Nude News
Clan_MacKay
(CNN) -- Will Britney bare it all for animal rights?
That's the word from the New York Post's gossip section, Page Six.
Columnist Richard Johnson's Wednesday report claims that pop princess
Britney Spears will star in a new, nude poster campaign for People for
the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Though Johnson quotes PETA spokesman Dan Mathews, a call by CNN to PETA
didn't confirm the scoop.
"I can't confirm or deny any of it," PETA spokesperson Shelly Breitbeil
told CNN. She said that plans for the next campaign were still in the
works.
Spears met the ire of PETA officials this past September when she
performed at the MTV Music Awards with a caged tiger on stage.
The Page Six story also claims that Spears will model faux-leather
outfits on PETA's pleatheryourself.com Web site.
Dominique Swain, who starred in the title role of the 1997 remake of
"Lolita," is PETA's current celebrity spokesperson of choice. Her
poster campaign features her nude (but covering vital body parts),
writing "I'd rather go naked than wear fur" on a chalkboard.
Clan_MacKay
Fri Aug 5, 5:17 PM ET
A man swimming in the buff along the shoreline is causing a stir where
tourists stroll along the waterfront and dine in restaurants
overlooking San Francisco Bay.
The skinny-dipper has shocked diners and prompted complaints to police.
"He makes fly-bys," City Manager Dana Whitson said. "Usually, people
look for seals. Some of the diners are kind of surprised."
Sausalito police Detective William Fraass said the department has
received at least two reports in the past three weeks of a man swimming
au naturel in the afternoon near the Spinnaker restaurant and
Schoonmaker Point Marina.
"It is a rarity. It is just another call for service but it made our
eyebrows go up when we heard the call over the radio," Fraass said. "We
don't get many naked-people-swiming-in-the-bay calls."
Police have unsuccessfully attempted to catch the swimmer
bare-bottomed.
"We are still looking because we want to talk to him and see what is
going on," Fraass said. "We want to inform him of the calls from the
public and get his side of the story. Right now, no laws have been
broken, but we are still investigating."
Notice "No Laws have been Broken".
Marsketa
that! hehe
Marsketa
Al Sez
:-)
Tom-N-Mary
So we CAN walk nude in California if we want??????
Tom
Clan_MacKay
Excerpts from telegraph.co.uk's Health column, by James Le Fanu:
It is difficult to know why skinny-dipping should be so much more
pleasurable than wearing even the flimsiest pair of swimming trunks -
it just is. And I was interested to learn from a couple of readers that
it has other advantages as well.
Both are lifelong martyrs to psoriasis, which improves during the
summer with sea water and moderate sunbathing. Then, last year, Mr B.
S. from Manchester took himself off for a fortnight's holiday where "it
is possible to sunbathe and swim naked ... all I can say is that my
skin is much better than it has been for years''.
Mr G. J., from Blackburn, tells precisely the same story. He has just
returned from Naxos, "where it seems acceptable to strip off
completely, and when in Rome etc ... To my astonishment my skin is in a
far better state than it has been for many years.''
Mrs Mary Cole from Essex acted promptly on the naturist cure for
psoriasis, , by persuading her (reluctant) husband to spend a fortnight
sunbathing naked and skinny-dipping on the shores of the Mediterranean.
They have just returned and not only is his skin now almost completely
clear but apparently he also looks "much sexier".
Both he, and indeed Mrs Cole, are now "complete converts".
There is no obvious reason why those who settle for wearing a skimpy
swimsuit should not also benefit, but a reader from Cumbria reports
than skin specialists in Israel (where the treatment is very popular)
claim that complete nakedness results in a more rapid improvement -
which is indeed his own experience.
Sources: http://tinyurl.com/cgoq4 & http://tinyurl.com/73g6z
Clan_MacKay
The naked truth: House a tough sell
Colonial sits amid nudist camp
BY STEFANIE COHEN - Star-Ledger Staff
Monday, August 08, 2005
Bill Van Keuren shouldn't have had any trouble selling his family's
house.
It's a three-story colonial with a formal dining room, thick mahogany
doors, leaded-glass windows and an enclosed porch. A spring-fed lake is
just steps away, past two tennis courts and a hot tub. The house sits
on 145 acres of pristine Sussex County woodlands in a naturist resort.
It is priced very attractively at $395,000.
Still, it has languished on the market for more than a year, even as
its price has been reduced from $450,000.
How can such a home defy the roaring real estate market in New Jersey,
where people are paying half a million dollars for homes only to knock
them down and rebuild on the empty lots?
The problem lies in that phrase "naturist resort," which is a euphemism
for a nudist camp, or what once might have been known as a nudist
colony.
Put differently, anyone who wants Van Keuren's house at Rock Lodge Camp
in Stockholm mustn't mind public nudity.
"It's definitely unique," said Heather Adam, the realtor who has listed
the house since February, advertising it in naturist magazines and
local real estate pamphlets.
Last winter, there were three open houses. A few folks showed, but were
shocked to learn they were in the middle of a nudist camp. In the
winter, of course, no one is around.
Adam said she hasn't held an open house this summer because "you have
people up there with no clothes on."
Three couples, she said, have shown interest in the house: a European
nudist couple, a couple from Montclair and one from Manhattan. No one
has made an offer.
The sale is complicated by the fact that a potential buyer would have
to lease the house first, then join the club, then buy the house
outright -- assuming they liked living on the property and the 150-odd
members of Rock Lodge liked them.
There's another catch: the land is on cooperative property owned by the
club. Homeowners would buy a membership bond entitling them to a
portion of the land's worth should it ever be sold.
Van Keuren's father built the house in 1955, and his son added on two
new stories in 1976. The family filled the home with Victorian
architectural details taken from their previous house in Newark: triple
sash windows, thick silvered mirrors and stained-glass windows.
Agnes Van Keuren, Bill's 92-year-old mother, lives in the house alone,
and Bill wants her to move in with him in Thompsonville, N.Y.
Agnes moved to Rock Lodge full time in 1977, after William died.
William, described by his son as "a progressive person with liberal
lifestyle ideas," helped found Rock Lodge Camp in the 1930s.
William and Agnes met at the camp, after Agnes had been lured there
unsuspectingly by friends who neglected to tell her the resort was for
nudists. Eventually she embraced the lifestyle, spending summers there
with her husband and children. Even at 92, she still visits the lake
once a year for a skinny dip.
According to Carolyn Hawkins, a spokeswoman for the American
Association for Nude Recreation, selling a home at a nudist camp isn't
generally difficult. A home just sold at her own club in Kissimmee,
Fla. -- Cypress Cove -- last month, she said.
Despite the fact nude recreation is growing (the nude recreation
association says there are 270 clubs and roughly 50,000 members in the
United States and Canada, up from 170 clubs in 1992) there is still a
bit of mystery surrounding the lifestyle.
Nudism took hold in this country in the 1930s, said Michael Gesner,
president of the Tri State Sun Club in Warren County. Nudist colonies
tended to be founded by German immigrants who exercised and swam in the
nude, he said.
"They would just find a piece of private property somewhere rural," he
said. The clubs were called "colonies" because they were secret and
alternative. Now that nudism is more mainstream, naturists don't like
to use the word colony. Camp, or resort, is preferred.
Nudists say there is nothing lascivious, or even that sexy, about the
way the live. It's about being natural, accepting yourself and about
shedding the status symbols that clothing can connote
"It strips you of your class," Van Keuren said. "You don't know if your
next door neighbor is a doctor or picks up garbage for a living. You
don't know if they are a lawyer or an actress on Broadway."
On a typical day at Rock Lodge, members roam the property in any state
of undress. A man might be practicing his backhand on the tennis court
in the buff. A woman could be walking around the lake in a T-shirt and
nothing else. One might be gardening in a tank top and underwear, as if
she rolled out of bed and wandered outside, garden shears in hand.
Everyone knows each other.
Aaron Treat, who is staying at Rock Lodge for the summer with his wife,
Katerina Vanikova, said he finds the place calming. They live in
Manhattan during the year.
"We like the fresh air and the family atmosphere," said Treat, 34, who
was sitting in his cabin dressed in a T-shirt and shorts, looking like
any other New Yorker on vacation.
The entire Rock Lodge property is secured by a locked wooden gate that
keeps curiosity-seekers out and gives club members a feeling of
security. No signs offer any clue that a nudist resort is within.
The gate may provide privacy to club members, but it's giving Adam a
headache.
"If I could scoop the house up and move it to the other side of that
fence, it would have sold already," she said.
Source:
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1123480681156930.xml&coll=1
Clan_MacKay
SIX naked sunbathers have been fined in a crackdown on illegal
naturism.
The sun worshippers were caught without their clothes on at sand dunes
in Ainsdale, Merseyside.
They were fined £80 each for public order offences as part of
Operation Crow, which aims to combat nude sunbathing.
Behaviour
Pc John Schofield, of Merseyside Police, said: "After we received a
number of complaints from both visitors and residents in the area, we
decided to launch an operation to stop this type of behaviour.
"This type of activity is not acceptable to the many families with
young children who like to go out and enjoy the sand dunes on a sunny
afternoon.
"We will continue to address this problem and will give penalty notices
to anyone responsible for public order offences."
The sunbathers were caught during a two-day operation which took place
last week.
Should the naked sunbathers have been fined? Have your say.
Submit your comments
View comments (73 comments. Last comment 25/07/2005 at 20:56)
Steven Cole
-Steve
Clan_MacKay
Polskie Radio
August 9, 2005
Two young men in southern Poland have been detained by the police after
they made an attempt to walk across the country in the nude. The two
explained that they had made a bet with their friends that they would
reach the Baltic sea coast walking without their clothes on. In reality
they only lasted six kilometres before a police patrol spotted them on
a security camera. According to local inhabitants, the police may have
done the two a favour, since the heat wave of the past few weeks
suddenly gave way to wet, chilly and windy weather.
Source: http://www.radio.com.pl/polonia/article.asp?tId=26016&j=2
Clan_MacKay
GETTING NAKED ON THE GO IS THE HOTTEST THING SINCE, WELL, GETTING
NAKED.
ANGELINA CAPPIELLO - LexisNexis
August 9, 2005
After traveling the world for two years, Mike Aveyard, a retired
chiropractor from Ohio, and his wife, Peggy, a retired hairdresser,
were looking for a place to call home. They settled on Eden Bay, a
nudist resort in the Dominican Republic. For the couple, life
couldn't be sweeter.
"Living the nudist lifestyle in a tropical paradise is the ultimate in
being free from the trappings of a traditional lifestyle," says Mike,
60, who now works as an activities director for the resort. "Most
people feel the enjoyment and relief of just removing their shoes after
a hard day in the real world. Nudists take that to a higher level. Our
motto is, 'Less clothes, less stress.'"
Like the Aveyards, a growing number of vacationers are happily
stripping down to nothing, finding along the way that they're losing
a lot more than their shirts - they're shedding the pressures of
daily life, from the paying of bills and work demands to the unhealthy
emphasis on looking young.
According to the American Association of Nude Recreation, nudist clubs
and resorts raked in $400 million in 2002 (the last year numbers are
available) compared to $200 million a decade earlier. Moreover, nudist
association memberships have risen by 76 percent over the past 10
years, for a total of 50,000 participants.
The AANR attributes this surge to an increase in the number of
residential nudist homes (usually integrated into destination resorts
and clubs) and an uptick in the number of nude cruises. Additionally,
while nudist resorts traditionally have attracted an older demographic
(those between 40 and 65 years of age), younger adults, says Carolyn
Hawkins, an AANR spokesperson, are jumping on the trend. "They're
becoming savvier travelers," she explains, "and are looking for
something different."
Helping to feed the trend is the chipping away of stereotypes. While
nudist resorts were once believed to be mostly shady and/or bare-bones,
the reality is they're not all that much different from destinations
that require clothing.
Nancy Tienmann, owner of Bare Necessities, a travel agency specializing
in all-nude recreation, says, "Going to a nudist club is not going down
a dirt road and behind a junkyard gate. Europeans have known this for a
long time. We [Americans] are just getting around to that."
Another assumption being blasted is that nudist resorts are for those
who have sterling physiques. If you're interested in parading around
in your birthday suit but feel your body is not up to snuff, take heart
- you'll find all sizes, shapes and conditions at nudist resorts and
clubs.
"This is not a body beautiful competition by any means," says Judi
Ditzler, spokesperson for the Naturist Society, an organization that
promotes body acceptance through clothing-optional recreation. "It's
about acceptance."
In fact, many of these resorts and clubs are not about the body, claim
nudists, but about the mind. Potential voyeurs or those looking
explicitly for sex will be sorely disappointed; only some resorts are
known for being wild, so if that's your thing, do your research. In
general, eye contact is encouraged, but staring is considered rude.
Most nudist resorts are about relaxing and being at one with your
surroundings, not one-night stands.
If you're interested in trying an all-nude vacation, but are unsure
of how you'll feel eating your corn flakes in the dining room sans
cover-up, you might consider a "clothing-optional" resort, which allows
guests to wear a layer or two until they acclimate. For the most part,
though, newbies shed their inhibitions after the second day. "You would
feel more uncomfortable if you weren't nude, because everyone else
is," says Hawkins.
For those searching for a new kind of freedom, or just a reason to pack
lightly, here's how to go.
GET NAKED
If you're heading for the clothing-optional resorts of the Yucatan,
or just want to kick-start that party weekend in Jamaica, you can now
unfasten more than your seatbelt after reaching a comfortable cruising
altitude. Naked Air Miami offers charter flights for up to 218 people
wanting to fly the "friendlier" skies. Although the crew remains
clothed throughout the flight (FAA regulations), passengers may remain
nude until the plane begins its descent for landing (from $529 RT,
service from Miami to Cancun and to Jamaica, naked-air.com).
STAY NAKED
According to the AANR, there are now over 270 clothes-free and
clothing-optional resorts, clubs and RV campgrounds worldwide, many of
which welcome families. The difference between clubs and resorts, by
the way, is minimal; clubs have guests who stay overnight, like at any
resort or hotel, as well as members who can use the facilities on a
daily basis. Also, the word "club" occasionally indicates a mom-and-pop
type of operation. As always, just make sure to research any
destination thoroughly before sealing the deal.
If you're looking to spend time with your significant other, or would
prefer to spend time with adults only, a resort would be more
appropriate. They range from peaceful retreats to those where the
day's goal is getting picked up.
Whatever you choose, be prepared to take to heart the no-clothes
policy. The rule of thumb, says AANR's Hawkins, is always "nude when
possible and clothed when practical. Obviously cover up when the
sun's really hot or when it's cold. We're nude, not ignorant."
One of the most popular resorts right now is the Desert Shadows Inn, in
Palm Springs, Calif., an upscale hideaway visited by celebs like Vince
Neil, Tim Meadows and Traci Bingham from "Baywatch." The resort boasts
three pools, two outdoor whirlpools, a full-service spa, two
restaurants and spectacular views of the San Jacinto Mountains. It
welcomes families, and now features 17 custom homes adjacent to the
property that command prices of nearly half a million dollars - hardly
the nudist colony of yesteryear (from $150; [800] 292-9298,
desertshadows.com).
Situated on white sandy beaches, Club Orient, located in St. Martin,
houses 136 rooms, each of which has a front porch (with picnic table),
a back porch (with an outside shower), a sitting area and a fully
equipped kitchen. On-site water sports include snorkeling, kayaking and
paddle boating (from $120, under 18 stay free; [800] 690-0199,
cluborient.com).
Situated on more than 72 tropical acres, Paradise Lakes in Land
O'Lakes, Fla., near Tampa, features a wide variety of accommodations
from poolside hotel rooms to two- and three-bedroom vacation condos.
(The resort also has more than 600 permanent residents.) It offers a
full-service restaurant, poolside bar, nightclub, spa, exercise center,
yoga center, gift shop and salon (from $70; [866] 794-6683,
paradiselakes.com).
How about an entire city instead of a resort? Le Cap d'Adge, a
Mediterranean resort town in the south of France, has an all-nude
quarter with three miles of white-sand beach. Known for its beautiful
deep-blue water and Greek monuments, this sexually charged city also
hosts nude "lifestyle" clubs ([04] 67 01 04 04, capdagde.com).
CRUISE NAKED
A variety of mostly smaller ships offer all-nude and clothing-optional
cruises. The Windjammer Barefoot Cruises' Yankee Clipper, which
accommodates up to 32 couples, offers a one-week all-inclusive cruise
in the Mediterranean ($1,000/pp through Castaways Travel; [800]
470-2020, castawaystravel.com). Bare Necessities also specializes in
privately chartered all-nude cruises - some on major cruise ships.
There's a week-long cruise aboard a 2,100-passenger Costa cruise ship
in the Mediterranean, departing Port Everglades, Fla. Feb. 26 (from
$2,149/pp; bare-necessities.com).
---
BARE ESSENTIALS
WONDERING what to pack? Here are the top 5 accessories for your nude
vacation.
1 Sunblock: Since certain areas of your body haven't seen the sun in,
um, never, lather on plenty of SPF to prevent burning.
2 Bug Spray: Mosquito bites in your private areas are no fun at all.
3 Sunglasses: Yes they're good for blocking the sun. They're also
good for first-timers who might stare, which is something that won't
make you many friends - regardless of whether you stare in admiration
or disgust.
4 Beachbag or fanny pack: No clothing means no pockets for storing sun
block, bug spray, sunglasses, money, etc. We're not kangaroos.
5 Clothing: After days of the sun shining where it's never shined
before, your skin may need a little covering up. Also, a shirt can save
your skin from hot food.
-Orient point: the Club Orient in St. Martin caters to families - yes,
you heard that right! -Skin is in at Desert Shadows, a nudist resort in
Palm Springs.
Source: http://tinyurl.com/drtol
Clan_MacKay
Kim Sun-duk, Editorial Writer - donga.com
August 8, 2005
An old man who struggled for the "right to be naked" in his entire
80-year life passed away last week. Then, in his last journey, would
he, or wouldn't he wear clothes? His family chose to let him have
clothes on even though that was against his dying wish.
Robert Norton, who was living in a small town in Illinois, U.S., was an
oddball who always went out with his clothes off and got arrested when
his neighborhood reported to the police. Since the year 1962, when he
was first arrested for exposing his naked body in public, he has been
in and out of the police station more than 20 times in the last 43
years. His family defended him, saying he became insane after fighting
in World War II, but they could not stop his eccentric behaviors. This
is why they dressed him gray pants and shirt at least on the road to
heaven, explained his elder brother who is a pastor.
Naturalist movements put much weight on "wholeness," and in plain
English, this can be called nudism or naked culture. They began in
Germany back in the 1890s in an effort to fairly assess the beauty of
the Aryans and emphasize health and strength. These movements spread
all across Europe after the end of the World War I, and even to America
in the 1930s. Hitler, however, banned nudity in 1933, possibly because
he was not attracted by naked beauties. His explanations were that
nudity deprived women of their natural sense of shame and got rid of
men's reverence for women.
Nudists argue that being naked has nothing to do with obscenity.
Rather, they say, it makes people indifferent to pornography or sexual
desires. Everyone agrees that this is the case in public saunas.
Nevertheless, it seems that people have as much desire for exposure as
for hiding, even though it is in the public sauna or it is for nudism.
In sexy dance contests, which are reportedly prevalent in the
"hottest" night clubs, there are not only "bounty hunters" who
have their eye upon prize money, but also plenty of "addicts" who
are eager to expose their naked bodies.
If the right to get naked should be respected, what also needs to be
respected is one's right to choose not to see others naked in time
and places he or she does not want. For "Couch," the indie band who
stirred a huge controversy by exposing their naked bodies on
television, their bodies might be a means of expressing art. For
others, however, their expression of art can be an attack or pollution.
Besides, the "selective exposure" of their bodies makes their real
intentions more dubious. We are already living in a world where we have
trouble seeing and discovering too many things that we do not want.
Source: http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?biid=2005080828268
Clan_MacKay
Myla Barnhardt - News-Record.com
August 7, 2005
REIDSVILLE, N.C. - I didn't just step out of my comfort zone - I
leaped.
You see, it was my first race, a 5K run.
And it was my first trip to a nudist resort.
The day dawned overcast and foggy. Fog is good. Fog is my friend, I
told myself as I drove nervously through the thick, soupy mix.
Unfortunately, it lifted just about the time I pulled off U.S. 158 and
started down the gravel road toward the Bar-S-Ranch.
Now, don't tell me you haven't driven by the Bar-S and wondered
what goes on beyond the tree line.
On July 30, I wanted to find out.
That's when I showed up early in the morning for the fifth annual
"Take Pride in Your Hide 5K Run/Walk," a clothing-optional race at
the nudist resort southwest of Reidsville. About 200 of us signed up to
run.
Of course, I didn't head off to the Bar-S without some advice - and
one very big question from friends.
As for the advice, Dot Jackson of Eden suggested sunglasses, preferably
mirrored lenses so no one can tell where you're looking. My friend
Claudine Burleson of Eden, a veteran marathon runner, told me to keep
my eyes on the trail. I don't know where she thought I'd be
looking.
But mostly they wanted to know what women always want to know - and
what you are probably wondering, too:
What was I going to wear? Or in this case, not wear?
After winding down a gravel road, I was met at the gate by a woman
wearing a race T-shirt. I was relieved. And then I noticed that she was
wearing only a race T-shirt, a very short one. After checking my name
off her list of runners, she waved me through the gate.
>From then on, most of the people I passed were wearing only smiles. At
least they were friendly.
I drove past tiny houses - weathered-in campsites, they are
officially called, said Ellis Stewart, who owns the Bar-S with his
wife, Wanda.
"They can talk about their rivers, but as far as I know, we're
probably the biggest tourist attraction in Rockingham County," he
said.
The huts are about 300 square feet in size, Stewart said. One was all
glass. Go figure.
There also are campsites, a clubhouse, a nine-hole golf course, a pool
and a seven-acre lake.
Gary, the race organizer, assured me that I'd get over the shock of
seeing naked people after a few minutes. Well, the shock didn't wear
off, but I became very adept at making eye contact.
It was a sea of bodies: young ones, old ones, all races, all sizes -
even one who was eight months pregnant.
But if I was squeamish, the people who were milling about and tying on
their race numbers (no pins for this group) set me at ease. They
chatted, laughed and most were more than willing to share their
stories, as long as I didn't use their last names.
"I train women in empowerment groups, and I always encourage them to
get out of the box," said Paula from Greensboro. "Anytime you
stretch your limits, you boost your confidence and you learn something
new about yourself."
Dave, 58, from Salisbury received a diagnosis of colon cancer in 2003.
"This was my present to me for surviving another year," he said.
I asked Fran, 53, from Southern Virginia about her nudity.
"I was born like this," she quipped.
I met Janice in the bathroom line. How do you strike up a conversation
with a naked stranger? I admired her tattoo. She offered me one.
The 43-year-old Raleigh woman had come with friends, and they were all
sporting temporary tattoos on their ... ummm... backsides. She rubbed
one on my thigh and welcomed me into the sisterhood.
But mostly, I was hearing horror stories about the trail we were going
to run.
When a man handed me a paper cup filled with some reddish-colored
liquid and told me I'd need the energy, I gulped it down. Oh no, I
thought. I'd just done something I'd warned my college-age daughter
never to do - accept a drink from a stranger (and a naked one, at
that).
What if it had something in it? Something that would take away my
inhibitions, the last thing I wanted to lose at a nudist resort. Maybe
I should try to gag myself, I thought.
But there was no time. The race was starting. I hovered near the back,
away from the mass of bodies. I had no desire to be trampled by some
six-minute milers or, even worse, caught in the crush of bodies vying
for a spot out front.
No, the back was fine.
It was tough. There were hills. No, make that mountains.
Terrain! I'm talking about the terrain.
The 3.1-mile course of treacherous, gooey red mud, tree roots and
slippery descents is a series of trails within the resort, each named
after women - masochists, if you ask me.
I slipped once, muddied my knee, but quickly scrambled to my feet
before someone helped me up.
Janice "streaked" past me.
"You go, girl," she shouted.
I ran with Louie for a while. Like many I spoke with, the middle-aged
man from Greensboro is a professional, a member of mainstream society.
Most of the runners were not members of the Bar-S. Like Malcolm of
Raleigh, they come one time a year, for the run, and they do it for the
novelty.
As we ran by the lake, a Monroeton fireman gave us a welcomed dousing
with the fire hose. That's dedication for you. And on a Saturday.
What a guy! But then again, the proceeds from the entry fees are
donated to the volunteer fire department.
On the final stretch, there was Janice. She had already crossed the
finish line, but she joined me for my sprint to the end.
The clock showed 41 minutes and 58 seconds - a dismal 24 minutes
behind the top female finisher, a 20-something brunette from Raleigh,
who came in right behind her boyfriend, who won the race.
I have no proof, but it's my theory that naked people run faster than
clothed ones. Hey, clothes are heavy!
But who cared about winning? I was done. I had run the race. I had my
column.
On my way out, one of the race officials stopped me. I'd placed third
in my age group, she said. I needed to stick around to pick up my
medal. When I walked off the clubhouse stage, a chorus of "My-la,
My-la" began in one corner of the room.
I'm pretty sure Janice started it. And Paula was right. I felt
empowered.
After all, it takes some guts to show up at a nudist resort - even if
I ran the race in a T-shirt and a pair of Wal-Mart running shorts. Yes,
I wore clothes, and no one was impressed that they were made from a
"breathable fabric."
A week has passed since the event. I did get a phone call from a rather
panicked man who was worried that a photo of him might show up in my
story. It seems his wife knew that he was off at a run, she just
didn't know he was doing it naked.
As for me, my muscles aren't aching anymore, but I have been troubled
by a re-occurring dream.
Not the usual one, in which I'm pushing my shopping cart through
frozen foods when I glance down and discover I'm not wearing any
clothes.
No, in this dream, I'm at the Bar-S Ranch ... and I'm the only one
fully clothed.
Source:
http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050807/NEWSREC0101/50808008/1001/NEWSREC0201
Clan_MacKay
Lake Edun group to put on nude plays at TPAC
Bill Blankenship - Topeka Capitol Journal
August 10, 2005
TOPEKA, KANSAS - Spotlights will go on and clothes will come off next
month at the Topeka Performing Arts Center's Hussey Playhouse when the
Lake Edun Foundation Inc. stages plays it commissioned to promote
nudism.
"No Sex, No Violence ... Only Nudity" is the headline about the coming
attraction in a story published in the August issue of Bare Facts, the
foundation's newsletter.
"Examining social expectations, intimacy and just downright shock, all
because of the human body, these four contest-winning scripts reach the
stage for the first time," the accompanying Bare Facts story said.
The plays are scheduled to be performed Sept. 24 to Oct. 1.
The foundation promotes a clothing-free lifestyle and uses the term
"naturist" rather than nudist.
Last month, the foundation lost a legal battle with Shawnee County over
whether the foundation's use of a lake and surrounding grounds
southwest of Topeka violated county zoning regulations. The final
journal entry in the lawsuit soon will be filed, and the foundation
then will have 10 days to decide whether to file an appeal.
What is settled law, said TPAC interim director Carl St. Clair, is
whether TPAC had a choice about letting the Lake Edun Foundation rent
space to stage a show that will include on-stage nudity.
"We did not," St. Clair said Tuesday. "The courts have long since held
that we cannot infringe the right of that kind of activity."
It would amount to prior restraint of what might or might not be
expression protected by the First Amendment.
"I've been to federal court twice on this kind of an issue," said St.
Clair, who works for Compass Facility Management, the Ames, Iowa,-based
firm hired in 2002 to manage TPAC by the nonprofit board that oversees
the city-owned facility.
"In one case (in another city), we were even told by the court that if
our refusing to book the event caused the event financial harm that the
city would have to make up that funding," St. Clair said. "Obviously,
we don't need to get into that kind of deal."
TPAC has experienced financial losses in recent years and the TPAC
trustees have a request for increased funding pending before the city
council.
"Now understand we're not the policing authority, so if what they do in
the theater violates anything in the ordinances of the city of Topeka
or the laws of the state of Kansas, we would suspect -- and expect --
that the proper authorities would take the proper actions," St. Clair
said. "But ours is to make the facility available, and, unfortunately,
in some case we have to do things that aren't understood by the
majority of our patrons."
That the plays will include naked actors on stage seems certain. The
call for auditions, which will be from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at TPAC
with callbacks on Sunday, says there are "roles for eight women and 12
men, six roles requiring stage nudity."
In its call for playwrights to submit scripts "for the best original
one-act play dealing with issues of body acceptance from a naturist's
perspective," on-stage nudity wasn't required but playwrights were
encouraged to "consider it if it advances their story line."
Among the plots suggested in the competition, which had first-, second-
and third-place prizes of $500, $200 and $100, respectively, were
these:
· "A naturist man or woman who introduces a reluctant spouse or
girlfriend to naturism."
· "A family accidentally comes across a clothing-optional beach
while on vacation."
· "Religious -- Prophets used to strip and preach naked. What
would happen if a mother prophet were to preach this way?"
Without offering the names of the winning playwrights and the titles
and synopses of their plays, the Bare Facts story said: "From the
frantic and funny to the reflective and informed, these brilliant and
witty one-act plays promise a rare evening of Topeka theater. So rare,
in fact, that almost 30 years have passed since the last time auditions
were called requiring actors to undress for the stage."
The last time a Topeka production featured on-stage nudity was in April
1977 when Phil Grecian directed a production of Bruce Jay Friedman's
comedy "Steambath" at the Showcase Dinner Theatre, a privately owned
theater no longer in business.
Grecian said that since it was a professional theater troupe he decided
not to alter a scene that called for a female character in the steam
room to drop her robe and reveal her body.
