explicit nature of the shows increases each year. When I was performing, complete nudity was frowned on, but burlesque acts such as Satan's Striptease and Empress Stah have since started offering full-frontal flashing.

• Why are law enforcement officials targeting Craigslist for censorship? It's "good politics."
• A teen has been suspended by his fundamentalist Baptist educators for attending a prom at another high school because there was "dancing, rock music and hand-holding."
• A group of Belgian actors rode nude on bicycles at the Cannes Film Festival to promote their movie.
• The Christian Action Network in Cape Town, South Africa, want to criminalize pornography and other forms of adult entertainment after a recent Sexpo event. Miss Nude South Africa says that Sexpo was not exploitative.
• 80% of Key West tourism-based businesses support a clothing-optional beach.
• A Lutheran pastor has denounced Miss California USA Carrie Prejean as a hypocrite.

  "(In) America, according to this girl ... it is totally immoral for two people of the same gender who are in love to enter into a lifelong, faithful, monogamous union, (and) apparently not a problem at all for a 17-year-old girl to be photographed half-naked for the expressed purpose of sexually arousing millions of heterosexual men to whom she is not married and who are not married to her."

• Dita Von Teese was ordered to show "less cleavage" during the Eurovision Song Contest.
• A nude sketch of Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is up for auction in Paris. Imagine if a similar image of Michelle Obama went on sale in New York City, and you can clearly see the cultural divide.
• Does a teacher have a "reasonable expectation of privacy" for files stored on a school computer?
• The producer of a Danish TV reality show has apologized for shooting a nude scene on a Malaysian island.
• If you think nudity has caused some trouble through the years, consider these instances where articles of clothing caused riots.
• Kenyans want the statue of a nude boy in front of a court house to be demolished claiming it "encourages pedophilia."
• One woman ignores the "naked baby police" and lets her kids frolic nude in a wading pool.
• Striking a balance between "nudists and prudists" has been difficult at North Lido Park in Sarasota, Florida.
• The Calgary Music Festival features bands, nature, and a "nude slip-n-slide."
• Helena writes, "stop being so prude and get your kit off" after witnessing women showering in their bathing suits at the local gym.

  Being a Swede, where nudity is something natural, this is incredibly strange to me. When I'm in the communal showers I notice that these women are still wearing their swimmers but had they been naked I wouldn't have batted an eyelid. Why is it that some women, depending on their upbringing, culture or religion, cannot get undressed in front of other women. We all look the same. And when I'm in the shower I don't look at what your bodies look like. I'm busy trying to squeeze out of my wet, too tight bathing suit and just wash myself. I have no interest in looking at other women. So please, just get your kit off and feel that it's ok to wash yourselves properly. Because you can't really reach all your bits when wearing a Speedo!

• A new naked tribe has been found in Nigeria.
• William Cook, who founded the Eastwoodhill Arboretum in Gisborne, New Zealand, was an avid nudist.

  ...he often did his gardening unimpeded by clothes, apart from the boot he wore to help with digging holes, and visitors soon learned that it was a good idea to phone for an appointment.

• Attorney Scott H. Greenfield calls the criminalization of teen sexting as "the stupidest thing ever."

Nudist Photo of the Day 5/18/09

Nudist Photo of the Day 5/17/09

Nudist Photo of the Day 5/16/09

Kuala Lumpur Maid Scandal - How to beat up a 3-year-old

The Malaysian Police has confirmed that the video of the maid who abused a toddler is in fact a case in Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur CID Chief Senior Assistant Commissioner II Ku Chin Wah has confirmed that the video is a case in Kuala Lumpur reported in the news in November 2007, involving a consultant programmer and his then 18-year-old domestic helper. How the tape got leaked into the internet is something the Police may be interested in knowing from its own men.

According to the news report, the employer became suspicious when his three-year-old daughter repeatedly complained of stomach pains, and decided to install a web cam in his living room.

When he returned home from work, he was shocked to discover his Indonesian maid shoving, kicking and stomping on the child.

The maid was sentenced to two years' jail for assaulting the child.

The video highlighted the possible pitfalls of hiring domestic help and the need to take precautions, like installing spycams, to prevent similar incidents from happening

Be forewarned. The video may be disturbing to some of you.

Aries, art, artists, friends...

These images are of an owl named Aries, hooooo I may very well meet this weekend... I first learned about him in this blog post by my friend Marilyn, who is having an art exhibit which begins tomorrow at the Five Rivers Nature Preserve, where Aries resides.
When Marilyn first wrote about Aries, she offered a blog challenge to create an altered art image of him. At the time, I was busy with other projects, but I decided to create one today in anticipation of meeting him and seeing Marilyn's exhibit. Clearly, I can't improve on the art of Mother Nature. He's a beautiful and majestic creature.

After the exhibit, I will hit the road with my faithful sidekick Max, and head out to my friend Debbie's, for an overnight of art, food, friends and fun on the farm.

I hope to have pictures of art & adventures to share with you on Monday.
Enjoy the weekend, my friends!

Nudist Photo of the Day 5/15/09

There's no place like home...

Tomorrow, my last heart in the "nine hearts" series (previous post) will be headed to Boston, so I created a new series. This one has an obvious theme. It will carry with it my wish (and all of yours) for Avery's full recovery so that she can go home and resume her normal five-year-old life, with friends, neighbors, swingset, goldfish, a fridge full of Pelligrino and stops by the ice cream man, to name just a few of her favorites. These are just simple pencil sketches on foam core, embellished with buttons & velvet rickrack.