"I did not have auditions for the nude scene," Grecian said. Instead, a
company member volunteered for the role.
"She was a trouper," said Grecian, who recalled advertising the
production as "Topeka's first R-rated show."
"That was the last time there was nudity on stage" in a Topeka theater,
said Grecian, a professional playwright who reviews theater for The
Topeka Capital-Journal.
A year later, Topeka Civic Theatre staged Peter Shaffer's "Equus" but
pantomimed its long nude sequences.
Grecian, who helped judge Lake Edun's play contest, said he cautioned
the Lake Edun Foundation against staging its plays in a venue as small
as the Hussey Playhouse, the intimate black-box theater on TPAC's lower
level.
"If you're going to put nudity on stage, you can't really do it in a
small theater because you have audience members who are going to be a
foot and a half from your actors, and it can cause them to recoil,"
Grecian said. "It's not going to do your cause very much, if you have a
cause."
The Hussey Playhouse has seen infrequent use during most of the 15
years since the former Municipal Auditorium was renovated into TPAC.
However, for the past two years, the Karen Hastings Players has staged
several plays there, including a revival of Dale Easton's "The
Drunkard," the most-produced play in Topeka theatrical history.
Grecian, the company's resident playwright and one of its actors, said
the troupe removed all of its belongings from the Hussey Playhouse late
Monday at the request of TPAC management.
"We were told to get our things out, and we've done that," Grecian
said.
However, St. Clair, TPAC's interim manager, said Tuesday that the use
of the Hussey Playhouse by the Lake Edun Foundation shouldn't be
interpreted as an end to the relationship between TPAC and the Karen
Hastings Players, which closed its two summer shows July 29-30.
St. Clair also said TPAC won't be doing the ticketing for the Lake Edun
plays, and the Bare Facts story didn't give performance times, ticket
prices or box office information.
A telephone message left Tuesday at the foundation wasn't returned.
Clan_MacKay
Expatica
August 10, 2005
AMSTERDAM - The Dutch Naturists Federation (NFN) has called on the
government to set aside certain beaches for people who like to have sex
in public.
Naturists feel that displays of public sex do not belong on regular
nudist beaches, a spokesperson for the NFN said in a radio interview on
Wednesday morning.
"Well-meaning naked vacationers" often suffer because of the behaviour
of others, he said. "The police often mistake ordinary naturist walkers
for a public-sex gathering.
They send the naturists on their way or even issue a fine."
Local authorities also close down nudist beaches to displays of public
sex and this is unfair, the NFN spokesperson said.
The NFN has advised naturists to call the police if they see people
having sex in recreational areas that are intended for nudists.
A recent study has found that naturism is increasingly popular in the
Netherlands. Public sex involving couples and orgies in the open air
are also said to a growing phenomenon.
Clan_MacKay
Robyn Dickens - 24hrs
August 10, 2005
During the hottest stretch of the year, many head to the beach to cool
down.
But for Wreck Beach goers, it's about more than cooling off. It's about
shedding your clothes - and your inhibitions.
Wreck Beach is widely known as one of the best nude beaches in the
world, and the people there weren't shy about telling 24 hours why.
"It's the forested cliffs by the sea where you have the sense of
illusion of being in the wilderness, even 15 minutes from the downtown
metropolis," said Judy Williams, smothered in sunscreen and bathing in
her glory. "That's the mystique of it."
And she would know; she's visited nude beaches across the globe, but
always comes back here.
"Maybe our sand isn't as white as some places, but nothing can beat us
for scenery. And nothing beats us for the sense of family we have
here," Williams said.
And inside the "anti-textile casino," a square of beach sectioned off
by logs where dice games and nudity prevail, people were more than
happy to talk about their nude experiences here.
"It's much freer here on this beach than any other place in the city,"
explained Kelly, who preferred to be called by his first name since
most people who frequent the beach are on a first-name basis.
"I think, for me, the draw is the ease and exposure of myself and the
acceptance of myself," said Dora from across the sand.
"It's like a temporal place. When you come down here, you don't bring
anything with you, so it's a freedom," she added.
But while you're welcome to remain clothed on Wreck Beach, there are
certain things you should be mindful of when sharing the sand with nude
bathers.
"One of the main things is don't be taking pictures. People don't come
here to be on someone's website," said Steve, a regular Wrecker.
"And if you're obviously just sitting there gawking, you're not
welcome. You're kind of shoo-ed away," added Kelly.
So, if you're thinking about heading down Trail Six to experience the
draw of Wreck Beach, leave your cameras at home and make sure you're
wearing sunscreen - everywhere.
Source: http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/News/2005/08/10/1166075-sun.html
Clan_MacKay
Thad Kelling - The Montana Standard
August 6, 2005
BUTTE, MONTANA - Topless sunbathers beware: Butte authorities sent a
message Thursday by arresting a woman for disorderly conduct after she
allegedly bared her chest at a public park.
"Under these particular circumstances, we found it to be offensive,"
said Samm Cox, the deputy county attorney handling the case.
The incident stems from a call to Butte dispatchers around 4:40 p.m.
reporting that there was a woman in Chester Steele Park, near St. James
Hospital, wearing nothing but a G-string.
Police found the woman laying topless, police reports said. She was
with other clothed adults.
At the time, a group from the hospital was having a picnic, and many
kids were playing under the water umbrella staffed by county employees,
reports said.
The woman was laying on her back when police arrived, reports said, but
it is unclear how much of her body was revealed.
When questioned, the woman said she wasn't doing anything wrong and
noted that she was in a concealed location, reports said.
Despite her protests, police arrested Diane Marie Hallman, 32, of 910
Evans. She pleaded innocent to disorderly conduct charges in Butte city
court Friday.
Hallman was charged with disorderly conduct because her actions were
offensive and served no legitimate purpose, Cox said. The same standard
is used to charge people who urinate in public, he noted.
"Obviously, somebody thought it was disturbing their peace to call
police," he said.
The circumstances influenced prosecutors' decision to charge her
criminally. If she was only among adults or in a private place, Hallman
may not have been charged, Cox said.
"This isn't comparable to a mother breast-feeding in public," he said.
Bob Rowling, the Butte parks and recreation director, could not comment
on the arrest, because he was not at the park at the time of the
incident. But he issued a statement for others considering sunbathing
topless in the parks.
"We are not going to tolerate any form of nudity or anything like that
in the public parks," he said.
A phone message left at Hallman's residence Friday morning was not
returned and her defense attorney was not available.
If convicted, Hallman faces a maximum sentence of 10 days in jail and a
$170 fine.
Source:
http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2005/08/06/newsbutte_top/newsbutte_top.txt
Clan_MacKay
Kjersti Eriksen - Aftenposten
August 12, 2005
OSLO, NORWAY - Nudists at open beach Huk in Oslo are being increasingly
harassed by photographers, flashers and vulgar requests and police have
had to respond several times this summer.
"I don't go to Huk any more," says a 52-year-old woman who wishes to
remain anonymous. She had to call police after feeling threatened by a
man on the beach.
"He stood in my way when I was about to go past him on a path. He
wanted to talk to me, and while he did, he sat down and fingered his
penis. He was very threatening," the woman said. The man had a criminal
record, including violent assaults on women.
The woman has had several unpleasant episodes involving men at Huk.
Nudist Trond Hegstad believes those who abuse the beach are lonely
individuals who are outcasts.
Police have had to respond to a series of complaints from nearby
residents and nudists. Oslo's Nudist Society began receiving complaints
as early as the spring.
ONS board chairman Johannes Vinnes says that number of complaints is
increasing.
As a result of Peeping Toms hiding in vegetation near the nudist beach,
Oslo's Agency of Outdoor Recreation and Nature Management has removed
several bushes, Vinnes said, but complaints continue.
"There are flashers, solicitations and activities we do not want. The
way they try to pick people up is unacceptable, it is direct and
vulgar," Vinnes said. "We have no influence over who can be on the
beach. We have no way to chase people off."
There have been reports of flashers at the border of the beach, who
expose themselves to passersby. Voyeurs and sneak photography with
mobile phones is another problem.
"There are men who sit and masturbate. That isn't very pleasant. And
then there are voyeurs, who sit fully dressed," said a woman nudist.
She has also seen a male nudist throwing a mobile phone into the water
- photography is banned on the beach.
"The worst is when people start to point and make comments about
people. Some times I get so angry I go over and tell them that such
behavior just isn't on," nudist Finn Hansen said.
Source: http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1095671.ece
Clan_MacKay
New 18-storey residential tower threatens to bring nudists' sanctuary
into the light
JONATHAN WOODWARD - The Globe & Mail
August 12, 2005
VANCOUVER -- The latest battle to preserve the solitude of Vancouver's
famous Wreck Beach has quieted, but nudists are always ready to bare
their bodies and their teeth to protect a landmark that seems
constantly under siege.
Since 1970, when about 15 beachgoers were threatened with jail because
they committed an "indecent act" -- being nude in public -- beachgoers
have protested and petitioned to keep the 7.8-kilometre swath of sand
and surf a place where people can shed their clothes in peace.
For some beachgoers, the new 18-storey residential tower built by the
University of British Columbia for its students is just the latest
cause for action and a dose of wit.
Robert deBoer is a wiry 57-year-old whose only clothing on this day is
a weathered white visor over a long, grey, braided ponytail. The U.S.
native dodged the Vietnam draft by coming to Canada 35 years ago and
has been visiting Wreck Beach regularly since the 1980s.
He traces a slogan in the sand that could find its way to a T-shirt, if
T-shirts were worn here: "U-B-C-n."
Mr. deBoer sees it as a phonetic reminder of what has always raised the
hackles of beachgoers: Wreck Beach being exposed to the outside world.
One of the nudists arrested in 1970, a 22-year-old woman, took her case
to the province's Supreme Court. She showed the judge a nude picture of
her -- taken by the RCMP before the arrest -- and with her lawyer Don
Rosenbloom went on to win a precedent-setting court case that
distinguished public nudity from indecency.
That victory wasn't popular in some quarters of city hall. In 1977, a
Vancouver alderman and evangelical crusader, Bernice Gerard, led about
100 followers to tell the sun worshippers to put their clothes back on.
Ms. Gerard wanted "every inch of every beach for every citizen because
nudism is a cultural revolution" she vowed to fight.
"That was the shot heard 'round the world," recalled Wreck Beach
Preservation Society matriarch Judy Williams. "She was a hellfire,
brimstone creature . . . who made herself the laughingstock of the
world. You should have seen the political cartoons.
"It did more to catapult Wreck Beach into notoriety than anything we
could have done."
In 1989, the U.S. TV show A Current Affair lumped Wreck Beach in with
prostitutes and strip clubs when it called Vancouver North America's
"Sinningest City." Vancouverites -- including red-faced mayor Gordon
Campbell, (now Premier), who was interviewed for the film -- were not
amused.
In 1991, the Greater Vancouver Regional District discussed partitioning
the beach into clothes-optional and clothes-only sections and -- to the
nudists' horror -- adding an access road that bypassed the famous Trail
6 stairway.
"Nude is not lewd," thundered Ms. Williams then, sounding the alarm
about gawking, camera-clicking hordes. "Because it's clothing-optional,
it restricts no one but those with their own hangups."
Not one inch of the beach was converted, and the road was never built.
But change can't be held off forever, and students will soon be moving
into the new UBC dormitory tower. The university is revising its plans
for three other towers to incorporate last month's GVRD recommendations
to preserve the sight lines from the beach and is planning to consult
the public again in the fall.
>From the beach closest to the trees, the dormitory tower can't be seen
above the treetops. But farther out, at low tide, it's clearly visible
and, through a gap in the foliage, windows of the new tower flash in
the sun.
Ms. Williams says the fight isn't over. She continues to circulate
petitions to stop the buildings -- she says she has more than 37,000
signatures -- and has launched a new salvo against development in UBC's
south campus. She's worried a planned emergency storm drain that
empties into the estuary at the north arm of the Fraser River will dump
water that will find its way to bathers.
Down at the beach, tanners and vendors do their business with the tower
at the back of everyone's mind. Edward, a vendor selling "hot buns, hot
chicken buns," wears only a wide-brimmed hat and a shirt. Without
pockets to keep track of money, he uses the fanny-pack as his main
instrument of commerce.
Bill Summons, a 47-year-old artist, says he has a simple reason for
coming to the beach. "Have you ever had one of those dreams where
you're walking naked down the hallway at your school?" he said. "I
don't have any more of those dreams. Or if I do, it's like, all of a
sudden, it's like, yeah, I'm naked. I'm the cool guy. It's
transcendence."
A friend named Jojo, playing drums on the nearby sand, interrupts him
but, seeing he's busy, wanders away.
"Hey, man, it's Wreck Beach," says Jojo. "I can come back around."
Source:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050812/BCWRECK12/TPEducation/
Clan_MacKay
Amaris Elliott-Engel - The Citizen
August 12, 2005
MORAVIA, NY - When Moravia resident Sue Smith took her lunch break
Thursday, little did she think her drive to the bank would take her
past several topless women and men mingling in the heart of the
village.
"I had to take a double take; I didn't just see what I thought I had
seen," said Smith, a cashier at Modern Market on Cayuga Street.
The group of about 10 - all sans upper garments - tried to enter Coffee
'N Cream at the intersection of Routes 38 and 38A to have a meal at
lunchtime, said Chris Wittenmyer, the sole employee at the shop
Thursday afternoon.
"None of them had tops on. No bras, no bathing suits, no nothing,"
Wittenmyer said.
The first of the group - three topless women - didn't make it far past
the door before Wittenmyer stopped them. The rest of the group mingled
just outside.
"I said, 'Excuse me, but I have a dress code here,'" Wittenmyer said.
"And she said, 'You're going to lose 10 customers.' I said, 'We do have
a dress code here: no shirt, no shoes, no service.'"
Michele Keagle, an office assistant at Moravia's Empire Haven Nudist
Resort and Campground, said neither she nor the owners of the
campground knew if the half-dressed people were staying at the resort,
but an annual convention - the Northeast Naturist Festival - is being
held there this weekend.
The group - in the 40- to 50-year age range - wasn't in the eatery
longer than a few moments and left without protest, Wittenmyer said.
The group snapped a picture of themselves on the stoop of the coffee
shop.
At the intersection of Main and Cayuga streets, Wittenmyer said drivers
rolled down their windows to tell the group they couldn't be topless in
the middle of Moravia. Then Moravia village police and Cayuga County
sheriff's deputies began arriving and arrested the group, she said.
The Moravia village police officer who booked the group did not return
phone calls made to the station Thursday.
Source:
http://www.auburnpub.com/articles/2005/08/12/news/local_news/news03.txt
Clan_MacKay
Expatica
August 18, 2005
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - The nude beach in Bredene will be expanded in
2006 due to rising popularity, Mayor Willy Vanhooren said on Thursday.
The mayor said he wants to completely refurbish beach post six where
the naturist beach is located.
The nudist beach was opened four years ago and is currently 450m long,
newspaper 'Het Laatste Nieuws' reported.
It borders the De Haan municipality, but will be extended by another
200m in the direction of Oostende because De Haan is opposed to having
a naturist beach in its jurisdiction.
"The nude beach is increasingly successful and the neighbourhood behind
it is being populated by more people. On good days, the nude beach is
too full," Van Hooren said.
For those people who don't want to go naked; the normal beach will be
moved further along and expanded. A breakwater and guarded beach will
be developed.
Source: http://tinyurl.com/9j2hr
Clan_MacKay
Is nudism a national emergency?
Friday, August 19, 2005
JEFF KRAMER
CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST
I'm writing this column completely in the nude. It's to make a point.
As traumatized as you might be by the mental picture of me naked,
imagine looking out your window and really seeing me like this, sitting
cross-legged in the bark mulch, hunched over my laptop and wearing only
a look of perfect oneness with nature.
I know. Some of you haven't had breakfast, but now that I have your
attention, I need to ask you an important Homeland Security question:
What have you done to prepare yourself and your loved ones for an
unplanned encounter with a professional nudist?
Without meaning to be alarmist, nudism is a national emergency.
According to a 2-year-old Money magazine article I just Googled in the
nude (Noogled?), "a relatively affluent customer base has pushed nudism
in the U.S. to $400 million in annual revenues" - up from $120 million
a decade ago.
One need only look to little Moravia - aka Nakedville, USA - in Cayuga
County to see the devastating impact of so many people feeling so
comfortable with their bodies. Authorities there recently busted four
middle-aged women from a nearby nudist colony for going topless in the
village.
The women allegedly entered a coffee shop and tried to order ice cream
but were turned away, arrested and charged with "being a little old for
this sort of thing."
There's just one small problem with the prosecution's case. At first
blush, there's more evidence than not to suggest it's legal for women -
and men - to go topless in public places in New York state.
"I wouldn't want my 8-year-old boy to see that, but the law's the law,"
said Charles Marangola, the attorney representing the women.
We'll leave it to the courts to thrash that out because Lord knows they
don't have enough to do, but meanwhile our thoughts and prayers go to
the responding officers. One of them, Eric Sharpsteen, of the Moravia
Police Department, told me he "tried to make as much eye contact as
possible" during his encounter with the fleshy foursome, but it was
clear from the haunted look on his face almost a week later that he'd
seen more than any man should.
"It's definitely unusual for females to be walking around the village
with breasts exposed," he said. "We don't see that every day."
Not yet. But as nudists expand in number and political clout, the
clothing-mandatory population needs to get its act together. Job one is
to write your congressman and insist that more resources be diverted
from, say, luggage screening at airports, to prosecuting topless ladies
ordering ice cream.
And what should you do if you see a nudist? Experts recommend you stay
calm and avoid any moving parts. Avert your eyes unless the nudist is
"hot," though that's unlikely. According to the International Nudist
Handbook, any nudist who is actually attractive is placed on a
three-month diet of raw cookie dough and beer until the problem is
corrected.
OK, that's all I have to say today about nudity except . . .
Is there a draft in here?
Jeff Kramer's humor column runs Mondays and Fridays in CNY. Reach him
at featu...@syracuse.com.
Clan
Pete Bell - The Sun
August 19, 2005
Britain's first garden for naturists opened today - in the grounds of a
former monastery.
Property developer Ian Pollard, 60, and his 53-year-old wife Barbara - a
former model - threw off their clothes and threw open the five-acre gardens
at their historic home, Abbey House in Malmesbury, Wiltshire.
Earlier this year the Pollards appeared in an ITV documentary on people who
go to work in the nude.
This prompted floods of requests to open their garden to naturists.
The garden, once the home of Benedictine monks, is open to the public all
summer but, for today only, naturists were invited.
Clad only in boots and a leather tool belt, Mr Pollard, who normally wears a
thong during opening times, said: "People have said it is like
the Garden of Eden.
"We are trying to achieve the innocence and purity of pre-Fall Man".
Mr Pollard, a naturist since his 20s and a father of three, added: "We do
not think there should be a requirement to wear clothes. People hide their
real identity behind clothes."
The naked commercial director of the Central Council for British Naturism,
father of one Andrew Welch, 40, from Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, was
also strolling the hedgerows.
"Unfortunately the Victorian culture that pervades in this country says nude
is rude," he said.
"We are trying to normalise nakedness."
He said today's event was a first in the UK.
"Why this is so exciting is because this is a public place. Naturists are
not secret people but most of the places where we gather are designated
spots but today we are in a public place where can enjoy ourselves."
Nudist groundsman Steve Bundy, 40, from Thundersley, Essex, said: "I love
being nude and I am interested in gardens. I think more places should be
'clothes optional'."
Mrs Pollard said: "Our intention is to have a very pleasant time. This is an
opportunity for people to express themselves."
She added: "There's nothing wrong with nakedness. People get mixed up with
nakedness and sex. Just because I'm naked doesn't mean I want sex."
By lunchtime some 60 guests, some clothed, others not, had arrived at the
garden.
Source: http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2005380571,00.html
Clan
AMANDA PIERRE - Des Moines Register
August 19, 2005
ANKENY, IOWA - Another public art piece in the metro area has exposed a
debate at least as old as paint: Where does nudity cross an artistic line
and become pornographic?
While a spray-painted figure of a nude angel on the side of a Des Moines
building gave residents a rise in early August, artist Martin Davis was
adding nude figures to his sculpture "Water Bearing Figure" at the entrance
to a subdivision in southwest Ankeny.
Neighbors of the sculpture in the White Birch development called it
"pornographic" and approached the Ankeny City Council.
"My 8-year-old daughter has seen it, which is unacceptable," said Brian
Strait at a Monday meeting. "We feel that the object can diminish the value
of our property, and we've invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in our
homes."
Local art critics are saying the outcry probably stems from placement rather
than prudishness.
"It may be just the context in which they are placed - within the public
domain as opposed to a gallery or museum," said Jeff Fleming, director at
the Des Moines Art Center, of the works.
"There are plenty of nudes within the public domain - just look at the Iowa
State Capitol - but some are done much better than others."
Des Moines art historian Lenore Metrick also made a case for quality: "I
wish we could have art that was more challenging. Given the space to do
something that stood out, (the artists) could have done more with it."
Davis said the nudes in his work were mythological creatures, additions
meant to give texture to the piece and make it "more interesting."
The Moberg Gallery, which represents Davis, asked him to alter the work to
appease the developer.
Davis buffed out the images over the weekend, and clothed some in bikinis
and shorts. "I'd like to put some burqas on them, too, to show where we
are," Davis said. "This is mid-America, where we aren't too comfortable with
modern art."
Kimberly Roberts, an Ankeny resident and an artist, called the modifications
"censorship."
"That's what it's called when an artist gets stopped - it's against their
freedom of speech," Roberts said. "I hope that my community is more
accepting than what's going on right now."
Mayor Merle Johnson said city officials would review their process of
choosing art. Ankeny wants to add more art to the area in the future.
Source:
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050819/NEWS08/508190347/1001/NEWS
Tom-N-Mary
Tom-N-Mary
hang out at.
Tom & Mary
Marsketa
Marsketa
shadowfyr
by a beach some idiot built his dorm to close to, so its somehow the
beach goers fault, not the guy illegally peeping on people. Personally,
I think this sounds like the university's problem, not the beach goer's.
Phil C
Clan_MacKay
One was a development that was built near "scenic pastureland" the
developer "neglected" to inform buyers that the "Scenic Pastureland"
was a Dairy that reeked of Cow manure and urine during the summer, hte
Dairy had been there for about 50 years prior to construction.
Another was a development near an airport where buyers were complaining
about the noise from the airport that was there when they bought the
house.
Back on nudism though, there was a Lady who bought a home overlooking
the Russian River near Wohler Bridge a known "semi-legal" Nude beach
and skinny-dipping spot for many years, she complained that "those
Perverts are exposing themselves to me and my children, her ex-husband
according to an article in the local news had custody of the children
in question and he was a Nudist, in order for her to see Wohler beach
she (a Deputy pointed out) had to stand at the far southern edge of her
property and leaning over the fence peer past several obscuring trees
with binoculars.
Funny the extremes people will go to in order to be "Offended?!?!?!?
Clan_MacKay
Ian Gerard - The Australian
August 25, 2005
QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA - The passengers on a sailing boat that sank near
Queensland's Hinchinbrook Island on Tuesday afternoon, claiming the
lives of two people, were paying customers on a naked cruise taken
during their stay at a nearby nudist retreat.
Cruise skipper and 46-year-old father of five John Arcidiacono, who
with wife Jenny operated the Murrigal Nudist Retreat near Tully in the
far north of the state, drowned while trying to swim to nearby Garden
Island.
The couple had just hosted a nudist function the past weekend for more
than 50 people at their secluded retreat.
The other victim, 68-year-old NSW resident John Leatham, handed his
watch to his 66-year-old wife Joy in the moments before he drowned.
Rescuers yesterday said she had swum more than 2 nautical miles with
the watch until she was rescued.
The other survivors of the tragedy were two couples from NSW and
Tasmania.
Police are yet to determine how the 6.4m trailer-sailor Evening Star
capsized while at full sail northwest of Hinchinbrook about 3.30pm on
Tuesday.
Some survivors reported a "freak wave" in the moments before the
accident but the ship has not been salvaged.
While most survivors spent yesterday at the nudist retreat, one
66-year-old woman remained in Tully Hospital.
Rescuer Joe Green yesterday told of his heartbreak at not being able to
save all seven passengers on the vessel.
"Our only regret was that we didn't save all seven," the Gold Coast
holidaymaker said. "As good as it is to think you brought in five, it's
devastating to think you lost two."
Mr Green said the survivors were in the water for more than an hour.
He and friend John Freestone noticed Mrs Leatham clinging to a drum,
not far from where their cabin cruiser was moored at Gould Island, and
pulled her from the water.
"She told me that there were two dead and one of them was her husband,"
Mr Freestone said. "She said the last thing he did was give her his
watch and she had that loosely tied around her wrist ... she was in
such a state of shock."
Mrs Leatham told them there were four more people in the water who
needed rescuing.
In addition to operating a nudist resort, Mr Arcidiacono was a
locomotive driver and plant operator at the Tully Sugar Mill. His wife
is a kindergarten teacher.
"They run a holiday place for naturists, there were 60 people at a
function there on the weekend," a friend of the couple said. "He was
the friendliest guy in the world."
Tully Sugar Mill general manager Bob Lewis said Mr Arcidiacono was a
valued employee of 15 years and an experienced sailor.
Source:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,16375572%255E2702,00.html
Clan_MacKay
TILDE HERRERA - The Herald
August 21, 2005
MANATEE, FLORIDA - John Flannery began modeling as a teenager but it's
only been during the last dozen or so years that he's taken it all off
in the name of art.
Flannery models nude 15 to 20 times each month and earns between $12
and $14 per hour. Each gig lasts about three hours.
He models for the Manatee County Art League, Manatee Community College,
Ringling School of Art and Design, and independent artists.
About 90 percent of his modeling jobs take place in the buff.
Flannery said the biggest challenge of a nude model is staying
physically conditioned in order to hold positions for a long time.
"If you don't keep your muscles in tone when you're trying to hold a
pose, your muscles start to shake and that's detrimental for the
artist," Flannery said.
He said he doesn't see a lot of nude models his age.
"Who in the world is still posing nude when they're 78?" Flannery said.
"I am."
Source: http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/business/12431974.htm
Clan_MacKay
Austin nudist group gets a chance to bare all during photo exhibition
LOUIS B. PARKS - Houston Chronicle
August 23, 2005
AUSTIN, TEXAS - They seem to be looking each other over, sizing each
other up, making a connection between image and reality.
On one side, Dusan, a tall youth with long dark hair and an intense,
enigmatic expression, unself-consciously nude.
Starring back, Bill Morgan, a tall 55-year-old with a ponytail of
pepper-gray hair and a look of thoughtfulness.
Morgan, too, is casually sans clothes.
The observed and the observer: One, a black-and-white photograph
hanging in a gallery; the other a flesh-and-blood man, a nudist here
for the rare chance to view art of nudes while, along with other
friends, also naked.
The shades were drawn Friday night at Austin's dberman Gallery. While a
few blocks away hundreds of the city's art patrons checked out the
opening of 22 to Watch at the Austin Museum of Art, a rather more
select group - the Hill Country Nudists club - had a very private
viewing of new George Krause photos: life-size, full-frontal, richly
detailed nudes.
"It's a little bit humorous, a little ironic,"said Matthew Glover, 27,
a recent University of Houston graduate and photographer who took a bus
to Austin to join the event. "In a perfect society that would be just
another way to look at artwork."
Call it ironic, humorous or just plain surreal, there was nothing
overtly comic about the evening. The nudists were there to enjoy the
art and learn from the artist, whom they plied with scores of questions
about his works, motives, models and unique lighting.
Always alert for a social event that can be done without the inhibition
of textiles, club president Steve Bosbach took notice when he saw one
of Austin's serious galleries was presenting nudes by well-known artist
Krause.
"We tend to do things that are a little unusual or first-time events,"
Bosbach said. "I saw that it would dovetail nicely with members of our
club because we have several artists in the group; one that teaches
art, several professional and amateur photographers (including) one
that went through the program George Krause originated (at the
University of Houston).
"And besides, it was about nudes."
And it did have a strangely logical symmetry. Two dozen nudists - a
few wearing sandals but otherwise butt-naked - facing off with a
dozen full-frontal nude portraits that were as large as the observers.
The gallery served wine, the guests stood around and chatted and
discussed the photos. What could be more, well, natural?
"I came here the other day by myself to (check out) the space," Bosbach
said. "I was by myself except for one other person. I felt a little
awkward just looking at a bunch of nudes on the wall. Socially there's
this expectation that we are not supposed to be comfortable with that.
As a nudist group, here in the nude, and everybody on an equal footing
with these photographs, it's totally comfortable."
To a fully dressed observer, the most striking aspect of this gathering
- aside from the vastness of skin, the profusion of body hair and the
usually hidden wrinkles - was how similar it seemed to a clothed
gatherings.
Club members arrived fully dressed. About three-quarters were men. (The
club is about two-thirds male.) Their ages ranged from mid-20s to late
50s. Only a few had the kind of bodies pop culture tells us are
beautiful.
"We promote body acceptance," said member Paul Schnizlein, 50. "Many
people say when they have taken the plunge (into nudism), they find it
liberating. I don't have to be beautiful. It's OK just being me."
As with many parties, the event started awkwardly; club members were
unsure just when to doff their clothes.
"Like (at a pool party) you wouldn't be the first person to jump in the
swimming pool," said club member Kathy.
But that passed quickly.
"It's refreshing," said Kathy, whose father, a photographer, taught her
'the difference between nudity and pornography.' "It's nice to meet
people where you feel comfortable. One thing about people who are truly
nudist, you are not looking at the body image thing, it's more who they
are."
Seeing beyond the nakedness seemed to extend to viewing the photographs
as well.
"I spent most of the time looking at the person's eyes, as odd as that
may sound," said Chris, a 33-year-old Austin programmer. "I'm looking
at the eyes because the lifestyle of nudism encourages you to make eye
contact. That's the one part of the body that tells you so much."
Source:
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/headline/entertainment/3320691
Clan_MacKay
Chuck Cardamon - The Tracy Press
August 25, 2005
To me, the outdoors involves weather. We often complain that it is too
cold or too hot, not the optimum "just right" made famous by that
little darling, Goldilocks. But one of the simple pleasures of life is
enjoying each day of each season for what it presents to us.
Our modern society has become accustomed to a static temperature,
usually in the range of 72 to 78 degrees. Our cars have air
conditioning and heaters; our homes have thermostats to modify the
environment as external temperatures change; and often our jobs have
similar climate modifying devices.
As a youngster, I wore cutoff jeans in the summer - and usually
nothing else. What else was needed? Shoes restricted my feet, and the
added expense to a tight family budget was not necessary. Shirts made
me hot, and my olive complexion was made to soak up the sun.
Of course, this was in the days before widespread fear-mongering about
the evils of the sun.
Who has not been warned about the depleted ozone layer, skin cancer,
premature wrinkling, global warming, a new ice age, giant radioactive
spiders and the Blob? What else will we be told? We are already
spending billions of dollars on creams and lotions with a variety of
numbers based on sun protection factors (SPF). We spend extra money to
ensure our homes are extra-insulated to conserve the energy needed to
run our heaters and air conditioners.
What if we were to forego all of the previously mentioned expenses and
warnings? What if we returned to our youth or returned to the natural
state of things? Go back to pure, unadulterated nature, unencumbered by
the social pressures of fashion and the restrictions of clothing -
once again enjoying the sun in its full brilliance or feeling the
exhilarating chill of an evening breeze or a refreshing skinny dip.
I was reminded recently of that lifestyle and the free spirits that
often enjoy it, by accident.
After dropping my father-in-law off at a friend's home in San
Francisco, my wife and I drove around to look for a good location for
some saltwater fly-fishing and to kill a few hours. We stopped at Ocean
Beach and, at midday, it was typically crowded and very windy, not the
optimum conditions for my style of fishing. Then we stumbled upon Baker
Beach. It had day-use picnic areas, clean sand, calm water and a
cluster of rocks at the Golden Gate end of the beach. It looked like a
good area for fishing.
It was on my reconnaissance walk up the beach to check out the rocks
that I noticed the unexpected free spirits. Later research would
identify Baker Beach as No. 4 on the top 10 premier nudist beaches in
the world. Rated No. 2 is Swanbourne Beach in Western Australia, a
beach located 100 yards from my house of two years.
Nudism is an acceptable lifestyle for many, but it is scorned by those
with differing beliefs. My only complaint is that Baker Beach is not
marked as a clothing-optional beach. While the lifestyle is accepted by
the majority of the visitors I saw walking along the beach, the young
parents of a family on vacation from out-of-state seemed a bit unnerved
and quickly whisked their young children off the beach and back to the
car.
California has more than 50 sanctioned nudist beaches and almost as
many clubs and resorts for like-minded souls. If interested, groups
like the American Association for Nude Recreation or a Web search can
get answers to many frequently asked questions as well as rules on
etiquette when in or around the beaches and resorts. The laws vary by
location and by whether the area is federal, state or local, so check
before you undress.
Wear sunscreen, as the above warning really has some credence. Areas
not used to being in the sun may get burned in a hurry, and I can
attest to the sun-induced wrinkles. Besides, the radioactive giant
spiders love the taste of SPF 30!
As always, enjoy family and friends and live with passion.
· Tracy resident and outdoorsman Chuck Cardamon writes a weekly
column for the Tracy Press. To reach him about this column, e-mail
tpsp...@tracypress.com.
Source: http://www.tracypress.com/sports/2005-08-25-outdoors.php
Clan_MacKay
Rick Steves - USA Today
August 25, 2005
Europe's light and easygoing approach to sex and nudity can provide
some shocking moments for U.S. travelers:
· On a recent trip, my wife and I had to take the TV out of our
children's hotel room, as the porn stations were free and available,
going at it right there between Euro-sports and MTV.
· In Munich, workers take a summer lunch break in their Central Park.
They lay out a blanket, fold their power suits neatly, and sunbathe
fully nude, oblivious to wide-eyed American tourists passing by.
· Mediterranean beaches are topless - and would be much more so if
not for a current concern for skin cancer.
· Germany's steamy mineral spas are co-ed.
· On billboards everywhere, lathered-up breasts promote the latest
soap product.
>From Norway to Naples, it seems Europeans have a relaxed attitude about
public displays of nudity and sex. Even prim, churchgoing German
hausfraus seem to accept that the human body and sexuality are facts of
life, and displaying or talking about it in public is no big deal.
Meanwhile, in the USA, there has been a strong reaction from a
dedicated minority to limit sex and nudity on TV and the airwaves.
First, it was Janet Jackson's Nipplegate during the 2004 Super Bowl
halftime show, then fines placed on shock jock Howard Stern's freak
sideshow, and tape-delay broadcasts elsewhere to edit out profanity.
Travel shows aren't immune
Now I've found out that my own travel shows - which feature timeless
classics of art such as Michelangelo's (nude) David and Titian's (nude)
Venus- are being broadcast on PBS in some cities along with the
disclaimer: "For mature audiences only."
I don't know whether to laugh or be outraged. As a tour guide for 25
years, I always laughed with my American tourists at the puritan fig
leaves Victorians retrofitted onto great art. But today we live in a
country in which some people apparently wish David's marble penis had a
fig leaf and Venus wore a sports bra. This attitude can have serious
consequences if it means trying to censor the media - namely, the TV
and radio shows by which the American public gets much of its
information.
For example, in February the House of Representatives approved a huge
increase in penalties for broadcasting "indecency," raising fines from
$27,500 to a maximum of $500,000 per incident. And the PBS children's
series Postcards from Buster caused an uproar and lost its funding
after showing a non-traditional family of two moms (which was condemned
by Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings).
This has a chilling effect on TV producers and stations. They are more
likely to avoid words, images and ideas that could affront U.S.
conservatives. This reduces the choices available to all of us.
Mingling with Europeans as I do for a third of my year, I listen to
them when they give their perspective on America. "Here in Italy,"
brags my friend Francesca, "we see racy ads for phone sex on TV all the
time, but we still have less teen pregnancy and fewer abortions than
you Americans. Less rape and domestic violence, too. Why is that?"
Europeans more open
I wish I could answer, but I don't know why. Could it be that by
allowing nudity and promoting sex education, Europeans create an open
atmosphere that allows social problems to be treated, not just hidden?
Even the Europeans had to learn about censorship the hard way. During
the Florentine Renaissance, the monk Savonarola turned his city into a
theocracy. His moral vigilantes burst into people's homes. Anything
considered too fleshy was gathered up and tossed onto a huge "bonfire
of the vanities" in the city square. Eventually Savonarola's political
base - those so afraid of immorality running rampant - saw the harm
they were doing to their own society. The Florentines did a dramatic
flip-flop, built another bonfire ... and burned Savonarola. They
returned to the Renaissance love of beauty and free-thinking with a
newly heightened appreciation of the separation of church and state.
Those of us who produce broadcast material on a shoestring will
continue to expose Americans to other cultures and fine art. But we
must proceed gingerly. Should we crop Venus? Bleep Boccaccio's bawdy
language? Will Raphael's randy cupids be labeled child porn and
Bernini's Rape of Proserpine as S&M? Can I film the Three Graces only
from the waist up? And, if I do, is that indecency fine of $500,000 per
painting ... or per nipple?
Rick Steves spends four months a year in Europe, writing guidebooks,
leading tours and producing a public television series.
Source:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/usatoday/20050825/cm_usatoday/prudishnessisonethingcensorshipquiteanother
Clan_MacKay
Chamber of Commerce to have mixer at resort where clothing gets little
wear and tear. Will members conform?
Jeanne Bonner - The Morning Call
August 27, 2005
CARBON COUNTY, PA - Going to the next Chamber mixer? You might be
surprised by what you see. Or rather what you don't.
The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce will hold its monthly
after-work mixer in September at Sunny Rest Resort, a clothing-optional
camp and recreation area in Carbon County.
Chamber members attending the event will be dressed, but they may
encounter nudists by the pool, where the mixer will be held. That
possibility is causing giggles from one end of the Valley to the other.
''I have a hard enough time going to mixers without socks,'' said Tony
Hanna, Bethlehem's director of community and economic development, who
won't be attending. ''I thought it was a joke when I first saw the
flier.''
Others say they will attend but don't plan to disrobe.
''I have had requests, but no, I won't be there naked,'' said Chamber
President Tony Iannelli. Invitations call for casual dress.
With more than 4,000 members, the Lehigh Valley Chamber is the area's
largest. Chamber officials expect the mixer to draw about 150 people,
the typical attendance for the monthly events. Nonetheless, they are
aware this won't be like every other mixer.
''It is generating a lot of conversation,'' said spokeswoman Tamara
Weller.
A chamber meeting at a nudist resort is not unheard of. One chamber
holds an annual social event at a nudist resort near Kissimmee, Fla.,
according to a spokeswoman for the American Association for Nude
Recreation.
Sunny Rest has been a member of the Lehigh Valley Chamber for about a
year. For some companies, a key membership benefit is the option of
holding a social event.
''Local people don't know about us,'' said Sunny Rest bookkeeper Laura
Ahner. ''We are anticipating a lot of curious people who want to see
what it's all about.''
Sunny Rest is a 190-acre resort in Franklin Township. Founded in 1945,
it is among the country's oldest nudist facilities. Sunny Rest co-owner
Halsie Mesher is a third-generation nudist whose family has owned the
resort since 1978. It attracts nudists from around the country.
The Sept. 8 reception will be Sunny Rest's first Chamber event, and one
of the few occasions where outsiders come en masse to the camp. The
owners are seeking a higher profile. Last month the facility played
host to about 3,000 members of the eastern region of the American
Association for Nude Recreation.
About 160 families stay in Sunny Rest cottages or mobile homes during
the summer, and many other members come for day trips. There are also
permanent residents. But not that many ''regular folks'' venture up to
the pastoral retreat, which features hiking trails, tennis and
volleyball courts, a nightclub and, of course, the nude-only pool and
hot tub.
Even people who do business with the Mesher family sometimes find
reasons to avoid visiting the resort. Buddy Lesavoy is the Meshers'
longtime attorney, and he's never been there.
''I am probably equally embarrassed to be seen and or see others
[naked],'' said Lesavoy of Blank Rome LLC. Lesavoy is also the
Chamber's vice chairman. He plans to attend the mixer because ''it's
the only way I can ever see going'' to Sunny Rest.
In all likelihood, Chamber members who attend the event will see few
nudists. Not many members sun themselves by the pool on a late
September afternoon and evening when the mixer will take place.
Sunny Rest officials say people stay away partly because of
misconceptions. For example, some people mistakenly think the resort is
a sex club, Ahner of Sunny Rest said. In fact, overt sexual advances
are prohibited and management closely monitors the conduct of members
and guests, according to the rules.
There's also the taboo of nudity. Most people interviewed for this
story chuckled at the idea they might go nude to the event. Kim Snyder,
president of Eastern Industries in Center Valley and a former chairman
of the Chamber, said he will attend to show support for a Chamber
member, but won't be baring any skin.
''I would but I could not afford all the liability lawsuits from people
going blind,'' Snyder said.
Myra Mesher admits nudist resorts are not for everyone. A major
obstacle, she said, is that people don't accept their bodies.
''No one is going to have the perfect body,'' Mesher said. ''Even
people who have what might be considered a perfect body don't think
they do.''
She added, ''It's something you have to get over.''
Mesher says embracing the nudist movement has increased her
self-esteem. She won't, however, be nude at the mixer.
''I will probably be dressed to make people feel more comfortable,''
she said.
Source:
http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-a1_5nudistaug27,0,5344116.story?coll=all-newslocal-hed
Clan_MacKay
much more proper (in my opinion) if the Homo Sapiens in the exhibit had
been Nudists possibly even a Family unit.
After all are the Chimps and monkeys in the other exhibits clothed?
Clan
-----------------------------------------------------------------
August 28, 2005
At London Zoo, Homo Sapiens Is Just Another Primate Species
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONDON, Aug. 27 (AP) - At the London Zoo, visitors can talk to the
animals - and now some of them talk back.
Caged and barely clothed in a rocky enclosure, eight British men and
women were on display beginning Friday behind a sign reading "Warning:
Humans in their Natural Environment."
The inhabitants of the Human Zoo exhibition sunned themselves on a rock
ledge, wearing fig leaves - pinned to bathing suits. Some played with
hula hoops, some waved. A sign informed visitors about the species'
diet, habitat, worldwide distribution and the threats to its survival.
On Friday, visitors pointed and laughed, and several children asked why
people were "in there."
A spokeswoman for the London Zoo, Polly Wills, said that was exactly
the question the zoo wanted to answer.
"Seeing people in a different environment, among other animals," Ms.
Wills said, "teaches members of the public that the human is just
another primate." It also, she conceded, lets them "have a gawk at
people."
The exhibition, which will end Monday, puts the three male and five
female Homo sapiens next to their primate relatives, separated by an
electric fence.
The eight were chosen from 30 applicants who entered an online contest,
and make up a diverse group.
One is Brendan Carr, 25, an actor who won his place by submitting a
spot of anthropomorphic verse, "I'm funky like a monkey and as cool as
a cat, talk more than a parrot, up all night like a bat."
Another is a chemist, Tom Mahoney, 26, who applied after a friend sent
him an e-mail message about the contest as a joke. Anything that draws
attention to apes, Mr. Mahoney said, has his support.
"A lot of people think humans are above other animals," he said. "When
they see humans as animals, here, it kind of reminds us that we're not
that special."
Three hours into the exhibition, on a cool day, Mr. Mahoney said he was
having fun, except when the wind picked up. Visitors' reactions varied
Friday. Pointing at a heavily muscled and gleaming human body on the
ledge, a visitor suggested that the zoo consider a breeding program.
Melissa Wecker, 21, was disappointed. "They're not doing anything," she
said. "It looked lots better on the news."
The zoo staff brought the eight food and drink, and took care to ensure
the humans did not become bored. A supply of board games was on hand,
and some said they looked forward to listening to the England-Australia
cricket match on the radio.
Unlike the zoo's other inhabitants, the humans are allowed to leave
each night at closing time.
When Peter Bohn, 42, saw the "animals" juggling, he had a good laugh.
"It's hilarious," he said. "It turns everything upside down. It makes
you think about the humans in relation to the animals."
Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company
Clan_MacKay
Kevin Bissett - Canada.com
August 5, 2005
FREDERICTON (CP) - Atlantic Canada is a region known for chilly nights
and foggy mornings but, despite the goose-bumps, it's becoming a
popular destination for nudists.
Secluded beaches and a number of new, nude-only resorts make the area
an ideal place for naturists to doff their duds on a summer day.
"The basic, fundamental reason people want to be naturists is because
it feels great," said Stephane Deschenes, president of the Federation
of Canadian Naturists.
"Most Canadians have gone skinny-dipping at some point, generally in
the dark, maybe by themselves, and they'll report that it really feels
great and they really enjoyed it."
Jim Woycke, author of the book Au Naturel: The History of Nudism in
Canada, appeals to those looking for a simpler life.
"There's a lifestyle kind of appeal to naturism that looks away from
hectic vacation activities to something that is more relaxing, is not
terribly expensive, and feels good, especially on a hot day."
According to Woycke, a professor of history at the University of
Western Ontario, naturism got its start in Europe in the 19th century
when people would discard their tight, constrictive clothing and
participate in sun and fresh-air therapy for their health.
"People got sick of the diets and exercise and the rules and
regulations, but they appreciated the freedom of being out in the open
and they found they lost all the fashion-conscious hang-ups when nobody
was wearing any fashion," said Woycke.
"There came to be a social liberation that people liked, and that
became the dominate characteristic of naturism."
While many parts of Canada have large naturist clubs and officially
nude beaches, Deschane says people from Atlantic Canada have been
underserviced.
"We did a survey in 1999, and that survey indicated that there are
about three million Canadians have a naturist mentality, and if you go
a little further to naturist leanings, you get up to six million
people," he said.
"I believe the growth in naturism in the Maritimes is because of more
places opening up."
A couple in Cavendish, P.E.I., is taking advantage of the growing
market.
Gary and Linda Lowther opened the Oasis Resort in 2003, and this year,
expanded with a 12-site nudist campground.
"So far this year, we've had visitors from across Canada, the eastern
U.S. and Europe," said Gary Lowther.
"Weather is the biggest factor. It is very important in any business,
but even more here."
The campground is like any other, with serviced sites, a pool and
volleyball nets.
The only distinctive feature is the fence to keep peekers out.
"Our visitors here are as varied as anywhere else . . . There's young,
old, middle-class, upper-class," said Lowther.
He said the suites are set-up for couples, while the campground
attracts more families.
Source:
http://www.canada.com/travel/story.html?id=29e93c09-b1db-4f59-afe6-1769d72d0b16
Clan_MacKay
Danmark.dk
September 5, 2005
The chairman of the national nudist organisation calls recent record
growth a reaction to too much focus on perfect bodies.
More and more people are joining nudists clubs in Denmark. Over the
past three years, the number of members in the national nudist club,
Danish Naturalists, has risen by 30 percent.
The chairman of the naturalist club, Kim Bindesbøll Andersen, sees the
growth as a sign of people becoming weary of the constant focus on
people's looks.
'Today, the body is reduced to a sexual billboard,' he said. 'With
things like breast operations, work outs, tattoos, and piercings, style
is no longer just clothing, but a part of the body. You need to change
your body just to be accepted. That's what a lot of naturalists are
reacting against. The want to be allowed to be themselves instead of
underwear models and to enjoy a break from the toned body together with
others who feel the same way.'
Andersen said that there was no standard description of an organisation
member: they came in all ages and from all lifestyles.
With the recent growth, the organisation has now passed 800 members. By
2008, they hope to have 2500 members.
'Our growth will increase as we offer more initiatives. Therefore, we
will add to the number of cities where naturalists can swim nude and we
will organise spa evenings,' he said.
In the north Jutland city of Aalborg, the latest on the list of cities
offering nude swimming hours in municipal pools, the number of new
members has increased by 40 percent.
Source:
http://denmark.dk/portal/page?_pageid=374,610572&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&ic_nextitemno=1&ic_itemid=858400
Photo attachment © Ernst van Norde/ Scanpix
Clan_MacKay
The Villager
August 17-23
GREENWICH VILLAGE, NEW YORK CITY - Jill Feeley, 25, who went topless
while wearing an American flag as a miniskirt at Columbus Circle on
Sun. Aug. 14 with 10 other women bicycle riders, said she was grateful
police saved them from a bunch of excited men who rushed the group at
4:30 p.m. There were no arrests. However, Feeley's lawyer, Jeffrey
Rothman, said Feeley would sue the city for arresting her on Aug. 4
during a topless appearance on Delancey St. In the Aug. 4 incident, she
was held for 12 hours before being released with no charges filed.
Rothman said the suit would affirm the right of women as well as men to
go "top-free," as affirmed in a 1992 State Court of Appeals
decision.
Source: http://www.thevillager.com/villager_120/ladygodivaontwo.html
Photo Attachments: © Ramin Talaie - The Villager
Clan_MacKay
Letter to the Editor - Miami Herald
September 4, 2005
Editor,
In her Aug. 11 Club Crawling column, Lesley Abravanel described
Haulover's designated clothing-optional naturist family beach as being
"infamous.''
That comment best describes the beach area of over 14 years ago, before
the establishment of the naturist beach.
We found the word ''infamous'' to be extremely offensive as well as
statistically and factually incorrect.
People who have read the column will now believe that people who visit
Haulover's clothing-optional beach are participating in some form of
inappropriate behavior. A discussion with the lifeguards and police
would have revealed that this is the cleanest and safest beach area in
the county, and it is supported by volunteer Beach Ambassadors.
Haulover Beach Park has a quarter-mile, designated clothing-optional
naturist family beach. It attracts over one million visitors a year who
pay over $1.3 million annually in parking fees.
Over 65 percent of these visitors are from outside of Miami-Dade. They
are classified by the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau as
''tourists'' and they have an estimated economic impact in excess of
$400 million a year.
This fact makes Haulover Beach's naturist beach, as a facility, the
largest in attendance in South Florida. This was accomplished by the
local naturist association, South Florida Free Beaches, in 1991 without
the use of one tax dollar.
Further, we keep the beach clean and we are self-policing, saving the
county hundreds of thousands of dollars in the costs of maintenance and
police. This allows the police to go where the crimes are, Most of them
in the homes of Miami-Dade residents.
Naturism has a spiritual meaning beyond the mere nudity. It is about
caring for all things natural. The environment and the human body.
Our volunteer Beach Ambassadors are there to welcome visitors.
If Ms. Abravanel wanted to be critical, she could have spoken out
against the recent selling of alcoholic beverages, on the beach by the
concessionaire. An ''infamous'' beverage.
- RICHARD MASON
PRESIDENT, SOUTH FLORIDA FREE BEACHES
MIAMI SHORES
Source: http://tinyurl.com/akga2
Clan_MacKay
KELLY DONOVAN - Desert Dispatch
September 1, 2005
NEWBERRY SPRINGS, CA -- Call it a club, call it a camp, just don't call
it a colony.
The folks at the Silver Valley Sun Club take offense at their RV park
in Newberry Springs being referred to as a nudist colony.
"Ants and lepers live in colonies," club owner Nancy Dulle said. "We
are a nudist camp, or a clothing-optional camp."
The Sun Club offers recreational and social activities year-round in an
environment where being naked is the norm.
The 15-acre nudist camp has a peaceful lake, hookups for up to 18 RVs,
space for plenty of tents and parking for tractor trailers.
Eight staff members live on the property, and they tend to be fully
clothed more often than the patrons, Dulle said.
As many as 300 people have stayed there at one time, Dulle said. On
Wednesday, there were no campers there, but a crowd is expected for
this weekend.
Campers don't have to go naked except when they're swimming or boating,
but most of them choose to go around nude, Dulle said.
Longtime Newberry Springs resident Bill Smith, 68, and his wife have
been members of the Sun Club since the early 1990s.
"Once we met the people, we were hooked," Smith said.
He said club members and people who go there to camp are friendly and
kind-hearted people, the sort that lend a hand in a time of need.
When a brush fire broke out near the Sun Club the Fourth of July
weekend, a group of the nudists rushed to help, Dulle and Smith said.
Smith said he and the others dug firebreaks to protect buildings,
helping prevent it from spreading to nearby residences.
Dulle said the nudists who come to her club are from all walks of life.
She and Smith said campers have included nurses, teachers, ministers,
mail carriers, doctors, carpenters, judges, mechanics, lawyers and
police officers.
"Class means nothing," Smith said. "When you don't have clothes,
everyone is equal."
People sometimes try to impress others with clothing and jewelry, and
that's not an issue at the camp, Smith said.
"People don't put on airs," he said.
The Sun Club has about 180 members, and has attracted campers from all
over the world, Dulle said. Many members live out of state in places
like Idaho and Texas, she said.
Dulle estimated that about 25 or 30 of the camp's regulars are from the
Barstow and Newberry Springs areas.
Campers are encouraged to bring their children, but Dulle said there
usually aren't many youths there, probably because so many of the
regulars' children are grown. The median age of a member is probably
around 50, she said.
Membership in the club isn't necessary to camp there.
Campers must obey a list of rules that Dulle said are strictly
enforced. Among the prohibited behavior contained on the list campers
receive is "overt, sexually explicit behavior or conversation."
Sexual activities are not allowed in public just as they wouldn't be at
any other RV camp, Dulle said.
"We're family oriented," she said. "We get calls, people are looking
for swing clubs, and we let them know we have nothing to do with that."
Dulle founded the camp 17 years ago with her husband, construction
consultant John Dulle.
Source: http://www.desertdispatch.com/2005/112558431119643.html
Clan_MacKay
Kjersti Eriksen - Aftenposten [Norway]
August 12, 2005
OSLO, NORWAY - Nudists at open beach Huk in Oslo are being
increasingly harassed by photographers, flashers and vulgar requests
and police have had to respond several times this summer.
"I don't go to Huk any more," says a 52-year-old woman who wishes to
remain anonymous. She had to call police after feeling threatened by
a man on the beach.
"He stood in my way when I was about to go past him on a path. He
wanted to talk to me, and while he did, he sat down and fingered his
penis. He was very threatening," the woman said. The man had a
criminal record, including violent assaults on women.
The woman has had several unpleasant episodes involving men at Huk.
Nudist Trond Hegstad believes those who abuse the beach are lonely
individuals who are outcasts.
Police have had to respond to a series of complaints from nearby
residents and nudists. Oslo's Nudist Society began receiving
complaints as early as the spring.
ONS board chairman Johannes Vinnes says that number of complaints is
increasing.
As a result of Peeping Toms hiding in vegetation near the nudist
beach, Oslo's Agency of Outdoor Recreation and Nature Management has
removed several bushes, Vinnes said, but complaints continue.
"There are flashers, solicitations and activities we do not want. The
way they try to pick people up is unacceptable, it is direct and
vulgar," Vinnes said. "We have no influence over who can be on the
beach. We have no way to chase people off."
There have been reports of flashers at the border of the beach, who
expose themselves to passersby. Voyeurs and sneak photography with
mobile phones is another problem.
"There are men who sit and masturbate. That isn't very pleasant. And
then there are voyeurs, who sit fully dressed," said a woman nudist.
She has also seen a male nudist throwing a mobile phone into the
water - photography is banned on the beach.
"The worst is when people start to point and make comments about
people. Some times I get so angry I go over and tell them that such
behavior just isn't on," nudist Finn Hansen said.
Source:
Clan_MacKay
By Richard Savill
Malmesbury
August 21, 2005
WANDERING around beautifully tended gardens has long been one of the
great pleasures of an English summer for keen nature-lovers.
On Friday they were busy admiring features including the herbaceous
borders, ornamental pond, rose beds, waterfalls and well-trimmed
lawns of Abbey House, a former monastery in Malmesbury, Wiltshire.
However, that was not all that was on display. The visitors
themselves had taken off their clothes and were following the example
of the owners, Ian nd Barbara Pollard, by baring all.
The Pollards, labelled "the Naked Gardeners" in BBC television's
Gardeners' World, opened their two-hectare garden for the first time
to fellow naturists.
They made clothes "optional" for the day and, as the rain held off,
more than 200 of the 250 visitors stripped off.
"It was no different to what people normally do with their clothes
on," said Mr Pollard, 60. "They brought blankets and picnicked by the
river; they walked everywhere, appreciating the plants and all the
colour we have. Those who kept their clothes on didn't seem to be
adversely affected."
Advertisement
Advertisement
The Pollards like to wear only boots and gardening gloves when they
do the planting, because they find it "liberating".
Mrs Pollard, 53, a former model, and a mother of three children aged
18, 13 and nine, said she organised the optional clothes day to
"explore attitudes to something that has become mixed up with sex".
Following the couple's appearance in a TV documentary about people
who go to work naked, they said they had had requests from other
naturists to join them.
"We had endless emails asking if we could share the garden and if we
could take our clothes off - and we thought, 'why not'?" said Mrs
Pollard.
"I'm self-conscious about my own body and it took me a while to get
my head around taking my clothes off. Now I feel liberated doing it
and I think 'why does it matter'?"
She added: "When you're out there with a gentle breeze on you, every
last hair on your body feels it. You feel completely connected with
the natural world in a way you just can't in clothes."
Visitors who wanted to take off their clothes were escorted by
stewards from the Council for British Naturism so they could change
in the tea room.
One of them, James Longton, 46, who travelled from Cambridge to
explore the garden naked, said: "It's been a lovely day. It's great
that we can get together and explore something so beautiful without
the restriction of clothes."
A French couple who had a child were the only visitors who decided
not to enter the gardens. "They had not seen on our website that
today was listed as clothes optional," said Mr Pollard.
The couple started opening their garden to the public seven years
ago, initially just for charity occasions.
TELEGRAPH
Copyright © 2005. The Age Company Ltd.
Source:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/hanging-out-in-an-english-nudist-
garden/2005/08/20/1124435181168.html?oneclick=true#
Clan_MacKay
ACTION ALERT
**********************************************************************
http://www.naturistaction.org
**********************************************************************
Copyright 2005 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 : September 7, 2005
SUBJECT: Wreck Beach, British Columbia
TO : All naturists
Dear Naturist,
The Naturist Action Committee (NAC) asks all naturists to unite in a
worldwide grass roots e-mail writing campaign to save Wreck Beach from
plans being made by the University of British Columbia (UBC) for three
additional residence towers to overlook the beach. One tower is already
being constructed. If the University is allowed to continue on its
present course, a total of four towers will blight the beach forever.
This situation has been the focus of previous NAC Action Alerts. The
decision by NAC to issue this new Action Alert was prompted by UBC's
recent insistence on moving forward, despite public protests, with two
more 18-story towers and a 14-story one. NAC asks for your help in a
grass roots battle to preserve Wreck Beach. This new request is made in
close cooperation with the Wreck Beach Preservation Society (WBPS), the
Pacific Spirit Park Society (PSPS), and the Federation of Canadian
Naturists (FCN).
This e-mail writing campaign is a NEW effort to preserve the
magnificent view from Wreck Beach, including its forested cliff tops
and its sense of wilderness.