I have also been busy with some new heart paintings, which will make their debut here soon. I need to add just a few finishing touches!

And speaking of Avery, just a quick update:
She continues to amaze her doctors and make progress. Her lungs are improving and her heart has been stable. She may be extubated in the next few days (again), and we hope this is the road to her return home for sure this time!!

The Daily Newds 5/14/09

• In the fallout the Carrie Prejean Miss California fiasco, a photographer contradicts her story that her breasts were exposed because the wind blew open her top.

  (Domnic) Petruzzi says he shot the photos on a "normal day" and it's ridiculous to blame it on a breeze. As for Prejean's claim the pics were taken between shots for the modeling session (she was posing for Bliss Magazine), Petruzzi says -- "she was totally posing and looking into the camera."

• The co-executive director of the Miss California Pageant resigned yesterday saying she no longer believes in the organization because Prejean was allowed to keep her crown, despite apparent violations of her agreement.
• Yet more Prejean news. The Baptist Standard reports that conservatives are split over the beauty queen and if she is the appropriate role model for Christian women.

  Writer Dave Welch added comments on the conservative website World Net Daily in his article, "Is Carrie Prejean Really a Hero?" "I respect Miss Prejean for her stand and her willingness to testify of her faith," Welch wrote. "However, I much more highly admire, respect and esteem my wife, my daughters and all the girls and women who have chosen the higher road. They are determined to show that their worth is not in how they look in a bathing suit but that they are wonderful creations of a loving God who designed them with meticulous detail as they are."

• Is Gok Wan "genuinely interested in changing the perception of beauty", or is he just exploiting ordinary people with his contest "Miss Naked Beauty"?
• A clear sign that mass media and cultural pressures are destroying the body images of yet another generation, British swimming champion Rebecca Adlington, age 19, thinks of herself as "unfeminine".

  "I think there is a problem in that girls don't think it's cool to be sporty. I had that feeling when I used to trudge into school after training with my hair wet, smelling of chlorine, with no make-up on and thinking, 'Oh God, all the other girls look fantastic.' We need to change the view that you can't be a sportswoman and be feminine. I am certainly feminine outside the pool.'"

• Radio talk show Michael Smerconish puts his ass on the line. Literally.
• A Nevada assemblyman was reprimanded for viewing pictures of "scantily clad women" on his own personal computer.
• Legal challenges continue in Virginia over the constitutionality of regulations defining nudity in adult establishments.

  The ABC board revised its own regulations, which prohibit the display of "genitals, pubic hair or anus by an entertainer, or any portion of the areola of the breast of a female entertainer."

• In the face of mounting legal pressures, Craigslist will no longer offer an "Erotic Services" category, and will create a new one titled "Adult Services". That should do the trick.
• Julie Hilden, writing on FindLaw, says that prosecutors should not charge sexting teens with "contributing to the delinquency of a minor".

  It would be absurd, for instance, for two sixteen-year-olds who are dating to be deemed criminals because each sent a nude photo of him- or herself to the other, while meaning for the photo to be kept entirely private. Teenagers do have First Amendment rights – and, with the exception of obscene (and in this context, obscene-as-to-minors) speech, sexual speech is protected.

• Auburn, California, seeks to crack down on nudity and "lewd acts" on a remote stretch of the American River.

  Council members say the beach has long been a destination for nude sunbathers without a problem. But it's recently become known for sex encounters after it became more accessible to boaters with the opening of a new section of river last year.

• A 35,000 year old figure of a voluptuous nude woman is perhaps the world's oldest sculpture.

Nudist Photo of the Day 5/14/09

The Daily Newds 5/13/09

• Alanis Morisette will reportedly do a nude scene during the next season of "Weeds". Morisette once said, "I'm a leave-the-bathroom-door-open nudist, which is sometimes disconcerting for my friends."
• A 73 year-old sex offender was found hiding under an assumed name at an Arizona nudist venue. He was using an RV with tags registered to the previous owners.
• With all the worry about "stranger danger", it's illuminating to discover that approx. 8000 children were injured by falling televisions in 2007.
• A new book argues makes the case that running in bare feet "may be the kindest thing you every do for your body."
• I really feel terrible for the family of the Ohio girl who committed suicide because she was bullied by her peers over a nude photo she took of herself, but suing the school, the town and some of the students is compounding the tragedy unnecessarily.
• The Texas Senate voted to repeal a $5 per person "admission fee" to strip clubs, which was declared to be unconstitutional, and agreed to replace it with a "new tax" on sexually oriented businesses. And the difference is...?
• Are curvy young women rejecting the "half-starved look" which has been the body ideal for a generation?

  ... the impossibly bouncy paradigm of birdlike frame supporting implausibly big breasts that originated with porn stars — and Barbie — may be on the way out, at least among teenagers. Mind you, what women tell market researchers doesn’t always reflect what they really think. Do women, especially young women, even always understand the fraught cross-currents of reaction that their own — and other women’s — bodies elicit?

• The first streaker has struck Citi Field.
• An ad for Air New Zealand shows pilots and flight attendants wearing nothing but body paint.
• A sexting case in Palm Beach County has resulted in search warrants to the homes of five teens, as well as seizures of cell phones and computers. No charges have yet been filed.
• Vanessa Hudgens, who took a nude photo of herself a couple of years back, is open to doing nude scenes in movies.
• Sexploitation hits a new low in a Latin American show called "Without Breasts There is no Paradise."
• All nudists and naturists laugh at the annual "How to Get in Bikini Shape" article.