The Wreck Beach Preservation Society will be binding copies of your
e-mailed letters into a book for presentation at these meetings. So
that we have documented proof of the contents and numbers of letters
authorities are receiving, we ask that you please copy all e-mail
correspondence (and whatever replies you may receive) to Judy Williams,
NAC board member and Chair of the WBPS: ju...@wreckbeach.org
BACKGROUND
Wreck Beach in Vancouver, BC, Canada is one of the most beautiful
clothing-optional beaches in the world. Presently, the pristine
forested cliffs above the beach have hidden any university buildings
from view, giving beachgoers a natural backdrop that approaches
wilderness despite closer proximity to the city. This precious heritage
view is still enjoyed by boaters and people who visit the tidal flats
today. The mistake of Tower #1 must not be allowed to be replicated
three more times.
UPDATE ON THE RESULTS OF YOUR EFFORTS SO FAR
At the meeting of the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) board
of directors on July 29, 2005, GVRD basically supported preserving the
natural views from Wreck Beach. We urge your letters to encourage the
GVRD to hold the line on the line-of-sight recommended by their staff
and to encourage the GVRD to ensure that visibility is measured prior
to consideration of any new UBC building plans.
ACTION: NAC ASKS ALL CONCERNED INDIVIDUALS TO CONTACT THE FOLLOWING
AUTHORITIES
We urge you to become part of this important new effort. Whether or not
you have written before, please write now in order to make a difference
at the meetings of GVRD and UBC on September 21 and 22. Please send
your e-mail correspondence to as many on the list as possible. Surface
mail may not arrive in time.
1) GVRD-UBC JOINT COMMITTEE
c/o Paulette Vetleson
paulette...@gvrd.bc.ca
2) GVRD-UBC JOINT COMMITTEE
c/o Kristian Nichols, GVRD
kristian...@gvrd.bc.ca
3) INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS of the JOINT GVRD-UBC COMMITTEE:
Gary Gibson, Electoral District A: gbgi...@telus.net
Councillor Raymond Louie: clrl...@city.vancouver.bc.ca
Mayor Ralph Drew, Belcarra, BC: rd...@shaw.ca
4) MEMBERS OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE WHO CAN BE REACHED
THROUGH GVRD:
Nicola Byres, UBC Board of Governors
Bryce Rositch, UBC Board of Governors
Chancellor Allan McEachern, UBC Board of Governors
Address e-mail to the above-named officials ...
c/o Shelley Jackson, GVRD Program Assistant
Shelley...@gvrd.bc.ca
5) PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY
Martha Piper, President of UBC and Member, Board of Governors
c/o Shelley Jackson, Shelley...@gvrd.bc.ca
6) GVRD PARK COMMITTEE CHAIR
Judy Higginbotham
jehiggi...@city.surrey.bc.ca
7) GVRD BOARD OF DIRECTORS
c/o Paulette Vetleson, paulette...@gvrd.bc.ca
8) GVRD CAO
Johnny Carline, CAO of the GVRD
c/o Paulette Vetleson, paulette...@gvrd.bc.ca
WHO SHOULD WRITE?
NAC is asking ALL CONCERNED INDIVIDUALS to send comments by e-mail.
That includes residents of the US, as well as those who live in Canada
and elsewhere. Vancouver and UBC pride themselves on their
international appeal.
WHAT SHOULD I SAY?
When you write, be sure to give your name and address. Anonymous
correspondence is typically ignored. Be polite. Carefully express your
outrage and your resentment, if you wish, but avoid threats and
name-calling.
In your message, state very clearly that you OPPOSE the proposed
towers.
SOME POINTS TO CONSIDER
Please use your own words. You may simply and respectfully ask
decision-makers to consider the requests of the Wreck Beach
Preservation Society, or you may elaborate on any of the following
points:
1) ENCOURAGE the GVRD to continue to defend the line of sight
that will protect viewscapes from the beach toward the tops
of the cliffs.
2) STRESS THE URGENCY. With decisions about to be made at the
executive levels, call upon the GVRD to ensure that visibility
of the towers is measured prior to consideration of any
additional UBC building plans.
3) OPPOSE any bio-engineering (shaving of cliffs and planting
of replacement vegetation) and interceptor ditches to protect
buildings that should never have been built at the proposed
heights and locations UBC has planned.
More than any other issue, the potential loss of the wilderness-like
setting has captured the attention of naturists and nature lovers from
around the world. Simply put, the construction of towers looming over
the beach would forever change the character of Wreck Beach.
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO?
As of September 1, 2005, over 40,000 persons have signed petitions
opposing construction of the towers. You can still add your name to the
petition online at http://www.wreckbeach.org.
PLEASE HELP NAC HELP NATURISTS IN CANADA AND ELSEWHERE
The Naturist Action Committee exists to advance and protect the rights
of naturists throughout North America. NAC is a volunteer nonprofit
organization that relies on the grass roots participation of those who
understand that individuals working together can make a difference.
NAC has no membership roster on which to assess dues, and it relies
completely on voluntary contributions from concerned and involved
naturists like you. Monitoring developing situations and coordinating
action across North America is expensive.
Won't you take a moment to help NAC by sending a generous donation? you
may donate directly online, using your MasterCard, Visa or Discover
Card by going to:
http://www.naturistaction.org/donate/
You may also send your contribution to the address below, or you may
call toll free (800) 886-7230 during normal office hours to donate by
phone, using your MasterCard or Visa.
NAC
PO Box 132
Oshkosh, WI 54903
Thank you for choosing to make a difference!
Naturally,
Judy Williams
Board Member
Naturist Action Committee
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Naturist Action Committee (NAC) - PO Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54903
Bob Morton - Executive Dir. - <ctnu...@aol.com>
Judy Williams - Board Member - <ju...@wreckbeach.org>
Online Rep. Dennis Kirkpatrick - natu...@sunclad.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.
Clan_MacKay
The World Today - Thursday, 8 September , 2005
Reporter: Melanie Christiansen
ELEANOR HALL: It may be passé for the rest of Australia, but
Queensland could soon have its first legal nude beach.
Four hours north of Brisbane, the Burnett Shire Council is preparing to
take a proposal to the State Government, citing requests from locals
for a beach that offers a little more freedom.
In Queensland, Melanie Christiansen reports that the Council is also
talking up the tourist potential of a nude beach.
MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: The sprawling shire of Burnett is made up of a
string of small coastal towns and rural villages in a circle around the
city of Bundaberg.
Now it's hoping to make a name for itself as the home of Queensland's
first legal clothes-free beach.
Mayor Ray Duffy says that's progress.
RAY DUFFY: This is 2005. A lot of new people are coming here, a lot of
new ideas, and therefore we've just got to keep abreast of the times.
MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: Burnett's youngest councillor, 28-year-old
Gillian Archibald is backing the idea, although she didn't quite
understand when the Free Beach Association first approached her.
GILLIAN ARCHIBALD: The first time I heard about it I was a bit, well
the Free Beach Association came to me and I said to them all our
beaches are free, 'cause I thought they actually meant by the cost,
but they were talking about clothes free.
MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: There are about 20 legal nude beaches in
Australia, but none in Queensland. The only State where such a thing is
still illegal.
But the Queensland Premier is now reviewing that, prompting the Burnett
Shire Council into action.
Mayor Ray Duffy thinks having Queensland's first nude beach could be a
tourist drawcard.
RAY DUFFY: I'm sure it'd be a rather unique attraction, you could you
know, use your imagination, I'm sure the listeners will. Imagine the
billboards on the side of the highway.
MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: As for local opinion, Mayor Duffy and Councillor
Archibald are expecting plenty of support for the proposal, although
there is some highly placed opposition, as Councillor Archibald admits.
GILLIAN ARCHIBALD: First person I spoke to was my mum, who I must say
frowned disappointingly at me and told me that she would never support
the idea.
MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: Others, like shopkeeper Michael Collins, don't
much care.
MICHAEL COLLINS: Ah I'm fairly indifferent to it myself, doesn't worry
me one way or the other.
MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: Ever tried nude sunbathing yourself?
MICHAEL COLLINS: No, not myself.
MELANIE CHRISTIANSEN: Do you think many of your friends and neighbours
there might be interested?
MICHAEL COLLINS: Well now that's a scary thought isn't it, when you
have a look at some of our neighbours here, yeah, that's a bit of a
scary thought.
ELEANOR HALL: Burnett Heads Shire shopkeeper, Michael Collins speaking
to Melanie Christiansen.
Source: http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2005/s1455939.htm
Clan_MacKay
Linda Jo Scott - Battle Creek Enquirer
September 7, 2005
BATTLE CREEK, MI - Bill Schroer doesn't wear blue jeans and work shoes
when he works in his garden.
He doesn't wear gloves or a hat.
In fact, Schroer wears nothing at all.
And the 56-year-old likes to encourage the rest of us to become nude
gardeners, too.
Schroer, you see, is a confirmed, enthusiastic "naturist" who has
decided, with his fellow members of the board of the Naturist Action
Committee, that nudism no longer should be kept low profile.
The human body is beautiful in its natural state, and it's time to
openly encourage nude activities, the Battle Creek resident said.
And he wants the community to get involved in the Nature Action
Committee's "World Nude Gardening Day" event on Saturday.
But with all the rose thorns and hedge clippers, isn't gardening in the
buff a little risqué?
Schroer says no.
"Second only to swimming, gardening is at the top of the list of
family-friendly activities people are most ready to consider doing
nude," he said. "Gardening naked is not only a simple joy, it reminds
us that we can be honest with who we are as humans and as part of this
planet."
No newcomer to nudism, Schroer first became interested while he was a
teenager in Chicago.
"I joined Ohio Sun Seekers, but I never went to any of their activities
because I was a shy teenager. Much later, when Turtle Lake Resort
opened in the early '90s near Union City, my wife and I went to a New
Year's Eve party there," he said. "We had worn costumes, but we'd taken
them off within five minutes."
Ever since that New Year's Eve, Schroer has been a missionary for
nudity.
"I see it as a way to celebrate the beautiful place we have to live and
not take anything for granted in this wonderful universe," he said. "We
forget to celebrate that we are physical beings in a physical
environment."
In addition to serving on various committees, Schroer has written an
article for the winter edition of "N: The Magazine of Naturist Living,"
called "Say Good Bye to the Low Profile."
"We need to stand up and be counted," he said. "People should look
around and say, 'These nudists are my next-door neighbors. They're the
cop on the beat, the gas station owner. If they're part of it, it must
be OK.'"
Although many Battle Creek folks may not know it, there is a nudist
organization on Collier Avenue called Sunshine Gardens.
Penny Adams, its co-owner, said her parents-in-law started Sunshine
Gardens as a family garden in the Bedford area.
"They themselves gardened in the nude, and eventually started a
family-oriented nudist resort in 1942, and we've been here ever since,"
she said.
Schroer said Southwest Michigan is the perfect place to promote his
sans-clothing agenda.
"We probably have more nudist resorts or clothing-optional
organizations per capita in this area than anywhere in the country," he
said. "Michigan is a recreation state. So it's a natural gathering
place for naturism."
So what will Schroer be doing on Saturday?
"I'll probably be trimming some trees, mowing and picking apples. I may
invite some other naturists over to swim in our pond and play some
bocce."
For more information on World Nude Gardening Day, go to www.wngd.org
Clan_MacKay
Associated Press
September 19, 2005
MORAVIA, N.Y. - Four women arrested after going topless on a downtown
street last month say they didn't break any laws and want the charges
against them dropped.
The women, each charged with exposure, are to appear Tuesday night in
village court. If convicted of the violation they each face 15 days in
jail and/or a $250 fine.
Charles Marangola, the attorney representing the women, said he's filed
a motion to dismiss the case, maintaining that a 1992 state Court of
Appeals decision allows women to go topless anywhere a man can.
"This thing should be dismissed outright," he said. "But if it isn't
and these young ladies are found guilty at a trial ... if we have to go
to the Court of Appeals, we will."
But Cayuga County Assistant District Attorney Charles Thomas said his
office isn't convinced that the 1992 ruling gives blanket permission
for women to go topless. Thomas said that in addition to the nudity
violation, he'll argue that the women interfered with commerce.
The four women - Carol Clarke, 54, and Barbara Crumb, 61, both of
Branchport; Claudia Kellersch, 40, of La Jolla, Calif.; and Madeleine
McPherson, 40, of Rochester - were arrested Aug. 11 outside a grocery
store in this village of 1,600 just south of Owasco Lake, 40 miles
southwest of Syracuse.
Source:
http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/news/weird_news/12688402.htm
Clan_MacKay
Fox News
September 19, 2005
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - A Green Party lawmaker who pledged to
run naked through the streets if a rival party leader was re-elected
said he will honor his word.
Legislator Keith Locke, the Green Party's foreign affairs spokesman,
said Monday he didn't want to break an election promise.
He had said he would do the nude dash if Act Party leader Rodney Hide
won a parliamentary seat in the Auckland suburb of Epsom.
Regarded as an outside chance, Hide romped home in the contest Saturday
with a 3,200-vote majority.
"We haven't set a date, we've got preparations to do in terms of
choreography," Locke said. "It will be artistic and it will involve
body paint."
A local business group, the Newmarket Business Association, is helping
pave the way for the lawmaker's run down Broadway, which is "a straight
and wide strip - ideal for such exposure," said Cameron Brewer, the
group's general manager.
"When Mr. Locke is ready, the ... association will warn the
faint-hearted, clear the footpath on Broadway ... ensure there are the
necessary officials, and provide a much-needed loincloth," Brewer said.
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,169825,00.html
Clan_MacKay
Jade Bilowol - News.com.au
September 22, 2005
AUSTRALIA - An opponent to Queensland's possible first legal nude beach
says the plan should be stopped because "unadorned worms are preyed
upon by birds".
South-east Queensland's Burnett Shire Council, which covers 92km of
pristine coast, is poised to lobby the State Government by the end of
the year to declare a naked-bathing beach.
But Councillor Maurice Chapman today said "human dignity would not be
preserved" if beachgoers bared all in the shire.
"Unadorned worms are preyed upon by birds," Cr Chapman told fellow
councillors in a failed bid to stop the council progressing the nude
beach plan to a public input stage.
"Whilst we may be animals we are superior to the others and we need to
have human dignity."
Despite admitting he personally would not be seen starkers, Mayor Ray
Duffy believes the nude beach is needed to "keep abreast of the times"
and boost tourism.
"It is the year 2005 - Queensland is the only state in Australia with
these (public decency) laws.
"They are from the Joh (Bjelke-Petersen) era ... they are old and
prudent."
The secluded Coonar and Norville beaches near Bundaberg have been
flagged as possible skinny-dipping sites.
The State Government has pledged to consider any proposal from the
shire.
There are about 20 legal nude beaches in Australia but none in
Queensland.
Free Beaches Australia's website states Alexandria Bay on the Sunshine
Coast, Fraser Island, Mon Repos Beach near Bundaberg and Saunders Beach
near Townsville are among Queensland's "unofficial" nude beaches.
Source:
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,16686233-421,00.html?from=rss
Clan_MacKay
Abigail Van Buren
Sep. 23, 2005
Dear Abby: I am 76, my wife is 65. Our neighbor "Roy" is retired, but
probably less than 60 years old. The fence between Roy's property and
ours is 6 feet tall, but the wood has shrunk and there are gaps of
about half an inch or more between the boards.
Abby, Roy likes to work nude in his back yard and has told my wife he
does this. Otherwise, he seems like a decent fellow. He has given my
wife nectarines from over the fence, which is as close as I want his
naked presence to my wife. Roy insists he has the "right" to go naked
in his own back yard.
Unfortunately, my wife agrees, and tells me she's not looking. I have
asked her not to accept any more gifts over the fence from Roy and to
keep her contact with him to a minimum. Am I being foolish? How would
you recommend I handle this?
-- Too Close for Comfort in Calif.
Dear Too Close For Comfort: With a 6-foot fence around his property,
Roy is probably within his rights to garden "au naturel." One way to
handle the problem would be for you to develop an interest in
horticulture. Perhaps the appearance of that fence could be improved by
planting bougainvillea, or poison ivy on your side of it. Or a lovely
cactus garden... the possibilities are almost endless if you put your
mind to it. P.S. Just be sure to wear gloves.
Source:
http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/living/12722024.htm
Clan_MacKay
Baring It All in Public Is Nothing Special Anymore; Joining Camps Is
Passé
CECILIE ROHWEDDER - The Wall Street Journal
September 23, 2005
BERLIN -- Wearing nothing but goose bumps, Georg Engelbrecht walked
across the lawn to take a dip in a chilly lake near Berlin one recent
summer day.
Deck chairs and ping-pong tables sat unused. Leaves gathered on the
volleyball court. Only a few pensioners, an unemployed dentist and a
handful of children populated this nudist club, where Mr. Engelbrecht,
99 years old, has spent his free time for decades.
"We are a dying species," said the rosy-skinned former chemical
engineer.
About 2,000 Berliners once frequented this community. On a guard tower,
members kept watch against unwanted stares. Now membership has dwindled
to 850, and there are hardly any Peeping Toms to chase away. Germany is
so awash in nakedness -- from magazine covers and television shows to
sunbathers baring it all in public parks -- that the country's
traditional nudist clubs are in decline, even as nudism seems to be
picking up in the U.S.
Germany is the homeland of the nudist movement. In the late 19th
century, youngsters from teeming cities formed back-to-nature clubs.
Called Freikoerperkultur, or "Free Body Culture," nudism soon grew into
a mass movement. Briefly outlawed by the Nazis, nudism kept a faithful
following. In Communist East Germany, it was a cherished and tolerated
expression of freedom.
Today, Germany's nudist organizations are losing members, and the
people still in the game are a wrinkled bunch. Just 50,000 Germans now
belong to nudist clubs, less than half the number of the early 1970s,
and most are over the age of 50. In the U.S., nudism is said to be
growing. The American Association for Nude Recreation, which says it
has 50,000 members, says it got a boost in the 1990s, when the Internet
helped nudists find others sharing their pastime. Now, too, there are
clothing-optional resorts and cruises. With new features like spas and
broadband connections, most of today's nudist clubs are a far cry from
the rustic nudist colonies of the past.
"For many people, it's less about membership than about a weekend
away," says Erich Schuttauf, the association's president.
Nudism's decline in Germany and growing popularity with some Americans
underscores the diverging mores of Europeans and Americans. In America,
public displays of nakedness remain rare enough that nude recreation is
an edgy growing niche of the leisure market.
In Europe, nudity has become so widespread that those who want to shed
their clothes don't particularly need the excuse of a nudist camp. In
Europe, topless women are a common sight on beaches. In July, 1,700
Britons posed naked for an American photographer on a bridge in
Newcastle. Vienna's Leopold Museum offered free entry to unclothed
visitors at an exhibition of erotic art titled "The Naked Truth."
Police in Cologne, Germany, opted not to arrest a woman who walked into
a supermarket this past summer wearing nothing but an unbuttoned denim
jacket.
"I don't need a club to enjoy the sun on my skin," says Kathrin
Geffken, a 38-year-old Berliner who likes accompanying her husband and
sons to one of Berlin's many lakes for weekends in the buff. At the
sandy shore, people in swimsuits and birthday suits sit happily side by
side.
"Everyone accepts each other the way they are," says Ms. Geffken's
husband, Guido. "If someone showed up in a fur hat and nothing else,
nobody would bat an eye."
Baring all was riskier when Mr. Engelbrecht, who will be 100 in
December, became a nudist as a young man. Men wore top hats, women wore
corsets and public nudity was still verboten. On summer weekends, Mr.
Engelbrecht and friends would walk for hours to find secluded spots for
swimming and sunbathing.
One day in 1926, Mr. Engelbrecht was playing ball unclothed in the
dunes by the Baltic Sea with his sister and a friend when a couple
walked up to them from the beach.
"I thought they were going to arrest us," he recalls. Then the woman
slipped off the straps of her swimsuit. "I am one of you," she said.
"Would you like to see our club?"
The movement took off. Nudist clubs and magazines proliferated. A
public pool in Berlin allowed swimming au naturel. Painting,
photography and the film industry celebrated the human form. This
reverence for physical perfection, historians say, is one factor that
helped pave the way for the racial policies of the Nazis.
"Nudity was very much talked about in racial-hygienist terms," says
Ruth Barcan, a professor at the University of Sydney who wrote a book
on the history of nudity.
Yet the Nazis initially banned nudist clubs. Hitler was in power for
just over a month when Hermann Goering decreed that "the naked culture
is one of the biggest dangers for German culture and morality" and
vowed to eradicate the practice. Mr. Engelbrecht, who spent World War
II in a job turning coal into diesel fuel for German tanks, dodged the
ban. He and his friends took turns guarding their beaches. Eventually,
the regime decided to allow nudism, forming its own nudist federation
and inviting clubs to join -- provided that they bar Jews and
Communists.
Mr. Engelbrecht spent naked summers with his first wife, whom he met at
a nudist camp, and later he enjoyed the camp with his second wife. Now,
she is too frail to join him, and none of their children share their
hobby.
"They are too busy," says Mr. Engelbrecht.
Nudist organizations face the same pressures as German organizations in
general encounter: Young people are shunning clubs with rules and peer
pressure. Leisure clubs, unions, political parties and churches all are
steadily losing members in Europe's most-populous nation.
Unification dealt an additional blow. Nude bathers dominated the
beaches of Communist East Germany, where baring all was a form of
peaceful resistance. But the defiant strippers never joined clubs --
banned by the regime to begin with -- and weren't about to do so after
Communism's fall, furthering the trend of do-it-yourself nudism.
In West Berlin, long enclosed by the Berlin Wall, nudism offered an
escape. "We used to feel boxed in," said Ellen Voss, a 69-year-old
Berliner drinking her morning coffee wearing only a pair of Birkenstock
sandals on a warm summer Friday. "Coming here gave us a sense of
freedom."
Few feel that way today. Ms. Voss and her husband, Siegfried, a retired
electrician, have kept a small wooden cabin at their nudist colony for
20 years. On this day, the cottages around them were deserted. Some
were up for sale.
Above all, nudist leaders say, Germany's permissive culture is hurting
the movement. The country's largest tabloid features a topless woman on
its front page every day. Full nudity is common on TV. At Berlin's
annual Love Parade along main boulevards, topless beauties dance on the
floats. "There is a culture here of anything goes," says Kurt Fischer,
president of Germany's nudist federation. "People can do what they want
without joining clubs for it."
Source:
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB112743477668449388-email,00.html
Marsketa
a pool, spa, tennis courts etc. ? What is the accomodation like? They
need to give the nudists a reason to go to their clubs rather than
going to their nearby beach.
Marsketa
Marsketa
direct contrast to nudists in Germany.
Marsketa
Clan_MacKay
By Sheila Farr - Seattle Times art critic
September 28, 2005
In January, the citizens of Seattle found out they had received a gift.
In his will, the late Stu Smailes, a retired computer analyst for
Safeco and fan of the arts, left about $1 million to the city. He
wanted to commission a new public fountain. And he wanted the artwork
to include at least one realistic nude male figure.
The Mayor's Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs accepted the gift -
then handed it off to the Seattle Art Museum. Seattle has no nude
sculptures in its outdoor art collection The question was raised: Could
this be some kind of joke?
If it was, it has been beautifully turned around: The city has a new
public fountain in the works. This week, with the complexities of
Smailes' will and probate settled, SAM announced that his bequest will
fund a commission called "Father and Son" by acclaimed New York artist
Louise Bourgeois. The 15-foot-high stainless-steel fountain will be
installed next summer for the opening of SAM's Olympic Sculpture Park
on the Seattle waterfront. Bourgeois has also donated six functional
granite benches to the park from her surreal "Eye Benches" series of
1996-97.
In Bourgeois' proposal for the sculpture, the life-sized figures face
each other but are obscured from each other by a cloak of falling water
that, at hourly intervals, will shift to reveal first one figure, then
the other, at the ringing of a bell. The artist described the figures
as "held in the air on a column which will serve as a feed to create
the two mounds of gushing water that will hide the naked figures. The
boy's hand reaches up and out to embrace the father. The father in turn
reaches out to embrace his son."
Bourgeois, 94, is an almost legendary figure in the art world: canny,
bold, utterly original. A native of France, she dropped her study of
mathematics at the Sorbonne to attend the École des Beaux-Arts in
Paris and went on to other art schools and apprenticeships. She moved
to the United States in 1938 with her husband, art historian Robert
Goldwater, and turned from painting to sculpture. She represented the
United States at the Venice Biennale in 1993, and in 1999 received the
Gold Lion Prize in Venice, awarded to a living master of contemporary
art.
Over the decades, she has produced an eclectic array of sculptures and
installations, many based on the human form, but not all realistically
rendered. Bourgeois doesn't have a reputation for decorative art. Her
sculptures can be unsettling. They are known for a strong foundation in
ideas or metaphors, a tendency to look deep into the psyche. "Father
and Son" is no exception.
"Nudity in this work is a symbol of emotional nakedness," said SAM's
outgoing chief curator Lisa Corrin in a prepared statement. "[T]he two
figures stand before each other but cannot touch; they try to see each
other, but never see eye to eye; they are separated by bell jars of
cascading water, which prevents any contact between them."
Corrin says the theme of mother and child is a classic for artists, but
"Father and Son" is especially relevant today, with fathers playing a
more active role in their children's lives.
Source:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/artsentertainment/2002525194_fountain28m.html
Clan_MacKay
By ROBERT L. JAMIESON JR. - SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER COLUMNIST
October 1, 2005
The caped crusaders for the conservative cause are on the rampage
again. This time, the target of their moral misfire is a piece of
Seattle public art that hasn't even seen the light of day yet.
You've got to hand it to conservatives. They have an uncanny way of
seeing the unforeseen. They already know that an installment of
sculpture art coming to the city's waterfront is offensive, debased and
sexually perverse.
Some of these critics even have rushed to surmise -- wrongly, it turns
out -- that the "troubling" art comes from a gay male Latino artist
named Luis.
The sculpture has a name -- "Father and Son."
It will be put in place in the Seattle Art Museum's new sculpture park,
near Myrtle Edwards Park. The work will feature steel sculpture figures
of a boy and his dad standing in close proximity, their arms
outstretched.
Each figure will be alternately covered under a cascade of blinding
fountain water. This will make it impossible for father or son to "see"
one another. Park visitors also will not see both sculptures at the
same time because one of the figures will always be under an aquatic
dome.
The installment is believed to be the only father-son sculpture of its
kind. The work explores the poignant, universal relationship of fathers
and sons who share physical space and yet remain distant amid emotional
nakedness and vulnerability.
Rough sketches of the piece are making rounds, which is how the work
got twisted into something bad among those who inhabit the caves of
local talk radio land. It suddenly became a totem of pedophilia.
Dori Monson -- a gaseous, me-centered right-winger who hosts a Seattle
radio show -- has raised this concern on air. He gave the issue his
"Full Monson" mistreatment, triggering a lemming-like stampede among
others who have rushed to misrepresent the intent of the artist.
Before the sculpture gets pummeled any more, these negative nabobs
should consider a thing. Or two. Or three. It just might change their
minds.
"Father and Son" sprang from the soul of Louise Bourgeois -- not "Luis"
as talk show airwaves said -- who is a French-born woman, not a man.
Bourgeois is an artist respected throughout the world for exploring
issues that revolve around the human form and relationships. In the
early 1990s, her art was in the Venice Biennale, one of the most
prestigious international exhibitions of contemporary art.
At 94, Bourgeois is serious about craft, one not given to trivial
titillation that passes for art. She also has mothered sons of her own.
The Bourgeois sculpture made the cut after being vetted by experts,
including people from the Seattle Art Museum and the city of Seattle
and folks representing the estate of Stu Smailes -- he's the art lover
who left $1 million in his will to Seattle for an art project.
Smailes was a Safeco insurance executive who appreciated art
masterpieces, including classical heroic nudes such as Michelangelo's
David in Europe. He died in 2002, but his will set forth rules for an
art piece: that it be classical, include a realistic-looking nude male
and have a fountain.
"Father and Son" will feature all three.
So, how to explain the anger and fear?
As I sought explanations with an art museum spokeswoman, it became
clear. She dropped the H-bomb: homosexual. Smailes was gay.
Now I get it.
All gay men are pedophiles.
A gay man who backs a work of art that features a nude male adult and a
boy is promoting pedophilia.
The use of an elderly female artist who uses a deceptive title for her
work is just a clever ruse to mask a deeper evil.
What a warped line of thinking.
"We don't condone pedophilia nor would we condone an artist who did,"
says Lisa Corrin, the museum's artistic lead for the sculpture park.
Corrin asks: "Had it been a mother and child would it have caused such
a kerfuffle?"
The answer is no.
What is happening here shows the danger of when public homophobia --
along with fears about pedophilia -- gets mapped into art that is no
way overtly sexual.
People who are not fully informed but possess a political or moral
agenda are sexualizing art in the worst way.
These same people don't say boo about art or ads with girls in skimpy
outfits that scream out sex.
Society and the art world have a hard enough time portraying
relationships between fathers and sons with emotional truth.
You'd think that folks -- especially those on the right -- would jump
at the chance to embrace something that uses artistic expression to
capture one of life's vital bonds, that between father and son.
Isn't this really what family values are all about?
P-I columnist Robert L. Jamieson Jr. can be reached at 206-448-8125 or
robertj...@seattlepi.com.
Source: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/jamieson/243035_robert01.html
Original story:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/artsentertainment/2002525194_fountain28m.html
Clan_MacKay
By ANNE MATHER - The Mercury
October 3, 2005
TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA - Tourists are desperate for a nude beach in
Tasmania, says a group of nudists.
The Southern Tasmanian Association of Nudists says it fields several
calls a week from visitors keen to shed their clothes.
The association is pushing for the state's first nude beach this
summer, to satisfy both local nudists and visitors.
The association's president, who wanted to be identified only as Kevin,
said Tasmania was the only state in Australia without a nude beach.
But he said the recent influx of mainlanders moving to the state, as
well as visitors, meant demand for a clothes-optional beach was rising.
"So many more people are moving to Tasmania from interstate and they
are contacting us asking where they can go," Kevin said.
The nudists are seeking to raise their profile and numbers this summer
to gather momentum for a nude beach.
The association received backing for the state's first nude beach from
the State Government and Tasmania Police in 2000.
But no local council was willing to allow a nude beach, Kevin said.
Originally the association was pushing for clothes-optional beaches at
Neck Beach on Bruny Island and Calverts Beach on South Arm.
But councils were not keen.
He said that although the beaches were secluded and unlikely to offend
anyone, the proposal "went down like a lead balloon".
Local Government Association of Tasmania chief executive officer Alan
Garcia said the nudists would probably still run up against objectors
at whatever beach they chose.
"I don't expect councils will jump up and down and saying `yes please',
because the reality is someone will object wherever the location," Mr
Garcia said.
He said it was up to the nudists to demonstrate to councils that their
activity would cause no problems.
Kevin said the number of nudist beaches and resorts was growing
constantly in the rest of Australia.
"We're a great tourist destination, but there are a lot of tourists who
we are missing out on," Kevin said.
"We have got the most beautiful beaches in Australia, our beaches would
be perfect."
The law against nude sunbaking was repealed in 2003, but naked
sunbaking is only permitted in areas that have received council
approval.
The Southern Tasmanian Association of Nudists advertised at the weekend
for people interested in becoming members.
Kevin said there were about 12 members in Hobart and about 50 nudists
statewide.
Tourism Council of Tasmania chief executive officer Daniel Leesong said
he doubted whether a nudist beach would attract great additional
numbers of visitors to the state.
"From a tourism perspective I don't think it even ranks on the radar,"
he said.
Mr Leesong said he imagined nudists would prefer beaches in warmer
climates.
Anyone interested in contacting the Southern Tasmanian Association of
Nudists can email southernt...@netspace.net.au
Source:
http://www.themercury.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,16794221%255E3462,00.html
Clan_MacKay
Steve Gough's desire to walk in the nude from Land's End to John
O'Groats made him a national hero. Jonathan Brown (suitably attired)
joined his Freedom to be Yourself campaign
Independent Online - U.K.
October 3, 2005
ENGLAND - It bore all the hallmarks of the classic anxiety dream, but
it was for real. I am walking along a deserted woodland track, stark
naked, when a convoy of vehicles trundles into view ahead, packed with
people. There is no time to run. Ridicule and humiliation feel
harrowingly imminent.
As the windows are wound down, everyone inside is laughing. The urge to
cover up becomes almost uncontrollable but I am determined to tough it
out. After shaking a few extended hands, they start to get out and take
in turns to stand beside me and have their photographs taken before
driving off, the laughter now ringing out louder than ever. Strangely,
I don't feel ashamed. What I have is a sensation akin to pride. For
someone who feels self-conscious wearing shorts in public, this feels
weird.
Such was my first encounter with the clothed public when I joined
former Royal Marine Steve Gough and his girlfriend Melanie Roberts and
their 60lb rucksacks for a naked ramble in the Cairngorms.
Mr Gough has become something of a celebrity in the last two years
since he decided to launch his campaign for the nascent liberty
movement Freedom To Be Yourself by making the 847-mile unclothed
journey from Land's End to John O'Groats. On that occasion he was
arrested 15 times and spent 140 nights in prison. The police referred
him to a psychiatrist while his ex-wife and mother lambasted him in the
press. He eventually reached the northern tip of the United Kingdom in
the perishing month of January, five months behind schedule.
Undeterred by his experiences, the father-of-two embarked on the same
route again in June this year. This time however, he was accompanied by
his new girlfriend Melanie, a hairdresser from Bournemouth, close to
where Mr Gough, 46, spends a lot of the time parked up in the Ford
Transit van in which he now lives. The couple met, naturally enough, on
the naturist beach at Studland Bay two weeks before the planned
departure. A veteran of naked sunbathing since she was 17, Ms Roberts,
34, only decided to join him on his latest odyssey at the very last
moment. They were joined by a third naked walker, a retired librarian
from Beckenham, Kent, who completed the walk in late August.
It has been a winding road since the sunny start line on the beach in
Cornwall, surrounded by Page 3 girls courtesy of The Sun newspaper.
After more than three months walking up to 25 miles a day in sun, wind
and rain, their bodies are toned and they boast deep brown, all-over
tans. And to speed them on their way they have been joined by dozens of
supporters, some of them - like me - going naked for the first time.
Some have spent their annual holidays walking with the couple. More
than 10,000 people have logged on to the Freedom website to chart their
progress.
But it has not been all sleeping under stars and wind in the hair. As
well as suffering the official disapproval of British Naturism, which
represents the UK's 17,000 naturists, for being part of an allegedly
"confrontational" stunt, Mr Gough has been arrested on five occasions
and spent three weeks in custody. Ms Roberts has been detained three
times. Their collars were first felt - metaphorically - in We in
Shropshire. A few weeks later they were arrested again just outside
Skipton in North Yorkshire after shopping naked at a village store. On
that occasion Mr Gough's refusal to cover up earned him a second spell
in the jug from Harrogate magistrates.
Moving north of the border they came a cropper with the law again
outside Edinburgh. Mr Gough was sentenced to two weeks in jail. He was
re-arrested as he was released for refusing to get dressed. The
couple's greatest test still lies ahead as they enter the territory of
the Northern Constabulary - a force which proved public nudity's most
implacable foe last time.
I joined the naked couple following their latest release from jail.
They have spent the last three days enduring some atrocious Highland
weather - bitterly cold winds and driving rain - as they made their way
across the high peaks of the Cairngorms north of Pitlochry. Descending
into the calm of the Spey Valley, the sun makes a merciful appearance,
although as the wind drops and the temperature rises, so appear the
dreaded midges.
Mr Gough admits that cracks are starting to appear in his philosophical
armour. "When I first started doing this I thought I had reasons. I
thought I knew why. But the more I go on I realise that there isn't a
reason." He has grown used to the impact he creates, politely
acknowledging each hoot and clap as we make our way along along the
banks of Loch Morlich on the Aviemore road.
This time there has been no repeat of the attack at St Ives by a group
of lads that left him badly beaten. The negative comments - apart from
those of the magistrates that sentenced him - have been virtually
non-existent. "The worst we have had so far was a man in a van who said
"put your clothes on", he said.
Ms Roberts has not been harassed - apart from the occasional farmer who
has driven his Land Rover around the block for a second, or third,
look.
They both remain committed to the cause of public nudity, or more
accurately the right to go naked. "People talk about a healthy
self-image and that it is important to be comfortable with your own
body. We are challenging people to think about how they really feel
about their own bodies. People talk about freedom but I can be locked
up for just walking from A to B naked," said Mr Gough shaking his head
in exasperation.
There remains a minority that feel naked rambling should be punishable
by law, which means the police must continue to act. But for Ms Roberts
the equation is simple. "The overall effect is that it makes people
happy. Everyone likes a naked body." I ponder her comments as Steve
informs me that we are preparing to rendezvous with a BBC documentary
crew making a programme about the walk.
As I see them waiting in the car in a lay-by at the side of the loch I
conclude I have reached the limit of my desire to be publicly naked.
For all my new found self-confidence the idea of my nakedness being
captured for perpetuity on camera sends me diving for my clothes.
They climb into clothes for lunch - as they only remain naked for
walking - and become just another young couple out for a walk in the
woods.
So who has the problem? The people who feel so uncomfortable at the
sight of two fine specimens of the humanity striding through the
British countryside in the all together? Or is it them for flouting
convention and challenging society's ancient taboos? How can the naked
body really be shameful?
I cover up again and feel a sneaking admiration for their strange, epic
journey. Will I be doing it again? My family is begging me not to and
no matter how intellectually I reason that there is nothing wrong with
being naked per se, for me it just feels too damn weird doing it in
public.
Naturists' struggle to shed their bad image
Ever since the Earl of Mercia's wife ordered the people of Coventry to
close their shutters while she rode naked through the streets to secure
them a tax cut, public nudity has had a particular pull on the British
psyche.
As Lady Godiva made her legendary progress in about AD1000 to force
Leofric III, to abolish his tolls, a tailor supposedly disobeyed her
proclamation and spied on her, only to be struck blind. His curiosity
gave the English language the expression "Peeping Tom".
This trade-off between the principled shedding of clothes and the risk
of exciting a prurient "phwoar" or "eeurgh" from the unenlightened has
provided the nation with comedy, outrage and entertainment for the
1,000 years since. From the Carry On movies to Health and Efficiency
magazine, and Lady Godiva to Erica Rowe, the 24-year-old bookshop
assistant who became Britain's first female streaker at Twickenham in
1982, there are few acts more guaranteed to earn publicity in Britain
than the simple fact of getting naked where others are not.
It is a response thatirks Britain's 25,000 signed-up naturists, along
with the estimated 500,000 who regularly go nude.
British Naturism, a 16,000-strong nudists' organisation, has spent four
decades trying to dispel the notion that nakedness is, of itself,
anything to do with sexual attraction and is instead everything to do
with a oneness with mother nature.
A spokesman said: "It is a way of life in harmony with nature with the
intention of encouraging self-respect, respect for others and for the
environment."
Some within the movement frown upon the militancy of Steve Gough, who
first made headlines with his naked rambling in 2003, believing that it
once more gives a laughable quality to a past-time trying hard to shed
its image as an object of ridicule conducted largely by corpulent
middle-aged couples on Leylandii-screened campsites.
Unsurprisingly, serious nudists also eschew streakers, the breed
immortalised in popular history by Ms Rowe's topless sprint across the
turf during the England-Australia rugby match. In the aftermath of Ms
Rowe's 15 minutes of fame, one nudist organisation commented:
"Exhibitionism is not nudism. Nudism is about people who enjoy being
naked but are not motivated by seeing others naked or being seen naked.
That is very different from baring your 40-inch chest in front of
50,000 people."
The history of British nudism is, ironically, a little hazy. The father
of modern naturism is Richard Ungewitter, a German who published a
book, Die Nacktheit or Nakedness, in 1903 explaining the pointlessness
of clothing. He also espoused a Spartan regime of vegetarianism,
compulsory gym exercise and being teetotal.
It was not until the 1920s that the movement made its way to the UK.
A nudist club opened in Wickford, Essex, in 1922 but it remained an
activity only to be conducted on private land for almost 60 years. The
first of Britain's small crop of designated nudist beaches opened in
1978 and there are now more the 150 naturist clubs across the country.
But rarely is the subject of nudism greeted with sober discussion or,
as in Germany or the Netherlands, a disinterested shrug. When naturists
at Studlands Bay in Dorset complained about the shrinking size of their
nudist beach, they were greeted with stories about "naked fury".
Exponents of the birthday suit, however, can retort with words of one
of the nation's foremost seekers of spiritual enlightenment. John Donne
wrote in 1598: "Full nakedness! All joys are to thee."
- Cahal Milmo
Source: http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article316672.ece
Clan_MacKay
naturists. The UBC is this close to destroying Wreck Beach with their
towers, then gets credit for "having" a nude beach by this U.K.
newspaper:
London? Paris? New York? No, Vancouver is the best place in the world
to live, says new survey
By Karla Adam - Independent Online
October 5, 2005
The university has a nudist beach. Whistler mountain ski resort is a
quick drive from downtown. The climate is mild in winter and sunny in
summer. Just some of the reasons why Vancouver has been nominated as
the world's most liveable city, beating Melbourne into second place and
leaving London far behind at 47th.
Vancouver eclipsed 127 other cities in a new survey which looked at a
wide range of criteria, including personal risk, healthcare, the
availability of goods and services, and climate. But this is not the
first time the City of Glass, so-called because of its mirror-fronted
skyscrappers, has received outside recognition.
Vancouver has topped the United Nations quality of life survey for
nearly a decade.
Condé Nast Traveller, which describes the Canadian metropolis as a
"perfect Pacific city, shimmering on the edge of a beautiful harbour"
last year ranked Vancouver the "Best City in the Americas".
"There are hardly any problems in Canada, and even less in Vancouver,"
said Jon Copestake, editor of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EUI)
which commissioned the research. "Hardly any factors in Vancouver
present challenges - crime no, transportation, not really."
It wasn't always so. When the city put in its bid for the 2010 Winter
Olympics, the International Olympic Committee complained about the long
journey to the ski resort of Whistler. The road that connects Vancouver
to Whistler - Highway 99 or the "Sea to Sky" highway - is notorious for
its white-knuckle turns that twist alongside steep river gorges. Rocks
from the Coast Mountain range tumble onto the road. Traffic backlogs
are common. The city's Olympic committee promised to revamp the road,
showcased photos of the glistening harbour (set to the music of
Vancouver-bred Bryan Adams), and won the Olympic bid.
Though the residents of Vancouver like to boast they can happily cycle
in Stanley Park in the morning, ski in the afternoon and stroll naked
on Wreck Beach in the evening, there is a dark side, primarily in the
Downtown Eastside area. This was the setting for Canada's largest
serial murder case, which involved the disappearance of 63 prostitutes.
But despite its problems, it's still a great city to live in, says Will
Ferguson, the Canadian writer and author of Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw.
"Vancouver is the envy of all Canadian cities," he said. "There are
five steps in Canadian life. First, you hate Toronto, second, you move
to Toronto. Third, you wish you moved to Vancouver, and fourth, you
stay in Toronto. Then you hate Vancouver." Toronto was ranked number
nine in the survey.
Source: http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article317222.ece
Clan_MacKay
Robin Mathews - ViveLeCanada
October 6, 2005
Canada has great painters, but it doesn't have, to my knowledge,
great painters of the nude. The reason that is so might keep us
inquiring and theorizing for a long time. But that isn't our subject.
It's the painting of the nude, which - as Kenneth Clark makes clear
in his brilliant book on the subject - is not to be confused with the
naked figure. The difference is not always easy to explain, and it may
be that whatever else the nude is, it is also a work of art. Well, you
say, that's a clarification that isn't very clear.
The nude is not the naked figure. It's something different, though,
of course, also naked. And for those of us who experiment painting the
nude (of both sexes) the "something different" is everything that
matters.
Painters of the nude do (and have done) several things. (Notice they
can't be called "nude painters" or some people will believe they
undress to paint.) We find they haven't just stolen from the past,
they've looted it, even to the point of copying almost exactly other
peoples' nudes and then shaping a few differences to disguise the
theft. Painters of the nude are obviously looking for something very
clear to them, and they'll go back centuries and rifle other
people's work to get that "something".
They usually start off, moreover, faithfully going to "life drawing
classes", which means classes where a nude model poses for
"artists". The words used are a little strange. If you paint a bowl
of fruit, the result is called a "still life". Life that is still?
But when you draw a nude model (or paint from the model), he or she
usually isn't moving either but is definitely not a still life. I
think we will see why farther on.
My first "life drawing" class took place at Toronto's Hart House.
The same model appeared for each session and so became, in a way,
familiar to the male "artists" who made up the class. About five
years later I met a woman at an evening party in Edmonton, Alberta, who
I felt certain I knew. But I couldn't for the life of me remember her
name or where we had met.
She had worked at Mr.Smith's, the couturier in Toronto's Old
Village, she told me. Had I been there? I had been to the village,
certainly. But not to Mr. Smith's. And so it went until, finally, she
asked that if by chance I had attended the Hart House life drawing
class. Then it all became clear to me.
I was able to reply, honestly, "I'm sorry. I didn't recognize you
with your clothes on".
Painters of the nude are also well known for falling in love with their
models, painting them - sometimes again and again, and seducing them.
(Male painters, that is. If female painters of the nude have done that,
I haven't seen the historical records. But female painters haven't
been liberated into painting the male nude until recently, relatively
speaking. Good manners, moreover, wouldn't let one speculate about
the behaviour of female painters of the nude with models of their own
sex.)
Painters of the nude often become bored with "life drawing"
sessions unless they can have a good deal of control over model choice
and studio conditions - which doesn't happen frequently. And, when
they are really good artists, they learn what every painter of the nude
must know - that a nude model isn't necessary for painting the
nude.
Leonardo da Vinci (born in 1452) obviously used himself as a nude
model, as many artists have done since. Asked why they have painted
self-portraits in the nude quite frequently, many artists
reply:"because the model is always available, is cooperative,
doesn't sulk, and charges nothing for posing".
But nude self-portraiture is still working from a model, and, as I
said: "what every painter of the nude must know is that a nude model
isn't necessary for painting the nude." Why is that so? Because a
very large number of painters of the nude paint what is in their heads
not what is sitting in front of them as model. A model's arrangement
of limbs might help the painter, but the model is really incidental,
quite often.
A story is told about Auguste Renoir to make the point. He had a friend
with a wife who was thin as a rail and not gifted with hip or bosom.
Would Renoir paint her in the nude? Of course he would. When the
painting was finished, Renoir had turned his friend's wife into a
"Renoir" - plump, full-bosomed, ripe as a peach, and
tantalizingly curvaceous.
If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the nude is very often in the
mind of the painter of the nude. And so a truth may be revealed about
work among the greatest (but of course not all) painters of the nude.
They discover, invent, create, come upon a nude that has never existed
in this world but which people believe is real, natural, factual.
Millions of people have viewed the famous "grande Odalisque" by
Ingres which is hanging in the Louvre in Paris. They believe - most
of them - they are looking at an excellent portrait of the model. And
so, in a way, they are. But Ingres' great nude is said to have a
backbone which is about 18 inches longer than any normal woman could
possibly have. And it is that "creation" into the portrayal which
contributes to the viewer's sense that here is the very perfect
picture of woman who is leopard-like in her lithe beauty.
Just as Paul Cezanne sought to paint "the appleness of apples", so
many painters of the nude seek to paint "the nudeness of the nude",
"the femaleness of the female", "the maleness of the male"
"the youthfulness of youth". They attempt to catch a something that
we never associate with the naked figure. And, moreover, as the concept
fixes itself in the mind of the artist and as the attempt is to catch
something larger than individual life (but to do it through the
individual nude), then a model becomes less necessary, sometimes even
intrusive.
Picasso's nudes are obviously born from Picasso's vision, as
Renoir's, Modigliani's ,and so on, are also born from individual
vision. Emily Carr's coastal forests are always depicted through her
unique vision, but they also fix the idea of coastal forest in the
minds of most people who look at them. The nudes of the artists
mentioned (and others) define what nude is for their perceivers. If the
perceiver had to look at naked figures, he or she would probably draw
back, alarmed and unhappy. That's how much "the nude" has taken
over our consciousness and told us what the unadorned human body is
like.
To many reasonable people, painting the nude is completely unnecessary,
foolish, salacious, provocative, embarrassing, and sinful. But artists
have painted the nude - in one way of another - almost since the
beginning of art. They do so because we are endlessly captivated by
what William Blake called "the human form divine" (and I suspect
Blake never used a live model).
We are also intrigued by what is called "the beautiful" which some
art theorists claim always refers back in some way to the human form.
And we are intrigued by life itself which, of course, we cannot help
thinking of very often as "human life". And so calling a class
which is drawing from a nude model a "life drawing class" is
probably more correct that we at first believed.
Then there is almost the most surprising thing of all about painting
the nude - a discovery that others may have come upon without a
second thought. But surely it will be news to some. No matter how
superb the rendering of the nude is (once again, male or female), no
matter how exquisite the flesh tones, the play of light and shadow over
the figure, the rightness of composition, or any of the other things we
think about when considering the idea of "the nude", there is
something else which conditions our response.
It is the face of the nude and the expression upon the face -
something that doesn't even occur to us usually when we think
abstractly of "the nude".
That may mean we are so used to the silent language of facial
expression that we unconsciously measure our assessment of the rest of
the body by what we read on the face - in art as well as in life.
It may mean, as well, that - even unknown to the painter - he or she
supplies the body of the nude as a back-up, a reinforcement, an
underscoring of what the face is and is saying to us. And so precisely
as with the clothed figure - whether in rags or in rich brocades -
the body the painter of the nude attaches to the face may be there to
complete a study of character, of essence, of spirit and not,
primarily, of flesh.
Perhaps that explains why when people call paintings of the nude
pornographic or sinful, the artist can only shrug his or her shoulders
and say nothing. Maybe that, too, is why we insist upon a difference
between "the nude" and "the naked".
Source: http://www.vivelecanada.ca/article.php/2005100218212876
Clan_MacKay
Sun Star
October 9, 2005
PHILIPPINES - Following comments from critics who do not see anything
wrong with the Queensland Statue of David, Councilor Angela L. Trinidad
maintains that the position of the Council for the Welfare of Children
(CWC) remains unchanged.
"We stand behind our statement that the controversial statue, although
viewed by prominent artists and personalities in the city as a work of
art, is still subject for re-evaluation. The suggestion to dismantle it
is in view of protecting the interest of our children and the fact that
it remains a publicity gimmick for the establishment to attract more
customers does not remain to be seen," Trinidad said.
Critics who said the statue only symbolizes the traits exemplified by
the biblical David also remarked that art has to be appreciated at this
day and age where people should be open to nude works that are not
meant to be offensive but only to depict aesthetic.
"The issue in question is not that the Council for Welfare is against
art or aesthetic. The appreciation for art, however is to be in the
context where we put into consideration the responsibility of the
establishment concerned to put across the right message especially to
children who would view such art works in another way," Trinidad added.
"Because the statue borders on the obscene and the pornographic, the
sensibilities of the people, the children included, to this so-called
masterpiece cannot be gauged by mere appreciation of art itself. Even
our culture dictates that too much body exposure, even in the guise of
fashion or artistic emulation is often way too offensive more so if the
subject is question is a giant statue's fully-exposed genitals,"
continued Trinidad.
Trinidad added that the original statue of David by Michaelangelo was
not spared from criticism even as it was commissioned as a symbol of
the Florence Republic.
The statue was placed in the plaza outside the Palazzo Vecchio, the
seat of Florence's government instead of serving originally as a
buttress.
The CWC added that debates about the appropriateness of displaying
reproductions or replicas of the David in such as schools, dormitory
rooms and churches continue.
On the internet, one company offering marble reproductions of the
statue even allows purchase of a fig leaf, meant to cover the statue's
genitals, at no extra charge.
Clan_MacKay
CASSIE CALAWAY - Northwest Arkansas Times
October 9, 2005
For the first time in Northwest Arkansas, those working to benefit a
good cause did something other than throw a gala, put on a concert or
solicit donations.
They took off their clothes.
Twenty-two local business owners bared it all for "Hanging Out in Hog
Country," a 2006 calendar that will benefit victims of sexual assault
and celebrated its public revealing Wednesday at George's Majestic
Lounge.
Those appearing in the calendar as well as others who were instrumental
in its creation arrived in a white limousine and were greeted with
applause at the door. The evening was a success, selling about 80 of
the 2,000 calendars that were printed, said organizer Elaine Wade, who
has been working on the calendar since February. "It's a new trend in
fundraising ... and I was drawn to its uniqueness," she said. "This
type of calendar has never been done in Northwest Arkansas."
In the calendar, local business owners are pictured in their work
places: Susie Stephens behind the bar at George's, Brandon Karn on
the blue sofa at Jammin Java, Steve Jenkins and his family in the
kitchen at Sassafras and Henry and Karen Chotkowski in their peony
garden.
Wade said the calendar celebrates the beauty of the human body, the
perception of which is severely altered for victims of sexual assault.
"When you're in the throes of trauma from sexual assault ... there
are layers of shame, contamination and embarrassment," said Wade, who
is a sexual assault victim herself. "It takes courage to expose
yourself in this way, and it says a lot about how [the models] feel
about this issue. Their effort underscores the effort of reclaiming the
joy of the human body, those attributes that are lost in the trauma of
sexual assault."
Wade said asking Don House to photograph the calendar was the "most
perfect decision I made." "The most important thing to me when we
started this is that I wanted everyone to feel safe. With Don, everyone
would feel safe and comfortable because he brings so much integrity,
tastefulness and beauty to his works. I couldn't imagine doing this
without him."
Her favorite thing about the calendar is that it features real, common
people instead of airbrushed models, Wade said.
Amy White-Beard, owner of clothing boutique Something Urban, is
featured in December. "I said yes right away, but that I'd just have
to check with my husband first," she said. "It's one of the most
special things I've ever done."
Her photo shoot took place in her store after closing one night.
Employees left, and sheets were placed over the windows. She loved the
outcome, but she was especially moved by the calendar as a whole. "I
cried when I saw the calendar put together because everyone looks so
peaceful in their own way, and some are obviously funny and some are a
bit more serious," she said. "In my business, I see young women with a
lot of body issues, so it was nice for me to see people of all sizes
and gender baring it and not care."
Musician Jed Clampit said he was impressed with the project's
positive vibe and wasn't concerned about the nudity. "We all had gym
and, well, not all of us were in the military, but this was a private
situation," he said. "I knew we'd be leaving more to the
imagination... and it's tastefully done."
Clampit was also pleased with his photograph. The featured shot
resulted from a shooting break when he started playing the guitar he
was posing with, Clampit said.
But was he really fully nude behind that guitar? "Well, you'd have to
be there to find out now, wouldn't you?" he said.
If the calendar is successful, Wade plans on publishing several more.
Calendars cost $25 and are available at Collier Drug, Common Grounds,
Dark Star Visuals, George's Majestic Lounge, Hog Haus, Jammin Java,
La Maison des Tartes, Liquor World, Ozark Natural Foods, Sassafras,
Something Urban and Uncle Sam's Safari Outfitters.
Source:
http://www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=nwat§ion=living&storyid=33079
Clan_MacKay
It's bombs and war - not a little public nudity - that is
indecent, say Ashland activists
By CHRIS CONRAD - Southern Oregon Mail Tribune
October 9, 2005
ASHLAND, OREGON - A group of women protesting Bush administration
policies bared their breasts on the Ashland Plaza Saturday afternoon,
saying "war profiteering" and "cluster bombs," not nudity, are
indecent.
"We're demonstrating what decency and freedom look like," said
activist Sherry Glaser of Mendocino County, Calif., who organized the
protest.
Glaser, who said she just returned from a similar protest at the White
House last week, said her goal is to "protect definitions" such as
decency and freedom by going topless in public places.
A crowd of about 50 watched as six women - and two men - peeled off
their tops and held signs reading "Breasts Not Bombs" above their
heads.
Glaser then jumped on a black box labeled "Soapbox" and cried into a
bull horn, "We are here exhibiting our First Amendment rights. ... We
find that a lot of the policies of the Bush administration are
indecent."
The crowd remained silent. Numerous people took pictures with cameras
and cell phones.
Ashland resident and first-time protester Miranda Molea yelled at the
mob.
"This is a protest, people. You are allowed to clap," she said.
Molea and her friend, Natasha Vilven, then dashed to the sidewalk along
East Main Street, holding their signs high. Much car-honking ensued.
A man standing across the street screamed, "Put your shirt on." His
vain plea was answered by a woman running from the crowd, shucking her
top, to join the protesters.
"It's a lot safer seeing breasts coming down the street than Hummers
and tanks," Glaser said into the megaphone.
The megaphone prompted a visit from the Ashland police. An officer told
Glaser she needed an amplification permit. Glaser continued her rant
sans megaphone.
"Power to the women! Rise up! We need you!" she said. Going topless is
not illegal in Ashland.
The crowd was largely supportive of the nudity in its midst.
"I think that it's sad that it takes something like this to get
someone's attention," Ashland resident Charman Johnson said. "I wish
I had the courage to bare my breasts."
Vilven said that her desire to protest came from her mother, who took
her to a Grateful Dead concert when she was 2 years old.
"I've been trying to find a better way to protest the war for three
years," she said. "This is just the first time I've done it without
clothing."
Glaser handed out copies of the Bill of Rights after the protesters put
their shirts back on. She said that many protests don't do enough to
remind people of their rights.
"We do something more educational than simply holding signs," she said.
Following the hourlong protest, Glaser and her fellow demonstrators,
many of them she had just met, traded hugs and phone numbers.
"Now we're heading to Sacramento to confront Arnold," she said.
Reach reporter Chris Conrad at 776-4471, or e-mail
cco...@mailtribune.com.
Source:
http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2005/1009/local/stories/09local.htm
Clan_MacKay
By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN - Associated Press
October 10, 2005
WESTPORT -- Growing up, Jenny Abel had a hard time explaining to her
friends what her father did for a living. In a wealthy town with
lawyers, doctors and investment bankers, Alan Abel was on television,
wearing a mask and ranting about the need to clothe naked animals and
promoting a school for beggars.
"I knew he didn't have a 9-to-5 job," Abel says in a film she produced
on her father. "Few people really understand my father's true motives."
The 83-minute documentary, "Abel Raises Cain," which has been shown
around the country and will be aired this month at a festival in
Bethel, focuses on the man often billed as the world's greatest hoaxer.
Alan Abel, an 81-year-old Westport resident, has spent more than 40
years duping the news media and the public.
Abel's pranks go back to the late 1950s with a widely reported bogus
campaign to clothe horses. "A nude horse is a rude horse," he said at
the time.
Abel also posed as Omar Rockford, operator of a school for panhandlers
in New York, and got friends who are professional actors to portray
beggars. The Miami Herald and New York Magazine published stories about
Omar teaching beggars to trick people out of their money.
He once engineered a mass fainting on Phil Donahue's television show, a
hoax he called FAINT - the Fight Against Idiotic Neurotic TV.
Abel got The New York Times to run his premature obituary, saying he
died in Utah while scouting scenes for his horror movie - "Who's Going
to Bite Your Neck, My Dear, When All of My Teeth Are Gone?"
"I have college friends who still won't talk to me," Abel said.
Abel - or at least a man who resembled him and showed his driver's
license - warned in an interview last week that he has a new prank in
the works for next year.
"It's outrageous, it's humorous, it's very believable," Abel said. "I'm
already lining my crew up, my cast."
Abel said he devoted his life to pranks to make people laugh and think.
"They made a lot of people laugh," he said. "There was always an
underlying message. I think we need more laughter and we're not getting
it. All we're getting is laugh tracks telling us when to laugh."
Abel said he grew up in a small town in Ohio where his father ran a
general store. No one locked their doors and his father put his cash
receipts in the mail.
"And people whistled," he noted.
But his mother became upset when an elderly neighbor refused to take
down a picture of Hitler that she could see from her house. Abel said
his mother reported the neighbor to the FBI as a possible spy.
"They surrounded the house," he said. "She had her hands up in the
air."
Abel was impressed with his mother's unorthodox approach to solving the
problem.
"I thought maybe I could go through life solving problems through
alternative ways," he said.
Abel, who studied music and English in college, found ordinary jobs too
boring. He was a liquid fertilizer salesman for a day and was fired by
an automobile club for sending a motorist on an unnecessarily long
route.
Abel was traveling one day when traffic suddenly stopped. Embarrassed
motorists were pretending not to notice a bull and cow mating near the
highway.
"I thought, 'My God, don't they have any sense of sin?'" Abel said.
He wrote a satire about the incident, but an offended editor rejected
it. The incident led Abel to launch his campaign to clothe naked
animals.
The campaign was meant as a commentary on censorship. If salacious
books could be banned at the time, why not take measures against nude
animals?
Abel acknowledges the message got lost. Instead, groups in favor of
clothing animals randomly sprouted up around the country.
A woman tried to give him a donation and Abel found himself getting
into serious debates with opponents who noted that animals have fur.
"You're covered with hair," Abel retorted.
Abel's strategy relied on spinning tales journalists found
irresistible. He created a fake lottery winner who claimed Donald Trump
told her the lucky numbers in a dream.
He also enlisted his wife, who played the part of a Jewish mother
running for president with the campaign slogan, "Vote for Yetta and
things will get betta."
Abel's pranks left some journalists angry. He once had a friend pretend
to be desperate for a job and advertise a kidney for sale for $25,000.
"I think what he pulled on us crossed the line," said Scott Simon, who
reported the incident on National Public Radio. "That was an
exploitative and malicious one."
Abel claims he was trying to highlight the need for organ donations.
In addition to pranks, Abel squeaked out a living writing books and
making a few movies. He serves as a consultant helping people solve
their problems, too.
When a woman couldn't get a roofer to finish the job, Abel had her put
out a lawn sign promoting the company's partially completed roof job.
The roof was promptly finished, he said.
His daughter, who was brought into a few of the pranks as a child, says
in the film that her parents struggled to get by. They lost their home
and lived in the basement of a neighbor's house.
Jenny Abel, a 32-year-old Los Angeles resident who made the film with
her boyfriend, Jeff Hockett, concludes that her father's pranks were
not malicious and offered a valuable lesson for the public to carefully
evaluate what they see and hear. "Because the next hoaxer might be more
diabolical and rob them of things more meaningful," she says.
Source:
http://wb20.trb.com/news/hc-aphoaxer1010.artoct10,0,6243051.story?coll=wtxx-news-3
Clan_MacKay
WTAE-TV
October 10, 2005
TOPEKA, KANSAS - The Topeka City Council is expected to vote Tuesday
night on a proposal that would ban public nudity.
Council member Brett Blackburn said he's responding to concerns from
constituents about a local nudist colony's recent staging of plays at
the Topeka Performing Arts Center, promoting clothing-free lifestyles.
State law and a city ordinance prohibit sexually oriented displays in
public, but the city has nothing on the books against mere nudity.
Blackburn's ordinance would prohibit nudity in parks and recreation
areas and on streets and sidewalks. Also, a person could not be nude on
private property visible from a public place. Violators would be fined
$50.
Source:
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/nationalnews/5082445/detail.html
Clan_MacKay
KMBC-TV
October 12, 2005
TOPEKA, Kan. -- A proposed ban on public nudity, drafted after a local
nudist colony staged plays promoting a clothing-free lifestyle, failed
to win approval from the Topeka City Council.
The ordinance proposed by council member Brett Blackburn didn't even
get a vote Tuesday night. Blackburn's motion for approval died without
a second from any other council member.
Blackburn said he was responding to concerns from constituents about
plays the Lake Edun Foundation presented last month at the Topeka
Performing Arts Center's Hussey Playhouse.
State law and a city ordinance prohibit sexually oriented displays in
public, but the city has nothing on the books against mere nudity.
Blackburn's ordinance would have prohibited nudity in parks and
recreation areas, on streets and sidewalks, and on private property if
visible from a public place. Violators would have been fined $50.
The Lake Edun (nude spelled backwards) Foundation is operated by Webb
Garlinghouse on property he and his wife own southwest of Topeka.
Garlinghouse, one of two people speaking against the ordinance, called
it unnecessary.
"It would seem that the proposed ordinance is a solution in search of a
problem," Garlinghouse said.
Garlinghouse noted that city attorney Brenden Long concluded the
ordinance wouldn't prohibit nudity at the performing arts center, and
said Lake Edun plans more nude plays there next year.
No one but Blackburn spoke in favor of the ban.
Source: http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/news/5088306/detail.html
_________________________________________________
Original story:
Kansas Town Mulls Public Nudity Ban
October 10, 2005
TOPEKA, Kan. -- The Topeka, Kan., City Council is expected to vote
Tuesday night on a proposal that would ban public nudity.
Council member Brett Blackburn said he's responding to concerns from
constituents.
They're specifically concerned about a local nudist colony's recent
staging of plays at the Topeka Performing Arts Center that promote
ian bibby
Naked Ramblers and the Freedom to be Yourself campaign
Steve Gough's desire to walk in the nude from Land's End to John
O'Groats made him a national hero. Jonathan Brown (suitably attired)
joined his Freedom to be Yourself campaign
Independent Online - U.K.
October 3, 2005
Most of the article snipped to avoid giving the strange people any more publicity that they're getting...
"They climb into clothes for lunch - as they only remain naked for
walking - and become just another young couple out for a walk in the
woods"
How many nudists / naturists do you know who get dressed to eat lunch in a woods?
Shameless self publicity, not naturism....
Ian.
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Clan_MacKay
URGENT MESSAGE TO ALL WRECK BEACH SUPPORTERS
Judy Williams, CHAIR, WBPS
October 12, 2005
The Wreck Beach Preservation Society (WBPS) thanks Naturists everywhere
for their generous and whole-hearted support of our battle of the
towers here at Wreck Beach for the past 19 months.
We thank naturists and individual supporters (FCN, FQN, INF, TNS, NAC,
SLUGS, W-CANR, AANR) from around the world, who wrote or sent donations
or both. Altogether, the unity of naturists helped us raise thousands
of dollars. However, once again, our coffers are low.
Those of us in the vanguard in Vancouver, B.C., thank you all with
gratitude, but we must ask you to step up to the plate one final time
with either pen or computer in hand. We are launching a FINAL letter
writing and petition signing campaign in our battle to preserve the
beauty of Wreck Beach. In just three days, earlier this month, we got
50 + letters before the October 5 public meeting. WE ESPECIALLY THANK
ALL THE SLUGS WHO WROTE RECENTLY AND/OR WHO SENT DONATIONS. BLESS YOU.
Tower #1 now shows at low tide from out along the Breakwater and UBC
in its arrogance says no one likes to go out there anyway. The tower
lights blaze at night enticing migrating birds off course. Visitors
from around the world come just to admire the view from near the mouth
of the Fraser River so that they may look back across the vast tidal
flats to admire the unbroken skyline where verdant, forested cliffs
touch the blueness of the skies, and where the eagles train their young
to hunt and glide the thermals.
At the October 5, 2005 Open House and Public Hearings, UBC unveiled
plans for the last two 18-storey towers which will be visible from low
to high tide areas in contravention of a GVRD July 29, 2005
resolution. We need new letters NOW of support against the heights
and locations of those remaining two towers, even if you have written
before. UBC must understand that the public will be heard. We
appreciate that the architects dropped the height of the original
20-storey tower closest to the cliff edge, terracing it from 5 to 7
storeys leading eastward away from the cliff edge toward Lower Mall
Avenue. We have 45,000 signatures on petitions, but WE NOW NEED YOUR
E-MAILED or FAXED LETTERS AS WELL. If you have not yet signed our
petition, go to "Towers" on the www.wreckbeach.org website and add
your name, address and e-mail or phone number to the petition also.
In the winter months when there are less leaves on the deciduous trees,
one will see Tower #1 from many many points along the beach. And,
unfortunately, the proposed two towers will show even more than Tower
#1 from various points along the beach because of increased visibility
at the gully heads since they lie south of Tower #1. Bottom line is
that simply because UBC continued building Tower #1 throughout our
organized protests, that need not become the precedent for their
forging ahead with the construction of Towers #4 and #5!
Bioengineering has already been suggested on the cliffs in order to
protect buildings that should never have been built there in the first
place. Plus a consultant has already called for interceptor ditches
paralleling the cliff edge that would kill the trees for lack of water.
And, that would lead to opened-up views and a possible
re-interpretation of the Attorney General toward nudity on the beach.
On June 20, UBC said at a Joint Committee meeting that they did not
approve of the nudist lifestyle and behaviour at Wreck Beach. This was
the first time in years where they openly criticized the nudity!
On October 8, in a Globe and Mail article, UBC Properties Trust
announced that they would be "moving forward" with Phase II of the
project ... BEFORE all public and agency feedback is due by October 31,
and before the GVRD Board has had a chance to vote on the issue. On
October 6, one day after the public hearing, the Advisory Urban Design
Panel voted unanimously to accept the designs presented on October 5.
Puzzling indeed.
We thus have our work cut out for us, and with your support through
letters, e-mails, and donations, we can continue to stand up for our
Naturist rights and beliefs.
However, we do not have time for posted letters. You must send e-mails
to ensure you make the October 31 deadline for public input. You can
use your own words, or you can adapt the wording below to which you may
add your own reasons for wanting the views preserved. You may want to
talk about the importance of Wreck Beach and its drawing power for
tourists from around the world. You may want to tell them that you
visit the beach regularly and spend your tourist dollars locally,
nationally and internationally to come here. You may want to talk
about the healing nature of the beach and the benefits of getting away
from urban concrete, glass and steel. That , of course, will be up to
you. But, bottom line is that the Phase II towers must be lowered from
18 storeys.
SAMPLE WORDING AND FORMAT OF LETTER TO BE FAXED OR E-MAILED TO JUDY
WILLIAMS AND PAULETTE VETLESON (YOU DO NOT NEED TO FAX OR E-MAIL TO
ALL THOSE LISTED IN THE SALUTATIONS):
===========================================================================
[ Your Return Address ]
[ Date ]
Mr. Denis Pavlich, VP of External and Legal Affairs, UBC;
Mr. Johnny Carline, CAO, the Greater Vancouver Regional District;
Mr. Hugh Kellas, Manager, GVRD Policy and Planning;
Members, the GVRD-UBC Joint Committee;
Members, the GVRD Board of Directors;
Members, the UBC Board of Governors;
Mr. Ed Andrusiak, Manager GVRD Parks;
Mr. Mitch Sokalski, Manager, West Area Parks, and
GVRD Policy and Planning Department
Via e-mail, c/o: paulette...@gvrd.bc.ca and
Via e-mail to: ju...@wreckbeach.org
Via Fax to Judy: 604-(604) 856-9598
Dear Decision Makers and Stewards of UBC and GVRD:
Re: Marine Residential Towers.
I strongly oppose the current proposal for this development. The level
of housing is far too dense for the site and the towers will have a
profoundly negative impact on viewscapes from the beach and Park, as
well as on other Park values. I strongly recommend that UBC use an
alternative location or design to reduce the impact of this development
on the park and beach. The two 18-storey Phase II towers must be
lowered on this site. These towers must not show from the beach
because:
[ INSERT YOUR COMMENTS HERE ]
[ Signature and Phone Number/E-Mail ]
===========================================================================
Thank you again for all the previous donations and letters. The online
petition is slightly different than the one you may have signed last
year. You can access it online at www.wreckbeach.org or we can fax it
to you. Each sheet has six lines. . . . Donations can be sent to:
28616 Haverman Road, Bradner, B.C. V4X 2P3 but make them out to WBPS.
CANADA
Bless you and thank you for standing united against oppression and
greed.
THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO COMMENT. WRITTEN COMMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED
UNTIL OCT. 31, BUT PLEASE E-MAIL AS THERE IS NOT ENOUGH TIME TO MAIL.
Please copy us FOR EACH LETTER! We need a show of solidarity as never
before. For additional details, call or e-mail Judy Williams at
604-856-9598 or at ju...@wreckbeach.org .
Please pass this message and form letter on to all your naturist and
environmental e-mail contacts across North America, Europe and
elsewhere in the world.
Thank you!
Clan_MacKay
NATURIST ACTION COMMITTEE
ADVISORY
**********************************************************************
http://www.naturistaction.org
**********************************************************************
Copyright 2005 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: October 13, 2005
SUBJECT: Victory in Topeka, Kansas
TO: All Naturists and other concerned citizens
Dear Naturist,
The Naturist Action Committee (NAC) is pleased to make you aware of a
significant local victory for naturists. A proposed anti-nudity
municipal ordinance has been killed in Topeka, Kansas.
NAC worked closely with Topeka naturists and played an important
supporting role in the successful effort to stop the proposed local
law. The city councilman who sponsored the measure had predicted easy
passage. Instead, he discovered that none of his fellow council
members would even offer a second to his motion to consider the
ordinance at the regular Tuesday evening meeting of the council on
October 11, 2005.
ACTION
This is an informational advisory. NAC is not requesting that you take
action at the present time.
BACKGROUND
The Lake Edun Foundation operates a naturist retreat on leased land
located on the outskirts of Topeka. A small contingent of locals
opposes the notion of nudity on the secluded property and has sought
for years to shut down the 60-acre facility with its 10-acre lake.
Opponents of nudity at Lake Edun have pushed Shawnee County for
selective zoning enforcement and even forced introduction of a Kansas
legislative bill in 2000 that would have eliminated "nudist camps,
clubs or buildings" throughout the entire state. That bill (House Bill
2726) was strongly opposed by NAC and others, and it failed to move
out of committee.
For details of the successful effort to kill HB 2726 in the 2000 Kansas
legislature, see "Success Stories" on the NAC web site:
http://www.naturistaction.org/Success_Stories/Kansas_2000_HB_2726/kansas_2000_hb_2726.html
RECENTLY
Going through all the required channels, Lake Edun recently reserved
the Hussey Playhouse at the downtown Topeka Performing Arts Center
(TPAC) for the presentation of a tetralogy of one-act plays that
incorporated nudity and the concept of body acceptance. The plays ran
for two consecutive weekends, beginning on September 24. Production of
the plays was assisted by a grant from the Naturist Education
Foundation (NEF).
Protesters from two groups marched outside the theater. Picketers from
the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property
were joined by a group from Topeka's infamous Westboro Baptist Church.
Meanwhile, attendance inside was good, exceeding two-thirds of the
capacity of the theater by closing night. Despite the picketing, local
reaction to the plays seemed mostly confined to a few agitated calls
to the interim director of the Playhouse. For Topeka, which is in the
heart of the heartland, and which had not seen a theatrical
performance that incorporated nudity since 1977, the relatively low
level of public outcry was actually quite remarkable.
Nevertheless, Topeka City Councilmember Brett Blackburn said he had
heard complaints, and he filed a proposed municipal ordinance to make
mere nudity illegal in public places and in many instances, on private
property - including residential back yards. Interesting, the city
attorney observed that the ordinance probably wouldn't apply to
theatrical performances like the recent one at the Performing Arts
Center. Lake Edun itself remains outside the Topeka city limits and
would not have been affected.
WHAT DID NAC DO?
The Naturist Action Committee worked closely with Webb Garlinghouse of
Lake Edun to oppose the ordinance. A crucial element of the strategy
was already in place. Garlinghouse and his wife Julie were well known
to the community and to members of the Topeka city council as
naturists who will stand up for themselves and their rights. The
importance of working locally and proactively before the time of a
conflict cannot be overemphasized.
NAC advised Webb Garlinghouse on the tone of his presentation to the
council and suggested specific items for inclusion. NAC and
Garlinghouse conferred on options, alternatives and the requirements
for dealing with local media, regardless of the outcome of the council
vote.
Additionally, the Naturist Action Committee sent NAC Area
Representative David Bitters to Topeka to address the city council
directly.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Lake Edun's Webb Garlinghouse and NAC's Dave Bitters both addressed
the Topeka City Council on Tuesday evening. Each presented compelling
arguments against the proposed ordinance. Specifically, they pointed
out that the proposed measure was unnecessary and represented a
further erosion of personal freedoms. Neither naturist speaker asked
for an exemption for nudist facilities.
Following the remarks of the naturists, Councilman Blackburn made a
motion for formal council consideration of the ordinance. To
Blackburn's astonishment and horror, the motion died for lack of a
second.
NAC is pleased to be able to say that the wicked ordinance is
"morally, ethically, spiritually, physically, positively, absolutely,
undeniably and reliably dead."
WHAT SHOULD NATURISTS BE DOING?
This is an Advisory. NAC is not asking you to take specific action at
this time. Please watch for NAC Action Alerts, Advisories and Updates.
More generally, NAC notes that the events in Topeka present a model
for local preparedness and aggressive activism among naturists. The
admonition that "all politics is local" has never been more true.
MORE INFORMATION
Additional information about the victory in Topeka, including the full
text of the proposed ordinance, is available online at the web site of
the Naturist Action Committee.
On the main page, click on "Alerts, Advisories and Updates." Click on
"VIEW CURRENT" and then select this Advisory. Follow the links to more
information.
PLEASE HELP NAC HELP NATURISTS!
The Naturist Action Committee is a volunteer nonprofit organization
that exists to advance and protect the rights of naturists throughout
North America. Protecting freedom is expensive, and unlike other
organizations, NAC has no membership roster on which to assess dues.
NAC relies entirely on the voluntary generosity of supporters like
you.
To donate to NAC online with your MasterCard, Visa or Discover Card,
go to:
http://www.naturistaction.org/donate/
Or you can use the address below, or call toll free (800) 886-7230 to
donate by phone.
NAC
PO Box 132
Oshkosh, WI 54903
Thank you for choosing to make a difference!
Naturally,
Bob Morton
Chairman & Executive Director
Naturist Action Committee
---------------------------------------------------------------
Naturist Action Committee (NAC) - PO Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54903
Executive Dir. Bob Morton - <ctnu...@aol.com>
Clan_MacKay
By JOHN MARTIN - Courier & Press
October 14, 2005
Figure drawings and paintings of nude women which adorn the walls of a
hallway at the University of Southern Indiana shouldn't be displayed so
prominently, an assistant professor who works in the building said.
The 15 pieces of art, made by students in a Figure Drawing I class at
USI, show nude women in several poses, including some in which breasts
are shown. Pubic hair is slightly visible in one painting.
The work has been displayed since Monday near the front entrance of the
Technology Center, which is shared by art and engineering classes.
Glen Kissel, an assistant professor of engineering, whose office is a
short distance away, said "common courtesy" should have dictated that
the work not be displayed in a public manner. He said some others in
the engineering department share his view.
Nude figure art is an essential part of the curriculum, said Kathryn
Waters, chairwoman of USI's Art, Music and Theater Department.
Waters noted the art and engineering departments both use the
Technology Center. "The university put up those display boards for us
to put art on," she said.
Kissel said the images aren't ones that the public should have to view,
and he wouldn't object to having such images displayed in a gallery
setting, such as one set up by the art department in the spring.
"The more risque items were there, but you kind of had to go find them,
and that seemed tasteful," said Kissel.
Kissel said some of his objection stems from the fact that USI will be
hosting an art workshop on Saturday for children ages 6 to 14.
The workshop will be conducted for five Saturdays.
Waters said art instructors are sensitive about what works are publicly
displayed, but nude figures are fundamental to the study of art.
"The human body is very beautiful," Waters said. "It exists in art in
all cultures throughout the history of humanity."
Waters said that during the workshop, signs will be in the hallway
notifying students and their parents about the displays of figure
drawings ahead.
Kissel said he contacted USI administrators, including President H. Ray
Hoops, about his objection to the display's placement.
Hoops looked at the artwork and said he didn't find it objectionable
enough to overrule the art department's judgment on where to show it.
Source:
http://www.courierpress.com/ecp/news/article/0,1626,ECP_734_4157101,00.html
Clan_MacKay
By Mark Schuster - The Chart (College Publisher Network)
October 14, 2005
I have always found social nudity to be a fascinating thing. What would
life be like sans clothing? What would my life have been like if,
instead of being embarrassed and even ashamed of my body, I could have
seen first hand that I was no different than anyone else?
I finally decided to find out, and I called Oaklake Trails Naturist
Resort.
If it hadn't taken me almost three hours to find Oaklake Trails, I very
well may have turned around once I got there. I was very nervous. I
couldn't seem to make my finger push the call button on the gate. I
would have stood there till the end of time if an elderly woman,
driving a golf cart and wearing a baggy T-shirt, had not chosen that
exact moment to check her mail. She asked me if I had a reservation.
I said I did, and she said to follow her through the gate. I looked in
my rear view mirror and saw the gate swinging closed behind me. I was
really going to do this.
After stopping at the camp office to fill out the appropriate forms and
receive my complementary tour of the grounds via golf cart, I found
myself sitting back in my van, alone and left to my own devices. I
realized this was the part where I was supposed to get naked, which is
the only part I was worried about, but which was, after all, the whole
point of the trip.
I had read the hardest part about visiting a nudist resort is taking
off your clothes for the first time, and it is definitely true. If you
can do that, the rest is easy.
The fact that everyone else is naked helps, too.
Like most people who have never experienced it first hand, I had
certain ideas about what a nudist resort would be.
To my pleasant surprise, all of the positive things were reinforced,
and all of the negative things were proven to be groundless. For one
thing, the atmosphere at Oaklake Trails was not one of extreme sexual
tension, as may be expected considering everyone was naked, but was
actually less sexually charged than, say, your normal municipal
swimming pool. It's hard to explain, and it seems illogical, but it's
true. These people were not flaunting their nudity.
They were simply existing in a state of undress, as commonplace at
Oaklake Trails as firemen wearing protective outfits before running
into a burning building.
It seemed to me that social nudism would be good for my body image and
self-esteem, and it was. I'm not in shape and I have issues with my
body, but in talking to people who were willing to take the time to
look below the surface at who I really am, I learned that my body has
just as much validity as any other.
There were no "hot chicks" at Oaklake Trails. There were no fat people,
no skinny people and no old or young people. There were just people.
And I realized that people are beautiful simply because they are
people; not because they are younger, or firmer, or larger or smaller
than anyone else.
All I can say to people thinking about trying social nudism is that if
you think you may like it, you probably will.
On the other hand, if simply reading this column has embarrassed you,
social nudism is probably not for you. Of course, there is only one way
to know for sure.
If I can do it, anybody can.
Source: http://tinyurl.com/7bwue
Clan_MacKay
The Montana Standard
10/15/2005
BUTTE, MT - A woman pleaded guilty Wednesday in Butte city court to
disorderly conduct for sunbathing topless in Chester Steele Park in
August.
Diane Hallman, 32, whose last known address is 910 Evans, was fined
$170 and given a 10-day suspended jail sentence.
The charge stems from a report to police dispatchers during the
afternoon of Aug. 7. The caller said a female sunbather was wearing
nothing but a G-string.
Police responded, found Hallman lying topless and arrested her.
Source:
http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2005/10/15/newsbutte/hjjeijiejciaii.txt
Clan_MacKay
and relevance to the current Wreck Beach UBC towers issue:
Nudists Fight for Beach
Chantal Eustace - Dose Magazine
July 4, 2005
VANCOUVER, BC - Once you've lounged nude on a beach, your
nether-regions kissed by the sun, you'll never be the same, says
veteran nudist and environmental activist, Judy E. Williams.
"The beach is one of the last places where you can forget you're in
the middle of a metropolis," says Williams, 62, the chair of the
Wreck Beach Preservation Society in Vancouver.
She's nakedly battling a plan to build high-rise student residences on
the bluff above her favourite beach: A clothing optional paradise on
the outskirts of the University of British Columbia, known as Wreck
Beach.
She says the natural vista of the beach - set against a wall of
forest - helps people heal and unwind.
"We look behind us and we feel cocooned and sheltered from the
concrete and glass of urban living," she says, adding there's
research to support her claims that viewing nature is important to
health.
In 2002, Deakin University in Australia published a study called
"Healthy Parks, Healthy People," which discussed the health
benefits of nature on people. It found access to "green nature" can
do things like reduce crime and may even promote healing in psychiatric
patients. And it sparked a nation-wide program across Australia aimed
at encouraging people to get in touch with nature.
Williams says studies like the Deakin study strengthen her resolve and
she believes saving the green backdrop of Wreck Beach, a place where
she feels happiest in the buff, is important for beachgoers and
nature-lovers everywhere.
The movement to save Wreck's au natural feel strikes a chord with
people around the world, she says. Last summer she got 23,000
signatures on her petition and she plans to get more this year.
"People have told me the beach is their life force and helps them
heal," she says. "The time has come to realize the importance of
parks and green space, especially to urban people, and viewscapes are a
part of that."
The fate of the beach is still up for debate. Williams will meet with
UBC officials and representatives of the Greater Vancouver Regional
District on Friday afternoon.
Read the report: Australia's Healthy Parks, Healthy People (PDF
Document)
Source:
http://www.dose.ca/vancouver/story.html?id=11bbeb3c-d7ec-4998-bd9c-c3cc351e19e3
Clan_MacKay
By MARKUS ERMISCH - Kamloops This Week
October 14, 2005
KAMLOOPS, B.C. - The curtain will drop tomorrow night as the clothes
come off at the Canada Games Pool for a two-hour nude swim.
To protect the splashing nudists from the lecherous gazes of voyeurs -
or anyone else interested in gawking at bodies in the buff - the city's
parks and recreation department required the Cariboo Nudist Society to
draw the curtains for the duration of the event. From 8:30 p.m. until
10:30 p.m., the pool's windows will be blocked.
For a nudism greenhorn, Saturday's swim could be an experience that may
liberate the novice from more than just the clothes. After all, human
beings are born nudists, says Teddy van Geemen, an event organizer.
"It's a great sense of liberation and freedom when you first try it,"
he says, especially when it is done with a group.
"Social nudism is characterized by great acceptance. Nobody cares
whether you are fat or skinny."
Van Geemen's friend, Connie Robson, was initiated about six years ago
when she went skinny dipping in a lake.
"It was an exhilarating feeling of freedom," she recalls. "You can be
yourself when you're clothes-free."
"You don't have the trappings of status," adds van Geemen. "You don't
have the sense of angst."
Still, baring it all before strangers, even when these strangers are
equally bare, is a threshold not easily crossed. But van Geemen
suspects there may be more nudists than meet the eye.
"There are a lot of people who are closet nudists, like people who like
to vacuum or do dishes in the buff," he says. "Some find clothes
confining and restricting and uncomfortable."
Not so the city's director of parks and recreation.
Although Byron McCorkell appears comfortable in his own skin, he's not
about to tread water wearing only that.
"It's not my thing," he says.
But whereas nude swimming is out of the question for McCorkell, he
doesn't rule out making swimsuits optional in the distant future.
"That is a provincial jurisdiction," he says.
"I would go along with whatever the province is saying."
During the swim, a code of conduct will be strictly enforced to ensure
that no one engages in inappropriate behaviour.
Those suspected of coming to the event for reasons other than swimming
and socializing in the nude will be asked to leave immediately after
getting dressed, Robson says.
Anyone interested is welcome and admission is $10 per adult. Children
are allowed to swim for free.
The fledgling Cariboo Nudist Society, once more members join, plans to
hold house parties, travel to other nude clubs in North America and
visit clothing-optional beaches and hot springs.
For more information, contact cariboonud...@yahoo.ca or call
Robson at 318-6844.
Source:
http://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=15&cat=23&id=510403&more=
Clan_MacKay
Larry Potash - WGN-TV
September 30, 2005
Being nude is nothing to be ashamed of; most of us were born naked.
Still, most everyone has a hangup about showing up in nothing more than
what God gave 'em. It all started with Adam and Eve. They were already
ashamed, even though there were no reasons to feel inferior, since
there was no one else around except that snake.
If you're a slave to conformity, it's time to liberate yourself from
the polyester and microfiber shackles of Puritanism. Tune in to a new
show: Clothes Free TV. You won't find it on the WB following "Seventh
Heaven," rather it's available at www.clothesfreetv.com and is run by
The International Naturist Association. The show highlights some of the
great things you can do naked:
-naked rollerskating (though technically, is it nudity if you have
skates on?)
-naked Hoola Hoop (there should be a 24-hour naked Hoola Hoop channel)
-naked basketball (I will not be posting up in this one)
The show includes interviews with celebrities like Erik Estrada and
Vanilla Ice. Now there's a plan to revitalize your career.
Corey Mangold helps produce the show. He embraced the nudist movement
despite growing up in what he describes as a relatively strict Catholic
family.
"I gave it a try; hanging out nude. They thought it was strange, but
they respected my decision," Mangold said of his family. "It's just
people that share a common interest; freedom in every sense of the
word."
I've checked the Declaration of Independence. There is nothing in there
restricting naked badminton. Mangold says the nudist movement is not
about wild orgies. It is strictly a social atmosphere. Without the
clothes, everyone is created equal (more or less.) You can't tell who
wears Gucci or who wears a mechanic's uniform.
"Women say they're not harassed as much" at nudist resorts, Mangold
said. "Because men are vulnerable too--it's all out there--[men] don't
want to look like a fool."
Mangold is working with Chicagoan Greg Silva on a documentary called
"Naked in America." But despite their partnership, Silva disagrees that
nudism is just family recreation.
"Nudists like to say it's not about sex at all. Sexuality is there
whether you're naked or not. It's a thrill to see people naked," Silva
said. "But that sense of arousal dissipates quickly. When you take away
their sexual persona, you're left with just skin and we all have the
same equipment. Once your curiosity is satisfied, that's 90 percent of
the arousal factor. The same goes for your shame and embarrassment."
So what's the big deal?
That's what their documentary aims to find out. They hope to discover
why so many Americans have a hangup about hanging out.
They were inspired by the furor over the Janet Jackson Superbowl
Nipplegate, and Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft covering nude statues at the
justice department. Silva suspects we still feel the influences of our
Puritan ancestors. Of course, they never experienced the thrill of
revealing their privates in public while riding a boogie board.
Clan_MacKay
Pilot Point settles suit with gallery after spending $25,000
JOSH BAUGH - Denton Record-Chronicle
October 15, 2005
TEXAS - Pilot Point leaders have agreed to settle a federal
civil-rights lawsuit filed by a local art gallery owner regarding a
mural depicting a naked biblical Eve.
Wes Miller, the gallery owner, said Friday that he is glad his mural
can be displayed in its entirety, though he won't remove the nipple
coverings until the court paperwork is finalized.
Mayor Jerry Alford said it was time for the city to put the issue of
whether the mural was "pornography" behind it .
"We went ahead and made a settlement with them," he said.
The decision was spurred by growing legal fees and a feeling that
winning the case was unlikely, Mr. Alford said.
The city's legal fees were about $25,000, Mr. Alford said.
Mr. Miller's lawsuit alleged that the city violated his First Amendment
right to freedom of expression by threatening him in 2003 with
prosecution under a criminal statute "aimed at those who would
victimize children by selling or displaying to them hard-core
pornography."
Justine Wollaston, the local artist who painted the mural, said she's
glad there's finally an end in sight, though she preferred that the
suit went to court.
"It has been a long time. The thing is that we've gone so far toward a
judgment, in a way it's disappointing to not have a definitive answer,"
she said. "But I'm thrilled to unveil her. They realized that they were
unjustified and they were wasting the taxpayers' money. It was a
triumph for the painting."
Source:
http://www.dentonrc.com/s/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-eve_15met.ART.North.Edition2.23090843.html
Clan_MacKay
The realities of 'au naturel' holidays
Christopher Elliott - MSNBC Travel Columnist
October 14, 2005
As a college student hiking through the French Alps many years ago, I
accidentally uncovered one hotel's shocking secret.
I didn't mean to reveal it. It was a blistering hot day in Grenoble,
and my traveling companion, Nate, wandered toward a swimming pool
behind the resort while I stocked up on water and provisions. Moments
later he returned, pale-faced.
"Chris," he said breathlessly, pointing toward the pool. "There
are breasts in there."
Yes, there were. The French, like many Europeans, generally think
nothing of baring breasts, butt - and more - at the beach, much to
the surprise of visiting Yanks. I already knew this, because I had
grown up in Europe. But my friend Nate, who was born and raised in the
Bible Belt, didn't.
Nudity! There, I said it. If the thought of going au naturel on holiday
makes you uncomfortable, please don't read on. You'll probably be
offended.
Still with me? OK, here are the five leading myths about nude
vacations.
1. Vacationing nudists are just a bunch of perverts. Hardly. In fact,
nudists are everyday people, and there are more of them out there than
you think. The American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR), the
largest organization of its kind in North America, represents nearly
50,000 members and their families. There are also 270 clubs and resorts
for people who want to vacation in the buff - and that's just in
prim-and-proper North America.
2. Clothing-optional resorts are seedy. Nope. We're talking about
mainstream, professionally run properties offering a wide range of
wholesome activities. Among them: Cypress Cove Nudist Resort & Spa in
Kissimmee, Fla., which has villas and campgrounds, and even sponsors
its own nude bike rally every year. (Its motto: "Just as nature
intended.") And DeAnza Springs Resort in Jacumba, Calif., a 500-acre
club with hiking trails, volleyball courts and swimming pools.
("You'll love the way you feel," it promises, "We guarantee
it.")
3. You have to take your clothes off at a nudist resort. Not
necessarily. There's a difference between a clothing-optional club
and a clothes-free resort. Clothing-optional means that you can keep
your clothes on if you want to - the idea being that it sometimes takes
a little time to adjust to nudity (in fact, even devoted nudists
sometimes keep their pants on). However, a clothes-free club means a
mandatory strip-down. Knowing the difference is important when it's
your first time at a nudist resort. The AANR suggests contacting a club
in advance to clarify its policies.
4. Nudists are mostly senior citizens who are off their rockers.
Actually, most clothing-optional and nudist resorts are extremely
family-friendly. For example, at the White Thorn Lodge, in western
Pennsylvania, there are a number of activities for the whole family,
including volleyball, bocci, pumpkin painting, a Christmas social with
Santa, and a potluck dinner ("Meat provided, bring a side dish to
share").
OK, so there are some nudist resorts where you're likely to find a
disproportionately high number of, well, older folks. But as nudism
goes more mainstream, a lot of families are embracing the movement. In
fact, my former neighbors were nudists. Both parents would hang out in
their backyard sans clothes with their two teenage daughters.
5. Nudists are exhibitionists who want to seduce you. Trust me, for
most people, the odds of getting a date are greatly improved if they
keep their clothes on. And seriously, how long do you think anyone with
criminal intentions would last at a nudist resort? So why do people
vacation in the buff? Well, often it's because they don't want a
tan line. They're not exposing their bodies to you as much as they
are to the sun.
The idea of taking a vacation in your birthday suit may take some
getting used to. But nudists aren't deviant septuagenarians and their
resorts aren't sleazy hideaways. The truth is, nudists are often the
people next door, and if nothing else, a nude vacation can lead to many
new discoveries.
Nate's encounter with the topless French women apparently left a deep
impression on him. Several short years later, he got married and he is
now the father of eight children.
And me? I'm looking forward to my next trip to Europe.
Source: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9696792/
Clan_MacKay
Sex is part of human experience
By Geoff Rands - The Western Courier
October 17, 2005
Topeka, Kan. City Councilman Brett Blackburn recently proposed an
ordinance to ban all imaginable forms of public nudity, even public
indoor nudity.
This wasn't brought on by his aversion to nude bars or the younger
generation getting too into its bump-and-grind on the dance floors.
Instead, he thought this was necessary because of plays at the Topeka
Performing Arts Center, presented by the Lake Edun Foundation, a nudist
colony which promotes nudist lifestyles.
I never thought I'd say this, but I applaud the members of Topeka's
City Council for their bravery and insight in this matter. This
proposal was rejected without a vote, as Blackburn was the only one who
supported his proposal.
Today's self-righteous ignorance calls for all reasonable people to
stop those confused, uninformed souls seeking to make the world safer
for the rest of us.
This was not an attempt to protect citizens from sexual deviants who
expose themselves while jogging, nor was it an attempt to protect young
children from seeing things they are not yet mature enough to
understand. The ordinance was a blatant attempt to legislate morality.
Blackburn clearly sees nudists as immoral, and was offended by their
message. Let's call a spade a spade. He was trying to censor their
freedom of speech, so that the rest of us wouldn't have to listen to or
see that filth. Never mind that anyone who attended these shows
couldn't have had any confusion about what the performances would
entail, Blackburn simply felt a burgeoning moral superiority against
these nudists. Why? I'm not so sure. These guys aren't swingers or
anything. This group, like most nudists, strictly separates nudity and
sexuality. They promote things like nude gardening and have banned
genital piercing. Thank goodness for the common sense shown by the
Topeka City Council. If only our federal government had any of that.
The enormous "Children's Safety Act of 2005," allegedly is primarily
concerned with protecting children from sex crimes and keeping track of
sex offenders. If passed, it would require the same record keeping and
associated stigma for movies and TV shows containing sex scenes, even
simulated sex scenes, as is required and associated with hardcore
pornography. If passed, the act will be directed to label "lascivious
exhibition of the genitals," which apparently can occur while actors
are clothed. Don't ask me how.
It would be retroactive to 1995, meaning that all movies made in or
after 1995 would be subject to re-rating, encouraging studios to censor
themselves in 10 year-old movies, lest they display the infamous
"Section 2,257" announcement required to precede pornographic movies.
It seems to me that, while sex is used as fluff (or as the basis) in a
great many movies, most of the movies I consider to be deeply
insightful and powerfully use sex scenes as part of their attempt to
convey something about the human experience, and without them, the
movies simply wouldn't feel quite the same. To look down on movies and
TV programs simply because of their sexual content is like looking down
on all media, which use racism, regardless of the context or the
hoped-for response.
If this is passed, I believe we will see a few things that I am
certainly opposed to: We will see blander and less-involved stories, a
great deal of self-censorship by filmmakers and studios in the interest
of good public relations, as well as more attempts by lawmakers trying
to force their ideas of morality on the many. And all this will be
because we feel we have to protect our children from sexuality.
Sex is a big part of humanity, especially in today's world, and to
ignore it is to be blind to a part of ourselves. Children shouldn't be
taught to ignore themselves. I'm not saying everyone should go out to
the elementary school playground and teach little kids about
snowballing. Why stigmatize something that children will someday,
hopefully, understand and embrace?
Original story:
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/nationalnews/5082445/detail.html
Follow-up story:
http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/news/5088306/detail.html
Clan_MacKay
NATURIST ACTION COMMITTEE
ACTION ALERT
**********************************************************************
http://www.naturistaction.org
**********************************************************************
Copyright 2005 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 : October 16, 2005
SUBJECT: Wreck Beach, British Columbia
TO : All naturists, North American and World-Wide
FINAL LETTER-WRITING CAMPAIGN.
OPPOSE THE LAST TWO 18-STOREY TOWERS ABOVE WRECK BEACH
- EVEN IF YOU HAVE ALREADY WRITTEN.
Dear Naturist:
The University of British Columbia (UBC) continues to advance its plan
to build a cluster of residential structures to tower above the
treeline that forms the natural backdrop for Wreck Beach. Your letters
and e-mails have helped alter the plan! As a direct result of your
responses to previous requests for action, the planned fourth tower in
the Phase II proposal has now been dropped from a 20-storey behemoth
to a terraced 5-to-7-storey building, extending eastward away from
Marine Drive. That's good news.
Even so, the threat looms large from the other, unaltered, towers that
remain a part of the massive project. Now is not the time to back away
from our efforts.
An article in the October 8, 2005, edition of the Globe and Mail
announced that UBC intends to "move forward with plans to build two
more residence towers near Wreck Beach, saying that the cost of
waiting is too high." In fact, after the public meeting on October 5
that ostensibly sought comments and views from the public, the
University sent that portion of the Phase II plans to the Advisory
Urban Design Panel (AUDP) on the very next day. That's a clear
indication that no consideration of public input was ever intended to
be incorporated in a "revised" plan for that portion!
UBC is attempting to ignore public feedback and resolutions made by
the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD). The GVRD is the civic
planning authority for the area. The GVRD Board of Directors and the
UBC Board of Governors share responsibility for the planning,
development and governance of the campus. At the October 5 Open House
and Public hearings, UBC announced plans for heights and locations
that would make the remaining two 18-storey proposed Phase II towers
MORE visible from high to low tide at Wreck Beach.
It is vital that you act now for the future of Wreck Beach. One tower
is already racing toward completion. If the University is allowed to
continue on its present course, a total of three towers will blight
the beach forever.
ACTION
NAC is asking you to take action immediately. To keep things simple and
encourage a big response, we're asking you to send just ONE e-mail.
1) FIRST, send a message to the UBC and GVRD decision makers. Send
your e-mail to Paulette...@gvrd.bc.ca. Copy the list below, and
paste it at the top of the BODY of your e-mail message (not in the
address field). Paulette Vetleson of the GVRD office will distribute
your message to the proper UBC and GVRD officials.
(Copy and paste this list.)
TO: Mr. Denis Pavlich, VP of External and Legal Affairs, UBC
TO: Mr. Johnny Carline, CAO, the Greater Vancouver Regional District;
TO: Mr. Hugh Kellas, Manager, GVRD Policy and Planning;
TO: Members, the GVRD-UBC Joint Committee;
TO: Members, the GVRD Board of Directors;
TO: Members, the UBC Board of Governors;
TO: Mr. Ed Andrusiak, Manager GVRD Parks;
TO: Mr. Mitch Sokalski, Manager, West Area Parks, and
TO: GVRD Policy and Planning Department
2) SECOND, send a copy of your e-mailed message to Judy Williams of
the Wreck Beach Preservation Society (WBPS): ju...@wreckbeach.org. You
may include Judy in the "Cc" or "Copy To" field of your e-mail,
allowing you to send just ONE e-mail.
The second step is important, so that WBPS will have documented proof
of the contents and numbers of letters authorities are receiving. If
you receive replies from UBC or GVRD, please forward those to Judy, as
well. If you wish to fax your copies to WBPS, the fax number is:
(604)856-9598
Letters must reach University and GVRD officials by October 31, 2005.
WHO SHOULD WRITE?
NAC is asking ALL CONCERNED INDIVIDUALS to send their comments by
e-mail. That includes residents of the U.S., as well as those who live
in Canada and elsewhere. Vancouver and UBC pride themselves on their
international appeal.
Even if you have already responded before to calls for action on this
important issue, please take a moment to help again. This call for
action focuses solely on the two 18-storey towers that will be even
more intrusive than Tower #1.
WHAT SHOULD I SAY IN MY E-MAIL?
When you write, be sure to give your name and address. Anonymous
correspondence is typically ignored. Be polite. Carefully express your
outrage and your resentment, if you wish, but avoid threats and
name-calling. The public has until October 31 to have its voice heard.
Please do not wait until the last moment.
In your message, state very clearly that you strongly OPPOSE the
proposed two 18-storey towers for this development because they will
have a profound impact on viewscapes from the beach and the Park, as
well as on other Park values.
The mistake of Tower #1 must not be allowed to be replicated two more
times.
MORE INFORMATION
For background, additional information and further suggestions on what
to write, visit the NAC web site: www.naturistaction.org. The updated
Wreck Beach discussion can be found by clicking on Local Issues.
Here's a direct link:
<http://www.naturistaction.org/Local_Issues/Wreck_Beach_2004/wreck_beach_2004.html>
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND THANKS!
This renewed request for grassroots action is being made by the
Naturist Action Committee, in close coordination with the Wreck Beach
Preservation Society (WBPS), the Pacific Spirit Park Society (PSPS),
the Federation of Canadian Naturists (FCN), the International Naturist
Federation (INF) and the Western Canadian Association for Nude
Recreation (WCANR), each of which may also be making similar requests.
Many thanks to these groups and to countless other groups, whether
TNS-affiliated, FCN-affiliated, AANR-affiliated or independent. NAC
joins WBPS in acknowledging and thanking all who have donated time and
resources and who continue the important effort to preserve Wreck
Beach.
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO?
As of October 11, 2005, over 45,000 persons have signed petitions
opposing construction of the towers. You can still add your name to
the petition online at http://www.wreckbeach.org.
PLEASE HELP NAC HELP NATURISTS IN CANADA AND ELSEWHERE
The Naturist Action Committee exists to advance and protect the rights
of naturists throughout North America. NAC is a volunteer nonprofit
organization that relies on the grass roots participation of those who
understand that individuals working together can make a difference.
NAC has no membership roster on which to assess dues, and it relies
completely on voluntary contributions from concerned and involved
naturists like you. Monitoring developing situations and coordinating
action across North America is expensive.
After you've sent your e-mail to help preserve Wreck Beach, won't you
take a moment to help NAC by sending a generous donation? you may
donate directly online, using your MasterCard, Visa or Discover Card
by going to:
http://www.naturistaction.org/donate/
You may also send your contribution to the address below, or you may
call toll free (800) 886-7230 during normal office hours to donate by
phone, using your MasterCard or Visa.
NAC
PO Box 132
Oshkosh, WI 54903
Please take action NOW! You DO make a difference!
Naturally,
Judy Williams
Board Member
Naturist Action Committee
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Naturist Action Committee (NAC) - PO Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54903
Bob Morton - Executive Dir. - <ctnu...@aol.com>
Judy Williams - Board Member - <ju...@wreckbeach.org>
Online Rep. Dennis Kirkpatrick - <natu...@sunclad.com>
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Clan_MacKay
Pierre Rochiccioli - iafrica.com
October 12, 2005
ILE-DU-LEVANT, FRANCE -- Back in the 1930s, early pioneering nudists
settled on the remote and wildly beautiful Ile-du-Levant off the coast
of Provence. Today, mod-cons such as electricity have come to the
Mediterranean isle, but to save the environment there are still no
street-lights at night.
Lying some 12 kilometres off the French coast, not far from the port of
Toulon, the long skinny island covered in thick vegetation was
electrified only 25 years ago.
A pirate haven in the sixth century and a penitentiary for child
criminals in the 19th, the eight-by-two kilometre isle is 90-percent
owned by the army, while also boasting one of the world's oldest nudist
colonies, Heliopolis, which in ancient Greek means the city of sun.
Nature, sun and nakedness
"Heliopolis must be ... a simple rustic settlement where lovers of
fresh air and sun can bask in the splendour of nature to rest from the
fatigue of artificial urban civilisation," the founders of the
community, Drs Gaston and Andre Durville, said in 1931.
Seventy-three years later, 230 owners, half of whom live on the island
all year round, share the 100-hectare domain which is privately-owned,
but open to the public. That is, to lovers of nature, sun and
nakedness.
"The island has always attracted people in search of liberty," notably
homosexuals, recalled Claude Lutz (90), a fervent nudist and the doyen
of the island.
The new generation of nudists often are more financially well-off than
older residents and aspire to modern creature comforts, but only on
condition the environment be left unspoilt. "We have exceptional
surroundings, but we would like to evolve just a little," said Jacques
Ollive, who manages Heliopolis.
Stargazing with the naked eye
Change first came in 1989 with the installation of the underground
electricity network. "But public lighting was banned so we could
continue to see the stars and the milky way. Flashlights are the rule
here at night," said a resident.
As the island slowly opens up to the idea of development, it has become
easier in the last three years to reach the island, but the journey by
boat remains relatively expensive, at €22 return from the port of
Lavandou.
Water, which is not fit for drinking, is supplied from bore-holes and
purification is in septic tanks. The next step in developing the island
is a plan to slightly extend the port and its facilities.
"People who want comfort above everything else just don't come here,"
said Philippe Fourneau, a former manager of the domain. "The island has
found a proper balance."
Traffic is banned, bar for utility vehicles. The terraced village,
built around a square, has cafes, a baker's shop, a grocer, a town
hall, post office, and even a school with six pupils.
Footpaths cross through a natural park and follow the coastline, where
a beach facing onto crystal-clear waters has been laid out complete
with rocks for the swimmers.
Nudism is allowed everywhere across the domain except on the village
square and at the port. On the seashore, it is not only allowed but is
obligatory, under a local council decision of 1978.
The rule is enforced by a uniformed policeman, whose job it is to order
some people to undress, and others to dress, depending where they may
be. "I've never had to hand out a fine, it's all very friendly here,"
said the officer, who asked not to be identified.
Each summer some 25 000 tourists, around half of them foreigners,
disembark on the island, which has a number of hotels and guest-rooms.
But this pales in comparison to the "sex boom years" of the 1960s, when
60 000 people visited Ile-du-Levant each summer.
"The island's main attraction in those days was sex," said Pierre
Perrin, who is part of the management team at Heliopolis. "Each summer
we used to get a swarm of swappers. These days they tend to go to Cap
d'Agde (the nudist camp in France's southern Herault region)".
Source: http://travel.iafrica.com/destin/europe/333451.htm
Clan_MacKay
News 8
October 18, 2005
CHICAGO, IL. -- The 5-inch vertical scar marking Steve DeLuca's belly
didn't stop him from posing topless for a new pinup calendar _ it's
what got him the job.
The 37-year-old firefighter from suburban Mt. Prospect is on display
with 17 other buff amateur models in the 2006 "Colondar," designed to
illustrate that colon cancer isn't just a disease that hits old people.
Cancer affecting the colon and/or rectum is diagnosed in more than
140,000 Americans each year. About one in nine cases affect people
younger than 50, or up to about 15,000 young people annually.
The calendar is the latest project created by a support and education
group called the Colon Club and features scantily clad men and women
and their scars, along with stories of their diagnosis.
"I'm not embarrassed at all. I had no problems showing the scar," said
DeLuca, featured in May's photo wearing firefighter gear sans a shirt
and next to bikini-clad Marci Westlake, a 36-year-old Sparks, Nev.
mother of two who was diagnosed at age 31.
"We're showing that there is life after this and if it happened to us,
it can happen to anybody," said DeLuca, who was diagnosed at age 33.
Colon Club co-founder Molly McMaster of upstate New York learned she
had colon cancer on her 23rd birthday and created the group with a
friend whose cousin died of the disease at age 27.
"We want doctors to see that it can happen to people under 50 because
you see so many young people getting misdiagnosed," McMaster said.
DeLuca was diagnosed after a routine physical exam. He had some rectal
bleeding symptoms "but everybody blew them off because I had no history
of cancer in my family and I was only 33," he said.
His doctor referred him for a colonoscopy, a cancer screening exam that
usually isn't recommended until age 50 unless there are symptoms or a
family history of disease.
Even then, the doctor assured him that he likely just had hemorrhoids.
"I was shocked" by the diagnosis, DeLuca said, "because everybody was
blowing it off like it wasn't going to be a big deal."
McMaster had classic symptoms _ including blood-tainted stools, weight
loss, and stomach pains. She said doctors told her she had constipation
and irritable bowel syndrome and told her not to worry. After six
months, she consulted a different set of doctors who found a cancerous
tumor the size of two fists.
Surgery removed the mass, along with two feet of her large intestine.
McMaster also had chemotherapy and six years later, is still
cancer-free.
McMaster posed for the Colon Club's first Colondar in 2005 in a red
bikini, with the scar on her stomach just barely visible.
"It's kind of like a badge of honor" that shows "we've made it through
this," McMaster said.
Most people who are diagnosed at an early age have a genetic form of
the disease, said Dr. Durado Brooks, director of colorectal cancer at
the American Cancer Society.
The calendar points out that up to about 10 percent of colon cancer
cases are caused by genetic mutations.
The Colondar was inspired by British women who posed nude for a
leukemia fundraising calendar and whose story was told in the 2003
movie "Calendar Girls."
The group's educational efforts also include the "Colossal Colon," a
20-feet long, 4-feet high polyurethane replica of a colon that features
polyps, cancer and even hemorrhoids. Group leaders have taken it to
sporting events, malls, hospitals and state fairs nationwide to
highlight the disease.
"We like to make people laugh and get them talking about colon cancer,"
McMaster said. "The next step is to get them screened."
Source: http://www.kfmb.com/stories/story.26328.html
======================================================================
Farmer tells why he bared all for charity
Sligo Weekender
October 18, 2005
SLIGO, IRELAND -- It was a case of grin and bare it for a group of
young farmers when they arrived for a photo shoot for a charity
calendar.
Castleconnor man Neil Boland (28), said that when he was first
approached for the calendar he didn't realise that it would involve
being nude.
"It was let slip at one stage that we might have to take our clothes
off but we didn't think it was serious. But we got a surprise on the
day of the shoot."
However, he said everybody was still happy to go ahead when it was for
such a good cause and it was all "very tastily done".
Funds raised from the calendar, "Boys and their Toys", will go to the
Irish Cancer Society and the Ulster Cancer Foundation.
It is a cross border initiative between Macra na Feirme in Sligo and
the Fermanagh branch of the Ulster Young Farmers.
The two groups came together to raise awareness of the common cancers
amongst men and encourage men in all age groups to attend their G.P for
regular check-ups.
Photos of the boys posing around the farm alongside tractors, bales of
hay, harvesters and other farm machinery, were taken in Fermanagh and
Sligo earlier this year and the top twelve shots have now been compiled
into a 2006 Calendar.
Neil, who is Mr January, said: "Apart from raising money for the cancer
research charities it's also about raising awareness of men's
health. There is a lot about women's health issues, such as breast
cancer, but a lot of men are not aware about going for check-ups. A lot
of my friends are talking to me about health issues because of the
calendar."
Aclare woman Maeve Leheny, who is public relations officer for the
project, said: "The calendar has certainly raised a few eyebrows, but
we are happy if we can also help raise awareness of the disease amongst
those who are most at risk."
The calendar will be officially launched at two formal receptions -
one hosted by the Duke of Abercorn in Belle Isle Castle, Enniskillen on
November 4 and another by 2FM's Nikki Hayes on November 27 at the
Macra na Feirme annual conference in the Sligo Park Hotel.
Copies of the calendar are available to purchase by contacting Macra na
Feirme national office on 01 4508000 or by email at
hoth...@hotmail.co.uk
Source: http://www.sligoweekender.ie/news/story.asp?j=25105
Clan_MacKay
body, human culture's subsequent sexual objectification of breasts, and
the issue of "liberating" breasts in the pursuit of top-free equality:
Carnal Knowledge | Which breast is best? The timing matters
By Faye Flam - Philly.com
October 17, 2005
We are the only buxom mammal. Others don't have boobs, per se. Most
have mammary glands that swell when they're lactating. What sits or
hangs or juts out from the human female chest is mostly fat - not just
ordinary fat but fat packed with evolutionary mystery and cultural
baggage.
Why do men love certain types of breasts? Are women drawn to breasts as
well? If not, why is so much cleavage displayed by women's magazines?
To answer those questions we must go back in time - before Victoria's
Secret, before even the breast-shaping influence of Hugh Hefner and
Helen Gurley Brown.
Hundreds of thousands of years ago, perhaps in our Neanderthal or Homo
erectus ancestors, a coordinated burst of evolution took place that
transformed the female body and redirected the male sex drive toward
that new body.
The details remain sketchy, but evolution can give us a plausible
account, says Bobbi Lowe, a biologist at the University of Michigan. At
some point it all goes back to fertility. Women who could pack on fat
reserves were more fertile, and men who chose them had more offspring.
Men with a taste for fat reserves and their fat-loving genes
proliferated. Faced with this, women who could create obvious, showy
pockets of fat also left more offspring because they attracted more
devotion from males. They began to put fat on the buttocks, hips and
breasts.
The process behind all this is called sexual selection, a concept
discovered by Darwin and detailed in his Descent of Man. It explains
the tail of the peacock and other sexual ornaments. If enticing enough,
such ornaments can evolve even when they detract from a creature's
ability to get food or escape predators.
But why do women pay attention to breasts? Because breasts have been
subject to the tyranny of fashion for centuries. Your powers of
attraction and class status depend on the lacing of your corset, the
wiring in your bra, or the skill of your surgeon.
Stanford women's studies professor Marilyn Yalom lays all this out in A
History of the Breast.
The earliest Stone Age sculptures depict women with obvious, matronly
breasts. Antiquity worshipped breasts as symbols of motherhood. In the
early Middle Ages they became eroticized but men preferred them small.
The ideal female form had rounded womanly hips and perky pubescent
breasts.
Women in the upper classes often gave their babies over to "wet
nurses," a practice driven in part by the desire to keep their breasts
looking pert and fashionably petite, Yalom says.
Henry VIII, according to one account, rejected his fourth wife, Anne of
Cleves, because he didn't like her looks, in particular her breasts.
They were large and a little pendulous and made it too hard for him to
perform his kingly duty.
The 1920s saw the rise of the flat chest in the flapper girls - an
androgynous look that Yalom says coincided with an unprecedented
expansion of women's rights. In the 1950s bras turned breasts into
torpedoes. In the 1970s breasts started to go free from bras as well as
strict aesthetic standards. But then came the technology of breast
implants and the new ideal - otherwise skinny bodies with melon-sized
breasts and exposed cleavage.
One of the big issues that may face breasts in the 21st century is the
prospect of declassifying them as private parts. It might create a
healthier attitude, Yalom says, especially in the United States, where
we manage to display grotesque fake cleavage on newsstands while our
own Attorney General John Ashcroft covered two nude female statues that
decorate the Justice Department.
There's still hope for us. Breasts could go the way of feminine legs.
Leg nudity is now acceptable. "Will the liberated breast of the 21st
century also demand and acquire the right of public nudity?" Yalom
wrote. There's only one way to find out. Do we dare?
Source: http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/living/health/12920611.htm
Marsketa
Marsketa
Clan_MacKay
Canada News Wire
October 20, 2005
TORONTO - The Fall 2005 issue of Going Natural magazinefeatures advice
for naturist parents who are being investigated by aChildren's Aid
Society in Ontario (http://www.fcn.ca/GN20-3-article.pdf).
While we all know that protecting children is very important, we also
know that CAS investigations may be extremely intrusive and
traumatizing to families. The Federation of Canadian Naturists believes
that CASinvestigations based on lack of information must be avoided.
The FCN, publisher of Going Natural, has learned of cases in Ontario
where the CAS worker has specifically directed parents to stop
participatingin naturism. In other cases, parental naturist activities
alone have beengiven as the reason for an investigation. Yet naturism
itself is perfectlylegal, even when children are involved. It is not a
reason for CASinvestigation under the Child and Family Services Act of
Ontario.
While most CAS workers are reasonable and do an important job very
well,the FCN has reports that some workers abuse their power, make
subjective judgment calls, misinform parents, and even use intimidation
tactics.
On being contacted by concerned parents, the FCN has attempted to
communicate with the specific CAS involved. Citing privacy reasons,
CASofficials refuse to discuss their cases; unfortunately, they also
refuse todiscuss their policies. For this reason, the FCN felt it
necessary to publishinformation to help protect naturist parents.
Although the information is meant for naturists, it clearly has
implications for all parents in Ontario. This initial article is based
onexpert advice of a family law practitioner and a children's aid
worker withnearly ten years' experience, both in Ontario. Future
articles will addresssituations in other provinces.
Those without formal training in child rearing might well conclude that
non-sexual nudity could be harmful, because of opinions from popular
writerson childcare, from Dr. Benjamin Spock to advice columnist Ann
Landers.However, none of those so-called experts have based their
advice on scientificevidence.
Scholarly research in psychology and sociology shows that children
rearedin a setting with family social nudity may benefit from the
practice. Even themost cynical reading of this research would conclude
that naturism has no negative effect.
For more information on these studies, go
to:http://www.fcn.ca/children_2.htm
"We tried to work with the Ontario Association of Children's Aid
Societies to help educate workers," said Stéphane Deschênes,
President of the Federation of Canadian Naturists and the father of two
young children.
"Unfortunately, they didn't seem interested in working with us. It's
too bad,given that the system seems so overburdened with cases. As a
parent, I want mychildren protected too, but not at the cost of our
personal freedom."
To read the correspondence between the FCN and OACAS, go
to:http://www.fcn.ca/media/OACAS_correspondence.pdf
For a printable version of the magazine cover and article, go
to:http://www.fcn.ca/GN20-3-article.pdf
Clan_MacKay
Alana Bowden - Volante Online
October 19, 2005
University of South Dakota - Standing naked in a classroom with all
eyes fixed on one's bare body is the type of story read about in trashy
teen magazines under the heading "My worst nightmare." But senior Joey
Feaster assumes this position frequently. And he doesn't even find it
scary.
Feaster is a nude model and one of a handful of people who model in the
buff for figurative drawing classes at USD. Nude modeling continues a
tradition going back to Greek art, and if that fact alone isn't enough
to entice prospective models to lose their clothes, the Fine Arts
department pays $20 per hour out to models.
Feaster said the class helps him pay for college. As an artist himself,
he wanted the perspective of being the artist's subject.
"It was a personal challenge," Feaster said.
People unfamiliar with nude modeling may misinterpret what is valued
about the process. The original nude modelers, the Greeks, were
idealizing the human body, art department chair Cory Knedler said.
"It's not that we love nudity," Knedler said. "Modeling is seeing the
human form for what it is."
That type of honest disclosure can be intimidating for even the most
uninhibited of souls.
Before entering the studio for his first modeling experience, garbed
only in a robe, Feaster said five minutes prior to the disrobing, he
started to feel scared.
"It's like a rollercoaster ride," Feaster said, "You're looking down at
the top and you say, 'OK, now I have to do this.'"
Usually with nude models, the subject finds peace in knowing their
identity is not revealed to the artists. Anonymity is not afforded to
Feaster, as at least half the students he poses for are fellow art
majors.
As Knedler explains, the artist-subject relationship is not one of
contention but education and professionalism. With nude models,
students are able to examine the skeletal structure and witness light
and shading around the body. Students don't look at the models as a
whole, but rather they focus on rendering specific parts and details of
the body.
Knowing the many eyes on you are not judging but rather absorbing
details necessary for art gives the models a welcomed sense of
security.
"You forget you're naked because they are drawing ... not just staring
at you," Feaster said.
The models stand on a two-foot platform with the artists surrounding
them. Usually there are 10 poses, 30 to 45 seconds each, then several
five-minute poses. Feaster said occasionally models will do one pose
for 30 minutes.
Models are kept comfortable and receive five minute breaks, usually
when the artists critique their own work. One model was so comfortable
one class period he actually fell asleep.
Even a five-minute pose can be a long time not to move. But there is a
comfort in the routine.
"For the first while my heart was racing," Feaster said. "Eventually
I'm just thinking of things like what homework I have."
Drawing a living, breathing nude model merely five feet away might be
nerve-racking for the artist.
Senior Nile Eckhoff recalled his first time, when he drew a friend.
While the presence of his friend led to uncomfortable feelings at
first, those feelings were quickly overshadowed by feelings of
accomplishment.
Would Eckhoff, an art major, switch roles with his models? For the
moment, he is content to stay on the drawing side of the easel.
"One must be comfortable with their body, and I'm not completely
comfortable with mine yet," Eckhoff said.
Focusing on the drawing for Eckhoff may be good for another reason too
- as many artists agree the body is a tough subject to draw.
Senior artist Joe Jamison said certain parts of the body are harder to
draw than others.
"For me drawing the hands and feet are the most difficult," Jamison
said. "For my teacher it is the knees and elbows."
This year, to reach a wider audience to attract students and
non-students to come in, the art department has information about nude
modeling on the Coyote Careers website. Previously, the department only
posted flyers around Vermillion.
Knedler said this change in advertising has been very successful.
"We've actually had more models than we can take," Knedler said.
Posing nude is not only important for the sake of art, but it can be an
exhilarating personal experience. Feaster looks back with pride on the
newfound independence he's found through nude modeling.
"My reward, would be my self confidence with myself, as well as my
body," he said.
Source: http://tinyurl.com/akpph
Clan_MacKay
By Kerry McQueeney - This is Local London
October 19, 2005
LONDON, ENGLAND - To most, naturism is a hobby which raises a few
eyebrows and prompts a titter or two.
But to those who regularly shed their clothes, it is a chance to get
back to nature and an great way to combat the stresses of everyday
life.
Jennie Trisnan was introduced to naturism around three years ago and
hasn't looked back since. She spends most weekends indulging her hobby
at one of two clubs close to Croydon and insists they are just like any
other social club. Except that sports, amateur dramatics, dancing and
drinking in the club bar is all done in the nude.
"I had done the occasional bit of nude sunbathing on beaches in the
past," says Jennie, a 56-year-old holistic therapist. "But I never gave
it serious thought until three years ago.
"There's a big difference between nudist beaches and proper naturist
clubs. Most people who sunbathe nude are not what we would call proper
naturists because their reasons or doing it are not the same as ours.
"It's not about looking at other people or doing it for the benefit of
other people. For us, it's all about feeling free and liberated and
being close to nature."
According to Jennie, a large number of naturists choose to keep their
pastime private to avoid being judged by their cloth-wearing
contemporaries and clubs are keen to preserve members' privacy.
She explains: "You are generally introduced by another member and you
can usually tell immediately if someone is there for the wrong reasons.
"I suppose I have what you might call an average type of body, but
there are people of all shapes and sizes at the club and no one feels
uncomfortable about it.
"It's the freedom of not wearing clothes that naturists enjoy, not
looking at other people's bodies."
Jennie divides her free time between two naturist clubs, the Naturist
Foundation in Orpington and, when it gets a bit colder, the White House
in Caterham, which boasts a sauna.
She adds: "For me it's like being primitive. Being at one with nature
and leaving the outside world behind you. I'll often take a tent and
just go to the club for the weekend and relax.
"I like to go barefoot, even when I'm walking in the woods. The only
thing I will wear occasionally is a scarf when it gets a bit cold."
"My family don't mind really. I don't tell everyone in my life because
people do tend to judge you, but the ones who do know think it fits in
with my personality."
Jennie believes her passion is something she shares with a significant
portion of the population - even if they don't yet know it.
She says: "I'm convinced many people would think about giving it a go,
they are just stopped by what other people might think.
"Doesn't everybody want to feel free and liberated? Just to be accepted
for who they are? I am sure many people want that but are just too
scared to try it."
Source:
http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/indepth/features/display.var.642111.0.happy_to_be_a_naturist.php
Clan_MacKay
NYNewsday.com
October 19, 2005
AUBURN, N.Y. -- A district attorney said he will not prosecute four
women who bared their breasts on a Finger Lakes village street.
But Cayuga County District Attorney James Vargason said that doesn't
mean his office is conceding the right to prosecute similar cases in
the future.
"It is a determination that has to be made on a case-by-case basis,"
Vargason said.
The four women - Carol Clarke, 54, and Barbara Crumb, 61, both of
Branchport; Claudia Kellersch, 40, of La Jolla, Calif.; and Madeleine
McPherson, 40, of Rochester - were arrested Aug. 11 outside a grocery
store in Moravia, a village of 1,600 just south of Owasco Lake, 40
miles southwest of Syracuse.
The women say a 1992 state Court of Appeals decision allows women to go
topless anywhere a man can.
In the 1992 case, a Rochester city court dismissed charges against a
group of women arrested for removing their tops and marching
bare-breasted through a public park in protest of the nudity statute. A
county court reversed the city court ruling, but the Court of Appeals,
New York's highest court, ultimately upheld the original dismissal.
While Vargason has decided not to oppose a defense motion to dismiss
the case, Village Justice June Shepardson has not formally dismissed
the case, which is still scheduled to be heard Nov. 1 in village court.
"The truth has actually prevailed," McPherson said. "There are equal
rights for women and men, and even in small-town America they have to
abide by the laws of the state."
Source: http://tinyurl.com/7k6ck
Clan_MacKay
KNRV-TV
Oct 21, 2005
Las Vegas City Hall has restored two pastel paintings of nude women to
a display of winners of a city-sponsored art contest.
A city spokesman says the decision came after officials weighed the
requirements of federal law protecting workers from a hostile workplace
against the US Constitution.
The paintings were taken down came after a city employee filed an
anonymous complaint to the city manager.
They were put back up several hours after the Las Vegas Review-Journal
published a story deriding the decision, in a city where scantily clad
women are a common sight on billboards, marquees and posters on
taxicabs along the Las Vegas Strip.
The painters defend their work as tasteful and artistic, with nothing
suggestive or sexual about them.
Source: http://www.krnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4005024&nav=8faO
Clan_MacKay
WKYC-TV
October 23, 2005
NIAGARA FALLS, NY -- An artist that came to Buffalo to perform in an
exhibition tracing the development of Chinese conceptual art is now in
trouble with the law after trying to perform another stunt.
He Yun Chang, 38, of Beijing sat in a plexiglas box filled with
concrete up to his waist on Friday in front of the Albright Knox
Gallery totally naked.
It was all part of an event by the Albright Knox Gallery and the
University at Buffalo Arts Galleries called The Wall: Reshaping Chinese
Art.
Saturday afternoon, Chang decided to perform another stunt.
State Parks Police say Chang stripped off all his clothing, tied a rope
around his waist to some sort of an anchor and walked out about 40 to
50 feet towards the brink of the falls.
Police believe that his plan was to stand out in the water totally
naked for 24-hours.
Chang even had a staff member from UB and several people filming the
stunt until something went wrong. The rope that was holding him from
slipping into the rapids came untied and he had to wade back towards
shore.
That's when a tourist spotted the naked man in the water and called
police thinking that he may be suicidal.
State Parks Police arrived on the scene, got him back on land safely
and charged Chang with indecent exposure and disorderly conduct.
The two people filming the stunt were charged with disorderly conduct
for allowing it to happen.
The UB faculty member told police they advised Chang not to go forward
with the stunt.
Source: http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=42449
Clan_MacKay
Glennis Green - The Courier-Mail
October 25, 2005
AUSTRALIA -- The push is on to establish Queensland's first legal nude
beach with Burnett Shire Council, near Bundaberg, calling for
submissions and nominations on the beach's suitability.
However, the council's open-minded approach has not pleased everyone
with residents living near Coonarr Beach, just south of Bargara, upset
their beach could be the favoured location.
Sue Zaina of Coonarr is busy urging people to reject the "clothing
optional beach" proposal before the council cut-off date of November
10.
She said that with its dirt road access and lack of properly maintained
facilities, Coonarr Beach was not suitable for regular policing and it
was also a favoured beach for school ecology projects.
She also said that because it was one of the most beautiful, long and
pristine beaches in Queensland it was unfair to restrict access for
those who chose not to expose themselves or their children "to that
type of thing".
"I'm saying to people that if this is something you don't want then
don't just sit back and say 'not in my front yard' . . . if you feel
you don't want it then get off your bums and say something," she said.
However, Bargara nudist and Free Beach Australia spokeswoman, Patsy
Brown, said Coonarr had been used as a de facto nude beach for more
than 10 years now with no problems and no arrests.
She said Mon Repos Beach also attracted some nudists but FBA would not
be nominating it to the Burnett council because there were too many
conflicts with turtle-watchers and national park visitors.
Mrs Brown said she was pleased the council was taking such an
open-minded approach to considering a nude beach in the shire and was
hopeful it would become Queensland's first legal clothing optional
beach when the State Government made promised amendments to the Summary
Offences Act early next year.
The amendments would place the responsibility for declaration of nude
beaches in the hands of local councils.
"It would be great publicity and great for tourism (to have a nude
beach here)," Mrs Brown said.
"We're the only state in Australia not to have one, - the first was
in South Australia 30 years ago."
Burnett Shire has already received more than 200 submissions on the
clothing optional proposal, with about 60 per cent in favour so far and
the rest against.
Mrs Brown said she was "quietly optimistic" and had been encouraged by
Premier Peter Beattie's response at a meeting set up earlier this year
by pro-nude bathing Member for Noosa Cate Molloy.
FBA's Anita Grigg, from the Sunshine Coast, said a clothing optional
beach in Burnett Shire would be a good location because of the region's
high percentage of visiting backpackers and "grey nomads". "A large
percentage of them are nudists and they'd come to the area and stay,"
she said.
Source:
http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17023609%255E3102,00.html
Clan_MacKay
newindpress.com
October 24, 2005
JAIPUR, INDIA: Rajasthan's Pushkar town was outraged after a woman from
Finland bathed naked in the holy lake.
The tourist, identified only as Aerona, apparently took a dip in the
Pushkar lake Saturday in the nude and then chose to walk through the
busy market to her hotel, around 300 meters away, in the same
condition.
This is the third incident in recent months that has caused anger in
Pushkar, over 140 km from here. One related to an alleged orgy by
Israeli girls. The other was the passionate kissing by an Israeli
couple that got married on the banks of the lake in Hindu style.
According to witnesses, the Finnish woman took off her clothes before
taking a dip at the lake around 4 p.m. This irked several priests and
locals who asked her to put on clothes. However, she refused and walked
nude to her hotel, taking three to four minutes in the process.
The walk caused chaos in the market. Several young men followed her
passing lewd comments. The tourist has been visiting Pushkar for two to
three years.
A priest, Subash Parashar, told IANS over telephone from Pushkar that
any such conduct in the future by anyone would not be tolerated in the
town. "It is like cultural pollution for us and we won't allow these
kind of things," Parashar said.
Pushkar is well known for its camel fair. It is said that the lake was
formed when Brahma, one of the holy trinity in Hindu religion, dropped
a lotus there.
The town has the only temple dedicated to Bramha, known as the god of
creation.
Source:
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEP20051023082758&Page=P&Title=Nation&Topic=0
Clan_MacKay
By JOHN BORDSEN - The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer
October 25, 2005
What's it like to live in a far-off place most of us see only on a
vacation? Foreign Correspondence is an interview with someone who lives
in a spot you may want to visit.
Les Rootsey, 55, is publisher of Australian Naturist, a magazine about
nudist camps and resorts in Australia. He is based in Runaway Bay,
Queensland, on that country's Gold Coast.
Q. Queensland is closer to the equator than most other parts of
Australia. Does the warmer climate make nudism more popular?
A. We're midway up Australia's east coast, where Queensland is the
northernmost state. Yes, it is warmer - subtropical is the best way to
describe the climate. I just came back from visiting Florida; the
climate here is similar to the Miami area.
And that makes naturism more attractive year-round. You can enjoy this
lifestyle throughout the year. Australia's southern states tend to get
quite cold during our winter, so they're not year-round in those areas.
Q. What's the Gold Coast like?
A. Again, similar to Miami, but smaller. High-rise buildings and lots
of tourism. Long stretches of white, sandy beaches. It goes for about
50 km - about 30 miles. Brisbane is on the northern end of this.
Like Miami, it is a major tourist area. We get a lot of international
tourists - from Asia, the European continent and, of course, New
Zealand, which is our neighbor.
Q. Is that who goes to your nudist resorts?
A. Many do come here for nudism, but it's mainly Europeans. Asians
aren't into it. Naturism started in Germany, originally.
Naturists tend to be similar types of people worldwide. There's little
different among them except the way they speak.
Q. How would you compare or contrast nudism in the U.S. versus
Australia?
A. Philosophically, there's no difference; the large proportion of
Americans who practice naturism are similar to those in Australia.
Aside from there being the "Moral Majority" in the U.S., which we don't
have here, there are strong similarities.
There are demographic similarities. The majority are 40-plus, with
fewer being younger than their 40s. From what I noticed in the U.S.,
there's not a large black population of naturists. There aren't a lot
of aboriginal Australians in the scene here.
The nudist parks are similar, though we don't have them to quite the
extent you do. We don't have the large population to support places
like Caliente or Paradise Lakes, in Florida. No places like that. We
have resorts, but nothing like those places in terms of quality.
Q. Are they on the coast? In the States these resorts tend to be a bit
out of the way.
A. Eighty percent of Australians live near the coast; naturists are
there, as well. But out of the way? Yes, that's how it is here.
There are no resorts directly on the coast of Queensland because land
costs so much. That's where everyone wants to live. It's economically
unviable to establish a nudist resort on the actual coast, so the
resorts are inland just a ways. You can't go too far inland because you
hit the desert very quickly.
Q. Are clothing-optional beaches popular?
A. There are quite a few of them - proportionately, basically the same
as you have in the United States. The quality is about the same, but
our beaches are prettier. Our beaches are sandier and mostly have
better surf conditions. In the U.S., beaches tend to have darker sand
that's grainier.
Q. Is there a surfing season?
A. It's year-round, but surfers tend to travel toward warmer climates.
As a result there's a seasonal shift, depending on water temperature.
Q. Australia has scorpions. Now, if you're not wearing anything on your
feet or legs. ...
A. I've never seen one in my life, and I've been here 55 years. Unless
you're in the desert, you won't encounter them.
Q. What about other animal life in Queensland?
A. There are a lot of kangaroos and wallabies. Koala bears. Echidnas -
they're like a little anteater. All the typical Australian marsupials
are around here. Anything dangerous? Snakes. But unless you go looking
for them, you won't encounter them. They tend to be shy creatures.
Q. How far inland do you go before you hit ... nothing?
A. No habitation? First you reach the Great Dividing Range, which
reaches down the whole length of Australia. Once across to the other
side - about 100 km (about 62 miles) from the coast - it tends to be
less populated. You see more and more of a desert type of climate;
vegetation gradually depletes. And once you're in the middle of
Australia, there's just sand hills and no habitation.
But lots of people travel in there. One of Australia's big attractions
is Ayers Rock. And Alice Springs is in the middle of the continent.
It's a desert-oasis type of place.
Q. Isn't Ayers Rock now called by a native name?
A. Yes, but Ayers Rock is what it's better known as. Only changed it to
the Aboriginal name of Uluru about 10 years ago. Because of land
rights, they've taken control of that area.
Q. When you were in the States, did you see what we call Australian
steakhouses?
A. Yes, and I was surprised. We have steakhouses, but they're not
Australian named. Foster's beer isn't sold much here. I don't even know
if it's brewed in Australia any more. It went out of favor and other
beers took its place. The big-selling beer is a brand called VB, which
is short for Victorian Bitter.
Q. What about the blooming onion? Got those?
A. Nothing by that name. I was at one Australian steakhouse in America
and didn't recognize it as being Australian or having anything that
necessarily caters to our national taste buds.
Source:
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/living/travel/12984859.htm
Marsketa
Burnett Shire saying they would visit as tourists if it became legal.
The address is CEO Locked Bag 1 Bagara 4670 or e-mail:
b s c @ b u r n e t t . q l d . g o v . a u
without the spacings.
Mark submissions "Clothing Optional Beaches"
By the way Clan (don't put this on rec nude), Marsketa is Anita Grigg.
Clan_MacKay
Bonnie Malkin - Sydney Morning Herald
October 28, 2005
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA -- Don't look now, but Sydney could get a new nudist
beach just in time for summer.
Naturists in Warringah are searching for a location for the area's
first nudist beach after council administrator, Dick Persson, yesterday
decided Curl Curl and Dee Why were too popular to accommodate nude
bathers.
Spokeswoman for the Naturist Lifestyle Party of NSW, Sylvia Else,
called on Warringah Council to establish a nudist beach in the middle
of Curl Curl and Dee Why beaches earlier this month.
At the time, Mr Persson said he would consider the plan if there was
sufficient demand from locals, but yesterday ruled out nude bathing on
Curl Curl and Dee Why.
"They are not suitable for swimming safely [outside the flags] and
there's a lot of people walking up and down the beach who won't want to
be exposed to swinging genitalia."
Warringah would consider setting aside part of other beaches for nude
bathing, Mr Persson said, but the final decision would be made after
community consultation.
"Early indicators are there's not many people who think it would be a
good thing," he said.
He jokingly suggested neighbouring Pittwater might be better suited to
the proposal.
"Pittwater are always encouraging visitors ... The far end of Palm
Beach might be the way to go." Ms Else said she was disappointed with
Mr Persson's decision, but would continue to fight for the creation of
a nudist beach in Warringah.
"The party will continue collecting signatures in support of nude
bathing at the locations that were suggested," she said.
"I will look at other beaches but they usually have houses in close
proximity and that's going to be an issue."
Initial reactions from locals showed about half of residents supported
the creation of nude bathing areas in Warringah, Ms Else said.
NUDE BATHING
Sydney's official nudist beaches are:
.Cobblers Beach, Mosman
.Obelisk Beach, Mosman
.Werrong Beach, Royal National Park
.Little Congwong Beach at La Perouse is also popular with nude bathers.
. Lady Jane Beach, Watsons Bay
Clan_MacKay
By STEPHEN LAUTENS - Canoe News
October 28, 2005
Once it was bake sales and walk-a-thons. If a charity wanted to raise a
little dough, they got busy baking cookies and buns. These days they
still put their buns on display, except now it is on the pages of a
nude calendar.
Naked charity calendars have apparently taken off since they made their
first debut in 1999. The first (or at least best known) Calendar Girls
were a group of woman in England who posed nude for a calendar to raise
money for charity.
It was made into a movie in 2003, but by then the idea of ordinary
folks baring all for a good cause was already speeding around the
globe.
In England they estimate there are more than 100 new nudie calendars
published every year for charity fundraising.
There are so many that the British Naturist associations --
representing something like 25,000 English nudists -- complained the
newest fundraising trend is cheapening nudism. It must be pretty bad
when that many pasty Brits think you're giving being naked a bad name.
Canada has not been one to be left behind, if you'll pardon the
expression. One of our most famous naked charity calendars was by the
Mount Allison University's women's rugby team for breast cancer
research. We've also seen a lot of the Canadian Men's Olympic Rowing
Team and the Manitoba senior women's rugby team. There has been a nude
calendar for the Peterborough Ontario Flood Relief, The Breast of
Canada for breast cancer research, and one by the St. John's Folk Arts
Council. The Folk Arts Council features Bags and Little Whistles, its
2006 Nude Whistle & Pipe Calendar. In 2004 it put out Pulling Out All
the Stops, which is maybe the only nude accordion calendar in the world
-- or at least we can hope.
An article in the paper last week announced that a health centre in the
town of Eston, Sask., is the recipient of the newest nude fundraising
calendar proceeds. The town (pop. 1,000) found at least enough men to
fill a full 15 months of its naked calendar effort, with some of the
pictured gentlemen well into their 70s.
With fewer than a thousand people in town, I suspect I know what most
of them will be giving each other for Christmas.
In a big city, you might be able to show some skin and remain
anonymous, but in a small town, being on a calendar like this means
everyone you meet knows what you look like naked. I'm not sure I'd want
to have grandpa staring out at me for the whole month of March wearing
only his Rockports.
It seems there are only two big issues for a man deciding to pose for a
nude charity calendar. The first is what to wear. Or if you're a "the
glass is half full" type of personality, what not to take off. The
second is what to hide behind. You don't want it to be too small, in
case people get the wrong idea. Stand in front of anything too big, and
people will either think you are shy or boasting.
I truly admire the people willing to set aside their embarrassment --
not to mention several layers of clothes -- for a good cause.
No one has, and hopefully no one will, ever ask me to strut my stuff as
a calendar boy. I'm afraid they'd take one look at me and suggest I
take my place as Mr. February -- the shortest month, if you know what I
mean.
Source:
http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/Lautens_Stephen/2005/10/28/1281830.html
Clan_MacKay
By Kristyn Ostman - The Beacon (Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, PA)
October 31, 2005
It has become increasingly apparent to me that the more I learn about
those wacky Europeans, the less inclined I am to try an alternative
spring break trip. Nonetheless, I continue to read up on the new,
sociocultural phenomenon across the pond. I am pleased to say that I am
rarely, if ever, disappointed when looking for a juicy new trend.
Recently, I came upon a delightful story about free expression, social
taboos and change. Above all, the reason this story caught my eye is
that it centered on nudism. Though I, myself, am not a nudist, it is
topic that I find incredibly interesting. The only nudists I've ever
seen or heard about have been far from the types anyone would want to
see disrobing, yet nonetheless, these ordinary Joes are living life au
natural.
Here's a little history on it: at the forefront of the nudist movement
was pre-WWII Germany. People joined clubs where membership became so
high that guards were posted to protect the patrons from peeping toms.
Now membership has been dwindling for the most shocking of reasons - a
general decline of social taboos across the board. Modern Germans do
not view nudism as shocking or wrong. In fact, it has become a part of
daily life. Magazine covers, television and even supermarkets maintain
loose policies on clothing as a necessity. Even if there are laws
against it, they are certainly not being enforced.
When nudist clubs were at their peak, members expressed the sentiment
that baring it all was about escape and total freedom. So why are the
traditional nudists so upset now that we're all liberated? Many might
look at this and see a level of hypocrisy. Nudists of old acting like
the A-list kids in high school; surely we must be mistaken at the
thought of these pioneers being so selfish! When I learned of the
enmity they feel toward the anything-goes regime, I thought about their
initial motives for donning only a pair of moccasins in the first
place.
Our traditional nudists don't want to be socially acceptable; they are
exhibitionists. With the culture moving to accept all walks of life
there is no longer a venue for them to stand out, which I suppose would
outrage anyone that is purely concerned with himself. The biggest gripe
I have about this public display is not the blatant desperation for
attention but having their ideology forced on me. Like telemarketers or
people passing out leaflets at the airport, nudists are pretty obvious,
and irritating, in how they share their values. However; unlike a
telemarketer, we cannot simply hang-up on a naked woman asking us for
the time because watches are just as confining as underpants.
Nudism is a growing subculture today in America. This past summer, a
group of seniors and baby-boomers gathered in Pennsylvania for some
naked recreation. It leads me to question how soon it will be before
people are walking stark naked to class. Laws in New York have already
been altered to allow either gender to go topless in public. Certainly,
this is not common practice now but rest assured that when you give an
inch, people take a mile.
Don't get me wrong, I don't believe that next year nudists will have
taken over but I do see where there is a foothold for the U.S. to
socially progress into a very dangerous place while continuing to taunt
how "free" and "accepting" we are being. After all, why ban something
that isn't hurting really anyone, or is it?
Clan_MacKay
The Associated Press
October 31, 2005
MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- A Troy University student sued the school Monday
claiming his rights of free speech and expression were violated when
three photographs of male nudity were removed from a campus exhibit
that opened in fall 2003.
The suit filed on behalf of Blake Dews, a fine arts and photography
senior, challenges the removal of the three photos from a collage of 16
that was part of a class assignment.
"The photographs in question displayed male full frontal nudity and the
university did not consider the photographs to be consistent with our
community's standards," said university spokesman Tom Davis in a
written statement.
The suit named Troy University, Chancellor Jack Hawkins, Jr., art and
design department head Jerry Johnson and photography director Robert
Joslin as defendants.
The photographs were part of a class assignment with a theme of
"birth," and included nude images of men and women. The suit said none
of those pictured "are engaged in sexual activity or posed with a
member of the opposite sex while nude."
According to the lawsuit, a sign was placed outside the hall doors
warning: "This exhibit contains some nudity. Please be advised."
The exhibit remained open until after Thanksgiving, when it closed
because of finals and winter break. The suit alleges that during that
time, Johnson told Dews that school lawyers had been consulted about
the three photographs, that Johnson told Dews he needed to remove them,
and that he may be in violation of Alabama's criminal obscenity laws.
Dews refused, claiming the removal of these particular images would
"compromise the integrity of the piece and distort its meaning,"
according to the suit.
On Jan. 11, 2004, Dews' said he received a call again asking him to
remove the photographs. He said that when he arrived at the school, the
photos had already been placed into storage.
Nude images by other photographers remained on display, he claims.
Throughout the fall 2003 semester, the collage was evaluated weekly
throughout the course by both Johnson and other students, the suit
alleges. Dews received an "A" in the class, as well as a school award
for the piece. Before the exhibit opened, Dews claims that Johnson and
another professor "expressed pleasure with how the work turned out, and
did not express any concern over the nude images ... ."
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Montgomery by the
Philadelphia-based Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.
Source:
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051031/APN/510311105